Theos-Talk Archives (October 1999 Message tt00003)

Peter on the Mullin translation of Tsong Kha Pa's "The Six Yogas of Naropa"

Peter wrote ( I quote only the most significant parts of his email
summation):

> As for the text in question, The Six Yogas of Naropa. . . . The edition I
> am referring to is introduced and translated by Glen Mullin, Snow Lion
> Books, 1997.  It is said to contain important Tibetan texts on the Six
Yogas
> by Tsong Kha Pa, the First Panchen Lama, Gyala Wensapa and others
>
> A great deal that is found in this book seems to me to be an an example of
> the very Tantric and hatha yoga practices that HPB and the Masters warned
> against and distanced themselves from.  Below is an extract from "Notes on
a
> Book of Three Inspirations".

.......
> This represents the final doctrines of the Six Stages.  Does this sound
like
> an esoteric doctrine indentical to the fundamental teachings and aims of
> Theosophy?  To me this comes across as black magic.  The above extracts
are
> from the chapter by Jey Sherab Gyatso (1803-1875) but other chapters of
the
> book, including that of Tsong Kha Pa explain hatha yoga style forced
> breathing practices, forced visualisations and sexual tantra, all mixed up
> with allusions to higher states of spiritual attainment - very
seductive.....

> ........
> Yes, I am aware of what HPB and the Masters say about Tsong Kha Pa just as
I
> am aware of what I read in Mullins translation of the Six Yogas of Naropa
> and to be frank I find it hard to see how the writings found therein have
> anything at all to do with the personage HPB and the Masters refer to.
> Rich, I sincerely hope that you are refering to a different translation
> which sounds a completely different note.


Peter, I think you have done an excellent job of summarising much of what
I ALSO got out of the book.

Yes, I believe Rich is referring to this very same translation by Mullin.

I see that Rich also refers to another book:

HIGHEST YOGA TANTRA
by Daniel Cozort.

Peter, this book appears to me ALSO to be  full of "hatha yoga style forced
breathing practices, forced visualisations and sexual tantra, all mixed up
with allusions to higher states of spiritual attainment."

I have to agree with you Peter that both books are good examples of
"the very Tantric and hatha yoga practices that HPB and the Masters warned
against and distanced themselves from."

How can this be since both books are in the Gelugpa tradition---one being by
the very founder of the Yellow Hats whom KH and M praise in very high
terms??

I ask Rich, Steve and Nicholas, what's going on here?

Read what is said on these subjects as found throughout HPB's writings as
well
as what is in the Mahatma Letters.  Compare them to what is found in just
these
two book mentioned above.

Are any of you suggesting that these are the kinds
of practices that HPB's Masters M, KH, Serapis and others of the Occult
Brotherhood
would practice or instruct their students to practice?

Colonel Olcott spoke of the Schools of HPB's Masters as follows:

". . . the Brothers. . . have told me that there are schools, under
appointed living adepts,
where their Occult science is regularly taught."

Are any of you suggesting that the Brothers of HPB condone such "tantric"
practices in their schools???

Can we just sweep all of this under the "theosophical" carpet and ignore it?
Especially in light
of what Mahatm Koot Hoomi writes about Tsong Kha pa:

". . . that is the highest form of adeptship man can hope for on our planet.
But it is as rare as the Buddhas themselves, the last Khobilgan who reached
it being Sang-Ko-Pa of Kokonor (XIV Century), the reformer of esoteric as
well as of vulgar Lamaism."  (Mahatma Letters, Letter 9).

IMHO, all of this is not some minor contradiction but a crucial, extremely
crucial issue that needs to
be carefully discussed and studied by all serious students of Madame
Blavatsky's writings.

I write this in a rush, but does anyone see what I'm getting at?

Daniel










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