Theos-Talk Archives (January 2000 Message tt00022)

Jan 8th 2000

Our good friend Leon Maurer has sent a series of observations and
suggestions regarding the future of work that can be done for
THEOSOPHY.

May I respond ?
---------------------------------------------------
>From Dallas TenBroeck.

Dear Friends:

In my esteem one ought to consult the OBJECTS of the Theosophical
Society as a prime guide in determining exactly what Theosophy
stands
for.  I am going to say a few things on my own responsibility
that
have touched me deeply as I consider events around us.

If we desire to be real Theosophists and not merely dilettantes,
we
need to think deeply over the implication of some of the
following  :

1.  Brotherhood as an active practice.

2.  the acquirement of knowledge and the wisdom of the past; and

3.  an understanding of the invisible man that lies within each
of us,
the thinker, the feeler, the perceiver, the witness, the chooser,
the
Eternal Pilgrim.  Where are they?  What are they?
Why does the Personality hide them so well?

What do we know about thought and thinking?  What do we know
about the
feelings and emotions and our response or non-response to them?
What
are the "psychical powers in Man and nature ?"  How do feelings
and
mind interact?  Who controls,  Who is "in charge -- in each of us
?"

Theosophy as a system of study is one thing, as a system of
personal
and individual practice it is another.  It is not congregational
or
political, as it has no aims at influencing superficially a mass
of
people, so that they might call themselves "Theosophists."  It
aims at
providing that kind of reliable information which enables every
thinking person to make an impersonal assessment of their
natures.  It
provides a stable base of reliable facts from which to evaluate
our
life and work.  It does not place this evaluation in other hands,
but
asks each of us to do it for ourselves -- there is greater
honesty and
understanding in that method than asking anyone to "follow an
'authority.'"

 HPB wrote books and articles disclosing a great portion of that
essential information which, if read and studied, will change our
mental and emotional outlook and the way in which we direct and
live
our lives.

How can we pretend to the use of the word "theosophy" if
we do not know exactly what it is and what it can do?  There is
only
one way to achieve this:  Go back to school, read and study.  Use
our
own natures, minds and emotional/feeling selves as the laboratory
in
which to test our understanding.  We have to "go within."   Going
"out
there" is distracting to that kind of intense learning.

Theosophy is NOT for any great expansion of numbers, or for any
political or social reform . It stands for the self-reform of the
individual and invokes the universal MORALITY (ETHOS) of the
whole
universe.  It holds that when we understand ourselves, we will
act on
behalf of others with greater equity.  We will by then fully
understand that we are all self-made.  And, that "the hands that
strike us are our own."  Above all:  WE are the IMMORTAL PILGRIMS
and we have as a duty the diffusion of this information to others
(as
we originally received it) and the practice of it in our own
personal lives.

Virtues are not subjects for discussion or of possible adoption
when
convenient.  They are realities which are the sole and only
"doors" to
the inner life -- the life of the SOUL.  They strike, when
understood,
the balance between selfishness and altruism. (SD II 163-4)

There is no vagueness in real Theosophy, nor is there any
coercion or
persuasion of others.  Information is offered from the "history"
of the
World.  It rules and laws are exposed for our consideration as
Karma.

The fact is that everyone makes or breaks themselves.  The
opportunities are common.  We can assist others but we cannot
force
them to act in some one chosen way, or standard pattern.  Each
has to
progress on their own basis;  and this is always and only
determined by
a freely assumed choice.  Every human being as well as every
other
living thing in the whole Universe is a "free chooser," each at
their
own level of intelligence and responsibility.

We, as humans -- entrusted with a Mind, have a wider perception
of
the world, and of the Universe, hence our choices are more
potent.
Our responsibility is proportionally greater.  It is that
particular area
that we are developing.  On our choice depends much of the future
of
Humanity and its progress.  We will return, under the law of
reincarnation
to the situations for which we have laid the foundations this
life.  Is this
return to be one of assistance, or one of difficulties for us and
others?

We may observe mass movements, but we, as "theosophists," are not
expected to participate in or meddle with them.  First we are
expected
to reform ourselves and to make ourselves harmless to others and
true
brothers to all.  If we deem ourselves separate in any way, to
that
extent such an aspiration fails.   We are not "leaders."  We are
students.
Or rather, student/teachers.  We are obligated to "pass on" the
wisdom
in the same condition and unmodified shape as we received it.

The objective of Theosophical Philosophy is to display before all
the
facts and parameters of the actual inner Universe -- the causal
and
the effect side -- called Karma, that moves the outer range of
effects
that we perceive with our senses.

Efforts to amass a large following are not fruitful unless that
following is based on a moral agreement -- not merely lip
professions.
We are not dealing with statistics or political balances of power
demonstrated by the strength of mere numbers.  We are offering
ideas
that truly "rule the word."

Those who come to Theosophy and stick, are those who sense the
force of this do-it-yourself situation -- one that all may use,
as it
is common to all.  The sense of sharing, of solidarity is true
when there
is no compulsion made, and when the value of a common sharing is
seen to be in operation.  Vast funds are not needed, but strong
and
vibrant hearts are.  The Wisdom of the World, of the Universe is
what
we are privileged to study.  It is not our "property." it belongs
to all.

What are some of the basic ideas that Theosophy offers?

1.  Individual immortality is a fact, not something to be
"acquired"
by the use of rote, rite or ritual.  Nothing so superficial, but
rather, a deep perception of our ONENESS with the rest of the
UNIVERSE.  We emanate from the same source, and have as much a
connection with the Sun as with our parents or any other being we
hold
in respect.  Life is a universal force in which we all share
equally.

2.  We have unlimited responsibility for all our motives and
choices.
We cannot blame others for our condition.  We influence and
impress
for improvement or debasement everything that our feelings,
minds, and
actions affect.  This, in operation, is called KARMA.

3.  We all evolve together.  Our World and Universe is a
cooperative.
Each supports and assists others in some way.  Our physical body
is
one of the best illustrations of this.  We do not know enough to
correctly govern and manage it, yet it does this on its own.
Usually
when we try to do something to or for it, we make it more
difficult for
it to do its own job.  We are tenants to which a marvelous
machine is
entrusted.  Do we use or abuse it?  Do we "own" it, or does it
"own"
us?  Neither.  We are together a cooperative.

4.  Deity (SPIRIT) is universal and hence it is interior to us as
well as to
every atom.  It is the ONE SOURCE from which life, light and hope
are
derived.  Can we, do we recognize this?  Can we develop any
certitudes
in regard to this ?  Are we to forever remain ignorant and
careless
about this vital point?

5.  The highest worship we can pay is our momentary decision to
assist others without any hope of a "reward."  The more we give,
the
more we receive from Nature.  But do we actually believe this is
possible, or that this anything more than "wishful thinking?"  Or
the
fancy of some poor deluded soul who is "out of touch with stern
reality?"

6.  Nature is all and contains all.  Every department of life and
Science investigates, relies on, and uses some aspect of Nature.
We
could not live 10 minutes without the gift of air, or 10 days
without
the gift of water, or 10 weeks without the gift of food.  Nature
provides these in abundance.  We in our selfishness try to
sequester
and deny to others the free use of that which we do not really
own.
We create by our own selfishness and lack of charity the poverty
of
others and then decry their inability to "find work and improve
themselves."  What have we done in the way of active assistance?

7.  Our life is transitory -- when the time of death arrives what
have
we done?  What do we carry forward to the next life?  What are
our
character, our capacities, our hopes and inner ideals?  Who
speaks or
writes to this aspect of our lives but Theosophy ?  Is it
speaking
truth, or is it a voice lost in the wilderness?  Consider for a
moment
the "Sermon of the Mount."  Jesus uttered sublime ethics and
offered
injunctions which today are hardly practiced.  Are we honoring
Him by
disregarding them?  Do we still expect Him to "save us?"  If we
do not
try to save ourselves -- ?  Why do we expect to have it all done
for us?  (This is only an example, since we can offer similar
examples
employing the words and injunctions left to us by great prophets
and
figures of other theological groups just as easily.  We hear of
and
see examples that inspire -- and what is our response ?  Why is
it so
difficult to learn from others?

The rest is a passing phase, a descriptive image of the
surrounding
scene.  Do we use it for ill or for gain?  Where does wisdom lie?
How
do we develop thought, consideration and is it our duty to help
and
assist others?  If so, how and where?

These are some thoughts I offer after reading the posting offered
below.

best wishes,

Dallas
dalval@nwc.net

======================================

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com
[mailto:owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com]On Behalf Of
LeonMaurer@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2000 12:42 AM
To: theos-talk@theosophy.com
Subject: Re: Theos-World Internet Use

----------------------------------

In a message dated 1/6/0 9:19:53 AM,

ramadoss@eden.com writes:


>TS organizational leadership and "scholars" of Ancient Wisdom
seem to be
>very far behind in seeing Internet as a tool of efficient
communication. It
>could be that due to the generational gap that exists (most
belong to the
>dying generation), they seem to have difficulty in comprehending
Internet
>technology and how it could help making theosophy available to
the masses.
>While meditation and other techniques could be powerful in their
effects in
>higher planes, by themselves may not be enough in the physical
world we
>live in. Like using modern technology in transportation and
communication
>to get things done efficiently, Internet is the latest in the
area of
>communication.
>
>If we do not take advantage of Internet revolution going on, we
may miss
>a great opportunity in making theosophy available to the masses.
>If anyone is dreaming about waiting to be told by the
Theosophical Adepts
>the need to use Internet as a tool, we will be dreaming for a
long time.
>They retreated into silence over 100 years ago and are not
likely to talk
>anytime soon.


Leon Maurer comments:

The reason for their so called "retreat into silence" (on the
material plane,
that is) is that everything we needed to know for the next phase
of the
Theosophical Movement was already given us by HPB.  For one
thing, she said,
that we should teach the masses the truths of reincarnation and
karma using
the "language of the age."  After that, DK, a self professed
"teacher" of KH
and M (whether true or not), reinforced this by saying, through
Alice Bailey
(disregarding all the other fantasies and interpretations that
she may have
added out of her own mind), that that new language will be the
electronic
mass communication media to come in another 50 years or so (since
he spoke in
the mid thirties).  Was this a legitimate message from the
Masters
prophesying the Internet, satellite movie and TV transmissions,
satellite
telephony, etc., that had to come through AAB with her mass of
neo-theosophist followers -- since HPB was no longer around?
Should
theosophists of any stripe leave any stone unturned in following
up the
teachings of HPB?  Don't we all still believe in the Fundamental
Principles?
Isn't that what really counts in the long run?

It seems to me, that the Internet and the mass entertainment
media fulfills
both those "messages" of the Masters.  Their teachings were given
out, in
full, at the end of the 18th century to be studied and
assimilated by the
theosophical "companions" in the 20th century, as preparation for
their
eventual gathering together to carry out the "action" phase
destined to take
place in the 21st century.

Judging by the recent statistics of how many people today (more
than 50%)
believe in reincarnation and karma, compared to the beginning of
the 20th
century, is proof enough that HPB's teachings have been somewhat
fruitful.
But, the "masses" have yet to be influenced to act on these
beliefs, because
they do not understand their ramifications from a theosophical or
spiritual po
int of view -- as immutable "Laws of Nature."  To teach them, en
masse, will
be the work of those theosophical "companions" who have
intuitively
understood the real nature of the Movement, as well as the
overall "Plan,"
and are ready to take part in the next "positive action" phase of
the
Movement.

It's a fact that the "Theosophical Movement" always appears in
two 100 year
stages or phases, which correspond to the positive and negative
aspects of
all cycles (vide a sine wave) -- one phase, subjective (since its
on mental
and spiritual planes) and the other objective (since its action
is on the
astral and physical planes) .  The first, is when the teachings
are given out
in their complete form for a century of subjective study.  And
the following
phase, is when the actual work is done to objectively fulfill the
plan of
physical action.  Examine the 16th century teachings that
empowered the work
of the 17th century revolutions establishing the "rights of man"
in American,
and its reflection in Europe, and eventually, Asia, over the next
centuries
-- in preparation for the Teachings written by HPB to
subjectively empower us
during the 20th century for the objective work to be done in the
21st.

Apparently, the leaders of the TS and other "old timers" in the
movement,
while versed in the letter of the theosophical teachings, and in
management
of study groups are not the real "intuitive student's whom HPB
said will
understand the underlying meaning of her teachings by "reading
between the
lines and in the words."  Some of us, however, have apparently
gotten this
message many years ago and have  been and are now hard at work
following the
guidance of HPB, and preparing the new "action messages," that
are soon to be
disseminated through the mass media to fulfill this mandate.

Many of these new mass media approaches, however, are wisely
disguised to
appear as pure entertainment, with no mention of theosophy, per
se (which
might turn off many people due to the bad propaganda disseminated
by those
influenced by the Dugpas during the past century, or by its
connotation as a
religion)... But, the productions won't be non-theosophical,
since they will
include all its underlying teachings of karma, reincarnation, and
Universal
Brotherhood, as "laws of Nature", as well as the means to achieve
individual
"Self Realization," along with the means to actively realign the
Earths
internal energies and restore its harmonious ecology, both
objectively and
subjectively -- using the conjoined "psychical powers latent in
man(kind)."
(There has to be an underlying purpose for the third object that
couldn't be
too obvious on its surface, don't you think?)  Incidentally, some
of us have
individually received these messages since around 1976 on purely
subjective
levels, or by direct teachings from living "agents" of the
Masters -- since
there are many dangers if prematurely revealed publicly.

Therefore, be assured, the Masters are not entirely "silent."
And, since the
recent full moon at the winter solstice, with the moon at perigee
and the sun
at apogee, along with the planetary alignment, was a sign that
the spiritual
cycle is in close phase with the material cycle, the Masters can
reach us on
the mind level very easily now (and will be around for at least
the next few
decades, I would assume).  Those that can hear, will hear, and
those that can
see, will see... So, stay tuned --you intuitive theosophists...
Our time is
yet to come... And, soon.

On a more mundane level... Naturally, the high costs and skills
involved in
such media penetration would necessarily require the efforts of
professional
people with broad media knowledge, and who are also theosophists
(whether or
not members of the TS or other theosophical groups) -- in order
to raise the
immense funds needed, and to carry out the necessarily highly
skilled work.
Much of this has been prepared in thought, plans, blueprints and
"treatments"
over the past 25 years, and is now ready for initiation in
physical reality.
I, for one, have been active on the Internet  long before it
became the world
wide web, and active in the mass entertainment media long before
there were
satellite transmissions or cable television, and have always
recognized their
potentials for theosophical messages since I first picked up the
SD over
forty years ago and filled two copies with margin notes leading
to my theory
of ABC (see:
http://www.tellworld.com/Astro.Biological.Coenergetics/) and the
writing of the theosophically based Solarworld Chronicles, a
series of
theatrical and television movies (now, with current desktop super
computer
technologies, capable of being transmitted directly over the
Internet) that
are now ready for preproduction development.  There are also many
other
allied projects of a worldwide reconstructive nature proposed by
me and other
"professional" theosophists (in the ULT declaration sense), also
now ready
for "blueprinting" in the Solarworld Chronicles, as well as
physical
development when the time is ripe.  Some of the preparatory work
to set the
stage (also of a theosophical nature as well as disguised as pure
entertainment) has already been produced by other "underground"
theosophical
workers such as Spielberg, Lucas, Roddenberry, Kubrick, Bradbury,
etc., along
with a slew of other writers, producers and directors in all
media.

So, back to the future... Those of us who wish to take part in,
or contribute
to, or are interested in such new and upcoming efforts should
search on the
world wide web, and see how this is being done on many levels and
with many
parallel projects by various theosophical thinkers (overt
theosophists or
not) who are guided by the Masters and their teachings.  To get
an inkling of
what I've had in mind for the past 20 years, you might start with
my web page
at:
http://users.aol.com/uniwldarts/uniworld.artisans.guild/solwldcry
stposter.html

With no expectations, I would appreciate anyone interested in
further
information as to how they can contribute along these lines, to
directly
contact me by e-mail.  I am particularly interested in talking to
theosophical
ly oriented writers, producers, directors, production designers,
artists,
managers, technologists, computer graphicists, etc. -- with
professional
experience or useful connections -- as well as those who have
contacts with
such people or with other "theosophists" having direct or
indirect access to
substantial sums of money (for investment purposes, if not direct
contributions).

LHM



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