Theos-Talk Archives (February 2000 Message tt00028)

Feb 15

Dear Tony:

All your observations have value.

No I did not mean that one ought to start the study of Theosophy
in the KEY there.  I mean only to say that one could begin to
look up the subject of man's principles and consciousness around
those pages.

The study of the Mind (MANAS) is far vaster one than one usually
realizes -- and yet it ought to be done because we are all
essentially "MIND-BEINGS."  This could give access to discovery
and knowing what one's mental potentials and faculties are and
then seeing how we can make them work for us.  In doing this the
nature of the Monad (the REAL PERSON - ATMA-BUDDHI-MANAS) as an
Eternal Pilgrim becomes revealed.

Next if we are eternal students, and each life is a "class-'day'"
then there is the moral implication that arises -- what are the
consequences of leaning and applying?  Who is affected by our
desires, thoughts, acts?  Ourselves, primarily, and secondarily
others which whom we live and move.

I mention these things because this in NOT a dry and simply
logical, mental exercise and inquiry, but because the answers we
arrive at will modify our whole approach to living.

This as I wee it, is important.  We have so far established a
personality.  It is US.  But Theosophy makes us see that it is
NOT the REAL "US."  At that the personal "US" rebels (usually it
does not desire to be unpleasantly and perhaps painfully modified
into a new channel of discipline, of study, and of living.

There is a "war" declared;  and usually it is directed at the
intruder:  Theosophical ideas and ideals.  In the main, if each
of us mentally reviews their progress in the study and
application of Theosophy, they will have noticed the following:
The disturbed personality (US living in our past memories and
habits) does not desire to be modified.  Who wins?  Does the
power of the reasonableness of theosophical concepts prevail or
fail ?  The embodied mind that is the base of our personality now
steps in:  ARE THEY REAL ?  How do we PROVE them to be either
false or real?

If they do prove to be real, then when and how do we begin and
continue to use and apply them?
Our power of imagination and fancy are involved.  Who will
suffer?  Are we going to make others suffer because we adopt
disciplines that they will not understand?  Are we going to stop
some of our enjoyments, to make room for an arduous and perhaps
fruitless study?  Etc., etc., ...

It would be indeed difficult to start with that information and
no preliminary familiarization with the whole field and structure
of Theosophy.

In many ways our educational patterns have only given us a basis
of memory -- we have been stuffed with data and have had little
training in how to use it.  Mathematics like logic tend to
develop in us some power of logical thought.  In Theosophy we
deal with the following:  We are immortals.  The body dies and we
reincarnate.  Our acts produce moral effects that affect us and
others.  Thee effects do not vanish.  Their effects will return
in this life's future or in life.  How then doe we tailor our
living so as to make our future more pleasant?  How do we settle
any past debts?  What are our true responsibilities in living?

We may see from these questions that our thinking enters a whole
new field, and it has it rules and laws and assumptions.
Theosophy deals with those and because it does, it seems
difficult and strange to some who approach it.  How are we to
make those reasonable?

Perhaps we ought to recognize that at our core we know that
Theosophy is not strange and that it only deals with our
environment and personal situation as it REALLY IS.  That we have
been deluded up to now is a possibility.  It remains to prove
whether that is so or not.  The inner recognition of the value of
the Theosophical ideals is something that ought to be looked
into.  It may be labeled intuitive or instinctual, but then, why
do we have it ?

That is why we have the pages in the KEY that go before those I
mention, they lead up to that.  If we wand to start we ought
really to start with the 3 FUNDAMENTALS  (SD I 14-19)  But if we
open the SD we ought to first do what Comdr. Bowen suggests and
that is to read what HPB writes about the scope and purpose of
the SD -- which is the scope and purpose of Theosophy.

You are quite correct that in Basic one needs to have at least a
preliminary outline of the subjects to be covered (generally) and
the methods exposed, that have shown themselves to be useful for
students to consider in approaching it.

I would not go so far as to say that the study of THEOSOPHY is
"difficult."  It does require a careful approach.

Perhaps the most difficult of all things is the fact that there
are no "teachers," or "leaders per se.  Each of us being an
immortal SPIRITUAL SOUL has to be left free to make his own
decisions and choose his own path, and make his course fast or
slow according to his choices.  The sudden dawning of this
"freedom and responsibility" concept can be quite shattering --
as we (as persons) suddenly loose those props that have so far
bolstered our personality -- up to the present.

Shall we work at preparing such an outline?  First a pathway, and
show what the goals might be,  then a list of readings that would
lead to the kind of mental preparation that would be most suited
to study ?

I think there is great merit in your proposal.  Several cold work
on this together and bring up a good outline of main principles
and procedures that would prove useful for students to consider
in their future work.  Nothing rigid, only suggestions, as each
will invariably decide what they will do fist and how to guide
their own progress.

Of course the Higher Triad (Atma-Buddhi-Manas) is the permanent
INDIVIDUALITY, the Spiritual Person.  And the Quarternary is
called "lower"  because it presently serves as the basis for work
an-- and it provides the vehicles: body, astral body,
life-principle, and Kama-desire and passions.  But even there we
ought to remember that the lower 4 - the "personality" is
composed of Monads who are undergoing experience as potential
mind-beings (humans of a future Manvanatara)  and which Nature
has presently entrusted to our guidance.

How do you think we ought to proceed?

Best wishes,

Dallas

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


-----Original Message-----
From:	Tony [mailto:alpha@dircon.co.uk]
Sent:	Sunday, February 13, 2000 5:13 PM
To:	basic@blavatsky.net
Subject:	[bn-basic] Re: bn-basic digest: February 08, 2000



Dallas writes:

<<<<<<<<<If one goes to SD I 157 one finds there a table of
Principles in
Nature and in Man which covers the Theosophical explanation of
the way in which our world, ourselves and the Universe functions,
operates and develops.  If one goes to the KEY TO THEOSOPHY ( see
between pp. 91 to 176) one will find that HPB gives there over 80
pages to explaining the nature of human consciousness, mind,
wisdom and the scope of evolution.  All these factors need to be
considered.>>>>>>>>>>

Studying THEOSOPHY is very difficult, and this can be seen by the
real
difficulties members of the Theosophical Society have in their
attempts to
understand it, even at the time of HPB and the Masters.  A
trained
mountaineer finds difficulties, and a too high proportion of
those who
attempt to climb Everest plunge to their deaths.  It is those
very
difficulties which attract some.  The Masters said to Sinnett on
several
occasions to be Patient.  Why?  Even his wife was called
Patience.

What this is leading up to Dallas, is how is the newcomer to
Theosophy to go
to pages 91 to 176 of THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY and start studying it?
It seems,
at times, by studying THE SECRET DOCTRINE, it is then that we can
begin to
appreciate what an incredible work THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY is.

To turn to your suggested starting page 91 of THE KEY TO
THEOSOPHY, what at
first stands out is THEOSOPHICAL DIVISION....the LOWER
QUARTERNARY...on the
LOWER part of the page.  This table(s) is divided in to 3
columns, why 3?
To a person just coming to Theosophy, what is the lower
quarternary?  How
are we to get some understanding of what it is, as it has an iron
grip on
our lives?   We can see how a term such as "Astral body" can be
very
confusing.  How the term has come to mean a combination of
different things.
If we study the evolution of the races within THE SECRET DOCTRINE
we can
begin to have some glimmerings of its origins.  Those races, as
those huge
astral type bodies (now compact), are still with us.  They are
BECOMING...as
are the future races.

The real gem is TURNING the "page" - to page 92.  The act of
turning the
page.  Can we turn too?  Because literally, on the UPPER part of
page 92, Is
THE UPPER IMPERISHABLE TRIAD.   That is,  what we are.

It is a suitable title: bn-basic.  Where are we based?  In the
upper
imperishable triad, or in the lower quarternary?  Is Atma/Spirit
the basis
of all?

When we first come to pages 91/92 of THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY we are
much more
likely to think, why on earth is this table/tables on 2 pages, it
would have
been so much easier if it/they were all on the same page, so that
we didn't
have to turn backwards and forwards while we are trying to
grapple with
completely new ideas and concepts, and all those Sanscrit terms,
etc.  Much
the attitude of the lower quarternary.  It is to the upper
imperishable
triad we turn.  You mention the THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY many times
in your
mails and it would be good if it were possible to study THE KEY
TO THEOSOPHY
on bn-basic as we would then have Theosophy, in an ordered and
natural way,
as the basis of what we are studying.  The subjects flow
naturally from one
to the other and its beneficent effects flow as the cool breezes
of soul
wisdom...a true sense of BECOMING...

Tony



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