Theos-Talk Archives (October 2000 Message tt00263)

I think the issue of "authority" in seeking truth applies to an 
issue raised by Dallas in his sixth point:

6. Obviously if one does not study the record of Theosophy,
(I mean the literature left to us primarily by HPB and the
Masters in Their articles and letters) one is not in a position
to debate it either pro or con. Such discussion as has real and
continuing value arises between students who have made 
themselves
familiar with the records, and can discuss them accurately...

While I respect the dedication of Dallas to the records of 
theosophy I doubt that this alone should be a criteria in an 
argument. 

It seems to me that a kind of mind set or thought form is not 
needed when confronting or dealing with truth, which is after all 
the motto of the TS..."there is no religion higher than truth" ...we 
cannot expect the rest of the world to beat our doors down 
waiting in baited breath for the last word of any of these past 
writers and authorities in Theosophy, in fact it is often quoted that 
we should not rely on past authority simply because ---- said it! 
So if the most hallowed and revered among us is contradicted by 
a reality or truth, our duty is not to bury our heads further into
the 
sand, but to appreciate truth as we can understand it and be 
guided by that understanding. 


- Art


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