Theos-Talk Archives (October 2000 Message tt00280)

--- In theos-talk@egroups.com, "Tony" <alpha@d...> wrote:
> Art writes:
> <<<My concern is that theosophy not become a religion with 
holy scripture
> from Blavatsky or Bailey or etc. You can see the danger in this 
by the
> references ro authority.
> - Arthur Gregory
> =====
> "Nothing is higher than Mount Meru nor anything more 
expansive than the sky.
> Similarly know that no Dharma is equal to Ahimsa in this 
world."
> 
> - Bhakta-Parijna: 91>>>
> 
> Presumably you quote Bhakta-Parijna: 91, because you agree 
with it, and also
> you know that it is in no way authoritive?
> 
> Is it the case that there is not anything more expansive than the 
sky? What
> about the inner Kosmos or Mahat? Is there anywhere that 
spirit isn't?
> Something may have even got lost or changed in the 
translation?
> 
> And can we be certain that there is no Dharma equal to 
Ahimsa
> (non-violence?)...in this world? What about compassion - 
suffering - for
> example?
> 
> Tony

Thanks for your remarks Tony!

I use the message regading Ahimsa as a signature , so sorry 
you confused it with the text of my message.

The particular passage is from the Jain tradition.

Jainism is probably the most ancient and consistently Ahimsa 
oriented movement around. I am in sympathy with it and 
co-moderate a Jainlist egroup that has been around a few years.

Whenever jain monastics travel through our area I ask them to 
instruct my Yoga classes in Jaina Yoga known as Preksha 
Meditation.

The Jains have a long tradition of discussion with other religions 
in India and they developed a concept that may be useful to us 
called ANEKANTAVADA which explains the relativity of human 
thought and that various views should be permitted, this is 
incidentally at the core ofmy recommendation to theosophists, 
that we allow for freedom of thought and personal study instead 
of requiring a kind of orthodoxy of thought and opinion.

Some may wonder about an interest in Jainism, but to me it has 
been a most fascinating study and I have had the satisfaction of 
personally meeting some very fine exemplars of Jaina Dharma.

- Arthur Gregory


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