Theos-Talk Archives (February 2001 Message tt00069)

> Incidentally, HPB's use of the term "Dugpa" is wrong as I understand it.
> This particular sect were not -according to Tibetan scholars - Black
> Magicians. Does anyone know about this?

Bruce, one thing one should know and careful consider from the first is that HPB and all messengers from the Lodge make use of terms in its original sense. Many students misunderstand the messages because they understand the words as they are understood in a special (recent) period of time.
Another point is that we should not intermix statements on relative matterswith statements on absolute matters.
Example: When you read in the "Mahatma letters": "We believe in MATTER alone" then the Masters do NOT mean that Theosophy is simply materialism as some seem to think. Poppycock! Nothing could be more wrong. That Matter of thequote is not what we see as matter with our human eyes. The Master gives ahint wehn he capitalizes the word.
Another example: If you find KH say: "We will go on in that periodical workof ours" that you must not conclude that the Masters are working sometimesfor humanity and one time not - as John Algeo seems to believe (cp. Daily News Bulletin, Dec. 2000, p. 1). KH means that in the eyes of the world theLodge work is periodical. Compare it with the sun. The sun is rising and sinking - for the pyhsical senses, but in reality the sun is still there! The same with the Masters and the Lodge, they work uninterrupted for the uplifting of humanity - although we often cannot see it.

When HPB uses the term Dugpa as label for Black Magicians she does not say that all Dugpas are Black Magicians, but the elite is. It does not include that there are no exceptions. You may ask: Why, then, did HPB not say: "some Dugpas". There are two answers possible:
a) HPB was stupid or
b) she wants to make her students think and give them an opportunity to learn from such reachable examples a special way of thinking needed for deeperunderstanding of the esoteic philosophy.

Another example: When HPB says that the Vatican has wrong teachings it doesnot mean that there may no one priest within the Vatican who is honest andtrue.
Hope, this helps.
Frank