Theos-Talk Archives (February 2001 Message tt00221)

Monday, February 26, 2001

Dear Dan:

Many thanks.

I think that is very valuable statement regarding Theosophy and
H.P.B. and how we ought to proceed as students.

We have to do the study to find out, then we will make better
decisions than if we do not read and consider the "originals."
In any case the decisions will always be ours.

Best wishes,

Dallas

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Blavatsky Archives [mailto:info@blavatskyarchives.com]
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2001 9:46 AM
To: Theosophy Study List
Subject: Blavatsky, Theosophy, and Pseudo-Theosophy: Some
Reflections


Dallas wrote:

>Yes there are differences between ORIGINAL THEOSOPHY and
>Pseudo-theosophy which has arisen AFTER THE DEATH OF H.P.B.
>The problem is to distinguish between the two.


Daniel comments:

As far as I know, H.P. Blavatsky was the
first person in modern times to claim contact
with the Theosophical Adepts, especially the Masters Morya and
Koot Hoomi. She claimed that in her writings
she was giving out the teachings of the Adept
Brotherhood.

Whether one is inclined to believe her
claims or not, whether one ultimately comes to accept
or reject what she wrote about, we do have available
HPB's major books, more than 1000 of her articles, hundreds of
her personal letters to correspondents, more than a hundred
Mahatma letters received during HPB's lifetime,
and voluminous historical accounts of people who meet and knew
HPB and her Teachers. Some of these latter accounts I
have compiled in my book ESOTERIC WORLD OF MADAME BLAVATSKY.

Here is a link to what HPB/Mahatma writings are online:
http://blavatskyarchives.com/hpbwritings.htm

I've spent more than 30 years trying to collect all of this
primary source material [it has been quite a challenge!!] and
also trying
to
understand BOTH the historical side of HPB's life as well as the
teachings
found in her writings and in the letters of her Teachers [an even
greater
challenge!!!!].

Whether one should label HPB's teachings as ORIGINAL THEOSOPHY
and
everything written by many other Theosophical writers after her
death as
PSEUDO-THEOSOPHY, I will leave for others to debate. What I do
know is that in HPB's writings and in the letters of the Mahatmas
we have enough material for several lifetimes of study and
meditation.
Who of us can claim to have read all of this above mentioned
material and
to
have understood all of it? I think I've read all of it but I
certainly
don't understand it all!

I've always encouraged interested students, inquirers, etc. to
carefully
read and study all of this original material. I don't ask anyone
to believe
or disbelieve what is written but simply to try to gain
UNDERSTANDING of
what is being conveyed in all this material from the pens of HPB
and the
Mahatmas. It
seems to me that far too many people don't take the time and
effort to try
to understand what HPB is attempting to convey in her many
writings. Far
too often we interject our own thoughts & understanding on to the
subject.
Nothing is wrong with that approach but I prefer to try to
ascertain FIRST
OF ALL what HPB's and the Mahatmas' views are on these many
subjects. This
can be a challenge in itself but it can be done. In other words,
do I
really understand what HPB and the Mahatmas are trying to convey
in their
writings? I try to always keep in mind that I usually have only
a partial
understanding of any given subject. I try my best to give HPB the
lectern
and allow her to speak. My initial goal is always to try to
"listen" to
her, to try to understand her view, her take on the subject. I'm
not saying
she is always right or anything like that. I don't believe she
was infallible.
But I do believe she was very knowledgeable. I'm simply saying
I try to
understand HER views, HER points, HER theories, etc. on the many
theosophical
subjects. The same with the letters of the Masters.

And I always try to keep in mind the following words of HPB:

"Every reader will inevitably judge the statements made from the
stand-point
of his own knowledge, experience, and consciousness, based on
what he has
already learnt."

How limited is our OWN knowledge, experience and consciousness?
I try to
keep my own limitations upper most in my mind as I try to grapple
with all
of this.

In a later post I will give my reflections on what has been
claimed and
written about Theosophy after HPB's death.

Daniel

---------------------------------------
Daniel H. Caldwell
info@blavatskyarchives.com
---------------------------------------
BLAVATSKY ARCHIVES
http://blavatskyarchives.com
Publishes rare & hard-to-find source
documents on Madame H.P. Blavatsky.
---------------------------------------
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http://blavatsky.cc
---------------------------------------
ESOTERIC WORLD OF MADAME BLAVATSKY
http://blavatskyarchives.com/esotericworld.htm
This new book contains a unique collection of
rare reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky's life.
---------------------------------------
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http://theosophyonthe.net
Easy Net Access to the Classics of Theosophy
---------------------------------------
You can always access our main site
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into the URL address bar the following
6 characters: hpb.cc



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