Theos-Talk Archives (May 2001 Message tt00041)

<<<<JERRY: No, you won't find evolutionary development of
self-consciousness anywhere in Buddhism. To the contrary, Buddha taught that
there is no self, let alone self-consciousness. He taught that these are
dualistic terms that are transcended in non-duality. >>>>

<<Forgive me for "butting in but...."
Unless I am mistaken he taught , The Gautama Buddha , nothing but
progressive cyclic development through his giving his own "background" of
550 or so lifetimes devoted to the Cause ie: NO-SELF or NOT-SELF , if you
will.>>

JERRY: Buddhism teaches that individuals peregrinate and cycle and evolve as
mental continuums, but not in the live-wave sense taught by Blavatsky.
Buddhism teaches that this Globe D (a name not found in Buddhist literature)
does not evolve per se, nor did Buddha teach us anything about planetary
spirits and the like. According to the Secret Doctrine, we are all evolving
as a racial stocks of one huge human life-wave, and we will all express each
of the 7 principles per Round and Race, etc, etc. No work is necessary. You
don't have to learn or do anything except to keep reincarnating for a few
billion years and then you will be perfect. You won't find this idea
anywhere in Buddhism. Blavatsky suggests that we will all gain full
enlightenment at the end of the 7th Round and become "gods." Buddhism
teaches that individual mental continuums will cycle forever until they
eliminate their own causal ignorance, and then they will end their
peregrinations, that this can happen at any time even during this life if we
are willing to expend the required effort, but there will always be others
peregrinating. Also, Buddhism teaches that animalistic urges and impulses
can make us return as animals. The "door" that Blavatsky says closed at the
end of the first 3 1/2 Rounds, is not be found anywhere in Buddhism.


<<A DIVINE pilgramage to say the least , but CYCLIC and KARMIC and DEIFIC in
its development. wherein he was in that IMMACULATE position of giving the
DUAL TRUTH in all its GLORY and MAJESTY to those who could not fathom REAL
development , in other words , those who are and were enwrapped in the
short term view of attainment and enlightenment were in desparate need of
understanding the Law of karmic causation and cyclic return. DEITY and
NO-SELF are identical , in this students mind.>>

JERRY: According to Buddhism, our pilgrimage through the Cycle of Necessity
is one of suffering and is caused by our own ignorance of Truth. It is NOT a
"divine" pilgrimage by any stretch but rather the opposite - a falling away
from divinity/truth.

Deity (a thing) and no-self (a not-thing) are total opposites in this
student's mind.

Your take on Buddha and Buddhism appears to me to be in accord with the
picture given by Blavatsky (i.e., a Theosophical interpretation). I suggest
you read some actual sutras and tantras if you want to know what Buddhism is
all about (but then again, if you really were interested, you would have
already done that, wouldn't you?). Cordially,

Jerry S.