Theos-Talk Archives (September 2001 Message tt00035)

Thursday, September 06, 2001



Dear Friends:

The question is not so much as who "received" what.

The question is: IS IT TRUE?

There is forever a cycle of teaching and receiving. The Teacher
/ pupil equation cannot be eliminated. But the implication that
there is "a revelation" requires to be additionally made valuable
by the independent and assiduous work of the "pupil;" in proving
what he received was right and true, and NOT a matter of
unquestioning FAITH or of BELIEF.

If Theosophy is a "belief" then the process of testing and
checking it is a verification by a large number of independent
inquirers who desire to know if it has value or is worthless. By
this process it is transformed into knowledge and eventually into
wisdom.

The teachings of Theosophy will be found to fill important gaps
in the discoveries and hypotheses built thereon by Science and
Philosophy. The various word Religions have already settled
their particular views in regard to Nature, God and Man.
Theosophy suggests that an examination of all Religions, at their
SOURCE, will revel a unity of teaching and of Ethics / Morality.

The Mahatma in writing Mr. Sinnett observed at one time that
either their philosophy was a true one or a "miracle" [of
precipitation] would not set it right. Real proof was demanded
in all cases.

In the MAHATMA LETTERS on p. 144 (Barker's Edn.) we find:

"...to show you how exact a science is occultism let me tell you
that the means we avail ourselves of are all laid down for us in
a code as old as humanity to the minutest detail, but everyone of
us has to begin from the beginning, not from the end. Our laws
are as immutable as those of Nature...we build our philosophy
upon experiment and deduction...Learn first our laws and educate
your perceptions, dear Brother. Control your involuntary powers
and develop in the right direction your will...I would not refuse
what I had a right to teach."	M L 144

As to who should "receive" truth, the Mahatma wrote:

" It is he alone who has the love of humanity at heart, who is
capable of grasping thoroughly the idea of a practical
regenerating Brotherhood who is entitled to the possession of our
secrets. He alone, such a man--will never misuse his powers, as
there will be no fear that he should turn them to selfish ends.
A man who places not the good of mankind above his own good is
not worthy of becoming our chela--he is not worth of becoming
higher in his knowledge than his neighbour....The world has
clouded the light of true knowledge, and selfishness will not
allow its resurrection, for it excludes and will not recognize
the whole fellowship of those who were born under the same
immutable natural law." M L p. 252

In The SECRET DOCTRINE., Vol. I, pp 272-3 the process of study,
verification and usage of ancient wisdom is fully described as
one which the Great and ancient Lodge of Adepts always uses:

The Ancient Source of Theosophy is thus described :

"The SECRET DOCTRINE is the accumulated Wisdom of the Ages...

the facts which have actually occupied countless generations of
initiated seers and prophets to marshal, to set down and explain,
in the bewildering series of evolutionary progress, are all
recorded on a few pages of geometrical signs and glyphs.

The flashing gaze of those seers has penetrated into the very
kernel of matter, and recorded the soul of things there, where an
ordinary profane, however learned, would have perceived but the
external work of form...

it is the uninterrupted record covering thousands of generations
of Seers whose respective experiences were made to test and to
verify the traditions passed orally by one early race to another,
of the teachings of higher and exalted beings, who watched over
the childhood of Humanity....

by checking, testing, and verifying in every department of nature
the traditions of old by the independent visions of great
adepts...{men who have developed and perfected their physical,
mental, psychic, and spiritual organizations to the utmost
possible degree.

No vision of one adept was accepted till it was checked and
confirmed by the visions--so obtained as to stand as independent
evidence--of other adepts, and by centuries of experience."
S D Vol. I pp. 272-3

If one desires to discover for one's self the value of the
Theosophical system and its teachings, we need to start with the
texts like the KEY TO THEOSOPHY (HPB) and the OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY
and having read and made our notes we ought to begin the process
of verifying.

Best wishes,

Dallas

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





-----Original Message-----
From: G------ S------r
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 6:31 AM
To:

Subject: Theosophy a "Received Truth"

Christianity was "received" from Jesus, who "received" it from
God. Buddhism was "received" from Buddha who "received" it from
his spiritual lineage of buddhas. Taoism was "received" from Lao
Tao, and so on. Modern Theosophy (cap T as opposed to the ancient
theosophy with a small t, of which modern Theosophy is a subset,
which was only "received" in pieces by different people and is
still largely "occult") was "received" from H. P. Blavatsky who
"received" it from her Masters. This seems pretty clear cut to
me, and I think Tillet is correct. The idea of having a received
truth is why lineages are so important.

Jerry S.