Theos-Talk Archives (November 2001 Message tt00148)

Saturday, November 10, 2001



Dear Terrie:

your kind answer makes me think, and perhaps you will permit me
to pass on some of the ideas to you for consideration. See what
you think of them. But don't feel obliged to answer, unless you
want to. For me, this is of course "fun." But then, Theosophy
has given me so many benefits, I like to pass them on
enthusiastically.

Having a lot of books could mean for some that they have a mental
library of things they can draw on to quote. But being able to
do that is inadequate. It may include, or it may lack
DISCRIMINATION. But trying to learn to be able to make
decisions, and to be "adequate' to any situation, now, that is a
horse of another color. That takes real work -- work with our
minds. And "discrimination" takes a lot of consideration. some
like that and some do not.

Why not start with what we are? Primarily we are MINDS and we
live in bodies (physical) that are so well adjusted and have such
a good internal management that we rarely have to do much for
them -- and they have even learned to survive most of the abuses
people put them through -- at least for a while.

So we are Minds, and, we are Bodies. [Or rather -- a new concept:
we are helping the faculties latent and potential in our "bodies"
to develop (as it has its own compound intelligence) -- depending
on how we use them. In fact we are (as minds) like tenants
placed on birth in a marvelous home -- the body.] But we know
that somewhere in the depths of our being there is wisdom to be
had -- the Voice of Conscience ( or the Intuition) is a powerful
indicator of the existence IN US of a Deific Power. So, it is
said: we are a cooperative, made up of 3 elements: body, Mind
and SPIRIT.

Some recognize this easier than others. it is the source of our
almost instinctive (intuitional) knowledge beforehand of what is
"right" and what is "wrong." [ actually it is a very sensitive
"indicator" (like the needle on a gauge) that tells us: "Watch
out. You are going to break one of Nature's laws. You will have
pain and sorrow to bear as a consequence."] And this, of course,
brings us to the question: "What are, and, Where are NATURE's
Laws ?

Our Science in all its many departments are continually
uncovering "Nature's Laws." Those "laws" are inherent in
everything -- they are intelligent and cooperative and hold the
Universe, our Earth, and our selves together. Nature (the
UNIVERSAL DEITY) contains everything -- from the IMMEASURABLE
BORDERS of the Universe to the smallest atom -- its all ONE. So,
Science is merely uncovering the arrangements that INTELLIGENT
Nature has set in place ages ago. It is rediscovery. This is an
"aside."

What such a confrontation (internal) does, is to place before our
mind's eye the alternatives: Wisdom and virtue,. or Ignorance
and indecisiveness. One ought to note that the WE (the DECIDER
in us) is mid-way between these two, and can see both sides. One
could say that is the function of our Mind. [And, since we can
direct and use this function, our "mind" is also one of our
"tools."] One ought to ask why this is so. Why me? What do I
have, and, What can I do? How do I use my "mind" to direct my
"body" to do things? How do I find out ahead of time what the
likely results (in terms of "good" and "bad") are likely to be ?
How can I make decisions? Can I make myself wiser? Can I still
be "friends" with people if I become wiser?

There are these two extremes -- two fundamental concepts in the
world of thought which is for us our real world -- as we are all
human THINKERS. And they are almost always at loggerheads: One
is the: literal version of words and phrases. and the other is
the: MEANING that underlies, -- that is where we may find the
MOTIVE, and the "reason WHY," one says or does anything.

That is where the greatest difficulty arises. We have been using
this faculty all of our life, but have not always tried to find
our how it works, and whether we have any control over it.

What shall we choose? The logic [the EYE DOCTRINE, also called
sometimes the HEAD DOCTRINE), of the selfish and personal being
we are (here and now, all of us) -- well, as a PERSON, as a
physical body inhabited by an intelligence that is very selfish,
territorial, etc... and this physical selfish Intelligence is
actually a Mask for the INDIVIDUAL INSIDE who is Wise with the
continued experience of Ages -- and. IT is the inner "God" that
we sometimes recognize, or whose Intuitions we sometimes respond
to.)

H.P.Blavatsky wrote the VOICE OF THE SILENCE -- a short book (80
pages) but packed with practical applications of what she called
THE DOCTRINE OF THE HEART. This is opposed to the "Doctrine of
the Head." The Heart Doctrine is what true humanity ought to
practice, it is generosity, unselfishness, universality, wisdom,
assistance to the poor and the needy, education, brotherhood
covers it all.

The distinguishing factors, which we may recognize when we are in
a "detached state" is:

1. The DOCTRINE OF THE HEART is the view of an eternal being who
is INTERNAL to us, and who has become WISE with experience. It
resides in each of us. It is our TRUE SELF. IT is what we
sometimes call our HIGHER SELF -- meaning the impartial and
universal, charitable and brotherly attitude we all treasure and
seek to retain the use of. It is a portion ( a "Ray" of the
DIVINE ALL -- the ONE SPIRIT (or what is commonly called
GOD") -- that invisibly surrounds us all, and from which our
physical forms are differentiated for our use in this present
life-time.

2. The DOCTRINE OF THE HEAD -- the very intellectual and
totally detached view of an individual who desires to live as far
aloof as possible from any one else. Usually very logical and
entirely SELFISH -- in fact it enjoys its isolation from others,
and seeks to extend that situation. It will spend a lot of
mental energy to secure this abstraction. And I ought to
mention a 3rd group: the mixture represented by most of us,
partly one aspect and partly the other. We are either undecided
or ignorant of the two extremes. Our task is to learn, and to
decide where we want to go.

What we are able to think of ourselves -- after mulling over
ideas. Now. That is what really counts.

It is the ideas we make our own, and which we have proven to
ourselves to have as universal a base and as impersonal an
expression. Now, That is what really counts.

Well I have bored you enough.

Have fun,

Best wishes,

Dallas

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

-----Original Message-----
From: T----e H -- n
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2001 10:19 AM
To: dalval14@earthlink.net
Subject: RE: Theosophical History -- Religions and their impact.

Hi Dallas,

Gosh, thanks for the note.

Yes, I love these books! Myself, I don't have a lot of
books AND I sure do wish I did and was better read BUT
these, these books, yes, indeedy, I've 1st or 2rd
editions of them all!

My regards,

T----	e

CUT