Theos-Talk Archives (March 2002 Message tt00560)

Sunday, March 31, 2002

As this subject has arisen let me quote from H P B as narrated in
ISIS UNVEILED on the subject:

It is made clear that that is not possible, but that the
CONSCIOUSNESS nd the integrity of the INDIVIDUAL can be projected
to distances, while the original host body is quiescent.

-----------------------------------

The adepts of Eastern magic are uniformly in perfect mental and
bodily health, and in fact the voluntary and independent
production of phenomena is impossible to any others. We have
known many, and never a sick man among them. The adept retains
perfect consciousness; shows no change of bodily temperature, or
other sign of morbidity; requires no "conditions," but will do
his feats anywhere and everywhere; and instead of being passive
and in subjection to a foreign influence, rules the forces with
iron will. But we have elsewhere shown that the medium and the
adept are as opposed as the poles. We will only add here that the
body, soul, and spirit of the adept are all conscious and working
in harmony, and the body of the medium is an inert clod, and even
his soul may be away in a dream while its habitation is occupied
by another.

An adept can not only project and make visible a hand, a foot, or
any other portion of his body, but the whole of it. We have seen
one do this, in full day, while his hands and feet were being
held by a skeptical friend whom he wished to surprise.* Little by
little the whole astral body oozed out like a vapory cloud, until
before us stood two forms, of which the second was an exact
duplicate of the first, only slightly more shadowy. I U II
595-6

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I U II 599 ....
A singular account of the personal interview of an English
ambassador in 1783, with a reincarnated Buddha -- barely
mentioned in volume i. -- an infant of eighteen months old at
that time, is given in the Asiatic Journal from the narrative of
an eye-witness himself, Mr. Turner, the author of The Embassy to
Thibet. The cautious phraseology of a skeptic dreading public
ridicule ill conceals the amazement of the witness, who, at the
same time, desires to give facts as truthfully as possible. The
infant lama received the ambassador and his suite with a dignity
and decorum so natural and unconstrained that they remained in a
perfect maze of wonder. The behavior of this infant, says the
author, was that of an old philosopher, grave and sedate and
exceedingly courteous. He contrived to make the young pontiff
understand the inconsolable grief into which the Governor-General
of Galagata (Calcutta) the City of Palaces and the people of
India were plunged when he died, and the general rapture when
they found that he had resurrected in a young and fresh body
again; at which compliment the young lama regarded him and his
suite with looks of singular complacency, and courteously treated
them to confectionery from a golden cup. "The ambassador
continued to express the Governor-General's hope that the lama
might long continue to illumine the world with his presence, and
that the friendship which had heretofore subsisted between them
might be yet more strongly cemented, for the benefit and
advantage of the intelligent votaries of the lama . . . all which
made the little creature look steadfastly at the speaker, and
graciously bow and nod -- and bow and nod -- as if he understood
and approved of every word that was uttered."*
As if he understood! If the infant behaved in the most natural
and dignified way during the reception, and "when their cups were
empty of tea became uneasy and throwing back his head and
contracting the skin of his brow, continued making a noise till
they were filled again," why could he not understand as well what
was said to him?
Years ago, a small party of travellers were painfully journeying
from Kashmir to Leh, a city of Ladahk (Central Thibet). Among our
guides we had a Tartar Shaman, a very mysterious personage, who
spoke Russian a little and English not at all, and yet who
managed, nevertheless, to converse with us, and proved of great
service. Having learned that some of our party were Russians, he
had imagined that our protection was all-powerful, and might
enable him to safely find his way back to his Siberian home, from
which, for reasons unknown, some twenty years before, he had
fled, as he told us, via Kiachta and the great Gobi Desert, to
the land of the Tcha-gars.* With such an interested object in
view, we believed ourselves safe under his guard. To explain the
situation briefly: Our companions had formed the unwise plan of
penetrating into Thibet under various disguises, none of them
speaking the language, although one, a Mr. K----, had picked up
some Kasan Tartar, and thought he did. As we mention this only
incidentally, we may as well say at once that two of them, the
brothers N----, were very politely brought back to the frontier
before they had walked sixteen miles into the weird land of
Eastern Bod; and Mr. K----, an ex-Lutheran minister, could not
even attempt to leave his miserable village near Leh, as from the
first days he found himself prostrated with fever, and had to
return to Lahore via Kashmere. But one sight seen by him was as
good as if he had witnessed the reincarnation of Buddha itself.
Having heard of this "miracle" from some old Russian missionary
in whom he thought he could have more faith than in Abbe Huc, it
had been for years his desire to expose the "great heathen"
jugglery, as he expressed it. K---- was a positivist, and rather
prided himself on this anti-philosophical neologism. But his
positivism was doomed to receive a death-blow.
About four days journey from Islamabad, at an insignificant mud
village, whose only redeeming feature was its magnificent lake,
we stopped for a few days' rest. Our companions had temporarily
separated from us, and the village was to be our place of
meeting. It was there that we were apprised by our Shaman that a
large party of Lamaic "Saints," on pilgrimage to various shrines,
had taken up their abode in an old cave-temple and established a
temporary Vihara therein. He added that, as the "Three Honorable
Ones"** were said to travel along with them, the holy Bikshu
(monks) were capable of producing the greatest miracles. Mr.
K-----, fired with the prospect of exposing this humbug of the
ages, proceeded at once to pay them a visit, and from that moment
the most friendly relations were established between the two
camps.
The Vihar was in a secluded and most romantic spot secured
against all intrusion. Despite the effusive attentions, presents,
and protestations of Mr. K----, the Chief, who was Pase-Budhu (an
ascetic of great sanctity), declined to exhibit the phenomenon of
the "incarnation" until a certain talisman in possession of the
writer was exhibited.* Upon seeing this, however, preparations
were at once made, and an infant of three or four months was
procured from its mother, a poor woman of the neighborhood. An
oath was first of all exacted of Mr. K----, that he would not
divulge what he might see or hear, for the space of seven years.
The talisman is a simple agate or carnelian known among the
Thibetans and others as A-yu, and naturally possessed, or had
been endowed with very mysterious properties. It has a triangle
engraved upon it, within which are contained a few mystical
words.**
Several days passed before everything was ready; nothing of a
mysterious character occurring, meanwhile, except that, at the
bidding of a Bikshu, ghastly faces were made to peep at us out of
the glassy bosom of the lake, as we sat at the door of the Vihar,
upon its bank. One of these was the countenance of Mr. K----'s
sister, whom he had left well and happy at home, but who, as we
subsequently learned, had died some
[[Footnote(s)]]
* A Bikshu is not allowed to accept anything directly even from
laymen of his own people, least of all from a foreigner. The
slightest contact with the body and even dress of a person not
belonging to their special community is carefully avoided. Thus
even the offerings brought by us and which comprised pieces of
red and yellow pou-lou, a sort of woollen fabric the lamas
generally wear, had to pass through strange ceremonies. They are
forbidden, 1, to ask or beg for anything -- even were they
starving -- having to wait until it is voluntarily offered; 2, to
touch either gold or silver with their hands; 3, to eat a morsel
of food, even when presented, unless the donor distinctly says to
the disciple, "This is for your master to eat." Thereupon, the
disciple turning to the pazen has to offer the food in his turn,
and when he has said, "Master, this is allowed; take and eat,"
then only can the lama take it with the right hand, and partake
of it. All our offerings had to pass through such purifications.
When the silver pieces, and a few handfuls of annas (a coin equal
to four cents) were at different occasions offered to the
community, a disciple first wrapped his hand in a yellow
handkerchief, and receiving it on his palm, conveyed the sum
immediately into the Badir, called elsewhere Sabait, a sacred
basin, generally wooden, kept for offerings.
** These stones are highly venerated among Lamaists and
Buddhists; the throne and sceptre of Buddha are ornamented with
them, and the Taley Lama wears one on the fourth finger of the
right hand. They are found in the Altai Mountains, and near the
river Yarkuh. Our talisman was a gift from the venerable
high-priest, a Heiloung, of a Kalmuck tribe. Though treated as
apostates from their primitive Lamaism, these nomads maintain
friendly intercourse with their brother Kalmucks, the Chokhots of
Eastern Thibet and Kokonor, but even with the Lamaists of
Lha-Ssa. The ecclesiastical authorities however, will have no
relations with them. We have had abundant opportunities to become
acquainted with this interesting people of the Astrakhan Steppes,
having lived in their Kibitkas in our early years, and partaken
of the lavish hospitality of the Prince Tumene, their late chief,
and his Princess. In their religious ceremonies, the Kalmucks
employ trumpets made from the thigh and arm bones of deceased
rulers and high priests.
---------------------------
time before he had set out on the present journey. The sight
affected him at first, but he called his skepticism to his aid,
and quieted himself with theories of cloud-shadows, reflections
of tree-branches, etc., such as people of his kind fall back
upon.
On the appointed afternoon, the baby being brought to the Vihara,
was left in the vestibule or reception-room, as K---- could go no
further into the temporary sanctuary. The child was then placed
on a bit of carpet in the middle of the floor, and every one not
belonging to the party being sent away, two "mendicants" were
placed at the entrance to keep out intruders. Then all the lamas
seated themselves on the floor, with their backs against the
granite walls, so that each was separated from the child by a
space, at least, of ten feet. The chief, having had a square
piece of leather spread for him by the desservant, seated himself
at the farthest corner. Alone, Mr. K---- placed himself close by
the infant, and watched every movement with intense interest. The
only condition exacted of us was that we should preserve a strict
silence, and patiently await further developments. A bright
sunlight streamed through the open door. Gradually the "Superior"
fell into what seemed a state of profound meditation, while the
others, after a sotto voce short invocation, became suddenly
silent, and looked as if they had been completely petrified. It
was oppressively still, and the crowing of the child was the only
sound to be heard. After we had sat there a few moments, the
movements of the infant's limbs suddenly ceased, and his body
appeared to become rigid. K---- watched intently every motion,
and both of us, by a rapid glance, became satisfied that all
present were sitting motionless. The superior, with his gaze
fixed upon the ground, did not even look at the infant; but, pale
and motionless, he seemed rather like a bronze statue of a
Talapoin in meditation than a living being. Suddenly, to our
great consternation, we saw the child, not raise itself, but, as
it were, violently jerked into a sitting posture! A few more
jerks, and then, like an automaton set in motion by concealed
wires, the four months' baby stood upon his feet! Fancy our
consternation, and, in Mr. K----'s case, horror. Not a hand had
been outstretched, not a motion made, nor a word spoken; and yet,
here was a baby-in-arms standing erect and firm as a man!
The rest of the story we will quote from a copy of notes written
on this subject by Mr. K----, the same evening, and given to us,
in case it should not reach its place of destination, or the
writer fail to see anything more.
"After a minute or two of hesitation," writes K----, "the baby
turned his head and looked at me with an expression of
intelligence that was simply awful! It sent a chill through me. I
pinched my hands and bit my lips till the blood almost came, to
make sure that I did not dream. But this was only the beginning.
The miraculous creature, making, as I fancied, two steps toward
me, resumed his sitting posture, and, without removing his eyes
from mine, repeated, sentence by sentence, in what I supposed to
be Thibetan language, the very words, which I had been told in
advance, are commonly spoken at the incarnations of Buddha,
beginning with 'I am Buddha; I am the old Lama; I am his spirit
in a new body,' etc. I felt a real terror; my hair rose upon my
head, and my blood ran cold. For my life I could not have spoken
a word. There was no trickery here, no ventriloquism. The infant
lips moved, and the eyes seemed to search my very soul with an
expression that made me think it was the face of the Superior
himself, his eyes, his very look that I was gazing upon. It was
as if his spirit had entered the little body, and was looking at
me through the transparent mask of the baby's face. I felt my
brain growing dizzy. The infant reached toward me, and laid his
little hand upon mine. I started as if I had been touched by a
hot coal; and, unable to bear the scene any longer, covered my
face with my hands. It was but for an instant; but when I removed
them, the little actor had become a crowing baby again, and a
moment after, lying upon his back, set up a fretful cry. The
superior had resumed his normal condition, and conversation
ensued.
"It was only after a series of similar experiments, extending
over ten days, that I realized the fact that I had seen the
incredible, astounding phenomenon described by certain
travellers, but always by me denounced as an imposture. Among a
multitude of questions unanswered, despite my cross-examination,
the Superior let drop one piece of information, which must be
regarded as highly significant. 'What would have happened,' I
inquired, through the shaman, 'if, while the infant was speaking,
in a moment of insane fright, at the thought of its being the
"Devil," I had killed it?' He replied that, if the blow had not
been instantly fatal, the child alone would have been killed.'
'But,' I continued, 'suppose that it had been as swift as a
lightning-flash?' 'In such case,' was the answer, 'you would have
killed me also.' "
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This ought to be known already to those who are writing on this
subject, if they have studied THEOSOPHY

Best wishes,



Dallas