Theos-Talk Archives (November 2002 Message tt00846)

Dear Sir-It is clear to me that your eruditneness regarding the lineage of 
these things is profound, and far beyond me as a student. But, I have 
something to say because I believe there are other perspectives (at least 
0ne) to take regrading the Mahatmas that are as self-validateing to this 
student as your learned perspective is to you. I was a member of the T.S 30 
years ago and after a short stay of a couple of years, I joined the United 
Lodge of Theosophists. As a student of ancient wisdom in general I developed 
a focus upon the concept of Mahatmas, primarily because the concept of 
Masters of Wisdom as brothers and sincere spiritual human beings who became 
what they are through their own self-devised effort, is very motivating. And 
that is how they are characterized in true Theosophical writings. Now, you 
may feel, that becoming "what they are" is erroneous and therefore should 
certainly not be emulated. And, it seems, your decision would be made based 
upon what you have perused of the "Mahatma Letters". Frankly I would and 
actually felt similarly, if they were all I was steering my studies by. My 
study and the closest students within my circle of study feel as if they 
(The Mahatma Letters)are nearly impossible to use since their context or 
focus seemed to be to individual students. They are valid as productions of 
the beings attributed to, but their subject matter seemed to be limited to 
the student on the original receiving end. Therefore, and as such, they 
should never have been published to a general audience. I read them when 
they came my way as a member of the T.S. At that time, as I do when I read 
something difficult to characterize or to practically use, I put them on a 
"back burner", so to speak. Upon spending many years studying HPB's The 
Secret Doctrine along with her collective writtings as well as Willam Quan 
Judge's, Robert Crosbie, and others, it became clear to me that students who 
flaunt knowledge of the Mahatma Letters are doing so for some egocentric 
purpose. Why? Because when you place what the Mahatmas have said in the 
context in which they are placed in thoughtful writtings aimed at giving the 
student as much context as possible in which to understand their wisdom, one 
might learn something useful. Otherwise, the Mahatma Letters stand only as 
an inigma. Real, but rather practically useless. Those in HPB's direct 
lineage, which leaves out many, if not most writers in the Thesophical 
Society, who have recieved further instruction from the Lodge of Mahatmas, 
have never given a collection of the Mahatma letters to be printed. They 
have ALWAYS been exerpted and put in the context of principled ideation 
regarding a subject matter in discussion. Why exerpted? Because it is clear 
to students of the Wisdom religion, that the Chelas of Mahatmas are given 
instructions as to how the wisdom of the Teacher will be used. This trust is 
beyond question amongst those so chosen. In fact that is part and parcel of 
the Teacher-Desciplic realtionship. None the less, each student is implored 
to study on their own and to draw their own conclusions.
Perhaps, more importantly, is the ideal of putting to work the best 
ethical thought, word and deed that one can. The great Paramitas are most 
always overlooked by the phenomena addicted student. This great ethical 
teaching is pronounced by HPB and Her Teachers as the paramount motive 
behind the Theosophical Movement. This is true now and I know it was true in 
HPB's day. And disscusion of high beings and their powers are a terrible 
trap. AS can be the trap of high erudition becaue it can become an end in 
itself. The path which it uncovers may seem not as "tasty" to the mind, as 
the nearly tactle feeling of accruing knowledge, which leaves the mystically 
inclined, ethical student within, simply ignored. The becoming of the 
Pratyeka Buddha is at the crown of this while the Nirmanakaya is the product 
of the practice of the Heart Doctrine. These choices need to be made and one 
is making them by our inclinations whether we know it or not. A good thing I 
say. Sincerely-Steven Levey





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