Theos-Talk Archives (June 2003 Message tt00117)

Hi. This is an interesting message. See below for a comment.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Katinka Hesselink" <mail@katinkahesselink.net>
To: "Blavatsky study" <Blavatsky_Study@yahoogroups.com>; "theos-talk"
<theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>; "young theosophists"
<Young-Theosophists@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 2:37 AM
Subject: Theos-World Bowen notes in theosophical history


> Hi all,
>
> The theosophical history conference has just ended. It was
> a very interesting meeting with a lot of new information
> and interesting people as well.
>
> The most important (in fact staggering) contribution, IMO,
> came from the librarian in the English Section, Barry
> Thompson. He reported that the Bowen Notes, that have been
> adopted by all major theosophical groups (including the
> ULT) - cannot be traced back to Blavatsky. Bowen himself
> can't be found in the archives before 1930 and his original
> notes have either disappeared or never existed. Bowen is
> supposed (according to the notes) to have studied with HPB,
> yet he wasn't a member of Blavatsky-lodge, nor of the Inner
> Group. Well, this is the sources as I remember them from
> the talk, the article will be published on my website in
> due time.
>
> In the meantime I think it is warrented that we all think
> long and hard on the meaning of this. To what extent have
> the Bowen notes influenced our interpretation of Blavatsky?
> I would say, in my own case, a lot. I sent an e-mail to one
> of the e-mailgroups recently arguing similarities between
> blavatsky and krishnamurti, based on these notes, among
> other things. The main issue is though, I think, the place,
> importance and interpretation of jnana yoga.

Wry: This brings up a key point: Making an assumption and using that as if
it is a physical reality to compare other material to and extrapolate from
depends on the kind and quality of the conditioned mind and the comparisions
that arise out of that. It may be a reality that I believe certain material
is connected to other material in a specific way, but this does not mean
that there is, in reality, the connection which I perceive. This is why it
is important to begin to verify the nature of physical reality and the laws
of oneself as a physicality in relationship to this. Eventually this new
kind and quality of uncontaminated information can begin to serve as a
standard by which to evaluate material. This kind of evalation does not
begin by comparing one thing to another, as what what is compared to what is
always selected out of a preference that is mechanical, but much , much
later, after many verifications, one can again approach material in this
way, but with more accurate results. And, of course, believing something out
of ones conditioned choice of a certain standard is not the same as being
drawn to a method by which one has an opportunity to develop impartiality,
the latter being a crossroad into something else..

According to
> Barry Thompson this can't be found elsewhere in the
> writings of Blavatsky. I know I have some long, hard
> rethinking and studying to do, and I hope others will join
> in this effort.

Wry: This is not in any way meant to be a personal criticism of you, who
has done excellent work in putting this out here, but, in my opinion, this
kind of error is the result of a certain kind of approach and will happen
again if that approach continues to be used. If this material was accepted
and incorporated in a body of other material under certain odd conditions,
it is likely that something similar has occurred more than once. It is
perhaps even to be expected, as the conditions of human beings are chaotic
and things tend to deteriorate in this way.

Again, in order to be able to eventually separate ther wheat from the chaff
re certain material, one must first have accomplished this within oneself.
It is sad to realize my own limitations in this regard, but when I able,
there is a rainbow.and the beginning of real possibility. Sincerely, Wry
>
> Katinka
>
> =====
> Katinka Hesselink
> -----------------------------
> -Those who observe, learn, a whole life long.
> -Wie observeert, leert , een heel leven lang.
> -----------------------------
> http://www.katinkahesselink.net
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>