Theos-Talk Archives (August 2003 Message tt00095)

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Dear Friends:


The Lower Mind - Kama-Manas (us, as presently embodied) can argue
endlessly about exoteric or esoteric without ever arriving at
anything but speculations.

Your suggestion that BUDDHI is the key is to my mind correct.
Buddhi is PURE UNIVERSAL SUBSTANCE, the sole "vehicle" because of
its purity for ATMA. Since both are universal we are, even
though we think of ourselves as separate personalities, permeated
with those, and we "bathe" so to speak in the SPIRIT that is
universal.

It is motive (creative cause, which, in our freedom we all wield)
alone, that makes for accuracy, truth, universality, compassion
and brotherhood -- when applied with concentrated will for
benevolence, they purify the personality by challenging all its
personal prospective choices into compassionate and
self-sacrificial actions. This ought to be our main focus in
these days.

It is the rectitude of pure Manas that enables us to perceive the
universal and impersonal spread of LAW -- based on cooperation,
and the unity of all beings (each one an immortal monad).

"Lift thy head, oh Lanoo; dost thou see one, or countless lights
above thee, burning in the dark midnight sky?" "I sense one
Flame, oh Gurudeva, I see countless undetached sparks shining in
it." "Thou sayest well. And now look around and into thyself.
That light which burns inside thee, dost thou feel it different
in anywise from the light that shines in thy Brother-men?" "It is
in no way different, though the prisoner is held in bondage by
Karma, and though its outer garments delude the ignorant into
saying, 'Thy Soul and My Soul.'"	-Secret Doctrine Vol I page 120.

Consider that the Lipikas (the scribes) record everything any
being does or says on the pages of the AKASHA. This universal,
imperishable record allows both DIVINE IMPERSONAL KARMA an
selfish personal Karma to operate and meld in due course.

"As said in "Isis," this divine and unseen canvas is the Book of
Life. As it is the Lipika who project into objectivity from the
passive Universal Mind the ideal plan of the universe, upon which
the "Builders" reconstruct the Kosmos after every Pralaya, it is
they who stand parallel to the Seven Angels of the Presence, whom
the Christians recognize in the Seven "Planetary Spirits" or the
"Spirits of the Stars;" for thus it is they who are the direct
amanuenses of the Eternal Ideation - or, as called by Plato, the
"Divine Thought." The Eternal Record is no fantastic dream,
.."
.-Secret Doctrine Vol I page 104.

"Connected as the Lipika are with the destiny of every man and
the birth of every child, whose life is already traced in the
Astral Light - not fatalistic ally, but only because the future,
like the PAST, is ever alive in the PRESENT - they may also be
said to exercise an influence on the Science of Horoscope. We
must admit the truth of the latter whether we will or not."
-Secret Doctrine Vol I page 105

"The question will surely be asked, "Do the Occultists believe in
all these 'Builders,' 'Lipika' and 'Sons of Light' as Entities,
or are they merely imageries?" To this the answer is given as
plainly: "After due allowance for the imagery of personified
Powers, we must admit the existence of these Entities, if we
would not reject the existence of spiritual humanity within
physical mankind."
-Secret Doctrine Vol I page 106

It is plainly evident that there is an aspect of the "Lower Mind"
(Kama-Manas) which KNOWS this as a fact. It is the inner urge we
each have to become divine and perfect in all we choose to do.
It recognizes the dangers of the personality and its boxed
fancies. It recognizes the universal expanse of true LIFE, in a
world of all-conscious Brotherhood.

"The Doctrine teaches that, in order to become a divine, fully
conscious god, - aye, even the highest - the Spiritual primeval
INTELLIGENCES must pass through the human stage. And when we say
human, this does not apply merely to our terrestrial humanity,
but to the mortals that inhabit any world, i.e., to those
Intelligences that have reached the appropriate equilibrium
between matter and spirit, as we have now, since the middle point
of the Fourth Root Race of the Fourth Round was passed."
-Secret Doctrine Vol I page 106

The basis for real Theosophical study, is to discriminate in our
grasp of the fundamental ideas presented in any writing or oral
say-so.

Adhering to the procedures of the past (as we understand them
with our Lower mind) is not Self-reliance. Understanding the
needs of the present, while adhering to the FUNDAMENTALS, is. As
an example, the line of spiritual Teachers we know of show They
all knew of, and employed, the same DOCTRINES. But they had to
present them differently at different times and to take into
account the changes in karmic conditions of buddhi, manas and the
psychic precipitations, that the race of man continually goes
through.

Astrology, if true, is no more than a rendition of a portion of
the Akasic records. It may be available if a person could be
found to use it for more than personal curiosity.
But it takes an Adept mind to detect the need for such a task,
and then, to read them at will. As far as we are concerned, it
appears to me, that much time devoted to such research may
detract from our real growth and lines of personal discipline.
That is, if we accept the request, by H P B, that we
PROMULGATE, and pass on a correct, true version of Theosophy to
others.

Best wishes,

Dallas

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



-----Original Message-----
From: J F
Sent:	Monday, August 18, 2003 4:54 PM
To:
Subject:	re Joe's "exoteric/esoteric," "consequences> ...

Your usages of "esoteric" do a good job of explaining both
contexts.
That's why I qualified the statement with "by exercise of
Buddhi."
On one hand, there are esoteric things which are simply
incommunicable by exoteric means, and there are esoteric things
which
are communicable, and are only esoteric by their not being
revealed,
and yes, much esoteric knowledge (as certainly modern science can
attest to) can be gained by exoteric means...with questionable
results.

As a specific example regarding esoteric knowledge of the latter
type, there are functions and results of yoga practice that
relate to
specific practices, astrology, for example, where one may deduce
certain puzzles, such as the timing of rounds and races, which is
specifically mentioned in the Mahatma Letters (see Letter 23B,
pg.
146, 3rd Ed. see also W.Q. Judge "Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali",
Section 3, Vibhuti Pada, #16)...I would ask what the consequences
of
such information, and the methodology for obtaining such would be
if
given to the public at large? Personally, I would not want the
karma
of revealing such information to the world, nor would I think it
very
safe for it an individual to be known to possess such knowledge.

What connection to Raja Yoga and Astrology you may ask?
Certainly
there has to be a means for the student to arrive at first
principles
to the point where the proper relations can be understood between
the
parts. For everyone that reads every post that Dallas makes, it
is
probably the most valuable point that could be driven home. The
Theosophy of the ML and SD is a Zetetic science, always
proceeding
from universals to particulars, but encouraging the student to
develop the faculty of buddhi in order to draw the links and fill
in
the blanks (of which there are many) in the world of phenomena.
CUT