Theos-Talk Archives (March 2004 Message tt00672)

Thank you once again for your postings on the subject.
David Reigle's articles posted by Daniel are most
illuminating, but imo I don't think they fully explain
de apparent paradox of Atma and anatma in regard to
the teachings of the Mahatmas. I found Leon's posting
equally interesting, although he seems to try to
reconcile both views by strongly putting forward the
theosophical view without sufficiently examining the
traditional doctrine of no-self in Buddhism.

I would like to suggest that dismissing the
scholarship associated with the Buddhism tradition,
developed in the past twenty-five centuries, does not
necessarily help the theosophical point of view on the
subject. HPB engaged many Oriental scholars of her
time, mostly critically for sure, but also
incorporating some of their views to illustrate a
particular point or points. Even the great Adept
referred to as the Maha-Chohan quotes Rhys Davids
("the most learned expounder of Southern Buddhism",
BCW, III, p. 398) as having correctly understood and
described Tibet's mystcal hierarchy of perfect lamas. 

For those who still maintain that the Mahatma's
Buddhism is completely independent from traditional
Buddhism I would like to draw attention to the
following passages of The Mahatma Letters:

"If it is objected that we too have temples, we too
have priests and that our lamas also live on charity .
. . let them know that the objects above named have in
common with their Western equivalents, but the name.
Thus in our temples there is neither a god nor gods
worshipped, only the thrice sacred memory of the
greatest as the holiest man that ever lived. If our
lamas to honour the fraternity of the Bhikkhus
established by our blessed master himself, go out to
be fed by the laity, the latter often to the number of
5 to 25,000 is fed and taken care of by the Samgha
(the fraternity of lamaic monks), the lamassery
providing for the wants of the poor, the sick, the
afflicted. Our lamas accept food, never money, and it
is in those temples that the origin of evil is
preached and impressed upon the people. There they are
taught the four noble truths — ariya sacca, and the
chain of the causation, (the 12 nidanas) gives them a
solution of the problem of the origin and destruction
of suffering." (letter 88, chronological)

In the same letter, the Mahatma quotes from a classic
of the Hinayana tradition (Theravada) and offers his
own translation(!):

"Read the Mahavagga and try to understand, not with
the prejudiced Western mind but the spirit of
intuition and truth what the Fully Enlightened one
says in the 1st Khandhaka. Allow me to translate it
for you.

“At the time the blessed Buddha was at Uruvela on the
shores of the river Neranjara as he rested under the
Bodhi tree of wisdom after he had become Sambuddha, at
the end of the seventh day having his mind fixed on
the chain of causation he spake thus: ‘from Ignorance
spring the samkharas of threefold nature — productions
of body, of speech, of thought. From the samkharas
springs consciousness, from consciousness springs name
and form, from this spring the six regions (of the six
senses, the seventh being the property of but the
enlightened); from these springs contact from this
sensation; from this springs thirst (or desire, kama,
tanha), from thirst attachment, existence, birth, old
age and death, grief, lamentation, suffering,
dejection and despair. Again by the destruction of
ignorance, the samkharas are destroyed, and their
consciousness, name and form, the six regions,
contact, sensation, thirst, attachment (selfishness),
existence, birth, old age, death, grief, lamentation,
suffering, dejection, and despair are destroyed. Such
is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.”

Knowing this the Blessed One uttered this solemn
utterance:

“When the real nature of things becomes clear to the
meditating Bhikshu, then all his doubts fade away
since he has learned what is that nature and what its
cause. From ignorance spring all the evils. From
knowledge comes the cessation of this mass of misery,
and then the meditating Brahmana stands dispelling the
hosts of Mara like the sun that illuminates the sky.”

Meditation here means the superhuman (not
supernatural) qualities, or arhatship in its highest
of spiritual powers." (letter 88, chronological)

On another letter, Mahatma K.H. includes both
"Sakkayaditthi" and "Attavada" as being connected with
two other "Skandhas", of which traditionally five only
are mentioned. Is there a clue here to our subject in
this following passage:

"It is the group of Skandhas that form and constitute
the physical and mental individuality we call man (or
any being). This group consists (in the exoteric
teaching) of five Skandhas, namely: Rupa — the
material properties or attributes; Vedana —
sensations; Sanna — abstract ideas; Samkara —
tendencies both physical and mental; and Vinnana —
mental powers, an amplification of the fourth —
meaning the mental, physical and moral
predispositions. We add to them two more, the nature
and names of which you may learn hereafter. Suffice
for the present to let you know that they are
connected with, and productive of Sakkayaditthi, the
“heresy or delusion of individuality” and of Attavada
“the doctrine of Self,” both of which (in the case of
the fifth principle, the soul) lead to the maya of
heresy and belief in the efficacy of vain rites and
ceremonies, in prayers and intercession." (letter 68,
chronological)

Finally, let me say that far from being an expert on
the subject I just wanted, as a student of Theosophy,
to share my sense of wonder at this particular
question. I am convinced that the Mahatmas were (and
are) Buddhists, that they had a lively interaction
with the Buddhist communities in Tibet at that time,
but that at the same time they were custodians of a
very ancient teaching that precedes Buddhism. Perhaps
their identification with the Buddhist tradition may
come from the fact that it was the least distorted of
the existing religious traditions. Perhaps.

Pedro

PS - I am sorry for another long posting. It is the
last one! 







__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time.
http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html