Theos-Talk Archives (May 2004 Message tt00206)

May 27 29004

J Ross wrote:	what is theosophy?

Perhaps this will help


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THEOSOPHY SIMPLY STATED



THEOSOPHY, as the Wisdom-Religion, has existed from immemorial time.
It offers us a theory of nature and of life which is founded upon
knowledge acquired by the Sages of the past; and its higher students
claim that this knowledge is not imagined or inferred, but that it is
a knowledge of facts seen and known by those who are willing to comply
with the conditions requisite for seeing and knowing. 

As the oldest tradition of human wisdom, Theosophy has been expressed
in different ages by such as Krishna and Buddha in the East, by
Pythagoras, Plato and Jesus in the West. Following these teachers,
lesser voices have supported the central tenet of the philosophy -
immortality through reincarnation or rebirth. Bruno van Helmont,
Goethe and Schopenhauer, Shelley, Kipling and Masefield, Emerson and
Whitman, to name but a few, have all upheld the doctrine given its
full philosophical import in the Theosophy presented by H. P.
Blavatsky.

Theosophy is not a "Faith," for "Faiths" may be changed; but, being
knowledge which each can make his own, it is not dependent upon dogma
or revelation. Theosophists do not demand acceptance of Theosophy;
they point out its principles and their applications. Theosophy makes
certain statements, but not as statements to be believed. The object
of Theosophy is to teach man what he is, through showing him the
necessity of knowing for himself and becoming his own authority.

 
THEOSOPHY DEFINED


Although Theosophy contains by derivation the name God and thus may
seem at first sight to embrace religion alone, it does not neglect
science. It is the Science of sciences, for no science is complete
which leaves out any department of nature, whether visible or
invisible. Conversely, that religion which, depending solely on an
assumed revelation, turns away from things and the laws which govern
them, is nothing but a delusion, a foe to progress, and an obstacle in
the way of man's advancement toward happiness. Embracing both the
scientific and the religious, Theosophy is a scientific religion and a
religious science.

No new ethics are presented by Theosophy, as it is held that right
ethics are forever the same. But in the doctrines of Theosophy are to
be found the philosophical and reasonable basis for ethics and the
natural enforcement of them in practice. The ideas we entertain of
Deity and of the Self, of Nature's Laws, and of Evolution, govern the
actions we perform. We are now acting, either consciously or
unconsciously, according to the philosophical ideas we hold. Are they
the best and highest possible!

Theosophy is to be explained by reference to the three great
principles which underlie all life, as well as every religion and
every philosophy that ever has been, or ever can be. They may be
briefly named: 

(1) The Self, as reality in man; 

(2) Law, as the processes by which man evolves both in form and soul; 

(3) Evolution, as the design of life in terms of meaning and purpose.

 
FIRST FUNDAMENTAL IDEA

--DEITY -- The UNIVERSE

As to Self, and the Source of Life, the great Theosophists, both
ancient and modern, have recorded that there is One Infinite
Principle, which is the Cause of all that was or ever shall be. Thus
this causal Self, the only true "Deity," can be absent from no point
of space, and we are inseparable from it. 

Each one is a ray from and one with that Absolute Principle. 

This is the one realization which immediately sets our minds in order:
we are, in essence, THAT which is unchangeable and unchanging. Behind
all perceiving and knowing and experiencing is the One undivided Self.
The power in us to perceive, to know, to experience - apart from
anything that is seen, known or experienced - is the One Self, the one
Consciousness, shared by all alike, the Power of every being. Herein
lies the true basis of Brotherhood - the unifying bond for all above
man and for all below man.
 

SECOND FUNDAMENTAL IDEA
 
- KARMA -- LAW

The second great principle - law, is referred to in Theosophy as
Karma. Karma is the law of recurring cycles in Nature and the constant
tendency to restore disturbed equilibrium. Applied to man's moral life
it is the law of ethical causation, of justice, reward and punishment,
the cause for birth and rebirth. 

Viewed from another standpoint it is simply effect flowing from cause,
action and reaction, exact result for every thought and act. It is act
and the result of act; for the word's literal meaning is action. 

Theosophy views the Universe as an intelligent whole, hence every
motion in the universe is an action leading to results, which
themselves become causes for further results. We are all reaping what
we have sown, individually and collectively; we never act alone. 

We always act on and in connection with others, affecting them for
good or evil, and we get the necessary reaction from the causes set in
motion by ourselves. This presents to us the idea of absolute Justice,
in accordance with which each being receives exactly what he gives -
the essence of free-will.

 
- REINCARNATION

Indissolubly connected with Karma is another aspect of the law of
cycles - Reincarnation. It means that man as a thinker, composed of
soul, mind and spirit, occupies body after body in life after life on
the earth which is the scene of his evolution, and where he must,
under the very laws of his being, complete that evolution, once it has
been begun. In any one life he is known to others as a personality,
but in the whole stretch of eternity he is one individual, feeling in
himself an identity not dependent on name, form, or recollection. 

The physical body is merely the shell of man, made of matter of the
earth, from the three lower kingdoms - mineral, vegetable, and animal
- and is being constantly renewed and worn out from day to day. 

Man, himself, is that invisible entity which inhabits the body, which
is the cause of its present construction and development from lower
forms of consciousness. The body is but one instrument of the man
within. Other divisions are the psychic, mental and intuitional
natures. 

Each of these "instruments" is composed of intelligent "lives," and
when the controlling being withdraws at death, the "instruments" and
"lives" separate, only to be later re-assembled. In this separation of
the instruments of man lies the explanation of "spirit-manifestations"
- which are nothing more than the automatic reflexes of "lives"
impressed by the departed soul with psychic impulses.

The doctrine of Reincarnation is the very base of Theosophy, for it
explains life and nature. It is one aspect of evolution, since
evolution could not go on without reembodiment. Reincarnation was
believed in at the time of Jesus and taught by some of the early
Christian Fathers. According to the view offered by Karma and
Reincarnation, each is his own judge, and his own executioner; one's
own hand forges the weapon which works for his punishment, and each
earns his own reward.

Reincarnation banishes the fear and sorrow of death, for as sleep is a
release from the body, during which we have dreams, so death is a rest
and release, after which we are again incarnated in a new body on
earth. We come once more into what we call waking existence, and meet
again and again the various Egos whom we have known in prior births,
that the causes generated in company with them may be worked out.
Schopenhauer once wrote that this doctrine "presents itself as the
natural conviction of man whenever he reflects at all in an
unprejudiced manner."

 
THIRD FUNDAMENTAL IDEA

-- UNIVERSAL EVOLUTION

Reincarnation brings us to the doctrine of Universal Evolution as
expounded by the Sages of the Wisdom-Religion. The third fundamental
principle of Theosophy points to the fact that all beings in the
universe have evolved from lower points of perception into greater and
greater individualization; that beings above man have gone through our
stage; that there never can be a stoppage to evolution in an infinite
universe of infinite possibilities; that whatever stage of perfection
may be reached in any race, on any planet, or in any solar system,
there are always greater opportunities beyond.

Viewing life and its probable object, with all the varied experience
possible for man, one must be forced to the conclusion that a single
life is not enough for carrying out all that is intended by Nature, to
say nothing of what man himself desires to do. The scale of variety in
experience is enormous; every form of evolving intelligence in nature
either is now a man, has been a man, or will become a man. 

Further there is a vast range of powers latent in man which may be
developed under lawful conditions. Knowledge infinite in scope and
diversity lies before us, although we perceive that we have no time to
reach up to the measure of our high aspirations. To say that we have
but one life here with such possibilities put before us and impossible
of development is to make of the universe and life a huge and cruel
joke.
 

THE TEACHING OF HOPE

The two teachings that the West is most urgently in need of are those
of Karma and Reincarnation, the doctrines of hope and responsibility.
Karma, the doctrine of responsibility, means that whatever a man sows
he shall also reap. Reincarnation, the doctrine of hope, means that
whatever be is reaping, he may yet sow better seed. The very fact of
suffering is a blessing. Karma and Reincarnation show us that
suffering is brought about by wrong thought and action; through our
suffering we may be brought to a realization that a wrong course has
been pursued. We learn through our suffering.
 

WHAT THEOSOPHY EXPLAINS

Theosophy is the only system of religion and philosophy which gives
satisfactory explanation of such problems as these:

First. The contrasts and unions of the world's faiths, and the common
foundation underlying them all.

Second. The existence of evil, suffering, sorrow - a hopeless puzzle
to the mere philanthropist or theologian.

Third. The inequalities in social condition and privilege; the sharp
contrasts between wealth and poverty, intelligence and stupidity,
culture and ignorance, virtue and vileness; the appearance of men of
genius in families destitute of it, as well as other facts in conflict
with the theory of heredity; the frequent cases of unfitness of
environment around individuals, so sore as to embitter disposition,
hamper aspiration, and paralyze endeavor; the violent antithesis
between character and condition; the occurrence of accident,
misfortune and untimely death - all of them problems solvable only by
the Theosophic doctrines of Karma and Reincarnation.

Fourth. The possession by individuals of psychic powers -
clairvoyance, clairaudience, etc.

Fifth. The true nature of genuine phenomena in spiritualism, and the
proper antidote to superstition and to exaggerated expectation.

Sixth. The failure of conventional religions to extend their areas,
reform abuses, re-organize society, expand the idea of brotherhood,
abate discontent, diminish crime, and elevate humanity; and an
apparent inadequacy to realize in individual lives the ideal they
professedly uphold.

>From the perspective of Theosophy, life is one grand school of Being,
and we have come to that stage where it is time for us to learn to
understand the purpose of existence; to grasp our whole nature firmly;
to use every means in our power in every direction - waking, dreaming,
sleeping, or in any other state - to bring the whole of our nature
into accord, so that our lower instrument may be "in line" and thus
more fully reflect our divine inner nature.

 
THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT

The Theosophical Movement, broadly considered, is to be found in all
times and in all nations. Wherever thought has struggled to be free,
wherever spiritual ideas, as opposed to forms and dogmatism, have been
promulgated, there the great movement is to be discerned, for noble
action is inspired by noble thought, and Theosophy represents the
principles of such thought.

The Theosophical movement begun by Madame Blavatsky in 1875 has passed
through many changes - changes unavoidable in a period of transition
and among people whose heredity and training are obstacles in the way
of right appreciation and application. But out of all these confusions
must come the nucleus of brotherhood among all men and nations, the
formation of which these teachers had in view from the very first.

 
CENTERS FOR STUDY AND WORK

There are today, in America and elsewhere, lodges of working students
without organizational affiliations of any kind, engaged in obtaining
a Theosophical education and in making Theosophy available to the
community. The name chosen for this common endeavor is "The United
Lodge of Theosophists," under which the work of public meetings, study
classes, and distribution of literature is conducted.


UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS 

The United Lodge of Theosophists is an integral part of the
Theosophical Movement begun in New York in 1875. It is - as the name
implies - an association of theosophists irrespective of organization,
who are bound together by the tie of common aim, purpose and teaching.
Theosophy, being the origin, basis and genius of every Theosophical
organization forms in itself a common ground of interest and effort,
above and beyond all differences of opinion as to persons or methods.
Theosophy is the philosophy of Unity, and it calls for the essential
union of those who profess and promulgate it.

U. L. T. Lodges holding regular public meetings exist in a number of
the larger cities of the United States, among them New York,
Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Besides these and other
Lodges, there are numerous smaller groups meeting for study and
discussion of the Theosophical philosophy. The Theosophy Company of
Los Angeles (245 West 33rd St.) works cooperatively with U. L. T. for
the purpose of publishing authentic Theosophical literature, and also
serves as a center of information regarding Theosophical activities,
and invites correspondence concerning the Lodge or study group most
conveniently located for inquirers. The meetings and classes are free
to all, and all are welcome. Attendance involves no fees, dues or
collections; the work of the United Lodge of Theosophists is supported
entirely by voluntary contributions.

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I hope this will help.

Best wishes,


Dallas
 
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