Theos-Talk Archives (August 2004 Message tt00430)

Aug 22 2004

RE: Transcription of HPB material

Dear Doss:

That is why so many deep students do their own careful reading and study.  

Every time there is a copy made there is the potential of such alterations.

However there is a vast difference between unintentional omissions and
possible errors and those that are done deliberately to change the meaning
of the original text.

Our THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT brief history of about 125 years shows, and it can
be proved by anyone who wants to proof read, that when the first plates made
for the SECRET DOCTRINE in 1888 were worn out by reprinting, the "3rd and
revised EDITION," prepared after HPB's death under the editorship of Annie
Besant and issued in 1893, showed over 40,000 alterations, some minor and
many that actually changed HPB's original meaning. 

Then later in 1897 there was issued the 3rd Volume of the SECRET DOCTRINE
also done by her. And this does not in any way resemble the kind of writing
which passages in the first two volumes describe. 

It is said that she used MSS HPB had left unedited in her desk and whether
Annie Besant printed it as HPB wrote it or whether she altered it, we have
no way of finding out.  

By reading the matter offered it is possible to see that in some cases HPB's
statements made in earlier writings have been changed or deviated from.


Dallas
 
See below:

------------------------------------------------------


Re: 3RD VOLUME of the book The SECRET DOCTRINE

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

To secure a view of what H P B's intent is we ought to go directly to what
she wrote concerning the nature and scope of the 3rd and 4th Volumes of The
SECRET DOCTRINE"

FROM The SECRET DOCTRINE (published in 1888, we quote):--

S D I xxix-xl	"The writer will have to give historical and trustworthy
names.as also to name some of the famous proficients in the secret arts and
science, along with the mysteries of the latter, as they are divulged, or
rather, partially presented before the public in their strange archaic
form.Such a point of preliminary observation, for those who would like to
get a more correct understanding of the mysteries of the pre-archaic periods
given in the texts, cannot be offered to them in these two volumes. But if
the reader has patience, and would glance at the present state of beliefs
and creeds in Europe, compare and check it with what is known of the history
of the ages directly preceding and following the Christian era, then he will
find all this in Volume III, of this work.

In that volume a brief recapitulation will be made of all the principal
adepts known to history, and the downfall of the mysteries will be
described; after which the disappearance and final and systematic
elimination from the memory of men of the real nature of initiation and the
Sacred Science. From that time its teachings became Occult, and Magic
sailed but too often under the venerable but frequently misleading name of
Hermetic philosophy.."


S D I vii	"Even the two volumes now issued do not complete the scheme,
and these do not treat exhaustively of the subjects dealt with in them. A
large quantity of material has already been prepared, dealing with the
history of occultism as contained in the lives of the great Adepts of the
Aryan race, and showing the bearing of the occult philosophy upon the
conduct of life, as it is and as it ought to be. Should the present volumes
meet with a favourable reception, no efforts will be spared to carry out the
scheme of the work in its entirety. The third volume is entirely ready;
the fourth almost so."


S D II p. 106	"There is no space to describe these "fires" and their real
meaning here, though we may attempt to do so if the third and fourth volumes
of this work are ever published."


S D II p. 437	"In Volume III, of this work (the said volume and the IVth
being almost ready) a brief history of all the great adepts known to the
ancients and the moderns in their chronological order will be given, as
also a bird's eye view of the Mysteries, their birth, growth, decay, and
final death--in Europe. This could not find room in the present work.
Volume IV will be almost entirely devoted to Occult teachings."


S D II p. 798	"Thus far have proceeded the rough outlines of the beliefs
and tenets of the archaic, earliest Races.But our explanations are by no
means complete.Our main concern was simply to prepare the soil. This, we
trust we have done. These two volumes only constitute the work of a pioneer
who has forced his way into the well-nigh impenetrable jungle of the virgin
forests of the Land of the Occult. A commencement has been made to fell and
uproot the deadly upas trees of superstition, prejudice, and conceited
ignorance, so that these two volumes should form for the student a fitting
prelude for Volumes III, and IV. Until the rubbish of the ages is cleared
away from the minds of the Theosophists to whom these volumes are dedicated,
it is impossible that the more practical teachings contained in the third
Volume should be understood. Consequently it depends upon the reception
with which Volumes I and II will meet at the hands of Theosophists and
Mystics, whether these last two volumes will ever be published, though they
are almost completed."


In addition, in 1891 let us look at H. P. Blavatsky's article: THE NEGATORS
OF SCIENCE -- Lucifer, April 1891, reprinted in U L T edition -- H P B
Articles, Vol. 2, pp 80-1.   

In this last article she wrote, in part:
 
 
"...this third volume (now almost ready) treats of the ancient
Mysteries of Initiation, gives sketches--from the esoteric
stand-point--of many of the most famous and historically known
philosophers and hierophants...from the archaic down to the
Christian era, and traces the teachings of all these sages to one
and the same source of all knowledge and science--the esoteric
doctrine of WISDOM-RELIGION....Now the main point of Volume III
of The SECRET DOCTRINE is to prove, by tracing and explaining the
blinds in the works of ancient Indian, Greek, and other
philosophers of note, and also in the ancient Scriptures--the
presence of an uninterrupted esoteric allegorical method and
symbolism; to show, as far as lawful, that with the keys of
interpretation as taught in the Eastern Hindo-Buddhistic Cannon
of Occultism, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Sutras, the epic
poems of India and Greece, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the
Scandinavian Eddas, as well as the Hebrew Bible, and even the
classical writings of Initiates (such as Plato, among
others)--all from first to last, yield a meaning quite different
from their dead letter texts. "
[ H P B Articles Vol. II, pp. 80-1, U L T Edition ]

The one aspect that is unclear and, important, is:

In regard to the matter issued by Mrs. Annie Besant as the THIRD VOLUME OF
The SECRET DOCTRINE -- How much did Mrs. Besant (whom Mr. Mead says was
solely responsible for its editing) change and edit it from what
H.P.Blavatsky wrote ?

Let us use an example:

The 3rd and Revised EDITION of the S D Vols. I and II, in re-set type in
1893 (not Volume III of 1897) is shown to contain about 40,000 alterations
from the 1888 edition (the original) as first published. Some of these are
minor, and others appear to be major.  

Mr. Judge made no written protest that is known concerning the changes in
the "3rd and Revised Edition of The SECRET DOCTRINE (1888) " published in
1893, and using new types." He was still alive when this was issued.

A number of students are of the opinion that the "ORIGINAL EDITION OF 1888"
contains certain codes, and some of those are dependent on the phrasing and
the capitalization and the actual words that HPB and the Masters used in
that book.

If that concept is thrown aside, then the "3rd VOLUME" (1897) can be
considered as possibly authentic in INTENT, but not as to CONTENT. In other
words it may not be consistent with the ORIGINAL MSS that HPB had left.
Also, on reviewing the Contents, it shows that the full scheme envisaged by
H P B (as advertised in Vols. I and II) was not to be found there.

Older students state that it is based on unedited and unprinted MSS that HPB
had in her possession. But if those have been changed and altered, by Mrs.
Besant's editing, and then published as the "Third Volume of The SECRET
DOCTRINE of 1897," how can we depend absolutely on them ? This "THIRD
VOLUME of the S D" was issued in 1897, or 2 years after Mr. Judge's death.

Some of those MSS were published posthumously but almost immediately in
LUCIFER. And they have been accepted as "original HPB."

The content and statements made in some of the articles published by Mrs.
Besant as part of the "THIRD VOLUME OF THE S D " do not closely dovetail (in
the esteem of several students) with statements made, the style, and
orthography used in the ORIGINAL 1888 S D, and in several of her articles
published after that date. It is therefore difficult to agree to use those
as a basis for presenting original Theosophy and its doctrines.

In other words they show a peculiar lack of cohesiveness and continuity with
those statements and teachings H P B made in those writings she actually
EDITED HERSELF. Now it may be argued that these are minor and perhaps they
are also insignificant. However they do represent a DIFFERENCE. So it may
be wise to set them aside as having been tampered with.

It is also significant that after HPB's death Mrs. Besant arrogated to
herself the right and "duty ?" of editing HPB as she thought HPB would like
it. This manifests as early as 1893 -- two years after HPB's death. Mrs.
Besant's subsequent writings show this tendency to divergence and ultimately
this has brought an important change in the presentation of THEOSOPHY when
the THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY fell under her Presidency after Col. Olcott's
death (1907).

One need only look at the contents of LUCIFER, the VAHAN, and the
THEOSOPHIST, comparing them with the contents of The PATH and the
THEOSOPHICAL FORUM during the years 1894 to 1896 (during the attacks on Mr.
W.Q.Judge's character and standing in the T S) to realize how this
divergence was magnified as the FIRST OBJECT of the T S (Brotherhood ) was
abrogated.

In addition if one desires to catalog the divergence one need only consult
Margaret Thomas' book THEOSOPHY or NEO-THEOSOPHY to notice that changes in
Theosophical presentation that had become prevalent between 1891 and 1923.
And these are still in use and most members of the T S are unaware of the
importance of Mr. Judge's writings, as they have been neglected. Even HPB's
writings in their original form have been neglected. Apparently only those
who are scholarly delve into and resurrect for their own study and work
those neglected writings - and profit therefrom.

=======================================
 
 
... Here are some opinions to consider: They may differ.  
 
 
After Mr. Judge's death in 1895, Mrs. Annie. Besant, who
remained the Editor of LUCIFER, sent to press a collection of
articles that had been written, and left unedited in her drawers
by H P B, along with other material.
 
These appear to have not been edited by H.P.Blavatsky for their
final printing in LUCIFER or THEOSOPHIST, or as part of the next
volume (the third) of The SECRET DOCTRINE . So we do not know
if the material printed in the "3rd Vol. SECRET DOCTRINE" (of
1897) is as H P B would have issued it. Of the 4th Vol., H P B
gives only a sketchy hint in the pages of SECRET DOCTRINE Vols. 1
& 2.
 
This "3rd Vol. of The SECRET DOCTRINE" was issued by Annie Besant
as Editor, through the Theosophical Publishing House in 1897.
 
It is the READER who will have to decide if this "3rd Vol." is genuine. It
is quite possible that Mrs. Besant edited the book in whole or in part.
 
What the reader should always remember is : As indicated in the
VOICE OF THE SILENCE, there is a difference between the "Doctrine
of the Eye" and the Doctrine of the Heart." Each student will
have to decide on those as applied to this "3rd Volume."
 
But, to be able to do this, he has to be thoroughly familiar with
the teachings contained in the ORIGINAL EDITION of the 2 volumes
of The SECRET DOCTRINE published in 1888, and with the many
articles published in THEOSOPHIST and LUCIFER by H P B.
 
==============================
 
A copy of the "third Vol. S D " as originally issued by the Theosophical
Publishing House is available in most good Lodge or Branch libraries..
 
If one has a copy of the 1875-1925 HISTORY OF THE THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT --
That is the first one issued in 1925 by Dutton, New York. One ought to look
at the following pages to get an idea of the value of the "3rd Vol. SECRET
DOCTRINE 
 
pp. 569-571; On A. Besant and her default, see pp. 563, 685
 
H.P.Blavatsky sent the original draft to Subba Row in Madras to review. He
found that too many of the Brahmanical esoteric secrets were to be revealed.
He could not stand that, and that is what set him against H.P.Blavatsky
see The THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT (1875-1925) pp. 51, 137, 150, 235, 570,  

There is a great deal of the early history of the THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY that
is not made plain and few students know much about it these days.  

There is a parallel to this and that is the reform of Hinduism that The
Buddha instituted --- and it took about 300 years for the Brahmins to drive
the Buddhists out of India.
 
Here in the West there is a great deal of debate among orientalists and the
older students of the THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY as whether Theosophy endorses
Buddhism or Brahmanism. It endorses neither, but culls the best from each.
The orthodox on both sides still fight each other. And in doing so they
fail to see that they at times are saying the same thing in their own way.
In any case Theosophy is the source from which both are derived. (And that
is also denied.) A more ancient group called the Jains ante-date the
Buddha. They are tolerated by the Brahmins because they appear
superficially to follow the same religious patterns. But interiorly they
are far closer to Mahayana Buddhism and Theosophy. Buddha's Guru was a Jain
Tirthankara.
 

Best wishes,

Dallas


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-----Original Message-----
From: MKR 
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 11:21 AM
To: 
Subject: Transcription of HPB material


Having read about he difficulties faced by transcribers in transcribing 
HPB's letters and how errors could creep in, one wonders about all the 
material which were published without HPB's editing. It looks like there 
could be very many errors in transcription in these material.

mkr

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