Theos-Talk Archives (September 2004 Message tt00469)

Wonderful quote. 

The sanscrit term Sraddha is often interpreted to mean Faith. It 
seems much closer to confidence and trust. It is a gift of the Ganas, 
the spirits who are controled by the elephant headed Gana-pati. Gana 
seems to have the same morph as jnana, kn, gn etc so my feeling is 
that it is the confidence that comes with knowledge. 

Even the modern use of the word knowledge is different from the use 
of the word to know. To really know something requires experience so 
in my mind, the use of the word faith by the ancients must have 
really meant gnoses, or the knowledge by direct experience.

These days faith is used synonymousley with the word Belief. Yet the 
Masters tell us not to believe anything but to verify for ourselves.

Koshek

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Perry Coles" <perrycoles@y...> 
wrote:
> The highest interest of humanity, as a whole, is their special
> concern, for they have identified themselves with that Universal 
Soul
> which runs through Humanity, and he, who would draw their attention,
> must do so through that Soul which pervades everywhere. This
> perception of the Manas may be called "faith" which should not be
> confounded with blind belief. "Blind faith" is an expression 
sometimes
> used to indicate belief without perception or understanding; while 
the
> true perception of the Manas is that enlightened belief, which is 
the
> real meaning of the word "faith." This belief should at the same 
time
> be accompanied by knowledge, i.e., experience, for "true knowledge
> brings with it faith." Faith is the perception of the Manas (the 
fifth
> principle), while knowledge, in the true sense of the term, is the
> capacity of the Intellect, i.e., it is spiritual perception. In 
short,
> the higher individuality of man, composed of his higher Manas, the
> sixth and the seventh principles, should work as a unity, and then
> only can it obtain "divine wisdom," for divine things can be sensed
> only by divine faculties. Thus the desire, which should prompt one 
to
> apply for chelaship, is to so far understand the operations of the 
Law
> of Cosmic Evolution as will enable him to work in harmonious accord
> with Nature, instead of going against its purposes through 
ignorance.
> 
> Theosophist, July, 1884 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.blavatsky.net/blavatsky/arts/MahatmasAndChelas.htm
> 
> Perry