Theos-Talk Archives (September 2004 Message tt00758)

Thanks Daniel.
You express, what I am thinking in a very precise manner.

The question remains:
What is theosophy also known as AtmaVidya actually?
(About AtmaVidya:
http://www.blavatsky.net/blavatsky/arts/OccultismVersusTheOccultArts.htm )


from
M. Sufilight


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel H. Caldwell" <danielhcaldwell@yahoo.com>
To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2004 6:41 PM
Subject: Theos-World I can understand why you are confused about the
Besant/Leadbeater claims.


>
> Dear Ed,
>
> Thanks for your email.
>
> I can understand why you are confused and I
> suggest that you try to work your way through
> the morass of claims.
>
> The students you mention are no doubt sincere
> but for reasons best known to them, they do not
> want to acknowledge the glaring differences between
> what Besant & Leadbeater wrote as compared to what
> you find in the writings of Blavatsky and the
> Mahatmas. Apparently they will ignore the obvious
> and even try to denigrate in subtle ways Blavatsky.
>
> I post below a statement that may help you work
> your way thru the confusion.
>
> Thanks for writing and if I can help you in further
> studies, let me know.
>
> Daniel
> ---------------------------------------
>
> Blavatsky & the Mahatmas VERSUS Besant & Leadbeater
>
> In light of Anand Gholap's promotion of C.W. Leadbeater's
> and Annie Besant's books on Theosophy almost to the total
> exclusion of H.P. Blavatsky's Theosophical books,
> inquirers and students of Theosophy might want to know
> of the numerous differences between the original
> teachings given by Madame Blavatsky and the Mahatmas and
> the later teachings of Mrs. Besant and Mr. Leadbeater.
>
> The following estimations give the interested reader
> some insight into the extent of the differences and
> contradictions. See also list of links at the end of
> this posting.
>
> James A. Santucci, professor of religious studies at
> California State University (Fullerton) and editor
> of Theosophical History, has written:
>
> ". . . Annie Besant, the President of the [Adyar Theosophical]
> Society from 1907 to her death in 1933, and Charles Webster
> Leadbeater, arguably the most influential theosophical writer from
> the early years of the 20th century to his death in 1934, . . . were
> largely responsible for the introduction of new teachings that were
> often in total opposition to the Theosophy of [Madame H.P.] Blavatsky
> and her Masters. These teachings were designated by their opponents
> as Neo-Theosophy . . . or less often Pseudo-Theosophy. The
> differences between Theosophy and Neo-Theosophy are too numerous to
> mention in the context of this paper. . . . An extensive overview [of
> the differences] is given in . . . Theosophy or Neo-Theosophy by
> Margaret Thomas. . . . "
>
> Jerry Hejka-Ekins, a long-time student of Madame Blavatsky's
> teachings, has also commented:
>
> "The earliest use of the term 'neo-theosophy' was used by F.T. Brooks
> around 1912 in a book called Neo Theosophy Exposed. . . . Around
> 1924, Margaret Thomas published a book called Theosophy Versus Neo-
> Theosophy: Part one compares Blavatsky's teachings to those of Besant
> and Leadbeater's by juxtaposing quotes from each party on various
> subjects, so that the thoughtful reader could easily discern the
> differences and contradictions. Part two published documents
> concerning the Leadbeater scandal, and part three publishes documents
> concerning the Judge case. . . . "
>
> In his book "Theosophy: A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom"
> (published 1930), Dr. Alvin Boyd Kuhn wrote in greater detail:
>
> "Certain schools of his critics assert flatly that he [C. W.
> Leadbeater] has only succeeded in vitiating her [H.P. Blavatsky's]
> original presentation [of Theosophy]. . . . . . . [Starting in the
> March 15, 1928 issue] The Canadian Theosophist, a magazine
> published . . . at Toronto, published a series of articles [excerpted
> from Margaret Thomas' Theosophy or NeoTheosophy?] in which parallel
> passages from the writings of Madame Blavatsky and the Mahatma
> Letters on one side, and from the books of Mrs. Besant, Mr.
> Leadbeater, Mr. C. Jinarajadasa, on the other, give specific evidence
> bearing on the claims of perversion of the original theories by those
> whom they call Neo-Theosophists. The articles indicate wide
> deviations, in some cases complete reversal, made by the later
> interpreters [Besant, Leadbeater, Jinarajadasa] from the fundamental
> statements of the Russian Messenger [Blavatsky] and her Overlords
> [the Mahatmas]."
>
> "The differences concern such matters as the personality of God, the
> historicity of Jesus, his identity as an individual or a principle,
> the desirability of churches, priestcraft and religious ceremonial,
> the genuineness of an apostolic succession, and a vicarious
> atonement, the authority of Sacraments, the nature and nomenclature
> of the seven planes of man's constitution, the planetary chains, the
> monad, the course of evolution, and many other important phases of
> Theosophic doctrine. This exhaustive research has made it apparent
> that the later exponents have allowed themselves to depart in many
> important points from the teachings of H.P.B." (pp. 330-331)
>
> K. Paul Johnson, librarian and author of three books on Theosophical
> history, has written:
>
> "If we honestly consider what HPB or Olcott would have thought of the
> Adyar TS in the 1920s, I don't think there is any alternative to
> concluding that they'd have been horrified and regarded it as a huge
> betrayal of everything they stood for. There are so many warnings
> from both of them against the kind of atmosphere that Besant and
> Leadbeater imposed on the Society."
>
> For detailed comparisons of the teachings, see:
>
> http://blavatskyarchives.com/thomas/index.htm
>
> http://blavatskyarchives.com/tontitlepage.pdf
>
> http://blavatskyarchives.com/morganafterdeath.htm
>
> http://blavatskyarchives.com/leadbeatermars.htm
>
> http://blavatskyarchives.com/leadbeaterbib.htm#Criticisms
>
> http://theos-world.com/archives/html/tw199706.html#ARTICLE0097
>
> http://blavatskyarchives.com/latermessengers.htm
>
> Daniel H. Caldwell
> BLAVATSKY STUDY CENTER
> http://blavatskyarchives.com
>
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