Theos-Talk Archives (September 2004 Message tt00828)

Dear Dallas,

Thank you for your e-mail. We must not forget that the Theosophical 
Society as an organization should not get involved in politics. And 
this was something very important to be stated during the early 
period of the T.S.
Blavatsky also was in the war with Garibaldi was not that related to 
politics? Every individual member of the T.S. has the right to get 
involved in a practical way with politics, and also as a member to 
make comparative studies.

Political Science is the study of social arrangements to maintain 
peace and order within a given society; it examines the theory of 
systems of government and studies actual practices of government. 

Once more thank you for your e-mail.


Erica 

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "W.Dallas TenBroeck" 
<dalval14@e...> wrote:
> Sept 28 20004
> 
> Dear Friends and Erica:
> 
> 
> Calling "politics" a "science' is stretching the definition, in my 
esteem.
> 
> Like psychology, it is not definite and does not have any specific 
rules --
> only notions, statistics of mass opinions, and the desire of some 
people to
> rule, dominate and force others to do as they wish by any means 
fair or foul
> -- thus forming governments -- which no one really needs -- if we 
were to
> actually live in a viable brotherhood -- where virtue alone 
prevailed..
> 
> If one studies religions comparatively and the laws of many 
countries one
> discovers that all religions and all fair laws trust and regard 
with the
> highest appreciation VIRTUE. 
> 
> What are virtues?
> 
> The Six Virtues
> 
> "Try; try; ever keep trying." 
> 
> "Realization comes from dwelling on the things to be realized." 
> 
> Following such injunctions of Those Who Know, a constant gain will 
appear.
> Ups and downs there will be, in accordance with the swing of the 
pendulum,
> or, more properly, the turn of the spiral. Knowing the law of 
action, we can
> keep on, whether we are at the highest or lowest point of the 
cycle. As time
> goes on and the right attitude is maintained, we shall grow less 
and less
> subject to the high or the low. 
> 
> To realize, at the beginning, the continuous effort required, 
would be
> discouraging; but as the greatness of the task we have set before 
ourselves
> becomes more and more real, we grow into the condition represented 
in the
> six glorious virtues as that of being constitutionally incapable of
> deviating from the right path. 
> 
> We have in the past generated, or created by thought, and 
reinforced by
> action, numerous elemental beings of the nature of Prakriti. As 
long as our
> thought is in keeping with their natures, no great friction is 
observed; but
> when our thoughts fail to provide them with sustenance, the 
struggle for
> life begins, and must continue until these creatures of ours die, 
or are so
> changed as to cause no hindrance. 
> 
> It is a new Manvantara in our little solar system, 'the guiding 
spirit'
> ruling, controlling, or sweeping away all entities connected with 
the old
> evolution, in accordance with the key-note of the new. So, in the 
concrete
> state of the old, and the nebulous state of the new, we have to go 
through
> the preparatory Rounds. Great Nature repeats her action in 
accordance with
> Law, in the small as well as the great. . . . 
> 
> One of the results of wisdom is the ability -- in degree, at 
least -- to do
> the right thing, at the right time, and in the right place. The 
object of
> all right doing is to help others who are seen and known not to be 
right.
> Our seeing and knowing their present condition gives us the clue 
to the kind
> and manner of helping. If we judge them incapable of help, we 
shall afford
> them none. So we judge not, but like the Sun and Nature treat all 
alike --
> shine for all, work for all, irrespective of presently held ideas, 
or
> presumable qualifications in any. Such has been the course of all 
great
> Teachers. They come to call "not saints, but sinners to 
repentance." 
> 
> There is no pretense of personal virtue or knowledge in handing on 
for the
> benefit of others what one perceives to be good for them. A claim, 
even a
> thought of personal virtue, is detrimental -- because it is 
personal. The
> Egoic perceptions on this plane are limited by this very thing. 
> 
> "Thy body is not self, thy Self is in itself without a body, and 
either
> praise or blame affects it not." 
> 
> "Deliverance of mind from thralldom by the cessation of sin and 
faults is
> not for 'Deva-Egos' (reincarnating egos). Thus says the 'Doctrine 
of the
> Heart'." 
> 
> "The Dharma of the 'Heart' is the embodiment of Bodhi (True, 
Divine Wisdom),
> the Permanent and Everlasting." 
> 
> "To live to benefit Mankind is the first step. To practice the six 
glorious
> virtues is the second."
> 
>  
> The six glorious virtues are: 
> 
> 
> ONE -- 'Sama.' It consists in obtaining perfect mastery over the 
mind (the
> seat of emotions and desires), and in forcing it to act in 
subordination to
> the intellect which had been strengthened by attaining - 
> 
> (a) 'Right knowledge of the real and the unreal' (Right 
Philosophy). 
> 
> (b) 'Perfect indifference to the fruits of one's actions, both 
here and
> hereafter.' (Renunciation of the fruits of actions.) 
> 
> 
> TWO -- 'Dama.' Complete mastery over bodily acts. 
> 
> 
> THREE -- 'Uparati.' Renunciation of all formal religion, and the 
acquirement
> of contemplation of objects without being in the least disturbed 
in the
> performance of the great task one has set before oneself. 
> 
> 
> FOUR -- 'Titiksha.' Cessation of desire and a constant readiness 
to part
> with everything in the world. 
> 
> 
> FIVE -- 'Samadana.' That which renders the student constitutionally
> incapable of deviating from the right path. 
> 
> 
> SIX -- 'Shradda.' Implicit confidence on the part of the pupil in 
his
> Master's power to teach, and his own power to learn. 
> 
> 
> SEVEN -- One other, and the last accomplishment required, is an 
intense
> desire for liberation from conditioned existence and for 
transformation into
> the One Life. 
> 
> While some of these may be beyond us, we can 'practise' in these 
directions;
> in fact, we have been so doing, and we know that practice makes 
perfect. 
> 
> [ From The Friendly Philosopher, 78-81 Robert Crosbie ]
> 
> ---------------------------------
> 
> 
> In terms of "politics" -- HPB says we are to avoid them.
> 
> 
> If you want a definitive statement then go to The KEY TO THEOSOPHY 
> And to other of HPB's writings.
> 
> She says:
> 
> POLITICS AND SOCIAL REFORM
> 
> 
> "Unconcerned about politics; hostile to the insane dreams of 
Socialism and
> Communism, which it abhors--as both are but disguised conspiracies 
of brutal
> force and sluggishness against honest labor; the Society cares 
but little
> about the outward human management of the material world."
> HPB -- "What are the Theosophists ?" Theost. Oct 1879, p. 7
> 
> 
> 
> "...Work, therefore, to bring about the moral regeneration of the 
cultured
> but far more immoral classes before you attempt to do the same for 
our
> ignorant younger Brethren. The latter was undertaken years ago, 
and is
> carried on to this day, yet with no perceptible good results. It 
is not
> evident that the reason for this lies in the fact that [except] 
for a few
> earnest, sincere and all-sacrificing workers in that field, the 
great
> majority of the volunteers consists of those same frivolous, ultra-
selfish
> classes, who 'play at charity' and whose ideas of the amelioration 
of the
> physical and moral status of the poor are confined to the hobby 
that money
> and the Bible alone can do it." HPB -- "The Tidal Wave"  
Lucifer, Nov.
> 1889
> 
> 
> 
> THE RELATIONS OF THE T. S. TO POLITICAL REFORMS.
> 
> ENQUIRER. The Theosophical Society is not, then, a political 
organization? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. Certainly not. It is international in the highest 
sense in that
> its members comprise men and women of all races, creeds, and forms 
of
> thought, who work together for one object, the improvement of 
humanity; but
> as a society it takes absolutely no part in any national or party 
politics. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. Why is this? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. Just for the reasons I have mentioned. Moreover, 
political
> action must necessarily vary with the circumstances of the time 
and with the
> idiosyncracies of individuals. While from the very nature of their 
position
> as Theosophists the members of the T. S. are agreed on the 
principles of
> Theosophy, or they would not belong to the society at all, it does 
not
> thereby follow that they agree on every other subject. As a 
society they can
> only act together in matters which are common to all -- that is, in
> Theosophy itself; as individuals, each is left perfectly free to 
follow out
> his or her particular line of political thought and action, so 
long as this
> does not conflict with Theosophical principles or hurt the 
Theosophical
> Society. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. But surely the T. S. does not stand altogether aloof 
from the
> social questions which are now so fast coming to the front? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. The very principles of the T. S. are a proof that it 
does not
> ¯or, rather, that most of its members do not¯ so stand aloof. If 
humanity
> can only be developed mentally and spiritually by the enforcement, 
first of
> all, of the soundest and most scientific physiological laws, it is 
the
> bounden duty of all who strive for this development to do their 
utmost to
> see that those laws shall be generally carried out. All 
Theosophists are
> only too sadly aware that, in Occidental countries especially, the 
social
> condition of large masses of the people renders it impossible for 
either
> their bodies or their spirits to be properly trained, so that the
> development of both is thereby arrested. As this training and 
development is
> one of the express objects of Theosophy, the T. S. is in thorough 
sympathy
> and harmony with all true efforts in this direction. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. But what do you mean by "true efforts"? Each social 
reformer has
> his own panacea, and each believes his to be the one and only 
thing which
> can improve and save humanity? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. Perfectly true, and this is the real reason why so 
little
> satisfactory social work is accomplished. In most of these 
panaceas there is
> no really guiding principle, and there is certainly no one 
principle which
> connects them all. Valuable time and energy are thus wasted; for 
men,
> instead of co-operating, strive one against the other, often, it 
is to be
> feared, for the sake of fame and reward rather than for the great 
cause
> which they profess to have at heart, and which should be supreme 
in their
> lives. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. How, then, should Theosophical principles be applied so 
that
> social co-operation may be promoted and true efforts for social 
amelioration
> be carried on? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. Let me briefly remind you what these principles are --
> universal Unity and Causation; Human Solidarity; the Law of Karma;
> Re-incarnation. These are the four links of the golden chain which 
should
> bind humanity into one family, one universal Brotherhood. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. How? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. In the present state of society, especially in so-
called
> civilized countries, we are continually brought face to face with 
the fact
> that large numbers of people are suffering from misery, poverty 
and disease.
> Their physical condition is wretched, and their mental and 
spiritual
> faculties are often almost dormant. On the other hand, many 
persons at the
> opposite end of the social scale are leading lives of careless 
indifference,
> material luxury, and selfish indulgence. Neither of these forms of 
existence
> is mere chance. Both are the effects of the conditions which 
surround those
> who are subject to them, and the neglect of social duty on the one 
side is
> most closely connected with the stunted and arrested development 
on the
> other. In sociology, as in all branches of true science, the law of
> universal causation holds good. But this causation necessarily 
implies, as
> its logical outcome, that human solidarity on which Theosophy so 
strongly
> insists. If the action of one reacts on the lives of all, and this 
is the
> true scientific idea, then it is only by all men becoming brothers 
and all
> women sisters, and by all practising in their daily lives true 
brotherhood
> and true sisterhood, that the real human solidarity, which lies at 
the root
> of the elevation of the race, can ever be attained. It is this 
action and
> interaction, this true brotherhood and sisterhood, in which each 
shall live
> for all and all for each, which is one of the fundamental 
Theosophical
> principles that every Theosophist should be bound, not only to 
teach, but to
> carry out in his or her individual life. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. All this is very well as a general principle, but how 
would you
> apply it in a concrete way? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. Look for a moment at what you would call the concrete 
facts of
> human society. Contrast the lives not only of the masses of the 
people, but
> of many of those who are called the middle and upper classes, with 
what they
> might be under healthier and nobler conditions, where justice, 
kindness, and
> love were paramount, instead of the selfishness, indifference, and 
brutality
> which now too often seem to reign supreme. All good and evil 
things in
> humanity have their roots in human character, and this character 
is, and has
> been, conditioned by the endless chain of cause and effect. But 
this
> conditioning applies to the future as well as to the present and 
the past.
> Selfishness, indifference, and brutality can never be the normal 
state of
> the race¯ to believe so would be to despair of humanity¯ and that 
no
> Theosophist can do. Progress can be attained, and only attained, 
by the
> development of the nobler qualities. Now, true evolution teaches 
us that by
> altering the surroundings of the organism we can alter and improve 
the
> organism; and in the strictest sense this is true with regard to 
man. Every
> Theosophist, therefore, is bound to do his utmost to help on, by 
all the
> means in his power, every wise and well-considered social effort 
which has
> for its object the amelioration of the condition of the poor. Such 
efforts
> should be made with a view to their ultimate social emancipation, 
or the
> development of the sense of duty in those who now so often neglect 
it in
> nearly every relation of life. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. Agreed. But who is to decide whether social efforts are 
wise or
> unwise? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. No one person and no society can lay down a hard-and-
fast rule
> in this respect. Much must necessarily be left to the individual 
judgment.
> One general test may, however, be given. Will the proposed action 
tend to
> promote that true brotherhood which it is the aim of Theosophy to 
bring
> about? No real Theosophist will have much difficulty in applying 
such a
> test; once he is satisfied of this, his duty will lie in the 
direction of
> forming public opinion. And this can be attained only by 
inculcating those
> higher and nobler conceptions of public and private duties which 
lie at the
> root of all spiritual and material improvement. In every 
conceivable case he
> himself must be a centre of spiritual action, and from him and his 
own daily
> individual life must radiate those higher spiritual forces which 
alone can
> regenerate his fellow-men. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. But why should he do this? Are not he and all, as you 
teach,
> conditioned by their Karma, and must not Karma necessarily work 
itself out
> on certain lines? 
>  
> THEOSOPHIST. It is this very law of Karma which gives strength to 
all that I
> have said. The individual cannot separate himself from the race, 
nor the
> race from the individual. The law of Karma applies equally to all, 
although
> all are not equally developed. In helping on the development of 
others, the
> Theosophist believes that he is not only helping them to fulfil 
their Karma,
> but that he is also, in the strictest sense, fulfilling his own. 
It is the
> development of humanity, of which both he and they are integral 
parts, that
> he has always in view, and he knows that any failure on his part 
to respond
> to the highest within him retards not only himself but all, in 
their
> progressive march. By his actions, he can make it either more 
difficult or
> more easy for humanity to attain the next higher plane of being. 
>  
> ENQUIRER. How does this bear on the fourth of the principles you 
mentioned,
> viz., Re-incarnation?
> 
> THEOSOPHIST. The connection is most intimate. If our present lives 
depend
> upon the development of certain principles which are a growth from 
the germs
> left by a previous existence, the law holds good as regards the 
future. Once
> grasp the idea that universal causation is not merely present, but 
past,
> present and future, and every action on our present plane falls 
naturally
> and easily into its true place, and is seen in its true relation to
> ourselves and to others. Every mean and selfish action sends us 
backward and
> not forward, while every noble thought and every unselfish deed are
> steppingstones to the higher and more glorious planes of being. If 
this life
> were all, then in many respects it would indeed be poor and mean; 
but
> regarded as a preparation for the next sphere of existence, it may 
be used
> as the golden gate through which we may pass, not selfishly and 
alone, but
> in company with our fellows, to the palaces which lie beyond. "
> Key pp 231 -7
> 
> ========================================
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Dallas
> 
> ==============================
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Erica 
> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 12:36 AM
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [ Can we look at the word "politics" ? ]
> 
> 
> The second object of the T.S. is the comparative studies of 
religion,
> philosophy and science, politics are also a science, so any 
discussion
> related to politic systems are in perfect accordance with the 
objects of the
> T.S. Also the first object of the T.S. Universal Brotherhood is 
also close
> related to the society, so to discuss about social problems and 
politics
> under the light of the perennial philosophy it seems to me to be 
in perfect
> harmony with the objects of the T.S.
>  
> Erica