Theos-Talk Archives (October 2004 Message tt00014)

Oct 1 2004

Re: Moderating a chat-list

Dear M,

It is well to think on the idea that HPB and the Masters are alive and well
and working with all true students.

I think it is important to become familiar with what HPB wrote in every
case.

Remember that she was the "Messenger" of the real Mahatmas -- the TEACHERS
OF WISDOM -- who never "die."  

There is enough material in her books and articles to keep us busy for a
good long time. I would say that in those pages lies our assignment for the
present incarnation -- to learn and to understand.

I see many who desire "something new." Why? When they have yet to master to
"original teachings?" Without a secure foundation what is to be achieved?

A "moderator" in not necessarily a "teacher."  

A moderator tries to keep the flow of discussion within certain boundaries
-- chiefly of moderation in language and expression. It is not easy. The
more so, since "brotherhood" forbids excluding anyone, unless there is some
gross expression of animosity or of untheosophical statements. 

As I understand THEOSOPHY states early in S D Vol. 1 that every human being
is a deathless immortal MONAD (Atma-Buddhi). It reincarnates and grows
wiser if it lives a life of strict morality and brotherhood.

In the SECRET DOCTRINE, [ S D I 178, 326, 570, II 57]  

HPB defines the Monad as a conjoint entity made up of two poles: SPIRIT and
MATER. Between these two is the intelligent MIND. [ S D I 75; II 58-9]
Its function is to look both ways and serve continually as a link between
these two.  

Thus the Monad in evolution (you and me) are three-fold. [S D I 570; II
57] 

It is the mind which is trying to make of itself a universally
self-conscious entity.[ S D I 334fn, 192-3; II 79-80, 93, 103, 113, 167
At present we are self-conscious -- of the 2 selves: The "Self of Spirit,"
[ S D I 106; II 640] and the "self of matter." [S D II 110, 163, 422, 
 
Best wishes,

Dallas

--------------------------------------
PS   

It is of importance that we ask ourselves: WHO WAS / IS H P B ?

Here are some statements to be thought over:

On HPB's "position" as an ADEPT."


"[H. P. B.] Those who cannot understand her had best not try to explain
her...she knew...that high and wise servants of the Lodge have remained
with the West since many centuries for the purpose of helping it on its
mission and destiny. That work it would be well for members of the T.
Mvt. to continue without deviating, without excitement, without running
to extremes...the truth of the soul's life is in no special quarter of
the compass..." W Q J LETTERS 76


"...They say that the Ego of that body she uses was and is a great and
brave servant of the Lodge, sent to the West with a mission with full
knowledge of the insult and obloquy to be surely heaped upon that
devoted head; and they add: 'Those who cannot understand her had best
not try to explain her; those who do not find themselves strong enough
for the task she outlined from the very first had best not attempt it.'"
WQJ ART II 18


"H.P.B. was the Messenger from the Great Lodge to the western world.
W.Q.J. was a co-founder and co-worker with H.P.B. from the beginning.
It will be well to remember that HPB and WQJ were not accorded the
positions They held through any authority, but through recognition of
Their knowledge and power. They were sui generis; all others are but
students. Those who belittle Judge will also be found belittling HPB."
F P 5


"HPB was the Direct Agent of the Lodge--and this is explicitly stated to
be the fact by the Master K.H. ...then we must go to the records left by
Her and Her Colleague, W.Q.J., for direction in all matters pertaining
to the Theosophical Movement."	F P 34


"In the introduction to the SECRET DOCTRINE, H.P.Blavatsky boldly
affirms the existence of a great Fraternity of Men, Adepts, who preserve
the true philosophy through all changes, now revealing it, and again, at
certain eras, withdrawing it from a degraded age; and emphatically she
says that the doctrine is never a new one, but only a handing on again
of what was always the system... [Further she adds] in the twentieth
century of our era scholars will begin to recognize that the S.D. has
neither been invented nor exaggerated, but, on the contrary, simply
outlined; and finally, that its teachings antedate the Vedas."

"...the Messenger from the great Fraternity--she herself being the one
for this Century--she observes significantly: that "In Century the 20th
some disciple more informed, and far better fitted, may be sent by the
Masters of Wisdom to give final and irrefutable proof that there exists
a science called Gupta-Vidya; and that, [it] the source of all
religions and philosophies now known to the world...is at last found."
WQJ ART II 81-2

	
"[ According to HPB ]...there are certain persons on this earth, living
and working as ordinary human beings and members of society, whose
informing divine part is so immeasurably high in development that they
as such high beings have a definite status and function in the
"supersensuous regions."...she herself was such a case, and that "H P B"
whether hourly in the day or at night when all around was still, had a
"status and function" in other spheres where she consciously carried on
the work of that high station, whatever it was...[She wrote in one
place] " I am conscious day and night, and have much to do and to
endure in both these existences from which you, being half-conscious,
are happily saved."	WQJ ART I 616

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


AUTHORSHIP OF SECRET DOCTRINE


A good deal has been said about the writing of Isis Unveiled, and later
of the Secret Doctrine, both by H. P. Blavatsky. 

A writer in the spiritualistic journals took great pains to show how
many books the first work seems to quote from, and the conclusion to be
arrived at after reading his diatribes is that H.P.B. had an enormous
library at her disposal, and of course in her house, for she never went
out, or that she had agents at great expense copying books, or, lastly,
that by some process or power not known to the world was able to read
books at a distance, as, for instance, in the Vatican at Rome and the
British Museum. The last is the fact. 

She lived in a small flat when writing the first book and had very few
works on hand, all she had being of the ordinary common sort. She
herself very often told how she gained her information as to modern
books. 

No secret was made of it, for those who were with her saw day after day
that she could gaze with ease into the astral light and glean whatever
she wanted. But in the early days she did not say precisely to the
public that she was in fact helped in that work by the Masters, who gave
from time to time certain facts she could not get otherwise. 

The Secret Doctrine, however, makes no disguise of the real help, and
she asserts, as also many of us believe, that the Masters had a hand in
that great production. 

The letters sent to Mr. Sinnett formed the ground for Esoteric Buddhism,
as was intended, but as time went on it was seen that some more of the
veil had to be lifted and certain misconceptions cleared up; hence the
Secret Doctrine was written, and mostly by the Masters themselves,
except that she did the arranging of it.

For some time it was too much the custom of those who had received at
the hands of H.P.B. words and letters from her Masters to please
themselves with the imagination that she was no more in touch with the
original fount, and that, forsooth, these people could decide for
themselves what was from her brain and what from the Masters. But it is
now time to give out a certificate given when the Secret Doctrine was
being written, a certificate signed by the Masters who have given out
all that is new in our theosophical books. It was sent to one who had
then a few doubts, and at the same time copies were given from the same
source to others for use in the future, which is now. 

The first certificate runs thus:

"I wonder if this note of mine is worthy of occupying a select spot with
the documents reproduced, and which of the peculiarities of the
"Blavatskian" style of writing it will be found to most resemble? The
present is simply to satisfy the Doctor that "the more proof given the
less believed." Let him take my advice and not make these two documents
public. It is for his own satisfaction the undersigned is happy to
assure him that the Secret Doctrine, when ready, will be the triple
production of [here are the names of one of the Masters and of H.P.B.]
and _______ most humble servant, [signed by the other.]"

On the back of this was the following, signed by the Master who is
mentioned in the above:

"If this can be of any use or help to _____, though I doubt it, I, the
humble undersigned Faquir, certify that the Secret Doctrine is dictated
to [name of H.P.B.], partly by myself and partly by my brother ______."


A year after this, certain doubts having arisen in the minds of
individuals, another letter from one of the signers of the foregoing was
sent and reads as follows. As the prophecy in it has come true, it is
now the time to publish it for the benefit of those who know something
of how to take and understand such letters. For the outside it will all
be so much nonsense.

The certificate given last year saying the Secret Doctrine would be when
finished the triple production of [H.P.B.'s name],

" ________, and myself was and is correct, although some have doubted
not only the facts given in it but also the authenticity of the message
in which it was contained. Copy this and also keep the copy of the
aforesaid certificate. You will find them both of use on the day when
you shall, as will happen without your asking, receive from the hands of
the very person to whom the certificate was given, the original for the
purpose of allowing you to copy it; and then you can verify the
correctness of this presently forwarded copy. And it may then be well to
indicate to those wishing to know what portions in the Secret Doctrine
have been copied by the pen of [H.P.B.'s name] into its pages, though
without quotation marks, from my own manuscript and perhaps from ______,
though the last is more difficult from the rarity of his known writing
and greater ignorance of his style. All this and more will be found
necessary as time goes on, but for which you are well qualified to
wait."
ONE OF THE STAFF	[WQJ]	Path, April, 1893
 

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

On the principles of editing a THEOSOPHICAL journal, HPB wrote:


WHY THE "VAHAN"?


"BECAUSE, the word means a Vehicle. In Theosophical metaphysics this term
denotes a basis, something, as a bearer, more substantial than that which it
bears; e.g., Buddhi, the spiritual Soul, is the Vahan of Atmâ --the purely
immaterial "principle." Or again, as in physiology, our brain is the
supposed physical vehicle or Vahan of superphysical thought.
 
Thus, this...is destined to serve as the bearer of Theosophical thought, and
the recorder of all Theosophical activities. 

The journal is to go free of charge... It is also meant for those who are
unable to subscribe to our regular magazines...The Karma of those who could,
but will not subscribe... whether from indifference or any other cause, is
their own; but the duty of keeping all the Fellows in touch with us, and au
courant with Theosophical events--is ours...

...a true Theosophist must have no personal ends to serve, no favourite
hobby to propagate, no special doctrine to enforce or to defend. For, to
merit the honourable title of Theosophist one must be an altruist, above
all; one ever ready to help equally foe or friend; to act, rather than to
speak; and urge others to action, while never losing an opportunity to work
himself. 

But, if no true Theosophist will ever dictate to his fellow, brother or
neighbor, what this one should believe or disbelieve in, nor force him to
act on lines which may be distasteful to him, however proper they may appear
to himself, there are other duties which he has to attend to: 

(a) to warn his brother of any danger the latter may fail to see; and 

(b) to share his knowledge--if he has acquired such with those who have been
less fortunate than himself in opportunities for acquiring it. ...

Many are the Fellows who, having failed at first to help on the cause, have
now become earnest "working members," as they are called. Therefore, we say
to-day to all: "If you would really help the noble cause--you must do so
now; for, a few years more and your, as well as our efforts, will be in
vain." 

The world moves in cycles, which proceed under the impetus of two mutually
antagonistic and destroying Forces, the one striving to move Humanity
onward, toward Spirit, the other forcing Mankind to gravitate downward, into
the very abysses of matter. It remains with men to help either the one or
the other. 

Thus, also, it is our present task, as Theosophists, to help in one or the
other direction. We are in the very midst of the Egyptian darkness of
Kali-yuga, the "Black Age," the first 5,000 years of which, its dreary first
cycle, is preparing to close on the world between 1897 and 1898. 

Unless we succeed in placing the T.S. before this date on the safe side of
the spiritual current, it will be swept away irretrievably into the Deep
called "Failure," and the cold waves of oblivion will close over its doomed
head. 

Thus will have ingloriously perished the only association whose aims, rules
and original purposes answer in every particular and detail--if strictly
carried out--to the innermost, fundamental thought of every great Adept
Reformer, the beautiful dream of a UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.
 
Verily, of philanthropical, political, and religious bodies we have many....

But which of them is strictly universal, good for all and prejudicial to
none? Which of them answers fully to the noble injunction of the Buddhist
Arhats and also of King Asoka? "When thou plantest trees along the roads,
allow their shade to protect the wicked as the good. When thou buildest a
Rest-House, let its doors be thrown open to men of all religions, to the
opponents of thine own creed, and to thy personal enemies as well as to thy
friends." 

None, we say, none save our own Society, a purely unsectarian, unselfish
body; the only one which has no party object in view, which is open to an
men, the good and the bad, the lowly and the high, the foolish and the
wise--and which calls them all "Brothers," regardless of their religion,
race, colour, or station in life. 

To all these we now say: As "there is no religion higher than Truth," no
deity greater than the latter, no duty nobler than self-sacrifice, and that
the time for action is so short-shall not each of you put his shoulder to
the wheel of the heavy car of our Society and help us to land it safely
across the abyss of matter, on to the safe side? 
--H.P.B. Vahan, December, 1890 


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

-----Original Message-----
From: M
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 8:16 AM
To: 
Subject: The role of the Teacher or moderator ???

Hallo all,

My views are:

The following might bew helpful to some of you:

The role of a theosophical teacher is to provoke capacity in the student, to
provide what there is when it will be useful, to guide him towards
progress. It is not to impress, to give an impression of virtue,
power, importance, general information, knowledge or anything 
else."

Such provokations are not always welcomed by certain
lower level fragments in our auras.

That is why some forums from time to time "elects" new teachers or
moderators
or changes their communication-rules - or even changes their behaviour. 
As someone wispered to me the other day:

There are various forums or groups - and not all of them are using
superficial moderation, - THEY have a real teacher of wisdom !

from
M. Sufilight with a huge smile...