Theos-Talk Archives (October 2004 Message tt00115)

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Dear Friends:

On the subject of determining "truth" here are some explanations that
Theosophy offers.

THEOSOPHY is not a religion or a "belief" system, but offers logical
concepts for our consideration -- to see if they agree with basic IDEAS.  

These are also offered with a view to seeing if any of these can form a
basis for study and mutual consideration.

Since "spirituality" is mentioned I append a short article on the subject.

I have found it a good idea to start with universal principles rather than
argue over details. Once the basic principles are established the details
answer themselves.  

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T R U T H
=============


".the Buddhists hold that nothing which is contradicted by sound reason can
be a true doctrine..."	KEY TO THEOSOPHY p. 199


"Wisdom and truth are synonymous terms, and that which is false or
pernicious cannot be wise."	HPB Articles -- Old Philosophers - II 34


"The nature of truth is universal ; its possessors in any degree will be
found to be appliers of universality in thought, speech and action."	FP
363


"Theosophy is the shoreless ocean of universal truth, love and wisdom."
Key to Theosophy, p. 56


"Theosophy is Truth and as such can have no alliance with any form of error
and remain Truth. Compromise with diluted Theosophy is not tolerance, is
not brotherhood." THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT Mag. V. 30, July 1960. 


"Realizing, as they do, the boundlessness of the absolute truth,
Theosophists repudiate all claim to infallibility. The most cherished
pre-conceptions, the most "pious hope," the strongest "mature passion," they
sweep aside like dust from their path, when their error is pointed out.
Their highest hope is to approximate to the truth.Theosophists are ever
ready to abandon every idea that is proved erroneous upon strictly logical
deductions." 
Mod. Panarion, pp. 193-4


"The present Theosophical movement [whose] doctrines belong exclusively to
no religion, are confined to no society or time. They are the birthright of
every human soul.Those who have imagined Theosophy to be a new religion have
hunted in vain for its creed and its ritual. Its creed is Loyalty to Truth
and its ritual 'To honor every truth by use.[It] was organized on.the
essential Brotherhood of Man."	KEY p. 18


"The Beacon-light of Truth is Nature without the veil of the senses. It can
be reached only when the adept has become absolute master of his personal
self, able to control all his physical and psychic senses by the aid of his
"seventh sense," through which he is gifted also with the true wisdom of the
gods-Theosophia."	HPB Articles I 424


"There is neither COMING nor PASSING, but eternal BECOMING." -- HPB
Theosophical Articles & Notes, p. 271


"The Infinite cannot be known to our reason, which can only distinguish and
define; -- but we can always conceive the abstract idea thereof, thanks to
that faculty higher than our reason - intuition, or the spiritual instinct
of which I have spoken. Only the great initiates, who have the rare power
of throwing themselves into the state of Samadhi. ecstasy .a state in which
one ceases to be the conditioned and personal "I," and becomes one with the
All, -- only those can boast of having been in contact with the infinite;
but no more than other mortals can they describe that state in words."
--HPB Articles, I 432-3.



FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS -- TRUTHS


"It is worse than useless going to those whom we imagine to be advanced
students and asking them to give us an "interpretation" of the S.D. They
cannot do it. If they try, all they give are cut and dried exoteric
renderings which do not remotely resemble the Truth. To accept such
interpretations means anchoring ourselves to fixed ideas, whereas Truth lies
beyond any ideas we can formulate or express. Exoteric interpretations.[can
be] taken as pointers for beginners, and are not accepted by them as
anything more.

Come to the SD without any hope of getting the final Truth of existence from
it, or with any idea other than seeing how far it may lead towards the
Truth.

".let the mind hold fast, as a basis of its ideation to the following ideas:


1.	The fundamental unity of all existence.

Fundamentally, there Is ONE BEING.  

This has two poles, positive and negative. The positive is Spirit, or
consciousness. The negative is substance, the subject of consciousness.  

This Being is the ABSOLUTE in its primary manifestation. Being absolute,
there is nothing outside of it. It is ALL BEING.  

It is indivisible, else it would not be absolute. If a portion could be
separated, that remaining could not be absolute, because there would at once
arise the question of comparison between it and the separated part.
Comparison is incompatible with any idea of absoluteness. Therefore it is
clear that this fundamental One Existence, or absolute Being, must be the
Reality in every form that is.

The Atom, the Man, the God are each separately, as well as collectively,
Absolute Being in their last analysis, that is in their individuality. It
is this idea that must be held always in the background of the mind to form
the basis for every conception that arises from study of the SD. The moment
one lets it go.the idea of separation supervenes, and the study loses its
value." - HPB quoted	--	T A & N p. 272-3


2.	There is no dead matter. Every last atom is alive.since every atom
is itself fundamentally Absolute Being.every atom of substance, no matter of
what plane.[is] a life.

3.	Man is the microcosm.all the Hierarchies of the Heavens exist within
him. But in truth there is neither Macrocosm nor Microcosm but One
Existence. 

4.	"As is the inner, so is the outer; as is the great, so is the
small; as it is above, so it is below; there is but One Life and Law: and
he that worketh it is One. Nothing is inner, nothing is outer; nothing is
great, nothing is small; nothing is high, nothing is low, in the Divine
Economy."
--HPB T. A. & N (The S D and its Study - Bowen) p. 272-3



TRUTH AND REALITY


".Absolute Truth is the eternal Reality which survives all transient
phenomena.Language belongs to the world of relativity, while Truth is the
Absolute Reality. It is therefore vain to suppose that any language,
however ancient or sublime, can express Absolute Truth. The latter exists
in the world of ideas, and the ideal can be perceived by the sense belonging
to that world.no number of words can convey an idea to one who is incapable
of perceiving it. Every one of us has within him the latent capacity or
sense dormant in us, which can take cognizance of Abstract Truth,
although.the assimilation of our intellect with that higher sense, may vary
in different persons, according to circumstances, education and discipline.
That higher sense which is the potential capacity of every human being is in
eternal contact with Reality."	--DKM	T A & N p. 49



THE PRACTICE


"No one is so busy or so poor that he cannot be inspired by a noble ideal to
follow.It is true that the first requisites for getting there are absolute
unselfishness and unlimited devotion to the interests of others, and
complete indifference as to the world and its opinions. To take the first
step on this ideal path requires a perfectly pure motive; no frivolous
thought must be allowed to divert our eyes from the goal; no hesitation, no
doubt must fetter our feet.As to our inner life, let us concentrate all our
attention on our chosen Ideal, and let us ever book beyond .Those capable of
such an effort are true Theosophists."	-- HPB Articles I, p. 408  


"True philosophy and divine truth are convertible terms." A religion which
dreads the light cannot be a religion based on either truth or
philosophy-hence, it must be false."	ISIS II p. 121


"Mental evolution progresses pari passu with physical evolution, and both
advance towards the One Truth,-- which is the heart of the system of
Humanity, as evolution is its blood.Let every man inclined to go on find his
ideal,-- a star before him to guide. Let him follow it without ever
deviating from his path; and he is almost certain to reach the Beacon-light
of life-the Truth."	HPB Articles I 436-7


".the first point of Wisdom is to discern that which is false, and the
second, to know that which is true.Wisdom is, at best, an elastic word.thus
we find "Wisdom" as the characteristic of both divine inspiration and also
the terrestrial cunning and craft.as meaning the Secret Knowledge of the
Esoteric Sciences, and also blind faith: the "fear of the Lord."
HPB "The Dual Aspect of Wisdom" HPB Art II 30


"In every age there have been Sages who had mastered the absolute and yet
could teach but relative truths.every one of us has to find that (to him)
final knowledge in himself.no two minds can be absolutely alike, each has to
receive the supreme illumination through itself, according to its capacity,
and from no human light. The greatest adept living can reveal of the
Universal Truth only so much as the mind he is impressing it upon can
assimilate, and no more.Polarity is universal, but the polariser lies in our
own consciousness. In proportion as our consciousness is elevated towards
truth, so do we men assimilate it more or less absolutely.Still each of us
can relatively reach the Sun of Truth even on this earth, and assimilate its
warmest and most direct rays, however differentiated they may become.On the
plane of spirituality, to reach the Sun of Truth we must work in dead
earnest for the development of our higher nature."	--- HPB "What is
Truth ?"	HPB Articles I p. 2


".there are two kinds of "terrestrial" wisdom on our globe of mud--the real
and the apparent.So strong is human selfishness, that whenever there is the
smallest personal interest at stake, there men become deaf and blind to the
truth, as often consciously as not.There was a time when the acquirement of
Divine Wisdom (Sapienta) required the sacrifice and devotion of a man's
whole life.  

It depended on such things as the purity of the candidate's motives, on his
fearlessness and independence of spirit.no "wisdom from above" descends on
any one save on the sine qua non condition of leaving at the threshold of
the Occult every atom of selfishness, or desire for personal ends and
benefit.Nature gives up her innermost secrets and imparts true wisdom only
to him who seeks truth for its own sake, and who craves knowledge in order
to confer benefits on others, not on his own unimportant personality."
HPB Articles II 32-3


"Selfishness, the first-born of Ignorance, and the fruit of the teaching
which asserts that for each newly-born infant a new soul separate and
distinct from the Universal Soul, is "created"-this Selfishness is the
impassable wall between the personal Self and Truth. It is the prolific
mother of all human vices.Selfishness kills every noble impulse in our
natures."
HPB Articles I p. 5-6.


".ancient truths of the Wisdom Religion.{when tested] in the use of them
they prove themselves true. And truth.always explains. When we have the
explanation, we have the truth. Each has to make his own verifications of
the truth, but the fact remains that there is truth, and it has always
existed. It has come to us from Beings higher than we, because they turned
their faces in the right direction and pursued the course pointed out to
them as leading to spiritual, divine perfection. They know all that has
been known. They know us, although we may not know them. They know our
needs, although we may be densely ignorant of them. They come again and
again to present the truths of life to man, hoping that some echo may be
aroused in his soul so that he, too, shall arrive at a realizations of Self,
or spirit-which is Knowledge."
FP, pp. 308-9


"There is, and can be, but one absolute truth in Kosmos. [and].if it is
absolute it must also be omnipresent and universal; and that in such case,
it must be underlying every word-religion-the product of the thought and
knowledge of numberless generations of thinking men.Our object is not to
destroy any religion but rather to help to filter each, thus ridding them of
their respective impurities."	HPB - To the Readers of "Lucifer - Articles
I, p. 281


"All of you who waver on the golden threshold of Truth, the only Truth,
still open to you, since all the others have failed, one after the
other-look at the Great Reality now offering itself to you straight in the
face.This thought.is identical with what was the keynote and the keystone of
every century, especially the last one: "absolute Freedom of Human
thought."	
HPB Articles, The New Cycle -- I 405-6


"Mental evolution progresses pari passu with physical evolution, and both
advance towards the One Truth,-- which is the heart of the system of
Humanity, as evolution is its blood.Let every man inclined to go on find his
ideal,-- a star before him to guide. Let him follow it without ever
deviating from his path; and he is almost certain to reach the Beacon-light
of life-the Truth."	--HPB Articles I 436-7


".our Society may be truly called the "Republic of Conscience.".All of us
must work for the liberation of human thought, for the elimination of
selfish and sectarian superstitions, and for the discovery of all the truths
that are within the reach of the human mind."	The New Cycle - HPB Articles
I p. 402


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

These are offered for consideration -- to see if some of the definitions fit
our concepts of truth and reality. With students of THEOSOPHY they are
basic concepts.

Best wishes,

Dallas
 
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SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND THEIR ATTAINMENT

ONE of the questions which a Theosophist is apt to ask, and to ask with some
earnestness and intensity is, How can I make progress in the higher life?
How can I attain spiritual gifts? For the phrase "spiritual gifts," which is
a rather loose-jointed expression, we are indebted to Paul, the Apostle and
Adept, who thus wrote to the Corinthian Church: "Concerning spiritual gifts,
brethren, I would not have you ignorant." Among the "gifts" which he goes on
to enumerate are these -- wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, the working of
miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, the speaking of divers tongues,
and the interpretation of tongues. And while the Apostle urges the
Corinthians to "covet earnestly the best gifts," he yet proceeds to show
them a more excellent way, namely the supreme law of love. "Now abideth," he
says, "faith, hope, charity (or love), these three; but the greatest of
these is charity." Spiritual gifts, then, however desirable their possession
may be, are plainly not, in the opinion of this good Adept, on the highest
plane, not the supreme object of human attainment, or the most excellent way
of reaching human perfection. 

They may doubtless properly be regarded as evidences of advancement on the
higher planes of thought and spiritual life, and may be coveted and used for
the benefit of others; but they are not in themselves the chief object of
human desire. For man's supreme aim should be to become God, and "God is
love." 

But let us look at the matter a little more closely. In the first place,
what is a "gift"? What is the common acceptance of the word? Clearly
something given to or bestowed upon a recipient, not something which a man
already possesses, or which he may obtain by a process of growth or
development. 

The latter, strictly speaking, would be a "fruit," not a gift. A tree which
has been producing nothing but leaves and branches for many years finally
breaks out into blossom and fruit. No new "gift" has been conferred upon it;
it has simply reached a stage of development in its natural growth where
certain powers, inherent in the tree form the beginning, have an opportunity
to assert themselves. 

In the same way the transcendental powers possessed by the Adepts are not
gifts; but the natural result of growth in certain directions, and the
necessary efflorescence, so to speak, of the profound development in their
cases of those spiritual potentialities which are the birthright of all men.


Taking this view of the meaning of the word, I think most Theosophists will
be ready to admit that the phrase "spiritual gifts" is a misnomer. There are
and can be no gifts for man to receive. 

Whatever the student of the higher life is, he is as the result of his past
labors. 
Whatever he may become in the future will be due to his own efforts. He may
develop his latent faculties and in time become an Adept, or he may drift
along the currents of life without aim or effort, till he finally sinks into
oblivion. His destiny is in his own hands, and is in no way dependent upon
"gifts." 

Bearing in mind, however, the manifold nature of man, the subject may be
looked at from another point of view. For all practical purposes man may be
said to consist of body, soul, and spirit, the soul being the true ego, and
the spirit one with the Supreme. And regarding these for the time as
separate entities, it is perfectly true, as James, another apostle, puts it,
that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above." 

Every aspiration of the soul for spiritual things, every resolve of man to
lead a purer life, every helping outstretched hand to a weaker brother,
every desire for the truth, all hungering and thirsting after righteousness:
-- these and like yearnings and strivings of the soul have first of all come
from above, from the Divine within. In this sense they may be called
"gifts,"-gifts from the higher nature to the lower, from the spiritual to
the human. 

And this action of the above upon the below is seen in those humane
attributes, or qualities, or virtues-whatever one may be pleased to call
them-which Paul in another place enumerates as the "fruits of the
spirit,-love, joy, peace, long suffering gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance."

Looked at from either of these points of view, how can we attain spiritual
gifts? The answer would seem to depend upon what we are really striving for.
If the extraordinary powers of the Adepts have captivated our fancy and
fired our ambition, then we must posses our souls in patience. Few, if any,
of us are at all fitted for a "forcing" process. 

We must be content to wait and work; to grow and develop; line upon line,
precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, till, ages hence
perhaps, we come to the full stature of the perfect man. If, however, wisely
recognizing our limitations, we strive instead after what may be termed the
ordinary manifestations of the spirit, two obvious lines of conduct suggest
themselves. 

Every impulse from above, every prompting of the Divine within, should meet
at once with a hearty welcome and response. If you feel as if something
urged you to visit some sick or afflicted neighbor or friend, obey the
suggestion without delay. If the wish to turn over a new leaf comes into the
lower consciousness, don't wait till next New Year's before actually turning
it over; turn it now. I
f some pathetic story of suffering has moved you, act on the emotion while
your cheeks are still wet with tears. In short, put yourself at once in line
with the Divine ways, in harmony with the Divine laws. More light, more
wisdom, more spirituality must necessarily come to one thus prepared, thus
expectant. How can a bar of iron be permeated with the earth's magnetism if
it is placed across instead of in line with the magnetic meridian? 

How can a man expect spiritual gifts or powers if he persists in ignoring
spiritual conditions, in violating spiritual laws? To obtain the good, we
must think good thoughts; we must be filled with good desires; in short, we
must be good.

And this practical suggestion is to fulfill faithfully and conscientiously
every known duty. It is in and through the incidents of daily life, in work
well done, in duties thoroughly performed, that we today can most readily
make progress in the higher life,-slow progress, it may be, but at any rate
sure. 

These are stepping stones to better things. We advance most rapidly when we
stop to help other wayfarers. We receive most when we sacrifice most. We
attain to the largest measure of Divine love when we most unselfishly love
the brethren. We become one with the Supreme most surely when we lose
ourselves in work for Humanity. 

DIES NON	Path, February 1889
 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Ejvind 
Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 10:09 AM
To: 
Subject: Why is Theosophy better than religions or other approaches to
spirituality?

I'm new at this site, so please forgive if I'm erroneous in asking this.

I'm puzzled by one of the statements in W Q. Judges writings: THEOSOPHY AS A
GUIDE IN LIFE: --

"If Theosophy has no better aim than have the sects, if it imparts no motive
stronger than do they, if it can show no results more distinct and valuable,
it may as well be rejected now as after a futile trial. But, on the other
hand, if it holds out a better prospect and a finer spur, if it can prove
that these have actually operated where conventional ones have failed, it is
entitled to a hearing. The doctrinal question is subordinate, though, of
course, an ethical system is more hopeful if upon a rational basis. "

What puzzles me is that it looks like Theosophy is a BETTER way of searching
for the truth or - indeed THE truth in these writings.

I must say that I have difficulty accepting that ANY approach to
spirituality/religion could be better than any other, in the sense that it's
"All or nothing".

Is it still an accepted fact that THE truth is Theosophy and all others
approaches are wrong?

My reason for asking this question is that I believe all approaches are
TRUE,
but that the person perceiving the approach is the key to whether the
particular approach is true or false to them. So truth is a matter of
perception.

I also believe that all approaches (to religion/spirituality) could be
enhanced, if we were to accept the fact that nothing is ever "true for
ever" - that all things evolve - even the great truths.

Ejvind/Denmark