Theos-Talk Archives (November 2004 Message tt00084)

Well...

A few views:

Other years could of course also be useful.
One reason to put 1950 forward was that it was around that time
that the recognition of what is called "Brainwashing" was beginning
to be understood and accepted in public.

But anything not considering
time, place, people and circumstances when being forwarded
will always have a difficulty in being in line with
what some of us call the Path.
In such a situation the year 1950 will have a secondary importance.

I was simply motivating a reaction among a few of you.
The reaction was perhaps noticed by the Master and a
new design will later be created to help some of you
to progress further on the Path..

A question:
Should I understand it so,
that the below titles mentioned by you
are a recommended theosophical study-course?

There are as you know books we call popular cult-like ones.
And also Those which arouse and nurtures emotions in certain readers.
There are also books which aims at intellectual stimulation.
And then there are books like The Secret Doctrine
aiming at stimulating the higher inner spiritual organs.
As Blavatsky says according to Robert Bowen in his notes:
"The True Student of The Secret Doctrine is a Jnana Yogi, and this Path of 
Yoga is the True Path for the Western student. It is to provide him with 
sign posts on that Path that the Secret Doctrine has been written."
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/metaphys/th-bowen.htm

I hope this was helpful?

from
M. Sufilight


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel H. Caldwell" <danielhcaldwell@y...>
To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 9:14 PM
Subject: Theos-World M. Sufilight on "old scriptures written before 1950"


> M. Sufilight,
>
> You wrote:
>
> "I sometimes think that clinging way too
> much to old scriptures written before
> 1950 creates such a tendency."
>
> "What do all of you readers think?
> Is such an attitude theosophical?"
>
> "I personally think, that it can
> only reach the level of being
> pseudo-theosophical."
>
> Why is 1950 the cut-off date????
>
> Why not 1975 or 2000? or....
>
> So should one ignore the Bhagavad Gita or
> the Upanishads or the YogaSutras or
> the Dhammapada or the Zohar or the Old
> Testament or the Koran or the Tibetan Book
> of the Dead? They are certainly
> older than 1950!
>
> My goodness, the Secret Doctrine by
> HPB is very new in comparison to those
> "relics" from centuries ago!
>
> There may be a forward march
> and progression of ideas. But in "spiritual" ideas
> can we somehow say that is too "old" or "too
> ancient"?
>
> At the same time I'm not saying you shouldn't
> read new material.
>
> I am looking at my bookshelves where
> I have a good number of volumes dated
> since 1950!
>
> Books on reincarnation by Ian Stevenson,
> books by Mircea Eliade, books like
> UP FROM EDEN by Ken Wilbur, books
> on parapsychology like the one
> by Michael Schmicker, books by
> George Feurstein, ROOTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
> by Jeffrey Mishlove, book by Rossner
> IN SEARCH OF THE PRIMORDIAL TRADITION,
> THE IMPRISONED SPLENDOUR by Raynor Johnson,
> THE SUPREME ADVENTURE by Robert Crookall,
> THE BUDDHA FROM DOLPO by Stearns,
> THE BUDDHA WITHIN by Hookham,
> THE BELIEF IN A LIFE AFTER DEATH by
> C.J. Ducasse, THE WISDOM OF THE ZOHAR,
> 3 volumes, books by Joseph Campbell
> to name but a few, very few books that
> have helped me better understand Theosophy.
> I think all of these have been written since
> 1950.
>
> Daniel
> http://hpb.cc
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