Theos-Talk Archives (November 2004 Message tt00202)

Thanks Jerry. She reminds me of my grandmother (may she rest in Peace).

bill
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Hejka-Ekins" <jjhe@c...>
To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 9:09 PM
Subject: Re: Theos-World On changing headers, toxicity, etc.


>
> Hello Bill,
>
> Your remarks bring my thoughts back to a very remarkable woman who used
> to walk around this country some years ago. She called herself a "Peace
> Pilgrim" and her mission was to teach anyone who would listen that world
> peace was possible if we all learn to have peace within ourselves. But
> before she began her trek, she went through about fifteen years of
> spiritual development. When she began teaching, she had herself already
> become what she had to teach. I met her once about thirty years ago
> when she came to speak at a Theosophical Lodge. I was going through a
> personal crises at the time. Though I never spoke to her about it, what
> she had to say did a lot to change how I was seeing my situation. Over
> the years her simple lessons have taken on more and more meaning for me,
> and my respect for her keeps increasing.
>
> I think that she would answer that we need to do what we can for others
> according to and to the best of our abilities. But my experience with
> her suggests that those who teach best are those who have already
> attained to what they are teaching.
>
> --j
>
>
>
> Bill Meredith wrote:
>
> >Hello Jerry,
> >
> >Thank you for your response. Your last question sounds like a good one
to
> >take into meditation. I did, and this is what came to me:
> >
> > I am inclined to think, tentatively, very tentatively, that what we may
be
> >able to do toward the goal of helping others to free themselves from any
> >addiction, attachment, or relationship is best exemplified by the effort
we
> >continually give toward freeing ourselves from our own individual sets of
> >addictions, attachments, and relationships. Perhaps we are at yet
another
> >of life's crossroads and our focus on helping others prepares us to help
> >ourselves by allowing us to see the results of the choices that lay
before
> >us on the path of our own creation.
> >
> >I would be very interested in your thoughts on these matters.
> >
> >
> >bill
> >----- Original Message ----- 
> >From: "Jerry Hejka-Ekins" <jjhe@c...>
> >To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
> >Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 3:30 PM
> >Subject: Re: Theos-World On changing headers, toxicity, etc.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>Hello Bill,
> >>Thanks for your comments. See some responses below:
> >>
> >>Bill Meredith wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>Hi Jerry, I have been following your discussion with interest. I have
> >>>
> >>>
> >had
> >
> >
> >>>similar discussions with Dallas in the past -- one quite recently. I
see
> >>>your points and I understand your view that "the future of Theosophy
> >>>depends upon this kind of dialoguing." You asked if others might chime
> >>>
> >>>
> >in,
> >
> >
> >>>so I wish to offer these observations.
> >>>
> >>>Sometimes people are talking about different world-views even though
each
> >>>
> >>>
> >is
> >
> >
> >>>prone to label his/her particular view Theosophy with a capital T or in
> >>>Dallas's case THEOSOPHY with all capital letters.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Yes, and in my case I was a bit slow on the uptake. It wasn't until
> >>after Dallas stated that he defines THEOSOPHY as synonymous with TRUTH,
> >>that he was talking in terms of a divine universal, while I was
> >>discussing the texts.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>In my opinion, some students may have fallen in love with a particular
> >>>rendition of Theosophy. In such cases, one's thought processes become
> >>>
> >>>
> >like
> >
> >
> >>>the well-worn grooves in a phonographic record that lead logically and
> >>>inevitably to the certainty one chose in the beginning. A lover's
> >>>
> >>>
> >mindset
> >
> >
> >>>is developed over time. One becomes deaf to the small "scratches" and
> >>>
> >>>
> >minor
> >
> >
> >>>"skips" in the object of one's adoration. Anyone else who notices the
> >>>
> >>>
> >flaws,
> >
> >
> >>>becomes at once out of touch with "reality," and more importantly, not
> >>>harmonious with the words and music flowing logically and inevitably
> >>>through the lover's phonographic mind.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Yes, well said. I've noticed that when someone talks to me about
> >>Theosophical teachings, by the time they get to the third sentence I
> >>have already identified which Theosophical organization they have
> >> dedicated themselves to. Of course, names live Purucker, Crosbie and
> >>Besant are giveaways, but also so are phrases like, "Original
> >>Teachings", "Jesus the Avatar", "Guruparampara", and "Nirvanic Plane."
> >> Students have a way of becoming text bound and falling into jargons,
> >>which, as you are saying, are repeated until they lose touch with the
> >>meanings.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>The machinery can be bumped, but the jiggle seems only momentary before
> >>>
> >>>
> >the
> >
> >
> >>>diamond point settles into that well-traveled path again.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Great metaphor!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>In my discussions with various lovers of Theosophy I find that they
> >>>"present" similar to lovers of Jesus or lovers of Nature or lovers of
> >>>NASCAR. I have at times been able to embrace the thought processes of
> >>>
> >>>
> >such
> >
> >
> >>>lovers to satisfy my own desire to see the world from their view. In
so
> >>>doing I have felt myself on a roller coaster ride of thought that
while
> >>>exhilarating the first few times around the course quickly begins to
> >>>
> >>>
> >settle
> >
> >
> >>>into a repetitive cycle that winds in grooves round and round to the
same
> >>>logical and inevitable certainty again and again and again.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Yes, and what can we do to help people to free themselves from their
> >>"groovy" prison (pun intended), so that they can begin to use the
> >>information as a means to expand their understanding? On the other
> >>hand, perhaps some people are so comfortable in their prisons that it
> >>might be an act of cruelty to try to push them out into the open air.
> >>--j
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
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> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
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> Yahoo! Groups Links
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