Theos-Talk Archives (February 2005 Message tt00671)

Hallo Jerry and all,

My views are:

Well thanks, I guess.

My answers are inserted in the below using ***.

from
M. Sufilight


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Hejka-Ekins" <jjhe@charter.net>
To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 9:52 PM
Subject: Theos-World Communicating Theosophy


> Thank you Dallas and Sufilight for finally addressing the important
> question of communicating Theosophy. You are both right. Accuracy is
> important. So is meaningful discussion.
***
Allright. But maybe we are also both of us wrong?
Or maybe it is the emails and the impact of their design upon readers like 
you, which are important?
***

> To post citations to Theosophical texts germane to every topic that
> comes up may be useful to those who have not already read the material,
> or don't know how to look up the material for themselves. However this,
> it itself, is not scholarship. While scholarship implies one's ability
> to research a subject--to use indexes, bibliographies etc., it also
> implies skills in interpreting and discussing this material.
***
Well, I think, that depends upon how we define the word scholarship.

If a person request me to use scholarship and when the very use of 
scholarship
hampers my possibilities to email and address certain persons; -
This person is in fact requiring, that I follow his or her rules upon how to 
email
or at least a certain approach on how to email.
We could question whether such a request always is spiritually genuine.

Sometimes it is.
But, any theosophical activity aught to be an issue of relating your 
activity to time, place and people.
And this is Learning how to Learning.
And Learning how to Learn is not merely linear Scholarship.
This is the difference when I view the exchange between me and Dallas.
This is theosophy.
***
> During the 1960s and 70s, I belonged to a Theosophical Study group led
> by one of Boris de Zirkoff's students. Almost every time I opened my
> mouth to comment upon something HPB or some other Theosophist or Mahatma
> wrote, my teacher would stop me and demand that I tell her exactly which
> book and where in that book one would find the quote which I was
> referring. I learned to play the game, and like a little parrot, learned
> to quote passages from, say, the Secret Doctrine, then tell you upon
> what page and paragraph one would find that quote. Though I learned to
> play the game, I also deeply resented its implications. True
> scholarship is not learning to be a mindless parrot. It is leaning to
> more deeply understand and to effectively communicate your subject.
***
This is my definition:
True Scholarship is not Theosophy.
True Scholarship is to be acting stupid without using wisdom.
Scholarship is linear.
Theosophy is non-linear, and theosophy is Divine Wisdom.
***
> I agree with Dallas, that it is important to be able to accurately cite
> and quote our sources. I would also add that true learning comes when
> we gain insight into what we read. That is done through meditation
> *and* discussion. Discussion is an important learning tool, and ought
> not to be denigrated.
***
Yes. I also agree upon that this is important, but only when time, place and 
people
requires that you do so.
You do not gain any real insight by exchanging emails by requiring that the
emailer always has to follow your rules and likening for scholarship when 
emailing.
***
> I also agree with sufilight that discussion needs to be meaningful and,
> hopefully, inspiring. I would also add that for the discussion about a
> quote to be meaningful, we need to have an accurate knowledge of what
> was actually written.
***
I can almost hear a Miss Marple say the following: "Well, Jerry. Do we 
really need it to be so ?"
Maybe someone Wants it so be so.
But there is no spiritual need.


from
M. Sufilight with peace and love...
***
> Jerry
>
>
> > M. Sufilight wrote:
> >
> > Hallo Dallas and all,
> >
> > My views are:
> >
> > Dallas wrote:
> > "> I note with deep regret that some have offered their opinions 
> > concerning
> > the
> >
> >
> > > usefulness and validity of HPB's writings, and to bolster this, the
> > > Mahatmas' opinions are vaguely quoted. Let's have some precision and 
> > > some
> > > degree of scholarship and organization, shall we ? "
> >
> > My answer:
> > I note also with regret, that Dallas a long time student of theosophy
> > has the appearnt aim of degrading our level of knowledge
> > down to a scholary one.
> > Let us have a more inspiring stance than a scholary one.
> > I beg you Dallas.
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links