Theos-Talk Archives (February 2005 Message tt00826)

Feb 28, 2005

Dear Steve:

In man (humanity) does the mind and thinking ever stop?

We may think it is inconsequent or something else, but to the one who uses
and has a mind it is important in many ways. It is quite different from our
"feeling," which, (to me) when used as an expression, means we have a vague
idea of something -- a tendency -- but, we are not really sure of it,
because we have not made ourselves so, by the use of our own power of mental
analysis and determination.

It may be, as we deem it, only "lower manas," but it is still the potential
link between the personality (our feelings) and the INDIVIDUAL( our
Knowledge), and cannot be ignored or erased, can it ?

As to non-violence. It is a promise we make to our HIGHER SELVES never to
impose on anyone our particular criteria for decisions. We will never try
to dominate or manipulate anyone. In so doing, we recognize in them the
"ray" of the ONE IMPERISHABLE AND UNIVERSAL SPIRIT that is the basis of
their individual and personal existence. 

But we can present alternatives and let them freely elect to follow their
own choices. Is not this the theosophical method? 


Consider the vow of Kwan Yin:


"Never will I seek nor receive private individual salvation.

Never will I enter into final peace alone.

But forever and everywhere will I live and strive for the redemption of
every creature throughout the world."


Let us also, perhaps consider the following:


Our laboratories cannot devise any kind of analytical method to detect or
rationalize MORAL, VIRTUOUS and COMPASSIONATE thinking, choosing, living
and behaviour. They don't know the difference between vice and virtue - so
how can they presume to say anything valid?  

This is precisely what THEOSOPHY teaches us -- if we are careful to study
and understand the teachings embodied in The VOICE OF THE SILENCE .

Why is it that THEOSOPHY does not deal immediately with information about
the "chakras?"

You can see it for yourself if you look at the matter carefully -- that the
author puts the description of perceptions through those centers, as though
they originated solely in the physical phenomena and magnetic centers
associated and detectable there, with them. She does not deal with either
their cause, or the reason for investigation. 

Some aspects of ancient Hindu learning on psychology have been found and
translated -- but they are designed to throw readers off the real inner
spiritual track into psychism and its curious dead ends. They do not give
any hint about the ideal or the universal and impersonal operations of the
spiritual side of life and Nature as a whole.  

They do not show, for instance, that a knowledge that we are all IMMORTALS
living together under a uniform benevolent and fair law -- KARMA - makes for
a cooperative and conjoined progress - towards a GOAL we all share :
PERFECTION.  

They only focus on the physical and selfish powers that some acquire in
order to dominate over others - and lasts, as a condition, for a single life
- until death mercifully terminates the torture.  

Look at this long and deeply, and carry out your thought, power of logic,
and imagination to the ultimate end -- which, for you and me, and others
-- is WHAT ?  

Is it: Immortality of the imperishable INDIVIDUALITY, or, the effacement of
a personality that has failed to make the connection with their HIGHER SELF
effective and a matter of daily reference? 

Why are we all in the same condition and either helping or hindering each
other ? 

The primary thought to keep in front of us, (as I see it) is the sacrifice
made by the SPIRITUAL DIVINE SELF (Atma-Buddhi-Manas) in incarnating into
our physical environment. 

It does this, not for itself, but to assist the "monads of lesser
development" to raise themselves individually and also eventually,
collectively, to the nature and stature of the Universally Resident, Inner
"God." [To give you an idea of the importance of this read in the SECRET
DOCTRINE I 207-210, II 1567, TRANSACTIONS OF THE BLAVATSKY LODGE. pp.
63-68).

Every night our Lower Manas in its aspirations has the opportunity of rising
to consult with the Higher Manas (Buddhi-Manas and the HIGHER SELF -- the
ATMA).  

It brings the memory of this back to waking consciousness, if, in our waking
consciousness, we devote a regular time to study and learning about our own
virtuous, spiritual potentials and capacities. For it is in our period of
waking consciousness that we have to focus those virtues that are spiritual
realities -- and as Kwan-Yin suggests make them "a living power in our
lives." 

THEOSOPHY provides the rationale and the logic to make this quite plain to
the honest and sincere waking and working lower mind -- that's the reason
we study and try to grasp that which is within every man's reach. (If he
will search for it, test it, and see if the application is impersonal and
benevolent -- so he can adopt it for his own use.) 

The "chakras" are not dealt with in our early study because of this tendency
to reduce everything in the human psyche and lower mind to material
locations and physical bodily organs (or centers and meridians) . And there
is among some, a great curiosity about these, without there being any
definite object to acquiring such information -- and why should that be the
case for some? 

Yes there are centers and meridians in the physical body. Ancient Indian
and Chinese medicine knows these are effective and uses them pretty well for
health reasons. Mesmer and Paracelsus taught and practised this knowledge
in the West in historical times, but today, few medical men know or
understand the MORAL IMPLICATIONS of such information. [As a result we are
warned in THEOSOPHY of the evils of hypnotism.] 

But consider that the HEAD is the primary resting place in our physical
environment of the CONTACT POINT of the INNER and REAL MAN with his physical
vehicle. 

The body to put it briefly, exists only to support the head -- and
particularly the BRAIN -- in which are certain centers made of specialized
and sensitive "monads," (or "life-atoms and skandhas") -- peculiarly related
to the spiritual thought and the moral and virtuous choices and behaviour of
all humans. 

Such higher centers have on this physical plane corresponding centers of
sensitivity. Their nature is not entirely clear to the physiologist. But
they are known to regulate and affect health, both psychic and physical.
Most have no clue as to the spiritual nature of man, and its purpose in
incarnating into a body time after time. 

But these physical centers, when attuned by our SPIRITUAL WILL to the higher
spiritual and moral MAN, cannot in any way be dissected or made to reveal
anything of the inner nature of the INDIVIDUALITY (Atma-Buddhi-Manas) 

What we all can learn in THEOSOPHY (and from "within" -- from our own HIGHER
SELF) is the SPIRITUAL, universal and impersonal, benevolent and
compassionate approach. That is (to me) important and supersedes any other.

Best wishes, 

Dallas

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Levey 
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 6:25 AM
To: theosophia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [theosophia] Re: Theosophy and our times



Laura-


I appreciate your reply to Dallas and myself about 
the "Transitonal Age" we are in.

Regarding non-violence, humility and Spirituality in general 
as the needs of democracy, I couldn't agree more. 

There seems to be a kind of rampant tendency towards violence in our
cultures these days.

 
To my mind it may be connected to a growing internal state of 
frustration in the sense of a way to express outwardly, what has 
become a condition of impotency within the minds of everyday folks.

 
This is an impotency, where the outward conditions of the world seem 
so uncontrollable by the everyday person, and I think that therefore 
there is a feeling in which most folks feel as if they are helpless 
in effecting the world scene. Of course, to a great extent this is 
true. Once the 9/11 rabbit was out of the hat, and the country 
responded the way it did, things have only escalated since.

The only way that it seems possible to put the 9/11 rabbit 
back in the hat is through a humility of thought, word and deed on 
the part of those in whom we have invested political responsibility, 
on the one hand, and the powerful issuance of Theosophical ideation 
on the other. 

People will have to admit to their Spiritual Nature as 
a reality, before they will expect their political leaders to act 
accodingly on their behalf. 

This is the work of the Theosophical 
Movement. It must choose to find a way into the world of the very 
people who neglect such a mental and moral position.

As far as Manas goes, if it appears to be an inactive organ, at 
the moment, let us activate that which is active.
 
Steve

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

--- In theosophia@yahoogroups.com, "Steven Levey" <sallev1@y...> 
wrote:
> 
> From Laura Grey-ULT in Victoria, Canada
> 
> Hi Steve 
>  
> I wish I had more time!
>  
> Your letter to Dallas came to me by way of his email response to 
you.
>  
> An interesting observation on this period of the Transition, is in 
> the collection of speeches by Vaclav Havel, called "The Art of the 
> Impossible". It is well worth reading. Havel indicates that 
> Democracy needs to evolve and embrace Spirituality, in order for 
the 
> world to take it seriously. He also indicated that evolution must 
> happen from within the individuals of the world and this takes 
time.  
> It cannot be imposed from without (violence). This is what is 
> missing from the western method of democracy, there is no 
> humbleness. To me humbleness is the realization that truth is not 
> in "me" or in a particular group, but Truth in inherent in each and 
> all and must be realized by each and all from their own inner 
> awakening. We cannot blast it into them, but as Havel indicates 
> there are a few things we can do to add a little pressure. He uses 
> the example of the equal rights movement.
>  
> In the past much of this kind of dialogue was accomplished in Manas 
> Magazine. Maybe someone could take the Manas Reprints (effort by 
> Dallas and others) and using past articles and new articles with 
the 
> events of the day make it a thought force once again.  
>  
> In a brief dialogue with Jane Jacobs she indicated to me that Manas 
> Magazine could be a basis for a new kind of university, one that 
> charged no tuition and offered no degree. The only true kind of 
> University. Henry Gieger thought this was a good idea and offered 
> the challenge.
>  
> Theosophy has so much to offer to us when we step out of the 
> temporary and look at the patterns of the age. It helps us to 
think 
> and act in a non-separate way, which we as individuals, then apply 
> to our daily interactions. During Theosophical Meetings it is best 
> to reconnect with these Ideas, then when fueled with them, we move 
> back out into our work, and efforts. The results of all this work 
by 
> students will be seen, but not necessarily by those same students.
>  
> Have a good day.  
>  
> Laura

==================================
>  
> --- In theosophia@yahoogroups.com, "Steven Levey" <sallev1@y...> 
> wrote:
> > 
> > Dal-Thank you for presenting what ULT has brought into our lives, 
as
> > it rekindles, really, the intent of the old Academys. I think that
> > this must be seen as a powerful effect upon the mind of our day. I
> > know that there have been other attempts at presenting music, 
dance
> > and poetry as the tools used to open the mind of students. 
Guerdgief
> > seems to have had this in mind, as portrayed in his "Meeting with
> > Remarkable Men", but I think he went to extremes along with 
> decidedly
> > overlooking a classical sense of philisophical ethics. 
> > Also, I believe Theosophical thought, through students of the 
> ULT,
> > was an open conduit for the Sufi writings of Rumi, which poetic 
> beauty
> > mixed with unerring, nearly Taoist thought, has hardly any equal 
in
> > our time. 
> > But my questions remain. What has been the discernable effect 
of
> > these powerful "tools" to the mind of our time to those not
> > consciously involved with Theosophic thought? And what has it to 
do
> > with this time being seen as a "Transition Period"? Does the 
> violence,
> > which is prevailant in all forms of media and in personal lives, 
> have
> > to do with these profoundly positive methods? Remember, Gandhi 
> nearly
> > gave up on Satyagraha or non-violence in action, because of the
> > violence which erupted in the face of it in India. What can we 
learn from this?
> > 
> > Steve