Theos-Talk Archives (March 2005 Message tt00573)

William Doss McDavid on Studying Mme. Blavatsky's Writings

=====================================================
Question: Should we take H.P.B. as an
infallible authority?

Answer: Absolutely not....

But there is another side to the question.
We have to remember that the modern
Theosophical movement owes its very existence
to H.P.B. and the Masters, whose faithful
agent she claimed to be. It would be
extremely unwise to reject the teachings given
through her without understanding what those
teachings really were in the first place. And how
can we acquire this understanding if we do not
study her writings? We don't have to blindly
accept what she says or take her views as the last
word, but at least we should become familiar with
those views firsthand. Then we can reject or
accept intelligently. When the works of other
and later writers who claim to be continuing
the work begun by H.P.B. present viewpoints and
"revelations" which are at direct variance with
the original lines of teaching, we may feel
justified in questioning the source of the newer
pronouncements. A familiarity with the
original writings, therefore, provides a criterion
for intelligent judgment.
==============================================

Quoted from:
AN INTRODUCTION TO ESOTERIC PRINCIPLES: A STUDY COURSE, p. 37
by William Doss McDavid
http://www.questbooks.net/title.cfm?bookid=265

Daniel
Blavatsky Study Center
http://hpb.cc