Theos-Talk Archives (May 2005 Message tt00020)

Anand,

You wrote:

"Masters don't give teaching. Disciples write their 
experiences and observations. Naturally some differences 
are invevitable. Two persons don't perceive one 
thing exactly same. Still differences are few and
they don't change overall understanding of the subject 
for ordinary members. e.g. difference about Mars and 
Mercury. Whoever may be correct, it hardly makes 
any difference in our lives.

You say that "Masters don't give teaching. Disciples write their 
experiences and observations."

But consider the following from HPB's pen:

"The sole advantage which the writer has over her 
predecessors, is that she need not resort to 
personal speculations and theories. For this work 
is a partial statement of what she herself has been 
taught by more advanced students [the Masters], 
supplemented, in a few details only, by the results 
of her own study and observation. (SD, I, viii)

Another comment by HPB:

"When the present work was commenced, the writer [H.P. Blavatsky 
herself] , feeling sure that the speculation about Mars and Mercury 
was a mistake, applied to the Teachers [the Mahatmas] by letter for 
explanation and an authoritative version. Both came in due time, and 
verbatim extracts from these are now given." 

Anand, you also assert:

"Still differences are FEW and they don't change OVERALL 
understanding of the subject for ordinary members." caps added.

Few???

Let the reader who cares to verify your statement look at the
differences and judge.

Dr. Santucci wrote:

"The differences between Theosophy and Neo-Theosophy are TOO 
NUMEROUS to mention in the context of this paper...." caps added.

Again Dr. Kuhn wrote:

"The articles indicate WIDE deviations, in some cases COMPLETE 
reversal, made by the later interpreters [Besant, Leadbeater, 
Jinarajadasa] from the fundamental statements of the Russian 
Messenger [Blavatsky] and her Overlords [the Mahatmas]." 

"The differences concern such matters as the personality of God, the 
historicity of Jesus, his identity as an individual or a principle, 
the desirability of churches, priestcraft and religious ceremonial, 
the genuineness of an apostolic succession, and a vicarious 
atonement, the authority of Sacraments, the nature and nomenclature 
of the seven planes of man's constitution, the planetary chains, the 
monad, the course of evolution, and many other IMPORTANT PHASES of 
Theosophic doctrine. This exhaustive research has made it apparent 
that the later exponents have allowed themselves to depart in many 
IMPORTANT POINTS from the teachings of H.P.B." caps added.

See actual examples of those differences at:

http://blavatskyarchives.com/thomas/index.htm

Anand, you comment:

"Still differences are few and they don't change overall 
understanding of the subject for ordinary members. e.g. difference 
about Mars and Mercury. Whoever may be correct, it hardly makes 
any difference in our lives."

Whoever may be correct...... ??

Take just the "difference about Mars and Mercury" that you refer to.

Again HPB:

"When the present work was commenced, the writer [H.P. Blavatsky 
herself] , feeling sure that the speculation about Mars and Mercury 
was a mistake, applied to the Teachers [the Mahatmas] by letter for 
explanation and an authoritative version. Both came in due time, and 
verbatim extracts from these are now given." 

Again Koot Hoomi:

"Every mistake or erroneous notion, corrected and explained by her 
from the works of other theosophists was corrected by me, or under 
my instruction."

So Anand, who was correct?? Blavatsky and Koot Hoomi or Leadbeater 
and Besant?

And you say that "Whoever may be correct, it hardly makes 
any difference in our lives."

But to HPB and Koot Hoomi it was apparently important enough that 
they spent time and effort making the corrections.

As HPB said:

"Mistakes have now to be checked by the original teachings and 
corrected."

And this was written please note in what is considered HPB's most 
famous work which Koot Hoomi said was "an epitome of occult truths 
that will make it a source of information and instruction for the 
earnest student for long years to come. . . ."

Some food for thought...

Daniel
http://hpb.cc