Theos-Talk Archives (January 2006 Message tt00053)

Did HPB "cull" Theosophy from the religions of the world?

Let us be more specific.....

For example, did HPB herself "cull" the teaching about the 
terrestrial chain of globes from various religious works or did she 
receive the teaching from her Masters....?

I quote below several passages from THE SECRET DOCTRINE. Notice 
that HPB mentions THE ORIGINAL TEACHINGS in one of the passages.  
What is she referring to by this phrase?

Also notice that she states that she "applied to the Teachers [the 
Mahatmas] by letter for explanation and an authoritative version."

"...an authoritative version...." !!??

What does that mean?

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"Esoteric Buddhism" [by A.P. Sinnett] . . . is an excellent book 
[on Theosophy], and has done still more excellent work. But this 
does not alter the fact that it contains some mistaken 
notions. . . . 

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

Among such [mistakes]. . . [was] the erroneous statement that two of 
the superior Globes of the terrestrial chain were two of our well-
known planets [Mars and Mercury]....

When the present work [THE SECRET DOCTRINE] 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, here are more extracts from another letter written by 
the same authority....

...Those alone, whom we call adepts, who know how to direct their 
mental vision and to transfer their consciousness -- physical and 
psychic both -- to other planes of being, are able to speak with 
authority on such subjects. And they tell us plainly: -- . . . 

". . . . . . Be prudent, we say, prudent and wise, and above all 
take care what those who learn from you believe in; lest by 
deceiving themselves they deceive others . . . . . for such is the 
fate of every truth with which men are, as yet, unfamiliar. . . . 
Let rather the planetary chains and other super- and sub-cosmic 
mysteries remain a dreamland for those who can neither see, nor yet 
believe that others can. . . ."
 
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Quoted from:
http://blavatskyarchives.com/moderntheosophy.htm#2

Daniel
http://blavatskyarchives.com