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TPH & Recent Libels Against HPB

Mar 04, 2006 08:08 AM
by carlosaveline cardoso aveline




Dear Friends,


In the year 2000, the Theosophical Publishing House/Quest Books published the unfortunate volume "The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky", by Daniel Caldwell.

This 451 pp. book is a collection of testimonies, false and true, about the life of H. P. Blavatsky. With this book, Daniel Caldwell inaugurated a new “editorial policy” adopted by the Adyar Theosophical Society in America , which consists of publishing lies and libels invented by the old enemies of H. P. Blavatsky and of the theosophical movement as if they were authentic documents.

The new editorial “policy” also includes publishing these false accusations scattered amidst authentic documents, which makes it harder for the unexperienced student to identify the falsehoods whose effect – if unresisted – would be killing HPB’s memory and destroying its spiritual vibration at the moral, ethical and occult levels, which are inevitably interconnected.

Thus HPB’s image could be apparently put at the same level as some other “theosophical” leaders, perhaps. In the disgusting volume "The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky" – while believing the editor has selected truthful documents – the reader will bump into many of the lies written against HPB. There he will see two texts by Emma Coulomb (pp. 35-36 and pp. 210-215) with no word from the “editor” Daniel Cadlwell admitting he is publishing documents which have no trace of truth in them whatsoever.

Caldwell’s book also contains two texts by Mr. Solovyov with attacks against HPB; one false testimony by Mr. Richard Hodgson, several false accusations against HPB made by Moncure D. Conway and many other unjust attacks aimed at her who is not here to defend herself. The disgusting material includes utter disrespect for two Sacred Teachers and Their names, in one of the libels signed by Emma Coulomb.

Its reproduction by a Publishing House which calls itself “Theosophical” is something which surpasses and goes relatively far beyond the limits of absurdity. HPB wrote long enough in The Key to Theosophy about the abuse of sacred names, even when the cause of such a desecration is not a collection of deliberate lies against the theosophical philosophy.


As to this kind of action, there are two levels of karma: the karma of actively publishing lies against the Masters and HPB, and the karma of anyone who knows about this and does nothing. This will not be the karma of earnest students. In the Preliminary Memorandum of the Esoteric Section of Theosophical Society, issued in 1888, Mrs. Blavatsky made an inspiring quotation from the Book of Discipline in the schools of Dzyan and from a letter of a Master: “He who wipeth not away the filth with which the parent’s body have been defiled by an enemy, neither loves the parent nor honours himself. He who defendeth not the persecuted and the helpless (...) has been born too soon in human shape.” I can only humbly aggree with these wise words.

It is true that the editor of "The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky" wrote at the preface of the book:

“These reminiscenses by her relatives, acquaintances, friends, co-workers, and enemies give a vivid portrayal of Madame Blavatsky’s personality and allow the reader to enter into the historical milieu of her time.”

But he forgot the profound difference between an enemy and a liar.

An enemy, says the dictionary, is an adversary or an opponent – often an honest person. A liar is a person who tells lies – or who knowingly helps propagating them. Enemies may say unpleasant truths and we should be able to learn from them. The problem is not with enemies, then, but with false testimonies. The editor of "The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky" wrongly called “reminiscenses” the old, well-known falsehoods and proved lies. He and TPH-Wheaton considered them beautiful enough to go to the public.

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Best regards, Carlos.


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NOTE:

The paragraphs above are part of my text "The Embellishment of Truth", published in "FOHAT", the magazine of the Edmonton Theosophical Society, Canada, in the Summer 2005 issue.

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