Re: Theos-World Re: Did Pasadena TS tell lies under the name of Esoteric Instructions ?
Mar 07, 2006 10:42 AM
by Jerry Hejka-Ekins
Dear Anand,
You said you found honest students in all
organization.
Indeed I have. I have found dishonest ones too.
You wrote implying members belong to, are and should be loyal to
their organization.
Actually, I wrote implying that members should pay attention to the
organization which they belong and oppose any dishonesty they find there.
Fact is there is no one organization to which
serious students belong. Their goal should be to find the truth from
all sources and organizations.
And this is partly why I am associated with and support all of the
Theosophical Organizations as well as other organizations that do
related work.
Their goal should be to find the truth from
all sources and organizations.
In my experience, organizations are good for getting information.
Ultimately, I find my truths from within. For me, that is the most
reliable source.
Loyalty should be to truth and it
should not be blind supporting of organizations of which a person is
member.
Yes, exactly.
My question is still not answered. So it is being written again.
OK
No such leader or Outer Head of ES emerged, which meant Pasadena TS
failed, there was no ES after Purucker's death and so there was no
Outer Head of ES in Pasadena TS. Despite these specific directions,
in 1945, Conger claimed to be the Outer Head of the Esoteric School
which had ceased to exist. He appointed William Hartley as
successor, cabinet rejected him and appointed James Long as leader
in 1951. James Long closed ES and told that Purucker had already
stopped ES instructions in 1939. Does that mean Pasadena TS told
lies during 1939 to 1951 under the name of Esoteric Instructions ?
I think that lies are told in *all* Theosophical Organizations, and are
still being told today. Regarding the Purucker-Conger-Hartley-Long
situation, I have in my archives thousands of unpublished documents
including letters, minutes of meetings, diary entries etc. concerning
this sequence of events. I have also, over the years, personally
interviewed many of the people involved concerning it, including Emmett
Small, Kirby van Mater, and Judith Tyberg. If you ever come to the
United States, you are welcome to visit us, examine the documents, and
come to your own conclusions.
In the mean time, there is in the back issues of Theosophical History an
article on Conger by Alan Donant and a reply by Kenneth Small which
addresses many of the issues and should give you a feel for the opposing
views on this issue.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Anand Gholap wrote:
Dear Jerry,
Thanks for info. You said you found honest students in all
organization. That is true but point I wrote is different.
You wrote implying members belong to, are and should be loyal to
their organization. Fact is there is no one organization to which
serious students belong. Their goal should be to find the truth from
all sources and organizations. Loyalty should be to truth and it
should not be blind supporting of organizations of which a person is
member.
My question is still not answered. So it is being written again.
Let us analyse facts given in message 30270.
Purucker wrote in ES circular
if within three months after
de Purucker's death or disappearance no-one could give "the proper
proofs of
spiritual leadership", "then you will know that you have failed".
No such leader or Outer Head of ES emerged, which meant Pasadena TS
failed, there was no ES after Purucker's death and so there was no
Outer Head of ES in Pasadena TS. Despite these specific directions,
in 1945, Conger claimed to be the Outer Head of the Esoteric School
which had ceased to exist. He appointed William Hartley as
successor, cabinet rejected him and appointed James Long as leader
in 1951. James Long closed ES and told that Purucker had already
stopped ES instructions in 1939. Does that mean Pasadena TS told
lies during 1939 to 1951 under the name of Esoteric Instructions ?
AG
--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Jerry Hejka-Ekins <jjhe@...>
wrote:
Dear Anand, Friends,
Let's put it this way: in 1895, those who felt lied to, sided with
either Besant or Judge, depending upon who they believed was
telling the
truth. Accordingly, those who felt lied in in 1945-46, sided with
either Conger, or with the dissenting Board members, depending
upon who
they believed was telling the truth. In 1951, those who felt lied
to
sided with either Long or with Hartley, depending upon...well, you
know....
By 1931 there were dozens of "Theosophical" organizations
populated by
Theosophists who believed that they have been lied to. Who is
going to
cut through the Gordian knot and tell us who are the liars and who
are
the truth tellers?
I have met the leaders of all these factions and others too. They
all
strike me as sincere and dedicated people trying to promulgate
Theosophy
to the best of their ability. Isn't that good enough?
Perhaps the Theosophical Movement is better off with its multitude
of
expressions coming from many organizations. Now, students of
Theosophy
have different schools to compare. They can choose the one (on
ones)
which best meet their temperament.
I submit that the most constructive thing a member of a
Theosophical
organization can do is to keep an eye on their own organization
and make
sure that those in charge are being honest. Let the members of
other
organizations keep watch on their own leaders.
Best
Jerry
Anand Gholap wrote:
Let us analyse facts given in message 30270.
Purucker wrote in ES circular
if within three months after
de Purucker's death or disappearance no-one could give "the
proper
proofs of
spiritual leadership", "then you will know that you have
failed".
No such leader or Outer Head of ES emerged, which meant Pasadena
TS
failed, there was no ES after Purucker's death and so there was
no
Outer Head of ES in Pasadena TS. Despite these specific
directions,
in 1945, Conger claimed to be the Outer Head of the Esoteric
School
which had ceased to exist. He appointed William Hartley as
successor, cabinate rejected him and appointed James Long as
leader
in 1951. James Long closed ES and told that Purucker had already
stopped ES instructions in 1939. Does that mean Pasadena TS told
lies during 1939 to 1951 under the name of Esoteric Instructions ?
AG
--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, gregory@ wrote:
In response to Damian's request for information on the Pt
Loma/Pasadena ES I am
sending a summary of a section from a paper I gave at a
Thosophical history
conference in California many years ago. It comes from a study
of
secret
societies and esoteric groups within the Theosophical movement.
I
hope to
complete the work for publication one day.
Dr Gregory Tillett
De Purucker died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 27,
1942.
He had left
specific instructions regarding his successor: the successor was
to "emerge"
within three years after de Purucker's death, and would be
recognized by "the
proper proofs of spiritual leadership". During those three
years,
the Society
was to be ruled by a Cabinet. If no Head emerged, then the
Cabinet was to
elect a leader.
No successor emerged, and the Cabinet elected Colonel Conger.
The
ES continued
without an OH. De Purucker had made no provision for a successor
to be
appointed, but, at ES meetings he had given directions on the
matter, and these
had been published in a confidential ES circular: if within
three
months after
de Purucker's death or disappearance no-one could give "the
proper
proofs of
spiritual leadership", "then you will know that you have
failed".
The ES was
meanwhile administered by a Council.
Conger began to make claims to this position. At a meeting of
the
ES on
December 21, 1945, Conger claimed to be the OH of the ES. The
Cabinet divided
between those who accepted this claim (including John van Mater
and Grace
Knoche) and those who rejected it (including Henry Edge and
Emmett
Small).
On December 25, ten leading members of the ES (including Small,
Harrison and
Edge) presented Conger with a statement of protest against his
claim. They
challenged Conger to demonstrate knowledge of an inner degree of
the ES. Conger
declined to do so.
A controversy developed between Conger and his supporters, and
those who denied
his claims. In March, 1946, Conger demanded the resignation of
the dissidents.
It seems probable that the majority of members of the ES within
the Point Loma
Society rejected Conger's claim.
At a meeting on Paris 4, 1946, Conger announced the closure of
the
ES "by the
Master's direction", and declared that esoteric activities were
now "forbidden
by the Master". However, in October, 1946, a circular was sent
out announcing
that ES activities were to be resumed, and those wishing to take
part must sign
and return a pledge, whereupon they would receive de Purucker's
ES
instructions.
Conger died on February 22, 1951, and left a witnessed document
appointing
William Hartley as his successor. However, the Cabinet
unanimously refused to
recognize Hartley and James Long was appointed as leader.
Long claimed that de Purucker had stopped giving out teachings
about 1939, and
that there had been no instruction after that year even in the
ES. Long
finally closed the ES, saying, enigmatically, "the esoteric has
now become
exoteric, and the exoteric esoteric".
Following Long's death on July 19, 1971, he was succeeded by
Grace
Knoche.
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