Theos-Talk Archives (March 2006 Message tt00547)

Bruce & All -- At this moment, the third option Bruce outlined is 
the most likely to be adopted, because, for many, it is the path of 
least resistance.  Making change on an issue important to a 
personality may require changing long sequences of justification 
that have been in place for lifetimes, depending on how entrenched 
the individual is in habitual behavior and how closely related the 
behavior is to core beliefs.  

Dallas suggested another option of documenting events as they 
occurred.  I conceive this to be a Truth & Justice Committee that 
documents time, place, form and event, without any interpretation.  
This would require all involved to agree to not interpet data before 
compilation is complete, because once interpretation starts the 
ensuing debate may preclude the compilation ever being completed.  
It requires a commitment to honesty about events as they occurred 
without elaborate efforts to explain or justify.  This the fourth 
option.  

A fifth option is to set aside all beliefs about who is deserving or 
worthy until AFTER the Truth & Justice Committee has done its work.  
This is to suspend judgment for a while to enable the work to 
proceed.

A letter Koot Hoomi wrote to a chela that "was planning an action so 
horrible and such a betrayal of a sacred trust as not even our 
wildest imagination can conceive," is our example.  It is letter 24 
from "Letters From The Masters Of The Wisdom, First Series," dated 
late 1883, below.

Let the list member who has not sinned throw the first stone.  If 
the Mahatmas eliminated everyone who had erred, there would be 
nobody left with whom to argue.  There wouldn't be anyone left.  
None of us has the power to eliminate anybody, and we are going to 
work together on the same planet for what may be a long, long time.  
Let's figure out how to accomplish this with the justice that Koot 
Hoomi offered.  

Best regards, Krsanna

LETTER FROM KOOT HOOMI TO CHELA

"So then, you really imagined when you were allowed to call yourself 
my chela – that the black memories of your past offences were either 
hidden from my notice or that I knew and still forgave?  Did you 
fancy that I connived at them?  Foolish…!  Thrice foolish!  It was 
to help save you from your viler Self, to arouse in you better 
aspirations; to cause the voice of your offended "soul" to be heard; 
to give you the stimulus to make some reparation… for these only 
your prayer to become my chela was granted.  We are the agents of 
Justice, not the unfeeling lictors of a cruel god.  Base as you have 
been, vile as you have misused your talents… blind as you have been 
to the claims of gratitude, virtue and equity, you have still in you 
the qualities of a good man (dormant indeed, so far!) and a useful 
chela.  But how long your relations with us will continue – depends 
alone upon yourself.  You may struggle up out of the mire, or glide 
back into depths of vice and misery now inconceivable to your 
imagination… remember,… that you stand before your Atma, which is 
your judge, and which no smiles, nor falsehoods, nor sophistries can 
deceive."



--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "robert_b_macd" 
<robert.b.macdonald@...> wrote:
>
> Sorry about all the mess in the last post,
> Bruce
> 
> There has been much discussion the past few days over the Movements
> history.  Some people feel that what is past is past, let's find
> inspiration in whatever writings we choose to follow and carry on 
from
> there.  It has been asked why we cannot apply the same standards of
> Universal Brotherhood that are applied to HPB and Judge to certain
> theosophical members in our midst today?
> 
> Again, let's try to reframe the debate and see whether that gives 
us
> any further insight.  Carlos in his post "WAR, PEACE AND THEOSOPHY"
> has made a brilliant start along this path giving us the hints 
that we
> need to understand why we cannot continue on our present course.
> 
> Currently we have a number of theosophical traditions.  One way to
> achieve peace is to allow all these traditions to exist under the
> theosophical banner and prohibit these traditions from challenging 
one
> another.  In this scenario these traditions would develop on their 
own
> in their own directions and in a few centuries we could no doubt 
say
> that the Theosophical Society has become the cornerstone of our 
future
> religions.  The fact that these religions will be mired in as much
> illusion as the religions of today will have to be expected.  
Without
> constant challenge there can be no truth.  It is because of this 
that
> theosophists need courage, learn to think for themselves, and 
learn to
> challenge what they perceive to be false and promote what they
> understand to be true.
> 
> The above scenario, or a modified version where we stay away from 
the
> really contentious issues seems to be what some members of this 
group
> feel theosophy should be.  Regrettably, the path still leads to
> illusion whether modified or not.  The contentious issues are those
> where the real ignorance lies.
> 
> Another way to achieve peace would be to abandon theosophy.
> Certainly that would solve our problems but is hardly a meritorious
> choice.
> 
> The third way is to keep searching for the truth and putting up 
with
> all the sniping and hurt feelings that go along with that 
enterprise.
> As Spiritual Warriors, we are not likely to make the conquest of
> Truth unscathed.  This is the Kali Yuga, the secret now is to have
> courage and continue moving forward.  It is during this age where 
the
> most spiritual progress can be made. The forces against us are 
legion,
> pulling from us every dark seed planted in previous lives.  From 
the
> perspective of our Higher Selves, it is a time to rejoice.
> 
> As far as the Movement is concerned, something divided it and we 
must
> understand what that something is.  If I were to point to one 
thing it
> would be what Judge describes in the June 1895 issue of "The Path".
> Judge writes:
> 
> "In the April Theosophist Col. Olcott makes public what we have 
long
> known to be his private opinion—a private opinion hinted at through
> the pages of Old Diary Leaves,—that H.P.B. was a fraud, a medium, 
and
> a forger of bogus messages from the Masters.  This final ingrate's
> blow is delivered in a Postscript to the magazine for which the
> presses were stopped.  The hurry was so great that he could not 
wait
> another month before hurling the last handful of mud at his 
spiritual
> and material benefactor, our departed H.P.B.  The next prominent
> person for whom we wait to make a similar public statement, has 
long
> made it privately."
> 
> For Judge, who had personally endured animosity and attacks from
> Olcott and "the next prominent person", Besant, this was the final
> blow.  The ingratitude that such an attack displays was aimed 
directly
> at the spirit of the Society, Universal Brotherhood.  The Masters 
had
> said over and over again that they do not count ingratitude as one 
of
> their vices.  Olcott had come full circle.  The lack of courage he
> displayed on the streets of New York in 1875 (see Carlos' post:THE
> TEACHERS AND THE LIARS, post 30693 ) finally found its full 
flowering
> in the pages of the Theosophist.
> 
> The Masters said that Blavatsky and Olcott were totally responsible
> for the Karma of the Society. Perhaps one way to look at the 
Society
> is that a lesson was being prepared for Humanity.  Good and honest
> people had to learn how to stand by one another.  Olcott's betrayal
> was necessary as it would prompt good people to ask the 
question: "How
> can there be so much violent disagreement within a Society 
dedicated
> to Universal Brotherhood?"  As they sorted through all the symptoms
> of the betrayal, the LCC, Leadbeater, etc., they would finally be 
left
> with one cause, the betrayal of Blavatsky by Olcott.  Ever since 
that
> betrayal, theosophists have repeated that error again and again
> pulling the Movement further and further apart.  It is a lesson 
that
> must be learned if there is to be any future to the current impulse
> initiated in 1875.
> 
> Olcott made a mistake.  Many theosophists followed him in that
> mistake.  The mistake was to be expected.  The Masters were trying 
to
> inspire humanity to lift itself to a more ethical treatment of one
> another.  The only place where such an ethical understanding exists
> right now is within the ranks of the White Brotherhood.  Once we 
start
> practicing this type of ethics, we will be on a Path to Truth.  We
> will have the tools to avoid the superstition and bestiality 
described
> by Carlos in WAR, PEACE AND THEOSOPHY.
> 
> If this is not the mistake that we should be searching for, then 
what
> is it?
> 
> Sincerely,
> Bruce
>