Theos-Talk Archives (March 2006 Message tt01093)

Dear Carlos, Krsanna, and all,

It seems to me that the effort needed to make the Adyar-led TS
relevant may not be as difficult as some might imagine.  The clue to
what is needed is given to us by the beleaguered Tacoma Branch.  If a
theosophist is to be independent and learn to think for himself, then
that should be reflected in the organizational structure of the
Society.  Theosophy in a particular community should be run by the
members of that community totally independent of a Parent Society.

I read in a number of posts that the various theosophists of this
forum perceive themselves to be independent thinkers.  Is that
reflected in the lodges you belong to and their relationship to your
international headquarters?  If headquarters focused on introducing
theosophy to commnunities that do not currently have branches, and
helped those branches to grow into independent lodges, then that might
be their best and only use.  Once a lodge is independent they owe a
debt to the headquarters in helping to establish "new" lodges, but
they should not be beholden to any other political influence.

This is a democracy from the ground up that requires a particular kind
of mind, one that does not seem to exist as of yet within the Society,
and that is a mind that is both independent of and compassionate for
the needs of other communities.  This type of a Society grows leaders
and leadership.  Lodges have to chart their own course once they have
achieved self-sufficiency.  If Adyar were to adopt this political
structure, then it would become very relevant.

Sincerely,
Bruce


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "carlosaveline cardoso aveline"
<carlosaveline@...> wrote:
>
> 
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> 
> Krsanna says (see below):
> 
> "I believe that Adyar is irrelevant to the degree it is not capable
of doing
> the work of theosophy, to unify by showing that all esoteric
knowledge stems
> from one common tree, and this knowledge has become exoteric. 
Contemporary
> Theosophists who hide in the shadow history or some vague future, 25,000
> years from now, are equally incapable of doing the work of theosophy
in the
> contemporary world and, in this way, irrelevant to the degree they
fail to
> deal with conditions of the world as it now exists in exoteric and
esoteric
> terms."
> 
> 
> I say:
> 
> 1) No one is hiding in the future.  The practical reason for looking
things 
> in a comparatively long term
> is that it gives us a much better perspective of reality as we face
short 
> term challenges. Time, and space, in the SD,  is much wider that 25,000 
> years and our planet Earth.
> 
> 2) Who is the "spiritual authority" to judge that Adyar is
"irrelevant"?  Is 
> Krsanna modestly offering herself to such a position?  Adyar is part
of the 
> theosophical movement; it is far from being  the smallest of its
parts; it 
> has many sincere students, including undrieds of  HPB students;  all
of the 
> movement is "relevant" in the long run.
> 
> 3) It is beautiful to acknowledge our own relative irrelevancy  in the 
> greater scheme of things; it is not correct or accurate to judge
OTHERS as 
> irrelevant.
> 
> 4) Mistakes are NEVER irrelevant as they always hide important lessons. 
> Adyar TS's mistakes are relevant and identifying them will give
important 
> lessons not only to its own members, but to all the movement.
> 
> Actual differences between Adyar TS and other theosophical
organizations can 
> be much smaller than some of us think.
> 
> There is a difference between fighting Adyar and fighting Adyar's  
> illusions. These illusions are, in a way, the illusions of the
movement as a 
> whole.
> 
> Adyar TS members are our brothers and sisters.  Sometimes, family 
> relationships are uneasy and difficult,  but frank discussions can help.
> 
> Brothers and sisters are always relevant to each other.
> 
> Best regards, Carlos.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >From: "TimeStar" <timestar@...>
> >Reply-To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> >To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
> >Subject: Theos-World HPB's resignation from Adyar and its irrelevancy
> >Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 04:01:16 -0700
> >
> >Dear nhcareta:
> >
> >I had never seen the letter in which HPB resigned from the Adyar
TS, which
> >was later ordered to be produced in court by a judge in 1929. 
Thank you 
> >for
> >bringing it to the attention of this group.  Adyar has never
published the
> >letter in its entirety, except with all derogatory comments about Adyar
> >removed?
> >
> >I believe that Adyar is irrelevant to the degree it is not capable
of doing
> >the work of theosophy, to unify by showing that all esoteric knowledge 
> >stems
> >from one common tree, and this knowledge has become exoteric. 
Contemporary
> >Theosophists who hide in the shadow history or some vague future,
25,000
> >years from now, are equally incapable of doing the work of
theosophy in the
> >contemporary world and, in this way, irrelevant to the degree they
fail to
> >deal with conditions of the world as it now exists in exoteric and
esoteric
> >terms.
> >
> >HPB used newspapers, magazines, books, and contemporary events of
her day 
> >to
> >illustrate the principles she taught.  She was dynamic and present
in the
> >world.
> >
> >All individuals of this planet and the developing life forms are one,
> >including mineral, plant and animal.  Saying that Theosophical
Societies 
> >and
> >Theosophists are one on the inner plane without including all life
of the
> >planet constitutes a new caste system of theosophical interests.
> >
> >In this oneness of all life on earth, Adyar has failed the theosophical
> >mission and HPB resigned from it.  She abolished the authority of the 
> >parent
> >society declaring all lodges autonomous.  Her resignation, it seems,
> >prophesied the future of Theosophy:  "Mankind - the majority at any
rate -
> >hates to think for itself. It resents as an insult the humblest
invitation
> >to step for a moment outside the old well-beaten track, and,
judging for
> >itself, to enter into a new path in some fresh direction."
> >
> >Theosophists and their societies are as mired in dogma as any other 
> >religion
> >has ever been.  They have become the new "dead letter."
> >
> >Again, thank you for this post.
> >
> >Best regards,
> >Krsanna Duran
> >
> >nhcareyta <nhcareyta@> wrote:
> >In light of recent postings, this article written in 1991 and
subsequently
> >published in The Canadian Theosophist might be of interest. It was
sent to
> >me whilst involved in personal correspondence with the author during my
> >early stages of disenthrallment and disillusionment with the Adyar T.S.
> >
> >IN MEMORY OF H P. BLAVATSKY
> >BY D. J. BUXEY
> >"We cannot exaggerate the debt we owe to H.P.B. She brought us the
> >Light...and we can best carry on her work by remembering the
gratitude that
> >we owe her.
> >Dr. Annie Besant.
> >H.P.B. resigned ("in utter disgust." as she called it) from the 
> >Theosophical
> >Society on the New Day of Spring, March 21, 1985.  She ended her
words on
> >the matter with:
> >"I leave with, one and all, to every one of my friends and
sympathizers, my
> >loving farewell. I would implore you all to be true to the Society
(this
> >essay is being written only " to be true to the Society", as she
puts it. -
> >D.J.B.) and not to permit it to be over-thrown by the enemy.
> >Fraternally and ever yours - in life or death.
> >H.P. Blavatsky.
> >
> >Adyar was happy to see her go. As she put it later, there was
hatred from
> >every department in Adyar towards her.
> >Why did the Council of the T.S. accept her resignation? Perhaps, as
she put
> >it, (I am quoting from The Canadian Theosophist. Sept.-Oct.  1982,
p.80.
> >Vol.63, No. 4):
> >"Mankind - the majority at any rate - hates to think for itself. It
resents
> >as an insult the humblest invitation to step for a moment outside
the old
> >well-beaten track, and, judging for itself, to enter into a new
path in 
> >some
> >fresh direction."
> >This essay is being written, in her memory, precisely for the T.S.
 to move
> >"in some fresh direction" in the second century of its existence. 
As I was
> >writing my paper for the International Conference, as invited, and
came to
> >this point, the biographer of H.P.B., my neighbor, came in I asked
him why
> >he ended his book on H.P.B. with her resignation and did not go
further. 
> >His
> >answer shook me. He said, as invited, he speaks to the lodges, but
never
> >became a member - (this surprised me) - "as so sordid is the
history of the
> >T.S. that I want no part of it."
> >I then remonstrated. "You are then presenting only part of the
picture."
> >His reply was, "Be it so. but I cannot wash dirty linen in public."
After
> >her resignation, H.P.B. then left India on March 30, 1885, against
her will
> >as she put it later to friends. As she saw the shores of her
beloved India
> >recede, she wept like a baby. She was carried on board ship without a 
> >change
> >of clothes, and, in her own words, "...indecent haste."
> >And now, with her out of the way Adyar started playing games. It
started
> >"manufacturing" Masters in their factory, - not merely manufacture, but
> >commercializing and selling "Them" also, much as the Christian
missionaries
> >sell Jesus - their American TV. programs earn at least a 100 million
> >dollars.  In the last bulletin of Convention No. 4 that a friend
sent to me
> >from Adyar, it mentioned that a property in Holland reverted to
Adyar. But 
> >I
> >happened to read Dr. Besant's Watch Tower notes in The Theosophist
of how
> >the property was made to be donated. The donor said that she was made a
> >member or pupil of the Great White Brotherhood (Annie Besant's eyes
widened
> >at this stage) and she was put on probation by the Master K.H. This was
> >Bishop Wedgwood's mischief - when I went to see him in Camberley in
1950 he
> >had already gone mad (from tertiary syphilis. -Ed.). Dr. Besant
said that
> >she had never heard of such a thing (that the property was being
donated), 
> >-
> >all sorts of things happened behind her back - but she was
accepting the
> >property nevertheless. This is just an example to illustrate the
point. The
> >property, Huizen has now come to belong to Adyar.
> >H.P. Blavatsky now declared:
> >a.   I cannot now live at Headquarters from which the Masters and Their
> >Spirit are virtually banished.
> >
> >b.	The Presence of Their portraits will not help. They are a dead
letter.
> >(These portraits are now in the E.S. Shrine Room.)
> >
> >c.  No advice of mine on occult lines seems likely to be accepted.
> >
> >d.	The fact of my relations with the Masters is doubted, even totally 
> >denied
> >by some, and I myself having no right to the Headquarters, what
reason is
> >there, therefore, for me to live at Adyar?
> >
> >This letter has been kept secret from Adyarites to this day. Only
when a
> >Parsee judge objected was it partially repeated in The Theosophist
of 1929.
> >By then Annie Besant was losing her memory (she asked Krishnamurti
if they
> >had ever met!), and was nearly dying, so they (Adyar officials)
felt it was
> >of no harm then. But all derogatory references to Adyar, even until
then
> >(1929) were removed.  After H.P. Blavatsky's departure from Adyar, the
> >Masters became "alive" at the Adyar Convention.  Who was to stop
them? A
> >member, Franz Hartman, astonished at all these goings on, wrote to
H.P.B.
> >and I quote from her very long letter of April 1885:
> >"As to ... that portion of your letter where you speak of the
"army"  of 
> >the
> >deluded (viz. T.S. members at the Convention) and the "imaginary"
Mahatmas
> >of Olcott - you are absolutely and sadly right". (Note "sadly
right" and
> >"imaginary Mahatmas, Olcott's Old Diary Leaves is pure fantasy and
> >imagination - D.J.B.)  "Have I not seen the thing for nearly 8
years? Have 
> >I
> >not struggled and fought against Olcott's ardent and gushing
imagination 
> >and
> >tried to stop him every day of my life?" (Note her words, "his gushing
> >imagination" on Masters. - DJ.B.)   "Was he not told by me that if
he did
> >not see the Masters in their true light and did not cease speaking and
> >inflaming people's imagination, that he would be held responsible
for all
> >the evil the Society might come to?" ("Note the words, "inflaming
people's
> >imagination" by tall stories about Masters. - D.J.B.)
> >Who started inventing all this? To the German theosophist,
(Hartman) H.P.B.
> >explained:
> >"Then came Damodar and several other fanatics (note this word, -
D.J.B.)
> >calling them "Mahatmas" and little by little, the Adepts were
transformed
> >into Gods on earth.  They...were becoming with every day more
legendary and
> >miraculous.  The idea that Masters were mortal men never crossed
anyone's
> >mind, though They wrote themselves repeatedly" Why did she not stop all
> >this? As she put it at the end:
> >"I was always occupied with The Theosophist, and ever in my room. 
All were
> >left to Olcott and Damodar, two fanatics." (The word "fanatics" appears
> >again. D.J.B.) "How I protested and tried to swim against the
current, only
> >Mr. Sinnett knows, and the Masters."
> >The Masters (made, as H.P.B. says, omniscient, omnipotent and
omnipresent)
> >leave the Society. We will quote only three phrases of what the Masters
> >said, from Their numerous statements:
> >1.	'The Society has liberated itself from our grasp and influence,
and we
> >have let it go."
> >2.	"This policy (Olcott's) has done more harm to the spirit of the
Society
> >than several Coulombs can do." (What a strong and damaging statement to
> >make, "more than what several Coulombs can do." - DJB.)
> >3.	"He (Olcott) saved his body (organization )but the T.S. is now a 
> >soulless
> >corpse." (Or, he saved the body but killed the soul. - D.J.B)
> >
> >Now with the Master K.H. saying "the T.S, has failed", H.P.B. is
asked to
> >start a new movement. Her words:
> >"Acting under the Master's orders. I began a new movement in the
West on 
> >the
> >original lines ... I founded (the magazine) Lucifer." Now the
Lucifer was
> >founded to attack The Theosophist, otherwise why two magazines? How
else
> >would her voice be heard? How else could she crusade, a brave and lone
> >warrior against falsehood? With this we must slowly end her story.
> >History continues, as the story of others begins, and it is with
her memory
> >that we are more concerned about here. Just as Krishnamurti told me
many a
> >time, once with tears in his eyes, how he was thrown out of Adyar at a
> >moment's notice (he came to continue H.P.B.'s work), just as I saw,
year
> >after year, the pain in his eyes and words, we find from her
letters the
> >pain coming, as in this sentence:
> >"...those for whom I had the deepest affection, regarding them as a
mother
> >would her own sons ... have turned against me..." At this point we must
> >stop; her story is over. What about her successor? His story would
start.
> >H.P.B. had told Wm. Q. Judge in July 1886 (and a number of times
> >thereafter), "Take my place, Judge, ...  replace me at Adyar."
> >But Annie Besant played politics. "Politics" means fighting for
power. She
> >need not have, for Judge was to die in a year, but she did not know
this.
> >She would have come to power in any case, and later confessed to many
> >people, such as B.P. Wadia that she was misled.  An Australian, Mouni 
> >Sadhu,
> >in his In Days of Great Peace, says on p. 49:
> >"On my enquiry late in 1926, Mrs. Besant wrote to me:
> >'It is true that after the death of Col. Olcott in 1907, the Masters
> >withdrew their direct guidance of the T.S.' " Besant died
broken-hearted,
> >and as Krishnamurti was to tell me and others later, she
nevertheless was
> >sincere, but the others were not.  Olcott also realized this. In his
> >biography, Hammer on the Mountain a conversation appears on page
299- 300:
> >Olcott - "I have learned more, particularly as regards Judge -
> >"Yes, Henry," I (Laura Langford - Holloway) said eagerly,
> >Olcott - "I know now and it will comfort you to hear it, that I wronged
> >Judge - not willfully or in malice; nevertheless I have done this and I
> >regret it."
> >"God bless you", I said and then thanked him for his brave recantation.
> >H.P.B. tells her Masters she wants to start a new movement in her
beloved
> >India, the home of the Mahatmas, "of whom every Hindu school boy
knows".
> >(Mahatmas being true sanyasins etc.), but not in Europe.  Master
K.H. asks
> >her to go to pondicherry, but Adyar threatens arrest (as its
existence is 
> >at
> >stake), and in utter disgust, Master K.H.  asks Aurobindo to go to
> >Pondicherry. Was there any way to save the situation then? Yes, by 
> >recalling
> >her, as the Master told her "most plainly":
> >"Master told me most plainly that if the Society did not recall me
before
> >1886 (which it did not - D.J.B.) They would retire entirely from any
> >connection with it, signify it to the London Lodge and other
European and
> >American Societies, and break every connection with every member."
> >Conclusion:
> >H.P.B. asks, "Whom do I blame?" (for this mess). She answers,
"Certainly 
> >not
> >I."
> >Obviously blame goes to Olcott, as the Masters pinned the blame on
him, but
> >she is so noble, so chivalrous, that she puts it this way, "Loaded and 
> >heavy
> >is his karma, poor man...", but she does not blame him. Then whom? "To 
> >human
> >nature, demanding money." - All this was done for money - for
organization,
> >not teachings. So far as teachings were concerned, she had said, as J.
> >Krishnamurti had told in practically the same words:
> >"I saw with terror and anger the false track they (the T.S.) were all
> >pursuing."
> >When Judge started his magazine The Path, she had said, so far as the
> >teachings are concerned:
> >"Bravo! Judge, ... your Path outclasses my Lucifer any day." While for 
> >Adyar
> >she said, "Adyar is the laughing-stock of the theosophists
themselves, let
> >alone their enemies.
> >Even Swami Vivekananda had said, "God knows what happened. But
Judge was 
> >the
> >best representative the theosophists ever had."
> >Post Mortem
> >Is there a post mortem? Possibly yes.
> >Annie Besant died. She possibly saw things in a better light, and as
> >reported in The Theosophist Dec.1941. P.232, told Arundale. "The
Lodges 
> >have
> >become confused ... they have forgotten what theosophy is. Their
members 
> >run
> >here, there, and everywhere, everywhere but towards Theosophy."
> >"...everywhere but towards Theosophy". This is why this paper is being
> >written. May there be a new turn of direction by 1991.*
> >* The approximate time of writing of this essay. Add a prayer for a
belated
> >new turn of direction in 1996. -Ed.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
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>