Re Teachers Teachers Statement
Sep 19, 2006 09:29 AM
by Mark Jaqua
Re: Teacher's Teacher's Statement
Dan, On the 1900 Letter, Bruce has a point. On "the large
majority believe it genuine" - well, what is your motivation of
making a mountain of a mole-hill? Its just a conventional
statement, and among philosophers, it does make a difference
what the majority think. An additional idea I've had on this
letter and the "KH-concentration" letter is - who wrote them
down? Maybe it was someone who was an imperfect instrument, and
got some real thoughts mixed up with trash (not necessarily even
with a Teacher being involved - reflections in the astral
light.) If the communications hadn't definitively been stopped
when they were, we would have nothing but this sort of
controversial mess and letters. Isn't it more important to
discuss Theosophy, instead of this endless debate on relatively
minor and mostly historical questions? Dan certainly has a knack
to create disputes between individual people or groups (or Trys
to!) without almost ever making a point of his own viewpoint -
like everyone else honestly tries to. Dan's whole purpose (or
result) is to aggitate people and divert from discussing REAL
Theosophy, and not these (relatively) unimportant matters. Can
he control himself? (I don't mind being "condescended" to, as
RBM remarks - when you see where someone is coming from, it
doesn't botherss one.)
On the "concentration" letter, calling the teacher
"Blessed" is not Judge's style. I doubt he used it anywhere
else in his writings. Its neo-theosophical jargon or the like.
That whole small section quoting the Teacher (supposedly) could
be removed and not make any difference, and also maintain the
total "tone" of the instruction. Who was Judge's typist? Was
Alexander Fullerton still around? My bet, as a possibility,
that whoever typed it up got a "message" from a teacher
(self-deluded) or the like and included it himself. This was
the last ES Instruction also, which might mean they had become
to hard to accurately publish and maintain.
Something I can't understand, is that part of the Teacher's
Teacher's Statement I posted was deleted, regarding christian
missionaries in the eighth paragraph - from my own archived
copy. This is the second time I've had a problem with this
particular letter. I'm posting it again, since its an important
letter. If someone asks you what Theosophy is about, you could
just show them a copy of this letter.
- jake j.
==============
Teacher's Teacher Statement:
"The doctrine we promulgate
being the only true one, must - supported
by such evidence as we are preparing
to give - become ultimately triumphant,
like every other truth. Yet it is
absolutely necessary to inculcate it
gradually; enforcing its theories
(unimpeachable facts for those who know)
with direct inference, deduced from
and corroborated by the evidence furnished
by modern exact science. That is why Col.
H. S. Olcott, who works to revive Buddhism,
may be regarded as one who labours in the
true path of Theosophy, far more than any
man who chooses as his goal the gratification
of his own ardent aspirations for occult
knowledge. Buddhism, stripped of its
superstition, is eternal truth; and he
who strives for the latter is striving
for Theo-Sophia, divine wisdom, which is
a synonym of truth.
"For our doctrines to practically
react on the so-called moral
code, or the ideas of truthfulness,
purity, self-denial, charity, etc., we
have to preach and popularize a knowledge
of Theosophy. It is not the individual
and determined purpose of attaining Nirvana
- the culmination of all knowledge and absolute
wisdom, which is after all only an exalted
and glorious selfishness - but the self-
sacrificing pursuit of the best means to
lead on the right path our neighbour, to
cause to benefit by it as many of our
fellow-creatures as we possibly can, which
constitutes the true Theosophist.
"The intellectual portion of mankind
seems to be fast dividing into two classes:
the one unconsciously preparing for itself
long periods of temporary annihilation or
states of non-consciousness, owing to the
deliberate surrender of intellect, and its
imprisonment in the narrow grooves of
bigotry and superstition - a process which
cannot fail to lead to the utter deformation
of the intellectual principle; the other
unrestrainedly indulging its animal
propensities with the deliberate intention
of submitting to annihilation pure and simple,
in case of failure, and to millenniums of
degradation after physical dissolution.
Those intellectual classes, reacting upon
the ignorant masses - which they attract,
and which look up to them as noble and fit
examples to be followed - degrade and
morally ruin those they ought to protect
and guide. Between degrading superstition
and still more degrading brutal materialism,
the White Dove of Truth has hardly room
whereon to rest her weary unwelcome feet.
"It is time that Theosophy should
enter the arena. The sons of Theosophists
are more likely to become in their turn
Theosophists than anything else. No messenger
of the truth, no prophet, has ever
achieved during his life-time a complete
triumph - not even Buddha. The Theosophical
Society was chosen as the cornerstone, the
foundation of the future religions of
humanity. To achieve the proposed object,
a greater, wiser, and especially a more
benevolent intermingling of the high and
the low, the alpha and the omega of society,
was determined upon. The white race must
be the first to stretch out the hand of
fellowship to the dark nations, to call
the poor despised "nigger" brother.
This prospect may not smile for all,
but he is no Theosophist who objects
to this principle.
"In view of the ever-increasing
triumph, and at the same time the misuse,
of free thought and liberty (the universal
reign of Satan, Eliphas Levi would have
called it), how is the combative natural
instinct of man to be restrained from
inflicting hitherto unheard-of cruelty
and enormous tyranny, injustice, etc.,
if not through the soothing influence of
brotherhood, and of the practical
application of Buddha's esoteric doctrines?
"For everyone knows that total
emancipation from the authority of the
one all-pervading power, or law--called
God by the priests, and Buddha, Divine
Wisdom and enlightenment or Theosophy,
by the philosophers of all ages--means
also the emancipation from that of human
law. Once unfettered and delivered from
their deadweight of dogmatism, interpretations,
personal names, anthropomorphic conceptions,
and salaried priests, the fundamental
doctrines of all religions will be proved
identical in their esoteric meaning.
Osiris, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, will be
shown as different means for one and the
same royal highway to final bliss--Nirvana.
"Mystical Christianity teaches
Self-redemption through one's own seventh
principle, the liberated Paramatma, called
by the one Christ, by others Buddha; this
is equivalent to regeneration, or rebirth
in spirit, and it therefore expounds just
the same truth as the Nirvana of Buddhism.
All of us have to get rid of our own Ego,
the illusory, apparent self, to recognize
our true Self, in a transcendental divine
life. But if we would not be selfish, we
must strive to make other people see that
truth, and recognize the reality of the
transcendental Self, the Buddha, the Christ,
or God of every preacher. This is why
even esoteric Buddhism is the surest path
to lead men towards the one esoteric truth.
"As we find the world now, whether
Christian, Mussulman, or Pagan, justice
is disregarded, and honour and mercy are
both flung to the winds. In a word, how--
since the main objects of the Theosophical
Society are misinterpreted by those who
are most willing to serve us personally--
are we to deal with the rest of mankind?
with that curse known as the struggle for
life, which is the real and most prolific
parent of most woes and sorrows, and all
crimes? Why has that struggle become almost
the universal scheme of the universe? We
answer,--because no religion, with the
exception of Buddhism, has taught a
practical contempt for this earthly life;
while each of them, always with that one
solitary exception, has through its hells
and damnations inculcated the greatest
dread of death. Therefore do we find that
struggle for life raging most fiercely
in Christian countries, most prevalent
in Europe and America. It weakens in the
Pagan lands, and is nearly unknown among
Buddhist populations. In China during
famine, and where the masses are most
ignorant of their own or of any religion,
it was remarked that those mothers who
devoured their children belonged to
localities where there were the most
Christian missionaries to be found;
where there was none; and where the
Bonzes alone had the field,
the population died with the utmost
indifference. Teach the people to see
that life on this earth, even the happiest,
is but a burden and an illusion; that it
is our own Karma [the cause producing the
effect] that is our own judge--our Saviour
in future lives--and the great struggle
for life will soon lose its intensity.
There are no penitentiaries in Buddhist
lands, and crime is nearly unknown among
the Buddhist Tibetans.
"The world in general, and
Christendom especially, left for 2,000
years to the régime of a personal God, as
well as to its political and social systems
based on that idea, has now proved a failure.
If the Theosophists say we have
nothing to do with all this; the lower
classes and the inferior races (those of
India, for instance, in the conception
of the British) cannot concern us, and
must manage as they can, what becomes
of our fine professions of benevolence,
philanthropy, reform, etc.? Are those
professions a mockery? And if a mockery,
can ours be the true path? Shall we
devote ourselves to teaching a few
Europeans--fed on the fat of the land,
many of them loaded with the gifts of
blind fortune--the rationale of bell-ringing,
of cup-growing, of the spiritual telephone,
and astral body formation, and leave
the teeming millions of the ignorant,
of the poor and oppressed, to take care
of themselves, and of their hereafter,
as best they can? Never! perish rather
the Theosophical Society with both its
hapless Founders, than that we should
permit it to become no better than an
academy of magic, and a hall of occultism!
That we, the devoted followers of that
spirit incarnate of absolute self-sacrifice,
of philanthropy, divine kindness, as of
all the highest virtues attainable on
this earth of sorrow, the man of men,
Gautama Buddha, should ever allow the
Theosophical Society to represent the
embodiment of selfishness, the refuge
of the few with no thought in them for
the many, is a strange idea, my brothers!
"Among the few glimpses obtained by
Europeans of Tibet and its mystical
hierarchy of perfect Lamas, there was
one which was correctly understood and
described. The incarnations of the Bod
hisattva Padmapani or Avolokiteshvara,
of Tsong-ka-pa, and that of Amitabha,
relinquished at their death the attainment
of Buddhahood--i.e., the summum bonum
of bliss, and of individual personal
felicity--that they might be born again
and again for the benefit of mankind.
In other words, that they might be again
and again subjected to misery,
imprisonment in flesh, and all the
sorrows of life, provided that they
by such a self-sacrifice, repeated
throughout long and weary centuries,
might become the means of securing
salvation and bliss in the hereafter
for a handful of men chosen among but
one of the many planetary races of
mankind. And it is we, the humble disciples
of these perfect Lamas, who are expected
to allow the Theosophical Society to drop
its noblest title, that of the Brotherhood
of Humanity, to become a simple school of
philosophy! No, no, good brothers, you
have been labouring under the mistake too
long already. Let us understand each other.
He who does not feel competent to grasp
the noble idea sufficiently to work for
it, need not undertake a task too heavy
for him. But there is hardly a Theosophist
in the whole Society unable to effectually
help it by correcting erroneous impressions
of outsiders, by himself actually
propagating this idea. Oh! for noble and
unselfish men to help us effectually in
that divine task! All our knowledge, past
and present, would not be sufficient to
repay him.
"Having explained our views and
aspirations, I have but a few words more
to add. The true religion and philosophy
offer the solution of every problem. That
the world is in such a bad condition,
morally, is a conclusive evidence that
none of its religions and philosophies,
those of the civilized races less than
any other, has ever possessed the truth.
The right and logical explanations on
the subject of the problems of the great
dual principles, right and wrong, good
and evil, liberty and despotism, pain
and pleasure, egotism and altruism,
are as impossible to them now as they
were 1880 years ago. They are as far
from the solution as they were; but
to these problems there must be somewhere
a consistent solution, and if our
doctrines will show their competence
to offer it, then the world will be
the first to confess that there must
be the true philosophy, the true
religion, the true light, which gives
truth and nothing but the truth. "
(1881)
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