Theos-Talk Archives (December 2006 Message tt00977)

Friends,
 
In her 1886 text  "The Original Programme of The Theosophical Society", H.P.B. reviews the first moments of the creation of the  theosophical movement.   She  says that the Masters did not tell the two chief Founders  ( H . S. Olcott and herself )  what they had to do to organize the movement.  
 
And she adds: 
 
“But if  the two Founders were not told what they had to do, they were  distinctly instructed about what they should never do, what they had to avoid,  and what the Society should never become. Church organizations, Christian and Spiritual sects were shown as the future contrasts to our Society.” (1) 
 
At the same time, and in apparent contrast to that, an utter respect for personal religious beliefs of everyone should be kept,  she explained. 
 
It is a sad irony to see that the Liberal Catholic Church played such a central role in  the Adyar Society in the first part of 20th century, and to see it still feeding on it as it does,  almost eigthy years after  the  failure of its  ‘Messianic project’ in 1929.  
 
But the important point here is the clearly stated contrast between dogmatic churches and the movement.  
Such an opposition should be active, as we see by the fourth object of the movement, as described by its chief founder.   HPB mentions various objects :  one, brotherhood ; two, no distinction among races, social rank or creeds ;  three,  the study of eastern philosophies.  And then she  describes a fourth goal: 
 
“ 4. To oppose materialism and theological dogmatism in every possible way, by demonstrating the existence of occult forces unknown to science, in nature, and the presence of psychic and spiritual powers in man; trying, at the same time to enlarge the views of the Spiritualists by showing them that there are other, many other agencies at work in the production of phenomena besides the "Spirits" of the dead. Superstition had to be exposed and avoided; and occult forces, beneficent and maleficent – ever
surrounding us and manifesting their presence in various ways – demonstrated to the best of our ability." (2)  
 
In the “Mahatma  Letters”, we find this significant sentence in a message received in March 1882 by Mr. Sinnett: 
 
“Even in the T. S. there is a division, managed by a Greek Brother about which not a person in the Society  has a suspicion excepting the old woman and Olcott; and even he only knows it is progressing, and occasionally executes an order I send him in connection with it.” (3) 
 
To this we  could associate another passage in a letter which Sinnett received only two months ealier  in January 1882. This  was written by D.K., by orders of an Adept. 
 
It says: 
 
“I am also to tell you that in certain Mr. Bennett of America who will shortly arrive at Bombay, you may recognize one (...) is one of our agents (unknown to himself) to carry out the scheme for the  enfranchisement of Western thoughts from superstitious creeds.” (4) 
 
Note the confluence of facts: the goal is to liberate Western thoughts; and  there is a d ivision in the TS under the direction of a Greek, id est, a Western Adept. 
 
Taking this into consideartion, one could ask: what happened, then,  since 1891? And a possible answer could be as follows, in seven points. 
 
FIRST
 
Both subjectively and on an objective plane, the movement stopped interacting as intensely as before with the outside world, the masses , “the great orphan”  –  humanity as a whole. 
 
SECOND
 
Simultaneously, it stopped criticizing dogmatic religions. It forgot the Fourth Object. It forgot the Prayag Letter, the Letter number 10, the 1900 Letter, and so on.  
 
THIRD 
 
Soon, for reasons related to ‘political power struggle’, the movement got fragmented.    
 
FOURTH 
 
The different fragments of the movement  started to search for a sense of security through  uniformity of thought, thus forgetting that a real safety can only be found in the courage to preserve diversity and contrast. This led to a “theosophical  quietism”, a sort of “mystical immobilization of the soul” which was already denounced in the Mahatma Letters. There,  an Adept says of the British theosophical movement in the  early 1880s:  “ ... the British T.S. does not progress one step practically. They are of the Universal Brotherhood but in name, anda gravitate at best towards Quietism – that utter paralysis of the Soul. They are intensely selfish in their aspirations and will get but the reward of their aspirations.” (5)  
 
FIFTH 
 
In spite of these problems, great part of the movement gradually came back to its original programme and literature. This is a long effort still going on. The origin of this historical trend  is linked to the foundation of the ULT in 1909 and to B.P. Wadia’s adherence to it in 1922. Such an effort  got to a new level with the Fraternization Movement started by  G. de Purucker by 1930. The  most important deed of this trend  is the joint publication of “The Collected Writings” of H.P.B., now (from December 2006) freely available online. 
 
SIXTH 
 
Pseudo-theosophical ritualisms (Masonry,  Liberal Catholic Church, Egyptian Rite) are gradually being phased out in the Adyar TS since  1953, when N. Sri Ram took over.  This process has had some acceleration since  Radha Burnier took over in 1978 - 1980 ;  but it is still too slow. 
 
SEVEN 
 
The movement’s great potenciality as to the  future, and even now available to it,  includes the fact that, opening it up to the world as the world is today, it can grow morally much bigger than its small inter-group conflicts and its petty forms of blind beliefs or tamasic attachments ; it can thus exert universal  compassion ;  it can  accept truthfulness and its unavoidable contrast,  and so reclaim the fourth object formulated by HPB, while getting rid of its harmful  ritualistic appendixes.  From a deeper viewpoint, there is no theosophical error or mistake that the Adyar TS is the sole proprietor of ; as there is no theosophical virtue belonging exclusively to this or  that part of  the movement.  Fragmentation since 1891 has been  more external and apparent than internal ande real. 
 
This is but one possible way to express a few things I think I see about the movement at this moment ; and of course  I don’t  claim  to have any special insights  except those of an average student ; I invite other views, evidences and testimonies. 
 
 
Carlos.  
 
 
NOTES:
 
(1) “The Original Programme of the Theosophical Society”, H. P. Blavatsky, TPH India, 1974, 76 pp., see p. 3.  
 
(2) “The Original Programme of the Theosophical Society”, H. P. Blavatsky, TPH India, see p. 2. 
 
(3) “The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett”,  T.U.P.,  Pasadena, CA, USA, 1992, 494 pp., see Letter  XLVII,  p. 271. (Letter 48 in the chronological edition.)
 
(4) “The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett”,  T.U.P.,  Pasadena, CA, USA, 1992, 494 pp., see Letter  XXXVII,  p. 249. (The Letter has the same number, 37,  in the chronological edition.)
 
(5) “The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett”,  T.U.P.,  Pasadena, CA, USA, 1992, 494 pp., see Letter  XXVIII,  p. 210.  (Letter 11, p. 31,  in the chronological edition.)
 
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