Theos-Talk Archives (June 2007 Message tt00119)

Jake, 

You quote Mr. de Zirkoff as follows.  My own comments are
found AFTER these quotations.

=====================================================
Zirkoff in his introduction to
these ES Instructions, also casts
doubt on the veracity of everything
in them (as they were published after
HPB's death.) He writes on BCW XII, p. 653:

"[E. S. Instructions I, II and III are the actual words of H.P.B.
They are therefore genuine texts, the authorship of which is not in
doubt, as originals bearing her signature are extant.

"This, however, cannot be said about Instructions IV and V, and the
First Supplementary Paper to Instruction IV. Originally, when printed
by the H.P.B. Press in London, all the three were signed jointly by
Annie Besant and William Quan Judge. When printed by the Aryan Press
in New York, Instruction IV was the only one signed jointly, while the
other two were signed by W. Q. Judge alone.

"These later Instructions are based on H.P.B.'s words taken down in
shorthand and in the form of Notes by some of her students during the
meetings of the Inner Group in London. The text that has come down to
us exhibits many uncertainties.

"We include them in the present Volume with some reservations, even
though many passages in them are doubtless by H.P.B. herself.

...............
=======================================================

The description given above does NOT accurately describe the 
situation ESPECIALLY as regards E.S. Instruction No. 4.

I quote various E.S. documents that can be found in my ESOTERIC 
PAPERS OF MADAME BLAVATSKY <http://esotericpapers.net> .

In the "Notice" facing the beginning of Instruction No. 4, Mrs. Annie 
Besant writes:

===============================================================
The matter contained in this Instruction was delivered orally by 
H.P.B. in her Group Teachings of members of the Third Degree.  It ... 
was carefully written down by the students at the time, one of the 
number reporting it in shorthand.  All the notes thus taken were 
compared, and a fair copy was made by the two Secretaries, Annie 
Besant and George R.S. Mead.
===============================================================

She goes on to say:

==============================================================
This copy was again checked by questioning H.P.B. on any point that 
seemed obscure.  By her direction the matter was rearranged under 
headings as given below [that is, in the text of Instruction No. 4].
==============================================================

Quoted from THE ESOTERIC PAPERS OF MADAME BLAVATSKY, p. 562.

The above was written around July 1891 only two months after H.P.B.'s 
death.

These statements are confirmed in a number of other E.S. documents, 
etc.

For example, "the [E.S. Instruction No. 4] matter" which had been
"rearranged" under H.P.B.'s DIRECTION was already being typeset for 
publication during H.P.B.'s life.

In an E.S. document dated in April, 1891, it is stated:

"[Instruction] No. IV is now going through the press.  The new 
Instruction, however, will not be sent to all members of the E.S., 
but only to those who are judged sufficently advanced to require it."

And speaking of another E.S. publication to be published, the same 
document goes on to mention Instruction No. 4 again as follows:

"This cannot, of course, be [done], before No. IV is off the 
press...."

Quoted from THE ESOTERIC PAPERS OF MADAME BLAVATSKY, p. 314.

Mrs. Alice Cleather ALSO confirms Mrs. Besant's above statements as 
follows:

"The I.G. Teachings were given orally by H.P.B. at its meetings in 
1890-91.  It was the duty of the two secretaries, Mrs. Besant and Mr. 
Mead, to write these Teachings up, from notes sent in by all of us, 
after each meeting, and record them in a book.  This record was dealt 
with at each succeeding meeting, CORRECTED AND OFTEN AMPLIFIED by 
H.P.B."

caps added.  Quoted from THE ESOTERIC PAPERS OF MADAME BLAVATSKY, p. 
236.

Compare and contrast what I have quoted from these three sources with 
what Mr. de Zirkoff wrote.

I will deal later with Instruction No. 5, etc.

In THE ESOTERIC PAPERS OF MADAME BLAVATSKY, I reproduce in facsimile 
the original Instruction No. 4 as signed by both William Judge and 
Annie Besant and issued in the summer of 1891.  I also reproduce the 
typescript of the complete Inner Group Teachings.  This was also 
printed in the second edition of THE INNER GROUP TEACHINGS [Point 
Loma Publications].  I had given Dr. Spirenburg a copy of this 
valuable complete typescript and co-wrote with him the Historical 
Introduction to this volume.

Hope the above helps to clarify the true history of these HPB 
documents.  

Daniel
http://hpb.cc