Theos-Talk Archives (July 2007 Message tt00320)

Dear Pablo
Thank you again for your response and for sharing your thoughts and 
experiences so openly.

My time is limited right now but please allow me to briefly clarify a 
possible misperception of yours based perhaps understandably on some 
of my previous posts.
My wife and I too had wonderful Adyar experiences. We spent a number 
of months focused intensely on studying the Mahatma Letters. 
Our reputation for being long-standing, committed working members of 
our Lodge and Section preceded us and we were cared for and assisted 
by many residents and workers splendidly in so many different ways. 
We have nothing but appreciation on all levels for the hospitality 
and profound experiences we encountered. 

Likewise with our past Lodge and Section. We have worked and shared 
with some truly wonderful people over the years and recognise and 
appreciate their hard work and commitment.

This perhaps highlights the disappointment and distress I feel when 
this otherwise potentially magnificent organisation fails to address 
what are to me profoundly serious issues concerning integrity and 
truth. To me, in this extremely significant area, the hierarchy, of 
which I was once part, are betraying their mandate and motto for the 
sake of politics and putative "harmony", originating from the energy 
of fear.

It gives me no pleasure whatsoever for taking them to task over these 
matters. At risk of sounding melodramatic, to me it is a tragedy for 
which I still occasionally allow myself to grieve. 
Nevertheless, there are essential principles involved.
The Adyar Society was never intended to be just another spiritual 
organisation where any old teachings helped people to become more 
spiritual, which it of course does. There were and are many other 
organisations which do this. Rather it was intended to aspire, in 
spite of human limitations, to something greater and deeper than 
merely romantic psychism. The dishonesty and disgrace that this 
psychism has brought with it manifests now as a disallowance of 
members to strongly challenge these travesties, despite the "freedom 
of thought" statement, thereby denying the fearless search for truth.

As a committed seeker after truth, it was heartbreaking and traumatic 
to leave the Adyar Society. Not to so do however would have been the 
epitome of hypocrisy.

Kind regards
Nigel     



--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Pablo Sender" <pasender@...> 
wrote:
>
> Dear Nigel
> 
> Although I'm in this role right now, I'm not a defender of CWL. 
I've 
> read a few books by him (in fact, I've read some of them after 
> hearing someone telling something he had read in certain book by 
> Leadbeater, and that answered certain little experience I had, 
> without knowing anything on that subject).
> But I'm providing alternative views (that I really think them 
> possible) because there is a big propaganda against him and one-
sided 
> statements that I experienced as being at least tendentious.
> I'm very aware of the difficulty of this kind of questions, and 
> because of that there are historical controversies all over the 
world 
> about the most varied personalities, HPB included.
> For example: Why if CWL was born before her mother got married and 
> then, being part of an orthodox religion, she declared her children 
> birth just nine month after her marriage, probably in accordance 
with 
> some authority there who accepted to cover the case?
> What I mean is that we don't have the means to know those things, 
and 
> I don't want to be like those (to me, ignorant) people denying 
HPB's 
> claims just because they don't believe them to be possible.
> And sincerely, I don't want to spend much time in those things. I 
had 
> a rather bad idea about Leadbeater, then I saw some evidence as to 
> his attitude in daily matters, I've read the statements of people, 
> who I regard as serious, defending him, and I don't see it worthy 
of 
> much more time spent in that.
> I personally have seen how the books of CWL have helped some people 
> to enter in the spiritual life, what I read from them (irrespective 
> of the accuracy of the information given there) advises people to 
be 
> unselfish, etc., therefore I don't see any problem in publishing 
his 
> books. Of course, if you consider him a black magician or a 
> regrettable person, you will not agree. It's Ok.
> It seems my mind functions in a different way of many of those who 
> write here. I'm aware of the limitations we have when dealing with 
> all this. For example, even for the 12-Globe teachings of Purucker 
> (which I believe to be wrong) I have a hypothesis as to how it 
could 
> fit in HPB's teachings. And I leave the door open.
> It doesn't mean that I live in an absolute relativism and that I'm 
a 
> sort of ambiguous person. I have my own ideas and concepts about 
the 
> theosophical teachings, I lecture, write articles, work in the TS 
> based on those conceptions, but I don't think I have the last word, 
I 
> leave the door open for other conceptions. I know things may be 
> different from what I perceive, and I have a "suspended judgment" 
> (I've not idea if that is the English translation of the Platonic 
> concept of not drawing hard conclusions of things we don't know) on 
> many things.
> My experience living in Adyar for one and a half year was 
wonderful. 
> That was the best period of my life regarding my "inner life". My 
> daily meditation, my study, the state of my mind, were in a point 
> never reached before. And it is not self-suggestion. I've a PhD in 
> Bio-Sciences and I've quite a scientific approach to many things 
(in 
> the sense of non-emotional or romantic). For four months my friends 
> asked me if I felt different in Adyar, and things like that, and I 
> answered the truth: "I feel the same, and I don't thing a place 
will 
> make a noticeable change in anybody". But then, after those four 
> months, there was a noticeable change, for good. And of course, 
I've 
> met there some people who had their own problems, as well as some 
> wonderful people who helped me a lot, and treated me as their own 
> son, although I was from another country, I didn't know the 
language 
> (I've learned my poor English there), etc. And that was also my 
> experience in Spain (where I was three month) and now here in US. 
> Wherever I went (including Brasil, Chile, etc.) I felt a warm 
feeling 
> of brotherhood and appreciation. To me, the TS is something Sacred, 
> not in the sense that I won't let anybody to attack it, but in the 
> sense that I feel a sense of sacredness in its work, in its aims, 
in 
> the imperfect efforts of its members, etc.
> So... what can I say? That is my experience. It's a pity it wasn't 
> yours...
> Best regards
> p
>