Theos-Talk Archives (December 2007 Message tt00050)

As we are nearing the end of the year and start of a New Year, most of us
have benefitted by our exposure to Theosophy. It looks like a good time to
review where we stand today and look back to the Charter of the TS as seen
by Maha Chohan. May be reading the famous Maha Chohan Letter, may allow us
to review and see if we want to make any corrections in our lives. Here is
the full letter, the original of which was never found, but only copies.
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MAHA CHOHAN LETTER

The doctrine we promulgate being the only true one, must, -- supported by
such evidence as we are preparing to give become ultimately triumphant as
every other truth. Yet it is absolutely necessary to inculcate it gradually
enforcing its theories, unimpeachable facts for those who know, with direct
inferences deducted from and corroborated by the evidence furnished by
modern exact science. That is why Col H.S.O. who works but to revive
Buddhism may be regarded as one who labours in the true path of Theosophy,
far more than any other man who chooses as his goal the gratification of his
own ardent aspirations for occult knowledge. Buddhism stripped of its
superstitions is eternal truth, and he who strives for the latter is
striving for Theos-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 popularise a knowledge of theosophy. It is not the individual and
determined purpose of attaining oneself 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 as many of our fellow
creatures as we possibly can to benefit by it, which constitutes the true
Theosophist.

The intellectual portions of mankind seem 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 their intellect, 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 cases of
failure, 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 follow, 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 where to rest her weary unwelcome foot. . . .

It's 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 truth, no prophet has ever achieved during his life time a
complete triumph, not even Buddha; the Theosophical Society was chosen as
the corner stone, the foundation of the future religion of humanity. To
achieve the proposed object a greater, wiser, and especially a more
benevolent intermingling of the high and the low, of 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" brothers. This prospect may not smile to all. He is
*no*Theosophist who objects to this principle. . . .

In view of the ever increasing triumph and at the same time 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 cruelties and enormities,
tyranny, injustice, etc., if not through the soothing influence of a
brotherhood and of the practical application of Buddha's esoteric doctrines.
For as everyone knows, total emancipation from authority of the one all
pervading power or law called God by the Theists -- 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 dead weight of dogmatic interpretations, personal names,
anthropomorphic conceptions and salaried priests, the fundamental doctrines
of all religions will be proved identical in their esoteric meaning. Osiris,
Chrishna, Buddha, Christ, will be shown as different means for one and [the]
same royal highway to final bliss *Nirvana*. Mystical christianity, that is
to say that christianity which teaches *self* redemption through one's
own *seventh
*principle -- the liberated Para-atma (Augoeides) called by the one Christ,
by others Buddha, and equivalent to regeneration or rebirth in spirit --
will be found just the same truth as the Nirvana of mystical Buddhism. All
of us have to get rid of our own Ego, the illusory apparent *self, *to
recognise 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, to recognise
the reality of that transcendental self, the Buddh, the Christ or God of
every preacher. This is why even exoteric Buddhism is the surest path to
lead men toward the one esoteric truth. As we find the world now, whether
Christian, Mussalman or Pagan, justice is disregarded and honour and mercy
both flung to the winds.

In a word, how, once that the main objects of the T. S. 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 of all the
crimes? Why has that struggle become the almost universal scheme of the
universe? We answer, because no religion with the exception of Buddhism has
hitherto 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 any religion, it was remarked that
those mothers who devoured their children belonged to localities where there
were the most of Christian missionaries to be found. Where there were none
and 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 but 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 above is not addressed to you, and has nought to
do with the work of the Simla Eclectic Society. It is meant only as an
answer to the erroneous impression in Mr. Hume's mind of the "Ceylon work"
as no *theosophy*.)

The world in general and Christendom especially, left for two thousand years
to the regime of a personal God as well as 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 these professions a mockery?
And if a mockery, can ours be the true path. Shall we devote our selves 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, cup
growing, of the spiritual telephone and astral body formation, and leave the
teeming millions of the ignorant, of the poor and despised, the lowly and
the oppressed, to take care of themselves and of their hereafter the best
they know how. Never. Rather perish 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 is one which was correctly understood
and described. "The incarnations of the Boddisatwa Padma Pani or
Avalo-Kiteswara and of Tsong Kapa, that of Amitabha, relinquish 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." (Rhys Davids) In other words, that they might
be again and again subjected to misery, imprisonment in flesh and all the
sorrows of life, provided that by such a self sacrifice repeated throughout
long and dreary centuries they might become the means of securing salvation
and bliss in the hereafter for a handful of men chosen among but one of the
many races of mankind. And it is we, the humble disciples of these perfect
lamas, who are expected to allow the T. S. to drop its noblest title, that
of the Brotherhood of Humanity to become a simple school of psychology? 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 enough
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 the erroneous
impressions of the outsiders, if not by actually propagating himself the
idea. Oh, for the noble and unselfish man to help us *effectually* in India
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.

To be *true*, religion and philosophy must 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 *civilised
*races less than any other, have 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 1881 years ago. They are as far from the solution as they ever were
but, --

To these 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 one to confess *that must* be the true philosophy, the true religion,
the true light, which gives *truth* and nothing but the *truth*.

- - - -

An abridged version of the view of the Chohan on the T. S. from his own
words as given last night. My own letter, the answer to your last will
shortly follow. -- K.H.


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