Theos-Talk Archives (August 2008 Message tt00189)

Hi Brian,

I think Katinka is right in the sense that this forum is not the best
for going too deeply into matters.  My experience with Study Groups is
that you have to have the right mix of people and they all have to be
focused on the goal of creating, in a sense, one group mind.  The
Study Group is a tool that incorporates people of various experience,
some with deeper insight and others less so, to practically
demonstrate the process of building the antahkarana between the lower
and higher minds.  As the group mulls over a particular passage,
usually those with less experience will start the journey off as that
is the stage of the journey they are at, the beginning.  Others will
pick up on what they say rephrasing it so that the matter can
successfully be taken to deeper levels.  There is a beauty and harmony
to this process when done correctly as the group works to go ever more
deeply into the passage.  Often where you end up is quite surprising
given the more literal interpretation of a particular passage.  This
process allows everyone in the group to practically experience the
journey of the Spiritually Seeking Mind as it strives to make the
Lower Mind more like the Higher Mind -- to build the antahkarana.

When we look at The Voice of the Silence, this is also what we are
striving for, but the stakes have been raised.  We are being warned
right off the bat about the lower siddhi.  The mind is what it thinks
about.  If your goal is to reach the voice of the silence, then you
had better be ready to maintain your focus.  Peering into the Astral,
astral traveling and the like are all addictive paths to destruction.
 How can they be otherwise?  Your focus is to make the Lower one with
the Higher and you do this by always taking the next step along the
Path.  The Paramitas are the keys to taking you safely along the path,
for once you have mastered these, you have mastered Self and made it
one with SELF.  The higher siddhi are then at your disposal to help
you work on behalf of Nature.

A good analogy might be that the lower siddhi are like the
distractions in a nightclub.  A bomb disposal expert working in such
an environment has to remain entirely focused on disarming the bomb. 
If he is distracted by what is going on around him, if he is having
the occasional drink as he works, etc. he is going to make a mistake
that will blow up himself and the nightclub.

Knowing how to exercise the powers of Nature takes a morally
incorruptible person, if you are still dealing with the lower siddhi,
you are far from incorruptible.

These are some thoughts I might consider when looking at that passage.

Bruce


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Katinka Hesselink" <mail@...> wrote:
>
> I think you are looking too deeply here. She's just saying: be aware
> of the dangers of the lower siddhi (why she uses pali here I can't
> fathom) & read the rest of this booklet.
> 
> Katinka Hesselink
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "butchie122" <brianparry@> wrote:
> >
> > Greetings,  I am a new member of the group who became interested in 
> > the site following the recent international election postings - some 
> > of which I thought were hilarious.  I am a long time TS member of the 
> > Australian Section & the Melbourne Lodge.  With a wide range of 
> > interest in most matters theosophical I have a particular interest on 
> > the first two of the Stanzas of Dzyan, advaita vedanta & the Voice of 
> > the Silence.
> > 
> > I would be interested to see a discussion from anyone who actually 
> > does what HPB said we should do with The Voice of The Silence,ie, use 
> > it daily.  By way of starting such a discussion we could focus on the 
> > first verse; 'these instructions are for those ignorant of the dngers 
> > of the lower iddhi'. 
> > 
> > Most commentators, John Allego being the latest, are careful to 
> > explain these iddhis & the dangers, but if that is all there is to it 
> > then the rest of the book can be ignored.  The focus in the first 
> > verse is on our ignorance.  We can know ABOUT the danger by analysis 
> > but knowing the dangers is quite a different matter. Our daily use of 
> > the book begins with our awareness of our ignorance.  In this context 
> > awareness of ignorance is a positive quality. Any comments will be 
> > welcome
> >
>