Theos-Talk Archives (October 2008 Message tt00068)

Dear friends


My views are:

H. S. Olcott wrote something very interesting in his Old Diary Leaves for July 1890:
The below words are referring to the need for structural changes within the TS, because of H. P. Blavatsky's behaviour, which according to H. S. Olcott was eccentric. As I read it, The consequence was that H. S. Olcott became President for life, and H. P. Blavatsky leader of the European Section for life.

H. P. Blavatsky's views and more on the issue are in part here. Read carefully:
[Lucifer, Vol. VII, No. 37, September, 1890, pp. 77-78]
"It is hoped that the formation of the European Section is the beginning of the ascending arc of the evolution of the Theosophical Society in Europe, and that the day may soon dawn when each European country will have a section of its own. For were such a happy result to be achieved, and were the units of these sections to work together for the moulding of European thought, as only those who have a right conception of Theosophy can work, then should we surely have advanced a decided step in the direction of that ideal of Universal Brotherhood, which we have set before us as our first object.
H. P. BLAVATSKY,
President of the European Section T.S.
London, 25th August, 1890"
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v12/y1890_037.htm


Here is the main excerpt from Old Diary Leaves by H. S. Olcott:

"The reader will easily understand the stress and strain that was put upon me at this time by the eccentric behavior of H. P. B., in herself interfering, and allowing her friends to interfere, in the practical management of Society affairs, a department which, as Master K. H. had distinctly written, was my own special province. In a previous chapter I have mentioned her revolutionary threat that she would break up the Society unless I endorsed their action in reorganising the movement in Europe with her as permanent


DEATH OF SUBBA RAO 247


President; but to make the thing perfectly clear, since the case embodies a most vital principle, I will enter a little into detail On the 8th of July I received her letter, backed by some of her friends, demanding the above-mentioned change, and accompanying it with the alternative threat. On the 29th of the same month I received an official copy of a Resolution which had been passed by the then existing British Section, without having reported their wishes to me or asked my consent. The Theosophist for August had been printed, except the Supplement, which was then on the press. On receipt of the interesting revolutionary document in question, I drove to our printers, stopped the press order, destroyed 350 copies of the Supplement already run off, and inserted this Executive Notice: 
"The following Resolution of the Council of the British Section of July 2nd, 1890, is hereby cancelled, as contrary, to the Constitution and By-laws of the Theosophical Society, a usurpation of the Presidential prerogative, and beyond the competence of any Section or other fragment of the Society to enact.
"ADYAR, 29th July, 1890. H. S. OLCOTT, P.T.S." 
"Extract from Minutes of the British Section, T.S.
"At a meeting of the Council of the British Section held on July 2nd, 1890, at 17 Lansdowne Road, London, W., summoned for the special purpose of considering the advisability of vesting permanently the Presidential authority for the whole of Europe in 


248 OLD DIARY LEAVES


H. P. Blavatsky, it was unanimously resolved that this should be done from this date, and that the British Section should unite herewith with the Continental Lodges for this purpose, and that the Headquarters of the Society in London should in future be the Headquarters for all administrative purposes for the whole of Europe.

"W. R. OLD,
"General Secretary."

Who wonders that, after the note in my Diary mentioning what I had done, I added: "That may mean a split, but it does- not mean that I shall be a slave." What charming autocracy! Not one word about the provisions of the Society's Constitution, the lawful methods to follow, or the necessity of referring the matter to the President; nothing but just revolt. It only made my own duty the plainer. I must be true to my trust, even though it had to come to a break between H. P. B. and myself; for though we had to be loyal to each other, we both owed a superior loyalty to Those who had chosen us out of our generation to do this mighty service to mankind as part of Their comprehensive scheme.
I leave this on record for the benefit of my successor, that he may know that, if he would be the real guardian and father of the Society, he must be ready, at a crisis like this, to act so as to defend its Constitution at all costs. But this will require more than mere courage-that far greater thing, faith; faith in the inevitable



DEATH OF SUBBA RAO 249


success of one's cause, faith in the correctness of one's judgment; above all, faith that, under the guidance of the Great Ones, no petty cabals, conspiracies, or unwise schemes can possibly stand against the divine impulse that gathers behind one whose only ambition is the performance of duty."
http://www.theosophy.ph/onlinebooks/odl/odl413.html


What I can conclude from reading the content of the above two mentioned links are, that the the TS of today needs a more organisational and administrativly skilled President and perfereably a more spiritually devleoped Secretary. If one goes against the above views by Olcott and Blavatsky analogically speaking, when comparing with today's organisational structure, - one aught in the name of the search for TRUTH to CLEARLY inform the TS members about WHY such steps are so very necessary and important.
What are your views?




The old magazine "Lucifer" is rotating in its grave.
:-)




M. Sufilight



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Anand 
  To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 6:29 PM
  Subject: Re: Theos-World Anand Gholap formula for General Council composition


  Efforts are being made by few individuals in present General Council
  to hijack the TS. They also want to remove members' right to vote in
  the election of President. I am totally against such a change. I want
  members to elect the President directly as they did earlier.
  Right now the present constitution is such that it might enable some
  officers in the GC to unethically remove voting rights of people. I
  want to ensure that such attempts don't succeed now and in future.
  Amendments in the General Council were suggested by me for two reasons.
  1) To make constitution just. Each country should have representatives
  only in proportion to the membership that country has. In GC if one
  vote is given to a country with 13000 members and one vote is given to
  country with 90 members, then that is unjust. If we are to preach
  justice in the world, our own TS constitution must be just. That is
  why voting rights to each country according to proportion of members
  in that country are necessary.
  2) Another reason why I suggested proportional representation is this
  new system will stop any future attempts by few individuals to remove
  voting rights of people and hijack the TS. You can see that there are
  few General Secretaries elected by just a few hundred members. And
  these few General Secretaries venture to hijack TS because they are
  given too much rights as compared to membership they represent. So by
  proportional representation and by increasing the size of the General
  Council we want to ensure that such attempts by few officers to hijack
  TS won't succeed in future.
  Best
  Anand Gholap



   

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