Theos-Talk Archives (October 2008 Message tt00682)

William Doss McDavid in his book "An Introduction to Esoteric
Principles: A Study Course" writes:

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...the modern Theosophical movement owes its very existence to H.P.B. 
and the Masters, whose faithful agent she claimed to be. It would be 
extremely unwise to reject the teachings given through her without 
understanding what those teachings really were in the first place. 

And how can we acquire this understanding if we do not study her 
writings? 

We don't have to blindly accept what she says or take her views as 
the last word, but at least we should become familiar with those 
views firsthand. Then we can reject or accept intelligently. 

When the works of other and later writers who claim to be continuing 
the work begun by H.P.B. present viewpoints and 'revelations' which 
are at direct variance with the original lines of teaching, we may 
feel justified in questioning the source of the newer pronouncements. 

A familiarity with the original writings, therefore, provides a 
criterion for intelligent judgment.
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For relevant material, see:

http://blavatskyarchives.com

especially:

http://blavatskyarchives.com/moderntheosophy.htm

http://blavatskyarchives.com/theosophicaltraditions.htm

http://blavatskyarchives.com/latermessengers.htm

http://blavatskyarchives.com/onlinematerial.htm

http://blavatskyarchives.com/articleshpbtheosophy.htm

http://blavatskyarchives.com/intheblavatskytradition.htm

Daniel
Blavatsky Study Center / Blavatsky Archives
http://hpb.cc