Theos-Talk Archives (December 2008 Message tt00042)

They did here with Pim Fortuyn, he started a new governmentgroup 
( STOP immigration in our country) and what you think happened after, 
he has been shoot by a vegetarian after his visit television studio.  
Dead!!!

Christina



--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Drpsionic@... wrote:
>
> Someone should have hit her in the face with a pie too.  
>  
> Chuck the Heretic (who thinks that who claim leadership positions 
need to  be 
> hit with a pie in the face every once in a while)
>  
>  
> In a message dated 12/3/2008 9:09:11 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
> mkr777@... writes:
> 
>  
>  
>  
> Sometime ago, one of our fellow theosophists sent me the Inaugural  
Address
> of Annie Besant. Before she came to theosophy, she was involved in  
many
> social issues in England and after moving ot India, she continued 
to  be very
> active in many of them and even today, for this she is remembered  
in India.
> She also got involved in Indian Independence Movement and was the  
only
> non-Indian to be elected as the President of Indian National  
Congress.
> 
> Both HSO & HPB were instrumental in social humanitarian  activities 
to help
> the depressed and poor classes in India. After Besant,  there is a 
disconnect
> world-wide between the leaders and their activities  relating to 
local social
> issues of the day. They all seem to be happy and  content to stay 
in their
> cocoons and of course with computers, happily  keyboarding. I think 
this
> disconnect may have something to do with the  dismal membership 
situation
> world-wide except in India.
> 
> Some of you  may find Besant's Address of  interest.
> 
> MKR
> 
> ===================================
> 
> INAUGURAL  ADDRESS OF ANNIE BESANT
> 
> June 26, 1907
> 
> Dear Friends:
> 
> By an  overwhelming majority you have ratified the nomination of  
our
> President-Founder, made by his Master's order, and have called upon 
me  to
> take up work as his successor in the high office of President of  
the
> Theosophical Society. The Society, as a whole, has thus chosen to  
continue
> in the path marked out from its inception, and trodden by its two  
outer
> Founders; it has refused to reject the guiding Hand which gave it 
its  first
> President, and indicated its second; it therefore goes forward on 
its  new
> cycle of activity, with its elected President at its head, under  
the
> benediction which rested upon it at its birth and is now repeated, 
as  the
> chosen vehicle for the direct influence of the Masters of WISDOM 
on  the
> world, as the standard-bearer of the mighty Theosophical Movement 
which  is
> sweeping through all religions, all literature, all art, all 
craft,  through
> all the activities of a humanity preparing itself to take a new  
step forward
> in civilization.
> 
> The Society asserts itself as a  nucleus of Universal Brotherhood, 
and its
> specialty, as such a nucleus, is  indicated by its nameâ
?"Theosophical. It is
> its function to proclaim and  spread abroad Theosophy, the Divine 
Wisdom, the
> Brahma Vidyâ, the Gnosis,  the Light of all lights, that Man may 
know God,
> may attain the knowledge  which is Eternal Life, because he is 
himself of
> that Nature which he seeks  to know.
> 
> On this fact, this all-pervading identity of nature, this  UNITY, 
is based
> the Universal Brotherhood, and, to bring the outer proofs  of it, 
it searches
> through all religions and philosophies, and dives into  the hidden 
secrets of
> nature and of man.
> 
> Because of this fact, it  welcomes to its membership men and women 
of all
> religions, of all opinions,  and, provided that they recognize the
> Brotherhood as universal, it demands  from them no belief in any 
fact,
> however sure, in any teaching, however  vital. With a splendid 
faith in the
> victorious power of Truth, it  disregards all the barriers which
> superficially divide Humanityâ?"sex, race,  creed, colour, casteâ
?"and welcomes
> those as brothers who deny even the very  truths on which 
Brotherhood is
> based, and who reject even the Revealers who  make its realization 
possible
> for Humanity. Its platform is as wide as  thought, its all-
embracing love is
> as the sun which gives warmth and life  to all, even to those who 
are blind
> to its light.
> 
> The condition of  the continuing life of the Society is its perfect
> toleration of all  differences, of all shades of opinion. None has 
the right
> to exclude his  brother for difference of thought, nor to claim for 
his own
> thought a  fuller liberty of expression than he claims for that of 
another.
> Complete  liberty of thought must be guarded by all of usâ?"by me, 
as your
> President,  most of allâ?"not granted as a privilege or a 
concession, but
> recognized as  the inherent right of the intellect, as its breath 
of life.
> Tolerance, even  with the intolerant, must be our rule. And this 
must be our
> principle in  life and action, not only in words, lest a fatal 
orthodoxy,
> checking new  initiative and new growth, should stealthily spread 
in the
> Society. We must  welcome differences of thought, and give free 
play to their
> expression, so  that our windows may be kept open to all new light. 
This is
> not only sound  principle, but it is also sound policy, for thus 
only can new
> avenues to  knowledge constantly open before us. We possess only 
portions of
> the Truth,  and no searcher must be hindered or frowned upon, lest 
the
> Society should  lose some fragment that he may have found. Better 
the
> temporary life of a  thousand falsehoods, than stifling of one 
truth at the
> hour of its birth. I  claim the help of every Theosophist in this 
guarding of
> our liberty, for  universal and constant vigilance is necessary 
lest it
> should be  infringed.
> 
> But let it not be supposed that this perfect freedom of  opinion 
connotes
> indifference to truth in any who hold definite convictions  as to 
any facts,
> or should prevent them from full expression of their own  
convictions, of
> their beliefs, or of their knowledge. There is perfect  freedom of
> affirmation among us as well as of denial, and scepticism must  not 
claim
> greater rights of expression than knowledge. For the Society as a  
whole, by
> its very name, affirms the existence of the Divine Wisdom, and  the
> affirmation would be futile if that Wisdom were beyond human  
attainment.
> Moreover, the Society would be without a reason for its being  if 
it did not,
> as a whole, spread the Teachings which lead up to the  attainment 
of that
> Wisdom, while leaving to its members as individuals the  fullest 
freedom to
> give to any of those teachings any form which expresses  their own 
thinking,
> and even to deny any one of them. Each Truth can only  be seen by a 
man as he
> develops the power of vision corresponding to it;  the Society, by 
refusing
> to impose on its members any expressions of Truth,  does not mean 
that a man
> should remain blind, but declares that man's power  of vision 
increases in
> the open air of freedom better than in the  hot-houses of 
unreasoned beliefs.
> Hence the Society does not impose on its  members even the truths 
by which it
> lives, although the denial of those  truths by it, as a Society, 
would be
> suicide.
> 
> The Theosophical  Society thus offers to the thinkers of every 
religion and
> of none a common  platform, on which they may meet as Lovers of 
Truth, to
> learn from and to  teach each other; it stands as the herald of the 
coming
> time when all  religions shall see themselves as branches of One 
Religion,
> the WISDOM of  GOD. As its President, I say to all men of peace and 
goodwill:
> "Come, and  let us labour together for the establishment of the 
kingdom of
> religious  Truth, religious Peace, and religious Freedom upon earthâ
?"the true
> Kingdom  of Heaven."
> 
> So much for our principles. What of our practice?
> 
> We  owe to the President-Founder a well-planned organization,  
combining
> complete divisional liberty with the strength ensured by  
attachment to a
> single centre. Some details may need amendment, but the  work of 
organization
> is practically complete. Our work is to use the  organization he 
created, and
> to guide it to the accomplishment of its  purposeâ?"the spread of 
Theosophical
> ideas, and the growth of our  knowledge.
> 
> For the first, our Lodges should not be content with a  programme of
> lectures, private and public, and with classes. The members  should 
be known
> as good workers in all branches of beneficent activity. The  Lodge 
should be
> the centre, not the circumference, of our work. To the  Lodge for 
inspiration
> and knowledge; to the world for service and teaching.  The members 
should
> take part in local clubs, societies, and debating  associations, 
and should
> both offer Theosophical lectures, and lectures in  which 
Theosophical ideas
> can be put forth on the questions of the day. They  should, when 
members of
> religious bodies, hold classes outside the Society  for members of 
their
> faith, in which the spiritual, instead of the literal  meaning of 
Hindu,
> Buddhist, Christian, and other doctrines should be  explained, and 
the lives
> of the great mystics of all religions should be  taught. They 
should see that
> children receive religious education,  according to their 
respective faiths.
> They should in every way hand on the  light which they have 
received, and
> replenish their own torch with oil at  the Lodge meetings.
> 
> People belonging to kindred movements should be  invited to the 
Lodge, and
> visits should be paid to them in turn. Lodges  with a numerous 
membership
> should form groups for special work. For the  second, the growth of 
our
> knowledge, groups should be formed for study  under each of our 
Objects.
> Under the first, the intellectual and social  movements of the day 
should be
> studied, their tendencies traced out and  their methods examined; 
the results
> of these studies would help the outside  workers in their choice of
> activities. It would be useful also if, in every  Lodge, a small 
group of
> members were formed, harmonious in thought and  feeling, who should 
meet once
> a week for a quiet hour, for combined silent  thought for a given 
purpose,
> and for united meditation on some inspiring  idea; the members of 
this group
> might also agree on a time at which, daily,  they should unite in a 
selected
> thought-effort to aid the Lodge. Another  group should study under 
the second
> Object, and this group should supply  lecturers on Theosophy to the 
outer
> world, and no lecturer should be sent  out by a Lodge who was not 
equipped
> for his work by such study. A third  group might take up the third 
Object of
> the Society, and work practically  at research, carrying on their 
work, if
> possible, under the direction of a  member who has already some 
experience on
> these lines, and thus increasing  our store of knowledge.
> 
> There are many other lines of useful work which  should be taken 
up, series
> of books to be planned, concerted activities in  various lands. 
These are for
> the future. But I trust to make the Presidency  a centre of life-
radiating
> force, inspiring and uplifting the whole  Society.
> 
> In order that it may be so, let me close with a final word to  all 
who have
> aided and to all who have worked against me in the election  now 
over. We all
> are lovers of the same Ideal, and eager servants of  Theosophy. Let 
us all
> then work in amity, along our different lines and in  our different 
ways, for
> our beloved Society. Let not those who have worked  for me expect 
me to be
> always right, nor those who have worked against me  expect me to be 
always
> wrong. Help me, I pray you all, in filling well the  office to 
which I have
> been elected, and share with me the burden of our  common work. 
Where you
> agree with me follow and work with me; where you  disagree, 
criticize and
> work against me, but without bitterness and  rancour. Diversities 
of method,
> diversities of thought, diversities of  operation, will enrich, not 
weaken,
> our Movement, if love inspire and  charity judge. Only through you 
and with
> you can the Presidency be useful  to the Society. Help me so to 
fill it as to
> hand it on, a richer legacy, to  my successor. And so may the 
Masters guide
> and prosper the work which they  have given into my hands, and 
blessed.
> 
> ---xxx---
> 
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> 
> 
>  
> 
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