Theos-Talk Archives (December 2008 Message tt00052)

Oh, the  Kennedy thing was  minor incident that no one paid much  attention 
to.
 
And it was very long ago.
 
Chuck the Heretic
 
 
In a message dated 12/4/2008 9:57:35 A.M. Central Standard Time,  
christinaleestemaker@yahoo.com writes:

 
 
 
It is more extreme in your country.Forgotten JFKennedy, that was long  
before such murders happened in our country.
By the way they hit Pim  Fortuyn with a creme pie in his face a month 
before another one shoot  him.
Christina

--- In _theos-talk@yahoogrotheos-t_ (mailto:theos-talk@yahoogroups.com) ,  
Drpsionic@..,  Dr
>
> Well, we don't get quite that  extreme in this country. One of the 
best 
> moments of the 1970s was  when the boy-guru Guru Maharaj ji was hit 
in face with a 
> pie.  
> 
> Thus to all leaders!
> 
> Chuck the  Heretic
> 
> 
> In a message dated 12/4/2008 3:56:22 A.M.  Central Standard Time, 
> christinaleestemake christinalee
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 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@ --- In _theos --- In _theos-talk@
_talk@yahoogroups.tal_ (mailto:talk@yahoogroups.com) ) , 
>  Drpsionic@, Dr
> >
> > 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 nameÃÂ
> ÃâÂ"Theosophical. It  is
> > its function to proclaim and spread abroad Theosophy, the  Divine 
> Wisdom, the
> > Brahma VidyÃÆÃÂ, 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  HumanityÃÂÃâÂ"sex, race, creed, colour, casteÃÂ
> ÃâÂ"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 usÃÂÃâÂ"by 
me,  
> as your
> > President, most of allÃÂÃâÂ"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 
earthÃÂ
> ÃâÂ"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 purposeÃÂÃâÂ"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---
> > 
> > [Non-text portions of this message have  been removed]
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
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