Theos-Talk Archives (January 2009 Message tt00228)

Dear Morten,

Thanks for your comments.  You know I agree 100% with you about the 
value of the writings of Bailey and Leadbeater compared to those of 
HPB.  One reason I don't want to belong to the TS is because there 
are so many competing versions of reality, the ES, LCC, etc., a 
chaotic cacaphony of voices.  But somehow from outside it I can 
accept that it was destined to be what it is, and try to be a 
wellwisher to all factions and individuals in it.  Taking people's 
books away from them, even when I think their books are silly 
fantasies, goes against my grain after thirty years as a public 
librarian.  Leadbeater and Bailey no worse than a lot of other 
authors, sad to say.

I'd rather put my energy into recommending other authors like 
Hardinge-Britten, Bunsen, Burton, Aurobindo, who tie meaningfully 
into the work of HPB, than worry about discouraging people from 
reading authors whose books are connected with hers in a parasitical 
and delusional way.

You know who I mean :) but let's not denounce them,

Paul




--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Morten Nymann Olesen" <global-
theosophy@...> wrote:
>
> 
> Dear Paul and friends
> 
> My views are:
> 
> I am happy to read this email.
> 
> My views are, that I myself aught to be better at formulating 
myself, so not to be disrespectuful to those who for some reasons are 
lacking the open compassionate heart, that makes them immune in 
letting themselves being hurt when reading disrespectful words 
written in e-mails.
> I will work on it.
> 
> I will how ever also refer to what H. P. Blavatsky said in the book 
The Key to Theosophy.
> Because it is here I find a great difference between theosophists 
and a great number of those would-be spiritual groups around the 
globe.
> 
> 
> H. P. Blavatsky said in the Key to Theosophy:
> 
> "IS IT NECESSARY TO PRAY?
> 
> ENQUIRER. Do you believe in prayer, and do you ever pray?
> 
> 
> THEOSOPHIST. We do not. We ACT, instead of talking."
> 
> http://www.phx-ult-lodge.org/aKEY.htm#p66
> 
> The word is emphasized by me and HPB.
> 
> 
> M. Sufilight
> 
> 
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: kpauljohnson 
>   To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com 
>   Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 10:23 PM
>   Subject: Theos-World Taking offense, seeking revenge
> 
> 
>   Greetings.
> 
>   During the runup to the November election, an article appeared in 
>   Slate that made me think of Theosophists:
>   http://www.slate.com/id/2202303/
> 
>   Not just the regular dustups here at theos-talk, but also the 
latest 
>   organizational brouhaha in Adyar and Wheston, reminds me that 
>   Theosophists are extraordinarily disrespectful to one another. 
Not 
>   just those in one organization attacking those in another, but 
within 
>   the Adyar TS even more so. I wonder if people realize just what 
kind 
>   of impression of the entire movement is created when people snark 
one 
>   another in a public forum like this. Bad enough when mere members 
do 
>   so; far worse when an elected national leader makes a big display 
of 
>   arrogance and aggression.
> 
>   Yet at the local level over two decades I never noticed any 
>   difficulty whatsoever for Theosophists agreeing to disagree. 
There 
>   was always a great diversity of views in any group I ever 
attended, 
>   in several states. And no one to my recollection got all offended 
>   that someone else had a different estimation of various authors. 
But 
>   at the national and international levels there seems to be far 
less 
>   of that live-and-let-live attitude. I renewed my TSA membership 
>   after a ten-year lapse in 2008, but was hugely relieved to see it 
>   expire last week. 
> 
>   The conclusion of the linked article is worth considering here. 
>   The "empty boats" notion would be well applied to most of the 
>   disputes here. Simply to express one's opinion is to risk 
personally 
>   offending someone else, even if there was no such intention. And 
the 
>   person thus unintentionally offended will often deliberately 
>   retaliate with a personal attack, as if the other person's 
opinion 
>   somehow invades their personal space.
> 
>   Like any body of literature, the Theosophical writings contain 
mixed 
>   messages. You can use HPB the same way Christians use the Bible, 
to 
>   justify both sides of every dispute. Pedro's quote indicates that 
it 
>   is untheosophical to take offense at differing views and seek 
revenge 
>   on those who express them. Morten's quote indicates that it is a 
>   theosophical duty to do so. HPB said both; you choose which HPB 
to 
>   emulate.
> 
>   PJ
> 
> 
> 
>    
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>