Theos-Talk Archives (May 2009 Message tt00665)

H.P. Blavatsky gave warnings concerning garbled and distorted versions of Theosophy.  

For example, she wrote:

". . . A new and rapidly growing danger. . . is threatening . . . the spread of the pure Esoteric Philosophy and knowledge. . . . I allude to those charlatanesque imitations of Occultism and Theosophy. . . . "

"By pandering to the prejudices of people, and especially by adopting the false ideas of a personal God and a personal, carnalized Saviour, as the groundwork of their teaching, the leaders of this 'swindle' (for such it is) are endeavoring to draw men to them and in particular to turn Theosophists from the true path." 

". . . A close examination will assuredly reveal. . . materials largely stolen . . . from Theosophical writings. . . [and] distorted and falsified so as to be palmed off on the unwary as revelations of new and undreamed of truths. But many will neither have the time nor the opportunity for such a thorough investigation; and before they become aware of the imposture they may be led far from the Truth."

". . . Nothing is more dangerous to Esoteric Truth than the garbled and distorted versions disfigured to suit the prejudices and tastes of men in general."

Elsewhere Madame Blavatsky wrote:

"?.save us from the impudent distortion of our theosophical teachings?."

"....deliver us. . . from . . . the 'Solar Adepts' as they dub themselves, and their sun-struck followers. . . ." 

". . . . They plagiarized from our books, set up sham schools of magic, waylaid seekers after truth by deceiving them with holy names. . . [and] misused and desecrated the sacred science?."

"?.Before the appearance of modern Theosophical literature it was 'Spirits' and 'Controls' that were ever in the mouths of these folk; now the living 'adepts' are served up with every sauce. It is ever and always Adepts here, Hierophants there. . . ." 

"The angels from the 'Summer Land' are going out of fashion just now, for Spiritualists begin to know better and to discriminate. But because the 'adept' idea, or rather their philosophy, begins to gain ground, this is no reason why pretenders of every description should travesty in their . . . productions the teachings, phraseology, and Sanskrit terms out of theosophical books; or why, again, they should turn round and make people believe that these were given them by other 'Hierophants,' in their opinion, far higher, nobler and grander than our teachers."

"The great evil of the whole thing is, not that the truths of Theosophy are adopted by these blind teachers, for we should gladly welcome any spread, by whatever means, of ideals so powerful to wean the world from its dire materialism - but that they are so interwoven with mis-statements and absurdities that the wheat cannot be winnowed from the chaff, and ridicule, if not worse, is brought to bear upon. . . [the Theosophical] movement. . . ."

"How shall men discern good from evil, when they find it in its close embrace?"

"The very words, 'Arhat,' 'Karma,' 'Maya,' 'Nirvana,' must turn enquirers from our threshold when they have been taught to associate them with such a teeming mass of ignorance and presumption. . . ." 

"Though false coin is the best proof of the existence of genuine gold, yet, the false deceives the unwary. . . ." 

For more on this subject from the pen of HPB, see:

http://blavatskyarchives.com/onpseudotheosophy.htm
http://blavatskyarchives.com/theosophicaltraditions.htm
http://blavatskyarchives.com/latermessengers.htm
http://blavatskyarchives.com/moderntheosophy.htm
http://blavatskyarchives.com/psychicversusinitiate.htm

Daniel
Blavatsky Study Center
http://hpb.cc