Theos-Talk Archives (April 2010 Message tt00020)

That reminds me of a story about boredom. Years ago, in one of the lodges
filled with old folks, the most popular lecture which was frequently
repeated was Life after Death. No wonder when young visitors showed up, we
never saw them again.

Some decades ago, in the local lodge we used to participate in local events
such as the Earth Day, giving some exposure to the public and I wish we see
more of participation in local events, without which we are isolated and
unknown. Many confuse theosophical with theological and it is very sad.

On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 9:21 AM, <Drpsionic@aol.com> wrote:

>
>
> Well, bandwagon or not, it is better than dying of boredom during another
> talk on the Secret Doctrine.
>
> I have a rather funny book in my collection, a bound volume of The
> Missionary Herald from 1888. It is a wonderful photograph of the time but
> it
> also has a lot of administrative trivia. And among that is the record of
> the
> proceedings of the association's annual convention, during the opening
> ceremonies thereof one of the speakers dropped dead on the platform,
> proving
> that it is possible for someone to actually bore himself to death.
>
> And whenever I read that I really wish that a Theosophical gathering could
> be so graced, not out of malice, but out of mercy being extended to at
> least one of our number being so released from the tendacious tediousness
> of
> Theosophical lecturing. And it would have given me a chance to say
> something
> witty like, "See, even the Masters couldn't stand her any more."
>
> Chuck the Heretic
>
> _www.charlescosimano.com
>
> In a message dated 4/9/2010 9:00:41 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
> mkr777@gmail.com <mkr777%40gmail.com> writes:
>
> Are theosophical organizations in the West trying to jump on the bandwagon
> of meditation? If so does it further the advance of basic object of
> theosophy and Theosophical Society? Those in non-English speaking world may
> want to look up the phrase âjump on the bandwagonâ at the URL:
>
> <
>
> _ (http://www.charlescosimano.com/)
> _http://en.wikipediahttp://en.http://en.http:/_ (
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwagon_effect) >
>
>
> If you look around, there are several organizations in the West, mostly
> having their origin in India, which try to teach meditation and breathing
> exercises. They are marketed under different names, and different marketing
> techniques. One basic theme which underlies all of them is the promise of
> making one feel better, efficient and sometimes even claiming they help
> reduce stress and other health issues.
>
> Many of these operations are very successful financially. Typically, you
> are
> invited to a one hour free session at which a sales pitch is made. Many
> fall
> for it. The followup programs can be very expensive.
>
> There is a general belief in the public in the West, that more pricey,
> better the program is. The attendees are required to promise secrecy with
> regard to what is taught in the program and that is why you rarely see much
> of discussion.
>
> The financial success of these programs can be phenomenal. There is an
> outfit headed by a middle aged âswamiâ from India which has a very
> successful operation in LA. As an adjunct, there is also a Hindu Temple
> which helps recruit followers and brings in a lot of money. To give you an
> idea of the financial success, this group recently acquired 140 acres of
> land in a large mid-west city to build a temple and facilities to operate
> these programs.
>
> One seems to see attempts by some TS sections/lodges trying to jump on the
> bandwagon of meditation in the hope of offering what the public wants. A
> good marketing approach. But the fundamental object of TS, which was
> clearly
> discussed again and again by the Founders in the early days of TS does not
> include the bandwagon of meditation.
>
> TS was looking for unselfish and altruistic members who are sold on the
> idea
> of Universal Brotherhood and what it can do for the welfare of our fellow
> beings. While the Founders are fully knowledgeable in the art and
> techniques
> of meditation and allied practices, they were not seen as a tool to
> further
> the interests of Humanity.
>
> The reason why I thought of bringing the above topic is the sad trend in
> the
> dissemination of theosophy in the West. One of the key measures is the
> membership. What we see is either the membership is shrinking or frozen and
> when we see lodge charters getting cancelled and property sold does not
> help
> furthering either theosophy or the public perception of TS.
>
> Also, furthering theosophy was not helped by what we all have seen
> happening
> in the TS since the start of 2008 election and the subsequent events at the
> top level, especially the failed ultra secret attempt to disenfranchise all
> members in the world. It is all the more sad that the ultra secret
> disenfranchisement attempt originated in the United States which is
> supposed
> to be the leader of democracy.
>
> It is time to reevaluate which bandwagon we want to be on? I hope this is
> one of the topics discussed at the next World Congress. I hope we get on
> the
> correct bandwagon quickly, even though we may be the only passengers in it,
> because theosophists are convinced that they are in th_e forefront of the
>
> movement for the welfare of the Humanity.
>
> MKR
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> _ (http://www.charlescosimano.com/)
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>  
>


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