Theos-Talk Archives (March 2011 Message tt00192)

In the Indian political scene, in the late 1800s, theosophy and Theosophical
society affected many of the leaders in the struggle for Indian
Independence. When you read some of the accounts, one can see how theosophy
and TS were pioneers of the time. Below is an extract of an article in NY
Times on Mahatma Gandhi.

Looking at the past and comparing the current situation concerning theosophy
and TS and their interaction with the society in various countries, one
wonders why it is not a pioneer today. The leaders of theosophical sections
world-wide are rarely seen with their activism on any issue affecting our
brothers and sisters, except many of the theosophical meetings and
conventions start with meditation. Even in the recent GC meeting, no body
seems to have raised the issue of current passivity and ideas about stirring
up activity.

Here is the quote:

In Gandhiâs early years in South Africa we see an ambitious lawyer, an
immigrant almost by chance, brought over in 1893 to assist in a civil suit
between rival Indian-owned trading companies with roots in his hometown.
Initially orthodox in his religious beliefs, he was drawn â like many
Indians later active in the national liberation movement â into the fringe
milieu of Theosophy, a creed whose blend of Hinduism and Western
Spiritualism made it a magnet for holders of unconventional ideas.
Theosophical meetings were one of the few places where Indians and Europeans
could meet socially on equal terms.

In 1894 Gandhi would go so far as to identify himself in a newspaper
advertisement for a series of self-published tracts as âAgent for the
Esoteric Christian Union and the London Vegetarian Society,â and it was
through a Theosophist friend that he discovered Tolstoy, whose creed of
universal brotherhood and radical nonviolence affected him profoundly.


<
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/books/in-great-soul-joseph-lelyveld-re-examines-gandhi.html?_r=1
>

MKR


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