Theos-Talk Archives (November 2011 Message tt00028)

A few views...

I am not planning giving up the Theosophical Society and throwing it into the trashcan like others are.

MKR wrote:
"It is time for all active decision makers in TS in America start looking
into this issue of all the money not helping TS membership grow. Is not the
goal of TS to grow in the long run, not shrink?"

M. Sufilight asks:
When reading your email and question I tend to ask in what manner are the Theosophical Society seeking to accomplish its primary aim - the promulgation of altruism?
(I find that to be centrally much more important than membership numbers and whether TS shrinks or not. Needing a "shrink" is something else...smile.)

# Handsome is as handsome does? #
- What activities have been done to actually promote altruism, and collaboration with other organisations, or seeking contact with the known leading scientists of the last decade?
(It is well-known that a great number of Theosophists did much in this regard in the old days of the TS. H. P. Blavatsky especially did an effort or mailed many known scientists by postal mail.)
- Which articles have been given freely by the Theosophical Society to the public in the name of altruism during the last 10-20 years? And how are they being promoted? By Quest Books?
- And what have various members done to promote altruism (not disenfranchisings), and who are the most notable ones in this regard?

- Would it be a good idea to collect all this and have a section on a website showing this - *The latest altruistic news and activities from the TS* or similar?
(Something like this and the Society's accomplishments was written about in the old magazines like the Theosophist in the old days of the Theosophical Society. We do not see much to this these days on the Internet despite the organisation do have a number of websites. Or maybe a better "roadmap" of the Society's websites is needed? - If there are no news and no activities so be it.)

A comment:
One of the first things I learned from reading theosophical papers from the old days was that if one aim at promoting altruism - one does most certainly not keep ones mouth shut firmly as the PRIMARY objective. 
It must be important with an whole-hearted effort in showing people that non-sectarian promotions are better in promoting altruism than sectarian ones, guruism, and dogmatism - AND - why this is true.
Because else one will not seldom find it difficult to disseminate altruism - the primary aim of the Theosophical Society.
Is it not true?

# An sectarian or non-sectarian Theosophical Society? #
(That is the question.)
If one sect is accepted, other sects will also have to be accepted. If one dogmatic organisation is accepted another will have to be so as well. If guruism is accepted, another kind of guruism will have to be so as well. And J. Krishnamurti cannot be an exception here - with scarfs and silver-badges and all. - And to run the Theosophical Society as a sect or with guruism more or less, cannot be the main idea, when seeking to promote altruism. One has to secure that sectarianism, guruism and dogmatism not infiltrates the Theosophical Society, but rather that it CLEARLY AND VISIBLY is seen NOT to be present in the Theosophical Society. Else promotions of altruism is being hampered - and - perhaps seen as being hampered deliberately (!)

These are however just my views. If others disagree with them, they do so. But then I would ask them to be so kind as to tell me and others why?


# A political or non-political Theosophical Society? #
(That is the question.)
And The Theosophical Society cannot really in our times promulgate altruism through political entanglements or through unclear afilliations with politics. This must be true.
Politics with legislations either through democracy or another kind of police, army and jail enforced system with man-made legislations, cannot be anything but an obstacle to the promuolgation of altruism. One cannot promote altruism in our times through legislations - because legislation effectively psychologically condition the individual human being and sectarian behavior is established. The psychological change which is necessary so that altruism can be promoted comes from within each human being themselves and not through legislations which effectively merely conditions the individual human being. The Theosophical Society aught to be clear about not being involved with politics in a manner which hampers the promotion of altruism. And the Theosophical Society's relation to politics auth therefore not to be a blurred one. 
- And I ask whether the Theosophical Society has a blurred relation to politics and what kind of altruism there is in that?

I am also saying the above because of past events in The Theosophical Society with regard to politics. The following example among others should be sufficient to show the readers why I am saying it:

H. P. Blavatsky wrote in 1888 an appearnt warm support for the Indian National Congress:
"The growth of this kindly feeling has been proven in a variety of ways: first, in the unprecedented gathering of races, castes, and sects in the annual Conventions of the Theosophical Society; second, in the rapid growth of a theosophical literature advocating our altruistic views, in the founding of various journals and magazines in several languages, and in the rapid cessation of sectarian controversies; third, in the sudden birth and phenomenally rapid growth of the patriotic movement which is centralized in the organization called the Indian National Congress. This remarkable political body was planned by certain of our Anglo-Indian and Hindu members after the model and on the lines of the Theosophical Society, and has from the first been directed by our own colleagues; men among the most influential in the Indian Empire. At the same time, there is no connection whatever, barring that through the personalities of individuals, between the Congress and its mother body, our Society. It would never have come into existence, in all probability, if Col. Olcott had suffered himself to be tempted into the side paths of human brotherhood, politics, social reforms, etc., as many have wanted him to do. We aroused the dormant spirit and warmed the Aryan blood of the Hindus, and one vent the new life made for itself was this Congress. All this is simple history and passes unchallenged. "
http://www.blavatsky.net/blavatsky/arts/OurThreeObjects.htm
(Now those who are informed will know that the Indian National Congress was something quite different in the first years of its existence, than what it later became to be. But the confusion about this and the above views aught to be cleared up by the Theosophical Society for the sake of altruism. That is if altruism mean anything to the members of that Society.)



As I see it, there cannot be any kind of promulgation of altruism without any kind of psychological change is occuring. 
And this psychological change is always happening in the moment or in the Now, because all the future is also happening in the moment and in the Now. The same with the past and our recollection of it.

All the above are however just my views. If others disagree with them, they do so. But then I would ask them to be so kind as to tell me and others why?


M. Sufilight


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: MKR 
  To: theos-talk 
  Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 4:11 PM
  Subject: [?? Probable Spam] theos-talk Money and Theosophical Society in America


    
  Money and Theosophical Society in America

  When Annie Besant was the President, she was able to raise lot of funds for
  many causes including TS. She also had a policy of spending all the money
  by the end of each year and start fund raising again. Since donors saw
  their money being spent on productive and beneficial projects, they were
  willing to donate more funds. TS also saw greatest growth during the
  presidency of Besant.

  Going back to early days of TS, the money at the disposal of Olcott and HPB
  was very tight. Still they managed to launch and expand the presence of TS
  around the world. Many of the lodges they chartered are still actively
  functioning today.

  When you look at the TS after Besant passed away, the membership outside
  India has been shrinking. The second largest section in the world is the
  American Section. It is also the richest section with a lot of money in the
  bank. In addition, in the recent decades, Kern Foundation has been
  supporting the Section with substantial annual contributions. With all
  this, the membership count is in a sad state. Today, we have around 3,500
  members compared to about 8,000 when Dora Kunz was the president. Since
  Doraâs time, there was no lack of dedicated, scholarly, professorial,
  occult, administrative, leaders. Yet with all the money and the leaders the
  trend in membership is a pitiful and none of the leaders want to discuss
  this hot potato issue. Attempts have been continually made to divert the
  attention of members to what is going on at Adyar while the situation at
  home is serious. We all even witnessed the misguided attempt from the USA
  to ultra secretly disenfranchise all members in the election of the
  International President and seize control by a few members of the General
  Council.

  Sections are autonomous and hence no one including the International
  President can interfere with decisions of the Sections. So the ball is
  squarely in Wheaton and no one can be blamed. Why with all the money and
  autonomy and able leaders, the results are pitiful?

  There is one more angle we may want to look at the money situation. We are
  all aware of the Phoenix venture during the time of Sinnett. It
  demonstrated how difficult it was to raise money. Usually when large
  donations are made, these come from money made in business ventures and not
  from hard working men and women who work 8-5 to pay their bills. Usually
  large fortunes are made due to business investments or growth. So one
  wonders if all the money in the bank not able to help TS in America grow
  its membership, is due to some bad Karma attached to the money. Who knows?

  It is time for all active decision makers in TS in America start looking
  into this issue of all the money not helping TS membership grow. Is not the
  goal of TS to grow in the long run, not shrink?

  MKR

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