Theos-Talk Archives (May 2012 Message tt00152)

An excellent summary of the views of HPB on God. Thanks.

Many of us may not have a very clear understanding of the overall picture.
May be it is time to assemble a FAQ on theosophy to help newbees; of course
it has to supplement HPB's Key to Theosophy.

On Sun, May 20, 2012 at 6:13 AM, Ramanujachary <srivirinchi@BK10y-9mF4nQnhENoFe-rjHknba_lpHQrzSsf6gIoaUrAMeonQEbsRHykoigpKSb9HOnkSR9RNam4s2u5g.yahoo.invalid>wrote:

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> Madame Blavatsky and her views on God
>
> In an article published under correspondence in The Theosophist, January
> 1886, Madame Blavatsky has taken exception for a view expressed by a
> correspondent that her Isis Unveiled (1877)'taught substantially the
> doctrine of Visishtadwaita.'
> She made certain preliminary remarks as to why her book 'lacks symmetry',
> and was wanting in 'literary production.' Though we may not agree with this
> understatement about her own work, we may see her reasons for stating so.
> 1. This is her first book. Incidentally, this is also the very first book
> on 'theosophical philosophy' as such.
> 2. She was writing in a language that is foreign to her.
> 3. The language (in which the book was written, viz. English) was not
> familiar to the Asian philosophers who rendered their assistance in the
> preparation of the text.
> 4. Col. Olcott, in the years of writing the book (1875 &76) was ignorant
> of 'Aryan Philosophy.' He 'revised the manuscript and worked throughout
> with her.'
>
> Madame acknowledges that she was a 'sceptic' in her earlier life and was
> later taught by the MASTERS OF THE WISDOM on 'the existence of a boundless
> and fathomless ocean, a Principle (not Personal God) of which 'her soul'
> (for that matter any soul in manifestation) was a drop.
>
> She maintains as an occultist and on the authority of the Secret Doctrine
> (not exactly the book she wrote later) the following:
> 1. Man's spirit is merged entirely into Parabrahm, when it is not
> individual per se.
> 2. Man's spirit maintains/preserves its distinct individuality in
> Paranirvana.
> 3. After each death, the highest faculties of the Manas are accumulated in
> it (the spirit) in aggregate or Skandhas.
> 4. Such accumulation is the cause for the preservance of 'individuality.'
> 5. The most spiritual (the highest and divinest aspirations of every
> personality) follow Buddhi and the Seventh Principle into Devachan (Swarga)
> after the death of each personality and they become part and parcel of the
> Monad.
> 6. The personality disappears before the occurrence of a new set of bodies
> (a new personality) evolves from the Devachan.
> 7. The individuality of the Spirit-soul is preserved till the end of the
> great cycle, the Maha-Manvantara.
> 8. At the end of the Maha-manvantara, each Ego enters Para nirvana, or is
> merged in Parabrahm.
> 9. This position, is understood as 'the human spirit losing itself in the
> One-spirit', similar to the drop entering the ocean and loses any chance of
> its retrace. This understanding is from the point of view of our limited or
> conditioned comprehension.
> 10. In the world of Immaterial thought, this view is not the final.
> 11. The world of Immaterial thought is huge and vast, while that of human
> dynamic thought, in a comparative sense, too limited.
> 12. Parabrhamic and Paranirvanic 'spirits' (or units) preserve their
> 'divine' individualities (and not human individualities).
> 13. Even when the Maha Pralaya ends, the same Individual Divine Monad
> resumes its majestic path of evolution.
> 14. This resumption is on a more 'perfected' and 'more pure chains of
> earths than before. It carries with it all the essence of compound
> spiritualities from its previous countless rebirths.
>
> Madame Blavatsky concludes with a statement that spiral evolution is dual,
> and the path of spirituality turns corkscrew like, within and physical,
> semi-physical, and supra-physical evolution. She reserves further comments
> on the subject for her future books The Secret Doctrine (1888) and The Key
> to Theosophy (1889). Her more settled views on the anthropomorphism and the
> like are available there.
> Dr N C Ramanujachary
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