Theos-Talk Archives (June 2012 Message tt00018)

An
Approach to Understand Theosophy-1






 
  
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he term Theosophy
has many ancient moorings and yet in the modern times it is the philosophy and
a way of life brought into currency by the Theosophical Society and its
literature. We are aware that these were ushered into the world since 1875. The
basic and fundamental teachings of Theosophy come from the Masters of the
Wisdom who are considered the Real Founders of the Society and Madame H P
Blavatsky(1831-1891), their Messenger. She happens to be the Chief Founder, on
the physical plane, of the Society and the Principle Exponent of its
philosophy. Her work was mainly concerned with the preparation of the field on
the psychic planes of nature for the establishment of the Society and to pave
way for the opening/awakening of public mind to matters of psychic and
spiritual import. Her endeavor was to lay the stairs 'up the steps of which a
seeker can' conveniently and methodically 'climb to the Temple of Divine
Wisdom.' She translated the term
Theosophy as Divine Wisdom/ Wisdom Religion and she always
vouched that this is the Universal Ancient Wisdom for all times and all states
of human development. She refused to define the term 'Theosophy' because all
definitions limit the scope and ambit. In stead, she gave very many descriptive
statements of the term and insisted that theosophy as such is experiential and
transcends all limits of human understanding. She also laid an approach road so
that the human mind can comprehend it well and full, absorb/dissolve itself
into that in a forward movement towards the Truth that embodies the whole of
existence/manifestation.

It is through her compassion and consideration that we,
the orphan humanity, are enabled and empowered to make individual approaches to
the understanding of this 'holistic' art/science of cosmic evolution.




 
  
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efore
examining how to understand Theosophy
it becomes necessary to know what theosophy is and if it has relevance to the
present times, where ideology is given a back seat to technology. Caught up in
questions like why, when, what and how it is possible one loses sight of
certain primary things necessary for living and existence. We live and we do
exist, this much is true in the present context. By our imagination and the
faculty of speculation, we are also certain of a past and a future. All this is
individualistic and collective too, the same time. All men and women of the word
are part of a great and continuous stream that we call 'humanity'. Living and
Existing - are terms with different connotation though they are supplementary
and complementary to each other. Theosophy has, not something, but everything
to do with both the terms. Something and everything may be hypothetical terms,
debatable and highly speculative to many, to start with. For those who know
that 'things' have apparently an inherent quality this may not be a new
knowledge. Everything we come across has an outer form and an inner content.
When there are two constituents, there is invariably a third element that fuses
them to get together for purposes of operation. Living and Existing are the two
things and that third element fusing them is the knowledge about and concerning
Theosophy. This can be a way of coming to understand Theosophy. Let us consider
our own stature as men and women of the world. We have the outer bodies, the
physical vestures and also the Mind, the internal sense organ. It has become
common knowledge today that the body and mind work together and their joint
operation is necessary for a sane and purposeful living and meaningful
existence. It had taken millions of years for humanity to come to this
understanding through its own study, experimentation and application. Even today, we cannot take it for granted
that this knowledge is available to all and sundry and that is being used for
betterment of the human situation. When we say 'common knowledge' we mean that
this much of information is available to a thinking person who is capable of
perceiving the whole of humanity as one or a unitary organism

             Dr N C Ramanujachary



Literature is for Portrayal of Philosophic Ideas.







Dr N C Ramanujachary(Srivirinchi)

Besant Gardens, The Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai 600 020 

Phone: 044/24913584, Mobile: 9444963584


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