Theosophy

Ananya Sri Ram Rajan – USA

“I listened hard but could not see
Life tempo change out and inside me . . .”

--From the Preacher, the Teacher, by Yes

Among the many thought-provoking lines in the Golden Stairs, is “a loyal sense of duty to the teacher.” So easily we, in our repetition of this recitation, may pass over this phrase as well as the others, not aware of the essence of each one. For anyone who has used the Golden Stairs as a guideline for one’s spiritual journey, the multilayered meaning of each principle can provide a student with a lifetime of meditation.

Viewing “a loyal sense of duty to the teacher” from a very superficial perspective, we may think of those in a position of authority as our teachers and through our loyalty feel a sense of duty to them. But when viewed from at deeper level, this line can give us a solid understanding as to how we can completely change our lives. One may ask the question who is the teacher? And what duty it is one should have to that teacher?

William Q. Judge – USA  (written in 1894)

The following suggestions arise from experience and are due to facts in the Theosophical world.

Don't speak or write as if morality and ethics were unknown before HPB wrote The Voice of the Silence. Some of our devoted band have been heard to speak in such a way that hearers thought the speaker meant to convey the idea that only in The Voice or other similar books of ours could be found the high and correct ethics by which one ought to guide his life. Buddhism, Christianity, and all the other religions teach the same morals, and literature is full of it.

Forgiveness

[This article appeared in the October 2020 issue of The Theosophical Movement. For more articles published in this excellent magazine follow this link: http://www.ultindia.org/previous_issues.html]

It appears that forgiveness helps us to be free. Forgiveness therapy can help a person to gain perspective and move on, instead of being stuck, writes Nathaniel Wade, a professor of psychology at Iowa State University, who is interested in the psychology of forgiveness and religion, more in the context of counselling and therapy. Being in relationships often means being offended, hurt or betrayed, and one of the ways that we have developed to deal with such pain is through forgiveness. But what is forgiveness and how does it work? Firstly, we must distinguish between forgiveness and condoning, i.e., excusing or overlooking an offence. Forgiveness does not necessarily include reconciliation which involves re-establishing a trusting relationship with the person who has hurt. It is an internal process which helps to overcome feelings of bitterness and hurt, and instead engender the feeling of empathy and love for the offender.

Tim Boyd – India, USA

The author

In Tibetan Buddhist practice there are numerous ceremonies held specifically for a long life. From our personal perspective living a long life has many good features. From the spiritual point of view the emphasis on long life goes beyond mere personal preference. Because the scope of Wisdom is infinite and our moment of incarnation is so brief, in order for us to actually cultivate the experience of wisdom, we ask to be blessed with long life, presence of mind, and health.

Boris de Zirkoff – USA

Katherine Tingley

July 11, 1979, marked the fiftieth anniversary of Katherine Tingley's "passing into Light ..." after a long life dedicated to the service of humanity. On this occasion BdZ wrote the following:

As is often the case with unusual people, her stature grows as her image recedes into the distant past, Misunderstood by some, violently opposed by others, misjudged by those whose materialism and ignorant conceit were challenged by her spiritual outlook on life, Katherine Tingley is slowly being recognized as an inspired leader of thought, and a witness to the undreamt of possibilities of the hidden powers in man.

[This article appeared in the August 2020 issue of The Theosophical Movement. For more articles published in this excellent magazine follow this link: http://www.ultindia.org/previous_issues.html]

The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of about 1,000 ancient manuscripts. Which include various versions of books of the Hebrew Bible and various other religious, legal and philosophical documents. Most of these scrolls were found between 1947 and the 1960s, which were mainly found in eleven caves near Qumran, located in Judean desert. Molecular biologist Oded Rechavi of Tel Aviv University and his colleagues observe that since the scrolls made of sheepskin and cow skin retain DNA from those animals, analysis of that DNA could help to figure out which of the more than 25,000 scrolls came from the same animals, and therefore from the same documents. Thus, for instance, the researchers assumed that scroll fragments from closely related sheep were more likely to come from the same document than those from distantly related sheep or from cows.

K. Dinakaran -- India

Dr. Annie Besant said: “Among the priceless teachings that may be found in the great Hindu poem of the Mahabharata, there is none so rare and precious as this ‘Lord’s Song’.” Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) also said: “The most beautiful, perhaps the only true philosophical song existing in any known tongue.” H. P. Blavatsky (HPB) mentions in the Preface to The Voice of the Silence about Jñânesvari, the Marathi version of the Bhagavadgitâ by Sant Jñânesvar.

Barbara Hebert – USA

The Beatles in the studio recording 'All you Need is Love'' on June 25, 1967, during the very first world-wide television broadcast OUR WORLD.

For the "making"of that track and Our World, click on the photo  

Released in the Summer of 1967, the Beatles song “All You Need is Love” …was Britain's contribution to Our World, the first live global television link.... The program was broadcast via satellite and seen by an audience of over 400 million in 25 countries. Lennon's lyrics were deliberately simplistic, to allow for the show's international audience, and captured the utopian ideals associated with the Summer of Love. The single topped sales charts in Britain, the United States and many other countries, and became an anthem for the counterculture's embrace of flower power philosophy.” (Wikipedia) 

John Lennon

Boris de Zirkoff – USA

[Note from the editor: this article written by de Zirkoff in 1949, is significant because of its historical content, while the author also makes mention of the collaboration between various Theosophical organizations and their leaders]

The writings of H.P. Blavatsky and of her Adept-Teachers are the cornerstone upon which the modern Theosophical Movement rests.

Upon this cornerstone has been erected a superstructure which, although imperfect in many respects, has nonetheless withstood the attacks of entrenched materialism, and of the forces of obscurantism which have attempted from time to time to obliterate or disrupt the Movement as a whole.

Annie Besant

Annie Besant, wonderful photo taken in the early 1890ties

I speak tonight on the supreme duty. I proclaim tonight the universal law of life; for only by service is fullness of life made possible, to the service of man the whole of the universe today is yoked. For under the name of man, man past, present, and future, man evolving up to the divine man, eternal, immortal, indestructible, that is the service to which every individual should be pledged, that the object of life, that the fashion of evolution. I shall try to put for you tonight in few words something of the elements of this service, something of its meaning in daily life, as well as something of the heights whereto the daily practice may at length conduct the human soul. Poor indeed is that religion that cannot teach the men and the women of the world the duty of daily life, and yield to them inspiration that shall aid them in their upward climbing to the light.

Pablo Sender – USA

The author

IN this article, we will explore the subject of epidemics from the point of view of esoteric philosophy. The first fundamental idea to bear in mind is that the Earth and humanity are intimately connected, so that planetary and human activity are constantly reacting on each other, be it epidemics, pandemics, or natural disasters. Franz Hartmann expressed this principle as follows:

Man is not a being whose existence is separated from Nature, but an integral part thereof. . . . The elemental forces of Nature act upon his soul; and the influence of the universal spirit radiates to his centre. Likewise, man reacts upon the whole. . . . His emotions produce currents in the soul of the world, giving rise to new causes in the invisible realm, which again react upon the physical plane. (Magic, White and Black)

Franz Hartmann

Joy Mills – USA

[Chapter Five in LIVING IN WISDOM: LECTURES ON "THE SECRET DOCTRINE, copyright 1989, Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland / Amsterdam. The booklet was transcribed from a class given at the August 1988 Summer School of the Dutch Section of the Theosophical Society.]

Now we must note a very important aspect of the esoteric doctrine here; HPB points out that there are three schemes of evolution which she says in our system are inextricably interwoven and interblended at every point. We cannot go into this in depth, but it is there in The Secret Doctrine. The point that I wish to make is that these three are named: the MONADIC, which is concerned with the growth and development into still higher phases of activity of the monads; in conjunction with the second stream, which is the INTELLECTUAL -- or we can call it, if you like, because it encompasses it, the "psychological," or if you like another term: the "soul" -- and the third, which is the PHYSICAL, around which, as HPB has said, nature has concreted the physical body. And it is this body which serves as the vehicle for all the transformations that take place in the other two.

Tim Boyd – India, USA

Tim Boyd, International President, TS-Adyar

I would like to give some consideration to a central idea which is, for many, also a central experience in the theosophical life. In the process of our spiritual unfoldment the Teacher plays an unparalleled role. He/she is that person we encounter during the course of our spiritual growth, who seems to have the ability to spur our understanding and hasten our development.

Everyone has had a relationship with someone who has served in the role of a Teacher. It is a common experience in the university, at school, in our home, or in our spiritual life, to encounter someone in whose presence we find difficult things becoming clear, and who, when they speak we find ourselves elevated. In those moments when we are in their presence we feel as though we understand.

Ali Ritsema – the Netherlands

There is only Oneness, the fundamental unity of all existence, only One Being. This idea forms the basis for every conception of the secret doctrine or esoteric philosophy, which is meant to lead us towards the Truth. In Mahatma Letter number 13 Master Morya says that in their doctrine we will need to embrace the whole, blend the macrocosm and microcosm together. Can we do that?

Terezinha Franca-Kind - Brazil 

A White Heaven

One can describe the meaning of ‘understanding’ as a mental process. But it also means a state of cooperative or mutually tolerant relations between people. Understanding is not a mere process of the mind. It involves higher spheres of our constitution dealing with perception or intuition. In trying to under-stand the deeper meaning of life, for example, reason alone is not enough. Observing and contemplating Nature, in complete quietness and silence of the mind, another process of understanding can take place.

Alfred Trevor Barker - England 

The author

[Alfred Trevor Barker (b. October 10, 1893- d. July 17, 1941) was a Theosophist, writer, and lecturer. He is well-known in the Theosophical world for his transcription, compilation and publication of the The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett and The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett. For more details on him go to: https://theosophy.wiki/en/A._Trevor_Barker ]

Before we can answer this question at all satisfactorily and present reasons as to why we should study Theosophy, we naturally ask ourselves, "What is Theosophy?"

Theosophy is not something new; it is not the invention of one or two men or women, either modern or ancient; it is not a progressive system which is subject to change from day to day, following upon experiments in the realm of science, where any morning we may wake up to find that that which we had thought to be Truth has actually had to be changed, modified, or altered. This is the difference between the Ancient Wisdom and scientific methods.

Arni Narendran – Mumbai

In the book Man: Whence How and Whither the authors, Annie Besant and Charles W. Leadbeater, trace the evolution of man from antiquity, mapping physical and geographical movements of the human race. From the antediluvian third root race, or Lemurian, to the present ongoing fifth root race, which emanated in Central Asia, this evolution of man has been accompanied by an expanded consciousness. The authors prophesized the coming of the next phase of human evolution in the form of an emerging sixth root race, in an area around California, this in the distant future. The nascent signs are no doubt becoming visible, California being the epicenter of the New-Age Movement. The concept of root races originally appeared with the publication of The Secret Doctrine by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who collated a body of esoteric knowledge, generally referred to as Theosophy. Both works have a thread of commonality: i.e. movement.

William Quan Judge – USA

A visitor from one of the other planets of the solar system who might learn the term Mahatma after arriving here would certainly suppose that the etymology of the word undoubtedly inspired the believers in Mahatmas with the devotion, fearlessness, hope, and energy which such an ideal should arouse in those who have the welfare of the human race at heart. Such a supposition would be correct in respect to some, but the heavenly visitor after examining all the members of the Theosophical Society could not fail to meet disappointment when the fact was clear to him that many of the believers were afraid of their own ideals, hesitated to proclaim them, were slothful in finding arguments to give reasons for their hope, and all because the wicked and scoffing materialistic world might laugh at such a belief.

Ananya Sri Ram Rajan – USA

The author

It is said that the start of a wildfire can be compared to our emotions. All it takes is a small spark and the right environment. What seems like an insignificance speck of light and heat can suddenly create smoke and, with a little wind, burst into flames. If there is enough energy or fuel to feed the flames, a fire can burn for days.

Anger, sadness, anxiety and other such emotions are not much different. Depending on our underlying “go to” emotion, given the right environment (a comment made from someone, an uncomfortable situation, or a life event), we are often triggered which creates a specific reaction within us. Once we are triggered, all it takes is a little fuel to have the emotion create an imbalance within us. We can go from a beautiful morning to feeling completely frustrated for the rest of the day.

Joy Mills – USA

[Chapter Five in Living in Wisdom: Lectures on The Secret Doctrine, copyright 1989, Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland / Amsterdam. The booklet was transcribed from a class given at the August 1988 Summer School of the Dutch Section of the Theosophical Society.]

We'll turn now more directly to the study of ourselves. We have been looking at some of the great metaphysical concepts concerning the origin and development of a universe, and remember it is suggested at least that the intent of The Secret Doctrine -- not only those volumes by H.P. Blavatsky but the esoteric tradition itself -- is to awaken a new mode of consciousness. When we turn then to the material in the second volume dealing with "Anthropogenesis," we must keep very clearly in mind that central purpose, otherwise we are likely to be lost in very confusing details.

Barbara Hebert – USA

The author

The news, from whatever source we receive it, shares distressing and disheartening information about the world in which we live. We, of course, know that the pain and suffering endured in the physical world is impermanent, but it is very real to those who are experiencing it. Hearing stories of anger, hate, racism, and despair weigh heavily on us as we sometimes despair of the inhumanity we see in the world.

Therefore, can we take just a few minutes to step away from the physical world and step into a world of imagination and fairy tales? For a few minutes, just imagine…

Human Regeneration – part twenty-six (end)

Radha Burnier – India

Radha Burnier, former International President of the Theosophical Society, Adyar

[Recognizing regeneration as the kernel of all Theosophical work, the International Theosophical Centre at Naarden, the Netherlands, jointly with the Federation of Theosophical Societies in Europe, organized two seminars in July 1990, with a number of office bearers, workers and members of the Society from different countries as participants. Proceedings of the seminar were published as a book under the title Human Regeneration: Lectures and Discussion (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, 1990). This chapter (discussions) is here slightly revised.]

The Source of Spiritual Energy 

Life is a process. So is there a fundamental change at all? 

RB: There are of course changes in life all the time; many of them are imperceptible. Every one of us undergoes change during different incarnations. If there were no changes, there would be no evolutionary process. The process implies not only change, but in the long run, perfection. The perfection of physical organisms comes about through a slow process of change and improvement, until the stage of the complex human body, with an incredibly complex brain, much of it still unused. Complexity implies increasing sensitivity, etc. From the theosophical viewpoint, through biological evolution, there is the unfoldment of consciousness. The ability to perceive more and respond more is developed, through long periods of time. So should we do anything at all, or should we leave it to the evolutionary process to thrust us into perfection and relieve us of our problems?