Theos-Talk Archives (January 2003 Message tt00555)

DHCibc> Did Bailey use some of Leadbeater's & Besant's original ES material?

In response, a few relevant passages from AAB's autobiography.


" I've written many books since then for the Tibetan Shortly after
finishing the first few chapters of [167] "Initiation, Human and
Solar" I showed the manuscript to B. P. Wadia. He got very excited
and told me that he would publish anything that "came from that
source" and printed the first few chapters in "The Theosophist,"
published in Adyar, India. Then the usual theosophical jealousy and
reactionary attitude appeared and no more was printed."


"Many of H.P.B.'s personal pupils have helped me and have personally
taken the trouble to see that I understood what it was that was
happening to human thought through the publication of "The Secret
Doctrine." I have often been amused by the orthodox Theosophists who
have disapproved of my presentation of theosophical truth. Few of
them, if any, who have thus disapproved ever had the privilege of
being taught by personal pupils of H.P.B. for weeks and months on
end, and I'm pretty sure that, thanks to these old students, I have a
clearer perception of what "The Secret Doctrine" was intended to
convey than most of them. Why should I not? I was well taught and I
am grateful."

"It was during this year, 1918, that I discovered for the first time
who it was that had come to see me in Scotland when I was a girl of
fifteen. I had been admitted into the Esoteric Section (E.S.) of the
Theosophical Society and was attending their meetings. The first time
that I went into the Shrine Room I saw the customary pictures of the
Christ and the Masters of the Wisdom, as the Theosophists call Them.
To my surprise there, looking straight at me, was a picture of my
visitor. There was no mistake. This was the man who had walked into
my aunt's drawing room, and it was not the Master Jesus. I was
inexperienced then and rushed to one of the senior people at Krotona
and asked for the name of this Master. They told me that it was the
Master K.H. and then I made a basic mistake for which I have since
paid the price. Believing that they would be pleased and not
intending in the very least to be boastful I said, in all innocence,
"Oh, then, He must be my Master, for I've talked with Him and been
under His guidance ever since." This person looked at me and said,
with rather a withering inflection, "Am I to understand that you
believe yourself to be a disciple?" For the first time in my life I
was up against the competitive technique of the Theosophical Society.
It was, however, a wholesome lesson for me and I profited thereby.
Learning to hold one's tongue is essential in group work, and one of
the first lessons which any one affiliated with the Hierarchy has to
learn."

*******

I, in the meantime, had started a Secret Doctrine class and had rented a room on
Madison Avenue where we could [190] hold classes and see people by appointment. This 
Secret Doctrine class was started in 1921 and was exceedingly well-attended. People 
from the various Theosophical societies and occult groups came regularly. Mr. Richard 
Prater, an old associate of W.Q. Judge and a pupil of H.P.Blavatsky came to my class 
one day and the next week turned his entire Secret Doctrine class over to me.

I mention this for the benefit of United Lodge of Theosophists and for those who 
claim that the true Theosophical lineage descends from H.P.B. via W.Q. Judge. All 
the Theosophy that I knew had been taught me by personal friends and pupils of H.P.B. 
and this Mr. Prater recognized. Later he gave me the esoteric section instructions 
as given to him by H.P.B. They are identical with those I had seen when in the E.S. 
but they were given to me with no strings attached to them at all and I have been 
at liberty to use them at any time and have used them. When he died many years ago 
his theosophical library came into our hands with all the old Lucifers and all the 
old editions of the Theosophical magazine, plus other esoteric papers which he had 
received from H.P.B.

Among the papers which he gave me was one in which H.P.B. expressed her wish that 
the esoteric section should be called the Arcane School. It never was and I made 
up my mind that the old lady should have her wish and that was how the school came 
to get its name. I regarded it as a great privilege and happiness to know Mr. Prater.

Another old pupil of Madame Blavatsky and Col.Olcott, Miss Sarah Jacobs, gave me 
the photographic plates of the Masters' pictures which were given to her by Col. 
Olcott so that I have more than a happy feeling that the personal pupils and friends 
of H.P.Blavatsky approved of what I was setting out to do. I had their endorsement 
and their help until they passed over to the other side. They [191] were, naturally, 
all old people when I first met them. The attitude of the current Theosophical leaders 
and membership has always amused me. They have never approved of what I taught and 
yet what I taught came direct from personally trained pupils of H.P.B. and is more 
likely to be correct than that which has come from those who have not known her. 
I mention this because for the sake of the work I would like to have its sources 
recognized.

>From the Secret Doctrine class arose groups of students all over the country who 
received the outlined lessons that I was giving to the class on Madison Avenue. These 
classes grew and prospered until they aroused definite Theosophical antagonism and 
I was warned by Dr. Jacob Bonggren that the classes were under attack. He was an 
old pupil of H.P.B. and his writings are to be found in the earlier magazines and 
I am very proud that he stood behind me in those earlier days.






DHCibc> Concerning the information provided in:
DHCibc> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/10706
DHCibc> consider ALSO the following:

DHCibc> On Theos-L in a posting dated Jan. 12, 1994, Jerry Hejka-Ekins wrote:

DHCibc> "From my earlier perusal of AAB's writings, I found that many of her 
DHCibc> teachings were drawn directly from Besant and Leadbeater's E.S. 
DHCibc> writings, which to this day, are not publicly available. For the E.S. 
DHCibc> to publicly acknowledge that AAB was publishing secret E.S. material, 
DHCibc> would give away to the public the nature of the very material the 
DHCibc> E.S. is trying to keep secret. . . . "

DHCibc> Quoted from:
DHCibc> http://theosophy.net/tl-text/TL199401.TXT

DHCibc> Arvind Kumar replied to Jerry's above comment:

DHCibc> "Can you tell me in which published books of AAB this 
DHCibc> Leadbeater/Besant ES material may have appeared (your conjectures 
DHCibc> will be fine)?"

DHCibc> Jerry replied in another posting dated Feb 1, 1994:

DHCibc> "Your request puts me into a bit of a bind. Though I am not
DHCibc> bound by any pledges not to reveal this material, nor did my
DHCibc> source break any pledges, I still have come concern about raising
DHCibc> the ire of pledged members who believe that this material should
DHCibc> be kept secret. I'm willing to risk their anger, and reveal the
DHCibc> contents of some of this material, if any real good were to come
DHCibc> out of it. So I will have to put the question back to you by
DHCibc> asking: If by revealing the contents of the E.S. materials, I
DHCibc> show that key teachings in AAB's writings are in previously
DHCibc> published E.S. writings that she had seen, then what would this
DHCibc> mean to you?"

DHCibc> Quoted from:
DHCibc> http://theosophy.net/tl-text/TL199402.TXT

DHCibc> Daniel H. Caldwell
DHCibc> BLAVATSKY ARCHIVES
DHCibc> http://hpb.cc 





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