Theos-Talk Archives (December 2004 Message tt00341)

Anand wrote, in part: <<The truth in you 
recognises the truth outside you, when 
once the inner vision is open. Hence, in 
the Society, the study of the great 
fundamental truths of all religions is 
one of its objects. Members are not 
asked whether they believe in them or 
not. They are left to study them, in the 
full conviction that just as when the 
eyes are open the man who is not blind 
sees by the light of the sun, he is not 
asked to believe in the light, so is 
truth in the mental world. As soon as 
the eyes of the inner nature, the eyes 
of the intellect, are open, it is not a 
question of argument, but a question of 
sight.>>

Okay, but seems to me that the 
definition-in-practice (as opposed to 
some more static or dictionary 
definition) of the word "study" in that 
context---where what might be called 
"Theosophical studies" are contrasted 
with studies about religions, especially 
of the orthodox variety---would often 
tend to be keyish. Is keyish as I tend 
to see it. At any rate I tend to be 
generally somewhat disinterested in 
applying formal or traditional study 
methods towards religions in general, 
possibly feeling intuitively (I'm 
speculating or intuiting, I think ...) 
that some orthodox elements (especially 
some orthodox elements) in religious 
views (unlike in Theosophy) might be 
somewhat counter to certain key 
principles to be found in Theosophy. Not 
that one might not find basics of some 
sort, in some sense, that might seem as 
"compatible enough," in some sense, 
maybe, between even orthodox religious 
elements and Theosophy ... But ... Is 
there a "but" there ... Not that 
"brotherhood" doesn't make sense to me. 
But how far can one go down some 
"brotherhood road" (in the name of some 
religion, Theosophy or whatever) before 
feeling that one has gone too far, in 
some sense, maybe ... I wonder. I 
suspect that those kinds of concerns 
generally tend to be highly individual 
in bottom-line terms, and that that's 
why in Theosophy there's an emphasis on 
individual efforts, taking into account 
individual karma.

Mauri
^:-/ ...

PS that's my symbol for a speculative 
guy who thought he might've had 
something important enough to say, but 
wound up scratching his head. Sorry 
about that.