Theos-Talk Archives (October 2005 Message tt00013)

 To all,

HPB, with the direct help of the Masters, wrote the Secret Doctrine with a
specific teaching/learning method in mind.   That is, so that the esoteric
teachings could be absorbed, and consequently more fully understood,
simultaneously, through one's visual as well as aural senses and their 
associated and
interrelated mental thought processes.  

One effective method for this form of comprehension is to directly read or
chant the Doctrine aloud with proper inflection.  Such emphasis could only be
applied through normal printing techniques at the time by using certain
calculated typographical modifications -- such as large and small caps, 
italics,
quotes, asterisks, daggers, dashes, commas, colons, semi colons, bullets,
exclamation points, and other varied typographic symbols and inflectional 
markings,
etc.  

While some later reprints were made in all sincerity, the authors may not
have been aware of these techniques or their purposes, and thus, 
inadvertently
changed the meanings of HPB's sentences by ignoring and eliminating these
typographic notations. Consequently, some later non Adept editors of reprint
editions of the SD may have, either purposely or otherwise, seriously 
distorted much
of the teachings' deeper esoteric meanings.

Thus, the advice given to depend only on the original teachings as given out
in the original and facsimile editions -- directly edited by HPB (and the
Masters) themselves -- is well taken...   And its method of study by 
simultaneous
aural and visual means should be observed by all serious students of true
theosophy -- rather than rely on dead letter interpretations of later edited 
and
more or less inaccurate or distorted versions.

I hope this information fully verifies Dallas' advice to stick with the
original teachings -- as well as be of use to serious students for purposes 
of
proper study of true theosophy.

Best wishes,

Lenny
(Just out of the hospital for the second time in the past five months aftera
serious auto accident in South Florida while recuperating from Legionnaire's
disease. Much karma to think about, but grateful to still be alive and with
all my faculties intact. :-)


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