theos-talk.com

[MASTER INDEX] [DATE INDEX] [THREAD INDEX] [SUBJECT INDEX] [AUTHOR INDEX]

[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

WAR, PEACE AND THEOSOPHY

Mar 11, 2006 09:12 AM
by carlosaveline cardoso aveline



ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Looking At The World Today:

DOGMATIC RELIGIONS, WARS, TERRORISM --
AND THE ORIGINAL TEACHINGS OF THEOSOPHY

Carlos Cardoso Aveline

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


Dear Friends,

As we look at the daily acts of violence in Irak, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine; as we see Iran’s nuclear preparations challenge the IAEA and United Nations; and as we think of the possibility of Al Qaeda using, say, a “dirty”, primitive nuclear bomb in the future -- perhaps we are but dealing with the consequences of not having struggled enough, since 1891, against religious dogmatism, as we had been invited to do by H.P.B. and the Masters of the Wisdom.

Let’s examine this.

In the famous “Prayag Letter”, whose authenticity is now universally accepted by theosophical groups, one of the Himalayan Mahatmas says that the gods of Hinduism, Christianism, Islamism and all other dogmatic religions are not quite just “fiction”: they are, or they have a connection with some real “Chohans of Darkness”, the Ma-mo Chohans, a materialistic sort of intelligences.

Through dogmatic religions these false gods contrast and hinder, to some extent, the action and influence of the Dhyan Chohans, the “Chohans of Light” that stimulate human evolution toward Truth.

“All in the Universe is contrast”, says the Master in that ground-breaking document.(1)

The content of this decisive Letter is not an isolated fact, in the original teachings of Theosophy. The text confirms the remarkable position taken by the Masters with regard to dogmatic religions in various other Letters, besides books and writings signed by H.P. Blavatsky (2).

In the Theosophy of Masters and H.P.B., dogmatic religions are clearly described as a “plague”, very much in the way Sigmund Freud calls them in his courageous essay “The Future of an Illusion”. Those who can examine these two remarkable texts will see that “The Future of an Illusion” is strikingly similar, in content, to the Mahatma Letter 10, non-chronological edition (Letter 88, chronological edition). (3)

One of the most serious mistakes done by Annie Besant -- when she abandoned the original programme of the Theosophical Movement in order to start promoting her own ritualistic illusions -- was to make the movement stop critizing the dogmatic religions.

This mistake is not exclusive to Adyar, it must be said. Probably for lack of courage and “virya”, the unconfortable task of struggling to free humanity from dogmatic religions was abandoned, or half- abandoned, by other theosophical movements and institutions as well.

“Being brotherly” was, consciously or unconsciously, defined as “looking like brotherly”. Hence came the need to “make other people believe we are friendly and spiritualized”.

As a consequence of this, at least two sentences, in the Letter-Report on the Chohan’s Views about the movement, are today even more clearly significant than they were in t he 19th century.

The Master wrote:

“The intellectual portions of mankind seem to be fast drifting into two classes, the one unconsciously preparing for itself long periods of temporary annihilation or states of non-consciousness, owing to the deliberate surrender of their intellect, its imprisonment in the narrow grooves of bigotry and superstition (...); the other unrestrainedly indulging its animal propensities with the deliberate intention of submitting to annihilation pure and simple (...). Between degrading superstition and still more degrading brutal materialism, the white dove of truth has hardly room where to rest her weary unwelcome feet. It’s time that Theosophy should enter the arena (...).”(4)

Real Theosophy, of course, is the one that should enter the arena, not its watered-down versions. Giving up illusions is often an uncomfortable task, even if in the long run it leads to inner happiness and bliss.

But if we try to understand why such a decisive message from the Mahatmas -- their views about the dogmatic religions -- was suppressed from the daily life of the movement, perhaps we can perceive the practical consequences, in human history, of having abandoned the original impulse of the esoteric movement as founded by HPB and the Mahatmas.

By understanding the practical importance of such original teachings, we may see in a clear way the challenges that we face right now, as citizens of this planetary civilization.

Then we will be also able to explore and develop the immense creative possibilities that the theosophical movement has at its disposal at present and in the near future, especially if we theosophists want to express in a practical way our love for mankind and for the other living species in our planet.


Peace to all beings, Carlos.


O o o O o o O o o O

NOTES:

(1) See “The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett” --- Letter 134, pp. 454-457, in the TPH Adyar third edition (1972); Letter 30, pp, 94-96, in the Chronological Edition, T.P.H. Philippines; or Letter CXXXIV, pp. 461-464, in the T.U.P. edition, 1992, Pasadena, CA, USA.

(2) There are at least seven Letters from Adepts dealing with dogmatic religions: 1) The Prayag Letter, quoted above; 2) Letter 10, non-chronological editions (or Letter 88, chronological edition); 3) Letter 22, non-chronological ed. (or 90, chronological edition); 4) Letter 01, first series, in “Letters From The Masters of the Wisdom”, TPH-Adyar (1973 edition); 5) Letter 43, first series, in “Letters From The Masters of the Wisdom”, TPH-Adyar (1973 edition); 6) Letter 82, second series, “Letters
From the Masters of the Wisdom”; and 7) Letter 46, first series, “Letters From the Masters of the Wisdom”, which is the famous “1900 Letter”. As to
this 1900 Letter, see especially its full text, published in “Theosophical History”, London, October 1987, pp. 115-117.

(3) Yet in the Psychological field Carl G. Jung and his followers abandoned the criticism of dogmatic religions started by Sigmund Freud very much like some post-HPB theosophical leaders did. It was very convenient to stop fighting religious dogmatism, of course. It is never easy to destroy thick walls of illusion and ignorance, in any aspect of our “cultural traditions”.

(4) Letter 01, first series, “Letters From The Masters of the Wisdom”, Adyar (1973 edition), pp. 3-4.



O o o O o o O o o O o o O o o O

_________________________________________________________________
Facilite sua vida: Use o Windows Desktop Search e encontre qualquer arquivo ou e-mail em seu PC. Acesse: http://desktop.msn.com.br



[Back to Top]


Theosophy World: Dedicated to the Theosophical Philosophy and its Practical Application