Theos-Talk Archives (March 2007 Message tt00158)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "robert_b_macd" 
<robert.b.macdonald@...> wrote:
>
> Daniel puts forward a challenge to understand the Theosophical 
Society
> as HPB envisioned it.
> 
> As HPB was the originator of the TS and one of its co-founders, 
there
> does not exist anyone with more right to describe what the TS is
> supposed to be.  For those that believe in her Masters, they could 
argue
> that it is really the Masters who were the originators of the idea, 
but
> from a standpoint of the membership, the Masters are merely a 
premise of
> HPB's.  HPB is the historically verified individual whom we look to 
for
> the final word as to what the TS is supposed to be.
> 
> Let's put the ES aside as many would argue that there is no 
legitimate
> ES in existence today.  All that we have is the movement itself 
> comprised of unaligned and often independent members, and those 
members
> that belong to the various Societies.  Let's take the simplest 
case, the
> individual member.  The beauty of the Theosophical Society is that 
it is
> modeled after the individual searcher for truth.  The beliefs of 
any one
> individual are many just as the belief systems that populate the
> theosophical society are many. By adopting one or more of the 
Objects of
> the Movement and adhering to the motto of "There is no religion 
higher
> than Truth", the individual is forced to evolve.  Universal 
Brotherhood
> leads one to do good works and try to help his fellow man.  The 
study of
> comparative religion, science, and philosophy forces one beyond the
> limitations of his own belief system.  Delving into the unexplained 
laws
> of Nature and powers latent in Man leads to the development of
> intuition.  HPB suggests that lying at the centre of all this is the
> esoteric.  The Secret Doctrine, The Voice of the Silence, etc. lay 
at
> the spiritual centre of the Movement.  The member who understands 
and
> practices these doctrines is the member who will be drawn into that
> Brotherhood that watches over all Humanity.
> 
> The Theosophical Movement is simply the mind of the theosophist writ
> large.  As theosophists move to that centre, they begin to empower 
the
> Movement as a whole by strengthening the bond between the Masters of
> Wisdom and the Movement.  Within this argument, the more members 
that
> move to the centre and into the light of the Masters, the stronger 
will
> be the Society.
> 
> Any body needs a spiritual centre, and the body of the Theosophical
> Movement is no different.  Its spiritual centre is the right
> understanding of "the Wisdom-Religion or the Archaic Doctrine" as
> outlined by HPB and her teachers.  No individual member has to 
believe
> theses doctrines, they can believe what they will.  However, the 
Society
> was established by HPB and if she avers that they are the centre, 
then
> who is anyone else to say differently.  If you want a different 
centre,
> then why not go found your own Movement.
> 
> You can start from any system of beliefs that you want but there 
can be
> only one centre.  Besant tried to create a second centre which 
paved the
> way for multiple centres and the destruction of the Society.  It is 
this
> that the leaders of the Movement must recognize if they are going to
> save it.
> 
> Bruce

Dear Bruce
The perspective you share above is similar to my own in many ways. I 
would like to suggest that it was Bishop Leadbeater as well as Dr 
Besant who "paved the way for multiple centres and the destruction of 
the Society".
As they gained power and prestige, they brought a mindset and 
teachings to the original Society completely at odds with that of the 
principal founders, Madame Blavatsky and her teachers.
Unfortunately some will always view this as some form of "Back to 
Blavatsky" devotionalism despite protestations that some of us 
support to the end her demand that we withold devotional belief and 
maintain an ever open, objective, sensitive and inquiring mind.
Moreover, some will always accuse us of unfair judgement/condemnation 
of Bishop Leadbeater, Dr Besant et al. They often fail to recognise 
the distinction between this and judging/discerning the differences 
and contradictions between mindset and teachings.

This has been the age-old dilemma of the various theosophical groups 
and it is being re-visited here for all to consider.

Kind regards
Nigel



 

> 
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "danielhcaldwell"
> <danielhcaldwell@> wrote:
> >
> > Exoteric and Esoteric Theosophy????
> > & the Tower of Babel???
> > ======================================================
> >
> > I quote BELOW specific extracts from two sections of H.P. 
Blavatsky's
> > THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY.
> >
> > I believe that these two extracts WHEN TAKEN TOGETHER throw some
> > light on one of the issues raised by Bruce.
> >
> > What was H.P.B.'s thinking as shown in these two extracts?
> >
> > Bruce, what do you think?  And what do other readers think?
> >
> > I will be more than happy to clarify what I think these two 
extracts
> > show us.
> >
> > Daniel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>