Theos-Talk Archives (August 2011 Message tt00052)

Dear William and friends

My views are:

Thank you for taking your time to give an answer to my previous post.
At least I consider your post an answer to it.


You wrote:
"Because there is no "official" definition of Theosophy however does not mean that there is no curriculum of information, this is a gross error and mis-perception."

M. Sufilight says:
This is a somewhat confusing statement to me. How do you reconcile such a gross error of mis-perception?
What curriculum are you talking about? Is it easily officially available and shown on the TS websites?

I ask because we among other things find the following two declarations given by the Theosophical Society Adyar which seems to be contradicting your views:


******* NUMBER 1 *******

"The Basic Truths of Religion
Issued by the General Council of the Theosophical Society, Adyar, 1925.

Theosophy, the Divine Wisdom, is the root of all the great religions, living and dead; all are branches of that ever-living Tree of Life, with its root in Heaven, the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations of the world. Each special religion brings out and emphasizes some special aspect of the Truth, necessary for the evolution of humanity during the age it opens, and shapes the civilization of that age, enriching the re­ligious, moral and cultural heritage of the human race. The World Religion, of which all special religions are integral parts - whether or not they recognize their places in the World Order - declares:

(1) There is one transcendent Self-Existent Life, eternal, all-pervading, all-sustaining, whence all worlds derive their several lives, whereby and wherein all things which exist live and move and have their being.

(2) For our world this Life is immanent, and manifested as the Logos, the Word, worshipped under different Names, in different religions, but ever recognized as the One Creator, Preserver and Regenerator.

(3) Under Him, our world is ruled and guided by a Hierarchy of His Elder Children, variously called Rishis, Sages, Saints, among whom are the World-Teachers, who for each age re-proclaim the essential truths of religion and morality in a form suited to the age; this Hierarchy is aided in its work by the hosts of Beings - again variously named Devas, Angels, Shining Ones - discharging functions recognized in all Religions.

(4) Human beings form one order of the creatures evolving on this earth, and each human being evolves by successive life-periods, gathering experiences and  building them into character, reaping always as he sows, until he has learned the lessons taught in the three worlds - the earth, the intermediate state and the  heavens - in which a complete life-period is passed, and has reached human perfection, when he enters the company of just men made perfect, that rules and  guides the evolving lives in all stages of their growth.

These are the Basic Truths of the World Religion, of which all religions are specialized branches; to proclaim and teach these the Theosophical Society was founded and exists."
http://www.teozofija.info/Teozofsko_gibanje/Declarations.htm



******* NUMBER 2 *******

"Fundamentals of Theosophy
Round Table Conference, Lutzelau-Weggis, July 11, 1947.
At the Round Table Conference there was some discussion about what constituted the fundamental teachings of Theosophy. The President appointed a small group to consider these fundamentals, who submitted the following statement of twelve points: 


(1) Theosophy describes the evolution of the system to which we belong.

(2) Energy, life and consciousness arise from one source, the Divine Life.

(3) Life unorganized is spirit, life organized is matter. Spirit is free, matter is conditioned.

(4) The human mind expresses the interaction be­tween spirit and matter.

(5) All evolution, including that of man, is under the guidance of superhuman hierarchies, whose function in the universe is often personified in religion as a  Divine Trinity.

(6) The one divine life ensouls all men: humanity is a spiritual brotherhood.

(7) Human consciousness evolves through succes­sive civilizations, each representative of one level of man's spiritual nature.

(8) Each individual man evolves through all these civilizations in a series of successive lives.

(9) In each life the individual inherits from his past lives the results, good and bad, of his past thoughts, feelings and actions, and has to conquer that determinism by the free exercise of the three functions of the spirit: Will, Understanding and Love. ­

(10) Man can, by his own efforts and under the guidance of superhuman brothers, rise to transcendent  levels of consciousness, thereby achieving, in himself, the purpose of the whole evolutionary scheme.

(11) The perfection of man means the development in him to an infinite capacity of knowledge, love and service.

(12) The Theosophical Society has no dogmas. The preceding statements are no more than an enumeration of some important points in its doctrines, the enumeration being indicative and not limitative."
http://www.teozofija.info/Teozofsko_gibanje/Declarations.htm



M. Sufilight asks:
I can NOT reconcile the two above quotes with the view that the word "theosophy" is given a clearly and visibly open interpretation and with freedom of thought for each member of this organisation known as the ´Theosophical Society. Can you? 
If so, would you then be kind and explain how you can do that?

The above two Declarations run in flat contradiction of the idea of freedom of thought - and - non-secterian and non-Church organisational activity as far as I am concerned. And as I see it flat against the original idea of a non-secterian Society, which should avoid promulgations of doctrinas on behalf of the members. And even avoid emotionally oriented fanatical Guruism.

Let us remember that the above two Declarations was issued by the "the General Council of the Theosophical Society" or by the President of Theosophical Society.

Sorry if I sound a bit lost.
How do you define the word non-secterian and non-church?

________________________

Try to compare the above with the below three links on the Original Programe of the Theosopohical Society.

Preamble of the T.S. ( Dated October 30, 1875 )
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/gfkforum/ourdir.htm#Preamble

["ORIGINAL PROGRAMME" MANUSCRIPT] 
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v7/yxxxx_019.htm

CONSTITUTION AND RULES OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
(See especially Article XIII on Offences,  item 1 and 2 and 3)
http://www.teozofija.info/tsmembers/Rules_1890.htm



I cannot reconcile declarations on a doctrine on theosophy with a non-secterian stance.
(See Article XIII, item 2 in the last link in the above.)
________________________

And I ask: Why on earth did the Liberal Catholic Church arrive on TS Adyar compound after Blavatsky died and after the Masters left the compound? Was it so to be better able to promote a non-secterian organisational activity compared to other church-branches on the planet?

(Let us remember how flatly the Masters was against the silly idea of spending a lot of money on having their portraits hanging in a Temple or Shrine build for them by the leading theosophists in the 1880-ties. See Blavatsky's letters to A. P. Sinnett. Yet the masters do not make any an unwilling slave. Then they just keep away and out of sight when people refuse to listen. Let each person freely choose whether they reject or accept the claimed existence ot the Masters. But altruism cannot be materialism.)

Why all these appearntly secterian deviations from the Original Theosophical Programe given in 1875-1891 until today?

Again: No answer to all of the above questions is of course also an answer. And, no effort towards a clear non-secterian and non-church organisational promotion of the TS is of course no effort - and - that I will not call altruism as far as I know the word.


The above are of course just my views and questions.
I only hope, that they will be helpful to us all.


best regards
M. Sufilight





  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: t_s_theosophist 
  To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2011 4:33 AM
  Subject: theos-talk WHAT IS "THEOSOPHY?"


    


  WHAT IS "THEOSOPHY?" 

  It is true and there is no argument that there is no "official" definition of "Theosophy." There is no offical definition because in Theosophical Studies there is no official "definitor." No one is ever authorized to proclaim "The Final Word" on Theosophy. 

  This is because Theosophical Studies require individual Self-Reliance, Self Effort, and Self Responsibility. The karma of individual effort is required for each student to pierce the "veil of illusion." No one else can do this for you. There is No vicarious illumination, and no vicarious salvation. 

  Illumination and Liberation are the result of individual effort. 

  We can however join together as fellow students and learn certain things from each other that will help augment our ability to have "Aha" experiences, illuminations from the intuitional or buddhic dimension, which clarify our 
  perception and understanding of certain points. 

  Because there is no "official" definition of Theosophy however does not mean that there is no curriculum of information, this is a gross error and mis-perception. 

  Serious students of Theosophy concur that Madame Blavatsky was the Messenger to communicate to the modern world certain esoteric teachings from a perennial Ancient Wisdom Tradition, and through her writings: The Secret Doctrine, Isis Unveiled, The Key to Theosophy, and The Mahama Letters to 
  A.P. Sinnett, reveal that there is Wholeness, Order, and Purpose to the cosmos. That there IS a Divine Plan, and that we can come to know and understand it. 

  To deny this is intellectual dis-honesty and egoic solipsism. 

  ----William Delahunt 
  <http://www.tso-orlando.org>

  ======================= 



  

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