Theos-Talk Archives (April 2012 Message tt00190)

What are the Theosophists?

Dr N C Ramanujachary

Madame Blavatsky (1831-â91) published an article under this caption in the
commencement issue
of âThe Theosophistâ (October 1879, p.5-7). There are some key ideas in
that piece that need to be
remembered all-time. Some excerpts (in Bold type) with comment (in normal
type)are given hereunder:

He, who would seriously attempt to fathom the psychological sciences, must
come to the sacred land
of ancient Aryavarta. None is older than she in esoteric wisdom and
civilization, however fallen may
be her poor shadow â modern India. Holding this country, as we do, for the
fruitful hot-bed whence
proceeded all subsequent philosophical systems, to this source all
psychology and philosophy a
portion of our Society has come to learn its ancient wisdom and ask for the
impartation of its weird
secrets.

Here, it is perhaps relevant to note what she said about âIndiaâ: When we
say, indiscriminately, âIndia,â
we do not mean the India of our modern days, but that of the archaic
period. In those ancient times
countries which are now known to us by other names were all called India.
There was an Upper, a
Lower, and a Western India, the latter of which is now Persia-Iran. The
countries now named Thibet,
Mongolia, and Great Tartary, were also considered by the ancient writers as
India. [Even the India of
Blavatskyâs time, is divided further into different nations; names of many
countries got changed.]

While one of our objects, it yet is but one of many; the most o which is to
revive the work of
Ammonius Sacaas, and make various nations remember that they are the
children âof one mother.â
As to the transcendental side of the ancient theosophy, it is also high
time that the Theosophical
Society should explain.

To know more about Ammonius Saccas of 3rd century and his âeclectic
philosophyâ, one must refer to
what Blavatsky says in her âThe Key to the Theosophyâ(Section I) where she
foot-notes the text of Prof.
Alexander Wilder from his book âEclectic Philosophyâ.

The Society, as a body, has no creed, as creeds are but the shells around
spiritual knowledge;
and Theosophy in its fruition is spiritual knowledge itself â the very
essence of philosophical and
theistic enquiry. --- Our society is very ready to give and take, to learn
and teach, by practical
experimentation, as opposed to mere passive and credulous acceptance of
enforced dogma. It is
willing to accept every result claimed by any of the foregoing schools or
systems that can logically and
experimentally demonstrated. Conversely, it can take nothing on mere faith,
no matter by whom the
demand may be made.

The subsequent associations and affiliations the Society with other bodies,
made in later years; as also
the policies adopted by the General Council of the Society (Freedom of the
Society and Freedom of
Thought) may be observed here.

As a body, the Theosophical Society holds that all original thinkers and
investigators of the hidden

side of nature whether materialists â those who find matter âthe promise
and potency of all terrestrial
life,â or spiritualists â that is, those who discover in spirit the source
of all energy and of matter as
well, were and are, properly, Theosophists. For to be one, one need not
necessarily recognize the
existence of any special god or a deity. One need but to worship the spirit
of living nature, and try
to identify oneself with it. ---- Be what he may, once that a student
abandons the old and trodden
highway of routine, and enters upon the solitary path of independent
thought â Godward â he is a
Theosophists; an original thinker, a seeker after the eternal truth with
âan inspiration of his ownâ to
solve the universal problems.

With every man that is earnestly searching in his own way after a knowledge
of the Divine Principle,
of manâs relations to it, and nature manifestations of it, Theosophy is
allied. It is likewise the ally of
honest science, as distinguished from much that passes for exact, physical
science, so long as the
latter does not poach on the domains of psychology and metaphysics.

Above all human sects stands Theosophy in its abstract sense; Theosophy
which is too wide for any of
them to contain but which easily contains them.

The whole of its (Societyâs) aspirations are directed toward the occult
truths of the visible and
invisible worlds. Whether the physical man be under the rule of an empire
or a republic, concerns only
the man of matter. His body may be enslaved; as to his soul, he has the
right to give to his rulers the
proud answer of Socrates, to his judges. They have no sway over the inner
man.

The true student has ever been a recluse, a man of silence and meditation.

All work for one and the same object, namely, the disenthrallment of human
thought, the elimination
of superstitions, and the discovery of truth, all are equally welcome.

No honest searcher comes back empty-handed, and even he who has enjoyed the
least of popular
favor can lay at least his mite upon the One Altar of Truth.

Every student of Theosophy is, therefore, necessarily an open-minded
enquirer, never ready to accept
or reject without adequate examination of any statement made to him, and
ever-ready to âwillingly obey
the behests of Truthâ as understood in oneâs best perception.


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