A Poem to Truth: a Comparison
Between Theosophy and Jesuitism
A Mahatma of the Himalayas
The
Himalayas: a painting by Nicholas Roerich
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A 2012 Editorial
Note:
Since some circles of the theosophical
movement are still under the influence of
illusions fabricated during the last century,
it is appropriate to take into consideration
what real
Eastern Masters have to teach - and
compare their stern statements to the false,
superficial kindness, with which fake teachers
use to inspire many an honest theosophist.
The following text is part of Letter 74,
in the Chronological edition of “The
Mahatma Letters” (TPH, Philippines), or
Letter XXX, in TUP edition, Pasadena. The
whole fragment belongs to a single paragraph.
In order to make its contemplative reading
easier, we have divided it into smaller
paragraphs.
The text begins by showing that the theosophical
path starts as a choice
between two possibilities.
It goes on to explain that the practice of
adoring “masters” in any uncritical way is part
of Jesuitism[1],
and does not belong to the
Pedagogy of true Mahatmas. The text then makes
a thorough comparison between the two methods.
The reader will see that it can be read as a poem to
truth.
(Carlos Cardoso Aveline)
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“They are trained to
deceive; we - to undeceive…”
A chela under probation is allowed to think and do
whatever he likes. He is warned and told beforehand: you will be tempted and
deceived by appearances; two paths will be open before you, both leading to the
goal you are trying to attain; one easy, and that will lead you more rapidly to
the fulfilment of orders you may receive; the other - more arduous, more long;
a path full of stones and thorns that will make you stumble more than once on
your way; and, at the end of which you may, perhaps, find failure after all and
be unable to carry out the orders given for some particular small work, - but,
whereas the latter will cause the hardships you have undergone on it to be all
carried to the side of your credit in the long run, the former, the easy path,
can offer you but a momentary gratification, an easy fulfilment of the task.
The chela is at perfect liberty, and
often quite justified from the standpoint of appearances - to suspect his
Guru of being “a fraud” as the elegant word stands. More than that: the
greater, the sincerer his indignation - whether expressed in words or boiling
in his heart - the more fit he is, the better qualified to become an adept.
He is free to [use] , and will
not be held to account for using the most abusive words and expressions
regarding his guru’s actions and orders, provided he comes out victorious from
the fiery ordeal; provided he resists all and every temptation; rejects every
allurement, and proves that nothing, not even the promise of that which he
holds dearer than life, of that most precious boon, his future adeptship - is
unable to make him deviate from the path of truth and honesty, or force him to
become a deceiver.
My dear Sir, we will hardly ever agree in our ideas of things, and even
of the value of words. You have once upon a time called us Jesuits; and, viewing things as you do, perhaps, you were right to
a certain extent in so regarding us, since apparently
our systems of training do not differ much. But it is only externally.
As I once said before, they know
that what they teach is a lie; and we know that what we impart is truth,
the only truth and nothing but the truth.
They work for the
greater power and glory (!) of their
order; we - for the power and final glory of individuals, of isolated
units, of humanity in general, and we are content, nay forced - to leave our
Order and its chiefs entirely in the shade.
They work, and toil, and deceive,
for the sake of worldly power in this
life; we work and toil, and allow our chelas to be temporarily deceived, to afford them means never to be deceived
hereafter, and to see the whole evil of falsity and untruth, not alone in this
but in many of their after lives.
They - the Jesuits
sacrifice the inner principle, the Spiritual brain of the ego, to feed and
develop the better the physical brain of the personal evanescent man,
sacrificing the whole humanity to offer it as a holocaust to their Society -
the insatiable monster feeding on the brain and marrow of humanity, and
developing an incurable cancer on every spot of healthy flesh it touches.
We - the criticized and misunderstood Brothers - we seek to bring men to
sacrifice their personality - a passing flash - for the welfare of the whole
humanity, hence for their own immortal
Egos, a part of the latter, as humanity is a fraction of the integral whole,
that it will one day become.
They are trained to
deceive; we - to undeceive; they do
the scavenger’s work themselves - barring a few poor sincere tools of theirs - con amore, and for selfish ends; we -
leave it to our menials - the dugpas
at our service, by giving them carte
blanche for the time being, and with the sole object of drawing out the
whole inner nature of the chela, most
of the nooks and corners of which, would remain dark and concealed for ever,
were not an opportunity afforded to test each of these corners in turn.
Whether the chela wins or loses the prize - depends solely of himself.
Only, you have to remember that our Eastern ideas about “motives” and “truthfulness”
and “honesty” differ considerably from your ideas in the West.
We both believe that it is moral to tell the truth and immoral to lie;
but here every analogy stops and our notions diverge in a very remarkable
degree. For instance it would be a most difficult thing for you to tell me, how
it is that your civilized Western Society, Church and State, politics and
commerce have ever come to assume a virtue that it is quite impossible for
either a man of education, a statesman, a trader, or anyone else living in the
world - to practice in an unrestricted sense?
Can any one of the above mentioned classes - the flower of England’s
chivalry, her proudest peers and most distinguished commoners, her most
virtuous and truth speaking ladies - can any of them speak the truth, I ask,
whether at home, or in Society, during their public functions or in the family
circle?
What would you think of a gentleman, or a lady, whose affable politeness
of manner and suavity of language would cover no falsehood; who, in meeting you
would tell you plainly and abruptly what he thinks of you, or of anyone else?
And where can you find that pearl of honest tradesmen or that
god-fearing patriot, or politician, or a simple casual visitor of yours, but conceals his thoughts the whole while,
and is obliged under the penalty of being regarded as a brute, a madman - to lie deliberately,
and with a bold face, no sooner he is forced to tell you what he thinks of you;
unless for a wonder his real feelings demand no concealment?
All is lie, all falsehood, around and in us, my brother [2];
and that is why you seemed so surprised, if not affected, whenever you find a
person, who will tell you bluntly truth to your face; and also why it seems
impossible for you to realize that a man may have no ill feelings against you, nay even like and respect you for some
things, and yet tell you to your face what he honestly and sincerely thinks of
you.
NOTES:
[1] The Webster’s
Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, 1989 edition, defines
a Jesuit with these words: “Jesuit:
1. a member of a Roman catholic religious Order (‘Society of Jesus’); 2. A
crafty, intriguing, or equivocating person, so-called in allusion to the
methods ascribed to the order by its opponents.” (CCA)
[2] Though coming from an Eastern teacher, the present
passage coincides with the best tradition in Western philosophy. It can be
compared, for instance, to the words of a distinguished French philosopher. Blaise
Pascal (1623 - 1662) directly confronted the Jesuits in a series of open
letters to them. He also wrote:
“To tell the truth is useful to those to whom it is spoken, but
disadvantageous to those who tell it, because it makes them disliked. Now those
who live with princes love their own interests more than that of the prince
whom they serve; and so they take care not to confer on him a benefit so as to
injure themselves. (....) Human life is thus only a perpetual illusion; men
deceive and flatter each other. No one speaks of us in our presence as he does
of us in our absence. Human society is founded on mutual deceit; few
friendships would endure if each knew what his friend said of him in his
absence, although he then spoke in sincerity and without passion. Man is then,
only disguise, falsehood, and hypocrisy, both in himself and in regard to
others. He does not wish anyone to tell him the truth; he avoids telling it to
others, and all these dispositions, so removed from justice and reason, have a
natural root in his heart.” (“Pensées”, by Blaise Pascal, Encyclopaedia
Britannica, “Great Books of the Western World”, 1955, printed in the USA, 487
pp., see items 99 and 100, pp. 191-192.)
(CCA)
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In September 2016, after
a careful analysis of the state of the esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students
decided to form the Independent Lodge of
Theosophists, whose priorities include the building of a better future in
the different dimensions of life.
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