Only Truthfulness
and Ethical Principles
Can Establish Mutual
Respect Among Men
Boris de Zirkoff
Boris de Zirkoff
(1902-1981)
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Editorial
Note:
The following article was first
published at
THEOSOPHIA magazine, Volume
VIII, No. 3,
September-October 1951. In these lines Zirkoff
describes the problem of
pseudo-theosophy in the
context of the transition to
the next civilization of
brotherhood.
He shows that pseudo-theosophy suffers
from a disguised, yet
complete, lack of Ethics. Once
one thinks about it, there can
be no doubt that the issue
of Ethics is both central and
decisive for the present and
future of our mankind. Therefore
theosophists must not
look at life always from the point of view of appearances
and politics, which lead people to blindly guide themselves
according to the average of established opinions.
One
must look at life and the Path from the point of view
of
the teaching and of its ethical principles. This,
of course,
may disturb the dead-letter
routine of some corporations.
(Carlos Cardoso Aveline)
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“The ethical
lethargy in this century has affected every
facet of life and
every school of thought, including the
Theosophical
Movement in its organized forms. The latter
fact is perhaps of
greater moment to students of Theosophy
than anything else.
In the ranks of the present-day
Theosophical
Organizations we see the same downfall of
ethical conduct
(…..) which characterize the world at large.”
(Boris
de Zirkoff)
While world
statesmen and politicians are dividing humanity into respective “spheres of
influence”, and the scientists of the world are inventing more and more
powerful weapons for still greater slaughter, a solution of the one basic
problem remains practically ignored.
It is the problem
of the appalling lack of ethical integrity - a condition which affects every
aspect of our modern life and penetrates into every stratum and level of our
civilization.
The Babel of
present-day confusion, when analyzed as impartially and objectively as we can,
to a very large extent appears to be the result of a total loss of those
spiritual and ethical foundations which alone can inspire mutual respect among
men.
Current periodicals
and newspapers often deplore the obvious fact that organized religion has
ceased to be the binding force, as well as the impelling power, to right
living; that it is unable to stem the tide of moral disintegration which is
sweeping the world of today. And a number of prominent writers and scholars are
convinced that no such power exists within the stronghold of modern science
either. The bewildering assortment of quasi-occult and metaphysical
organizations and cults that thrive in various parts of the world, while
presenting to the public some teachings which might be of benefit to them,
weave phantastic patterns of “marvelous powers” to be acquired, and leave the
noble spiritual ethics of the ages buried under a heap of psychic rubbish. No
great regenerative power can be expected to arise from these quarters.
The student of the
Ancient Wisdom facing the present confusion of ideas and ideals, witnessing the
chaotic conditions of men’s minds, relies primarily upon the innate spiritual
forces hidden within the human heart. These may be, and unquestionably are,
latent in the majority of cases, but they are there. They constitute the only
source of regeneration, and are the only lever powerful enough to produce a
permanent change in the condition of men individually and of mankind
collectively. The spiritual leaven of the human heart will have to assert
itself with the commanding voice of unquestionable spiritual authority and
become a dynamic power in the halls of the people, before any vital change can
take place in the world of today. No cut and dried book-learning will ever
accomplish this change.
The ethical
lethargy in this century has affected every facet of life and every school of
thought, including the Theosophical Movement in its organized forms. The latter
fact is perhaps of greater moment to students of Theosophy than anything else.
In the ranks of the present-day Theosophical Organizations we see the same
downfall of ethical conduct, the same intellectual confusion, the same
questionable methods of procedure, and the same conflicting emotions which
characterize the world at large. In spite of high-sounding words on the part of
those in power, In spite of ponderous tomes replete with intellectual as well
as ethical teachings sufficient to feed generations to come, the Theosophical
Movement, as an organized body, while doing much good work in various parts of
the world, has none of the qualities and earmarks of a living power bringing
regeneration to human hearts and new vital impulses to human minds. It has
settled itself long ago into comfortable grooves of thought, lofty in ideals,
universal in character, thought-provoking in content, yet just as deadly in
their crystallizing influence as any other mental or emotional rut. It is a far
cry from the vital, dynamic, soul-stirring power it used to be before the
spirit of its birth, and the original “daimon” of its inspiration, fled from
the much abused form with feet of clay.
The ethical
regeneration of mankind, in this our twentieth century [1] of scientific miracles and moral decay, will have to come from within the inner forum of the
human heart, and be the result of a cry from the depths of the human soul, a
cry for enduring realities and a yearning for harmony and good will among men.
The student of the Ancient Wisdom is looking forward to the day when a movement
shall have arisen on broad, international lines, and on a scale transcending
political barriers or national boundaries, which will stress above all else the
paramount need of ethical values, of ethical integrity, of justice for all, of
reverence toward life, of love for man as an evolving individual of supreme
spiritual worth, of brotherhood in action, of peaceful intercourse among all
the peoples of the earth.
Such a movement
will have within it the elements of a truly religious approach to life, because
it will be reverent towards all the manifestations of life. It will be truly
scientific, because it will be based on the only true scientific foundation,
namely, the indissoluble Oneness of all life. It will be highly philosophical,
because it will be animated with that love of wisdom that manifests itself in
unity versus separation, in harmony versus discord, in collaboration versus
selfish competition.
The Theosophical
Movement, in its philosophical, ethical, and scientific foundations, has the
innate power to spearhead such a movement of ethical regeneration. It has the
latent potency to lead it. It possesses the virility of concepts and the depth
of knowledge to be the cornerstone of such a revival of ethical and spiritual
forces in the world of today. Whether it has the capacity of leadership and the
spiritual freedom of action to initiate it, or even to uphold and promote it,
remains a question which some have already answered in the negative. It depends
primarily upon the depth of the mental and emotional ruts of its adherents,
upon the degree to which they will be willing to sacrifice their preconceived
ideas, their petty jealousies and narrow superstitions. It depends upon the
character of the individuals who will come in the next generation or so within
the influence of the ageless teachings. It depends also upon the extent to
which the adherents of the Movement will be inspired by the original ideals of
the Founders, their fundamental program of action, and their broad policies for
the future. Behind these there originally stood Great Men whose ageless wisdom
laid down the general pattern of the modern Theosophical Movement. If the
organized societies of the present day can vitalize their actions from the same
source of early inspiration, they will become an integral part of that ethical
regeneration which can be seen today upon the distant horizons of this century.
If they cannot do so, and the weight of worldly interests remains upon their
hearts and minds, other movements, born from the Empyrean fountainhead of the
collective human heart, conceived in agony and sorrow, and nourished by the
unquenchable enthusiasm of irresistible growth, will take the lead upon the
shifting scenes of world evolution, and carry mankind to the threshold of
another Portal, wherein can be discerned by the light of a clearer vision, the
outlines of that greater Continent of Thought, upon which shines even today,
the Sun of a New Age, an Age whose consciousness is global, and whose key-note
is Brotherhood for all.
NOTE:
[1] And twentieth-first
century as well. (CCA)
000
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.
000
