A Short Study in
Togetherness
According to the
Russian Slavophil Thinker
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
[Image: a painting by Boris Kustodiev]
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Russian
philosopher Alexei Khomiakov was the main thinker of the cultural movement known as “Slavophilism”.
His view of life has many a point in
common with Helena Blavatsky’s theosophy.
He deeply inspired Slavophil novelists whom she admired and wrote about,
as Leo Tolstoy and Fiodor Dostoievsky. Tolstoy’s un-ecclesiastical Christianity
was inspired by Khomiakov, just as Dostoievsky’s criticism of Roman Catholicism.
Among the classic Russian and
Slavophil ideals which have a direct interest to theosophists one can find the concept
of sobornost or “togetherness”, and
this is the central tenet in Khomiakov’s philosophy. He believed in souls, not in rigid
institutions or outer authorities.
In the following sentences from Khomiakov’s
writings, as translated by Nicolas Zernov [1],
numbers of pages are indicated in parenthesis at the end of each quotation.
Khomiakov wrote:
* “Social order is the external
manifestation of the inner attitude of men to one another.” (p. 71)
*
“Russian culture puts greater trust in the voice of conscience than in the
wisdom of civil institutions.” (p. 73)
*
“The world is a creation, it is a Divine Thought, it represents a complete and
perfect harmony of beauty and joy. A spirit that violates the law of Divine
truth and righteousness puts himself in a state of hostility towards this
Divine thought, towards the harmony of cosmic life, and is therefore bound to
suffer.” (p. 58)
*
“Accord with love alone can strengthen and enlarge our mental vision. We must submit to the law of love, and attune
to it the persistent disharmony of our intellectual powers.” (p. 58)
*
“Love is not a tendency towards unification; it requires, it seeks, it creates,
responses and contacts. Love itself grows and is strengthened and perfected
through these responses and communications.” (p. 58)
*
“The communion of love is indispensable for the understanding of truth; all
true knowledge is based on love, and is unobtainable without it.” (p. 58)
*
“A self-centred individual is powerless; he is a victim of irreconcilable inner
discord.” (p. 58)
*
“The highest knowledge of truth is beyond the reach of an isolated mind; it is
open only to a society of minds bound together by love. Truth looks as though
it were the achievement of the few, but in reality it is the creation and
possession of all.” (p. 58)
*
“Only in living communion with others can a man break out of the deadly
loneliness of egotistic existence and gain the standing of a living organ in
the great organism.” (p. 58)
From a theosophical perspective, Khomiakov is right. However, such a feeling of communion is mainly inner, and secondarily external.
It can be attained with regard to all beings while one is in apparent solitude
and physical isolation.
On the other hand, there is a
loneliness of those who are not alone. Individuals
often feel lack of communion while living in a group. The sense of togetherness is not necessarily
physical. Perceiving the unity of life is an activity of the higher self, or
“the voice of conscience”, as Khomiakov puts it. Perception of unity with others has its roots
in silence, and needs a profound individual relationship with one’s own
immortal soul. The more one knows oneself, the more one respects others.
Art and Creativity
While blind belief is worse than
useless, creativity is connected to altruistic feelings and to renunciation.
Khomiakov wrote:
* “Art is free only when the artist
gives up his freedom.” (p. 59)
* “A man who wants to develop his
latent creative forces must first sacrifice the selfish side of his personality
and thus penetrate into the mystery of common life. He must be united with it
by the ties of a living organic fellowship.” (p. 59)
* “A single intellect segregated from
living contact with others is barren; only from communion with life can it
increase in power and creativeness.” (p. 59)
* “However great our contribution to
the common stock, we get back a hundred times more than we give.” (p. 59)
Being a universal thinker, Alexei
Khomiakov took the mystical tradition of Russia to one of its highest peaks.
Yet Russian ecclesiastical
authorities felt threatened by his view of life. His ideas were considered dangerous.
As long as he lived, Khomiakov was seen
with suspicion by the official Orthodox church in his country. It was only
after his sudden death, on October 5, 1860 (new style) that he won recognition
as a Russian theologian. [2]
A Theosophical View of Christianity
A. Khomiakov (1804-1860)
The reason for that mistrust is in a
“political” fact: Khomiakov denied the validity of bureaucratic churches
dominated by priests. He taught “sobornost”, the direct togetherness or oneness of
life. He wrote that brotherhood must
be unrestricted by any legal or intellectual barriers. According to the Russian
ideal of sobornost, human beings are
entitled to enjoy unity in complete freedom. [3]
As to the Catholic church of Rome,
Khomiakov wrote:
“The deification of political society
is the essence of Roman culture. Western man was so impressed with it that he
could not conceive even the Church save under the form of a State. Her unity
had to be compulsive, and hence was born the Inquisition, with its control of
conscience, and its executions for misbelieve. The Bishop of Rome was obliged
to claim civil power, and eventually he secured it. He acquired the right of
juridical control over the part of the church which became known under the name
‘Roman’.” (p. 65)
And also:
“The [Roman] Church, from being a
community governed by the free consent of her members, became a State; lay
people became obedient servants, and the hierarchy their governors.” (p. 65)
Khomiakov believed that “from Russia,
because of its communal outlook, a purer stream of Christianity may flow.” (p.
73)
His views regarding human relations are
consistent with those of modern theosophy.
A Master of the Wisdom wrote about togetherness:
“A band of students of the Esoteric
Doctrines, who would reap any profits spiritually must be in perfect harmony
and unity of thought. Each one individually and collectively has to be utterly
unselfish, kind and full of goodwill towards each other at least - leaving
humanity out of the question; there must be no party spirit among the band, no
backbiting, no ill-will, or envy or jealousy, contempt or anger. What hurts one
ought to hurt the other - that which rejoices A must fill with pleasure B.” [4]
For Khomiakov, togetherness and solidarity were the rule of life: he died in 1860 while
personally treating his peasants and working to alleviate their suffering, during
an epidemic.
NOTES:
[1]
“Three
Russian Prophets”, Nicholas Zernov, SCM Press, London, 1944, 171 pp. Click to see the book in our associated websites.
[2]
The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1967 edition, on “Khomyakov, Aleksei
Stepanovich”, volume 13, pp. 332-333.
[3]
“Three Russian Prophets”, p. 38.
[4] “Letters From the Masters of the Wisdom”,
compiled by C. Jinarajadasa, First Series, TPH, India, 1948, Letter 3, Item
III, pp. 15-16. Click to see the book in our associated websites.
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On the process of togetherness
along the path to wisdom, click to see the article “One for All, and All for One”.
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