Two Main Methods
Can Be Employed
B. P. Wadia
Mr. B. P. Wadia (1881-1958)
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The following
article is reproduced from the
book “Living the Life”, by Mr. B.P. Wadia,
Indian
Institute of World
Culture, Bangalore, India, 1981, 156 pp.
It constitutes the
second chapter in that volume (pp. 7-12).
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What our faith really means to us is
shown by our power of sacrifice on its behalf.
(B. P. Wadia)
One of the causes
which led to the disruption of the forces drawn together by H. P. Blavatsky in
her body politic of Theosophy was the failure of those who surrounded her to
support the movement against the criticism of an opposing world. Another aspect
of the same feature was responsible for the disintegration which followed the
death of Mr. W. Q. Judge.
The power of the faith which is in us can be truly
gauged by the strength with which we defend it against attack. What our faith
really means to us is shown by our power of sacrifice on its behalf. To walk by
our Goddess of Faith when she is popular, to follow her as she trails in glory
an acclaimed heroine, to take pride in her name and fame, is no proof that we
are her true votaries.
When she is defamed and despised, when all that men
throw at her are scorn and contempt, when dressed in rags she walks unnoticed
or abused - in that hour the heart meets its true test.
To defend what we hold to be true at any cost, and
defend it with justice to our own convictions as well as sympathy for the
sincere beliefs of other men, is an experience which every human soul has to
pass through.
The faculty of being true to ourselves is the
resultant of a process by which we show our fidelity to what we deem to be
true, either by the power of thought and reason or by the force of instinct and
feeling. Even through the vice of fanaticism the immortal soul of man acquires
the virtue of faithfulness to truth. The process is slow and painful, as are
all processes of Nature. To be aggressively faithful to what appears to us to
be correct is the beginning of a slow and exhaustive ascent to the serene,
indomitable and conquering altitude, where one stands unshaken in defence of
Truth perceived, devoid of aggressiveness, enmity or hatred; actuated by the
spirit of helpfulness towards those against whose adverse criticism such
defence is offered; permeated by devotion and energized by knowledge.
H.P. B. was an exemplary defender of the Faith. It was
her invariable habit to defend Theosophy against all odds even at the cost of
dear friendships. She sacrificed everything when her Goddess of Faith was
attacked, and never for an instant did she hesitate. Not satisfied with the
splendid example set, she taught the necessity of such action as a spiritual
exercise; and when her students and pupils proved weak in this defence, her
fire and zeal, in themselves a salutary lesson, urged them to perform their
duty.
Like other characteristics pertaining to H.P.B.’s
being and teaching, this attitude is met with in the lives and labours of all
true teachers of the Wisdom. It is to be found in the teachings and activities
of Mr. Judge. Damodar K. Mavalankar earned his grace, among other things, by a
similar offering. The lessons which emerge from the observation and study of
this characteristic are valuable for the aspirant of today.
The new enthusiast in Theosophy goes through the
octave of fanaticism, from aggressive abuse to the passive superciliousness of
a “superior” person. Just as the embryo passes through all the phases of its
long past evolution of millions of years in the short period of antenatal life,
the Theosophic embryo runs the gamut of his own psychological experiences, when
in this incarnation he takes up the thread of his own inner growth and the
outer service of other souls.
One of these experiences is related to the defence of
his own faith which may be mere belief or the direct perception of acquired
knowledge, which carries its own natural conviction.
Few of us can help being Theosophical fanatics for the
simple reason that we have been un- theosophical and then non-theosophical
fanatics in the past. The duration of such fanaticism depends on the unspent
force of that ante-natal fanaticism, and on our own efforts, now and here, to
embody in ourselves the living power of Theosophy. In this second feature the
important practice of self-correction is involved.
What is the best way to ward off attacks on Theosophy,
its Teachers and students, its movement and activity?
Attacks are the result of ignorance; when not directly
rooted in abject prejudice, they are the outcome of the fear and hatred of
people whose vested interests Theosophy threatens or exposes. As all vested
interests thrive on the ignorance of well-meaning men and women, we are in
truth face to face with one mighty enemy - Ignorance, a foe against which we
have to have a weapon of defence.
There are two main methods which can be employed;
H.P.B., Mr. Judge and other true followers of the Wisdom used both of them.
The first consists in a counterattack on the offensive
and offending attackers - to pick holes in their methods and movements and to
show their admirers how faulty and false these are; at the same time and in this
very process to show what therein is true and genuine, which holds fast
admirers to them, and how that which is true is taken amiss and that which is
genuine is mishandled. This procedure, however, requires a deep knowledge of
those methods and movements and also the capacity to deftly use the weapons of
attack. An offensive demands greater preparation, for it includes schemes of
self-defence in case of defeat, and also the plans to bestow order and good
government in the enemy’s land when victory is won.
The second method is this: Do not expose the vagaries,
inconsistencies, fictitiousness, and falsehoods of the offender against
Theosophy, but unveil the utility, the consistency, the beauty and the truth of
our own philosophy and position. Such a picture will radiate its own benign
influence and work its own magic on the multitude who are victims of ignorance
and vested interests.
The Masters of Wisdom fight ignorance century by
century, by the unique process in which these two modes resolve themselves in
full harmony.
In our early struggles on the plane of Theosophy we
often suffer from an unbalanced enthusiasm and are apt to launch ourselves on
the stormy tide of the first method. In copying her noble example in attacking
science or theology, spiritualism or neo-theosophy, we forget that we do not
possess H.P.B.’s knowledge, not only the positive knowledge of the facts, but
also the insight into what is false or fictitious, and why. It is the way of
wisdom, therefore, to learn to utilize first the second of the two courses
above mentioned. Nothing can defend Theosophy as well as Theosophy itself. Let
her speak for herself - through us. Let us spread the good tidings of Theosophy
and present to all those we contact the strength, the beauty, the encompassing
truth of Theosophy. Under this method some are bound to shed their scales of
ignorance and prejudice. When through repeated efforts our own knowledge has
grown and our insight has unfolded, we will be ready to wield the weapons of
the first method.
It is a practical craft - spread the teachings of
Theosophy far and wide so that the power of Wisdom will act as its own
defender.
First, comprehend that the defence of Theosophy and
the active effort to spread broadcast its message go hand in hand. Assimilating
the teachings we should make ourselves radiators of the power of Theosophy.
This achieved, remains the undertaking to help others readjust their mental
contents. It is wrong to suppose that it is absence of knowledge which produces
anti-theosophical attitudes or expressions; often it is the existence of wrong
ideas, of false thoughts, of incorrect reasoning. Our task would be
comparatively easy if we had only ignorant babes to deal with; we have to work
with human beings whose minds are already energized by non-theosophic notions.
It is much more difficult for such minds to make readjustments.
Let us remember that the vigorous demonstration of
anti-theosophic feeling follows an accumulation, in silence and passivity, of
non-theosophic views.
To counteract this silent accretion we must needs work
in silence for the accumulation of Theosophic feeling. Belief in false creeds
should not be met with make believe in theosophical principles - thus err many
of our young enthusiasts. Knowledge must disband belief and enlightened
conviction disrupt unintelligent faith. To obtain knowledge and possess such
conviction, study and reflection and hearing the doctrine retold are necessary,
not only for our own personal advancement, but as an institution which helps in
readjusting the minds of others less “advanced” than we are. The acquiring of
knowledge by persevering study should not be undertaken in self-interest, but
as a duty to the evolution of the race itself.
Next to study of the doctrines is the task of bringing
others to that study. Discrimination is to be used in the circulation of right
books. Excellent books are available for enquirers, for beginners, as well as
advanced students. Let us not err by a rigidity of rule in recommending these
books. It is the part of wisdom to determine which particular book will help a
particular person. If we can ascertain the impulse which has brought him to
approach Theosophy, if we can gauge his bent of mind, his capacity to think and
reflect and his temperament, we can find out the book which will most appeal to
him. There is a line of least resistance for him, as well as an avenue of
response.
By our own study, individually or in classes, and by
living our own lives according to the teachings, we are accomplishing the
positive work of collecting the sinews of war. By the second step of spreading
correctly the true teachings of Theosophy we have already carried war into the
enemy camp of ignorance; every mind readjusted by the books means a loss for that
enemy.
Vigorous assault is bound to come upon us and then our
success will depend on our genuineness as students. Make-believers, or those
who learned by rote, or those who failed to assimilate, or those who played a
memorized role, and their like, will desert. Those who learned for the sake of
teaching, who obtained and amassed to offer it in loving and intelligent
service - they will stand to the greater glory of Man.
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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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