What Matters is Less
Ourselves and More Our Work
C. Jinarajadasa
Helena Blavatsky
(1831-1891) and C. Jinarajadasa
A 2016 Editorial Note:
C. Jinarajadasa (1875-1953) was the third international
President of the Adyar Theosophical Society and personally followed the
pseudo-theosophy created by Annie Besant and her associates. In the early
1920s, Jinarajadasa was already an influential leader in Adyar. He had an
eclectic view of philosophy and played a key role in the process of re-establishing
some contact between Adyar and the original teachings of Theosophy.
He certainly did not study true esoteric philosophy. He is frank enough
in the following notes to admit, while referring to Helena Blavatsky: “It is
far more her personality which has fascinated me and less her wonderful
teachings…”.
However, Jinarajadasa preserved, edited and published many letters from
the Masters of the Wisdom and documents by Helena Blavatsky. He initiated the
historically important trend in the Adyar Society to pay at least some
attention to the true teachings.
While obedient to the false clairvoyants and believing
in their frauds, he never played a key role in the absurdities fabricated by
the main Adyar leaders in the period between 1911 and 1934.
After that, C.J. was influential in starting the way
back to a (modest) degree of common sense. He felt real respect and admiration
for H.P. Blavatsky. Thanks to his editorial work, the task of students and
researchers working with true theosophy became considerably easier.
The present article is reproduced from “The Theosophist”, Adyar, August
1965, pp. 293-294. It was also published at “The Aquarian Theosophist”, in July
2012, pp. 14-15.
(Carlos Cardoso Aveline)
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The Heroic Nature of H. P. Blavatsky
C. Jinarajadasa
I was only fourteen
when I met H. P. Blavatsky. But ever since then I have been fascinated by her. It
is far more her personality which has fascinated me and less her wonderful
teachings, for her personality shows the great qualities of a hero.
To understand her heroic nature, we must remember a few facts which
perhaps are not all to be found in published books. Occult tradition states
that, after her training in Tibet under her Master, she was sent out on what then
seemed a forlorn hope. In 1870, when she started on her mission, Materialism
was the coming Gospel of Life. She was given the work of stemming the tide of
Materialism with the occult knowledge which she possessed. She was not told how
the work was to be done, except in 1874 when she was informed that a certain H.
S. Olcott would assist her.
But as she went out to do her work, she knew quite well the awful
sufferings in store for her. She knew that she would be considered a fraud, a
trickster, be vilified, and that in every possible way her name would be
dragged in the mud. She knew that she would have to do many things using occult
forces, and since she was not able to reveal all the truth concerning those
forces, that her actions would often appear suspicious and fraudulent. She had
made a pledge, and in the face of this destiny of misunderstanding, she went
straight to her goal of martyrdom.
It is this intense devotion to the Cause of Humanity, and the unswerving
loyalty to the orders of her Master, which stand out in her character. Her
health was wretched and she suffered terribly, but yet never for one moment did
all her agonies make her forget the pledge she had given to lead the forlorn
hope.
Even in 1885, when the attack on her of the Christian missionaries
caused her agonies and she lay dying, she did not forget her work. For her
Master then appeared to her and offered her the choice of dying and so being
relieved from her miseries, or of living on with broken health in order that a
signal piece of work for mankind, the writing of “The Secret Doctrine”, might
be done, and she chose to suffer once again. He showed her pictures of the
sufferings still in front of her, but she chose that suffering rather than
leave unfinished a part of her work for mankind.
It is this unflinching loyalty of hers to a great Cause which ever
fascinates me. We, who are lesser in stature, are often apt to forget, when
surrounded by difficulties, and particularly by humiliations, that what matters
is less ourselves and more our work.
Our true aim should be to dedicate ourselves to our work at all cost.
When that work of ours is broad-based to serve all mankind, then our character
becomes indeed heroic. I think more and more as men understand all the details
of her life and work, H. P. Blavatsky will be recognized as one of the great
heroes of humanity.
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