How Students of Esoteric Philosophy May
Feel Responsible for the State of the World Today
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
As students of theosophy look at daily acts of violence
around the world and see the dangers of nuclear proliferation or terrorist
actions, perhaps they are facing but the
consequences of not having struggled hard enough - as a movement, and since the
early 1890s - against religious dogmatism. We were strongly invited to do so by H.P. Blavatsky
and the Masters of the Wisdom. Due to an unwise prudence, we accepted the
invitation only partially. The good news is that we are still
in time to learn the full lesson, one way or another.
Questioning established
mechanisms of collective ignorance is inseparable from the practice of self-sacrifice. Those who are able to do that in the first part of 21st century will be blessed by the privilege of helping benefit
the world at large and bring more vitality into the theosophical movement.
Many of the obstacles which the theosophical effort has to face today
come from the fact that, since H. P. Blavatsky’s death in 1891, we have often
preferred the easy way of “Quietism”,
instead of the difficult path of
probation.
Such a danger was indicated in the “Mahatma Letters”. An Adept-teacher
used these words to evaluate the work of the London Theosophists:
“And this is also the reason why, the British T.S. does not progress one
step practically. They are of the
Universal Brotherhood but in name, and gravitate at best towards Quietism - that utter paralysis of the Soul.”
[1]
These clear words are sadly true. Yet at this point one might ask an
intriguing question:
“If quietism and its ‘paralysis of the soul’ are the ‘easy way’ recommended
by pseudo-mystical routine, it must be rejected, of course. On the other hand, where
exactly is that steep, luminous, narrow and risky path of altruistic wisdom, which
theosophical literature sees ahead of us?”
Each one must fundamentally find
the Way in the silence of his own heart; but
one possible verbal answer to the question would be this; that such a path demands a
significant degree of courage and detachment with regard to one’s own personal
comfort, physical, emotional and intellectual.
To those who have enough courage and detachment, qualities like discernment
and self-sacrifice will come as natural facts of life. Only such students can
enable theosophical associations to challenge organized forms of ignorance
and delusion.
And still one might ask:
“Why exactly should we elect such a ‘difficult path’?”
The issue deserves calm examination, for we are free from both
“automatic belief” and “automatic disbelief”. We can therefore look at things impartially.
In the famous “Prayag Letter”, whose authenticity is now universally accepted
by all theosophical groups, one of the
Himalayan Mahatmas says that the Gods of Hinduism, Christianism, Islamism and every
other conventional religion are not quite just “fiction”. In a way, they do exist. Under the
guise of divinities, they are - or they have a direct connection with -
some very real “Chohans of Darkness”, the Ma-mo Chohans - a materialistic and
anti-evolutionary sort of intelligences.
Through dogmatic religions, these
“entities” contrast and hinder to a relatively large extent the action and
influence of the Dhyan Chohans - the “Chohans of Light” -, whose mission is to stimulate
human evolution toward Truth.
“All in the Universe is contrast”, says the Master in that ground-breaking
document.[2] Contradiction must be
accepted as part of life, and fighting mechanisms of ignorance, or being
persecuted by them, is virtually unavoidable to true theosophists.
The decisive “Prayag Letter” is not an isolated fact in the original teachings
of Theosophy. The text but confirms the remarkable position taken by the
Masters with regard to dogmatic religions in various other Letters as well, not
to mention the books and writings of H.P.
Blavatsky [3].
Throughout the original teachings
of theosophy, dogmatic religions are described as a “plague” from which humanity
must liberate itself. The very same idea is expressed by Sigmund Freud in his pioneering essay “The Future of an
Illusion”. Freud’s text is strikingly similar in contents to the famous Mahatma
Letter 10, in the non-chronological edition, or 88, in the chronological
edition of the Mahatma Letters. In this Letter the Master says that there is no
such thing as a monotheistic “God” anywhere in the universe or out of it -
except the imagination of professional priests.
In the field of Psychology, non-ethical thinkers like Carl G. Jung and
his followers abandoned the courageous criticism of dogmatic religions which Sigmund
Freud had started. Such thinkers did so very much like the post-H.P.B. theosophical leaders did. In
Psychology as in Esoteric Philosophy, it was a matter of convenience to stop
fighting religious dogmatism. It is never easy to destroy thick walls of
illusion and ignorance, in any aspect of our “cultural traditions”.
One of the disastrous actions promoted by Annie Besant after H.P.
Blavatsky’s death was to make most of the theosophical movement stop criticizing
dogmatism in religion. Unfortunately, this variety of desertion from the original
teachings is not exclusive to Besant’s
Society. The unconfortable task of struggling to free humanity from fake
religious myths was silently abandoned by other theosophical associations as
well, in spite of the fact that the Masters explicitly affirm this goal as their
own, in their Letters.
At the same time as the original intentions were gradually abandoned by entire
sections of the movement, “being universally brotherly” was then unconsciously
defined as “looking like brotherly”.
Hence came the imaginary “need to make
other people believe we are friendly and truly spiritualized”. As a result of
this, a few words in the Letter-Report on the Chohan’s View about the movement
are today even more clearly significant than they were in the 19th century. The Master wrote:
“The intellectual portions of mankind seem to be fast drifting into two classes,
the one unconsciously preparing for itself long periods of temporary annihilation or
states of non-consciousness, owing to the deliberate surrender of their
intellect, its imprisonment in the narrow grooves of bigotry and superstition
(...); the other unrestrainedly indulging its animal propensities with the
deliberate intention of submitting to
annihilation pure and simple (...). Between degrading superstition and still
more degrading brutal materialism, the white dove of truth has hardly room
where to rest her weary unwelcome foot. It is
time that theosophy should enter the arena (...).” [4]
It is real Theosophy, of course, that should enter the arena; not its several
watered-down and sugar-coated versions. Although giving up illusions may be an unpleasant
task, in the long run it leads to happiness and inner bliss.
While trying to understand why such a decisive message from the Mahatmas
was removed from the daily life of the movement, one can understand the practical
consequences in human history of having abandoned and (partially) forgotten the
original impulse of the esoteric movement founded by H.P. Blavatsky. In the first part of 21st century, large sections
of the movement can still be called “quietist”.
The duty ahead, however, is unavoidable; in order to help mankind, one must
start by challenging the collective mechanisms of ignorance and superstition
inside our own movement.
If one looks at theosophy from the point of view of its application to daily
life, one can easily understand some of the challenges to be faced in the
present century. One will then be able to develop the immense creative possibilities
now available to the theosophical movement, if it TRIES to express in practical ways its commitment to mankind and to
planetary life.
William Judge wrote:
“We are all Arjunas”.
After one accepts his personal co-responsibility
for the present and future of the world,
he sees no reason to lose time any more with mundane things like personal sanctification for others to
see, “mystical” quietism - or attachment to empty ritualistic routines.
NOTES:
[1] “The Mahatma
Letters to A.P. Sinnett”, Theosophical University Press edition, 1992, Pasadena,
CA, USA, 494 pp., see Letter XXVIII, p. 210. The metaphor of the “theosophical
warrior” is at Letter LV.
[2] See “The
Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett” - Letter 134, pp. 454-457, in the TPH Adyar
third edition (1972); Letter 30, pp. 94-96, in the Chronological Edition,
T.P.H. Philippines; or Letter CXXXIV, pp. 461-464, in the T.U.P. edition, 1992,
Pasadena, CA, USA.
[3] There are at
least seven Letters from Adepts dealing with dogmatic religions: 1) The Prayag
Letter, quoted above; 2) Letter 10, non-chronological editions (or Letter 88,
chronological edition); 3) Letter 22, non-chronological ed. (or 90,
chronological edition); 4) Letter 01, first series, in “Letters From The
Masters of the Wisdom”, TPH-Adyar (1973 edition); 5) Letter 43, first series,
in “Letters From The Masters of the Wisdom”, TPH-Adyar (1973 edition); 6)
Letter 82, second series, “Letters From the Masters of the Wisdom”; and 7)
Letter 46, first series, “Letters From the Masters of the Wisdom”, which is the
famous “1900 Letter”. As to this 1900 Letter, see especially its full text, available
in our associated websites under the title of “The 1900 Letter From a Mahatma”.
[4] Letter 01,
first series, “Letters From The Masters of the Wisdom”, Adyar (1973 edition),
pp. 3-4. Also available at the book “Combined Chronology for Use with The Mahatma Letters & The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A.P.
Sinnett”, by Margareth Conger, T.U.P., Pasadena; see it under the title of
“View of the Chohan on the T.S.” (at pp. 39-47).
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An initial version of the above text was published at “The Aquarian Theosophist” in its June
2007 edition, pp. 1-3, under the title of “Feeling
Responsible For The World Today: Dogmatic Religions and the Original Teachings
of Theosophy”.
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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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