Text Shows N. Sri Ram Knew
That Leadbeater’s Ideas Are Fake
E. L. Gardner
Using
a subtle language in the 1960s, Mr. N. Sri Ram, President
of
the Adyar Society (left), agreed with E. L. Gardner (right) in that
Leadbeater’s
writings are delusional. (Photo taken in
the UK in 1959)
A
2017 Editorial Note:
“We must now be realistic,
or we do the cause great harm.”
(E. L. Gardner, in 1963)
Mr. N. Sri Ram, the president
of the Adyar Society between 1953 and 1973, may have forgotten, in the 1960s, that
conscious falsehood is not acceptable in theosophy.
Using a subtle, indirect and elegant
language, he clearly agreed with E. L. Gardner in that C. W. Leadbeater’s
writings are delusional.
Surprisingly enough, however, and
perhaps due to some good-willing political calculation, Mr. Sri Ram did not
remove the false portraits of imaginary “Masters” from the meeting-rooms of the
Esoteric School all over the world, and preserved the old Egyptian Rite, the Liberal
Catholic Church, the Co-masonry and other activities which are entirely based on the same imaginary clairvoyance.
Sri Ram’s daughter, Mrs. Radha Burnier, led the Esoteric
School since 1978 and up to her death in 2013. She presided over Adyar Society
since 1980, and generally followed her father’s steps in her policy towards the
Besantian frauds. When the end of her physical life came, however, Radha
Burnier refused to nominate a successor, and thus closed the cycle of the fake
“occult succession” inaugurated by Annie Besant.
The rejection of well-known
and clearly documented illusions can take place through a firm top-down
decision; it can also occur from the bottom upwards, as in a slow-motion,
grassroots awakening. Decade after
decade, this step-by-step process has been happening. Radha’s decision not to establish
a “successor” accelerated the process, but did not point to the healthy
alternative.
Life is about learning, and the
evolution of every theosophical association depends on its ability to seek for
actual truth, and give up all known errors and delusions. Such a choice
often requires “political courage”. The Adyar Society, the United Lodge of
Theosophists and the Pasadena Theosophical Society are certainly no exceptions
to the rule. Every group and association has to make difficult choices.
Founded in September 2016, the
Independent Lodge of Theosophists
aims at placing the search for truth above political and institutional
interests. The ILT states
that developing an effective discernment between facts and illusion must be a central
goal to the theosophical effort.
An important aspect of the
following text by Gardner is that it gives a direct testimony as to Mrs.
Annie Besant’s final years, and on her karma for having abandoned truth,
ethics, and the teachings of true Theosophy. See on this topic the subtitle “Annie Besant’s Part”, which gives
a profound lesson to thoughtful students.
The reader must take into
consideration that E. L. Gardner was perhaps the first Adyar Society author - in
the second half of the 20th century - to show pseudo-theosophy for what it is. Few
historical documents about the 1900-1934 period were available by then to Adyar
members. His views were therefore limited.
He did not know, for instance, that the so-called “occult powers” of
Mrs. Annie Besant had been false from the very start: she developed them side by
side with C.W. Leadbeater, in mediumistic séances of imaginary contacts with
Masters during the 1890s, in the London Lodge of the T.S. and under the
leadership of A. P. Sinnett. [1]
Besides being valuable and
significant in itself, the effort made by E. L. Gardner in the 1950s and 1960s created
the conditions for the vast work developed by Geoffrey Farthing from the 1970s and up to his death in May 2004. Both theosophists lived in England. The
movement owes them a great debt of gratitude.
The original subtitle of
Gardner’s text was “Developments in the
Theosophical Society”. It was first published in 1963 by the Theosophical
Publishing House, TPH (London), as a pamphlet with 23 pages.
(Carlos Cardoso Aveline)
There Is No Religion Higher
Than Truth
E.L. Gardner
Front cover and opening page of the pamphlet written
by Edward L. Gardner
Foreword
For help in preparing and
presenting this statement I am much indebted to Mr. V. Wallace Slater and Mr.
L. H. Leslie-Smith, and to the latter also for the final section.
E. L. Gardner - October 1963
There
Is No Religion Higher Than Truth
About forty-five years ago an
announcement of the Coming of the World Teacher was made by Mrs. Annie Besant
and Bishop C.W. Leadbeater. Most of the Sections and Lodges of The Theosophical
Society accepted this proclamation with confidence and diverted much of their
energy to the Star Campaign - in preparation for his Coming.
Obviously
there has been no Coming. Bishop Pigott, writing some years ago, expressed the
truth of the matter in the words “Leadbeater was wrong”. Naturally that had
been the suspicion of many in the 1930’s, but there was little evidence and no
proof of the actual cause of that catastrophic error.
It has, however, now become
known that the source of the proclamation was Bishop Leadbeater himself. In
letters he wrote to Mrs. Besant during the years 1916-20 that have recently
been examined he tells repeatedly of the intention of the “Lord Maitreya” to
come again - as he did “twenty centuries ago”.
As
Truth is a priority among Theosophists, it is my hope that the following
explanatory analysis of important events in the history of the Society will be
helpful.
A witty satirist declared: “He
who never makes mistakes makes nothing else”. But there are mistakes and mistakes. The most misleading,
far-reaching and disturbing are those that are honestly believed to be truth. It is with these that we are concerned here.
C.W.
Leadbeater’s Writings
Charles Webster Leadbeater
became a welcome exponent of Theosophy soon after joining the Society in the
1880’s. Many of his early contributions in articles, special manuals, treatises
and books are still widely held as good, useful and instructive; and I would
add my own warm indebtedness to him during several years of my early
membership. Later, in studying “Man, Whence, How and Whither”, I questioned
some of the statements; and with “The Masters and the Path” I had serious
doubts, apart from the wisdom of publishing such a book. Then, however, came
Mrs. Besant’s whole-hearted endorsement of his views - and I put all suspicions
on the shelf until further evidence or proof appeared. The evidence and the proof,
though long delayed, have now emerged.
A number of letters sent by
C.W. Leadbeater, then living in Sydney, to Annie Besant, President of The Theosophical
Society, at Adyar, between 1916 and 1920 are concerned with the “Lord Maitreya”
and the Liberal Catholic Church, which was then being founded. These have but recently come to my knowledge.
The claim of the Liberal
Catholic Church for support from Fellows of The Theosophical Society was based
on the belief, expressed in this correspondence, that the World Teacher, the
Lord Maitreya, had “brought it into being” and “approved” its liturgy. Mrs.
Besant accepted the information in good faith and announced the founding. A letter dated April 7, 1920 contains the following:
“He (the Lord Maitreya) told
us to ask questions from the Master K.H. upon points as to which we were
uncertain - and the information which we gained in this way was of the very
greatest value to us.”
The
questions put by Bishop Leadbeater to the Master K.H., and said to have been
answered by him, run to several thousand words. They relate to the celebration
of Mass, the effect of consecration and of priesthood, and to numerous details
of ecclesiastical procedure. The answers to these many questions all support
and endorse the clerical views of Bishop Leadbeater himself. Evidently the “Lord
Maitreya” knew nothing of the Master K.H.’s strong views on religions and
sacerdotalism. “The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett” had not at that time been
published. Letter No.10, signed by the
Master K.H., states:
“The chief cause of nearly two
thirds of the evils that pursue humanity ... is religion under whatever form
and in whatsoever nation. It is the sacerdotal caste, the priesthood and the
churches; it is in those illusions that man looks upon as sacred, that he has
to search out the source of that multitude of evils which is the great curse of
humanity .... The sum of human misery will never be diminished unto that day
when the better portion of humanity destroys in the name of Truth, morality and
universal charity, the altars of their false gods.”
And
in Letter No.134 the Master M. speaks of:
“… Invisible results
proceeding from erroneous and sincere beliefs. Faith in the Gods and God, and
other superstitions attracts millions of foreign influences, living entities
and powerful agents ..... who delight in personating gods. (.....) These are
the gods the Hindus and Christians and Mahomed and all others of bigoted
religions and sects worship.”
These extracts from letters
written by the Masters K.H. and M. furnish convincing evidence of “unconscious
kriyashakti” projections by Bishop Leadbeater. The extracts would also seem to
imply that the liturgies of churches devoted to the adoration and worship of
personal gods - the projected mental images of the worshippers - induce a kind
of refined idolatry.
Moreover,
the imminent Coming of the World Teacher is the theme of Leadbeater’s letters:
“Close and perfect is the
communication I have opened. (...) I have chosen you to hold it .... occupy till I
come.”
He
quotes these words as from the Lord Maitreya. Yet Krishnamurti - the Chosen
Vehicle - was beginning to rebel, and a few years later utterly repudiated all
connection. Later, Bishop Pigott,
Presiding Bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church, wrote:
“The Lord did not come in the
way foretold. (....) The Lord has not come, so far as we know .... Leadbeater ... was wrong about the Coming ..... Theosophists are in
no sense bound to accept Leadbeater as an infallible teacher.” (August, 1952).
An Occult Phenomenon
With
the advantage of forty years perspective, plus the letters to Annie Besant and
the events of 1920-30, it is now clear (as some have long known or suspected)
that the Lord Maitreya and the Masters with whom Leadbeater was on such
familiar terms were his own thought-creations.
Yet I feel certain that there
was no intention to deceive. Bishop
Leadbeater’s honesty and sincerity were undoubted. His clairvoyance was
unquestioned. It was by that faculty that he discovered the boy Krishnamurti,
who has at any rate turned out to be a great leader of thought, widely
acknowledged all over the world. This discovery in itself was no small feat, and
it was not an isolated case. And Leadbeater’s frequent references to the
Masters were, from his own point of view, utterly sincere and true. Nor was it
a case of a split mind. The projection was a vivid example of the phenomenon
of “unconscious kriyashakti”. The explanation of this phenomenon given below,
which I wrote for “The Theosophist”,
is reprinted from the issue of July, 1963.
---Kriyashakti
Conscious and Unconscious
Mind
and Memory
The Sanskrit word “Kriyashakti”
is defined as the Power of Creative Thought. It is a well-known term in Occultism, and its meaning has been
abundantly demonstrated during the past few decades in research work on the
mysteries of the human mind. The description of the mind by Patanjali, given
long ago, is still much to the point:
“The mind may be compared to a
lens in the form of a sphere, so constructed as to be capable of giving a
three-dimensional image inside itself of every external object.” (Book 1, 41-Stephen’s
translation.)
Personal memories consist of
such images imprinted on the mind, in size minute but readily expanded when the
higher mental ray of light is focused on them. Such a momentary focus is all that one needs to recognize a familiar
face and figure. Some of the imprints in the sphere of the lower mind are very clear
images because of frequent repetition - for example, those of parents, children
and other relatives, friends and acquaintances - but others need some scrutiny
by the focused ray in order to be remembered. Pictured forms can also be built in the mind by the ray itself.
Unconscious Thought Power
Any
memory record can be strengthened by repeated recollection and, occasionally,
the picture will become most pronounced: for instance, the mental imprint of
the betrothed, a cherished friend, a revered teacher, an historical figure who
has fired the imagination. Indeed, in cases of extreme contemplation, the mind,
or part of it, may be filled by the hero - hence the Napoleons, Henry VIIIs,
Jesus Christs, etc., in mental asylums.
They have mentally conceived
and created a form - and stepped into it. Unconscious
creative thought may also follow long-continued contemplation of a religious
symbol, such as a crucifix. Deep and sincere yearning to share the agony of the
Adored can cause stigmata to
appear on hands and feet. Mento-etheric repercussion is the simple reason. The same kind of
effect - a bruise on the body - may follow from a very vivid dream in which one
shrinks from, but receives, a severe dream blow. Psychotherapy is becoming
familiar with all of these.
Mental
Automatism
Mind
and emotions are of the second and third elemental kingdoms, and the essence of
which these are composed is itself very much alive. A memory training course
will speedily prove this, and is well worth the experiment. Although
well-planned exercises enable one to memorize verse and prose easily, retain
figures and dates by association devices and so forth, one soon realizes that
the mind is a separate entity from oneself. When well drilled it can take
things over on its own. Long passages can be recited and simple calculations
made without higher mental attention. Indeed, much routine work can be handed
over. A common experience will illustrate this automatism. A pleasing melody or
a catchy tune is heard and hummed repeatedly; then one tires of it, yet it
continues and may become an obtrusive nuisance. The will must be invoked to
curb or dismiss the tune. Obviously the mind, though mine, is not I.
Visualization
We
all have the ability to visualize mentally. Some find it easy, many do it only
with difficulty. A good example of an expert’s skill in this art is given by a
chess master playing a number of games blindfold. On the chessboard two armies
of 16 pieces face each other, and the board is of 64 squares, black and white.
Countless combinations are possible, and all the games differ. Yet a blindfold
master, playing against 20 opponents simultaneously, recently won 16 of the 20.
Such an amazing feat of clear and detailed visualization is convincing evidence
of the power of creative thought. The thought-form of the chess-board and the
pieces in each game is brilliantly real.
Master and Chela
The
automatism of the elemental essence of thought-forms is used, it is said, in
the occult relationship of Master and chela. A mental image of the chela is
made by the Master, with a “radio” link between image and chela. This image is
isolated in the Master’s “cave” and records the chela’s progress. The reverse process, though less efficient, is also
possible. By intense contemplation a devotee can imprint the picture of a
Master in his mental aura. Any link that a Master might make with the chela’s
pictured thought-form depends, however, on the clarity and purity of the
created form. Conscious Kriyashakti builds the form, but unconscious Kriyashakti
may endow it with the emotional vibrations of the chela. Therein lies the extreme hazard of the venture.
Skandhas
The pure elemental essence of
the mental plane, untouched by human emotion or thought, is of the clarity of “rock
crystal” (Patanjali). But the slightest personal vibrations allowed to enter
any thought-form are enhanced and used by the elemental life. Thus, the
elemental enclosed within the consciously created form, if vitalized by the skandha of its creator - i.e., personal
desire vibrations - will be awakened into a desire
to live. And, should its creator
weaken, it may become his Frankenstein. Such is the vivid description
given by H.P. Blavatsky of the possible result of unconscious Kriyashakti. (“The
Secret Doctrine”, Adyar edition [2],
volume V, 560.)
Subjective
to Objective
Built by thought within the
mind, the created form is subjective.
When endowed with the skandhas of its
creator and thus aroused, in a measure, into a life of its own, it may be
reflected in the Astral Light (Pure Elemental Essence, the universal matrix)
and become objective. This property
of the Astral Light as a medium of impressions - a matrix - that may actually
crystallize thoughts is referred to in “The Key to Theosophy”. After the death
of the physical body, the content of the mind being mirrored in the golden glow
of the Astral Light, one is surrounded by one’s own creations and hence very
much at home.
“The Methodist will be a
Methodist, the Mussulman, a Mussulman, at least for some time, in a fool’s
paradise of each man’s own creation.”
This
is the early devachan of Loka II, and probably pleasant enough while it lasts.
Many dream experiences illustrate this mirrored objectivity of one’s thinking. The Astral Light
is, however, but “the shadow of Divine Light”. (“The Secret Doctrine”, Vol. V, p.
566.)
The
Hazard
A clear and finely built
thought-form of a Master may, occasionally, be the skilled product of conscious
Kriyashakti by a devotee. If its rock
crystal purity be undisturbed, the form may presumably provide a medium for
communication. But if its elemental life is affected by the skandhas of its creator - though quite unconsciously conveyed -
then absorption and enhancement by the elemental will merely mean the birth of
an attractive royal edition of its creator. Thus
one’s own thought-creation of a Master may provoke the dangerous illusion of
being the Master himself. And mental clairvoyance assists its realistic
objectivity. The results of such a mistaken identity could well be disastrous.
On the large scale of
religious movements and nations, the power of creative thought - conscious and
unconscious - is abundantly evident. The mentally projected figure of an “Almighty
God”, or the “God of our Fathers”, is still a popular idol, though being widely
challenged today. As the Master K.H.
wrote:
“The word ‘God’ was invented
to designate the unknown cause of those effects which man has either admired or
dreaded without understanding them.”
And H.P.B. said:
“It is not the Ever-Present
God - the Divine Plenum - that is rejected, but the humanized God of religious
dogma which man has shaped from his own brain-fabric.” (“The Secret Doctrine”, vol. I,
p. 75.) [3]
---Mistaking
the False for the True
The President, Mr. Sri Ram,
commenting on this article in “The Theosophist”, under the title “Mistaking the
False for the True”, says that it:
“(....) Throws a clear light
on a phenomenon which occurs among people of all religions, namely, that of an
image formed subjectively, partly out of material from the creator’s
thought-environment, and partly out of ideas generated by his own personal
emotions and desires, assuming an objectivity, a full-scale reality, that is
completely convincing to him. Many a
vision takes place in this manner and is afterwards proclaimed to others and
becomes the basis of a legend. The image is really a projection from the
person’s own mental make-up, to use a modern psychological term, but it gains a
strength and a vitality from his sub-conscious reactions, which give it the
character of an independent entity. The process involved in this phenomenon is well
illustrated by what is said about ‘elementals’ in early Theosophical
literature, artificial entities which are either created for a specific purpose
and maintained by deliberate design and volition, or, coming into existence
more naturally through repetitive or collective thought, get strengthened
through interchange with the psychic condition of their unconscious progenitors
and thus prolong their life for as long a period as the impulse might last.”
“Mr. Gardner points out that
while an image of some loved and reverenced person, or Teacher, if it be of
rock-crystal purity, as he calls it, can be a medium for communication with
him, any unconscious desire vibrations - also any established tendencies of
thought - will affect the image - and it may then become a ‘talking image’
reflecting the subconscious mind of its creator. H.P.B. refers in her writings
to the ‘enormous mysteries’ of the human mind and of the deceptive nature of
the psychic realms to which it is related.”
The Only Safety
There
are many people today in different parts of the world who give out messages
which by their content may well be judged to come from their own subconscious
minds, but are invested by them with the authority of some well-known
historical figure or of one of the Teachers associated with the Theosophical
movement. It is a very great pity that the names of these Teachers, who are
objects of the deepest reverence to those who know anything of Them, should be
bandied about and turned into trade-marks for the most commonplace outpourings,
usually containing, besides some ethical injunctions, a reference to current
events, thus giving the message a certain contemporary colour, and also embellished
quite often with picturesque phrases which are particularly fascinating to the
minds of their promulgators. The only safety for anyone who does not wish to be
misled with regard to such messages or by any other kind of psychic revelation
lies in weighing for oneself impersonally every statement, from whatever source
it might purport to come, strictly on its intrinsic nature and merits.
---Annie Besant’s Part
The
overriding factor in the acceptance by T.S. members of Leadbeater’s views was
Annie Besant’s whole-hearted endorsement and approval. Her authority and
prestige were enough to satisfy most members. In 1912 she shut herself off from
investigation of the inner planes. This she did because she could not both
continue that and also do the political work for India that she felt so
imperative. The strain would have been too great. Thenceforward, without any
longer checking occult matters, the President loyally accepted the statements
of Leadbeater and others.
My last interview with Mrs.
Besant was in 1930, on her return from a short continental tour with Bishops
Leadbeater and J.I. Wedgwood. Certain
incidents on that tour had opened her eyes, and she saw clearly much that had
been obscure. It was plain that she knew the truth, and it was devastating. The
dreadful burden was that she herself might have prevented the illusion and its
results if she had retained her occult faculties and had checked statements
instead of blindly accepting them. Indeed, Mrs. Besant had earlier been well aware
of the possibility of the disastrous error that had now disrupted the
activities of The Theosophical Society for many years. She had written that there are -
“Subtle temptations that do
not touch the lower nature but dare to raise their heads against the higher ...
subtle temptations than ensnare the inner man. He must have gained utter
control of the mental images he has himself created ere he will be able to hold
his own unshaken.” (“In the Outer Court”,
fifth edition (1955) pp. 46-7; see also p.41; older editions, p.70 and pp. 63-64.)
On her return to India Mrs.
Besant became mentally and physically ill, and died in 1933 at Adyar.
---Twenty-one Fateful Years
It
may be useful to tabulate some of the outstanding facts already mentioned and
others that are personally known to me.
*1909
onwards:
Krishnamurti was found by
Leadbeater clairvoyantly, as he similarly discovered a number of other
outstanding young people both before that time and after. Then Krishnamurti was adopted by Annie Besant. This
was followed some years later by the announcement of the Coming of the World
Teacher. The Star campaign was opened, and a monthly magazine, Herald of the Star, was launched. There was general acceptance among members of The
Theosophical Society of the Coming and Krishnamurti was named as the Chosen
Vehicle, privately at first and publicly later. Great activity ensued in many
Sections: a stadium was built near Sydney; in Holland a castle with 5,000 acres
was given, a camp was formed and much money spent on improvements; in
California the Happy Valley estate was purchased for the future.
*1912:
Annie Besant entered Indian
politics to assist the aim of Dominion Status. She shut off her clairvoyant faculties and inner contacts.
*1916-20:
Letters from Leadbeater to Mrs.
Besant announcing founding of Liberal Catholic Church with approval of “the
World Teacher”, who had also approved the liturgy. This was accepted and
endorsed by her.
*1925:
At the Holland Camp Mrs.
Besant announced the initiation of several Arhats - all to assist the Coming of
the World Teacher.
*1928-29:
Krishnamurti withdrew from The
Theosophical Society and from all connection with the Star activities,
renouncing everything.
*1930:
I had my last interview with
Annie Besant. Everything connected with
the Coming closed down. The castle and land in Holland were returned to the
donor; the Sydney stadium was sold; Star shops were closed, etc.
---Krishnamurti
on “The Beloved”
It is appropriate to give here
an extract from “Who Brings the Truth?” by J. Krishnamurti, published in
1927.
“When
I was a small boy I used to see Sri Krishna, with the flute, as he is pictured
by the Hindus, because my mother was a devotee of Sri Krishna. She used to talk
to me about Sir Krishna, and hence I created an image in my mind of Sri
Krishna, with the flute, with all the devotion, all the love, all the songs,
all the delight - you have no idea what a tremendous thing that is for the boys
and girls of India. When I grew older and met with Bishop Leadbeater and The
Theosophical Society, I began to see the Master K.H. - again in the form which
was put before me, the reality from their point of view - and hence the Master
K.H. was to me the end. Later on, as I grew, I began to see the Lord Maitreya.
That was two years ago, and I saw him then constantly in the form put before me
... It has been a struggle all the time to find the Truth, because I was not
satisfied by the authority of another, or the imposition of another, or the
enticement of another; I wanted to discover for myself and naturally I had to
go through sufferings to find out. Now
lately, it has been the Buddha whom I have been seeing, and it has been my
delight and my glory to be with him.”
“I have
been asked what I mean by ‘the Beloved’ - I will give a meaning, an
explanation, which you will interpret as you please. To me it is
all: it is Sri Krishna, it is the Master K.H., it is the Lord Maitreya, it is
the Buddha, and yet it is beyond all these forms. What does it matter what name you give?”
“The Beloved” of Krishnamurti
appears to be identical with H.P.B’s “Ever-Present God, the Divine Plenum”,
referred to on page 14 [See subtitle “The Hazard”, above].
---The Ancient Wisdom Stands
That
The Theosophical Society’s work and reputation suffered seriously is
unquestionable. These mistakes wrought great havoc, the end of which is not
yet. But what has the founding of a church or the supposed Coming of a World
Teacher to do with Theosophy? The basic principles are unaffected by such
events. The
three Fundamental Propositions of the Proem is the first volume of “The Secret
Doctrine” and the ideals expressed in “The Mahatma Letters” remain
untouched.
Theosophists are said to have
as bond of union a common search and aspiration for Truth. We must, then, like the research scientist, be
prepared to go wherever Truth shall lead, even to the most unexpected and
surprising conclusions. An open mind is essential. We do not believe statements
because some exalted person made them - nor because they are written in some
scripture. Everything has to be brought to the bar of reason, common sense and
experience. Yet an open mind should not be an empty or vacant mind. It is perfectly consonant with firm convictions,
provided we are ready to modify them in the light of any future knowledge that
may come to us. Truth can be neither confirmed nor falsified by what we happen
to think. If an idea is true, disbelief will not make it untrue; if it is not
true, the sincere belief of millions cannot turn fancy into fact.
Principles, Not Personalities
We
have seen how, in all honesty, extraneous ideas can be thrown across the
Theosophical trail, and how a great many may be diverted from their search. But
none who keeps to basic principles can be put off the scent or go astray. We must now be
realistic, or we do the cause great harm. False
images of leaders must be got rid of. While absorbing their wisdom, let us be
careful not to put any of them, past of present, on imaginary pedestals. We can
best show gratitude for devoted lives and benefits conferred by appreciating
also imperfections and mistakes, and by amending and correcting so far as lies
in our power. We owe it to them to do that; it surely is our duty. But in doing
this let us not be merely destructive, but critically constructive. No mistake
can affect Theosophy itself. The Ancient Wisdom is greater than all its
exponents. It is principles that matter, not personalities.
Let us then try to get back to
“those fundamental principles that are in every human being”, as Mr. Sri Ram
puts it. With utter honesty and freedom
of outlook let us see how far the teachings of the Ancient Wisdom will stand up
to critical scrutiny in this latter part of the twentieth century. We shall find that many
of the ideas propounded in “The Secret Doctrine”, which challenged orthodox
religion and science eighty-five years ago, and were then bitterly attacked and
laughed to scorn, are generally accepted today. For example, the probable age of the earth and of man upon it, the fact
that matter is nothing but energy, and that there is a subtle homogeneous base
from which all forms derive. Other Theosophical concepts are likewise taken as
probable or possible and are current in the thought of the world.
Questing and Questioning
There
is a body of Theosophical teaching, available to all but obligatory on none,
which does make life intelligible and also death negligible. Study of it gives
an increasing realization of what Man is, and his all-important place, part and
purpose in the universe. Theosophy is not a faith once for all delivered to us.
It is a limitless fount of Wisdom from which our intuition may draw as it is
able. It is ever flowing, never stagnant. Not only then must we be ever
questing, but also questioning. For there must necessarily remain an element of
doubt until we can really know in our own experience.
The Guiding Inspiration
The
founders of our Society have often been accused of fraud and charlatanry. But charlatans and
swindlers seek riches or power or fame [4];
they do not court abuse, hardship and all manner of misunderstanding, which our
founders got and yet continued on their chosen way. Why did they do it? What inspired these totally
dedicated people with burning enthusiasm to establish The Theosophical Society?
They
themselves declared that they were instructed and guided to do so by certain
personages - Elder Brethren, Masters of the Wisdom - who existed but to forward
Man’s spiritual evolution. From Them,
they said, came the teachings, and They were the real Founders. That was the
inspiration that upheld and guided them to the end of their lives.
NOTES:
[1] See “Autobiography
of Alfred Percy Sinnett”, Theosophical History Centre, London, UK, 1986, pp.
48, 34, 38 and others. (CCA)
[2] Adyar
Edition. This is the edition of “The
Secret Doctrine” adulterated by Annie Besant. It was only in 1979 that the
Adyar Society finally abandoned Besant’s version of the work and adopted, in
English, the original text by H. P. Blavatsky. In several other languages,
however, the Besant edition is still misleading the readers. (CCA)
[3] In Annie Besant’s
version. (CCA)
[4] “Charlatans and
swindlers seek riches or power or fame”. This is a significant point. Mrs. Annie Besant and Mr. Charles Leadbeater were
not founders of the movement. They tried to officially present to the world a
“Lord Christ” and his “new Church”. If they had they succeeded, they would have
obtained an incalculable amount of fame and power, worldwide. Even their failed
attempt to fabricate their Christ was enough to give them a large amount of fame
and power. (CCA)
000
Date of publication online,
July 2012. Updated February 2017.
000
On the role of the esoteric movement in the ethical
awakening of mankind during the 21st century, see the book “The Fire and Light of Theosophical Literature”, by
Carlos Cardoso Aveline.
Published in 2013 by The Aquarian Theosophist, the volume has 255 pages and can be
obtained through Amazon Books.
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