The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1893-09-01

Dr. Alien GrIfhths, Pacific Coast Lecturer
} on Iheosophy. gave lecture last Frida,
night al the Uniyersalist church, before an
intelligent audience We give a partia
report Of the address.
The Iheosophical society was organized
in n. Y. City, in 1875. It Is legally char
tered and has three objects:
lst. To form the nucleus Of an universal
brotherhood without distinction Of race
creed sex or color.
End. To promote the study Of oriental
llteratures, religions and sciences, and Gefn-
onstrate the importance Of that study.
3rd, To Investigate unexplained laws Of
nature and latent powers IN man.
The motto Of the society is:-.'There Is
no religion higher than truth . Truth, In
a relative sense, II knowledge Of yerities. Of
laT, Of the mind Of man and its relation 10
the universal mind Of cosmos.
| A maxim Of theosophy is:-ssBeIieve
nothing ON authority, hearsay, or because
Of source, but rigidiy investigate before ac-
cepting Or rejecting anything Each In
ldIyiduals experience differs from that Of
asers other. truth j. many sided, and each
ones attitude relative to the one central
truth also differ. hence there can be but
one authority and that i the individual con
ception q truth itseIf. Therefore. L abso-
lutte liberation Of the views Of others IN
sisted upon By the0sophistz. While this Is
true, yet ii is believed that study of the
teachings CT the sages Of all past ages In
cludIng Buddna, Zorcastes, Jesus. Plato and
Con.ucius, pesssled with an earnest desire TO
acquire larger knowledge. will lead to ar
ceptance Of the three fundamental truths Of
theosopisy proclaimed By all true leaders of
the race Of every time and people. These
truths are:
ii, The unit Of consciousness Is the basis
Of all manifestation This l. the basis of
the brotherhood aimed at By the Theoso-
phIcai Society. There Is but one mind, the
universal. or as Emerson called it the over
soul. Of which the higher Ego, the thinker,
the spiritual essence in man, l. an eman-
atlng ray not aseparzte entity. Hence. the
true basis Of brotherhood Is the spiritual
nature OF man which In all Is of tie same
origin. age and destiny. A correct COM
prehenEion and practice Of this basic urin-
ciple alone will eradicate present human
Ills and bring about the Millennium which
osopbers Of every age realized as the acme
of human possibility.
2nd. ReinczEnatiOn. OF successive earth
lives Of each individual thinker, as the nat
ural order Of human existence and evolution.
3rd, kar5na, the law OF cause and effect
goEeEnlng human thought and action, and
connecting the many earth lives Of each
thinker In an unhroken series.
Cycles of activity and inactivity sway
over all nature Day and night summer
and winter. the eib and Ao1d of tides. are
phases II this universal laws operation
Man Is not an exception but governed by
the SANG Law. His periods Of activity are
the many earth lives he hyes; his periods OF
nest. death or inierIms existing between
earth lives The soul, the thinker, cf each
man. Is eternal as to past as vel as TO fu-
ture, though the personalities. as separate
earth lives are called. ara only transient
phases of the thinker and perishable. The
thinker Is one and eternal, the personalities
are many and transient Like an actor the
thinker plays Inany parts. and each earth
life Is 3 Part PLAYED in the drama of exist
enoe for purposes OF evolution Ineaeh life
wisdom Is evolved throagh experience
which on death Of the body Is added to the
store evolved In ali previous lives The
spui or thinker. Is possessed of infinite ca
paelty for development, for il is Of the e.
sense and p1ten;ialIty Of its sauTce and
good, Deity. the absolute. and requires in
fnitndss wherein to satisfy that capacity
y: sl< aS.h ags y - - ts
guzte wherein 10 effect the end Further
more. earthly existence alone affords cp-
ysoEtunItiee for the souls development In
vlsw os Itk present status and requirements
Therefore il repeatedly returns 10 earth and
viii continue 70 do 30 until il has exhausted
all earthly possibilities for advancement:
then ard not until then. will Il Tlse 10
higher spheres 10 continue its uneeaslng
progress- There are no 1nalitias. and ess1-
nity IS constituted Of infinite opportunities
for expansion Of the s91l' 5 infinite capacity |
Each earth life Is an advance upon all pas
lives There Is no retr0eresslon- On death |
Of the body the soul never enters an animal |
or any lower kingdom Of nature but rein-
carna;ss in another human body In an en-
vironmenf sEited to It's further growth The
body and condition it shall incarna;e In are
determined by its thought and action Of
past lives This Is the law of karuaa. and
explains the apparently unjust suffering of
MANY. and the seemingly unmerited happi- |
ness of others. The former In past lives
violated law, and now suEer; the latter
violated Law then and there, and ara happy
as a natural consequence. Thought and
action are eanses generating carre spondlng
effects Both lodge In and are q part of
the actor, and be can not escape from from
himself. There Is, therefore. n escape
from consequences Of thought and action,
good or bad. Thus man made himself
His present thought and actor IS deternin-
ing his future. Hence. the importance of
knowledge of law which inexorably bat
Justly governs all alike. Ii knows no IA
voritisEn. no partiality. Pure motive and
desire, alone, viii not save one from oonse-
quences Of wrong thought and action. We
must have knowledge. Theosophy Is tat
knowledge. and applies to every racial and
| individual condition
| ReincaEnation continues until through
knowledge one reaches the stage Of Adept
ship. Adopts are men who hy knowledge
Of law. the finer forces of nature. themselves
and their relation to all that lives, have
risen above limitations that govern ordinary
men. They are the teachers Of cur race.
They utilize forces as yet unknown to US.
and work behind the scenes and employ
hidden poteneses. Grand beings, actuated
by altruism and desire to assist the race.
They do 50 in the only true way. .. by
! imparting knowledge to men in the last
quarters of each century. thus helping them
help themselves. The knowledge impaired.
at this time is contained in Theosophical
literature, and may be obtained by those
who desire it to better at themselves to help
and teach Others. The Elder Brothers have
no desire to help for any other purpose.