The record-union., 1894-02-19
THEOSOPEY AND ITS EVIDENCES
Synopsis of Last Evenings Lecture at
Headuuarters.


The rain of last evening did not prevent
a fair attendance at the theosophical
headquarters. The President of the asso-
ciation delivered lecture on "Theosophy
and its Evidences in the course ofwhich
he said:
sit is necessary, if theosophy is to make
its way in the West, and to give TO 1t the
much needed basis of the scientifically
spiritual, that theosophists should pre-
sent to the Indifferent as TO the inquirer,
sufficient p1'tHt0 f0cie evidence that it has
something valuable to impart; evidence
which shall arouse the attention of the
one class, and attract the other into the
investigation of its claims. The evidence
must be such as can be examined ut first
hand by any person OF ordinary lnteIll-
gence, and il need not seek TO establish
| anything more than that theosophy IS
worth studying. Let the study be fairly
begun, and the student capable of mas
tering its initial difficulties, and its ac-
ceptance is certain, though the period OF
that full acceptance will depend on the
Students mental characteristics and the
type Of his intelligence. AS Nine. Bla-
vatsky says: Once that the reader has
gained clear comprehension OF the basic
conceptions on which the secret doctrine
rests, and realized the light they throw
on every problem oflite, they will need no
further Justification in his eyes, because
their truth will be TO him as evident as
the sun is in heaven In order, how
ever, that the study may be begun, this
prt8td fdcie evidence must be given,
and these basic conceptions OF theosophy
must be roughly outlined.
The name Theosophy is not ancient,
dating only from the third century, be-
ing used first by Ammonius Saccas and
his school. But the teaching itself dates
back many thousand years, unchanged
in its main features, taught to-day TO
truth-seeklng students as 1t was taught
when Buddha wandered over Indian
plains, or earlier still, when ancient
Rishis guided their chelas along the path
which leads to wisdom.
"Theosopny regards the universe as a
transitory manifestation OF Eternal EX-
istence, the summer-day flower of an
eternal, unknown Root. That Root is
the One Reality, the only Permanent
among the myriad and tleeting phenom-
ena which surround us on every hand,
and among which we ourselves are num-
bered. From that Unity proceeds all di-
versity; into that Unity all diversity
again returns. 1t is manifested in the
atom, as in the man, IN what is spoken of
as the nOn-living as we'll as in the living.
1t, the infinite and Eternal Cause-dimly
formulated in the Unconscious" and
"Unknowable" of current European phi
losophy-is the rootless root OF all that
was, is, or ever shall be-
periodically the aspect of the Eternal
Existence that we call Life radiateS as
source of the manifested universe, the
universe being but the Variously differ
entiated aspects of the One Life. Thus,
to the Theosophist, the most differentiated
forms are essentially One-'matter' and
spirit are but the two poles Of the one
magnet, inseparable, not thinkable as eX-
listing apart from each other.
The spirit,sth divine soul in man, is
a spark of the one life, undifferentiated
from its parent fire, and therefore alike
for every human being; it Is the fate of
this spark to win selt-conSciouSness by
passing round the cycle of forms. and in
man reaching and finally perfecting self
consciousness; the fully human stage
once reached, all further progress is a
matter of personal endeavor, OF conscious
cooperation with the spiritual forces in
nature. The pivotal doctrine of the
esoteric philosophy admits no privileges
or special gifts in man, save those won by
his own ego through personal effort and
merit throughout long series of
metempsychoses and reincarnations.
This pilgrimage of the ego is the central
idea, SO to speak, OF Theosophy; this
gaining of self-consciousness is the very
object and outcome of the universe; for
this it was manifested, for this it exists,
groaning and travelling i'll pain To per-
feet and bring forth the self-conscious
spirit.'
Evidences from history, from world
religions, from experiment aud from
analogy for the existence of the secret
doctrine from ancient down to modern
times were presented.