The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-07-10
THE THREE BASIC TEACHINGS OF
THEOSOPHY,

To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
Many people are deferred from the
study of Theosophy because they think
1t an abstruse subject. But if it Is the
basis of all sciences, PHILOSOPHERS and
religions, 1t must be simple in It's prin-
ciples, although the study of details can
be made difficult, if one chooses to go
into them, In articles of this nature,
however, details are not in order
Theosophy establishes what we may
call the Three Basic Teachings of the
Secret Doctrine. 1t is our purpose
briefly to state what these are, next, to
give few reasons for belief in them
and, third, to show their application to
the philosophy and science of life.
The first Basic Teaching asserts an
eternal and infinite principle, from
which all speculation is impossible. 1t
goes beyond the powers of human CON
ception, and can only be dwarfed by
any human expression or similtude.
The teaching or proposition is stated
IN this form in order that it may be ac-
cepted by people of varying shades Of
belief. To those who believe in God, 1t
Is God or Deity although in Its infinity
1T cannot fully be expressed and so can
not be called a personal God
A personal Cod however must be an
expression Of this Infinite Deity, in
Whom we live and move and have our
being.
1t is chaos to the ancient Greeks, Ain
Suph, or the Ineffable, to the Jews,
Parabraham to the Hindus. Under
whatever name 1t is known, 1t eternal
ly is.
In Its essence, changeless, 1t is the
summation of the essence of all the
life, all the consciousness, all the sub
stance that is manifested in the uni
verse. Materialists who dislike the
name of God NAV call It matter or sub
stance-principle, If they prefer to do
so. Only, in so doing, they should re-
member that since something is not Gre
ated out of nothing, 1t contains the
promise and potency of all the life and
consciousness that has been, Is now or
Is to be. Being infinite, 1t is all en-
bracing and nothing can lie outside of
1t. God as Father, God as Mother, God
as Son and God as Holy Spirit are not
1t in Its entirety, since they are express
sions-namely, the Father, Mother Son
and Holy Spirit aspects of the Infinite
Deity. Therefore, many of those who
believe in the secret doctrine prefer to
refer to Deity by the name of 1t or
That, and not to give 1t a partial mean
ing by indicating that 1t has character
istics and Is limited by any sex or per-
sonal condition. Since Deity is Inf
mite, 1t cannot be added to or subtract
ed from and therefore in Its essence
cannot change, although Its manifesto
tons or appearances are continually
changing. Since it Is Infinite. 1t also is
lndlvisble. For only finite, that is to
say, limited things, can be divided
Deity, therefore, is everywhere all in
all in Its Infinite unity.
The second and third basic teachings
relate not Immediately to the absolute
principle Deity, which Is
the source and basis of all life and con-
seriousness, but to It's expressions or
manifestations Tall of which, when
taken together. make up the Kosmos)
and to the law governing such manifes-
tations or expression, In other words
they relate to nature and the laws gov
erning the phenomena Of nature
In our next article we shall briefly
consider these two basic teachings,
RUFUS McHARA.