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the great struggle for life will soon lose its intensity. There are no penitentiaries in Buddhist lands and crime is nearly unknown among the Buddhist Tibetans. (The above is not addressed to you, and has nought to do with the work of the Simla Eclectic Society. It is meant only as an answer to the erroneous impression in Mr. Hume's mind of the "Ceylon work" as no theosophy.) The world in general and Christendom especially, left for two thousand years to the regime of a personal God as well as its political and social systems based on that idea, has now proved a failure. If the Theosophists say, we have nothing to do with all this, the lower classes and the inferior races (those of India for instance in the conception of the British) cannot concern us and must manage as they can, what becomes of our fine professions of benevolence, philanthropy, reform, etc. Are these professions a mockery? And if a mockery, can ours be the true path. Shall we devote our selves to teaching a few Europeans fed on the fat of the land, many of them loaded with the gifts of blind fortune, the rationale of bell ringing, cup growing, of the spiritual telephone and astral body formation, and leave the teeming millions of the ignorant, of the poor and despised, the lowly and the oppressed, to take care of themselves and of their hereafter the best they know how. Never. Rather perish the Theosophical Society with both its hapless founders than that we should permit it to become no better than an academy of magic and a hall of occultism. That we, the devoted followers of that spirit incarnate of absolute self sacrifice, of philanthropy, divine kindness, as of all the highest virtues attainable on this earth of sorrow, the man of men, Gautama Buddha, should ever allow the Theosophical Society to represent the embodiment of selfishness, the refuge of the few with no thought in them for the many, is a strange idea, my brothers. Among the few glimpses obtained by Europeans of Tibet and its mystical hierarchy of "perfect lamas," there is one which was correctly understood and described. "The incarnations of the Boddisatwa Padma Pani or Avalo-Kiteswara and of Tsong Kapa, that of Amitabha, relinquish at their death the attainment of Buddhahood i.e. the summum bonum of bliss, and of individual personal felicity that they might be born again and again for the benefit of mankind." (Rhys Davids) In other words, that they might be again and again subjected to misery, imprisonment in flesh and all the sorrows of life, provided that by such a self sacrifice repeated throughout long and dreary centuries they might become the means of securing salvation and bliss in the hereafter for a handful of men chosen among but one of the many races of mankind. And it is we, the humble disciples of these perfect lamas, who are expected to allow the T. S. to drop its noblest title, that of the Brotherhood of Humanity to become a simple
school of psychology? No, no, good brothers, you have been labouring under the mistake too long already. Let us understand each other. He who does not feel competent enough to grasp the noble idea sufficiently to work for it, need not undertake a task too heavy for him. But there is hardly a theosophist in the whole society unable to effectually help it by correcting the erroneous impressions of the outsiders, if not by actually propagating himself the idea. Oh, for the noble and unselfish man to help us effectually in India in that divine task. All our knowledge past and present would not be sufficient to repay him. . . . Having explained our views and aspirations I have but a few words more to add. To be true, religion and philosophy must offer the solution of every problem. That the world is in such a bad condition morally is a conclusive evidence that none of its religions and philosophies, those of the civilised races less than any other, have ever possessed the truth. The right and logical explanations on the subject of the problems of the great dual principles right and wrong, good and evil, liberty and despotism, pain and pleasure, egotism and altruism are as impossible to them now as they were 1881 years ago. They are as far from the solution as they ever were but, To these there must be somewhere a consistent solution, and if our doctrines will show their competence to offer it, then the world will be the first one to confess that must be the true philosophy, the true religion, the true light, which gives truth and nothing but the truth. - - - - An abridged version of the view of the Chohan on the T. S. from his own words as given last night. My own letter, the answer to your last will shortly follow. THEOSOPHICAL UNIVERSITY PRESS
THEOSOPHICAL UNIVERSITY PRESS ( PASADENA US )Dear Jasper: There are so manyquestioners who ask about Chelaship that your letter comes quite apropos toexperiences of my own. You say that these applicants must have some answer, andin that I agree with you. And whether they are ready or unready, we must beable to tell them something. But generally they are not ready, nor, indeed, arethey willing to take the first simple step which is demanded. I will talk thematter over with you for your future guidance in replying to such questions;perhaps also to clear up my own mind. The first questiona man should ask himself (and by "man" we mean postulants of eithersex) is: "When and how did I get a desire to know about chelaship and tobecome a chela?"; and secondly, "What is a chela, and whatchelaship?" There are manysorts of chelas. There are lay chelas and probationary ones; accepted chelasand those who are trying to fit themselves to be even lay chelas. Any personcan constitute himself a lay chela, feeling sure that he may never in this lifeconsciously hear from his guide. Then as to probationary chelas, there is an invariablerule that they go upon seven years' trial. These "trials" do notrefer to fixed and stated tests, but to all the events of life and the bearingof the probationer in them. There is no place to which applicants canbe referred where their request could be made, because these matters do notrelate to places and to officials: this is an affair of the inner nature. We becomechelas; we obtain that position in reality because our inner nature is tothat extent opened that it can and will take knowledge: we receive the guerdonat the hands of the Law. In a certain senseevery sincere member of the Theosophical Society is in the way of becoming achela, because the Masters do some of Their work with and for humanity throughthis Society, selected by Them as Their agent. And as all Their workand aspiration are to the end of helping the race, no one of Their chelas canhope to remain (or become) such, if any selfish desire for personal possessionsof spiritual wealth constitutes the motive for trying to be a chela. Such amotive, in the case of one already a chela, acts instantly to throw him out ofthe ranks, whether he be aware of his loss or not, and in the case of onetrying to become a chela it acts as a bar. Nor does a real chelaspread the fact that he is such. For this Lodge is not like exoteric societieswhich depend upon favor or mere outward appearances. It is a real thing withliving Spirit -- men at its head, governed by laws that contain withinthemselves their own executioners, and that do not require a tribunal, noraccusations, nor verdicts, nor any notice whatever. As a general thinga person of European or American birth has extreme difficulty to contend with.He has no heredity of psychical development to call upon; no known assembly ofMasters or Their chelas within reach. His racial difficulties prevent him fromeasily seeing within
himself; he is not introspective by nature. But even hecan do much if he purifies his motive, and either naturally possesses orcultivates an ardent and unshakeable faith and devotion. A faith that keeps hima firm believer in the existence of Masters even through years ofnon-intercourse. They are generous and honest debtors and always repay. HowThey repay, and when, is not for us to ask. Men may say that this requires asblind devotion as was ever asked by any Church. It does, but it is ablind devotion to Masters who are Truth itself; to Humanity and to yourself, toyour own intuitions and ideals. This devotion to an ideal is also founded uponanother thing, and that is that a man is hardly ready to be a chela unless heis able to stand alone and uninfluenced by other men or events, forhe must stand alone, and he might as well know this at the beginning as atthe end. There are alsocertain qualifications which he must possess. These are to be found in Man:Fragments of Forgotten History towards the close of thebook, so we will not dwell upon them here. The question of thegeneral fitness of applicants being disposed of, we come to the still more seriouspoint of the relations of Guru and Chela, or Master and Disciple. We want toknow what it really is to be a pupil of such a Teacher. The relation ofGuru and Chela is nothing if it is not a spiritual one. Whatever is merelyoutward, or formal, as the relation established by mere asking and acceptance,is not spiritual, but formal, and is that which arises between teacherand pupil. Yet even this latter is not in any way despicable, becausethe teacher stands to his pupil, in so far forth as the relation permits, inthe same way as the Guru to his chela. It is a difference of degree, but thisdifference of degree is what constitutes the distinction between the spiritualand the material, for, passing along the different shadings from the grossestmateriality to as far as we can go, we find at last that matter merges intospirit. (We are now speaking, of course, about what is commonly called matter,while we well know that in truth the thing thus designated is not reallymatter, but an enormous illusion which in itself has no existence. The realmatter, called mulaprakriti by the Hindus, is an invisible thing orsubstance of which our matter is a representation. The real matter is what theHermetists called primordial earth; a, for us, intangible phase ofmatter. We can easily come to believe that what is usually called matter isnot really such, inasmuch as we find clairvoyants and nervous people seeingthrough thick walls and closed doors. Were this matter, then theycould not see through it. But when an ordinary clairvoyant comes face to facewith primordial matter, he or she cannot see beyond, but is met by adead wall more dense than any wall ever built by human hands.) THEOSOPHICAL UNIVERSITY PRESS ( PASADENA US )
As Tradicoes e verdadeiras Escolas Iniciaticas existem ha seculos mas a Humanidade atualmente ingressa em uma nova fase de desenvolvimento espiritual.A humanidade encontra-se em um verdadeiro processo Iniciatico que impulsiona-a com toda forca a novos patamares evolutivos.Individualmente , todo ser humano pode tornar-se Iniciado independente de pertencer a uma linha de aprendizado formal , uma organizacao ou nao , pois o processo atual tem por objetivo o estabelecimento do contato com as Inteligencias Superiores a partir do Interior da propria pessoa.Fica claro que todos que se interessam por significados mais profundos da existencia e interiormente estao alinhados a um proposito maior tem o Caminho aberto para a Iniciacao.Ao realizarmos uma leitura do mundo , notaremos que , apesar de coisas muito tristes que se fazem presentes , notaremos muitas indicacoes da propria Ciencia e outras acoes Culturais , associadas a movimentos honestos , em sua maioria , movimentos estes voltados ao bem estar do Planeta. Houve um impulso de Expansao da Consciencia ao final da Segunda Guerra Mundial. Na decada de 80 do seculo XX , surgiu o Movimento New Age , tendo como referencia a Convergencia Harmonica. A partir deste Movimento abriu-se um caminho para uma presenca mais intensa de varias linhas misticas e nesta Dinamica , percebe-se a integracao das areas da Psicologia , particularmente a Transpessoal , Ciencia , Recursos Humanos em busca de uma Uniao com a Espiritualidade .Atualmente se fala das geracoes Y , Z ou Criancas Indigo , Cristal e esta classificacao , esta associada com novas abordagens pedagogicas apropriadas a estas geracoes e as futuras. Os Recursos Tecnologicos , quando inteligentemente aplicados , sao ferramentas importantes para o Conhecimento.No passado os sabios tinham muitas dificuldades para comunicarem suas ideias.Imaginem um Shakspeare enviando uma carta , um Roger Bacon , Francis Bacon , um Freud , Jung , Einstein... as edicoes de Jornais que demoravam muito para chegar de outros paises. Se retroagirmos mais ainda , havia a comunicacao atraves de Tambores e Fumaca; mais recentemente o telegrafo , Fax.O Salto na Consciencia Planetaria que evidenciou-se em 1875 um ano incomum , com o aparecimento de H.P.Blavatsky e seu trabalho , que se observarmos bem , era um trabalho visto como mistico naquela epoca e para quem esta com sinapses bem ativas , este trabalho atualmente da respostas para muito do que ocorre com a civilizacao e desvela-se mais que mistico na acepcao comum do termo. So um exemplo : no Livro de H.P. Blavatsky , A Doutrina Secreta , ha a teoria da formacao de um Sistema Estelar , em nosso caso , Solar e esta teoria e a que e aceita atualmente pela NASA. Em outro ponto da obra , so mais um exemplo , ha a afirmacao da divisao do Atomo e que o Atomo nao e um nucleo denso. Ora isto , foi descoberto anos apos a primeira edicao de A Doutrina Secreta. Neste periodo tivemos as Mahatma Letters M. and KH to A.P. Sinnett e estas futuras descobertas pela Ciencia ja foram antecipadas pelos Mahatmas que transmitiram as informacoes para H.P.Blavatsky.
Estas cartas inspiraram nao so a H.P.Blavatsky mas a Einstein e muitos outros cientistas. Estas Catas estao sob a guarda do Museu Britanico em Londres.Ainda no seculo 19 vemos surgir tambem um trabalho formidavel e poderoso de Eliphas Levy , Papus , Allan Kardek , Stanislas de Guaita , Philippe De Leon , MacGregor Mathers, William Wetscott. Grandes Mobilizadores do Espiritualismo Ocidental. O trabalhos destes foi de uma envergadura consideravel , destacando-se suas atividades que estimulavam e estimulam ate os dias atuais a acao , o Pragmatismo. Simplesmente eles sairam da especulacao abstrata e determinaram atitudes praticas em relacao a vida diaria unindo-a com a espiritualidade.Este Salto na Consciencia Planetaria , inevitavelmente faz com que haja progressos em muitas areas da humanidade ao mesmo tempo que o que e ruim , oculto na psique individual e coletiva , surja. E o que vemos - uma ebulicao na civilizacao com as aspectos bons e muitos ruins de forma intensa.O que fica evidente ? No processo Iniciatico , ha gradualmente Expansao da Consciencia e assim sendo , o Karma e acelerado e por consequencia o que esta latente e que e bom vem a tona na psique e vida pessoal e o que e ruim tambem ; fases necessarias para o Auto-conhecimento. Em uma outra proporcao e contexto , o mesmo esta ocorrendo com a humanidade e este e o ponto: Como a Humanidade esta em um processo Iniciatico em um Ciclo Menor , comparado ao Ciclo Pessoal dos que buscam , que e mais intenso , ha simultaneamente um desenvolvimento da Expansao da Consciencia de forma Sistemica . Conclui-se que a Humanidade e um processo vivo de Iniciacoes , uma Escola de Iniciacao e quem busca o Caminho tem esta Escola ( a Humanidade ) para se desenvolver , na proporcao do que tem em seu interior , porque tudo esta Interconectado.Atualmente nao ha como separar Oriente do Ocidente , pois e um todo integrado. Nao cabe mais o pensamento preconceituoso muito comum em mentes sem Competencias como : minha linha de pensamento e a melhor. Atitudes como estas sao sectarias.Na medida que a pessoa se conscientiza em teoria e pratica , a mesma atraira a atencao de Inteligencias Superiores para guia-la , inspira-la , mesmo que nao se tenha a percepcao destas Inteligencias , porem estas Inteligencias a inspirarao principalmente para perceber os Sinais de seu Eu Superior , que e o verdadeiro Mestre. A Busca pelo Mestre e a busca pelo Eu Superior. O Eu Superior desencadeara muitas Sincronicidades na medida do entendimento e compreensao da pessoa , para que a mesma , de forma pragmatica entre em acao e reinvente-se e ao reinventar-se compartilhe.Ricardo Maffia
represented by the GreatBrotherhood of the Mahatmans, . . . Thus it is that the GreatBrotherhood traces an unbroken and uninterrupted ancestry back to the originalfocus of Light of the Third Root-Race. The Esoteric Tradition2:1048-9n Hence the elder brothers of the race remain "the elect custodiansof the Mysteries revealed to mankind by the divine Teachers . . . andtradition whispers, what the secret teachings affirm, namely, that these Electwere the germ of a Hierarchy which never died since that period" (Secret Doctrine 2:281) since the foundation and establishment of the GreatBrotherhood some 12 million years ago. From this center for millions of yearshave been streaming in continuous procession rays of light and strength intothe world at large and, more specifically, into the hearts of those whose livesare dedicated to the service of truth. From this Fraternity have gone forthmessengers, masters of wisdom, to inspire the grand religions of the past, andthey will continue to send forth their envoys as long as mankind requires theircare.by Thesosophical Society Pasadena (US)TheosophicalUniversity Press
The Daily InitiationEvery people has borne the sacredburden of the Divine in its deepest heart. How strange, with this wondrousheritage, that we should ever feel "widowed of the presence of thegods," as though the link with our divine source had become frayed, nolonger assured. We are not the first civilization to feel lost and bewildered,nor will we be the last, but this does not mean there is no remedy. Help hasalways been within our grasp: to ally our whole being with the buildingenergies of the universe and to refuse to strengthen by default certainly neverby design the destructive forces that are ever alert to attack the irresolutesoul. Still, we must persevere, for once we make the choice, all the"devils" in the underworld of our nature will seemingly be let looseto test the integrity of our resolve. The more in earnest we are, the moresubtle and persistent the resistance not instigated by others, but by our ownhigher self.There is nothing mysterious aboutthis. Probably everyone has had the experience that when we determine to alterour habitual ways of thinking, everything and everybody appear to conspireagainst us. This is inevitable, for intensity of aspiration challenges the godswho are "jealous" of us humans who venture unprepared into theirdomain. Only those who have become near to godlike may enter. And since thegods are in a profound sense ourselves, the response to our importunate demandsmay be a release upon us of an avalanche of unexpended karma from past lives.This could be shattering to the personal self, but not to the part of us that knowsdeep within that we have longed to be tested to the limit of our endurance.William Q. Judge uses the crypticphrase "karmic stamina" in connection with aspirants who may findthemselves momentarily in "a psychic whirl, or a vortex of occultism"into which others also may be drawn, and where the "germs for good or illripen with activity." (Letters That Have Helped Me 1:20-1) Theoutcome will depend not only on our constancy of will and selflessness ofmotive, but also upon our reserve of moral and spiritual endurance, our inbuiltstamina. The word stamina from the Latin for "warp, thread, fiber" is fitting here, for the warp of lengthwise threads on a loom is usually ofstouter twist than the weft, as it is the foundation on which the cross threadsare woven. The daily encounters and interactions with others and theimpingements of events upon us are all karma: the warp represents theoutflowing of past experience, while our reactions, being of our choosing, arethe weft carried by the shuttle of the soul as we weave our present and futureon the warp of the past.All is not hardship and trial.Our inner god may be a stern taskmaster, but it is infinitely just andtherefore infinitely compassionate. To be sure, potency of aspiration germinateswhatever seeds of inharmony we have sown, but equally does it quicken the seedsof nobility in the character so that we are inwardly sustained and encouraged.In truth, it may shed a flood of light upon our path. Such a resolve findsresonance in our inmost self, and as we return life after
life it leads us onand on, to take up the charge anew. Every day, every year, every lifetime, weinfuse the ancient resolve with fresh vigor. Katherine Tingley speakseloquently to this in her Theosophy: The Path of the Mystic:A vow is an action rising like a star high abovethe level of the common deeds of life. It is a witness that the outer man hasat that moment realized its union with the inner, and the purpose of itsexistence, . . . At that moment the radiant path of light is seenwith the eye of pure vision, the disciple is reborn, the old life is leftbehind, he enters a new way. For a moment he feels the touch of a guiding handever stretched out to him from the inner chamber. For a moment his ear catchesthe harmonies of the soul. All this and more is the experience of those whomake this vow with their whole hearts, and as they constantly renew it, andconstantly renew their endeavor, the harmonies come again and again, and theclear path is once more beheld. . . . Each effort carves the path of thenext, and in no long time one single moment's silence will bring forth to thedisciple's aid the strength of his soul. pp. 53-4 Such a vow is a knocking at thedoor of our higher self. If the knock is genuine, the illumination and strengththat pour into us can become a transforming influence that may help us tointuit the higher self's intent for our ordinary self. When the motive to servehumanity is fortified by will, our life is taken in hand by our higher self,and we find we are led into situations that test us to the core so that we mayprove our worth and the depth of our aspiration not for self-benefit, butthat we may bring light and inspiration to others.The higher self is our realteacher, our inner buddha. This is a time-honored truth: it placesresponsibility for growth, for inner advancement, squarely on ourself. We haveno one but ourself to blame for our fumbles, no one on whom to shift ourburdens. We are our own awakener, our own savior, for we are the stepswe must travel and the truth we so long to find. Yet few of us feel adequate tofulfill the demands of our dharma, or self-disciplined enough to meet withequanimity the impact of daily karma. Trust is the key: to trust karma is totrust ourselves and to trust that we have the inner resources to handlewhatever befalls. Having made the choice to live mindfully, there can be noturning back. We are not required, however, to take more than one step at atime; this is our protection, for by meeting life's challenges one day at atime we gather strength and sufficient wisdom for the daily need.Once we grasp the fact that weare the path before us, never again will we know that aching loneliness ofdespair, for we shall have come in touch, if ever so fleetingly, with ourlight-source. Should periods of despondency return, they need not take firmhold, for a part of us, having entered