THE THEOSOPHIST - ts-adyar.org · 2 The Theosophical Society is composed of students, belonging to any religion in the world or to none, who are united by their approval of the Society’s

1

THE THEOSOPHIST

CONTENTS

Editor: Mrs Radha Burnier

Official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Societyis responsible only for official notices appearing in this magazine.

VOL. 133 NO. 1 OCTOBER 2011

On the Watch-Tower 3Radha Burnier

The Boddhisattva Path 7Bhupendra R. Vora

Some Difficulties of the Inner Life —I 15Annie Besant

Dr Annie Besant and the Revival of Indian Spiritual Heritage 21C. V. Agarwal

Without Loving Care, I am Nothing 27Abraham Oron

Fragments of the Ageless Wisdom 30

The Web of Life 31V. Krishnan

Books of Interest 34

Theosophical Work around the World 36

International Directory 38

NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office.

Cover Picture: Annie Besant in 1878 — Adyar Archives

2

The Theosophical Society is composed of students, belonging to any religion inthe world or to none, who are united by their approval of the Society’s Objects,by their wish to remove religious antagonisms and to draw together men of goodwill,whatsoever their religious opinions, and by their desire to study religious truthsand to share the results of their studies with others. Their bond of union is not theprofession of a common belief, but a common search and aspiration for Truth.They hold that Truth should be sought by study, by reflection, by purity of life,by devotion to high ideals, and they regard Truth as a prize to be striven for, notas a dogma to be imposed by authority. They consider that belief should be theresult of individual study or intuition, and not its antecedent, and should rest onknowledge, not on assertion. They extend tolerance to all, even to the intolerant,not as a privilege they bestow but as a duty they perform, and they seek to removeignorance, not punish it. They see every religion as an expression of the DivineWisdom and prefer its study to its condemnation, and its practice to proselytism.Peace is their watchword, as Truth is their aim.

Theosophy is the body of truths which forms the basis of all religions, andwhich cannot be claimed as the exclusive possession of any. It offers a philosophywhich renders life intelligible, and which demonstrates the justice and the lovewhich guide its evolution. It puts death in its rightful place, as a recurring incidentin an endless life, opening the gateway to a fuller and more radiant existence.It restores to the world the Science of the Spirit, teaching man to know the Spirit ashimself and the mind and body as his servants. It illuminates the scriptures anddoctrines of religions by unveiling their hidden meanings, and thus justifying themat the bar of intelligence, as they are ever justified in the eyes of intuition.

Members of the Theosophical Society study these truths, and theosophistsendeavour to live them. Everyone willing to study, to be tolerant, to aim high, andto work perseveringly, is welcomed as a member, and it rests with the member tobecome a true theosophist.

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETYFounded 17 November 1875

President: Mrs Radha Burnier Vice-President: Mrs Linda OliveiraSecretary: Mrs Kusum Satapathy Treasurer: Miss Keshwar Dastur

Headquarters: ADYAR, CHENNAI (MADRAS) 600 020, INDIA

Secretary: [email protected]: [email protected]

Adyar Library and Research Centre: [email protected]

Theosophical Publishing House: [email protected] & [email protected]

Fax: (+91-44) 2490-1399

Editorial Office: [email protected]

Website: http://www.ts-adyar.org

3October 2011

On the Watch-Tower

On the Watch-Tower

RADHA BURNIER

Life is UnityThe human being, when not animalish

which he tends to be, will find that he hasa purpose different from just lookingafter his body, and its physical comforts.He begins to realize what is relationship,which is intrinsic to his nature. It concernseverything that exists, the earth itself, thevegetation, worms of every kind, insectswhich fly, the unseen beings who may bearound, his fellow human beings, and soon. Each one can think for himself ofwhat appears to him to be a part of life. Ifhe goes far enough he will realize thateverything that exists, what is apparentlyanimate or inanimate, has a close contactwith him. In fact, he is unable to distin-guish them, or the life in them, from whatis in himself. The body may appear to bedifferent, but it is composed of the samematerial as his own body.

Thich Nhat Hanh points out that we areconnected with everything. But we do notknow it.

It is a strange thing that everythinglooks different — in a way it is different— but it is also the same. This is one ofthe great paradoxes of life, which wecannot grasp with our ordinary minds, butwhich is grasped by something morerefined. We will not try to name it —

something in our consciousness whichresponds to unity.

It may be that the fundamental portionof our life is nothing but the unity with allthings. So relationship gradually becomesone of unity. To begin to discover whyeach human being is, and to think differ-ently about what the human being livesfor, is the first step. The simplest of menthinks that he exists in order to eat andlive out his life as best as he can; this is allthat he knows. We do not understand thepurpose of life till we come to the pointwhere we begin to think carefully aboutit. Something within us has moved us toexamine the relationship with the rest ofexistence, whatever form that existencemay take, insect, bird or fish, or humanbeing or whatever.

Whatever one looks at in this world,one gets, if one is really aware, the feelingof something beyond physical existence,something which cannot be divided.Ultimately we can only call it the ‘One’.Even if different names are given, it is theone truth which pervades all existence.Very few of us feel we have the time tolook at Nature. In fact, it is considered asin to look, and not to be doing somethingor other all the time. But Nature has a vastvariety in it, even the small area we look

Vol. 133.14

The Theosophist

at. In the National Geographic Magazine

some years ago, there was an article whichwas called ‘God’s Half Acre’. Every halfacre, even a half acre in a desert whereyou think that nothing is growing, isactually full of life, and every half acrehas something in it which one can onlysay is marvellous.

So there are these differences, whichare not difference; man belongs to that net-work or relationships which are unity, butwe rarely realize it. Unfortunately we thinkwe are different and superior to every-thing else. And we not only not accept itbut we have no idea whatever that wewill come to the truth only by looking atthings, without making a difference,between the looker and that at which heis looking.

How Are We Related?In a way the tiger is related, let us say,

to the butterfly and other creatures one canthink of. Only when our eyes which arefull of deceit see, we say: ‘illusion isbetter’. In Theosophy we are told that lifeis one. Does it mean only what our mindmay make of it, or is it actually one inspite of the bodies, which each little por-tion of life may use at any particular time?Think of the bodies of the human being.A person may be born today in a certainrace, community, having a certain sex,looking in his own way, but the nextincarnation may be totally different. Sothe body does not matter. The body con-tains the same elements of matter, but weare not aware of this.

Simple people, like the American

Indians, before they began to becomemore sophisticated, were forced to changetheir life, which they were living in theirnatural way. But they had a sense of unity.Many American Indians did not kill morethan they needed for their existence. Theybelieved that they had to eat other animals,but they had a profound feeling of respect(perhaps I exaggerate) for the life aroundthem. They regarded all that life as one— in a simple sort of way. But one canrealize this in a profound way, and that iswhat human life is meant to be — to growin the feeling of oneness, which even theprimitive man can feel. It grows and be-comes a reality to the more enlightenedpeople. So we look at nature and werealize that we belong to the network ofrelationships.

To start with, realization may be onlymental, but it becomes more and more ofa reality, is based in reality, somethingwhich we grasp deep inside ourselveswhich we cannot put into words. Andevidences of unity can be seen every-where in Nature, if we have eyes to seebeauty. There is great truth in the simplestatement that the divine appears as truth,beauty and goodness to human beings. Ifwe look at things carefully, we see beautyin their construction, in the way theybehave, what they do.

Beauty is EverywhereWe often feel the need to kill or hurt

something, but the more a person developsspiritually, the less inclined he is to killand hurt. Unfortunately, as he proceedsin life with a physical body, some killing

5October 2011

On the Watch-Tower

takes place, even if there is no intentionto put an end to another existence. Thefeeling of beauty, the sacredness, theimportance of life in any form is very clearand felt by that person, not merely thoughtof; because to think of such things is easyin a way. Although for many, life contra-dicts it and therefore it cannot be seen asa truth, but it is a truth.

The Bendits, Lawrence and Phoebe,in their book, speak about taking a littlesand in the palm of the hand, and lettingsight increase. They see, not sand, not aswhat we consider to be useless material,because there is so much of it all over theworld. But every handful of sand con-tains a brilliance. The light of God (if onelikes to put it that way) is shining throughevery material, even if it seems to be ofno value. We have to use some of thismaterial, but we can learn to be aware thatwe are using property which we do notpossess. The whole idea of possessionbrings a note of something different.

So even sand contains for him whoknows something of the indescribable,that precious element we call God. Thereis nothing natural that does not possessbeauty. If we look carefully, we will findthat the beauty that we feel in somecreatures is only an enhancement of whatexists everywhere. But to feel that onlyour enhanced sense of beauty is real, therest is not, is an imagination. The worthof things, not in terms of monetary value,but the reality of it can change from personto person, from creature to creature, butdeep inside it remains the same. Goodnessalso exists everywhere. We think that

certain things are good, and other thingsare not. We think that some creatures aregood and other creatures are bad; thisbecomes false when we see correctly.

We begin to see that no portion of lifefails to contain the element of goodness.We see a caterpillar crawling on leaves: itmay appear to us a nuisance, or it mayappear as a subject of scientific study; itmay appear in different ways. But to aperson who really sees, it is the divineelement which takes a particular form, anddoes what it wants to according to what isfitting for it. So truth, beauty and goodnessare part of the one existence that is every-where. We see division and differences,some are more attractive to us than others,but to the eye that really sees, all thesethings appear divine. So the person on thepath realizes that much of the activity thatthe human being indulges in, has nothingto do with being human at all.

There are many ways of turning awayfrom the divinity which is everywhere.Everything in life offers a possibility tounderstand the nature of the one divineexistence. Human life is not meant for onlyordinary purposes. We have to eat, wehave to keep clean, we have to do certainthings which are necessary, but let us keepthem to the minimum and not make themvery important in life.

In The Mahatma Letters, there is men-tion of a man bringing a message fromthem, who is dirty, who does not wearnice clothes, but he himself was a cleanindividual. These external things do notmatter much, but the internal awareness,the perception of things as they really are,

Vol. 133.16

The Theosophist

should not be very far, and we should betentative in our attitude towards things: Iknow somebody, how he is, how he is not,and so on. We can be tentative in the bestsense of the word ‘negative’, not takingeverything that we see to be correct, nottaking anything for granted, making ourinternal condition open to see the new inthe old. Everything that we have seen ina particular way may be wrong. So withthis mind we can have a different attitudetowards everything that exists.

Why Plant Trees?You need tremendous energy to keep

up with all the changes that are takingplace in the world. And you cannot haveenergy if you allow yourself to remaincomplacent in relation to the widespreaddevastation and suffering which humanbeings are inflicting on Nature and hercreatures. The callous destruction of theAmazon rainforest continues almostunabated, in spite of international publicopinion against it. In many countries,countless cows are confined to extremelysmall spaces, having hormones pumpedinto them so that the milk productioncontinues to feed a market based on suchcruelty. Soon after their calves are bornthey are killed in order to supply ‘tender

meat’ to the same market.Krishnamurti was once asked: ‘Why

should we plant trees?’ He replied:

. . . When you plant a tree and watch it,

when you nourish a tree, when you take

trouble over it, it gives you the feeling —

not just intellectually — that you are part

of the earth . . .

When you have a pet — a dog, a cat, a

bird, a horse — something you care for,

take care of, you brush it, comb it, and see

that it does not catch disease. You love it

and it loves you and so you have that feel-

ing of loving something other than just

yourself: wanting saris, coats and won-

dering how you look. Most people think

about themselves all the time, and if you

plant a tree, make a garden, it helps to break

down this concern . . .

Very few in India take the trouble to create

a garden . . . When you think out what

you are going to plant, about putting a rock

there, a bigger rock there and a plant there,

you begin to appreciate something; you

create something beautiful . . . Is not that

part of education? . . .

Have you ever looked at the stars? . . .

They are all moving away from each other

at a terrific speed. . . . Think of that space.

Our whole business therefore in this life is to restore tohealth the eye of the heart whereby God may be seen.

St Augustine

7October 2011

The Boddhisattva Path


BHUPENDRA R. VORA

Mr Bhupendra R. Vora, a former General Secretary of the TS in East and Central Africa, now lives inEngland. Blavatsky Lecture given at the English Summer School, 2011.

IT is a great honour to deliver theprestigious Blavatsky Lecture and to paytribute to this great Yogini. There is a trulytouching event in Madame Blavatsky’slife when she was on her way from Paristo New York in June 1873 and had ac-quired a first class ticket for the Atlanticcrossing. On her way to boarding the shipshe found a woman with two small chil-dren, desolate and weeping. This womanhad apparently been swindled and wastherefore stranded without any money andunable to travel to New York. With thegenerosity of a Bodhisattva, MadameBlavatsky changed her first class ticket forsteerage tickets for herself and this womanand her children. She spent ten days inthe overcrowded steerage quarters of anemigrant ship with its filth, the bad smellsand rats. Ten days of horror it was, exceptfor the warm companionship of the grate-ful woman and her children. The Key to

Theosophy defines charity as ‘personal

exertion for others; personal mercyand kindness; personal interest in thewelfare of those who suffer; personal sym-pathy, forethought and assistance in theirtroubles or needs’. These are the virtuesof a Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva is a spirituallyadvanced being in whom the Bodhichittahas flowered and who is on the path tofull Buddhahood or Adeptship, the fullyawakened and all-knowing One, who isperfect in wisdom. It is also used to indi-cate a spiritual being who has chosen torenounce Nirvâna or the final state ofenlightenment and bliss so that othersentient beings may be helped in achiev-ing liberation. It is in this context thatTheosophical teachings refer to theBodhisattva ideal, followed by many ofthe Masters of Wisdom who in theirinfinite compassion for humanity havechosen this path of service.

It is said about Gautama Buddha thathe resolved in his life as Sumedha, tobecome a Buddha of Compassion and helpmankind, in the presence of the thenBuddha Dipankara. Forgoing the oppor-tunity to become an Arhat, he resolved:‘Let me rather, like Dipankara, havingrisen to the supreme knowledge of thetruth, enable all men to enter the ship oftruth and thus I may bear them over theSea of Existence, and then only let merealize Nibbâna myself.’ A similar trad-ition exists in the Jain philosophy where

Vol. 133.18

The Theosophist

a being resolves to become a Tirthankara

or a builder of the ford, to help men crossthe sea of life to the other shore.

Some of the previous lives of theBuddha as a Bodhisattva are featured inthe tales of his previous lives. These showthat life after life, in whatever form he wasborn, the Buddha helped all sentientbeings. It is said of Gautama Buddha thatthere is no spot on earth where he has notin some past life, sacrificed his life for thesake of others. Theosophical literaturementions the many lives of this GreatBeing as a Teacher of mankind dispensingthe divine wisdom so that men may beliberated from their bondage. It is awe-inspiring that so much of the spiritualteachings, of the many religious traditions,in the different parts of the world, isattributed to him as Bodhisattva in one orother of his incarnations as either Vyâsain India, Hermes in Egypt, Orpheus inGreece, Zarathustra in Persia and finallyas Gautama Buddha in India once again.As a teacher of men and gods he helpedall beings. In his final incarnation as PrinceSiddhartha he made the ultimate sacrificeon attaining Buddhahood, of renouncingNirvâna until all sentient beings enteredthe doors of that blessed state. Esotericliterature rightly calls this the great sacrificeor mahâbhinishkramana.

Pali texts refer to the Buddha’s con-templation, following his enlightenment,about the state of the world and the chainof causation. Legend has it that as a Princeof Kapilavastu he had sight of humansuffering in the form of disease, old ageand death whilst going round the city, and

resolved to find the cause of suffering andthe way to liberation. Having found theway to end this suffering on that full moonnight of May, he mused whether humanitywas ready to receive his message. The

Light of Asia describes symbolically, thismoment of the concern of Mother Earththat the Buddha may not preach thedharma, and sent out a cry for help:

Surely I am lost, I and my creatures.

Oh, Supreme! Let Thy Great Law be

uttered!

The Master cast his vision forth on theworld and its suffering humanity andresolved to utter the Law. Declared he:‘Yea I preach! Whoso will listen, let himlearn the Law.’

Thus started the work of the Buddhafor which he had long prepared. Resolv-ing to renounce the fruits of Nirvâna, hechose to be a Nirmânakâya and lead allsentient life to the doors of liberation. InThe Secret Doctrine, Madame Blavatskyreveals the mystery of the Buddha’s re-fusal to enter into Nirvâna in the followingwords:

Thus after his outward death, twenty years

later, Tathâgata in his immense love and

‘pitiful mercy’ for erring and ignorant

humanity, refused Paranirvâna in order that

he might continue to help men.

Many of the close disciples of theBuddha who had attained to the level ofArhat chose the path of their Master sothat they could also work for the liberationof humanity. The Masters of Wisdomconnected with the world have similarly

9October 2011


resolved to work for the welfare ofhumanity rather than seeking the bliss ofNirvâna. The Voice of the Silence refersto them as having formed a ‘GuardianWall’ built by their hands. Raised by theirtortures, by their blood cemented, itshields mankind from further and fargreater misery and sorrow.

The Bhagavadgitâ lays emphasis onunselfish service to mankind withoutdesire or attachment and calls it the pathof work for the realization of God. In oneverse (III.19) it specifically teaches thatthrough the performance of one’s duty insociety, man worships and attains theSupreme. In an ancient hymn of the §g

Veda there is a remarkable statement onthe ideal of service to humanity:

Who is it that is said to live? He who

lives for the sake of others truly lives.

The Anna Sukta of the §g Veda laysdown the duty of service to others. It men-tions various kinds of service amongstwhich are the helping of others in distress,the spread of knowledge and distributionof food to the needy. It indicates thatservice must be performed not with vanityor with a sense of patronage but with utterhumility and selflessness.

There is a fine example of the Bodhi-sattva spirit in the Bhâgavata Purâna

about King Rantideva. During a periodof devastating famine in his kingdom,Rantideva spent the whole of his wealthin feeding the hungry and the distressed.Deeply pained at the distress of his peo-ple and by way of atonement, the Kingundertook a fast for forty-eight days and

did not take food or water during thatperiod. On the forty-ninth day when hewas satisfied that almost all the hungry andthe distressed in his kingdom had beenrelieved of their suffering and misery, hedecided to break his fast. Just when hewas about to have his first drink of waterafter forty-eight days, he heard the pit-eous cry of a person of lowly stature,Pulkasa, asking for water to quench histhirst. The King who was in the midst ofhis ministers stopped, took the waterplaced before him and ordered that thecup be immediately given to Pulkasa. Theministers remonstrated strongly with theKing at his suicidal act. The King howeverdid not budge and made the famouspronouncement in moving terms asrecorded by the great sage Vyâsa:

I do not seek from the Supreme Lord the

highest bliss nor do I care for Liberation,

the cessation of the round of births and

deaths. My only desire is to suffer with

all beings and be present among them and

serve them so that they may become free

from misery. My hunger, thirst and fa-

tigue, my disappointment and delusion —

all these undesirable features of my dis-

tressed soul have disappeared upon my

giving water to one who was suffering

from acute thirst.

This great declaration of Rantideva alsorecorded in the Mahâbhârata emphasizesthe supreme duty of relieving the sufferingof others and bettering the lot of one’sbrothers and sisters. It states that sharingof the suffering of others is not onlynecessary for sharing the burden of sorrow

Vol. 133.110

The Theosophist

of others but for moral purification. In theBodhisattva tradition it declares that theduty of relieving of suffering is greaterthan seeking one’s own salvation.

In one of the Upanishad-s is a symbolicstory about the deva-s, asura-s andhumans approaching the Creator, LordBrahmâ, and expressing dissatisfactionabout the state of their lives where therewas no peace or contentment. The deva-s

were used to a life of opulence and sensualpleasures, the asura-s were used toinflicting pain and suffering on othersand the humans were greedy andaccumulated wealth and possessions.None of them had any peace of mind andwanted the Lord God to help them. Thestory of the Upanishad states that Brahmâresponded by proclaiming the syllable‘Da’ three times. The deva-s understoodthe syllable to mean damyata or restraintin their sensual life, the asura-s interpretedthe sound to mean dayâ or compassionfor all beings and the humans assumedthat it meant dâna meaning charitytowards the less fortunate. There is a verysignificant message in this story about thekind of life that should be lived in whichthe three aspects of damyata, dayâ anddâna are always present.

In the Gospel of Saint Matthew inthe New Testament is given an indica-tion of the kind of selfless giving thatensures the realization of the Divine. TheLord says:

For I was a-hungered and ye gave memeat; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink;I was a stranger and you took me in; naked,

and you clothed me; I was sick, and ye

visited me; I was in prison and you came

unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him

saying, ‘Lord when saw we thee a-

hungered and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave

thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger

and took thee in? Or naked and clothed

thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in

prison and came unto thee?’ And the King

shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I

say unto you, inasmuch as you have done

it unto one of the least of these my

brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.,

25:35)

The Bodhisattva-s or Mahatma-s aredriven by a compelling desire to helpalleviate suffering in the world and to leadall sentient life to liberation. They are notmerely beings on their way to the statusof fully enlightened Buddha-s or Adepts,but are beings who through their greatcompassion for all sentient life, renouncethe ultimate bliss for themselves. This isindicated in the vow of the Bodhisattvathat states:

Never will I seek to receive individual

salvation. Never will I enter into final

peace alone, but forever and everywhere

will I live and strive for the redemption of

every creature throughout the world.

The Bodhi seed of the Bodhisattva isnurtured and watered by compassionateand loving deeds till it blossoms intoBodhichitta or the heart of wisdom. Asimilar seed as that of a Bodhisattva existsin each human being as all are part of theUniversal Consciousness, which is

11October 2011


inherently compassionate; however, onlyby reason of ignorance and imperfectionin love, the glory of the Bodhi heart is notyet made fully manifest. Through selflessliving and loving deeds performed lifeafter life, and following the path of manyenlightened beings, the aspirant reachesthat state of perfection and compassionwhich is that of the great initiates onthe Path.

In The Mahatma Letters is an intri-guing reference by the Adept known asMahatma M., in connection with theretreat of Mahatma KH, for the purposeof preparing for a higher initiation thatwould lead him further on the path ofBodhisattvahood. It is interesting to noteMahatma M.’s statement about ‘the oldtower within whose bosom, have gestatedgenerations of Bodhisattva-s’. The loca-tion of the Tower is a mystery as also thekind of preparation the Mahatma wasinvolved in, which would lead to theflowering of the Bodhichitta, to fullnessof wisdom and unbounded love for allhumanity. It is stated that he was pre-paring for his higher initiation that wouldready him for his future work as a Teacherof men.

The compassion of this Mahatma wasevident in his request to his brother, theMahatma M., to ensure that the spiritualteachings that the two English gentle-men, A. P. Sinnett and A. O. Hume, werereceiving from him did not suffer due tohis absence. This Mahatma has been ateacher of mankind life after life and onhis way to becoming a Bodhisattva.Elsewhere in The Mahatma Letters he

advises Theosophists:

You should, even as a simple member,

much more as an officer, learn that you

may teach, acquire spiritual knowledge and

strength that the work may lean upon you,

and the sorrowing victims of ignorance

learn from you the cause and remedy of

their pain.

The significance of this advice mustbe realized by Theosophists. The dark-ness of ignorance, which pervades thehuman race and is the cause of suffering,must be dispelled by the light of truewisdom about the purpose of life; and thisis the work of Theosophists.

In the famous letter of the Great Adeptknown as the Mahachohan is given anindication of the duty of a Theosophist.The Mahatma says:

It is not the individual and determined

purpose of attaining oneself Nirvâna (the

culmination of all knowledge and absolute

wisdom) which is after all only an exalted

and glorious selfishness — but the self-

sacrificing pursuit of the best means to

lead on the right path our neighbour, to

cause as many of our fellow-creatures as

we possibly can to benefit by it, which

constitutes the true theosophist.

It is this spirit of compassion and love,implicit in the principle of UniversalBrotherhood, which should be the guidinglight of a Theosophist. To understand theoneness of all existence is to develop anintense state of spiritual love, divinewisdom and compassion, founded uponan impelling will to help all sentient life.

Vol. 133.112

The Theosophist

There is a legend about the BodhisattvaAvalokiteºvara that shows him asthousand-handed and thousand-eyed, sig-nifying his consciousness and compassionthat helps all life. With a multitude of armsthis being can help all those who suffer,and with the many eyes, see their suffer-ing. This is a beautiful poetic imagery ofa compassionate being, who is a sourceof inspiration to millions around theworld, and is therefore eulogized with greatfaith with the mantra:

I bow to you Avalokiteºvara, Bodhisattva,

Mahâsattva, the granter of peace and

security from the calamities of the world.

All who are truly committed to thispath never tire of the number of peoplethat need to be helped or the amount ofwork involved or the time that needs tobe devoted to this work. This was evidentin the life of the founders of the Theo-sophical Society, Madame Blavatsky andCol. Olcott.

ªantideva, the author of Bodhi-

charyâvatâra Sutra, states that thecondition of a Bodhisattva is not reachedthrough grace, but by sheer self-effortfollowing the landmarks provided in textsand scriptures. Long before the aspirantreaches this state the person must havesown the bodhi seed in the heart as theBuddha did in a long past former life. Thejourney is possible only through theintense spiritual discipline of the Path.From the outset the aspirant must be veryclear as regards the motive, which shouldbe that of selfless service of all sentientlife. The Voice of the Silence asks: ‘Can

there be bliss when all that lives mustsuffer? Shall thou be saved and hear thewhole world cry?’

Esoteric literature refers to the varioussteps that an aspirant goes through, untilthe stage is reached of a firm resolve, towork for the well-being of all sentient life.The text of this solemn promise is givenin Bodhipatapradipa, a work by the greatAtiºa. It reads:

I shall play host to all living beings

and rescue them from the cycle of incar-

nations. Henceforth, until I attain the

highest enlightenment, I shall not engage

in hostility, wrath, avarice or envy. I shall

practise the pure life and avoid sin and

desire. With rapture in the vow of morality

I shall act as the Buddha. I am not zealous

to attain enlightenment by a speedy method

but for the sake of a single sentient being

I shall remain until the very end. I shall

purify the immeasurable fields. I shall

cleanse all actions of the body and speech

and mind and refrain from deeds that are

not virtuous.

The taking of such a vow means to saveall beings, to destroy all passions, to learnthe truth, to teach it to others and to leadall beings to liberation. In the three jewelsof Theosophical literature, At the Feet of

the Master, The Voice of the Silence andLight on the Path is laid out the path toself-purification and the journey to thetemple of Divine Wisdom.

The path of transcendent wisdomelaborated in The Voice of the Silence

guides the aspirant to that level ofsensitivity and compassion where the

13October 2011


person feels these qualities for all sentientlife. It has also been described as the‘wisdom that brings the person to the othershore’. Our worldly existence is that ofhighs and lows, where the mind is con-stantly creating various kinds of emotionsand thoughts of fear, anger, anxiety, loveand hate, etc. There is no stability in sucha mind. But to arrive at the other shore isto realize a pure, tranquil condition. Theattainment of this Wisdom Consciousnessis possible through the cultivation of the‘perfections’ of charity (dâna), purity orself-discipline (ºila), patience (kshânti),desirelessness (virâga or vairâgya), dili-gence or vigour (virya), profound medi-tation (dhyâna) and wisdom (prajñâ).

The Voice of the Silence refers to dâna

as the key of charity and love immortal.There is no better description of such acharitable and loving spirit than the onegiven by St Paul to the Corinthians:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity

envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is

not puffed up, doth not behave itself

unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not

easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth

not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

beareth all things, believeth all things,

hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth . . . (1 Cor., 13)

The charity referred to here is notmerely the giving of alms but a giving ofoneself unreservedly and unconditionallyin service without any kind of expect-ations for the fruits of action. In theBhagavadgitâ such action has beentermed as selfless action (nishkâma

karma). Human beings find it easy to do-nate to some charity or other to ease theconscience, but find it difficult to serveothers by listening to their problemssympathetically. Charity also signifiesgenerosity of spirit, and to feel equanimitywhen others do not act in the manner thatone may consider right and proper. Theexample of the Christ providing refuge tothe woman accused of adultery, andprotecting her from the crowds surgingforward to throw stones, is indicative ofsuch charity (John, 8:6–11).

ªila has been explained as ‘the key ofharmony in word and act, the key thatcounterbalances the causes and the effect,and leaves no further room for karmicaction’. It is described as good conduct.

‘Patience sweet that naught can ruffle’is the cultivation of that state of mindwhere no ups and downs in life, no suc-cesses or failures and pains can influencethe peace and harmony of the being andthe mind remains like the placid waters ofa translucent lake.

Virâga or vairâgya is indifference topleasure and to pain. It is the realizationof the transitoriness of worldly life, result-ing in a state of dispassion and indifferenceto things, which commonly sway men.With a deeper understanding, the aspirantrealizes that pleasure and pain are illusoryand result from incorrect perceptions ofthe nature of things.

Virya, as The Voice of the Silence

states, ‘is the dauntless energy that fightsits way to the supernal truth, out of themire of lies terrestrial’. It is courage underevery kind of trial and tribulation in life.

Vol. 133.114

The Theosophist

The sixth virtue is dhyâna or medita-tion that leads to the realization of thehigher self.

The seventh is the state of wisdom,the resultant that the aspirant on the Pathdevelops. Some scriptures refer to tenstages or virtues of development thatlead to Buddhahood (Avatamsaka Sutra).The development of these virtues to theirperfection is an effort that spans manylifetimes.

Dr Annie Besant was once asked aquestion: ‘Who will be the builders of thenew civilization?’ Her reply was verypertinent:

Those who are growing into the spiritual

life, those who cannot be happy while

others are miserable, those whose meals

are rendered bitter by the starvation of

the poor, those whose luxury is a burden

because of the wants of the miserable and

only those who shall sacrifice that others

may be happy.

Dr Besant set up the TheosophicalOrder of Service to ensure that the wisdomteachings of Theosophy did not remainmere ideals but living tools of service forthe less fortunate members of humanityand other forms of life. The duty of theTheosophist is to develop the virtuesrequired for the path of service by adetermined and conscious effort. It isalso to learn the Divine Wisdom that isTheosophy so that he may teach and en-lighten the minds of men towards a morespiritual and harmonious way of living.

The Buddha’s advice for the develop-ment of sensitivity, compassion andlove of the Bodhisattva was the practiceof the four meditations of love, pity, joyand equanimity. The practice of thesemeditations and the cultivation of thevirtues leads to the awakening of theBuddha or Christ Consciousness withinthe aspirant’s heart and places the per-son on the Path of the Bodhisattva-sor Mahatmas.

There is a road steep and thorny beset with perils of every kind, but yet a road,and it leads to the very heart of the universe. There is no danger that dauntlesscourage cannot conquer. There is no trial that spotless purity cannot pass through.There is no difficulty that strong intellect cannot surmount. For those who winonwards, there is a reward past all telling — the power to bless and save humanity.For those who fail, there are other lives in which success may come.

H. P. Blavatsky

15October 2011

Some Difficulties of the Inner Life — I


ANNIE BESANT

Reprinted from Adyar Pamphlet No. 25, March 1913.

EVERYONE who sets himself in earnestto the living of the Inner Life encounterscertain obstacles at the very beginning ofthe pathway thereto, obstacles which re-peat themselves in the experience of each,having their basis in the common natureof men. To each wayfarer they seem newand peculiar to himself, and hence giverise to a feeling of personal discourage-ment which undermines the strengthneeded for their surmounting. If it wereunderstood that they form part of thecommon experience of aspirants, that theyare always encountered and constantlyoverclimbed, it may be that some cheerwould be brought to the cast-down neo-phyte by the knowledge. The grasp of ahand in the darkness, the sound of a voicethat says: ‘Fellow-traveller, I have troddenwhere you tread, and the road is practic-able’ — these things bring help in thenight-time, and such a help-bringer thiswould fain be.

One of these difficulties was put to mesome time ago by a friend and fellow-wayfarer in connection with some counselgiven as to the purification of the body.He did not in any way traverse the state-ment made, but said with much truth andinsight that for most of us the difficultylay more with the Inner Man than with

his instruments; that for most of us thebodies we had were quite sufficientlygood, or, at the worst, needed a little tun-ing, but that there was a desperate needfor the improvement of the man himself.For the lack of sweet music, the musicianwas more to blame than his instrument,and if he could be reached and improvedhis instrument might pass muster. It wascapable of yielding much better tones thanthose produced from it at present, butthose tones depended on the fingers thatpressed the keys. Said my friend pithilyand somewhat pathetically: ‘I can makemy body do what I want; the difficulty isthat I do not want.’

Here is a difficulty that every seriousaspirant feels. The improving of the manhimself is the chief thing that is needed,and the obstacle of his weakness, his lackof will and of tenacity of purpose, is a farmore obstructive one than can be placedin our way by the body. There are manymethods known to all of us by which wecan build up bodies of a better type if wewant to do so, but it is the ‘wanting’ inwhich we are deficient. We have theknowledge, we recognize the expediencyof putting it into practice, but the impulseto do so is lacking. Our root-difficulty liesin our inner nature; it is inert, the wish to

Vol. 133.116

The Theosophist

move is absent; it is not that the externalobstacles are insurmountable, but thatthe man himself lies supine and has nomind to climb over them. This experienceis being continually repeated by us; thereseems to be a want of attractiveness in ourideal; it fails to draw us; we do not wishto realize it, even though we may haveintellectually decided that its realizationis desirable. It stands before us like foodbefore a man who is not hungry; it iscertainly very good food and he may beglad of it tomorrow, but just now he hasno craving for it, and prefers to lie baskingin the sunshine rather than to get up andtake possession of it.

The problem resolves itself into twoquestions: Why do I not want that whichI see, as a rational being, is desirable, pro-ductive of happiness? What can I do tomake myself want that which I know tobe best for myself and for the world?The spiritual teacher who could answerthese questions effectively would do a fargreater service to many than one who isonly reiterating constantly the abstractdesirability of ideals that we all ac-knowledge, and the imperative nature ofobligations that we all admit — and dis-regard. The machine is here, not whollyill-made; who can place his finger on thelever, and make it go?

The first question must be answeredby such an analysis of self-consciousnessas may explain this puzzling duality, thenot desiring that which we yet see to bedesirable. We are wont to say that self-consciousness is a unit, and yet, when weturn our attention inwards, we see abewildering multiplicity of ‘I’s and are

stunned by the clamour of opposingvoices, all coming apparently fromourselves. Now consciousness — and self-consciousness is only consciousnessdrawn into a definite centre which receivesand sends out — is a unit, and if it appearsin the outer world as many, it is notbecause it has lost its unity, but because itpresents itself there through differentmedia. We speak glibly of the vehicles ofconsciousness, but perhaps do not alwaysbear in mind what is implied in the phrase.If a current from a galvanic battery be ledthrough several series of different mate-rials, its appearance in the outer world willvary with each wire. In a platinum wire itmay appear as light, in an iron one as heat,round a bar of soft iron as magneticenergy, led into a solution as a power thatdecomposes and recombines. One singleenergy is present, yet many modes of itappear, for the manifestation of life isalways conditioned by its forms, and asconsciousness works in the causal, mental,astral, or physical body, the resulting ‘I’presents very different characteristics.According to the vehicle which, for thetime being, it is vitalizing, so will be theconscious ‘I’. If it is working in the astralbody, it will be the ‘I’ of the senses; if inthe mental, it will be the ‘I’ of the intellect.

By illusion, blinded by the material thatenwraps it, it identifies itself with thecraving of the senses, the reasoning of theintellect, and cries, ‘I want’, ‘I think’. Thenature which is developing the germs ofbliss and knowledge is the eternal Man,and is the root of sensations and thoughts;but these sensations and thoughts them-selves are only the transitory activities in

17October 2011


his outer bodies, set up by the contact ofhis life with the outer life, of the Self withthe not-Self. He makes temporary centresfor his life in one or other of these bodies,lured by the touches from without thatawaken his activity, and working inthese he identifies himself with them. Ashis evolution proceeds, as he himselfdevelops, he gradually discovers thatthese physical, astral, mental centres arehis instruments, not himself; he seesthem as parts of the ‘not-Self’ that he hastemporarily attracted into union withhimself — as he might take up a pen or achisel — he draws himself away fromthem, recognizing and using them as thetools they are, knows himself to be lifenot form, bliss not desire, knowledge notthought; and then first is conscious ofunity, then alone finds peace. While theconsciousness identifies itself with forms,it appears to be multiple; when it identifiesitself with life it stands forth as one.

The next important fact for us is that,as HPB pointed out, consciousness, at thepresent stage of evolution, has its centrenormally in the astral body. Consciousnesslearns to know by its capacity of sensation,and sensation belongs to the astral body.We sensate; that is, we recognize contactwith something which is not ourselves,something which arouses in us pleasure,or pain, or the neutral point between. Thelife of sensation is the greater part of thelife of the majority. For those below theaverage, the life of sensation is the wholelife. For a few advanced beings the life ofsensation is transcended. The vast majo-rity occupy the various stages whichstretch between the life of sensation, of

mixed sensation and emotion and thoughtin diverse proportions, of emotion andthought also in diverse proportions. In thelife that is wholly of sensation there isno multiplicity of ‘I’s’ and therefore noconflict; in the life that has transcendedsensation there is an Inner Ruler Immortal,and there is no conflict; but in all theranges between there are manifold ‘I’s andbetween them conflict.

Let us consider the life of sensationas found in the primitive man of lowdevelopment. There is an ‘I’, passionate,craving, fierce, grasping, when arousedto activity. But there is no conflict, savewith the world outside his physical body.With that he may war, but inner war heknows not. He does what he wants, with-out questionings beforehand or remorseafterwards; the actions of the body followthe promptings of desire, and the minddoes not challenge, nor criticize, norcondemn. It merely pictures and records,storing up materials for future elaboration.Its evolution is forwarded by the demandsmade upon it by the ‘I’ of sensations toexert its energies for the gratification ofthat imperious ‘I’. It is driven into activityby these promptings of desire, and beginsto work on its store of observations andremembrances, thus evolving a little rea-soning faculty and planning beforehandfor the gratification of its master. In thisway it develops intelligence, but theintelligence is wholly subordinated todesire, moves under its orders, is the slaveof passion. It shows no separate individ-uality, but is merely the willing tool of thetyrannous desire ‘I’.

Contest only begins when, after a long

Vol. 133.118

The Theosophist

series of experiences, the Eternal Man hasdeveloped sufficient mind to review andbalance up, during his life in the lowermental world between death and birth, theresults of his earthly activities. He thenmarks off certain experiences as resultingin more pain than pleasure, and comes tothe conclusion that he will do well to avoidtheir repetition; he regards them with repul-sion and engraves that repulsion on hismental tablets, while he similarly engravesattraction on other experiences that haveresulted in more pleasure than pain. Whenhe returns to earth, he brings this recordwith him, as an inner tendency of his mind;and when the desire ‘I’ rushes towards anattractive object, recommencing a courseof experiences that have led to suffering,he interposes a feeble protest, and another‘I’ — consciousness working as mind —makes itself felt and heard, regarding theseexperiences with repulsion, and objectingto being dragged through them. Theprotest is so weak and the desire so strongthat we can scarcely speak of a contest;the desire ‘I’, long enthroned, rushes overthe weakly-protesting rebel, but when thepleasure is over and the painful resultsfollow, the ignored rebel lifts his voiceagain in a querulous ‘I told you so’, andthis is the first sting of remorse.

As life succeeds life the mind assertsmore and more, and the contest betweenthe desire ‘I’ and the thought ‘I’ growsfiercer and fiercer, and the agonized cryof the Christian Mystic: ‘I find another lawin my members warring against the law ofmy mind’, is repeated in the experience ofevery evolving Man. The war grows hotter

and hotter as, during the devachanic life,the decisions of the Man are more andmore strongly impressed on the mind,appearing as innate ideas in the subse-quent birth, and lending strength to thethought ‘I’, which, withdrawing itself fromthe passions and emotions, regards themas outside itself, and repudiates their claimto control it. But the long inheritance ofthe past is on the side of the monarch itwould discrown, and bitter and many-fortuned is the war.

Consciousness, in its outgoing activ-ities, runs easily into the worn channelsof the habits of many lives; on the otherhand, it is diverted by the efforts of theMan to take control and to turn it intothe channels hewn out by his reflections.His will determines the line of theconsciousness-forces working in hishigher vehicles, while habit largelydetermines the direction of those workingin the desire-body. The will, guided bythe clear-eyed intelligence, points to thelofty ideal that is seen as a fit object ofattainment; the desire-nature does notwant to reach it, is lethargic before it,seeing no beauty that it should desire it,nay, is often repelled by the austereoutlines of its grave and chastened dignity.

‘The difficulty is that I do not want.’We do not want to do that which, in ourhigher moments, we have resolved to do.The lower ‘I’ is moved by the attractionof the moment rather than by the recordedresults of the past that sway the higher,and the real difficulty is to make ourselvesfeel that the lethargic, or the clamorous,‘I’ of the lower nature is not the true ‘I’.

19October 2011


How is this difficulty to be overcome?How is it possible to make that which weknow to be the higher to be the habitualself-conscious ‘I’?

Let no one be discouraged if here it besaid that this change is a matter of growth,and cannot be accomplished in a moment.The human Self cannot, by a single effort,rise to manhood from childhood, anymore than a body can change from infan-cy to maturity in a night. If the statementof the law of growth bring a sense of chillwhen we regard it as an obstacle in theway of our wish for sudden perfection,let us remember that the other side of thestatement is that growth is certain, that itcannot be ultimately prevented, and thatif law refuses a miracle it on the other handgives security. Moreover, we can quickengrowth, we can afford the best possibleconditions for it, and then rely on the lawfor our result. Let us then consider themeans we can employ for hastening thegrowth we see to be needed, for transfer-ring the activity of consciousness from thelower to the higher.

The first thing to realize is that thedesire-nature is not our Self, but an instru-ment fashioned by the Self for its ownusing; and next that it is a most valuableinstrument, and is merely being badlyused. Desire, emotion, is the motive powerin us, and stands ever between the thoughtand the action. Intellect sees, but it doesnot move, and a man without desires andemotions would be a mere spectator oflife. The Self must have evolved some ofits loftiest powers ere it can forego the useof the desires and emotions; for aspirants

the question is how to use them instead ofbeing used by them, how to disciplinethem, not how to destroy. We would fain‘want’ to reach the highest, since withoutthis wanting we shall make no progress atall. We are held back by wanting to uniteourselves with objects transitory, meanand narrow; cannot we push ourselvesforward by wanting to unite ourselveswith the permanent, the noble and thewide? Thus musing, we see that what weneed is to cultivate the emotions, anddirect them in a way that will purify andennoble the character.

The basis of all emotions on the sideof progress is love, and this is the powerwhich we must cultivate. George Eliot wellsaid: ‘The first condition of human good-ness is something to love; the second,something to reverence.’ Now reverenceis only love directed to a superior, and theaspirant should seek one more advancedthan himself to whom he can direct hislove and reverence. Happy the man whocan find such a one when he seeks, forsuch finding gives him the most importantcondition for turning emotion from aretarding force into a lifting one, and forgaining the needed power to ‘want’ thatwhich he knows to be the best. We cannotlove without seeking to please, and wecannot reverence without taking joy in theapproval of the one we revere. Hencecomes a constant stimulus to improveourselves, to build up character, to purifythe nature, to conquer all in us that is base,to strive after all that is worthy. We findourselves quite spontaneously ‘wanting’to reach a high ideal, and the great motive

Vol. 133.120

The Theosophist

power is sent along the channels hewn outfor it by the mind. There is no way ofutilizing the desire-nature more certainand more effective than the making ofsuch a tie, the reflection in the lower worldof that perfect bond which links thedisciple to the Master.

Another useful way of stimulating thedesire-nature as a lifting force is to seekthe company of any who are moreadvanced in the spiritual life than we areourselves. It is not necessary that theyshould teach us orally, or indeed talk tous at all. Their very presence is a bene-diction, harmonizing, raising, inspiring.To breathe their atmosphere, to be en-circled by their magnetism, to be playedon by their thoughts — these things en-noble us, unconsciously to ourselves. Wevalue words too highly, and depreciateunduly the subtler silent forces of the Self,which, ‘sweetly and mightily ordering allthings’, create within the turbulent chaosof our personality the sure bases of peaceand truth.

Less potent, but still sure, is the helpthat may be gained by reading any bookthat strikes a noble note of life, whetherby lifting up a great ideal, or presentingan inspiring character for our study. Suchbooks as the Bhagavadgitâ, The Voice of

the Silence, Light on the Path, The

Imitation of Christ, are among the mostpowerful of such aids to the desire-nature.We are apt to read too exclusively forknowledge, and lose the moulding forcethat lofty thought on great ideals mayexercise over our emotions. It is a use-ful habit to read every morning a fewsentences from some such book as those

named above, and to carry these sentenceswith us through the day, thus creatingaround us an atmosphere that is protectiveto ourselves and beneficial to all withwhom we come into contact.

Another absolutely essential thing isdaily meditation — a quiet half-hour inthe morning, ere the turmoil of the daybegins, during which we deliberately drawourselves away from the lower nature,recognize it as an instrument and not ourSelf, centre ourselves in the highest con-sciousness we can reach, and feel it as ourreal self. ‘That which is Being, Bliss andKnowledge, that am I. Life, Love andLight, that am I.’ For our essential natureis divine, and the effort to realize it helpsits growth and manifestation. Pure, pas-sionless, peaceful, it is ‘the Star that shineswithin’, and that Star is our Self. Wecannot yet steadily dwell in the Star, butas we try daily to rise to it, some gleam ofits radiance illumines the illusory ‘I’ madeof the shadows amid which we live. Tothis ennobling and peace-giving contem-plation of our divine destiny we may fitlyrise by worshipping with the most ferventdevotion of which we are capable — ifwe are fortunate enough to feel suchdevotion — the Father of the worlds andthe Divine Man whom we reverence asMaster. Resting on that Divine Man as theHelper and Lover of all who seek to rise— call Him Buddha, Christ, ªri K·shna,Master, what we will — we may dare toraise our eyes to the ONE, from whom wecome, to whom we go, and in theconfidence of realized sonship murmur:‘I and the Father are One, I am That.’

(Part II to follow)

21October 2011

Dr Annie Besant and the Revival of Indian Spiritual Heritage

Dr Annie Besant and the Revival ofIndian Spiritual Heritage

C. V. AGARWAL

Dr C. V. Agarwal was a former General Secretary of the Indian Section, international Secretary and author.Article originally published in Prajñâ, Journal of the Benares Hindu University, December 2002.

INDIA’S spiritual heritage is not like anarcheological heritage. It is like a mag-nificent tree, ever putting forth newerbranches, fresh leaves, flowers and fruits.We, especially the Indian Theosophists,must protect it well from all destructiveagencies and influences, and nourish itadequately.

Mrs Besant’s work on the Indianspiritual heritage was facilitated by thefact that not only had the ground beencleared but the foundation had also beenlaid by the tours, lectures and writings ofCol. H. S. Olcott and Madame Blavatsky,the two Founders of the TheosophicalSociety. In passing, it may be said thatHindus have alleged that Col. Olcott andMadame Blavatsky adopted Buddhismand promoted Buddhist ideas and termin-ology. Buddhists say that Mrs Besant didthe same for Hinduism. That is partly true.There are historic facts which need notbe gone into here. On the other hand,Mme Blavatsky wrote in her Scrapbookin October 1875: ‘The Wisdom of India,her philosophy and achievements must bemade known to Europe and America.’

It is for this purpose that they arrivedin India on 16 February 1879. It is note-worthy that the Arya Samaj, the BrahmoSamaj and a few other less known move-ments started almost at the same time asthe Theosophical Society was founded(1875). They also attempted the revivalof India’s spiritual heritage.

The Founders were besieged byHindu and also Parsi visitors. The Hindushonoured them most for unveiling theIndian spiritual heritage.

Col. Olcott had no plans to do what hedid for Buddhism, but the Buddhists inSri Lanka were in a worse position thanthe Hindus in India and in response totheir desperate calls, he went to Sri Lankaa year after his arrival in India. There herevived Buddhism, and then followedhis memorable work for the cause ofBuddhism.

When one thinks of the Indian spiritualheritage one thinks of the sublime teach-ings enshrined in the Veda-s, Upanishad-s,Gitâ, and so forth. But the teachings ofthe Buddha, Mahavira and other teachersare also part of the Indian spiritual

22 Vol. 133.1

The Theosophist

heritage. It is a wrong impression to thinkthat Dr Besant did little for Buddhism.Mrs Besant toured Sri Lanka several timesand gave a series of lectures published inmore than one book. That work also fallswithin the purview of the present subject.

In 1883, when travelling was verydifficult, Col. Olcott travelled 11,000 kmin India and 43 Lodges were founded.On 9 March 1883, he was invested withthe sacred brahmanical thread by PanditTaranath, Tarka-Vachaspati, to mark thegratitude of the Hindus to him for hisservices in the revival of Sanskrit litera-ture and of religious interest among theIndian people. All this made Mrs Besant’swork easier.

Mrs Besant arrived in India on 16November 1893 after lecturing at theWorld Parliament of Religions inSeptember 1893. On her way fromTuticorin to Madras and at the 1893Convention she gave 48 lectures and thenfrom Calcutta went to Lahore and thewestern coast, delivering 121 lectures andarousing respect for the Indian heritage.

As an example, mention may be madeof the lecture at the Town Hall, Calcutta,in January 1894. The Hall was over-flowing and a very large number of youngpeople had assembled. She exhorted themnot to copy the West and drew attentionto their own spiritual heritage. Theaudience was so inspired that there wasspontaneous applause. Even slogans wereshouted against Western education. TheAnglo-Indian newspapers wrote alarmingeditorials, saying that Mrs Besant wasundoing what the British had done; if

Indians were so inspired by their ownheritage, there would be danger to BritishRule. The matter went as far as theViceroy. Col. Olcott cautioned Mrs Besantnot to indulge in politics. In fact, she didnot give political speeches.

It is not enough to give an inspiringlecture on spiritual regeneration. ‘TheMeans of India’s Regeneration’ was thetheme of her lecture in Calcutta early in1895. She said: ‘But these physical meansof regeneration cannot succeed, unlessthey flow down, as the lowest means ofspiritual ideal; and the unifying of Indiamust be founded on and permeated byspiritual life.’ In the present situation thiscall for high ideals to descend to thephysical level, given over a century ago,is relevant, as the Government and thesocial service organizations seem to bedealing primarily with physical means.Therefore, for the re-spiritualization ofIndia, the rehabilitation of her ‘spiritualconsciousness’ was the first task to whichMrs Besant addressed herself.

In 1896 she made Benares her homeand started studying the original Indianscriptures with the help of the Sanskritpandits and Dr Bhagavan Das. Theirtranslation of the Bhagavadgitâ is perhapsone of the most standard translations inEnglish. From then onwards, there is anoticeable change in her presentation inlectures and the books which she wrote.

Hinduism does not seem to be the rightword. Sanâtana Dharma, used by herlater, is a better term. Her speeches andwritings brought insight into the innertruths of Sanâtana Dharma; her deep

23October 2011


understanding of its metaphysics, mysti-cism, symbology and sociology threwlight on its obscurities and intricacies.

This is a very important contributionof Mrs Besant to Hinduism. At that timethe Indians educated under British rule,under the influence of the Christian mis-sionaries, were ashamed to call themselvesHindus. They themselves laughed at thevarious samskâra-s of the Hindus. Tothem there seemed to be no meaning inthe rituals, whether nâmakarana (naminga child), the sacred thread, or ºrâddha

(after-death rituals). Every one of theserituals has a spiritual basis which thepandits performing them did not under-stand. Thus, the numerous deva-s andangels were ridiculed, the Hindus weresaid to have thirty-three crores of gods,whereas Hinduism spoke of only oneGod. One God cannot express himselffully in one aspect; thus He expresseshimself in many aspects. Christianity,Buddhism, Islam and other religions alsohave many angels. Humans and deva-s

(angels) evolve in parallel streams.Similarly, all ceremonials have deepsignificance. Take for instance, thenaming of a child. Every Hindu namehas a meaning, generally that of a god orgoddess like Sarasvati, or a virtue, likeºânti, and it is hoped that the child willshow forth that quality. It should remindthe elders of that quality when they callthe child, and the name should notbe distorted.

During the first decade of her life inIndia, Mrs Besant so much identifiedherself with the Hindu way of living,speaking and thinking, that some,

especially those belonging to otherreligions, misunderstood her. She madeit clear that ‘Theosophy is not to beidentified with any particular form of theeverlasting Brahmavidyâ’. The wordmeaning of ‘Theosophy’ is Brahmavidyâ.It acts like a leaven (yeast) ‘which couldmake Hinduism live again in the heartsand minds of the Hindus’.

Scholars were giving lip service tothe Veda-s, Purâna-s and Upanishad-s.Mrs Besant drew attention to variousallegories and symbols. This turned theattention of the intellectuals to the purewaters of spirituality. She explained howAryan thought was in harmony withmodern scientific discoveries. She madethem proud of their divine heritage.

In the work for the Indian heritageMrs Besant had to struggle not onlyagainst foreign domination dating fromthe Moghul period but also against power-ful theosophical groups led by Judge andlater, Steiner. Both broke away from theTheosophical Society. They maintainedthat the TS was founded in the West torevive and spread Western Occultism andnot Eastern Wisdom. According to them,the East had hardly anything to give.

Mrs Besant pointed out the heresy ofseparation. She exposed the hollownessof the goal of sva-vimukti, aspiration bythe spiritually-selfish among the Hindusfor their own individual liberation. Thereis no congregational worship in the Hindutradition. She inspired the founding ofthe Bharata Samaj which tries to popular-ize congregational pujâ. She aroused inpeople an altruistic regard for the salvationof all.

24 Vol. 133.1

The Theosophist

Mrs Besant gave two illuminatingseries of lectures, one on ‘The Four GreatReligions’ and the other on ‘The ReligiousProblem in India’. These were followedby talks on other religions. In these shedrew attention to the beauties and sub-limity not only of Hinduism but of all thegreat religions. All these religions are wellestablished in India.

In a secular state, about which there isso much talk these days, there is a genu-ine need to understand how to ensuresecularism. She said that all the Faithsare like many-hued gems in the imperialcrown of the Great Jeweller, the Creator.

Mrs Besant drew the attention of theHindus to the teaching enshrined in theirscriptures of noble tolerance of othercreeds and faiths. She tried to prove inher speeches that all religions werevariants of the same Ancient Wisdom, andnot competitors.

If the members of the TS study thesetalks and understand them, and then ifeach of them, in his or her small or largecircle, spreads this essential message ofour spiritual heritage, Theosophists willstrike the note in public life that is mostneeded. Most older, retired people haveset, hardened minds and will not be easilyinfluenced. Unconsciously one tends togo on ‘beating one’s own drum’. Never-theless we can address the younger gene-ration and influence them. But this is avery difficult task. Youth is cleverer andbetter informed and so needs to be han-dled tactfully, subtly. The young personcan be influenced and helped by storiesfrom the scriptures with correct inter-

pretations. Much help can also be obtainedfrom Mrs Besant’s talks at the CentralHindu College. Unfortunately only a fewof them are available to the public.

One example of Mrs Besant’s explan-ation may be given by way of illustration.There is reference to Ahalyâ becoming astone image owing to a curse and ªriRâma releasing her by touching it. If aperson becomes a stone image he or shedoes not suffer at all for he or she neitherthinks nor feels. However, if one’s con-sciousness is attached to a stone image,one is conscious of one’s real being but istied down or limited by the stone image;then there is suffering. So Ahalyâ’s con-sciousness was attached to a stone image.A person born and brought up in prisondoes not suffer prison life as a free citizensuffers when imprisoned.

There is another less emphasized yetsignificant contribution of Mrs Besantregarding the Indian spiritual heritagewhich merits greater attention. The Hinduas well as the Buddhist scriptures, usingdifferent terminology, speak of liber-ation, jivanmukti. Followers of both thesegreat faiths believed that the door to liber-ation is closed in this dark age. Those whohave studied the development of Buddhismin the modern age will remember howenthusiastic Dharmapala was when heheard from the Theosophists that the doorto Arhatship is still open.

Mrs Besant drew attention to thispossibility — nay, to our destiny — inher presentations, In the Outer Court andThe Path of Discipleship.

Her speeches, life and work, made the

25October 2011


Hindu a better Hindu, the Buddhist a betterBuddhist, and so forth.

As Mrs Besant’s work in the field ofeducation is very well known, I have savedmention of it for the end. For any deep-rooted and lasting effect, right educationis needed. In the Central Hindu Collegeand its hostels there was an exemplarycombination of freedom and discipline.Many examples can be given. Thoseinterested may go through the interestingbook by Mr Sri Prakasa.

It is remarkable how she organizedreligious education on non-sectarian lines.Even when Madame Montessori was alittle girl, Mrs Besant’s emphasis was ondrawing out inherent spiritual qualitieshidden in the pupils rather than onconsidering them as vessels to be filledwith information.

While there was a great deal ofsuperstition, orthodoxy and misrepre-sentation, she admirably explained theinherent ideal of Varnashrama Dharmawhich in the course of time degeneratedinto the caste system prevalent at present.

Much light is thrown on India’sspiritual heritage by her lectures on The

Avatâra-s. She showed that the conceptof Avatâra-s is in accordance with themodern theory of evolution. In 1899 shelectured on Dharma, Mahâbhârata,Râmachandra — the Ideal King; in 1903she compiled the Sanâtana Dharma Text-

books — Elementary and Advanced, andalso Hindu Ideals.

She gave a number of inspiring lecturesto the students of the Central HinduCollege. Some of them were on: Children

of the Motherland: Some of her sons;some of her daughters (1906); In Defenceof Hinduism (1908); Questions onHinduism with Answers (1909); TheEducation of the Depressed Classes(1909); The Religious Problem in India(1909). The last two are most relevant inthe present day.

Tackling girls’ education was muchmore difficult. Mrs Besant had to get ladyTheosophists from abroad to organize it.In the school, to start with, only two orthree girls could be enlisted. They had tobe brought in closed curtained bullockcarts. Some people threw pebbles atthem, saying that Mrs Besant was spoilingthem; would the girls work as clerks inoffices? Girls became Prime Ministers andGovernors in the decades that followed.

Through educational work she subtlybrought about social reforms of far-reaching import. No student could marrywhile studying. That was a practical stepagainst child marriage. Of course, therewas no question of a dowry, which hasassumed monstrous proportions in manysegments of our society.

Another important way in which sheproceeded was by initiating good work forhumanity and, when others were ready totake it over, to hand it on to them. This isexemplified in her turning over the CentralHindu College with all its assets to PanditMalaviya to form the nucleus of theBenares Hindu University.

Even before coming into contact withthe Theosophical Society, as a result ofher wide study, Mrs Besant had a general,rather vague idea about India’s spiritual

26 Vol. 133.1

The Theosophist

heritage. Her interest in India is reflectedin her small book England, India and

Afghanistan (1878). She learnt of its great-ness on joining the TS but came to knowit more definitely when she travelled alongwith Mr G. N. Chakravarty, who was de-puted by Col. Olcott to present the Hinduviewpoint at the World Parliament ofReligions (1893). Mr Chakravarty was ascholar of Sanskrit texts and a fine Englishspeaker. Her association with him con-tinued for a little over a decade.

Mrs Besant gradually moved on togreater depths and practical implemen-tation of spiritual ideals when she gavetalks on ‘Ancient Ideals in Modern Life’and ‘Wake up India’.

Realizing that India’s spiritual messagewould not be known by the world at largeas long as India was an enslaved country,Mrs Besant plunged into political activitiesand set a new standard of work.

Those who are interested in knowinghow Mrs Besant put spiritual ideals in poli-tical work may go through Mr Rajkumar’sbook Annie Besant’s Rise to Power in

Indian Politics. Her motive, the authorsays, ‘was to establish a brotherhood ofman, realizing the unity of all’.

In Annie Besant and Progressive

Messianism, Catherine Wessinger, refer-ring to differences with Mahatma Gandhi,wrote: ‘The word non-cooperation wasabhorrent to Mrs Besant. According toher, only cooperation would bring abouta condition of true brotherhood . . . witheveryone working for everyone else inlove and service . . . cooperation betweenthe people and the Government is

very basic to society.’ Our present-daypoliticians need to pay heed to such wordsby Mrs Besant.

Finally, how can we reach the sourceof energy and insight that Mrs Besant hadin abundance? In her own words, ‘Learnto trust the Divine in you. There lies yourreal strength. You are divine. You don’twant to look up to the skies to find theDivine; look into your own heart and theDivine is alive in you.’

In her pamphlet, On the Nature and

Existence of God, written a year afterending her marriage, Mrs Besant said:‘Matter is . . . the same as spirit; existenceis one, however manifold in its pheno-mena; life is one, however manifold inits evolution . . . only one substance existsin all around . . . the universe is eternal.’She continued: ‘We pretend to know theUnknown if we declare him to be theUnknowable. Unknowable to us at thepresent, Yes! Unknowable for ever, inother possible stages of existence? Wehave reached a region into which wecannot penetrate; here all human facultiesfail us; we bow our heads on the thresholdof the Unknown.’ These expressionsreveal her depth of understanding fromthe days of her youth.

Dr Besant changed from being a de-vout Christian, an atheist, a Free-Thoughtactivist, a radical, a social reformer, alabour leader, and finally became aTheosophist. In her life as a Theosophistalso, there were several phases, but herunceasing search for Truth remainedunabated, and rather gained depth andmomentum as the years rolled by.

27October 2011

Without Loving Care, I am Nothing

Without Loving Care,I am Nothing

ABRAHAM ORON

Mr Abraham Oron is President of Covenant Lodge, TS, in Israel. Talk delivered at the internationalConvention, Adyar, in December 2010.

EVERY human being longs for love,wants to be loved. We are all stronglydrawn to those who love us and to thosewe love. As students of Theosophy thelove of others is one of our most inspiringideals.

But why is love so hard for us? Why isit so difficult for us to feel closeness,warmth, caring, fondness, brotherhoodand compassion for others, even some-times for those within our own families?

Theosophy teaches that we all aresparks of the same flame and each person’ssoul has a divine source. Intellectually wecan accept that we are all brothers andsisters, sons and daughters of the sameeternal essence that dwells within eachone of us. But when it comes to living,most of us can express deep care andwarmth to only a very few of those wemeet daily.

The answer may be found in thisbeautiful pearl of wisdom known as Light

on the Path. In its second part it says:

Listen to the song of life. Look for it and

listen to it first in your own heart. At first

you may say: ‘It is not there; when I search

I find only discord.’ Look deeper. If again

you are disappointed, pause and look

deeper again. There is a natural melody,

an obscure fount in every human heart. It

may be hidden over and utterly concealed

and silenced — but it is there. At the very

base of your nature you will find faith,

hope and love.

What it actually says is that you cannotlove others if you do not find the sourceof love in yourself. It also says that wecannot find that source of love which isin our Higher Self and spiritual Soul if weare not willing to look inward. But lookinginward can be difficult, because we mayencounter our lower self or that which isunpleasant, that which causes discordwithin us.

Light on the Path describes this state:

When you have found the beginning of

the way the star of your soul will show

its light; and by that light you will perceive

how great is the darkness in which it

burns. Mind, heart, brain all are obscure

and dark.

28 Vol. 133.1

The Theosophist

Our Inner Self who is also our innerteacher, wants us to see the truth aboutour personality, about our motives, aboutour selfishness, about our anger and fear.Can we look inside and see all these thingswithout judgement? Just see what we holdinside, and feel the suffering which isconnected with such attitudes? This will-ingness to look inside is the beginning offreedom from that which separates usfrom our Divine Self who is the source oflove within.

Yes, it is so true that without lovingcare we are nothing, but we cannot reallylove and care for others if there is a gapinside us separating us from the source oflove within.

We all need love, we all exist becauseof the love of those who cared for us whenwe were young and weak. Everyone ex-perienced the strength that a loving smileor look or touch can give. The whole ofcreation is held together by the bond ofdivine love and compassion.

Rabindranath Tagore expresses this ina beautiful way:

Love is the only reality and it is not a mere

sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies

at the heart of creation.

The Voice of the Silence says:

Canst thou destroy divine Compassion?

Compassion is no attribute. It is the Law

of laws — eternal Harmony . . . the light

of everlasting right, and fitness of all

things, the law of love eternal.

All the beauties of nature are the resultof the care and nurturing love of an infinite

number of invisible intelligences whoare operating within the inner side ofnature. Personally I believe that youcannot create beauty without love.

Even the law of karma with all itsstrictness and sometimes hardness is theoutcome of divine love, which showsthrough pain that we deviate from thepath that leads to a lasting peace and hap-piness. This love and tenderness of Godfor his creation is expressed in Tagore’sGitânjali:

Here is thy footstool and there rest thy

feet where live the poorest, and lowliest,

and lost.

When I try to bow to thee, my obeisance

cannot reach down to the depth where thy

feet rest among the poorest, and lowliest,

and lost.

Pride can never approach to where thou

walkest in the clothes of the humble

among the poorest, and lowliest, and lost.

My heart can never find its way to where

thou keepest company with the compan-

ionless among the poorest, the lowliest,

and the lost.

Yes, we all need to be loved and caredfor, but sometimes we are stuck in thiswish to be loved, and forget that we arehere in order to develop our ability tolove, without which we can never bereally happy in our life. Without lovingcare for others our life feels valuelessand meaningless.

The essence of Love — which iscloseness and connection, has its sourcein the ability to listen from one’s depths

29October 2011

Without Loving Care, I am Nothing

and to sense the depth of another in yourown deep self; to feel his soul, her soul,the joy or the pain, the calm, or maybe theinner war, and beneath it all maybe senseeven if faintly the light of the inner self.

There is no possibility to really loveif we do not perceive some of the innerbeauty of another’s soul. One can perceiveit only when we quieten our criticismand judgement, truly accepting the otherwith his or her flaws, knowing that theseflaws, like our own, are the product of thelearning process we are in. He or she maynot see the beauty, nobility and wisdomin the depths of their soul. Nor may wesee our own soul’s beauty.

This is why we have to ‘look for thesong of life’, for that which is the em-bodiment of beauty and love in our owndeep soul. When we find it in ourselves,then we can find much that can be lovedin others.

Let us return to Light on the Path,which says:

And so deceptive is the illusion in which

you live, that it is hard to guess where

you will first detect the sweet voice in the

hearts of others. But know that it is

certainly within yourself. Look for it there

and once having heard it, you will more

readily recognize it around you.

Love and kindness begin in ourselves.Sometimes while in meditation we cansense some of the beauty, love and peacethat comes from the depths of our being.These moments are the beginning of Self-knowledge and Self-love (self with acapital S). Unselfish Self-love is possible

when we experience these lovablequalities in ourselves. It is hard for us tolove and have faith in ourselves when weexperience and emphasize mostly thosenegative qualities of our personality whichwe do not love and sometimes even hate.

Here is a beautiful quotation fromMadame Blavatsky’s Practical Occultism,which emphasizes this idea:

The ‘God’ in us — that is to say, the Spirit

of Love and Truth, Justice and Wisdom,

Goodness and Power — should be our

only true and permanent Love, our only

reliance in everything, our only Faith,

which, standing firm as a rock, can for

ever be trusted; our only Hope, which will

never fail us if all other things perish;

and the only object which we must seek

to obtain, by our Patience, waiting con-

tentedly until our evil Karma has been

exhausted and the divine Redeemer will

reveal to us his presence within our soul.

The door through which he enters is called

Contentment; for he who is discontented

with himself is discontented with the law

that made him such as he is; and as God is

Himself the Law, God will not come to

those that are discontented with Him.

Being at war with ourselves, being toohard and unkind to ourselves, indicatesthe lack of Self-love, without which loveof others is not possible.

When we are able to look at our lowerself from the standpoint of the higher, thenwe can direct and educate the lower selfwith kindness and without hardness.Being kind to ourselves helps us to bekind, tolerant and helpful towards others.

30 Vol.133.1

Fragments of the Ageless Wisdom

WHEN followers of Zen fail to go beyond theworld of their senses and thoughts, all theirdoings and movements are of no significance.When the senses and thoughts are annihilatedall the passages to Universal Mind are blocked,and no entrance then becomes possible. Theorignal Mind is to be recognized along with theworking of the senses and thoughts — only itdoes not belong to them, nor yet is it independentof them. Do not build up your views upon yoursenses and thoughts, do not base your under-standing upon your senses and thoughts; butat the same time do not seek the Mind awayfrom your senses and thoughts, do not try tograsp Reality by rejecting your senses andthoughts. When you are neither attached to, nordetached from, them, then you enjoy your perfectunobstructed freedom, then you have your seatof enlightenment.

Huang-Po

31October 2011

The Web of Life

The Web of Life

V. KRISHNAN

Mr V. Krishnan is Superintendent of the Garden Department at Adyar.

THERE is much talk of saving natureand the human race becoming thedeliverers of the Earth, etc., but in myperception, we are the ones to be saved.We are not any superpower in Nature’screation but only as important as anyother creature walking on Earth. She hasmade us with the same materials thatshe has used to create any other being inthis world.

‘They’ say, everything on Earth ismade up of the five elements, or as wecall it in India, the pancha bhuta-s. Whenmy teacher at school said this, I did notbelieve him. I knew that there is waterinside us because we drink it and there isalso air because we breathe it. But, Ialways used to wonder where is the earth,fire and space.

Thich Nhat Hanh, the Zen master says:‘Looking deeply into a flower we see thatthe flower is made of non-flower elements.We can describe the flower as being fullof everything. There is nothing that is notpresent in the flower. We see sunshine,we see the rain, we see clouds, we see theearth, and we also see time and space inthe flower. A flower, like everything else,is made entirely of non-flower elements.’

The grass needs soil, rain and the sun

to grow and to nurture itself. The cowneeds the grass and, indirectly, the soil,water and sun, to produce milk. Milk andmilk products help man’s progeny. So,yes, I can see the Earth, Water, Space,Fire and Wind in the baby. But the bestevidence of it all is when the body dies.Nature does not digest junk and anythingnatural gets digested like a piece ofbanana in a cow’s intestine. You do notsee a trace of a buried carcass after sometime. It is back to its elements. The earthin it becomes earth, the fire in it createsheat and evaporates the water, air escapesand leaves an empty space!

If man is made of the same material asthat of a frog or a fish, then in what way ishe superior? Well, is he superior at all . . . ?The answer is Yes and No!

Yes, because man is the only speciesto be able to reach the depths of his mindand make sense out of this cosmic web.

No, because, look at the rest of Nature. . . they are smart, they know their

limitations and live with them happily.

The Siberian cat does not aim to comeinto tropical regions, nor does a tomatogrow on icebergs. The trees’ ‘children’behave like them and do only all that theirparents did, but better than them — and

Vol. 133.132

The Theosophist

that is the grace of evolution. For ex-ample, mosquitoes get used to repellents,pests in agriculture become immune toparticular pesticides. The catfishes inthe Mylapore Tank, Chennai, are veryunique. Catfishes are normally scavengersand clean up tanks by consuming algaeand other organic matter in the tank. Butone can notice that, in the MylaporeTemple tank, these catfishes come to thesurface and keep their mouths openconstantly to be able to catch the fewgrains of puffed rice being thrown by thedevotees. It is because of evolution thatthey can change the way they have beendoing things for several generations to beable to adapt to the current situation, tomake themselves better survivors, butthey have never stopped doing what theirparents did either.

This is not to mean that one should notbe ambitious, but it is to be so within thoseboundaries.

Why boundaries? We all understandboundaries in a simple manner —geo-graphical and physiological. Geograph-ically, we do not want snakes cominginside our living areas, nor even strangers.We do not mind, however, if our neigh-bour does, but we want him to keep hisantics within his household to maintainsocial peace.

Physiologically, do we ever see abanyan growing thorns, looking at thebougainvillea to protect itself; or owletsgrowing canine teeth to tear their prey?Why is it then, man alone, wants to fly togreat heights when he cannot, travel athigh speeds when he cannot on his own,

eat food that he can neither hunt nor grow?I think the bane of our civilization

today is this craving. And the effect of thisis seen as starting from the last century.Until then, man travelled on foot, cycled,the movements of which are limited bythe rider’s strength, or by animal drivencarts; again these animals do not travel atunnatural speeds. He ate what he couldhunt or what he could grow. He livedwithin his boundaries. People call thisbeing backward. Today, to move faster,eat food that is grown all over the worldin all kinds of manner to live fashionably,he has depleted so many natural resourcesand has really abused the web.

Before the 1900s — to be precise,before the Green Revolution — thingswere far better. Man was in completeharmony with Nature, backed by a soundunderstanding of its functioning. Follow-ing are a few practices to substantiatethis understanding:

One of the philosophies of farming wasthat there are three beings who worktowards producing food and that food isshared equally among these beings. So,man took the topmost part of the crop,which was grains, animals took the middlepart, which was hay, and the bottom part,the roots, were left as a reward for the soil,the third being in this process. For, soil isnot a mix of sand particles, stones andclay, but an ecosystem comprising mil-lions of microorganisms and smaller formsof life.

He used Nature to make Nature

produce, so that he could give back to

Nature!

33October 2011

The Web of Life

Most of our current issues, be it nuclearwar, inflation or poverty, all started whenwe stopped identifying ourselves as partof Nature and felt that we have to controlit; and started to disturb the harmony. Infact most of the world’s problems can betraced back to this cause.

On the other hand, trees and birdshave remained trees and birds, in such amanner that we still see them as part ofNature. They have been intelligentenough to do things within their capa-cities. Did I say trees are intelligent? . . .oh yes, they are far more intelligent thanwe think they are.

Why are some plants’ young shootsreddish in colour, e.g. the neem, jatropha,mango . . . ? It is a technique to protectthemselves from being eaten up by otheranimals because red means danger in theanimal kingdom. It is proven that manyamphibians and insects protect themselvesfrom being preyed upon with red colourson their bodies.

Ever seen a banyan growing underanother banyan? Banyans know that theyare large and cannot allow another ban-yan to grow underneath. Also, a banyanwants its children to go far away from it.So, they have planned it in such a waythat seeds that fall down from the treecannot germinate but have to pass throughthe intestine of a bird or animal to ger-minate. The banyan, very smartly, hasarranged the birds or animals as the seedcarriers who will ‘drop’ these seeds infaraway places.

On the other hand, look at the un-branched coconuts and palmyras growingin clusters. They grow in coastal and dryarid landscapes respectively, and both ofthem need to withstand a lot of windcurrents and need to be in groups so that,together they withstand the winds.

Each being on Earth is living andevolving, hence intelligent!

Do you think the trees and animalsknow that they are intelligent; well, I guessnot, and it does not matter to them either.

We are probably the only species whowork and retire, who want to see the ‘fruits’of our work. Nothing else in Nature takestime off to think about what it does,whether it is intelligent or not, whether itlooks beautiful or not. Trees do not takeoff and not breathe oxygen for a while.They continue to do what they do day inand day out. There is shade under the treenot because we can use it, but it is designedin such a way that the leaves catch themaximum sunlight and the shade keepsthe roots cool.

And so it is with everything that weharvest from Nature . . . flowers do notbloom to decorate our vases, nor treesproduce fruits for people who eat theirfruits and throw the seeds in dustbins.

Man, being the only species to be ableto understand this web called Nature, hasto be extremely responsible while harvest-ing from the rest of the strand of the Web.Because it is he who does the maximumdamage to the web, it is he who can repairit too.

Creation is only the projection into form of that which already exists.

Srimad Bhagavatam, III.2

34 Vol. 133.1

The Theosophist

Books of Interest

ANCIENT WISDOM — MODERNINSIGHT by Shirley Nicholson, TheTheosophical Publishing House, Adyar,2011.

Theosophical texts which relate thelofty teachings contained within The

Secret Doctrine to modern thought, in-cluding recent scientific developments,are not very common. Included in thissmall category is Shirley Nicholson’sAncient Wisdom — Modern Insight. Thefirst edition of this book from the Theo-sophical Publishing House, Adyar, is anoteworthy addition to its collection. Assome time has lapsed since it was initiallypublished, revised and updated scientificreferences have been included in the text.

The Foreword to the book describes itas based ‘firmly, though not slavishly, onThe Secret Doctrine’ and as an ‘eminentlyreadable restatement of theosophicalprinciples’. These descriptions provedquite true to the reviewer on closer ex-amination. The three main sectionsinclude ‘The Many-Faceted One’, ‘TheOne Unfolding’, and ‘Human Nature andthe Human Journey’. Specific chaptersdeal with subjects such as The HealingWorld View, Interconnections, TheDivinity of Space, Rhythm and Cycles,Sevenfold Illusion, Divine Mind, Karmaand Self-Transformation. The book’sscope is therefore considerable.

The Ancient Wisdom is explained

clearly in the first chapter, enabling thereader to proceed within a broad context,with an understanding that this Wisdomis not some modern invention. Rather, ithas spanned human history in variousplaces and guises. Mention is made, andrightly so, of the necessity for the Wisdomteachings to be transformed into ‘livingrealities which permeate all our attitudesand govern our life’. Stress is laid on essen-tial principles — unity, polarity, cycles,order, evolution — which are ‘constantlyexerting their irresistible influence in ourworld’. The need to pay heed to such prin-ciples is made very clear. For example,the author asserts that ‘our failure to adoptthe unitive attitude implicit in twentiethcentury knowledge is the basis of all ourmajor problems worldwide, whethersocial, political, ecological, economic, orindividual’. It does not take too muchthought to see her point.

Shirley Nicholson’s subject matter iswell researched. For example, her treat-ment of evolution includes a number ofinteresting scientific references. The dis-cussion on holons and hierarchy is illus-trated with references to various thinkerssuch as the philosophers of science AlfredNorth Whitehead, L. L. Whyte, the JesuitTeilhard de Chardin and others, as wellas H. P. Blavatsky. Holism is brought tolife in a very practical fashion using theexample of a modern city and the many

October 2011 35

Books of Interest

interconnections between its internalsystems. Then again, subjects such astime, boundless duration and timelessnessare well explained, the latter being broughtmore into the reach of human con-sciousness with some insights into themystical experience.

Aspects of pertinent contemporaryscientific thought appear throughout thetext. With books on science aboundingtoday, it is most convenient to have suchhandy references alongside a number ofsignificant theosophical teachings. Afterexploring this book, one cannot but ac-knowledge just how pervasive certainconcepts from the Ancient Wisdom

tradition have become in today’s globalculture.

Containing 224 pages, plus notesand a useful index, Ancient Wisdom —

Modern Insight is a most engagingread, best digested a chapter at a time. Itis recommended for anyone who hassome basic familiarity with the Wisdomteachings and who is interested in un-derstanding them further, within thecontext of world thought. The book canprovide a very useful basis for groupstudy and many serious Theosophicalstudents will find it a welcome additionto their library.

LINDA OLIVEIRA

And the Almighty said to Moses, ‘I am One and Eternal, so you,too, shall be united as one and you will be an eternal people.’ Hefurther said, ‘Thus shall you say to the Children of Israel, “TheEternal, who is determined to remove cruelty from all humanexistence, has sent me to you.”’

Torah Yesharah, Exodus 3:14

Vol. 133.136

The Theosophist

Theosophical Work around the World

United StatesThe American Section hosted three

appearances in Chicago by His Holinessthe Dalai Lama of Tibet on 17–18 July2011. The theme was ‘Bridging the FaithDivide: Compassion in Action’. At the firstday’s event, the Dalai Lama addressed acrowd of over 8,000. The NationalPresident of the TS in America, Mr TimBoyd, who introduced him, noted thatthe Dalai Lama’s first contact with theTS came during a visit to the Society’sHeadquarters in Adyar, India, in 1956,during his second visit out of Tibet. TheDalai Lama confirmed this, saying that theAdyar Headquarters was both ‘spiritual’and ‘respectful of all religions’.

During his talk His Holiness observeddespite crucial differences all religioustraditions have the same goal. ‘Spiritualityis like medicine for illness. Although thereis a variety of medicines for differentillnesses, medicine as a whole has thesame purpose — to bring better health tohumanity. Religion can be seen as amedicine for the mind.’ One reason forBuddhism’s popularity in the West, hementioned, was that ‘modern people lovesomething new, but it is better to keep yourown traditions — it is much safer’.

His Holiness also met religious leadersfrom the Jewish, Christian and Islamictraditions. In the afternoon, there was aspecial event — a question and answersession — only for members of theTheosophical Society. The Dalai Lama’s

book The Opening of the Wisdom-Eye,published by Quest Books in 1966, is stillin print. The Dalai Lama praised the TShighly, citing the organization’s open-minded approach to the study of religion,science, and philosophy.

Karachi (Pakistan)A report about the Karachi

Theosophical Society has been receivedand we are happy to have this contact. Allefforts are being made to bring peace andgoodwill in Karachi, according to themessage.

The members of the KarachiTheosophical Society meet occasionallyat the residence of one of them and The

Theosophist is read, after which discussionpresumably takes place. White Lotus Daywas celebrated at the residence of MissRoshan Bagharia at the Parsi Colony.Fortunately, the Library has been re-opened for public use, with security mea-sures at the gate, and a peace meeting washeld there on 7 August 2011 by members.

The TOS is functioning well andhelping local children. The MontessoriSchool named after Jamshed N. Mehta iscarried on in the first and second floors ofthe building. It is hoped that slowly fullmeetings as usual can be held.

Mr Ibrahim Toyo, President ofHyderabad Lodge (Sindh), is lookingafter Besant Hall in Hyderabad. It isoccasionally given on rent to OxfordUniversity Press for sale of books.

37October 2011

Theosophical Work around the World

Members are hoping that public meetingstoo will be possible soon and meetings areheld regularly. The Mahtani Foundationhas renovated the Lecture Hall.

BrazilTheosophical work in Brazil has

shown great vitality. They have had alarge number of members attending bothnational events — Summer Schools inJanuary, which are held in differentlocations in order to strengthen the localwork, and International Schools ofTheosophy, which take place in July inthe Theosophical Institute.

The Theosophical Publishing Househas reached its hundredth book, andSophia magazine keeps going to thenewststands in a print of 10,000 copies,presenting the Theosophical teachings tothe public in an accessible language.Every issue features an article of the inter-national President.

In Brasilia, Theosophical lectures aretransmitted by a channel over cable TV,for twelve hours daily. This TV has morethan three hundred thousand subscribers.Public lectures are transmitted on TV alsoin some other cities.

The School of the WisdomThe next sessions of the School of the

Wisdom will take place as usual betweenearly November 2011 and February 2012.

The theme for the first session is‘Meditation and Its Practice’, to beconducted by Prof. V. V. Chalam, formerNational Lecturer of the Indian Section ofthe TS. Daily practice of meditation willbe an essential component, in addition totalks. From 14 November to 2 December2011, Prof. C. A Shinde, National Lec-turer for the Indian Section, will speak on‘The Path of the Spiritual Aspirant’. Thepath to spiritual perfection is the processof becoming what we are and this sessionis meant to be an in-depth exploration ofthe subject. Mr Ricardo Lindemann,former National President of the TS inBrazil and a serious student of Astrologyfor many years, will conduct, from 5 to16 December, classes on ‘Astrology andthe Wisdom Tradition’, including What isAstrology; The Twelve Signs and theirCorrelation with the Apostles; The Lawof Cycles and the Second Proposition ofThe Secret Doctrine.

From 9 January to 2 February 2012Dr Ravi Ravindra, who has directed theSchool of the Wisdom several times inthe past, will speak on ‘Explorations in the§g Veda’, exploring the most significantsections of the §g Veda. Particular atten-tion will be given to the Purusha Sukta

and the Nâsadiya Sukta.Information about the School of the

Wisdom classes is available on the TSwebsite http://ts-adyar.org/.

We are visitors on this planet. . . . During this period we must try to do somethinggood, something useful with our lives. Try to be at peace with yourself and helpothers have peace. If you contribute to others’ happiness, you will find the truegoal, the meaning of life.

The Dalai Lama

38

Date Section General Secretary, etc. Address Magazine Email address

1947 Africa, East and … Mr Navin B. Shah … PO Box 14804, 00800-Westlands, Nairobi, … The Theosophical Light [email protected] Kenya

1909 Africa, South … Mr Tom Davis … 22 Buffels Road, Rietondale, Pretoria, 0084 … The South African Theosophist [email protected] Africa, West … Mr P. B. Kwakyi … PO Box 720, Accra, Ghana … The West African Theosophist [email protected] America, … Mrs Ligia Gutiérrez S. … Rept. Los Arcos # 43, Ent. Princ. 1 c. Sur [email protected]

Central * 2 c. Abajo, 1 c. Sur, Distrito 2,Managua, Nicaragua

1920 Argentina … Mr Jorge Garcia … Santiago 257 — 2000, Rosario … Teosofía en Argentina [email protected]

1990 Asia, Southeast † … The Theosophical Society [email protected], Chennai 600 020, India

1895 Australia … Dr Dara Tatray … 4th fl., 484 Kent St., Sydney, NSW 2000 … Theosophy in Australia [email protected] Austria * … Mr Herbert Fuchs … Joseph Gaubyweg 7, A - 8010 Graz … Theosofie Adyar [email protected] Belgium … Mr Jan Jelle Keppler … Place des Gueux 8, B1000 Brussels … Le Lotus Bleu [email protected] Bolivia † … Mrs Teresa W. de Nuñez … Casilla de Correo 3911, Cochabamba [email protected] Brazil … Mr Marcos L. B. de Resende … SGAS Quadra 603, N. 20, … Sophia [email protected]

CEP 70200-630 Brasilia (DF)1924 Canada * … Mr Medardo Martinez Cruz … 3162 Rue de la Bastille … The Light Bearer [email protected]

Boisbriand QC., J7H 1K71920 Chile * … Mr Maximiliano Aguilera … Casilla 3603, Santiago 21 … Revista Teosófica Chilena [email protected] Colombia † … Mrs Julia Ballesteros … Carrera. 6, No. 56-27 Apto. 201, Bogotá-2 … Selección Teosófica [email protected] Costa Rica † … Ms Maria Orlich … Apartado 8-6710-1000, San José [email protected] Croatia … Mrs Nada Tepeš … Krajiška ulica 24, 10000 Zagreb … Teozofija [email protected] Cuba … Mr Gaspar Torres … Apartado de Correos 6365, La Habana 10600 [email protected] Dominican Rep. † … Mrs Magaly Polanco … 1652 Calle Sta. Agueda, C7 Les Chalets Court polancomagaly@yahoo,com

Aptdo. 23, San Juan, PR 00926, USA1888 England … Mr Eric McGough … 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA … Insight [email protected] Finland … Ms Marja Artamaa … Teosofinen Seura, Vironkatu 7 C 2, Fin 00170, … Teosofi [email protected]

Helsinki1899 France … Ms Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu … 4 Square Rapp, 75007 Paris … Le Lotus Bleu [email protected] Germany … Mrs Manuela Kaulich … Hauptstr. 39, 93138 Lappersdorf … Adyar [email protected] Greece … Mr Theodoros Katsifis … 25 Voukourestiou St., 106 71-Athens … Ilisos [email protected] Hungary † … Mr Thomas Martinovich … Hunyadi Janos ut 17. II. 8, H-1011 Budapest … Teozófia [email protected] Iceland … Ms Anna Valdimarsdóttir … PO Box 1257 Ingolfsstraeti 22, 121 Reykjavik … Gangleri [email protected] India … Mr S. Sundaram … The Theosophical Society, Varanasi 221 010 … The Indian Theosophist [email protected] Indonesia … Mr Herry Ispoernomo … Jalan Anggrek Nelimurni A-104, … Theosofi [email protected]

Jakarta 11410, Timur1919 Ireland * … Mrs Marie Harkness … 97 Mountsandel Road, Coleraine, … Insight [email protected]

Co. Londonderry, UK BT52 ITA

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D I R E C T O R Y

39

1954 Israel … Mr Abraham Oron … PO Box 4014, Ramat-Gan, Israel 52140 … Or [email protected] Italy … Mr Antonio Girardi … Viale Quintino Sella, 83/E, … Rivista Italiana di Teosofia [email protected]

36100 Vicenza1997 Ivory Coast * … Mr Pierre-Magloire Kouahoh … Yopougon, 23 Rue Princesse … Sophia [email protected]

B. P. 3924, Abidjan 231971 Japan … Mr Taichi Yamaguchi … 2-5-25 Tozukahigashi, Kawaguchi-shi [email protected]

Saitama-ken 333-08021919 Mexico … Mrs Lissette Arroyo Jiménez … Ignacio Mariscal 126, Col. Tabacalera [email protected]

Mexicana, Mexico, D.F. 060301897 Netherlands, The … Ms Els Rijneker … Tolsraat 154, 1074 VM Amsterdam … Theosofia [email protected] New Zealand … Ms Sandy Ravelli … 18, Belvedere Street, Epsom, Auckland 1051 … TheoSophia [email protected] Norway * … Mrs Agnes Gaasemyr … Stadionvei 9, N - 5162 Laksevaag [email protected] Peru † … Mr Julio Gerardo Pomar … Jr. Republica de Portugal 152, Breña, Lima 5 … Búsqueda [email protected] Philippines, The … Mr Rosel Doval-Santos … Corner P. Florentino and Iba Streets, … The Philippine Theosophist [email protected]

Quezon City, Manila1921 Portugal … Mr Carlos Guerra … Rua Passos Manoel no. 20 cave … Osiris [email protected]

1150 - 260 Lisboa1925 Puerto Rico † … Mrs Magaly Polanco … P.O. Box 36-1766 … Heraldo Teosófico [email protected]

609 Calle Miramar PR Hoare,San Juan, PR 00936, USA

1910 Scotland * … Mr Gary Kidgell … 28 Great King Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6QH … Circles [email protected] Singapore … Mr Chong Sanne … 540 Sims Avenue, No 03-04 … Newsletter [email protected]

Sims Avenue Centre, Singapore 3876031992 Slovenia * … Mrs Breda Zagar … Kunaverjeva 1 SLO-1000 Ljubljana … Teozofska Misel [email protected] Spain … Mrs Clarisa Elósegui … Arenys de Mar, n.14, 1ro - 1ra … Sophia [email protected]

E - 08225 Terrassa - Barcelona1926 Sri Lanka † … Mr S. M. Jayatilleke … 20/13, Race Course Road, Badulla (BD) 90000 … The Sri Lanka Theosophist [email protected] Sweden … Mr Pertti Spets … Henriksdalsringen 23, SE - 131 32 Nacka … Tidlös Visdom [email protected] Switzerland † … Mrs Eliane Gaillard … 17 Chemin de la Côte, CH -1282 Dardagny, … The Lotus [email protected]

Genève1997 Togo * … Mr Kouma Dakey … S.O., A.R.T.T., BP 76, Adeta2007 Ukraine … Mrs Svitlana Gavrylenko … Office 3, 7-A Zhylianska St., Kiev 01033 … Svitoch [email protected] USA … Mr Tim Boyd … PO Box 270, Wheaton, IL 60187-0270 … The Quest [email protected] Uruguay * … Mrs Dolores Gago … Javier Barrios Amorín 1085,

Casilla de Correos 1553, Montevideo [email protected] Wales * … Ms Julie Cunningham … Tan y fron, Red Wharf Bay, Pentraeth … Insight [email protected]

Angelsey, Gwynedd LL75 8HJ UK

Date refers to the date of formation * Regional Association † Presidential Agency Lodge attached to Adyar

The Council of the European Federation of National Societies: Chairman: Miss Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu, 67 Rue des Pommiers, F-45000 Orleans, France. Email: [email protected] Theosophical Federation: President: Mrs Terezinha Kind, SHIS QI 28 Conjunto 1, casa 29 - Lago Sul, Brasilia DFF - 71.670-210, Brazil. Email: [email protected] Theosophical Federation: President: Mr John Vorstermans, 60B Riro Street, Point Chevalier, Auckland 1022, New Zealand. Email: [email protected] Theosophical Federation: Chairman: Mr Kiran H. Shah, 55A Third Parklands Avenue, PO Box 40149, Nairobi 00100, Kenya. Email: [email protected]

40

SurfaceMail

Air Mail

AirMail

SurfaceMail

Air Mail

AirMail

SurfaceMail

SurfaceMail

ANNUAL ANNUAL5 YEARS 5 YEARS

THE THEOSOPHIST ADYAR NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIPTIONS: US $ AND RUPEE RATES

(Effective from 1 December 2008)

Rs 100 - - - -

- -

- -

- -

Rs 450 Rs 25 Rs 100

$ 25 $ 35 $ 110 $ 170 $ 10 $ 45

$ 10 $ 15 $ 45 $ 70 $ 5 $ 20

$ 25$ 115$ 70$ 25$ 15 $ 5

COUNTRY

India

All other Asian countries and Africa.

Russia, Poland, Eastern Europe, andCIS (former USSR States), Centraland South America.

North America, Japan, Australia,New Zealand, Hong Kong,Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, SouthKorea, European Union and otherNon-Eastern European countries; theMiddle East, and Pacific Islands.

Please send the Subscription to: THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE, ADYAR, CHENNAI 600 020, INDIA

Some issues of The Theosophist are now available online and can be read and/or downloaded from:http://www.ts-adyar.org/magazines.html

Printed and published by Mr S. Harihara Raghavan, Manager, The Vasanta Press,The Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai (Madras) 600 020, India, on behalf of the President, The Theosophical Society.

Documents

THE THEOSOPHIST - ts-adyar.org · 2 The Theosophical Society is composed of students, belonging to any religion in the world or to none, who are united by their approval of the Society’s