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Vol137no04 Jan2016 Text of Resolutions passed by the General Council of the Theosophical Society Freedom of Thought As the Theosophical Society has spread far and wide over the world, and as members of all religions have become members of it without surrendering the special dogmas, teachings and beliefs of their re- spective faiths, it is thought desirable to emphasize the fact that there is no doctrine, no opinion, by whomsoever taught or held, that is in any way binding on any member of the Society, none which any member is not free to accept or reject. Approval of its three Objects is the sole condition of membership. No teacher, or writer, from H. P. Blavatsky onwards, has any authority to impose his or her teachings or opinions on members. Every member has an equal right to follow any school of thought, but has no right to force the choice on any other. Neither a candidate for any office nor any voter can be rendered ineligible to stand or to vote, because of any opinion held, or because of membership in any school of thought. Opinions or beliefs neither bestow privileges nor inflict penalties. The Members of the General Council earnestly request every member of the Theosophical Society to maintain, defend and act upon these fundamental principles of the Society, and also fearlessly to exercise the right of liberty of thought and of expression thereof, within the limits of courtesy and consideration for others. Freedom of the Society The Theosophical Society, while cooperating with all other bodies whose aims and activities make such cooperation possible, is and must remain an organization entirely independent of them, not committed to any objects save its own, and intent on developing its own work on the broadest and most inclusive lines, so as to move towards its own goal as indicated in and by the pursuit of those objects and that Divine Wisdom which in the abstract is implicit in the title ‘The Theosophical Society’. Since Universal Brotherhood and the Wisdom are undefined and unlimited, and since there is complete freedom for each and every member of the Society in thought and action, the Society seeks ever to maintain its own distinctive and unique character by remaining free of affiliation or identification with any other organization. 2 THE THEOSOPHIST VOL. 137 NO. 4 JANUARY 2016 CONTENTS Presidential Address 5 Tim Boyd Compassion as Radical Living 19 Linda Oliveira Developing Character and Becoming a Leader 27 Victor Peñaranda An Individual’s Universal Responsibility 30 Samdhong Rinpoche The Cause of Suffering 36 Bhupendra R. Vora International Directory 40 Editor: Mr Tim Boyd NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office. Cover: Confucius presenting the young Gautama Buddha to Laozi, Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) Official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Society is responsible only for official notices appearing in this magazine. 3 THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Founded 17 November 1875 President: Mr Tim Boyd Vice-President: Dr Chittaranjan Satapathy Secretary: Ms Marja Artamaa Treasurer: Mr K. Narasimha Rao Headquarters: ADYAR, CHENNAI (MADRAS) 600 020, INDIA Vice-President: [email protected] Secretary: [email protected] Treasurer: [email protected] Adyar Library and Research Centre: [email protected] Theosophical Publishing House: [email protected] & [email protected] Editorial Office: [email protected], Website: http://www.ts-adyar.org 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 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 truths and to share the results of their studies with others. Their bond of union is not the profession 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, not as a dogma to be imposed by authority. They consider that belief should be the result of individual study or intuition, and not its antecedent, and should rest on knowledge, 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 remove ignorance, not punish it. They see every religion as an expression of the Divine Wisdom 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, and which cannot be claimed as the exclusive possession of any. It offers a philosophy which renders life intelligible, and which demonstrates the justice and the love which guide its evolution. It puts death in its rightful place, as a recurring incident in 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 as himself and the mind and body as his servants. It illuminates the scriptures and doctrines of religions by unveiling their hidden meanings, and thus justifying them at the bar of intelligence, as they are ever justified in the eyes of intuition. Members of the Theosophical Society study these truths, and theosophists endeavour to live them. Everyone willing to study, to be tolerant, to aim high, and to work perseveringly, is welcomed as a member, and it rests with the member to become a true theosophist. 4 The Theosophist Presidential Address Presidential Address To the 140th Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society Adyar, 31 December 2015 Dear Brethren, welcome all to the 140th Convention of the Theosophical Society, after a trying period of climate-related emergencies experienced in one way or another by almost all of us in the recent past. Let us offer together a moment of silence in memory of those who have lost their lives in these tragedies, wishing them a peaceful transition, also in giving thanks that the damages suffered by others were not worse than what they were, and in hoping for a return to normalcy in general as soon as possible, for all those who have been seriously affected. Please rise for the invocation to the Great Ones who protect the Society with their energy and strength: May those who are the embodiment of Love Immortal bless with their help and guidance this Society, founded to be a channel for their work. May They inspire it with their Wisdom, strengthen it with their Power, and energize it with their Activity. I am very glad to open this 140th Annual Convention of the TS. Little needs to be said about the ap- profoundly since the founding days of propriateness of the theme for this year’s the TS. The long list of global changes convention: ‘Compassion and Universal during the past 140 years includes coloni- Responsibility’. There seems to be a alism, human and civil rights, national growing perception that our world, the independence, world wars, massive tech- network of relationships we have created, nological advances, nuclear threat, is becoming less caring, more brutal, and economic depressions, large scale human insensitive. Certainly this is the feedback migrations, and ecological challenges. In received from popular media sources. the face of such challenges many people Whether or not this perception is accurate, feel paralysed by a sense of power- it is affecting the outlook and respon- lessness and insignificance. Others feel siveness of people around the world and energized and seek out ways to make within our Theosophical Society. their presence felt. Still others find them- During the TS’s history great shifts selves searching for some serene haven, have been witnessed in the structures of safe from the onslaught of the world society and the knowledge that supports around. For many the life of the spiritual those structures. The world has changed seeker seems to provide such a hiding January 2016 The Theosophist 5 Presidential Address place from the troubles of the world. This — the conviction that reality is composed is not, cannot be, and never has been the of countless separate, isolated atoms, or choice for members of the TS. beings, or worlds. There is an expression Although so much of the change in that, ‘You must not only learn the truth; the world is revealing itself in visible and you must suffer it.’ If our experience of tangible ways, always the root is hidden the Ageless Wisdom reveals anything to — out of sight and beyond the reach of us, it is that consciousness is the ground surface attempts at ‘fixing’ the problems. of reality. Whether it is the limitations of The level of causes is necessarily unseen. the strict material world view, or the ex- It is on that level where we find our work. pansiveness of some higher perception, One of the prevailing truths that has essentially it all arises from consciousness. become clear across disciplines is the fact This realization is liberating and pro- of the radical interdependence, not only vides a direction for our work in the world. of the people of the world, but of all life. The theme for this year’s Convention Social science, psychology, economics, seems to focus on two things, compassion quantum physics, biology, ecology, and and responsibility, but the distinction is normal common sense are now magni- only apparent. The two are inseparable.
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