Vol129no04 Jan2008
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THE THEOSOPHIST VOL. 129 NO. 4 JANUARY 2008 CONTENTS Presidential Address 123 Radha Burnier From Within Outwards: The Way of the Universe 138 John Algeo Foundation Day 144 A. P. Shah Understanding, Sharing, Loving 150 Pertti Spets The Work of the Branches 152 Damodar K. Mavalankar Theosophical Work around the World 156 International Directory 158 Editor: Mrs Radha Burnier NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office. Cover Picture: Graceful Adyar flora — by Prof. A. Chandrasekharan Official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Society is responsible only for official notices appearing in this magazine. Presidential Address To the 132nd Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society Adyar, 26 December 2007 Dear Brethren, I welcome all of you to this 132nd international Convention. The fact that so many members from different countries of the world gather here, shows that they find in the Convention at Adyar something worthwhile and inspiring. There are some who come year after year and this is, in my view, a great encouragement to having the annual Convention at Adyar, the place which the Founders chose, and where many of our most respected leaders spent their life irrespective of the climate and other conditions which may not have been what they were used to. Let us invoke the blessings of our Elder Brethren, who are always at work to encourage people to rise to the heights of human behaviour and living: May those who are the embodiments 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. It is only natural for us to turn our own powers to do the same, until one attention this year to the President- day humanity will have reached a state Founder, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, of unity. and see in his life an example which is The work we have to do is to awaken inspiring for us to follow. Many of our and energize the mind, ours as well as Lodges have been honouring his activ- that of others, to the real purpose of our ities, and are no doubt planning to con- lives. To do this, it is needless to say, we tinue with vigour and enthusiasm the ourselves must become relatively aware work that he began. We are surely aware of the general condition of humanity. that one of the leading characteristics This is not so easy. We often get involved of his life was his utter consecration and in our day-to-day work in such a way devotion to the high aims of our Society. that we give little thought to the basic Col. Olcott may have made mistakes, happenings in the world and the illusions but was ever ready to correct them and which carry humanity in a direction to do the work of uplifting human con- which is not helpful. sciousness to whatever extent possible. If we look more carefully at the pres- Perhaps we need to remember our ent generation, we see that there is a January 2008 123 The Theosophist dangerous tendency to get lost in the Society tries to bring about this attitude. enjoyments of the time, not knowing what We have no doubt different interests and else to do. The newspapers, which used occupations, some of which have little to to contain more serious matters, are now do with the aims of the evolutionary path. inclined to submit to pressure from people Leaving those alone, we can appreciate who are engaged in trivialities, and the the fact that in spite of all our differences world is being led astray by the ability to and interests, we still remain human, that invent new pleasures. Are we, who claim is, we have something which we all share to be interested in Theosophy, following our humanness the qualities essen- suit? How many of us have the strength tially belonging to all human beings. So, to search for light on the true purposes of as we go along trying to reach higher human living and help others to do the levels, we can still, in spite of our dif- same? This is an important question. Let ficulties, feel we are one. There are human us not forget that Col. Olcott and Madame beings who do feel this, and we can say Blavatsky set a new trend to free people that they are united because of it. Others from their absorption in superficialities. of course have to learn to feel it. The first Another thing that they tried to bring Object of the Society is thus of world about was a wider attitude towards life. importance to all of humanity. The minds of members of the Society was The point made in the second Object again and again drawn to human pos- is to turn attention away from just learn- sibilities for living in a new way, and the ing to live comfortably, towards what we mind was guided from purely personal may call higher values. The Theosophical concerns to the larger issues of mankind. Society does not say which particular If human beings become far less con- religion is the best, but it does point to cerned with themselves and much more religion as a whole as something that can with humanity as a whole, the world will lead to human progress. That is why the certainly become different. Conditions are study of religion is encouraged, and slowly leading towards that: the world is becomes part of the objects of the Soci- getting closer in many ways. But does that ety. The study of religion has to be non- help us to wake up to the totality of life, personal and fundamental religion itself. not only the life of human beings, but of Thus human beings can rise to higher all the inhabitants of this earth? There may levels of knowing and understanding. be differences of form, of emotional and This is a question which arises in the mental attractions, of interests in general, minds of all thinking or aspiring people. but the fact is that we have to learn to travel Similarly, the words philosophy and in amity and goodwill towards all to reach science convey a great deal to those who an end which is higher and nobler than perceive philosophy not as a sectarian what we have known. set of ideas, but a way of thinking which The first Object of the Theosophical sees everything as part of a whole. The 124 Vol. 129.4 Presidential Address true member of the Theosophical Society the major issues, namely Religion, realizes intuitively that there is a whole- Philosophy and Science the more we ness in all of life, and that there are can begin to understand fully the third. ways of discovering it. Science aids in The third Object of the Society is one this quest, as can be seen more and more that can take a person beyond himself, through its descriptions, telling us that when he reaches a universal level in all the different forms are interdepend- every way, and is not concerned with ent. Science at first seemed to be based small things of interest to the average on separation, but has now come to that human being. Up to now we have tried to point where it sees the unity in the whole make our lives fulfilling, and sometimes process of manifestation. feel that we have succeeded to a certain So Religion, Philosophy and Science extent in achieving our desire, but it does together, in a broad sense, not in a formal not take us very far, because we continue way, can carry us to our natural destin- to cling to the various actions which help ation that is, towards higher planes to bind us to the pre-human level. When of understanding. Today most people are we become capable of reading poetry engaged in finding out better ways of or solving some of the great riddles physical living, but this is not funda- posed by life, and so on, we feel we have mental. What is important is to make the got somewhere. But universal life needs mind rise from the material to higher no fulfilling of itself, and the word ful- levels of perception, and therefore the filment has no meaning at that level. mind must be used to delve into the nature So if we really investigate Nature and of non-physical relationship. go beyond what we feel can be known, When we come to the third Object, of it will bring out all the powers latent in which we know so little, we can still see ourselves and make us rise above our the importance of it if we can only per- present stature. Knowledge which is un- ceive that the Universe itself works limited, and universal love, which can according to certain laws. There are surmount all the normal difficulties, powers latent in us, on turning seriously have the capacity to see what is actually towards which we will be able to come in front of our eyes but remains hid- closer to the heart of Nature. This Object den because our vision is limited. To can be practised only by people who try put it simply, we come into contact to live according to the other two aims with the Eternal the most important we very briefly referred to. The more we transformation that will take place live in accordance with the first two carrying the person from the animalis- Objects one being the ability to be tic ego-consciousness to the universal in harmony with all, and the other to non-egoistic consciousness.