DOCSLIB.ORG

Orzech, Charles D

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Orzech, Charles D H-Buddhism Orzech, Charles D. Page published by A. Charles Muller on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 Teachers of an Accidental Buddhist Studies Scholar: on Good Friends 善知識kalyāṇa-mitra Charles D. Orzech When Chuck Prebish contacted me about this project it occurred to me that his aim was to capture a more fine-grained picture of the assimilation of Buddhism in North America during the second half of the twentieth century. It is also—in effect—a group portrait or an autobiography of a generation of Buddhist teachers, scholars, and practitioners. I hope that when complete these self-portraits might serve as data for a larger analysis. Thinking about this assignment off and on for some time I also am reminded of one of John McRae’s rules of Zen Studies (I teach a course on Chan and Zen and use McRae). Rule number two reads, “Lineage assertions are as wrong as they are strong” (John R. McRae, Seeing Through Zen, xix). McRae then adds that if the lineage claims can be shown to be genuine they are probably insignificant. If we have learned anything in the last fifty years of Zen studies it is that Chan/Son/Zen traditions are under continual construction and reconstruction under the scaffolding of lineage. Almost every scholar of Buddhism or Buddhist practitioner I have met will at some point make a bow to their Buddhist ancestors. Should we be under any illusion that our ancestral invocations are fundamentally different that those of the eleventh century? The living construct the present out of the past. This is not in any way to call this effort into question. Rather, it is a reflection on the contingent and always situated nature of our knowledge. Will some future Buddhist construct lineages out of what were, for me, accidental and happenstance encounters? I am taking this assignment in a personal direction, and not as a narrative CV. I grew up in a family of Catholic Polish and French Canadian mill workers in central Massachusetts. Neither of my parents graduated from high school. My father had been in Japan with the occupation. The family lore is that he was the sergeant in charge of the Yokohama liquor warehouse that supplied officer’s clubs in Tokyo. Perhaps the album of small faded black and white photos from his tour of duty in Japan made some kind of impression on me. Later in life I repeatedly offered to take Citation: A. Charles Muller. Orzech, Charles D.. H-Buddhism. 11-17-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/pages/6796127/orzech-charles-d Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Buddhism him to Japan, but he would not go. In high school I was a science geek, and though I went to college I had no clearly formulated goal other than having fun. Starting at the University of Massachusetts in 1970 I began to take classes toward an Astronomy and Astrophysics major only to discover my shortcomings, and those of my high school science curriculum. Without sufficient background in chemistry I would have flunked Planetary Atmospheres had I not decided to drop. Two things intervened that pushed me toward Buddhism. I had chosen to live in Project 10, a “Living-Learning” environment based in Pierpont House in U Mass’s Southwest complex. Teresina Rowell Havens—then in her sixties—was teachingTaiji . It was only many years later that I read her"The Background and Early Use of the Buddhakṣetra Concept” (Eastern Buddhist 6: 1933: 199–246, 379–431; and 7: 1936: 131–145). Also, a number of friends I had made in the dorm were deeply into various strains of the occult. One of them, my roommate Rick Taupier, would later go on to a career in geographic information systems and, more recently, a second Ph.D. in history with a focus on Mongolian Buddhism. The writings of Alice Bailey, Aleister Crowley, and Alfred Percy Sinnett (Esoteric Buddhism, London: Trubner, 1883) presented an enticing, but rather strange, introduction to Buddhism and Hinduism. However peculiar such an entrée might seem it is clear that various strains of the occult nurtured in colonial encounters were still helping to seed an interest in Buddhism across Europe and America in the 1960s and 1970s. By the next semester I had signed up for a philosophy course on “Metaphysics” (not at all what I had naively imagined!) and a comparative literature course titled “Mysticism East and West.” This course, taught by Lucien Miller, cemented my interest in religion. I asked him what professional opportunities might be available—he noted that I could become an academic, and if I was serious I should start Chinese immediately. It took another year but in the summer of 1973 I began Mandarin at Middlebury College’s intensive summer school. In the meantime I realized that I could not do a religious studies major at UMass because there was no such department. However, Smith College did have an excellent department, and the Five College Consortium would allow me to take courses there. As a result I proposed an independent major at UMass in the Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration program with a focus on East Asian Languages and Religion. My advisors were Lucien Miller at UMass and Denis Hudson, the Hinduism professor at Smith. I started Classical Chinese with Alvin P. Cohen (a student of Peter Alexis Boodberg at Berkeley) aiming to be able to read Chinese Buddhist texts. I had the privilege to Citation: A. Charles Muller. Orzech, Charles D.. H-Buddhism. 11-17-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/pages/6796127/orzech-charles-d Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2 H-Buddhism take a year long Hinduism course with Denis Hudson and Buddhism with Taitesu Unno. I was now becoming more serious about the study of Buddhism. I moved off campus with a new roommate, and on our refrigerator we posted a segment of “The Repulsiveness of Food” from the Visuddhimagga (as translated in Edward Conze’s Buddhist Meditation 1956, 100-103). We soon realized that a young Tibetan Buddhism scholar, Robert Thurman, had joined the faculty at Amherst College, and my roommate and I signed up for his introduction to Literary Tibetan. The class started out with four of us, but soon the two Amherst students dropped leaving my roommate and I struggling with Tibetan in Bob’s office. I was not the most assiduous student, and Tibetan seemed doubly difficult as we were using Foucaux’s Grammaire de la Langue Tibétaine (Paris, 1858)! During the next two years Thurman’s fledgling American Institute of Buddhist Studies began more ambitious programing, and invited Dodrupchen Rinpoche, a Nyingma lama then living in Sikkhim to help establish The Mahasiddha Nyingmapa Center in Western Massachusetts. It was a crash course in the reality of practice--- seemingly endless chanting of the praises of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)! Still following Lucien Miller’s advice, I applied to graduate schools. I became more interested in the History of Religions program at the University of Chicago and in the program at the University of Wisconsin, and I went for a visit in late 1973, staying with a friend from UMass, Dan Brown, who would go on to write a dissertation on Tibetan meditative texts. I talked to faculty at Chicago including Dean Joseph Kitagawa and Edward Dimock, and I also made a side trip to sit in on Stephen Beyer’s Buddhism class in Madison. Chicago admitted me to the master of divinity program, and gave me a partial scholarship so, in the Fall of 1974, I was in Chicago. Chicago at the time was stocked with luminaries: Mircea Eliade, Robert Grant, David Tracy, Joseph Kitagawa, Jonathan Z. Smith, etc. The Masters program was designed to replicate the sort of training that students used to get with a Bachelor of Divinity degree, and was structured around a series of qualifying exams, mostly focused on the history of Christianity and theory in the study of religion. This training was excellent preparation for working in a small department where one is called on to teach courses such as Introduction to Religion, as well as Non-Western Religions and Buddhism. While pursuing the MA I enrolled in Frank Reynold’s Buddhism course during which I wrote a research paper arguing that Dignāga’s poetic preface to his treatise on perception (Hattori’sDignāga, on perception; being the Citation: A. Charles Muller. Orzech, Charles D.. H-Buddhism. 11-17-2020. https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/pages/6796127/orzech-charles-d Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 3 H-Buddhism Pratyakṣapariccheda of Dignāga's Pramāṇasamuccaya from the Sanskrit fragments and the Tibetan versions, HUP 1968) should be taken as more than a perfunctory bow to religious sensibilities, and seen as a serious piece of religious argumentation. I also continued classical Chinese with David Roy in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and took a course on Scripture with Jonathan Z. Smith that was to be influential in my approach to Buddhism. The following year I completed the Masters (December 1975) and applied for and was accepted into the Ph.D. Program in the History of Religions. At this point I decided to return to UMass to begin studying Japanese. On my return to Chicago I enrolled T. H. Tsien’s Chinese Bibliography course, Michael Dalby’s course on Six Dynasties Religion, and Joseph Kitagawa’s course on Patterns of Worship.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • VT Module6 Lineage Text Major Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
    THE MAJOR SCHOOLS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM By Pema Khandro A BIRD’S EYE VIEW 1. NYINGMA LINEAGE a. Pema Khandro’s lineage. Literally means: ancient school or old school. Nyingmapas rely on the old tantras or the original interpretation of Tantra as it was given from Padmasambhava. b. Founded in 8th century by Padmasambhava, an Indian Yogi who synthesized the teachings of the Indian MahaSiddhas, the Buddhist Tantras, and Dzogchen. He gave this teaching (known as Vajrayana) in Tibet. c. Systemizes Buddhist philosophy and practice into 9 Yanas. The Inner Tantras (what Pema Khandro Rinpoche teaches primarily) are the last three. d. It is not a centralized hierarchy like the Sarma (new translation schools), which have a figure head similar to the Pope. Instead, the Nyingma tradition is de-centralized, with every Lama is the head of their own sangha. There are many different lineages within the Nyingma. e. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is the emphasis in the Tibetan Yogi tradition – the Ngakpa tradition. However, once the Sarma translations set the tone for monasticism in Tibet, the Nyingmas also developed a monastic and institutionalized segment of the tradition. But many Nyingmas are Ngakpas or non-monastic practitioners. f. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is that it is characterized by treasure revelations (gterma). These are visionary revelations of updated communications of the Vajrayana teachings. Ultimately treasure revelations are the same dharma principles but spoken in new ways, at new times and new places to new people. Because of these each treasure tradition is unique, this is the major reason behind the diversity within the Nyingma.
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief Introduction to Buddhism and the Sakya Tradition
    A brief introduction to Buddhism and the Sakya tradition © 2016 Copyright © 2016 Chödung Karmo Translation Group www.chodungkarmo.org International Buddhist Academy Tinchuli–Boudha P.O. Box 23034 Kathmandu, Nepal www.internationalbuddhistacademy.org Contents Preface 5 1. Why Buddhism? 7 2. Buddhism 101 9 2.1. The basics of Buddhism 9 2.2. The Buddha, the Awakened One 12 2.3. His teaching: the Four Noble Truths 14 3. Tibetan Buddhism: compassion and skillful means 21 4. The Sakya tradition 25 4.1. A brief history 25 4.2. The teachings of the Sakya school 28 5. Appendices 35 5.1. A brief overview of different paths to awakening 35 5.2. Two short texts on Mahayana Mind Training 39 5.3. A mini-glossary of important terms 43 5.4. Some reference books 46 5 Preface This booklet is the first of what we hope will become a small series of introductory volumes on Buddhism in thought and practice. This volume was prepared by Christian Bernert, a member of the Chödung Karmo Translation Group, and is meant for interested newcomers with little or no background knowledge about Buddhism. It provides important information on the life of Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of our tradition, and his teachings, and introduces the reader to the world of Tibetan Buddhism and the Sakya tradition in particular. It also includes the translation of two short yet profound texts on mind training characteristic of this school. We thank everyone for their contributions towards this publication, in particular Lama Rinchen Gyaltsen, Ven. Ngawang Tenzin, and Julia Stenzel for their comments and suggestions, Steven Rhodes for the editing, Cristina Vanza for the cover design, and the Khenchen Appey Foundation for its generous support.
    [Show full text]
  • Realization Song of Mahasiddha Nāropa1
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Jagiellonian Univeristy Repository The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture Nr 9 (1/2014) / ARTICLE ARTUR PRZYBYSŁAWSKI* (Jagiellonian University) Realization Song of Mahasiddha Nāropa1 ABSTRACT The text on the so called realization song [in Sanskrit upadeśa and gdams ngag in Tibetan] by Mahasiddha Nāropa [1016‒1100] entitled phyag rgya chen po’i tshigs bsdus pa [Con- cise Māhamudrā]. It consists of short introduction, translation of the original and edition of Tibetan text. KEY WORDS Māhamudrā, realization, nature of mind A great professor leaving university and turning into a wild yogin ‒ what could be a more heretical act from the point of view of academics and what could be more natural from the point of view of yogic tantra practitioners? The Indian tradition of the famous 84 Mahāsiddhas knows at least a few cases of this kind and one of them is that of Nāropa [1016‒1100]. Being guardian of the Nalanda northern gate ‒ one of the most responsible positions given only to the best ‒ his academic career reached its’ peak. Winning every debate he proved himself unmatched and there was hardly any further academic privilege he could fight for. At that moment, however, he realized that his understanding of Buddhist teachings was limited only to words, understood perfectly, but that words can not transmit experience itself, even though paradoxically this is what they are meant for. Realizing that there was a huge gulf between his intellectual under- 1 Many thanks to Roland Beck for his friendly help with polishing my English.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to the Joachim Wach Papers 1888-1988
    University of Chicago Library Guide to the Joachim Wach Papers 1888-1988 © 2014 University of Chicago Library Table of Contents Descriptive Summary 3 Information on Use 3 Access 3 Citation 3 Biographical Note 3 Scope Note 4 Related Resources 6 Subject Headings 6 INVENTORY 6 Series I: Correspondence 6 Series II: Writings 7 Series III: Research Files 10 Series IV: Course materials 11 Series V: University materials 12 Series VI: Miscellaneous 13 Series VII: Addenda Materials 13 Series VIII: Restricted 16 Descriptive Summary Identifier ICU.SPCL.WACH Title Wach, Joachim. Papers Date 1888-1988 Size 5.5 linear feet (12 boxes0 Repository Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A. Abstract Joachim Wach (1898-1958) taught at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. The papers contain correspondence, manuscripts of published and unpublished works, notes and research files, course materials, and manuscripts and correspondence relating to posthumous publications. Information on Use Access Series VIII contains student evaluative material is restricted for 80 years, until 2034. The remainder of the collection is open for research. Citation When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Wach, Joachim. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library Biographical Note An authority on the history of religions, Joachim Wach (1898-1958) taught in the Divinity School from 1945 until his death. Wach was born in Chemnitz, Germany, descended on both sides from the Mendelssohn- Bartoldy family. After serving in the German army during World War I, he studied at the Universities of Berlin and Munich, taking his doctorate in philosophy from Leipzig in 1922.
    [Show full text]
  • Tibetan Buddhism, Vajrayana, and the Lineage of Chogyam Trunpa
    Tibetan Buddhism, Vajrayana, and the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche The Vajrayana is the third major yana or vehicle of buddhadharma. It is built on and incorporates the Foundational teachings (Hinayana) and the Mahayana. It is also known as the Secret Mantra. The Vajrayana teachings are secret teachings, passed down through lineages from teacher to student. They were preserved and developed extensively in Tibet over 1200 years. The beginnings of Vajrayana are in India, initially spreading out through areas of Mahayana Buddhism and later the Kushan Empire. By the 12th century most of the Indian subcontinent was overtaken by the Moghul Empire and almost all of Buddhism was suppressed. The majority of Vajrayana texts, teachings and practices were preserved intact in Tibet. Vajrayana is characterized by the use of skillful means (upaya), expediting the path to enlightenment mapped out in the Mahayana teachings. The skillful means are an intensification of meditation practices coupled with an advanced understanding of the view. Whereas the conventional Mahayana teachings view the emptiness of self and all phenomena as the final goal on the path to Buddhahood, Vajrayana starts by acknowledging this goal as already fully present in all sentient beings. The practice of the path is to actualize that in ourselves and all beings through transforming confusion and obstacles, revealing their natural state of primordial wisdom. This is accomplished through sacred outlook (view), and employing meditation techniques such as visualization in deity practice and mantra recitation. One major stream of Vajrayana is known as Mahamudra (Great Seal), which incorporates the techniques noted above in a process of creation (visualization, mantra) and completion (yogas) leading to the Great Seal.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sacred Mahakala in the Hindu and Buddhist Texts
    Nepalese Culture Vol. XIII : 77-94, 2019 Central Department of NeHCA, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal The sacred Mahakala in the Hindu and Buddhist texts Dr. Poonam R L Rana Abstract Mahakala is the God of Time, Maya, Creation, Destruction and Power. He is affiliated with Lord Shiva. His abode is the cremation grounds and has four arms and three eyes, sitting on five corpse. He holds trident, drum, sword and hammer. He rubs ashes from the cremation ground. He is surrounded by vultures and jackals. His consort is Kali. Both together personify time and destructive powers. The paper deals with Sacred Mahakala and it mentions legends, tales, myths in Hindus and Buddhist texts. It includes various types, forms and iconographic features of Mahakalas. This research concludes that sacred Mahakala is of great significance to both the Buddhist and the Hindus alike. Key-words: Sacred Mahakala, Hindu texts, Buddhist texts. Mahakala Newari Pauwa Etymology of the name Mahakala The word Mahakala is a Sanskrit word . Maha means ‘Great’ and Kala refers to ‘ Time or Death’ . Mahakala means “ Beyond time or Death”(Mukherjee, (1988). NY). The Tibetan Buddhism calls ‘Mahakala’ NagpoChenpo’ meaning the ‘ Great Black One’ and also ‘Ganpo’ which means ‘The Protector’. The Iconographic features of Mahakala in Hindu text In the ShaktisamgamaTantra. The male spouse of Mahakali is the outwardly frightening Mahakala (Great Time), whose meditatative image (dhyana), mantra, yantra and meditation . In the Shaktisamgamatantra, the mantra of Mahakala is ‘Hum Hum Mahakalaprasidepraside Hrim Hrim Svaha.’ The meaning of the mantra is that Kalika, is the Virat, the bija of the mantra is Hum, the shakti is Hrim and the linchpin is Svaha.
    [Show full text]
  • Esoteric Buddhism by A.P
    Esoteric Buddhism by A.P. Sinnett Esoteric Buddhism by A.P. Sinnett Author also of The Occult World President of the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society Fifth edition, annotated and enlarged by the author London, Chapman and Hall Ltd 1885 Page 1 Esoteric Buddhism by A.P. Sinnett CONTENTS Preface to the Annotated Edition Preface to the Original Edition CHAPTER I - Esoteric Teachers Nature of the Present Exposition - Seclusion of Eastern Knowledge - The Arhats and their Attributes - The Mahatmas - Occultists generally - Isolated Mystics - Inferior Yogis - Occult Training - The Great Purpose -Its Incidental Consequences - Present Concessions CHAPTER II - The Constitution of Man Esoteric Cosmogony - Where to Begin - Working back from Man to Universe - Analysis of Man - The Seven Principles CHAPTER III -The Planetary Chain Esoteric Views of Evolution - The Chain of Globes - Progress of Man round them - The Spiral Advance - Original Evolution of the Globes - The Lower Kingdoms CHAPTER IV -The World Periods Uniformity of Nature- Rounds and Races - The Septenary Law - Objective and Subjective Lives - Total Incarnations - Former Races on Earth - Periodic Cataclysms - Atlantis - Lemuria - The Cyclic Law CHAPTER V - Devachan Spiritual Destinies of the Ego - Karma - Division of the Principles of Death - Progress of the Higher Duad - Existence in Devachan - Subjective Progress - Avitchi - Earthly Connection with Devachan - Devachanic Periods CHAPTER VI - Kâma Loca The Astral Shell - Its Habitat - Its Nature - Surviving Impulses - Elementals -
    [Show full text]
  • MAHASIDDHA LUIPA Happy Monks Publication
    MAHASIDDHA LUIPA Happy Monks Publication © 2014 Fedor Stracke All rights reserved. No part of this translation may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without permission in writing from Fedor Stracke. For the cover an ancient Tibetan tanka was used. The Biography of Guru Luipa Namo Guru Chakrasamvaraya Translators Introduction This biography of Luipa is based on the text by Pawo Ösel found in the Biographies of the 84 Mahasiddhas, which itself was not a translation of a written Sanskrit version, but of an oral explanation . Actual Biography He who was called Luipa was named like this because he was sustaining himself on the intestines of fishes. He was born as the second of three sons to a king of a wealthy country in Singal, equal in wealth to Vaisharvana, the God of Wealth. All the buildings of the palace were of good quality, and adorned with precious objects such as jewels, pearl, gold and sliver. Having three sons, the father consulted an astrologer: “Upon the passing of the king, who should take reign of the kingdom?” The astrologer predicted that if the middle born son were to take the reign over the kingdom, qualities such as a stable political situation, and happy entourage and subjects would ensue. And so the father passed on the kingdom to his middle son, and both the elder and younger brother, as well as all the people empowered him as substitute king.
    [Show full text]
  • MAHASIDDHA Sanctuary for Universal PEACE
    the pure vision of his eminence shyalpa tenzin rinpoche mahasiddha sanctuary for universal peace lumbini, nepal The Mahasiddha Sanctuary for Universal Peace will honor the Enlightened One’s fearless engagement and compassionate action in our world for the benefit and wel- fare of all sentient beings. It will serve as a radiant beacon, helping to inspire and guide individuals, communities, and nations toward peaceful coexistence and reconciliation. 2 stupa butter lamp mandala lotus flower The Mahasiddha Sanctuary for Universal Peace will grace the site of Lord Buddha’s birth. The outer structure of the Sanctuary Shrine Hall evokes images of a lotus flower (the innate purity of Buddha nature), a butter lamp (the five Buddha wisdoms), a stupa (the enlightened mind of Buddha), and a mandala offering (the field of enlightened activity). At the pinnacle is a golden finial representing the thirteen Dharmachakra (levels of accomplishment). 3 The vast immaculate space of the Sanctuary Shrine Hall conveys the timeless purity of Buddha’s enlightenment. A golden statue of Queen Mayadevi with the newborn Prince Siddhartha shines in sunlight from above. 4 The Universal Peace library The Grand asseMbly hall The Universal Peace Library will house a vast, compre- The Grand Assembly Hall will accommodate up to 5,000 hensive collection of Lord Buddha’s canonical teachings, people for teachings, empowerments, conferences, and sutras and tantras, writings and commentaries by real- seminars, with state-of-the-art video and audio facilities. ized masters of all Buddhist traditions in print and digital It will host the International Buddhist Federation Peace formats, in native languages and in languages for which Conference and other related events.
    [Show full text]
  • BLAVATSKY,HP Key to Theosophy Pp 1-15 and 19-20.Docx Page 1 of 8
    BLAVATSKY,HP Key to Theosophy pp 1-15 and 19-20.docx Page 1 of 8 H.P. BLAVATSKY The Key to Theosophy pp. 1-15 and 19-20 On religious intolerance pp. 1-15 Section 1 THEOSOPHY AND THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY THE MEANING OF THE NAME ENQUIRER. Theosophy and its doctrines are often referred to as a new-fangled religion. Is it a religion? THEOSOPHIST. It is not. Theosophy is Divine Knowledge or Science. ENQUIRER. What is the real meaning of the term? THEOSOPHIST. "Divine Wisdom," (Theosophia) or Wisdom of the gods, as (theogonia), genealogy of the gods. The word theos means a god in Greek, one of the divine beings, certainly not "God" in the sense attached in our day to the term. Therefore, it is not "Wisdom of God," as translated by some, but Divine Wisdom such as that possessed by the gods. The term is many thousand years old. ENQUIRER. What is the origin of the name? THEOSOPHIST. It comes to us from the Alexandrian philosophers, called lovers of truth, Philaletheians, from phil "loving," and aletheia "truth." The name Theosophy dates from the third century of our era, and began with Ammonius Saccas and his disciples (1), who started the Eclectic Theosophical system. ENQUIRER. What was the object of this system? THEOSOPHIST. First of all to inculcate certain great moral truths upon its disciples, and all those who were "lovers of the truth." Hence the motto adopted by the Theosophical Society: "There is no religion higher than truth." (2) The chief aim of the Founders of the Eclectic Theosophical School was one of the three objects of its modern successor, the Theosophical Society, namely, to reconcile all religions, sects and nations under a common system of ethics, based on eternal verities.
    [Show full text]
  • The Theosophical Society's Ongoing Problem of Emotion and Control
    Taming the Astral Body: The Theosophical Society’s Ongoing Problem of Emotion and Control John L. Crow Florida State University Abstract In New York City in 1875, a group interested in Spiritualism and occult science founded what would become the Theosophical Society. Primarily the creation of Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the Theosophical Society went through a number of early incarnations. One original version promised to teach occult powers. After Blavatsky found that she could not honor earlier promises to teach occultism, she shifted the focus of the Society to one that promoted Universal Brotherhood instead, highlighting notions of the body and demanding the control of emotion as a means to rebuff demands for training. With this refocusing, Blavatsky reestablished control of the Society and asserted herself as the central channel of esoteric knowledge. Thus, by shifting the focus from the attainment of occult powers to the more ambiguous “spiritual enlightenment,” Blavatsky erected an elaborate, centralized system of delayed spiritual gratification, a system contingent upon the individual’s adoption of specific morals and values, while simultaneously maintaining control of the human body on all its levels: spiritual, social, physical, mental, and especially emotional. Introduction During a meeting of the Theosophical Society in New York City on October 18, 1876, the co-founder and legal counsel for the newly established organization, William Quan Judge (1851– 96), gave a lecture about his personal experiences in the study of Theosophy. He spoke about his recent experiences of astrally traveling and implanting his thoughts and ideas into the minds of others. He did this through focusing his will and commanding his “double,” or astral body, to go to these places and influence others.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Occult Teachings Extracted from the Mahatma Letters to A. P
    Occult Teachings Extracted from the Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, Trevor A. Barker, Jose R. Zulueta, Rivercross Publishing, Incorporated, 1995, 0944957242, 9780944957240, . DOWNLOAD HERE Esoteric Christianity or, The lesser mysteries, Annie Wood Besant, 1975, Religion, 279 pages. The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett In Chronological Sequence, Vicente Hao Chin, Jan 1, 1972, Literary Collections, 600 pages. A classic in Theosophical literature.. The Growth of the Soul A Sequel to "Esoteric Buddhism", Alfred Percy Sinnett, 1896, Karma, 483 pages. Reflections on an Ageless Wisdom A Commentary on the Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, Joy Mills, 2010, Religion, 580 pages. After pioneering Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky told the English journalist A. P. Sinnett that her esoteric knowledge had come from higher beings called "Mahatmas," he himself .... The Solar System , Arthur E. Powell, Jun 1, 1963, History, 388 pages. 1930 the Solar System was based to a great extent on the research by Besant & Leadbeater in Man: Whence, How and Whither and Leadbeater's the Inner Life. to students of these .... DГўmodar and the pioneers of the theosophical movement , , 1965, Religion, 720 pages. The Inner Life , Charles Webster Leadbeater, C. W. Leadbeater, Jan 1, 1978, Body, Mind & Spirit, 383 pages. A clairvoyant, Leadbeater wrote, is simply a person who develops "the power to respond to another octave out of the stupendous gamut of possible vibrations" and so is enabled .... Imagination monotonically gives condensed sanguine, the research approach to the problems of artistic typology you can find K.Fosslera. Structuralism change. Artistic talent, in first approximation, gracefully starts mannerism, the research approach to the problems of artistic typology you can find K.Fosslera.
    [Show full text]