DOCSLIB.ORG

The Real H. P. Blavatsky?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Real H. P. Blavatsky? The Real H. P. Blavatsky? A Tour of HPB’s Collected Writings (I) © 2021 Kurt Leland Who This Talk Is For l Students of Theosophy • Intimidated by the Collected Writings l Study Groups • Looking for discussion material l Scholars of the Theosophical Movement • Needing to go beyond The Secret Doctrine l Defense against Internet trolls? • A non-harming approach 1 Collecting HPB’s Articles l Five Years of Theosophy (1885) l Nightmare Tales (1892) l A Modern Panarion (1895) l Studies in Occultism (6 vols.,1895; 1 vol., 1946) l The Secret Doctrine, vol. 3: Occultism (1897) l The Complete Works of H. P. Blavatsky (4 vols. issued, 1931-36) Collecting HPB’s Articles l Collected Writings (15 vols., 1950-91) l Theosophy Company (37 pamphlets published since 1963) l Theosophical Articles (TC pamphlets collected in 3 vols., 1981) l The Lucifer Collection (8 vols. so far, 2021) 2 Boris de Zirkoff (1902-81) Boris de Zirkoff (1902-81) l Relative of HPB (son of a second cousin) l Came to live at the TS Point Loma community (near San Diego, California) in 1923 l Began CW project in 1924 l Edited Theosofia , an independent Theosophical journal (1944-81) 3 Collected Writings Series l 1877 Isis Unveiled (2 vols., 1972) l 1883-86 From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan (1975) l 1888 The Secret Doctrine (3 vols., 1979) Not in Collected Writings Series l 1889 The Key to Theosophy l 1889 The Voice of the Silence l 1892 The Theosophical Glossary 4 Uncollected Writings l 1881 The Durbar in Lahore (trans. Theosophist, Aug-Dec 1960, Jan-Mar 1961) l 1881 The Grand Inquisitor (HPB’s trans. of Bk. 5, Ch. 5 of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky; Theosophist, Nov-Dec 1881) l 1884-85 The People of the Blue Mountains (trans. pub., 1930) l Other Russian articles from the 1880s Edition Format (vols. 1-14) l Preface (identical in every volume) l Acknowledgments (identical in every volume) l Foreword (concerning texts in each volume) l Chronological Survey (covers events in the lives of HPB and HSO and TS developments during period covered by each volume) l Table of Contents l List of Illustrations (including photographs and facsimiles, but not figures, charts, or foldouts) 5 Edition Format (vols. 1-14) l Texts (sometimes with special editorial introductions) by HPB, known and suspected pseudonyms, and Masters, including: • Articles and essays (published, unpublished, unfinished) • Comments, notes, and footnotes • Editorials • Letters, queries, and replies • Reviews • Short stories (“Nightmare Tales”) • Transcripts (conversations, instructions, oral teachings) Edition Format (vols. 1-14) l Note on the Transliteration of Sanskrit and Other Terms (identical in every volume) l Bibliographies • “Oriental Works Quoted or Referred to in the Present Volume” • “General Bibliography with Selected Biographical Notes” l Index l Cumulative Index (vol. 15) 6 Online Source l http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/ l “The full set of Blavatsky's articles. She doesn't bore, she doesn't repeat herself and she keeps on fascinating.” l Does not include: • Bibliographies • Indexes (does include vol. 15) l Chronological Survey missing from vol. 1 Events (HPB in United States) 1874 HPB and HSO meet in Vermont 1875 TS founded in New York 1877 Isis Unveiled pub- lished 1878 Departure for England and India 7 Gems from CW 1 l Biography of HPB l Genealogical Tables l Horoscope of HPB l Scrapbooks l Travel Sketches l Diaries Gems from CW 1 l A Few Questions to “HIRAF” l The Science of Magic l An Unsolved Mystery [“Nightmare Tale”] l A Story of the Mystical (aka, Can the Double Murder?) [“Nightmare Tale”] l The Luminous Circle l The Cave of the Echoes [“Nightmare Tale”] 8 From “The Real Madame H. P. Blavatsky” (1878) “To begin with I am not a Countess, so far as I know. [. .] I am too democratic, and I love and respect the people sufficiently, having devoted all my sympathy to them, and this without distinction of race or color, to trick myself out in any kind of title.” • CW 1:401 Events (HPB in England, India, and Ceylon) 1879 London visit TS HQ established in Bombay Theosophist founded 1880 “Conversion” to Buddhism Phenomena with Sinnetts First Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett 9 Gems from CW 2 l Chronological Survey (January 1879 to December 1880) l Namastae l What Is Theosophy? l What Are the Theosophists? l The Ensouled Violin [Nightmare Tale] From “What Are the Theosophists?” (1879) “As a body, the Theosophical Society holds that all original thinkers and investigators of the hidden side of nature whether materialists—those who find matter ‘the promise and potency of all terrestrial life,’ or spiritualists—that is, those who discover in spirit the source of all energy and of matter as well, were and are, properly, Theosophists. 10 From “What Are the Theosophists?” (1879) “For to be one, one need not recognize the existence of any special God or a deity. One need but worship the spirit of living nature, and try to identify oneself with it. To revere that Presence, the invisible Cause [. .]: indivisible in its Essence, and eluding form, yet appearing under all and every form [. .].” • CW 2:102 [Quotation from John Tyndall (1820-93)] Events (HPB in India) 1881 The Occult World published 11 Gems of CW 3 l Chronological Survey (January 1881 to February 1882) l The Leaven of Theosophy l The Six-Pointed and Five-Pointed Stars l Superstition l The Aryan-Arhat Esoteric Tenets on the Sevenfold Principle in Man (T. Subba Row, with notes by HPB) l Are Dreams but Idle Visions? From “The Leaven of Theosophy” (1881) “[T]he aim of the Society was not to destroy but to purify spiritualism.” • CW 3:50 12 Problems of Mediumship l Low moral caliber of mediums l Passivity in trance (openness to all comers) l “Departed spirits” not what they seem • Shells, elementals, elementaries l Dangers of physical phenomena l Harmfulness of summoning the dead l Adepts capable of producing similar phenomena “by cultivating inherent powers in their living selves” From “The Leaven of Theosophy” (1881) “[M]any now cordially endorse our position that there can be no intercourse, either with the souls of the living or the dead, unless it is preceded by self-spiritualization, the conquest of the meaner self, the education of the nobler powers within us. The serious dangers as well as the more evident gratifications of mediumship, are gradually being appreciated.” • CW 3:52 13 Events (HPB in India) 1883 TS HQ moves to Adyar Esoteric Buddhism published Gems of CW 4 l Chronological Survey (March 1882 to June 1883) l What Is Matter and What Is Force? (KH) l The Bugbears of Science l A Few Thoughts on Some Wise Words from a Wise Man [Bengali writer Babu Rajnarain Bose] l Zoroastrianism in the Light of Occult Philosophy l The Septenary Principle in Esotericism l Chelas and Lay Chelas 14 From “A Few Thoughts on Some Wise Words from a Wise Man” (1883) “In our humble opinion, the only ‘Essentials’ in the Religion of Humanity are—virtue, morality, brotherly love, and kind sympathy with every living creature, whether human or animal. This is the common platform that our Society offers to all to stand upon; From “A Few Thoughts on Some Wise Words from a Wise Man” (1883) “the most fundamental differences between religions and sects sinking into insignificance before the mighty problem of reconciling humanity, of gathering all the various races into one family, and of bringing them all to the conviction of the utmost necessity in this world of sorrow to cultivate feelings of brotherly sympathy and tolerance.” • CW 4:502-3 15 Events (HPB in India) No events pertaining to this talk Gems of CW 5 l Chronological Survey (July to December 1883) l Devachan [Master KH and HPB] l Transmigration of the Life Atoms l Some Inquiries Suggested by Mr. Sinnett’s Esoteric Buddhism [questions by Frederic W. H. Myers, answers by KH and HPB; includes “The Mineral Monad”] 16 The Mineral Monad From “A Christian Minister on Theosophy” (1883) “Theosophy is the science of all that is divine in man and nature. It is the study and the analysis, within the known and knowable, of the unknown, and the otherwise UNKNOWABLE.” • CW 5:353 17 Events (HPB in India, Europe) 1884 HPB and HSO in Paris, London, Germany, then back to Adyar separately HPB in Cairo, Ceylon Coulomb Affair 1885 SPR investigations in Adyar HPB returns to Europe (Italy, Germany), begins writing SD Hodgson Report Gems of CW 6 l Chronological Survey (December 1883 to December 1884) l Are Chelas “Mediums”? l Mahatmas and Chelas l Is the Desire to “Live” Selfish? l Can the Mahatmas Be Selfish? l Chelas l Spiritual Progress l A Bewitched Life [Nightmare Tale] 18 From “Editor’s Note to ‘Kama-Loka and the Bearings of the Esoteric Doctrine on Spiritualism’” (1885) “Subjective, purely spiritual ‘Mediumship’ is the only harmless kind, and is very often an elevating gift that might be cultivated by every one.” • CW 6:329 Events (HPB in Europe) 1886 HPB in Germany, Belgium 1887 HPB settles in London Blavatsky Lodge (BL) founded BL established at Lansdowne Road 19 Gems of CW 7 l Chronological Survey (January 1886 to August 1887) l Occult or Exact Science? l Ancient Magic in Modern Science l The Original Programme of the Theosophical Society l Some Words on Daily Life (Written by a Master of Wisdom) Gems of CW 7 l Theories about Reincarnation and Spirits l The Kabalah and the Kabalists at the Close of the Nineteenth Century l Classification of “Principles” l Re-classification of Principles 20 From “Some Words on Daily Life (Written by a Master of Wisdom)” (1886) “The problem of true Theosophy and its greatest mission are, first, the working out of clear unequivocal conceptions of ethic ideas and duties, such as shall best and most fully satisfy the right and altruistic feelings in men; From “Some Words on Daily Life (Written by a Master of Wisdom)” (1886) “and second, the modelling of these conceptions for their adaptation into such forms of daily life, as shall offer a field where they may be applied with most equitableness.” • CW 7:175 21 Events (HPB in London) 1887 Lucifer founded Gems of CW 8 l Chronological Survey (September to December 1887) l The Origin of Evil l “Let Every Man Prove His Own Work” l The Esoteric Character of the Gospels l The Science of Life.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Theosophy and the Origins of the Indian National Congress
    THEOSOPHY AND THE ORIGINS OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS By Mark Bevir Department of Political Science University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA 94720 USA [E-mail: [email protected]] ABSTRACT A study of the role of theosophy in the formation of the Indian National Congress enhances our understanding of the relationship between neo-Hinduism and political nationalism. Theosophy, and neo-Hinduism more generally, provided western-educated Hindus with a discourse within which to develop their political aspirations in a way that met western notions of legitimacy. It gave them confidence in themselves, experience of organisation, and clear intellectual commitments, and it brought them together with liberal Britons within an all-India framework. It provided the background against which A. O. Hume worked with younger nationalists to found the Congress. KEYWORDS: Blavatsky, Hinduism, A. O. Hume, India, nationalism, theosophy. 2 REFERENCES CITED Archives of the Theosophical Society, Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras. Banerjea, Surendranath. 1925. A Nation in the Making: Being the Reminiscences of Fifty Years of Public Life . London: H. Milford. Bharati, A. 1970. "The Hindu Renaissance and Its Apologetic Patterns". In Journal of Asian Studies 29: 267-88. Blavatsky, H.P. 1888. The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy . 2 Vols. London: Theosophical Publishing House. ------ 1972. Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology . 2 Vols. Wheaton, Ill.: Theosophical Publishing House. ------ 1977. Collected Writings . 11 Vols. Ed. by Boris de Zirkoff. Wheaton, Ill.: Theosophical Publishing House. Campbell, B. 1980. Ancient Wisdom Revived: A History of the Theosophical Movement . Berkeley: University of California Press.
    [Show full text]
  • Controversial New Religions
    Controversial New Religions JAMES R. LEWIS JESPER AAGAARD PETERSEN, Editors OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Controversial New Religions This page intentionally left blank Controversial New Religions edited by james r. lewis and jesper aagaard petersen 1 2005 1 Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Sa˜o Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Copyright ᭧ 2005 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Controversial new religions / edited by James R. Lewis and Jesper Aagaard Petersen. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-515682-X; 0-19-515683-8 (pbk) 1. Cults. I. Lewis, James R. II. Petersen, Jesper Aagaard. BP603.C66 2004 200'.9'04—dc22 2003024374 987654321 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Contents Contributors, ix Introduction, 3 James R. Lewis and Jesper Aagaard Petersen PART I: GROUPS IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION 1. A Family for the Twenty-first Century, 19 James D. Chancellor 2. Spirit Revelation and the Unification Church, 43 James A. Beverley 3. Reconstructing Reality: Conspiracy Theories about Jonestown, 61 Rebecca Moore 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Painting the Masters. the Mystery of Hermann Schmiechen
    Painting the Masters The Mystery of Hermann Schmiechen Massimo Introvigne (UPS, Torino, Italy) Besançon’s Forbidden Image One of the first books where sociology of religion met history of art was L’image interdite. Une histoire intellectuelle de l’iconoclasme, published by French social historian Alain Besançon in 1994 Iconoclasm vs Iconodulism The controversial book argued that Western art history is defined by opposition between iconoclasm (i.e the idea that the sacred should not be represented visually) and iconodulism (i.e support for sacred images) Although the terminology dates back to the Byzantine iconoclastic riots of the 8th century (right), modern Western iconoclasm originated with John Calvin (1509-1564) and became culturally dominant after the Enlightenment Iconoclasm: not against art, but against an art representing God or divine spirits Besançon’s definition of iconoclasm is not identical with some dictionary definitions of the same word. For him, iconoclasm is not against art and may even promote it. It only excludes from the field of art the representation of God and divine spirits or beings Image of Byzantine Emperor Leo III (685-741) on a coin: Leo, a leading iconoclast, was obviously not against representing himself Abstract Art as Iconoclasm Besançon* also argued that: 1. Iconoclasm is a distinctive trait of modernity, and abstract art is its most mature fruit 2. Symbolism, at first sight anti-iconoclastic, by substituting the Christian foundations of sacred art with a very different esoteric spirituality, in fact prepared the way for abstract iconoclasm 3. Several abstract painters, including Piet Mondrian (1872- 1944) passed at one stage through symbolism (Evolution, 1910-1911, left) * … with whom I do not necessarily agree Besançon and Theosophy Besançon claimed to be among the first social historians to devote serious attentions to Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891) and other Theosophical classics.
    [Show full text]
  • The University of Sydney Copyright in Relation to This Thesis·
    The University of Sydney Copyright in relation to this thesis· Under the Copyright Act 1968 (several provision of which are referred to below), this thesis must be used only under the normal conditions of scholarly fair dealing for the purposes of research, criticism or review. In particular no results or conclusions should be extracted from it. nor should it be copied or closely paraphrased in whole or in part without the written consent of the author. Proper written acknowledgement should be made for any assistance obtained from this thesis. Under Section 35(2) of the Copyright Act 1968 'the author of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is the owner of any copyright subsisting in the work'. By virtue of Section 32( I) copyright 'subsists in an original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work that is unpublished' and of which the author was an Australian citizen, an Australian protected person or a person reSident in Australia. The Act. by Section 36( I) provides: 'Subject to this Act. the copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is mfringed by a person who, not being the owner of the copyright and without the licence of the owner of the copyright, does in Australia. or authorises the doing in Australia of, any act comprised in the copyright'. Section 31 (I )(a)(i) provides that copyright includes the exclusive right to 'reproduce the work in a material form'.Thus, copyright IS mfringed by a person who, not being the owner of the copyright. reproduces or authorises the reproduction of a work.
    [Show full text]
  • At Cairo and Madras
    At Cairo and Madras Isabel Cooper-Oakley Isabel Cooper-Oakley in 1893 (Theosophy.Wiki) (Originally published in Lucifer, June 1891, a magazine started by Madame Blavatsky in London in 1887. Isabel Cooper-Oakley was a member of the Theosophical Society since 1884. She travelled to India with Madame Blavatsky (HPB), to whom she was very devoted, on that year. She was also a member of the Inner Group in London, which was set up by HPB in 1890. Mrs Cooper-Oakley’s books include The Comte de Saint-Germain: The Secret of Kings; Masonry and Medieval Mysticism: Traces of a Hidden Tradition; Mystical Traditions; Studies in the “Secret Doctrine”; and Theosophical Gleanings, with Annie Besant, amongst many others. Source. Theosophy.Wiki) IMPOSSIBLE is it for me, in the short space allotted, to give any details of the many deeply interesting times I have spent with our beloved Teacher and leader: I will therefore confine myself to the memorable winter of 1884-85, when the much-talked-of Coulomb affair took place. It was, without doubt, a momentous crisis in the history of the Theosophical movement of this century; and being thus important, details given by an eye-witness may be of interest. H.P.B. had been staying during the summer with Miss Arundale in Elgin Crescent, but left her house to join Mr. Oakley and myself, and remained with us until we started for India with her. The house party consisted of H.P.B., my sister, Dr. Keightley, Mr. Oakley and myself. It was early in November, 1884, that we left Liverpool for Port Said en route for Madras.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Luciferian Public Sphere: Theosophy and Editorial
    Accepted for publication in Victorian Periodicals Review published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Copyright is held by The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals. The Luciferian Public Sphere: Theosophy and Editorial Seekership in the 1880s Christine Ferguson, University of Stirling In January 1889, the London-based Theosophical journal Lucifer proclaimed, with no small irony, that occultism and the commercial culture of the late Victorian periodical press were fundamentally incompatible. Such pronouncements had featured regularly in Lucifer since its establishment two years earlier under the volatile co-editorial directorship of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Mabel Collins, and they are uttered with particularly fervency here in the last issue on whose masthead both women’s names would appear. Condemning those opportunists who, like rival occult group the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, were debasing occult wisdom by exposing it to the vitiating light of publicity, Lucifer declares: TO DARE, TO WILL, TO ACHIEVE, AND TO KEEP SILENT is the motto of the true occultist, from the first adept of the fifth Race down to the last Rosecroix. True occultism, i.e. genuine Raj-Yoga powers, are not pompously boasted of, and advertised in dailies and monthlies, like Beecham’s pills or Pear’s soap.1 What are we to make of the placement of such a statement within a monthly magazine which had, over the course of its short sixteen-month history, arguably done nothing but publicize the teachings of the occult world to an uninitiated audience, and at
    [Show full text]
  • HPB I Am Not Coming Just Now to the U.S
    Collected Writings VOLUME VII 1886-1887 TABLE OF CONTENTS (With date of Original Publication) Foreword Chronological Survey [1924 and 1886] To Theosophists and Men of Honour [Madame Blavatsky’s Protest] January, February and March 1886 Hava Animals Souls? January, 1886 “Isis Unveiled” and the Viśishtadvâita March, 1886 A Theosophical Fable April and May, 1886 Occult or Exact Science? October, 1886 Ancient Magic in Modern Science [1897] Egyptian Magic [Compiler’s Notes] [1924 and 1931] [The Original Programme of the Theosophical Society]: Compiler’s Notes A Few Words on The Theosophical Organization (by Mohini M. Chatterji and Arthur Gebhard) Text of the “Original Programme” Manuscript Some Words on Daily Life (1888) November, 1886 Theories About Reincarnation and Spirits [January, 1887] An Important Correction [November, 1891] Chinese Spirits [Compiler’s Notes] November, 1886 Animated Statues [1897] The Idols and the Teraphim December, 1886 “The Theosophical Mahatmas” Miscellaneous Notes [May, 1892] The Kabalah and the Kabalists at the Close of the Nineteenth Century [August, 1896] Fragments April, 1887 Footnotes to “The Life of Paracelsus” Classification of “Principles” [H. P. Blavatsky’s Instructions to Countess Constance Wachtmeister, concerning the Removal of her Body after Death] May, 1887 “United” June, 1887 Juges ou Calomniateurs? Judges or Slanderers? August, 1887 Re-Classification of Principles APPENDIX: Note on the Transliteration of Sanskrit ILLUSTRATIONS: H. P. B. at “Maycot,” Norwood, London Alfred Percy Sinnett Commandant D. A. Courmes Arthur Gebhard-L’Estrange George R. S. Mead H. P. B. at her desk, 17, Lansdowne Road, London Interior at 17, Lansdowne Road, London Countess Constance Wachtmeister Dr. Annie Besant, Col.
    [Show full text]
  • The Quest for Gnosis: G. R. S. Mead's Conception of Theosophy
    The Quest for Gnosis G. R. S. Mead’s Conception of Theosophy Paulina Gruffman Department of Ethnology, History of Religions, and Gender Studies Master’s Degree 30 HE credits History of Religions Master’s Program 120 HE credits Fall term 2020 Supervisor: Dr. Egil Asprem The Quest for Gnosis G. R. S. Mead’s Conception of Theosophy Paulina Gruffman Abstract G. R. S. Mead is an important but neglected historical personality of the British fin-de-siècle occult, Theosophical, and post-Theosophical milieu. While previous scholars of Theosophy have portrayed the Theosophical movement as quite cohesive in nature, I argue that it might have been a lot more pluralistic, with ostensibly key Theosophical concepts being open for debate. By a careful study of Mead’s editorial activity, his debates with other Theosophists in leading occultist journal over the period 1890s through 1910s, I illustrate that Mead held alternative views of key Theosophical concepts. This gives us a clue as to how the movement of Theosophy can be characterized differently. I suggest that we speak of many different “Theosophies” rather than one singular “Theosophy” to better capture the seemingly diverse makeup of the Theosophical movement. I look at three areas wherein Mead’s views differed from those of other important Theosophists: the concept of “the Masters” as spiritual authority, which sources to turn to and how to interpret them, and the question of whether occultism should be understood primarily in theoretical or in practical terms. I propose that by seeing Theosophy as a debating ground where many different Theosophists competed over the definition of their particular kind of Theosophy, we might also better account for why so many post-Theosophical currents emerged.
    [Show full text]
  • The············ True History Theosophical
    THE············ ', TRUE HISTORY OF THE·····~-.~~· THEOSOPHICAL •· · · · · •·SOCIETY 0LC01'T OLD DIARY LEAVES THE FOUNDERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. OLD DIARY LEAVES THE ONLY AUTHENTIC HISTORY OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY THIRD SERIES, 1883-1887 BY HENRY STEEL OLCOTT PRESIDBNT.. ti'OUNDER OF THE SOCIBTY " It takes two to speak truth-one to opeak and another to hear."-THOREAU. LONDON THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHH{G SOCIETY MADRAS: THEOSOPHIST OF'FICE 1904 INTRODUCTION THE first volume of these historical sketches covered the period from the meeting of Madame Blavatsky and myself. in 1874, to our departure from New York for Bombay in December 1878; the &econd tells of our adventures in India aod Ceylon. the formation of Branches, the giving of lectures, healings of the sick by hundreds. occult phenomena produced by H. P. B.. etc., and brings us down tQ the autumn of 1883: at this time ~e take up the thread of narrative, and go forward to the month of May 1887 •. I think the ·reader will agree with me that the &ubject-matter of this volume possesses absorbing interest, quite equal to that in its two preceding volumes, if not even greater. Accounts are give~ among other things of my meeting& with several of the " Masters" in the course of my travels, and of !ha results of the same. o£ our removal of the Society's Headquarters from Bombay to Madras, of H. P. B.'ii last departure from her beloved Indian home into the exile of an European residence. The troublous times of the Coulomb conspiracy are dealt with in this volume, and the true story of the S.
    [Show full text]
  • Teachers of the Eternal Doctrine
    T PH ILOSOPHY/THEOSOPHY ea Raghavan Iyer founded HERMES, a journal of Theosophical Wisdom, C he TEACHERS OF the just prior to the beginning of the 1975 Cycle in Santa Barbara, California, as one of several vehicles for the current behind the 7th RS Century Impulsion. In that journal, he illustrated the ways in which EterNAL DoctrINE Mahatmas have worked and continue to work in the world. In the OF article, “The Seventh Impulsion: 1963-2000”, he made clear that the VOL. I: FROM TSON-KA-PA TO WILLIAM LAW Mahatmic impulsions were concentrated in the last quarter of each T century, but that preparations for them occurred earlier, and that he their reverberations lasted far beyond the conclusion of each quarter- century cycle in an unfailing continuous stream. E T Near the beginning of 1976, after a year of guiding the golden E HERMES current, Professor Iyer determined that those thinkers RN and teachers most involved in the Seven Century Plan should be honored through writings - called the Teacher Articles - that A L described the hidden current behind their lives and the timeless D context for their work within the cycles of time. All of the Teacher Articles were written from a Theosophical perspective based, in large OCTRIN part, upon the philosophy expounded in H. P. Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine. This collection of essays contains those articles that first appeared in HERMES as an exploration of the Seven Century Plan. E - Professor Elton A. Hall taught philosophy and religious studies for 40 I years at Moorhead State University, California State University (Fresno), Oxnard College, and Moorpark College.
    [Show full text]
  • Modern Theosophy, Buddhism, and the Making of Cultural Nationalism in India
    Nothing Higher Than the Truth: Modern Theosophy, Buddhism, and the Making of Cultural Nationalism in India Pamela Duns Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, Montreal April 2015 A thesis submitted to McGill University In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts ©Pamela Duns 2015 Table of Contents Abstract Résumé Note on Transliteration Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Chapter 1 8 Locating Theosophical Buddhism in South Asia Chapter 2 35 Annie Besant and Mahatma Gandhi’s Quest for Truth Chapter 3 54 Spiritualizing Politics in the Indian Context Conclusions 78 Bibliography 84 Abstract This thesis considers the development of modern theosophical doctrine, and in particular, the effects it had on modern Buddhism, within the framework of the formation of the early Indian nation state. Founded in New York in 1875, and still existing in over 100 countries, the Theosophical Society soon established itself as an occult movement that was inspired by the romantic poetry and comparative philology of the colonial period. The relocation of its international headquarters to Madras, India, in 1878 had profound and unpredictable consequences that reflect diverse cosmopolitan and modernizing trends. While it has been acknowledged that this spiritually oriented, international movement had an impact on the shaping of modern Buddhism, and became involved with political and social concerns specific to British-ruled India through its elite South Asian connections, there has been no study that deliberately connects these two elements together. This thesis locates the usage of theosophical Buddhist imagery, mythology, and doctrine in the evolution of popular Indian national culture. I take up this topic primarily through a juxtaposition of the prominent theosophist Annie Besant (1847-1933), and Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1944).
    [Show full text]
  • Talks on the Path of Occultism Volume 1 a Commentary On: at the Feet of the Master
    A Commentary on At the Feet of the Master by Annie Besant & C.W. Leadbeater Talks on the Path of Occultism Volume 1 A Commentary on: At the Feet of the Master by Annie Besant & C.W. Leadbeater First edition 1926, Second 1930, Third 1947, Fourth 1954 The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Madras 20, India Publisher's Note With a view to facilitate convenience in handling, we have split the book - Talks on the Path of Occultism - into three parts and these are issued separately. A new Index has been prepared for each volume separetely according to the new pagination Page 1 A Commentary on At the Feet of the Master by Annie Besant & C.W. Leadbeater FOREWORD THIS book is merely a record of talks by Mr. C. W. Leadbeater and myself on three famous books — books small in size but great in contents. We both hope that they will prove useful to aspirants, and even to those above that stage, since the talkers were older than the listeners, and had more experience in the life of discipleship. The talks were not given at one place only; we chatted to our friends at different times and places, chiefly at Adyar, London and Sydney. A vast quantity of notes were taken by the listeners. All that were available of these were collected and arranged. They were then condensed, and repetitions were eliminated. Unhappily there were found to be very few notes on The Voice of the Silence, Fragment I, so we have utilized notes made at a class held by our good colleague, Mr.
    [Show full text]