The Theosophist

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Theosophist THE THEOSOPHIST VOL. 137 NO. 9 JUNE 2016 CONTENTS Self-Responsibility 5 Tim Boyd Mountain and Summit as the Path and Its Goal 12 William Wilson Quinn Perception and Interpretation of Reality 22 Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu ‘A Union of Those Who Love in the Service of All That Suffers’ 29 Nancy Secrest Books of Interest 33 A Talk to Prisoners 35 C. Jinarajadasa-- Theosophical Work around the World 41 International Directory 42 Editor: Mr Tim Boyd NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office. Cover: Statue of Gautama Buddha, whose birthday, enlightenment, and passing are celebrated as Buddha Purnima or Vaisakha Purnima, referring to the Full Moon of the Indian month of Vaisakha, which fell on 21 May this year. 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 Self-Responsibility Self-Responsibility TIM BOYD MANY teachings in theosophical when we reach a stage where we actually literature relate to our individual re- become self-aware. It is really only at that sponsibility for unfoldment. This is point that we are able to make genuine expressed beautifully in the small book, choices. Prior to that, we are merely The Idyll of the White Lotus, by Mabel reacting to the circumstances that sur- Collins. It is a short story, rich in meaning, round us in life and in Nature. With the at the end of which the ‘Three Truths’ advent of awareness we can actually are described. One of those Truths relates choose for the first time. This is the stage to the principle of self-responsibility: in which we all find ourselves. ‘Each person is his absolute lawgiver, the One of the facts of our being is that dispenser of glory or gloom to himself; we find within us tendencies towards the decreer of his life, his reward, his greatness arising from the divine seed punishment.’ It is clearly stated, and places that is planted within every one of us. the burden of effort on each of us. It is We have these tendencies, and when we intended to counteract the idea that in see them exhibited in others around us, some way the various things and events we respond. When we hear the words, we encounter in our lives are determined teachings, and stories of the lives of the by some force, or power, or being outside Great Ones who have lived among us, of ourselves. That idea weakens us, even we respond wholeheartedly. In a similar in our approach to Divinity. way, we have all of the ‘negative’ ten- When we speak about the principle of dencies within us as well. When we look Oneness, the essential idea is that we are at someone who is perhaps not living to not disconnected or separated from the their fullest, people often say: ‘Except for principle described as God, the Ultimate, the grace of God, there go I.’ We need to the Divine, or whatever the words that recognize that each of us has tendencies our temperament allows us to say. The and possibilities of greatness, but at the process of mentally looking towards same time we have tendencies that could something else to determine the course take us far away from that course. and direction of our lives is a mistaken When we plant a garden, we either idea. Each one of us has this respon- want great food or beautiful flowers. sibility. It becomes all the more important No matter how careful we are, we always June 2016 The Theosophist 5 Self-Responsibility find the presence of plants that we behaviour were regulated by the in- do not want — weeds — which left un- fluence of the communities where we attended will grow and choke out the lived and the cultures that surrounded us. plants that we are looking to harvest. An Every culture encourages and discourages important part of cultivating a garden certain values and behaviours. Throughout involves continually pulling up those history, this has led to the flourishing weeds. Some people will just break off of a particular type of mind in one place, the part of the weed above the ground and of something quite different in an- and believe that the weed is gone. But other. One of the conditions of life in our the root remains beneath the surface. time is that now we are exposed to a range Certainly it will grow again, and it will of influences that would have been im- come back even stronger. There are some possible previously. In cities around the types of weeds that you can pull up by world people from unfamiliar cultures, the root, but if there is even the smallest along with their traditions, customs, and fragment of that root left in the soil, then ideas are interacting, often in conflicting that plant will come back again. Within and confusing ways. Beyond the physical us there is a process of cultivation that is atmosphere, we all share the atmosphere similar to the attention that we pay to a of thought. garden, except that this is the garden of Powerful thoughts influence people our hearts and minds. It is the rare wherever they find themselves. We find individual who, through their many lives examples of this in the history of inven- of self-discipline and attention to these tions such as the airplane. The Wright matters, is completely beyond the reach brothers in the United States get credit of the temptations that take us off for that invention because theirs was the track. the first plane to leave the ground and There are seeds planted in the desert remain in the air. Within months follow- in an environment where conditions ing that event, in other parts of the world provide no possibility for them to grow. airplanes began taking flight. When I was Some of these seeds will remain dormant in high school I remember reading about until the exact combination of conditions the theory that the human body was appears. It may take years, but when incapable of running a mile in less than the proper combination of sun, rain, and four minutes. Some athletes had gotten humidity appears, suddenly the land close to four minutes, but the greatest that was barren and lifeless becomes athletes in the world could not break it. filled with flowers, because the condi- One day a man named Roger Bannister tions that allow the seeds to grow have ran a mile-race in under four minutes. He been provided. broke the barrier that was deemed impos- In previous times, the conditions that sible for the human constitution. Within would promote all kinds of distractive a very short time, sub-four-minute miles 6 The Theosophist Vol.
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]
  • Echoes of the Orient: the Writings of William Quan Judge
    ECHOES ORIENTof the VOLUME I The Writings of William Quan Judge Echoes are heard in every age of and their fellow creatures — man and a timeless path that leads to divine beast — out of the thoughtless jog trot wisdom and to knowledge of our pur- of selfish everyday life.” To this end pose in the universal design. Today’s and until he died, Judge wrote about resurgent awareness of our physical the Way spoken of by the sages of old, and spiritual inter dependence on this its signposts and pitfalls, and its rel- grand evolutionary journey affirms evance to the practical affairs of daily those pioneering keynotes set forth in life. HPB called his journal “pure Bud- the writings of H. P. Blavatsky. Her dhi” (awakened insight). task was to re-present the broad This first volume of Echoes of the panorama of the “anciently universal Orient comprises about 170 articles Wisdom-Religion,” to show its under- from The Path magazine, chronologi- lying expression in the world’s myths, cally arranged and supplemented by legends, and spiritual traditions, and his popular “Occult Tales.” A glance to show its scientific basis — with at the contents pages will show the the overarching goal of furthering the wide range of subjects covered. Also cause of universal brotherhood. included are a well-documented 50- Some people, however, have page biography, numerous illustra- found her books diffi cult and ask for tions, photographs, and facsimiles, as something simpler. In the writings of well as a bibliography and index. William Q. Judge, one of the Theosophical Society’s co-founders with HPB and a close personal colleague, many have found a certain William Quan Judge (1851-1896) was human element which, though not born in Dublin, Ireland, and emigrated lacking in HPB’s works, is here more with his family to America in 1864.
    [Show full text]
  • “History of Education Society Bulletin” (1985)
    History of Education Society Bulletin (1985) Vol. 36 pp 52 -54 MONTESSORI WAS A THEOSOPHIST Carolie Wilson Dept. of Education, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia In October 1947 Time magazine reported that world famous education- ist Dr. Maria Montessori, though 'almost forgotten', was none the less very much alive in India where she was continuing to give lectures in the grounds of the Theosophical Society's magnificent estate at Adyar on the outskirts of Madras. 1 Accompanied by her son Mario, Montessori had gone to India at the invitation of Theosophical Society President, George Arundale, in No- vember 1939 and had been interned there as an 'enemy alien' when Italy en- tered the Second World War in June 1940. The Dottoressa was permitted however, to remain at Adyar to continue her teacher training courses and later to move to a more congenial climate in the hills at Kodaikanal. 2 At the end of the War she made a short visit to Europe but returned to India to undertake the first teacher training course at the new Arundale Montessori Training Centre.3 The Centre was established as a memorial to former Theosophi- cal Society President, Dr. Annie Besant, whose centenary was being celebrat- ed at Adyar in October 1947.4 In view, no doubt, of her continued residence at Adyar and the gener- ous support the Theosophical Society extended to Montessori and Mario during the War years, the Dottoressa was asked on one occasion under the shade of the famous giant banyan tree at Adyar, whether she had in fact become a Theosophist.
    [Show full text]
  • The Theosophist
    THE THEOSOPHIST VOL. 135 NO. 7 APRIL 2014 CONTENTS On the Watch-Tower 3 M. P. Singhal The many lives of Siddhartha 7 Mary Anderson The Voice of the Silence — II 13 Clara Codd Charles Webster Leadbeater and Adyar Day 18 Sunita Maithreya Regenerating Wisdom 21 Krishnaphani Spiritual Ascent of Man in Secret Doctrine 28 M. A. Raveendran The Urgency for a New Mind 32 Ricardo Lindemann International Directory 38 Editor: Mr M. P. Singhal NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office. Cover: Common Hoope, Adyar —A. Chandrasekaran Official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Society is responsible only for official notices appearing in this magazine. 1 THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Founded 17 November 1875 President: Vice-President: Mr M. P. Singhal Secretary: Dr Chittaranjan Satapathy Treasurer: Mr T. S. Jambunathan Headquarters: ADYAR, CHENNAI (MADRAS) 600 020, INDIA Secretary: [email protected] Treasury: [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 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.
    [Show full text]
  • 55. SECTION Lll William Quan Judge
    55. SECTION lll William Quan Judge ….if your discretion and silence are likely to hurt or endanger others, then I add: Speak the truth at all costs, and say, with Annesly, “Consult duty, not events.” There are cases when one is forced to exclaim “Perish discretion, rather than allow it to interfere with duty.” Key to Theosophy, p. 202 Ingratitude is a crime in Occultism and I shall illustrate the point by citing the case of W.Q. Judge. He is one of the three founders of the Theosophical Society, the only three who have remained as true as rock to the cause. While others have all turned deserters or enemies, he has ever remained faithful to his original pledge……He is the Resuscitator of Theosophy in the United States, and is working to the best of his means and ability, and at a great sacrifice, for the spread of the movement……Brother Judge refuses to defend himself…But is that a reason why we should let him go undefended? It is our bounden duty to support him, in every way, with our sympathy and influence, energetically, not in a half-hearted, timid way….Is it the part of “Brother-Fellow” to remain indifferent and inactive when one who has done so much for the noble and sacred CAUSE is vilified for its sake, hence, for that of every Theosophist; when he is selected by the enemy as the mark of all the lying and damaging attacks of those who wish to destroy the Society in order to build on its ruins another, a bogus Body of the same name, and to enshrine therein an idol with feet of clay and a heart full of selfishness and evil, for the admiration and worship of credulous fools? Can we allow them to achieve this object when they seek to ensure success by undermining the character of this most unselfish champion of our T.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Theosophically Inspired Movements in Denmark 587
    Theosophically Inspired Movements in Denmark 587 Chapter 71 Theosophically Inspired Movements in Denmark René Dybdal Introduction In Denmark, like in many other countries in the West and elsewhere, modern Theosophy, as introduced by H.P. Blavatsky and H.S. Olcott in 1875, has played a key role as a source of inspiration to many religious groups. Although the Theosophical Society Adyar (here abbreviated TS) has left its mark on numer- ous contemporary new religious movements, globally and locally, the following presentation will focus solely on groups that historically descend from or doctrinally have their primary inspiration from this modern Theosophical tradi tion. It will be subdivided into two parts: (a) Groups formed in Denmark and (b) Groups imported to Denmark, i.e., international groups inspired by Theosophy that are or have been present in Denmark. A variety of new groups emerged in the wake of the transformation that the Danish section of TS underwent during the 1970s (as described in the chapter in the present volume on Theosophy in Denmark). Some of these groups, e.g., the Anthroposophical Society and Martinus Cosmology, have experienced a significant expansion over the years and are covered in separate chapters in the present volume. Consequently, they will only be mentioned briefly here. Groups Formed in Denmark Shan the Rising Light Up to the 1970s, the Theosophical current in Denmark was primarily repre- sented by the Danish section of the TS. The period was characterised by an urge to transform or even revolutionise both the organisation and the practice of this section, and several new initiatives were taken.
    [Show full text]
  • Blavatsky the Satanist: Luciferianism in Theosophy, and Its Feminist Implications
    Blavatsky the Satanist: Luciferianism in Theosophy, and its Feminist Implications PER FAXNELD Stockholm University Abstract H. P. Blavatsky’s influential The Secret Doctrine (1888), one of the foundation texts of Theosophy, contains chapters propagating an unembarrassed Satanism. Theosophical sympathy for the Devil also extended to the name of their journal Lucifer, and discussions conducted in it. To Blavatsky, Satan is a cultural hero akin to Pro- metheus. According to her reinterpretation of the Christian myth of the Fall in Genesis 3, Satan in the shape of the serpent brings gnosis and liberates mankind. The present article situates these ideas in a wider nineteenth-century context, where some poets and socialist thinkers held similar ideas and a counter-hegemonic reading of the Fall had far-reaching feminist implications. Additionally, influences on Blavatsky from French occultism and research on Gnosticism are discussed, and the instrumental value of Satanist shock tactics is con- sidered. The article concludes that esoteric ideas cannot be viewed in isolation from politics and the world at large. Rather, they should be analyzed both as part of a religious cosmology and as having strategic polemical and didactic functions related to political debates, or, at the very least, carrying potential entailments for the latter. Keywords: Theosophy, Blavatsky, Satanism, Feminism, Socialism, Ro- manticism. In September 1875, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891) co-founded the Theosophical society in New York City. Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907), lawyer and journalist, was elected its first president. Blavatsky, however, became the chief ideologist, drawing authority from the com- munications concerning esoteric matters she claimed to receive from the mysterious ‘Mahatmas’ (or ‘Masters’).
    [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]
  • The Theosophist
    THE THEOSOPHIST VOL. 131 NO. 1 OCTOBER 2009 CONTENTS On the Watch-Tower 3 Radha Burnier Theosophy for a New Generation of Inquirers 7 Colin Price An Emerging World View 12 Shirley J. Nicholson What is Theosophy? 15 H. P. Blavatsky Theosophy for a New Generation of Enquirers 23 Surendra Narayan The Eternal Values of the Divine Wisdom 28 Bhupendra R. Vora The Theosophist: Past is Prologue 32 John Algeo Fragments of the Ageless Wisdom 37 The Theosophical Society for a New Generation of Enquirers 38 Dara Tatray Back to Blavatsky will Fossilize Theosophy Forwards with Blavatsky will Vitalize Theosophy 43 Edi D. Bilimoria Statement by Members Assembled in Brasilia, July 2009 51 International Directory 54 Editor: Mrs Radha Burnier NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office. Cover: H. P. Blavatsky. Montage including cover of The Theosophist, 1882 Adyar Archives Official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Society is responsible only for official notices appearing in this magazine. THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Founded 17 November 1875 President: Mrs Radha Burnier Vice-President: Mrs Linda Oliveira Secretary: Mrs Kusum Satapathy Treasurer: Miss Keshwar Dastur Headquarters: ADYAR, CHENNAI (MADRAS) 600 020, INDIA Emails: Below Secretary: [email protected] Treasury: [email protected] Fax: (+91-44) 2446-3464 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 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 Societys 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Krishnamurti and the World Teacher Project: Some Theosophical Perceptions Govert Schüller Theosophical History Occasional Papers, Volume V Editor: James A
    Krishnamurti and the World Teacher Project: Some Theosophical Perceptions Govert Schüller Theosophical History Occasional Papers, Volume V Editor: James A. Santucci Theosophical History, Fullerton, Ca., 1997 Foreword (pages i - xiii) James Santucci Clueless we go; but I have beard thy voice Divine Unreason! harping in the leaves, And grieve no more; for wisdom never grieves, And thou hast taught me wisdom; I rejoice. (Aldous Huxley, The Cicadas) On February 17, 1986, the life of one of the great teachers of the twentieth century, Jiddu Krishnamurti, came to an end. No teacher who claimed to give the Truth has done so in so unconventional a manner: so totally contrary to the expectations of his followers, so utterly confusing to his detractors. His was a life that approximated the mystique befitting the archetypal religious teacher. The story of his early life is now familiar to his followers: a portentous birth impressed by his psychic mother's premonition that he, her eighth child, was someone who was not to be like other children (1); the discovery of the adolescent by the clairvoyantly gifted Charles W. Leadbeater (1854-1934) who asserted that K.(2) was to be overshadowed by a great Spiritual force in the person of Lord Maitreya, the World Teacher(3); and the first hint of this Force manifesting itself, in Benares on the 28th of December (1911). Leadbeater described this occurrence in The Herald of the Star(4) as a tremendous power, which was so evidently flowing through Alcyone [K.] that the next member [in line] fell at his feet, overwhelmed by this marvellous rush of force.
    [Show full text]
  • Echoes of the Orient: the Writings of William Quan
    ECHOES ORIENTof the VOLUME II The Writings of William Quan Judge In this second volume readers will we have a soul? Can it be lost? What find a wealth of theosophical teach­ happens to suicides? Is it possible to ings, history, and guidance. Nearly receive in dreams answers to ques­ half the book comprises articles from tions about right conduct? Should several magazines, as well as Judge’s psychic powers be developed? Are presentations at the 1893 World’s celibacy and vege tarianism necessary Parliament of Religions in Chicago, to lead a spiritual life? What evidence where he chaired the Theosophical is there for the existence of advanced Congress. The remaining sections humans or maha¯tmas? Why don’t include Hidden Hints in The Secret they make themselves better known? Doctrine; Questions from The Va¯han, How does one enter the spiritual path The Theosophical Forum, and The and “live the life” in a practical way? Path; Abridgement of Discussions; and How can one serve mankind? Faces of Friends. Judge’s responses to these and What is striking about Judge’s scores of other questions and problems writing is his exceptional ability to have timely relevance, providing help­ condense a powerful line of think­ ful insight into similar issues arising ing into simple language. If we may in today’s spiritual ferment. characterize the contents of Volume I as coming from the plane of “pure buddhi” or intuition — as H. P. Blav­ atsky once remarked of Judge’s Path magazine — much of the material in William Quan Judge (1851-1896) was this second volume, while covering a born in Dublin, Ireland, and emigrated broad philosophic territory, brings the with his family to America in 1864.
    [Show full text]
  • The Higher Worlds Meet the Lower Criticism New Scholarship on Rudolf Steiner
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette History Faculty Research and Publications History, Department of 1-1-2015 The iH gher Worlds meet the Lower Criticism New Scholarship on Rudolf Steiner Peter Staudenmaier Marquette University, [email protected] Published version. Correspondence, Vol. 3 (2015): 93-110. Publisher link. © 2015 Peter Staudenmaier. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License Correspondences 3 (2015) 93–110 ISSN: 2053-7158 (Online) correspondencesjournal.com The Higher Worlds meet the Lower Criticism New Scholarship on Rudolf Steiner Peter Staudenmaier E-mail: [email protected] Rudolf Steiner. Rudolf Steiner: Schriften über Mystik, Mysterienwesen und Religionsgeschichte. Edited, introduced and commentated by Christian Clement. Vol. 5 of Rudolf Steiner: Schriften – Kritische Ausgabe, edited by Christian Clement. Stuttgart: frommann-holzboog, 2013. lxxx + 377 pp. ISBN 978-3-7728-2635-1. Rudolf Steiner. Rudolf Steiner: Schriften zur Erkenntnisschulung. Edited, introduced and commentated by Christian Clement. Vol. 7 of Rudolf Steiner: Schriften – Kritische Ausgabe, edited by Christian Clement. Stuttgart: frommann-holzboog, 2015. cxxx + 498 pp. ISBN 978-3-7274-5807-1. When Rudolf Steiner died in 1925, he was a prominent public figure in Germany. Whether celebrated or castigated – or, more often, puzzled over – Steiner was somebody who called for comment. Obituaries and memorials appeared across the spectrum of the German press, from the Börsenzeitung, the Wall Street Journal of the Weimar Republic, to the Socialist newspaper Vorwärts, from the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung to the Frankfurter Zeitung to the Münchener Neueste Nachrichten. Even the New York Times saw fit to mark the passing of “Dr.
    [Show full text]