Text of Resolutions passed by the General Council of the Theosophical Society Freedom of Thought As the Theosophical Society has spread far and wide over the world, and as members of all religions have become members of it without surrendering the special dogmas, teachings and beliefs of their re- spective faiths, it is thought desirable to emphasize the fact that there is no doctrine, no opinion, by whomsoever taught or held, that is in any way binding on any member of the Society, none which any member is not free to accept or reject. Approval of its three Objects is the sole condition of membership. No teacher, or writer, from H. P. Blavatsky onwards, has any authority to impose his or her teachings or opinions on members. Every member has an equal right to follow any school of thought, but has no right to force the choice on any other. Neither a candidate for any office nor any voter can be rendered ineligible to stand or to vote, because of any opinion held, or because of membership in any school of thought. Opinions or beliefs neither bestow privileges nor inflict penalties. The Members of the General Council earnestly request every member of the Theosophical Society to maintain, defend and act upon these fundamental principles of the Society, and also fearlessly to exercise the right of liberty of thought and of expression thereof, within the limits of courtesy and consideration for others. Freedom of the Society The Theosophical Society, while cooperating with all other bodies whose aims and activities make such cooperation possible, is and must remain an organization entirely independent of them, not committed to any objects save its own, and intent on developing its own work on the broadest and most inclusive lines, so as to move towards its own goal as indicated in and by the pursuit of those objects and that Divine Wisdom which in the abstract is implicit in the title ‘The Theosophical Society’. Since Universal Brotherhood and the Wisdom are undefined and unlimited, and since there is complete freedom for each and every member of the Society in thought and action, the Society seeks ever to maintain its own distinctive and unique character by remaining free of affiliation or identification with any other organization. 2 THE THEOSOPHIST VOL. 139 NO. 5 FEBRUARY 2018 CONTENTS The Heart’s Wisdom 5 Tim Boyd Looking Within To Reach Out 13 Deepa Padhi Annie Besant on Giordano Bruno 18 J. Krishnamurti 19 Radha Burnier The “Gift of the Gods” 22 Ali Ritsema Beyond Illusion 27 Clemice Petter There Is No Other 31 Pedro Oliveira Theosophy: A Way towards Universal Consciousness 35 Sabine van Osta Theosophical Work around the World 41 International Directory 42 Editor: Mr Tim Boyd NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to: <[email protected]> Cover: A Crimson Rose butterfly (Pachliopta hector) on a wild flower, Adyar Gardens. Photographer — Prof. A. Chandrasekaran ____________________________________________________________________ This journal is the official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Society is responsible only for official notices appearing in this journal. 3 THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Founded 17 November 1875 President: Mr Tim Boyd Vice-President: Dr Deepa Padhi Secretary: Ms Marja Artamaa Treasurer: Ms Nancy Secrest 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] // www.adyarbooks.com 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 Vol. 139.4, January 2018 The Heart’s Wisdom The Heart’s Wisdom TIM BOYD “WISDOM” is a subject that we dimly theosophists, we are of the opinion that understand, but wisdom and the path that the next step toward wisdom is merely the leads to it has been indicated by sages amassing of a certain quantum of know- and saints throughout the generations to ledge. That is, after we have read the reside in the heart. necessary poundage of the correct books, There are many terms that are incor- somehow we cross an indefinable line and rectly used interchangeably with the word we become wise. We also tend to believe “wisdom”. When we are loose in our that wisdom and age are related. So, hav- thinking, we find that the line between ing white hair adds to the impression of terms such as information, knowledge, wisdom. But these are all false quali- and wisdom gets blurred. We often fications, having nothing to do with being find educated people substituting “know- wise. Wisdom bears no relationship to ledge” for “information” in the same sen- knowledge, information, or the number tence, but the two are not the same. The of years one has spent on this earth. It is times we are living in have been termed of a completely different nature. as the “Information Age”. This refers to Wisdom is the perception of reality, the an exponential increase of information, or seeing of that which is, undiluted by the data. The current estimate is that every variety of illusions that we embrace, unfil- thirteen months the total sum of human tered by the host of identities we claim information doubles, and even this rapid for ourselves: of nationality, gender, race, pace keeps on accelerating. No one has religion, and so on. The veiling quality of the capacity to grasp this. these identities dim the light of wisdom Information is a basic building block; to the point that it is virtually inaccessible it is a fact. Knowledge gives meaning and to us from moment to moment. It is ever- is structured out of combinations of facts. present, but, as a normal rule, inaccessible. The color of a shirt is a fact, so what? This When we speak about wisdom, it is a is not knowledge, which arises when we different order of things. apply a number of other facts, building a References to the heart abound in structure that endows the isolated facts normal speech. When we look at music, with meaning. So there is information, and movies, songs, literature anywhere in the there is knowledge. Very often, even as world, they are filled with references to Vol. 139.5, February 2018 The Theosophist 5 The Heart’s Wisdom the heart. When one receives a letter that atom. The biological, geological, and begins with “it is with a heavy heart”, one meteorological worlds have all been knows someone has passed on. We talk researched. There are information and about those who are cold-hearted, open- descriptions related to every phenome- hearted, closed-hearted, or who do some- non that we are aware of. We must be thing wholeheartedly, or half-heartedly. clear that science now, and at the time of Our language is permeated with references Sri Ram’s talk, is related to the physical to the heart. In some ways, the territory world. He also noted how the deepening of human exploration at this time seems awareness that science has brought has to be the challenging area of the heart. produced a host of technologies that are At deeper levels we also have refer- continually influencing human behavior. ences to the heart. In the Bible there is a The technological impulse that was phrase: “As a man thinketh in his heart, taking place created previously impos- so is he.” In theosophical terms we speak sible opportunities for global communi- of the “Doctrine of the Heart”.