Freedom of Thought - ts-adyar.org · 2 Text of Resolutions passed by the General Council of the Theosophical Society Freedom of Thought As the Theosophical Society has spread far

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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 withoutsurrendering the special dogmas, teachings and beliefs of their re-spective faiths, it is thought desirable to emphasize the fact that there isno doctrine, no opinion, by whomsoever taught or held, that is in any waybinding on any member of the Society, none which any member is notfree to accept or reject. Approval of its three Objects is the sole conditionof 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, buthas no right to force the choice on any other. Neither a candidate for anyoffice nor any voter can be rendered ineligible to stand or to vote, becauseof 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 memberof the Theosophical Society to maintain, defend and act upon thesefundamental principles of the Society, and also fearlessly to exercise theright of liberty of thought and of expression thereof, within the limitsof courtesy and consideration for others.

Freedom of the Society

The Theosophical Society, while cooperating with all other bodieswhose aims and activities make such cooperation possible, is and mustremain an organization entirely independent of them, not committed toany objects save its own, and intent on developing its own work on thebroadest and most inclusive lines, so as to move towards its own goal asindicated in and by the pursuit of those objects and that Divine Wisdomwhich in the abstract is implicit in the title ‘The Theosophical Society’.

Since Universal Brotherhood and the Wisdom are undefined andunlimited, and since there is complete freedom for each and every memberof the Society in thought and action, the Society seeks ever to maintainits own distinctive and unique character by remaining free of affiliationor identification with any other organization.

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THE THEOSOPHIST

CONTENTS

VOL. 137 NO. 8 MAY 2016

Approaching the Divine 5

Tim Boyd

Is The Voice of the Silence Only for Mystics? 10

Chittaranjan Satapathy

The Neurophysiology of Compassion — II 17

José Foglia

Compassion: Goal of Theosophy and the Spiritual Life 24

Abraham Oron

White Lotus Day 29

George S. Arundale

Fragments of the Ageless Wisdom 31

On Krishnaji 32

Clemice Petter

Theosophical Work around the World 41

International Directory 44

Official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Societyis responsible only for official notices appearing in this magazine.

Editor: Mr Tim Boyd

NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office.

Cover: One of the three H. P. Blavatsky busts donated to the Adyar, Wheaton, and Naarden Theo- sophical centres by the International Charity Public Fund ‘Dialogue of Cultures - United World’, based in Moscow. This month marks the 125th anniversary of HPB’s passing on 8 May 1891.

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The Theosophical Society is composed of students, belonging to any religion inthe 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 truthsand to share the results of their studies with others. Their bond of union is not theprofession 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, notas a dogma to be imposed by authority. They consider that belief should be theresult of individual study or intuition, and not its antecedent, and should rest onknowledge, 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 removeignorance, not punish it. They see every religion as an expression of the DivineWisdom 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, andwhich cannot be claimed as the exclusive possession of any. It offers a philosophywhich renders life intelligible, and which demonstrates the justice and the lovewhich guide its evolution. It puts death in its rightful place, as a recurring incidentin 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 ashimself and the mind and body as his servants. It illuminates the scriptures anddoctrines of religions by unveiling their hidden meanings, and thus justifying themat the bar of intelligence, as they are ever justified in the eyes of intuition.

Members of the Theosophical Society study these truths, and theosophistsendeavour to live them. Everyone willing to study, to be tolerant, to aim high, andto work perseveringly, is welcomed as a member, and it rests with the member tobecome a true theosophist.

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETYFounded 17 November 1875

President: Mr Tim Boyd Vice-President: Dr Chittaranjan SatapathySecretary: Ms Marja Artamaa Treasurer: Mr K. Narasimha Rao

Headquarters: ADYAR, CHENNAI (MADRAS) 600 020, INDIAVice-President: [email protected]

Secretary: [email protected]: [email protected]

Adyar Library and Research Centre: [email protected] Publishing House: [email protected] & [email protected]

Editorial Office: [email protected], Website: http://www.ts-adyar.org

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Approaching the Divine

The Theosophist


TIM BOYD

DURING the early days of the Theo-sophical Society H. P. Blavatsky wasknown for being critical of the practicesof the Church and the form thatChristianity had come to take in hertime. This is understandable, given thecolonial situation, particularly in India.For HPB, it was a matter of ‘a valiant de-fence of those who are unjustly attacked’.I believe that she felt that the impositionof a badly practised foreign religion ontoa culture where the existing approachesto the Divine had great merit, was some-thing that should be addressed. And,of course, in her warrior-like fashion,she addressed it.

What we find in her writings is thatshe was frequently critical of the way inwhich the concept of God was ap-proached in the Church. She rarely usedthe word ‘God’ in her writings, at leastnot in the sense familiar to normalChristian practice, and when she did,it was often to point out some of thelimitations that had been imposed on thispotentially great and uplifting principle.She was not opposed to God, but to thedistorted characterization that emergedfrom unsound philosophy, and to the factthat this caricature of divinity was beingforced on a colonial population.

The idea that there is an absolute,infinite, supreme intelligence that thenbecomes personified, that is given aname, that is described in terms of humanlimitations such as anger, wrath, dis-pleasure, and to which a host of limitingattributes are ascribed, she recognizedas tortured reasoning. And so she spoketo that. From HPB’s point of view, inspeaking about the Absolute, the onlyway that it could be described was asdarkness and nothingness — nothing-ness in the sense that the Absolute iscompletely without attributes; it has noassociation with any particular thing,and so ‘nothing’, ‘no thing’ was the mostappropriate way of describing it.

Those who came after HPB in theTheosophical tradition — Annie Besant,C. W. Leadbeater, I. K. Taimni, andothers — found no difficulty in using theword ‘God’ to express a particularmeaning. In The Key to Theosophy HPBtakes on the role of the Enquirer and alsoof the Theosophist who answers thequestions. In the book she asks a verydirect question of the Theosophist whowas responding. The question is: ‘Do youbelieve in God?’ It is a direct, seeminglysimple question. The response that shegives to that question is quite revealing.

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It is not a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ answer. It is:‘That depends on what you mean by thatterm [God].’ She goes on to describe allthe things that would not be included inany functional belief in the Divine. Suchthings as a personality or anything thatcould be assigned a pronoun of ‘him’ or‘her’ would fall beneath that standard.But she says that what we do believe inis a ‘universal, divine essence’. AnnieBesant and others had a very clear ideaof what they were saying when theyused the term ‘God’.

Wherever you go and whatever timeyou examine in the world’s history, therehas always been some conception ofthe Divine, something equivalent to theGod concept. Over the last 100 years wehave had an opportunity to witness anexperiment that has been played out in alarge way, where there was the veryconcentrated and deliberate effort toeradicate religious belief. In the experi-ment that was attempted in the SovietUnion and again in communist China,you had a population that was steeped invarious approaches to the Divine, whofound themselves living under a newsocial order where religious practice orbelief was no longer permitted. Not onlywas it not allowed, but for anyone whowas found practising, there were extremepunishments that would be applied. Theprevailing idea in these communistsocieties was that religion is somethingunnatural that has been grafted ontohuman consciousness, and if it is deniedthe opportunity to express itself, it willdie out. That experiment was attempted

over approximately three generations.So, the children’s children of the peoplewho first came under that experimentwere raised in the absence of openreligious expression.

When those regimes came to an end,the fascinating part was that suddenly,as if it had never disappeared, the reli-gious urge arose again strongly, so thateven though the bodies of the people whopractised these religions might have beendestroyed, or their minds might havebeen twisted through imprisonment or‘re-education’, somehow those principleswhich give rise to the religious impulseremained untouched. From a theo-sophical point of view, it is clear. Thesource of the religious impulse lies deepwithin, beyond the reach of material,or even emotional, and mental forces.

There is an expression in theosophicalliterature that ‘faith is unconsciousknowledge’. The reason that there is thiscontinual upwelling towards the Divinewithin the hearts of humanity is due tothe presence of a ‘knowledge’ that exceedsthe conscious mind. It lies beyond therealm of the mental grasp, yet continuallyreacts on the mind. We know of it, and itcannot disappear. There is an ‘essentialuniversal divine essence’ that continuallyinforms the lives of each and every one.

HPB was also quite critical of prayer,at least the manner in which it was prac-tised in the Church of her time, and eventhe Church of our time. Much like herreaction to the philosophically unsoundapproach to God, prayer as commonlyunderstood and practised, she felt,

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weakened the one praying. And just likewith the God concept, her issue was notwith prayer, but with the distorted under-standing of the common practitioner.Prayer, after all, is one of the techniquesof the spiritual life that is found andpractised in every part of the world. Someof the greatest beings in history have beeninfluenced by their practice of prayer.

In The Key to Theosophy HPB talksabout prayer. First she discusses theinadequacies of an approach that placesa request before a divine being for someselfish desire with the expectation that itwill be answered whether deserved ornot, or even whether it is somethingwithin the laws of Nature. She says thatthis approach is the opposite of trueprayer. She says that as theosophists,yes, we do believe in prayer, but shedescribed it as ‘will prayer’. The prayerof a will that is not directed towards someexalted person, but that is directedtowards the ‘Father in Heaven’. Shedistinguished that from the prevalentbelief of a divine Father figure on theclouds, who gives things to those whosay the right words. The Father in Heavenis our own deepest spiritual nature: Atma-Buddhi-Manas. HPB made the distinctionthat genuine prayer was directed to thisFather in Heaven, which is a principlebecause it is universal.

Annie Besant and others who camelater in the theosophical tradition werevery free in their use of the word ‘prayer’.In fact, today, in almost any meeting thatis held around the theosophical world werecite a prayer that was written by Annie

Besant which came to be known as the‘Universal Prayer’.

She wrote that prayer in response to arequest from someone who was con-vening a meeting and asked her to writea meditation that the group could engagein. She wrote a prayer, and she said thatas she wrote it, it seemed to chant itselfinside of her. She felt that she could notwrite a meditation, as she considered thatto be a more personal matter. Instead shewrote the prayer ‘O Hidden Life’ for thisone meeting, with the idea that it couldbe recited two times during the day — inthe morning and in the evening. It has,of course, gone on to become somethingthat is chanted throughout the theo-sophical world and used in the personalpractice of countless individuals.

One of the foundational points in thetradition of mysticism is the idea thatGod, or the divine universal presence, issomething that can be experienced, andthat it is only in that experience that truemeaning and worth come into being.Even HPB, in her description of the willprayer, says that its effects can lead to agenuine communion, like the mingling ofa higher soul with the universal essence.

There is a little book that comes fromthe Christian mystical tradition, writtenas a handbook for the practice of unionwith God, or the Divine. It is called TheCloud of Unknowing. In it there is a briefprayer that is potentially quite potent.It says:

O God, unto whom all hearts lie open,unto whom desire is eloquent,from whom no secret thing is hidden,



purify the thoughts of my heartwith the outpouring of your spiritthat I might love you with a perfect loveand praise you as you deserve.

We might just try to go a little deeperinto the sense of these words. It is aninexhaustible prayer, but we can at leastscratch the surface. ‘O God, unto whomall hearts lie open’ is the recognition, asany true prayer must be, of reality, ofwhat is. It is not the specific combinationof words that makes the difference, butthe inner recognition that there is a uni-versal divine essence to which all heartsare connected, unto which they all lie open.So the prayer begins with that basicrecognition of what is the reality of things.

The phrase ‘unto whom desire iseloquent’ might be a little bit tricky. Inthe Hermetic tradition there is a sayingthat we are perhaps familiar with:‘Behind Will stands desire.’ It is onlyfrom the effort that is made in cultivatingdesire of a particular type that the per-sonality is influenced and becomes opento the higher nature. The desire that isindicated would be more along the linesof aspiration. In the absence of thecultivation and direction of what is named‘desire’, we do not experience the descentof the higher will. The word ‘eloquence’relates to persuasiveness. So, the phrase‘Unto whom desire is eloquent’, describesthe persuasiveness of our highest desire,that desire that borders on, and invokesthe descent of Divine Will.

The next phrase says: ‘from whom nosecret thing is hidden’. The only placewhere there are secret things hidden is

within the dark recesses of our ownpersonalities, those corners of our beingwhere we are unwilling to allow a higherlight to enter. These are the places wherewe feel limited, where we hide from our-selves and others, where we harbour allthe complexes and difficulties that keeppsychologists in business. In our relation-ship to the Higher Self, the Divine, secrecyis both meaningless and unnecessary.All is known, always. This recognitionpermits a release from the massive effortthat is required in our attempts to fortifythese hidden places. Again, it is simply arecognition of reality.

Thus the first part of this prayer movesus through the process of recognizingdifferent aspects of the Divine and itspotential for creative involvement withinthe personality. The next part of theprayer makes a request: ‘purify thethoughts of my heart with the outpouringof your spirit’. The request is made thatthe light of the Divine may shine uponthose thoughts that are generated in thedeepest part of our being; not the thoughtsof our normal mind, or those which seemto come and go in every moment, but thethoughts of ‘my heart’.

We often think of ‘Light’ as synonym-ous with the Divine. For a person whobuilds a windowless house and spendstheir life inside, it is unreasonable toexpect that the continuously shining lightof the sun would find its way to them.The fact that we find ourselves cut offfrom this light in no way diminishes thelight of the sun. It only affects our access.

This portion of the prayer is not asking

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the sun to shine more brightly, or askingthe sun to penetrate the walls that we haveerected around ourselves. The prayersays ‘purify the thoughts of my heart withthe outpouring of your spirit’. It is anexpression of our will to remove thebarriers that we have created so that thelight may be allowed entrance. It is not aprayer intended to change the way thatthe Universe functions. It is an expressionof our will to access the shining of thelight of the divine sun.

The prayer culminates with: ‘thatI might love you with a perfect love andpraise you as you deserve.’ What is thenature of ‘a perfect love’? What is thenature of ‘praise’? When we speak aboutpraise, there are different ways and typesof praising that we do. Often with childrenif they do some little accomplishment,we will praise them so that they candevelop confidence. Real praise occurswhen we see something of value andacknowledge it. It is not created or madeup in the moment. It is the recognitionand acknowledgement of that which is.

And what is the praise that the ‘uni-versal divine essence’ deserves. This isprobably something much less complicatedthan we think. Perhaps it means nothingmore or less than the acknowledgement

of the presence of the Divine in each andevery person, in all things, everywherewe look. This is the praise that flows fromone who genuinely has reached a pointin their unfoldment that allows them tosee. To falsely praise that which we donot see or have not realized is an emptygesture. But every person has had anexperience that in some way has con-firmed this ‘mingling’ of our higher soulwith the divine nature that Blavatskytalks about. We have that awareness, soin this prayer we speak to that. In theBhagavadgitâ Krishna calls himself theInner Ruler Immortal present in the heartsof all beings. With the appearance withinus of the capacity to see it, that simplerecognition is the praise that is deserved.

There are many similar prayers. Thisone from the unknown author is offeredas an example of the potential forquickening all of the activities of ourpersonality, so that they may be pointedtowards the actual experience of thishidden Life, hidden Light, and hiddenLove that Annie Besant addressed inher Universal Prayer. It is everywherepresent, generally unrecognized and un-acknowledged. Any tool that affords thepossibility of at least momentary rec-ognition is worthy of our consideration.

The meeting of man and God must always mean apenetration and entry of the divine into the humanand a self-immergence of man in the Divinity.

Sri Aurobindo


Is The Voice of the Silence Only for Mystics?

Is The Voice of the Silence

Only for Mystics?

CHITTARANJAN SATAPATHY

H. P. BLAVATSKY dedicated TheSecret Doctrine ‘to all true theosophists,in every country, and of every race, forthey called it forth, and for them it wasrecorded.’ In the case of Isis Unveiled,HPB dedicated the same ‘to the Theo-sophical Society, . . . to study the subjects’treated in that book. The Key toTheosophy was dedicated by her ‘to allher pupils that they may learn and teachin their turn.’ The Voice of the Silencewas, on the other hand, ‘dedicated to thefew’. It is not indicated who these feware. Besides, it is also not the case that abook is meant only for those to whom itmay have been dedicated by the author.Very often it is the case that a book maybe dedicated to one or more persons, butit is available to anyone who wishes tobuy and read the book.

In the preface to The Voice of theSilence, HPB clarifies that this book isderived from the ‘Book of the GoldenPrecepts’, and while saying so she alsoclarifies that the ‘Book of the GoldenPrecepts’, is one of the works which isput into the hands of mystic students in

Dr Chittaranjan Satapathy is international Vice-President of the Theosophical Society, Adyar.Talk given at the South India Conference, 2015.

the East as their knowledge of it isobligatory. Towards the end of the pre-face, she further states that it has beenthought better to make judicious selectiononly from those treatises which will bestsuit the few real mystics in the Theo-sophical Society and which are sure toanswer their needs.

Perhaps these words of HPB haveprompted some people to think that TheVoice of the Silence is a work that ismeant for the ‘real mystics’ in theTheosophical Society. No doubt the wayHPB puts it, we can clearly conclude that‘The Voice of the Silence’ and the twoother fragments included in the book aresuitable for mystic students. She alsogoes on to say that mystic students arethose who will appreciate the words ofKrishna, and she quotes from theBhagavadgitâ, Chapter II, verses 11, 12:

‘Sages grieve not for the living or the dead.Never did I not exist, nor you, nor theserulers of men; nor will any one of us everhereafter cease to be.’

However, from the above, it is difficult

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to conclude that this book is not suitablefor others or that no one else other thanmystics should read it. On the other hand,HPB herself indicates on the cover of thebook that it is ‘for the daily use of Lanoos(disciples)’ which goes to show un-equivocally that the book is meant forall aspirants and not only for mystics.It would be a great loss if this wonder-ful little book written in sublime poeticlanguage with vivid imagery were to bekept out of the reach of lay studentsand disciples.

In Madame Blavatsky’s own lifetime,the book had become popular amongTheosophists. She wrote to her sisterVera Petrovna de Zhelihovsky in Feb-ruary 1890: ‘The Voice of the Silence,tiny book though it is, is simply becomingthe Theosophists’ Bible.’ We cannot saythe Bible is only for mystics and not forlay followers. As a commentator puts it,‘Probably the best way to take the wholetreatise is to assume that it is written forthe absolute tyro (a beginner or a novice),with a good deal between the lines forthe more advanced mystic.’ (Frater O.M.)The 14th Dalai Lama says, ‘I believethat this book has strongly influencedmany sincere seekers and aspirantsto the wisdom and compassion of theBodhisattva Path.’ D. T. Suzuki, theJapanese author, says, ‘Here is the realMahayana Buddhism.’

It is not for nothing that HPB indicatesthat the book should be put to daily use.The more one reads this tiny book (it fitsinto just twenty A4 size pages), thegreater depth one reaches. Progressively

it indicates to us how much more workwe need to do in this life and in the liveshereafter. As we proceed with the book,it holds a mirror to show us where we are,and it further indicates the path that wehave to take. It does not give us any falsepromises, it indicates the difficultiesahead, without discouraging us andclearly indicating what lies at the end ofthe path. Sometimes, the path is describedas a thorny road, full of pitfalls, some-times it is hinted at as a ladder the foot ofwhich is in mire but its summit lost inglorious light. Sometimes the path isdescribed to be across the waters goingon to the other shore. As Radhaji oftenused to point out, there is no actual pathtaking us from one place to another andit is all happening within ourselves.

Perhaps this is the right time to narratean anecdote in Mark Lee’s book Knock-ing at the Open Door: My Years withJ. Krishnamurti. Someone told Krishnajithat Emily Lutyens (Edwin Lutyen’swife), in her book Candles in the Sun,says that Rukmini Arundale went throughfive initiations in a brief span of fifteendays. Krishnamurti suddenly sat up andasked: ‘Do you know what initiation is?You wouldn’t know what it is to gothrough even the first initiation.’ He wenton seriously:

The disciple approaches the master whois seated at the end of a cave which lookslike a long tunnel. A harsh voice boomswithin: ‘What is it that you want? You arenot fit for anything, go away.’ If thedisciple is earnest and persistent he comes



back after a while and the same voice callsout and says the same thing. The disciple,despite the rebuff, keeps coming over aperiod of time. Then one day, to his aston-ishment, he finds at the entrance of the cavea sculpted figure of himself; perhaps theeyes are cruel, the protruding jaw and thefacial lines exude greed and avarice.Whatever the contortions, he realises thefigure is he. As he looks it over with anuncomfortable and anxious feeling, thevoice within calls out from the end of thetunnel: ‘See what you are, go away and dosomething.’ The disciple goes back,reflects, changes, and keeps coming back.As he changes, mellows, and softens, andlets go of his likes, dislikes, and attach-ments, the figure too gradually undergoesa change. There is no response from insidethe cave. Now communication is only withthe seated figure outside the tunnel. Thisprocess goes on till he drops most of theaccretions of the ego. Then one day, thevoice calls out his name. There is great affec-tion in the voice and the master says: ‘Comein’, and receives him. This is the first initia-tion. (First-hand account by Dr S. Bala-sundaram in his book, Non-Guru Guru.)

We are fortunate to have an accountof what the initial process is like fromsomeone like Krishnaji, who knows. Ineach of the three fragments publishedunder the title The Voice of the Silence,HPB tries to give us as detailed a viewas possible of the process involved inan aspirant’s progress. Everything inthe book is not easily understood. Bytheir very nature, esoteric instructions

are never made very concrete. Fullunderstanding of a stage is said to comeonly when an aspirant has climbed thatpart and is nearing that far. It is not somuch about understanding the literalmeaning of the esoteric instructions ascontemplating on them and putting theminto practice step by step.

HPB has taken three Fragments fromthe ‘Book of the Golden Precepts’ and putthem together under one title. It is perhapssafe to presume that these are threeseparate Fragments and not three continu-ous ones. For example, the choice indi-cated between the two paths at the end ofthe second Fragment can only be exercisedwhen the aspirant reaches the seventh andlast portal described at the end of the thirdFragment. In a way, the three Fragmentsdescribe three approaches to the samegoal, yet in a sense they are comple-mentary to each other.

Muriel Daw, a theosophist andBuddhist, points out that in the originaledition of The Voice of the Silence aseparating line was placed under the firstsentence, thereby making it a sub-title forthe whole of Fragment 1. The title was‘The Voice of the Silence’ and the sub-title was ‘These instructions are for thoseignorant of the dangers of the loweriddhi.’ She says that the implication ofthe subtitle is that the whole Fragmentdeals with the technique of meditation,including dangers which arise throughthe use of the psychic faculties.

As for the second Fragment, to geta good grasp of its central theme oneneeds to understand what a ‘bodhisattva’

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is. It is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘onewhose being or essence (sattva) is pureenlightenment (bodhi).’ At a human level,any person whose essence is guidedsolely by the wish to attain enlightenmentin order to help others may be known asa bodhisattva — the great model beingPrince Gautama, who was a bodhisattvauntil the moment of enlightenment whichmade him a Buddha. It is impossible tohelp others without wisdom, therefore thestruggle for enlightenment must comefirst. Only then can one choose betweenthe Two Paths. According to one account,even Gautama Buddha had difficulty inchoosing. It is said that after he becameenlightened, he continued sitting underthe tree for seven days enjoying the blisshe had found. Next he considered tryingto help others with his new-foundknowledge. He thought, ‘It is too difficult,no one will understand.’ Then the godspersuaded him saying: ‘Yes, many areignorant; however there are some whohave but little dust in their eyes.’

The Bodhisattva Vow is the motiveand path of training for all MahayanaBuddhists, which is: ‘To attain enlighten-ment for the sake of all sentient beings.’The would-be bodhisattva is not interestedmerely in personal enlightenment but inthe enlightenment of all. Muriel Dawpoints out that Madame Blavatsky oftenreferred to herself in humble terms as thevery lowest of chelas. Therefore, it isperhaps an unusual idea to think of her asa bodhisattva. However, only someonewho has taken such a Vow could havebeen accepted by her teachers; and,

considering her life, would any of usdoubt for a moment that all her energieswere spent in absorbing as much of theAncient Wisdom as she could, and thenpassing it on to us? She also says that fromthe moment one undertakes the Vow, (thepoint reached at the end of the secondFragment, ‘The Two Paths’), one becomesa fledgling bodhisattva.

In the third Fragment, HPB describesthe path of the Pâramitâ-s, virtues, orTranscendental Perfections. She says:

O weaver of thy freedom, you have tomaster these Pâramitâ-s of perfection —the virtues transcendental six and ten innumber — along the weary Path.’

In her Esoteric School InstructionNo. 3, HPB quotes from a letter receivedfrom her Master:

The six and ten transcendental virtues (thePâramitâ-s) are not for full grown yogisand priests alone, but for all those whowould enter the Path. . . .

It would seem therefore that for spiritualtraining, even lay people like us couldprofit by knowing more about thisparticular way towards enlightenment.

In the third Fragment titled ‘TheSeven Portals’, HPB introduces us tothe six Pâramitâ-s:

1. Dâna – giving, generosity2. ªila – morality, precepts3. Kshânti – patience4. Virya – vigour, energy5. Dhyâna – meditation6. Prajñâ – wisdom

In the middle she introduces a new



element called Virâga between the thirdand the fourth, which she names as theportal of temptations.

Beyond the six Pâramitâ-s leading upto Prajñâ, there are four more which areimportant to know about for those whohave crossed the seven portals as well asthose who are beginners. Sometimes theseare called ‘The Four Great Perfections’:

7. Upâya – skilful means 8. Pranidhâna – vow 9. Bala – power10. Jñâna – enlightenment (wisdom)

These Pâramitâ-s imply much more thantheir ordinary meanings. For example,the Dâna Pâramitâ does not mean merelythe perfection of giving, but implies theperfection beyond giving. It is not aboutgiving something that we have no needfor or something we have in excess andwant to get rid of. The perfection beyondgiving implies selfless giving, like amother who feeds a child while remaininghungry, developing an attitude of non-attachment and non-separateness. Oncethe Dâna Pâramitâ is understood as theperfection beyond giving, it lifts one to astage where there is sheer joy of giving,and an aspirant knows he is on the rightpath. Incidentally it is not confined onlyto giving material things, but also givinggifts of teaching, fearlessness, and evenone’s own life.

So is the case with all the otherPâramitâ-s. The ªila Pâramitâ forexample, has to be understood as per-fection beyond the precepts, or morality.It consists of the five elements (usuallyknown as Pañchaºila):

1. No killing – respect for life2. No stealing – respect for others’ property3. No sexual misconduct – respect for ourpure nature

4. No lying – respect for honesty

5. No intoxicants – respect for a clear mind

These can also be briefly summarized asharmlessness, not taking what is notgiven and purification of body, speech,and mind.

It is not the case that these Pâramitâ-sare to be pursued separately or strictlyone after another. Practice of one helpsin the practice of another. This is reflectedin the Buddhist practice of takingPañchaºila before giving Dâna. Evenamong Hindus, there is a practice ofpurification of body, speech and mind onthe part of the giver and the receiverbefore Dâna is given or received.

The first three Pâramitâ-s Dâna, ªilaand Kshânti — form a triad and representlove, harmony, and patience. Lovecreates harmony, but without patienceharmony cannot be sustained. Similarlythe last three Pâramitâ-s Virya, Dhyâna,and Prajñâ form another triad. Withdauntless energy, when contemplation ispursued, the result is full spiritualperception. To reach and to hold a newposition in a higher spiritual worldrequires spiritual energy.

Between these two triads of sixPâramitâ-s, HPB introduces the PâramitâVirâga (vairâgya) without which neitherthe illusion can be conquered nor thetruth perceived. In more than one sense,

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The Theosophist

detachment, or dispassion, is the mostimportant of all the virtues. It is essentialthat the mind is detached from desiresand passions without which an aspirantwill slide back to square one. HPBreminds us that ‘stern and exacting is thevirtue of Virâga’.

Consider the following few stanzasfrom each of the three fragments of TheVoice of the Silence. (The text in squarebrackets is taken from the glossarialnotes at the end of the book, and thestanza number is given within roundbrackets.) These go to show that evenlay disciples can benefit from thiswonderful little book.

Fragment I• Give up your life, if you would live.

[Give up the life of physical personalityif you would live in spirit.] (21)

• The name of the first Hall isIgnorance, in which you live and shalldie. (24-5)

• The name of the second Hall isLearning. In it you will find the siddhis(psychic powers), but be aware of theirdangers. Do not seek your teacher in thishall of astral illusion. (26, 29)

• The third Hall is called Wisdom,where you may seek the Master. Forreaching the Vale of Bliss through thisHall, guard against the sense ofseparateness. Before the Path is enteredyou must destroy your desire-body andclean your mind-body because the purewaters of eternal life cannot mingle withmuddy waters. (27, 32, 37, 51-2)

• You cannot travel on the Path beforeyou have become the Path itself. (58)

• Help Nature and work on with her;and Nature will regard you as one of hercreators and bow before you. (66)

• There is but one road to the Path;at its very end alone the Voice of theSilence can be heard. (69)

Fragment II• Do not believe that sitting in dark

forests in proud seclusion and apart frommen, or living on roots and plants anddrinking from snow, will lead you to thegoal of final liberation. (132)

• To reach Nirvana one must reachSelf-knowledge, which is born fromloving deeds. The selfish devotee livesto no purpose. The man who does not gothrough his appointed work in life — haslived in vain. (136, 153)

• Be humble if you would attain toWisdom, and be humbler still, when youhave mastered it. (161-2)

• The way to final freedom is withinyourself and that way begins and endsoutside of the personal self. (169-70)

Fragment III• Any sensation which arouses the

feeling of ‘I’ will make you forfeit theprizes you have won along the path.(245)

• Your true self is like a deer, andyour thoughts are the hounds that wearyand pursue his progress to the stream ofLife. (260)

• Remember, you that fight for man’sliberation, each failure is success andeach sincere attempt brings its reward intime. (274)

This is a book that uplifts and enrap-



tures one’s whole being by sheer poetry:Know, Conqueror of Sins, that once a‘Streamwinner’ has crossed the seventhPath, all Nature thrills with joyous awe andfeels subdued. The silver star now twinklesout the news to the night-blossoms, the

There is a road, steep and thorny,beset with perils of every kind,but yet a road, and it leads tothe very heart of the Universe:I can tell you how to find thosewho will show you the secret gatewaythat opens inward only,and closes fast behind the neophyte for evermore.There is no dangerthat dauntless courage cannot conquer;there is no trialthat spotless purity cannot pass through;there is no difficultythat strong intellect cannot surmount.For those who win onwardsthere is reward past all telling —the power to bless and save humanity;for those who fail,there are other lives in which success may come.

H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writingsvol. XIII, p. 219

streamlet to the pebbles ripples out the tale,dark ocean-waves will roar it to the rockssurf-bound, scent-laden breezes sing it tothe vales, and stately pines mysteriouslywhisper: ‘A Master has arisen, a Masterof the Day.’ (281) ²

17May 2016

The Neurophysiology of Compassion — II

The Theosophist

The Neurophysiology ofCompassion — II

JOSÉ FOGLIA

Dr José Foglia is a neurologist from Uruguay. This article is based on the Theosophy-ScienceLecture delivered at the international Convention, Adyar, 2 January 2016.

WHEN, how, and why did the lefthemisphere supremacy overpower ourconscious reality?

Answering this question involvesspecifying the meaning that we give to thewords ‘awareness’, ‘attention’, and ‘mind’during this development. Our approachis exclusively reductionist and doesnot incur philosophical disquisitions, onwhat they call beliefs, superstitions, andreligions. The premise of this approachis that awareness and attention are theresult of neural processes and not ‘things’.We do not consider that ‘consciousness’is the one realizing this when it paysattention. This phrase, repeated fre-quently in everyday life, acquired, overthe millennia, has an undeserved veracityand could be misleading. What happens,however, is that after a successive appear-ance of stimuli, progressive activation ofthe cerebral cortex occurs. The activationprocess is conditioned by the meaningof the information at the time it reachesthe brain. And at the same time, it isconditioned by interest and motivation,which bring about a positive feedback in

the activation of the cortex of the brain.Accordingly, as the focus of attentionmoves intensely towards the stimuli, thebrain becomes increasingly more aware.

In the reptile, for example, attentionis due to stimulation from the reticularactivating system that powers the struc-tures containing survival programmes.Thus the reptilian brain is put on alertto condition body movements accord-ing to circumstances.

Attention in the mammal is, besidesthe activation in the primitive brain, theactivation of all modules concerningmotivation as well. As a result, the move-ments are also conditioned by a reactionof neuroendocrine mechanisms. Alert-ness then creates a feeling of pleasureor displeasure according to the stimulusthat caused it.

Attention in the human brain, in add-ition to all the previous mechanisms,is a process that activates sophisticatedand complex modules in the prefrontallobes, which allow the abstraction ofthe different kinds of information pro-cessed in the form of words, canons



of thoughts, memories, and feelings.Several programmes were developed

in the prefrontal lobes of Homo sapiens.To give an overview of their complexity,only some of them will be pointed outhere. Our Central Executive, the venuewhere we operate and where we deter-mine our actions, is very complex. It isthe seat of conscious will. It is where westand when we say ‘I want’. It is alsocomposed of all the programmes thatallow us to be conscious of having anexperience at this precise moment, hav-ing had an existence in the past, andallows us to say ‘I am.’ The anteriorcingulate cortex is located on the innerside of the frontal lobe. When activatedwe become aware of internal sensations.

It is the cortical area that informs ushow we feel and allows us to say, ‘I feel’.To succeed in the goal that was proposedby the conscious will of the CentralExecutive, it depends essentially on theanatomical and functional integrity of theupper area and dorsolateral prefrontalcortex, those areas of the brain that guideand maintain the focus on the thoughtsand ideas, and thus make us aware ofthe information stored in workingmemory. Thus we can use the infor-mation accumulated throughout life andsay, ‘I know’. The integrity of the orbito-frontal cortex, however, would be centralto the action in the immediate presentbecause it would activate the mechanismsof self-control to the various impulses thatare generated deep in the brain.

For that action to be complete andconsistent with its intention, it is also

necessary that the orbitofrontal cortexin the prefrontal lobes become aware ofthe emotions that come from the limbicsystem. Understanding the meaningcommunicated by feelings is essentialfor social adaptation and allows a properresponse to circumstances. This areawould control compulsive antisocialbehaviour. It is the area that consciouslyplaces us in the here and now. Our ac-tions have a meaning in reality if weunderstand the meaning — which isredundant — of the feelings while actingat every moment. This allows us to placeourselves in time and space and to havea behaviour in accordance with thepresent moment.

And paradoxically, to properly use thereasoning it is essential to be aware ofthe array of emotions released by thecountless programmes that the limbicsystem has in the deepest part of thebrain. The ventromedial cortex becomesconscious of emotions and then pro-cesses intellectually their meaning in amore elaborate context. This gives a senseof coherence to our everyday lives.

We have identified some areas of theprefrontal lobes that are essential for theproper functioning of our intellectualabilities, our psychological integrityand the rationality of our behaviour.The Central Executive controls the focusof attention and processes the infor-mation together with the circuits of thePhonological Loop and the VisuospatialSketchpad. The limited and transientcapacity of the short-term memory allowsstorage and processing of information

19May 2016


The Theosophist

simultaneously. This type of memory isnecessary for a wide range of multimodalcognitive abilities such as learning,language comprehension, playing cards,or reasoning. It is the ability to immedi-ately remember specifically what isneeded at any given time. The workingmemory operates with a central executivecoordinator, the Central Executiveand two subordinate sub-systems: thePhonological Loop and the VisuospatialSketchpad. It is a system of care andcontrol of these two circuits to store andenhance information-based language forverbal working memory and image-based information for nonverbal workingmemory. They also integrate with afourth component, the ‘episodic buffer’that enables a functional link between thetwo circuits with the system of long-termepisodic memory as well as semanticmemory. Working memory is in turn thefunctional integration of short-termmemory of Phonological Loop andVisuospatial Sketchpad with the long-term memory circuits. The CentralExecutive is also actively involved withthe hippocampal episodic memory circuitsand connections of the hippocampus withextensive cortical areas.

The process then requires the atten-tion of a steady flow of neurotransmittersthat activate neurons in all these modules.And, as these modules are activated, theyconsciously develop the information theyare processing. Over the millennia thePhonological Loop was applied withincreasing frequency as the informa-tion constantly entering the brain grew.

It seems that the information one re-ceived as a human being in the seven-teenth century can be found today on onepage of a newspaper. Today, informationis constantly entering the brain at everymoment; it is too much, so it is verydifficult to be silent for long. Naming hasbecome a habit for Homo sapiens.Addiction to thinking is accordinglybrought to our focus; it is constantlyimmersing our minds in a universe ofinformation from printed publications,online sources, or television, radio, andso on. That is why the executive powerof the human brain today cannot considerthe same information or work on onetheme for a long period of time withoutbecoming bored or tired very quickly.The interest decreases rapidly and thebrain needs a new stimulus that motivatesit anew. Reliance on finding new stimulihas created beings with limited values andsuperficial feelings. The difficulty of thebrain in the 21st century to maintain thefocus of attention has stimulated the needto escape reality through distractions.In the most vulnerable psyches a cleartendency to addiction to psychotropicdrugs, alcohol, antisocial behaviour, andso on, manifests itself. The increasedinterest in all that is offered by the digitalworld is ignoring the analogue universeof the right hemisphere more and more.And with that, a lack of empathy andcompassion is now observed in society.

What could reverse this dramatic situ-ation? What happens in the brain duringthe state of meditation? What are its ef-fects on the nervous system and the body?



Technology today allows us to studythe brain in different states according toeach circumstance. Three-dimensionalimages that magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and also computed tomography(CT) provide, allow us to study the brainin serial sections. Functional scanners,which show — with up to four imagesper second — the activities of variousbrain lobes, as these are activated andbegin to consume more oxygen, are alsopossible. At the same time, a PositronEmission Tomography (PET) allowsobservation of the increase in blood flowwhen different areas of the brain areactivated. It is also possible, using thenext generation Infrared Spectroscopy,to obtain images that highlight thedifferent modules of the brain as theystart to work. The evolution and develop-ment of electroencephalography (EEG),which records the different waves ofbrain activity, allows us now to distin-guish changes in electrical waves ofneurons with certain stimuli. One cannow explore the various areas of thebrain in living individuals with minimalor no invasive action.

Thus it is possible to identify theprofile of the neural activation duringdifferent circumstances: in the wakeful-ness state, during periods of calm andrelaxation, in stressful situations, inwarnings of danger or other extremesituations of life, during each sleep stage,in different degrees of coma, duringhypnosis sessions, in hypnotic trances,in self-hypnosis, and in meditation atall levels. Each one of these states has

a pattern of neural activity, which canbe properly and fully identified.

Meditation, for example, has a profileon EEG tracing and on studies with CT,PET, and MRI scan, which is unique andexclusive. It is easy then to identify abrain that is meditating, since it has well-defined characteristics that are peculiarto it. There is a group of brain areas thatare activated only during meditation. Thesame applies to the electrical activity, thecharacteristics of the EEG waves, type,amplitude and frequency. That is, onemay see a pattern of behaviour in easilyidentifiable neural functionality with thestate of meditation.

The EEG tracing shows a changein the electrical activity of the cortex,when the brain goes progressively into astate of very deep meditation. It beginswith a shift in the electrical activityfrom the left hemisphere to the right,a progressive increase in alpha wavesand coherence in the EEG lines betweenthe two hemispheres. It also featuresthe appearance of theta and delta waves,and as the state of meditation progres-ses, the activation of certain brain areasis also observed. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis presents a para-sympathetic dominance and a certainneuroendocrine pattern can be observedas well. There is an increase of the func-tions of the right hemisphere, includingthe active presence of an InternalObserver (Sensed Presence). The tran-sitory intrusion of the Internal Observerof the right hemisphere during the practiceof meditation is the equivalent of the

21May 2016


The Theosophist

sense of Self of the left hemisphere.Accordingly, the sense of separation

that produces the activation of the lefthemisphere is lost and there starts a stateof complete integration. The thoughts arecalmed and the brain is in total silence.The attention is fully focused on thepresent. However, it is possible that, oncethe brain has achieved a predetermineddepth, it may achieve an abstractmetaphysical ideation of high content.The activation of the right hemispheredoes not prevent language functions inthe left hemisphere. However, activationof the Phonological Loop determines thefull activation of the right hemisphere.The conscious will cannot create a stateof meditation. This must be activatedpassively. The state of meditation comesabout spontaneously when the consciouswill is calm.

What does all this have to do with thecreation of an entirely new culture?

Over the millennia we have enhancedthe activity of the left hemisphere,especially the areas of the PhonologicalLoop. This means that the process of ourconscious state is a fragmented reality,our ‘Self Consciousness’. The left hemi-sphere is the seat of criticism, judgment,measurement, comparison, award values,discrimination, identification, and self-awareness. It is separated from the restof cognition and creates a virtual reality,the Self. The Self is the identification in acentre, conditioned by thoughts, beliefs,superstitions; it is a fragment of our brainseparated from the rest of the universe.Every time something is named, there is

a separation from the named object. Theduality between what ‘it is’ and what ‘itshould be’ appears. It is this internalinsulation that produces the feeling offrustration and consequent pursuit ofpleasure in all aspects of life. This in turnleads to pleasure dependency and painintolerance being developed in the humanbrain resulting in the creation of psy-chological time, ‘past and future’, andtherefrom, the frequent occurrence ofpanic attacks.

Over the course of millennia, the lefthemisphere has also developed a depend-ence on knowledge and experience. Thisgives one the sense of security and con-tinuity to work with energy in daily life.However, this dependence on continuityand security is responsible for the ap-pearance of psychological fear. The habitof continuity does not allow thought tobe quiet because this means that the ‘Self’dies psychologically. Thought refuses todie and clings to the fragmented realitythat it creates. The fear of stoppingthought perpetuates a mechanism thatleads to a vicious circle characterized bydependence, ‘the dopamine reward’. Lifeseparates itself from the whole and basesits existence on a fragment of life. There-fore we cannot get rid of the fear of losingwhat is known and familiar to us, whichgives us security. For millennia, as aresult of all these neurotic mechanisms,there appeared in the human family variouscults promoting a sense of nationalism,and also a magical thinking that causedreligions and cults to unleash innumer-able ideologies and fundamentalisms,



the result of which has been violenceand endless wars. The creation ofpsychological time allows the humanbrain to be content living in its ownabstraction. The fear of losing what isknown is the root of all the tragedies thathaunt humanity today.

In contrast, in the right hemisphere,the seat of the Inner Observer, there isonly the eternal present. Because it isunable to name anything, it is unable tobe separated into a fragment. The viewof reality and the Inner Observer are oneand the same. You cannot measure orcompare, but instead, accordingly, youcan develop analogical thinking, findingsimilarities in diversities. Intelligence liesin establishing analogies with their cog-nition. The right hemisphere processesall the information that comes in a verydifferent way to its contralateral brother.It is the empathic brain that establishesits relationships on the basis of emotionsand feelings. It is the brain that was mutedby the arrogance of knowledge. It meansliving in the present, paying attention tothe present. And therefore it is also lovein the present. The paradox is that it hasthe ability to be active while accessingthe capabilities of the left hemiphere. Notso in the left hemisphere, because whileit is active it fails to access the peace ofthe right hemisphere.

Creating a New CultureThe new culture that we must create

should consider this fact. So, then, it isnot about creating a new paradigm or anew ideology. The human brain must

transcend motivation. Motivation wasvery important for the mammalian brain.Prefrontal lobes of Homo sapiens mustalso operate from discernment, avoidincorrect behaviours and attitudes, andput the focus of attention in right-eousness, intelligence, and respect forlife. We should aim towards educationto increase self-knowledge and to beempathetic.

Empathy is Ethics. We should educateHomo sapiens to operate from love andaffection. Love has no motive. Intel-ligence has no choice. Love is the highestexpression of intelligence. Ethics is muchmore than moral values. What is ‘good’or ‘bad’ is relative in every culture. Valuescan be relative and changing, as thosevalues that are listed on the stockexchange. Ethics is absolute. Ethics iswhat is correct or incorrect, right orwrong. Everything that causes damageto someone or something is wrong. Thebrain must be empathetic to feel what ishappening in others. The word empathyderives from the Greek word ‘pathos’,which means ‘sorrow’, ‘pain’, ‘suffering’.Empathy means to feel the pain of others,to understand the circumstances ofothers. How can the brain be aware whenit is causing damage to someone or some-thing, if it cannot feel it? How can it actwith integrity in every circumstance ifit is processing all the information in justa fragment of its self-awareness?

The new culture then, is education toawaken compassion for all creation. Wemust develop awareness of our abilitiesto learn self-knowledge; that we are, as

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The Theosophist

beings, one with the whole universe. Thisis what we feel when, during the state ofmeditation, we feel an immense peace andbliss. The awakening of the intelligencein each circumstance of our life is essentialif we work towards a humanity living inpeace. Today this is our responsibility.

It is feeling peace in our heart, so thatone day we would be able to create aworld in peace. We have ample evidencein our history that we can be tremendouslycreative. What prevents us from facingup to this unprecedented crisis whichchallenges us today? ²

Anger is like a storm rising up from the bottom ofyour consciousness. When you feel it coming, turn yourfocus to your breath. Breathe in deeply to bring yourmind home to your body. Then look at, or think of,the person triggering this emotion: with mindfulness,you can see that they are unhappy and suffering. Youcan see their wrong perceptions. You will feel motivatedby a desire to say or do something to help the otherperson suffer less. This means compassionate energyhas been born in your heart. And when compassionappears, anger is deleted.

Thich Nhat Hanh


Compassion: Goal of Theosophy and the Spiritual Life

Compassion: Goal of Theosophyand the Spiritual Life

ABRAHAM ORON

IN all the main religions of the worldwe find some teachings concerning com-passion and loving kindness. This is alsothe case with Judaism. There are 613commandments in the Jewish religion,many of which are dealing with the waywe should treat others. In general, we findwell known commandments such as:

Love your neighbour as you love yourself.

Do not do to others what you do not likebeing done to yourself.

More specifically, there are command-ments for helping the poor, visiting thesick, comforting mourners, and evencelebrating with the bride and groom intheir marriage feast.

As in other countries, we have hundredsof philanthropic organizations activelyhelping others: providing food, clothingand medical supplies, protecting childrenand women in need, and so on. Knowingthe sad history of this land, one may ask,how can there be so many manifestationsof charity and loving-kindness along withthe walls of hatred and hostility between

two nations that are destined to live sideby side?

In The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett,Letter 8, Master KH, a master of wisdomand compassion, acknowledges this sadsituation of humanity:

For it is ‘Humanity’ which is the greatOrphan, the only disinherited one upon thisearth, my friend. And it is the duty of everyman who is capable of an unselfish im-pulse to do something, however little, forits welfare. Poor, poor humanity! It remindsme of the old fable of the war between theBody and its members: here too, each limbof this huge ‘Orphan’ — fatherless andmotherless — selfishly cares but for itself.The body uncared for suffers eternally,whether the limbs are at war or at rest.Its suffering and agony never cease.

But having deep knowledge of the divinepotential which lies dormant in the humansoul he adds: ‘Since there is no hope forman only in man I would not let one crywhom I could save!’

There are moments when difficultevents caused by extremists on all sides,

Mr Abraham Oron is President of Covenant Lodge of the TS in Israel. Talk delivered at the internationalConvention, Adyar, 3 January 2016.

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The Theosophist

human beings immersed in ignoranceand illusion, make a person lose sight ofwhat the Master was talking about. Howcan it be that with all the long history ofdestruction and suffering, we still expe-rience so much hatred and violence inmany parts of the world?

Meditating on the sentence ‘there ishope for man only in man’ and observ-ing these feelings of despair that arisewithin, with compassion they dissolve,and gradually there begin to appearsome bright spots that exist within thisharsh reality.

These sparks of light are present inmany men and women, many of themyoung, who dedicate, and sometimeseven sacrifice, their lives doing thesacred work of healing the sick inundeveloped countries, defending thehuman rights of the oppressed, helpingrefugees and those who are trapped infighting zones; who fight ceaselesslyagainst the ecological damage causedby governments and organizations, andhelp to prevent cruelty to animals. Thereare many light workers, who are reallythe hope of humanity, and who arepractising compassion in action anduniversal responsibility.

I would speculate that many of thosewho dedicate themselves to alleviatehuman suffering in all its forms havebeen influenced directly or indirectly bythe principles of morality and spiritualphilosophy of Hinduism, Buddhism,Theosophy and many other currents.Principles such as the interconnectednessand unity of life, non-violence, and non-

duality have found their way into manyspiritual groups and into psychology,psychotherapy, ecology and even quan-tum physics.

Here we may ask how Theosophycan play a greater part in expandingthe circle of those who can feel this inter-connectedness and the urge to servehumanity? How can we make these prin-ciples which are inherent in Theosophymore practical and friendly?

All the wonderful teachings of Theo-sophy about the hidden aspects of Natureand man, about laws of Nature suchas reincarnation, karma, evolution ofconsciousness, periodicity and otherteachings dealing with the creation of theuniverse and man, and so on, are allforming the ‘hall of learning’, that leadsto the ‘hall of wisdom’, or to the real-ization that one has to concentrate allhis energies on freeing one’s self fromseparateness. This consists mainly in thedevelopment of the quality of a wide openheart, of feeling close to others, reallysharing their pains and joys, and beingable to work for their wellbeing; thisrealization or active compassion is theaim of the spiritual life.

The importance of this quality isexpressed in the following two quota-tions, the first is from At the Feet ofthe Master:

Of all the Qualifications, Love is the mostimportant, for if it is strong enough in aman, it forces him to acquire all the rest,and all the rest without it would neverbe sufficient.



Most of us will agree with this saying,but how many of us (including thespeaker) are willing to abandon learning,and concentrate all our efforts on therealization of our inner love-nature?

The second quotation is from H. P.Blavatsky in The Voice of the Silence,in which compassion is defined as theLaw of laws:

Canst thou destroy divine Compassion?Compassion is no attribute. It is the Lawof laws — eternal Harmony, Âlaya’s Self;a shoreless universal essence, the light ofeverlasting right, and fitness of all things,the law of love eternal. The more thou dostbecome at one with it, thy being meltedin its Being, the more thy soul unites withthat which IS, the more thou wilt becomeCompassion Absolute.

Are not these quotations and many morefound throughout other Theosophicalbooks, trying to awaken us to concen-trate our study and practice on thedevelopment of true compassion? Onlypractical brotherhood and compassioncan transform us and society. Could itbe, that many of us are too attracted tothe ‘hall of learning’, and this maybe thecause for the difficulties the Theo-sophical Society has in reaching largersections of society, and specially theyoung generation? All the separativetendencies, hatred and violence in theworld, call for the healing powers of truebrotherhood and compassion.

Can we find new ways of teachingTheosophy, so that the principles of Theo-sophy will be channelled and focused

on study, meditation, and practices forthe development of compassion andbrotherhood? We must find ways todemonstrate the truth that only throughcompassion and brotherhood, innerpeace and happiness can be found. Thereis a simple exercise which we use in ourcourse on practical ways to deal withharmful emotions, which helps in experi-encing this truth: Think about someonewho made you angry and observe theunpleasant sensations in your body, andthen think about someone you love,and see how good it feels at the levelof the body.

The knowledge of Theosophy givesus a very good basis for demonstratingthrough analogy, exercise, dialogue andmeditation practices, the truth expressedin the following words of wisdom by theBuddha, all of which deal with the essen-tial attitude needed for the developmentof compassion and inner peace. Here arethe unforgettable words of the Buddhaat the opening of the Dhammapâda:

All that we are is the result of what we havethought: it is founded on our thoughts, itis made up of our thoughts. If a manspeaks or acts with an evil thought, painfollows him, as the wheel follows the footof the ox that draws the carriage.

All that we are is the result of what we havethought: it is founded on our thoughts,it is made up of our thoughts. If a manspeaks or acts with a pure thought, hap-piness follows him, like a shadow thatnever leaves him.

‘He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me,

27May 2016


The Theosophist

he robbed me’ — in those who harboursuch thoughts hatred will never cease.

He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me,he robbed me’ — in those who do notharbour such thoughts hatred will cease.

For hatred does not cease by hatred atany time: hatred ceases by love, this isan old rule.

Where can this love or compassion thateradicates hatred be found? It can befound deep within because it is our owntrue nature, but we have to make spacefor it. So long as we are filled withthe self and all its desires and fears itcannot appear.

The making of space for compassionto be born within us, is the result of along process of deep inner observation,combined with a willingness to meet ouraccumulated anger, fear, loneliness,frustration — and feeling with com-passion all the pain which is held inthese emotions. We can combine thisinner observation with a loving-kindnessmeditation on the following words fromThe Voice of the Silence and remindourselves of the many forms of sufferingwe see and hear about:

Let thy soul lend its ear to every cry of painlike as the lotus bares its heart to drink themorning sun.

Let not the fierce Sun dry one tear of painbefore thyself hast wiped it from thesufferer’s eye.

But let each burning human tear dropon thy heart and there remain, nor ever

brush it off, until the pain that caused itis removed.

The question still remains, how can I bringa greater part of my nation to understandand apply these truths in relation to thosewho belong to other nations or religions?

In the teachings of Theosophy andHinduism, we learn that this situation ofignorance, separation and illusion inwhich most of humanity is today, is vitalto the development of individual humanconsciousness. All sparks of conscious-ness must fall from a state of unconsciousunity to a state of separation and thesuffering that goes with it, so that theycan return in some future, fully consciousto the unity and wholeness which is theirtrue home.

Should we take comfort in this know-ledge, and let Nature and karma do thework of evolution leading after countlesseons of suffering to that enlightenmentafter which illusion and separateness willbe eradicated? Or should we awaken our-selves to understand and see that everyonewho came to Theosophy or to any truespiritual path must become sooner or lateran emissary of Nature and karma, withoutwhich the work of the evolution ofhuman consciousness cannot be realized.Every human being is in his essence abridge between heaven and earth.

All who are even somewhat awareof being such a meeting point betweenspirit and matter, heaven and earth aremankind’s hope for change towards truehumanity. The Universe expects suchpeople to take responsibility, to be their



brothers’ keepers and tirelessly teach andbe models of love and wisdom. How dowe, and others around the world wakeup to vigorous and effective actiondemonstrating the vitality of developingcompassion for the happiness andprosperity of humanity?

Let us focus in Theosophy on the pathof the heart, on those truths on which itis written in Light on the Path:

These Truths, which are as great as is lifeitself, are as simple as the simplest mindof man. Feed the hungry with them.

Can we feed the world with thesetruths by doing more to simplify and‘popularize Theosophy’ and focus onthe teachings which motivate ustowards more compassionate andbrotherly living?

A human being is a part of a whole, called by usthe universe, a part limited in time and space.He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings assomething separated from the rest, a kind of opticaldelusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kindof prison for us, restricting us to our personal desiresand to affection for a few persons nearest to us.Our task must be to free ourselves from this prisonby widening our circle of compassion to embrace allliving creatures and the whole of Nature in its beauty.

Albert Einstein

²

29May 2016

White Lotus Day

The Theosophist

White Lotus Day

GEORGE S. ARUNDALE

WHITE Lotus Day is the day on whichwe commemorate in deepest gratitudethe unique service H. P. Blavatsky gaveto the whole world no less than to theTheosophical Society. She was the greatmessenger and channel for the dawn ofa new Light upon the world — thoughnew only in form. On 8 May we payhomage to her and glorify her name.

But more than this happens on WhiteLotus Day, for it is a Day on which gathertogether literally millions of those whohave cause to bless her for her blessingsupon them. At Adyar there is annuallyan immense gathering of her devoteesvisible and invisible, for Adyar washer home and is, as Dr Annie Besant hasever called it, the Home of the Masters.Adyar is the great centre in the outerworld of that Light of which HPB wasthe channel, and when Adyar celebratesWhite Lotus Day thousands gather fromall parts of the earth and from elsewheretoo to sing to her hymns of praise.Dwellers in the inner worlds gather atAdyar. Dwellers in this outer world comein their subtler bodies. Every Section andevery Lodge is represented, of coursefor the most part invisible to earthly eyes.

And the adoration rises as fellow-stalwarts of HPB, who also have shedtheir physical bodies, are seen or felt nearto the vibrant heart of the gathering —and HPB herself, who multiplies herselfto shed her benediction wherever peoplegather together in her name.

White Lotus Day is a great spiritual‘At-Home’, at which all Theosophists, bethey or not members of the TheosophicalSociety, are at home to one another asmembers of one worldwide family. WhiteLotus Day is a family reunion — far-flung indeed on inner planes, and mostpotent there, but with scattered earthlycounterparts where loyalty and gratitudefind their expression on the physicalplane itself.

White Lotus Day during wartimeis naturally of special significance, forthe great warrior-spirits of HPB and herimmediate colleagues marshal aroundthem all those who also are wise enoughto fight in these Kurukshetra times.There is a tremendous heartening ofthat collective warrior-spirit which shallconfound the enemies of Righteous-ness into desolation. The war drawsmore quickly to its end because of

Reprinted from The Theosophist, May 1943.


White Lotus Day

White Lotus Day and its high purposes.Let every one of us who knows how

to remember HPB, H. S. Olcott, AnnieBesant, C. W. Leadbeater, and Those whosent them forth, renew his courage andhis ardour on White Lotus Day — for

Theosophy, for the Theosophical Society,for the winning of this Great War, andfor an ever-increasing realization of themighty benediction the Masters and theirmessengers are ever bestowing uponthe whole world. ²

White Lotus Day

The following clause appears in the will of HelenaPetrovna Blavatsky (HPB) made at the TheosophicalHeadquarters, Adyar, Madras, on 31 January 1885:

‘I desire that yearly, on the anniversary of my deathsome of my friends should assemble at the Head-quarters of the Theosophical Society and reada chapter of Edwin Arnold’s The Light of Asia andthe Bhagavadgita.’

A year after HPB’s passing in 1891, Col. H. S. Olcottestablished White Lotus Day as a day of remembrance.At the first observance in London on 8 May 1892,Annie Besant added the reading of HPB’s The Voiceof the Silence, and this has since become part ofthe tradition.

31May 2016 The Theosophist

Fragments of the Ageless Wisdom

ONE Nature, perfect and pervading, circulates in all natures,

One Reality, all-comprehensive, contains within itself all realities.

The one Moon reflects itself wherever there is a sheet of water,

And all the moons in the waters are embraced within the one Moon.

The Dharma-body (the Absolute) of all the Buddhas enters into

my own being.

And my own being is found in union with theirs . . .

The Inner Light is beyond praise and blame;

Like space it knows no boundaries,

Yet it is even here, within us, ever retaining its serenity and fullness.

It is only when you hunt for it that you lose it;

You cannot take hold of it, but equally you cannot get rid of it,

And while you can do neither, it goes on its own way.

You remain silent and it speaks; you speak and it is dumb;

The great gate of charity is wide open, with no obstacles before it.

Yung-chia Ta-shih


On Krishnaji

On Krishnaji

CLEMICE PETTER

TO talk about J. Krishnamurti is adelight, a challenge, and a great respon-sibility. It is easy to talk about someonewhom we love. But the challenge in thiscase is that we are not going to speakabout an ordinary person. We are goingto talk about somebody who broughtnew light, understanding, and teachingsto the world.

Former President of the TheosophicalSociety Mrs Radha Burnier said in a talkthat she gave in 1994 at the Adyar Lodge,that Krishnaji was a mystery:

I think that no one who came into contactwith him really knew him as he was; therewere depths to him which none seemed totouch. The strongest feeling I had with himwas that inwardly he did not belong to thisworld. He was like a fish out of water invarious situations.

In this sense, Krishnamurti and Adyarhave the same nature; there is no doubtthat Krishnamurti is the beloved Son ofAdyar. Although geographically locatedon this Earth, Adyar is a place that doesnot belong to this world. As Krishnamurtisaid: ‘This place has a presence that one

will not feel anywhere else in the world.’Radhaji considered the Adyar campus asan ashram. But to call Adyar an ashramis not enough; this is a unique ‘place’ witha spirit of its own. A spirit that, likeKrishnamurti, does not belong to thisworld. It is a place whose spirit knowsno race, nationality, or class division,that shows no preferences, has noknowledge whatsoever about personallikes and dislikes, and so on. And notbeing of this world, it has an atmosphere,a unique and delicate energy, that needsto be preserved alive. To keep the spiritof Adyar alive we need to care for it. Onehopes that all are aware of the sacrednature of this place, the kind of care itneeds, and the utter importance of Adyarto the theosophical work in the world.One also hopes that all are aware of theresponsibility for keeping the spiritalive. Each one of us, sitting in thisgathering, as well as theosophists acrossthe globe, are responsible for maintainingthe sacredness of Adyar.

Krishnamurti’s message to this chaoticworld is one of Love and Order. He usedto say: ‘We need to put the house in order.’

Ms Clemice Petter is a long-term member of the Theosophical Society in Brazil, now serving as avolunteer at the TS Headquarters in Adyar. Talk given on Adyar Day, 17 February 2016.

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He also said: ‘It is love alone that leadsto right action. What brings order in theworld is to love, and let love do what itwill.’ How difficult it is for the mind,which is disorder itself, to under-standwhen one speaks out of order. And howdifficult it is when one does not knowLove, to see the utter necessity of it. So,maybe it was just natural that at the verybeginning people were not ready to listento him. People were not able to drop theirbeliefs and expectations and look at himwithout the burden of yesterday.

In March 1986, one month afterKrishnaji’s passing, the TheosophicalSociety released a special issue of TheTheosophist dedicated to Krishnamurti.In it Radhaji wrote:

The connection between J. Krishnamurti(Krishnaji, as he was affectionately known)and the Theosophical Society was broken,not because he left — as many membersbelieve — but because people were notready to listen to a profound message givenin terms they were not accustomed tohearing. It is not the first time that this hashappened. The Jews would not listen toJesus when he came to teach. The majorityof Hindus did not respond for long to whatthe Buddha had to say. Most people liketo revert to their accustomed thoughts,their habits, their convenient theoriesand ideas even when they are shaken up,for radical change is both difficult and‘inconvenient’. But everything which isprofound is radical. Truth cannot tem-porize and compromise, and we like tocompromise and to have the best of both

worlds. In The Mahatma Letters, it is madevery clear that one who is in earnest aboutthe Path must abandon all his accustomedmodes of thinking and ways of action.So members of the Theosophical Societyshould have been prepared to hear a newmessage. But when Krishnaji began tospeak in a radical way, there were manywho could not listen.

So the question is: today after almostninety years, how earnest are we?

Even nowadays there are people whothink that Krishnamurti denied theMasters. But in fact what Krishnaji didwas something that the Theosophistswere asked to do in 1900. And he didit in a beautiful and definite way. Hestopped the cant about the Masters. Andagain, there were many who could notlisten to it. So the question arises: Do weever listen to anything? Or do we justgo on doing only what is convenient,only what does not disturb our com-fortable nest, built with our beliefsand conclusions?

In her article Radhaji goes on, in abeautiful way, explaining what happenedwhen Krishnamurti started to speak in anunexpected way. And it could not havebeen differently. He had to speak in anunexpected way, because if he was to talkabout something already known, whatwould be the need for his coming?If I think I know what the teachings areand how they are going to be presented,then I am the teacher, there is no need forsomebody else. But if I am expectingsomeone to teach, it is because I, myself,


On Krishnaji

do not know. That is why the Teacherwas expected, to bring something new —not already known. This is logical andobvious, and the Theosophical Societywas waiting for new teachings, whichmeans that the theosophical teachingsfor the world were not complete withBlavatsky’s work. And this is made clearby Blavatsky herself when she wrote inThe Key to Theosophy:

If the present attempt, in the form of ourSociety, succeeds better than its pre-decessors have done, then it will be inexistence as an organized, living, andhealthy body when the time comes for theeffort of the 20th century. The generalcondition of men’s minds and hearts willhave been improved and purified by thespread of its teachings, and, as I have said,their prejudices and dogmatic illusionswill have been, to some extent at least,removed. Not only so, but besides a largeand accessible literature ready to men’shands, the next impulse will find anumerous and united body of peopleready to welcome the new torchbearer ofTruth. It will find the minds of menprepared for his message, a language readyfor him in which to clothe the new truthshe brings, an organization awaiting hisarrival, which will remove the merelymechanical, material obstacles and dif-ficulties from his path. Think how muchone, to whom such an opportunity isgiven, could accomplish. Measure it bycomparison with what the TheosophicalSociety actually has achieved in thelast fourteen years, without any of these

advantages and surrounded by hosts ofhindrances which would not hamper thenew leader.

Here Blavatsky made very clear thatthe Theosophical Society was to preparethe ground for the next torchbearer ofTruth. Her work was to ‘clean the house’(humanity’s mind) from prejudices anddogmatic illusions. She insisted so manytimes on the danger of crystallization,she hoped we could keep the TS as aliving body. If there is one thing that iscertain, it is that we need to keep alearning mind, a mind that is open to thenew at each moment, not a mind thatknows, because the moment one knows,is the moment of crystallization. Andsince evolution is said to be eternal, wewill never know the final, because thereseems to be no final ‘knowledge’. About‘knowledge’ Blavatsky said that the manwho says he knows, does not know,because there is nothing to know. AndKrishnamurti similarly mentions in histalks, about the man who says he knows,‘distrust him completely’, because hedoes not know.

In the same special issue of TheTheosophist of March 1986, there is ashort quotation of Annie Besant:

When the great teaching is given it will notbe Theosophy as we know it. It requires agrowth of the Soul, that in the beginningonly scraps of it can be understood. Whatis needed in the world for the Recon-struction is not LCC [Liberal CatholicChurch], Co-Masonry, and so on, butsomething additional which He only can

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give, and the world will need somethingwhich the Lord will have to bring out fromhumanity, some new understanding.

When she says, ‘something which theLord will have to bring out fromhumanity’, it is important to note that it isnot something the Lord will give, as, afterall, each one has to work out one’s ownunderstanding. Nobody on Earth or inHeaven can give us understanding.We have to work hard. It is also importantto see that understanding is not con-clusion; conclusion comes when there isno understanding. Conclusion is harsh,rigid, deathlike. Understanding is light,alive, moving; in understanding there isspace for growth, for further under-standing. It is dynamic.

There are no words to express whata great human being Annie Besantwas. She was ready for the new. WhenKrishnamurti started to speak in anunusual way, she would sit at his feetduring his talks and say: ‘I want to learnfrom you. You are my teacher.’ She wasa woman in her eighties and she wouldnot sit on the chair reserved for her nearhim on the dais. She would sit at his feet.This was telling enough and needs noother comment.

We want the new (because deepwithin we know that we have to moveforward); and at the same time we areafraid to let go of the old. This is ourconflict — basically we are afraid. Buthow do we move from one place toanother without leaving the previousplace? This is impossible, of course.

To move, to live — and life is movement— we need to learn to let go. And to letgo we need to know what we are holdingon to. This is what Krishnamurti talksabout. He shows us our heaviness andhe points out that in order to move, oneneeds to be light, drop all burdens; tobe nothing. We have to be nothing.Krishnamurti said: ‘Happy is the manwho is nothing.’ And to be nothing isdifficult for most people, because wewant to be famous, we want to berecognized by this deceptive world.Krishnamurti taught in a peculiar way;he would not give a direct answer;he would help the person to find outfor himself, to work it out. He was con-cerned about teaching us to walk alone;to be a light unto ourselves, not to dependon anybody.

Blavatsky prepared the ground,cleaning the house of old conclusionswhich had given rise to dogmatism andsuperstitions, by telling us: ‘There isanother way of living, which is beyondthe mind.’ She points out: ‘The mind isthe slayer of the Real.’ And Krishnajicalls attention to the need for putting thehouse in order. To go beyond the mindwe need to understand its ways, itsmechanisms. To continue cleaning whenthe house is already clean, leads tofanaticism, neuroticism, and so on. Afterremoving all the cobwebs and dust, it istime to have new order in the house.This new order is a new understandingof life, a new way of living day to daywith our neighbours, with our spouse andchildren, and with Nature. A healthy way


On Krishnaji

of life, with care, respect, and respon-sibility towards all life that shareexistence on this planet with us, includ-ing care and responsibility for the planetitself. And this transformation in life willonly come about with the understand-ing of what we are, what we truly are,and not what we should be, which is theprojection of the confused mind.

Krishnamurti was right when on hisdeathbed, after realizing that no one hadunderstood what he was talking about,he said: ‘You don’t know what you havemissed.’ In his last days, when he wasdiagnosed with cancer and the doctorwanted to give him morphine, he rejectedit at the beginning, because he did notwant the medicine to interfere with the

clarity of the brain. But after some timehe said that the pain was also going tointerfere with it, so he agreed to takemorphine to relieve the pain. After acouple of days he told Prof. P. Krishna:‘Sir, the medicine has not interfered asmuch as I thought it would, becausethe World Teacher is still here.’ (A Jewelon a Silver Platter)

Thirty years ago, on 17 February,1986, Krishnamurti gave back to MotherEarth the body that for more than sixtyyears walked the earth holding a mirrorfor those who are serious enough tolook at themselves. Today the body isgone, but the mirror is still here for thosewho are strong enough to face what themirror reveals. ²

I think we must see this very clearly right at the beginning — that if onewould solve the everyday problems of existence, whatever they may be,one must first see the wider issues and then come to the detail. After all,the great painter, the great poet is one who sees the whole — who sees allthe heavens, the blue skies, the radiant sunset, the tree, the fleeting bird— all at one glance; with one sweep he sees the whole thing. With theartist, the poet, there is an immediate, a direct communion with thiswhole marvellous world of beauty. Then he begins to paint, to write, tosculpt; he works it out in detail. If you and I could do the same, then weshould be able to approach our problems — however contradictory,however conflicting, however disturbing — much more liberally, morewisely, with greater depth and colour, feeling. This is not mere romanticverbalization but actually it is so, and that is what I would like to talkabout now and every time we get together. We must capture the wholeand not be carried away by the detail, however pressing, immediate,anxious it may be. I think that is where the revolution begins.

J. KrishnamurtiThe Collected Works, vol. XI, p. 62

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Mr J. Krishnamurti and Mrs Radha Burnier (former international President of the Theosophical Society) in the Rishi Valley old Guest House around 1980.This month marks the 121st anniversary of Krishnaji’s birth on 11 May 1895. Photographer: Asit Chandmal

The Theosophist

Theosophical Work around the World

Vol. 137.838

Participants in the first gathering of the Inter-American Theosophical Federation of North America,in Cholula (Puebla), Mexico, from 16 to 20 March 2016. International President, Mr Tim Boyd

(in a red shirt, standing in front of the poster) and his wife Lily (in front of him in a yellow dress)appear in the far right (above) and the far left (below) of a panoramic photo

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Right after his visit to Mexico, Mr Tim Boyd held his first public conference in Argentina in the Assembly Hall of the

University of Cuyo, San Rafael, on ‘The Solution to All Problems’. To his right is his translator, Mr Guillermo (Willy) García

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Participants of the 3rd Portuguese-Hispanic Theosophical Seminar from 23 to 27 March in the San Rafael Theosophical Centre, Argentina. In the centre(standing, in a pink T-shirt) is the international President, with his wife Lily seated in front of him and Mrs Isis Resende to his left

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MexicoThe first gathering of the Inter-

American Theosophical Federation ofNorth America took place in Mexico,in the beautiful small city of Cholula,Puebla, from 16 to 20 March 2016. TheFederation organized the event, presidedby Mrs Isis Resende, assisted by MrsLissette Arroyo (Vice President) and MsMaria Mengelt as the delegate for NorthAmerica. The international President ofthe Theosophical Society, Mr Tim Boyd,directed the gathering, which had as itstheme ‘Applying Principles of the Age-less Wisdom’. There were 75 participantsattending from different countries ofthe American continent (USA, CostaRica, Puerto Rico, Brazil, the DominicanRepublic, Panama, Cuba, different partsof Mexico, and also Singapore). Mr Boydheld conferences on ‘The Principleof Oneness’, ‘The Principles of Multi-dimensionality and No Empty Space’,‘The Principles of Spiritual Evolutionand Self-Responsibility’, and ‘The Futureof the Theosophical Society’.

There were two panel discussions:‘The Encounter with the Inner Self’,directed by Ms Lygia Montiel and MrsArroyo; and a very interactive panelbased on J. Krishnamurti’s At the Feetof the Master, with questions answeredby the panellists. There was a socialfunction with performances by theGreat Folkloric Mexican Ballet and

the musicians ‘Los Trovadores’, fromPuebla, who played very nice and livelymusic, causing everybody to get up anddance. At the end, they sat in a big circlewhere almost all of the participantsreflected about their experience of thegathering and expressed their gratitudeby thanking Mr Boyd, his wife Lily, andeveryone who helped to bring about theevent. Mr Boyd felt that, in general, theCholula gathering was a wonderfulopportunity to spend time with and get toknow better many members mostly fromall over the Americas and the Caribbean.

ArgentinaThe international President, Mr Tim

Boyd, and his wife Lily travelled fromMexico to Argentina, first visiting thebeautiful old building of the TS Lodge inBuenos Aires, which houses five dif-ferent study groups. Next they travelledto the city of San Rafael, where he gavea talk at the University of Cuyo on ‘TheSolution to All Problems’. About 200people, mostly members of the public,were in attendance, who participated byasking questions at the end of the talk.The whole programme lasted about twohours. The President was assisted byMr Guillermo (Willy) García as translator.

The 3rd Portuguese-Hispanic Theo-sophical Seminar then took place in theSan Rafael Theosophical Centre from23 to 27 March, having as its theme



‘A Change towards Individual Trans-formation’, with Mr Boyd as the guestspeaker. The Seminar was organizedjointly by the Inter-American Theo-sophical Federation, the ArgentineanSection, and the Centre. Participantsarrived from Brazil, Chile, Bolivia,Paraguay, Mexico, Puerto Rico, andArgentina. There were about 100 peopleattending, mostly TS members andalso some sympathizers. There was anatmosphere of happy and longed-forencounters and re-encounters, of joyfulwork at different levels, sometimes inthe dining hall or the kitchen. There wasalso searching and enquiry in the con-ferences and group debates. In theinformal gatherings there was sharingof remembrances and work plans forBranches or other Sections. Thoseattending also shared the importancethat these gatherings have for gettingto know the theosophical family, andfor the vitality resulting from each theo-sophical group-work lasting several days.The Seminar programme included con-ferences by Mr Boyd in the mornings,and symposia and conferences in theafternoons given by TS members fromdifferent countries. Participants also werehappy to see in the President an unaf-fected human being whose ideas wereexpressed from his heart and mind,stimulating reflection in all present.

IndiaThe 93rd South India Theosophical

Conference was held as usual during theEaster holiday from 25 to 27 March 2016

at Adyar, with as many as 137 registereddelegates. The theme of the Conferencewas Light on the Path by Mabel Collins,and it was inaugurated by the inter-national Vice-President, Dr ChittaranjanSatapathy, who introduced the bookand explained the importance of its fourpreliminary statements. Ten speakerscovered all the aphorisms dealt with inthe book. The closing address was givenby Prof. R. C. Tampi, General CouncilMember and Director of the School ofthe Wisdom, who also explained theessay on Karma at the end of the book.Dr Satapathy also released a newbook, The Theosophic Life and theThree Gems of Theosophy, published byTPH Adyar, a copy of which was madeavailable to each delegate. On the firstevening, the beautiful Ritual of the MysticStar was performed, and on the nextevening, on behalf of The Great BanyanAudio Visual Centre, Mr Vinay Patrimade an audio-visual presentation on‘The Emblem of the TS’.

On 3 April Dr Satapathy gave apublic talk at the Bangalore City Lodge,on ‘Ishvarapranidhâna’, or ‘Dedicationto the Supreme’, which was translated intoKannada by the Karnataka TheosophicalFederation Secretary, Ms K. Parvatamma,and summarised by the Lodge Vice-President, Mr Dakshinamoorthy. On 9April Dr Satapathy visited the Sri BesantLodge in Thanjavur to inaugurate thenew meditation hall, built in memoryof its past President, the late G. Swami-nathan; he also gave the inaugural addressat a seminar held there on ‘Theosophical

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Values in a Fast-Changing Society’ anda public talk on ‘Self-Surrender’. Theseminar speakers included Mr HariharaRaghavan, General Manager of the Adyarestate, and Dr M. V. Rengarajan, Presi-dent of the Tamil Theosophical Federation.

RussiaDuring the weekend of 26-27 March,

the Moscow TS conducted the 5thAll-Russia Theosophical Conference onthe theme ‘Compassion and UniversalResponsibility’. The symbolic figure ofthis year was Mother Theresa, whose lifeas a nun exemplified service to humanity.On the second day, Mr Pavel Malakhov,from Kemerovo, handed over the officialresponsibility as Presidential Represen-tative of the TS in Russia, to Mr AlexeyBesputin, from Moscow. The event wasattended by around 80 participants fromMoscow, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod,Kemerovo, and Novocherkassk, andthe Moscow region towns of Koroliov,Elektrostal, and Scholkovo. There werealso three foreign guests: two fromArgentina and one from Belarus. Greet-ings for the conference were receivedfrom fifteen TS Sections around theworld and the international President,Mr Tim Boyd.

The participants pondered over thequestion, ‘What Is Compassion?’ Theconference had four distinguished guestsand sixteen talks dedicated both tophilosophical issues, such as tracing thecauses of compassion to the basic powerswhich lay in the manifestation of theuniverse; and the practical aspects of

compassion in various forms of charity.Education issues were discussed, aswell as the understanding of the commongood and compassion in various spiritualtraditions. Two panel discussions wereconducted: ‘Real and False Compassion’and ‘Good and Evil and the Origin ofSuffering and Compassion’. Member-ship diplomas were handed out to fivenew TS members and 6 applicationsfor membership were received duringthe conference.

Although there were differences ofopinion in trying to define the meaningof ‘compassion’, there was unanimousagreement by the participants that,regardless of the form of compassionchosen, whether at the mental orphysical level, as a reflection of humanresponsibility to the cosmos and thehigher principles, compassion shouldbe not just a philosophical abstraction,but a part of our everyday life andactivities. It should be alive, and itsmanifestation not be artificial or formal,for it is a natural state of the soul.

Photographs and videos of the 5thConference will be published at: <https://www.facebook.com/ARTconference>.

Latest NewsAs mentioned above, the TS in Russia

has a new Presidential Representative,Mr Alexey Besputin, succeeding MrPavel Malakhov in March 2016; andMrs Ana Maria Coelho de Sousa hasreplaced Mr Carlos Guerra as the Gen-eral Secretary of the TS in Portugalas of April 2016. ²

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1947 Africa, East and … Mr Narendra M. Shah … PO Box 14525. 00800, Westlands, … The Theosophical Light [email protected]

Central Nairobi, Kenya1909 Africa, South … Mr Jack Hartmann … 9 Ronean, 38 Princesses Ave., Windsor E. 2194 … The South African Theosophist [email protected]

1956 Africa, West … Mr John Osmond Boakye … PO Box 720, Accra, Ghana … The West African Theosophist [email protected]

1929 America, … Mrs Beatriz Martinéz Pozas … Colonia Universitaria Norte, Calle Julio Mejía, [email protected]

Central * Polígono E-7, Mejicanos. San Salvador,El Salvador C. A.

1920 Argentina … Mr Jorge Garcia … Santiago 257 — 2000, Rosario … Teosofía en Argentina [email protected]

1990 Asia, East and … Mr Chong Sanne … 540 Sims Avenue, No. 03-04 … Newsletter [email protected]

Southeast † Sims Avenue Centre, Singapore 387 6031895 Australia … Mrs Linda Oliveira … Level 2, 162 Goulburn St., Surry Hills, NSW 2010 … Theosophy in Australia [email protected]

1912 Austria * … Mr Albert Schichl … Oberbaumgarten 25, 4204 Haibach im Mühlkreis … Theosofie Adyar [email protected]

2013 Bangladesh † … Mr B. L. Bhattacharya … B/4-3, Iswarchandra Nibas, 68/1, [email protected]

Bagmari Road, Kolkata 700 0541911 Belgium … Mrs Sabine Van Osta … Place des Gueux 8, B1000 Brussels … Le Lotus Bleu [email protected]

1965 Bolivia … Mrs Guillermina Rios de Sandoval … Pasaje Jauregui No. 2255, La Paz [email protected]

1920 Brazil … Mr Marcos L. B. de Resende … SGAS Quadra 603, N. 20, … Sophia [email protected]

CEP 70200-630 Brasilia (DF)1924 Canada * … Mrs Maryze DeCoste … 3162 Rue de la Bastille … The Light Bearer [email protected]

Boisbriand QC., J7H 1K71920 Chile * … Mr Cesar Ortega Ortiz … Casilla 11 Sucursal Paseo Estacion, … Revista Teosófica Chilena [email protected]

Estacion Central, Santiago1937 Colombia † … Mrs Nelly Medina de Galvis … Carr 22, # 45B-38 (Cons. 404), … Selección Teosófica [email protected]

Barrio Palermo, Bogotá1997 Costa Rica † … Ms Maria Orlich … Apartado 8-6710-1000, San José [email protected]

2007 Croatia p … Mrs Nada Tepeš … Krajiška ulica 24, 10000 Zagreb … Teozofija [email protected]

1905 Cuba … Ms Barbara A. Fariñas Piña … Apartado de Correos 6365, La Habana 10600 [email protected]

1987 Dominican Rep. † … Mrs Magaly Polanco … Calle Santa Agueda 1652 Les Chalet Col [email protected]

San Juan Puerto Rico Apartado 23 009261888 England … Mrs Jenny Baker … 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA … [email protected]

1907 Finland … Mrs Mirva Jaatinen … Teosofinen Seura, Vironkatu 7 C 2, Fin 00170, … Teosofi [email protected]

Helsinki [email protected]

1899 France … Mrs Jeannine (Nano) Leguay … 4 Square Rapp, 75007 Paris … Le Lotus Bleu [email protected]

1902 Germany … Mrs Manuela Kaulich … Hauptstr. 39, 93138 Lappersdorf … Adyar [email protected]

1928 Greece … Mr Antonios Papandreou … 25 Voukourestiou St., 106 71-Athens … Ilisos [email protected]

1907 Hungary † … Mr Thomas Martinovich … Hunyadi Janos ut 17. II. 8, H-1011 Budapest … Teozófia [email protected]

1921 Iceland … Mr Halldor Haraldsson … PO Box 1257 Ingolfsstraeti 22, 121 Reykjavik … Gangleri [email protected]

1891 India … Mr S. Sundaram … The Theosophical Society, Varanasi 221 010 … The Indian Theosophist [email protected]

1912 Indonesia … Mr Widyatmoko … Dsn. Parelegi no. 21, RT 02/ RW 09, … Theosofi [email protected]

Desa Purwodadi, Kecamatan Purwodadi,67163 Pasuruan, Jawa Timur

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1919 Ireland * … Mrs Marie Harkness … 97 Mountsandel Road, Coleraine, … [email protected]

UK BT52 1TA1954 Israel p … Mr Abraham Oron … PO Box 9114, Ramat-Gan, Israel 5219002 … Or [email protected]

1902 Italy … Mr Antonio Girardi … Viale Quintino Sella, 83/E, … Rivista Italiana di Teosofia [email protected]

36100 Vicenza1997 Ivory Coast * … Mr Pierre-Magloire Kouahoh … Yopougon, 23 Rue Princesse … Sophia [email protected]

B. P. 3924, Abidjan 231919 Mexico … Mr Enrique Sanchez … Ignacio Mariscal 126, Col. Tabacalera [email protected]

Mexicana, Mexico, D.F. 06030 [email protected]

1897 Netherlands, The … Mr Wim Leys … Tolsraat 154, 1074 VM Amsterdam … Theosofia [email protected]

1896 New Zealand … Mr John Vorstermans … 18, Belvedere Street, Epsom, Auckland 1022 … TheoSophia [email protected]

1913 Norway * … Dr Saleh Noshie … N-6873-Marifjora [email protected]

1935 Orlando p … Mr Carl Metzger … 1606 New York Ave. Orlando, Florida, Theosophical [email protected]

32803-1838, USA1948 Pakistan † … … Jamshed Memorial Hall, M. A. Jinnah Road, … The Karachi Theosophist [email protected]

opp. Radio Pakistan, Karachi1924 Peru † … Mr Julio Pomar Calderón … Av Republica de Portugal 152, Breña, Lima 5 … Búsqueda [email protected]

1933 Philippines, The … Mr Rosel Doval-Santos … Corner P. Florentino and Iba Streets, … The Philippine Theosophist [email protected]

Quezon City, Manila1921 Portugal … Mrs Ana Maria Coelho de Sousa … Sociedade Teosófica de Portugal, … Osiris [email protected]

Rua José Estêvão, 10 B, 1150-202 Lisboa1925 Puerto Rico † … Mrs Magaly Polanco … Apartado 36-1766 Correo General. … Heraldo Teosófico [email protected]

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-17662012 Qatar p … Mr Lijo Joseph . . . Crewing Officer, Teyseer Services Company [email protected]

P.O. Box 2431, Doha2013 Russia † … Mr Alexey Besputin … Energetikov Street 3-108, Lesnoi Gorodok, . . . Teosoficheskoe Obozrenie [email protected]

Odincovo region, Moscow oblast, 143080 (The Theosophical Review)1910 Scotland * … Mr Stuart Trotter … 28 Great King Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6QH … Circles [email protected]

1992 Slovenia * … Mrs Breda Zagar … Kunaverjeva 1 SLO-1000 Ljubljana … Teozofska Misel [email protected]

1921 Spain … Mrs Angels Torra Buron … Av. Vall d’or, 85-87 … Sophia [email protected]

08197 - Valldoreix(Spain)1926 Sri Lanka † … Mr M. B. Dassanayake … 2-C/60, Maththegoda Housing Scheme, … The Sri Lanka Theosophist [email protected]

Maththegoda1895 Sweden … Mrs Ing-Britt Wiklund … Kalle Posts väg 48, S-702 29 Örebro … Tidlös Visdom [email protected]

1910 Switzerland † … Mrs Eliane Gaillard … 17 Chemin de la Côte, CH -1282 Dardagny, … The Lotus [email protected]

Genève1997 Togo * … Mr Kouma Dakey … S.O., A.R.T.T., BP 76, Adeta2013 Ukraine * … Mrs Svitlana Gavrylenko … Office 3, 7-A Zhylianska St., Kiev 01033 … Svitoch [email protected]

1886 USA … Mr Tim Boyd … PO Box 270, Wheaton, IL 60187-0270 … The Quest [email protected]

1925 Uruguay * … Mr Ramon Garcia … Javier Barrios Amorín 1085, [email protected]

Casilla de Correos 1553, Montevideo1925 Venezuela † … Mrs Nelly Nouel … Av. Macaure Qta. Amore, Mararaquay, [email protected]

Caracas1922 Wales * … Mrs Julie Cunningham … Bryn Adda, Brynsiencyn, Llanfairpwll, … [email protected]

Anglesey, LL61 6NX UK

Date refers to the date of formation * Regional Association † Presidential Agency p Lodge attached to Adyar

The Council of the European Federation of National Societies: Chairman: Miss Trân-Thi-Kim-Diêu, 67 Rue des Pommiers, F-45000 Orleans, France. Email: [email protected]

Inter-American Theosophical Federation: President: Mrs Isis M. B. Resende, SGAS 603 conj. E s/n. Brasilia-DF, CEP 70200-630 – Brazil. Email: [email protected]

Indo-Pacific Theosophical Federation: President: Mr John Vorstermans, 60B Riro Street, Point Chevalier, Auckland 1022, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]

Pan-African Theosophical Federation: Chairman: Mr Jack Hartmann, 9 Ronean, 38 Princess Avenue, Windsor E 2194, South Africa. Email: [email protected]

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Freedom of Thought - ts-adyar.org · 2 Text of Resolutions passed by the General Council of the Theosophical Society Freedom of Thought As the Theosophical Society has spread far