Theos-Talk Archives (January 2008 Message tt00168)

Knowledge of Spiritual Facts by 
Personal Experience and from Actual Observation

Compiled from the Writings of H.P. Blavatsky 
and the Mahatmas M. and K.H.

The recognition of the higher phases of man's being on this planet is 
not to be attained by mere acquirement of knowledge.  Volumes of the 
most perfectly constructed information cannot reveal to man life in 
the higher regions.   One has to get a knowledge of spiritual facts 
by personal experience and from actual observation.  KH, Mahatma 
Letters,  2nd edition, p. 64.

Life, the greatest problem within the ken of human conception, is a 
mystery that the greatest of your men of Science will never solve. In 
order to be correctly comprehended, it has to be studied in the 
entire series of its manifestations, otherwise it can never be, not 
only fathomed, but even comprehended in its easiest form --- life, as 
a state of being on this earth. It can never be grasped so long as it 
is studied separately and apart from universal life. To solve the 
great problem one has to become an occultist (1); to analyze and 
experience with it personally, in all its phases, as life on earth, 
life beyond the limit of physical death, mineral, vegetable, animal 
and spiritual life; life in conjunction with concrete matter as well 
as life present in the imponderable atom. KH, ML 158-159

The adept has learnt the great secret how to penetrate deeply into 
the Arcana of being. KH, ML 194-195

The world of force is the world of Occultism and the only one whither 
the highest initiate goes to probe the secrets of being. Hence no-one 
but such an initiate can know anything of these secrets. Guided by 
his Guru (2) the chela (3) first discovers this world, then its laws, 
then their centrifugal evolutions into the world of matter. To become 
a perfect adept takes him long years, but at last he becomes the 
master. The hidden things have become patent, and mystery and miracle 
have fled from his sight forever. He sees how to guide force in this 
direction or that --- to produce desirable effects. The secret 
chemical, electric or odic properties of plants, herbs, roots, 
minerals, animal tissue, are familiar to him. No change in the 
etheric vibrations can escape him. He applies his knowledge  The 
means we avail ourselves of are all laid down for us in a code as old 
as humanity to the minutest detail.  Our laws are as immutable as 
those of Nature.   We build our philosophy upon experiment and 
deduction.  KH, ML 143-144

There comes a moment in the life of an adept, when the hardships he 
has passed through are a thousandfold rewarded. In order to acquire 
further knowledge, he has no more to go through a minute and slow 
process of investigation and comparison of various objects, but is 
accorded an instantaneous, implicit insight into every first truth. 
The adept sees and feels and lives in the very source of all 
fundamental truths --- the Universal Spiritual Essence of Nature.  
KH, ML 241

A MAHATMA (4) is a personage, who, by special training and education, 
has evolved those higher faculties and has attained that spiritual 
knowledge, which ordinary humanity will acquire after passing through 
numberless series of re-incarnations during the process of cosmic 
evolution.  Now an entity, that is passing through the occult 
training in its successive births, gradually has less and less (in 
each incarnation) of lower Manas [Mind] until there arrives a time 
when its whole Manas, being of an entirely elevated character, is 
centred in the higher individuality (5), when such a person may be 
said to have become a MAHATMA. The real MAHATMA is then not his 
physical body but that higher Manas which is inseparably linked to 
the Atma (6) and its vehicle (Buddhi 7) --- a union effected by him 
in a comparatively very short period by passing through the process 
of self-evolution laid down by the Occult Philosophy.  HPB, Collected 
Writings, Volume VI, p. 239.

The Tchang-chub (an adept who has, by the power of his knowledge and 
soul enlightenment, become exempt from the curse of UNCONSCIOUS 
transmigration) may, at his will and desire, and instead of 
reincarnating himself only after bodily death, do so, and repeatedly -
-- during his life if he chooses. He holds the power of choosing for 
himself new bodies --- whether on this or any other planet -- while 
in possession of his old form, that he generally preserves for 
purposes of his own. KH, ML 285

When our great Buddha --- the patron of all the adepts, the reformer 
and the codifier of the occult system, reached first Nirvana (8) on 
earth, he became a Planetary Spirit (9); i.e. --- his spirit could at 
one and the same time rove the interstellar spaces in full 
consciousness, and continue at will on Earth in his original and 
individual body. For the divine Self had so completely disfranchised 
itself from matter that it could create at will an inner substitute 
for itself, and leaving it in the human form for days, weeks, 
sometimes years, affect in no wise by the change either the vital 
principle or the physical mind of its body. That is the highest form 
of adeptship man can hope for on our planet. But it is as rare as the 
Buddhas themselves.  Many are those who "break through the egg-
shell," few who, once out are able to exercise their Nirira namastaka 
fully, when completely out of the body. Conscious life in Spirit is 
as difficult for some natures as swimming is for some bodies. The 
planetary Spirit of that kind (the Buddha like) can pass at will into 
other bodies --- of more or less etherialised matter, inhabiting 
other regions of the Universe.  KH, ML 43-44

We tell you what we know, for we are made to learn it through 
personal experience. KH, ML 128

So far as we know, so far as the highest Planetary Spirits have 
ascertained, the infinite mind displays to them as to us no more than 
the regular unconscious throbbings of the eternal and universal pulse 
of Nature, throughout the myriads of worlds within as without the 
primitive veil of our solar system. 

So far -- WE KNOW. Within and to the utmost limit, to the very edge 
of the cosmic veil we know the fact to be correct --- owing to 
personal experience; for the information gathered as to what takes 
place beyond --- we are indebted to the Planetary Spirits, to our 
blessed Lord Buddha. KH, ML 138

The ordinary man has no experience of any state of consciousness 
other than that to which the physical senses link him. Men dream; 
they sleep the profound sleep which is too deep for dreams to impress 
the physical brain; and in these states there must still be 
consciousness. How, then, while these mysteries remain unexplored, 
can we hope to speculate with profit on the nature of globes which, 
in the economy of nature, must needs belong to states of 
consciousness other and quite different from any which man 
experiences here? 

For even great adepts (those initiated of course), trained seers 
though they are, can claim thorough acquaintance with the nature and 
appearance of planets and their inhabitants belonging to our solar 
system only. They know that almost all the planetary worlds are 
inhabited, but can have access to --- even in spirit --- only those 
of our system; and they are also aware how difficult it is, even for 
them, to put themselves into full rapport even with the planes of 
consciousness within our system, but differing from the states of 
consciousness possible on this globe; i.e., on the three planes of 
the chain of spheres beyond our earth. Such knowledge and intercourse 
are possible to them because they have learned how to penetrate to 
planes of consciousness which are closed to the perceptions of 
ordinary men. HPB, The Secret Doctrine,  II 701

See also:  From Long-Sealed Ancient Fountains:  The Origin of Modern 
Theosophy


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Notes

(1) Occultist. One who practises Occultism, an adept in the Secret 
Sciences, but very often applied to a mere student. HPB, KEY 357

(2) Guru (Sk.). "Spiritual Teacher; a master in metaphysical and 
ethical doctrines; used also for a teacher of any science. HPB, TG 

(3)  Chela (Sans.) A disciple. The pupil of a Guru or Sage, the 
follower of some Adept, or a school of philosophy. HPB, KEY 324

(4) Mahatma (Sans.) Lit., "Great Soul." An adept of the highest 
order. An exalted being, who having attained to the mastery over his 
lower principles, is therefore living unimpeded by the "man of 
flesh." Mahatmas are in possession of knowledge and power 
commensurate with the stage they have reached in their spiritual 
evolution. HPB, KEY 347

(5) Individuality. One of the names given in Theosophy and Occultism 
to the human Higher Ego. We make a distinction between the immortal 
and divine and the mortal human Ego which perishes. The latter 
or "Personality" (personal Ego) survives the dead body but for a time 
in Kama Loka: the Individuality prevails for ever. HPB, KEY 338

(6) Atman, or Atma (Sans.) The Universal Spirit, the divine 
monad, "the seventh Principle," so called, in the 
exoteric "septenary" classification of man. The Supreme Soul. HPB, 
KEY 319

(7) Buddhi (Sans.) Universal Soul or Mind. Mahabuddhi is a name of 
Mahat (q. v.); also the Spiritual Soul in man (the sixth principle 
exoterically), the vehicle of Atma, the seventh, according to the 
exoteric enumeration. HPB, KEY 323

(8) Nirvana (Sk.). According to the Orientalists, the entire "blowing 
out", like the flame of a candle, the utter extinction of existence. 
But in the esoteric explanations it is the state of absolute 
existence and absolute consciousness, into which the Ego of a man who 
has reached the highest degree of perfection and holiness during life 
goes, after the body dies, and occasionally, as in the case of 
Gautama Buddha and others, during life. HPB, TG

(9) Planetary Spirits. Primarily the rulers or governors of the 
planets. As our earth has its hierarchy of terrestrial planetary 
spirits, from the highest to the lowest plane, so has every other 
heavenly body. In Occultism, however, the term "Planetary Spirit" is 
generally applied only to the seven highest hierarchies corresponding 
to the Christian archangels. These have all passed through a stage of 
evolution corresponding to the humanity of earth on other worlds, in 
long past cycles. Our earth, being as yet only in its fourth round, 
is far too young to have produced high planetary spirits. The highest 
planetary spirit ruling over any globe is in reality the "Personal 
God" of that planet and far more truly its "over-ruling providence" 
than the self-contradictory Infinite Personal Deity of modern 
Churchianity. HPB, TG

See also:  From Long-Sealed Ancient Fountains:  The Origin of Modern 
Theosophy.

http://blavatskyarchives.com/theosophy2.htm