From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Tue Feb 1 08:21:23 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id IAA04236 for theos-talk-outgoing; Tue, 1 Feb 2000 08:16:38 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f From: "W. Dallas TenBroeck" To: "Theosophy World Editor" Cc: "AAA-THEOS-TALK" , "Leon Maurer" Subject: Theos-World RE: Theosophy World #44, February 1, 2000 (Part I) (116) Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 06:10:44 -0800 Message-ID: <000601bf6cbe$235014a0$660e75ce@nwc.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2377.0 Importance: Normal In-Reply-To: <200001311750.JAA28421@clancy.mahat.com> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com Feb 1st 2000 From: W. Dallas TenBroeck dalval@nwc.net Re: Correction requested on Dr. Einstein's SECRET DOCTRINE Mr. L. Maurer THEOSOPHY WORLD, Jan 31st 2000 issue. Dear Eldon: In regard to the article by Mr. L. Maurer on Dr. Einstein using a copy of the Secret Doctrine, would you allow me to make a correction? One of the statements that Mr. Maurer makes from his memory of a talk he heard at the UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS in New York by Mrs. Sophia Wadia in the 1970s, implies that Mme. Wadia said she was in Adyar when Dr. Einstein's niece brought her uncle's copy of the SECRET DOCTRINE to the TPH or to the Library there. Mr. Maurer writes from memory. Allow me to state that to the best of my knowledge, and to the knowledge of my friends and fellow associates at the United Lodge of Theosophists in Bombay who lived and worked with her until her death [Sunday, April 27 1986] -- (and with whom I have just conferred) states that she never visited Adyar during the period of her life and work in India, a fact well known to me. It is therefore probable that there is some confusion in memory operating in this. If Mme. Wadia never visited Adyar, she would not have seen or handled Dr. Einstein's SECRET DOCTRINE. She would have had no direct knowledge of the incident narrated. Best wishes, W. Dallas TenBroeck dalval@nwc.net ======================= REFERENCE: (Please note that the materials presented in THEOSOPHY WORLD are the intellectual property of their respective authors and may not be reposted or otherwise republished without prior permission.) ================================================================= = CONTENTS THEOSOPHY WORLD Issue for January 31st 2000 "How Did Albert Einstein Intuit E=MC^2?" by Leon Maurer "There Are No Neo-Theosophists," by Dallas TenBroeck ...etc.... SNIP ----------------------------------------------------------------- - HOW DID ALBERT EINSTEIN INTUIT E=M^2? by Leon Maurer That's easy. He looked it up in THE SECRET DOCTRINE. On the 20th Anniversary of Einstein's death (1975), physicist Richard Feynman was quoted in TIME MAGAZINE as saying: > I cannot understand how he arrived at the intuition leading to > E=MC^2, considering the level of scientific knowledge at the time > [1905]. This equation states that > ...mass or substance is equivalent to energy and that time and > space are integral parts of the substance-energy continuum. > > -- A. March and I.M Freeman, THE NEW WORLD OF PHYSICS, 1963. A niece of Einstein reported that a copy of THE SECRET DOCTRINE was always on his desk. > Iverson Harris, THE JOURNAL OF SAN DIEGO HISTORY, SAN DIEGO > (California) HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Summer, 1974, 16. In checking > this information it was learned that a niece of Einstein's, in > India during the 1960s, paid a visit to the headquarters of the > Theosophical Society at Adyar. She explained that she knew > nothing of theosophy or the society, but had to see the place > because her uncle always had a copy of Madame Blavatsky's SECRET > DOCTRINE on his desk. The individual to whom the niece spoke was > Eunice Layton, a world renowned theosophical lecturer who > happened to be at the reception desk when she arrived. While in > Ojai, California, in 1982, Sylvia Cranston met Mrs. Eunice > Layton, who confirmed the story. > > -- Cranston, S. L., HPB: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND INFLUENCE OF > HELENA BLAVATSKY, Preface, Note 11, 557)] Another witness, Jack Brown, reports similarly in an article, "I visited Professor Einstein." (See OJAI VALLEY NEWS, Ojai, California, September 28, 1983." (ibid, Notes, Preface, Note 12., 558.) --- Here's the story as I got it: > Sometime, around the mid 1970s, I was attending a lecture by a > foreign visitor at the United Lodge of Theosophists in New York > City. After the talk, a group of students and I met the speaker, > Mrs. Wadia, the elderly British born widow of a well known > Indian theosophical writer and lecturer. > > She told us that when she was at the Theosophical Publishing > Company in Adyar during the mid 1960s, she met Einstein's niece, > who said she had come to the TPC headquarters to offer their > library the book that was at the bedside of her uncle when he > died. Mrs. Wadia said that she and several others at the Adyar > Lodge gratefully accepted the worn out and dog-eared copy of the > first edition of THE SECRET DOCTRINE. > > I asked Mrs Wadia whether she actually handled and opened the > book. She answered that she had. When I specifically asked if > there were any margin notes, she said that the book was heavily > notated and underlined, and that the margins were covered with > scribbles and other markings that none of them could make heads > nor tails of. (What would we give to get a look at them?) When > someone else asked what happened to the book, she said, it was > still in the library of the Lodge in Adyar. > > Whether it could still be found there today, is anybody's guess.. > (If anyone gets to read its "scribbles" as a result of this lead, > please let me know.) > > SNIP ====================================== -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Tue Feb 1 18:50:48 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id SAA07643 for theos-talk-outgoing; Tue, 1 Feb 2000 18:28:32 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f From: "W. Dallas TenBroeck" To: "AAA-DAL" Subject: Theos-World Meditation as a practical tool for Progress Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:20:32 -0800 Message-ID: <000101bf6d13$55981660$620e75ce@nwc.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2377.0 Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com A Number of excellent contributions have recently appeared that involved the subject of meditation. Perhaps the following might prove to be of use. As to Meditation: Some thoughts and ideas ------------------------------ WY IS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT MEDITATION ? As in most things, concerning which there seems to be little general knowledge, we ought to seek for the definitions that are around us. Theosophy has a specific definition, as the meditation technique is one that a student uses to learn about himself and nature. Theosophy considers every human being is a Soul (mind), and is an "Eternal Pilgrim." The mind principle (called Manas ) is that which stores the thoughts of all our lives. The total quantity of life-thoughts makes the stream of our life's meditation -- or that upon which our heart is set. We do not often have this as a precise concept, but it can be discovered. It is not outside of us, but an interior attitude. Our mind links our embodied consciousness (mind) to the inner Spiritual Root of our nature. In turn, this places us in a position that we can choose to activate with the Spiritual Principle of the Universe a portion of which ( a "ray," or, "spark") is in us and forms the root-base of our existence and gives us a sense of permanence and of purpose in our existence. With each one of us is associated a measure of Karma -- the fruit of our choices and motives for decisions made in earlier lives. This manifests in our life as character and tendency, as interest and talent or their lack. We also ought to include in this our interest in "meditation." Why do we seek to understand and use it? We tend to place all these things together and call it "our nature." But, we can also see that "our nature" reaches out to other "natures" and we meet with such friends or enemies in this life that we may have established in earlier ones. One cannot understand or practice meditation without this as a consideration that interlinks us all. Mme. Blavatsky says in THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY (p. 10): Meditation ..."is silent and unuttered prayer, or, as Plato expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the divine…" This divine is the Higher Self (Atma/Buddhi) or the divine Spirit Wisdom within each of us. "Occultism requires "physical, mental, moral and spiritual" development to run on parallel lines...the prime factor in the guidance of thought is the Will...The first requisite for it is thorough purity of heart...A cultivation of the feeling of unselfish philanthropy is the path that has to be traversed for that purpose. For it is that alone which will lead to Universal Love, the realization of which constitutes the progress towards deliverance from the chains forged by Maya around the Ego...An Adept is intensely active and thus able to control the elemental forces, " wrote Damodar K. Mavlankar in an article titled: CONTEMPLATION ["THEOSOPHIST Magazine," Vol. 5, p. 112 Feb. 1884.] There are two possible objectives to Meditation. One, is directed at enhancing the Personality in its selfish acquisition of "powers." it is selfish, and it isolates. It concentrates one's effort on personal results -- if persisted in, it will produce some limited results and, at death, it leaves nothing for Devachanic meditation. Anything that "isolates" is selfish and harmful to the permanent Self, which is the true immortal aspirant and devotee. The other is that which is aimed at understanding the Inner HIGHER SELF and the potential that it can make available for practical, universal and righteous action. This kind of meditation leads to compassion and a real effective care for others. It views us as one among many. It also considers that as an "immortal" Mind/Soul we have innately to ourselves a mission that needs the joint cooperative assistance of others to achieve. We can only reach "Perfection," or the "Goal" envisaged, by joint work. The whole of humanity, and all Nature is engaged in this. "A chela's meditation should constitute the "reasoning from the known to the unknown...Occultism does not depend upon one method, but employs both the deductive and the inductive. The student must first learn the general axioms...'To believe without knowing is weakness; to believe because one knows, is power.' " D. K. Mavlankar [idem.]. HOW CAN MEDITATION BE USED AND DEVELOPED ? In considering the development of the meditative faculty we need first to learn and then seek those applications which can be made compassionate generously and practically. Our perception grows deeper and more universal as we are able to widen our effectiveness in helping others to grow themselves. "For others' sake ... " is a good phrase always to keep always in mind. We grow best when we give away. But we have to give away with discrimination and that takes sound preliminary learning. There is the accumulation of facts, then their arrangement in logical relationships, and, finally, the construction in our own minds of the structure of a universal verity to which we will always be able to refer as a basis for understanding what appears to be "new" concepts. PRACTICE AND MEANING OF MEDITATION. As to the meaning and practice of meditation: It should never be conspicuous, or spoken about. And that is because it is the normal extension of one's study of universal principles. Everyone knows about study. Everyone has devoted a long time to actual study and meditation in school life. To study, we place "facts" (or data) in our minds -- as "memory." To meditate one selects from among our memories a group or an area of study. The memories are evoked and then compared with such basic facts as we are already sure of. Therefore, every time that one studied a subject, or wrote an article, or an important letter, or prepared for a talk the meditative aspect of study was invoked. Even when one is not studying, but only doing one's work, and happen to think about some subject that is kept "in the back of the mind," it is evidence of meditation being pursuing as an ongoing process. If one reflects on this then the process was: selection, gathering information, adjusting data so that a cohesive picture grew, identifying areas that were uncertain, and finally looking for analogous or similar conditions. Anything new has to be adjusted so that it is seen to agree with basic information already proved to ones' self. If in the course of meditation one is confronted with some fact that is not congruent with already proven verities, this necessitates a most careful review of all our earlier built conclusions. If we should arbitrarily accept anything without this checking and verifying process we might be increasing an area of error in our thinking. THE UNIVERSE IS COHESIVE AND COOPERATIVE. Theosophy shows how the whole Universe is integrated and has a profound cohesive and logical meaning. Everything fits together, and invites our scrutiny and testing. There are no secrets as such, nor any dogmas or beliefs that we should adopt without understanding. Nothing will ever be expected of us which we cannot understand and would do willingly once we are sure of the intention, methods and results. So our lives are part of the Universal Life, and as we seek to know it better, we delve deeper into our own being, trying to find out what we are and what are the powers of our mind and our own Spiritual Self, that we can use in the "here and now.". VIRTUES: BROTHERHOOD, COMPASSION, ALTRUISM. We should discover that this leads to friendliness, brotherhood, compassion and altruism. And, those should be practiced with discrimination and care for others all the time. The interior "WE" is really the HIGHER SELF. It is the Lower self, the Lower mind and the Personality (which have recognized the existence of the HIGHER SELF), that are now disciplining themselves so that the HIGHER SELF may "come through" with greater ease. CONSCIOUSNESS is ONE. It as the one attribute of the Higher Self. It, alone is able to pierce up and down the 7 planes of being and retains a clear memory of experiences on each plane. Our memories on this plane are fragmentary, until by effort we learn to unify them. The practice of "attention" does this, but, it has to be attentive to grasping the operations of the One Law and impersonal in our application of that to our personal selves. MEDITATION and THE MONAD (Atma-Buddhi-Manas) It is the process of digesting, assimilation and thinking about the matter. By this method, one is inviting the discriminating and Wise principle -- Buddhi -- to work actively as the "intuition," and for insights to appear to help -- they come from within, they are the "points of light" that come from the Higher Self working through the lower Self (which has to make itself "porous" to them) and then our lives become illumined by the TRUE, and become friendly to all others, become just and universal. MEDITATION is serious and concentrated thought. It is not a ritual, or a discipline that involves anything of the physical or the psychic. It should not be advertised or made obvious to others, nor should it make life more difficult. It is essentially a search for TRUTH. It is a quiet and unobtrusive mind exercise. It is something that requires that we be fully awake and totally concentrated in the waking state -- no "blanking of the mind", and it is to be entirely self-controlled and self-generated. It is not an exercise that can be practised with others, even when there are silent moments for the reason that it is not passivity, but a time of most active mental effort. We ought to draw no attention to our practice and if we should be interrupted, accept it as a kind of test of our equanimity and let there be no apparent reaction. We are immortal beings and have all the time we need for our future advance -- so long as we are able to include everyone else in our progress. That is the real key to advance - the sharing of ourselves. We should always make time to assist. It does not involve trying to get at the meaning of special words and especially without a truly correct undemanding of what they mean and are (potentially) able to do -- whether they be pronounced correctly or not. That is all physical, external and fruitless. The real power resides in the application of the motive as a carefully controlled and always beneficent creative power -- in those who aspire to assist Nature this is never personal, and is always used (only if necessary) in a harmless, wise and compassionate way with a Mind that is determined to be a servant and assistant to all Nature and to the least of beings which approaches it (us) under Karma. We should consider all those as being, themselves, divine MONADS, and give them the respect and attention (as our brothers) that they claim or, we become aware that they need. Real meditation is a mental determination to live a totally moral and ethical life, all the time to the extent that one is able to do that. It is nothing extraordinary except for this one orientation that has to come from WITHIN. We have to assure ourselves first of all that our learning is not self-directed at all, but that our motive is "to better help and teach others." THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE -- INTUITION. THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE and its statements ought to be considered as one of the primary practical sources of inspiration for true Meditation. We ought, by reading a little every day, to become familiar with it and the explanations contained in the footnotes there. As said before, it is most important to remember that we are the HIGHER SELF in our inner-most core (and everyone else is so also). Every being exists because of the essential and ETERNAL MONAD that it is. That Monad is SPIRIT and MATTER conjoined, or ATMA/BUDDHI -- and that is interior to all without any exception. It is the ETERNAL PILGRIM and it is the "Real You." Every human being (and every other type of being is also at root a Monad ) and in the past our MONAD once occupied a position that is comparable to that which it now seems to occupy. We only appear to be separated at present, because we have, each, our own individual path. In the end (at the end of the Manvantara) all those 'Paths' converge. So, from that point of view, it is not useful to seek "guidance," or any "leader" who will prescribe some ritual or formula. Books will not be able to tell anyone what to do, but they can offer advice. It is too easy to be misled. We must remember that the Monad is an immortal. It cannot be "erased" as Individuality at the end of a Manvantara, for the economy of Nature demands that all those INDIVIDUALITIES (experienced MONADS) be employed again, in continuation of their present "advance" at an appropriate place in a new Manvantara which will be the Karmic child of the present one. (see HPB Articles III p. 265, ULT Edition) Everyone has been at this business of self-improvement for aeons -- and it does not begin for the first time in this life. In this life we are all renewing that age-old study that was ours in the past. If we could recover the "memory of past lives" the whole process of advancing would be much easier. If we are now considering the study of Theosophy, it is that which, if and when applied, will make our embodied minds (the Lower Self) clearer and porous, so that the Higher Memories may be accessed. PATANJALI's YOGA-SUTRAS -- A BASIS FOR MEDITATION. PATANJALI's YOGA SUTRAS translated by W. Q. Judge, is most valuable in a study of the nature and procedures of meditation -- especially the first 3 books. It gives a clue as to what true meditation is. It is the attempt of the embodied mind (the Lower Manas) to reach up to and understand the work of the Higher Manas within. And from there to participate in the work of the HIGHER SELF. As a beginning, one might at first study, frame questions, then begin to assemble all that one has learned or has available on a certain subject that is selected. This assembly gives a review of those subjects and ideas -- then one ought to put them all together and see if one can secure a glimpse of the inner reason and meaning for their being there [ to do this one ought to ask the all-important question: WHY ? -- that takes the practitioner to basic principles and enables a clear perception of their inter-relation with others and thus to the CAUSES ] -- and that is MEDITATION. Offered in the hope that this might help. dalval@nwc.net -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Tue Feb 1 20:30:49 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id UAA18277 for theos-talk-outgoing; Tue, 1 Feb 2000 20:04:36 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f Message-Id: <4.3.0.33.0.20000201175646.00b6cea0@mail.ojai.net> X-Sender: Bharata@mail.ojai.net X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 4.3.0.33 (Beta) Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2000 17:59:50 -0800 To: theos-talk@theosophy.com From: Barrett Subject: Re: Theos-World Meditation as a practical tool for Progress In-Reply-To: <000101bf6d13$55981660$620e75ce@nwc.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=====================_15619324==_.ALT" Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com --=====================_15619324==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable There is a high-level discussion-group on "Consciousness" at:=20 http://www.egroups.com/group/I2c2much/info.html, if anyone wishes to check= =20 it out. All are welcome, and may read posts, reply or begin new=20 topics. It is not limited to Theosophy, but is most definitely oriented in= =20 that direction, with many posts citing Theosophical writings, articles,=20 etc. Very interesting group with interesting participants from many=20 different places and walks of life. At 04:20 PM 02/01/2000 -0800, you wrote: >A Number of excellent contributions have recently appeared that >involved the subject of meditation. > >Perhaps the following might prove to be of use. > > >As to Meditation: Some thoughts and ideas > > ------------------------------ > >WY IS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT MEDITATION ? > >As in most things, concerning which there seems to be little >general knowledge, we ought to seek for the definitions that are >around us. Theosophy has a specific definition, as the >meditation technique is one that a student uses to learn about >himself and nature. > >Theosophy considers every human being is a Soul (mind), and is an >"Eternal Pilgrim." The mind principle (called Manas ) is that >which stores the thoughts of all our lives. The total quantity >of life-thoughts makes the stream of our life's meditation -- or >that upon which our heart is set. We do not often have this as a >precise concept, but it can be discovered. It is not outside of >us, but an interior attitude. Our mind links our embodied >consciousness (mind) to the inner Spiritual Root of our nature. >In turn, this places us in a position that we can choose to >activate with the Spiritual Principle of the Universe a portion >of which ( a "ray," or, "spark") is in us and forms the root-base >of our existence and gives us a sense of permanence and of >purpose in our existence. > >With each one of us is associated a measure of Karma -- the fruit >of our choices and motives for decisions made in earlier lives. >This manifests in our life as character and tendency, as interest >and talent or their lack. We also ought to include in this our >interest in "meditation." Why do we seek to understand and use >it? We tend to place all these things together and call it "our >nature." But, we can also see that "our nature" reaches out to >other "natures" and we meet with such friends or enemies in this >life that we may have established in earlier ones. One cannot >understand or practice meditation without this as a consideration >that interlinks us all. > >Mme. Blavatsky says in THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY (p. 10): > >Meditation ..."is silent and unuttered prayer, or, as Plato >expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the >divine=85" This divine is the Higher Self (Atma/Buddhi) or the >divine Spirit Wisdom within each of us. > >"Occultism requires "physical, mental, moral and spiritual" >development to run on parallel lines...the prime factor in the >guidance of thought is the Will...The first requisite for it is >thorough purity of heart...A cultivation of the feeling of >unselfish philanthropy is the path that has to be traversed for >that purpose. For it is that alone which will lead to Universal >Love, the realization of which constitutes the progress towards >deliverance from the chains forged by Maya around the Ego...An >Adept is intensely active and thus able to control the elemental >forces, " wrote Damodar K. Mavlankar in an article titled: >CONTEMPLATION ["THEOSOPHIST Magazine," Vol. 5, p. 112 Feb. >1884.] > >There are two possible objectives to Meditation. > >One, is directed at enhancing the Personality in its selfish >acquisition of "powers." it is selfish, and it isolates. It >concentrates one's effort on personal results -- if persisted in, >it will produce some limited results and, at death, it leaves >nothing for Devachanic meditation. Anything that "isolates" >is selfish and harmful to the permanent Self, which is the true >immortal aspirant and devotee. > >The other is that which is aimed at understanding the Inner >HIGHER SELF and the potential that it can make available for >practical, universal and righteous action. This kind of >meditation leads to compassion and a real effective care for >others. It views us as one among many. It also considers that >as an "immortal" Mind/Soul we have innately to ourselves a >mission that needs the joint cooperative assistance of others to >achieve. We can only reach "Perfection," or the "Goal" >envisaged, by joint work. The whole of humanity, and all Nature >is engaged in this. "A chela's meditation should constitute the >"reasoning from the known to the unknown...Occultism does not >depend upon one method, but employs both the deductive and the >inductive. The student must first learn the general axioms...'To >believe without knowing is weakness; to believe because one >knows, is power.' " D. K. Mavlankar [idem.]. > > >HOW CAN MEDITATION BE USED AND DEVELOPED ? > >In considering the development of the meditative faculty we need >first to learn and then seek those applications which can be made >compassionate generously and practically. Our perception grows >deeper and more universal as we are able to widen our >effectiveness in helping others to grow themselves. "For others' >sake ... " is a good phrase always to keep always in mind. We >grow best when we give away. But we have to give away with >discrimination and that takes sound preliminary learning. There >is the accumulation of facts, then their arrangement in logical >relationships, and, finally, the construction in our own minds of >the structure of a universal verity to which we will always be >able to refer as a basis for understanding what appears to be >"new" concepts. > > >PRACTICE AND MEANING OF MEDITATION. > >As to the meaning and practice of meditation: It should never be >conspicuous, or spoken about. And that is because it is the >normal extension of one's study of universal principles. >Everyone knows about study. Everyone has devoted a long time to >actual study and meditation in school life. To study, we place >"facts" (or data) in our minds -- as "memory." To meditate one >selects from among our memories a group or an area of study. The >memories are evoked and then compared with such basic facts as we >are already sure of. Therefore, every time that one studied a >subject, or wrote an article, or an important letter, or >prepared for a talk the meditative aspect of study was invoked. > >Even when one is not studying, but only doing one's work, and >happen to think about some subject that is kept "in the back of >the mind," it is evidence of meditation being pursuing as an >ongoing process. If one reflects on this then the process was: >selection, gathering information, adjusting data so that a >cohesive picture grew, identifying areas that were uncertain, and >finally looking for analogous or similar conditions. Anything >new has to be adjusted so that it is seen to agree with basic >information already proved to ones' self. If in the course of >meditation one is confronted with some fact that is not congruent >with already proven verities, this necessitates a most careful >review of all our earlier built conclusions. If we should >arbitrarily accept anything without this checking and verifying >process we might be increasing an area of error in our thinking. > > >THE UNIVERSE IS COHESIVE AND COOPERATIVE. > >Theosophy shows how the whole Universe is integrated and has a >profound cohesive and logical meaning. Everything fits together, >and invites our scrutiny and testing. There are no secrets as >such, nor any dogmas or beliefs that we should adopt without >understanding. Nothing will ever be expected of us which we >cannot understand and would do willingly once we are sure of the >intention, methods and results. > >So our lives are part of the Universal Life, and as we seek to >know it better, we delve deeper into our own being, trying to >find out what we are and what are the powers of our mind and our >own Spiritual Self, that we can use in the "here and now.". > > >VIRTUES: BROTHERHOOD, COMPASSION, ALTRUISM. > >We should discover that this leads to friendliness, brotherhood, >compassion and altruism. And, those should be practiced with >discrimination and care for others all the time. The interior >"WE" is really the HIGHER SELF. It is the Lower self, the Lower >mind and the Personality (which have recognized the existence of >the HIGHER SELF), that are now disciplining themselves so that >the HIGHER SELF may "come through" with greater ease. >CONSCIOUSNESS is ONE. It as the one attribute of the Higher >Self. It, alone is able to pierce up and down the 7 planes of >being and retains a clear memory of experiences on each plane. >Our memories on this plane are fragmentary, until by effort we >learn to unify them. The practice of "attention" does this, but, >it has to be attentive to grasping the operations of the One Law >and impersonal in our application of that to our personal selves. > > >MEDITATION and THE MONAD (Atma-Buddhi-Manas) > >It is the process of digesting, assimilation and thinking about >the matter. By this method, one is inviting the discriminating >and Wise principle -- Buddhi -- to work actively as the >"intuition," and for insights to appear to help -- they come from >within, they are the "points of light" that come from the Higher >Self working through the lower Self (which has to make itself >"porous" to them) and then our lives become illumined by the >TRUE, and become friendly to all others, become just and >universal. > >MEDITATION is serious and concentrated thought. It is not a >ritual, or a discipline that involves anything of the physical or >the psychic. It should not be advertised or made obvious to >others, nor should it make life more difficult. It is >essentially a search for TRUTH. It is a quiet and unobtrusive >mind exercise. It is something that requires that we be fully >awake and totally concentrated in the waking state -- no >"blanking of the mind", and it is to be entirely self-controlled >and self-generated. It is not an exercise that can be practised >with others, even when there are silent moments for the reason >that it is not passivity, but a time of most active mental >effort. > >We ought to draw no attention to our practice and if we should be >interrupted, accept it as a kind of test of our equanimity and >let there be no apparent reaction. We are immortal beings and >have all the time we need for our future advance -- so long as we >are able to include everyone else in our progress. That is the >real key to advance - the sharing of ourselves. We should always >make time to assist. > >It does not involve trying to get at the meaning of special words >and especially without a truly correct undemanding of what they >mean and are (potentially) able to do -- whether they be >pronounced correctly or not. That is all physical, external and >fruitless. The real power resides in the application of the >motive as a carefully controlled and always beneficent creative >power -- in those who aspire to assist Nature this is never >personal, and is always used (only if necessary) in a harmless, >wise and compassionate way with a Mind that is determined to be a >servant and assistant to all Nature and to the least of beings >which approaches it (us) under Karma. We should consider all >those as being, themselves, divine MONADS, and give them the >respect and attention (as our brothers) that they claim or, we >become aware that they need. > >Real meditation is a mental determination to live a totally moral >and ethical life, all the time to the extent that one is able to >do that. It is nothing extraordinary except for this one >orientation that has to come from WITHIN. We have to assure >ourselves first of all that our learning is not self-directed at >all, but that our motive is "to better help and teach others." > > >THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE -- INTUITION. > >THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE and its statements ought to be >considered as one of the primary practical sources of inspiration >for true Meditation. We ought, by reading a little every day, to >become familiar with it and the explanations contained in the >footnotes there. > >As said before, it is most important to remember that we are the >HIGHER SELF in our inner-most core (and everyone else is so >also). Every being exists because of the essential and ETERNAL >MONAD that it is. That Monad is SPIRIT and MATTER conjoined, or >ATMA/BUDDHI -- and that is interior to all without any exception. >It is the ETERNAL PILGRIM and it is the "Real You." > >Every human being (and every other type of being is also at root >a Monad ) and in the past our MONAD once occupied a position >that is comparable to that which it now seems to occupy. We only >appear to be separated at present, because we have, each, our own >individual path. In the end (at the end of the Manvantara) all >those 'Paths' converge. So, from that point of view, it is not >useful to seek "guidance," or any "leader" who will prescribe >some ritual or formula. Books will not be able to tell anyone >what to do, but they can offer advice. It is too easy to be >misled. > >We must remember that the Monad is an immortal. It cannot be >"erased" as Individuality at the end of a Manvantara, for the >economy of Nature demands that all those INDIVIDUALITIES >(experienced MONADS) be employed again, in continuation of their >present "advance" at an appropriate place in a new Manvantara >which will be the Karmic child of the present one. (see HPB >Articles >III p. 265, ULT Edition) > >Everyone has been at this business of self-improvement for >aeons -- and it does not begin for the first time in this life. >In this life we are all renewing that age-old study that was ours >in the past. If we could recover the "memory of past lives" the >whole process of advancing would be much easier. If we are now >considering the study of Theosophy, it is that which, if and when >applied, will make our embodied minds (the Lower Self) clearer >and porous, so that the Higher Memories may be accessed. > > >PATANJALI's YOGA-SUTRAS -- A BASIS FOR MEDITATION. > >PATANJALI's YOGA SUTRAS translated by W. Q. Judge, is most >valuable in a study of the nature and procedures of meditation -- >especially the first 3 books. It gives a clue as to what true >meditation is. It is the attempt of the embodied mind (the Lower >Manas) to reach up to and understand the work of the Higher Manas >within. And from there to participate in the work of the HIGHER >SELF. > >As a beginning, one might at first study, frame questions, then >begin to assemble all that one has learned or has available on a >certain subject that is selected. This assembly gives a review >of those subjects and ideas -- then one ought to put them all >together and see if one can secure a glimpse of the inner reason >and meaning for their being there [ to do this one ought to ask >the all-important question: WHY ? -- that takes the >practitioner to basic principles and enables a clear perception >of their inter-relation with others and thus to the CAUSES ] -- >and that is MEDITATION. > > >Offered in the hope that this might help. > >dalval@nwc.net > > >-- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com > >Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and >teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of >"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. --=====================_15619324==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable There is a high-level discussion-group on "Consciousness" at: http://www.egroups.com/group/I2c2much/info.html, if anyone wishes to check it out.  All are welcome, and may read posts, reply or begin new topics.  It is not limited to Theosophy, but is most definitely oriented in that direction, with many posts citing Theosophical writings, articles, etc.  Very interesting group with interesting participants from many different places and walks of life.



At 04:20 PM 02/01/2000 -0800, you wrote:
A Number of excellent contributions have recently appeared that
involved the subject of meditation.

Perhaps the following might prove to be of use.


As to Meditation:  Some thoughts and ideas

        -------------= -----------------

WY IS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT MEDITATION ?

As in most things, concerning which there seems to be little
general knowledge, we ought to seek for the definitions that are
around us.  Theosophy has a specific definition, as the
meditation technique is one that a student uses to learn about
himself and nature.

Theosophy considers every human being is a Soul (mind), and is an
"Eternal Pilgrim."  The mind principle (called Manas ) is that
which stores the thoughts of all our lives.  The total=20 quantity
of life-thoughts makes the stream of our life's meditation --  or
that upon which our heart is set.  We do not often have this as a
precise concept, but it can be discovered.  It is not outside of
us, but an interior attitude.  Our mind links our embodied
consciousness (mind) to the inner Spiritual Root of our nature.
In turn, this places us in a position that we can choose to
activate with the Spiritual Principle of the Universe a portion
of which ( a "ray," or, "spark") is in us and forms the root-base
of our existence and gives us a sense of permanence and of
purpose in our existence.

With each one of us is associated a measure of Karma -- the fruit
of our choices and motives for decisions made in earlier lives.
This manifests in our life as character and tendency, as interest
and talent or their lack.  We also ought to include in this=20 our
interest in "meditation."  Why do we seek to understand and use
it?  We tend to place all these things together and call it "our
nature."  But, we can also see that "our nature" reaches out to
other "natures" and we meet with such friends or enemies in this
life that we may have established in earlier ones.  One cannot
understand or practice meditation without this as a consideration
that interlinks us all.

Mme. Blavatsky says in THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY (p. 10):

Meditation ..."is silent and unuttered prayer, or, as Plato
expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the
divine=85"        This divine is the Higher Self (Atma/Buddhi) or the
divine Spirit Wisdom within each of us.

"Occultism requires "physical, mental, moral and spiritual"
development to run on parallel lines...the prime factor in the
guidance of thought is the Will...The first requisite for it is
thorough purity of heart...A cultivation of the feeling of
unselfish philanthropy is the path that has to be traversed for
that purpose.  For it is that alone which will lead to Universal
Love, the realization of which constitutes the progress towards
deliverance from the chains forged by Maya around the Ego...An
Adept is intensely active and thus able to control the elemental
forces, " wrote Damodar K. Mavlankar in an article titled:
CONTEMPLATION  ["THEOSOPHIST Magazine," Vol. 5, p.  112  Feb.
1884.]

There are two possible objectives to Meditation.

One, is directed at enhancing the Personality in its selfish
acquisition of "powers."  it is selfish, and it isolates.  It
concentrates one's effort on personal results -- if persisted in,
it will produce some limited results and, at death, it leaves
nothing for Devachanic meditation.  Anything that "isolates"
is selfish and harmful to the permanent Self, which is the true
immortal aspirant and devotee.

The other is that which is aimed at understanding the Inner
HIGHER SELF and the potential that it can make available for
practical, universal and righteous action.  This kind of
meditation leads to compassion and a real effective care for
others.  It views us as one among many.  It also considers that
as an "immortal" Mind/Soul we have innately to ourselves=20 a
mission that needs the joint cooperative assistance of others to
achieve.  We can only reach "Perfection," or the "Goal"
envisaged, by joint work.  The whole of humanity, and all Nature
is engaged in this.  "A chela's meditation should constitute the
"reasoning from the known to the unknown...Occultism does not
depend upon one method, but employs both the deductive and the
inductive.  The student must first learn the general axioms...'To
believe without knowing is weakness; to believe because one
knows, is power.' "   D. K. Mavlankar [idem.].


HOW CAN MEDITATION BE USED AND DEVELOPED ?

In considering the development of the meditative faculty we need
first to learn and then seek those applications which can be made
compassionate generously and practically.  Our perception=20 grows
deeper and more universal as we are able to widen our
effectiveness in helping others to grow themselves.  "For others'
sake  ... " is a good phrase always to keep always in mind.  We
grow best when we give away.  But we have to give away with
discrimination and that takes sound preliminary learning.  There
is the accumulation of facts, then their arrangement in logical
relationships, and, finally, the construction in our own minds of
the structure of a universal verity to which we will always be
able to refer as a basis for understanding what appears to be
"new" concepts.


PRACTICE AND MEANING OF MEDITATION.

As to the meaning and practice of meditation:  It should never be
conspicuous, or spoken about.  And that is because it is the
normal extension of one's study of universal principles.
Everyone knows about study.  Everyone has devoted a long time to
actual study and meditation in school life. To study, we place
"facts" (or data) in our minds -- as "memory."  To meditate one
selects from among our memories a group or an area of study.  The
memories are evoked and then compared with such basic facts as we
are already sure of.  Therefore, every time that one studied a
subject, or wrote an article, or an important letter,  or
prepared for a talk the meditative aspect of study was invoked.

Even when one is not studying,  but only doing one's work, and
happen to think about some subject that is kept "in the back=20 of
the mind," it is evidence of meditation being pursuing as an
ongoing process.  If one reflects on this then the process=20 was:
selection, gathering information, adjusting data so that a
cohesive picture grew, identifying areas that were uncertain, and
finally looking for analogous or similar conditions.  Anything
new has to be adjusted so that it is seen to agree with basic
information already proved to ones' self.  If in the course of
meditation one is confronted with some fact that is not congruent
with already proven verities, this necessitates a most careful
review of all our earlier built conclusions.  If we should
arbitrarily accept anything without this checking and verifying
process we might be increasing an area of error in our thinking.


THE UNIVERSE IS COHESIVE AND COOPERATIVE.

Theosophy shows how the whole Universe is integrated and has a
profound cohesive and logical meaning.  Everything fits together,
and invites our scrutiny and testing.  There are no secrets as
such, nor any dogmas or beliefs that we should adopt without
understanding.  Nothing will ever be expected of us which we
cannot understand and would do willingly once we are sure of the
intention, methods and results.

So our lives are part of the Universal Life, and as we seek to
know it better, we delve deeper into our own being, trying to
find out what we are and what are the powers of our mind and our
own Spiritual Self, that we can use in the "here and now.".


VIRTUES:  BROTHERHOOD, COMPASSION, ALTRUISM.

We should discover that this leads to friendliness, brotherhood,
compassion and altruism.  And, those should be practiced with
discrimination and care for others all the time.   The interior
"WE" is really the HIGHER SELF.  It is the Lower self, the Lower
mind and the Personality (which have recognized the existence of
the HIGHER SELF), that are now disciplining themselves so that
the HIGHER SELF may "come through" with greater ease.
CONSCIOUSNESS is ONE.  It as the one attribute of the Higher
Self.  It, alone is able to pierce up and down the 7 planes of
being and retains a clear memory of experiences on each plane.
Our memories on this plane are fragmentary, until by effort we
learn to unify them.  The practice of "attention" does this, but,
it has to be attentive to grasping the operations of the One Law
and impersonal in our application of that to our personal selves.


MEDITATION and THE MONAD  (Atma-Buddhi-Manas)

It is the process of digesting, assimilation and thinking about
the matter.  By this method, one is inviting the=20 discriminating
and Wise principle -- Buddhi --  to work actively as the
"intuition," and for insights to appear to help -- they come from
within, they are the "points of light" that come from the Higher
Self working through the lower Self (which has to make itself
"porous" to them) and then our lives become illumined by the
TRUE, and become friendly to all others, become just and
universal.

MEDITATION is serious and concentrated thought.  It is not a
ritual, or a discipline that involves anything of the physical or
the psychic.  It should not be advertised or made obvious to
others, nor should it make life more difficult.  It is
essentially a search for TRUTH.  It is a quiet and unobtrusive
mind exercise.  It is something that requires that we be fully
awake and totally concentrated in the waking state -- no
"blanking of the mind", and it is to be entirely self-controlled
and self-generated.  It is not an exercise that can be practised
with others, even when there are silent moments for the reason
that it is not passivity, but a time of most active mental
effort.

We ought to draw no attention to our practice and if we should be
interrupted, accept it as a kind of test of our equanimity and
let there be no apparent reaction.  We are immortal beings  and
have all the time we need for our future advance -- so long as we
are able to include everyone else in our progress.  That is=20 the
real key to advance - the sharing of ourselves.  We should always
make time to assist.

It does not involve trying to get at the meaning of special words
and especially without a truly correct undemanding of what they
mean and are (potentially) able to do -- whether they be
pronounced correctly or not.  That is all physical, external and
fruitless.  The real power resides in the application of the
motive as a carefully controlled and always beneficent creative
power -- in those who aspire to assist Nature this is never
personal, and is always used (only if necessary) in a harmless,
wise and compassionate way with a Mind that is determined to be a
servant and assistant to all Nature and to the least of beings
which approaches it (us) under Karma.  We should consider all
those as being, themselves, divine MONADS, and give them the
respect and attention (as our brothers) that they claim or, we
become aware that they need.

Real meditation is a mental determination to live a totally moral
and ethical life, all the time to the extent that one is able to
do that.  It is nothing extraordinary except for this one
orientation that has to come from WITHIN.  We have to assure
ourselves first of all that our learning is not self-directed at
all, but that our motive is "to better help and teach others."


THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE --  INTUITION.

THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE and its statements ought to be
considered as one of the primary practical sources of inspiration
for true Meditation.  We ought, by reading a little every day, to
become familiar with it and the explanations contained in the
footnotes there.

As said before, it is most important to remember that we are the
HIGHER SELF in our inner-most core (and everyone else is so
also).  Every being exists because of the essential and=20 ETERNAL
MONAD that it is.  That Monad is SPIRIT and MATTER conjoined, or
ATMA/BUDDHI -- and that is interior to all without any exception.
It is the ETERNAL PILGRIM and it is the "Real You."

Every human being (and every other type of being is also at root
a Monad )  and in the past our MONAD once occupied a position
that is comparable to that which it now seems to occupy.  We only
appear to be separated at present, because we have, each, our own
individual path.  In the end (at the end of the Manvantara)=20 all
those 'Paths' converge. So, from that point of view, it is not
useful to seek "guidance," or any "leader" who will prescribe
some ritual or formula.  Books will not be able to tell anyone
what to do, but they can offer advice.  It is too easy to be
misled.

We must remember that the Monad is an immortal.  It cannot be
"erased" as Individuality at the end of a Manvantara, for the
economy of Nature demands that all those INDIVIDUALITIES
(experienced MONADS) be employed again, in continuation of their
present "advance" at an appropriate place in a new Manvantara
which will be the Karmic child of the present one.  (see HPB
Articles
III p. 265,  ULT Edition)

Everyone has been at this business of self-improvement for
aeons -- and it does not begin for the first time in this life.
In this life we are all renewing that age-old study that was ours
in the past.  If we could recover the "memory of past lives" the
whole process of advancing would be much easier.  If we are=20 now
considering the study of Theosophy, it is that which, if and when
applied, will make our embodied minds (the Lower Self) clearer
and porous, so that the Higher Memories may be accessed.


PATANJALI's  YOGA-SUTRAS  -- A BASIS FOR MEDITATION.

PATANJALI's  YOGA SUTRAS translated by W. Q. Judge, is most
valuable in a study of the nature and procedures of meditation --
especially the first 3 books.  It gives a clue as to what true
meditation is.  It is the attempt of the embodied mind (the Lower
Manas) to reach up to and understand the work of the Higher Manas
within.  And from there to participate in the work of the HIGHER
SELF.

As a beginning, one might at first study, frame questions, then
begin to assemble all that one has learned or has available on a
certain subject that is selected.  This assembly gives a=20 review
of those subjects and ideas -- then one ought to put them all
together and see if one can secure a glimpse of the inner reason
and meaning for their being there [ to do this one ought to ask
the all-important question:  WHY ?  -- that takes the
practitioner to basic principles and enables a clear perception
of their inter-relation with others and thus to the CAUSES ] --
and that is MEDITATION.


Offered in the hope that this might help.

dalval@nwc.net


-- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com

Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and
teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting=20 of
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com.

--=====================_15619324==_.ALT-- -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Wed Feb 2 01:49:54 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id BAA18324 for theos-talk-outgoing; Wed, 2 Feb 2000 01:02:54 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f From: LeonMaurer@aol.com Message-ID: <98.1303fea.25c92fc9@aol.com> Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 01:59:21 EST Subject: Theos-World Re: RE: Theosophy World #44, February 1, 2000 (Part I) (116) To: dalval@nwc.net, editor@theosophy.com CC: theos-talk@theosophy.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL for Macintosh sub 189 Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com Dear Eldon, With respect to my published notes on Albert Einstein and the Secret Doctrine... Dallas TenBroek may be justified, if his information is correct, in assuming that my memory of the conversation with Mrs. Wadia about 25 years ago may be a bit twisted. At the time that I met Mrs. Wadia, and participated in the conversation about Albert Einstein and the SD, she was with several other women from India who had accompanied her to the ULT meeting for her lecture. Also, at the post lecture group surrounding Mrs. Wadia and her friends when we heard the story about Einstein's niece, were several other lodge associates and visitors. Accordingly, having conversed with several others in the group, as well as Mrs. Wadia, I may have mistakenly attributed to Mrs. Wadia the story we heard then about the niece of Dr. Einstein. I seem to remember Mrs. Wadia telling the anecdote, or at least introducing it, but perhaps it was completed by one of the other women (whom I later may have assumed was Mrs. Wadia speaking from first hand knowledge). Nevertheless, the details of conversation with respect to the questions I asked and the answers received is quite clear in my memory. Admittedly, in retrospect, not paying much attention to individual persons speaking at the time (since several of the women were wearing similar Indian garb:-) and being so caught up in the information about the conditions of the book, I could very well have confused Mrs. Wadia with some other lady in her group who may have been the eyewitness who answered my questions -- since all the visiting ladies seemed to have known about the story before we heard it at the NYC Lodge. Also, since Sylvia Cranston (Anita Atkins) was also lecturt account for her footnote in the HPB biography other than that it referred to a confirmation of the story that she obtained several years later in California directly from Mrs. Layton. Also, since I worked, along with Carey Williams (Caren Elin -- who was also at the NY Lodge at the time) on some of the scientific correlation in the HPB Biography, I had always assumed that the meeting with Mrs. Wadia and her associates was the first time any of us heard the Einstein story in America. Could this be the way all historical information gets a bit garbled in transmission.:-) Nevertheless, I apologize, and take full responsibility for any misapprehension this slight twist of memory, if it was so, may have caused your readers. Sincerely, Leon Maurer ------------------------------------------------------------- In a message dated 2/1/0 2:14:01 PM, dalval@nwc.net writes: Feb 1st 2000 From: W. Dallas TenBroeck dalval@nwc.net Re: Correction requested on Dr. Einstein's SECRET DOCTRINE Mr. L. Maurer THEOSOPHY WORLD, Jan 31st 2000 issue. Dear Eldon: In regard to the article by Mr. L. Maurer on Dr. Einstein using a copy of the Secret Doctrine, would you allow me to make a correction? One of the statements that Mr. Maurer makes from his memory of a talk he heard at the UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS in New York by Mrs. Sophia Wadia in the 1970s, implies that Mme. Wadia said she was in Adyar when Dr. Einstein's niece brought her uncle's copy of the SECRET DOCTRINE to the TPH or to the Library there. Mr. Maurer writes from memory. Allow me to state that to the best of my knowledge, and to the knowledge of my friends and fellow associates at the United Lodge of Theosophists in Bombay who lived and worked with her until her death [Sunday, April 27 1986] -- (and with whom I have just conferred) states that she never visited Adyar during the period of her life and work in India, a fact well known to me. It is therefore probable that there is some confusion in memory operating in this. If Mme. Wadia never visited Adyar, she would not have seen or handled Dr. Einstein's SECRET DOCTRINE. She would have had no direct knowledge of the incident narrated. Best wishes, W. Dallas TenBroeck dalval@nwc.net ======================= REFERENCE: (Please note that the materials presented in THEOSOPHY WORLD are the intellectual property of their respective authors and may not be reposted or otherwise republished without prior permission.) ================================================================= = CONTENTS THEOSOPHY WORLD Issue for January 31st 2000 "How Did Albert Einstein Intuit E=MC^2?" by Leon Maurer "There Are No Neo-Theosophists," by Dallas TenBroeck ...etc.... SNIP ----------------------------------------------------------------- - HOW DID ALBERT EINSTEIN INTUIT E=M^2? by Leon Maurer That's easy. He looked it up in THE SECRET DOCTRINE. On the 20th Anniversary of Einstein's death (1975), physicist Richard Feynman was quoted in TIME MAGAZINE as saying: > I cannot understand how he arrived at the intuition leading to > E=MC^2, considering the level of scientific knowledge at the > time [1905]. This equation states that > ...mass or substance is equivalent to energy and that time and > space are integral parts of the substance-energy continuum. > > -- A. March and I.M Freeman, THE NEW WORLD OF PHYSICS, 1963. A niece of Einstein reported that a copy of THE SECRET DOCTRINE was always on his desk. > Iverson Harris, THE JOURNAL OF SAN DIEGO HISTORY, SAN DIEGO > (California) HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Summer, 1974, 16. In checking > this information it was learned that a niece of Einstein's, in > India during the 1960s, paid a visit to the headquarters of the > Theosophical Society at Adyar. She explained that she knew > nothing of theosophy or the society, but had to see the place > because her uncle always had a copy of Madame Blavatsky's SECRET > DOCTRINE on his desk. The individual to whom the niece spoke was > Eunice Layton, a world renowned theosophical lecturer who > happened to be at the reception desk when she arrived. While in > Ojai, California, in 1982, Sylvia Cranston met Mrs. Eunice > Layton, who confirmed the story. > -- Cranston, S. L., HPB: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND INFLUENCE > OF HELENA BLAVATSKY, Preface, Note 11, 557)] Another witness, Jack Brown, reports similarly in an article, "I visited Professor Einstein." (See OJAI VALLEY NEWS, Ojai, California, September 28, 1983." (ibid, Notes, Preface, Note 12., 558.) --- Here's the story as I got it: > Sometime, around the mid 1970s, I was attending a lecture by a > foreign visitor at the United Lodge of Theosophists in New York > City. After the talk, a group of students and I met the speaker, > Mrs. Wadia, the elderly British born widow of a well known > Indian theosophical writer and lecturer. > > She told us that when she was at the Theosophical Publishing > Company in Adyar during the mid 1960s, she met Einstein's niece, > who said she had come to the TPC headquarters to offer their > library the book that was at the bedside of her uncle when he > died. Mrs. Wadia said that she and several others at the Adyar > Lodge gratefully accepted the worn out and dog-eared copy of > the first edition of THE SECRET DOCTRINE. > > I asked Mrs Wadia whether she actually handled and opened the > book. She answered that she had. When I specifically asked if > there were any margin notes, she said that the book was heavily > notated and underlined, and that the margins were covered with > scribbles and other markings that none of them could make heads > nor tails of. (What would we give to get a look at them?) When > someone else asked what happened to the book, she said, it was > still in the library of the Lodge in Adyar. > > Whether it could still be found there today, is anybody's guess.. > (If anyone gets to read its "scribbles" as a result of this lead, > please let me know.) -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Wed Feb 2 08:28:31 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id IAA23812 for theos-talk-outgoing; Wed, 2 Feb 2000 08:13:23 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f From: "W. Dallas TenBroeck" To: "AAA-DAL" Subject: Theos-World What is CREATION ? Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 06:07:33 -0800 Message-ID: <000501bf6d86$d9b31260$400e75ce@nwc.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2377.0 Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com CAUSE PROGRAM and PLAN AGENTS OF A PLAN RE-FORMATION not CREATION CANNOT BE "OUT OF NOTHING" SPIRIT and MATTER PURPOSE of EVOLUTION -- WHAT EVOLVES ? PROCESS of EVOLUTION CYCLES of TIME and PERIODS OF ACTIVITY and REST PERFECTION WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DO NOT SUCCEED ? dalval@nwc.net -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Thu Feb 3 08:22:06 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id IAA19857 for theos-talk-outgoing; Thu, 3 Feb 2000 08:14:43 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f From: "W. Dallas TenBroeck" To: Subject: Theos-World Re: Meditation == and PRAYER Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 06:08:33 -0800 Message-ID: <000801bf6e50$2a5adc60$140e75ce@nwc.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2377.0 Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 In-Reply-To: Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com Feb 3rd Let us look into what Theosophy has to say on this subject of "Prayer." If we consider the meaning and use of the word "prayer" we find that this implies a use of the desire faculty, the mind, and the will -- so as to bring it into effect. The Inner Man employs these unconsciously all the time that he is alive and awake. In fact one might say that every moment of our lives we are "creators." The progress of our life and its direction is constantly regulated by our choices and decisions. The direction of any one of these is called the "motive." Our "motives" can be of two kinds: 1. Selfish -- for our personal benefit. [This can result in harm and disturbance that will affect others to their detriment, as ell have a repercussion (Karma) on ourselves.] Or, 2. Unselfish. [A desire to live and act so that we will harmonize with the patterns of life as revealed by the Karma of our living and the nature of the circumstances that we are in at any given moment of time. Added to this our goodwill to all other beings in this vast cooperative we call Nature and which is guided intelligently by the laws of Brotherhood.] >From this point of view all "prayers," are hopes and decisions for actions and the effects of adopting these create the kind of Karma which will follow us into the future. We are the "creators" of our own future. One may say this is highly philosophical, even though this is reviewed in a flash each time that we make a desire. In fact we can call any desire, and any consequent thought and action, a "manifested prayer." The results that follow depend on the power and determination of our applied "WILL." This fact can be ascertained as follows: If one desires something, one visualizes it as being achieved. A goal is set. Then follows the assembly of that information needed to create a plan of procedure. Then the plan is made and brought into actuality by application of certain disciplines of mind and of bodily actions. If one desires to observe this in terms of time, then we will see that our memory of the past is brought into selected focus now in the present, so that our "future" may be created. Past, present and future are thus merged by us, for the moment in the decision-making process. We do this all the time, usually automatically and unconsciously The devoted student of Theosophy before doing this will stop and, considering the first most important object of living, ask : "Why is this desire to be accomplished? Who will benefit? Is there any possibility of hurting others? He does this because he is sure that Karma operates everywhere, and that anything which he may do will affect the environment, himself and ultimately others in Nature. "How," he asks himself, "can I perform this action HARMLESSLY ? Is it LAWFUL to do? Will I incur future ill effects. In other words, Is it NECESSARY ?" In Theosophical literature there is to be found a good deal of key information about "prayer." As outlined above, the question of our 'motive' is sketched. Next, the consideration of the average person's attitude towards "prayer" is reviewed. Here are some key ideas, and as usual, starting with some fundamental concepts on devotion and worship : "...divine man dwelt in his animal--though externally human--form...When moved by the law of Evolution, the Lords of Wisdom infused into him the spark of consciousness, the first feeling it awoke to life and activity was a sense of solidarity, of one-ness with his spiritual creators...DEVOTION arose out of that feeling, and became the first and foremost motor in his nature; for it is the only one which is natural to our heart, which is innate in us, and which we find alike in human babe and the young of the animal. This feeling of irrepressible, instinctive aspiration in primitive man is beautiful, and one may say intuitionally, described by Carlyle. "The great antique heart," he exclaims, "how like a child's in its simplicity, like a man's in its extreme solemnity and depth ! heaven lies over him wheresoever he goes or stands on the earth; making all the earth a mystic temple to him, the earth's business all a kind of worship...Wonder, miracle encompasses the man; he lives in an element of miracle...A great law of duty, high as these two infinitudes (heaven and hell), dwarfing all else, annihilating all else--it was a reality, and it is one; the garment only of it is dead; the essence of it lives through all times and all eternity." SECRET DOCTRINE I 210-11. "1. The Secret Doctrine teaches no Atheism... 2. It admits a Logos or a collective "Creator" of the Universe; a 'Demi-urgos'--in the sense implied when one speaks of an "Architect" as the "Creator" of an edifice, whereas that Architect has never touched one stone of it, but while furnishing the plan, left all the manual labour to the masons; in our case the plan was furnished by the Ideation of the Universe, and the constructive labour was left to the Hosts of intelligent Powers and Forces. But that Demiurgos is no 'personal' deity--an imperfect extra-cosmic god--but only the aggregate of the Dhyan Chohans and other forces. 3. [these 'forces'] ...are dual in character ...(a) the irrational 'brute energy' inherent in nature, and (b) the intelligent soul or cosmic consciousness which directs and guides that energy and which is the 'Dhyan-Chohanic thought reflecting the Ideation of the Universal Mind.' This results in a perpetual series of physical manifestations and 'moral effects' on Earth during manvantaric periods, the whole being subservient to Karma...therefore, neither the collective Host (Demiurgos), nor any of the working powers individually, are proper subjects for divine honours or worship. All are entitled to the grateful reverence of Humanity, however, and man ought to be ever striving to help the divine evolution of 'Ideas,' by becoming to the best of his ability a 'co-worker with nature' in the cyclic task. The ever unknowable and incognizable 'Karana' alone, the 'Causeless' Cause of all causes, should have its shrine and altar on the holy and ever untrodden ground of our heart--invisible, intangible, unmentioned, save through the still small voice of our spiritual consciousness. Those who worship before it, ought to do so in the silence and the sanctified solitude of their Souls; making their spirit the sole mediator between them and the 'Universal Spirit,' their good actions the only priests, and their sinful intentions the only visible and objective sanctified victims to the 'PRESENCE." SECRET DOCTRINE I p. 279-280. "It is the profane of the past ages who have degraded the pure idea of cosmic creation...it is the esoteric teachings and the initiates of the Future, whose mission it is, and will be, to redeem and ennoble once more the primitive conception so sadly profaned by its crude and gross application to exoteric dogmas and personations by theological and ecclesiastical religionists. The silent worship of abstract or 'noumenal' Nature, the only divine manifestation, is the one ennobling religion of Humanity." SECRET DOCTRINE I 281 footnote. "When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are...but enter into 'thine inner chamber and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret," [ Mathew vi]. Our Father is 'within us' "in Secret," our 7th principle [Atma], in the "inner chamber" of our soul perception. "The Kingdom of Heaven" and of god "is within us" says Jesus, not 'outside.' SECRET DOCTRINE I 280 fn. "Real ecstasy was defined by Plotinus as "the liberation of the mind from its finite consciousness, becoming one and identified with the infinite. This is the highest condition...but not one of permanent duration, and it is reached only by the very few...Meditation is silent and 'unuttered' prayer, or, as Plato expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the divine; not to ask any particular good (as in the common meaning of prayer), but for good itself--for the universal Supreme Good" of which we are a part on earth, and out of the essence of which we have all emerged." KEY p. 10 "The Unknowable is capable of relations only in its parts to each other, but it is non-existent as regards any finite relations. The visible universe depends for its existence and phenomena on its mutually acting forms and their laws, not on prayer or prayers. [Q.: Do you not believe at all in the efficacy of prayer?] ... Not in prayer taught in so many words and repeated externally, if by prayer you mean the outward petition to an unknown God as the addressee... [Q.: Is there any other kind of prayer?] ... Most decidedly; we call it WILL-PRAYER, and it is rather an internal command than a petition. [Q.: To whom, then, do you pray...?] ... To "our Father in heaven"-- in its esoteric meaning...An Occultist or a theosophist addresses his prayer to his 'Father which is in secret' (read and try to understand Matthew VI v 6), not to an extra-cosmic and therefore finite God, and that "Father" is in man himself. [Q.: Then you make of man a God?] ... Please say "God" and not "a God." In our sense the inner man is the only god we can have cognizance of...We call our "Father in heaven" the deific essence of which we are cognizant within us, in our heart and spiritual consciousness....Yet, let no man anthropomorphise that essence in us...for all are one." KEY p. 66-7. These few references will give the positive aspect of prayer viewed Theosophically. any kind of prayer that has for object a special benefit for the one who is praying is held to be a kind of Black-magic" or sorcery practices. [ see SD I 416 467-9 ] Best wishes, Dallas dalval@nwc.net ========================= -----Original Message----- From: Cuttersail@aol.com [mailto:Cuttersail@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 1:18 AM Subject: Re: Meditation as a practical tool for Progress In a message dated 2/1/2000 10:17:41 PM Eastern Standard Time, dalval@nwc.net writes: > Mme. Blavatsky says in THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY (p. 10): > > Meditation ..."is silent and unuttered prayer, or, as Plato > expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the > divine…" What is prayer in the light of Theosophy? How is it expressed and to whom or what? I think I am still, because of upbringing, thinking that I have to pray to "someone deignated" for a particular favor or need. Thank you. Klaus -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Thu Feb 3 14:59:06 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id OAA11811 for theos-talk-outgoing; Thu, 3 Feb 2000 14:50:11 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f Message-Id: <4.3.0.33.0.20000203124316.00b6c790@mail.ojai.net> X-Sender: Bharata@mail.ojai.net X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 4.3.0.33 (Beta) Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 12:45:42 -0800 To: theos-talk@theosophy.com From: Barrett Subject: Re: Theos-World Re: Meditation == and PRAYER In-Reply-To: <000801bf6e50$2a5adc60$140e75ce@nwc.net> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=====================_628185==_.ALT" Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com --=====================_628185==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable There is an interesting discussion-group on "Consciousness"=20 at: http://www.egroups.com/group/I2c2much/info.html, if anyone cares to check it out or, better, to participate. All are very=20 welcome. It is not strictly-speaking Theosophical, but leans heavily in=20 that direction, with references to HPB and others. It is quite=20 non-sectarian in its approach, and has some very interesting members= posting. At 06:08 AM 02/03/2000 -0800, you wrote: >Feb 3rd > >Let us look into what Theosophy has to say on this subject of >"Prayer." > >If we consider the meaning and use of the word "prayer" we find >that this implies a use of the desire faculty, the mind, and the >will -- so as to bring it into effect. The Inner Man employs >these unconsciously all the time that he is alive and awake. In >fact one might say that every moment of our lives we are >"creators." The progress of our life and its direction is >constantly regulated by our choices and decisions. The direction >of any one of these is called the "motive." > >Our "motives" can be of two kinds: 1. Selfish -- for our >personal benefit. [This can result in harm and disturbance that >will affect others to their detriment, as ell have a repercussion >(Karma) on ourselves.] Or, 2. Unselfish. [A desire to live and >act so that we will harmonize with the patterns of life as >revealed by the Karma of our living and the nature of the >circumstances that we are in at any given moment of time. Added >to this our goodwill to all other beings in this vast cooperative >we call Nature and which is guided intelligently by the laws of >Brotherhood.] > > From this point of view all "prayers," are hopes and decisions >for actions and the effects of adopting these create the kind of >Karma which will follow us into the future. We are the >"creators" of our own future. > >One may say this is highly philosophical, even though this is >reviewed in a flash each time that we make a desire. In fact we >can call any desire, and any consequent thought and action, a >"manifested prayer." The results that follow depend on the power >and determination of our applied "WILL." > >This fact can be ascertained as follows: If one desires >something, one visualizes it as being achieved. A goal is set. >Then follows the assembly of that information needed to create a >plan of procedure. Then the plan is made and brought into >actuality by application of certain disciplines of mind and of >bodily actions. If one desires to observe this in terms of time, >then we will see that our memory of the past is brought into >selected focus now in the present, so that our "future" may be >created. Past, present and future are thus merged by us, for the >moment in the decision-making process. We do this all the time, >usually automatically and unconsciously > >The devoted student of Theosophy before doing this will stop and, >considering the first most important object of living, ask : >"Why is this desire to be accomplished? Who will benefit? Is >there any possibility of hurting others? > >He does this because he is sure that Karma operates everywhere, >and that anything which he may do will affect the environment, >himself and ultimately others in Nature. "How," he asks himself, >"can I perform this action HARMLESSLY ? Is it LAWFUL to do? >Will I incur future ill effects. In other words, Is it NECESSARY >?" > >In Theosophical literature there is to be found a good deal of >key information about "prayer." >As outlined above, the question of our 'motive' is sketched. >Next, the consideration of the average person's attitude towards >"prayer" is reviewed. Here are some key ideas, and as usual, >starting with some fundamental concepts on devotion and worship : > >"...divine man dwelt in his animal--though externally >human--form...When moved by the law of Evolution, the Lords of >Wisdom infused into him the spark of consciousness, the first >feeling it awoke to life and activity was a sense of solidarity, >of one-ness with his spiritual creators...DEVOTION arose out of >that feeling, and became the first and foremost motor in his >nature; for it is the only one which is natural to our heart, >which is innate in us, and which we find alike in human babe and >the young of the animal. > >This feeling of irrepressible, instinctive aspiration in >primitive man is beautiful, and one may say intuitionally, >described by Carlyle. > > "The great antique heart," he exclaims, "how like a child's in >its simplicity, like a man's in its extreme solemnity and depth ! >heaven lies over him wheresoever he goes or stands on the earth; >making all the earth a mystic temple to him, the earth's business >all a kind of worship...Wonder, miracle encompasses the man; he >lives in an element of miracle...A great law of duty, high as >these two infinitudes (heaven and hell), dwarfing all else, >annihilating all else--it was a reality, and it is one; the >garment only of it is dead; the essence of it lives through all >times and all eternity." > SECRET DOCTRINE I 210-11. > > "1. The Secret Doctrine teaches no Atheism... > > 2. It admits a Logos or a collective "Creator" of the Universe; >a 'Demi-urgos'--in the sense implied when one speaks of an >"Architect" as the "Creator" of an edifice, whereas that >Architect has never touched one stone of it, but while furnishing >the plan, left all the manual labour to the masons; in our case >the plan was furnished by the Ideation of the Universe, and the >constructive labour was left to the Hosts of intelligent Powers >and Forces. But that Demiurgos is no 'personal' deity--an >imperfect extra-cosmic god--but only the aggregate of the Dhyan >Chohans and other forces. > > 3. [these 'forces'] ...are dual in character ...(a) the >irrational 'brute energy' inherent in nature, and (b) the >intelligent soul or cosmic consciousness which directs and guides >that energy and which is the 'Dhyan-Chohanic thought reflecting >the Ideation of the Universal Mind.' > > This results in a perpetual series of physical manifestations >and 'moral effects' on Earth during manvantaric periods, the >whole being subservient to Karma...therefore, neither the >collective Host (Demiurgos), nor any of the working powers >individually, are proper subjects for divine honours or worship. > > All are entitled to the grateful reverence of Humanity, however, >and man ought to be ever striving to help the divine evolution of >'Ideas,' by becoming to the best of his ability a 'co-worker >with nature' in the cyclic task. > > The ever unknowable and incognizable 'Karana' alone, the >'Causeless' Cause of all causes, should have its shrine and altar >on the holy and ever untrodden ground of our heart--invisible, >intangible, unmentioned, save through the still small voice of >our spiritual consciousness. Those who worship before it, ought >to do so in the silence and the sanctified solitude of their >Souls; making their spirit the sole mediator between them and >the 'Universal Spirit,' their good actions the only priests, and >their sinful intentions the only visible and objective sanctified >victims to the 'PRESENCE." SECRET DOCTRINE I p. 279-280. > >"It is the profane of the past ages who have degraded the pure >idea of cosmic creation...it is the esoteric teachings and the >initiates of the Future, whose mission it is, and will be, to >redeem and ennoble once more the primitive conception so sadly >profaned by its crude and gross application to exoteric dogmas >and personations by theological and ecclesiastical religionists. >The silent worship of abstract or 'noumenal' Nature, the only >divine manifestation, is the one ennobling religion of Humanity." >SECRET DOCTRINE I 281 footnote. > > >"When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are...but >enter into 'thine inner chamber and having shut thy door, pray to >thy Father which is in secret," [ Mathew vi]. Our Father is >'within us' "in Secret," our 7th principle [Atma], in the "inner >chamber" of our soul perception. "The Kingdom of Heaven" and of >god "is within us" says Jesus, not 'outside.' SECRET DOCTRINE I >280 fn. > > >"Real ecstasy was defined by Plotinus as "the liberation of the >mind from its finite consciousness, becoming one and identified >with the infinite. This is the highest condition...but not one >of permanent duration, and it is reached only by the very >few...Meditation is silent and 'unuttered' prayer, or, as Plato >expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the divine; >not to ask any particular good (as in the common meaning of >prayer), but for good itself--for the universal Supreme Good" of >which we are a part on earth, and out of the essence of which we >have all emerged." KEY p. 10 > > >"The Unknowable is capable of relations only in its parts to each >other, but it is non-existent as regards any finite relations. >The visible universe depends for its existence and phenomena on >its mutually acting forms and their laws, not on prayer or >prayers. [Q.: Do you not believe at all in the efficacy of >prayer?] ... Not in prayer taught in so many words and repeated >externally, if by prayer you mean the outward petition to an >unknown God as the addressee... [Q.: Is there any other kind of >prayer?] ... Most decidedly; we call it WILL-PRAYER, and it is >rather an internal command than a petition. [Q.: To whom, then, >do you pray...?] ... To "our Father in heaven"-- in its esoteric >meaning...An Occultist or a theosophist addresses his prayer to >his 'Father which is in secret' (read and try to understand >Matthew VI v 6), not to an extra-cosmic and therefore finite >God, and that "Father" is in man himself. [Q.: Then you make of >man a God?] ... Please say "God" and not "a God." In our sense >the inner man is the only god we can have cognizance of...We call >our "Father in heaven" the deific essence of which we are >cognizant within us, in our heart and spiritual >consciousness....Yet, let no man anthropomorphise that essence >in us...for all are one." >KEY p. 66-7. > >These few references will give the positive aspect of prayer >viewed Theosophically. any kind of prayer that has for object a >special benefit for the one who is praying is held to be a kind >of Black-magic" or sorcery practices. [ see SD I 416 467-9 ] > >Best wishes, > >Dallas >dalval@nwc.net > > >=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D > >-----Original Message----- >From: Cuttersail@aol.com [mailto:Cuttersail@aol.com] >Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 1:18 AM >Subject: Re: Meditation as a practical tool for Progress > > >In a message dated 2/1/2000 10:17:41 PM Eastern Standard Time, >dalval@nwc.net >writes: > > > Mme. Blavatsky says in THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY (p. 10): > > > Meditation ..."is silent and unuttered prayer, or, as Plato > > expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the > > divine=E2=80=A6" > >What is prayer in the light of Theosophy? How is it expressed and >to whom or >what? I think I am still, because of upbringing, thinking that I >have to pray to >"someone deignated" for a particular favor or need. Thank you. >Klaus > > > >-- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com > >Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and >teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of >"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. --=====================_628185==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable There is an interesting discussion-group on "Consciousness" at:  http://www.egroups.com/group/I2c2much/info.html,

if anyone cares to check it out or, better, to participate.  All are very welcome.  It is not strictly-speaking Theosophical, but leans heavily in that direction, with references to HPB and others.  It is quite non-sectarian in its approach, and has some very interesting members posting.


At 06:08 AM 02/03/2000 -0800, you wrote:
Feb 3rd

Let us look into what Theosophy has to say on this subject of
"Prayer."

If we consider the meaning and use of the word "prayer" we find
that this implies a use of the desire faculty, the mind, and the
will -- so as to bring it into effect.  The Inner Man employs
these  unconsciously all the time that he is alive and awake.  In
fact one might say that every moment of our lives we are
"creators."  The progress of our life and its direction is
constantly regulated by our choices and decisions.  The direction
of any one of these is called the "motive."

Our "motives" can be of two kinds:  1.  Selfish -- for our
personal benefit.  [This can result in harm and disturbance that
will affect others to their detriment, as ell have a repercussion
(Karma) on ourselves.]  Or, 2.  Unselfish.  [A desire to live and
act so that we will harmonize with the patterns of life as
revealed by the Karma of our living and the nature of the
circumstances that we are in at any given moment of time.  Added
to this our goodwill to all other beings in this vast cooperative
we call Nature and which is guided intelligently by the laws of
Brotherhood.]

From this point of view all "prayers," are hopes and decisions
for actions and the effects of adopting these create the kind of
Karma which will follow us into the future.  We are the
"creators" of our own future.

One may say this is highly philosophical, even though this is
reviewed in a flash each time that we make a desire.  In fact we
can call any desire, and any consequent thought and action, a
"manifested prayer."  The results that follow depend on the power
and determination of our applied "WILL."

This fact can be ascertained as follows:  If one desires
something, one visualizes it as being achieved.  A goal is=20 set.
Then follows the assembly of that information needed to create a
plan of procedure.  Then the plan is made and brought into
actuality by application of certain disciplines of mind and of
bodily actions.  If one desires to observe this in terms of time,
then we will see that our memory of the past is brought into
selected focus now in the present, so that our "future" may be
created.  Past, present and future are thus merged by us, for the
moment in the decision-making process.  We do this all the time,
usually automatically and unconsciously

The devoted student of Theosophy before doing this will stop and,
considering the first most important object of living, ask :
"Why is this desire to be accomplished?  Who will benefit?  Is
there any possibility of hurting others?

He does this because he is sure that Karma operates  everywhere,
and that anything which he may do will affect the environment,
himself and ultimately others in Nature.  "How," he asks himself,
"can I perform this action HARMLESSLY ?  Is it LAWFUL to do?
Will I incur future ill effects.  In other words, Is it NECESSARY
?"

In Theosophical literature there is to be found a good deal of
key information about "prayer."
As outlined above, the question of our 'motive' is sketched.
Next, the consideration of the average person's attitude towards
"prayer" is reviewed.  Here are some key ideas, and as usual,
starting with some fundamental concepts on devotion and worship :

"...divine man dwelt in his animal--though externally
human--form...When moved by the law of Evolution, the Lords of
Wisdom infused into him the spark of consciousness, the first
feeling it awoke to life and activity was a sense of solidarity,
of one-ness with his spiritual creators...DEVOTION arose  out of
that feeling, and became the first and foremost motor in his
nature;  for it is the only one which is natural to our heart,
which is innate in us, and which we find alike in human babe and
the young of the animal.

This feeling of irrepressible, instinctive aspiration in
primitive man is beautiful, and one may say intuitionally,
described by Carlyle.

        "The great antique heart," he exclaims, "how like a child's in
its simplicity, like a man's in its extreme solemnity and depth !
heaven lies over him wheresoever he goes or stands on the earth;
making all the earth a mystic temple to him, the earth's business
all a kind of worship...Wonder, miracle encompasses the man;  he
lives in an element of miracle...A great law of duty, high as
these two infinitudes (heaven and hell), dwarfing all else,
annihilating all else--it was a reality, and it is one;  the
garment only of it is dead;  the essence of it lives through all
times and all eternity."
        SECRET DOCTRINE  I  210-11.

          "1.  The Secret Doctrine teaches no Atheism...

        2.  It admits a Logos or a collective "Creator" of the Universe;
a 'Demi-urgos'--in the sense implied when one speaks of an
"Architect" as the "Creator" of an edifice, whereas that
Architect has never touched one stone of it, but while furnishing
the plan, left all the manual labour to the masons;  in our case
the plan was furnished by the Ideation of the Universe, and the
constructive labour was left to the Hosts of intelligent Powers
and Forces.  But that Demiurgos is no 'personal' deity--an
imperfect extra-cosmic god--but only the aggregate of the Dhyan
Chohans and other forces.

        3. [these 'forces'] ...are dual in character ...(a)  the
irrational 'brute energy' inherent in nature, and (b)  the
intelligent soul or cosmic consciousness which directs and guides
that energy and which is the 'Dhyan-Chohanic thought reflecting
the Ideation of the Universal Mind.'

        This results in a perpetual series of physical manifestations
and 'moral effects' on Earth during manvantaric periods, the
whole being subservient to Karma...therefore, neither the
collective Host (Demiurgos), nor any of the working powers
individually, are proper subjects for divine honours or worship.

        All are entitled to the grateful reverence of Humanity, however,
and man ought to be ever striving to help the divine evolution of
'Ideas,'  by becoming to the best of his ability a 'co-worker
with nature' in the cyclic task.

        The ever unknowable and incognizable 'Karana' alone, the
'Causeless' Cause of all causes, should have its shrine and altar
on the holy and ever untrodden ground of our heart--invisible,
intangible, unmentioned, save through the still small voice of
our spiritual consciousness.  Those who worship before it, ought
to do so in the silence and the sanctified solitude of their
Souls;  making their spirit the sole mediator between them and
the 'Universal Spirit,' their good actions the only priests, and
their sinful intentions the only visible and objective sanctified
victims to the 'PRESENCE."      &n= bsp;       SECRET DOCTRINE  I  p. 279-280.

"It is the profane of the past ages who have degraded the pure
idea of cosmic creation...it is the esoteric teachings and the
initiates of the Future, whose mission it is, and will be, to
redeem and ennoble once more the primitive conception so sadly
profaned by its crude and gross application to exoteric dogmas
and personations by theological and ecclesiastical religionists.
The silent worship of abstract or 'noumenal' Nature, the only
divine manifestation, is the one ennobling religion of Humanity."
SECRET DOCTRINE  I  281 footnote.


"When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are...but
enter into 'thine inner chamber and having shut thy door, pray to
thy Father which is in secret," [ Mathew vi].  Our Father is
'within us' "in Secret," our 7th principle [Atma], in the "inner
chamber" of our soul perception.  "The Kingdom of Heaven" and of
god "is within us" says Jesus, not 'outside.'   SECRET DOCTRINE  I
280 fn.


"Real ecstasy was defined by Plotinus as "the liberation of the
mind from its finite consciousness, becoming one and identified
with the infinite.  This is the highest condition...but not=20 one
of permanent duration, and it is reached only by the very
few...Meditation is silent and 'unuttered' prayer, or, as Plato
expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the divine;
not to ask any particular good (as in the common meaning of
prayer), but for good itself--for the universal Supreme Good" of
which we are a part on earth, and out of the essence of which we
have all emerged."   KEY  p. 10


"The Unknowable is capable of relations only in its parts to each
other, but it is non-existent as regards any finite relations.
The visible universe depends for its existence and phenomena on
its mutually acting forms and their laws, not on prayer or
prayers.  [Q.:  Do you not believe at all in the efficacy of
prayer?] ...  Not in prayer taught in so many words and repeated
externally, if by prayer you mean the outward petition to an
unknown God as the addressee... [Q.:  Is there any other kind of
prayer?]  ... Most decidedly;  we call it WILL-PRAYER, and it is
rather an internal command than a petition.  [Q.:  To whom, then,
do you pray...?]  ... To "our Father in heaven"-- in its esoteric
meaning...An Occultist or a theosophist addresses his prayer to
his 'Father which is in secret' (read and try to understand
Matthew  VI v 6), not to an extra-cosmic and therefore finite
God, and that "Father" is in man himself.  [Q.:  Then you make of
man a God?]  ...  Please say "God" and not "a God."  In our sense
the inner man is the only god we can have cognizance of...We call
our "Father in heaven" the deific essence of which we are
cognizant within us, in our heart and spiritual
consciousness....Yet, let no man anthropomorphise  that=20 essence
in us...for all are one."
KEY p. 66-7.

These few references will give the positive aspect of prayer
viewed Theosophically.  any kind of prayer that has for object a
special benefit for the one who is praying is held to be a kind
of Black-magic" or sorcery practices.  [ see SD I 416 467-9 ]

Best wishes,

Dallas
dalval@nwc.net


=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<= br>
-----Original Message-----
From: Cuttersail@aol.com [mailto:Cuttersail@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 1:18 AM
Subject: Re: Meditation as a practical tool for Progress


In a message dated 2/1/2000 10:17:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,
dalval@nwc.net
writes:  >

 Mme. Blavatsky says in THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY (p. 10):
>  >  Meditation ..."is silent and unuttered prayer, or, as Plato
>  expressed it, "the ardent turning of the soul towards the
>  divine=E2=80=A6"

What is prayer in the light of Theosophy? How is it expressed and
to whom or
what?  I think I am still, because of upbringing, thinking that I
have to pray to
"someone deignated" for a particular favor or need. Thank you.
Klaus



-- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com

Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and
teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting=20 of
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com.
--=====================_628185==_.ALT-- -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Thu Feb 3 20:45:10 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id UAA21043 for theos-talk-outgoing; Thu, 3 Feb 2000 20:38:22 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f From: LeonMaurer@aol.com Message-ID: Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 21:29:38 EST Subject: Theos-World Re: JCS: The brain: simple or complex To: owner-jcs-online@lists.zynet.co.uk MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL for Macintosh sub 189 Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com In a message dated 2/2/0 7:03:36 PM, xbq83@dial.pipex.com (Roger Cook) writes: >Leon Maurer's observation on Ray Scanlon's description of how the brain >functions: > >> Could we be getting a bit off track and failing to consider the dynamic >> observer-user-thinker-chooser who, blinded by this sort of materialistic >> and presumptive thinking, is not seeing the world or the sky for the forest >> and the trees?:-) > >This could be seen as characterising the meeting-point between free will >('I' am in control) with its antithesis ('I' am just the outcome of neural >processes)? If the latter proves to be correct, then the homunculus, what >Leon calls the observer-user-thinker-chooser, is just an abstraction I have >created to prop up my world. My personal view is that we may be entirely >stimulus-driven. For example, the same glass of water may be viewed quite >differently, depending on our metabolic state. If bright-eyed and >bushy-tailed of a morning, then half-full - if liverish and constipated, >then half-empty. The construction we put on things is in this case >viscerally derived. How can you, as if you were in total self control of your faculties, knowledge and wisdom, make these contradictory statements concluding that you might not be in such control? Coming from such a direction, what kind of credibility could your opinions have? Who's thinking and talking about this, you or your neurology? If we are entirely stimulus driven, who makes the decision to use aspirin, Tylenol or Ibuprofen when you feel you have a headache? > >I am suggesting that Libet's findings may have shown Willis Freeman to >be correct when he says that consciousness is "mopping up" afterwards... >consciousness has a role, but it is not to initiate action. It is to >prepare the self in the light of experience (p 722 JCS 5, No 5/6). >This raises the daunting possibility that all our thoughts and actions are >the outcome of amazingly complex neural interactions - the idea of being >in overall control may be just part of that process. Baloney. I'm amazed at how glib people are who, using their self determined individuality, self acquired knowledge, and self accepted preconceptions, self choose to continue promoting the possibility (using the flimsiest analogies, and based on their ignorance of the fundamental nature of consciousness, or even the basic Laws of Nature) -- that they are nothing more than slaves of their neural correlates. If, so, then who is the master and who is the slave who is mouthing such nonsense about himself? If it's the neural correlates that make the conscious decisions, who programmed their algorithms? If such loose thinkers could explain the mechanisms and cause of qualia, awareness and will with any sort of scientific and/or logical deduction, induction, thesis or synthesis, they might comprehend who and what they actually are... But they can't even come close to such an understanding, since physical oriented reductive science cannot reach past the limitations of matter and form, or the words and symbols representing their properties. They refuse to believe or understand that image information throughout Nature can be modulated, carried and transmitted solely by and through the wave nature of energy fields. Even a digital transformation of information is nothing but a linear series of analogous magnetic fields that ultimately define nonlinear wave patterns of holographic sensory pictures in the brain, mind and memory fields, accessible to our "inquiray" -- when willfully emanated from the zero-point center of conscious or unconscious awareness. When science can explain, in purely material terms, how a 3-D image is created in my mind and consciousness, and how, through what mechanisms, I can guide my hand to reproduce that image exactly on a piece of paper that is hidden from my view (which I could do prior to age 12), I might be prone to accept the view that consciousness (mind, memory), awareness and will are epiphenomena of the brain's neurology. As it is, however, it's much more logical to believe that everything in the universe is connected holistically, and proceeds from the simplicity of absolute abstract energy in the form of fundamental non-polar spin -- that ultimately squirts this universe in a spiral vortex out of its static zero-point center of awareness, into the vast complexity of multidimensional fields, within fields, within fields -- that begins in the close-to-infinite, immaterial and immeasurable, vibrational frequency orders of prior causative consciousness energies (such as universal mind, memory, awareness, and the source of will) -- and ends in the course grained, condensed fields of particulate mass-energy that compose our brains, bodies, and the outer self-experienced, material world formed around us. From this, we could easily assume that the brain and body are simply the optical-electrical-chemical-mechanical interface between our uniquitous zero-point originated transcendent awareness, will, memory and mind, and the outer world of food, water, air, shelter and other material amenities that surround us as more or less necessary aids to our survival and personal well being... But, all originating from the same source of fundamentally conscious primal "spinergy". It's also amazing that the promoters of materialism cannot realize, from pure observation alone, that it is far easier for a creative mind to manipulate the forms of matter, than it is for matter to manipulate itself, let alone minds or consciousness. So, which came first? The seer, or the seen? The image, or the construction? The thought-created designs and blueprints, or the flying airplane? To paraphrase Einstein, Why would God (assuming there is such a conscious entity) play dice with evolution by leaving it all to chance? Is the Universe and its inherent wisdom (based on it's past knowledge and experience stored as abstract patterns of energy flow lines in its initial spin, perhaps) less competent than we are (who have a long way to go to gain even a small part of such knowledge and wisdom)? I think not. And, I challenge all scientists to prove differently, or falsify the initial premises leading to such conclusions -- that brain, body and all other forms of matter are the product of consciousness, and ultimately, of universal Self awareness -- not the reverse. Incidentally, to save burdening the moderator with another post;-) -- it is pointless to argue with Scanlon's views, since he admittedly isn't a scientist or philosopher interested in working on the problem of explaining consciousness and its interrelationships with matter, but is only interested, apparently, in the mechanics of the brain. Therefore, he can take his narrow opposing space alongside all those who are interested only in the theology of their personal gods... Both believing that the real synthetic, multidisciplinary science of open minded searching for the meaning and explanation of ALL of Nature, its origins, its interactions, its forms, and its expressions -- without resort to either materialism or Gods -- be damned.... But, that's what I thought this forum was all about. (I'm sure there are several brain science forums that Scanlon could better spend his time arguing his narrow, epiphenomenal views that the TRN [thalamic reticular nucleus] is the sole source of consciousness [mind, memory], awareness and will in the Universe. If so, I wonder which one of us, having this marvelous organ in the first place, dreamed up, and planned the evolution of this intricately contrived Universe so as to give it to all of us.:-) Leon Maurer leonmaurer@aol.com (not the moderator) http://www.tellworld.com/Astro.Biological.Coenergetics/ -- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com Letters to the Editor, and discussion of theosophical ideas and teachings. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message consisting of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to theos-talk-request@theosophy.com. From owner-theos-talk@pippin.imagiware.com Fri Feb 4 01:50:19 2000 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by pippin.imagiware.com (8.9.3/8.8.7) id BAA32519 for theos-talk-outgoing; Fri, 4 Feb 2000 01:35:19 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: pippin.imagiware.com: majordom set sender to owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com using -f From: LeonMaurer@aol.com Message-ID: <79.12c0cc4.25cbda38@aol.com> Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2000 02:31:04 EST Subject: Re: RE: Theos-World RE: Evidence for mental events breaking physical speed limit To: theos-talk@theosophy.com CC: jaen@teleport.com, MysticCounselor@aol.com, omni_dimensional@yahoo.com, grasshopper@earthling.net, dalval@nwc.net, bigmurr@mindspring.com, CoNewsNet2@aol.com, compiler@wisdomworld.org, carson@blavatsky.net, ElementUUU@aol.com, ThermalMan@aol.com, rickmaurer@writeme.com, philsmac@earthlink.net, Ed.Maurer@havasint.com, Danguskincaid@aol.com, dyanne@net.perryhill.co.za MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL for Macintosh sub 189 Sender: owner-theos-talk@theosophy.com Reply-To: theos-talk@theosophy.com In a message dated 11/26/99 8:31:41 PM, dalval@nwc.net writes: >Nov 26TH > >Dear Leon. > >I thank you for sharing the material that you have in your two posts. > >It is most interesting and also it reveals that some of the >analysis is apparently very advanced in terms of such detail. I >notice that those who have considered cognition, receptivity of >ideas, and the generating of concepts have developed a technical >vocabulary that one would have to learn carefully before being >able to discuss at parity with them in their vocabulary. Yes, scientists think about the nature of reality in reductive, analytic terms--examining the particulars to explain the generality. Therefore, they cannot base their thinking on unproved fundamental truths or first principles--and thus, resort to labeling the physical properties of the things they speak of with technical jargon. Unfortunately, while this is fine when dealing with material things that can be codified and measured, it does not work with intangible ideas like consciousness and our inner world of mind and memory, which are entirely subjective. However, in theosophy we do have an extensive technical language, given us by HPB, that describes these subjective worlds. Fortunately, she also described them with reference to the scientific jargon of her day. Unfortunately, however, she used words for the similar things or concept, like "planes," when speaking two dimensionally of multidimensional ("coadunate but not consubstantial") "fields" of energy that have entirely different meanings to reductive scientists today. They see and study only the lowest fields of matter. But, "planes," from a theosophical point of view, are valid descriptions of the levels of unified consciousness at the interfaces or crossovers of energy between the 7 fold fields of our inner being which corresponds and are analogous to the inner nature of the cosmos itself. Science has yet to realize this. As for learning a new language when speaking to scientists... It is unnecessary... So long as we use the terms for these fields and their interfaces that science can understand. e.g., The word "quanta" used by science refers to any fundamental particle-wave (photon, astron, menton, viton, etc.) no matter on what plane or field it manifests on. Therefore scientists, some of whom have arrived at an understanding of intangible energies emanating from the ubiquitous zero-point (i,e., laya points of primal space) can understand me when I speak of Astro-biological coenergetic fields and the universal cyclic principles that govern them (that are analogous to the 7-fold fields and their intersecting planes spoken of in theosophical terms). This is what HPB meant, in part, by her advice to "teach theosophy (karma and reincarnation, fundamental principles, etc.) to ordinary people, as well as scientists, in the language of (this) age." When scientists (as the "gurus" of this age) understand the connections between the science of theosophy and the material science that they already have explored to its ultimate limit, they will verify the validity of the fundamental truths (cosmic origin, cycles, karma and reincarnation, evolutionary purpose and the means to influence the inner fields, and be influenced by them, without interfering with individual and group karma, etc.) in the modern "language of the age" that the ordinary people (whom we must reach before the inevitable collapse of this world) can accept This, will change their modes of thinking, and help induce them to act on the basis of such new ideas for the benefit of the all encompassing universal Self, rather than for the benefit of their lower, animal natures. >Theosophy, however, to my way of understanding is written for the >common man to grasp -- the one who is most likely to actually use >the mind, thoughts, ideas and concepts without going through the >analytical process that a professor might use. >There has to be a bridge between the two. Yes, but remember that the SD is the "Synthesis of Science, Religion, and philosophy"... And, therefore, is written for everyone (including scientists) to grasp. Vide Einstein's grasp of fundamental principles that led him, through his study of the SD, to the theory of relativity and the understanding that energy and mass are interchangeable, and all "things," relative. However, the professors are trained to put aside their prejudices and opinions and examine (as well as teach) only the physically observed or experimentally determinable facts. This is necessary for their (and our) understanding of the physical world -- in a manner which is closest to our ordinary perceptions. But, since they cannot put aside their rational minds, they can also be influenced to change both their points of view and their minds -- whenever new information appears, which, by rigid deductive logic based on sound principles, can be shown to be irrefutable. That is how theosophy can reach into and conjoin with the world of science. But, its a difficult job -- since not only do their individual points of view differ from ours, as well as between themselves, but they speak separate languages in each major or minor branch of science. (ref: the languages or jargons of physics, cosmology, biology, chemistry, physiology, neurology, biology, psychology, economics, paleontology, etc.) The one thing they have in common, though, is the "scientific method" and reductive processes of objective observation, experimentation, and logical induction. This is, in one sense, in direct contradiction of the theosophical method of logical deduction based on first or fundamental principles that can be verified solely by subjective experience, meditative concentration, and introspection... Something, science cannot accept. Apropos, one of our major problems, and the basis of my own work, is to try to convince scientists to accept subjective experiences as objective knowledge -- as theosophists accept the accumulated wisdom and consistent teachings of the countless Adepts who have meticulously, examined, subjectively, all aspects of the inner and outer worlds (the seven fold coenergetic fields spoken of in ABC theory, in parallel with the 7 fold nature of the universe that theosophy speaks of) and their interfaces and interactions since earliest times... And, have come to their consensus by comparing their experiences, one with the other, and offering as "truth" only those conclusions that are mutually and consistently experienced by all of them, or can be logically deduced from such experiences. In a Universe that is both subjectively metaphysical (consciousness, mind, memory, will, awareness, etc.) as well as objectively physical (brain, organs, body, world, cosmos, etc.) -- how else are we to understand the true nature and common origin, as well as the scientific and also transcendental interface (or "bridge") between these dual aspects of a fundamentally triune universe? The reason why it has now become so important to reach the scientific minded (i.e., logical materialists) is that scientists are the present "gurus" of this age whom the great majority of "common men" follow as their "mentors" and as arbiters of ultimate truth. Therefore, to change the minds of these half-blind *followers* -- who have accepted the "established" materialistic and reductive ways of objective analysis, based on the "scientific method" as the *only* way to obtain knowledge of the workings of the universe, as well as of our outer and inner physical and mental worlds -- we must first open and change the mind of their gurus in the "language of this age" (while we continue to teach theosophy as HPB presented it, to those "searchers" capable of understanding it in the language of theosophy). But for those who follow the gurus of science, it's not a new language we need -- but, a modification of the English language, that synthesizes the language of science with the language of theosophy and the common language of the people. One way this can be done, directly, is by merging the languages of interdisciplinary science with the languages of interdisciplinary theosophy. "Interdisciplinary ," referring to those "gurus" who specialize in separate branches of either science (e.g., physics, biology, chemistry, psychology, paleontology, archeology, economics, etc., etc.), or theosophy (e.g., Rajah Yoga, Gnana Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Bakti Yoga, etc., etc.) Another, and far better way to reach the ordinary people, however, is to use the common language of mass entertainment (movies and television) to "picture" the synthesis of both science and theosophy, and bring the resultant merged truth of both universal origins and its operations extending from consciousness to matter, directly into their minds eye. For most people, simply "preaching" the good life and the eternal ethics and morality, as well as the practice of brotherhood, does no good at all without first teaching them the rationale behind the fundamental laws that convinces them of the origins and immutability of karma and reincarnation, and makes them aware that, together, their psychic powers coupled with an understanding of the fundamental laws of nature, are powerful tools that can work wonders in restoring the world to its original pristine harmony for the benefit of all. My ABC theory is an intellectual as well as graphical attempt to bridge that gap of misperception that keeps subjective spiritual (consciousness) science (as taught to us through theosophy) from merging with material (mass-energy) science as taught to us by a long process of examining the particulars through use of the "scientific method" -- which has led us to this amazing new high technology of the Internet, and worldwide instantaneous communication. Unfortunately, what we have gained in communication potential, has been at the sacrifice of our overall ecological and physical health. But, that price has already been paid, and it behooves us now to turn the tide before the final crunch might leave us with none left to hear our messages of hope. > >The word gestalt seem to be used as one would who views a whole >picture, regardless of the way in which it is built up. I seem >to gather the concept that in describing ideas and their >reception, comparison, and the response thereto, have been >compared largely to comparative details found in photography or >printing, and the way in which the eye can be deceived by those >processes into seeing colors and shapes that are not actually >there, in other words their representatives or "shadows" of >reality. > >But why conclude that the processes used in our physical world of >color and shape are entirely comparable to the subjective >processes of idea perception, formation or conveyance? >What if a totally different process were used in a medium of >which we have as yet no exact perception, but, whose translated >effects we form our basis of experience here, can be reduced to >the analogy just mentioned. > >Would this not be carrying the analogy too far? Not really. We don't assume that these process are "entirely comparable" -- only analogically so. Also, the process of communication of image information (sound, pictures, etc.) used by us on the material plane depends on the vib