Theosophy

A place to discuss casual topics amongst spiritual friends.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Theosophy

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Also a PDF of the open letter to the Archbishop:

Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Theosophy

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He who does not practise altruism; he who is not prepared to share his last morsel with a weaker or
poorer than himself; he who neglects to help his brother man, of whatever race, nation, or creed,
whenever and wherever he meets suffering, and who turns a deaf ear to the cry of human misery; he
who hears an innocent person slandered, whether a brother theosophist or not, and does not undertake
his defence as he would undertake his own — is no Theosophist.

Children should above all be taught self-reliance, love for all men, altruism, mutual charity, and, more
than anything else, to think and reason for themselves. We would reduce the purely mechanical work of
the memory to an absolute minimum, and devote the time to the development and training of the inner
senses, faculties and latent capacities ..... We should aim at creating free men and women, free
intellectually, free morally, unprejudiced in all respects, and, above all things, unselfish.
Blavatsky
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Theosophy

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The mystery of the ages is man, each one of us.
WQ Judge
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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bazzaman
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Re: Theosophy

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Long thread, TLDR... so maybe this point has already been raised. Maurice O'Connell Walshe, in his anthology translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, made a note stating that "Theosophists and others maintain that rebirth as an animal, after a human existence, is impossible. This view is not supported by the Buddhist texts of any school."
(https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/aut ... el318.html, note No.306).
This could be dismissed as one person's opinion; but I tend to credit M.O'C.Walshe. He was living in England at a time when Buddhism and Theosophy were in close association with each other.
Atāṇo loko anabhissaro...

Yena yena hi maññanti tato taṃ hoti aññathā,
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Theosophy

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bazzaman wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:41 am Long thread, TLDR... so maybe this point has already been raised. Maurice O'Connell Walshe, in his anthology translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, made a note stating that "Theosophists and others maintain that rebirth as an animal, after a human existence, is impossible. This view is not supported by the Buddhist texts of any school."
(https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/aut ... el318.html, note No.306).
This could be dismissed as one person's opinion; but I tend to credit M.O'C.Walshe. He was living in England at a time when Buddhism and Theosophy were in close association with each other.
Cannot recall details of either original Theosophy, nor Dhamma. In the case of the latter does it say all five human aggregates are reborn in the animal condition?
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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bazzaman
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Re: Theosophy

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Not sure what you mean by "all five human aggregates are reborn in the animal condition?". The Samyutta Nikaya mentioned here has many suttas describing beings being reborn in lower realms after having been human or higher. If the Theosophist deny this then it would lead to complacency, and be a wrong view. As I said, I have no idea if this is actual Theosophical doctrine; assuming there is such a thing, and not just a collection of woo.
Atāṇo loko anabhissaro...

Yena yena hi maññanti tato taṃ hoti aññathā,
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Theosophy

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bazzaman wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:22 am Not sure what you mean by "all five human aggregates are reborn in the animal condition?". The Samyutta Nikaya mentioned here has many suttas describing beings being reborn in lower realms after having been human or higher. If the Theosophist deny this then it would lead to complacency, and be a wrong view. As I said, I have no idea if this is actual Theosophical doctrine; assuming there is such a thing, and not just a collection of woo.
Theosophy does accept rebirth in lower or higher realms. But to see if it's doctrines are "a collection of woo" or not, you will need to study the major thinkers such as WQ Judge, Blavatsky & G. de Purucker.

Or dip into this survey which was written not by a Theosophist, I believe:

https://archive.org/details/A_Modern_Re ... _Boyd_Kuhn

Consider the benefit to the Dhamma that Olcott & Blavatsky brought to Asia, as they countered the Xtian missionaries who tried to wipe out the Dhamma.
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Theosophy

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Back in August of 2017 DNS mentioned this - perhaps he is not of the same opinion now?
AFAIK, Olcott is highly revered in Sri Lanka. Here's one of the statues honoring him in Sri Lanka.

Image
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-statu ... 94501.html
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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DNS
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Re: Theosophy

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Nicholas Weeks wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 5:20 pm Back in August of 2017 DNS mentioned this - perhaps he is not of the same opinion now?
AFAIK, Olcott is highly revered in Sri Lanka. Here's one of the statues honoring him in Sri Lanka.
I'm still of the same opinion. :D

Here is a signed copy of Olcott and Blavatsky, certifying that they took the panca-sila (five precepts of Theravada Buddhism). They also took refuge in Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha.

Image
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Re: Theosophy

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DNS wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 5:29 pm I'm still of the same opinion. :D

Here is a signed copy of Olcott and Blavatsky, certifying that they took the panca-sila (five precepts of Theravada Buddhism). They also took refuge in Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha.

Image
Are you sure they didn't take it in Tibetan Buddhist Status? Just asking...

http://www.tibetanbuddhistencyclopedia. ... e_Precepts
The Five Precepts (Pali: pañca-sīlāni; Sanskrit: pañca-śīlāni) constitute the basic Buddhist code of ethics, undertaken by lay followers (Upāsaka and Upāsikā) of the Buddha Gautama in the Theravada as well as in Mahayana traditions.
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
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DNS
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Re: Theosophy

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Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 5:50 pm Are you sure they didn't take it in Tibetan Buddhist Status? Just asking...
Definitely with a Theravada bhikkhu administering the precepts and Refuge; see the name of the bhikkhu in the image.
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Re: Theosophy

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DNS wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 5:53 pm
Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 5:50 pm Are you sure they didn't take it in Tibetan Buddhist Status? Just asking...
Definitely with a Theravada bhikkhu administering the precepts and Refuge; see the name of the bhikkhu in the image.
Okay. Thank you. :smile:
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Theosophy

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Nicholas Weeks wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 3:34 am Upasaka Olcott wrote a little book that endeared him to all Buddhists of Ceylon and South Asia. Since the teachings of Buddha were so clearly set forth, many Mahayana sages accepted this book as solid Dhamma:

Buddhist Catechism [a downloadable version is in this thread @ Aug. 2019]

It is still in print, I think.
Ven. Mahathero Sumangala approved this little book and he was the sponsor of HPB & Olcott in Ceylon.

https://sinhalasangha.wordpress.com/202 ... 827-1911/
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Re: Theosophy

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The Vision of the Lord Buddha

When I was a boy of twelve I came upon a Buddhist quotation which fascinated imagination, mind, and heart. I think it was one of the things which in this life awoke me more than any other thing that I can recollect; at any rate it was one of the first. It is pure Theosophy and genuine Buddhist doctrine. It is this: the Lord Buddha is speaking, and I am paraphrasing somewhat his words in order to make them clearer:

"O disciples, never let discouragement enter into your souls. See you suffering in the world, see you unhappiness and pain and ignorance, misery and distress which wring the heart? Disciples, all things are destined to pass into Buddhahood: the stones, the plants, the beasts, all the component atoms of these, each and every one, aye, and sun and moon and stars and planets — all in future ages will become Buddha. Each one will become a Buddha."

What a marvelous picture! How it quiets the heart and stills the mind; for if one atom, one man, become a Buddha, everything will, for this universe is one, broken into multitudes during Manvantara or manifestation; rooted in that One, living from it, and by it. In it we live and we move and have all our being. Therefore some day, somewhere in the incalculable aeons of what we call the future, all now of the multitudes, suns and stars, planets, comets, gods, men, animals, plants, stones, atoms, elements, worlds, everything, each as individual, is destined for Buddhahood.

When I read that -- I have given you the expanded gist of what I heard -- for nearly three months I went around in a daze of spiritual delight and inner reawakening. To this day I could not tell you whether I ate or drank or slept. I know I must have done so, but I have no recollection of anything except light; and the raising of the eyes inner and outer, upward and inward. Just that thought broke open the doors closed when I drank of the waters of Lethe, of forgetfulness, when last I died. The doors opened and the light came in, began to come in.
Theosophist G. de Purucker, from Wind of the Spirit
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Re: Theosophy

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Do your eyes expect a reward for seeing, or your feet for walking? That is what they were made for. By doing what they were designed to do, they are performing their function. Whereas humans were made to help others. And when we do help others we are doing what we were designed for. We perform our function.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, end of book nine
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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