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Egg (symbol)

2020-04-08T18:55:21Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

The '''Egg''' is a universal symbol representing the primordial source from which the Deity and the materials for the creation of the cosmos come into existence. It is an image frequently found in the cosmogonies of many cultures and civilizations, including the Hindu, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Syrian, Persian, and Finnish.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 359.</ref>

In [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] literature it represents the primordial substance and the germ of consciousness ([[Logos]]) in it, in their various stages of development, from the unmanifested and undifferentiatied to the fully manifested. To distinguish among the different stages, the egg is qualified with adjectives such as "eternal", "virgin", "mundane", etc.

== General description ==

[[H. P. Blavatsky]] explained that the egg represents the undifferentiated substance made of ultimate atoms on the highest plane. In this sense, she is not using the word "atom" as modern science does, but in its original meaning of that which is "non-divisible":

<blockquote>The egg means the ever-eternal, existing, undifferentiated matter, which is not strictly matter as we ordinarily use the term, but which, as we say, is the atoms. The atoms are indestructible; and matter is destructible in form, but the atoms are absolutely indestructible.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 137.</ref></blockquote>

In reference to this universal symbol, Blavatsky wrote:

<blockquote>The Egg was incorporated as a sacred sign in the cosmogony of every people on the Earth, and was revered both on account of its form and its inner mystery. From the earliest mental conceptions of man, it was known as that which represented most successfully the origin and secret of being. The gradual development of the imperceptible germ within the closed shell; the inward working, without any apparent outward interference of force, which from a latent nothing produced an active something, needing nought save heat; and which, having gradually evolved into a concrete, living creature, broke its shell, appearing to the outward senses of all a self-generated, and self-created being—must have been a standing miracle from the beginning. . . . The second reason for its having been chosen as the symbolical representation of the Universe, and of our earth, was its form. It was a Circle and a Sphere; and the ovi-form shape of our globe must have been known from the beginning of symbology, since it was so universally adopted.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 359.</ref></blockquote>

There are several "eggs" responding to the different stages the primordial substance and the germ of consciousness go through during the awakening of the cosmos. There are also different "eggs" according to the plane they belong to. Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

<blockquote>You must remember that there are both the Universal and Solar Eggs (as well as others), and that it is necessary to qualify any statement made concerning them.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 352.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Thus the Egg, on whatever plane you speak of, means the ever-existing undifferentiated matter which strictly is not matter at all, but, as we call it, the Atoms. Matter is destructible in form while the Atoms are absolutely indestructible, being the quintessence of Substances. And here, I mean by “atoms” the primordial divine Units, not the “atoms” of modern Science.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 353.</ref></blockquote>

== Eternal egg ==

The “eternal egg” is the pre-cosmic or undifferentiated matter, before the ray from the [[Logos#First Logos|Logos]] fecundated it:

<blockquote>The eternal egg is a pre-differentiation in a laya or zero condition; thus, before differentiation it can have neither attributes nor qualities.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 367.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>The egg means the ever-eternal, existing, undifferentiated matter, which is not strictly matter as we ordinarily use the term, but which, as we say, is the [ultimate] atoms.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 136-137.</ref></blockquote>

In [[Stanzas of Dzyan#Cosmogenesis|Stanza II.3]] the word "mātripadma" (from ''mātṛ'', "mother" and ''padma'', "lotus") is used. According to Blavatsky this refers to the eternal egg:

<blockquote>Q. Is the Matri-Padma the eternal or the periodical Egg? 
A. The eternal Egg; it will become periodical only when the ray from the first Logos shall have flashed from the latent Germ in the Matri-Padma which is the Egg, the Womb of the Universe which is to be.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 353.</ref></blockquote>

== Virgin egg ==

Once the ray from the [[Logos#First Logos|Logos]] is radiated and "penetrates" in the eternal egg, the latter begins to differentiate and becomes the "virgin egg".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 367.</ref> This Egg corresponds, at the level of the solar system, with what at a universal level is called [[chaos]]:

<blockquote>The "Virgin Egg" is the microcosmic symbol of the macrocosmic prototype—the "[[Mother_(symbol)#Virgin_mother|Virgin Mother]]"—Chaos or the Primeval Deep.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 65.</ref></blockquote>

After the Virgin Egg is fecundated, it is "dropped" to the plane of manifestation, where it becomes the "Mundane Egg":

<blockquote>The Virgin-egg being in one sense abstract Egg-ness, or the power of becoming developed through fecundation, is eternal and for ever the same. And just as the fecundation of an egg takes place before it is dropped; so the non-eternal periodical germ which becomes later in symbolism the mundane egg, contains in itself, when it emerges from the said symbol, “the promise and potency” of all the Universe.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 64-65.</ref></blockquote>

== Mundane egg ==

[[Stanzas of Dzyan#Stanza III|Stanza III.3]] of Cosmogenesis states:

<blockquote>“Darkness” radiates light, and light drops one solitary ray into the waters, into the [[Mother_(symbol)|mother deep]]. The ray shoots through the virgin-egg; the ray causes the eternal egg to thrill, and drop the non-eternal (periodical) germ, which condenses into the world egg.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 64.</ref></blockquote>
Also known as the "World" or "Mundane" Egg is the stage where manifestation begins:
[[File:Cosmic egg.jpg|left|150px]]<blockquote>
The Mundane Egg is on the plane of differentiation [manifestation], the first stage if you like; but from the plane of non-differentiation it is the third, as I just told you. The Egg represents the just differentiated cosmic matter in which the vital creative Germ receives its first spiritual impulse, and potentiality becomes potency.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 138.</ref></blockquote>

The "germ" awakened by the ray is sometimes referred to as "the point in the mundane egg."<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 351.</ref> This point is the [[Logos#Second Logos|Second Logos]], which is seen as an abstract triangle. A period of incubation takes place after the fecundation, which ends with the birth of the [[Logos#Third Logos|Third Logos]], the manifested creator, symbolized by the concrete triangle:

<blockquote>Having flashed out from this central point and thrilled through the Germ, the Ray is withdrawn again within this point and the Germ develops into the Second Logos, the triangle within the Mundane Egg.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 351.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>It is this ideal or abstract triangle which is the Point in the Mundane Egg, which, after gestation, and in the third remove, will start from the Egg to form the Triangle.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 351.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>(Then) the three (triangle) fall into the four (quaternary). The radiant essence becomes seven inside, seven outside. The luminous egg (hiranyagarbha), which in itself is three (the triple hypostases of Brahmâ, or Vishnu, the three “Avasthas”), curdles and spreads in milk-white curds throughout the depths of mother, the root that grows in the ocean of life.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 66.</ref></blockquote>

The Mundane Egg with its point in the center is a reflection on the manifested plane of the circle with the point (First Logos) in the pre-cosmic world:

<blockquote>While in the metaphysical world, the circle with the one central Point in it has no number, and is called Anupadaka (parentless and numberless)—viz., it can fall under no calculation,—in the manifested world the mundane Egg or Circle is circumscribed within the groups called the Line, the Triangle, the Pentacle, the second Line and the Cube (or 13514).<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 91.</ref></blockquote>

In fact, all these "eggs" are not really different "entities" but different aspects of a same reality. Talking about "the esoteric significance of the 'Mundane Egg' symbolism" Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

<blockquote>Occult philosophy, viewing the manifested and the unmanifested Kosmos as a UNITY, symbolizes the ideal conception of the former by that “Golden Egg” with two poles in it. It is the positive pole that acts in the manifested world of matter, while the negative is lost in the unknowable absoluteness of SAT—“Be-ness.”<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 556.</ref></blockquote>

In [[Hinduism|Hindu]] philosophy the mundane egg is called [[Hiraṇyagarbha]], meaning "golden womb" or "golden egg":

== The germ ==

Related to the idea of the Egg is that of the "Germ":

<blockquote>In the ancient primitive trinity of India, that which may be certainly considered as pre-Vedic, the germ which fecundates the [[Mother_(symbol)|mother-principle]], the mundane egg, or the universal womb, is called Nara, the Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, which emanates from the primordial essence.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Isis Unveiled'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 214.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Appearing with every Manvantara as Narâyan, or Swayambhuva (the Self-Existent), and penetrating into the Mundane Egg, it emerges from it at the end of the divine incubation as Brahmâ or Prajâpati, a progenitor of the future Universe into which he expands.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 80-81.</ref></blockquote>

The germ is sometimes seen as a male aspect eternally present in the undifferentiated substance:

<blockquote>The “Germ” is a figurative expression; the germ is everywhere, even as the circle whose circumference is nowhere and whose centre is everywhere. It therefore means all germs, that is to say, unmanifested nature.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 353.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>The Germ is eternal, the undifferentiated atoms of future matter—is one with space, as infinite as it is indestructible, and as eternal as space itself.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 367.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>The “Germ”—the point in the Mundane Egg, represented by matter in its abstract sense. But the term “Point” must not be understood as applying to any particular point in Space, for a germ exists in the centre of every atom, and these collectively form “the Germ;” or rather, as no atom can be made visible to our physical eye, the collectivity of these (if the term can be applied to something which is boundless and infinite) forms the noumenon of eternal and indestructible matter.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 57.</ref></blockquote>

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/egg Egg] at Theosophy World
*[http://prajnaquest.fr/blog/on-the-eternal-germ On the eternal Germ] by Ingmar de Boer
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=s_aF5PV9jD4C&pg=RA1-PA397&lpg=RA1-PA397&dq=%22The+great+mystery+of+the+egg%22&source=bl&ots=IJ986hmMtj&sig=4WUpWbu7PSuEoniT4H0UeN_Iww8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3BiEUfW0IsqLrAHw-oCAAg&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22The%20great%20mystery%20of%20the%20egg%22&f=false# The Great Mystery of the Egg] by Hermine Sabetay

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Symbols]]
[[es:Huevo]]

Edwin Arnold

2020-04-08T18:51:02Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

[[File:Edwin Arnold.jpg|right|190px|thumb|Edwin Arnold]]
'''Sir Edwin Lester Arnold''', M.A., K.C.I.E., C.S.I.([[June 10]], 1832 – [[March 24]], 1904) was an English poet and journalist, who is most known for his poetic story of [[Gautama Buddha]], [[The Light of Asia (book)|''The Light of Asia'']]. He mastered Sanskrit, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian languages and was a skilled artist.

[[File:Arnold Light of Asia cover.jpg|right|215px|thumb|Book cover]]
== Personal life and career ==

Edwin Lester Arnold was born at Gravesend, Kent, on June 10, 1932, as the second son of a Sussex magistrate, Robert Coles Arnold. The young Arnold was educated at King's School, Rochester, King's College in London, and University College, Oxford. He won Oxford's prestigious Newdigate Prize in 1852, for a poem called "Belshazzar's Feast."

Arnold took a position as a schoolmaster at King Edward's School, Birmingham for several years. In 1855, he married '''Catharine Elizabeth Biddulph''' (1831-1864), and the couple had four children - Edwin, Julian, Katharine, and Arthur. In 1856 he accepted a post in India as Principal of the Government Sanskrit College at Poona and served there for seven years, returning to England with his wife because of her ill health. <ref>Ted G. Davy, "Arnold, Edwin," ''Theosophical Encyclopedia'' (Quezon City, Philippines: Theosophical Publishing House, 2006), 49. Available at [http://theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Arnold,_Edwin Theosopedia].</ref>

Catharine died in 1864 shortly after Arthur's birth. His next wife was '''Jennie Fanny M. S. Channing''' (1837-1889) of Boston, with whom he had two more sons - William and Gilbert Emerson. The family lived in Kensington during these year. Son Emerson Arnold wrote of this period:
<blockquote>
Obliged by circumstances to remain under grey Western skies and labor for more than forty years in London on the staff of the ''Daily Telegraph'', his heart remained in India and every moment of his scanty leisure was devoted to the study of her languages, religions and philosophy.<ref>Emerson Arnold, "Edwin Arnold," ''World Theosophy v2 (1932), 978.</ref>
</blockquote>

After returning to England, Arnold worked as a journalist at the ''Daily Telegraph'', eventually becoming editor-in-chief during a forty-year career. He is credited with arranging for his newspaper to work with the ''New York Herald'' to sponsor the journey of H. M. Stanley to discover the course of the Congo in Africa. In 1874, Arnold first suggested a transcontinental railroad for Africa, using the phrase "a Cape to Cairo railway" subsequently popularized by Cecil Rhodes.

Queen Victoria named Arnold in 1888 as '''Knight Commander of the Indian Empire'''. The next year, Fanny passed away. Arnold spent some time in Japan, where he met his third wife, '''Tama Kurokawa''' (1869-1962), whom he brought back to London. Sir Edwin died on March 24, 1904.

[[File:Edwin Arnold - from CW II.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Edwin Arnold]]
== Association with Theosophists ==

Early Theosophists greeted the publication of ''The Light of Asia'' in July, 1879 with glowing reviews. [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]] herself wrote at length in the first issue of the Theosophical Society's journal [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']] in October, 1879. Other reviews, analyses, and quotations followed.

<blockquote>
Arnold knew Helena P. Blavatsky well and expressed his admiration for her extraordinary mental attainments; he recalled an occasion when he asked if she knew the date of a Sanskrit grammarian and she was able to give it without hesitation.<ref>Ted G. Davy, "Arnold, Edwin," ''Theosophical Encyclopedia'' (Quezon City, Philippines: Theosophical Publishing House, 2006), 49. Available at [http://theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Arnold,_Edwin Theosopedia]. Original source was "An Evening with Sir Edwin Arnold" in ''A Year Under the Shadows of St. Paul's'' by E. C. Paget, published in Calgary, Alberta in 1908.</ref>
</blockquote>

When Arnold was asked in an interview, "Are Esoteric Buddhists and Theosophists the same?", he answered:
<blockquote>
That depends upon what you mean by Theosophists. if you mean the Theosophists of the school of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Blavatsky]], [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|Sinnett]] and [[Henry Steel Olcott|Olcott]], I will say that they are so closely connected with [[Buddhism]] that the Buddhist Scriptures ought to be their text-books, and I don't seen how you can do this without a knowledge of [[Sanskrit]]. I knew Madame Blavatsky very well and am acquainted with Col. Olcott and A. P. Sinnett, and I believe there is no doubt that the Theosophical movement has had an excellent effect upon humanity. It has made a large number of people understand what all India always understood, and that is the importance of invisible things. The real universe is that which you do not see, and the commonest Indian peasant knows that to be true by inheritance. The Theosophists have impressed upon the present generation the necessity of admitting the existence of the invisible. The senses are very limited, and everybody ought to know that behind them lies an illimitable field of development.<ref>Boris de Zirkoff, "Arnold, Sr. Edwin," ''Collected Writings Volume 12'' (Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 19xx), 722. Reprinting an ''Alliance Forum'' interview reported in ''The Lamp'' of December, 1895.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[Henry Steel Olcott|Colonel Henry Steel Olcott]], President-Founder of the [[Theosophical Society]], met Arnold in 1884. He gave this account shortly after Arnold's death in 1905:
<blockquote>
I made his personal acquaintance at London in the year 1884, at the hospitable board of Mrs. Tennant... I lunched with him at his house and he kindly presented me with some of the original MS. of his world-famous Buddhist book. Later, when he revisited India, coming ''via'' Ceylon I organised, at the request of the high priest, [[Sumangala]], his reception at Colombo, and drafted the address of the High Priest. His feelings towards me were cordial, and I may almost say that in him, I have lost a personal friend. His poetised translations from the Sanskrit most ably render the sense of the ancient books. He must have had a great faculty of concentration, for he told me, at his house, that he had written the most touching passages of ''The Light of Asia'' in the compartment of a railway carriage, in the company of some dealers of Billingsgate market, who were loudly discussing between themselves, the price of fish.<ref>Henry S. Olcott, "Sir Edwin Arnold," Supplement to ''The Theosophist'' 25.7 (April, 1904), xviii-xix.</ref>
</blockquote>

In a biographical sketch, [[Boris de Zirkoff]] wrote,
<blockquote>
Judging by his works and his philosophy of life, Sir Edwin Arnold formed an integral part of the widespread spiritual Movement which was regenerated in the latter half of the nineteenth century. In part, his work paralleled that of the Theosophical Society, helping to make the religion and philosophy of Buddhism and Hinduism known and appreciated by the western world. ''The Light of Asia'' and ''The Song Celestial'' undoubtedly led to widespread interest in these subjects and helped to create an attitude in which theosophical ideas would be found congenial. We are all indebted to this great scholar.<ref>Boris de Zirkoff, "Arnold, Sr. Edwin," ''Collected Writings Volume 12'' (Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 19xx), 717.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Founding of Maha Bodhi Society ==

In 1885, Arnold published articles in ''Daily Telegraph'' drawing attention to the '''Buddha Gaya''' (Bodh Gaya) Temple, site of [[Gautama Buddha|Gautama Buddha's]] enlightenment. The temple had been abandoned and was in deplorable condition. On January 22, 1891, the [[Anagarika Dharmapala]], accompanied by Japanese priest Kozen Gunaratna, visited the site, and felt a tremendous urge to take action. On [[May 31]], 1891, the [[Maha Bodhi Society of India|Budh-Gaya Mahabodhi Society]] was formed, with Arnold as one of the founding members. The High Priest of Ceylon, [[Sumangala|H. Sumangala]] was President, [[Henry Steel Olcott|Col. Olcott]] was Director and Chief Advisor, and Dharmapala was General Secretary. The new Society solicited contributions to maintain a staff at the Buddha Gaya site, and the Society convened an International Buddhist conference at the site in October, 1891. The temple complex was gradually restored, and the Maha Bodhi Society continues to be active in India and several other countries.

== Vegetarianism ==

Arnold was very active in support of [[Vegetarianism|vegetarianism]]. He founded a '''Vegetarian Club''' in Bayswater with Dr. Josiah Oldfield, who shared rooms with [[Mohandas K. Gandhi]] for a time. Oldfield served as president, Arnold as vice-president, and Gandhi as secretary.

[[File:Light of Asia 1879.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Cover of 1879 American Caldwell edition.]]
== The Light of Asia ==

The most famous of Arnold's works is '''[[The Light of Asia (book)|''The Light of Asia'']]''', a book-length poem depicting the life of [[Gautama Buddha]]. Published in July, 1879 in London and also by two companies in New York, the book immediately caught the attention of Theosophists. A lengthy review was printed in the very first issue of [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']], in October 1879. The book was praised by the reviewer, [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]], for its literary qualities and for its treatment of the subject. The reviewer wrote, "if any Western poet has earned the right to grateful remembrance by Asiatic nations and is destined to live in their memory, it is the author of the "Light of Asia."<ref>"'The Light of Asia' as Told in Verse by an Indian Buddhist,"''The Theosophist'' 1.1 (October, 1879), 20-25.</ref>

Madame Blavatsky requested that each year on the [[White Lotus Day|anniversary of her death]], her friends should gather and read from ''The Light of Asia'' and the [[Bhagavadgītā (book)|Bhagavadgītā]].<ref>Sylvia Cranston, ''H. P. B.: The Extraordinary Life and Influence of Helena Blavatsky'', (New York: Putnam, 1993), 429.</ref> That tradition continues to this day among Theosophists around the world, and is known as [[White Lotus Day]].

Dozens of editions and translations have been produced since 1879, and the work is widely available in libraries worldwide.
[[File:Arnold Bhagavad Gita cover.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Book cover]]

== Other writings ==

* "Belshazzar's Feast" - poem written while in college in 1852; won the Newdigate Prize for English Verse.
* "Griselda, a Tragedy" - poem published in 1856.
* Works of Herodotus - translation from Greek in 1861.
* ''The Book of Good Counsels'' - translation from the Sanskrit of the Indian classic "Hitopadeça." 1861.
* ''Education in India''. 1862
* ''A History of the Administration in India under the Late Marquis of Dalhousie''. 1862–64.
* ''The Poets of Greece'' - a collection of fine passages. 1869.
* ''Mahābhārata''. 1881.
* ''Pearls of the Faith; or, Islam’s Rosary Being the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of Allah, with Comments in Verse from Various Oriental Source''. 1883.
* ''The Secret of Death''. 1885.
* ''The Song Celestial''. 1885. A poetic rendering of the [[Bhagavadgītā]].
* ''Sa’di in the Garden; or, The Book of Love''. 1888. This is a poem on a part of the "Bôstâni" of the Persian poet Sa’di.
* ''Poems National and Non-Oriental''. 1888.
* ''Light of the World''. 1891. This is an epic poem about the life of Jesus Christ.
* ''India Revisited''. 1891. Prose.
* ''Potiphar’s Wife, and Other Poems''. 1892.
* ''The Iliad and Odyssey of Asia''. 1892.
* ''Seas and Lands''. 1893. Prose.
* ''Japonica''. 1983. Prose describing Japan.
* ''Tiphar's Wife''. 1892.
* ''Adzuma, the Japanese Wife: a Play in Four Acts''. 1893.
* ''The Tenth Muse and Other Poems''. 1895.
* ''The Queen’s Justice''. 1899. Dedicated to his Japanese wife Tama Kurokawa.

[[File:Julian B Arnold portrait.jpg|190px|right|thumb|Julian B. Arnold]]
== Sons Julian and Emerson as Theosophists ==

Sir Edwin's son Julian Tregenna Biddulph Arnold (1860-1954) was active in the [[American Theosophical Society]]:
<blockquote>
In a recent number of ''The Messenger'', I [the editor, A. P. Warrington] mentioned a series of lectures which Mr. J. B. Lindon, one of our members residing in Chicago, had given at Besant Hall under the designation "Twilight Talks." These lectures were so successful and drew such large audiences that a program of a new series of historical lectures has been announced by the same lecturer, which by the time this issue reaches the mails will be well on the way.

Our members no doubt have learned from recent newspaper accounts that Mr. Lindon is none other than Mr. Julian B. Arnold, the son of the late Sir Edwin Arnold, the illustrious poet, scholar and interpreter of Indian ideals, whom Theosophists the world over have loved and revered for his immortal work.

When Mr. Julian B. Arnold came to America seven years ago he launched out in the chemical business, and for that and other reasons he adopted an old family name, so that he became known as J. B. Lindon. Owing to the encouragement which he received in his recent venture in the lecturing field, he has felt that he should no longer suppress his real identity.

I am sure that all Theosophists will join me in the hope that Mr. Arnold may some day become widely traveled as a lecturer throughout our country, where we hope he will always feel that he has a true home.<ref>Anonymous [A. P. Warrington, editor], "Sir Edwin Arnold's Son," ''The Messenger'' 2.12 (May, 1915), 510.</ref>
</blockquote>

Julian B. Lindon was admitted to the [[American Theosophical Society]] on November 23, 1910, sponsored by Minna Kunz and Mrs. Kochersberger of the Adyar Lodge of Chicago. After July 16, 1915, he was known as Julian B. Arnold, according to membership records.<ref>Membership Ledger Cards. Microfilm roll 1. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> He wrote at least thirteen [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=JB+Lindon&method=all articles] for Theosophical journals. As Warrington hoped, Arnold did go on to a career as a lecturer.<ref>1940 US Census.</ref>

'''Edwin Gilbert Emerson Arnold''' (1872-????), M.D., M.R.C.P., a medical officer in Fiji, also called himself a Theosophist. He wrote of the evocative quality of his father's "pen-pictures of Indian life":
<blockquote>
To anyone who, like myself, is a convinced student of Theosophy and Oriental occultism the phenomenon is all the more striking. For his works reveal an expert and deep knowledge of Eastern philosophy which is amazing.

I hold the view very strongly myself that the explanation lies in previous Indian incarnations. My father, although very patriotic and intensely British in many ways, was always a semi-Oriental; in outlook, tastes, manners and thoughts, and even in appearance. I believe that his brief visit to India resuscitated the subconscious memories of former lives spent there and that these gave him his wonderful knowledge and insight and his love for and attraction to Eastern life and philosophy.<ref>Emerson Arnold, "Edwin Arnold," ''World Theosophy'' v2 (1932), 978.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:Edwin Arnold 31 Bolton Gardens blue plaque.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Plaque at 31 Bolton Gardens, Kensington]]
== Awards and legacy ==

While at university in 1852, Arnold won the '''Newdigate Prize''' for his poem "Belshazzar's Feast."

In recognition of ''Light of Asia'', Arnold was decorated by the King of Siam with the '''Order of the White Elephant'''. The Turkish Sultan conferred on him the '''Imperial Order of Osmanli'''. The Shah of Iran awarded the '''Order of the Lion and Sun ''' for ''Sa’di in the Garden'' and the Emperor of Japan awarded the '''Order of the Rising Sun'''.<ref>C.D. Warner et al, "Sir Edwin Arnold (1832–1904)," ''The Library of the World’s Best Literature. An Anthology in Thirty Volumes.'' 1917. At [http://www.bartleby.com/library/prose/356.html bBrtleby.com].</ref>

In 1888 he was created '''Knight Commander of the Indian Empire''' by Queen Victoria.

Arnold was an honorary member of the '''International Buddhist Society'''. When he revisited Indian and Ceylon, "he was received with much honor and, above all, was ceremoniously presented at Kandy with the '''yellow robe and begging-bowl of a Buddhist priest'''."<ref>Emerson Arnold, "Edwin Arnold," ''World Theosophy'' v2 (1932), 978.</ref>

Explorer H. M. Stanley named '''a mountain in Africa''' after Edwin Arnold.

At Oxford University, his ashes and a plaque have been installed in a '''University College Chapel memorial''', and the '''Sir Edwin Arnold Memorial Scholarship''' was established to encourage study of Oriental languages and literature.

A blue '''plaque''' has been placed at 31 Bolton Gardens, Kensington, where the Arnold family lived for many years.<ref>[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/search/arnold-sir-edwin-1832-1904 English Heritage web page] Accessed August 18, 2012.</ref>

== Other resources ==
* The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists over 80 [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=edwin+arnold&method=all articles by or about Edwin Arnold]. Many are simply quotations of his works.
* '''Papers of Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904)''' at [http://www.univ.ox.ac.uk/content/papers-sir-edwin-arnold-1832-1904 University College Archives] at Oxford University.
* Warner, C.D. Warner, et al. "Sir Edwin Arnold (1832–1904)." ''The Library of the World’s Best Literature. An Anthology in Thirty Volumes.'' 1917. At [http://www.bartleby.com/library/prose/356.html bBrtleby.com].</ref>
== Articles==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/arnold-edwin Arnold Edwin] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Sanskrit scholars|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Poets|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Journalists|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Writers|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Educators|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Famous people|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Associates of HPB|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Nationality English|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:Vegetarian activists|Arnold, Edwin]]
[[Category:People|Arnold, Edwin]]

Dweller on the Threshold

2020-04-08T18:38:23Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

[[File:Machell - Dweller on the Threshold.jpg|220px|right|thumb|''Dweller on the Threshold'' by Reginald Machell]]
The '''Dweller on the Threshold''' is a character of [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton]]'s novel [[Zanoni (book)|''Zanoni'']]. It is a malevolent entity that embodies the sum of all darkness a person has accumulated throughout the [[reincarnation|incarnations]] he or she lived.

The "Dweller" is mentioned by different [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] authors, including [[Master]] [[Serapis]], who makes reference to it in several of his letters to [[H. S. Olcott]].

== Shells ==

According to [[H. P. Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]]'s view "Dweller" is a known term in [[occultism]]:

<blockquote>Dwellers (on the Threshold). A term invented by Bulwer Lytton in Zanoni; but in Occultism the word “Dweller” is an occult term used by students for long ages past, and refers to certain maleficent astral Doubles of defunct persons.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 106.</ref></blockquote>

In this view, the Dweller is the [[Kāmaloka#Shells|shell]] of the previous incarnation of a materialistic person discarded by the [[Ego#Higher ego|Higher Ego]], which is attracted to it in its new incarnation:

<blockquote>In rarer cases, however, something far more dreadful may happen. When the lower Manas is doomed to exhaust itself by starvation; when there is no longer hope that even a remnant of a lower light will, owing to favorable conditions––say, even a short period of spiritual aspiration and repentance––attract back to itself its Parent Ego, then Karma leads the Higher Ego back to new incarnations. In this case the Kâma-Mânasic spook may become that which we call in Occultism the “Dweller on the Threshold.” This “Dweller” is not like that which is described so graphically in Zanoni, but an actual fact in nature and not a fiction in romance, however beautiful the latter may be. Bulwer must have got the idea from some Eastern Initiate. Our “Dweller,” led by affinity and attraction, forces itself into the astral current, and through the Auric Envelope of the new tabernacle inhabited by the Parent Ego, and declares war to the lower light which has replaced it. This, of course, can only happen in the case of the moral weakness of the personality so obsessed. No one strong in his virtue, and righteous in his walk of life, can risk or dread any such thing; but only those depraved in heart.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1982), 636.</ref></blockquote>

A further explanation can be found in what was published as the third volume of [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']]:

<blockquote>The “Dweller on the Threshold” is found in two cases: (a) In the case of the separation of the Triangle from the Quaternary; (b) When Kâmic desires and passions are so intense that the Kâma Rûpa persists in Kâma Loka beyond the Devachanic period of the Ego, and thus survives the reincarnation of the Devachanic Entity (e.g., when reincarnation occurs within two hundred or three hundred years). The “Dweller” being drawn by affinity towards the Reincarnating Ego to whom it had belonged, and being unable to reach it, fastens on the Kâma of the new personality, and becomes the Dweller on the Threshold, strengthening the Kâmic element and thus lending it a dangerous potency. Some become mad from this cause.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. V (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1971), 512.</ref></blockquote>

== Psychological trial ==

[[T. Subba Row]] described the image of the Dweller as being similar to that of the battle described in the [[Bhagavadgītā (book)|Bhagavad Gita]]. He wrote:

<blockquote>Philosophically it is the great battle in which the human Spirit has to fight against the lower passions in the physical body. Many of our readers have probably heard about the so-called ‘Dweller on the Threshold,’ so vividly described in [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton|Lytton]]’s novel, [[Zanoni (book)|Zanoni]]. According to this author’s description, the Dweller on the Threshold seems to be some [[elemental]], or other monster of mysterious form, appearing before the neophyte just as he is about to enter the mysterious land, and attempting to shake his resolution with menaces of unknown dangers if he is not fully prepared.
 
There is no such monster in reality. The description must be taken in a figurative sense. But nevertheless there is a Dweller on the Threshold, whose influence on the mental plane is far more trying than any physical terror can be. The real Dweller on the Threshold is formed of the despair and despondency of the neophyte, who is called upon to give up all his old affections for kindred, parents and children, as well as his aspirations for objects of worldly ambition, which have perhaps been his associates for many incarnations. When called upon to give up these things, the neophyte feels a kind of blank, before he realizes his higher possibilities. After having given up all his associations, his life itself seems to vanish into thin air. He seems to have lost all hope, and to have no object to live and work for. He sees no signs of his own future progress. All before him seems darkness; and a sort of pressure comes upon the soul, under which it begins to droop, and in most cases he begins to fall back and gives up further progress. But in the case of a man who really struggles, he will battle against that despair, and be able to proceed on the Path. . .
 
We are each of us called upon to kill out all our passions and desires, not that they are all necessarily evil in themselves, but that their influence must be annihilated before we can establish ourselves on the higher planes. The position of Arjuna is intended to typify that of a [[chela]], who is called upon to face the Dweller on the Threshold.<ref>T. Subba Rao, "On the Bhagavad Gita" Adyar Pamphlet No. 17, (Adyar, Madras:The Theosophist Office, 1912).</ref></blockquote>

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dweller-threshold Dweller On The Threshold] at Theosophy World

===Articles and pamphlets===
.
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/DwellerOnTheThreshold_EBLytton.pdf "The Dweller on the Threshold"] by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton. An excerpt from ''Zanoni'' followed by notes from H. P. Blavatsky.
*[https://www.theosophy-ult.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/The-Dweller-on-the-Threshold-R-Crosbie-WQ-Judge.pdf "The Dweller on the Threshold"] by Robert Crosbie. Published in ''Theosophy'' 9.4 (February 1921), 113.
*[https://www.theosophy-ult.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/The-Dweller-on-the-Threshold-R-Crosbie-WQ-Judge.pdf "The Dweller of the Threshold"] by W. Q. Judge. Published under the pseudonym Eusebio Urban in ''The Path'', December, 1888. Reprinted in ''Theosophy'' 1.9 (July, 1913), 367.
*[http://hpb.narod.ru/DwellerThresholdFH.htm# "The Dweller of the Threshold"] by Franz Hartmann. Reprinted from ''The Theosophist'' XI (1889). Also issued as Adyar Pamphlet #115 and reprinted in ''The Theosophist'' 94 (January, 1973), 250.
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/shearman43.html# "The Dweller on the Threshold"] by Hugh Shearman. Published in ''The Theosophist'' April 1977.
*[http://www.teosofia.com/Mumbai/7209dweller.html# "The Dweller on the Threshold"] published in The Theosophical Movement

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]

Dugpa

2020-04-08T18:31:44Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

'''Dugpa''' or '''Drukpa''' (Tibetan ''’brug pa'') is a sub-order of the Kagyupa school of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], prevailing in Bhutan. In Theosophical literature, the term "dugpa" is used in a more general way by [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] and the [[Masters of Wisdom]] as a synonym for a black magician or sorcerer, frequently referred to as "[[Brother of the Shadow]]".

== General description ==
[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>Dugpas (Tib.). Lit., “Red Caps,” a sect in Tibet. Before the advent of Tsong-ka-pa in the fourteenth century, the Tibetans, whose Buddhism had deteriorated and been dreadfully adulterated with the tenets of the old Bhon religion,—were all Dugpas. From that century, however, and after the rigid laws imposed upon the Gelukpas (yellow caps) and the general reform and purification of Buddhism (or Lamaism), the Dugpas have given themselves over more than ever to sorcery, immorality, and drunkenness. Since then the word Dugpas has become a synonym of “sorcerer”, “adept of black magic” and everything vile. There are few, if any, Dugpas in Eastern Tibet, but they congregate in Bhutan, Sikkim, and the borderlands generally.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 105-106.</ref></blockquote>

Of the four main sects of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], three (the ''Nyigmapas'', ''Kagyupas'', and ''Sakyapas''), did not follow the reforms proposed by Tsongkhapa’s in his new order, the ''Gelugpas''. The Nyigmapas wear red ceremonial hats. Among the Kagyupas, the Karmapas wear black hats while the [[Dugpa#Shmmars|Shamarpas]] wear red. The Sakyapas' headdress is also red, although this sect is not generally referred to by colour. The Gelugpas wear yellow hats. Therefore, by "red hat" Blavatsky probably meant some Böns, Nyigmapas and Shamarpas.

In the [[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|The Mahatma Letters]] the dugpas are frequently displayed as the enemies of the Masters and their disciples. For example, in [[Mahatma_Letter_No._131#Page 5|one of his letters]] [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] wrote to [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett]]:

<blockquote>In our mountains here, the Dugpas lay at dangerous points, in paths frequented by our [[Chela|Chelas]], bits of old rag, and other articles best calculated to attract the attention of the unwary, which have been impregnated with their evil magnetism. If one be stepped upon a tremendous psychic shock may be communicated to the wayfarer, so that he may lose his footing and fall down the precipice before he can recover himself. Friend, beware of Pride and Egoism, two of the worst snares for the feet of him who aspires to climb the high paths of Knowledge and Spirituality. You have opened a joint of your armour for the Dugpas — do not complain if they have found it out and wounded you there.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 131 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 436-437.</ref></blockquote>

== Drukpa Lineage ==

The word "dugpa" was frequently used by [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] and the [[Masters of Wisdom|Masters]] in a generic sense to refer to the "red-cap" or "red-hat" sects of [[Tibetan Buddhism]] and the pre-Buddhist natives Böns. As David Reigle showed, this general meaning for the word "dugpa" was prevalent during Blavatsky's time. This mistake was corrected in 1895 by L. Austine Waddell’s book, ''The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism'', where he states that the Dug-pa are a sub-sect of the red-cap sect Kagyupa.<ref>[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/dugpas-drugpas-blavatsky.pdf# Who Are the Dugpas in Theosophical Writings? by David Reigle]</ref> This sub-sect eventually came to be the main school of Buddhism in Bhutan, known as the "Drukpa Kargyu".<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "Brug-pa", http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/82022/Brug-pa.</ref>

Mme. Blavatsky wrote an article in line with this view, where she uses the term "dugpa" in a more restricted way, applying it to the Nyingmapas and [[Dugpa#Shammar|Shammars]] in Bhutan:

<blockquote>The "Dug-pa'''(*)''' or Red Caps" belong to the old Nyang-na-pa sect, who resisted the religious reform introduced by Tsong-kha-pa between the latter part of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries. It was only after a lama coming to them from Tibet in the tenth century had converted them from the old Buddhist faith so strongly mixed up with the Bhon practices of the aborigines — into the Shammar sect, that, in opposition to the reformed "Gyelukpas," the Bhootanese set up a regular system of reincarnations.

'''(*)''' The term "Dug-pa" in Tibet is deprecatory. They themselves pronounce it "Dög-pa" from the root to "bind" (religious binders to the old faith): while the paramount sect — the Gyeluk-pa (yellow caps) — and the people, use the word in the sense of "Dug-pa" mischief-makers, sorcerers. The Bhootanese are generally called Dug-pa throughout Tibet and even in some parts of Northern India.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 9-10.</ref></blockquote>

However, even this reference to this particular Bhutanese sect should not be taken in a too general way. In reference to the [[Brothers of the Shadow]], Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

<blockquote>In Sikkim and Tibet they are called Dug-pas (red-caps), in contra-distinction to the Geluk-pas (yellow-caps), to which latter most of the adepts belong. And here we must beg the reader not to misunderstand us. For though the whole of Bhûtan and Sikkim belongs to the old religion of the Bhons, now known generally as the Dug-pas, we do not mean to have it understood that the whole of the population is possessed, en masse, or that they are all sorcerers. Among them are found as good men as anywhere else, and we speak above only of the élite of their Lamaseries, of a nucleus of priests, "devil-dancers," and fetish worshippers, whose dreadful and mysterious rites are utterly unknown to the greater part of the population.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VI (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1989), 198.</ref></blockquote>

== Shammar ==

Tibetan word '''shamar''' (ཞྭ་དམར ''zhwa dmar'') means "red hat." When [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Blavatsky]] regarded them as an offshoot of the Böns:

<blockquote>The Shammar sect is not, as wrongly supposed, a kind of corrupted Buddhism, but an offshoot of the Bön religion — itself a degenerated remnant of the Chaldean mysteries of old, now a religion entirely based upon necromancy, sorcery and sooth-saying. The introduction of Buddha’s name in it means nothing.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 15, fn.</ref></blockquote>

There are references to this use of the term in the 19th century. For example, in a book on the history of Hindustan we find:

<blockquote>Two sets [sic] divide the votaries of Buddha, the Gyllookpa [Gelug-pa], distinguished by robes of yellow cloth, and the Shammar, clothed in red. In ancient times, the latter are reported to have been the most numerous; till the Gyllookpa assembling a mighty army, drove them from their possessions, and forced them to take refuge in Bootan, whose inhabitants are all of that sect.<ref>Lawrence Dundas Campbell et al, ''The Asiatic annual register or a view of the history of Hindustan and of the politics, commerce and literature of Asia'', vol. 3 (London: Wilson and Co., Oriental Press, 1802), 15.</ref></blockquote>

=== Shamarpa ===

The Shamarpa is one of the two lineage holders of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, the Karmapa being the main one. The Shamarpas (the first one being established in 1284), are sometimes referred to as the "Red Hat Karmapas".

The 10th Shamarpa (1742–1793) was declared guilty of inciting a war between Tibet and Nepal. He was exiled from Tibet and a ban was placed on his future incarnations. In 1963, following a request from the 16th Karmapa, the Tibetan Government in Exile lifted the ban. Today, Künzig Shamar Rinpoche is the 14th Shamarpa.

== C. W. Leabeteater's view ==

<blockquote>All through her writings Madame Blavatsky applies the name Dugpa to the brothers of the shadow – black magicians, as we often call them. Perhaps it is rather an unfortunate name to have chosen, because the dugpas do not quite deserve all the hard things she has said about them.

In Tibet, before Buddhism penetrated that land, there was much worship of elementals and nature-spirits, and offerings of a propitiatory character were regularly made to them. The religion was on a low level, as all religions of a propitiatory nature must be. “The Bhons and Dugpas,” says Madame Blavatsky, “and the various sects of the ‘Redcaps’, are regarded as the most versed in sorcery. They inhabit Western and Little Tibet and Bhutan.” The old religion thus still lives. . . . 
The Bhon-pa are the followers of the aboriginal religion. The descendants of the converts made by the first mission are called Ninma-pa. That first incursion of Buddhism rapidly became corrupted by the old faith. The Kargyu sect represents the converts of the second mission, which was sent to Tibet some centuries later than the first. The Dug-pa, or Red-caps, belong to this sect, and so are two removes from the Bhon-pa. It also became impure, and allowed the old beliefs to creep in. . . .

The Dug-pa clan, then, is not quite so bad as it has been painted. They are Buddhists, with nature-worship super-imposed. This old worship, its enemies say, included animal sacrifices, and even human sacrifices at one time.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, ''Talks on the Path of Occultism'' Volume 2, (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), ???.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Notes ==
<references/>

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dugpa Dugpa] at Theosophy World
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1315# Harry Potter and Dugpa] by John Algeo
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/blavatsky/arts/ReincarnationsInTibet.htm# Reincarnations in Tibet] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/dugpas-drugpas-blavatsky.pdf# Who Are the Dugpas in Theosophical Writings?] by David Reigle

[[Category:Buddhist concepts]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]

Druidism

2020-04-08T18:28:43Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

[[File:330px-An Arch Druid in His Judicial Habit.jpg|right|no framing|230px| 'An Arch Druid in His Judicial Habit', from ''The Costume of the Original Inhabitants of the British Islands'' by S.R. Meyrick and C.H. Smith (1815)]]
Druidism was the class of high-ranking professionals in ancient Celtic cultures. Perhaps best remembered as religious leaders, the druids were also legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals, and political advisors. While the druids are reported to have been literate, they are believed to have been prevented by doctrine from recording their knowledge in written form, thus they left no written accounts of themselves. They are however attested in some detail by their contemporaries from other cultures, such as the Romans and the Greeks.

== H. P. Blavatsky on Druidism ==

Helena P. [[Blavatsky]] referenced Druidism in positive terms in [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] (2:756): <blockquote> The mystery veiling the origin and the religion of the Druids is as great as that of their supposed fanes [temples] is to the modern Symbologist, but not to the initiated Occultists. Their priests were the descendants of the last [[Atlantis|Atlanteans]], and what is known of them is sufficient to allow the inference that they were eastern priests akin to the Chaldeans and Indians, though little more. It may be inferred that they symbolized their deity as the Hindus do their Vishnu, as the Egyptians did their Mystery God, and as the builders of the Ohio great serpent mound worshipped theirs — namely under the form of the “Mighty Serpent,” the emblem of the eternal deity TIME (the Hindu Kala). Pliny called them the “Magi of the Gauls and Britons.” But they were more than that. The author of Indian Antiquities [Thomas Maurice] finds much affinity between the Druids and Brahmins of India. Dr. Borlase points to a close analogy between them and the Magi of Persia; others will see an identity between them and the Orphic priesthood of Thrace — simply because they were connected, in their esoteric teachings, with the universal Wisdom Religion, and thus presented affinities with the exoteric worship of all. </blockquote>

<blockquote> Like the Hindus, the Greeks and Romans (we speak of the Initiates), the Chaldees and the Egyptians, the Druids believed in the doctrine of a succession of worlds, as also in that of seven “creations” (of new continents) and transformations of the face of the earth, and in a sevenfold night and day for each earth or globe.” In the same work (2:760), Blavatsky wrote, “The Druids believed in the rebirth of man . . . in a series of reincarnations in this same world; for as Diodorus says, they declared that the souls of men, after determinate periods, would pass into other bodies. </blockquote>

== Other Theosophical writers on Druidism ==

[[File:The Druids and Theosophy.png|right|no framing|200px|Cover of ''The Druids and Theosophy'' by Peter Freeman (1924)]]
A number of [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] writers have written on Druidism as an aspect of the Ancient Wisdom. In the introduction to Peter Freeman's 1924 pamphlet, ''The Druids and Theosophy'', [[Annie Besant]] states: <blockquote> That the Druids held in trust secrets of science and mystic lore we know. Persecution by the ignorant and the superstitious slew, and drove into hiding the wise and the understanding, and robbed the lands of the Kelts of music and poesy, of art and grace, save that which was interwoven in the soul of the people and made them what they were. </blockquote>

Freeman further propounds a relationship between Druidism and Theosophy on the last page of the text: <blockquote> The word “ Druid” is derived from, Dru = God (cf. Modern Welsh Duw; Gaelic, Draoi; French, Dieu; Greek, A ; English, Deity), and “Vid” = "knowledge” (cf. Aryan root, vid = wisdom; Latin, video; Sanscrit, vidya; English, vision); in fact it is but another form of the words “ Divine Wisdom,” the Brahma-Vidya or THEOSOPHY. </blockquote>

<blockquote> From the above it does not seem unreasonable to assume that the Druids were to the Fourth Sub-Race, what the Theosophical Movement is to the Fifth, and that the same great fundamental teachings of life which inspired the Druids are now the ideals by which many try to live as Theosophists. </blockquote>

== Online resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/druidism Druidism] at Theosophy World

* [https://www.theosophyforward.com/articles/theosophical-encyclopedia/1097-druidism Druidism] entry in the Theosophical Encyclopedia

* [http://iapsop.com/ssoc/1924__freeman___the_druids_and_theosophy.pdf The Druids and Theosophy] by Peter Freeman (introduction by Annie Besant)

* [https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/forum/f28n09p535_druidism.htm Druidism: The Theosophy of Ancient Wales] by Kenneth Morris

[[Category:Religions]]

Dreams

2020-04-08T18:19:40Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online Resources */

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
Talking about dreams, [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] stated:

<blockquote>In that strange state of being which, as Byron has it, puts us in a position “with seal’d eyes to see,” one often perceives more real facts than when awake.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 133.</ref></blockquote>

== Online Resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dreams Dreams] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/are-dreams-but-idle-visions# Are Dreams But Idle Visions?] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/dreamland-and-somnambulism# Dreamland and Somnambulism] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.philaletheians.co.uk/Study%20notes/Blavatsky%20Speaks/Blavatsky%20on%20Dreams.pdf# On Dreams] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.ult.org/dreams.pdf# Dreams] a collection of articles by H. P. Blavatsky and W. Q. Judge
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/remembering-the-experiences-of-the-ego# Remembering the Experiences of the Ego] by W. Q. Judge

===Books===
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/BlavatskyPamphlet_No7.pdf# Dreams by H.P. Blavatsky] Edited and Rearranged by A.L. Cleather
*[http://www.anandgholap.net/Dreams-CWL.htm# Dreams] by C. W. Leadbeater
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/DreamsAndDreamStories_AKingsford.pdf# Dreams and Dream-Stories] by Anna Kingsford

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Scientific concepts]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]

Djual Khool

2020-04-08T18:16:50Z

Michael Conlin:

'''Djual Khool''' (and several other spellings) was a [[chela]] of [[Koot Hoomi|Mahatma K.H.]] at the beginning of the correspondence the latter and [[Morya|Mahatma Morya]] held with [[A. P. Sinnett]] and [[A. O. Hume]]. Variant spellings include Djual Khul, Gjual Khool, DK, or GK.

== Biographical information ==

Little is known about Djual Khool's personal life. In the [[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|Mahatma Letters]] he is frequently referred to as ''the Disinherited'', a nickname given him because he was disinherited by his family when he became a chela of the Mahatma K.H. He is also sometimes called Benjamin, in reference to the Biblical story in which Benjamin is the youngest of Jacob's twelve sons. Koot Hoomi referred to him as his "Alter Ego."

In the Mahatma Letters there are hints about his Tibetan nationality. For example, when comparing D.K.'s artistic abilities with those of [[H. P. Blavatsky]], Master [[Koot Hoomi|K.H.]] wrote: "He will never be able to produce such a picture [as that from H.P.B.], simply because he is unable to conceive it in his mind and Tibetan thought."<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 92 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), ???.</ref> Master K.H. gives second reference to D.K. living in Tibet in the following sentence: "He never wrote one line but once, he says — for the last eleven years, except on such "double superfin glacé" made at Thibet."<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' [[Mahatma Letter No. 15|No. 15]] (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), ???.</ref><ref>* '''double superfin glacé''' means "double glazed superfine" in French, and probably refers to a kind of paper.</ref>

In September 1882 Master K.H. wrote that "he is no longer my [his] chela,"<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 85B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 261.</ref> perhaps indicating that he had taken a higher initiation.

== Involvement with the Mahatma Letters ==

[[File:The Disinherited signature 6650 MLB37 ML37.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Signature of Djual Khool in [[Mahatma Letter No. 37]]]]
[[File:DK signature 7236 MLB125 ML83.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Signature of Djual Khool in [[Mahatma Letter No. 83]], given as "Gjual-Khool"]]

Djual Khool was used in a number of instances by [[Koot Hoomi|Mahatma K.H.]] as intermediary to precipitate some of the letters he sent to [[A. P. Sinnett|Mr. Sinnett]]. Besides this, he wrote a few letters and notes and signed them with his name.

The first letter he wrote to [[A. P. Sinnett|Mr. Sinnett]] was after the [[Koot Hoomi|Mahatma K.H.]] finished his long retreat. The letter was received in January, 1882, and was published as '''[[Mahatma Letter No. 37]]''' (Barker no. 37). He also wrote a footnote (signed as Gjual-Khool) to an article to be published by [[William Oxley]] in [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']]. A copy of the footnote was sent by [[H. P. Blavatsky]] to [[A. P. Sinnett|Mr. Sinnett]] for him to make corrections before publishing it. It was received by him on August 1882. The footnote is currently published as '''[[Mahatma Letter No. 83]]''' in the chronological edition of the [[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|''The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'']] (Barker no. 125).

Another example was '''[[Mahatma Letter No. 84]]''', in which he described the conditions under which a package would be delivered to [[A. P. Sinnett|Sinnett's house.]]

== Alice Bailey ==

Nineteen of the books written by [[Alice Bailey]] are presented each beginning with a two page ''Extract of a Statement by the Tibetan'' which explains his early wish to remain anonymous during the period of authorship and presumably while certain training experiments were taking place. <ref>Alice A. Bailey, ''Letters on Occult Meditation'', (New York NY, Lucis Publishing Company, 1950)</ref> <ref>Alice A. Bailey, ''Discipleship In the New Age Volume One'', (New York NY, Lucis Publishing Company, 1972)</ref> <ref>Alice A. Bailey, ''Discipleship In the New Age Volume Two'', (New York NY, Lucis Publishing Company, 1955)</ref> On the last page of the final volume of ''A Treatise on the Seven Rays'' the author of these works confirms his identity as '''Djwhal Khul'''.

Alice Bailey reports that his English vocabulary was cumbersome at first but improved as they together worked out a suitable presentation style.<ref>Alice A. Bailey, ''The Unfinished Autobiography'', (New York NY, Lucis Publishing Company, 1951) 167</ref> John Berges reports that a lexigraphic analysis of Alice Bailey's writings identifies three words of old English usage ( ''e'en'', ''oft'' and ''anent'' ) that appear hundreds of times in the works attributed to the Tibetan but never in the books written by Alice Bailey without the Tibetan, except for one instance of ''anent'' which appears in an appendix authored by the Tibetan himself.<ref>John Berges. Hidden Foundations of the Great Invocation. Print. Northfield, New Jersey. Planetwork Press, 2000, page 41</ref> This supports the statement by Djual Khool that he had two European lives<ref>Alice A. Bailey, ''Discipleship In the New Age Volume Two'', (New York NY, Lucis Publishing Company, 1955) 473</ref> and strongly suggests that one of them was in Elizabethan England.
==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/djual-khul Djual Khul] at Theosophy World
== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Mahatmas and Adepts]]
[[es:Djual Khool]]

Dhyani-Buddha

2020-04-08T18:04:49Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

'''Dhyani-Buddha''' is a [[Sanskrit]] compound term from ''dhyāni'' ("contemplative, one who meditates") and ''buddha'' (an "awakened one" or "the enlightened one"), which could be translated as "Buddha of Contemplation"<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 109.</ref>. In [[Vajrayana Buddhism]], there are five Dhyani-Buddhas, namely Akṣobhya, Amitābha, Amoghasiddhi, Ratnasaṃbhava, and Vairocana.

The five Dhyani-Buddhas are based on the [[Yogācāra]] teachings concerning the [[Trikaya]] ([[Sanskrit]] ''Tri'': "three", and ''kaya'': "body") doctrine, which posits three "bodies" of the Buddha. The Dhyani-Buddhas are all aspects of the ''[[dharmakaya]]'' or "truth-body", which embodies the principle of enlightenment.

== Theosophical View ==
===General description===
Regarding the origin of the Dhyani-Buddhas, [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] explained the following:

<blockquote>In the esoteric, and even exoteric [[Buddhism]] of the North, [[Adi-Buddha]] (Chogi dangpoi sangye), the One unknown, without beginning or end, identical with [[Parabrahman|Parabrahm]] and [[Ain Soph|Ain-Soph]], emits a bright ray from its darkness. 
This is the [[Logos#First Logos|Logos (the first)]], or Vajradhara, the Supreme [[Buddha]] (also called Dorjechang). As the Lord of all Mysteries he cannot manifest, but sends into the world of manifestation his heart—the “diamond heart,” Vajrasattva (Dorjesempa). This is the [[Logos#Second Logos|second logos]] of creation, from whom emanate the seven (in the exoteric blind the five) Dhyani Buddhas, called the [[Anupādaka|Anupadaka]], “the parentless.” These Buddhas are the primeval [[monad]]s from the world of incorporeal being, the Arupa world, wherein the Intelligences (on that plane only) have neither shape nor name, in the exoteric system, but have their distinct seven names in [[Esoteric Philosophy|esoteric philosophy]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 571.</ref></blockquote>

The Dhyani-Buddhas are thus the [[Seven Rays|seven primordial rays]] emanated from the second Logos. The latter is said to be unmanifested-manifest, and the reference to it in this context should probably be taken as referring to its unmanifested aspect:

<blockquote>The former [Dhyāni-Buddhas] only are called Anupadaka, parentless, because they radiated directly from that which is neither Father nor Mother but the unmanifested Logos. They are, in fact, the spiritual aspect of the seven Logoi; and the [[Planetary Spirit]]s are in their totality, as the seven Sephiroth.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 344-345.</ref></blockquote>

In another quote, Mme. Blavatsky said that the Atmic or Auric plane correspond to the Kosmic Dhyāni-Buddhas, who are said to be in the [[Dharmakāya]] state:

<blockquote>The Âtmic or Auric state or locality. It radiates directly from the periodical manifestation in ABSOLUTENESS, and is the first something in the Universe. Its correspondence in Kosmos is the hierarchy of non-substantial primordial beings, in a place which is no state. This hierarchy contains the primordial plane, all that was, is, and will be, from the beginning to the end of the Mahâmanvantara; all is there. This statement should not, however, be taken to imply fatality, kismet: the latter is contrary to all the teachings of Occultism. Here are the hierarchies of the Dhyâni-Buddhas. Their state is that of Para-Samâdhi, of the Dharmakâya; a state where no progress is possible. The entities there may be said to be crystallized in purity, in homogeneity.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 665.</ref></blockquote>

Because these Dhyanis are the highest on the scale of manifestation, they are related to the higher human principles: "The 'Dhyani-Buddhas' are concerned with the human higher triad in a mysterious way that need not be explained here".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 341.</ref> In fact, each [[monad]] is said to be part of the essence of a Dhyani-Buddha.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 573.</ref>

=== Evolutionary role ===

The Dhyani-Buddhas are involved in growth of humanity in different ways. One of them is to "watch" over the development of the different evolutionary cycles:

<blockquote>In the Esoteric System, the Dhyanis watch successively over one of the [[Round]]s and the great [[Root-Race|Root-races]] of our [[Planetary Chain|planetary chain]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 42.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Every class or hierarchy corresponds to one of the Rounds, the first and lowest hierarchy to the first and less developed Round, the second to the second, and so on till the seventh Round is reached, which is under the supervision of the highest Hierarchy of the Seven Dhyanis.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 344.</ref></blockquote>

In this function, they are known as the "watchers" or the "architects". They remain active during the whole [[Manvantara|Planetary manvantara]], and can rest--

<blockquote>Only at the end of the [[Round#Seventh Round|seventh Round]], and not between each round, for they have to watch over the working of the laws during these minor pralayas.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 344.</ref></blockquote>

Now, "there are incarnating and there are watching Dhyanis", although we must remember that "all these differences in fact are merely functional, for they are all aspects of one and the same Essence".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 344.</ref>

They incarnating Dhyanis appear on Earth during every Round and Race<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 42.</ref> through their emanations, the celestial Bodhisattvas:

<blockquote>These Dhyani Buddhas emanate, or create from themselves, by virtue of Dhyana, celestial Selves—the super-human Bodhisattvas. These incarnating at the beginning of every human cycle on earth as mortal men, become occasionally, owing to their personal merit, Bodhisattvas among the Sons of Humanity, after which they may re-appear as Manushi (human) Buddhas. The Anupadaka (or Dhyani-Buddhas) are thus identical with the Brahminical Manasaputra, “mind-born sons”—whether of Brahmâ or either of the other two Trimurtian Hypostases, hence identical also with the Rishis and Prajâpatis.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 571.</ref></blockquote>

Although Tibetan Buddhism mentions five Dhyani-Buddhas, the [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] literature talks about seven ("or, rather, the Seven Hierarchies of these Dhyanis"<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 343.</ref>). The reason given is that although there are seven hierarchies in total, they become active progressively as the evolutionary cycles go on. Thus, on this [[Globe#Globe D|Globe]]...

<blockquote>...five only have hitherto manifested, and two are to come in the sixth and seventh Root-races. They are, so to speak, the eternal prototypes of the [[Buddha]]s who appear on this earth, each of whom has his particular divine prototype."<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 108.</ref></blockquote>

However, this is said to be only a figurative way of speaking. As Mme. Blavatsky further explained:

<blockquote>This is, again, semi-allegorical, if not entirely so. For the sixth and seventh Hierarchies have been already incarnated on this earth together with the rest. But as they have reached “Buddhaship,” so called, almost from the beginning of the [[Root-Race#Fourth Root-Race|fourth Root-Race]], they are said to rest since then in conscious bliss and freedom till the beginning of the Seventh Round, when they will lead Humanity as a new race of Buddhas.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 343.</ref></blockquote>

It seems that even the "watchers" incarnate at the beginning and the beginning and the end of major evolutionary cycles:

<blockquote>The Dhyani-Buddhas of the two higher groups, namely, the “Watchers” or the “Architects,” furnished the many and various races with divine kings and leaders. It is the latter who taught humanity their arts and sciences, and the former who revealed to the incarnated Monads that had just shaken off their vehicles of the lower Kingdoms—and who had, therefore, lost every recollection of their divine origin—the great spiritual truths of the transcendental worlds.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 267.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>At the last, they will appear on earth, as also will some of the [[Planetary Spirit|Planetary]], for the whole humanity will have become Bodhisattvas, their own “sons,” i.e., the “Sons” of their own Spirit and Essence or—themselves.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 344.</ref></blockquote>

== In Tibetan Buddhism ==

The term "dhyani-buddhas" was first recorded in English by the British Resident in Nepal, Brian Hodgson, in the early 19th century, and is unattested in any surviving traditional primary sources. In Vajrayana Buddhism they are frequently called Five Tathāgatas (pañcatathāgata) or Five Wisdom Tathāgatas (pinyin: Wǔzhì Rúlái), the Five Great Buddhas and the Five Jinas (Sanskrit for "conqueror" or "victor"). They are emanations and representations of the five qualities of the [[Adi-Buddha]] ("first Buddha")--or Vajradhara, which is associated with [[Dharmakaya]].

Their names are: Vairocana (depicted in mandalas at the center, as the Principal deity/meditator), Amoghasiddhi (North), Amitābha (West), Akshobhya (East), and Ratnasambhava (South).

The Five Tathāgatas have their consorts as well as Dhyani-Bodhisattvas, as follows:

*Vairocana (''consort'': White Tara or Dharmadhatvishvari, ''Dhyani-Bodhisattva'': Samantabhadra)
*Akshobhya (Locanā, Vajrapani)
*Amitābha (Pandara, Avalokiteśvara)
*Ratnasaṃbhava (Mamaki, Ratnapani)
*Amoghasiddhi (Green Tara, Viśvapāni)

== See also ==
*[[Ah-hi]]
*[[Primordial Seven]]
*[[Seven Rays]]

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dhyani-buddha Dyani-Buddha] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Sanskrit terms]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Buddhist concepts]]
[[es:Dhyani-Buddha]]
[[it:Dhyani Buddha]]

Dhyan-Chohan

2020-04-08T17:59:51Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

'''Dhyan Chohan''' or '''Dhyāni-Chohan''' is a generic term for all Devas, Angels or celestial beings,<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 340.</ref> of which are several hierarchies and degrees. The Sanskrit word ''dhyani'' means "contemplative, one who meditates" while the origin of the word ''chohan'' is unknown. According to [[H. P. Blavatsky]] it is a Tibetan word meaning "'Lord' or 'Master'; a chief". "Thus," she continues, "Dhyan-Chohan would answer to 'Chief of the Dhyanis', or celestial Lights--which in English would be translated Archangels".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1918), 83.</ref> The Dhyan Chohans are the agents of the Karmic and Cosmic Laws.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 274.</ref> Some of the Dhyāni-Chohan in [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] are the [[Primordial Seven]], [[Lipika]]s, [[Mānasaputra]]s, [[Kumāras]], [[Manu]]s, etc.

== General Definition ==

The Dhyāni-Chohan are the host of celestial beings that impress upon matter the ideas found in the cosmic ideation. In this sense, the [[Mahat|universal mind]] is seen as the "architect" providing the plan for the building and functioning of the universe, while the celestial beings are the "masons":

<blockquote>[The Secret Doctrine] 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,-i.e., an imperfect extra-cosmic god,-but only the aggregate of the Dhyan-Chohans and the other forces.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 279-280.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>The whole Kosmos is guided, controlled, and animated by almost endless series of Hierarchies of sentient Beings, each having a mission to perform, and who—whether we give to them one name or another, and call them Dhyan-Chohans or Angels—are “messengers” in the sense only that they are the agents of Karmic and Cosmic Laws.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 274</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>They are the Intelligent Forces that give to and enact in Nature her “laws,” while themselves acting according to laws imposed upon them in a similar manner by still higher Powers; but they are not “the personifications” of the powers of Nature, as erroneously thought. This hierarchy of spiritual Beings, through which the Universal Mind comes into action, is like an army - a "Host," truly - by means of which the fighting power of a nation manifests itself, and which is composed of army corps, divisions, brigades, regiments, and so forth, each with its separate individuality or life, and its limited freedom of action and limited responsibilities; each contained in a larger individuality, to which its own interests are subservient, and each containing lesser individualities in itself.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 38</ref></blockquote>

== Their nature ==

In the "Summing Up" of the first volume of the [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']], [[H. P. Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] describes their nature:

<blockquote>They vary infinitely in their respective degrees of consciousness and intelligence; and to call them all pure Spirits without any of the earthly alloy “which time is wont to prey upon” is only to indulge in poetical fancy. For each of these Beings either was, or prepares to become, a man, if not in the present, then in a past or a coming cycle (Manvantara). They are perfected, when not incipient, men; and differ morally from the terrestrial human beings on their higher (less material) spheres, only in that they are devoid of the feeling of personality and of the human emotional nature—two purely earthly characteristics. The former, or the “perfected,” have become free from those feelings, because (a) they have no longer fleshly bodies—an ever-numbing weight on the Soul; and (b) the pure spiritual element being left untrammelled and more free, they are less influenced by maya than man can ever be, unless he is an adept who keeps his two personalities—the spiritual and the physical—entirely separated. The incipient monads, having never had terrestrial bodies yet, can have no sense of personality or EGO-ism. That which is meant by “personality,” being a limitation and a relation, or, as defined by Coleridge, “individuality existing in itself but with a nature as a ground,” the term cannot of course be applied to non-human entities; but, as a fact insisted upon by generations of Seers, none of these Beings, high or low, have either individuality or personality as separate Entities, i.e., they have no individuality in the sense in which a man says, “I am myself and no one else; “in other words, they are conscious of no such distinct separateness as men and things have on earth. Individuality is the characteristic of their respective hierarchies, not of their units; and these characteristics vary only with the degree of the plane to which those hierarchies belong: the nearer to the region of Homogeneity and the One Divine, the purer and the less accentuated that individuality in the Hierarchy. They are finite, in all respects, with the exception of their higher principles—the immortal sparks reflecting the universal divine flame—individualized and separated only on the spheres of Illusion by a differentiation as illusive as the rest.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 274-5</ref></blockquote>

=== No perfect gods ===

<blockquote>The collective Mind—the Universal—composed of various and numberless Hosts of Creative Powers, however infinite in manifested Time, is still finite when contrasted with the unborn and undecaying Space in its supreme essential aspect. That which is finite cannot be perfect. Therefore there are inferior Beings among those Hosts, but there never were any devils or “disobedient Angels,” for the simple reason that they are all governed by Law.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 487.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>As that process is not always perfect; and since, however many proofs it may exhibit of a guiding intelligence behind the veil, it still shows gaps and flaws, and even results very often in evident failures—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.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 280</ref></blockquote>

== Men as future Dhyan Chohans ==

<blockquote>Ordinarily, a man is said to reach Nirvana when he evolutes into a Dhyan Chohan. The condition of a Dhyan Chohan is attained in the ordinary course of Nature, after the completion of the 7th round in the present planetary chain. After becoming a Dhyan Chohan, a man does not, according to the Law of Nature, incarnate in any of the other planetary chains of this Solar system. The whole Solar system is his home. He continues to discharge his duties in the Government of this Solar system until the time of Solar Pralaya, when his monad, after a period of rest, will have to overshadow in another Solar system a particular human being during his successive incarnations, and attach itself to his higher principles when he becomes a Dhyan Chohan in his turn. There is progressive spiritual development in the innumerable Solar systems of the infinite cosmos. Until the time of Cosmic Pralaya, the Monad will continue to act in the manner above indicated, and it is only during the inconceivable period of cosmic sleep which follows the present period of activity, that the highest condition of Nirvana is realized.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VI (Los Angeles, CA: Blavatsky Writings Publication Fund, 1954), 248-249.</ref></blockquote>

== Dhyan Chohans associated to human evolution ==

<blockquote>The passage of humanity into a planet and its going therefrom to another—are two critical junctures, necessitating the appearance of a Dhyan Chohan. At its first appearance, the seed of "spiritual wisdom" has to be implanted and then carried on to the next planet, when the period of obscuration of the inhabited planet approaches. The intervening disturbances, caused by racial cataclysms, on the globe, do not destroy that seed and its growth is ensured by the appearance of the intermediate Buddhas.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VI (Los Angeles, CA: Blavatsky Writings Publication Fund, 1954), 267-268.</ref></blockquote>

==See also==
*[[Angel]]
*[[Orders of Celestial Beings]]
*[[Primordial Seven]]
*[[Lipika]]
*[[Manasaputra]]

== Additional resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dhyani-chohan Dhani-Chohan] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
* "The Metaphysical Basis of 'Esoteric Buddhism'" in ''Damodar: The Writings of a Hindu Chela'' by Damodar K.Mavalankar, compiled by Sven Eek (Point Loma, Calif: Theosophical University Press, 1940), 108-126. See especially pages 120-123.
*[https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dhyani-chohan Dhyāni-Chohan] in Theosophy World.
*[https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/Archangel# Archangel] in Theosophy World.
*[http://www.blavatskytrust.org.uk/html/articles/hierarchies.htm# Man and the Cosmic Hierarchies] by Geoffrey Farthing.
*[http://hpb.narod.ru/AngelRace.htm# Angels and the New Race] by Geoffrey Hodson.
*[http://hpb.narod.ru/AngelicHosts.htm# The Angelic Hosts] by Geoffrey Hodson.
*[https://www.theosophical.org/component/content/article?id=1385# Angels, Mortals, and the Language of Love] By Maria Parisen.
*[http://hpb.narod.ru/ManAndHisCreatorsCEW.htm# Man and his Creators] by Charlotte. E. Woods.

===Audio===
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/hodson/The%20Angelic%20Hosts.mp3# "The Angelic Hosts"] by Geoffrey Hodson
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/kunz/Christmas%20and%20the%20Angelic%20Forces.mp3# "Christmas and the Angelic Forces"] by Dora Kunz
*[https://www.theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Kunz,%20D/193%20Kunz,%20D%20-%20The%20Angelic%20Kingdom%20&%20its%20Relation%20to%20Man.mp3# The Angelic Kingdom & its Relation to Man] by Dora Kunz

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[es:Dhyan-Chohan]]
[[it:Dhyān Chohan]]

Dharma

2020-04-08T17:51:58Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

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'''Dharma''' (devanāgarī: धर्म) is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. It has multiple meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In Hinduism, ''dharma'' signifies behaviours that are considered to be in accord with the order that makes life and universe possible (Ṛta), and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and "right way of living." In Buddhism, dharma means "cosmic law and order", it is frequently used to refer to "phenomena," and it is also applied to the teachings of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]].

== Definition ==

There is no equivalent single-word synonym for ''dharma'' in western languages. The Sanskrit noun ''dharma'' (धर्म) derives from the root ''dhṛ'', which means "to hold, maintain, keep or bear." It takes a meaning of "what is established or firm", and hence "law". It is the thing that regulates the course of change by not participating in change, but that principle which remains constant.
The meaning of the word dharma depends on the context. There are numerous definitions such as that which is established or firm, steadfast decree, statute, law, practice, custom, duty, right, justice, virtue, morality, ethics, religion, religious merit, good works, nature, character, quality, property. In common parlance dharma means "right way of living" and "path of rightness".

==In Theosophy==

[[Annie Besant]] described the Theosophical meaning of the term "dharma" as follows:

<blockquote>Dharma may now be defined as the “inner nature of a thing at any given stage of [[evolution]], and the law of the next stage of its unfolding”. . . . Take those two thoughts together, and then you will understand why perfection must be reached by following one’s own Dharma. My Dharma is the stage of evolution which my nature has reached in unfolding the seed of divine life which is myself, plus the law of life according to which the next stage is to be performed by me. It belongs to this separated self. I must know the stage of my growth, and I must know the law which will enable me to grow further; then I know my Dharma, and by following that Dharma I am going towards perfection.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Dharma'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 19869), 17.</ref></blockquote>

=== Duty ===

The word ''dharma'' is sometimes translated as "duty", which may be seen as one aspect of it. Even the [[Masters of Wisdom]] are bounded by duty although it is a willingly accepted one. In [[Mahatma Letter No. 126#Page 1 transcription, image, and notes|one of his letters]] [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] wrote:

<blockquote>My first duty is to my Master. And duty, let me tell you, is for us, stronger than any friendship or even love; as without this abiding principle which is the indestructible cement that has held together for so many milleniums, the scattered custodians of nature's grand secrets — our Brotherhood, nay, our doctrine itself — would have crumbled long ago into unrecognisable atoms.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 126 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), ???.</ref></blockquote>

== Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dharma Dharma] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[https://www.theosophical.org/publications/1595# Synchronicity: The Gateway to Opportunity] by Ed Abdill
*[http://hpb.narod.ru/Dharma.htm# Dharma] by Dora Kunz
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1504# Karma and Dharma: Twin Keys to the Heroic Journey] by Joy Mills

===Books===
*[http://www.anandgholap.net/Dharma-AB.htm# Dharma] by Annie Besant

===Audio===
*[https://archive.org/download/karmadharmajourneymills/KarmaDharmaJourney_Mills.mp3# Karma-Dharma: Two Keys to the Heroic Journey] by Joy Mills
*[https://www.theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Patterson%2C%20J/190%20Pattterson%2C%20J%20-%20What%20is%20Dharma.mp3# What is Dharma? by Jack Patterson]

===Video===
*[https://youtu.be/yRYTOPapaJs# Dharma-The Lodestar of Life] by Ed. Abdill
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG3C0dRiQY4# Dharma—The Law of Our Best Being] by Joy Mills
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB9yFR4wR_I&list=PLRtuDWE10sVdYiUIRrCSToDPsSuzBzyT6&index=8# Our Mission in Life] by Pablo Sender

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Sanskrit terms]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Hindu concepts]]
[[Category:Buddhist concepts]]
[[it:Dharma]]

Devachan

2020-04-08T17:49:05Z

Michael Conlin:

'''Devachan''' is a phonetic spelling of the [[Tibetan]] term ''bde ba can'' or ''bde ba chen'' (frequently written as "dewachen"), first published by German scholar Emil Schlagintweit in his book ''Buddhism in Tibet'' (1863).<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bit/index.htm# Online version] ''Buddhism in Tibet'', Ch. VIII, p. 85. </ref> The term can be translated as "blissful realm" or "pure land", and corresponds to the [[Mahayana Buddhism|Mahayanic]] ''sukhāvatī'' or the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] ''devaloka'' or ''svarga''.

== General description ==

In the [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] view, Devachan is a stage in the [[Life after Death|post-mortem]] processes that comes after having gone through the [[Kāmaloka]]. [[H. P. Blavatsky]] defines it as follows:

<blockquote>The “dwelling of the gods”. A state intermediate between two earth-lives, into which the EGO (Atmâ-Buddhi-Manas or the Trinity made One) enters, after its separation from Kâma Rupa, and the disintegration of the lower principles on earth.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 98.</ref></blockquote>

In Devachan, the person enjoys the result of the good actions done in the life just finished, as well as receives a compensation for the unmerited suffering experienced:

<blockquote>Devachan is the idealized continuation of the terrestrial life just left behind, a period of retributive adjustment, and a reward for unmerited wrongs and sufferings undergone in that special Life.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), 132.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>To the ordinary mortal, his bliss in it is complete. It is an absolute oblivion of all that gave it pain or sorrow in the past incarnations, and even oblivion of the fact that such things as pain or sorrow exist at all. The Devachanee lives its intermediate cycle between two incarnations surrounded by everything it had aspired to in vain, and in the companionship of everyone it loved on earth. It has reached the fulfillment of all its soul-yearnings. And thus it lives throughout long centuries an existence of unalloyed happiness, which is the reward for its sufferings in earth life.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), 148.</ref></blockquote>

Since devachan is a kind of temporary paradise, a place (or state) of bliss and of supreme felicity,<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Key to Theosophy'', (London, Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 145.</ref> Mme. Blavatsky compared it with the religious concept of [[Heaven]]:

<blockquote>The locality, which the former [the Ego] inhabits, is called by the northern Buddhist Occultists “Deva-chan,” the word answering, perhaps, to Paradise or the Kingdom of Heaven of the Christian elect.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 121.</ref></blockquote>

However, due to the important differences that exist between the two concepts, [[Mahatma]] [[K. H.]] rejected such a comparison:

<blockquote>Nor has the latter [Devachan] —even omitting all “anthropomorphic ideas of God”—
any resemblance to the paradise or heaven of any religion, and it is H.P.B.’s literary fancy that suggested to her the wonderful comparison.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 190.</ref></blockquote>

Devachan is not a state for a few chosen ones. Any person who has experienced instances of unselfish love in his/her life will enjoy some time in devachan:

<blockquote>Hence all those who have not slipped down into the mire of unredeemable sin and bestiality — go to the Deva Chan.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 190.</ref></blockquote>

However, the depth of the state of devachan and the duration of it will be different according to the spirituality of the person.

Devachan is not necessarily a "spiritual" state. It still belongs to the sphere of the "personal Ego":

<blockquote>Of course it is a state, one, so to say, of intense selfishness, during which an Ego reaps the reward of his unselfishness on earth. He is completely engrossed in the bliss of all his personal earthly affections, preferences and thoughts, and gathers in the fruit of his meritorious actions. No pain, no grief nor even the shadow of a sorrow comes to darken the bright horizon of his unalloyed happiness: for, it is a state of perpetual "Maya"<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 190-191.</ref></blockquote>

Because of this, those who are not caught in the illusion of the personality do not enter in Devachan:

<blockquote>He who has placed himself beyond the veil of maya - and such are the highest Adepts and Initiates - can have no Devachan.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), 148.</ref></blockquote>

=== Rupa and Arupa Lokas ===

[[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|''The Mahatma Letters'']] mention three spheres (Tribhuvana or [[Trailokya]]) of ascending spirituality after death: ''[[Kāmaloka|Kama-Loka]]'', ''Rupa-Loka'' and ''Arupa-Loka'',<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 104 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 361.</ref> the last two being part of devachan:

<blockquote>The sensations, perceptions and ideation of a devachanee in Rupa-Loka, will, of course, be of a less subjective nature than they would be in Arupa-Loka, in both of which the devachanic experiences will vary in their presentation to the subject-entity, not only as regards form, colour, and substance, but also in their formative potentialities. But not even the most exalted experience of a monad in the highest devachanic state in Arupa-Loka (the last of the seven states) — is comparable to that perfectly subjective condition of pure spirituality from which the monad emerged to “descend into matter,” and to which at the completion of the grand cycle it must return. Nor is Nirvana itself comparable to Para-Nirvana.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 104 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 362.</ref></blockquote>

A spiritual personality will go fast through the lower spheres to awake in the arupa-loka:

<blockquote>The “reward provided by nature for men who are benevolent in a large, systematic way” and who have not focussed their affections upon an individual or speciality, is that — if pure — they pass the quicker for that through the Kama and Rupa Lokas into the higher sphere of Tribhuvana, since it is one where the formulation of abstract ideas and the consideration of general principles fill the thought of its occupants.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 104 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 362.</ref></blockquote>

== Devachanic ego ==

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>The future state and the Karmic destiny of man depend on whether Manas gravitates more downward to Kama rupa, the seat of the animal passions, or upwards to Buddhi, the Spiritual Ego. In the latter case, the higher consciousness of the individual Spiritual aspirations of mind (Manas), assimilating Buddhi, are absorbed by it and form the Ego, which goes into Devachanic bliss.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), 91.</ref></blockquote>

After going through [[kāmaloka]] the [[Ego#Lower ego|personal ego]] undergoes a [[Life after Death#Period of gestation|period of gestation]] where it is purified from anything that is not fit to be expressed in devachan. Then "the new spiritual Ego is reborn—like the fabled Phœnix from its ashes—from the old one":<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 121.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>“Who goes to Devachan?” The personal Ego of course, but beatified, purified, holy. Every Ego — the combination of the sixth and seventh principles — which, after the period of unconscious gestation is reborn into the Devachan, is of necessity as innocent and pure as a new-born babe.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 190.</ref></blockquote>

Usually, two and a half [[Principles]] enter in Devachan, although in some cases only the two highest do it:

<blockquote>The seventh and the sixth [principles], that is to say the immortal [[spirit]] and its vehicle, the immortal or [[spiritual soul]], enter therein alone (an exceptional case) or, which nearly always takes place, the soul carries in the case of very good people (and even the indifferent and sometimes the very wicked), the essence, so to speak, of the [[fifth principle]] which has been withdrawn from the [[Ego#personal ego|personal EGO]] (the material soul). It is the latter only, in the case of the irredeemably wicked and when the spiritual and impersonal soul has nothing to withdraw from its individuality (terrestrial [[personality]]). Because the latter had nothing to offer but the purely material and sensual—that becomes annihilated.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. V (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1997), 42-43.</ref></blockquote>

== Activity in Devachan ==

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>ENQUIRER. Do we possess more knowledge in Devachan than we do in Earth life? 
THEOSOPHIST. In one sense, we can acquire more knowledge; that is, we can develop further any faculty which we loved and strove after during life, provided it is concerned with abstract and ideal things, such as music, painting, poetry, etc., since Devachan is merely an idealized and subjective continuation of earth-life.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), 156.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Immense growths, for example, of knowledge itself are possible in Devachan, for the spiritual entity which has begun the “pursuit” of such knowledge during life. Nothing can happen to a spirit in Devachan, the keynote of which has not been struck during life; the conditions of a subjective existence are such that the importation of quite external impulses and alien thoughts is impossible. But the seed of thought once sown, the current of thoughts once set going (the metaphor may freely be varied to suit any taste), and then its developments in Devachan may be infinite, for the sixth sense there and the sixth principle are our instructors; and in such society there can be no isolation, as physical humanity understands the term.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 444-445.</ref></blockquote>

A person in Devachan is said to be able to establish a relationship with those he/she loves, even though these people may still be alive and have no physical awareness of this relationship. This is sometimes interpreted to mean that this relationship in Devachan is an illusion created by the mind of the "devachanee". However, Blavatsky explains that the relationship really happens between the higher selves of people:

<blockquote>The glorious “Higher Self” with which we are united during life, gathers around itself the Higher selves of all those whom it loved on earth with an immortal spiritual love.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 317.</ref></blockquote>

== Duration of Devachan ==

[[Alfred Percy Sinnett|Mr Sinnett]] asked [[Koot Hoomi|Mahatma K.H.]]: "Does this state of spiritual beatitude endure for years? for decades? for centuries?" His answer was:

<blockquote>For years, decades, centuries and milleniums, oftentimes — multiplied by something more. It all depends upon the duration of Karma. Fill with oil Den's little cup, and a city Reservoir of water, and lighting both see which burns the longer. The Ego is the wick and Karma the oil.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 195.</ref></blockquote>

The perception of time in devachan, however, is not the same as on earth. [[Koot Hoomi|Mahatma K.H.]] wrote:

<blockquote>No; there are no clocks, no timepieces in Devachan, my esteemed chela, though the whole Cosmos is a gigantic chronometer in one sense. Nor do we, mortals, — ''ici bas même'' — take much, if any, cognizance of time during periods of happiness and bliss, and find them ever too short; a fact that does not in the least prevent us from enjoying that happiness all the same — when it does come. . . . I may also remind you in this connection that time is something created entirely by ourselves; that while one short second of intense agony may appear, even on earth, as an eternity to one man, to another, more fortunate, hours, days, and sometimes whole years may seem to flit like one brief moment; and that finally, of all the sentient and conscious beings on earth, man is the only animal that takes any cognizance of time, although it makes him neither happier nor wiser. How then, can I explain to you that which cannot feel, since you seem unable to comprehend it? Finite similes are unfit to express the abstract and the infinite; nor can the objective ever mirror the subjective.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 356-357.</ref></blockquote>

== Bardo Thodol and the Mahatma Letters ==

In one of the Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett the word "bardo" is used in connection to devachan. [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] wrote:

<blockquote>“Bardo” is the period between death and rebirth — and may last from a few years to a kalpa. It is divided into three sub-periods (1) when the Ego delivered of its mortal coil enters into Kama-Loka (the abode of Elementaries); (2) when it enters into its “Gestation State”; (3) when it is reborn in the Rupa-Loka of Devachan.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 44 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 194.</ref></blockquote>

Comparing the teachings on Devachan with that of the "bardos" found in the so-called ''Tibetan Book of the Dead'' (''Bardo Thodol''), [[David Reigle]] wrote:

<blockquote>What is known in the West as the Tibetan Book of the Dead teaches six bardos, three of which pertain to a person while living, and three pertain to a person after death. These latter three are the ones normally spoken of. Of these, the third is the srid-pa'i bar-do, in which the person is reborn in a mental body (yid lus) in this new state of existence. This is called more fully, "the mental body of apparitional experience in the intermediate state," in the 2006 translation by Gyurme Dorje, p. 274. . . . The Mahatma letter's explanation of the three bardos matches the explanation given in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. What the Mahatma letter adds is that this third bardo where the person is reborn is devachan. The Tibetan Book of the Dead does not speak of devachan, which comes from the Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra.<ref>[http://theosnet.ning.com/forum/topics/tibetan-buddhist-bardo-s-comparable-to-blavatsky-s-devachan# Tibetan Buddhist Bardo's Comparable to Blavatsky's 'Devachan'?] by David Reigle on September 10, 2011 at 10:19am at Theosophy.net</ref></blockquote>

Jamgön Kongtrül defined the ''srid pa'i bar do'' (sidpa bardo) as: "Bardo of becoming. The period from the arising of confusion and one's emergence in a mental body until being conceived in the womb of the next life".<ref>[http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/srid_pa'i_bar_do# srid pa'i bar do] at the Dharma Dictionary.</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Death]]
*[[Life after Death]]
*[[Kama-Loka]]
*[[Avichi]]

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/devachan Devachan] at Theosophy World

===Articles===

*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1452# The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Tour] by Joann S. Bakula
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v5/y1883_102.htm# Devachan - Western Stricture and Eastern Version], [http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v5/y1883_103.htm# The Real and the Unreal] , [http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v5/y1883_104.htm# Dream Life] and [http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v5/y1883_105.htm# The Various States of Devachan] by H. P. Blavatsky and others.
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/devachan# Devachan] by William Q. Judge

===Books===
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/DevachanicPlane_CWLeadbeater.pdf# The Devachanic Plane] by C. W. Leadbeater

===Video===
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhWqnl1YB0U "Bardo - from Death to Reincarnation"] by Paul Benedict and Terry Hunt.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]

Deva

2020-04-08T17:45:39Z

Michael Conlin:

'''Deva''' (Devanagari: देव) is the [[Sanskrit]] word for deity (female ''devī''). Derived from the root ''div'', "to shine or become bright," a deva is a “shining one.”

[[H. P. Blavatsky]] defined it as follows:

<blockquote>Deva (Sk.). A god, a “resplendent” deity. Deva-Deus, from the root div “to shine”. A Deva is a celestial being—whether good, bad, or indifferent. Devas inhabit “the three worlds”, which are the three planes above us. There are 33 groups or 330 millions of them.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 98.</ref></blockquote>

In one of [[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|''The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'']] the [[Koot Hoomi| Master K.H.]] says that there are two classes of devas or [[Dhyāni-Chohan]]s: the "Rupa-devas" (with "form" or objective) and the "Arupa-devas" ("formless" or subjective). They both were men in previous [[manvantara]]s.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 196.</ref>

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/devas Devas] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1215# Devic Consciousness] by Dora Kunz. Reprinted from "Devic Consciousness." ''Quest'' 97. 4 (Fall 2009): 152-153.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Sanskrit terms]]
[[Category:Hindu concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Hindu mythology]]
[[it:Deva]]

Desire

2020-04-08T17:43:22Z

Michael Conlin:

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>Desire, in its widest application, is the one creative force in the Universe. In this sense it is indistinguishable from Will; but we men never know desire under this form while we remain only men. Therefore Will and Desire are here considered as opposed.
 
Thus Will is the offspring of the Divine, the God in man; Desire the motive power of the animal life.
 
Most of men live in and by desire, mistaking it for will. But he who would achieve must separate will from desire, and make his will the ruler; for desire is unstable and ever changing, while will is steady and constant.
 
Both will and desire are absolute creators, forming the man himself and his surroundings. But will creates intelligently—desire blindly and unconsciously. The man, therefore, makes himself in the image of his desires, unless he creates himself in the likeness of the Divine, through his will, the child of the light.
 
His task is twofold: to awaken the will, to strengthen it by use and conquest, to make it absolute ruler within his body; and, parallel with this, to purify desire.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1990), 109.</ref></blockquote>

== See also==
*[[Kāma]]
*[[Will]]

== Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/desire Desire] at Theosophy World
===Articles and pamphlets===
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/2195# Desire and Spiritual Selfishness] by Edward Abdill
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v8/y1887_023.htm# Desire Made Pure] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/articles/v8/y1887_020.htm# Will and Desire] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.teosofia.com/Mumbai/7412divine.html# Divine Desire] published at Teosofia.com

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Theosophical worldview]]

Dervish

2020-04-08T17:39:10Z

Michael Conlin:

'''Dervish''' or '''Darvesh''' is an ancient Persian word (from درویش) for a person who is following an [[Asceticism|ascetic]] path or "[[Tariqah]]", in the tradition of [[Sufism]]. Dervishes as known for a lifestyle of extreme poverty and austerity, similar to medicant orders in [[Christianity]], [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Jainism]]. [[Sadhu]] is a similar term.

==Online Resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dervish Dervish] at Theosophy World

[[Category:Sufi concepts]]
[[Category:Islamic concepts]]

Death

2020-04-08T16:56:36Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

'''Death''', in the [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] view, is the process by which the three lower [[principles]] (the physical body, [[linga sharira]], and [[prana]]) are left behind before consciousness enters into the [[Life after Death|post-mortem processes]]. In the words of the [[Mahatma]] [[K. H.]]:

<blockquote>When man dies, his second and third principles die with him; the lower triad disappears, and the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh principles form the surviving Quaternary.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 192-193.</ref></blockquote>

== Theosophical attitude ==

In the Theosophical literature death is seen as a natural process, being part of the cycle of [[reincarnation]]. The life after death is regarded as more real than that of physical life, especially in the case of spiritual people. [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>Happy those of its warriors by whom Death is regarded as a tender and merciful mother. She rocks her sick children into sweet sleep on her cold, soft bosom but to awake them a moment after, healed of all ailing, happy, and with a tenfold reward for every bitter sigh or tear. Post-mortem oblivion of every evil—to the smallest—is the most blissful characteristic of the “paradise” we believe in. Yes: oblivion of pain and sorrow and the vivid recollection only, nay once more the living over of every happy moment of our terrestrial drama; and, if no such moment ever occurred in one’s sad life, then, the glorious realization of every legitimate, well-earned, yet unsatisfied desire we ever had, as true as life itself and intensified seventy-seven times sevenfold.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 71.</ref></blockquote>

== Near-death review ==

When death is approaching, a change in consciousness begins to happen in many instances. Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

<blockquote>While physical memory in a healthy living man is often obscured, one fact crowding out another weaker one, at the moment of the great change that man calls death - that which we call "memory" seems to return to us in all its vigour and freshness.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XI (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 452.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Through our "soul" it is then that we see, clearer and still clearer, as we approach the end; and it is through the throbs of dissolution that horizons of vaster, profounder knowledge are drawn on, bursting upon our mental vision, and becoming with every hour plainer to our inner eye. Otherwise, how account for those bright flashes of memory, for the prophetic insight that comes as often to the enfeebled grandsire, as to the youth who is passing away? The Nearer some approach death, the brighter becomes their long lost memory and the more correct the pre-visions. The unfoldment of the inner faculties increases as life-blood become more stagnant.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VI (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1989), 347.</ref></blockquote>

Before the connection between the [[linga sharira]] and the physical body is severed there is a full review of the life just lived, where consciousness watches the whole of his past life in a completely objective way:

<blockquote>At the solemn moment of death every man, even when death is sudden, sees the whole of his past life marshalled before him, in its minutest details. For one short instant the personal becomes one with the individual and all-knowing Ego. But this instant is enough to show him the whole chain of causes which have been at work during his life. He sees and now understands himself as he is, unadorned by flattery or self-deception. He reads his life, remaining as a spectator looking down into the arena he is quitting; he feels and knows the justice of all the suffering that has overtaken him.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (Pasadena, CA: Theosophical University Press, 1972), 162.</ref></blockquote>

This phenomena is the result of the [[soul]] reading the personal records of the ending life in the [[Akashic_Records#Astral Light|astral light]]:

<blockquote>That flash of memory which is traditionally supposed to show a drowning man every long-forgotten scene of his mortal life — as the landscape is revealed to the traveller by intermittent flashes of lightning — is simply the sudden glimpse which the struggling soul gets into the silent galleries [of the astral light] where his history is depicted in imperishable colors.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Isis Unveiled'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 179.</ref></blockquote>

According to the [[Mahatmas]] every person, regardless of the kind of death, undergoes this conscious review. This is a very important process that should not be disturbed by noise or strong emotions of those around the dying person:

<blockquote>At the last moment, the whole life is reflected in our memory and emerges from all the forgotten nooks and corners picture after picture, one event after the other. The dying brain dislodges memory with a strong supreme impulse, and memory restores faithfully every impression entrusted to it during the period of the brain's activity. That impression and thought which was the strongest naturally becomes the most vivid and survives so to say all the rest which now vanish and disappear for ever, to reappear but in [[Devachan]]. No man dies insane or unconscious — as some physiologists assert. Even a madman, or one in a fit of delirium tremens will have his instant of perfect lucidity at the moment of death, though unable to say so to those present. The man may often appear dead. Yet from the last pulsation, from and between the last throbbing of his heart and the moment when the last spark of animal heat leaves the body — the brain thinks and the Ego lives over in those few brief seconds his whole life over again. Speak in whispers, ye, who assist at a death-bed and find yourselves in the solemn presence of Death. Especially have you to keep quiet just after Death has laid her clammy hand upon the body. Speak in whispers, I say, lest you disturb the quiet ripple of thought, and hinder the busy work of the Past casting its reflection upon the Veil of the Future.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 93B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 326.</ref></blockquote>

This review is important in that it has an effect on the post-mortem states that are to follow, as explained by [[Koot Hoomi|Master K. H.]]:

<blockquote>We create ourselves our devachan as our avitchi while yet on earth, and mostly during the latter days and even moments of our intellectual, sentient lives. That feeling which is the strongest in us at that supreme hour; when, as in a dream, the events of a long life, to their minutest details, are marshalled in the greatest order in a few seconds in our vision, — that feeling will become the fashioner of our bliss or woe, the life principle of our future existence.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 70C (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 209-210.</ref></blockquote>

[[Alfred Percy Sinnett|Mr. Sinnett]], upon receiving this answer, asked: "But do the thoughts on which the mind may be engaged at the last moment necessarily hinge on to the predominant character of its past life? Otherwise it would seem as if the character of a person’s Devachan or Avitchi might be capriciously and unjustly determined by the chance which brought some special thought uppermost at last?" To this, the [[Masters of Wisdom|Master]] answered:

<blockquote>It is a widely spread belief among all the Hindus that a person’s future pre-natal state and birth are moulded by the last desire he may have at the time of death. But this last desire, they say, necessarily hinges on to the shape which the person may have given to his desires, passions, etc., during his past life. It is for this very reason, viz. — that our last desire may not be unfavourable to our future progress — that we have to watch our actions and control our passions and desires throughout our whole earthly career.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 93B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 326.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Such thoughts are involuntary and we have no more control over them than we would over the eye's retina to prevent it perceiving that colour which affects it most. At the last moment, the whole life is reflected in our memory and emerges from all the forgotten nooks and corners picture after picture, one event after the other. The dying brain dislodges memory with a strong supreme impulse, and memory restores faithfully every impression entrusted to it during the period of the brain's activity. That impression and thought which was the strongest naturally becomes the most vivid and survives so to say all the rest which now vanish and disappear for ever, to reappear but in Deva Chan.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 93B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 326.</ref></blockquote>

== Effect of the last thoughts ==

It is said that last thought a person has at the moment of death will affect the nature of the future life:

<blockquote>It is a widely spread belief among all the Hindus that a person’s future pre-natal state and birth are moulded by the last desire he may have at the time of death. But this last desire, they say, necessarily hinges on to the shape which the person may have given to his desires, passions, etc., during his past life. It is for this very reason, viz. — that our last desire may not be unfavourable to our future progress — that we have to watch our actions and control our passions and desires throughout our whole earthly career.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 93B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 326.</ref></blockquote>

The [[Mahatmas]] seem to connect this popular belief with the near-death review and its effects, because the thoughts and feelings that are stronger during this will determine to a great extent the nature of the [[after-death]] experience:

<blockquote>That feeling which is the strongest in us at that supreme hour when, as in a dream, the events of a long life, to the minutest details, are marshalled in the greatest order in a few seconds in our vision, that feeling will become the fashioner of our bliss or woe, the life-principle of our future existence.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 70-C (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 209-210.</ref></blockquote>

Since those thoughts and feelings are but the reproduction of what the person has felt during life, they cannot be chosen voluntarily:

<blockquote>Such thoughts are involuntary and we have no more control over them than we would over the eye’s retina to prevent it perceiving that colour which affects it most. At the last moment, the whole life is reflected in our memory and emerges from all the forgotten nooks and corners picture after picture, one event after the other. The dying brain dislodges memory with a strong supreme impulse, and memory restores faithfully every impression entrusted to it during the period of the brain’s activity. That impression and thought which was the strongest naturally becomes the most vivid and survives so to say all the rest which now vanish and disappear for ever, to reappear but in Devachan.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 93B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 326.</ref></blockquote>

== Unconsciousness after dying ==

When this review is finished the person falls into unconsciousness, before the [[Life after Death|post-mortem processes]] begin.

<blockquote>Every just disembodied ''four-fold'' entity — whether it died a natural or violent death, from suicide or accident, mentally sane or insane, young or old, good, bad, or indifferent — loses at the instant of death all recollection, it is mentally — ''annihilated''; it sleeps it’s akasic sleep in the Kama-loka. This state lasts from a few hours, (rarely less) days, weeks, months — sometimes to several years. All this according to the entity, to its mental status at the moment of death, to the character of its death, etc.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 85-B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 263.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Thus, when man dies, his "Soul" (fifth prin.) becomes unconscious and loses all remembrance of things internal as well as external. Whether his stay in Kama Loka has to last but a few moments, hours, days, weeks, months or years; whether he died a natural or a violent death; whether it occurred in his young or old age, and whether the Ego was good, bad, or indifferent, - his consciousness leaves him as suddenly as the flame leaves the wick, when blown out. When life has retired from the last particle in the brain matter, his perceptive faculties become extinct forever, his spiritual powers of cogitation and volition - (all those faculties in short, which are neither inherent in, nor acquirable by organic matter) - for the time being.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 70-C (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 210.</ref></blockquote>

== Apparitions of the dying person ==

== Can a person be brought back to life? ==

<blockquote>But, in the case of what physiologists would call "real death", but which is not actually so, the astral body has withdrawn; perhaps local decomposition has set in. How shall the man be brought to life again? The answer is, the interior body must be forced back into the exterior one, and vitality reawakened in the latter. The clock has run down, it must be wound. If death is absolute; if the organs have not only ceased to act, but have lost the susceptibility of renewed action, then the whole universe would have to be thrown into chaos to resuscitate the corpse - a miracle would be demanded. But, as we said before, the man is not dead when he is cold, stiff, pulseless, breathless, and even showing signs of decomposition; he is not dead when buried, nor afterward, until a certain point is reached. That point is, when the vital organs have become so decomposed, that if reanimated, they could not perform their customary functions; when the mainspring and cogs of the machine, so to speak, are so eaten away by rust, that they would snap upon the turning of the key. Until that point is reached, the astral body may be caused, without miracle to reenter its former tabernacle, either by an effort of its own will, or under the resistless impulse of the will of one who knows the potencies of nature and how to direct them. The spark is not extinguished, but only latent - latent as the fire in the flint, or the heat in the cold iron.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Isis Unveiled'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 482.</ref></blockquote>

== Destiny of the lower principles after death ==

<blockquote>Thus, the "Linga-Sarira" is "dissolved with the external body at the death of the latter". It dissolves slowly and gradually, its adhesion to the body becoming weaker, as the particles disintegrate. During the process of decay, it may, on sultry nights, be sometimes seen over the grave. Owing to the dry and electric atmosphere it manifests itself and stands as a bluish flame, often as a luminous pillar, of "odyle", bearing a more or less vague resemblance to the outward form of the body laid under the sod. Popular superstition, ignorant of the nature of these post-mortem gaseous emanations, mistakes them for the presence of the “suffering” soul, the personal spirit of the deceased, hovering over his body’s tomb. Yet, when the work of destruction has been completed, and nature has broken entirely the cohesion of corporeal particles, the Linga-Sarira is dispersed with the body of which it was but an emanation.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 53-54.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Prana is not, it must be remembered, the production of the countless "lives" that make up the human Body, nor of the congeries of the cells and atoms of the Body. It is the parent of the "lives", not their product. As an example, a sponge may be immersed in an ocean; the water in the sponge's interior may be compared to Prana; the water outside is Jiva. Prana is the motor-principle in life. The Body leaves Prana, Prana does not leave it. Take out the sponge from the water, and it becomes dry - thus symbolizing death.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 707.</ref></blockquote>

According to [[Annie Besant]], embalming the body to then bury it is not a good idea:

<blockquote>Question — Does embalming and preserving the body make any difference with the [[Emotional Body|astral body]]?

Answer — Not to the astral body. It does to the [[Linga-Sharira|etheric double]]. It keeps the etheric double hanging around the physical form.

Question — Then it really makes no difference to the [[Principle#Individuality_and_personality|individual]]?

Answer — Except that the etheric double being preserved may be used for various mischievous purposes, and therefore it is very undesirable to preserve it by preserving the dense part of the body. Far better to let it go.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Theosophical Lectures'', (Chicago: The Rajput Press, 1907), 146-147.</ref></blockquote>

== See also ==
* [[Life_after_Death|Life after Death]]
* [[Kama-Loka]]
* [[Devachan]]
* [[Avichi]]

== Online resources ==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/near-death-experience Near-Death Experience] at Theosophy World
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/death-and-after-death-states Death And After- Death States] at Theosophy World
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1210# How Death Changes Life] by Joann S. Bakula
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/memory-in-the-dying# Memory in the Dying] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/stray-thoughts-on-death-and-satan# Stray Thoughts on Death and Satan] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/thoughts-of-the-dead# Thoughts of the Dead] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/articles/ReturnfromDeath.pdf# I Return from Violent Death] by James S. Perkins
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/articles/MeetingDeath.pdf# Meeting Death as a Friend] by N. Sri Ram

===Books===
*[http://international.theoservice.org/news/helpingthedying.pdf# Helping the Dying] by Nelda Samarel
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/near-death-experiences/36-topics/reincarnation/near-death-exp/62-what-is-death# The Transpersonal Model of Death as presented in Madame Blavatsky's Theosophy] by Jean-Louis Siémons
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/AfterDeathConsciousnessAndProcesses_GFarthing.pdf# After Death Consciousness and Processes] by Geoffrey Farthing

===Audio===
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/mills/What%20is%20Death.mp3# What is Death?] by Joy Mills

===Video===
*[http://www.theosophicalinstitute.org/medialibrary/viewtitle.php?titleid=65517790-5DB3-11D6-9AE9-003048223922# Death and Immortality] by Radha Burnier
*[http://www.theosophicalinstitute.org/medialibrary/viewtitle.php?titleid=65517935-5DB3-11D6-9AE9-003048223922# The Near-Death Experience as a Basis for Religious Unity] by Robert Ellwood

== Additional resources ==
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/library/Bibliography/DyingLifeAfterDeath.pdf# Bibliography on Dying and Life after Death] from the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]].

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Theosophical worldview]]

Darkness

2020-04-08T16:45:40Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional Resources */

[[File:Darkness 2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Emerging into light from darkness. Pixabay image.]]
'''Darkness''' in its most common usages is a term that indicates the absence of light, or the presence of evil. More than a physical phenomenon that every person experiences daily, it has taken on many religious, psychological, and symbolic meanings. Darkness is multivalent:
<blockquote>
The darkness of ancient wisdom, of people of color, of space, of the womb, of the earth, of the unknown, of sorrow, of the imagination, the darkness of death, of the human heart, of the unconscious, of the darkness beyond light, of matter, of the descent of the body, of the shadow of the Most High.<ref>China Galland. ''Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna: A Ten-Year Journey'' (New York: Viking, 1990), 153.</ref>
</blockquote>

The '''shadow''' [darkness] is:
<blockquote>
imagined, unseen, primitive, archaic, instinctual, primordial, unpredictable, confused, rebellious, unstructured, unaccepted, unrelated, uncivilized, unstable, unavailable, mad, the left hand, the antithetical mask, the Dionysian, the underside of things, the chthonic side, the background, the peripheral, the perverse, the yearned for, that which holds back and stands back, that which is glimpsed at out of the corner of the eye, that which looks bad, is magical, denied, unusual, mercurial, elusive, deadly, underground, the roots of the tree.<ref>John P. Conger, ''Jung & Reich: The Body as Shadow'' (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1988), 87.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Theosophical viewpoint ==

'''Darkness''', in the Theosophical literature, is a term applied in different ways. It generally refers to the [[Absolute]], to the universe in [[pralaya]] or to pre-cosmic principles, before the manifestation of the cosmos.

<blockquote>According to the tenets of Eastern Occultism, DARKNESS is the one true actuality, the basis and the root of light, without which the latter could never manifest itself, nor even exist. Light is matter, and DARKNESS pure Spirit. Darkness, in its radical, metaphysical basis, is subjective and absolute light; while the latter in all its seeming effulgence and glory, is merely a mass of shadows, as it can never be eternal, and is simply an illusion, or Maya.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 70.</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Darkness 3.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Illustration of darkness]]
=== Meaning of the term ===

In the context of universal principles, the word "darkness" is used to refer to those principles that are beyond our comprehension, so that they appear as darkness to our minds:

<blockquote>[The] source is unknown, though as strongly demanded by reason and logic, therefore it is called “Darkness” by us, from an intellectual point of view.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 40.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>It is Darkness most unquestionably to our intellect, inasmuch as we can know nothing of it. I told you already that neither Darkness nor Light are to be used in the sense of opposites, as in the differentiated world.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 337.</ref></blockquote>

At the level of these universal principles we are not talking about light or its absence. Therefore this "darkness" is not the opposite of light:

<blockquote>In the sense of objectivity, both light and darkness are illusions—maya; in this case, it is not Darkness as absence of Light, but as one incomprehensible primordial Principle, which, being Absoluteness itself, has for our intellectual perceptions neither form, colour, substantiality, nor anything that could be expressed by words.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 331.</ref></blockquote>

The term darkness is sometimes used in a relative way:

<blockquote>In using figurative language, as has been done in The Secret Doctrine, analogies and comparisons are very frequent. Darkness for instance, as a rule, applies only to the unknown totality, or Absoluteness. Contrasted with eternal darkness, the first Logos is certainly Light; contrasted with the second or third, the manifested Logos, the first is Darkness, and the others are Light.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 368.</ref></blockquote>

In the same way it can be said that what is darkness to the regular mind, may not necessarily be so to the [[mysticism|mystic]] or the [[Adept]]:

<blockquote>[It] is absolute darkness to the scientific mind, and but a gray twilight to the perception of the average mystic, though to that of the spiritual eye of the Initiate it is absolute light.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 41.</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Thomson - Toward the Light.JPG|right|200px|thumb|''Toward the Light'' by [[E. L. Thomson]], 1939]]
=== The Absolute ===

The ultimate darkness is the [[absolute reality]], which cannot be perceived even by the [[Logos]]:

<blockquote>Q. What is Ever-Darkness in the sense used here? 
A. Ever-Darkness means, I suppose, the ever-unknowable mystery, behind the veil—in fact, Parabrahm. Even the Logos can see only Mulaprakriti, it cannot see that which is beyond the veil. It is that which is the “Ever-unknowable Darkness.”<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 351.</ref></blockquote>

The Absolute being the source of everything, in the Theosophical Literature it is said that darkness is the source of light:

<blockquote>If the absolute deity can be referred to as Darkness or the Dark Fire, the light, its first progeny, is truly the first self-conscious god.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 375.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>For the Occultist, the Rosecroix of the Middle Ages, and even the mediaeval Kabalists, said that to our human perception and even to that of the highest “angels,” the universal Deity is darkness, and from this Darkness issues the Logos. . .<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 376.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>But esoterically, it is Darkness itself, the unknowable Absolute which is the Source, firstly of the radiation called the First Logos, then of its reflection, the Dawn, or the Second Logos, and finally of Brahmâ, the manifested Light, or the Third Logos.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 376.</ref></blockquote>

Thus, the Darkness is regarded as eternal, while the appearance of light (or manifestation) is a non-eternal phenomena occurring periodically.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 351.</ref>

=== Pralaya ===

According to [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]], darkness can represent '''a time of absolute rest''':
<blockquote>Darkness is taken as the appropriate allegorical representation of the condition of the Universe during Pralaya, or the term of absolute rest, or non-being, as it appears to our finite minds.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 69.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>When the whole universe was plunged in sleep—had returned to its one primordial element—there was neither centre of luminosity, nor eye to perceive light, and darkness necessarily filled the boundless all.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 41.</ref></blockquote>

=== Pre-cosmic Principles ===

In some instances the term "darkness" is applied to the pre-cosmic principles, especially when they are mentioned in reference to the manifested elements. The [[Logos#First Logos|first or unmanifested Logos]] is called in [[Stanzas of Dzyan#Stanza III|Stanzas of Dzyan Stanza III.8]] "the dark hidden father" as opposed to the manifested "white brilliant son".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 77.</ref> Darkness is also used to refer to the the first cosmic element, "the waters" or "[[chaos]]", before it differentiated into the different [[planes]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 366.</ref>

=== Satan and Lucifer ===

[[H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote of the term darkness as applied to [[Satan]], "The Prince of Darkness." However, Satan is also related to [[Lucifer]], which means "the light bearer":

<blockquote>Even in the mind-baffling and science-harassing Genesis, light is created out of darkness “and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (ch. i. v. 2.)—and not vice versâ. “In him (in darkness) was life; and the life was the light of men” (John i. 4). A day may come when the eyes of men will be opened; and then they may comprehend better than they do now, that verse in the Gospel of John that says “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” They will see then that the word “darkness” does not apply to man’s spiritual eyesight, but indeed to “Darkness,” the absolute, that comprehendeth not (cannot cognize) transient light, however transcendent to human eyes.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 70.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Demon est Deus inversus. The devil is now called Darkness by the Church, whereas, in the Bible he is called the “Son of God” (see Job), the bright star of the early morning, Lucifer (see Isaiah). There is a whole philosophy of dogmatic craft in the reason why the first Archangel, who sprang from the depths of Chaos, was called Lux (Lucifer), the “Luminous Son of the Morning,” or manvantaric Dawn. He was transformed by the Church into Lucifer or Satan, because he is higher and older than Jehovah, and had to be sacrificed to the new dogma.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 70-71.</ref></blockquote>

== Symbolic meanings of darkness ==

Darkness and blackness have innumerable associations.
<blockquote>
Like light, darkness has a wide range of symbolic meanings. the color lack can signify the stage just before enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism – imminence; space; burning; the final stage of the soul's journey to beatitude in a Sufi tradition; wisdom; fertility in Old Europe; purity in a Turkish tradition; mourning in the West; and the first step in the medieval alchemical process, the ''nigredo''.<ref>Galland, 153.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Religious views of darkness ==

Darkness is a rich subject in the religions of the world, represented by the following examples.

=== Buddhism ===

Sakyamuni Buddha claims that darkness of the mind (mumyo no yami) is the '''real cause of suffering'''. This refers to '''fundamental darkness''' or ignorance about the purpose of life, which contrast with the nature of enlightenment or realization of the Buddha nature.

The central practice of Shin Buddhism is a chant, “Namu Amida Butsu” (also known as the nembutsu), in which the Buddhist calls upon himself to "come just as I am, with my heart of mumyo, darkness. It is only when one identifies totally with mumyo, the heart of darkness, that the walls of the proud ego-self are shattered and the true light of wisdom can shine through in one’s actions."<ref>Patti Nakai, [https://tricycle.org/magazine/confronting-heart-darkness/ "Confronting the Heart of Darkness"] ''Tricycle'' Summer 2017.</ref>

=== Taoism ===
[[File:Yin Yang symbol.png|right|130px|thumb|Yin Yang symbol]]
Taoism regards darkness as the ultimate '''source'''. The first chapter of the Tao Te Ching says:

::Yet mystery and manifestations

::arise from the same source.

::This source is called darkness.

::Darkness within darkness.

::The gateway to all understanding.

Darkness also manifests in '''polarity''' with light, without being in opposition. This concept is exemplified by the Yin Yang symbol, which represents light and darkness interlocked in perfect balance. Alan Watts wrote, "At the very roots of Chinese thinking and feeling there lies the principle of polarity, which is not to be confused with the ideas of opposition or conflict. In the metaphors of other cultures, light is at war with darkness, life with death, good with evil, and the positive with the negative, and thus an idealism to cultivate the former and be rid of the latter flourishes throughout much of the world."<ref>Alan Watts, https://creativesystemsthinking.wordpress.com/2015/07/31/the-taoist-view-of-the-universe-alan-watts/ "The Taoist View of the Universe"] Posted July 31, 2015 in Creative by Nature blog. Accessed 7/5/2018.</ref>

[[File:Deepawali festival by Ashish Kanitkar.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Diwali celebration. Photo by Ashish Kanitkar.]]
=== Hinduism ===

Goodness and evil, '''light and darkness coexist''' in every person, following the pattern of the ancient powers called the Devas and Asuras in the Vedic literature:
<blockquote>
The Devas and Asuras, Angels and Titans, powers of Light and powers of Darkness in Rigveda, although distinct and opposite in operation, are in essence consubstantial, their distinction being a matter not of essence but of orientation, revolution or transformation. In this case, the Titan is potentially an Angel, the Angel still by nature a Titan; the Darkness ''in actu'' is Light, the Light ''in potentia'' Darkness; whence the designations Asura and Deva may be applied to one and the same Person according to the mode of operation.<ref> Ananda Coomaraswamy. "Angel and Titan: An Essay in Vedic Ontology" ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' vol. 55 (1935), 373-374.</ref>
</blockquote>

Hindu '''deities linked to darkness''' include Ratri, goddess of the night, and Rahu, the celestial deity of darkness
and eclipses.

'''Diwali''', or Deepawali, is an annual festival of lights celebrated as a national holiday in India and by Hindus everywhere. It represents the '''victory of light over darkness''', knowledge over ignorance, and triumph of the good over the lower nature. The festival extends over several days, with the most important day falling in the '''dark of the moon''' of the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika in Bikram Sambat calendar (mid-October and mid-November). Hindus clean their homes in advance of Diwali, and participate in family ''puja'' (prayers) to the goddess Lakshmi. They enjoy special foods, exchange gifts, and light lamps, candles, and fireworks.

[[File:Genesis 1.2.jpg|right|290px|thumb|Genesis 1.2]]

=== Judaism ===

The Book of Genesis (or Bereishit), the first book of the Hebrew Bible, describes darkness as an aspect of the '''chaos out of which God created the Earth''' as we know it. The heaven and earth when first created were formless, empty, and dark:

::1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

::2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

::3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

::4 And God saw the light, and it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1.1-4)

Light, in this presentation, does not belong to this world, but is an emanation from another reality.

Darkness is '''an attribute of the afterlife'''. Sheol, where all go after death, is a place of of stillness and darkness, cut off from life and from God.

'''Hanukkah or Chanukah''' is a festival of lights and rededication that takes place over eight days. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple, during which the consecrated oil that normally would have been sufficient to stave off the darkness for one night was miraculously able to provide light for eight nights. On each night of Hanukkah in a Jewish home, another of the eight candles in a menorah (candlabrum) is lit from a central candle.

=== Christianity ===

Traditionally, Christians have identified darkness with '''sin''', '''ignorance''', '''spiritual blindness''', and '''death'''.<ref>Barbara Brown Taylor, [http://time.com/65543/barbara-brown-taylor-in-praise-of-darkness/ "In Praise of Darkness"] ''Time Magazine'' April 17, 2014.</ref> Hundreds of verses in the Christian Bible refer to light and darkness. Fear of darkness and an emphasis on reaching for the light characterize many modern Christians and their churches. However, as former Episcopalian priest Barbara Brown Taylor points out:

<blockquote>
darkness was often the setting for humanity’s closest '''encounters with the divine'''. God appeared to Abraham in the night and promised him descendants more numerous than the stars. The exodus from Egypt happened at night. God met Moses in the thick darkness atop Mount Sinai to hand down the Ten Commandments. The apostle Paul’s conversion happened after he lost his sight. Jesus was born beneath a star and resurrected in the darkness of a cave. <ref>Elizabeth Dias, [http://time.com/66260/barbara-brown-taylor-new-book-faces-the-darkness/ "Barbara Brown Taylor Faces the Darkness"] ''Time Magazine'' April 28, 2014.</ref>
</blockquote>

Here are a few aspects of darkness from the Christian perspective:

* During Easter week, many Christians participate in a Tenebrae (“shadow”) service to understand the '''spiritual darkness''' suffered by Jesus during his arrest and crucifixion. Churches are darkened in a ritual that helps congregants to explore the sense of spiritual loss and abandonment.

* The '''dark night of the soul''' is a term in Roman Catholic spirituality describing a spiritual crisis such as those famously experienced by St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and St. Teresa of Calcutta. Such a period of crisis may be brief or lengthy, and typically involves profound doubt, confusion, anger, desolation, depression, and despair. Trials, temptations, and a sense of abandonment may accompany the experience. The dark night should be considered an opportunity for dramatic spiritual advancement as illusions and attachments are cast aside.

* Mediaeval Christian mystics such as Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite or texts like '''''The Cloud of Unknowing''''' use the word darkness to refer to '''the highest and unknowable aspect of the Godhead'''.

* In Gnostic Christianity, "darkness is as essential as light in man's evolution, providing a '''testing ground''' to develop his inner nature.<ref>Conger, 84.</ref>

=== Islam ===

Darkness is considered to be the necessary '''opposite''' to light. In order to know and identify anything, its opposite must be brought to the same place so the contrasts become apparent. Light can not be identified and distinguished unless darkness exists. Other references to darkness in Islam:

* '''Jahiliyya''' is the word used to describe the '''period of ignorance''' and darkness preceding Islam. It also refers to the general condition of those who have not accepted Islam - unbelievers, infidels, or heretics.

* Light provides guidance, and darkness is '''ignorance'''.

* The Quran has verses in which God talks about moving from darkness towards light as the '''purification of the soul'''.

* In the Quran (Nab 78.25), people who commit transgressions are '''doomed to “burning despair and ice-cold darkness”'''.

== Darkness in psychology ==

Carl Jung devoted considerable study to the concept of darkness:
<blockquote>
The psyche of man as a microcosm of the world .. contains the opposites of light and dark. What is denied is thrust into unconsciousness and lives its secret within the shadows of one's life...

Each of us has a shadow side and a masculine or feminine counterpart within us, animus or anima, created in the natural thrust of the law of opposites. The integration of the shadow and the bisexual nature of the psyche is essential in the path of individuation.

The shadow as concept and experience is pervasive in life and art... Everything on the planet that feels the light must cast a fragile dark shape, which in fact confirms to the eye that an object has bulk, has three dimensions...

Consciousness is just a focus of light moving in the darkness, and in the shadows stand not just what we dare not see but our potentiality, what we are becoming...

While our tendency is to run from the darkness in fear and to see there only what we assume is inferior and unworthy, psychology teaches us to enter more easily into the shadows so that we can cooperate with nature and ourselves...

The shadow is what gives us three dimensions, grounds us in the present reality, demonstrates our presence on the physical plane, and demonstrates our membership among those who are subject to the pain and constriction of time. The shadow holds the essence of what it is to be alive.<ref>Conger, 84-87.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Darkness in the arts and popular culture ==

=== Visual arts ===

Darkness and light have been explored in many of the arts. During the Renaissance, artists developed '''chiaroscuro''' ("light-dark"), the use of bold contrasts between light and dark in drawings, woodcuts, manuscript illuminations, and paintings. More recently the concept has been applied to photography and cinematography.

In addition to visual contrasts, art can use darkness to explore nature, concealment, evil, fear, confusion, loneliness, and other concepts. "Nighttime darkness compresses space and alters colors, making ordinary places both more terrifying and more freeing, changing the social dynamic of those who walk in them."<ref>Natasha Seaman. [https://hyperallergic.com/228939/artists-of-the-dark-night-visions-nocturnes-in-american-art-1860-1960/ "Artists of the Dark: 'Night Visions: Nocturnes in American Art, 1860–1960'"] in ''Hyperallergic''. August 16, 2015.</ref>

* Flinders Lane Gallery. '''[https://www.flg.com.au/exhibition/art-darkness "Exhibitions into The Art of Darkness: 9th November 2017 - 9th December 2017"]'''
* Rogers, S. A. '''[https://weburbanist.com/2015/03/25/drawing-with-darkness-24-incredible-works-of-shadow-art/ "Drawing with Darkness: 24 Incredible Works of Shadow Art"]''' at WebUrbanist.com.
* Seaman, Natasha. '''[https://hyperallergic.com/228939/artists-of-the-dark-night-visions-nocturnes-in-american-art-1860-1960/ "Artists of the Dark: 'Night Visions: Nocturnes in American Art, 1860–1960'"]''' in ''Hyperallergic''. August 16, 2015.

=== Literature ===

Darkness is frequently used as a '''theme''' or '''literary device'''. Works as different as Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'', Charles Dickens' ''Great Expectations'', and William Golding's ''Lord of the Flies'' made heavy use of darkness.

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloud_of_Unknowing '''''The Cloud of Unknowing'''''] frequently appears in music, film, and literature.
* Conrad, Joseph. '''''The Heart of Darkness'''''. 1899. Conrad's classic work explores psychological darkness during a journey upriver into the Congo, on the Dark Continent.
* Le Guin, Ursula K. '''''The Left Hand of Darkness'''''. This novel uses an androgynous society to explore Taoist ideas that the line between Yin and Yang represents balance. Darkness and light are not in opposition, but exist in harmony, as should be the case between male and female.
* T. S. Eliot wrote in his '''poem “East Coker”''':

:::I said to my soul, be still, and let the
:::dark come upon you
:::Which shall be the darkness of God.

* After Mount Tambora erupted in the Dutch East Indies in 1815, Lord Byron wrote a '''poem "Darkness"''' about the Year Without a Summer that was caused by volcanic ash in the Earth's atmosphere. It was written from the viewpoint of the last man alive:

:::I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
:::The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars
:::Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
:::Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
:::Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air...

:::And the clouds perish'd; Darkness had no need
:::of aid from them — She was the universe.

=== Popular culture ===
* "Darkness" or "The Darkness" has been the title of at least five '''films''' involving crime or horror.
* At least 16 '''songs, albums, or bands''' have been named after darkness.
* "Come to the Dark Side" is a '''meme''' from the ''Star Wars'' films indicating that an individual can choose to embrace evil.
* '''Shadow puppet plays''' in Southeast Asia in which a puppeteer manipulates cut-out figures between a source of light and a translucent screen. In Java, ''wayang kulit'' performances are nightlong celebrations of the dramatic qualities of darkness.

== Additional Resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/darkness Darkness] at Theosophy World
* Bache, Christopher M. '''''Dark Night, Early Dawn: Steps to a Deep Ecology of Mind'''''. 2000.
* Chapman, Emily Stimpson. '''[https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/17512/Understanding-the-%E2%80%98dark-night-of-the-soul%E2%80%99-.aspx "Understanding the Dark Night of the Soul"]'''. ''OSV Newsweekly''. 5/20/2015.
* Conger, John P. '''''Jung & Reich: The Body as Shadow'''''. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1988.
* Freeman, Tzvi. '''[https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/45658/jewish/Getting-Past-the-Mind.htm "Getting Past the Mind"]''' at Chabad.org.
* '''[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/library/Bibliography/Light_and_Shadow.pdf "Light and Shadow" Reading List]''' from Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library.
* Galland, China. '''''Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna: A Ten-Year Journey'''''. New York: Viking, 1990.
* Heaven, ROss & Buxton, Simon. '''''Darkness Visible: Awakening Spiritual Light through Darkness Meditation'''''. 2005.
* Moreira-Ramirez, Nathalie. '''[https://www.academia.edu/33874900/Taoism_and_The_Left_Hand_of_Darkness "Taoism and The Left Hand of Darkness"]'''. May 5, 2013.
* Ortberg, Nancy. '''''Seeing in the Dark: Finding God’s Light in the Most Unexpected Places'''''. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2015.
* Taylor, Barbara Brown. '''''Learning to Walk in the Dark'''''. New York: HarperOne, 2014.
* [https://www.openbible.info/topics/darkness "100 Bible Verses about Darkness"] in OpenBible.info. Accessed July 6, 2018.

== Notes ==

<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Christian concepts]]
[[es:Tinieblas]]

Dangma

2020-04-08T16:38:17Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

[[File:Dangma Lhungyal.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Dangma Lhungyel]]
'''Dangma''' (possibly from ''dwangs-ma'' or ''dwans-ma''),<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VI (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1989), 113.</ref> is a rare [[Tibetan]] word which, according to [[H. P. Blavatsky]], means "a purified Soul. A Seer and an [[Initiation|Initiate]]; one who has attained full wisdom".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 96.</ref>

A reference to the word "dangma" (with alternative spelling ''ldang ma'') in [[Tibetan Buddhism]] can be found in the legendary ''Dangma Lhungyel'' (ldang ma lhun rgyal), a Tibetan monk of the 11th century who is credited with having discovered the seventeen Dzogchen tantras hidden in the Zhai Temple.<ref>[http://www.treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Dangma-Lhungyel/494# Dangma Lhungyel] at The Treasury of Lives website</ref>

== General description ==

The [[Stanzas of Dzyan#Stanza I|Stanza I.8]] of volume 1 of [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] refers to the Dagma as he who is able to perceive the "one form of existence":

<blockquote>Alone the one form of existence stretched boundless, infinite, causeless, in dreamless sleep; and life pulsated unconscious in universal space, throughout that all-presence which is sensed by the opened eye of the Dangma.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 46.</ref></blockquote>

In a footnote, [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] explains:

<blockquote>Dangma means a purified soul, one who has become a Jivanmukta, the highest [[adept]], or rather a [[Mahatma]] so-called. His “opened eye” is the inner spiritual eye of the seer, and the faculty which manifests through it is not [[clairvoyance]] as ordinarily understood, i.e., the power of seeing at a distance, but rather the faculty of spiritual intuition, through which direct and certain knowledge is obtainable. This faculty is intimately connected with the [[Third Eye|“third eye”]], which mythological tradition ascribes to certain races of men.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 46, fn.</ref></blockquote>

The "open eye" (known in India as the "eye of Siva")<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 46, fn.</ref> can be used by the Initiate to "sense" the ultimate realities:

<blockquote>The Initiate, rich with the lore acquired by numberless generations of his predecessors, directs the “Eye of Dangma” toward the essence of things in which no [[Māyā|Maya]] can have any influence.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 46, fn.</ref></blockquote>

== Origin of the term ==

[[David Reigle]] wrote:

<blockquote>Dangma is not a very common word in known Tibetan writings. The standard Tibetan-English Dictionary by Sarat Chandra Das gives only an obscure unrelated meaning of "juice," etc. (page 617); but the earlier 1881 Tibetan-English Dictionary by H.A. Jäschke says this (page 249): "'the spirit; the soul', a signification not found hitherto in any book, but according to a Lama's statement the word denotes a soul, when purified from every sin, and to be compared to a clear and limpid fluid, in which every heterogeneous matter has been precipitated." . . . The definitive new Tibetan-Tibetan Dictionary, the Tshig mdzod chen mo, gives two basic meanings: gtso-bo and gsal-ba. The first, gtso-bo, is defined by Das in English as: self, soul; chief, lord, master. The second, gsal-ba, means: pure; clear. Though I do not think these sources shed any new light on the term Dangma, they do at least confirm the meaning given in The Secret Doctrine, "purified soul," of a rather rare word.<ref>[http://easterntradition.org/book%20of%20dzyan%20research%20report%201-technical%20terms%20in%20stanza%201.pdf# Technical Terms in Stanza I] by David Reigle, 5.</ref></blockquote>

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/dang-ma Dang-Ma] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Tibetan terms]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Buddhist concepts]]
[[es:Dangma]]
[[it:Dangma]]

Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa

2020-04-08T16:30:24Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
 
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
 
 
[[File:C Jinarajadasa.jpg|220px|right|thumb|C. Jinarājadāsa]]
'''Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa''' (16 December 1875 – 18 June 1953), was a Sri Lankan scholar, lecturer, and writer who served as the fourth President of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, Chennai, India]] from 1945 to 1953. An accomplished linguist, he traveled extensively for fifty years as an international lecturer, speaking in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as Sinhalese and Tamil. He was known to his wide circle of friends as "Raja", "Brother Raja", or "[[CJ (disambiguation)|CJ]]".

See also '''[[Jinarājadāsa writings]]'''.

== Early years and education ==
[[File:C Jinarajadasa in white.jpg|180px|right|thumb|CJ as a young man]]
Mr. Jinarājadāsa was born on [[December 16]], 1875 in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) of Sinhalese Buddhist parents in a town about fifteen miles (24 km) south of the capital city, Colombo. He was in the Goygama caste.<ref>Fritz Kunz "Raja in the United States" ''The American Theosophist'' 41.8 (Aug 1953), 150.</ref> The name Curuppumullage indicates a person "Curuppu" living in the house or town of Mullage. The surname Jinarājadāsa can be interpreted in various ways, but is a combination of three words: jina (winner), raja (king), and dāsa (servant).

His association with [[Theosophy]] began at the age of thirteen when, as one of the first students of [[Ananda College]], he met [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]]. Brother Raja wrote of that year:
<blockquote>
There was a certain day for me in November 1889, when I was thirteen when my feet were "washed in the blood of the heart." That day the Master received me as his chela.<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters to C. W. Leadbeater'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1941), 56.</ref>
</blockquote>
He wrote more of this event in his book ''Christ and Buddha''.

The following year, [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett]] asked Mr. Leadbeater to return from India to England to tutor his son [[Percy Edensor Sinnett|Denny]] and [[George S. Arundale|George Arundale]], Leadbeater brought Raja with him. The three boys were close in age: Raja was born in 1875, Denny in 1877, and George in 1878. Jinarājadāsa met [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]] for the first time. For two years, Raja and Leadbeater lived in the Sinnett household, but after that they moved into tiny quarters supported by Leadbeater's work giving English languages to foreigners. Raja attended classes to prepare for university.<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters," 68.</ref>

On [[March 14]], 1893 he became a '''member''' of the Theosophical Society through the [[London Lodge]], and 1894 was admitted into its Inner Group where he "was present at the intimate and informal gatherings of the Group which were held on most Sunday mornings in Mr. Sinnett's library for discussion."<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters," 74.</ref>

In 1896, Raja was admitted to St John’s College, Cambridge, and four years later took his Degree in the Oriental Languages Tripos. He also studied Law, and was coxswain of the College boat in the rowing team. He then went back to Ceylon where he became Vice-Principal (1900-1901) of [[Ananda College]] in Colombo. In 1902 he returned to Europe to study literature and science at the University of Pavia, Italy. In 1904 he went to America, where he began his career as an international lecturer of the Theosophical Society.<ref>"Jinarajadasa, Curuppumullage," ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1938''. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 189.</ref>

== Influences on C. Jinarājadāsa ==

In 1928, Mr. Jinarājadāsa spoke of some major intellectual influences on his life:
<blockquote>
There are four great writers of the West who have influenced my thinking very profoundly. One is '''Richard Wagner'''. It was his ethical conception of life, linked to his marvellous creations, that made a profound impression on me. Another is '''[[Plato]]'''. As far as the West is concerned, ever since Plato wrote, wherever there is any kind of philosophical thought which deals with civilization or tries to understand the principles of art, every political writer and every exponent of art has more or less to follow Plato's trail... The third great writer is '''Dante''', whom I consider the greatest poet humanity has yet produced... The supreme value of Dante is that he is utterly unique, so far as I know as always rising with his poetic art to the plane of the [[Buddhi]]. Whatever he says has a quality of [[intuition]] about it which is not characteristic of many other great poets...

The other writer is '''Ruskin'''. I well remember the great revolution which took place in my whole attitude toward life when I began to receive the volumes of Ruskin which [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|Bishop Leadbeater]] sent to me in 1900. He had always been an admirer of Ruskin and he was brought up in the tradition of looking at Ruskin as someone very great indeed. When I received those volumes, there was that exhilaration which you yourself doubtless experienced when you came across [[Theosophy]]. It was a revelation... He emphasized the thought that the laws that should govern human life are not the ordinary laws of supply and demand as stated in the schools but that the primary factor in economic life is the human being, not as a producer but as a spiritual being who has an eternal destiny.... Ruskin refused to acknowledge that theology as such was separate from life, or that political economy was not as necessary to the salvation of the soul as any kind of prayers...<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, "Ruskin - A Herald of the New Age," ''The American Theosophist'' 34.11 (November, 1946), 245-247. Taken from unrevised notes of a lecture given in 1928.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:AP Warrington with Jinarajadasas.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A. P. Warrington with Jinarâjadâsas]]
== Marriage ==

In 1916, Mr. Jinarājadāsa married [[Dorothy Graham Jinarājadāsa|Miss Dorothy M. Graham]], an English member who founded the [[Women's Indian Association]] with [[Margaret Cousins]].

== Theosophical work ==

During the administration of [[Annie Besant]], Brother Raja served as Vice President of the Society, from 1921 to 1928, during the presidency of [[Annie Besant]]. For a few years beginning in 1934, he was Head of [[The Manor]], Mosman, Sydney, Australia.<ref>"Jinarajadasa, Curuppumullage," ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1938''. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 189.</ref>

He was one of the founding members of the [[Order of the Brothers of Service]], along with his wife Dorothy and [[Fritz Kunz]]. In 1934 he succeeded [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]] as Outer Head of the [[Esoteric Section]].

Mr Jinarâjadâsa was editor of [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']] for three periods of time. Annie Besant turned over that responsibility when she was interned for three months in 1917, and again in 1931-33 during her last illness. He resumed the editorship during his term in office as President of the Society from 1946–53.

'''TO BE EXPANDED'''

== Travels as international lecturer ==

Because of his deep knowledge of Theosophy, his inspiring personality, and his proficiency in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, Raja was much in demand as a lecturer. The first speaking tour was in 1904 in the United States of America. He presented lectures at annual conventions of the international Society in 1914, 1917, 1921, and many times afterward.

In 1930, Brother Raja was asked to deliver the [[Blavatsky Lectures|Blavatsky Lecture]]. His topic was '''[http://resources.theosophical.org/pdf/BL_1930_Jinarajadasa_The_Personality_of_H_P_%20Blavatsky.pdf "The Personality of H. P. Blavatsky"]'''.

This is a partial listing of his lecture tours:
'''TO BE ADDED'''

== Adyar library and archives ==

During the years 1930-1932 and 1935, Mr. Jinarâjadâsa served as director of the [[Adyar Library and Research Centre]]. '''TO BE EXPANDED'''

He was highly engaged in organizing the archives of the Society, and in publishing materials found there. '''TO BE EXPANDED'''

== Presidency ==

Following the death of [[George Arundale]],Mr. Jinarâjadâsa ran unopposed for election to the presidency. He took office as President of the Society on [[February 17]], 1946 and served until 1953, when he resigned due to illness. His successor was [[Nilakanta Sri Ram|N. Sri Ram]].

According to his official biography:
<blockquote>
As President, during the post-war years, Brother Râjâ, as he was affectionately called, was very concerned about Adyar as it was affected by a shortage of workers, military occupation of the ocean frontage and consequent public traffic through the estate. He did his best to free Adyar of all its entanglements and restore it to its earlier serenity, as the centre of Theosophical thought and the symbol of the unity of the Society, and preserving its international character.

In 1949 Jinarâjadâsa founded the [[School of the Wisdom]] at Adyar, for the study of Theosophical teachings in depth as given in the textbooks, but primarily because a student knowing these things could with widened vision ‘sit in the centre’ of his own being and ‘enjoy clear day’ in his understanding of the world of men and affairs. The School was also to devote its studies to the thoughts of the great and the affairs of men in the larger sense through historical time. Its yearly sessions attract students from several countries to this day. He tried to make the Headquarters once more a centre for students and gradually reorganized the estate for that purpose.
Jinarâjadâsa could always present his thoughts with clear and delicate appreciation of the pictures his words would create in the minds of his readers.<ref>"C. Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953)", TS Adyar Web Page. Available at [http://www.ts-adyar.org/node/78 TS Adyar Web page].</ref>
</blockquote>

Other accomplishments:

* 1949 - Led an appeal by scholars to the new nation of India "to accord Sanskrit the honored position which belongs to it" as a foundational source of spiritual and practical wisdom.<ref>"To Lovers of Sanskrit," ''The American Theosophist'' 38.1 (January, 1050), 23).</ref>

'''TO BE EXPANDED'''

== Other activities ==

Brother Raja was fond of the American sport of '''baseball''':
<blockquote>
Base Ball originated in America. It was introduced into India by [[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa|Mr. Jinarajadasa]], who took with him on his return from this country a supply of bats, balls, gloves and rule books, and as always his work has taken root. We have a letter from [[Felix Layton|Mr. Felix Layton]], the Head Master of the Besant Theosophical School at Adyar, stating that that team has won the Madras Schools' Base Ball Championship. In other respects, also, the school is doing well.<ref>"Base Ball Championship at Adyar," ''The American Theosophist'' 28.5 (May, 1940), 117.</ref>
</blockquote>

'''TO BE EXPANDED'''

[[File:CJ final note to BdeZ 6-10-1953.jpg|260px|right|thumb|Final letter to Boris de Zirkoff]]
== Final years ==

[[File:CJ memorial in library 1953.JPG|230px|right|thumb|Memorial service in Olcott Library]]
[[File:CJ ashes in Fox River.jpg|260px|right|thumb|Ashes scattered in Fox River]]
The strains of his travels took a toll on his health. In a 1946 letter to [[James S. Perkins|James Perkins]] he wryly commented on the hot climate of [[Adyar, India]]:
<blockquote>
If only Adyar would cool off 20° between day and night we would manage quite well. As to my stay in Bangalore, the one who worked hardest was Elithe [Nisewanger, his secretary], because I gave several lectures and talks and she took them all down. The skin irritation stopped with 10° cooler than Adyar, but by compensation to equalize karmic debits, knees and particularly my left shoulder (I am left handed) got going. However, all these ups and downs are part of the order of the day.<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa letter to James S. Perkins, July 30, 1946. James S. Perkins Papers. Records Series 08.06. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>
</blockquote>
On [[February 17]], 1953, suffering from diabetes and heart disease, Mr. Jinarājadāsa resigned from the presidency of the Society after one term in office. He was the only President who declined to stand for re-election, and in February of that year [[Nilakanta Sri Ram]] became his successor.

CJ had committed to a lecture tour of the United States. When he reached the headquarters of the [[Theosophical Society in America|American Section]], he became ill. On June 10th he wrote a final letter to his longtime friend [[Boris de Zirkoff]] describing his heart attacks. Despite the earnest efforts of [[Henry A. Smith|Dr. Henry A. Smith]], other doctors, and the staff to help him, Mr. Jinarājadāsa passed away on [[June 18]], 1953. A '''[https://archive.org/details/JinarajadasaCJinarajadasaMemorialProgram memorial service]''' was held in the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library|library]], and all of his ashes were scattered on the Fox River by [[James S. Perkins]], Kathrine Perkins, Helen Zahara, Caroline Tess, and [[Geoffrey Hodson]], according to Brother Raja's specific instructions. A very detailed account of his final days was written by Mr. Perkins.<ref>James S. Perkins to Dr. P. W. Van den Broek [at The Manor]. August 9, 1953. James S. Perkins Papers. Records Series 08.06. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> A memorial plaque was installed in the Garden of Remembrance at [[Adyar (campus)|Adyar]].

A few years before his death, he composed an epitaph for himself:
:::He loved children, the sea,
:::Beethoven, Wagner’s Ring, the
:::Hallelujah Chorus, and his
::: Gospel was Ruskin.<ref>"C. Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953)," Theosophical Society, Adyar [http://www.ts-adyar.org/node/78#A_Lover_of_Plants__Animals_and_Children web page].</ref>

== Writings ==

C. Jinarājadāsa was one of the foremost Theosophical writers. A list of his works is in a separate article, '''[[Jinarājadāsa writings]]'''.

In 1913 he was awarded the [[Subba Row Medal]] for his extensive contributions to Theosophical literature.

Articles are indexed in the [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]]. Over 1600 articles are listed under the name [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=jinarajadasa&method=any&header=field4 Jinarājadāsa]. Searching under [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=CJ&header=field4 CJ] will result in a lengthy list that includes work by [[Charles Johnston]], a Sanskrit scholar who was married to Madame Blavatsky's niece, and who was also known the same initials. Within the results list, the '''articles by Mr. Jinarājadāsa''' will include those in the periodicals: [[The Adyar Bulletin (periodical)|''The Adyar Bulletin'']], [[The American Theosophist (periodical)|''The American Theosophist]], ''The Australian ES Bulletin'', [[The Herald of the Star (periodical)|''The Herald of the Star'']], [[The Messenger (periodical)|''The Messenger'']], ''Sishya (The Student)''], [[The Theosophic Messenger (periodical)|''The Theosophic Messenger'']], [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']], and [[World Theosophy (periodical)|''World Theosophy'']]. '''Articles by Charles Johnston''' appear in [[Theosophical Quarterly (periodical)|''Theosophical Quarterly'']], [[Theosophy (periodical)|''Theosophy'']], [[The Path (periodical)|''The Path'']], and [[The Irish Theosophist (periodical)|''The Irish Theosophist'']].

== Awards and honors ==
In 1913, Mr. Jinarājadāsa was awarded the '''[[Subba Row Medal]]''' for his contribution to Theosophical literature. A '''grove''' was planted at the [[Olcott (campus)|Olcott campus]] with a plaque and stone bench. A '''Raja Commemorative Fund''' was established to support travel expenses of lecturers.

== Photo gallery ==
<gallery>
File:CJ-Ensor-Yarco TM March 1911.jpg|CJ with Ensor and Yarco, ''Theosophical Messenger'', March 1911
File:CJ in tent 1911.jpg|CJ in tent in Chicago, summer 1911.
File:Jinarajadasa as Fire Guard.jpg|CJ as Fire Guard in World War II London. Image from TSA Archives.
File:CJ and Sidney Cook.JPG|CJ with Sidney Cook, on Olcott campus, 1930s or 1940s.
</gallery>

== Additional resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/jinarajadasa-curuppumullage Jinarajadasa, Curuppumullage] at Theosophy World
=== Articles ===
* [http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1522# "C. Jinarajadasa"] by Surendra Narayan. This article was originally published in ''Quest'' 93.6 (November-December 2005): 228-229.
* [https://archive.org/details/JinarajadasaCJinarajadasaMemorialProgram C Jinarajadasa 1875-1953 Memorial Program].

=== Pamphlets ===
* [https://archive.org/details/jinarajadasa Jinarajadasa Collection] in Archive.org.

=== Audio ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VRCEzXKaIs Theosophy UK C Jinarajadasa] from the Theosophical Society in Nottingham and Leicester. Audio file on YouTube with photos.
* [https://www.theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Leadbeater%2C%20CW/Occult%20Commentaries%20-%20CW%20Leadbeter%2C%20GS%20Arundal%20%26%20C%20Jinarajadasa.mp3# Occult Commentaries] by C. W. Leadbeater, G. S. Arundale & C. Jinarajadasa

=== Social media ===

* [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curuppumullage-Jinarajadasa/140771539282703?rf=135125726521818# Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa] on Facebook.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Presidents of TS Adyar|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Associates of HPB|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Educators|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Sanskrit scholars|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Writers|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Editors|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Lecturers|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Nationality Sri Lankan|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Poets|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:Buddhists|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[Category:People|Jinarājadāsa, Curuppumullage]]
[[ru:Джинараджадаса Куруппумулладж]]

Cross

2020-04-08T16:21:16Z

Michael Conlin:

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
== Cross ==
==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/cross Cross] at Theosophy World

== Cross in a circle ==
[[Category:Symbols]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]

Cremation

2020-04-08T16:17:55Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

[[File:Le Moyne crematory.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Le Moyne Crematory, site of first American cremation]]
[[Cremation]] is an alternative to burial of corpses in which the deceased is reduced to ashes in a furnace or burned on a pyre. Long preferred in the Indian subcontinent, cremation has slowly become accepted in the West. The first person processed in a crematorium in the United States was [[Theosophist]] [[Baron de Palm]], on [[December 6]], 1876.

== Theosophical viewpoint ==

Many Theosophists believe that cremation can aid in the transition of the subtle bodies of the human after death, and that it is more hygienic than the Western traditions of embalming and burial.

=== Overview ===
The ''Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary'' states:

<blockquote>Since the last quarter of the 19th century, the practice of cremation has gained acceptance in America and many European countries, whereas in the Orient, especially in India, it has been perhaps the most common way of disposing of dead bodies. Among peoples ancient and contemporary it ranks with other modes of disposal of the dead, such as exposure to the air, burial in the earth, or being devoured by animals. Blavatsky maintains that it was universal until 80,000 or 100,000 years ago (SD 2:753). Some Christians oppose the practice because they believe that the dispersal of the physical body by fire makes it impossible for the soul to regather a body in time to be saved at the Last Judgment, and so leads to annihilation.

In our day cremation is favored chiefly for hygienic reasons, as preventing the pollution of the soil and water supply and thus removing causes of infection. Cremation does not destroy even the chemical atoms, much less the life-atoms. It aids the dissolution of the astral body, which is no longer attracted magnetically to the decaying corpse or able to exchange life-atoms with it.<ref>"Cremation", ''Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary'' at http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/ci-cz.htm</ref></blockquote>

=== Commentary by Annie Besant ===
However, [[Annie Besant]] recommended that cremation is not done within the first twenty-four hours of the passing, because of the magnetic connection that exists between the physical body and the [[Linga-Sharira|etheric double]], in which consciousness now is:

<blockquote>For a certain time a link remains between the amputated limb and its etheric counterpart, a sort of magnetic rapport between the two. It does not last very long, but while it does last it is possible that the etheric double may feel anything done to the physical part which has been cut off; but only a very short time, and only from particular kinds of injuries. In the ordinary case of cremation the separation would have taken place completely before the burning, if the burning does not occur within twenty-four hours of the death of the gross body. It is necessary to take some means whereby the magnetic link shall be broken before the gross body is burned. In India, for instance, they burn the body very quickly, within a very few hours ordinarily after death. Then certain methods are used to make a complete break between the two so that no possible suffering occurs.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Theosophical Lectures'', (Chicago: The Rajput Press, 1907), 128-129.</ref></blockquote>

=== Astral life of the deceased ===

[[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]] explained how cremation can help in the [[Life after Death|post-mortem process]] of the [[soul]]:

<blockquote>The desirable thing [for a deceased person on the astral plane] is for him to realise his position on this little arc of his evolution--to learn that he is at this stage withdrawing steadily inward towards the plane of the true ego, and that consequently it is his business to disengage his thought as far as may be from things physical, and fix his attention more and more upon those spiritual matters which will occupy him during his life in the heaven-world. By doing this he will greatly facilitate the natural astral disintegration, and will avoid the sadly common mistake of unnecessarily delaying himself upon the lower levels of what should be so temporary a residence.

Many people, however, simply will not turn their thoughts upwards, but spend their time in struggling with all their might to keep in touch with the physical plane which they have left, thus causing great trouble to anyone who may be trying to help them. Earthly matters are the only ones in which they have ever had any living interest, and they cling to them with desperate tenacity even after death. Naturally, as time passes on, they find it increasingly difficult to keep hold of things down here, but instead of welcoming and encouraging this process of gradual refinement and spiritualisation they resist it vigorously by every means in their power. The mighty force of evolution is eventually too strong for them, and they are swept on in its beneficent current, yet they fight every step of the way, thereby not only causing themselves a vast amount of entirely unnecessary pain and sorrow, but also seriously delaying their upward progress.

Now, in this ignorant and disastrous opposition to the cosmic will a man is much assisted by the possession of his physical corpse as a kind of fulcrum on this plane. He is naturally in close rapport with it, and if he is so misguided as to wish to do so, he can use it as an anchor to hold him down firmly to the mud until its decomposition is far advanced. Cremation saves the man from himself in this matter, for, when the physical body has been thus properly disposed of, his boats are literally burned behind him, and his power of holding back is happily greatly diminished.

We see therefore that, while neither the burial nor the embalming of a corpse can in any way force the ego to whom it once belonged to prolong his stay upon the astral plane against his will, either of those causes is a distinct temptation to him to delay, and immensely facilitates his doing so if he should unfortunately wish it. No ego of any advancement would allow himself to be detained upon the astral plane, even by a proceeding so foolish as the embalming of his corpse. Whether his physical vehicle was burned or allowed to decay slowly in the usual loathsome manner, or indefinitely preserved as an Egyptian mummy, his astral body would pursue its own line of quick disintegration entirely unaffected.
Among the many advantages gained by cremation the principal are that it entirely prevents any attempt at partial and unnatural temporary reunion of the principles, or any endeavour to make use of the corpse for the purposes of the lower magic-- to say nothing of the many dangers to the living which are avoided by its adoption.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, ''The Inner Life'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1942), ???.</ref></blockquote>

== Christian attitudes toward cremation ==

In Roman Catholic doctrine, the dead are bodily resurrected on the Day of Judgment, so burial has been customary. In 1886, religious and economic penalties were imposed to prevent cremation, but Pope Paul VI lifted the regulations in 1964 without actually approving of the practice.<ref>"Pope Paul Ends Heavy Penalties for Cremation". St. Petersburg Times. June 6, 1964.</ref>

== First Cremation in the United States ==

[[Theosophist]] '''[[Baron de Palm]]''' was the first person to be cremated in the United States. A symbolic memorial service was held in the Masonic Temple at the corner of 23rd Street and 6th Avenue. The Baron had asked that no clergyman or priest should officiate at his funeral, but that [[Henry Steel Olcott|Colonel Olcott]] should perform the last offices in a fashion that would illustrate the Eastern notions of death and immortality. Col. Olcott wrote in his diary:

<blockquote>The recent agitation of the subject of cremation in Great Britain and America, caused by the incineration of the body of the first Lady Dilke, the scientific experiments of Sir Henry Thompson (vide his published essay The Treatment of the Body of the Death, London, 1874), and the sensational article and pamphlets of Rev. H. R. Haweis upon the unspeakable horrors of the burial-grounds of London, led me to ask him how he would wish me to dispose of his remains. He asked for my opinion upon the relative superiority of the two modes of sepulture, concurred in my preference for cremation, expressed a horror of burial, some lady he had once known having been buried alive, and bade me do as I found most advisable.<ref>Henry Steel Olcott, ''Old Diary Leaves'' First Series (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 150-151.</ref></blockquote>

The Baron died on [[May 20]], 1876, but the actual cremation did not take place until six months after his death. The body was preserved by using potter’s clay and Phenol. Finally, on [[December 6]], 1876, his body of the Baron was consigned to the furnace of the first American crematorium, owned by Dr. Le Moyne in the small town of Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania. The ceremony
<blockquote>
was open to the public and attended by many, including mourners, journalists, and a few protesters. Some in the audience were poorly behaved but the cremation was successful. His ashes were taken back to New York (although some were gathered as souvenirs, including by LeMoyne himself). The event, and the media frenzy that surrounded it, did little to dispel the public’s dislike of cremation practices.<ref>[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lemoyne-crematory "Le Moyne Crematory"] in the Atlas Obscura website.</ref>
</blockquote>

== See also ==
*[[Death]]
*[[Life after Death]]
*[[Baron de Palm]]

== Online resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/cremation Cremation] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1684# Up in Smoke: Theosophy and the Revival of Cremation]
*[http://theosophy.katinkahesselink.net/purucker/cremation.html# Cremation or burial?] by G. de Purucker
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/Cremation_FHartmann.pdf# Cremation. Considered From the Point of View of the Religions of the East] by Franz Hartmann
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-horowitz/how-the-occult-brought-cr_b_3880620.html How the Occult Brought Cremation to America] by Mitch Horowitz. Published in ''Huffington Post'' Religion blog on September 9, 2013.

==Books==
*[http://www.theosophy.ph/onlinebooks/odl/odl111.html# First Cremation in America] by H. S. Olcott, at ''Old Diary Leaves'', First Series, Chapter XI

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Theosophical worldview]]

Count de Saint Germain

2020-04-08T16:14:16Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
==Additional resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/saint-germain-comte-de Saint Germain, Comte De] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[http://www.theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Saint-Germain,_Comte_De# Comte De Saint-Germain] at Theosopedia
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/count-st-germain# Count St. Germain] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://davidpratt.info/st-germain1.htm# The Count of Saint-Germain] by David Pratt
*[http://www.theosophical.org/component/content/article/65-olcott/1864# Count de Saint Germain] by H.S. Olcott
*[http://www.wisdomworld.org/setting/germain.html# The Count de Saint Germain] at WisdomWorld.org
* Hall, Manly P. "Comte de St.-Germain." ''Collected Writings of Manly P. Hall Volume 2: Sages and Seers'' (Los Angeles: Philosophical Research Society, Inc., 1959), 213-241.

[[Category:Mahatmas and Adepts]]

Cosmic Ideation

2020-04-08T15:19:09Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online Resources */

'''Cosmic Ideation''' is the [[Universal Mind]] ([[Mahat]]) or [[Logos#Divine Thought|Divine Thought]] in which lies the plan for the manifestation of the universe. Using this as a "blueprint", the hosts of [[Dhyāni-Chohan]]s build the new cosmos:

<blockquote>The plan [for the Cosmos] was furnished by the Ideation of the Universe, and the constructive labour was left to the Hosts of intelligent Powers and Forces.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 279.</ref></blockquote>

The Cosmic Ideation is also source of consciousness and intelligence in human beings:

<blockquote>Universal Ideation—or [[Mahat]], if you like it—sends its homogeneous radiation into the heterogeneous world, and this reaches the human or personal [[manas|minds]] through the [[Astral Light]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964), 252.</ref></blockquote>

== Origins ==

During [[pralaya]], Cosmic Ideation is latent in the universal [[space]], but "becomes active at the beginning of every new life-cycle":<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 883.</ref>

<blockquote>Cosmic Ideation is said to be non-existent during Pralayic periods, for the simple reason that there is no one, and nothing, to perceive its effects. There can be no manifestation of Consciousness, semi-consciousness, or even “unconscious purposiveness,” except through the vehicle of matter.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 328-329.</ref></blockquote>

In describing the stages of manifestation of the Cosmic Ideation, it is said that at the dawn of a new [[manvantara]] the [[Great Breath]] becomes the unmanifested "Pre-Cosmic Ideation", which later manifests as the Cosmic Ideation:

<blockquote>The great Breath assumes the character of precosmic Ideation. It is the ''fons et origo'' of force and of all individual consciousness, and supplies the guiding intelligence in the vast scheme of cosmic Evolution. . . .<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 15.</ref></blockquote>

The manifestation of Cosmic Ideation is coeval with that of Cosmic Substance:

<blockquote>During the period of Universal Pralaya, Cosmic Ideation is non-existent; and the variously differentiated states of Cosmic Substance are resolved back again into the primary state of abstract potential objectivity. 
Manvantaric impulse commences with the re-awakening of Cosmic Ideation (the “Universal Mind”) concurrently with, and parallel to the primary emergence of Cosmic Substance—the latter being the manvantaric vehicle of the former—from its undifferentiated pralayic state. Then, absolute wisdom mirrors itself in its Ideation; which, by a transcendental process, superior to and incomprehensible by human Consciousness, results in Cosmic Energy (Fohat).<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 328.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Apart from Cosmic Substance, Cosmic Ideation could not manifest as individual consciousness, since it is only through a vehicle of matter that consciousness wells up as “I am I,” a physical basis being necessary to focus a ray of the Universal Mind at a certain stage of complexity. Again, apart from Cosmic Ideation, Cosmic Substance would remain an empty abstraction, and no emergence of consciousness could ensue.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 15.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>There can be no manifestation of Consciousness, semi-consciousness, or even “unconscious purposiveness,” except through the vehicle of matter. . . And as Matter existing apart from perception is a mere abstraction, both of these aspects of the ABSOLUTE—Cosmic Substance and Cosmic Ideation—are mutually inter-dependent.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 328-329.</ref></blockquote>

With the manifestation of the pair Cosmic Ideation/Cosmic Substance the highest celestial beings ([[Ah-hi]]) appear and the Ideation becomes active through them the [[Universal Mind]].

== Activity ==

It is said that the plan for the formation of the cosmos is concealed in the Cosmic Ideation. The ideas in the "Divine Thought" are then impressed on the Cosmic Substance by means of [[Fohat]]:

<blockquote>Fohat . . . is the “bridge” by which the “Ideas” existing in the “Divine Thought” are impressed on Cosmic substance as the “laws of Nature.” Fohat is thus the dynamic energy of Cosmic Ideation; or, regarded from the other side, it is the intelligent medium, the guiding power of all manifestation, the “Thought Divine” transmitted and made manifest through the Dhyan Chohans, the Architects of the visible World.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 16.</ref></blockquote>

Cosmic Ideation is also the source of our consciousness. The ways in which it manifests depend on the type of vehicle of expression that is being used:

<blockquote>Cosmic Ideation focussed in a principle or upadhi (basis) results as the consciousness of the [[Ego#Higher_ego|individual Ego]]. Its manifestation varies with the degree of [[Upadhi|upadhi]], e.g., through that known as [[Manas]] it wells up as Mind-Consciousness; through the more finely differentiated fabric (sixth state of matter) of the [[Buddhi]] resting on the experience of Manas as its basis—as a stream of spiritual INTUITION.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 329, fn.</ref></blockquote>

== See also ==
* [[Universal Mind]]
* [[Mahat]]

== Online Resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/cosmic-ideation Cosmic Ideation] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/kosmic-mind# Kosmic Mind] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/mind-in-nature# The Mind in Nature] by H. P. Blavatsky

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[es:Ideación Cósmica]]

Cornelius Agrippa

2020-04-08T15:16:15Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

'''Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim''' ([[September 15]], 1486 – [[February 18]], 1535) was a German [[magic]]ian, theologian, [[Kabbalah|Kabbalist]], [[Astrology|astrologer]], and [[Alchemy|alchemist]].

In her writings [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] refers the student to Agrippa's writings for further information in matters of Kabbalah. According to her, Agrippa was taught by his friend and instructor Trithemius, an abbot of the Spanheim Benedictines and "a very learned Kabbalist and adept in the Secret Sciences".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 344.</ref>

==Online resources==
===Articles===
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/agrippa.html# Cornelius Agrippa] at KatinkaHesselink.net
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/agrippa-henry-cornelius Agrippa, Henry Cornelius] at Theosophy World

==See also==
*[[Alchemy]]
*[[Kabbalah]]

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Kabbalists|Agrippa]]
[[Category:Alchemists|Agrippa]]
[[Category:Nationality German|Agrippa]]
[[Category:People|Agrippa]]

Constance Wachtmeister

2020-04-08T15:10:14Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

[[File:Wachtmeister 3.jpg|210px|right|thumb|Constance Wachtmeister]]
[[File:Wachtmeister - from Echoes of the Orient Vol II.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Constance Wachtmeister]]
[[File:Wachtmeister 4.jpg|180px|right|thumb|Constance Wachtmeister]]
The '''Countess Wachtmeister''' was the companion and coworker of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]] (H.P.B.) from 1885 until Blavatsky's death in 1891.<ref>George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., ''Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'' (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 245.</ref> She lectured widely in the 1890s, and helped [[Annie Besant]] to form lodges in the United States.

== Personal life ==

'''Constance Georgina Louise Bourbel de Monpincon''' was born in Florence, Italy on [[March 28]], 1838, to a French father and an English mother. <ref>Anonymous, "Mme. Blavatsky's Companion Here: the Countess Wachtmeister Will Lecture on Theosophical Questions," ''New York Times'' (September 20, 1894).</ref> Constance lost her parents at an early age and was sent to England to her aunt, Mrs. Bulkley of Linden Hall, Berkshire, where she was educated and lived until her marriage in 1863 with her cousin, the Count Wachtmeister, then Swedish and Norwegian minister at the court of St. James. They had a son, count Axel Raoul, who was born in 1865. The family moved to Stockholm, Sweden, when the Count was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Countess Wachtmeister’s husband died in 1871. <ref> R.A. Burnett, Mary W. Burnett, "Death of Countess Wachtmeister." ''The Theosophic Messenger'' 12.1 (Oct. 1910), 811-812.</ref>

She remained in Sweden for several years, spending the winter in warmer climates on account of health. Because the countess herself had some psychic abilities and had witnessed some [[phenomena]], she became interested in psychic research.<ref>Jacob Bonggren" Countess Constance Wachtmeister" ''The Theosophic Messenger'', 12.3., Dec. 1910, p. 167-168.</ref> She began investigations into [[Spiritualism]] in 1879, but after two years of arduous research she found it unsatisfactory and dangerous.<ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

Eventually she found in [[Theosophy]] an explanation of the phenomena.<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref> and joined the [[Theosophical Society]] on November 24, 1880 in Lund, Sweden.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entry 694 (website file: 1A/27).</ref> <ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends." ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref> All her deepest problems of life found a solution in [[Theosophy]] and from then on she devoted her whole life and fortune to the service of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]] and her [[Mahatmas|Masters]].<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref>

She was a devoted Theosophist, a strict vegetarian and lived a “simple life”. <ref> C.H. van der Linden. Countess Constance Wachtmeister."
''The Theosophic Messenger'', 12.2 (Nov. 1910), 74-76.</ref><ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

She died on [[September 24]], 1910 in Los Angeles.

== Life with H. P. Blavatsky ==

[[File:Wachtmeister 1.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Countess Wachtmeister]]
After reading Blavatsky's work [[Isis Unveiled (book)|''Isis Unveiled'']] with wonder and admiration as well as other Theosophical books, and joining the Theosophical Society, Constance Wachtmeister met H.P.B. for the first time in early 1884 in London at the home of [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett]] and his wife [[Patience Sinnett|Patience]]. Soon after she received a letter from Blavatsky asking Wachtmeister to visit her in Paris. She decided to go before returning home to Sweden and at that occasion also met the Society's Vice President, [[William Quan Judge]]. When she finally had a private conversation with H.P.B., she was told that before two years had passed, she would devote her life wholly to Theosophy, which seemed impossible to Constance Wachtmeister at that time.<ref> Constance Wachtmeister. ''Reminiscences of H. P. Blavatsky and "The Secret Doctrine."'' (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1893. Accessed at https://archive.org/details/reminiscenceshp01wachgoog on 7/31/18).</ref>

She happened to be in Germany when H.P.B. came there from India in 1884 and was ready to serve by entering H.P.B.’s household as an all-around helper and answering H.P.B.’s letters. She was attracted to Blavatsky's indifference to praise or blame, to her sense of duty not to be shaken by any selfish considerations. She worked faithfully for H.P.B. until her death.<ref>Jacob Bonggren, 167-168</ref>

The countess served H.P.B. in the years when she wrote [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] and in Constance Wachtmeister’s own book ''Reminiscences of H.P.B.'' she writes about the remarkable [[phenomena]] she was privileged to see during the preparation of this work.<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref> During these years she became a close friend of H.P.B. and stood by her in time of great distress and anxiety, both physical and social.<ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

To her is also due the credit for the successful establishment of the [[Theosophical Publishing Society (London)|Theosophical Publishing Society]] in London. The T.S.P. had been organized to publish [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] and other Theosophical books and magazines. The countess had become seriously involved financially in this endeavor.<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref>

== Encounters with Mahatma Morya ==

On one or other of his early visits to Europe, Countess Wachtmeister also met [[Mahatma|Master]] [[Morya]]. H. P. B. mentions the fact in a letter to Mr. N. D. Khandalvala, dated July 12, 1888:
<blockquote>
Constance Wachtmeister joined the T.S. because she recognised in the portrait of my ''Master her living Master'' who saved her on several occasions, whom she saw in his physical body years ago when he was in England, whom she saw in his [[astral body]] a number of times, and who wrote to her from the first in the same handwriting he uses for our Society. When she assured herself of this, she joined the T.S. at his advice; and now for three years and more she lives with and takes care of me."<ref>Mary K. Neff, ''The "Brothers" of Madame Blavatsky'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1932), 82.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Experiences with phenomena ==

[[File:Wachtmeister 5.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Countess Wachtmeister]]

In the autumn of 1885 the Countess was getting ready to go to Italy to spend the winter with some friends, when a singular [[phenomena|phenomenon]] happened:

<blockquote>
I was making preparations to leave my home in Sweden to spend the winter with some friends in Italy. . . . I was arranging and laying aside the articles I intended to take with me to Italy when I heard a voice saying, "Take that book, it will be useful to you on your journey." I may as well say at once that I have the faculties of [[clairvoyance]] and clairaudience rather strongly developed. I turned my eyes on a manuscript volume I had placed among the heap of things to be locked away until my return. Certainly it seemed a singular inappropriate vade mecum for a holiday, being a collection of notes on the [[Tarot]] and passages in the [[Kabbalah]] that had been compiled for me by a friend. However, I decided to take it with me, and laid the book in the bottom of one of my traveling trunks.</blockquote>

On her way to Italy she stopped at [[Elberfeld, Germany|Elberfeld]] and stayed for some days with [[Mary Gebhard|Madame Gebhard]]. When she was about to depart she got a telegram from [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] requesting the Countess to join her at Wurzburg. Soon after she arrived, she had the following incident:

<blockquote>I remember very well that it was then, on going into the dining room together to take some tea, that she said to me abruptly, as of something that had been dwelling on her mind.

"Master says you have a book for me of which I am much in need."
 

"No, indeed," I replied, "I have no books with me."
 

"Think again," she said, "Master says you were told in Sweden to bring a book on the Tarot and the Kabbalah".

Then I recollected the circumstances that I have related before. From the time I had placed the volume in the bottom of my box it had been out of my sight and out of my mind. Now, when I hurried to the bedroom, unlocked the trunk, and dived to the bottom, I found it in the same corner I had left it when packing in Sweden, undisturbed from that moment to this.<ref>[http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/mastersencounterswith.htm# A Casebook of Encounters with the Theosophical Mahatmas] Case 54, compiled and edited by Daniel H. Caldwell</ref>
</blockquote>

== Life after H.P.B.'s death ==

After H.P.B.’s death Countess Wachtmeister came over to America and lectured in Chicago and other places and eventually moved with her son to California to stay. <ref>Bonggren, 167-168.</ref>

Her heart and head were filled with the truth of Theosophy and she promoted the organization and teachings tirelessly. She visited every lodge of the T.S. and worked in a number of lodges to share her knowledge. Her time and energy were always at the disposal of the Cause and she helped financially whenever she could. <ref>van der Linden, 74-76.</ref>
<ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

[[File:Certificate found in TSE archives.jpg|240px|left|thumb|Certificate of appreciation]]

Between the years 1894 and 1900 she crossed the United States from coast to coast many times lecturing, organizing, meeting people of all grades of society in her simple, matter-of-fact way. When in 1895 the American Section was left with only 14 branches, the Countess offered her services as organizer and shared her knowledge and materials at her own expense, often under tremendous difficulties, with persistence and incredible spirit.

In 1896 she organized and helped build up 12 branches, besides visiting the existing old ones. In some places, as in Chicago for example, where she gave paid lectures she handed over the profits to the lodge. She lectured in every town where there was a possibility of hearers. She did not only lecture in the U.S. but also in Europe, Australia and in India, where she traveled with [[Annie Besant]].<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref> On the left is a certificate for Countess Wachtmeister expressing appreciation for her work at the TS of South Yarra (a lodge in a suburb of Melbourne), Australasian Section. It is dated July 1895 and signed by members of the lodge.

== Writings ==
The Countess was an excellent writer in English and in French, and edited [[Theosophical Siftings (periodical)|''Theosophical Siftings'']]. She worked with [[Bertram Keightley]] to organize the [[Theosophical Publishing Society (London)|Theosophical Publishing Society]]. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists '''[http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Wachtmeister 446 articles by or about Constance and Axel Wachtmeister]'''.

[[File:Constance Wachtmeister Idun 1893.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Xylograph from periodical ''Idun'', 1893]]
=== Pamphlet on Annie Besant as H.P.B.'s successor ===

At the time when American lodges split into two factions in 1895, the Countess saw it as her duty to circulate a pamphlet where she shared a few facts that she had kept to herself until then.

<blockquote>
”H.P.B. had told the me that her successor would be a woman long before [[Annie Besant]] had become a member of the T.S. She had made various attempts with different people, hoping to find one, but was quite unsuccessful, so she became terribly depressed and downhearted saying: “There is nobody left to take my place when I am gone.” It was only when Annie Besant joined the Society that her hopes revived, for she seemed to feel that in her she would find a successor.”
</blockquote>

The Countess continued on saying that she was at first on guard until she was sure of Annie Besant’s integrity. Only when she noticed her life of daily sacrifice and her continued endeavor to overcome her shortcomings was she convinced of her character.

<blockquote> “One day I saw Annie Besant enveloped in a cloud of light – [[Morya|Master’s]] color. He was standing by her side with His hand over her head. I left the room, went quickly to H.P.B. and finding her alone, told her what I had witnessed, and asked her if that was a sign that Master had chosen Annie Besant as her successor. H.P.B. replied “Yes”, and that she was glad that I had seen it. “</blockquote>

She further wrote that H.P.B. used to wear a ring that was important to her and had told the Countess that it would go to her successor and that the properties attached to it were magnetic. When I found out that the ring had been given to Annie Besant by H.P.B.s express directions, I knew that she would be the successor.<ref>A. K. Sibarama Shasti and Constance Wachtmeister "An Old Pamphlet of Countess Wachtmeister" ''The Theosophic Messenger'' 9.6 (Mar 1908), 120.</ref>

[[File:Reminiscences Wachtmeister.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Book cover]]
=== Articles ===

* "The Countess Wachtmeister Defends Madame Blavatsky," ''The Religio-Philosophical Journal'' (Chicago, Illinois) May 5, 1888, p. 6. Available at [http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/wachtmesitercountessdefends.htm Blavatsky Archives].

=== Books ===

* '''''Practical Vegetarian Cookery'''''. San Francisco: Mercury Publishing Co.; Chicago: Theosophical Book Concern, 1897. Written with Kate Buffington Davis. Available at [https://archive.org/details/b20402405 Internet Archive], [http://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b20402405 Wellcome Library], [https://library.biblioboard.com/content/94aa357e-1304-4a7d-8d94-9f8d2b427322 Biblioboard], and others.
* [https://archive.org/details/wachtmeisterspiritualisminthelightoftheosophy1897 '''''Spiritualism in the Light of Theosophy''''']. San Francisco: Mercury Publishing Co., 1897. Translated into French by Annie Besant.
* '''''Reminiscences of H. P. Blavatsky and the Secret Doctrine'''''. London: Theosophical Publishing Society; New York: The Path; Madras: Theosophical Society, 1893. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/4196250.html Hathitrust] and [https://archive.org/details/cu31924029173016 Internet Archive]. Translated into Spanish, Swedish, and French.
* '''''H. P. B. and The Present Crisis In The Theosophical Society'''''. [London]: Privately printed, Women's Printing Society, 1894-1895. Translated into Swedish, 1895.
* '''''Theosophy In Every-Day Life'''''. Sydney, 1895. "Compiled by a fellow of the Theosophical Society, repr. from ''Theosophical Siftings'', Vol. 3, by kind permission of the editor, the Countess Wachtmeister." Translated into French by Annie Besant.

==Axel Raoul Wachtmeister==

Countess Constance’s only child, Alex Raoul Wachtmeister, was born on April 2nd, 1865 in London. He was a globetrotter and composed an impressive amount of music in all genres. He was only six years old when his father died and already as a young child he traveled with his mother when she was involved in Theosophical matters but also stayed with relatives and friends. Having inherited the desire to travel and being economically independent, he, after finishing his studies, traveled the entire globe taking adventurous trips filled with hardships. He climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza, visited Kashmir and Ceylon, socialized with writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling. In the company of Swedish author and Nobel Prize winner, Verner von Heidenstam, he searched for traces left behind by the soldiers of Sweden’s King Charles XII in Romania and southern Russia. In 1896 he was in Greece during the first modern Olympic Games. In 1898 he edited the theosophical journal Messenger in San Francisco and wrote a few articles for this and other Theosophical publications. He described many of his adventures and activities in his memoir written in English, ''Memories'' from 1936.

Axel Raoul Wachtmeister began composing quite early and his piano piece, ''Det är qväll'' was published on his ninth birthday. He had harmony lessons, piano lessons, led a small student orchestra while working on his student examinations. After graduating he continued his studies in Copenhagen and Dresden, where he studied counterpoint and organ. Later he also studied orchestration and musical form in Paris.

Axel Raoul Wachtmeister was active both as a pianist and a composer until the very end of his life. In his older years he lived for a long time in various boarding houses in Stockholm, however his last years were spent in Tyringe (Hässleholm), where he also died.<ref>Axel Raoul Wachtmeister (1865−1947). Levande Musikarv, Swedish Musical Heritage.</ref><ref>Axel Wachtmeister. The Campbell Theosophical Research Library. http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Axel+Wachtmeister; accessed on 8/13/18.</ref>

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/wachtmeister-countess-constance-georgina-louise Watchmeister, Countess Constance Georgina Louise] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Associates of HPB|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Writers|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Lecturers|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Editors|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Nationality French|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Nationality Swedish|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:People who encountered Mahatmas|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:People who witnessed phenomena|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Inner Group of HPB|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:People|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Clairvoyants|Wachtmeister, Constance]]

Constance Wachtmeister

2020-04-08T14:55:36Z

Michael Conlin:

[[File:Wachtmeister 3.jpg|210px|right|thumb|Constance Wachtmeister]]
[[File:Wachtmeister - from Echoes of the Orient Vol II.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Constance Wachtmeister]]
[[File:Wachtmeister 4.jpg|180px|right|thumb|Constance Wachtmeister]]
The '''Countess Wachtmeister''' was the companion and coworker of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]] (H.P.B.) from 1885 until Blavatsky's death in 1891.<ref>George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., ''Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'' (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 245.</ref> She lectured widely in the 1890s, and helped [[Annie Besant]] to form lodges in the United States.

== Personal life ==

'''Constance Georgina Louise Bourbel de Monpincon''' was born in Florence, Italy on [[March 28]], 1838, to a French father and an English mother. <ref>Anonymous, "Mme. Blavatsky's Companion Here: the Countess Wachtmeister Will Lecture on Theosophical Questions," ''New York Times'' (September 20, 1894).</ref> Constance lost her parents at an early age and was sent to England to her aunt, Mrs. Bulkley of Linden Hall, Berkshire, where she was educated and lived until her marriage in 1863 with her cousin, the Count Wachtmeister, then Swedish and Norwegian minister at the court of St. James. They had a son, count Axel Raoul, who was born in 1865. The family moved to Stockholm, Sweden, when the Count was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Countess Wachtmeister’s husband died in 1871. <ref> R.A. Burnett, Mary W. Burnett, "Death of Countess Wachtmeister." ''The Theosophic Messenger'' 12.1 (Oct. 1910), 811-812.</ref>

She remained in Sweden for several years, spending the winter in warmer climates on account of health. Because the countess herself had some psychic abilities and had witnessed some [[phenomena]], she became interested in psychic research.<ref>Jacob Bonggren" Countess Constance Wachtmeister" ''The Theosophic Messenger'', 12.3., Dec. 1910, p. 167-168.</ref> She began investigations into [[Spiritualism]] in 1879, but after two years of arduous research she found it unsatisfactory and dangerous.<ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

Eventually she found in [[Theosophy]] an explanation of the phenomena.<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref> and joined the [[Theosophical Society]] on November 24, 1880 in Lund, Sweden.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entry 694 (website file: 1A/27).</ref> <ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends." ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref> All her deepest problems of life found a solution in [[Theosophy]] and from then on she devoted her whole life and fortune to the service of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]] and her [[Mahatmas|Masters]].<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref>

She was a devoted Theosophist, a strict vegetarian and lived a “simple life”. <ref> C.H. van der Linden. Countess Constance Wachtmeister."
''The Theosophic Messenger'', 12.2 (Nov. 1910), 74-76.</ref><ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

She died on [[September 24]], 1910 in Los Angeles.

== Life with H. P. Blavatsky ==

[[File:Wachtmeister 1.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Countess Wachtmeister]]
After reading Blavatsky's work [[Isis Unveiled (book)|''Isis Unveiled'']] with wonder and admiration as well as other Theosophical books, and joining the Theosophical Society, Constance Wachtmeister met H.P.B. for the first time in early 1884 in London at the home of [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett]] and his wife [[Patience Sinnett|Patience]]. Soon after she received a letter from Blavatsky asking Wachtmeister to visit her in Paris. She decided to go before returning home to Sweden and at that occasion also met the Society's Vice President, [[William Quan Judge]]. When she finally had a private conversation with H.P.B., she was told that before two years had passed, she would devote her life wholly to Theosophy, which seemed impossible to Constance Wachtmeister at that time.<ref> Constance Wachtmeister. ''Reminiscences of H. P. Blavatsky and "The Secret Doctrine."'' (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1893. Accessed at https://archive.org/details/reminiscenceshp01wachgoog on 7/31/18).</ref>

She happened to be in Germany when H.P.B. came there from India in 1884 and was ready to serve by entering H.P.B.’s household as an all-around helper and answering H.P.B.’s letters. She was attracted to Blavatsky's indifference to praise or blame, to her sense of duty not to be shaken by any selfish considerations. She worked faithfully for H.P.B. until her death.<ref>Jacob Bonggren, 167-168</ref>

The countess served H.P.B. in the years when she wrote [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] and in Constance Wachtmeister’s own book ''Reminiscences of H.P.B.'' she writes about the remarkable [[phenomena]] she was privileged to see during the preparation of this work.<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref> During these years she became a close friend of H.P.B. and stood by her in time of great distress and anxiety, both physical and social.<ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

To her is also due the credit for the successful establishment of the [[Theosophical Publishing Society (London)|Theosophical Publishing Society]] in London. The T.S.P. had been organized to publish [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] and other Theosophical books and magazines. The countess had become seriously involved financially in this endeavor.<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref>

== Encounters with Mahatma Morya ==

On one or other of his early visits to Europe, Countess Wachtmeister also met [[Mahatma|Master]] [[Morya]]. H. P. B. mentions the fact in a letter to Mr. N. D. Khandalvala, dated July 12, 1888:
<blockquote>
Constance Wachtmeister joined the T.S. because she recognised in the portrait of my ''Master her living Master'' who saved her on several occasions, whom she saw in his physical body years ago when he was in England, whom she saw in his [[astral body]] a number of times, and who wrote to her from the first in the same handwriting he uses for our Society. When she assured herself of this, she joined the T.S. at his advice; and now for three years and more she lives with and takes care of me."<ref>Mary K. Neff, ''The "Brothers" of Madame Blavatsky'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1932), 82.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Experiences with phenomena ==

[[File:Wachtmeister 5.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Countess Wachtmeister]]

In the autumn of 1885 the Countess was getting ready to go to Italy to spend the winter with some friends, when a singular [[phenomena|phenomenon]] happened:

<blockquote>
I was making preparations to leave my home in Sweden to spend the winter with some friends in Italy. . . . I was arranging and laying aside the articles I intended to take with me to Italy when I heard a voice saying, "Take that book, it will be useful to you on your journey." I may as well say at once that I have the faculties of [[clairvoyance]] and clairaudience rather strongly developed. I turned my eyes on a manuscript volume I had placed among the heap of things to be locked away until my return. Certainly it seemed a singular inappropriate vade mecum for a holiday, being a collection of notes on the [[Tarot]] and passages in the [[Kabbalah]] that had been compiled for me by a friend. However, I decided to take it with me, and laid the book in the bottom of one of my traveling trunks.</blockquote>

On her way to Italy she stopped at [[Elberfeld, Germany|Elberfeld]] and stayed for some days with [[Mary Gebhard|Madame Gebhard]]. When she was about to depart she got a telegram from [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] requesting the Countess to join her at Wurzburg. Soon after she arrived, she had the following incident:

<blockquote>I remember very well that it was then, on going into the dining room together to take some tea, that she said to me abruptly, as of something that had been dwelling on her mind.

"Master says you have a book for me of which I am much in need."
 

"No, indeed," I replied, "I have no books with me."
 

"Think again," she said, "Master says you were told in Sweden to bring a book on the Tarot and the Kabbalah".

Then I recollected the circumstances that I have related before. From the time I had placed the volume in the bottom of my box it had been out of my sight and out of my mind. Now, when I hurried to the bedroom, unlocked the trunk, and dived to the bottom, I found it in the same corner I had left it when packing in Sweden, undisturbed from that moment to this.<ref>[http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/mastersencounterswith.htm# A Casebook of Encounters with the Theosophical Mahatmas] Case 54, compiled and edited by Daniel H. Caldwell</ref>
</blockquote>

== Life after H.P.B.'s death ==

After H.P.B.’s death Countess Wachtmeister came over to America and lectured in Chicago and other places and eventually moved with her son to California to stay. <ref>Bonggren, 167-168.</ref>

Her heart and head were filled with the truth of Theosophy and she promoted the organization and teachings tirelessly. She visited every lodge of the T.S. and worked in a number of lodges to share her knowledge. Her time and energy were always at the disposal of the Cause and she helped financially whenever she could. <ref>van der Linden, 74-76.</ref>
<ref>Anonymous, "Faces of Friends" ''The Path'' 8.8 (Nov. 1893), 246-247.</ref>

[[File:Certificate found in TSE archives.jpg|240px|left|thumb|Certificate of appreciation]]

Between the years 1894 and 1900 she crossed the United States from coast to coast many times lecturing, organizing, meeting people of all grades of society in her simple, matter-of-fact way. When in 1895 the American Section was left with only 14 branches, the Countess offered her services as organizer and shared her knowledge and materials at her own expense, often under tremendous difficulties, with persistence and incredible spirit.

In 1896 she organized and helped build up 12 branches, besides visiting the existing old ones. In some places, as in Chicago for example, where she gave paid lectures she handed over the profits to the lodge. She lectured in every town where there was a possibility of hearers. She did not only lecture in the U.S. but also in Europe, Australia and in India, where she traveled with [[Annie Besant]].<ref>Burnett and Burnett, 811-812.</ref> On the left is a certificate for Countess Wachtmeister expressing appreciation for her work at the TS of South Yarra (a lodge in a suburb of Melbourne), Australasian Section. It is dated July 1895 and signed by members of the lodge.

== Writings ==
The Countess was an excellent writer in English and in French, and edited [[Theosophical Siftings (periodical)|''Theosophical Siftings'']]. She worked with [[Bertram Keightley]] to organize the [[Theosophical Publishing Society (London)|Theosophical Publishing Society]]. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists '''[http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Wachtmeister 446 articles by or about Constance and Axel Wachtmeister]'''.

[[File:Constance Wachtmeister Idun 1893.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Xylograph from periodical ''Idun'', 1893]]
=== Pamphlet on Annie Besant as H.P.B.'s successor ===

At the time when American lodges split into two factions in 1895, the Countess saw it as her duty to circulate a pamphlet where she shared a few facts that she had kept to herself until then.

<blockquote>
”H.P.B. had told the me that her successor would be a woman long before [[Annie Besant]] had become a member of the T.S. She had made various attempts with different people, hoping to find one, but was quite unsuccessful, so she became terribly depressed and downhearted saying: “There is nobody left to take my place when I am gone.” It was only when Annie Besant joined the Society that her hopes revived, for she seemed to feel that in her she would find a successor.”
</blockquote>

The Countess continued on saying that she was at first on guard until she was sure of Annie Besant’s integrity. Only when she noticed her life of daily sacrifice and her continued endeavor to overcome her shortcomings was she convinced of her character.

<blockquote> “One day I saw Annie Besant enveloped in a cloud of light – [[Morya|Master’s]] color. He was standing by her side with His hand over her head. I left the room, went quickly to H.P.B. and finding her alone, told her what I had witnessed, and asked her if that was a sign that Master had chosen Annie Besant as her successor. H.P.B. replied “Yes”, and that she was glad that I had seen it. “</blockquote>

She further wrote that H.P.B. used to wear a ring that was important to her and had told the Countess that it would go to her successor and that the properties attached to it were magnetic. When I found out that the ring had been given to Annie Besant by H.P.B.s express directions, I knew that she would be the successor.<ref>A. K. Sibarama Shasti and Constance Wachtmeister "An Old Pamphlet of Countess Wachtmeister" ''The Theosophic Messenger'' 9.6 (Mar 1908), 120.</ref>

[[File:Reminiscences Wachtmeister.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Book cover]]
=== Articles ===

* "The Countess Wachtmeister Defends Madame Blavatsky," ''The Religio-Philosophical Journal'' (Chicago, Illinois) May 5, 1888, p. 6. Available at [http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/wachtmesitercountessdefends.htm Blavatsky Archives].

=== Books ===

* '''''Practical Vegetarian Cookery'''''. San Francisco: Mercury Publishing Co.; Chicago: Theosophical Book Concern, 1897. Written with Kate Buffington Davis. Available at [https://archive.org/details/b20402405 Internet Archive], [http://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b20402405 Wellcome Library], [https://library.biblioboard.com/content/94aa357e-1304-4a7d-8d94-9f8d2b427322 Biblioboard], and others.
* [https://archive.org/details/wachtmeisterspiritualisminthelightoftheosophy1897 '''''Spiritualism in the Light of Theosophy''''']. San Francisco: Mercury Publishing Co., 1897. Translated into French by Annie Besant.
* '''''Reminiscences of H. P. Blavatsky and the Secret Doctrine'''''. London: Theosophical Publishing Society; New York: The Path; Madras: Theosophical Society, 1893. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/4196250.html Hathitrust] and [https://archive.org/details/cu31924029173016 Internet Archive]. Translated into Spanish, Swedish, and French.
* '''''H. P. B. and The Present Crisis In The Theosophical Society'''''. [London]: Privately printed, Women's Printing Society, 1894-1895. Translated into Swedish, 1895.
* '''''Theosophy In Every-Day Life'''''. Sydney, 1895. "Compiled by a fellow of the Theosophical Society, repr. from ''Theosophical Siftings'', Vol. 3, by kind permission of the editor, the Countess Wachtmeister." Translated into French by Annie Besant.

==Axel Raoul Wachtmeister==

Countess Constance’s only child, Alex Raoul Wachtmeister, was born on April 2nd, 1865 in London. He was a globetrotter and composed an impressive amount of music in all genres. He was only six years old when his father died and already as a young child he traveled with his mother when she was involved in Theosophical matters but also stayed with relatives and friends. Having inherited the desire to travel and being economically independent, he, after finishing his studies, traveled the entire globe taking adventurous trips filled with hardships. He climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza, visited Kashmir and Ceylon, socialized with writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling. In the company of Swedish author and Nobel Prize winner, Verner von Heidenstam, he searched for traces left behind by the soldiers of Sweden’s King Charles XII in Romania and southern Russia. In 1896 he was in Greece during the first modern Olympic Games. In 1898 he edited the theosophical journal Messenger in San Francisco and wrote a few articles for this and other Theosophical publications. He described many of his adventures and activities in his memoir written in English, ''Memories'' from 1936.

Axel Raoul Wachtmeister began composing quite early and his piano piece, ''Det är qväll'' was published on his ninth birthday. He had harmony lessons, piano lessons, led a small student orchestra while working on his student examinations. After graduating he continued his studies in Copenhagen and Dresden, where he studied counterpoint and organ. Later he also studied orchestration and musical form in Paris.

Axel Raoul Wachtmeister was active both as a pianist and a composer until the very end of his life. In his older years he lived for a long time in various boarding houses in Stockholm, however his last years were spent in Tyringe (Hässleholm), where he also died.<ref>Axel Raoul Wachtmeister (1865−1947). Levande Musikarv, Swedish Musical Heritage.</ref><ref>Axel Wachtmeister. The Campbell Theosophical Research Library. http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Axel+Wachtmeister; accessed on 8/13/18.</ref>

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/watchmeister-countess-constance-georgina-louise Watchmeister, Countess Constance Georgina Louise] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Associates of HPB|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Writers|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Lecturers|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Editors|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Nationality French|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Nationality Swedish|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:People who encountered Mahatmas|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:People who witnessed phenomena|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Inner Group of HPB|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:People|Wachtmeister, Constance]]
[[Category:Clairvoyants|Wachtmeister, Constance]]

Consciousness

2020-04-08T14:45:41Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
== General description ==

The phenomenon of consciousness has not been able to be explained by modern science. Philosopher Philip Goff said:

<blockquote>Despite great progress in our scientific understanding of the brain, we still don’t have even the beginnings of an explanation of how complex electrochemical signaling is somehow able to give rise to the inner subjective world of colors, sounds, smells and tastes that each of us knows in our own case. There is a deep mystery in understanding how what we know about ourselves from the inside fits together with what science tells us about matter from the outside.<ref>[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-consciousness-pervade-the-universe/ Does Consciousness Pervade the Universe? An Interview with Philip Goff] Scientific American.</ref></blockquote>

In the Theosophical view, consciousness is an intrinsic feature of the universe, which means that everything around shows some kind of consciousness. However, as [[H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>[[Esoteric philosophy]] teaches that everything lives and is conscious, but not that all life and consciousness are similar to those of human or even animal beings.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 49.</ref></blockquote>

In the Theosophical view consciousness is not a single faculty but it is the result of the interaction between the [[Principle#Seven_principles_in_human_beings|seven principles]] that compose a human being. As to its mechanism, [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>In the normal or natural state, the sensations are transmitted from the lowest physical to the highest spiritual body, i.e., from the first to the 6th principle (the 7th being no organized or conditioned body, but an infinite, hence unconditioned principle or state), the faculties of each body having to awaken the faculties of the next higher one, to transmit the message in succession, until they reach the last, when, having received the impression, the latter (the spiritual soul) sends it back in an inverse order to the body. Hence, the faculties of some of the “bodies” (we use this word for want of a better term) being less developed, they fail to transmit the message correctly to the highest principle, and thus also fail to produce the right impression upon the physical senses, as a telegram may have started for the place of its destination faultless, and have been bungled up and misinterpreted by the telegraph operator at some intermediate station. This is why some people, otherwise endowed with great intellectual powers and perceptive faculties, are often utterly unable to appreciate—say, the beauties of nature, or some particular moral quality; as, however perfect their physical intellect—unless the original, material or rough physical impression conveyed has passed in a circuit through the sieve of every “principle”—(from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, up to 7, and down again from 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, to No. 1)—and that every “sieve” is in good order—the spiritual perception will always be imperfect. The Yogi, who, by a constant training and incessant watchfulness, keeps his septenary instrument in good tune and whose spirit has obtained a perfect control over all, can, at will, and by paralysing the functions of the four intermediate principles, communicate from body to spirit and vice versa—direct.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 101-102.</ref></blockquote>

== Absolute consciousness ==

When talking about consciousness in its absolute quality, Mme. Blavatsky wrote:

<blockquote>To know itself or oneself, necessitates consciousness and perception (both limited faculties in relation to any subject except [[Parabrahman|Parabrahm]]), to be cognized. Hence the “[[Great Breath|Eternal Breath]] which knows itself not.” Infinity cannot comprehend Finiteness. The Boundless can have no relation to the bounded and the conditioned. In the [[Occultism|occult teachings]], the Unknown and the Unknowable mover, or the Self-Existing, is the absolute divine Essence. And thus being Absolute Consciousness, and [[Absolute#Absolute_abstract_motion|Absolute Motion]]—to the limited senses of those who describe this indescribable—it is unconsciousness and immoveableness. Concrete consciousness cannot be predicated of abstract Consciousness, any more than the quality wet can be predicated of water—wetness being its own attribute and the cause of the wet quality in other things. Consciousness implies limitations and qualifications; something to be conscious of, and someone to be conscious of it. But Absolute Consciousness contains the cognizer, the thing cognized and the cognition, all three in itself and all three one. . . . It must not be forgotten, also, that we give names to things according to the appearances they assume for ourselves. We call absolute consciousness “unconsciousness,” because it seems to us that it must necessarily be so, just as we call the [[Absolute]], “[[Darkness]],” because to our finite understanding it appears quite impenetrable, yet we recognize fully that our perception of such things does not do them justice. We involuntarily distinguish in our minds, for instance, between unconscious absolute consciousness, and unconsciousness, by secretly endowing the former with some indefinite quality that corresponds, on a higher [[plane]] than our thoughts can reach, with what we know as consciousness in ourselves. But this is not any kind of consciousness that we can manage to distinguish from what appears to us as unconsciousness.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 56.</ref></blockquote>

== States of consciousness ==
See [[Avasthā]]

== Self-consciousness ==
Self-consciousness or self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to recognize oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals. It is not to be confused with consciousness. While consciousness is a term given to being aware of one’s environment, self-consciousness is the recognition of that awareness.

In the [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] view, "the principle of self-consciousness, the 'I-am-I'" is [[manas]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 249.</ref> Because this principle is the origin of the sense of "I-ness", it is called the "[[Ego]]":

<blockquote>Ego (Lat.) "I"; the consciousness in man of the "I am I," or the feeling of I-am-ship. [[Esoteric Philosophy|Esoteric philosophy]] teaches the existence of two Egos in man, the mortal or personal, and the higher, the divine or impersonal, calling the former [[Principle#Individuality and personality|"personality"]], and the latter [[Principle#Individuality and personality|"individuality"]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 111.</ref></blockquote>

== Higher consciousness ==

== Online resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/consciousness Consciousness] at Theosophy World
===Articles and pamphlets===
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/AdyarPamphlet_No69.pdf# Intuitional Consciousness] by Francesca Arundale
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/AdyarPamphlet_No70.pdf# Man's Waking Consciousness] by G.S. Arundale
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/AdyarPamphlet_No1.pdf# Emotion, Intellect and Spirituality] by Annie Besant
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/AdyarPamphlet_No46.pdf# On Moods] by Annie Besant
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/theosophy/judge/articles/self-friend-and-enemy.htm# The Self Is the Friend of Self and also its Enemy] by W. Q. Judge
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/theosophy/judge/articles/subjective-objective.htm# The Subjective and the Objective] by W. Q. Judge
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/articles/DimensionsConsciousness.pdf# Dimensions of Consciousness] by Dora Kunz
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/2071# What Is Consciousness?] by Richard Smoley

===Books===
*[http://www.anandgholap.net/Study_In_Consciousness-AB.htm# Study In Consciousness] by Annie Besant
*[http://www.anandgholap.net/Theosophy_And_The_New_Psychology-AB.html# Theosophy and the New Psychology] by Annie Besant

===Audio===
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/gomes/The%20Nature%20of%20Consciousness%20in%20the%20Upanishads.mp3# The Nature of Consciousness in the Upanishads] by Michael Gomes
*[https://archive.org/download/1134_20191022/1134.mp3# Man's Experience at Different Levels of Consciousness] by Dora Kunz
*[https://archive.org/download/1138_20191022/1138.mp3# The Origin and Development of Consciousness] by Joy Mills
*[https://archive.org/download/1136_20191022/1136.mp3# The Nature of Consciousness, Part 1] and [https://archive.org/download/1136_20191022/1137.mp3# Part 2] by N. Sri Ram
*[https://archive.org/download/1142_20191022/1142.mp3# The Significance of Each Present Moment] by N. Sri Ram
*[https://archive.org/download/spiritualconsciousnesssriram/SpiritualConsciousness_Sri_Ram.mp3# Spiritual Consciousness] by N. Sri Ram
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/ross/The%20Cosmological%20Aspects%20of%20Consciousness.mp3# The Cosmological Aspects of Consciousness] by Will Ross and Emily Sellon
*[https://archive.org/download/6054norm/6054norm.mp3# A Map of the Field of Consciousness] by Pablo Sender
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/zahara/The%20Expansion%20of%20Awareness.mp3 The Expansion of Awareness] by Helen Zahara

===Video===
*[https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=CupOHSZ3EBk ''What Is Consciousness?''] by Richard Smoley

== Additional resources ==
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/library/Bibliography/Consciousness.pdf# Bibliography on Consciousness] from the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]].

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[es:Conciencia]]

Confucius

2020-04-08T14:33:24Z

Michael Conlin:

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
== Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/confucius-and-confucianism Confucius And Confucianism] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/2153# Blavatsky and Confucius] by John Algeo

[[Category:Religious teachers]]

Co-Freemasonry

2020-04-08T14:20:24Z

Michael Conlin:

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
== Le Droit Humain ==

Le Droit Humain is an international Masonic Order, following the Scottish Rite. A Supreme Council has headquarters in Paris, but groups within the order are self-governing. Both men and women are members on an equal footing, regardless of nationality, religion, or ethnicity.

Several prominent [[Theosophists]] have participated in Le Droit Humain, including [[Annie Besant]], [[George S. Arundale]], [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|Charles W. Leadbeater]], [[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa|C. Jinarājadāsa]], and [[Nilakanta Sri Ram]]. [[Henry Steel Olcott]] may have been a member as well.

== Eastern Order of International Co-Freemasonry ==
==Online resourses==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/co-freemasonry Co-Freemasonry] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Other Groups]]

Clara Codd

2020-04-08T14:02:08Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

[[File:Clara Codd 5.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Clara Codd]]
[[File:AnnKerr ClaraCodd.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ann Kerr and Clara Codd at Olcott]]
[[File:Clara Codd photo.jpg|right|230px|thumb|Clara Codd at Olcott]]
'''Clara Codd''' was an English Theosophist known for her work as a feminist, lecturer, teacher, and writer. She served as General Secretary of both the Australian and South African Sections of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, Chennai, India]]. During a Theosophical career of nearly 70 years, she traveled to five continents. Her autobiography is rightfully called [http://resources.theosophical.org/pdf/Authors/Codd/Codd_So_Rich_a_Life.pdf '''''So Rich a Life''''']. Theosophists who counted her as major influences in their lives included [[Joy Mills]], [[John Algeo]], [[James S. Perkins]], Eleanor Stakesby-Lewis, Shirley Macpherson, and many others. Some of her massive correspondence is available in the '''[[Clara Codd Letters]]'''.

== Early life and education ==
[[File:Clara Codd - young.jpg|right|210px|thumb|Clara Codd as a young woman]]
Clara Margaret Codd was born [[October 10]], 1876 at Barnstaple, Devon, England.<ref>Application to Extend Time of Temporary Stay. US Immigration and Naturalization Service. December 23, 1946. James S. Perkins Papers. Records Series 08.06. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> She was the oldest of ten daughters. Her father, Henry L. Codd, was an Inspector of Schools for Cornwall and part of Devon; he had previously spent some years in a nautical career. His wife Clara V. Codd was a half-Italian beauty who with Henry was active in North Devon hunting society. The daughters were educated by a series of governesses. Clara was a shy and sensitive child and read extensively from her father's library; the works of Sir Walter Scott and Thomas Carlyle were especially meaningful to her. Mrs. Codd took her to plays and concerts. Clara learned to sing and to play the violin in a local orchestra. She became a proficient pianist and loved to accompany singers throughout her life.<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 5-8.</ref>

Even as a child, Clara questioned the meaning of life and felt moved into a search for "something." Religious training in the family consisted of attending the local Church of England parish churches, and memorizing passages of scripture. After Clara read a [[Spiritualism|spiritualist]] book called ''The Living Dead'', she was relieved of her childhood fears of hell, and embraced the concept of life after death.<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 10.</ref>

While Clara was still a young woman, in January, 1901, her father died, and the mother moved the family to Geneva, Switzerland where they could live more cheaply. Clara took on work wherever she could find it to help support the family. She "spent all the days teaching English, playing accompaniments, teaching music, and, for a short time, posing for artists as a model, never in the 'all-together' but as a costume model."<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 11.</ref> Geneva had a cosmopolitan atmosphere, and Clara met people of many nationalities and social strata. She became proficient in speaking French.

== Introduction to Theosophy ==

It was in Geneva that the young woman first became acquainted with [[Theosophy]]:
<blockquote>
Her first contact with Theosophy came through an Austrian neighbour, Madame von Pachten, who attended many concerts, meetings and lectures and often took the young Clara with her. One day she asked Clara if she would like to 'hear the theosophists'. The four theosophical lodges in Geneva at that time met in private homes. The one to which Clara was taken was that of the Russian Consul, Count Prozor. The second time she attended the lodge, Clara described the atmosphere of excitement as [[Henry Steel Olcott|Colonel Olcott]], a Principal [[Founders|Founder]] of the TS was due to speak. Clara described the Colonel's lecture as chatty and informal, simple and unassuming. He told of his life with [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky]] and of the apparent [[Phenomena|marvels]] and miracles which took place in her presence. The highlight of the evening though, for Clara, was the Colonel's description of five [[Adepts]] whom he said he had personally known. Her life changed irrevocably from that moment on. She began to attend theosophical classes and subsequently joined the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]].<ref>Shirley Macpherson, "Clara Codd: A Woman of Character" ''Theosophy in Australia'' 64 (September, 2000), 74.</ref>
</blockquote>

She was admitted to the French Section of the Theosophical Society at age 27, on December 16, 1903,<ref>The International Theosophical Year Book 1938 (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1938): 173.</ref> and attended a class for beginners. After a few more months in Switzerland, the family moved back to England - to Bath, in Somerset. Clara took a job as a governess in Ireland for some months, and on returning to Bath went to a meeting of the local Theosophical Society lodge. The lecturer was Bernard Old, a younger brother of [[Walter Gorn Old]]. The lodge president took Clara north to visit the Harrogate lodge and to meet [[Annie Besant]]. Her mother was also interested in Theosophy, and eventually all but one of her sisters became Theosophists. The family hosted visiting Theosophical lecturers such as A. W. Orage, who assisted Clara when she prepared to give her first talk to the lodge.<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 10.</ref>

[[File:Clara Codd 6.jpg|220px|thumb|Clara Codd]]

== Feminist activities ==
During the years in Bath, Clara became an ardent Socialist, with a strong sense for freedom and justice. She was asked to help steward meetings when suffragettes Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney came to Bath. Clara offered to assist Annie, who headed the Bristol district of the Women's Social and Political Union. The women held weekly meetings to answer the questions of the public. They often gave lectures from the back of a lorry, distributed literature from a rented shop, and disrupted speeches by politicians like David Lloyd George. The work became increasingly dangerous. When Christabel Pankhurst planned a raid on the well-guarded House of Commons, Clara went to London to participate. She, the Pankhursts, and others were arrested and sent to Holloway Gaol for a month. <ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 46-79.</ref> After her release, Clara was offered a position as an organizer for the Union, but chose instead to work for Theosophy.

== Theosophical lecturer in England ==
In 1906 Miss Codd was appointed to be the first national lecturer for the English Section, supported by an annual salary of £50 provided by a wealthy member from Birmingham. At first she was shy and felt ill-prepared, but with experience she gained confidence. When funds ran out, Clara was made Librarian at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in England, which gave her the opportunity to become more familiar with Theosophical literature. She became friendly with the family of Lancashire businessman Joseph Bibby, who edited ''Bibby's Annual''. He proposed to send Clara for a two-year course at the Theosophical Society headquarters in Adyar, Madras, India. With the encouragement of Annie Besant, Clara embarked for India.<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 88-106.</ref>

== Study in India ==
Miss Codd spent 1910-1911 at the Adyar campus of the international Theosophical Society, near Madras (now Chennai), India. She described the estate, the Leadbeater Chambers, and her daily life in wonderful detail in her autobiography. She had the opportunity to spend time with [[Sidney Ransom]], [[Hubert Van Hook]], Albert Schwarz, Alida de Leeuw, [[B. P. Wadia]], Johann van Manen, [[Ernest Wood]], Don Fabrizio Ruspoli, and many others. [[Mary K. Neff]] became a lifelong friend. [[Annie Besant]] and [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]] were usually in residence.

Clara participated fully in the life of Adyar - the rooftop talks, entertainments, meditations, [[Esoteric Section|E. S.]] meetings, and study. She mended Annie Besant's clothes and assisted Don Ruspoli in drawing up tables for the [[Lives of Alcyone (book)|''Lives of Alcyone'']]. At the convention in Benares, she met [[George S. Arundale]] and his aunt [[Francesca Arundale]], and became an early member of the Order of the Rising Sun, which quickly became the [[Order of the Star in the East]]. Mr. Wadia asked her to tour India as a lecturer, enabling her to become acquainted intimately with Indian life and customs at places such as Mysore, Travancore, the Palghat Hills, the Malabar country in the West, and Calicut in Kerala. Her skills as a lecturer developed strongly, and her previous shyness disappeared.

<blockquote>
This was how I became acquainted with Indian life and customs. Sometimes the members would put bed for me in a Lodge library... I was not too astonished to find what looked like heavy grey velvet curtains, but which turned out to be - cobwebs! A bathroom is easily made with plaited palms and jars of water.<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 191.</ref>
</blockquote>

When the time arrived for her return home, Mrs. Besant told Clara that a wealthy American had provided funds to support a lecture tour in England. On her final night at Adyar, Mr. Wadia asked her, Mary K. Neff, and others to help with a shipping crisis caused by a labor strike on the railway line. They addressed labels for ''The Theosophist'' and packed sacks full of periodicals, working all night to enable timely shipment of the issue to Europe. In the morning, Clara left Adyar to embark on her voyage to England.

== Work in England ==

At home in England, Miss Codd was a popular and hard-working lecturer. In 1921, the General Secretary of the English Section wrote,
<blockquote>
[She] has carried on here work with ever increasing audiences and greater opportunities each time she re-visits one or other of the big industrial centres.
She spends from three to five weeks in each place, and this method of work is already proving its value by the steadily increasing numbers who attend, the sustained interest apparent in the public mind, and the gain to the Lodge through special talks to members.<ref>D. Graham Pole, "The T.S. in England and Wales" ''The General Report of the T. S 1921'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1922), 43.</ref>
</blockquote>

Just before the first [[World Congress of the Theosophical Society (Adyar)|World Congress]] took place in Paris, numerous delegates visited in London. The TS in England put several of the visiting dignitaries to work, according to Annie Besant: "Much propaganda work was done, largely helped by [[B. P. Wadia|Mr. B. P. Wadia]] (India), [[L. W. Rogers|Mr. Rogers]] (U.S.A.), Miss Murchie (S. Africa), and Miss Christie (New Zealand), while Miss Clara Codd, as ever, was a host in herself.<ref>Annie Besant, "The Presidential Address" ''The General Report of the T. S 1921'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1922), 6.</ref>

[[File:ClaraCodd birthday party.jpg|right|420px|thumb|Birthday party at Olcott, October 10, 1947]]
[[File:April 1948 farewell party for Clara Codd.jpg|400px|thumb|Farewell party at Olcott, April 1948]]

== Theosophical activities in North America ==

=== 1929-1931 ===

In 1929, the young Miss Codd toured the United States, visiting thirteen Midwestern cities in two months. While in Iowa, she spoke on [[Reincarnation|"Reincarnation"]] "to about 500 young people in a commercial school at Des Moines. These young people had formerly been addressed by Mr. Hoover [Herbert Hoover - later the U. S. president] ... and by Billy Sunday [a megastar evangelist]."<ref>"Chicago Lectures" ''The American Theosophist'' 17.10 (October 1929), 230.</ref> She joined a stellar roster of speakers for the [[World Congress of the Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Third World Congress]], held at the Hotel Stevens in Chicago. During 1929 and 1930, while living at the [[Olcott (campus)|headquarters]] of the American Section, she wrote several books that were published by [[Theosophical Press]]. She toured from coast to coast in the United States, and visited Canada several times.

=== 1946-1948 ===

Following her long wartime sojourn in South Africa, Miss Codd accepted another invitation to lecture in the United States,visiting lodges and federations nationwide. [[Joy Mills]] and [[John Algeo]] both met her during this period.

=== 1958-1959 ===

Another journey to the United States gave Miss Codd opportunities to visit her niece and long-time friends like Dr. and Mrs. DeHoff in Baltimore and Lois Burns in New Orleans. She greatly enjoyed the 1958 convention and summer school at Olcott, spending time with international president [[Nilakanta Sri Ram]] and his wife Bhagirathi.

=== 1961-1962 ===

After flying to Chicago to attend the annual convention of the Theosophical Society in America, Miss Codd went to [[Krotona Institute of Theosophy|Krotona]] for almost a year. She led a quiet life there, enjoying the scenery and scattering grain for the birds.

== Involvement in Golden Link ==

Miss Codd was the International Chief Link in the Golden Chain of Love, a children's movement that came to be associated with the [[Theosophical Order of Service]]. Her sister Dorothy Mary Codd was Chief Link for Europe.<ref>The International Theosophical Year Book 1938 (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1938): 138-139, 173-174.</ref>

== Years in South Africa ==

=== 1938-1946 ===
Miss Codd first became acquainted with South Africa on several occasions when her ships stopped there en route between England and India. In 1938 she had an opportunity to lecture there, arriving on February 2, 1938, and staying until May 21, 1946. World War II influenced her decision to remain so long, but she loved the country and became a citizen of the Union of South Africa.

The Section was experiencing some of the same kinds of problems that she had encountered in Australia. After she had lectured for some months, the General Secretary, Dr. Humphrey, decided to retire, and Miss Codd agreed to serve as National President (General Secretary) of the Section. She continued in that position for five years. She especially enjoyed editing [[The Link (periodical)|''The Link'']], the Section journal.<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 392-396.</ref><ref>Application to Extend Time of Temporary Stay. US Immigration and Naturalization Service. December 23, 1946. James S. Perkins Papers. Records Series 08.06. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> In January of 1945, her term ended. She wrote to [[Sidney Cook]] at the [[Theosophical Society in America]]:
<blockquote>
Mr. Kruisheer is a splendid G.S. He is such a good organiser. I shall never be a Gen. Sec. again. I do not think that that is the best thing I can do. I am not an administrator. I just fill in a gap. For some time now I have had a pet idea. Tell me if you think it is feasible. I would like to go round the world once more before I pass over and say goodbye to all the dear people I love so well. This Xmas I have heard again from so many in the U.S.A...Could you have me for lecturing for a year? You need not give me any salary as now I am the proud possessor of a pension. And then I could go on to N.Z. and Australia and finally settle somewhere.
 
I would like to spend my last days in inspiring and teaching the Masters young workers somewhere.<ref>Letter from Clara Codd to Sidney Cook. January 22, 1945. Sidney A. Cook Papers. Records Series 08.05. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>
</blockquote>

=== 1948-1957 ===

She returned to South Africa for another extended period, from late 1948 to late 1952, and April 1953 to March 1957, with a six-month visit to Adyar in between.

== Years in Australia ==

=== 1923-1924 ===
Miss Codd had two long visits to Australia. On the first occasion, Mr. Jinarājadāsa, then Vice President of the international [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]], cabled Clara Codd in England to embark for Australia to assist him there.<ref>In her autobiography, age 283, Miss Codd stated that she was on the maiden voyage of the ''Euripides''. This may be the wrong ship, however. The ''Euripides'' was then an older ship. Passenger records show her arriving in Australia on August 23, 1922, on the ''Sophocles'', which had just been constructed in 1921.</ref> On [[October 28]], 1923, 600 out of the 900 members in Sydney left to form the [[Independent Theosophical Society]] under the leadership of T. H. Martyn.

The Mackay family housed Miss Codd in Sydney, where she again encountered her dear friend from Adyar, [[Mary K. Neff]].
<blockquote>
I was to give the first of a series of lectures for the newly-formed Blavatsky Lodge, the remnant of the Sydney Lodge which had remained with us. As they had lost their hall [King's Hall], the only one available was a queer hall which had sawdust and beer bottles around. However, we started in.
<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 285.</ref>
</blockquote>
A short time later she moved into the newly established Theosophical community in [[The Manor]], in Mosman on the north side of scenic Sydney Harbour. Among the early residents were [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|Bishop C. W. Leadbeater]] and [[Dora Kunz|Dora van Gelder]]. From that base, Miss Codd traveled to lecture in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Cairns, and other locations. When in Sydney, she used to broadcast on radio station [[2GB]] daily. She also found time to spend six months in New Zealand, but at the end of her second year "down under," she was recalled to England by way of South Africa. The new General Secretary in England was opposed to National Lecturers, so Clara accepted an invitation to tour in North America.

=== 1934-1937 ===
The second time Miss Codd visited Australia lasted for four years, 1934-1937. She toured the entire country, staying at each city for several weeks, "giving public lectures on the full range of basic Theosophy" as well as members' meetings.<ref>Edriss Noall, "Memories of Clara Codd" ''The Theosophist'' 98.10 (October, 1976), 10.</ref> A member reported,
<blockquote>
At each lecture Clara filled the Adelaide Lodge to overflowing and we as young Theosophists sat on the windowsills at the back of the hall. She was adept at answering questions and always gave a practical, down to earth remedy for any problem.

While she was in Australia trouble had been brewing between the Radio Station [[2GB]] and the General Secretary who, at that time, was finding the situation difficult to handle. Clara was asked if she would take over as General Secretary and agreed, holding that position for two years in 1934 and 1935... she used to broadcast a short address on a theosophical subject every afternoon from 2GB.<ref>Shirley Macpherson, "Clara Codd: A Woman of Character" ''Theosophy in Australia'' 64 (September, 2000), 75-76.</ref>
</blockquote>

Miss Codd was unaccustomed to administrative work, but she was an effective leader for the TS in Australia. Since the organization was heavily in debt following the worldwide economic trauma of the Great Depression, she cut her own salary in half and eliminated other staff positions. By performing all the office tasks herself, she succeeded in paying all debts in six month's time. The national magazine was revived in the form of a typewritten eight-page magazine, called "News and Notes."<ref>"Official Notes," ''The Canadian Theosophist'' 15.8 (October 15, 1934), 240.</ref> She wrote,
<blockquote>
I was very happy as General Secretary of Australia. I could not lecture so much, but it brought me in touch with the organisational side of our work and into touch with the International President who was then [[George S. Arundale|Dr. Arundale]], and such experience has stood me in very good stead.<ref>Clara Codd, ''So Rich a Life'' (Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1956), 386-387.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[Image:Clara Codd 3.JPG|220px|thumb|Clara Codd]]
[[Image:John Coats and Clara_Codd.JPG|260px|thumb|John Coats and Clara Codd]]

== Later years ==

The Fifth World Congress of the Theosophical Society, Adyar, in Salzburg, Austria, was the last public appearance of Miss Codd. It took place in 1966. According to [[Joy Mills]],
<blockquote>
"No one who attended that Congress at Salzburg will ever forget the lecture 'our beloved Clara' gave there; it was, she said, her 'farewell' lecture, but although she was in her 90th year, she spoke with all the vigor and dynamic vibrancy of the eternally young. The standing ovation that followed her talk was the spontaneous tribute of the members to the gallant soldier who never swerved from the vow she had taken, on entering the Society, to use every talent and capacity in the service of humanity.<ref>Joy Mills, "'That Kind and Gracious Other Side of Life'" ''The American Theosophist'' 59.6 (June, 1971), 7.</ref>
</blockquote>

Her final years were spent at Ways End, Camberley, near Tekels Park in England,<ref>Dorothy and Isabel Codd, "Notices: Clara Codd" ''Theosophical Journal'' 12.5 (September-October, 1971), 23.</ref> supported by a small pension provided by the Theosophical Society Sections in the United States, Australia, and South Africa. In a letter to Mary McCain of the Maryland Lodge she wrote, "I am now living with two sisters in a nice little flat, one of six made out of an old house surrounded by wonderful old trees. Underneath us the people have a lovely yellow cat who likes me because I adore cats. Sometimes she visits us. Tekels Park which is near has many meetings and lots of Theosophists live there, so we have many friends near."<ref>Clara Codd to Mary McCain. December 9, 1965. St. Petersburg Lodge Records. Records Series 20.02.15. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>

She died peacefully on [[April 3]], 1971. Her younger sisters Dorothy (Dolly), Isabel, and Leilah received many expressions of condolence and support from Theosophists around the world.

The entire October, 1976 issue of [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']] was devoted to articles about her.

== Clara Codd's sisters ==

After Clara's passing, her sisters continued to receive distributions from a fund operated by Ruth Doak until at least 1976. Isabel was quoted by Ruth Doak on her family:
<blockquote>
They (all the sisters) are all theosophists except Leilah, who resigned to follow Krishnaji....I read him constantly and find him dynamic!... Dolly and I are in the E. S. also.... Clara was national T.S. lecturer, Latty owned her own vegetarian health shop in Harrow. Edith (who died at 15) was really beautiful and made a pet of Isabel. Hetty played the violin very well and was a very good sportswoman. She married a Hungarian, who was president of the theosophical lodge in Budapest; he was a celebrated artist, an excellent mystical painter -- his pictures are held as national property in Hungary. Dolly is a dreamer and poet, wrote French poetry, and some of her poems were published. She was secretary to Bishop Wedgewood. Madeline married a sea captain, Bignold, had a boy Noel (died in air force) and a girl Shanta who married Pushkin (Russian) who died, then married Harold Aitken-Quack, now living in Malta. Isabel, artist, won scholarship to study in Paris and Budapest -- no money, so became a secretary and travelled to nine countries, holding jobs at very small pay. Now hoping to produce outline for a film for TV, along the line of "The Immortal Hour" ... a miniature Secret Doctrine outlook on Involution and Evolution, very spectacular with music! Leilah, last but not least (baby of family) ran Letty's health food singlehanded, is good at science. We are a cosmopolitan family and have travelled the world on sixpence half-penny....<ref>Ruth Doak letter to "Friends of Clara's Sisters" dated May 31, 1976. St. Petersburg Lodge. Records Series 20.02.15. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Tributes to Clara Codd ==

Hugh Shearman wrote:
<blockquote>
There were so very few people who can be universal and detached in attitude without also seeming cold, but she was certainly one of the few... It was this blending of the universally ideal and the immediately personal that made her such a wonderful platform presence and one of the greatest public speakers that the Theosophical Society has had... A great kindliness shone from those lean features, a kindliness that was always liable to be suffused at any moment by her keen sense of the absurd. Subtle but never unkind little hints of impishness lurked behind that face... Her tall slender erect figure was nearly always clothed in black which gave her a certain austere elegance when she stood up to speak.<ref>Hugh Shearman, "Clara Codd: Some Impressions" ''The Theosophist'' 98.10 (October, 1976), 12-13.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[James S. Perkins]] first knew her in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she energized the newly formed Cincinnati lodge: "What impressed all of us who knew her, was the childlike freshness and enthusiasm that accompanied her whole-hearted dedication to the great work of the masters.<ref>James S. Perkins, "The Ever-Youthful Clara Codd" ''The Theosophist'' 98.10 (October, 1976), 9.</ref>

[[John Algeo]], a teenager when Miss Codd lectured in Miami, Florida, said "We could see that she wore amazing hats but couldn't imagine how she managed to pack them for her travels... she was so unpretentious and so comfortably homey."<ref>John Algeo, "Clara Codd: A Personal Recollection" ''The Quest'' 92.3 (May-June 2004), 84.</ref>

== Letters ==

Miss Codd conducted a massive correspondence with people all over the world. She established a "correspondence group," whose members received a bi-monthly duplicated letter, from 1945 until 1968. They were distributed with the assistance of friends. A complete set of those 137 letters is available in '''[[Clara Codd Letters]]'''.
[[File:Clara Codd drawing from LSE Library.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Miss Codd]]
== Writings ==

Clara Codd made significant contributions to Theosophical literature. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Clara+Codd&method=all 466 articles] by or about Clara Codd. That number includes dozens of articles that she wrote or edited for the ''News and Notes of the Theosophical Society in Australia'' during 1934-1936. She edited '''''The Link''''', the journal of the South African Section, and also wrote a regular column called '''"The Inner Life"''' in the journals of the American Section: [[The Theosophical Messenger (periodical)|''The Theosophical Messenger'']] from 1930-1932, and [[The American Theosophist (periodical)|''The American Theosophist]] from 1932-1940.

Miss Codd enjoyed theater, and wrote some plays and skits for Theosophical audiences. For example, while at the [[Olcott (campus)|Olcott campus]] of the American Section, her play "The Pilgrimage of the Soul" was presented on New Year's Eve. Viewers said,
<blockquote>
The play ... portrayed in symbolic fashion and pageantry the descent of the ego into the lower worlds, his long journey and return. An improvised stage was set up at the fire-place end of the library. Members of the Staff made up the cast and were dressed in simple costumes. They read quotations chosen by Miss Codd to fit the action and mood of her play. And with interludes of piano music accompanying the movement of the play, an atmosphere perhaps something like that created during the presentation of the mystery plays in Greece stirred and was felt by all."<ref>"Miss Codd's Play Given a Reading" ''The American Theosophist'' 37.2 (February, 1949), 46.</ref>
</blockquote>

She also published many books and booklets, some of which are transcribed lectures:

* '''''The Ageless Wisdom of Life'''''. Adyar, Madras, India, 1957 [2nd edition], available at [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/24396990.html Hathitrust]. The 4th edition, published by the Theosophical Publishing House in Wheaton, IL in 1967, is available at [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2579753.html Hathitrust]. Translated into Russian by Dagmara Reinke and published as ''Taina Zhizni: i kak teosofiia otvechaet na nikh'' in Boston by ALBA, 1963. In 1959 a Finnish translation by Sirkka Simonen was published as ''Elämän ajaton viisaus'' by the Kalevala Lodge in Helsinki. Another Finnish version was translated by Eino Vuorinen.

* '''''The Consecrated Life'''''.
* '''''The Creative Force'''''. Also published in Dutch as ''De scheppende kracht'' in Amsterdam: Theosofische Vereniging, Ned. Afd, 1960.

* '''''The Eternal Wisdom of Life'''''. Also published in Spanish as ''La eternal sabiduria de la vida'' in México B. Costa-Amic, 1968. Translated by Ingeniero Salvador Tayabas y Sonia Pérez Vera. Reissued México, México: Orion, 1981.

* '''''Introduction to Patanjali's Yoga'''''. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1966. 164 pages.

* '''''The Key to Theosophy'''''. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1953. 262 pages. This is the "1st simplified Adyar edition" by Clara Codd of the work by H. P. Blavatsky.

* '''''On Lecturing and Lecture Organization'''''. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1922. 64 pages.

* '''''Letter to Aspirants'''''. A Spanish edition called ''Carta a los aspirantes'' was published in 2015.

* '''''Looking Forward: The Coming faith and the Coming Social Order'''''. Edinburgh: Orpheus Publishing House, 1918. 71 pages.

* '''''Masters and Disciples: A Guide to Study'''''. London, 1928.

* '''''Meditation: Its Practice and Results'''''. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1930, and several later editions. 92 pages. Available at [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/7260125.html Hathitrust]. A French edition was published as'' La méditation: sa pratique et ses buts'' - Paris: Adyar Editions 1931.

* '''''The Mystery of Life and How Theosophy Solves It'''''. London: Theosophical Society. Theosophical Society in England and Wales, 1963. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972. Revised edition London: Theosophical Publishing House, 2001. Slovenian translation by Maja Lorbek and Jelka Godec under the title ''Skrivnost zivljenja kot jo razkriva teozofija'', published by Izola: Samozal M. L. Pigraf, 2002. Also published in Dutch as ''Het levensmysterie'', number 7 in the series Theosofische bibliotheek; n.s., 7: Amsterdam : Theosofische Vereniging Ned. Afd, 1950.

* '''''The Other Side of Death'''''. London: Theosophical Society, 1900s. 16 pages. Theosophy series, no. 12. French version, '' L'Au-delà de la mort '', was published in 1929 in Paris by Société théosophique de France.

* '''''Poems'''''. 1964. Poetry written by Clara Codd and her sister Dorothy Codd.

* '''''Reincarnation: An Answer to Life's Problems'''''. London: Theosophical Society, nd. 16 pages. Number 12 or 13 in Theosophy series of pamphlets.

* '''''The Riddle of Life and How Theosophy Answers It'''''. Johannesburg: Theosophical Service Group, 1940. 28 pages. Notation of "S Pam 212."

* '''''The Secret of Sin and Suffering'''''. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1931. 15 pages.

* [https://archive.org/details/CoddSoRichALife '''''So Rich a Life''''']. Pretoria: Institute for Theosophical Publicity, 1951. 431 pages. Autobiography. Digitized by [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]] with permission from the Executive Committee of the Theosophical Society in South Africa.

* '''''The Technique of the Spiritual Life'''''. Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1958. 2nd edition, 1963. Translated into Finnish by Pirkko Carpelan as ''Ohjeita henkisen tien kulkijalle'': [Hki] : Elonpyörä, (Painoseppä), 1977. 125 pages. Spanish translation by Walter Ballesteros was published in 1963 by Sociedad Teosófica as '' Técnica de la vida espiritual''.

* '''''The Theosophical Worker'''''. Two articles from the August and September issues of ''The Theosophist'' were translated into Dutch and published as ''De theosofische werker'' in 1958. "The Worker in the World" by Clara Codd was followed by Hugh Shearman's "The Task of the Worker."

* '''''Theosophy and Christianity'''''. London : Theosophical Society, nd. 16 pages. Number 23 in series of "Penny booklets."

* ''''' Theosophy as the Masters See It: Being an account of the Theosophical Society and its work as outlined in the "Letters from the masters of the wisdom."''''' Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1953. 369 pages.

* '''''Theosophy for Little Children'''''. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1930. 45 pages.

* '''''Theosophy for Very Little Children'''''. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1916. Also published in Dutch: Amsterdam: Theosofische Vereenigings Uitgevers-Maatschappij, 1925.

* '''''There Is No Death: A Message of Comfort'''''. Auckland, N.Z.: New Zealand Section of the Theosophical Society, 1959. 22 pages.

* '''''Thought, the Creator'''''. London: Theosophical Society, 1927. 16 pages. Theosophy series, number 13.

* '''''Trust Yourself to Life'''''. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1968 and 1975. 116 pages. A Quest Books miniature.

* ''''' The Understanding Life: Three Lectures'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Press, 1929. Ojai, CA : Theosophical Book Association for the Blind, 1969. Braille. Three lectures.

* '''''The Way of the Disciple'''''. 2nd edition. Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1964 and 2000. 287 pages. Contents: 1. The brotherhood of the perfected men -- 2. Discipleship -- 3. The restoration of the mysteries. Also published in Dutch as'' Het pad van de leerling'' - Amsterdam : Theosofische Vereniging, 1970.

== Lectures ==

Miss Codd did not feel she was a trained lecturer. She wrote, "I do not think I lecture. I just talk. Of course I have realized that there some moments when one is talking when the sublimity of the subject lifts one up."<ref>Assistant Editor, "Clara Codd's Letters" ''The Theosophist'' 98.10 (October, 1976), 29.</ref> Audiences responded to her humanity and her inspiration, and she was much in demand across five continents.
<blockquote>
"She just chatted away as if we were all sitting around the fireside. No other speaker I know of has ever achieved such intimacy and closeness with those who listened to her. Each felt as it receiving a very personal message. She always stood on the platform a very slim and erect figure in a long black dress.<ref>Eleanor Stakesby-Lewis, '"Miss Clara M. Codd" ''Theosophical Journal''12.4 (July-August, 1971), 23.</ref>
</blockquote>

She would speak with a few note cards in her hand, but rarely referred to them. Many of Clara Codd's lectures were recorded or transcribed.

=== Audio recordings ===

* [http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/codd/Arcane%20Schools%20of%20Past%20and%20Future.mp3# Arcane Schools of Past and Future] by Clara Codd
* [http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/codd/Life%20on%20the%20Other%20Side%20of%20Death.mp3# Life on the Other Side of Death] by Clara Codd
* [http://www.theosophicalinstitute.org/medialibrary/viewtitle.php?titleid=EE057D0F-3CD3-429B-9E66-135A94005ADC# Wings of the Soul] by Clara Codd

Additional recordings are available through the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]] and [http://www.questbooks.net/author.cfm?authornum=52# Quest Books].

=== Transcribed or published lectures ===

Many of Miss Codd's lectures were published as booklets, or collected in books like ''The Understanding Life''.
* Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, As I Knew Them
* Discipleship in the New Age
* The New World Order
* Our Leaders As I Knew Them
* Saintship in the Theosophical Society
* The Way of Initiation

==Additional resources==

*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1459# Clara Codd: A Personal Recollection] by John Algeo
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1463# A Tribute to Clara Codd] by Leatrice Kreeger
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/codd-clara Codd, Clara] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Lecturers|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Writers|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Poets|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Leaders|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Feminists|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Suffragists|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Musicians|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Imprisoned|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:General Secretaries in TS Adyar|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Nationality English|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:Nationality South African|Codd, Clara]]
[[Category:People|Codd, Clara]]

Citta

2020-04-08T13:57:33Z

Michael Conlin: /* Further reading */

'''Citta''' (devanāgarī: चित्त) is a [[Sanskrit]] word that means derived from the root ''cit'', "to be conscious". Chitta is frequently regarded as "the mind-stuff" beings the store-house of memory. Since the [[saṃskāra]] or impressions of actions are imbedded there, it is seen as the subconscious mind. In [[Hinduism]] it is one of the four parts that form the [[antahkarana]] (the "inner organ"), the other three being [[manas]] (the mind), [[buddhi]] (the intellect), and [[ahamkāra]] (the ego).

==Further reading==

* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/chitta Chitta] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Sanskrit terms]]
[[Category:Hindu concepts]]

Christmas Humphreys

2020-04-08T13:52:59Z

Michael Conlin:

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
[[File:Christmas-humphreys.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Christmas Humphreys]]
'''Travers Christmas Humphreys''' ([[February 15]], 1901 – [[April 13]], 1983) was a British judge, author, publisher, [[Theosophist]] and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]. He formed the Buddhist Lodge of the Theosophical Society and in 1924 he co-founded the London Buddhist Society, which was to have a seminal influence on the growth of the Buddhist tradition in Britain.

== Biographical information ==

The Blavatsky Trust website says, in part:

<blockquote>
Christmas Humphreys was born in London in 1901, and originally trained as a lawyer. Justice Christmas Humphreys made quite a career for himself, serving as Senior Prosecuting Counsel at the Old Bailey, the London criminal courts, and eventually sitting as a Circuit Judge from 1968 until his retirement in 1976. Parallel with this carrier he cultivated his interest in Theosophy & Buddhism, and in 1924 co-founded the Buddhist Society, London, now one of the largest and oldest Buddhist organisations outside of Asia. As a publisher to the Buddhist Society, he was responsible for its wide range of publications, including six of his own.<ref>"Christmas Humphreys (1901-1983)," [http://www.blavatskytrust.org.uk/html/nf_bt2.htm Blavatsky Trust website].</ref>
</blockquote>

== HPB's Diagram of Meditation ==

Christmas Humphreys was a friend of [[E. T. Sturdy]], a member of the [[Theosophical Society]] and student of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]]. In the late 1880's HPB dictated a [[HPB's Diagram of Meditation|Diagram of Meditation]] to Mr. Sturdy, who later gave it Mr. Humphreys. The Diagram was first published by him in the Nov/Dec. 1942 issue of ''Buddhism in England'' (later renamed ''The Middle Way'', in which journal was reprinted in May/June 1944).

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/humphreys-travers-christmas Humphreys, Travers Christmas] at Theosophy World
===Articles===

*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/Christmas-Humphreys.htm# A Buddhist Judge in Twentieth Century London] by Damien P. Horigan
*[http://www.blavatskytrust.org.uk/html/c_humphreys.htm# Christmas Humphreys (1901-1983)] Compiled by Robert Kitto
*[http://www.tricycle.com/ancestors/christmas-humphreys# Christmas Humphreys] by David Guy at Tricycle magazine

== Additional resources ==

* "Humphreys, Travers Christmas". ''Theosophical Encyclopedia''. Quezon City, Philippines: Theosophical Publishing House, 2006. See pages 290-291. Available [http://www.theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Humphreys,_Travers_Christmas online].

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Buddhists|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Attorneys|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Leaders|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Writers|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Editors|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Publishers|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:People|Humphreys, Christmas]]

Christmas Humphreys

2020-04-08T13:51:47Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
[[File:Christmas-humphreys.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Christmas Humphreys]]
'''Travers Christmas Humphreys''' ([[February 15]], 1901 – [[April 13]], 1983) was a British judge, author, publisher, [[Theosophist]] and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]. He formed the Buddhist Lodge of the Theosophical Society and in 1924 he co-founded the London Buddhist Society, which was to have a seminal influence on the growth of the Buddhist tradition in Britain.

== Biographical information ==

The Blavatsky Trust website says, in part:

<blockquote>
Christmas Humphreys was born in London in 1901, and originally trained as a lawyer. Justice Christmas Humphreys made quite a career for himself, serving as Senior Prosecuting Counsel at the Old Bailey, the London criminal courts, and eventually sitting as a Circuit Judge from 1968 until his retirement in 1976. Parallel with this carrier he cultivated his interest in Theosophy & Buddhism, and in 1924 co-founded the Buddhist Society, London, now one of the largest and oldest Buddhist organisations outside of Asia. As a publisher to the Buddhist Society, he was responsible for its wide range of publications, including six of his own.<ref>"Christmas Humphreys (1901-1983)," [http://www.blavatskytrust.org.uk/html/nf_bt2.htm Blavatsky Trust website].</ref>
</blockquote>

== HPB's Diagram of Meditation ==

Christmas Humphreys was a friend of [[E. T. Sturdy]], a member of the [[Theosophical Society]] and student of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]]. In the late 1880's HPB dictated a [[HPB's Diagram of Meditation|Diagram of Meditation]] to Mr. Sturdy, who later gave it Mr. Humphreys. The Diagram was first published by him in the Nov/Dec. 1942 issue of ''Buddhism in England'' (later renamed ''The Middle Way'', in which journal was reprinted in May/June 1944).

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/humphreys-travers-christmas Humphreys, Travers Christmas] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
*[http://theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Humphreys,_Travers_Christmas# Travers Christmas Humphreys] at Theosopedia
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/Christmas-Humphreys.htm# A Buddhist Judge in Twentieth Century London] by Damien P. Horigan
*[http://www.blavatskytrust.org.uk/html/c_humphreys.htm# Christmas Humphreys (1901-1983)] Compiled by Robert Kitto
*[http://www.tricycle.com/ancestors/christmas-humphreys# Christmas Humphreys] by David Guy at Tricycle magazine

== Additional resources ==

* "Humphreys, Travers Christmas". ''Theosophical Encyclopedia''. Quezon City, Philippines: Theosophical Publishing House, 2006. See pages 290-291. Available [http://www.theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Humphreys,_Travers_Christmas online].

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Buddhists|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Attorneys|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Leaders|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Writers|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Editors|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:Publishers|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Humphreys, Christmas]]
[[Category:People|Humphreys, Christmas]]

Chohan

2020-04-08T13:44:27Z

Michael Conlin: /* Further reading */

'''Chohan''' is a word that according to [[H. P. Blavatsky]] means "'Lord' or 'Master'; a chief".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 83.</ref> Although [[H. P. Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] claims the word comes from the Tibetan language, its origin has not been identified. In the [[ML18|Mahatma Letter No. 18]] the word is spelled as "Cho-Khan", the Tibetan words ''chos'' (pronounced with a silent "s") meaning "dharma" ("teaching", "doctrine", or "law") and ''khan'' (spelled mkhan) means abbot. Also, the word ''mkhan'' as the second member of a two-part word means "one who practices or is skilled in" something.

The word Chohan is used in [[The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (book)|"The Mahatma Letters"]] to refer to a high [[adept]].

== According to G. de Purucker ==

<blockquote>Chohan (Tibetan) [poss from chös law, dharma + Mong khan lord] “Lord of the dharma”; in The Mahatma Letters chohan is the title usually given to superiors among the Masters of the Great White Lodge, whose chief is called the Maha-chohan. Also a general term used for beings in several states of evolution higher than the human. “There are men who become such mighty beings, there are men among us who may become immortal during the remainder of the Rounds, and then take their appointed place among the highest Chohans, the Planetary conscious ‘Ego-Spirits’ ” (ML 130). Because chohan is used much as “chief” is used in English, the term does not signify one single degree in spiritual evolution.<ref>[http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/cha-chy.htm# Chohan] ''Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary'' by Gottfried de Purucker.</ref></blockquote>

== According to C. W. Leadbeater ==

<blockquote>The title Chohan is given to those Adepts who have taken the sixth Initiation, but the same word is employed also for the Heads of Rays Three to Seven, who hold very definite and exalted offices in the Hierarchy. We are given to understand that the meaning of the word Chohan is simply “Lord,” and that it is used both generally and specifically, in much the same way as the word Lord is employed in England. We speak of a man as a lord because he possesses that title, but that is quite different from what we mean when we speak, for example, of the Lord Chancellor or the Lord-Lieutenant of the County.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, ''The Masters And The Path'' (Chicago, IL: Theosophical Press, 1925), 234.</ref></blockquote>

== Possible links to Mongolian and other languages ==

According to Wikipedia,

<blockquote>
'''Khagan''' or '''Qagan''' ... is a title in the Mongolian language equal to the status of emperor and used to refer to someone who rules a khaganate or empire. The title was adopted by Ögedei Khan from the Turkic title kaɣan. It may also be translated as Khan of Khans, equivalent to King of Kings. In modern Mongolian, the title became Khaan with the 'g' sound becoming almost silent or non-existent (i.e. a very light voiceless velar fricative); the ğ in modern Turkish Kağan is also silent. Since the division of the Mongol Empire, emperors of the Yuan dynasty held the title of Khagan and their successors in Mongolia continued to have the title.
<ref>"Khagan" in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khagan Wikipedia].</ref>
</blockquote>

== Notes ==

<references/>

==Further reading==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/chohan Chohan] at Theosophy World

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[es:Chohan]]

China

2020-04-07T22:13:55Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
[[Category:Places]]
== Theosophy in China ==

== Notes ==
<references/>

== Additional resources ==

* [http://chinesetheosophy.org/ Chinese Theosophy web page] provides translations of Theosophical materials into Chinese. It is under development by a team of Theosophists from Singapore and the Philippines. See [http://www.theosophical.org/news/2644-chinese-theosophical-website "Chinese Theosophical Website"] for more information.
* [http://singaporelodge.org/2012_july_news.htm "Theosophy in China"], Singapore Lodge Theosophical Society, July 2012 newsletter.
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/china-theosophy China,Theosophy In] at Theosophy World

Charles Webster Leadbeater

2020-04-07T22:05:27Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION 
 
 
[[File:Leadbeater portrait.jpg|220px|right|thumb|Leadbeater portrait by Erling Roberts, 1940]]
'''Charles Webster Leadbeater''' was an English Theosophist associated with the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, Chennai, India]]. He was best known for his extensive writings, his clairvoyant observations, and his involvement in "discovering" and raising [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]].

See also '''[[Leadbeater writings]]'''.

== Early life ==
[[File:CW Leadbeater 2.jpg|140px|left|thumb|Charles Leadbeater as a young man]]
Charles Webster Leadbeater was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England to Charles Leadbeater, a railway contractor's clerk, and his wife Emma. The date of his birth was [[February 16]], 1854, and his christening took place on March 19, 1854.<ref>England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975.</ref> The England Censuses of 1861 and 1881 confirm that year. However, in the early 1880s, Leadbeater gave his birth date as [[February 17]], 1847. That date appears in the 1891 census, in his passport, and is also reflected in passenger lists and other records. The earlier year, 1847, is the same year that Leadbeater's close associate [[Annie Besant]] was born.

According to C. Jinarajadasa, the Leadbeater family was Norman French in origin, with name Le Batre (the builder), later Englished to Leadbeater. One branch of the family followed "Prince Charlie" of the Stuart dynasty, and adopted the custom to christen the eldest son "Charles".<ref>Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters to C. W. Leadbeater'' (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 53.</ref></blockquote>

In 1858 the family went to Brazil, and his father died a few years later, in 1862. When a bank collapse reduced his mother to poverty, Leadbeater went to work as a bank clerk at Williams Deacons & Co. to support their household.<ref>Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters'', 17.</ref>

On [[December 21]], 1879, following the footsteps of his uncle, Mr. Leadbeater was ordained a priest in the Church of England. He was assigned as "a curate in a parish in Hampshire called Bramshott, and lived with this mother at a cottage called 'Hartford'... The Rector of the parish was the Rev. W. W. Capes... his wife Mrs. Capes was C. W. L.'s aunt."<ref>James W. Matley "C. W. Leadbeater at Bramshott Parish," Appendix I of C. Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters to C. W. Leadbeater'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 105.</ref> While working as a curate, he established organizations to occupy the local boys and girls, including the "Union Jack Field Club" for natural history studies; the Church Society for wholesome entertainment with songs and stories; and the Church of England Temperance Society. One of the boys, James W. Matley, wrote vividly of those activities, and of field trips to London theaters and the seaside; stargazing with CWL's large telescope; and all sorts of games, boating, cricket, and tennis. Mr. Leadbeater tutored young Matley in French, trigonometry, and navigation, and helped him find employment at sea.<ref>Matley, 106-109.</ref>

Despite his connection to the Church of England, Mr. Leadbeater always kept an open mind for things that did not fall within orthodox Christianity, such as psychic and Spiritualistic phenomena. Whenever he heard of ghosts or haunted houses he conducted his own investigations. He also attended the lectures given by [[Annie Besant]] (then an atheist) at the Hall of Science.

== Introduction to Theosophy, Blavatsky, and the Masters ==

In 1883, Mr Leadbeater read a copy of [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett’s]] book [[The Occult World (book)|''The Occult World'']] and became very interested in [[Theosophy]]. He met the author, who was at the time receiving letters from two of the [[Masters of Wisdom]], and '''joined the [[London Lodge]]''' of the [[Theosophical Society]], in November 1883. He was immediately attracted to the ideal of the Masters and felt that each "should set before himself the definite intention of becoming a pupil of one of the great Adept Masters."<ref>C. W. Leadbeater, ''How Theosophy Came to Me''.</ref>

One day, while investigating [[Spiritualism|Spiritualistic]] [[phenomena]] with renowned [[medium]] and Theosophist [[William Eglinton]], one of the latter's [[Mediumship#Spirit_guides|Spirit-guides]] named [[William_Eglinton#Ernest|"Ernest"]] assured he could transmit a letter from Mr. Leadbeater to the Masters. On [[March 3]], 1884, he wrote a letter to [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] offering himself as a [[chela]] so that he could "learn more of the truth". He sent the letter to Mr. Eglinton, who placed it in a box he had for Ernest's use, and from which it eventually disappeared. Several months passed and he did not receive any reply.

In the meantime, he '''met [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]]''' (HPB), who arrived at London on April and unexpectedly attended a rather troubled meeting of the London Lodge where new officers were being elected. He described the "truly tremendous impression" that Mme. Blavatsky had on him. Her plan was to stay in Europe until November 1st of that year, when she was to sail for India. On [[October 30]], two days before her departure, Mr. Leadbeater traveled to London to say good-bye to HPB. He stayed the night with the Sinnetts. That evening HPB informed him that [[Djual Khool|"D.K."]] had said that the Master had sent a reply to his letter of March 3rd. On the next day, Mr. Leadbeater returned to his house and found the '''[[Mahatma Letter to Leadbeater - LMW 1 No. 7|Master's letter]]''', which opened as follows:

<blockquote>Last spring – March the 3rd – you wrote a letter to me and entrusted it to "Ernest". Tho' the paper itself never reached me – nor was it ever likely to, considering the nature of the messenger – its contents have.<ref>Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters'', 12.</ref>
</blockquote>

In the letter the Master said that a member should "force" the Master to accept him as a [[chela]] by doing good works for humanity, working on self-purification, and making sacrifices for the Theosophical cause. He also warned CWL that he would have to atone for the collective [[karma]] of the Christian clergy to which he belonged. Finally, the Master suggested that he could go to Adyar to work for a few months. The letter closes with the following words:

<blockquote>
So now choose and grasp your own destiny, and may our Lord's the Tathagata's memory aid you to decide for the best. K. H.<ref>Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters'', 14.</ref>
</blockquote>

He decided to follow the Master's suggestion. However, he found out he could not take a leave of absence from his position in the local Church school, of which he was manager – he would have to resign to it. He decided to go back to London to talk to Mme. Blavatsky (who was leaving London the next morning) and, through her agency, ask the Master whether he wanted him to take this more drastic action. Late that night, in a gathering of some Theosophists that had come to say farewell to HPB, '''[[Mahatma Letter to Leadbeater - LMW 1 No. 8|the answer was precipitated]]''' on her open hand, witnessed by several people. It said:

<blockquote>
Since your intuition led you in the right direction and made you understand that it was my desire you should go to Adyar immediately – I may say more. The sooner you go the better. Do not lose one day more than you can help. Sail on the 5th if possible. Join Upasika at Alexandria. Let no one know you are going and may the blessing of our Lord, and my poor blessing shield you from every evil in your new life.

Greeting to you my new chela. K.H. Show my notes to no one.<ref>Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters'', 52.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Early Theosophical work ==

In 1886 Leadbeater was a member of the small '''headquarters staff at Adyar''', along with President-Founder [[Henry Steel Olcott|Colonel Olcott]], [[A. J. Cooper-Oakley]], and a few Indian workers. Very little money was coming into Adyar in those days apart from small incomes made selling books and coconuts. "When the [carriage] horses died one after another, for several months Mr. Leadbeater, as acting editor of [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']] had to walk the seven miles to Madras with proofs, etc."<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, "Administration of Adyar Headquarters," ''The American Theosophist'' 36.5 (April, 1947), 73-75, 82.</ref>

=== Sri Lanka ===

During 1886, Leadbeater was assigned to work in Ceylon [now Sri Lanka]. At that time he received a '''[[Mahatma Letter to Leadbeater - LMW 1 No. 50|note from Master K. H.]]''' [[Precipitation|precipitated]] across the last page of a letter to CWL from Madame Blavatsky, who was then in [[Elberfeld, Germany]]. The brief message said, "Take courage. I am pleased with you. Keep your own counsel, and believe in your better intuitions. The [[Babaji|little man]] has failed and will reap his reward. Silence meanwhile."

When Olcott founded [[Ananda College]] in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on [[November 1]], 1886, he installed Leadbeater as the '''first principal'''. Leadbeater also served as '''General Secretary of the Theosophical Society in Ceylon''' from 1888-1889.<ref>"General Secretaries". ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1938.'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1938), 152.</ref>

=== Tutoring in London ===

In 1890, [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett]] asked Mr. Leadbeater to return from India to England to tutor his son [[Percy Edensor Sinnett|Denny]] and [[George S. Arundale|George Arundale]], Leadbeater brought with him [[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa]], known as "Raja." The three boys were close in age: Raja was born in 1875, Denny in 1877, and George in 1878. For two years, Leadbeater and Raja lived in the Sinnett household, but after that they moved into tiny quarters meagerly supported by Leadbeater's work giving English languages to foreigners while Raja attended classes to prepare for university.<ref>Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters'', 68.</ref>

Leadbeater was Secretary of the [[London Lodge]], and with Raja participated in its Inner Group. They were present at the "intimate and informal gatherings of the Group which were held on most Sunday mornings in Mr. Sinnett's library for discussion."<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters," 74.</ref>

== Occult training ==

In his book ''How Theosophy Came to Me'', Leadbeater described the training that allowed him to develop [[clairvoyance]]:

<blockquote>One day, however, when the Master Kuthumi honoured me with a visit, He asked me whether I had ever attempted a certain kind of meditation connected with the development of the mysterious power called kundalini. I had of course heard of that power, but knew very little about it, and at any rate supposed it to be absolutely out of reach for Western people. However, He recommended me to make a few efforts along certain lines, which He pledged me not to divulge to anyone else except with His direct authorization, and told me that He would Himself watch over those efforts to see that no danger should ensue. 
Naturally I took the hint, and worked away steadily, and I think I may say intensely, at that particular kind of meditation day after day. I must admit that it was very hard work and sometimes distinctly painful, but of course I persevered, and in due course began to achieve the results that I had been led to expect. Certain channels had to be opened and certain partitions broken down; I was told that forty days was a fair estimate of the average time required if the effort was really energetic and persevering. I worked at it for forty-two days, and seemed to myself to be on the brink of the final victory, when the Master Himself intervened and performed the final act of breaking through which completed the process, and enabled me thereafter to use astral sight while still retaining full consciousness in the physical body—which is equivalent to saying that the astral consciousness and memory became continuous whether the physical body was awake or asleep. I was given to understand that my own effort would have enabled me to break through in twenty-four hours longer, but that the Master interfered because He wished to employ me at once in a certain piece of work. 
It must not for a moment be supposed, however, that the attainment of this particular power was the end of the occult training. On the contrary, it proved to be only the beginning of a year of the hardest work that I have ever known. It will be understood that I lived there in the octagonal room by the river-side alone for many long hours every day, and practically secure from any interruption except at the meal-times which I have mentioned. Several Masters were so gracious as to visit me during that period and to offer me various hints; but it was the Master [[Djual Khool|Djwal Kul]] who gave most of the necessary instruction. It may be that He was moved to this act of kindness because of my close association with Him in my last life, when I studied under Him in the Pythagorean school which He established in Athens, and even had the honour of managing it after His death. I know not how to thank Him for the enormous amount of care and trouble which He took in my psychic education; patiently and over and over again He would make a vivid thought-form, and say to me: “What do you see?” And when I described it to the best of my ability, would come again and again the comment: “No, no, you are not seeing true; you are not seeing all; dig deeper into yourself, use your mental vision as well as your astral; press just a little further, a little higher.” 
This process often had to be many times repeated before my mentor was satisfied. The pupil has to be tested in all sorts of ways and under all conceivable conditions; indeed, towards the end of the tuition sportive nature-spirits are specially called in and ordered in every way possible to endeavour to confuse or mislead the seer. Unquestionably it is hard work, and the strain which it imposes is, I suppose, about as great as a human being can safely endure; but the result achieved is assuredly far more than worth while, for it leads directly up to the union of the lower and the higher self and produces an utter certainty of knowledge based upon experience which no future happenings can ever shake.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, ''How Theosophy Came to Me'', Chapter IX, "Unexpected Development" and "Psychic Training".</ref></blockquote>

== Accusations, resignation and return to the Society ==

In early 1900, some adolescents were put under Leadbeater's education to be trained in occultism. Some of them, who felt the pressure of sexual thoughts, were advised to masturbate to ease the urge. This advice was controversial at a time when even doctors held the opinion that masturbation could lead to insanity. Leadbeater argued that this view was mistaken, and that the accepted alternative of having encounters with the prostitutes was degrading to the women, and created bad karmic and moral consequences for those involved in illegitimate sex.

He also maintained that, when masturbation was dealt with as a purely physiological act, it was less problematic from an occult point of view than indulging in sexual thoughts. This view finds precedent in the writings of [[H. P. Blavatsky]]. When asked about the "sexual force" she answered:

<blockquote>This force is vital, creative, and a sort of reservoir. It may be lost by mental action as well as by physical. In fact its finer part is dissipated by mental imaginings, while physical acts only draw off the gross part, that which is the ([[upadhi]]) for the finer.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IX (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 108.</ref></blockquote>

In 1906, when the parents learned about these practices, some became very upset. A commission of the American branch of the Society was appointed to investigate the facts causing great controversy. Leadbeater offered his resignation to "save society from shame," and [[Henry Steel Olcott]] accepted it. Later, in 1909, CWL was reinstated in the Theosophical Society, under the presidency of [[Annie Besant]].

== International lecture tours ==
[[File:C W Leadbeater 1912.jpg|left|230px|thumb|C. W. Leadbeater in 1912]]
 

== Krishnamurti ==

In May, 1909, C. W. Leadbeater ran into 13-year old [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|J. Krishnamurti]] who was playing in the beach, exhibiting "the most wonderful [[aura]] he has ever seen, without a particle of selfishness." Although Theosophist and scholar [[Ernest Wood]], who had tried to help the boy with his homework, considered him to be dim-witted, Leadbeater predicted that Krishnamurti would become a spiritual teacher and a great orator "much greater" than even [[Annie Besant]].<ref>Mary Lutyens, ''Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975), 21.</ref>

CWL nourished, educated and trained young Krishnamurti and his brother Nityananda. Another controversy was raised by an Indian servant in 1913. The reason was that CWL taught the two boys to take showers naked, so that they could wash properly, which opposed the traditional Indian custom of keeping a piece of cloth around the waist. This was used by the father against him in a case in India in relation to the legal guardianship of the brothers. The judge regarded that these were "immoral ideas" and ruled against Besant and Leadbeater.<ref>«Naranian vs. Besant», lettera scritta da Annie Besant al ''Times'', 2 giugno 1913, p.7.</ref><ref>Kersey, John. 'Arnold Harris Mathew and the Old Catholic Movement in England 1908-52''. p.199.</ref> Annie Besant appealed to the court in London and won the case.

As Krishnamurti became a teenager, he gradually began to resent the discipline imposed on him. He left [[Adyar (campus)|Adyar]] to live in Europe and Leadbeater moved to Australia. Krishnamurti grew rebellious about his supposed spiritual role and his relationship with CWL got more distant. But in 1922 this changed. Krishnamurti arrived to Sydney in April to attend the Australian National Convention. There, he saw again CWL after about ten years. He wrote in a letter to Lady Emily: C.W.L. was "just the same", and added: "He is much whiter in hair, just as jovial & beaming with happiness. He was very glad to see us. He took my arm & held on to it & introduced me to all with a 'voilà' in his tone. I was very glad to see him too."<ref>Mary Lutyens, ''Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975), 140.</ref>

During one of the meetings at the Convention an argument broke out concerning Leadbeater. J. Krishnamurti, who was present, declared that he knew Leadbeater better than most of those present, and that he could speak with some authority. As he reported later, he then declared that CWL "was one of the purest and one of the greatest men I had ever met. His clairvoyance may be doubted but not his purity."<ref>Mary Lutyens, ''Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975), 143.</ref>

After Krishnamurti left Australia he began to meditate and regain his touch with the Masters, as a result of which he had [[Jiddu Krishnamurti#Life-altering experiences|a life-altering experience]]. After this he wrote to CWL:

<blockquote>I began consciously and deliberately to destroy the wrong accumulations of the past years since I had the ''misfortune'' of leaving you. Here let me acknowledge with shame that my feelings towards you were not what they should have been. Now, they are wholly different, I think I love and respect you as mighty few people do. My love for you when we first met at Adyar has returned bringing with it the love from the past. Please ''don't'' think that I am writing mere platitudes and worn out phrases. They are not and you, my dearest brother, know me, in fact better than myself. I wish, with all my heart, that I could see you now.<ref>Mary Lutyens, ''Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening'' (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975), 160.</ref></blockquote>

== Liberal Catholic Church ==

[[File:Eucharistic-form.jpg|160px|right|thumb|Image of the Etheric Temple, as seen by the Rt. Rev. Charles W. Leadbeater]]

'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
Leadbeater’s clairvoyant abilities shaped the development of the LCC. In 1920 he published ''The Science of the Sacraments'', which described the astral forms that he saw when the Christian sacraments were performed. He found the Eucharist, or mass, to be particularly powerful. “It is a plan,” he wrote, “for helping on the evolution of the world by the frequent outpouring of floods of spiritual force.” When properly enacted, he said, the ceremony created an astral “thought-edifice” that can take on any number of variations, although it is usually based on a foursquare ground plan surmounted with a dome. To create as powerful a vehicle as possible, the celebrant needs to perform the Eucharist correctly and with intention (as opposed to rote mechanical enactment). The Catholic and Anglican rites of Leadbeater’s day were, he said, defective, so he and Wedgwood recast them. “We set to work to eliminate the many features which from our point of view disfigure and weaken the older liturgies,” [[James Ingall Wedgwood]] later wrote. “References to fear of God, to His wrath and to everlasting damnation were taken out, also the constant insistence on the sinfulness and worthlessness of man.” The resulting liturgy was published in 1919.

== Years at The Manor ==
[[File:CWL at Manor Sydney.jpg|250px|right|thumb|C. W. Leadbeater at The Manor, Sydney, Australia]] 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

== Return to Adyar ==

In 1929, [[Annie Besant]] wrote:
<blockquote>
My Brother Leadbeater, after nearly 16 years' residence in Australia, has returned to Adyar to make his home here as of yore. For several years he has been living in Australia for nine months and making a three months' trip to Adyar. Now he retires to reverse that process. I am happy to have him with me again, for he is always a tower of strength and a fount of wisdom.<ref>''General Report of the Theosophical Society, 1929'', page 21-22.</ref>
</blockquote>
[[File:CW Leadbeater 1.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Charles W. Leadbeater]]
== Writings ==

Mr. Leadbeater wrote an extensive body of work, which is listed in [[Leadbeater writings]]. Often he collaborated with [[Annie Besant]] in writing about esoteric subjects. Young people such as [[Basil Hodgson-Smith]] and [[Fritz Kunz]] assisted with his massive correspondence, and [[Ernest Wood]] helped to compile some of the books.

== Later years ==

He passed away on [[March 1]], 1934 in Perth, Western Australia.

== Personal comments ==

=== C. Jinarājadāsa ===

<blockquote>
During a close and intimate collaboration with him of forty-five years, I never noticed a single moment when his utter trust in the Master wavered by even the tiniest flicker, nor when his enthusiasm for the Master's work flagged...

In the "outer world", there were ups and downs for him; and a particularly trying time in 1906, when his greatest colleague, [[Annie Besant]], seemed to break the bonds of a deep friendship between them. But his attitude was one of serenity, for the only thing that mattered was that he should be true to the Master's work, and not b swayed by the judgment which others formed of him.<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, ''The "K. H." Letters," 68.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Honors and awards ==

[[Ananda College]] in Colombo, Sri Lanka awards the '''C. W. Leadbeater Challenge Trophy''' in honor of the first principal of the school.

The large 3-story residential building for visitors at Adyar is called '''Leadbeater Chambers'''. It was the first concrete building of its size in India, and the cornerstone was laid [[March 17]], 1910 by [[Annie Besant]].

Numerous '''Theosophical lodges''' have been named after Mr. Leadbeater. In the United States, there were Leadbeater Lodges in Chicago, Houston, New York City, and Jacksonville, Florida.<ref>National Secretary records. Theosophical Society in America.</ref>

== Additional resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/leadbeater-charles-webster Leadbeater,Charles Webster] at Theosophy World

=== Books ===

*Jinarājadāsa, C. '''[[The "K. H." Letters to C. W. Leadbeater (book)|''The "K. H." Letters to C. W. Leadbeater'']]''' (Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1980. This volume is a thoughtful analysis of the three letters sent to Leadbeater by [[Koot Hoomi|Master K. H.]], all of which were previously published in [[Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom (book)|''Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom, 1881-1888'']] in 1919:
:: [[Mahatma Letter to Leadbeater - LMW 1 No. 7|LMW1 Letter 7]] – October 31, 1884 – response to questions about chelaship.
:: [[Mahatma Letter to Leadbeater - LMW 1 No. 8|LMW1 Letter 8]] – November 1, 1884 – instructions to go to Adyar.
:: [[Mahatma Letter to Leadbeater - LMW 1 No. 50|LMW1 Letter 50]] – June 23, 1886 – note of encouragement.

* Oliveira, Pedro. '''''CWL Speaks: C. W. Leadbeater's Correspondence Concerning the 1906 Crisis in the Theosophical Society'''''. 2018. Foreword by Robert Ellwood.
* Tillett, Gregory. '''''The Elder Brother: a Biography of Charles Webster Leadbeater'''''. London; Boston: Routledge & K. Paul, 1982.

=== Articles and pamphlets ===

*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/articles/AppreciationofCWL.pdf# "An Appreciation of C. W. Leadbeater"] by Geoffrey Hodson
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/leadbeat.html# "C. W. Leadbeater - A Great Occultist"] Compiled by Sandra Hodson and Mathias J. van Thiel
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/shearman5.html# "C.W. Leadbeater in Retrospect"] By Hugh Shearman

=== Websites ===

* '''[http://www.cwlworld.info# CWL World]''' is a rich source of information, including documents and photographs.
* '''[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/c/c_cwl.html# Articles by and about C.W. Leadbeater]''' at Katinkahesselink.net
* '''[https://cwleadbeater.wordpress.com C. W. Leadbeater,1854-1934]''', a blog-style website established by Gregory John Tillett to follow up on his book ''The Elder Brother''. Since the author died in 2018(?), the best access to this website in the future may be through the Internet Archive snapshot dated [https://web.archive.org/web/20181201142153/https://cwleadbeater.wordpress.com/ December 12, 2018].

=== Audio ===
* [https://theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Leadbeater/Leadbeater-ThoseWhoMourn.mp3# To Those Who Mourn] by C. W. Leadbeater
* [https://www.theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Leadbeater%2C%20CW/Occult%20Commentaries%20-%20CW%20Leadbeter%2C%20GS%20Arundal%20%26%20C%20Jinarajadasa.mp3# Occult Commentaries] by C. W. Leadbeater, G. S. Arundale & C. Jinarajadasa

=== Video ===

* [https://theosophy.world/resource/c-w-leadbeater-annie-besant-krishnamurti-theosophy-uk "C W Leadbeater, Annie Besant, Krishnamurti - Theosophy UK"]. Footage of Annie Besant, C. W. Leadbeater, and J. Krishnamurti in mid-1920s, found in the archives of The International Theosophical Centre, Naarden, Netherlands. Available from Theosophy World Resource Centre.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Clairvoyants|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Chelas|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Received Mahatma Letters|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Healers|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Writers|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Lecturers|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Liberal Catholic Church|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Christian clergy|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Christians|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Nationality English|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:People who encountered Mahatmas|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:General Secretaries in TS Adyar|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:Clairvoyant research|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[Category:People|Leadbeater, Charles]]
[[ru:Ледбитер]]
[[es:Charles Webster Leadbeater]]

Charles Sotheran

2020-04-07T21:36:16Z

Michael Conlin: /* Other resources */

[[File:Charles Sotheran sketch.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Charles Sotheran]]
'''Charles Sotheran''' (1847–1902) was present at the [[Founders|founding]] of the [[Theosophical Society]] in September, 1875, when he was elected Librarian of the new organization.<ref>Josephine Ransom, ''A Short History of The Theosophical Society'' (Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1938), 82.</ref> He was an antiquarian, bookseller, and journalist.

== Personal life ==

Charles Sotheran was born on [[July 8]], 1847 in Newington, London.<ref>England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.</ref> On January 2, 1869 he married Mary Eva MacManus, whose family came from Belfast.<ref>Birth, Marriage and Death Notices, 1738-1925, ''The Belfast Newsletter'' January 8, 1969.</ref> In 1873 they immigrated to the United States. They had several children. Sotheran became a naturalized American citizen. After Mary Eva died, Sotheran married Allice Rhyne on October 17, 1893.<ref>New York, Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937.</ref> She was also a writer and journalist; they lived in Manhattan.<ref>1900 U. S. Census.</ref> He died on [[June 26]], 1902 in New York.

He was related to the famous London booksellers of the same name that has now been in business for over 250 years. He was with Sabin and Sons, Book-sellers, in New York, and was connected with their journal ''The American Bibliopolist''.

== Theosophical Society involvement ==
Charles Sotheran was present at the founding of the Theosophical Society, and was established as one of the first members on [[November 17]], 1875.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entry 7 (website file: 1A/10).</ref> He was responsible for bringing [[John W. Lovell]] into the new organization. Mr. Sotheran was appointed along with [[Henry J. Newton]] and [[H. M. Stevens]] to a committee instructed to draft a constitution and bylaws.

Historian [[Josephine Ransom]] said of him:
<blockquote>
His temperament kept him and his friends in a turmoil. Three months after The Society was formed there was trouble, as Sotheran not only made inflammatory speeches at a political street meeting, to which [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. B.]] objected, but he wrote bitterly in the newspapers against her and The Society. His resignation was accepted, and for the sake of protection, The Society was made into a secret body, with signs and passwords. Six months later Sotheran apologised and was taken back into membership. He gave useful help to H. P. B. in finding quotations and borrowing books for her during the writing of [[Isis Unveiled (book)|''Isis Unveiled'']]. Sotheran later published a small short-lived journal called ''The Echo''. He became a considerable nuisance to H. P. B. and [[Henry Steel Olcott|H. S. O.]], and after their departure to India was not again mentioned.<ref>Josephine Ransom, ''A Short History of The Theosophical Society'' (Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1938), 114.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:Sotheran reviews.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Reviews of Cagliostro book, printed in Shelley book]]

== Membership in other groups ==

Sotheran was initiated as a Freemason on April 8, 1872, in the United Grand Lodge of England.<ref>United Grand Lodge of England Membership Registers, 1751-1921.</ref>According to an advertisement for his book on Cagliostro, Sotheran was also active in the English Brotherhood of the Rosie Cross, in Egyptian Rite masonry, and other organizations. See the illustration at the right.

== Political activities ==

After leaving the Theosophical Society, Sotheran helped to organize the Socialist Labor Party and ran for Congress in 1894, in New York, on a populist ticket. He was expelled from the SLP and joined the Socialist Party.<ref>Candace Falk, ''Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years Made for America, 1890-1901'' (University of Illinois Press, 2008), 98.</ref>

== Writings ==

Sotheran wrote for New York papers including ''The Sun'' and ''The World''. He also wrote books:

* '''''Alessandro di Cagliostro: Impostor or Martyr?''''' A paper read before the New York Liberal Club, May 28, 1875. New York: D. M Bennett, 1875. Pamphlet.
* '''''Percy Bysshe Shelley as a Philosopher and Reformer'''''. New York: C. P. Somerby, 1876.
* '''''Horace Greeley and Other Pioneers of American Socialism'''''. New York: Humboldt Publishing, 1892.

== Other resources ==
* Letter to the editor, ''The Banner of Light'', (January 15, 1876), 5. Sotheran explains his resignation from the Theosophical Society on January 5, 1976. Available at [http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/sotheran1.htm Blavatsky Archives website].
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/sotheran-charles Sotheran,Charles] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Founders|Sotheran, Charles]]
[[Category:Nationality English|Sotheran, Charles]]
[[Category:Nationality Naturalized American|Sotheran, Charles]]
[[Category:Associates of HPB|Sotheran, Charles]]
[[Category:Journalists|Sotheran, Charles]]
[[Category:Writers|Sotheran, Charles]]
[[Category:Masons|Sotheran, Charles]]
[[Category:People|Sotheran, Charles]]

Charles Johnston

2020-04-07T21:31:18Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

[[File:HPB and family.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Charles Johnston between wife Vera and H. S. Olcott, with H. P. Blavatsky and her sister Vera in front. Image from TSA Archives.]]
[[File:Charles Johnston with sled.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Charles Johnston]]
'''Charles Johnston''' ([[February 17]], 1867 - [[October 16]], 1931) was a [[Sanskrit]] scholar and translator of several Hindu classics, and was married to [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky's]] [[Vera Johnston|niece]]. He was a founder of the Dublin Lodge of the [[Theosophical Society]] of which [[William Butler Yeats]] and A.E. or Æ, as [[George William Russell]] was known, were also members. The Johnstons became members of the [[Theosophical Society in America (Hargrove)|Theosophical Society in America]] headed by [[Ernest Temple Hargrove]] in New York.

== Early life ==
Charles Johnston was born in Ireland, at Ballykilbeg, County Down, on [[February 17]], 1867. His father was a prominent Orangeman, a Member of Parliament for Belfast and leader of the temperance movement. His mother was the daughter of Sir John Hay, a Scottish baronet. Johnston's education was at Derby, England, and later at Dublin University, where he became acquainted with the Irish poets [[William Butler Yeats]] and [[George William Russell]], who became known as A.E. or Æ.<ref>H. B. M.<nowiki>[</nowiki>Henry Bedinger Mitchell<nowiki>]</nowiki> "Charles Johnston", ''The Theosophical Quarterly'' 29.3 (January, 1932), 214.</ref>

== Introduction to the Theosophical Society ==
As a 17-year-old, in November, 1884, Johnston read [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett's]] [[The Occult World (book)|''The Occult World'']], and the following year joined the [[Theosophical Society]] on June 20, 1885.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entry 3357 (website file: 1B/13).</ref> When Madame Blavatsky was attacked by the [[Society for Psychical Research]] in the [[Coulomb affair]], Johnston "made a vigorous protest in H.P.B.'s defence"<ref>Charles Johnston, ''The Theosophical Quarterly'' 29.1 (July, 1931).</ref> [[File:Charles Johnston and family.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Charles Johnston with wife Vera, mother, and brother Lewis in 1895]]He read [[Esoteric Buddhism (book)|''Esoteric Buddhism'']], [[Isis Unveiled (book)|''Isis Unveiled'']], [[Light on the Path (book)|''Light on the Path'']], and ''Five Years of Theosophy'', and in 1887 met Madame Blavatsky in person. During his years at university, he had prepared for the Bengal Civil Service exam, which he passed brilliantly in 1888. In August of that year, he married [[Vera Jelihovsky Johnston|Vera Vladimirovna de Zhelihovsky]], daughter of Madame [[Vera Petrovna de Zhelihovsky]] and H. P. Blavatsky's niece. They had met while she was staying with her aunt in London. The ceremony took place at H.P.B.'s home, 17, Lansdowne Road, London. [[Henry Steel Olcott|Col. Olcott]], visiting London at the time, represented Vera's mother and the rest of the family at the civil marriage at the registrar's office.<ref>Henry Steel Olcott, ''Old Diary Leaves'' Fourth Series (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1974), 71.</ref>

Shortly after the wedding, the Johnstons left for India, arriving in November. He contracted malaria, and became so ill that he was sent home after only two years in the Civil Service position for which he had trained. In order to make a living he turned to writing for periodicals:
<blockquote>
He succeeded in connecting himself with some English journals, to which he sent letters on foreign news, and he contributed, to the more serious reviews, articles on ethnological, political and economic questions. Thus employed, for the next six years he and his wife traveled extensively in Europe, visiting her relatives - Madame Blavatsky's nearest kin - in Russia, and staying in different places in England, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and France. They lived for some time in Salzburg, where Dr. Franz Hartmann then resided, and where Mr. Johnston finally threw off his jungle malaria.<ref>H. B. M.<nowiki>[</nowiki>Henry Bedinger Mitchell<nowiki>]</nowiki> "Charles Johnston", ''The Theosophical Quarterly'' 29.3 (January, 1932), 207.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Life in New York ==

The Johnstons emigrated to the United States, becoming naturalized citizens in 1908. In 1900, they were living in Queens; in 1910 had moved to Manhattan; and in 1920 were in Brooklyn.<ref>U. S. Census records, 1900, 1910, 1920.</ref> At the request of the American Theosophical Society leader [[William Quan Judge]],
<blockquote>
Mr. Johnston undertook a series of translations from the Sanskrit, which were made a regular feature of the Theosophical Society's literary activity, being published by Mr. Judge as the "Oriental Department papers". It was from the work done in this connection that his first separate volume on the Indians scriptures, ''From the Upanishads'', was culled.<ref>H. B. M.<nowiki>[</nowiki>Henry Bedinger Mitchell<nowiki>]</nowiki>, 211.</ref>
</blockquote>
The Theosophical Society was in turmoil in the years just after 1895, when most American lodges chose to follow Mr. Judge into formation of an American society that was dissociated from the international headquarters based in Adyar, India. Judge's death in 1896, and the changes instituted by his successor [[Katherine Tingley]] created difficulties that led to the formation of the [[Theosophical Society in America (Hargrove)|Theosophical Society]] that was led by [[Ernest Temple Hargrove]]. The Johnstons became mainstays of [[Theosophical Society in America (Hargrove)|that group]]. Charles Johnston served for more than 25 years as Chairman of the Executive Committee.

== Teaching ==
[[File:Charles Johnston advert.jpg|right|200px|thumb|''Theosophy'' September 1897. Image from Boris de Zirkoff Papers, TSA Archives.]]
Charles Johnston lectured for the Theosophical Society, travelling across the United States and Europe to visit branches. He also lectured and taught at educational institutions.
<blockquote>
He lectured at Cooper Union, and for the New York Board of Education. In 1908, he was Special Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin... and he also delivered a number of addresses at Columbia University in New York. At one time he taught at the Russian Seminary.<ref>H. B. M.<nowiki>[</nowiki>Henry Bedinger Mitchell<nowiki>]</nowiki>, 211.</ref>
</blockquote>

In his first months in New York, he advertised a [[Sanskrit]] course on the inside back cover of ''Theosophy'' magazine in September 1897. It mentions classes formed in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, California, and Canada.<ref>"Sanskrit Revival" advertisement in ''Theosophy'' 12.6 (September 1897).</ref>

== Later years ==

Mr. Johnston was an active member of the '''Linnaean Society''', a group of amateur and professional naturalists in the New York City area who studied natural history and especially ornithology.

According to [[Henry Bedinger Mitchell]], "In 1918-19, he served as Captain in the '''Military Intelligence''' Division at Washington."<ref>H. B. M.<nowiki>[</nowiki>Henry Bedinger Mitchell<nowiki>]</nowiki>, 211.</ref>

The 1930 United States Census listed Johnston as a writer and editor, with '''Encyclopedia Britannica''' as an employer.

He died on [[October 16]], 1931 of heart disease at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City. A funeral service was held at the '''Chapel of the Comforter''', where [[Clement Acton Griscom, Jr.]], [[Henry Bedinger Mitchell]], and [[Ernest Temple Hargrove]] were active members. According to the ''New York Times'' obituary of October 17, "He was a widower and is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Samuel Brew who is now in British Columbia and another sister in Ireland".<ref>Letter from Paul North Rice of New York Public Library to Boris de Zirkoff. November 8, 1951. Boris de Zirkoff Papers. Records Series 22. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York.<ref>Dr. Clarence C. Clark letter to Boris de Zirkoff. November 30, 1951. Boris de Zirkoff Papers. Records Series 22. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>

== Writings ==

Mr. Johnston wrote a great number and variety of articles and books, ranging from scholarly writings on scriptures to popular volumes of humor, travel, and history. The flair and grace of an Irish poet are apparent even in the serious works. See, for example, the introduction to ''The Song of Life'', and the dedication of ''From the Upanishads'', addressed to his Irish friend [[George William Russell]]. ''Ireland: Historic and Picturesque'' is a charming travelogue, and ''Kela Bai: An Anglo-Indian Idyll'' is a tale from India.

Online versions of most of Johnston's writings at [https://universaltheosophy.com/writings-johnston# Universal Theosophy website].

=== Articles for Theosophical periodicals ===
During 46 years of service to the Theosophical movement, Johnston was very prominent and highly esteemed for his writing. The first article that Johnston wrote for the Theosophical Society was printed in the December 1886 issue of [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']], when he was only 19 years old. After his death, [[The Theosophical Quarterly (periodical)|''The Theosophical Quarterly'']] summarized his contributions:
<blockquote>
A succession of articles followed, totaling 16 in all. He contributed 27 articles to [[Lucifer (periodical)|''Lucifer'']], beginning with the first volume, December, 1887, and continuing until the Society ceased to concern itself with that publication, which passed into alien hands. Five of these comprised his first translations from the [[Upanishads (book)|Upanishads]], while in addition there were eight half-pages of translated aphorisms. He contributed 15 articles to [[The Irish Theosophist (periodical)|''The Irish Theosophist'']]; 20 to the [[The Path (periodical)|''Path'']]; 8 to [[Theosophy (periodical)|''Theosophy'']] in the less than two years of its brief existence; 53 translations in the series of [[Oriental Department Papers (periodical)|''Oriental Department Papers'']], all from the Sanskrit; 53 that have been identified in the [[The Theosophical Forum (periodical)|''The Theosophical Forum'']] (where in the later volumes all articles were unsigned), of which 26 were translations; and 242 articles to the [[The Theosophical Quarterly (periodical)|''Theosophical Quarterly'']], from its first to the current volume, not including reviews, answers to questions, or his addresses reported during the sessions of Convention. This is an average of 8 1/2 articles a year for the QUARTERLY, or more than two for each issue. The total number of articles is, therefore, about 434, of which 170 were translations, or an average of almost 10 articles a year for the 44 years he was writing for the [[Theosophical Movement|Movement]].<ref>Q.<nowiki>[</nowiki>author unknown<nowiki>]</nowiki>, "Mr. Johnston and the Upanishads", ''The Theosophical Quarterly'' 29.3 (January, 1932), 214-215.</ref><ref>The "alien hands" referred to in this quotation were those of [[Annie Besant]] and [[G. R. S. Mead]]</ref>
</blockquote>

This was all voluntary effort; he was not compensated for this work.
The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] has over 200 articles listed [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=Charles+Johnston&method=exact&header=field4 under the name Charles Johnston]. Many other articles were published with the initials [[CJ]], but some of those were written by [[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa|C. Jinarājadāsa]] of Adyar. The "CJ" articles of Charles Johnston appear in the following journals: [[Theosophical Quarterly (periodical)|''Theosophical Quarterly'']], [[Theosophy (periodical)|''Theosophy'']], [[The Path (periodical)|''The Path'']], [[The Irish Theosophist (periodical)|''The Irish Theosophist'']], and possibly some in [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']].
[[File:CJohnston book.jpg|right|200px]]
=== Articles for non-Theosophical periodicals ===
He also published numerous articles for non-Theosophical journals and newspapers, including several articles in [[The Open Court (periodical)|''The Open Court'']]:
* "The Vedanta Philosophy" in February, 1906. Available at [http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1906/iss2/2/ OpenSIUC].
* "The Kingdom of Heaven and the Upanishads" in December, 1905. Available at [http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1905/iss12/1/ OpenSIUC]. Previously published in ''Metaphysical Magazine'', April, 1897. Johnston suggests the the poetic words of Jesus on "the kingdom of heaven is within you" are similar to wording found in the Upanishads.<ref>"Book Reviews," ''Mercury'' 3.10 (June, 1897), 315.</ref>
* "The Childhood and Youth of St. Paul" in April, 1911. Available at [http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1911/iss4/1/ OpenSIUC].

=== Theosophical and scholarly books ===

NOTE: In addition to the following titles, Johnston worked on a "Secret Doctrine Outline" that he mentioned in a letter to [[Jirah Dewey Buck|Dr. J. D. Buck]] in 1891.<ref>Charles Johnston letter to J. D. Buck. November 17, 1891. Letter number 16. Cincinnati Theosophical Society Records. Records Series 20.02.01. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref><ref>NOTE: The editor of this wiki article has not been able to locate a published version of the outline.</ref>

*'''''Useful Sanskrit Nouns and Verb in English Letters'''''. London: Luzac, 1892. Text available online at [http://archive.org/details/cu31924023201126 Internet Archive]. Advertised on page 59 of ''Luzac's Oriental List and Book Review, Volume 4'' by Luzac & Co., booksellers. Advertisement is available online at [http://books.google.com/books?id=Np5UAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA59&lpg=PA59&dq=m.r.a.s.+sanskrit+prizeman&source=bl&ots=g1qQXpQraT&sig=MQrxto_FzYYMPlI5LLvsXPcQtjw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=X-13UemkGMawqgHP44CgCg&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=m.r.a.s.%20sanskrit%20prizeman&f=false Google Books.]
*'''''The Awakening to the Self'''''. Translation of Sankarâchârya. New York: Johnston, 1897.
*'''''From the Upanishads'''''. Portland, ME: Thomas Mosher, 1899. Available online at [http://archive.org/details/fromupanishadsby00thomiala Internet Archive] and [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t6639n558;view=1up;seq=11 Hathitrust].
*'''''The Memory of Past Births'''''. New York: Theosophical Society Publishing Co., 1899. Available to [http://archive.org/details/memoryofpastbirt00johnrich Internet Archive] and [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007366099 Hathitrust].
*'''''Karma: Works and Wisdom'''''. New York : Metaphysical Pub. Co., 1900. Available at [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008434946 Hathitrust].
*'''''The Song of Life'''''. Flushing, NY: Charles Johnston, 1901. A translation of the "dialogue of Janaka and the sage", preceded by "a modern paraphrase of the Teachings". Available at [http://archive.org/details/songlife00johngoog Internet Archives].
*[[Bhagavadgītā (book)|'''''The Bhagavad-gîta: "The Songs of the Master"''''']]. Flushing, N.Y.: C. Johnston, 1908. Available online at [http://archive.org/details/cu31924097311702 Internet Archive].
*'''''Parables of the Kingdom'''''. Flushing, NY: Charles Johnston, 1909.
*'''''The system of the Vedânta according to Bâdarâyaṇa's Brahma-sûtras and Cankara's commentary thereon set forth as a compendium of the dogmatics of brahmanism from the standpoint of Çankara'''''. Chicago, The Open Court Publishing Company, 1912. Available at [http://archive.org/details/systemvedntaacc00deusgoog Internet Archive] and [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001380098 Hathitrust].
*[[Yoga Sutras of Patanjali|'''''Yoga Sutras''''']] of [[Patanjali]]. New York: Quarterly Book Department, 1912. Available online at [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras Wikisource] and [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009013672 Hathitrust].
*'''''Eastern and Western Psychology: a Theosophical Need'''''. New York: Theosophical Society, 1917.
*'''''The Great Upanishads, Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Upanishads Volume 1'''''. New York: Quarterly Book Department, 1927.
*[[The Crest-Jewel of Wisdom (book)|'''''The Crest-Jewel of Wisdom''''']] by [[Śankarâchârya]]. San Diego: Theosophical University Press, 1946. Translated by Charles Johnston. Available at [http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/crest/crest-1.htm Theosophical University Press Online].

=== Modern compilations by Kshetra Books ===

Printed editions and e-books are available at [https://www.kshetrabooks.com/ this website].
:'''Books:'''
* '''''Vedanta Philosophy of Sankaracharya, The'''''. Kshetra Books, 2014. Introductory articles by Charles Johnston, followed by compilation of translations by Charles Johnston and Mohina M. Chatterji:
** ''Vakya Sudha'', tr. Charles Johnston. First Edition, ''Theosophical Quarterly'', 1925.
** ''Atma Bodha'', tr. Charles Johnston. First Edition, ''Theosophical Quarterly'', 1925.
** ''Tattva Bodha'', tr. Charles Johnston. First Edition, ''Oriental Department Papers'', 1894. Second (partial) Edition, ''Theosophical Quarterly'', 1913.
** ''Vivekachudamani'', tr. Charles Johnston. First Edition, Serialized in the ''Theosophical Quarterly'', 1923-24. First Edition, Quarterly Book Department, 1925.
** ''Siddhanta-Tattva-Vindu'', tr. Charles Johnston. First Edition, ''Oriental Department Papers'', 1895.
** ''Atmanatma-viveka'', tr. Mohini M. Chatterji. Serialized in the ''Theosophist'', 1882-83. Reprinted in ''Five Years of Theosophy'', 1885.
* '''''Tao Teh King: Lao Tse's Book of the Way and of Righteousness, The'''''. 2014.
* '''''Bhagavad Gita: Songs of the Master, The'''''. 2nd (Expanded) Edition. 2014.
* '''''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Book of the Spiritual Man, The'''''. 3rd (Expanded) Edition ). 2014.
* '''''Mukhya Upanishads: Books of Hidden Wisdom, The'''''. 1st Edition. 2014.
* '''''Hidden Wisdom: Collected Writings of Charles Johnson'''''. 2014. E-book.
* '''''System of the Vedanta, The'''''. Dr. Paul Deussen, tr. Charles Johnston, 1st Edition . 1912.
* '''''Katha Upanishad: in the House of Death, The'''''.
 
:'''Essays and article collections:'''
* '''''Karma: Works and Wisdom'''''.
* '''''Memory of Past Births, The'''''.
* '''''Theosophy of the Upanishads, The'''''.
* '''''Wisdom Traditions of East and West'''''.
* '''''Noble Teachings of Lord Buddha, The'''''.
* '''''Unveiling the Wisdom of the Bible'''''.
* '''''Emanation & States of Consciousness'''''.
* '''''Beginning of Real Life, The'''''.
* '''''On Initiation and the Mysteries'''''.
* '''''Logos Doctrine, The'''''.
* '''''Study of Ancient Speech and Writing, A'''''.

=== Popular books ===
*'''''Kela Bai: An Anglo-Indian Idyll'''''. New York: Doubleday & McClure, 1900. Novel. Available at [http://archive.org/stream/kelabaiangloindi00johniala#page/106/mode/2up Internet Archive].
*'''''Ireland: Historic and Picturesque'''''. Philadelphia: Henry T. Coates & Co., 1902. Illustrated travelogue. Available at [http://archive.org/stream/cu31924028049298#page/n11/mode/2up Internet Archive] and [http://archive.org/details/irelandhistoricp00johnrich a second Internet Archive version].
*'''''Ireland's Story'''''. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1905, 1923. Written with Carita Spencer. Illustrated history of Ireland. Available at [http://archive.org/details/irelandsstory00john Internet Archive].
*'''''Why the World Laughs'''''. New York: Harper & Bros, 1912. A book of humorous stories from many countries. Available at [https://archive.org/details/whyworldlaughs01johngoog Internet Archive] and [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001438664 Hathitrust].

== Additional resources ==
*[http://www.universaltheosophy.com/bios/charles-johnston# Charles Johnston] Biographical Sketch by ''Universal Theosophy''
*[http://www.universaltheosophy.com/writings-johnston# The Writings of Charles Johnston] compiled by ''Universal Theosophy''
* Obituary in ''The Canadian Theosophist'' 12 (November, 1931), 268.
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/johnston-charles Johnston,Charles] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Journalists|Johnston, Charles]]
[[Category:Writers|Johnston,Charles]]
[[Category:Editors|Johnston,Charles]]
[[Category:Educators|Johnston, Charles]]
[[Category:Sanskrit scholars|Johnston,Charles]]
[[Category:Associates of HPB|Johnston,Charles]]
[[Category:Nationality Irish|Johnston,Charles]]
[[Category:Nationality Naturalized American|Johnston,Charles]]
[[Category:TS Hargrove|Johnston,Charles]]
[[Category:People|Johnston,Charles]]

Chaos

2020-04-07T21:21:30Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

[[File:Chaos.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Over the face of the waters]]
'''Chaos''' (from the Greek χάος, khaos) means "emptiness, vast void, chasm, abyss" and in the Greek creation myths it refers to a moving, formless mass from which the cosmos and the gods originated. In [[Theosophy]], Chaos is space filled with darkness, which is primordial matter in its pre-cosmic state.<ref> Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'', vol. 1 (London: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1978), 336.</ref> It contains in itself all the Elements in their rudimentary, undifferentiated State.<ref> Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'', vol. 1 (London: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1978), 342.</ref>

[[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] uses many synonyms for this Principle. Some of them can be found in the following definition by [[H. P. Blavatsky]]:

<blockquote>Chaos (Gr.). The Abyss, the "Great Deep". It was personified in Egypt by the Goddess Neith, anterior to all gods . . . Neith is the "[[Father-Mother|Father-mother]]" of the [[Stanzas of Dzyan|Stanzas]] of the Secret Doctrine, the [[Svābhāvat|Swabhavat]] of the Northern Buddhists, the [[Mother_(symbol)|immaculate Mother]] indeed, the prototype of the latest "Virgin" of all. . . Neith is Swabhavat and also the Vedic [[Aditi]] and the Puranic [[Ākāśa|Akasa]].<ref> Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1918), 77.</ref></blockquote>

In the section of [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] titled "Chaos—Theos—Kosmos," Blavatsky states that Chaos and [[Space]] are synonymous. "Chaos" is called senseless by the ancients because it represented and contained in itself all the [[Element]]s in their rudimentary, or undifferentiated State. The Æther of the Greek philosophers was the Akāsa of the Hindus, or the Unseen Space, the supposed veil of the Deity. In the Platonic language, mind and matter were the two primeval and eternal principles of the universe, utterly independent of anything else. The former was the all-vivifying [[Universal Mind|intellectual principle]]; the latter (chaos) a shapeless liquid principle, without "form or sense." From the union of these two sprung into existence the first deity. According to the phraseology of a Fragment of Hermias, "chaos, from this union with spirit, obtaining sense, produced the first-born light." According to Plato, the "first begotten" of the highest Deity was born of Chaos and Primordial Light (the [[Sun#Central_sun|Central Sun]]). Even in the exoteric [[Puranas (book)|Puranas]], also, [[Brahma|Brahmā]] is the Theos, evolving out of Chaos, or the great “Deep,” [[Water (symbol)|the waters]] with the Spirit moving over its face—the future boundless Kosmos—in the first hour of re-awakening.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 342-349.</ref>

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/chaos Chaos] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[es:Caos]]
[[it:Caos]]

Chaos

2020-04-07T21:19:38Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

[[File:Chaos.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Over the face of the waters]]
'''Chaos''' (from the Greek χάος, khaos) means "emptiness, vast void, chasm, abyss" and in the Greek creation myths it refers to a moving, formless mass from which the cosmos and the gods originated. In [[Theosophy]], Chaos is space filled with darkness, which is primordial matter in its pre-cosmic state.<ref> Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'', vol. 1 (London: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1978), 336.</ref> It contains in itself all the Elements in their rudimentary, undifferentiated State.<ref> Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'', vol. 1 (London: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1978), 342.</ref>

[[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] uses many synonyms for this Principle. Some of them can be found in the following definition by [[H. P. Blavatsky]]:

<blockquote>Chaos (Gr.). The Abyss, the "Great Deep". It was personified in Egypt by the Goddess Neith, anterior to all gods . . . Neith is the "[[Father-Mother|Father-mother]]" of the [[Stanzas of Dzyan|Stanzas]] of the Secret Doctrine, the [[Svābhāvat|Swabhavat]] of the Northern Buddhists, the [[Mother_(symbol)|immaculate Mother]] indeed, the prototype of the latest "Virgin" of all. . . Neith is Swabhavat and also the Vedic [[Aditi]] and the Puranic [[Ākāśa|Akasa]].<ref> Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1918), 77.</ref></blockquote>

In the section of [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] titled "Chaos—Theos—Kosmos," Blavatsky states that Chaos and [[Space]] are synonymous. "Chaos" is called senseless by the ancients because it represented and contained in itself all the [[Element]]s in their rudimentary, or undifferentiated State. The Æther of the Greek philosophers was the Akāsa of the Hindus, or the Unseen Space, the supposed veil of the Deity. In the Platonic language, mind and matter were the two primeval and eternal principles of the universe, utterly independent of anything else. The former was the all-vivifying [[Universal Mind|intellectual principle]]; the latter (chaos) a shapeless liquid principle, without "form or sense." From the union of these two sprung into existence the first deity. According to the phraseology of a Fragment of Hermias, "chaos, from this union with spirit, obtaining sense, produced the first-born light." According to Plato, the "first begotten" of the highest Deity was born of Chaos and Primordial Light (the [[Sun#Central_sun|Central Sun]]). Even in the exoteric [[Puranas (book)|Puranas]], also, [[Brahma|Brahmā]] is the Theos, evolving out of Chaos, or the great “Deep,” [[Water (symbol)|the waters]] with the Spirit moving over its face—the future boundless Kosmos—in the first hour of re-awakening.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 342-349.</ref>

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/chaos Chaos at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[es:Caos]]
[[it:Caos]]

Chakras

2020-04-07T21:15:04Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

[[File:Chakras.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Chakras]]
The word '''chakra''' is Sanskrit (चक्र) for "wheel" and refers to '''energy centers that exist in the [[Principle|physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies]]'''. These force centers are points of connections at which energy flows from one body of a man to another. At each chakra, the concentrated energy spins around a central point, like a wheel spinning around an axle. [[Clairvoyant|Clairvoyants]] can see them in the [[etheric double]]. All these wheels are perpetually rotating and a force from the higher world is always flowing into them – in the undeveloped person usually sluggishly, while in a more evolved person they may be glowing and pulsating.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, Annotations by Kurt Leland, ''The Chakras'', (Wheaton, Ill: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2013), p.
1- 5</ref>

Each of the chakras deals with a different aspect of human experience and produces a particular state of consciousness. The chakras also involve a hierarchy of needs, from physical and emotional to intellectual and spiritual. These energy centers have been correlated to colors, organs, and the [[Kabbalah|Kabbalistic Tree of Life]].

Various traditions have different views about the number and exact location of the chakras. Some chakras are considered major, some minor, but most traditions refer to seven chakras that lie along the length of the spine, from the first chakra at its base to the seventh chakra about the crown of the head.<ref>Kurt Leland, "The Chakras: A Magical Mystery Tour," lecture presented on March 9, 2017. See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12IfYlChipM&t=1216s YouTube].</ref>

==Introduction==

[[File:Channels.gif|200px|thumb|left|Nadis or channels]]

According to many Tantric texts, the human body contains 72,000 [[Nadi|'''nadis''']] (tubular organs) that channel '''[[prana]]''' (life force) to every cell.

Three nadis are of particular interest. The '''sushumna''' runs from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, passing through each of the seven chakras in its course. It is the channel through which kundalini shakti (the latent serpent power) rises up from its origin at the muladhara (first or root) chakra to its true home at the sahasrara (seventh or thousand-fold) chakra at the crown of the head. In subtle body terms, the sushumna nadi is the path to enlightenment.

The ida and pingala nadis spiral around the sushumna nadi, crossing each other at every chakra. Eventually, all three nadis meet at the ajna (sixth) chakra.<ref>James Bailey, ''Discover the Ida and Pingala Nadis''. August 28, 2007. https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/balancing-act-2</ref><ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, Annotations by Kurt Leland, ''The Chakras'', (Wheaton, Ill: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2013), 25-27.</ref><ref> Kurt Leland, Rainbow Body: A History of the Western Chakra System from Blavatksy to Brennan, (Lake Worth, Fl: Ibis Press, 2016), 47-48.</ref>

The anatomy of the chakras has been described in Indian and Tibetan tantric literature. The seven etheric chakras, which are very important for the health of the physical and etheric bodies, have their counterparts on the astral and mental levels. Chakras are both the transmitters and the transformers of energy from field to field. Their mechanism synchronizes the emotional, mental and the etheric energies. The chakras reveal a person’s quality of consciousness and degree of personal abilities and development. Each of the centers has special links to certain organs as well as with certain states of consciousness.<ref>Shafica Karagulla, M.C. and Dora van Gelder Kunz, ''The Chakras and the Energy Fields'', (Wheaton, Ill: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1989) 33-38.</ref>

== Mme. Blavatsky teachings ==

The founder of the [[Theosophical Society]], [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]], wrote:

<blockquote>Our seven Chakras are all situated in the head, and it is these Master Chakras which govern and rule the seven (for there are seven) principal plexuses in the body, and the forty-two minor ones to which Physiology refuses that name.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 619.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>And if the term plexus, in this application, does not represent to the Western mind the idea conveyed by the term of the anatomist, then call them Chakras or Padmas, or the Wheels, the Lotus Hearts and Petals. Remember that Physiology, imperfect as it is, shows [[Septenary Principle|septenary groups]] all over the exterior and interior of the body; the seven head orifices, the seven “organs” at the base of the brain, the seven plexuses (the pharyngeal, laryngeal, cavernous, cardiac, epigastric, prostatic, and the sacral plexus), etc., etc. . . . If asked whether the seven plexuses, or Tattvic centres of action, are the centres where the [[Seven Rays|seven rays]] of the [[Logos]] vibrate, I answer in the affirmative, simply remarking that the rays of the Logos vibrate in every atom, for the matter of that.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 620.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>The Tântrists do not seem to go higher than the six visible and known plexuses, with each of which they connect the [[Tattva|Tattvas]]; and the great stress they lay on the chief of these, the Mûladhâra Chakra (the sacral plexus), shows the material and selfish bent of their efforts towards the acquisition of powers. Their five Breaths and five Tattvas are chiefly concerned with the prostatic, epigastric, cardiac, and laryngeal plexuses. Almost ignoring the Agneya, they are positively ignorant of the synthesizing pharyngeal plexus. But with the followers of the old school it is different. We begin with the mastery of that organ which is situated at the base of the brain, in the pharynx, and called by Western anatomists the [[Pituitary Gland|Pituitary Body]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1980), 616.</ref></blockquote>

==According to Charles Leadbeater==

[[Charles Webster Leadbeater]] wrote an analysis of chakras based on his own clairvoyant experiences.

===Root chakra===

The first chakra, at the base of the spine, has a primary force which radiates out in four spokes. It is alternately red and orange in hue, with hollows between them.<ref>Leadbeater, 9.</ref>

===Spleen chakra===
[[File:Leadbeater spleen chakra.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Spleen Chakra according to C. W. Leadbeater]]
The second center at the spleen is devoted to the specialization, subdivision, and dispersion of the vitality which comes to us from the sun. <ref>Leadbeater, 9.</ref>

This does not correspond to the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] [[Chakras#Svādhiṣṭhāna chakra|svādhiṣṭhāna chakra]], usually listed as the second one, and connected to the sexual organs:

<blockquote>The spleen chakra is not indicated in the Indian books; its place is taken by a centre called the Svadhishthana, situated in the neighbourhood of the generative organs, to which the same six petals are assigned. From our point of view the arousing of such a centre would be regarded as a misfortune, as there are serious dangers connected with it. In the Egyptian scheme of development elaborate precautions were taken to prevent any such awakening.<ref>Leadbeater, 7, fn.</ref></blockquote>

Regarding its function, Leadbeater wrote:

<blockquote>The second centre, the splenic (Plate II), at the spleen, is devoted to the specialization, subdivision and dispersion of the vitality which comes to us from the sun. That vitality is poured out again from it in six horizontal streams, the seventh variety being drawn into the hub of the wheel. This centre therefore has six petals or undulations, all of different colours, and is specially radiant, glowing and sunlike. Each of the six divisions of the wheel shows predominantly the colour of one of the forms of the vital force--red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.<ref>Leadbeater, 12, fn.</ref></blockquote>

The effects of its awakening were described as follows:
[[File:Spleen Chakra - CWL.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Navel Chakra according to C. W. Leadbeater]]
<blockquote>When the second of the etheric centres, that at the spleen, is awakened, the man is enabled to remember his vague astral journeys, though sometimes only very partially. The effect of a slight and accidental stimulation of this centre is often to produce half-remembrance of a blissful sensation of flying through the air.<ref>Leadbeater, 78.</ref></blockquote>

===Navel chakra===

The third chakra at the navel or solar plexus receives a primary force with ten radiations, so it vibrates in a way to divide itself with ten petals.<ref>Leadbeater, 10.</ref>

===Heart chakra===

The fourth chakra at the heart is of a glowing golden color, and each of its quadrants is divided into three parts, which gives it twelve petals.<ref>Leadbeater, 10.</ref>

===Throat chakra===

The fifth chakra at the throat has sixteen spokes and therefore sixteen apparent divisions.<ref>Leadbeater, 10.</ref>

===Brow chakra===

The sixth chakra, between the eyebrows, has the appearance of being divided into halves. Leadbeater believed that is the reason that this center is mentioned in Indian books as having only two petals.<ref>Leadbeater, 10-11.</ref>

[[File:Brow Chakra - CWL.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Brow Chakra according to C. W. Leadbeater]]
Although in [[Hinduism]] the Ājñā chakra is traditionally connected to the [[Third Eye]], Mme Blavatsky did not support the idea that this eye was really between the eyebrows.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 295.</ref> Accordingly, [[C. W. Leadbeater]] said that the brow chakra is connected with the [[Pituitary gland|pituitary gland]] and not with the [[Third Eye#Pineal gland|pineal]], which is regarded are the real "third eye" in [[Theosophy]].<ref>Leadbeater, 10.</ref>

Leadbeater described the brow chakra as follows:

<blockquote>The sixth centre, the frontal (Plate IX), between the eyebrows, has the appearance of being divided into halves, one chiefly rose-coloured, though with a great deal of yellow about it, and the other predominantly a kind of purplish-blue, again closely agreeing with the colours of the special types of vitality that vivify it. Perhaps it is for this reason that this centre is mentioned in Indian books as having only two petals, though if we are to count undulations of the same character as those of the previous centres we shall find that each half is subdivided into forty-eight of these, making ninety-six in all, because its primary force has that number of radiations.<ref>Leadbeater, 13-14.</ref></blockquote>

Regarding its function, Leadbeater wrote:

<blockquote>When the sixth [chakra], between the eyebrows, becomes vivified, the man begins to see things, to have various sorts of waking visions, sometimes of places, sometimes of people. In its earlier development, when it is only just beginning to be awakened, it often means nothing more than half-seeing landscapes and clouds of colour. The full arousing of this brings about clairvoyance.

The centre between the eyebrows is connected with sight in yet another way. It is through it that the power of magnification of minute physical objects is exercised. A tiny flexible tube of etheric matter is projected from the centre of it, resembling a microscopic snake with something like an eye at the end of it. This is the special organ used in that form of clairvoyance, and the eye at the end of it can be expanded or contracted, the effect being to change the power of magnification according to the size of the object which is being examined. This is what is meant in ancient books when mention is made of the [[Siddhi|capacity]] to make oneself large or small at will. To examine an atom one develops an organ of vision commensurate in size with the atom. This little snake projecting from the centre of the forehead was symbolized upon the head-dress of the Pharaoh of Egypt, who as the chief priest of his country was supposed to possess this among many other occult powers.<ref>Leadbeater, 79.</ref></blockquote>

===Crown chakra===

According to Leadbeater, the seventh center at the top of the head is, when stirred into full activity, the most resplendent of all and seems to contain all sorts of prismatic hues.<ref>Leadbeater, 11.</ref>

[[File:Crown Chakra - CWL.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Crown Chakra according to C. W. Leadbeater]]
[[C. W. Leadbeater]] connected the "crown chakra" with the [[Third Eye#Pineal gland|pineal]], which is regarded as the "third eye" in [[Theosophy]].<ref>Leadbeater, 10.</ref> He described this center as follows:

<blockquote>The seventh centre, the coronal, at the top of the head, is when stirred into full activity the most resplendent of all, full of indescribable chromatic, effects and vibrating with almost inconceivable rapidity. It seems to contain all sorts of prismatic hues, but is on the whole predominantly violet. It is described in Indian books as thousand-petalled, and really this is not very far from the truth, the number of the radiations of its primary force in the outer circle being nine hundred and sixty....

This chakra is usually the last to be awakened. In the beginning it is the same size as the others, but as the man progresses on the Path of spiritual advancement it increases steadily until it covers almost the whole top of the head. Another peculiarity attends its development. It is at first a depression in the etheric body, as are all the other, because through it, as through them, the divine force flows in from without; but when the man realizes his position as a king of the divine light, dispensing largesse to all around him, this chakra reverses itself, turning as it were inside out; it is no longer a channel of reception but of radiation, no longer a depression but a prominence, standing out from the head as a dome, a veritable crown of glory.<ref>Leadbeater, 14-15.</ref></blockquote>

Regarding its function, he wrote:

<blockquote>When the seventh centre is quickened, the man is able by passing through it to leave his body in full consciousness, and also to return to it without the usual break, so that his consciousness will be continuous through night and day. When the [[Kundalini|fire]] has been passed through all these centres in a certain order (which varies for different types of people) the consciousness becomes continuous up to the entry into the heaven-world at the end of the life on the astral plane, no difference being made by either the temporary separation from the physical body during sleep or the permanent division at death.<ref>Leadbeater, 80.</ref></blockquote>

==The Eastern Chakra System==

The Theosophist and author Kurt Leland writes about the Eastern system in his book ''Rainbow Body: A History of the Western Chakra System from Blavatsky to Brennan'': <ref>Kurt Leland, ''Rainbow Body: A History of the Western Chakra System from Blavatksy to Brennan'', (Lake Worth, Fl: Ibis Press, 2016), 47-51.</ref>

<blockquote>The form of the Eastern system most familiar in the West appeared in ''The Secret Serpent'', a 1919 publication by Sir John Woodroffe (1835-1936), a British judge on the high court of Calcutta. This book was an exposition of Tantra as it related to the chakras. The Eastern systems consisted of three primary ''nadis'' (more about this in the ''Introduction'' above)

'''Mūlādhāra chakra''' (root support), also called ''guda'' (rectal) chakra.

'''Svādhiṣṭhāna chakra''' (own place), also called medhra (genital chakra).

'''Maṇipūra chakra''', also called ''nābhî'' (navel) chakra.

'''Anāhata chakra''' (unstruck sound); also called hrdaya (heart) chakra. Certain types of yoga involve focusing on subtle sounds that become audible when one meditates on the heart center. Such sounds are considered to be modifications of a universal sound current set in motion by the absolute (Brahman) when the manifest universe was created.

'''Viśuddha chakra''' (purifying); also called ''kantha'' (throat) chakra.
<ref>Leland, "Rainbow Body," 47-51.</ref>

'''Ājñā chakra''' (command); also called ''bhrūmadhya'' (brow) chakra. It is said that this is the chakra through which the commands of the guru come. Alternatively, it represents ''manas'' (mind) and its mastery indicates that the minds is under the practitioner’s command.<ref>Leland, "Rainbow Body," 47-51.</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Sahasrara chakra.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Sahasrāra chakra]]Talking about the ājñā chakra, Swami Satyananda Saraswati said:

<blockquote>There is a certain problem with the awakening of the other chakras. Each one contains a store of karmas or samskara, both good and bad, positive and negative, painful and pleasant. The awakening of any chakra will definitely bring to the surface an explosion or expression of these karmas, and of course, not everybody is prepared or ready to face them. Only those who have reason and understanding are able to cope. Therefore it is said that before you start awakening and manifesting the great force, it is best to purify the mind at the point of confluence. Then, with a purified mind, you can awaken the other chakras.<ref>Swami Satyananda Saraswati, ''Kundalini Tantra'' (Munger, Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust, 2001), Chapter 3.</ref></blockquote>

He also said:

<blockquote>Ajna chakra is the point of confluence where the three main nadis or forces - ida, pingala and sushumna merge into one stream of consciousness and flow up to sahasrara, the crown center.<ref>Swami Satyananda Saraswati, ''Kundalini Tantra'' (Munger, Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust, 2001), Chapter 3.</ref></blockquote>

'''Sahasrāra chakra''' (thousand-fold); sometimes referred to by its location: ''mūrdhān'' (head/cranial vault). The usual English translation is “thousand-petaled lotus”.
<ref>Leland, "Rainbow Body," 47-51.</ref>

==The Chakras and the Endocrine Glands==

Modern literature from both the Western and Eastern cultures highlights the connection between the chakras and the endocrine and nervous systems, as well as organs. [[Alice Bailey]] outlined the connections between the chakras and the biology of the human body, and other people were responsible for describing chakra/gland correspondences: [[James Morgan Pryse]], a student of [[Blavatsky]]; Herman Harold Rubin, a medical doctor; Bhagat Singh Thind, an early Indian teacher, Cajzoran Ali, who published a photographic manual of yoga postures, and [[Edgar Cayce]].<ref>Leland, ''Rainbow Body,'' 226-231.</ref>

There are slight variations, but most often the chakras and glands are connected as a follows:

::'''First Chakra:''' Gonads (the testes in the male, the ovaries in the female)

::'''Second Chakra:''' Adrenals

::'''Third Chakra:''' Spleen

::'''Fourth Chakra:''' Thymus

::'''Fifth Chakra:''' Thyroids

::'''Sixth Chakra:''' Pituitary Gland

::'''Seventh Chakra:''' Pineal<ref>Leland, ''Rainbow Body'', 226-234.</ref>

The main differences are often with the second and third chakra. For example, sometimes the third chakra is connected with the pancreas and sometimes with the adrenals.

[[Edgar Cayce]] connects the second chakra with the cells of Leydig which produce the androgen and testosterone in the presence of luteinizing hormones. According to Cayce’s model for health, the activity of the endocrine centers represents in the flesh what is happening in the mind and spirit. The centers function somewhat like valves in regulating the flow of the creative life-force into the physical body.<ref>Edgar Cayce, ''The Essential Edgar Cayce'' (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2004), 37-38. Mark Thurston, editor.</ref>

==Modern Yogic Interpretation==

In modern yoga, the chakras have these correspondences:<ref>Kalashatra Govinda, ''A Handbook of Chakra Healing'' (Old Saybrook, Ct: Konecky & Konecky).</ref><ref>Joseph and Lilian Le Page, ''Integrative Yoga Therapy: Yoga Toolbox'' (Santa Rosa, Ca.).</ref><ref>Biff Mithoefer, ''The Yin Yoga Kit'', (Rochester, Vt., Healing Arts Press).</ref>
<blockquote>
'''Mūlādhāra chakra''' (first or root chakra)
[[File:Muladhara.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Mūlādhāra chakra]]
<blockquote>
<li>Location: Base of the body</li>
<li>Element: Earth</li>
<li>Color: Red</li>
<li>Issues: Survival fear</li>
<li>Areas of Body: Eliminatory system, legs and feet</li>
<li>Balanced: Groundedness and safety</li>
<li>Excessively open: Extreme materialism, running to greed and hoarding</li>
<li>Blocked: Feeling insecure and disassociated from our body</li>
<li>Archetype: Earth Mother</li>
<li>Negative Archetype: Victim</li>
<li>Demon: Fear</li>
</blockquote>

'''Svādhiṣṭhāna chakra''' (second or sacral chakra)
[[File:Svadhisthana.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Svādhiṣṭhāna chakra]]
<blockquote>
<li>Location: Four fingers below navel</li>
<li>Element: Water</li>
<li>Color: Orange</li>
<li>Issues: Intimacy, emotions</li>
<li>Areas of Body: Reproductive organs and pelvic area</li>
<li>Balanced: Healthy sexuality and emotions; enthusiasm</li>
<li>Excessively open: Weak boundaries</li>
<li>Blocked: Tendency to be very rigid</li>
<li>Archetype: (Physical) love</li>
<li>Negative Archetype: Martyr, denying his/her own pleasure</li>
<li>Demon: Guilt</li>
</blockquote>

'''Maṇipūra chakra''' (third or naval chakra)
[[File:Manipura.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Maṇipūra chakra]]
<blockquote>
<li>Location: Solar plexus</li>
<li>Element: Fire</li>
<li>Color: Yellow</li>
<li>Issues: Self-esteem, ego, feelings of autonomy</li>
<li>Areas of Body: Stomach, liver, small intestine</li>
<li>Balanced: Healthy social roles</li>
<li>Excessively open: Aggression in a bullying way</li>
<li>Blocked: Selfless behavior motivated by personal worthlessness</li>
<li>Archetype: Hero</li>
<li>Negative Archetype: Servant or slave</li>
<li>Demon: Shame</li>
</blockquote>

'''Anāhata chakra''' (heart chakra)
[[File:Anahata.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Anāhata chakra]]
<blockquote>
<li>Location: Heart</li>
<li>Element: Air</li>
<li>Color: Green</li>
<li>Issues: Compassion, optimism/pessimism</li>
<li>Areas of Body: Heart, lungs, shoulders, arm</li>
<li>Balanced: Unconditional love</li>
<li>Excessively open: Co-dependent love</li>
<li>Blocked: Withdrawal from love, fear of being wounded</li>
<li>Archetype: Healer</li>
<li>Negative Archetype: Actor</li>
<li>Demon: Grief</li>
</blockquote>

'''Viśuddha chakra''' (throat chakra)
[[File:Vishuddha.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Viśuddha chakra]]
<blockquote>
<li>Location: Throat</li>
<li>Element: Space</li>
<li>Color: blue</li>
<li>Issues: Communication, intuition</li>
<li>Areas of Body: Throat, mouth</li>
<li>Balanced: Inner directed Self</li>
<li>Excessively open: Using speech as mechanism of control</li>
<li>Blocked: Unable to communicate about important issues</li>
<li>Archetype: Communicator, artist</li>
<li>Negative Archetype: Silent child</li>
<li>Demon: Lies</li>
</blockquote>

'''Ājñā chakra'''
[[File:Ajna.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Ājñā chakra]]
<blockquote>
<li>Location: Third eye</li>
<li>Element: All</li>
<li>Color: Violet</li>
<li>Issues: Dedication to spiritual path; clarity and insight</li>
<li>Areas of Body: The senses</li>
<li>Balanced: Calm and focused</li>
<li>Excessively open: Delusion</li>
<li>Blocked: Denial what is seen</li>
<li>Archetype: Seer, visionary</li>
<li>Negative Archetype: Intellectual</li>
<li>Demon: Illusion</li>
</blockquote>

'''Sahasrāra chakra''' (crown chakra)
[[File:Sahasrara.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Sahasrāra chakra]]
<blockquote>
<li>Location: Crown of head</li>
<li>Element: Beyond</li>
<li>Color: Crystal light</li>
<li>Issues: Spiritual separation</li>
<li>Areas of Body: Brain and nervous system</li>
<li>Balanced: Unity consciousness</li>
<li>Excessively open: Spiritual addiction</li>
<li>Blocked: Limited in our ability to believe or have faith</li>
<li>Archetype: Guru (within), sage</li>
<li>Negative Archetype: Egotist (belief of being separate from others)</li>
<li>Demon: Attachment</li>
</blockquote>
</ul>
</blockquote>

==Music and the Chakra System==

Theosophist and author Kurt Leland outlines in his book ''Music and the Soul'' the relationship between life force, the chakras, and elements of music, such as rhythm, harmony, melody, and form. <ref>Kurt Leland, ''Music and the Soul'', (Charlottesville, Va: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2005), xiii.</ref>

'''First chakra''', center of arousal (sound scores for film, dance, performance art, rhythmic music):
It is associated with the Soma, or body consciousness and the lesson of the Soma is ''embodiment'', which helps us become more fully focused in the physical body. The aspect of music that helps us with this is ''rhythm'' because it arouses our attention and holds it.

'''Second chakra''', center of desire (ambient and minimal music):
It is associated with the Participant, the part of us that takes action in the world. The lesson of the Participant is ''motivation'', which spurs us into action. The aspect of music that motivates us to listen more deeply is the sensual quality of sound – its beauty – which he calls ''sonority''.

'''Third chakra''', center of intensity (dramatic music, like opera):
It is associated with the Shadow, the part of us that blocks action. The lesson of the Shadow is ''identity'' which is often created through friction with other people and a sense of drama. The aspect of music that best represents this process is ''intensity''.

'''Fourth chakra''', center of expression (often the form of songs including the blues):
It is associated with the Anima/Animus or the beloved. The lesson is ''union'' which helps us to overcome the separation from others involved in developing our identities. The aspect of the music that best represents this process is ''melody'' which allows us to express the pain of separation, the yearning for connection, and the elation of achieving union with the beloved.

'''Fifth chakra''', center of well-being (dance music, from classical minuets to swing and rock and roll):
It is associated with the Counterpart or friend. The lesson of the Counterpart has to do with discovering and fulfilling our ''life purpose'', a project that often involves the support of friends, colleagues, and other social relations. The aspect of music that best represents this process is ''tempo'' – the speed of the music. The upbeat music of the fifth center is similar to that of the fourth chakra but speeded up.

'''Sixth chakra''', center of command (symphonies and other large-scale compositions):
It is associated with the part of us that sets the limits for our growth. The lesson is ''analysis'', which allows us to determine which limits are supporting us “in”, and which are blocking us “from”, achieving our goals. The composer becomes the guru attempting to pass on his/her own degree of awakening through the medium of sound. The aspect of music that best represents this process is ''form''. Form is the means by which a composer structures or limits a piece of music and commands our attention.

'''Seventh chakra''', center of expanded consciousness (sacred music, including Gregorian chants):
It is associated with the Witness, which has to do with memory. The lesson of the Witness is ''wisdom'', which allows us to transform our experiences into lessons on the path of spiritual growth. The aspect of music that best represents it is what Kurt Leland calls ''macrorhythm'' – a way of organizing music into long swells of accumulating and dissipating energy. Music organized in this way has a transformative effect on the consciousness of a listener.

Kurt Leland adds one more center, the eighth center, which he calls the transpersonal chakra.

'''Eighth chakra''', center of cosmic consciousness (buddhic music, relatively rare):
It is associated with the Numen or soul. The lesson of the Numen is ''transcendence'', which allows us to experience a sense of oneness with the divine. The aspect of music that best represents this process is something that Kurt Leland calls ''metarhythm'' – organizing music to create the impression of timelessness, or music that is unfolding beyond time. Music organized this way can open us to a sense of oneness with God or the universe. <ref> Kurt Leland, ''Music and the Soul'', 73-75.</ref>

==Online resources==

===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/chakra Chakra] at Theosophy World

===Reading list===
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/library/Bibliography/Chakras.pdf "Chakras"] is a reading list developed by the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]].

===Audios===
*[https://theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Hodson,%20G/952%20Hodson,%20G%20-%20Chakras%20No.2.mp3# Chakras] by Stephen Hoeller
*[https://archive.org/download/1203_20191126/1201.mp3# The Inner Structure of Man and Its Effects on Daily Life] by Dora Kunz

===Video===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YV_plwBDzM# The Structure and Function of the Chakras] by Dora Kunz and Shafica Karagulla
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12IfYlChipM "The Chakras: A Magical Mystery Tour"] by Kurt Leland .
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ-dXV4zeog ''Chakra Clairvoyance: Part 1''] by Kurt Leland.
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiRXMO7uzN8 ''Chakra Clairvoyance: Part 2''] by Kurt Leland.
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6xdzJjUTA4 ''Chakra Clairvoyance: Part 3''] by Kurt Leland.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Hindu concepts]]
[[Category:Sanskrit terms]]

Chains and Rounds

2020-04-07T21:11:10Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

[[File:Vonda Urban diagram.jpg|right|320px|thumb|Diagram by Vonda Urban and Irene Stashinski]]
'''Chains and Rounds''' are evolutionary cycles in which the [[Monads]] of the different kingdoms of nature, from [[elementals]] to human beings, engage.

Our planet is part of a larger evolutionary scheme called [[Planetary Chain]], which is comprised of seven globes. These globes exist on the four lower planes of the cosmos. Earth is the fourth globe, and is positioned at the lowest point in the cycle, being the most material globe of the chain. Monads begin evolving on the first globe, which is positioned on the highest plane. They gradually descend through the second and third globes, until they reache the Earth. After finishing their evolutionary cycle on Earth, the Monads pass on to the next globe on a higher plane, and continue to ascend until they reache the last globe on the highest plane. This completes one [[Round]] of evolution. A Planetary chain consists of seven Rounds, after which it is destroyed.

This article offers a brief and general description of the subject of [[chain]]s, [[round]]s, [[globe]]s, and [[root-race]]s. For more detailed information please consult the individual articles.

== Chains ==
[[File:Chains and Rounds.JPG|right|240px]]
A "Chain" (also known as "[[Planetary Chain]])" is a group of seven related worlds (also known as "spheres" or "globes") through which an evolutionary cycle takes place. A particular planetary chain lasts for seven [[rounds]] or [[Law of Cycles|cycles]] of [[evolution]]. When the last round is over, all the globes begin to dissolve and, after a [[Pralaya|period of rest]], the life impulse passes on to a new planetary chain.

== Rounds ==

A "Round" is a cycle of evolution around the seven globes of a particular planetary chain. Once a round finishes the life impulse goes into [[pralaya]] that lasts as long as the whole round did. At the end of this, the life impulse re-awakens and a new round begins.

[[H. P. Blavatsky]] described this teachings as follows:

<blockquote>Everything in the metaphysical as in the physical Universe is septenary. Hence every sidereal body, every planet, whether visible or invisible, is credited with six companion globes. The evolution of life proceeds on these seven globes or bodies from the 1st to the 7th in Seven ROUNDS or Seven Cycles.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I (London: The Theosohpical Publishing House, 1978), 158-159</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Seven Rounds.gif|center|400px]]

== Globes ==

The life impulse enters a globe after having accomplished its evolutionary cycle in the previous one. A globe remains active during the time that it takes for seven world-periods to take place. Then, the life impulse enters into an state of rest and the globe falls into obscuration.

== World-Periods (Rings) and Root-Races ==

While in a particular globe, the life-impulse goes through seven evolutionary cycles that are called World-Periods or Rings, and Root-Races in the case of the human kingdom. These cycles succeed each other.

== See also ==
*[[Planetary Chain]]
*[[Round]]
*[[Globe]]
*[[Root-Race]]

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/chain-planetary Chain,Planetary] at Theosophy World

===Articles===
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/theosophy/judge/articles/rings-rounds-and-obscuration.htm# Rings, Rounds, and Obscuration] by W. Q. Judge
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/theosophy/judge/articles/rounds-and-races.htm# Rounds and Races] by W. Q. Judge

===Books===
*[http://www.anandgholap.net/Man_Whence_How_And_Whither-CWL.htm# Man: Whence, How and Whither] by Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]

Causal Body

2020-04-07T21:04:22Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
== General description ==
In Mme. Blavatsky's teachings the Causal Body is defined as [[Manas#Higher manas|higher Manas]] illuminated by [[Buddhi]], forming the [[Ego]] that passes from one [[reincarnation|incarnation]] to another:

<blockquote>It is the Buddhi-Manas which is called the Causal body, (the United 5th and 6th Principles) and which is [[Consciousness]], that connects it with every [[Principle#Individuality and personality|personality]] it inhabits on earth.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), ???.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Speaking of Manas, the "causal body," we may call it -- when connecting it with the Buddhic radiance -- the "HIGHER EGO".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), ???.</ref></blockquote>

Speaking of the different kinds of "doubles" or subtle bodies she wrote:

<blockquote>The third is the true Ego, called in the East, by a name meaning “causal body” but which in the trans-Himalayan schools is always called the “Karmic body,” which is the same. For [[Karma]] or action is the cause which produces incessant rebirths or “[[reincarnation]]s.” It is not the [[Monad]], nor is it Manas proper; but is, in a way, indissolubly connected with, and a compound of the Monad and Manas in [[Devachan]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 219.</ref></blockquote>

After [[death]], the mental elements of the personality fitted to enter in Devachan are absorbed in the causal body:

<blockquote>The “thought power” or aspect of the [[Māyāvi-Rūpa|Mayavi]] or “Illusion body,” merges after death entirely into the causal body or the conscious thinking EGO. The animal elements, or power of desire of the “Dream body,” absorbing after death that which it has collected (through its insatiable desire to live) during life; i.e., all the astral vitality as well as all the impressions of its material acts and thoughts while it lived in possession of the body, forms the “Spook” or Kama rupa.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 220.</ref></blockquote>

==According to Besant and Leadbeater ==

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/causal-body Causal Body] at Theosophy World

===Books===
*[http://hpb.narod.ru/CausalBody1.htm# The Causal Body - Part 1] and [http://hpb.narod.ru/CausalBody2.htm# Part 2] by A. E.Powell

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]

Cathars

2020-04-07T20:59:40Z

Michael Conlin:

'''Cathars''' were a very successful medieval [[Gnosticism|gnostic]] [[Christianity|Christian]] sect, or heresy from the Catholic perspective, that flourished mainly, but not exclusively, in the southern region of France known as Languedoc, in the tenth through the twelfth centuries. The popularity of the Cathar religion was so great that it practically became the state religion of the Languedoc region at the time. This widespread popularity proved to be a very clear threat to the Catholic Church. Pope Innocent III instigated a campaign to destroy them; this campaign eventually led to the Inquisition which spread across Europe, and, in reality, still exists today. Historians have recognized this war against the pacifist Cathar heresy as the first genocide of Christians by Christians.

[[File:Languedoc.png|right|300px|thumb|Languedoc region]]
== Beliefs and their origins ==

The word Cathar comes from the Greek word katharoi meaning "pure." The Cathars called themselves simply the Good Men. (Incidentally, the world Catholic is also from a Greek root word, katholikos, meaning "universal" or “in general”.) The Cathars were also known as the Albigensian, named for the town of Albi where there was a large settlement. Their beliefs many historians accept spread westward from Bulgaria, Bosnia and Dalmatia. It is believed to have its roots in Manichaeism, Paulicianism, Bolomilism and/or [[Zoroastrianism]]. However, recently some researchers are finding evidence to support the idea that the Cathar faith arose locally and the seeds may have been planted, at least in part, by Pythagoras.

When [[Pythagoras]] left Greece he studied in Egypt before founding a school in Croton at the toe of the Italian peninsula boot. There also were known to be other Greek settlements in Languedoc along the shore of what is now Marseilles and further westward. Pythagoras (c. 570 – c. 495 BC) is believed to have founded schools in these Greek settlements.

The parallels between the Pythagorean schools and that of the Cathars is noteworthy. They are as follows:

* Believed in reincarnation
* Believed in two supreme opposing powers or gods, or sets of divine or demonic beings, that created the world. They were dualists.
* Teachings were orally transmitted – it was forbidden to write them down
* Accepted both men and women equally into their ranks - gender was not a barrier to rising in the ranks
* Had an inner and outer circle of believers – the inner circle was held to much stricter standards of behavior than the outer circle of the believers known as croyants (believers). The inner circle was privy to the higher secrets unavailable to the outer circle of followers.
* Personal property of all kinds was relinquished to the church. This was expected of the inner circle but not the outer circle.

Cathars did believe in the teachings of Jesus in their purest form, which they felt had been corrupted by the Catholic Church. They did not recognize the authority of the Pope but maintained their own loose structure of a church with bishops at varies levels and overseeing different territories.
As an oral tradition, the Cathars had few written books they considered sacred but there were a few- besides the New Testament, The Gospel of the Secret Supper, or John's Interrogation and The Book of the Two Principles. There has been confusion concerning Cathar attitude toward John the Evangelist and John the Baptist. Strangely Cathars did not look favorably upon John the Baptist, describing him as a "demon."<ref> Picknett, Lynn, and Clive Prince. ''The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ''. New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Print. P. 95.</ref> They believed Jesus passed on his secret teachings to his inner circle which included young Saint John.

Cathars found the Catholic practice of worshipping a crucifix, an effigy of their savior dying of a cross, abhorrent. In fact, some Cathars believed Jesus was never crucified or that he had survived the crucifixion and had come to southern France to escape further persecution. Why France? It has been suggested that during the so-called “lost years” of Jesus he spent his time in Egypt (just at Pythagoras did) learning the esoteric secrets he revealed to his inner circle and preached in his ministry.

In the Languedoc region there is a tradition that says Mary Magdelaine also came to France after the possible crucifixion and brought her child, whose father was Jesus, a little girl named Sara. Mary preached and was worshipped openly in the region in the Cult of Mary Magdelaine. Mary taught and brought up her child who eventually married into a line of French kings called the Merovingians; this is how the bloodline of Jesus was believed to have continued. True or not, the Cathars accepted that Mary Magdalene was either the wife or concubine of Jesus. As the Cathars did not approve of marriage or sexual intercourse, it seems unlikely they would have invented this “distasteful” relationship so it is believed to have come from an older accepted tradition.

As Gnostics, there was no doubt of their opposition to the teachings of the Holy Roman Church. Gnostics need no intermediary between them and the divine. Of course, this made priests completely unnecessary and the whole structure of the church with its excessive rituals, rules and ‘salvation for price’ would collapse.

The Good Men were pacifists, non-violent to the point where they would not defend themselves against attack, consequently, non-Cathar sympathizers, would voluntarily act as body guards for the Cathars against the Catholic crusaders. The nobles of the region treated the Cathars with great respect and deference. Cathars inspired the admiration and loyalty of non-Cathars simply by the example of how they lived their lives, emulating the simplicity and kindness of Jesus. They were recognized, not only by the ordinary citizens as selfless, principled, completely honorable people but the Catholic Church itself had to admit to the total lack of corruption in the Cathar ranks. By comparison the Catholic clergy were a shambles of incompetence, hypocrisy and debauchery which disgusted the ordinary people drawing more and more to the Cathar church. And monetary contributions were generous to the Good Men. The Cathar Church grew very rich, using it resources to help the poor, build hospitals and schools, while the Catholic Church’s coffers were dwindling.

The Cathars believed the material world was hell, the only hell. It was created by an evil God, a demi-urge (Rex Mundi) who existed in opposition to the good god of pure spirit. They believed human beings must reincarnate repeatedly until their souls were purified by living a life of simplicity and virtue so that eventually they would be reunited with the good god after death. Therefore, there was no hell after death, as the Catholics taught, for those who did not obey the Catholic rules. This “no-hell” facet of their teachings was a very attractive draw for the people living in constant fear of Catholic exploitation.

Reincarnation was also part of the Cathar beliefs. Zoé Oldenbourg, Cathar historian and author of Massacre at Montsegur, compared the Cathars to "Western Buddhists" noting that the Cathar doctrine of resurrection, as taught by Jesus, was comparable to the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. Until a croyant was willing to renounce the material self completely, they would be condemned to reincarnate and live again and again in the corrupt world of matter. Cathars, however, did not accept the Buddhist doctrine of karma, where the result of actions in one life were carried over into the next.

Another correlation with the Buddhist faith was the Cathar emphasis on contemplation and meditation. A perfecti spent many hours a day in prayer and meditation. "They were spiritualist without being in the least inclined to witchcraft, sorcery and magic."<ref>Guirdham, Arthur. The Great Heresy. St Helier: Neville Spearman (Jersey) ;, 1977. Print P. 102</ref> The perfecti expressed psychic abilities and amazing healing powers, much the way Jesus did. The Catholics seized on these powers as a witchcraft and a reason for persecution. Apparently, healing was something reserved only for their savior, Jesus, and not for the common man. But the Cathars taught that the powers they developed through dedicated meditation and prayer were available to every human being, just as Jesus had taught twelve centuries before.

The only sacrament practiced by the Cathars was called the Consolamentum which was administered upon becoming a perfecti and upon the death bed. This was a very austere and mysterious ritual about which little is known. But whether administered upon becoming a perfecti or at the approach of death "the idea was that the compulsion of the flesh was rejected and the aspirant devoted, or relinquished, himself to the life of spirit."<ref>Guirdham, Arthur. ''The Great Heresy''. St Helier: Neville Spearman (Jersey) ;, 1977. Print. P. 42</ref> The strictest austerity was expected after the Consolamentum was administered which is why, other than becoming a perfecti, the right was administered at death.
The inclusion of women in the faith of the Cathars particularly upset the Catholic officials. Women could join the church and become “perfecti’ – the Cathar equivalent of a Catholic priest. The perfecti travelled in pairs and preached their gospel in forests, caves, private homes – where ever they were welcome. The Cathars did have an administrative structure with bishops of different ranks and territory but they preferred no structural church. The lived a simple modest life travelling, spreading the word, helping the poor and healing the sick.

Sexual intercourse was forbidden because it could result in another soul being born and thus trapped in the evil world of matter. The perfecti were expected to adhere to this prohibition but the ordinary croyants were not. Sex was not considered an unforgiveable sin. In fact, many men and women who had raised a family decided in later life to give their earthly belongings to the Cathar church and become perfecti. One of the most famous women perfecti was Esclarmonde de Foix, the daughter of the Count of Foix. After raising five children she was widowed in 1200 when she joined the Cathar church and became prominent perfecti. She is responsible for building schools for girls and several hospitals in the region.

At the time the Cathars flourished the whole Languedoc region was enjoying a sort of revitalization, and atmosphere that existed nowhere else in Europe. The love of knowledge, personal freedom, music, schools of mysticism and philosophy all thrived. This was the time of troubadours and courtly love. An eagerness for new and foreign goods, as well as, new and foreign ideas was the prevailing attitude. An unprecedented enthusiasm for creativity and artistic expression distinguished the Languedoc. Stunning cathedrals were constructed. A rich trade route from Spain to the East brought prosperity to the area. The Languedoc and its landholders had grown very wealthy.

==The End==

The first mention of the Cathars in history is in 1143. The last known record of the Cathars is in 1325. But many researchers insist the Languedoc region of France is still saturated with the memory of the Bonne Hommes (the Good Men). A strange melancholy permeates the sites where the Cathars met their end. This is the lasting power of martyrdom, though the Cathars did not seek to be martyrs. True martyrdom is not deliberate.

After years of trying to stop the spread of Catharism and bring straying Catholics back into the fold by preaching, open debates and putting pressure on local authorities to crack down the Cathars the Pope finally lost patience. He excommunicated Count Raymond IV of Toulouse for failing to take action against the Cathars. On January 14, 1208 a papal legate, Peter de Castlenau, was to deliver to the Count the news of his excommunication. The legate was murdered by a vassal of Count Raymond. Finally, the Pope had a “legitimate” reason to call for war. Two months after the murder the Pope issued a call to arms.

The Pope called for “a crusade against the Cathars considered a far greater danger to Christianity than all the armies of Islam.”<ref>Murphy, Tim, and Marilyn Hopkins. ''Custodians of Truth: The Continuance of Rex Deus.'' Boston, MA: Weiser, 2005. Print. P. 168</ref> The Christian crusaders turned their attention from the Infidels in the Middle East to their own backyard focusing all their fury on fellow European Christians. Those taking part in this crusade were granted absolution for all sins – past, present and future. They were essentially given carte blanche to seize the property of any heretic, noble or peasant, and also implied consent to steal, murder, rape, plunder and pillage. The result was “a war which even by medieval standards was shockingly violent.”<ref>Simmans, Graham. ''Jesus after the Crucifixion: From Jerusalem to Rennes-le-Château''. Rochester, Vt.: Bear, 2007. Print. P. 236</ref>

It is interesting to note that the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller, both supposedly on the side of the Pope, never played a role in the Cathar massacres ordered by the Church. No record is found of how the Pope reacted to their obvious absence. The Languedoc region was known to have by far the greatest concentration of Templar families, so either because of family bonds or acceptance of the Cathar creed the Templars were not only tolerant but protective of the Cathars. Some historians say the Templars gave their treasures to the Cathars for safe keeping. Some rumors even claimed the Templar Treasure included the Holy Grail. No matter what the treasure may have been there was some sort of understanding between the Cathars and the Knights.

In July of 1209 the papal army arrived at Beziers and demanded the citizens either hand over the 222 Cathars living within the city walls or the Catholics living there should leave the city so the Cathars left behind within the city could be dealt with. This demand was made on pain of excommunication but the townspeople refused to surrender the Cathars. According to reports, the townspeople took an oath to defend the Cathars.

The crusaders marched into the city and hacked to death every man, woman and child and then torched the city. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people were butchered in less than a day. It was at this famous siege that one of the crusader’s lieutenants, knowing the city was primarily Catholic, asked the commander, Arnauld Aimery, how to tell the difference between the heretics and the townspeople. Aimery replied “Kill them all. God will know his own.”<ref>Picknett, Lynn, and Clive Prince. ''The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ''. New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Print. P. 88</ref> Beziers was attacked on St. Mary Magdalaine’s Day – a crusader by the name Pierre des Vaux de Cremat made comment on the deliberate timing of the attack “….just cause that these disgusting dogs were taken and massacred during the feast of the one that they had insulted.”<ref>Murphy, Tim, and Marilyn Hopkins. ''Custodians of Truth: The Continuance of Rex Deus''. Boston, MA: Weiser, 2005. Print. P. 170</ref> The insult of course being that the Cathars believed Mary Magdelaine to be the wife of Jesus.

The walled city of Carcassonne was next to be sieged. Having heard of the atrocities at Beziers the horrified city surrendered without a fight. All citizens were required to abandon their homes and possessions immediately as spoils to the invading army and Simon De Montfort was awarded all feudal rights, property and titles of Viscount Trencavel, the Lord of Carcassonne.

[[File:Puilaurens.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Chateaux de Puilaurens]]

Beziers and Carcassonne were the opening acts of thirty 30 years of incredible brutality. More than thirty-five Cathar strongholds, seemingly impenetrable fortresses like the one pictured here (The Château de Puilaurens) were conquered by the Crusaders, such was the fury and determination of the Catholic army. Simon de Montfort especially distinguished himself by his cruelty, ordering public burnings of hundreds of perfecti at a time (both men and women) without so much as a mock trial. Bestial mutilations and obscene tortures horrified the population. An estimated one million people, Cathar, Catholic, and Jew died in the Albigensian crusade.

The final blow to the Cathars came with the fall of formidable and, for the Cathars, very symbolic stronghold at Montsegur in 1244. Montsegur castle sits atop a very steep, very sharp, craggy outcrop of rock at 3,900 feet in altitude located about 50 miles southwest of Carcassonne. The word Montsegur translates as Safe Mountain. This fortress is believed to be the original of the Grail Castle in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s grail romance Parzival (circa 1200–1210) which in the story was called Monsalvat, which also translates at Safe Mountain.

[[File:Montsegur.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Chateaux de Montsegur]]

==The Siege of Montsegur==

The taking of Montsegur (pictured above) was a prolonged exercise in endurance; it has often been compared to the tragedy at Masada. Surrounded and bombarded for ten months, 150 Cathar protectors defended 205 Cathars and about 150 civilians against and army of 10,000 troops from the seneschal of Carcassonne and the archbishop of Narbonne. Starvation, lack of water and dwindling supplies meant eventual death but a strange thing happened. The Cathars surrendered on March 2, 1244 but instead of the Pope’s army immediately swarming the stronghold a two-week truce was granted to the Cathars. During this time the perfecti took the final Consolamentum in preparation for this death. Most of their defenders also chose to take the Consolamentum and to die with the Cathar perfecti they had protected. But it is also reported by one who defended the fortress, Raymond de Pereille, when he was later subjected to the Inquisition that during the two week truce, three or four perfecti had left the castle by a secret route, lowered themselves down the treacherous precipice of the Montsegur, escaped pasted the enemy with the intent of recovering a treasure the Cathars that had buried in a nearby forest in the weeks prior to the surrender. What that treasure was has never been discovered.

At the end of the truce 205 Cathar perfecti walked calmly into a huge fire prepared for them at the foot of the mountain and met their deaths calmly and stoically, no need for being tied to stake. It has been suggested that in preparing for their deaths by such a horrible torture the Cathars had put themselves into a trance and thus maintained a perfect serenity as they walked into the flames and burned to death.

Today on this spot where the burning took place a memorial stands to commemorate the victims. It reads, in Occitan - “The Cathars, martyrs of pure Christian love. 16 March 1244”
In the aftermath of the fall of Montsegur Catharism continued in Languedoc for a while but oppression from the Inquisition sent many follows to other lands, like Italy or Spain, where there was more tolerance of the Cathar faith. Montsegur was a psychic blow as well as a physical one.

The Catholic Church went on to massacre hundreds of thousands of people, heretics of any sect, in the Inquisition that spread all over Europe.

==Legacy==

The Cathars had a powerful and lasting mystique that is difficult to comprehend and since most of our knowledge of them comes from their conquerors we are not likely to know the truth of what it was, by conventional mean anyway. Why would so many who were not perfecti or even croyants choose to die with the Cathars when they could easily have escaped? The Catholic Church offered forgiveness and life to the Cathars themselves if only they would renounce their faith. The Cathar defenders, the ordinary people of Beziers, and in many other smaller incidences – non-Cathars chose death beside the Cathars.

Certainly the Catholic Church was offended by the Cathar belief system but the prosperity of the Cathars, their supporters and the entire Languedoc region was certainly a strong incentive for the Catholic Church to seize the wealth of the area. The property of the Cathar Church and the non-Cathar supporters were divided up among the conquering French from the north. Politically, the Languedoc became part of France expanding its southern border to the Mediterranean Sea where it is today and the French king, of course, expanded his kingdom.

Many historians have noted that if the civilization that existed in the Languedoc at the time of the Cathars, the atmosphere of tolerance, love of learning, curiosity and eager exchange of ideas with foreign lands, the construction of magnificent cathedrals, all of this - had not been destroyed by the Albigensian Crusade all of Europe might have enjoyed the Renaissance 300 years earlier and all of humanity might be 300 years more advanced than it is now.
==Online Resource==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/cathari Cathari] at Theosophy World

==Bibliography and Further Reading==

Gilbert, Adrian. ''Magi: The Quest for a Secret Tradition''. London: Bloomsbury, 1996. Print.

Guirdham, Arthur. ''The Great Heresy''. St Helier: Neville Spearman (Jersey) ;, 1977. Print.

Guirdham, Arthur. ''The Cathars & Reincarnation''. London: Spearman, 1970. Print.

Hancock, Graham, and Robert Bauval. ''Talisman: Sacred Cities, Secret Faith''. London: Michael Joseph, 2004. Print.

Murphy, Tim, and Marilyn Hopkins. ''Custodians of Truth: The Continuance of Rex Deus''. Boston, MA: Weiser, 2005. Print.

Oldenbourg, Zoe. ''Massacre at Montségur; a History of the Albigensian Crusade''. New York: Pantheon, 1962. Print.

Picknett, Lynn, and Clive Prince. ''The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ''. New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Print.

Simmans, Graham. ''Jesus after the Crucifixion: From Jerusalem to Rennes-le-Château''. Rochester, Vt.: Bear, 2007. Print.
Smith, Morton. Jesus the Magician. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978. Print.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Other Groups]]
[[Category:Christians]]

Canadian Theosophical Association

2020-04-07T20:45:25Z

Michael Conlin: /* Additional resources */

'''ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION''''' 
'''ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION''''' 
The '''Canadian Theosophical Association''' (CTA) is a group of Canadian lodges, study centers, and individual members of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India]].

== History and organization ==
According to its '''[http://www.theosophical.ca/ website]''':
<blockquote>
The Canadian Federation of the Theosophical Society was established in 1924 and was issued a certificate by the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|international headquarters at Adyar]] on April 29th, 1999 confirming it to be a Regional Association. On August 2, 2001, the Canadian Federation was incorporated as the Canadian Theosophical Association under the Canada Corporations Act. The Canadian Theosophical Association is the official representative within Canada of The Theosophical Society at Adyar. It is an integral and indivisible part of The Theosophical Society, but is constituted as an autonomous body composed of members of lodges, study centres and members-at-large. Lodges and study centres are fully autonomous bodies within the Canadian Theosophical Association, provided however, that no lodge or study centre may take any action which is contrary to the purposes of The Theosophical Society and must abide by the rules and regulations of the International Society and the Canadian Theosophical Association.
</blockquote>

Five English-speaking and three French-speaking local groups are in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Québec. Individual members-at-large are located throughout Canada.

== Library ==

The CTA library has an extensive collection of Theosophical works in French and English that are available for Canadian members to borrow by mail. The '''[http://www.theosophical.ca/resources_ctaliblist.php|CTA Library Catalogue]''' is available on the website.

== Publications ==

The association's periodical, [[The Light Bearer (periodical)|'''''The Light Bearer''''']], is issued in English and in French.

The CTA provides some rich [https://www.theosophical.ca/resources resources] on its website:
* 212 '''Adyar Pamphlets'''
* 10 '''Blavatsky Pamphlets'''
* More than 80 '''books'''
* '''Other pamphlets'''
* '''Other documents'''
* Articles from '''''Theosophical Siftings''''', 1888-1895

== Additional resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/canada-theosophy Canada, Theosophy In] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Theosophical federations and associations]]
[[Category:TS Adyar]]

Caduceus

2020-04-07T15:09:00Z

Michael Conlin:

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
[[File:Caduceus - SD.jpg|right|180px]]
The '''Caduceus''' (from Greek κηρύκειον ''kērúkeion'' "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography, it was often depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods and guide of the dead.

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>That the Serpents were ever the emblems of wisdom and prudence is again shown by the caduceus of Mercury, one with Thot, the god of wisdom, with Hermes, and so on. The two serpents, entwined around the rod, are phallic symbols of Jupiter and other gods who transformed themselves into snakes for purposes of seducing goddesses—but only in the unclean fancies of profane symbologists. The serpent has ever been the symbol of the adept, and of his powers of immortality and divine knowledge. Mercury in his psychopompic character, conducting and guiding with the caduceus the souls of the dead to Hades and even raising the dead to life with it, is simply a very transparent allegory. It shows the dual power of the Secret Wisdom: the black and the white magic. It shows this personified Wisdom guiding the Soul after death, and its power to call to life that which is dead—a very deep metaphor if one thinks over its meaning.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 364.</ref></blockquote>
==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/caduceus Caduceus] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Symbols]]
[[Category:Greek Mythology]]

Caduceus

2020-04-07T14:46:59Z

Michael Conlin:

{{Template:Article needs expansion}}
 
 
 
[[File:Caduceus - SD.jpg|right|180px]]
The '''Caduceus''' (from Greek κηρύκειον ''kērúkeion'' "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography, it was often depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods and guide of the dead.

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>That the Serpents were ever the emblems of wisdom and prudence is again shown by the caduceus of Mercury, one with Thot, the god of wisdom, with Hermes, and so on. The two serpents, entwined around the rod, are phallic symbols of Jupiter and other gods who transformed themselves into snakes for purposes of seducing goddesses—but only in the unclean fancies of profane symbologists. The serpent has ever been the symbol of the adept, and of his powers of immortality and divine knowledge. Mercury in his psychopompic character, conducting and guiding with the caduceus the souls of the dead to Hades and even raising the dead to life with it, is simply a very transparent allegory. It shows the dual power of the Secret Wisdom: the black and the white magic. It shows this personified Wisdom guiding the Soul after death, and its power to call to life that which is dead—a very deep metaphor if one thinks over its meaning.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 364.</ref></blockquote>
==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/caducesus Caduceus] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Symbols]]
[[Category:Greek Mythology]]

Buddhism

2020-04-07T14:26:56Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

'''Buddhism''' is a nontheistic religion that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to [[Gautama Buddha|Siddhartha Gautama]], who is commonly known as the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one".

== Twelve Nidanas ==

The concatenation of twelve nidanas as described in [[Buddhism]] is as follows:

1- From spiritual ignorance (avidyā) arises mental formations (saṃskāra).

2- From mental formations arises consciousness (vijñāna).

3- From consciousness arises name and form (nāmarūpa).

4- From name and form arise the sense organs and their objects (ṣaḍāyatana).

5- From sense organs and their objects arise contact (sparśa).

6- From contact arises sensation (vedanā).

7- From sensation arises craving (tṛṣṇā).

8- From craving arises clinging (upādāna).

9- From clinging arises becoming (bhava).

10- From becoming arises birth (jāti).

11 & 12- From birth arise aging and dying (jarāmaraṇa).

== Three marks of existence ==

The three marks of existence are three characteristics shared by all sentient beings, namely:

1- Impermanence ([[Pali]]: anicca, [[Sanskrit]]: anitya). All conditioned things are in a constant state of flux. The appearance of a thing ceases as it changes from one form to another.

2- Dissatisfaction or suffering (Pali: dukkha, Sanskrit: duhkha). As all things are impermanent, nothing in the physical world or the mind can bring lasting satisfaction.

3- Non-self (Pali: ''anattā'', Sanskrit: ''anātman''). There is no self as an entity or an essence, but only as an always changing conditioned process.

== Three poisons and five hindrances ==
[[File:Three poisons.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The three poisons represented in the center of the wheel of life]]
In the Buddhist tradition, there are three poisons or "afflictions" (''kleśa'') innate in sentient beings. These poisons are the root of craving (''taṇhā'') and keep beings trapped in [[samsara]]. They are:

:1. ''rāga'': desire, attraction, (also translated as greed).

:2. ''dveśa'': hatred, aversion.

:3. ''moha'': delusion.

The three poisons are symbolically drawn at the center of Buddhist Bhavachakra artwork, with rooster, snake and pig, representing desire, aversion, and delusion respectively.

The five hindrances (Sanskrit: पञ्च नीवरण ''pañca nīvaraṇa'') are identified as mental factors that hinder development of wisdom and progress in meditation.

:1. ''kāma-cchanda'': sense-desire (desire for the objects of the five senses).

:2. ''vyāpāda'': animosity, ill-will.

:3. ''styāna-middha'': lethargy (or specifically, mental inertia) and sloth.

:4. ''auddhatya-kaukṛtya'': excitation (mental agitation caused by desirable things) and regret (mental disturbance about things badly done).

:5. ''vicikitsā'': doubt.

These "poisons" and "obscurities" are mentioned in [[Mahatma_Letter_No._47#Page_1_transcription.2C_image.2C_and_notes|one of the Mahatma Letters]], using a translation from the Chinese available at the time by Samuel Beal.<ref>Samuel Beal, ''A Catena of Buddhist Scriptures from the Chinese'', (London, 1871), 196-197</ref> In this letter, [[Koot Hoomi|Mahatma K.H.]] wrote:

<blockquote>Look around you, my friend: see the "three poisons" raging within the heart of men — anger, greed, delusion, and the five obscurities — envy, passion, vacillation, sloth, and unbelief — ever preventing them seeing truth.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 47 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 129.</ref></blockquote>

== Four Noble Truths ==

The four noble truths are:

1- The truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, dissatisfaction)

2- The truth of the origin of dukkha

3- The truth of the cessation of dukkha

4- The truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha

== Noble Eightfold Path ==

The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]], who described it as the way leading to the cessation of [[suffering]] (dukkha) and the achievement of self-awakening:

1. Right view

2. Right intention

3. Right speech

4. Right action

5. Right livelihood

6. Right effort

7. Right mindfulness

8. Right concentration

== Nirvana ==

In the Madhyamaka tradition [[Nirvāṇa|Nirvana]] is understood as the absence of attachment, aversion and delusion with no possibility of their return. There is also broad agreement that language is limited to the everyday level of understanding and that the truth of nirvana is beyond the reach of language and of the conceptualization that makes language possible.<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/madhyamaka# Madhyamaka] at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy</ref> However, some interpret it merely as the cessation of consciousness.

== Theosophical view ==

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] and her [[Masters of Wisdom|Masters]] claimed that the [[Esotericism|esoteric]] teachings of Buddhism are different from the commonly known ones. For example, in her fist book, [[Isis Unveiled (book)|''Isis Unveiled'']], she wrote:

<blockquote>When we use the term Buddhists, we do not mean to imply by it either the exoteric Buddhism instituted by the followers of Gautama-Buddha, nor the modern Buddhistic religion, but the secret philosophy of Sakyamuni, which in its essence is certainly identical with the ancient wisdom-religion of the sanctuary, the pre-Vedic Brahmanism.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Isis Unveiled'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 142.</ref></blockquote>

=== Nidanas ===

In [[Stanzas of Dzyan#Stanza I|stanza I]], sloka 4 of [[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']] the nidanas are called "the great causes of misery".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 38.</ref> Mme. Blavatsky defined them as follows:

<blockquote>The twelve Nidanas or causes of being. Each is the effect of its antecedent cause, and a cause, in its turn, to its successor; the sum total of the Nidanas being based on the four truths, a doctrine especially characteristic of the Hînayâna System. They belong to the theory of the stream of catenated law which produces merit and demerit, and finally brings [[Karma]] into full sway. It is based upon the great truth that [[reincarnation|re-incarnation]] is to be dreaded, as existence in this world only entails upon man [[suffering]], misery and pain; [[Death]] itself being unable to deliver man from it, since death is merely the door through which he passes to another life on earth after a little rest on its threshold—[[Devachan]].<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 39.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Q. Are Nidâna and Maya (the great causes of misery) aspects of the Absolute? 
A. Nidâna means the concatenation of cause and effect; the twelve Nidânas are the enumeration of the chief causes which produce the severest reaction or effects under the Karmic law. Although there is no connection between the terms Nidâna and Maya in themselves, Maya being simply illusion, yet if we consider the universe as Maya or illusion, then certainly the Nidânas, as being moral agents in the universe, are included in Maya. It is Maya, illusion or ignorance, which awakens Nidânas; and the cause or causes having been produced, the effects follow according to Karmic law. To take an instance: we all regard ourselves as Units, although essentially we are one indivisible Unit, drops in the ocean of Being, not to be distinguished from other drops. Having then produced this cause, the whole discord of life follows immediately as an effect; in reality it is the endeavour of nature to restore harmony and maintain equilibrium. It is this sense of separateness which is the root of all evil.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 326-327.</ref></blockquote>

=== Four Noble Truths ===

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] defined them as follows:

<blockquote>Aryasatyâni (Sk.). The four truths or the four dogmas, which are (1) Dukha, or that misery and pain are the unavoidable concomitants of sentient (esoterically, physical) existence; (2) Samudaya, the truism that suffering is intensified by human passions; (3) Nirôdha, that the crushing out and extinction of all such feelings are possible for a man “on the path”; (4) Mârga, the narrow way, or that path which leads to such a blessed result.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 33.</ref></blockquote>

According to her, there is an [[Esotericism|esoteric]] rendition of them, which is known to [[Initiation|Initiates]]:

<blockquote>Q. Are the Four Truths of the Hinayâna school the same as those mentioned by Sir Edwin Arnold in “The Light of Asia”; the first of which is the Path of Sorrow; the second of Sorrow’s cause: the third of Sorrow’s ceasing; and the fourth is the WAY? 
A. All this is theological and exoteric, and to be found in all the Buddhist scriptures; and the above seems to be taken from Singhalese or Southern Buddhism. The subject, however, is far more fully treated of in the Aryasangha School. Still even there the four truths have one meaning for the regular priest of the Yellow Robe, and quite another for the real Mystics.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 326.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Alone the Initiate, rich with the lore acquired by numberless generations of his predecessors, directs the “Eye of Dangma” toward the essence of things in which no Maya can have any influence. It is here that the teachings of esoteric philosophy in relation to the Nidanas and the Four Truths become of the greatest importance; but they are secret.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 45.</ref></blockquote>

=== Other concepts ===

[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|H. P. Blavatsky]] rejected the interpretation that Nirvāṇa is simply the annihilation of consciousness. See [[Nirvāṇa#Theosophical view|Nirvāṇa]].

== Online resources ==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/buddhism Buddhism] at Theosophy World
===Articles & Pamphlets===
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/AdyarPamphlet_No192.pdf# ''The Noble Eightfold Path''] by Annie Besant & C.W. Leadbeater
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1519# "The Three Refuges"] by Radha Burnier
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1333# "The Radiant Mind"] by John Cianciosi

===Books===
*[http://www.seameo.org/vl/buddhistII/content.htm# ''Buddhist Questions and Answers''] by Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)

===Audio===
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/ellwood/The%20World%20of%20Religious%20Beliefs%20and%20Practices:%20Buddhism.mp3# "The World of Religious Beliefs and Practices: Buddhism"] by Robert Ellwood
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/govinda/Development%20of%20Buddhism.mp3# "Development of Buddhism"] by Lama Govinda
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/zahara/Buddhist%20Sacred%20Literature.mp3# "Buddhist Sacred Literature"] by Helen Zahara

===Video===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0kDJfxWDNo "The Buddhist Niyamas: Five Cosmic Laws"] by Olande Ananda
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnN6FwZeUQA "Buddha's Views on Sexuality and Marriage"] by John Cianciosi
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUtUcXtwgLU "Four Emotions of the Buddha"] by John Cianciosi

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Religions]]

Buddhi

2020-04-07T14:22:45Z

Michael Conlin: /* Articles */

'''Buddhi''' (devanāgarī: बुद्धि) from the root ''budh'' (to be awake; to understand; to know) is a feminine [[Sanskrit]] noun derived from the same root as the masculine form ''[[buddha]]''. In [[Hinduism]] it refers to the intellect, the faculty of discrimination. It is the aspect of the mind that knows, discriminates, judges, and decides. It is frequently regarded as the higher mind, which can determine the wiser of two courses of action if it functions clearly and if manas will accept its guidance. In [[Hinduism]] buddhi is one of the four parts that form the [[antaḥkaraṇa]] (the "inner organ") the other three being [[manas]] (the mind), [[citta]] (the memory) and [[ahamkāra]] (the ego).

In [[Theosophy]] buddhi is not the mind ([[manas]]) although it can work in close relationship with it, furnishing manas with spiritual illumination. In the [[seven principles|septenary constitution]] of human beings buddhi is the [[sixth principle]]. It is regarded to be the vehicle of [[ātman]], and in this function it is frequently called [[Soul#Spiritual soul|spiritual soul]].

== Adi Buddhi ==

In one of his letters, [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] talks about "the all-pervading supreme and absolute intelligence," which he calls "adi-buddhi."<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 67 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 182.</ref> In this letter he relates it to Yin-sin, the one “Form of existence,” and Dharmakaya.

For more information see [[Adi-Buddha#Adi-Buddhi|Adi-Buddhi]].

== Universal dual monad ==

While [[Ātman|atman]], the [[Seventh Principle|highest principle]], is a ray of the [[Absolute]], buddhi is regarded as the first differentiation of the One and, therefore, its vehicle of expression in the manifested universe:

<blockquote>Âtma is said to have Buddhi for a vehicle, because Buddhi is already the first differentiation after the evolution of the universe. It is the first differentiation, and it is the Upâdhi, so to say, of Âtma.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 609.</ref></blockquote>

Because it is just the first differentiation, in itself, buddhi is still beyond any quality:

<blockquote>The Buddhi ''per se'' has nothing to do with any qualification of anything; it is simply the vehicle of Âtman, of spirit; and spirit is nothing. It cannot be said it is something. It is that which has neither beginning nor end. It is the one thing.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 639.</ref></blockquote>

Buddhi, being the vehicle of expression of atman, is regarded as the [[Monad#The dual Monad|dual Monad]]:

<blockquote>The [word] Monad is from Greek, “One” the unit, whatever it is. . . . Âtma in reality is not a unit, but the one universal principle, and it is simply a ray. That which uses Buddhi as a vehicle is that ray of that universal principle. Therefore, in reality it is Buddhi which is the Monad, the one unit.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 566.</ref></blockquote>

Since neither of these two principles are individual, the dual Monad is regarded as universal:

<blockquote>Âtma and Buddhi cannot be predicated as having anything to do with a man, except that man is immersed in them. So long as he lives he is overshadowed by these two; but it is no more the property of that than of anything else.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 644.</ref></blockquote>

== Universal consciousness ==

Buddhi is the first principle of sentiency in the universe, although still in a very universal plane:

<blockquote>Buddhi is nothing, per se, but simply the first differentiation. And it is the consciousness in the universal consciousness, but it is non-consciousness in this world. On this plane of finite consciousness it is nothing, for it is infinite consciousness.<ref>Michael Gomes (transcriber), ''The Secret Doctrine Commentaries'' (The Hague: I.S.I.S. foundation, 2010), 610.</ref></blockquote>

In this connection, buddhi is regarded as "the Spiritual Soul, the vehicle of pure universal spirit". Because the spiritual soul does not show the quality of individual consciousness, it is frequently regarded as ''irrational'', except when acting in conjuction with [[manas]]:

<blockquote>As a pure emanation of the Universal mind it can have no individual reason of its own on this plane of matter, but like the Moon, who borrows her light from the Sun and her life from the Earth, so Buddhi, receiving its light of Wisdom from Atma, gets its rational qualities from Manas. Per se, as something homogeneous, it is devoid of attributes".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), ???.</ref></blockquote>

In [[Mahatma Letter No. 85b#Page 24|one of his letters]], [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] stated that the "remorse of conscience" proceeds "always from the 6th principle".<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 85B (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 264.</ref> However, we must keep in mind that in the letters the sixth principle frequently refers to buddhi-manas.

== Spiritual Ego ==

In order to be manifested or "activated" on the lower planes Buddhi has to be united to the [[Manas|manasic]] principle:

<blockquote>The supreme energy resides in the Buddhi; latent — when wedded to [[Ātman|Atman]] alone, active and irresistible when galvanized by the essence of "Manas" and when none of the dross of the latter commingles with that pure essence to weigh it down by its finite nature.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 111 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 375.</ref></blockquote>

When united to [[manas]], buddhi or the Universal Soul is generally called the [[Ego#Spiritual ego|Spiritual Ego]]. [[H. P. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>The Spiritual divine Ego is the Spiritual soul or Buddhi, in close union with Manas, the mind-principle, without which it is no EGO at all, but only the Atmic Vehicle.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, [1987]), ???.</ref></blockquote>

== Spiritual intuition ==

When the nature of buddhi expresses through [[manas]] there is a phenomena of direct perception, beyond rational thinking, which is sometimes called spiritual intuition:

<blockquote>The Spiritual ego reflects no varying states of consciousness; is independent of all sensation (experience); it does not think—it KNOWS, by an intuitive process only faintly conceivable by the average man.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. VIII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1990), 96.</ref></blockquote>

In some of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]]'s writings there are some references to this principle forming a body:

<blockquote>In the normal or natural state, the sensations are transmitted from the lowest physical to the highest spiritual body, i.e., from the first to the 6th principle (the 7th being no organized or conditioned body, but an infinite, hence unconditioned principle or state).<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, Ill: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 101.</ref></blockquote>

== See also ==
* [[Intuition]]

==Online resources==
===Articles===
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/buddhi Buddhi] at Theosophy World
*[http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1374# The Intuition: Knowledge by Fusion] by Shirley Nicholson

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Sanskrit terms]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Hindu concepts]]
[[es:Buddhi]]
[[it:Buddhi]]

Buddhas of Bamiyan

2020-04-07T13:53:00Z

Michael Conlin: /* Online resources */

[[File:Buddha of Bamiyan.jpg|right|200px]]
'''The Buddhas of Bamiyan''' (Persian: بت های باميان – bothā-ye Bāmiyān) were monumental statues of standing buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, 230 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Kabul at an elevation of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). Modern Archaeologists believe they were built around 550 CE, although [[H. P. Blavatsky]] claims they are remnants of "the Initiates of the [[Fourth Root-Race|Fourth Race]]."<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 339.</ref> They were dynamited and destroyed in March 2001 by the Taliban after they declared that they were idols, carrying out an extreme Islamic religious iconoclasm.

According to [[H. P. Blavatsky]], these statues are witnesses of earlier civilizations. She rejected the fact that the statues represent the Buddha, claiming they come from the ancestors of the Miao people, and were "the work of the Cyclopes, the true and actual Giants of old."<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 337.</ref> Being built far before the birth of [[Gautama Buddha|Gautama]], they were made to look like him in modern times. As archaeologists discovered, the main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modeled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Blavatsky explains:

<blockquote>The Buddhist Arhats and Ascetics found the five statues, and many more, now crumbled down to dust, and as the three were found by them in colossal niches at the entrance of their future abode, they covered the figures with plaster, and, over the old, modelled new statues made to represent Lord Tathagata. The interior walls of the niches are covered to this day with bright paintings of human figures, and the sacred image of Buddha is repeated in every group. These frescoes and ornaments—which remind one of the Byzantine style of painting—are all due to the piety of the monk-ascetics, like some other minor figures and rock-cut ornamentations. But the five statues belong to the handiwork of the [[Initiation|Initiates]] of the [[Fourth Root-Race|Fourth Race]], who sought refuge, after the submersion of [[Atlantis|their continent]], in the fastnesses and on the summits of the Central Asian mountain chains.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 339.</ref></blockquote>

Blavatsky states that the sizes of the statues had an esoteric meaning:

<blockquote>Moreover, the five statues are an imperishable record of the esoteric teaching about the gradual evolution of the races. 
The largest is made to represent the First Race of mankind, its ethereal body being commemorated in hard, everlasting stone, for the instruction of future generations, as its remembrance would otherwise never have survived the Atlantean Deluge. The second—120 feet high—represents the sweat-born; and the third—measuring 60 feet—immortalizes the race that fell, and thereby inaugurated the first physical race, born of father and mother, the last descendants of which are represented in the Statues found on Easter Isle; but they were only from 20 to 25 feet in stature at the epoch when Lemuria was submerged, after it had been nearly destroyed by volcanic fires. The Fourth Race was still smaller, though gigantic in comparison with our present Fifth Race, and the series culminated finally in the latter.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. II, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 339-340.</ref></blockquote>

==Online resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/bamian-statues Bamian Statues] at Theosophy World
===Articles===
* [http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/sunrise/50-00-1/as-hpb.htm The Bamian Statues: Their Mysterious Origin] by H. P. Blavatsky

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]

Buddha

2020-04-07T13:45:36Z

Michael Conlin:

'''For the founder of [[Buddhism]] see [[Gautama Buddha]].'''

'''Buddha''' (devanāgarī: बुद्ध) is a [[Sanskrit]] word that means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one." [[H. P. Blavatsky]] defined it as follows:

<blockquote>Buddha (Sk.). Lit., “The Enlightened”. The highest degree of knowledge. To become a Buddha one has to break through the bondage of sense and personality; to acquire a complete perception of the REAL SELF and learn not to separate it from all otherselves; to learn by experience the utter unreality of all phenomena of the visible Kosmos foremost of all; to reach a complete detachment from all that is evanescent and finite, and live while yet on Earth in the immortal and the everlasting alone, in a supreme state of holiness.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 64-65.</ref></blockquote>

In the [[Theosophy|Theosophical]] view a Buddha appears regularly with each [[Root-Race]]:

<blockquote>Esoteric philosophy teaches us that every Root-race has its chief Buddha or Reformer, who appears also in the seven sub-races as a Bodhisattva (q.v.). Gautama Sakyamuni was the fourth, and also the fifth Buddha: the fifth, because we are the fifth root-race; the fourth, as the chief Buddha in this fourth Round.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 56.</ref></blockquote>

The current Buddha, [[Gautama Buddha|Siddhârta Gautama]], is said to be the fourth Buddha to appear on Earth in this [[Round]], corresponding to the fifth [[Root-Race]] (the beginning of first Root-Race having a [[Planetary Spirit]] incarnated instead of a Buddha).

== Dhyāni-Buddhas ==

The [[Dhyāni-Buddhas]], known as the "Celestial Buddhas", are "the eternal prototypes of the Buddhas who appear on this earth, the Manushi-Buddhas. [[H. P. Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] wrote that the:

<blockquote>They are, as Mr. Rhys Davids correctly states, “the glorious counterparts in the mystic world, free from the debasing conditions of this material life“ of every earthly mortal Buddha—the liberated Manushi-Buddhas appointed to govern the Earth in this Round. They are the “Buddhas of Contemplation,” and are all Anupadaka (parentless), i.e., self-born of divine essence.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 108-109.</ref></blockquote>

== Mānuṣi-Buddhas ==

Known as "Terrestrial Buddhas", they are "Human Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or incarnated Dhyan Chohans".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 206.</ref> According to [[H. P. Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] Each of Manushi-Buddha "has his particular divine prototype. So, for instance, Amitâbha is the Dhyani-Buddha of Gautama Sakyamuni".<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 108.</ref>

The Manushi Buddhas are related to the hierarchy known as [[Anupadaka]]:

<blockquote>The term Anupadaka, “parentless,” or without progenitors, is a mystical designation having several meanings in the philosophy. By this name celestial beings, the Dhyan-Chohans or Dhyani-Buddhas, are generally meant. But as these correspond mystically to the human Buddhas and Bodhisattwas, known as the “Mânushi (or human) Buddhas” the latter are also designated “Anupadaka,” once that their whole personality is merged in their compound sixth and seventh principles—or Atma-Buddhi, and that they have become the “diamond-souled” (Vajra-sattvas), the full Mahatmas.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'' vol. I, (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 52.</ref></blockquote>

==Additional resources==
* [https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/buddhas Buddhas] at Theosophy World

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Sanskrit terms]]
[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Buddhist concepts]]
[[Category:Mahatmas and Adepts]]