Theos-Talk Archives (September 1993 Message tl00056)

I would like to comment on everything that was going on, if only
there were more time!!!

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I think that the purpose of this list is to stimulate our thinking
and foster the free interchange of ideas. I feel that it has been
successful and hope to see it grow and expand. Not everyone that
writes will clothe their ideas in words that we appreciate and that
strike a responsive chord in our minds and hearts, but their words
may do wonders to others who think differently that us.

I have had very negative experiences in the past when I expressed
some ideas at a theosophical meeting but did not clothe them in
the traditional theosophical terminology. I got someone so mad at
me that he blasted me for about ten minutes straight with his
criticism that "that's not theosophy", then he and his friends
quit the group and never came again. He knew theosophy, but could
not tolerate a different expression of it.

(I was using Zen Buddhist terms and ideas in my expression that
evening. My experience with Zen consisted in a few years of
doing zazen on my own, and attending over a nine-year period
13 week-long Dai Sesshins, including a few Rohatsu's, all by
Joshu Sasaki Roshi, a Rinzai Zen Master. Most were at Mt. Baldy
Zen Center.)

On the other hand, I would not use different terminology just to
be different, I'd use "Master" or "Mahatman" rather than
"Plemora Beings".

Clothing the theosophical teachings in different words when
speaking to different people, in one manner of speech to a
Baptist, another to a Jungian, a third to a New Ager, we are
acting like a "transformer", stepping down the ideas to those
appropriate to various exoteric schools of thought.

Communication has to be appropriate, otherwise the words are
at best ignored ("huh?") if not misunderstood ("no way!") and
opposed ("you devil!").

There are some very profound teachings in Purucker's writings,
and I've found them to provide me with some valuable keys to
understanding Theosophy.

In the past, I've felt that I should write and give expression
to everything that occurs to me, to share and communicate
everything. I'm now beginning to appreciate why the Mysteries
where called "Mysteries": there are certain things that you
should keep quiet about, except in special circumstances, and
even then never say the things directly, but talk around them
so that the original "flash of understanding" of the ideas
comes by the other person's own mental effort. There are
certain things that you cannot communicate by just talking
about them, even if they are very clear to use and you use
the best words at your disposal!

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The outer forms of cultures may change over time, with different
customs, different religions, different languages, but human
nature changes very slowly, and evolution is measured in the
100's of millions of years, not in decades.

The methods in use by the masters in training and teaching
their students have been tried and proven over countless
generations, and are neither arbitrary, nor culture specific.

The turbulent flux of life as and in a personality is a maya.
Today's fashion of thought and expression quickly comes and goes.
It is not "the latest word" but is a cloud of smoke. Helping
keep that "smoke" clean and beautiful is a grand effort, but
there is a different sort of wisdom behind it.

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There's a lot of useful ideas in nonlinear dynamics, chaos,
fractals, etc. I'd like to see us explore them more, and try
to will write a note or two on them. My central exposure to
them was during a few months of reading and study in preparation
for a "Theosophy and the Science of Chaos" weekend program that
I gave at the Ozark Theosophical Camp a few summers ago.

There are a number of key concepts may provide different and
useful insights into the study of Theosophy.

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                                 Eldon Tucker
                                 eldon@netcom.com