Theos-Talk Archives (December 1993 Message tl00057)

When we think of chelas and the Masters, the Theosophical Society
comes to mind as an example of the work that they do, for it was a
project that they started.

The official reason given for the founding of the T.S. in New York
City, in 1875, was to brings the ideas of the orient to the west. This
was the purpose that was stated at that time, and it was at a later
date that it adopted the three objects that we now know it to have.

H.P. Blavatsky, a chela of the Masters, was sent to found the society.
It was an experiement by the Masters K.H. and M., although their
teacher, the Maha-Chohan, would have preferred waiting a few more years.

The attempt was to open the door to some of the arcane secrets, to
stimulate receptive minds of men and to turn about the tide of
materialism in the world.

There was another effort of the Masters to give a push towards things
spiritual in the west, where in the last quarter of each century,
since the time of Tsong-Ka-Pa, a special effort would be made. This
was a second effort that worked out through the Theosohical Society.

A third effort was based upon a larger cycle of 2160 years, being
1/12 of the precessional cycle of the earth. The next 2160 year cycle
is about to begin--and I would say that it might start at 2182 A.D.,
but I'll have to defer giving the reasons why at the moment. The
work of the Theosophical Movement plays a role in assisting establishing
the keynote for the next such cycle.

It should be noted that the 2160-year cycle represents one particular
subrace. And although humanity as a whole could be said to be in a
single subrace at a time, in another sense there is an overlapping of
the races, so that there could be other 2160-year cycles, different
ones, starting at other parts of the world, and not all with the
same timing.

The work of H.P.B. helped initiate the new 2160-year cycle in the
west, but other such cycles are not necessarily synchronized.

Consider the menstrual cycle of a young woman. It is tied to the lunar
month. Other women will also have their cycles, also tied to the moon,
but not necessarily synchronized, except for women who live in close
association.

The same is true of subraces. Their cycles are based upon the greater
rhythms of the earth and celestial objects, but are not necessarily
synchronized, *except when they live in close association.*

A movement like Theosophy can have multiple purposes, it can react to
and express several influences. And when we speak of Theosophy, we
refer to the Theosophical Movement, not a particular Theosophical
Society, because there are numerous societies and a far-reaching affect
that touches many more people that the combined memberships of the
various organizations.

The Theosophical Society as an organization had already begun to
fragment in the 1880's, when H.P.B. and Col. Olcott could not agree,
and she continued her work through an Esoteric Society, while he had
control of the outer organization. It further fragmented in the mid
1890's, when the American Section, under W.Q. Judge, broke from Adyar,
and there were two societies. And then there were further and further
splits in the following years.

There were at least four influences working through the early T.S.,
four projects or activities or efforts to reach out to mankind. There
was the last quarter of the century push. There was the project of
K.H. and M.'s to enlighten the west. There was some ground work for the
next 2160-year cycle. And there were larger cycles involved as well.

The intent was to reach out and elevate the thought life of the
members, of the students, and through them to have an influence--one
influence, one of many influences--on mankind.

The project of K.H. and M. was not based on prophecy. There was nothing
about it that was foreordained and predestined. Everything is not laid
out, the entire blueprint for the future, in some plan, some document,
some book. We cannot look to quotes to tell us the future of the work
anymore than Christians can look to the book of Revelation for *real*
information about what will happen in the future.

The work of the Masters could change at any time based upon its effects
and the state of the world. When we consider the T.S., we have but a
single project of two Masters. The other work that they do, and the
work of all the other Masters is entirely another matter.

The Masters act as a Guardian Wall against the destructive outside
influences that could harm mankind. They also help protect us against
ourselves, against our own karma, by helping keep it from all hitting
us at once and destroying us!

They do not interfere in karma, telling us what to think or do. And
they most definitely are not involved in politics or activities that
involve a lot of passion, anger, or competition--at least on a regular
basis. They might not concern themselves with the day-to-day operation
of a particular country, although they may be behind the initiation of
such dramatic events as the founding of the U.S.

They are men, in bodies of flesh and bones, and only realize their
highest state or nature when the lower self is paralyzed. They are not
floating around like balloons on some higher plane of the earth, but
are here in embodied existence. If they are not on this earth, then
they are in embodied existence on another globe.

They are still men, but are fifth-round men. They have become truely
human, rather than simply being men swept along by the animal nature,
as are fourth-round humanity.

They can be found in every nation, and mingle among men to carry on
their business. They do, though, have a spiritual home, called
Shambhala, which is a *physical* place, a place where the Buddha
resides. That place is physical but not physical, it is as though
veiled or dematerialized, but very real and substantial nevertheless.

They are not godlike in powers, not all-knowing nor all-seeing. And
they still have human personalities. They have attributes, faults,
characteristics of personality, like any of us. Perhaps some even
smoke? They can make mistakes in judgement too, and are perfect by
no means.

They are not, though, involved infamily life, marriage, the raising of
their own children. Their personal life is centered around service to
all, to accomplishing the greatest good. They never think in terms of
personal benefit. They do not acquire possessions for themselves, only
for the good of the work, and would give away all in a moment without
any hesitation where it to help.

They maintain a cool, calm, tranquil temperament, as a general rule,
although differences in personality could have come with some anger,
impatience, or other failings.

The basic rule that they follow is to not exhaust the life energies to
accomplish a goal, to achieve results with the minimal expenditure of
energy. Because of this, they have a much longer lifespan than us,
not out of any special magic, but rather through a conservation of the
natural life energies, of Prana.

They do not use more force than needed to accomplish an end. They would
not materialize a letter now, when there's the telephone and fax. They
do not project their mayavi rupa, with a great expenditure of energy,
to accomplish something that coould easily be done in the mail, in
person, or through a chela or helper. Their work is to inspire people
spiritually, not to amaze them with penomena, and in our materially
advanced world, where we can talk to someone on the other side of the
world, or fly there in a day, they may have little need to use
phenomena to accomplish their ends.

They study the theosophical Teachings, even as we do, but their studies
are far advanced of anything that we may ever know. Even so, they may
study for many years before even starting a study of such simple,
apparently simply, doctrines as that of cycles.

They are men, but men whom have become truly human. The higher faculties
inspire their lives. But they are not above and beyond personal karma.
They still have personalities, and have established relationships with
other people; they still have sertain personal habits or rhythms of
life. But they seek to minimize the ties that they forge, since these
ties can bind and restrict the work that they can do.

They are free of the unconscious compulsion to seek rebirth, but are
not fully advanced. They can reincarnate at will, and could enter the
body of a dying child to become their next life, but they do not yet
stand at the threshold of nirvana, and do not have the option, yet,
of entering therein. (That threshold is not approached until the seventh
initiation.)

They have taken at least the fifth initiation, and can go to the
other globes and experience other planes of consciousness at will.
And the next stage for their progress would be to become Bodhisattvas,
then Buddhas, as they become Sixth Rounders.

Becoming a Sixth Rounder is not possible at this time, and only a
few have been able to do so, and this is due to a *mystery* about which
we are not given the details.

As a Sixth Rounder, though, one has reached the stage where he becomes
a living agent for his own inner god, where the inner god acts as a
directing and active Higher Self, rather than simply functioning in
the background of one's life.

There are ten initiations, and many more Rounds to experience, before
we may graduate from the Human Kingdom, and move on to the next, the
lowest of the Dhyani-Chohanic Kingdoms. We either graduate and move on,
or fail in some way--there is no multiple selection of pathways to go
on to, like described in some books.

The idea that some writers have that there are many types of
experience open to one, upon graduation from the Human Kingdom, where
one has perhaps seven different types of existence to pick between,
is incorrect. This idea has shown up in some theosophical books, because
their authors were not fully grounded in the core Teachings.

The mistakes of one writer were carried on and repeated by others, as
new students read them then pass them on in their own books in turn. In
a while, there is a whole body of literature and following to the
original misunderstandings. Many branches of the theosophical family
tree originated this way, with slight misunderstandings that became
amplified over time until the overall philosophy has changed.

Right now, it is a respectible thing to be keeping up with humanity,
with the human lifewave, to holding our own and the race as a whole
is spiritually progressing. In later Rounds, the climb will be steeper,
it will become increasing hard to keep up, more and more of us will
drop out, until some of us, how many I cannot say, will reach the goal,
and have become potential Dhyani Chohans.

We have, then, those whom make it and become Dhyani Chohans, and those
whom drop out along the way, whom enter nirvana and resume their
human evolution in the next planetary manvanatara. These account for
all but a few, the failures, those who attain through the cultivation
of evil, through the treading of the Left Hand Path, personal
self-destruction. These unfortunate few achieve a nirvana of horror,
a avichi nirvana, resulting from the destruction of their human ego.
They then have to restart their evolution through the Kingdoms of
nature again, starting over from the beginning as Elementals.

The Masters, then, are those of us humans whom not only have kept up
with the lifewave, but have outraced us by a Round. They have
cultivated their true human nature, Manas, which most of us will only
realize in perhaps hundreds of millions of years to come!

Were we to meet a Master, and look at him, we would see a physical
body like that had by any other man. There is nothing miraculous about
his physical form. It does not have unearthly beauty. It does not
float in the air. It is not surrounded by a visible aura of glowing
colors.

We could look at that body and wonder how could such a person dare
think himself to be a Master! We might not see the inner man, and be
misled by outer appearances. The nature of one, whether he is a Master
or not, is determined by his inner nature, and the outer form by his
personal karma.

Now say that we could meet one. Then what do we do? What is the
benefit to us? And why would he want to see us? There is not special
merit attained by such a personal acquaintance. It would be no different
that meeting a stranger on the bus, and chatting for a few minutes,
someone that we don't know but met in passing. It would be like seeing
the Himalayan Mountains in person, or visiting the holy lands, an
external physical event that in itself confers no special benefit.

What would one say a Master? Why would he think that what he might hear
the Master say would be special, a treasure to him? Why is such a
meeting necessary?

Anything that we deserve in life, that we have coming to us, is
automatically drawn to us. There are no gifts from outside; we only
get and understand what we evoke from within.

Would meeting a Master make Theosophy seem more real, and give us
renewed faith, energy, and enthusiasm? Not really. If our beliefs
are based upon external validation, if they require repeated external
confirmation to reassure us, if they are not deeply rooted from within,
then such a meeting would do us but passing good.

Any inspiration arises *from within*, from knowing the spiritual
through personal experience, and not from meeting special people,
nor from seeing wonders.

Seeking outside, finding some external object that we think will give
us something, we fool ourselves, but not very well. We really know that
we're not going after the truth, that we're avoiding it, when we find
things to use as excuses for the lack of inner growth.

There are a lot of *if only's* that we use to put off our inner work.
If only I could astral project! If only I could meet and know a Master!
If only I could see some phenomena to *prove* to me that it all was
true, like getting a Mahatma letter! Or if only I could have some
paranormal power.

These are all external things, experiences to have or attributes to
add to the personality, but are do not address the real question of
making the consciousness of the spiritual a part of our everyday life.
They ignore our responsibility to our own self-directed,
self-initiated evolution, and our duty to selfless service of others.

The Masters help the world by indirect influences and by contacts
with people that inspire them to *change themselves.* Like Santa Claus
bringing presents in secret, they bring inspiration and stimulate
self-awakening in people without drawing attention to themselves. We
could meet them on the street and not know them.

If we apply the core concepts of Theosophy, and the keys that we have
been given, we might be able to come to some understanding of what
they do in the world, apart from the push behind the Theosophical
Movement.

Besides the work that they do themselves, their chelas do work in the
world as well, and some like H.P.B. end up with a high degree of
visibility. Most of the work, though, would not call attention to
itself.

And in addition to the chelas, are many of us, as students of Theosophy,
perhaps yet another class of participants in the work. With the same
desire to progress and to be of service, but perhaps a lower standing,
a lesser degree of self-unfoldment, we might call ourselves helpers,
assistants to the chelas. But we are not limited to that, for with the
right degree of awakening, with the right openess to the spiritual
side of life, we too can be chelas and assist directly with the work.

The limitations that we face in life are not externally imposed. No
one else holds us back. The limitation that faces is us ourselves. We
limit the scope, the reach, the extend of our consciousness and our
influence in the world. As we dwell in the vast, lofty, uplifting
thoughts of the Esoteric Philosophy, our natures open up and flower.
And we too become participants in the work. We too becomes sources of
that which is good, and beautiful, and true, and make the world a
better place!

                          Eldon Tucker (eldon@netcom.com)