Theos-Talk Archives (February 1994 Message tl00083)

Mike Grenier

Arvind writes:

>>>TCF.  AAB has said that she did not many times understand what
>>>DK's teaching meant; HPB has said the same thing several times
>>>about the teaching  of the Masters that she gave out.

 Jerry replies:

 >>     This is the first time I have ever read that HPB said
 >> that she didn't understand the teachings of her teachers.
 >> Where did you find such statements?  If HPB did not know what
 >> she was talking about, she would have no credibility.

 Jerry,

>   You'll find the following reference in the new biography
>  "The Extraordinary Life and Influence of Helena Blavatsky"
>   by Sylvia Cranston on page 312:
>
>   "You are all very green.", she (Blavatsky) said," If you
>    think that I actually know and understand all the things
>    that I write. How many times am I to repeat to you and your
>    mother that the things I write are dictated to me, [and]
>    that sometimes I see manuscripts, numbers, and words before
>    my eyes of which I never knew anything."

     Thanks for finding the quote.  Your message came up as I was
uploading one to Arvind.  I don't think this quote shows that
H.P.B. did not understand the teaching of her teachers.  You
might look at my answer to Arvind concerning this.  H.P.B. seemed
to understand a lot of things in very extraordinary ways.  Though
H.P.B. couldn't read Greek while writing in London, but she could
read and write any language that dominated in any area where she
resided--that is until she left the area again.  Another thing,
HPB stated in the KEY that what she was writing in the KEY and
everything else since TSD was *not* dictated.  But the Key and
articles written around that time (And this would include the
E.S. Instructions) exhibit an extraordinary understanding of
esoteric philosophy.  What I'm trying to get across, is that
though HPB was not omniscient, and may not have understood
specific things, there is no doubt that she still had an overall
understanding of what she wrote, and did understand the teachings
of her teachers.  Remember, that she often remarked that she was
unable to explain some teachings further, because of her pledge
not to do so.  This suggests that she understood even more than
she wrote.  H.P.B. was often self effacing about her abilities.
Remember when she tried to credit the Mahatmas with the phenomena
she performed for Sinnett?  Yet in the Mahatma letters, K.H.
clearly stated that this was just modesty, and that the phenomena
was performed entirely through her own abilities.

     As I wrote to Arvind, there is a lot more here than what
appears on the surface.  I wouldn't sell HPB's understanding of
things short.  I think she understood very well the teachings of
her teachers.  This is very different from not understanding some
specific information that may have been dictated to her such as
some phrase in Hebrew or some mathematical formula etc.  Or
seeing  "manuscripts numbers and words" for the first time.
Also, her seeing something for the first time doesn't necessarly
mean that she had no understanding of it.

Jerry Hejka-Ekins