Theos-Talk Archives (July 1994 Message tl00038)

Hi Richard--

If I'd seen your name on a badge I'd have introduced myself--
I've enjoyed your AT pieces.  In answer to your question, I was
referring to a hope for the future, not a fait accompli.  My
book and Joscelyn Godwin's forthcoming one are the beginning of
what I hope to be a revolution in the way HPB and the Masters
are seen.  But it will take several more scholars getting on
the same wavelength to bring about what I hope for-- a
consensus that the existence of HPB's Masters cannot be
seriously doubted.

It is best left to others to evaluate how far my own work goes
toward that goal.  My opinion is that no objective reader could
finish the book without being convinced of my thesis.  But that
thesis-- that HPB derived her teachings and mission from a
series of genuine adepts in authentic spiritual traditions
whose historical identities are to various degrees
established-- falls far short of Theosophical dogma about
Masters.  There isn't a trace of evidence in my book for claims
about paranormal phenomena, which for many are the
distinguishing characteristic of adepts.

Hope this helps clarify.

Namaste