Theos-Talk Archives (August 1995 Message tl00367)

>Lewis:
> One of the early books I read was Man, How, Whince and Whither by
>Besant & Leadbeater. In the preface they made a point which has stuck
>with me over the years. It was that they were "students" sharing
>what they had found. They even went so far as to say that more would
>be learned about these subjects in the future and we should therefore
>consider the latest information on the subject.

That attitude is useful for all of us to emulate. When they share what
they've found, though, there are presenting a different kind of material
than HPB did. They are presenting the results of their own out-of-the-body
experiences, what they perceived or thought they preceived on other planes.
This is different than what HPB presented, which was some fragements of
the doctrines of the Mahatmas. In one case, we have something like a
a pair of college students presenting the results of their own lab
experiments (with CWL and AB). In the other case, we have something like
a teaching assistant presenting scientific materials from the university's
body of knowledge (with HPB). HPB's presentation is based upon materials
from countless ages of the experience of Mahatmas. CWL and AB's presentation
is based upon their own, much more limited experimentation.

> It seemed to me wise counsel and displayed humility on their part
>-- something I had read elsewhere was the mark of a wise person.

Agreed.

> The first lodge I attended was in St. Petersburg, FL. There was a
>framed poster which said in part that only a small corner of the veil
>which covers the mysteries had been lifted. Ideas such as these have
>left me with an open mind and willingness to consider new, different
>and contradictory information on the topics which HPB and the
>Mahatmas wrote on.

An open mind is important for all of us. I know from my experience
that there are many wondrous ideas about Theosophy to be found in
Purucker's books that I did not learn about in reading Leadbeater.
I'd recommend a look at some of them, like "Fundamentals of the
Esoteric Philosophy".

> In one of the Mahatma letters I think there was some discussion
>about how easy it was for error to creep into letters written by
>their chelas. Much of the SD was written "through" HPB. There are
>references to it being all that could be safely given out at the
>time. It seems to me these factors should be taken into consideration
>by the present day student.

There are likely errors in any book that we may read, including "The
Secret Doctrine." In the final analysis, we have to consult our Inner
Teacher, our inner ability to Know, to test things out, to see what
rings true and should be admitted into our lives.

-- Eldon