Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl01126)

Liesel Writs:

LFD - If you got a message from a Master to go jump off the
Empire State Building, would you do it? I realize that it would
be difficult to question a message from our revered Masters,
but I still think one should examine whether the message made
sense, & whether one would like to do what it said to do, & go
by that.
I also think that at the time VDL wrote this letter, people
were going a bit half cocked with the revelations they believed
hook, line & sinker, including some who were higher ups, & whom
I otherwise love dearly.

JHE Do you think that you might have believed these revelations
"hook, line and sinker" that were coming from the one whom you
"love dearly"? If not, what spiritual strength would have saved
you from this?

LFD now we get down to Krishnamurti. I think we can look at him
from a bit more distance than did Van der Lieew, who wrote
right in the middle of all that brouhaha. I think that
Kirshnamurti was an offspring of theosophy just as was Alice
Bailey & Rudolph Steiner. All 3 of them explained their
missions in life in their own way, & their followers believed
they were, whatever they wanted to believe they were.

JHE Yes.

LFD I don't think that theosophists today doubt theosophy. I
don't
think anyone on this list does. We differ about its components
but not about that it's a belief system we want to live by.

JHE I think there is a variety of theosophies represented on this
list, and I wonder if the issues are deeper than a disagreement
about components. The heart of some of this disagreement may
concern the heart of Leeuw's argument--revelation vs realization.

VDL - I maintain that the evil effects of revelation are caused
by the fact that revelation can only be accepted or denied, but
never criticized in the light of reason.

LFD - That's true, if you don't expose revelation to the light
of reason. Something non hysterical needs to tell you that the
revelation is true for you.

JHE Yes. VDL's point I think.

LFD - I once was drawing nearer to the Master, & I criticised.
At the time it felt like "the freedom of criticism meant giving
up all that is held dearest & highest in the life of
theosophists." It wasn't easy, but I still, to this day, think
that my criticsm was right. I can tell you that my path since
then may not have been the conventional one to draw nearer to
the Masters, but I have gained a lot in esoteric knowledge
going my own way.

JHE Sounds like you have found your own path. In this way, I
think we are very much alike, though we seem to have very
different paths. But I suspect that this has as much to do with
differing values as well as beliefs.

Good post Liesel.
Thanks
Jerry HE