Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00276)

>>In ODL Fourth Series 1975 printing p. 06 Olcott writes:
>>
>>"Leaving his home at Darjeeling Nov 7th 1881 he [Sarat
>>Chandra Das] ..reached Tashi-Lhunpo the capital of the Tashi
>>Lama whose Master of Ceremonies one of our own revered
>>Mahatmas is.
>
> JHE
> Paul is this the quote you had in mind? Please let me
> know.
>
> Thanks Paul
> Thanks Dan

PJ
Yep.

JHE
Paul I had to go back into our former dialogues in order to
reconstruct this part. This is what I have:

JHE 11/8
For Sengchen Tulku you have an enigma but very possibly a
person whom HPB gained information. But Does HPB or HSO
call him a Mahatma?

KPJ 11/8
Don't have the sources in from of me but HSO called him
"one of our Masters" as I recall.

JHE 11/9
Where

KPJ 11/9
ODL somewhere; can't find the passage offhand. But he
speaks of the Master of Ceremonies of the Panchen Lama being
"one of our Mahatmas"--but does so after the death of the
Sengchen in question so may be talking about his successor.

JHE
I'm really confused here. In Olcott's parenthetical phrase:
"whose Master of Ceremonies one of our own revered Mahatmas is"
I understand you are reading to say that this Master of
Ceremonies of the Panchen Lama is one of our Masters. But since
Sengchen Tulku was dead Olcott may be talking about his
successor.
OK now my original question was whether or not HPB or HSO
called Sengchen Tulku a Master. Your original answer was yes
but with the addition of the idea that Olcott might be talking
about Sengchen's successor your answer becomes a maybe. Now
what confuses me is why would Olcott publicly identify Sengchen
Tulku or even his successor in ODL as a Master if he and HPB
were trying to keep these identities a secret? If you had found
this statement in a diary or in a confidential private letter
then I would understand it as being some privileged information.
But you are quoting from Olcott's quotation from Sarat Babu's
"Narrative of a Journey to Lhasa in 1881-82. The parenthetical
phrase appears to have been added by Olcott. If you are reading
this correctly then that makes a very public proclamation of the
identity of a Mahatma to me. Why the reversal of policy in this
case? Perhaps because he is dead? This is a very intriguing
passage but seems to simultaneously help and hurt your case.

Jerry HE

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