Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00543)

>Alan:
>
>>My understanding of the Teaching is that if say you tell me
>>that you have this or that inner experience then I should repect
>>your identity and dignity by accepting it as genuine even if I
>>personally cannot understand it.
>
>That part is fine. The subjective nature of personal experiences
>is not in question. An experience is real to the experiencer.
>If Danial H. would say that he talks to God in his prayers and
>that experience is a living reality to him we cannot question
>the experience to him. But if he started to say that because he
>talks to God and we don't that his Bible-based philosophy is
>true and our theosophical ideas are false being based on mere
>intellectual speculation I'd have to disagree with him.
>
>>If perhaps I thought you might be misinterpreting that experience
>>then I can if I am willing to take the responsibility talk to you
>>privately about it. End of story.
>
>This is correct as regards a simple description of an experience.
>But it also depends upon the nature of the experience. If someone
>says that they see auras sometimes I don't think that the seeing
>of auras is a deeply-felt from-the-heart inner experience. Not
>any more than if someone talks about how they go jogging.
>
>JRC's ideas about channelling other-plane influences karma yoga
>the value of the theosophical teachings and a future oracle-based
>western religion do not constitute an inner experience.
>
>Perhaps the problem might be that he doesn't make a clear distinction
>between his ideas or theories and his visions and experiences of
>other-plane beings. Or perhaps he feels that the ideas he presents are
>a revelation from those other-plane beings where the ideas themselves
>are an inseparable part of the inner experience and not open for
>discussion?
>
>The suggestion to only talk privately about inner experiences is
>fine. But that only applies to the experiences themselves and not
>to the ideas and theories. I can tell Daniel H. for instance that
>his experience of the spiritual is real and true but is the same
>experience that is had by many of different faiths. One person thinks
>they are talking to Jesus another to an Angel a third to a Spirit.
>This sort of discussion is not disrespectful.
>
>What would be bad would be if Danial H. were to tell me that I
>cannot say anything about the Bible and his Fundamentalist beliefs
>because they are real and because he talks about them while giving
>examples of where Jesus or God would work wonders in his life.
>
>-- Eldon
>
I have been following this topic for a while and here is my penny's worth.
It has little to do with discussions or how a person feels but when
something is mentioned to theosophists that pertains to the teachings that
they 'feel' is presumptious an invisible brick wall is erected and the
resistance feels so rigid that no further conversation is possible. It is
this brick wall that causes the frustration because one cannot even explain
that one doesn't expect them to accept it but just to acknowledge that one
hold these views or has written such and such a book etc. It is the first
resistance that is the problem because it is there before anything else has
been talked about and so precludes any further communication on the subject.
Not all are like that but a good few are. I have found it noticable that in
some cases if the subject of channelling or seeing on the other planes are
mentioned not just in my case either people pull down the shutters and
move on. It just takes a mention and not even any further comments. I
understand that so I do not even mention my new age interests in
theosophical circles because I won't expend the energy it would take to try
to get through the brick wall just to discuss the concept of say
channelling let alone any experience I might have. This invisible aspect of
resistance makes it hard to have any meaningful discussion about it because
not everyone experiences it. I could just imagine the reaction of some
people I know if I said I had written a book about the Masters. That would
be all I needed to say and I would be thought presumptious for after all
who am I? If someone like Joy Mills said the same thing the reaction would
be quite different. The same people would have decided that someone of her
stature and acceptance could do this properly. I would probably be inclined
to agree myself but I also like to find out things for myself so I would
read someone elses ideas if they were something that I was interested in.
All in all we are human still and have to expect varied reactions to any
topic and we ourselves have resistances to things we may not be aware off
until the situation arises. Some people do have a wider area of tolerance
than others.
Regards >
>
Bee Brown
Member Theosophy International