Theos-Talk Archives (December 1995 Message tl00261)

On 15 199512 John R Crocker wrote:

> Rich ...
>
> >Does the ULT have its share of politics? Of course it
> >does--people are involved. But the method of operation
> >minimizes the unfortunate events which plague the TS and divert
> >its attention from its mission. Witness the current "lengthy"
> >discussion of political events on this List taking up time and
> >space better utilized by the discussion of the ideas and
> >teaching of Theosophy.
>
But its not a zero sum game. The potential space on the list has
> no limits obviously no post was rejected by the listserver
> because there were already too many other posts ... and clearly
> the people who have chosen to spend the time in political
> discussions believe that at this point in time their time is
> better utilized by contributing to a discussion of institutional
> matters than talking about the seven rounds - or they would have
> written about the seven rounds.

MKR

It is not simply a question of idle political discussion we are
engaged in. I truly believe that the TSA is at a critical juncture in its
history and the changes proposed if implemented will change the
character of the organization for ever not only here but in other
countries as well. This is because generally US sets
the model for other countries to follow I am afraid the other National
Organizations will follow suit leaders over there will surely cite US
as an example to support their position.

So the more I think of the situation the more serious and
dangerous it looks to me. If anyone here feels otherwise I challenge
them to come out and convince me and others here that it is not so.

>
> >I propose all discussion of the TS's and any other
> >organization's politics by-laws officers internal squabbles
> >gossip etc. be moved to a separate board.
> >
> >Does anyone else agree?
>
> I would disagree with moving the discussion ... the simplest
> reason being the one Jerry's already mentioned - that we can't
> really start creating new boards for every discussion that lasts
> more than a few days; besides at least up to now the subject
> lines on the posts dealing with TSA politics have been quite
> obvious enough to permit the use of the delete key by those
> uninterested in the thread.
>
> I think however that there is a more important reason grounded
> in theosophy itself for not considering organizational politics
> to be somehow less valuable a topic than purely philosophical
> discussions are.
>
> Throughout the centuries humanity has hatched a great number of
> fine elevated religious and philosophical schools and
> traditions. And if ideas were all that mattered we would have
> all long ago reached enlightenment. The devil has always been in
> the details. If there is any single and profound problem that we
> humans must whether now or millenia from now face it is the
> problem of making the *expression* of our religious and
> philosophical ideas in day to day life personal and
> institutional remain in harmony with their intellectual and
> spiritual beauty. It is also the problem that takes the greatest
> spiritual courage for members of traditions to face ... because
> it is so damned uncomfortable distasteful and especially in
> juxtaposition with elevated philosophical thought is capable of
> producing an almost instinctual revulsion. But every light shined
> on humanity must inevitably produce a shadow and the type and
> intensity of the light determines the size and type of the shadow
> .. and I cannot think of a single historical example of a
> religious or philosophical tradtion that has yet *fully taken
> responsibility for its shadow* ... and thus could Christian
> philosophers discuss the finer points of God's love at the same
> time as the inquisition was slaughtering people; thus can
> Catholics and Protestants shed one another's blood on the streets
> of Ireland; thus could the framers of the US Constitution be
> slave owners; the list could go on endlessly.
> Theosophy as inspired in its latest incarnation by the
> likes of Morya Koothoomi DK and formulated into an exoteric
> organization by HPB IMO had as one of its features a
> startling concept: That to those serious about occult science and
> spiritual growth the comfortable line between the light and the
> shadow between the pristine beauty of the thought and the
> sometimes distasteful messiness of personality life not only
> does not but *can not* be permitted to exist. In fact I believe
> the chief thing that differentiates between exoteric and esoteric
> organizations may possibly boil down to that single concept.
> To accept theosophy as one's principle philosophical
> tradtion means one cannot simply go to confession every
> to church every and on the days inbetween have an affair
> with one's secretary female *or* male -: screw one's business
> partner out of money engage in greed deceit ingenuine
> manipulations slap around one's children and ignore the problems
> in one's community. It is a committment to *erase* the inner line
> that in much of humanity still enables a *seperation* between
> the "spiritual" and the "normal day to day" aspects of one's
> life.
> The goal may be the highest it is possible to conceive of:
> An elevated philosophy reified *totally* into every moment of
> one's day and referenced as the guide for every intention every
> action in even the most seemingly mundane components of life.
> Understanding of the philosophy through intellectual discussions
> lectures reading and meditating certainly is a part of this but
> is only half and perhaps not even the most difficult half of
> the picture. While none of us would say that we had perfected the
> expression of the philosophy any more than we'd claim to have
> mastered its intellectual components I would claim that
> discussion and in depth analysis of that expression in both our
> personal lives as well as in the organizations purporting to
> represent Theosophy is not only not unimportant but is in fact
> fully *equally* as important as discussions and analysis of the
> ideas themselves.
> And this is not simply an arbitrarily devised belief but
> comes from my own reading of "source" literature. The glimpses
> we get of the Masters are of people that were not isolated
> philosophers who spent most of their time in philosophical
> discussions ... both they and HPB did study did meditate but
> also travelled widely and spent considerable attention on
> seemingly "trivial" matters. The Masters we get hints lead
> organizations were at least titular heads of monestaries & etc.
> Even further it is clear from the ML that their *time and
> attention* were considered by themselves and by their Chief as
> being a very rare and valuable commodity that was never lightly
> allocated or unthinkingly spent and it is IMO a significant
> statement from *them* about what they considered a relevent
> "utilization of time" that throughout the ML they spend a not
> inconsiderable amount of time talking to Sinnet and others
> about some of the most seemingly mundane charateristics of the
> personalities involved in the TS took a personal interest even
> in particular issues of the magazines in particular meetings
> who should hold what office even in the financial aspects of the
> organization. In short much as we'd like to ignore the
> organization and focus only on ideas the Masters themselves as
> well as HPB took the *organization itself* to be a *spiritual
> project* important enough to claim their immensely valuable time
> and energy.
> How can we then ignore it? How can we claim to follow the
> "teachings" but ignore a large part of the message? How can we
> permit whoever has control of the organization to simply do
> whatever they wish unquestioned even when their behaviour
> becomes increasingly disturbing? In the last few years the TSA
> has lost a *fifth* of its membership - a cursory glance at the
> report on the Theosophical Investment Trust Funds in the AT and
> there are several people now determined to look in far greater
> depth at the financial situation at HQ shows that between
> 3/31/94 and 3/31/95 *one year* they seems to have lost between
> $90000 and $1000000 - something approaching a fifth - of their
> value. And the same people responsible for this situation are
> those now attempting to re-write bylaws in such a dashion as to
> give them greater institutional and financial *control* over the
> members and Lodges across the country.

MKR

There are other serious issues related to TIT which need to be
looked into and fixed. If not done now down the road we may have some
serious problems.

In order not to divert attention from the basic and immediate issues
of administrative and financial micro control over membership and lodges
that the National Board seeks thru bylaw changes I have not brought them up
here so far. I have communicated them in writing to the National President
with copies to the elected board of directors and the International
President as soon as the proposed bylaws were published.

A very disturbing aspect is the difficulty of getting information from
Wheaton. For example for the last two months I have been trying to get
the Trust Document and the Bylaws of the TIT and have had no success so far.
Since TIT is a 501c3 tax exempt charitable trust these documents
are NOT confidential ones. They are open to public access I believe
because of the Federal Tax Exempt status. If not I should have been
informed why I cannot have access to. In the absence of any such positive
response I am wondering why the silence and why anyone should be afraid
of providing these documents to a dues paying member? I just want to
share this information in the general context of what is going on.

> The TSA is in *trouble* - and perhaps many of us that were
> and are members bear some responsibility - the responsibility
> that comes from not paying attention from keeping our uneasiness
> and complaints silent within ourselves ... from not *taking the
> organization as seriously as the Masters and HPB did* and
> instead contenting ourselves with the delights of the philosophy
> alone.
>
> It is just my opinion but I definately do *not* think
> discussions of Theosophical politics are inappropriate on this
> list - especially because the members forum which is what the AT
> was *promised* to be when it was split from the Quest has been
> almost completely stolen from the membership and turned into
> something often resembling an ideological platform; because HQ is
> increasingly refusing people access to the information needed to
> distribute any views opposing its own ... even if the opposition
> is willing to fully bear the expense; this wonderful list may
> very well turn into the forum from which the necessary
> reformation of the TSA is hashed out and launched. How wonderful
> it is that no one can control the discussion here well John
> Mead could but doesn't - *THANK YOU JOHN* - and how unfortunate
> that this may be the only national Theosophical space in which
> the independence of thought and freedom of expression ....
> qualities prized by everyone from the Buddha to HPB .... is
> actually able to be expressed in all its fullness.
> -JRC
> [PS. Its time.]
> [-:]
>

John you have most elegantly presented the issues. We are all
grateful.

..doss