Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00152)

At 09:36 PM 4/9/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Greg:
>>One thing I did not understand at all.  Jerry S. writes:
>>>Personally I find that idea of a
>>>group of students who bend over backwards to be morally upright as
>>>entirely opposed to the spirit of occultism.   HPB would probably giggle.
>>
>>This runs exactly counter to what HPB taught repeatedly, and I ask if you
>>could clarify the basis for your comment and especially explain why you think
>>she would giggle.
>>
>>Greg Hoskins
>
>	First of all, Greg, let me tell you that HPB never established
>an occult school nor did she serve as guru to occult students.  She
>founded and fostered Theosophy and the Theosophical Society, which
>is *not* an occult  school.  Her insistence on ethics and morals was
>directed to her TS students to keep them out of trouble.  Her teachings
>on Chelaship reflect the one-on-one type of training found in India, and
>is not reflective of Western schools.  Western occult students, depending
>on their experience and understanding, would either be
>heedless of such warning or would no longer need it.  I, for one,
>practice ethics because it makes common sense to do so (i.e., I
>believe in karma), and because I feel it is the right thing to do.  But I
>don't "bend over backwards to be morally upright."  Why?  Because it
>always inflates the ego, which is exactly the opposite result that
>true occultism desires to affect.   I did this in my youth when I was a
>good Christian.  I feel, rightly or wrongly, that I have progressed from
>those days.
>	I have nothing at all against ethics and morals or in learning
>and practicing them.  But when people go to the extreme of worrying
>about being "morally upright" (which is equivalent to holier than thou)
>then I can only feel sorry for them.  Chuck said it well when he said
>in a recent posting that such people are "buffoons" and I dare say
>that that is how HPB would have seen them too.
>
>	Jerry S.
>	Member, TI
>
>Oh here I agree with you whole heartedly Jerry my friend. If there is one
thing that HPB WASN'T it's morally up-tight. The hyper-puritannical ideology
of the Esoteric Sections whould hardly have caused her to "giggle" it would
have enraged her. That nonsense is entirely the product of the coterie I
call the "Second Generation of theosophical Leaders" The folks that gave us
the Krishnamurti debacle. I personally practice, and teach ethics, because I
believe it's the only way to "grease the skids" of society, I have never
been any  knd of Christian, and I really don't believe in Karma as theosophy
teaches it. I do what's right, because it's right, and for no other reason.
Theere is an immense difference between being ethical and fullof probity and
in being "up-tight", the ES is up-tight! The Puritans were "up-tight". It is
my belief that "uyp-tighht" people make no evolutionary advances in
consciousness, in expansion of awarenesses, or in understanding. The morally
up-tight also do a lot of harm in the world.

alexis, MTI, FTSA