Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00296)

>You will indeed face the firing squad, sir.  How DARE you quote
>the founder of the modern Theosophical movement to a bunch of
>Theosophists?
     Ah!!!!! Decided to speak down from the heights to us poor
little deluded children, eh? I'm sure the Masters themselves
deeply appreciate your efforts ... since your morality, as
evidenced by this post, has clearly elevated itself to something
verging on their own exalted states - too bad, however, that you
won't be around much longer, as I'm sure they're about to - as
they did with Damodar - call you away from your profound (though
undoubtedly terribly frustrating) role as light-bringer to the
donkeys and into their arms in the Himalayas. A letter is
probably materializing right now in your foyer. [Hey! Eldon! ...
remember that line about "passive-aggressive condescension" that
you found so unfair? This post is exactly the attitude I was
talkin' about ... and if you look up the meaning of the words
passive-aggressive, and condescending, I think you'll find they
are the correct words to use, yes?]

>Regardless of the fact that HPB's private life was in fact the
>paragon of virtue; regardless of the fact that her Masters time
>and time again attempted to inculcate ethics (and yes MORALS) to
>their Eastern and Western students; regardless of the fact that
>Theosophy has called to itself some of the wisest and purest
>people on the planet -- what's that to us?
     HPB swore like a longshoreman, fought in war (that is, a
place where one *kills* other people), and did all sorts of stuff
that to *her contemporaries* were anything but the actions of a
"paragon of virtue". I *do* personally believe she was deeply
moral ... but it was not the morals of surface appearance,
rather, the morals of *intent*. And she *never* lorded her morals
over others. What a lot of Theosophists may be quite sick of -
and may be behind the posts you have apparently decided to
descend from your lofty perch to reprimand - comes about when we
enter into discussions of what Theosophy *as an organization* is.
And often those who speak most about being morally upright have
terribly deep dark sides, while those who never mention the word
may be - at the level of *intent* - the most deeply "moral"
people around. Would *you* care to claim that *you* know who is
"moral" on this list and who is not?

>We who are free of all such silly constraints?
     We who claim the right to decide *for ourselves* what the
nature and expression of the ethics discussed in Theosophical
writings are composed of; and who consider the question to be
between ourselves and our innermost natures, and not subject to
the *opinions* of other Theosophists.

>We who are gods beyond all compare?
     We who don't simply fall to our knees when someone cops an
attitude of authority.

>We who have already attained the goal and have no need of
>guidance?
     We who don't just accept the preaching of anyone who
believes they have achieved some sort of wisdom because they've read the
same books we've read to be a source of the guidance we'd like.

>We who bray like donkeys at the mere mention of RULES and VOWS
>and MORALITY?
     We who laugh like children when one of the kids in the
sandbox stands up, puts the bucket on his head as a crown, holds
the plastic shovel as a scepter, and pretends to be king.
     Probably virtually everyone on this list, were they to *meet
an Adept* and have a vow requested of them, would take it; were
that Adept to speak to them about the glitches in their moral
stature, would listen; were that Adept to agree to teach them
something, but requires rules for the safety of the student ...
would agree to the rules.
     But the TS *is not a mystery school*. To whom should vows be
taken? The likes of Radha? Whose rules should we follow? John
Algeo's? What code of morality should we attempt to strive for
.. *the one demonstrated by the intentions in your post*?
     What *is* laughed at on this list, refreshingly enough, and
what it would have been good for the TS to laugh at all along, is
the mention of RULES and VOWS and MORALITY by pompous twits who
mouth the words the Masters have spoken, but have nowhere near
the spiritual stature to do so; who get some power in the
organization, and believe that gives them the authority to behave
as though they are Masters and the membership is composed of
Chelas; who believe the height they've risen to is measured by
the number of people they *look down upon* - and conclude they
must be quite high, as they are able to dismiss almost the entire
human race as being out for nothing but "cheap thrills", and
clearly not "ready" for the hidden wisdom they are acquiring.
Wonderfully enough, there are even those who not only consider
humanity to be beneath them, but even most other Theosophists.
     This attitude may actually work in some places ... and with
some people ... it may even get you a following of earnest
"students" ... but on this list, putting on the plastic bucket
and waving a shovel around will get you little other than a face
full of sand ... if people can stop laughing long enough to throw
it.
                         eeee ahhhh eeee ahhhh eeee ahhh,  -JRC