Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00339)

Eldon wrote:

> >This statement of Rich's is important, something that we overlook
> >far too often. The idea of "universal brotherhood", under whatever
> >sanitized words we want to call it, *is a doctrine*.
	No, on this I *strongly* disagree. It is not a doctrine (at
as it is used in Theosophical circles), it is a *goal*, an "Object".

> >As far as doctrines go, it is not any more supreme than any of
> >the others. It can, though, be discussed in as great a depth as
> >any of the others, going from superficial, casual descriptions
> >into views that are profoundly occult.
	In *the Theosophy of the Adepts*, it *IS* most definately
"more supreme" - it is what they *continually* stressed ... whenever
anyone, from Sinnet to Hume to HPB herself, wished to make Theosophy
into a study of "doctrines", or the initial practices of some sort
of practical occult development, they always responded by saying
that any such things had to be pursued with the understanding that
it was not to be at the *expense* of the work of Universal
Brotherhood, and indeed that it was only to further the service of
that work that such secondary studies were to be pursued.
	You may evaluate it - for yourself - as being a "doctrine", the
understanding of which is of no greater or lesser importance than the
understanding of karma, or the races and rounds, but that is most
assuredly not how the Adepts evaluated it (at least, if the ML can be
taken as a sign of the importance they put on it), and in fact the ML are
full of the seemingly almost continual frustration at not being able to
get people to understand this (or to even take it seriously).
	Were someone (say Sinnet) to have actually *asked* the Adepts
"What is the *single* idea you'd most like the western world to
understand as the result of Theosophical work?" - what do you think they
would have answered? Karma? The particular "round" the earth is in? I
believe they were quite clear, in numerous places, about the privileged
position of "Universal Brotherhood".
	It was not presented as simply one of many "doctrines" ... it
was presented as a spiritual truth, who's manifestation and incarnation
in human civilization they considered the single most important mission
for the Theosophical Society. They did not say that study groups intended
to examine occult philosophy, anthro or cosmo genesis, or even to pursue
occult "development" were not appropriate activities within the larger
Theosophical umbrella, but they *did* always say these things were to be
pursued *in addition to*, not *instead of* the work of Universal
Bortherhood.
								-JRC