Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00551)

Virginia writes,

> My position [VB] is that some of the more obvious results of this
> counter movement to "keep the secrets secret" are the events and
> works of people such as AB, CWL, and AAB.  What a better way to
> bury what has been revealed than to lead the leaders into a
> confusion and mish-mash of ideas.  And in the mean time what do we
> know of the ancient Vedic philososphy that HPB kept toting to
> everyone?  Almost nothing over more than a century later.  Where
> are up to date and *extensive* translations into any english or any
> other European language by anyone who has an inkling of occult
> knowledge?  Where are these works so people in the "west" can judge
> for themselves?  Any theosophists in India on this list care to
> help me out here?


This strikes me as right on, in every point it makes.  Is there nothing to
the fact that Annie Besant was first led to break her ES vows by the "guru"
Chakravarti?  And then, not surprisingly, Annie Besant turned against Mr.
Judge and the ES was split between the two of them?  The outer split in the
TS as a whole took place only months later, as charges were brought against
Mr. Judge by Olcott and AB, the two people in the world who most supported
him only a few years previously.

It was a terrible schism, and probably did more than anything to ruin
Theosophy in the eyes of the public.  The Catholics have their Jesuits, but
Indian groups have means far more subtle and effective, I suspect ...

And while it seems that the West has made enormous strides in understanding
(exoteric) Buddhism, almost NO progress has been made in Vedic studies.  The
most recent translations by Wendy Doniger just give you the text, with very
little guidance, certainly nothing occult.  What a bummer.