Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00678)

Eldon quoting Rich:

Rich:

>I suspect that Krishnamurti did FAR, FAR more good after he
>left the TS than he would have been allowed to accomplish
>WITHIN it. Hmmm.

That's an important point to go "Hmmm" over. But it's not
really within versus without, but *doing the good*. If an
initial exposure to Theosophy gets us going, then we can
empower ourselves to do good things in the world. What we
do is individual, self-discovered.

One person may write a heavily cited work of scholarship;
another may write a 500-page book based upon personal
reflections and experiences. A third could learn Tibetan
and Sanskrit and search out the original religious texts
upon which the Stanzas of Dzyan are based. A fourth could
spend a number of years caring for a sick family member.
And a fifth could patiently work to setup books in
Wordperfect, unseen and unappreciated, for the benefit
of others. It's all individual.

The important thing is first to have some form of awakening,
which theosophical groups can help with, then to be of
benefit to the world, which does not require (nor preclude)
being active in a theosophical group.

Your suspicion is true, I suspect, of any group that we
can join and participate in. We could even say, as many
unsubscribers may have felt in the past:

"I suspect that XYZ did far, far more good after he left
theos-l than he would have been allowed to accomplish
within it. Humm."

-- Eldon

I think many tried to practice Bakti-yoga with Krishamurti as the guru-world
teacher-avatara.  He renounced this position and more of less said that we must
do it ourselves.  Being a guru is responsiblity not to be taken lightly and has
martyred many world teachers, I am sure.  Many practice a type of Bakti-yoga
around the personalities and even the words of past teachers.  You cannot say
anything bad about XYZ because I love XYZ because he or she makes me feel
"enlightened, uplifted, spiritual, in-the-know, special (superior?)">
    The three expressions of the one are usually termed will, love and idea
(intelligence).  Theosophy offers a lot of mental stimulation and is usually
thought to be in the jana yoga tradition.  WIlber has suggested at the end of
many of his books that at some point one must go beyond the analytical mind that
always operates so that duality appears. He had suggested that he had explored
meditation and thought it necessary to find a guru. Most on the spiritual path
have heard this many times.

But when I found out that WIlber had choosen Adi Da (John), I was in turmoil.
Some would make a type of hero out of WIlber, but he refuses to speak publically
etc. saying that he is not in the guru tradition, but the teacher tradition.
Guru in bakti-yoga becomes not a teacher, but  a tramsmitter or channel (I am
having trouble finding the word) or  link to the Godhead itself.  By sitting in
the aura of the guru, you partake of divinity and all of one's vehicles are
raised to a higher vibration, I am told.  It doesn't matter if it is true, just
the devotee's belief can make it a psychological reality for the devotee.

The guru is wisdom, love, perfection and by linking or yoking to the guru, one
can link to God.  Beauty and love cannot be anayzed- they are.  If one is
exalted by Adi Da, no one can negate that experience.  But to me, I would have
trouble accepting Adi Da and such a perfected being and wonder how Wilber could
when he seems so intellectually independent ( and therefore unconsciously
emotionally dependent),

I think Wilber's ideas have powerful implications in an attempt to put God as
"Spirit" back in science, politics, psychology and art.  He attempts to show
that evolution is not driven by matter, but by primordial Spirit.
Love is another matter and it is harder to find Love alway working throughout
history.  Love seems to require personality and even a body and so God"s image
become very human in some minds.

Blavatsky has always seemed an unlikely person to practice bakti-yoga with.
Even her ideas rarely fill me with bliss.  Does anyone practice bakti with the
SD?  Some have tried with the Masters, I presume.   I have always admired HPB
for NOT making herself President of the TS.  Real gurus renounce more than
promote.

I know that the Houston Lodge seems to want to get into a fit of "getting new
members, raising more money" or finding "really charasmatic speakers".  This
seems to be the problem more than the solution.  If we were doing what we needed
to do, we wouldn't need to get more members and make more money.  Money and
members would be there!  If people felt connected and enlightened, the we
wouldn't need, need, need.

Namaste
Keith Price