Theos-Talk Archives (November 1996 Message tl00003)

> >Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 01:09:06 +0300
> >From: Kay Ziatz <Kay_Ziatz@p4.f360.n5020.z2.fidonet.org>
> >Reply-To: Kay Ziatz <Kay_Ziatz@p4.f360.n5020.z2.fidonet.org>
> >Errors-To: Kay_Ziatz@p4.f360.n5020.z2.fidonet.org
> >Subject: Brotherhood & other terms
> >
> >
> > 1. English terms.
> >e>I'd say, then, keep the Sanskrit terms, and use more, when our English
> >e>equivalents are subject to misunderstanding.
> >  Exactly right. Especially when we're speaking about principles -
> >the word buddhi is sometimes translated as mind, intellegence,
> >intuition, and both rupa & arupa-manas are also translated by
> >the first two terms, altrough it's clear that these are very
> >different things. Most translations of Bhagavad-gita are useless
> >because of incorrect translations of these terms.
> >  Secondly, when speaking with ordinary people, the sanskrit terms
> >attract their attention. This is known from big experience of Soci-
> >ety for Krishna consciousness. It's important because now there's
> >many false "masters". Today i heard from a head of Moscow thosoph-
> >ists about a woman who held so called "seminars" where for 750000
> >roubles ($135) taught people that if they will live non-spiritual

	Years ago, I gave a talk on what to look for when you deal with a
"spiritual" proponent. The key items are:

	1. Do they want your money?
	2. Do they promise miracles?
	3. Do they try to take control of your conscience - directly
           or indirectly.
        4. Do they want you channel into a belief system?
        5. Do they set up themselves as somehow superior to you?

If answer to any of them is YES, just run - dont even hesitate for a minute.

I believe that no real spiritual knowledge or help is for sale. All good
things in life are free.



> > 2. Brotherhood.
> >  BTW, if someone don't likes "brotherhood", i suppose to replace it
> >by "cousinehood" - it might affect both men & women :)
> >  But i personally support the original term "brotherhood". Annie
> >Besant, who herself fighted for equal rights for women, never tried
> >to replace it by some other term.

	Knowing the personalities of HPB and Besant, I totally agree with
you. If there was even a hint of male superiority, they would not have
put up with.



> >
> > 3. El. Publishing
> >CH>In most cases, a simple read-only is sufficient.
> >CH>There are e-book programs that protect from easy copying
> >  I don't understand at all what reason is to prevent copiing the theoso-
> >phical material. Contrary, we should give a people a possibility for the
> >further widespread. If christians kept copyright on their Bible, now
> >no one should know about Christ :)

	When classics like Isis Unveiled or Secret Doctrine were written
and sold, it was not with the expectation of HPB being able to make a
living out of the authorship.

	I agree that "all" Theosophical material should be *free* for
all.


> > 5. Gays
> >BL> I find her master quite inferior to the ones who wrote THE MAHATMA
> >BL> LETTERS, at least in my opinion. By the way, I found the homophobic
> >BL> reference: ESOTERIC HEALING, particularly around page 62-64.
> >  Even Bible condemns homosexuality, so D.K. didn't invent smth. new.
> >We can accept in TS people of various sexual orientation, but "Esoteric
> >healing" is a treatise about healthy life. It's two different things -
> >if we say that meat is not a recommended meal for health, it doesn't
> >mean that we carrying on "anti-meat discrimination".

	A very reasonable approach.


> >
> >   Konstantin, 2:5020/360.4 Fidonet. Moscow, Russia, Earth.


MKRamadoss