Theos-Talk Archives (November 1996 Message tl00149)

THE MAHATMA LETTERS DEBATE

The extracts below are taken from "Koot Hoomi Revealed" by Arthur
Lillie of the Royal Asiatic Society, and first published in 1884.

The Mahatma Letter mentioned is Number Six in the edition published by
Trevor Barker in various editions from 1923 onward, and the quote from
it (which has been verified) is on page 24 of the third revised edition
of 1930. The letter is stated to have been received by A.P.Sinnett at
Allahabad about December 10th, 1880 - after the Kiddle Lecture.
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Because the matter has been raised on theos-l, I am posting to
to theos-l, though the discussion properly belongs on theos-roots.

AB
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Extract from Mr. Kiddle's discourse entitled The Present Outlook of
Spiritualism, delivered at Lake Pleasant camp meeting, on Sunday,
August 15th, 1880.
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[Note that Kiddle's lecture was *before* KH's letter]

"My friends, ideas rule the world, and as men's minds receive new
ideas, laying aside the old and effete, the world advances. Society
rests upon them; mighty revolutions spring from them; institutions
crumble before their onward march.  It is just as im possible to resist
their influx, when the tide comes, as to stay the progress of the tide.
...

And the agency called Spiritualism is bringing a new set of ideas
into the world - ideas on the most momentous subjects, touching man's
true position in the universe; his origin and destiny; the relation
of the mortal to the immortal; of the temporary to the Eternal; of
the finite to the Infinite; of man's deathless soul to the material
universe in which it now dwells - ideas larger, more general, more
comprehensive, recognising more fully the universal reign of law as
the expression of Divine Will, unchanging and unchangeable, in regard
to which there is only an Eternal Now, while to mortals time is past
or future, as related to their finite existence on this material plane,"
&c., &c.

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Extract from Koot Hoomi's letter to Mr. Sinnett, in The Occult World,
3rd edition, p. 102.  The first edition was published in June, 1881.
                                                         ^^^^^^^^^^
"Ideas rule the world; and as men's minds receive new ideas, laying
aside the old and effete, the world will advance, mighty revolutions
will spring from them, and even powers will crumble before their onward
march, crushed by their irresistible force.  It will be just as
impossible
to resist their influence when the time comes as to stay the progress of
the tide.  But all this will come gradually on, and before it comes we
have a duty set before us; that of sweeping away as much as possible the
dross left to us by our pious forefathers.  New ideas have to be planted
on clean places, for these ideas touch upon the most momentous subjects.
It is not physical phenomena, but these universal ideas that we study;
as to comprehend the former we have first to understand the latter.
They
touch man's true position in the universe in relation to his previous
and future births, his origin and future destiny; the relation of
the mortal to the immortal, of the temporary to the Eternal, of the
finite to the Infinite; ideas larger, grander, more comprehensive,
recognising the eternal reign of immutable law, unchanging and
unchangeable,
in regard to which there is only an Eternal Now: while to uninitiated
mortals time is past or future, as related to their finite existence
on this material speck of dirt," &c., &c.

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