Theos-Talk Archives (February 1997 Message tl00424)

      THE ESOTERIC SCHOOL

   Members will welcome the opportunity to study the article in this issue
by our President, Mr. N. Sri Ram, on the Esoteric School. A copy of my
article "The T.S. and the E.S." had been given to Mr. Sri Ram at Salzburg
with a request for a frank criticism of it. I told Mr. Sri Ram that if any
of the information in the article was incorrect, or if any of the inferences
drawn from the facts as I understood them were not correct, we would be very
glad to draw attention to these in the next issue of the 'magazine.

   It is gratifying to learn that the pledge of obedience is no longer
required of E.S. members. This was in existence for many years and had
far-reaching effects on the policies of the Society; it was one of the
strong objections to the E.S. Some of our Canadian members have been in the
Society for many years and have personal knowledge of the conditions
described in Candles in the Sun some of which came about through the hidden
power of the E.S.

   There will doubtless be more correspondence in the magazine on the
subject of the E.S., and, if so, I hope that this will result in a
clarification of ideas for both T.S. and E.S. members alike on such matters
as the function of the E.S., the reasons for its continued existence, its
aims and objects, qualifications for joining, selection of members and other
matters not clear in our minds. The secrecy surrounding the E.S. and the
implied possession of an "esoteric" knowledge not available to non-members
have helped to create the questioning doubt with which members regard the
E.S. This is not confined to Canada, for members in other countries share
our views. It is one of our organizational problems-and it seems to me that
one way of solving it would be to give all members of the Society full and
open information regarding the E.S. and its relationship to the general
membership of the Society.

   In the report on the Salzburg Congress in the last issue of the magazine,
the growing maturity of the Society was mentioned. This was most encouraging
and augured well for the future of the Society. One bad to be at Salzburg
and listen teethe lectures and take part in the discussions to feel the new
questing spirit and to realize what a significant change had occurred in the
past thirty years. Apparently changes have also occurred in the E.S.
organization. Mr. Sri Ram's emphasis on independence of thought, the
self-responsibility of members to exercise their own judgment, applies to
all members, T.S. and E.S. alike. The continuation of the E.S. organization
depends upon the E.S. members, as the T.S. members have no control over it.
We must rely upon the unquestioned good faith of these members to decide
whether in the interest of the Society this separateÄand
separating-organization  should continue in existence.

-- D.W.Barr

PS: Mr. Sri Ram's article is in posted as a separate message.

[excerpted from the Canadian Theosophist, Nov-Dec 1966]