Theos-Talk Archives (May 1997 Message tl00063)

        At 10:38 AM 5/6/97 -0700, compass@theosophycompany.org wrote:
>Thank you, Sveinn, for drawing our attention to the Wesak Festival and
>for the beautiful quotation.  There is much in it to dwell upon.
>
>This is also a time when many theosophists express their gratitude to
>H.P.B. in the form of White Lotus Day, the anniversary of her passing on
>May 8, 1891.  The following quotation is taken from a talk given by B.P.
>Wadia:
>
>"Arise, Awake, Seek the Great Ones, and Learn!" -- is the trumpet call
>that H.P.B. has sounded for this cycle.  Those who are heedless, not
>vigilant, inattentive, as the Buddha says in the *Dhammapada*, are
>"already dead"--in heart force, in heart life.  We need to rise, to make
>ourselves ready for that great journey, whose door, our karma opens now
>before us.  Inspired by this great example, our future choices may lead
>us far along the Path the Great Ones show.  The memory of those
>life-giving words have to be made an active reverberation in our minds
>and hearts, and then those works that we can pledge ourselves to
>sustain, become evident.  The path is an inner one.  Its disciplines
>keep us ever-expectant.  We do not knw when the Great Ones will appear,
>but, we should be ready and willing to meet Them--as H.P.B. did, and
>carry out their work for Mankind.  The charge that she has left for us
>is:  to learn, to practice, and to pass on unaltered, those great ideas
>to all who will listen.  In this way we honor her, and we honor them.
>                                                     --  B.P. Wadia
>
>                                   AUM
>

In two days it will be May 8th and I am glad you reminded us of HPB's
passing away on this day.

In many lodges in India, there is a celebration of the White Lotus Day to
remember HPB. On this day after formal addresses on the contributions of
HPB, two short passages - one from Light of Asia and the other from Bhagavat
Gita are read and usually the poor is fed on this day. Somehow from time
immemorial, in the East, all celebrations have feeding of the poor as a key
part, I think is symbolic of the fact a hungry person cannot concentrate on
sublime things when he/she is hungry.


MKR