Theos-Talk Archives (December 1997 Message tl00013)

SUNY Press has just released another major work in its Western
Esoteric Traditions series, New Age Religion and Western
Culturer: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought by
Wouter J. Hanegraaff.  The author is a Research Fellow at the
Department for the Study of Religions at Utrecht University,
the Netherlands.  I've just started it, finding quite thorough
coverage of Cayce and Blavatsky, but can't comment on it
overall except to say that it appears magisterial.  A
comprehensive study that all New Agers, esotericists,
Theosophists, etc. will benefit by studying carefully.  One
nugget I want to share immediately is on page 453:

"Karl R.H. Frick has called attention to an article by the
sinologist Giovanni Hoffman, who points to the teachings of a
Taoist of the fourth century named Ly-tzyn, or Dzyan in
Tibetan.  His book, Yu-Fu-King or "The Book of Secret
Correspondences," was published in Florence in 1878.  It seems
probable that Blavatsky knew the contents of this book but
incorrectly interpreted its contents as Vedic."

Turns out Frick wrote in the 1970s and Hoffman in 1908 (in The
Theosophist!).  Hanegraaff is mistaken in thinking that HPB
presents the Stanzas as Vedic, since she presents them rather
as older than that and in a different language.  But it would
be interesting to see this Yu-Fu-King and check out any
parallels to the Stanzas.  Wonder if it was translated into
Italian, or just what this publication in Florence was.  Will
check it out.