Theos-Talk Archives (May 1999 Message tl00008)

On Sat, 01 May 1999 08:02:30 -0500 M K Ramadoss 
<ramadoss@eden.com> wrote:

> A visit to any bookstore shows that K's books out number theosophy books
> by 10-20 to 1, which seem to indicate the general interest in his
> teachings. Also I recently found out that the annual operating budget and
> net assets of the Krishnamurti Foundation in America is far larger
> compared to TSA. Further more, KFA's annual fund raising is about 3 times
> that of TSA.
It is obvious that Krishnamurti is more successful than the 
T.S. though in Dutch bookstores the amount of books  sold 
about Krishnamurti are as nothing compared to the amount of 
books sold about antroposofie (Steiner). Does that mean 
that Krishnamurti did not do his job? I do not think these 
things can be measured in numbers. 

> May be it is time to brain storm and see what can be done here and now
> before the TS organizations become extinct or put on life support.

In the Netherlands membership is actually climbing for its 
second year now. 
I feel that only a truly democratic spirit can save the 
T.S., because the complains on for instance the TI-l-list 
are mostly of that order. THere are so many beautiful and 
useful books being published on all the religions in the 
world, that it seems a shame not to be studying them. I 
feel the T.S. is not working enough in that quarter. Also 
we need to step away from leaders deciding everything. 
Spiritual work means that we search together, but not with 
differences of authority. It seems the T.S. is slow in 
practicing that, even though Krishnamurti has made us 
preach it. 
As far as my own country goes: I have no complaints even in 
that quarter. Is that democratic spirit perhaps the reason 
memberships go up again? 

It is good to discuss this, but I do think that success 
cannot be measured by numbers alone. The Buddha was content 
to do years of traveling and talking and saying: if there 
was one person that understood, I did not work in vain. The 
Mahatma's said: as long as there are three persons in the 
TS who deserve our blessing, the TS is not in vain. (well, 
they said the TS would then still be blessed by their 
attention, but I refrased it a bit). 

So, although I think it is wise to be critical of the TS 
and strive to make it better, the cup is still halffull, as 
far as I am concerned.

Katinka
----------------------
NHL Leeuwarden
hesse600@tem.nhl.nl