Teachings of Theosophy. Theosophy - what is it in the modern world? Teachings of Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society

Theosophy(from the Greek thes - god and sopha - wisdom, knowledge) - this is a religious mystical knowledge of God through direct communication with the deity. This teaching relies on subjective mystical experience, but at the same time sets it out in the form of a connected system. It appeared in the 2nd century AD, thanks to the Neoplatonists Ammonius Sakkas and his students, whose goal was to try on all religions, approving universal principle and a general system of ethics based on eternal truths.

Theosophy includes Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism.

This doctrine was most famous thanks to the Russian writer H. P. Blavatsky and her followers. It was formed under the influence of a number of religious and philosophical concepts of Brahmanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, as well as occultism and Gnosticism.

Blavatsky aspired combine various religious trends into one universal through the disclosure of the similarity of all religions. She showed the unity of all teachings, and on the basis of this she created her own doctrine, which was free from any one dogma.

The purpose of this teaching was the achievement of supernatural abilities by man and the achievement of occult knowledge. Thereby spiritual evolution took place.

To spread this knowledge and create the core of a united brotherhood Blavatsky and colonel Olcott founded in 1875 Theosophical Society in New York in 1875. This society was engaged not only in a comparative analysis of all religious teachings, but also in the study of the hidden laws of nature and human abilities.

The activity of the society was so popular that it spread very quickly in America and Europe, and in 1882 the center was moved to India.

Theosophy actually bears witness to the crisis that is taking place in all religious teachings. "Universal religion" was supposed to be a kind of replacement for all of them.

At the same time, Blavatsky's theosophy does not reject any of the religions, it offers to learn from them, to enrich one's ideas about them.

According to Blavatsky's theosophy, the universe came into being through the impersonal Absolute. Man is thus a reflection of the manifested Absolute, and he is identical to Him. She considers the Law of Karma to be the basic Law from which all the rest follow.

Blavatsky said that there is no religion higher than Truth. This doctrine became the motto of the Theosophical Society.

A distinctive feature of Blavatsky's Theosophy from religion is that religion is based on faith in authority and superstition, and theosophy on conviction and intuition.

Blavatsky wrote:

"Man finds his Higher Self:

• listening to the voice of one's own conscience;
• perceiving signals from your Higher Self;
• developing your intuition;
• meditating;
• studying the principles of the Wisdom Religion;
• finding harmony with Nature;
• orienting one's essence on the path of virtue;
• objectively contemplating the events of everyday life.

Blavatsky attached more value Law of the Universal Brotherhood: "We are all whole in universal unity. We are sparks of one flame. Fingers of one hand. We are one on all other levels. We should:

• understand our community;
• reunite in a burst of brotherly love, altruism and compassion;
• do not diminish efforts to comprehend our Higher Self,
• and be guided by its principles.

The teachings of Blavatsky's theosophy had a huge impact on the worldview of Mahatma Gandhi, E.I. Roerich and N.K. Roerich, Gurdjieff, V. Solovyov and others.

Theosophy it is more than religion. It's religion and science at the same time because he studies the mysteries of the universe through the study of the inner man, since God is within him. And through this core inside a person there is an exit to Infinity.

Theosophy (other Greek θεοσοφία "divine wisdom") - the theoretical part of the occult and the occult movement; in the broad sense of the word - mystical knowledge of God, the contemplation of God, in the light of which the mysterious knowledge of all things is revealed. Theosophy as a concept is rooted in Gnosticism and Neoplatonism. In a narrower sense, theosophy refers to the teachings of H. P. Blavatsky. In the 1970s and 1980s, the New Age movement emerged among Theosophical groups.

Modern theosophy borrowed some concepts and terms from Buddhism. The Theosophical Society became the organization that in 1875 assumed the responsibility of introducing the teachings of the Buddha (at least as the Theosophists understood it) to the large public of Europe and America. The Buddhist Catechism, published in 1881 by the founding president of the Theosophical Society, H. S. Olcott, was approved by the learned monks of Sri Lanka.

Christianity and modern Theosophy, during the entire period after the formation of the Theosophical Society, had a difficult and sometimes bad relationship. For most Western Theosophists, Christianity was the religion in which they were born and raised, but many of them came to Theosophy through a process of study and even opposition to the Christian faith. According to Professor Ellwood, "the cause of controversy lay in Theosophy itself."

The Theosophy of Blavatsky is classified by well-known representatives of Western philosophy as a "pantheistic religious-philosophical system".

Theosophy of Blavatsky has had, according to the studies of literary and religious scholars, a certain influence on modern fiction, in particular, on such varieties of genre literature as fantasy and science fiction. According to researchers, Theosophy significantly influenced the "Irish literary renaissance" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, judging by such representatives as William Butler Yeats and George William Russell.

- (from the Greek theos God, sophia wisdom) in a broad sense, intuitive mystical knowledge of God, the contemplation of God, in the light of which the mysterious knowledge of all things is revealed. K. T. include the teachings of Plotinus, the Gnostics, John Scotus Eriugena, J. Boehme, E ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

- (Greek, from Theos God, and sophos the wise). 1) a science that has a claim to teach to communicate directly with God; ghost vision. 2) the general name of all mystical teachings. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Anthroposophy Dictionary of Russian synonyms. theosophy n., number of synonyms: 1 anthroposophy (1) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin ... Synonym dictionary

theosophy- and, well. theosophie f. , cf. lat. theosphia. Religious philosophical and mystical doctrine of the comprehension of the deity through revelation and the possibility of direct communication with the other world. ALS 1. She went into this... what is it called? .. in… … Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

theosophy- (wrong theosophy). Pronounced [theosophy] ... Dictionary of pronunciation and stress difficulties in modern Russian

- (from the Greek theos God and sophia wisdom), 1) in a broad sense, any mystical teaching that claims to reveal special divine secrets. 2) The mystical doctrine of H.P. Blavatsky and her followers, the connection of the mysticism of Buddhism and others ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

- (from the Greek theos God and sophia wisdom) ..1) in a broad sense, any mystical teaching that claims to reveal special divine secrets2)] The mystical doctrine of H. P. Blavatsky and her followers is a combination of the mystics of Buddhism and other Eastern ... ... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Greek theos God and sorhia wisdom, knowledge) (1) the doctrine of the knowledge of God (in contrast to theology based on the idea of ​​revelation and the dogmas of the church), based on non-confessional esoteric experience. T. includes gnosticism, hermeticism, ... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

THEOSOPHY, theosophy, pl. no, female (from Greek theos god and sophia wisdom). Religious-philosophical mystical doctrine, which claims that in the mystical experience of communication with the so-called. the other world reveals the inner meaning of all religions. Explanatory ... ... Dictionary Ushakov

THEOSOPHY, and, fem. The doctrine of the possibility of direct comprehension of divine secrets and communication with the other world. | adj. theosophical, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

Books

• Theosophy and the New Psychology, Anna Besant Category: Esoteric Knowledge Series: Classics of Spiritual Thought Publisher: Amrita,
• Theosophy and the New Psychology , Annie Besant , Lectures by Annie Besant, a well-known writer and theosophist, combine the New Psychology and Theosophy for a reason. Theosophy owns the theory of life and consciousness, based on coming from the depths of centuries ... Category: Esoteric Series: Classics of Spiritual Thought Publisher:

The communication of people (esotericists or not) is not tied to the topos. To the chronos, yes.
The Internet, as an artificial space, distorts real communication very much.
The benefit has an undeniable trump card (and by the way the reason for its existence, as for me) is freedom and irresponsibility (impunity).
And the transition to personality or aggression. nothing more than a defense of a non-existent weakness.
God made man powerful (able to be able),
the latter, losing one way or another "primacy" begins to fight for its "absence".
Truth is like public transport: everyone uses and no one appreciates

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You didn’t fight a damn thing either in religions or in the chatter around religion (the so-called “theosophy”)! Only, having made a smart face, invented a slippery terminology (In "theosophy") and twist it around your finger ... And arrogantly say "There is no religion higher than truth." But in fact, you continue to do your dirty work - MASS DECEPTION OF THE POPULATION OF THE EARTH!

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I agree 100% with Origen and Ganga, this is not only interesting, but 100% true

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Dear?

SPIRITUALITY of people's life process is THREE triune processes:
the first one, let it be your divine, or is it just the spirituality of people in terms of the RULES of life of the earthly society of the universal and MIND............
the second process is atheistic or is it just scientific knowledge of people about the RULES of people's lives both in the material, and in the social, and in the spiritual world and on the earth, and in society and in the universe ................
the third process of people's spirituality is SATANIC or the work of negative energy and people, and society, and the universe, etc............

Well, or so it is the work of three triune principles in people's lives - good, indifference, evil ..............

well, etc. according to the scheme..............

and you're cute just BREAKING.......

and I give Russian philosophy in modern scientific language..................

This methodology is outlined in my new book - Fundamentals of the Methodology of the Russian School of Economics. / V.M. Chefonov - Irkutsk: BSUEP Publishing House, 2011. - 247p.
ISBN 978-5-7253-2330-6

Please let me know if you are interested in the topic.

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Interesting article

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Completely for

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The Human Being consists of 4 Psychic Essences of varying degrees of rationality, independent and at the same time all of them are one whole...
1. Monad (will, activity, wisdom).
2. Spiritual Triad (spiritual will, intuition, higher mind).
3. Spiritual Soul (3 permanent atoms: mental, astral, physical).
4. Earthly Personality (mental body, astral body, physical-etheric body).
Only the Personality dies on the physical plane of being. All other Psychic Essences are relatively immortal (relative to human thinking)...
For comparison: the Spiritual Soul is about 1 million times smarter than the Personality, and so on up..

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It is quite interesting to learn everything new and new, especially what is connected with some kind of mystical. I thought about the motto for a long time .. there is no religion higher than truth ..... why this one? Theosophy can give the truth knowing all religions? Blavatsky was interested in her life and all this ..

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Why are all people so different?... Yes, because when semi-animal people evolved into the 4th kingdom of nature in the HUMAN KINGDOM - this process of evolutionary transition lasted millions of years and was uneven: some groups became people earlier than others... That's why Today we are all so different! And this difference necessarily affects the personal perception of the world and God... Man incarnates on earth 777 times. The first 700 incarnations, and this is 85% of the population of the earth, these people are still spiritually below average. The second - 70 incarnations - is the entire world intelligentsia. And the last 7 incarnations are all the geniuses of mankind, Saints and Initiates of various spiritual degrees...
It is the number of incarnations that determines the spiritual personal evolutionary status of a person. The physical cells of the brain are able to perceive information-energy only within a specific incarnation.

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Therefore, even during her lifetime H.P. Blavatsky warned: the greatest harm to world theosophy will be brought by THEOSOPHERS THEMSELVES - who have not yet got rid of personal pride ... Most often on the Internet, on the so-called theosophical and esoteric sites, "theorists" are in the lead the main problem which - in the future to creatively rework the whole theory into a specific practical spiritual practice - into disinterested service to people. You can sit for days in meditation, you can stuff your head to the top with various esoteric theories - all this is nothing, in comparison with spiritual disinterested work among the people around you - practice !!!
Theoretically savvy Personalities are of little use to the Teachers of the Spiritual Hierarchy - Teachers do not deal with personalities at all.

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There is practically no single theosophical Society on the scale of Russia today. The main fault is that all communication of today's theosophists both in real life and on the Internet follows the path of communication of Personalities, and not of Spiritual Souls. And Personalities are filled with personal ambitions and pride. In practice, today's theosophists only boast of bookish theoretical personal knowledge to each other, and only ... Of course, we are talking only about exotericism; because no one will ever expose personal esoteric knowledge to the public - it is forbidden by an occult oath. Those who know this will understand... It is also strictly forbidden to speak out in public about personal esoteric energy practices. So it remains only to boast in front of each other: who is smarter and more well-read. True esotericists "communicate" on the subjective side of Life, in another dimension.

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All right! And a personality is a persona, in contrast to the Conscious Active Creative Individuality (I Am). Among the esotericists of the Earth, there are only a few of them! I don’t consider myself one of them either, but I came across such a thing - when you point out to a person - a modern esotericist to a clear gap in his teaching or illusory nature, all followers immediately become personal and don’t even bother to answer, just like a flock attack and sink to a lower level plinths in their insults! I lived in seclusion for a long time, although I wrote books, but I went online and was horrified. Answers to remarks of two kinds - either insults, or - like you are not given to understand, or in one manner - I wish you love and peace, etc. There is no one to talk to on the Internet! Even in esotericism - everything is purely in Russian! It seems to me that there are not enough conferences and open speeches, so illusory delusional teachings like Goch and Grabovoi are multiplying, but there is no evidence.

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Dear Ganga, if you don't mind, we could talk to you.
I leave my e-mail for you [email protected]
With sincerity and respect to you.

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Dear Ganga, good night! How can I read your book or books!? If I may. [email protected]

Dictionaries

THEOSOPHY(Greek) Wisdom Religion or "Divine Wisdom". The essence and foundation of all world religions and philosophies, taught and practiced by a select few since man became a thinking being. In practical application, Theosophy is purely divine ethics; the definitions given to it in dictionaries are simply nonsense, nonsense based on religious superstition and ignorance of the true spirit of the early Rosicrucians and the medieval philosophers who called themselves Theosophists.

Source: Blavatsky H.P. - Theosophical Dictionary

Theosophy(Greek) Literally, "divine wisdom or the wisdom of the gods."

Secret Doctrine

Is not Theosophy a new religion, we are asked? In no case; it is not a "religion", nor is its philosophy "new", for, as has already been said, this teaching is as old as a thinking person. Its provisions are now published for the first time, but more than once they have been cautiously given out and have even been expounded more than once by European initiates - especially by the late Ragon.

Every reader will inevitably judge the statements made from the point of view of his knowledge, his experience and consciousness, basing his judgment on what is already known to him.

Theo-philosophy develops in broader lines. From the very beginning of the aeons - in time and space, in our Circle and the Planet - the secrets of Nature (at least those that it is lawful for our Races to know) have been imprinted in geometric figures and symbols by the disciples, the same now invisible "Heavenly Men" . The keys to them passed from one generation of "Wise Men" to another. Some of the symbols thus passed from the East to the West, brought from the East by Pythagoras, who was not the inventor of his famous "Triangle". The last figure, together with the square and the circle, is a more eloquent and scientific description of the order of evolution of the Universe, spiritual and psychic as well as physical, than the volumes of descriptive Cosmogonies and revelations of the Geneses.

Key to Theosophy

Asking. Theosophy and its teachings are often called the newfangled religion. Is it religion?

Theosophist. No. Theosophy is Divine Knowledge or Science.

Asking. What is the true meaning of this term?

Theosophist. This is "Divine Wisdom", θεοσοφία (Theosophy) or the wisdom of the gods, as Θεογονία (Theogony) is the genealogy of the gods. The word θεοσ in Greek means "god", one of the divine beings, but certainly not "God" in the sense given to it today. Therefore, it is not "the wisdom of God," as some translate, but divine wisdom- such as the gods have. This term is many thousands of years old.

Asking. What is the origin of this name?

Theosophist. It came to us from the Alexandrian philosophers, who were called "lovers of the truth", philalethes, from "phil" - "loving", and "aletheia" - "truth". The word "theosophy" dates from the third century AD, and was introduced into use by Ammonius Saccos and his disciples, who laid the foundation for the eclectic theosophical system.

Asking. What was the purpose of this system?

Theosophist. First, to impress upon the disciples and all "lovers of the truth" some great moral truths. Hence the motto adopted by the Theosophical Society - "There is no religion higher than truth." The main goal of the founders of the eclectic theosophical school was one of the three goals of their modern follower - the Theosophical Society, namely, to reconcile all religions, sects and nations with a common system of ethics based on eternal truths.

The ancient Theosophists asserted - and this is what modern ones say - that the infinite cannot be known by the finite - that is, perceived by a finite being - but that the divine essence can be transferred to the higher Spiritual Self in an ecstatic state. This state, unlike hypnotic, is hardly achievable by "physical and chemical means".

It is as old as the world in its doctrine and ethics, if not in name, and is also the broadest and most comprehensive system of all.

For the mystics, true theosophy is the state that Apollonius of Tyana was forced to describe as follows: "I can see the present and the future as in a clear mirror. The wise need not expect either the evaporation of the earth or the corruption of the air to foresee events ... Qeoi, or the gods see the future, ordinary people see the present, the wise see what is about to happen." That "theosophy of the wise" of which he speaks is well expressed in the statement "The kingdom of God is within us."

We believe that in ancient times there were nations just as cultured and certainly ahead of us in spiritually. But there are several reasons for this self-imposed ignorance. One of them was discovered by St. Paul to the cultural inhabitants of Athens - this is the loss for many centuries of real spiritual insight, and even interest, due to their too strong attachment to the objects of the senses and long slavery to the dead letter of dogmas and rituals. But the main reason is that true Theosophy has always been kept secret.

Asking. You have provided evidence that such secrecy existed, but what are its true reasons?

Theosophist. Its reasons are as follows: Firstly, the perversion of ordinary human nature, its selfishness, always striving for satisfaction personal desires to the detriment of their neighbors and relatives. These people can never be trusted. divine secrets. Secondly, their inability to keep sacred and divine knowledge from profanation. It was the latter that led to the perversion of the most sublime truths and symbols and the gradual transformation of the spiritual into the anthropomorphic, concrete and reduced to rough images - in other words, to belittling the idea of ​​the divine and to idolatry.

Asking. What is the difference between Buddhism, the religion founded by Prince Kapilavastu, and Buddhism, "teaching of wisdom," which you say is synonymous with Theosophy?

Theosophist. In the same, what is the difference between the secret teachings of Christ, which were called "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven", and later ritualism and dogmatic theology of the church and sects. "Buddha" means enlightened bodhi, or insight, wisdom. It has roots and branches in the esoteric teachings that Gautama passed on only to his chosen arhats.

Asking. But isn't the ethics of Theosophy identical with that taught by the Buddha?

Theosophist. Of course, because this ethics is the soul of the Religion of Wisdom, and was once the common property of the initiates of all peoples. But the Buddha was the first to include this sublime ethics in his public teachings, and made it the foundation and very essence of his public system. This is the great difference between exoteric Buddhism and any other religion. For while in other religions the first and most important place is occupied by ritual and dogma, in Buddhism it has always been the most insisted on ethics. This explains the similarity between the ethics of Theosophy and the ethics of the religion of the Buddha, reaching almost to the point of identity.

Asking. Are there any points where there are significant differences?

Theosophist. One of the great differences between Theosophy and Exoteric Buddhism is that the latter, represented by its southern school, completely denies: a) the existence of any deities; and b) any conscious life after death, or even any self-conscious individuality retained in man. At least, this is the teaching of the Thai sect, which is now considered the purest form of exoteric Buddhism. And this is so, if we consider only the public teachings of the Buddha; the reason for this restraint on his part I will explain later. But the northern Buddhist schools, established in those countries where the initiated arhats withdrew after the death of their Master, teach all that is now called theosophical doctrines, because they form part of the knowledge of the initiated - thus proving that the overzealous orthodoxy of southern Buddhism has sacrificed truth for the dead. letters. But how much more majestic and noble, more scientific and philosophical is this teaching, even in its dead letter, compared to any other church or religion! And yet, Theosophy is not Buddhism.

Asking. In that case, your teachings are neither a revival of Buddhism nor a complete copy of Neoplatonic Theosophy?

Theosophist. Are not. But to these questions I cannot give a better answer than a quotation from the talk "Theosophy" delivered by Dr. J. D. Buck, F.S., at the last Theosophical Convention in Chicago, America (April, 1889). No living Theosophist has better expressed the true essence of Theosophy than our dear friend Dr. Buck:

"The Theosophical Society was organized for the purpose of spreading the Theosophical teaching and encouraging a way of life corresponding to it. The present Theosophical Society is not the first of its kind. I have a book entitled: The Theosophical Protocols of the Philadelphian Society, published in London in 1697, and another , with the following title: "Introduction to Theosophy, or the Science of the Mystery of Christ, that is, of Deity, Nature, and Creation, embracing the philosophy of all active forces of life, magical and spiritual, and giving practical guidance to achieve the highest purity, holiness and gospel perfection; and also on the attainment of divine vision and the sacred angelic arts, possibilities and other advantages of rebirth," published in London in 1855. Here is the dedication of this book:

"To the students of the universities, colleges, and schools of Christendom; to the professors of metaphysics, mechanics, and natural sciences in all forms; educated men and women of the fundamental orthodox faith; deists, Arians, Unitarians, Swedenborgians and other followers of all incomplete and unfounded creeds, rationalists and skeptics of every kind; orthodox and enlightened Muslims, Jews and believers in eastern ancient religions; but especially to the preachers and missionaries of both barbarian and intellectual nations, this introduction to Theosophy, the science of the essence and mystery of all things, is dedicated with great humility and love.

The following year (1856) another book appeared, The Theosophical Collection, in 600 pages of large format in diamond type. Only 500 copies of this work were published - for free distribution to libraries and universities. These early movements, of which there were many, began within the Church by men of great piety and unblemished reputation. All these works were of orthodox form, used Christian expressions, and, like the writings of the eminent figure of the Church, William Low, from the point of view of the ordinary reader, were distinguished only by deep piety and piety. They were only attempts to extract and explain the deeper meaning and original meaning. Holy Scripture and to explain and reveal the theosophical way of life. These works soon fell into oblivion and are now virtually unknown. They tried to reform the clergy and revive true piety, and were never welcomed. One word "heresy" was enough to bury them along with all other similar utopias. During the Reformation, Johann Reuchlin made a similar attempt, and with the same result, although he was a close and trusted friend of Luther. The Orthodox have never wanted to be instructed and enlightened. The reformers were told, just as Festus told Paul, that too much learning had driven them to madness and that it would be dangerous to go any further. If we leave aside the terminology, which was partly the result of the habit and education of these authors, and partly the result of religious restrictions imposed through secular power, and turn to the essence of these works, then they were in the strictest sense theosophical and concerned exclusively with the knowledge of man of his own nature and the higher life of the soul. The current theosophical movement has sometimes been denounced as an attempt to convert Christendom to Buddhism, which simply means that the word "heresy" has lost its fearsome meaning and power. Individuals at all times have more or less correctly understood the Theosophical teaching and weaved it into the fabric of their lives. This teaching is not exclusive to any religion, and is not limited to any particular society or time. By birthright, it belongs to every human soul. Such a thing as a symbol of faith, everyone must choose for himself, in accordance with his nature, needs and various life experiences. That is why those who represented Theosophy as a new religion hunted in vain for its creed and ritual. Its creed is loyalty to Truth, and its ritual is "to honor every truth by its application."

How little this principle of Universal Brotherhood is understood by the masses of mankind, and how seldom its supreme importance is recognized, may be seen from the variety of opinions and fictitious interpretations concerning the Theosophical Society. This Society was founded on a single principle, the essential brotherhood of man, as here briefly described and imperfectly stated. It has been attacked as Buddhist and anti-Christian, as if it could be both, while both Buddhism and Christianity, from the moment of their inception by inspired founders, proclaim brotherhood as the only fundamentally important part of doctrine and life. Theosophy was also seen as something new under the sun, or at best an old mysticism masquerading under a new name. And while it is true that many Societies based on the principles of altruism or brotherhood, and their support, have gone by different names, it is also true that many have been called Theosophical, and their principles and aims were the same as those of the modern Theosophical Society. In these societies, the essence of the teaching was the same, and everything else was accidental, although this does not change the fact that many people are attracted by superficial particulars and do not notice or ignore the essence of the teaching.

It is impossible to give a clearer and clearer answer to your question than that given by this man, who is one of our most sincere and highly valued Theosophists.

Asking. In this case, what system, other than Buddhist ethics, do you prefer or follow?

Theosophist. None - and all. Specifically, we do not adhere to any religion, as well as philosophy - we select the good that we find in each. But here, again, it must be stated that, like all other ancient systems, Theosophy is divided into exoteric and esoteric.

Theosophist. In no way - not even in the sense of a new and immediate revelation from some higher, supernatural, or at least superhuman creatures; but only in the sense of "removing the veil" from old, very old truths for minds that were previously ignorant of them, and did not even know about the very existence and preservation of this ancient knowledge.

Asking. You spoke about "persecution". If theosophy presents truth as it is, why is it met with such resistance and not universal acceptance?

Theosophist. Again, for many different reasons, one of which is people's hatred of "innovations" as they call it. Selfishness is inherently conservative and hates to be disturbed. He will prefer a accommodating, undemanding False the greatest truth, if the latter requires sacrificing at least a modicum of comfort. The power of mental inertia is enormous, unless something promises immediate benefit and reward. Our age is to an outstanding degree unspiritual and prosaic. Added to this is the unfamiliar nature of the Theosophical teachings and the complex nature of the doctrines, some of which directly contradict many of the human prejudices cherished by the sectarians and eaten into the very core of popular beliefs. If we add to this the personal effort and high purity of life required of those who would like to become disciples internal circle, as well as a very limited number of those who are ready to follow our rules, which require complete disinterestedness, it will become clear why Theosophy is doomed to such a slow progress and such a difficult ascent. In fact, this is a philosophy only for those who have suffered in the quagmire of life and have lost all hope of getting out of there in any other way. Moreover, the history of any system of faith or morality, first planted on unfamiliar soil, shows that its first sprouts met all the obstacles that obscurantism and selfishness could only cause. Truly, "the crown of an innovator is a crown of thorns!" The destruction of old, bug-eaten buildings is never without some danger.

And I declare, openly and fearlessly, that the perversity of this [Modern Christian (ed.)] doctrine, like many others, can eradicate only theosophy.

Asking. How?

Theosophist. Simply by demonstrating the logical, philosophical, metaphysical and even scientific reasons that: a) The origin of all people, both spiritually and physically, is the same, which is the fundamental position of Theosophy; b) Since humanity is essentially one, and this essence of it is one - infinite, uncreated and eternal, whether we call it God or Nature - nothing, therefore, can affect one nation or one person without affecting all other nations and all other people. This is just as sure and obvious as the fact that a stone thrown into a pond, sooner or later, will set in motion every drop of water in it.

Asking. But how does Theosophy explain the common origin of all men?

Theosophist. The doctrine that root of all Nature, objective and subjective, and everything that exists in the Universe at all, visible or invisible, was, is and always will be forever one absolute essence, from which everything emanates and to which everything returns. This is Aryan philosophy, fully represented only in the systems of the Vedantists and Buddhists. In view of our first object, it is the duty of all Theosophists, by whatever means practicable, in all countries, to promote the spread of non-sectarian education.

Asking. But Theosophy, as you say, is not a religion?

Theosophist. Of course not, for it is the essence of all religions and absolute truth, one drop of which is the basis of every creed. To use the metaphor again, on earth Theosophy is like a ray of white light, and each religion is only one of the seven colors of the spectrum. Ignoring all the others, condemning them as false, each individual color ray thus proclaims not only its primacy, but also claims to be it. the same white light, anathematizing even their own shades, from light to dark, as heretical. Yet, as the sun of truth rises higher and higher above the horizon of human perception, each colored ray gradually fades until it is completely reabsorbed; mankind will be freed from the curse of going to extremes and will finally find themselves bathed in pure, uncolored sunlight eternal truth. This will be theosophy.

Asking. So you are saying that all the great religions are descended from Theosophy, and that it is by assimilating them that the world will finally be saved from the curse of its great illusions and delusions?

Theosophist. Exactly. And we add that the Theosophical Society is but a modest seed which, if watered and allowed to live, will eventually produce the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which is grafted into the Tree of Eternal Life. For it is only by studying the various great religions and philosophies of mankind, and comparing them impartially with an unprejudiced mind, that man can hope to reach the truth. In particular, this is achieved by searching and identifying points of coincidence. And no sooner have we arrived at—whether by study or by being taught by someone who knows—their inner meaning, we will almost always find that such a point expresses some of the great truths of Nature.

Asking. But what evidence are you basing this on?

Theosophist. On the basis of what science as a whole will never accept as evidence - the body of evidence accumulated by an infinite number of seers who confirmed this fact. Their spiritual visions, the most real research, carried out both with the help of physical and spiritual perception, which was not hindered by blind flesh, were systematically tested and carefully compared, and their nature was revealed by sifting. Everything that did not find confirmation in a single collective experience was rejected, and as an established truth, only that was recorded that in different eras and in different countries, after countless observations, has been found to be true, and has been constantly further confirmed. The methods used by our scientists and researchers of the spiritual-psychic sciences, as you see, do not differ from the methods of those who are engaged in the natural and physical sciences. Only their fields of study are on two different planes, and our instruments are not made by human hands - and for this reason they can be even more hopeful. The retorts, accumulators, and microscopes of the chemist and naturalist can fail; the astronomer's telescope and chronometers may deteriorate; our research instruments are not affected by the weather or the elements.

Asking. And why do you unconditionally believe them?

Theosophist. Faith is a word not found in Theosophical dictionaries: we are talking about knowledge based on observation and experience. However, there is a difference here - while observation and experience in physical science lead scientists to the fact that the number of "working" hypotheses they have is equal to the number of minds capable of creating them, our knowledge accepts in his pantry only those facts that have become irrefutable and have received full and unconditional confirmation. We do not have two different beliefs or hypotheses on the same subject.

Asking. Before we change the subject, we need to know the whole truth about this. Now some write that your teaching is "immoral and pernicious", while others, relying on the so-called "authorities" and Orientalists, who see nothing in Indian religions except the cult of sex in different forms, accuse you of teaching a phallic cult. They say that since modern theosophy is closely connected with Eastern and especially Indian thought, it cannot be free from this coating. Sometimes they even go so far as to accuse European Theosophists of resurrecting the practices associated with this cult. How about this?

Theosophist. I have heard and read about this before, and I will answer you that more baseless and false slander has not yet been invented and spread. "A fool has bad dreams," says a Russian proverb. Your blood boils when you hear such a base accusation made without the slightest foundation, on the basis of mere assumptions. Ask hundreds of respected English men and women who have been members of the Theosophical Society for years if we have ever preached to them. immoral commandments and pernicious doctrine. open" The Secret Doctrine", and you will find that there, page after page, the Jews and other peoples are censured precisely for their adherence to phallic rituals due to the literal interpretation of natural symbolism and the grossly materialistic understanding of the dualism of nature in all exoteric creeds. Such a constant and malicious distortion of our teachings and views is truly shameful.

In conclusion, I can say that the very soul of Theosophy is against the phallic cult; and its occult or esoteric part is even more so than the exoteric teachings. There was no more false statement than the above.

Asking. But if your Society is led by such kind and wise people, then why are so many mistakes made?

Theosophist. teachers not not the Society, not even its Founders. Yes, no one has ever claimed that they are doing this - they are only watching him and protecting him. This is at least confirmed by the fact that no mistakes undermined the viability of the Society, and that neither internal strife nor the most dangerous attacks could overthrow it. Teachers look to the future, not to the present, and every mistake is just a new accumulation of wisdom for the future. Another "teacher" who sent a man with five talents did not tell him how to double them; nor did he warn the foolish servant who had buried his talent in the ground. Everyone should acquire wisdom on own experience and their merit. Christian churches who claim to have a much higher Teacher - the Holy Spirit itself - were, and are still guilty, not only of "mistakes", but also of a whole series of bloody crimes committed over the centuries. And yet, I believe, no Christian, despite all this, will deny that he believes this teachers? And this despite the fact that its existence is much more hypothetically than the existence of mahatmas, since no one has ever seen the Holy Spirit, and against the fact that he exercised leadership over the church, all church history testifies. Humans tend to make mistakes.

Asking. Tell me, what do you think the future of Theosophy will be like?

Theosophist. If you mean Theosophy, then I will answer that, as it has existed forever throughout the endless cycles of the past, so it will always exist in the infinity of the future, since Theosophy is a synonym for ETERNAL TRUTH.

Articles

According to lexicographers, the term theosophy consists of two Greek words: theos - "god" and sophia - "wisdom". Up to this point everything is correct. But the following explanation is very far from clearing up the idea of ​​Theosophy. Webster defines it in a rather original way:

"The maintenance of communion with God and the higher spirits, and the conscious attainment of superhuman knowledge by physical processes, as some of the ancient Platonists achieved it through theurgical operations, or by chemical processes. German philosophers fire."

This is a rather frivolous and, to put it mildly, disrespectful explanation. That Mr. Webster associates such names as Ammonius Sax, Plotinus, Iamblichus, Porphyry, Proclus, with such an idea, shows either a conscious distortion or ignorance of the philosophy and motives of the great geniuses of the Alexandrian School. To attribute the intention to develop one's psychological, spiritual feelings through "physical processes" to those whom both contemporaries and descendants called - "Theodidactoi" - god scientists - means to talk about them as materialists. As for the last stone thrown at the philosophers of fire, it bounces off them and hits our most famous modern scientists, into whose mouths the Review James Martineau puts the following boast: "Matter is all we need; give us atoms, and we will explain the whole universe."

Vaughan offers a much better, more philosophical definition. He says:

A Theosophist is one who gives you the theory of God or the workings of God, who did not give revelations, but breathed his foundations into himself.

Thus, every thinker and philosopher, and especially every founder of a new religion, philosophical school or sect, was already a Theosophist. Consequently, Theosophy and Theosophists have existed since the first glimpse of emerging thought led man to seek a means of expressing his own independent opinion.

Although Christian writers date the development of the eclectic theosophical system from the beginning of the third century of the Christian era, there were theosophists before it. Diogenes Laertes traces the existence of Theosophy from the era of the Ptolemaic dynasty and names its founder the Egyptian hierophant Pot-Amon. This is a Coptic name, and it means the priest of God Amun - the God of Wisdom. History shows its revival by Ammonius Sax, the founder of the Neoplatonic school. He and his disciples called themselves Philaetes, worshipers of the truth. Among the people, for their method of interpreting all sacred legends, symbolic myths and secrets by means of analogy or correspondence, so that the events that occurred in the outside world were perceived as expressing the actions and impressions of the human soul, they were called "apologists". The goal of Ammonius Sax was the reconciliation of all sects, people and nations under one faith - faith in the Supreme Pre-Eternal, Unknowable and Inexpressible Force, ruling in the universe with unshakable eternal laws. He wanted to show that the basic system of Theosophy was initially uniform in all countries in its fundamental provisions; he wanted to convince mankind to put aside disputes and strife and unite in thoughts and intentions, like the children of a common mother; wanted to cleanse the ancient religions of the slag of the subjective element, uniting and explaining them on the basis of purely philosophical principles. Consequently, along with all the philosophers of Greece, Buddhism, Vedanta, Magism or Zoroastrianism were also studied in the Eclectic Theosophical School. Hence the manifestation among the Alexandrian theosophists of such features, characteristic mainly of Buddhists and Hindus, as reverence for parents and the elderly, brotherly love for all mankind, compassion even for dumb animals. He tried all the time to establish a system of moral discipline; which would arouse in people the desire to live according to the laws of their countries, to elevate, awaken their minds by contemplating and studying the Absolute Truth; his main goal, in order to reach the hearts of all people, was, as he believed, extracting from various teachings, as from a multi-stringed instrument, one all-encompassing melody that would resonate in all hearts devoted to the truth. Hence, Theosophy is an ancient Wisdom-Religion, an esoteric doctrine that was once known in all countries that claim to be civilized. All the writers of those times depict this "Wisdom" as an emanation of the divine Principle, and a clear understanding of this is reflected in such names as the Indian Budh, the Babylonian Nabu, the Memphis Thoth and the Hercules of Greece, as well as in the names of the goddesses - Metis, Neith, Athena, the Gnostic Sophia and, moreover, the Vedas, whose name comes from the word "to know." The same definition applies to all the ancient philosophers of the East and West, the hierophants of ancient Egypt, the rishis of Ariavarta, the theodiactoes of Greece, who received knowledge of occult and divine secrets. Thus, the Merkavah of the European rabbis, the popular secular series, is a means of attainment, an outer sheath containing the highest esoteric knowledge. The magicians of Zoroaster received instructions and initiations in the caves and secret lodges of Bactria; the Egyptian and Greek hierophants uttered their aporheta, or secret formulas, and the Mysts became epoptes—prophets.

The central idea of ​​eclectic theosophy was a single Supreme Being, Unknown and Unknowable, for, as the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad asks: "How can one know the one who creates knowledge?" Her system is characterized by three distinct sections: the theory of the aforementioned Essence, and its theurgy. It is this latter science that has caused the Neoplatonists to be so misrepresented in our age of materialistic science. Essentially, theurgy is the art of using the divine powers of man to subjugate the blind forces of nature; at first the representatives of this science were called magicians - which is a corruption of the word "magician" denoting a wise or learned person - and then ridiculed. The skeptics of yesteryear would have made an incredible blunder by scoffing at the idea of ​​the phonograph and telegraph. Those who were ridiculed and called "infidels" by one generation, the next, as a rule, were revered as sages and saints.

In the Divine Essence and the nature of soul and spirit modern Theosophists believe as well as the ancients. The Diu of the Aryans is identical with the Iao of the Chaldeans, and even with the Jupiter of the less educated and philosophical part of the Romans; and likewise he is identical with Yahweh of the Samaritans, Tiu or "Tiusco" of the Normans, Duvu of the Britons, and Zeus of the Thracians. As for the Absolute Essence, the One and Omnipresent, then whether we take the teaching of the Pythagorean Greeks, the Chaldean Kabala or the philosophy of the Aryans to consider this concept, the result will be the same. The Primary Monad in the Pythagorean system, which dissolves in darkness and which is Darkness itself (for human consciousness), was put at the basis of all things; and this idea, in its entirety, we can find in the philosophical systems of Leibniz and Spinoza. Therefore, does the Theosophist agree with the Kabalah, which, speaking of Ein Soph, asks: "Who, then, can realize Him, if He is Formless and Non-existent?"; does he repeat the majestic hymn from the Rigveda:

Does he accept the Vedantic concept of Brahma, who is presented in the Upanishads as "lifeless, mindless, pure, unconscious, for Brahma is "Absolute Consciousness"; or, in the end, sharing the faith of the Swabhaviks of Nepal, he claims that there is nothing but "svabhava" (substance of nature) that exists by itself and has no Creator - any of these concepts can only lead him to pure absolute theosophy, which prompted people like Hegel, Fichte, Spinoza to continue the work of the Greek philosophers and explain the One Substance, the Deity, the All-Divine, descended from Divine Wisdom, the unknown, unknowable and inexpressible, on the basis of all ancient and modern religions, except Christianity, and Mohammedanism. but breathed in its foundations", can perceive any of the above definitions or belong to any of these religions and, nevertheless, rather, to remain within the limits of Theosophy, for it is the belief in a Deity which is ALL, which is the source of existence, an infinity which cannot be understood and realized, a universe which alone represents THIS or HIM, as some prefer to say, thereby gendering it, anthropomorphizing it, which is blasphemy. True Theosophists eschew gross materializations; they prefer the belief that, eternally remaining in itself, the Spirit of God did not want anything and did not create anything. But that which is infinite, illuminating everything, comes from the Great Center; that which creates everything visible and invisible is the Ray, which carries in itself the creative and generative forces; a ray which in turn created what the Greeks called the Macrocosmos, the kabbalistic Tikkun, or Adam Kadmon, the primordial man, the Aryan Purusha, the manifested Brahma, or the Divine Husband. Theosophists also believe in anastasis, or continuation of existence, and in transmigration (evolution), a series of soul changes that can be defended against attack and explained on strict philosophical principles, but it is only necessary to distinguish between the Vedantic paraatma (transcendental, higher soul) and jivatma (animal, conscious soul). To fully define Theosophy, we must consider it in all its aspects. The inner world is not hidden from us by impenetrable darkness. In all ages and in all countries there have been people who, with the help of the highest intuition given by theosophy, or knowledge of God, felt the things of the inner, invisible world. Hence the "samadhi", or Dhyan Yog Samadhi, of Indian ascetics; "diamonionphotism", or spiritual enlightenment, of the Neoplatonists; the "starry discourses of the soul" of the Rosicrucians, or philosophers of fire; and even the ecstatic trance of mystics and modern hypnotists and spiritualists - although different in expression, are one in essence. The search for the human divine self, so often interpreted as a personal communion with a personal God, has occupied all mystics, and it seems that belief in its existence is the same age as humanity. But each person calls it differently. So, what Plato and Plotinus called "mental work", Yogin and Shrotriya call - Vidya.

"Through reflection, self-knowledge and discipline of thought, the soul can be raised to the vision of eternal truth, goodness and beauty - the vision of God - this is epoptia," the Greeks say. Porphyry adds the following to this:

To unite the soul with the Universal Soul, a completely pure mind is needed. Through self-contemplation, chastity and purification of the body, we can approach Her and receive, while still in this state, knowledge and excellent insight.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati, who has not read either Porphyry or other Greek writers, but who has studied the Vedas to perfection, writes in his Veda Bhashya:

To achieve diksha (highest initiation) and yoga, it is necessary to be guided by the rules ... Cognizing the Universal Spirit (or God), all the diversity of the universe and the qualities (occult) of things, the soul in the human body can work the greatest miracles. Such a person (dikshita or initiate) can achieve the ability to hear and see at a great distance.

In conclusion, we will quote the words of Alfred R. Wallace, F.R.S., spiritualist and recognized naturalist, boldly and candidly stating the following:

Feels, senses, thinks only the spirit - it is he who reaches knowledge, reflects and aspires ... Very rarely there are people with such an organization that their spirit can feel independently of the bodily senses or can, partially or completely, leave its body for a while and return to it again... the spirit... communicates with the spirit more easily than with matter.

Now we can see how, passing through the millennia, the era of the gymnosophists intervened in our highly civilized age, in spite of enlightenment, and perhaps precisely because of enlightenment, which shed its radiant light both on the physical and on the psychological realm of nature.

Plotinus, a disciple of the "God-scientist" Ammonius, says that the secret gnosis, or knowledge of Theosophy, has three degrees - persuasion, study and enlightenment.

"The means or instruments of the first are feelings or sensations; the second has dialectics; the third has intuition. At the last stage, the mind is in a subordinate position; this is absolute knowledge based on the fusion of consciousness with the object of study."

Theosophy is, so to speak, the exact science of psychology; it stands in the same relation to natural, uncultivated mediumship as the knowledge of physics of Tyndall and the schoolboy.

It develops direct contemplation in a person - what Schelling called "the realization of the identification of object and subject in personality"; under the influence of knowledge of hiponoi, a person perceives divine thoughts and things as they really are and, in the end, "becomes the receiver of the Soul of the World," as Emerson beautifully put it. "I, imperfection, worship my own perfection," he says in his excellent essay on the Supreme Soul. In addition to this psychological, spiritual factor, Theosophy cultivates all branches of science and art. She is very familiar with what is commonly known as hypnosis.

Alchemy, perceived by many as a spiritual philosophy, also, like physical science, belongs to the teachings of the theosophical school.

It should be noted that neither Zoroaster, nor Buddha, nor Orpheus, nor Pythagoras, nor Confucius, nor Socrates, nor Ammonius Sax recorded anything. The reason for this is clear. Theosophy is a weapon sharpened on both sides and unfit for selfish and ignorant people. Like all ancient philosophies, it has priests in our day; but from the most ancient times to the present, her followers are few in number, and they belong to the most diverse sects and opinions.

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