Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00448)

Doss:

>The strength of Theosophy has always been lack of orthodoxy and
>non requirement of any book knowledge.

The unique nature of the various theosophical groups is in that
they present a well-defined body of occult doctrines but don't
require either a belief in them nor even a study of the materials.
One can be a Fundamentalist Christian with an intense hatred of
Eastern Religions and be an accepted member even though one may
actively work against the ideas of reincarnation and karma etc.

There were many reasons for this approach. One is that western
religions need to be organized by westerners and could take
centuries to arise from the raw philosophical materials. Another
is that the materials presented are basically esoteric and one
has to as KH puts it "come to us or settle for crumbs". A
third reason was the general disrespect for Eastern thought at
Blavatsky's time where the philosophy needed to be presented as
a body of theories rather than as spiritual teachings so that
westerners would not out-of-hand reject them without reading
and considering what was in the books.

>In practice there is going to be some who cannot get out of
>their shell of screening others and grading for book knowledge
>due perhaps to long standing habit.

Or out of their shell of rejecting as 'mere book worms' those
who give serious attention to the theosophical books. The act
of rejecting the books is not necessarily a sign of spiritual
progress.

>After all any amount of orthodoxy and book knowledge is of no
>substitute for implementation of theosophical knowledge in
>our minute to minute action with the welfare of our fellow
>beings as the foundation. If all the knowledge and information
>does not aid in helping our fellow beings they are just another
>intellectual exercise satisfying the self.

Yes. We need to make the knowledge a living part of our lives
and to use it as part of a spiritual practice. The book-learning
is nothing without a *deeper study* alongside with a *living
practice*.

-- Eldon