Theos-Talk Archives (June 1996 Message tl00839)

Here is a message which may interest many in the list.

.	...Ramadoss

In alt.theosophy, Martin Euser <euser@euronet.nl> wrote:

>Hi Y'all,

>seeing that traffic is low and number of discussions near to zero,
>I take the liberty of posting an article about the core doctrines of theosophy.
>Note that the following essay is introductory in nature.
>It does, however, provide ample food for thought, I think.
>I hope that you will find it interesting and that it stimulates discussion,
>with arguments pro or contra these doctrines (principles).

>Martin


>Here follows the essay:
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


>
>   THEOSOPHY BASICS I
>
>  "Science + Religion = Theosophy"

>   Martin Euser (euser@euronet.nl) 16 Oct 1994 writes:
>
>   Introduction

>   Did you ever wonder why there is such a big gap between science and
>   religion? Did you ever see a possibility of bridging this gap?
>
>   As a scientist and psychologist I can clearly see the narrow limits to
>   which science has confined itself. As regards religions, most of them
>   have big trouble to present a clear, consistent philosophy of life.
>   Neither of them can answer urgent ethical questions satisfactorily.
>
>   So we face the strange situation of science, claiming certain theories
>   to be a fact of life, while religion claims other visions to be true.
>
>   Now, common-sense-logic demands that there is one truth; at least we
>   cannot embrace two essentially different opinions about life and
>   nature.
>
>   In fact there is an old philosophy called Wisdom-Religion that claims
>   just to bridge this gap. Nowadays this philosophy is called Theosophy,
>   brought to the West by H.P. Blavatsky under guidance and inspiration
>   of her teachers (the Masters of Wisdom and Compassion). This will be
>   the subject of this document. At this place it will be proper to state
>   that this is not just a fancy philosophy, but, on the contrary, a
>   grand system of truths based on the spiritual visions of thousands of
>   wise men, prophets and great founders of religions through the ages.
>   This philosophy can and should be tested by all serious searchers for
>   truth. Theosophy gives some guidelines how this should be done. At the
>   end of this document this will become clearer (if not, put your
>   questions and I will discuss it). It is most certainly a practical
>   philosophy of life, what will become apparent if you apply its
>   principles to daily life.
>
>   The gap, spoken of above, has not always been there. It has grown
>   gradually, as science opposed itself to dogmatic theology.
>   Nowadays science is completely materialistic in its views.
>   Even consciousness is reduced to materialistic processes.
>   But we can already notice the vague contours of a new,
>   less materialistic science that incorporates the
>   paradigm of wholeness or the essential connectedness of all beings.
>   David Bohm was one of the pioneers in this area.
>
>   Paul Feyerabend has shown that scientific models are comparable to the
>   models of nature, pictured in the old myths of humanity. This should
>   make the sometimes arrogant people of science a little more humble.
>   They just have too many pretensions. Plato would say that
>   materialistic science can never arrive at truth, because it wholly
>   depends on what our senses tell us about the world. Instead we should
>   develop our inner sense of understanding to such a degree that we can
>   perceive the causes behind all visible phenomena. Our outer senses are
>   just a help for living on this outer plane of life.
>
>   Theosophy closes the gap between science and religion by providing the
>   knowledge of the principles of nature which can be recognized by both
>   religion and science, if properly investigated. In essence, Theosophy
>   is the core of all great religions and grand philosophies (such as
>   from Plato and Pythagoras). In its religious aspect it tells us what
>   the goal of all life is; in its philosophical aspect why things are as
>   they are. In its scientific aspect it tells us how nature works. These
>   three aspects are all interconnected and should never be seperated,
>   because seperation causes a real loss of understanding. Seperation
>   also causes science to lose its ethical basis, which is just what has
>   happened during the last centuries.
>
>   Knowledge of (esoteric) science gives tremendous responsibilities.
>   Abuse by selfish minds can cause severe disasters. That's why this
>   kind of knowledge is severely restricted from being given to humanity.
>   Of course, sometimes dangerous knowledge is discovered by scientists
>   themselves, like the secrets of nuclear energy. It has created a real
>   threat to the safety of mankind.
>
>   Well, you might ask, what knowledge is given to this world? This is
>   the subject of the next section:
>
>THE SEVEN JEWELS OF WISDOM

>   Theosophy gives an outline of universal principles, the operations of
>   which can be recognized by everybody with an open mind. Recognition of
>   these principles is possible through gradual development of the
>   faculty of understanding (by unselfish service to mankind combined
>   with esoteric study). All these principles can be found in the
>   literature of many religions, especially the mystical sections, e.g.
>   Sufism, Gnosis, ancient Kabbalah, certain parts of Buddhism,
>   Hindoeism, etc, as well in old myths.
>
>   The most important principles or truths are called:

>   "The seven jewels of wisdom".
>
>   Together, these jewels give a sublime, practical system of ethics,
>   incorporating the idea of Universal Brotherhood (the essential
>   connectedness of all beings) to be discussed more fully in a later
>   cycle of this document. These jewels can be used to build a system of
>   science, which is based on consciousness as primary factor.
>
>First Jewel

>   The first jewel concerns the doctrine of reincarnation or
>   reimbodiment.
>
>   Theosophy proceeds from a spiritual point of view. It says that
>   consciousness is prior to form or manifestation. Consciousness
>   imbodies itself periodically in a suitable form. Socrates talks about
>   this in Plato's Phaedo.
>
>   This doctrine really is the about the law of cycles. All processes in
>   nature are of a cyclic nature. There are literally hundreds of
>   examples in nature that substantiate this law. Some more examples:

>     * the seasons in nature
>     * growth of seeds, fruition, decay, death and rebirth of new seeds
>     * fever
>     * revolution of planets around the sun
>     * civilizations
>     * valencies in the periodic system of chemical elements
>     * processes of thought (a thought is born, can grow and can die..)
>       This particular example will be explained more fully in a new
>       cycle of this document, because of its special importance in
>       getting control of your life.
>
>
>
>   What looks like an unconnected bunch of examples, is in reality
>   related to each other by a process called: the analogical workings of
>   nature.
>
>Second Jewel

>   The second jewel is the old doctrine of Karma (law of cause and
>   effect) which is about the restoration of harmony after disturbances.
>
>   This law states that every action produces a reaction that is in
>   accord with the action. This law is active on all planes of being:
>   physical, psychologically and spiritually. The Christian bible has the
>   proverb: 'As ye sow, so ye shall reap', which is exactly the same
>   idea.
>
>   Karma is the universal law of justice, perceptible to the mind's eye
>   (cf. Plato). There is no other logical consistent explanation for the
>   very great differences between people than provided by this jewel of
>   wisdom and the twin doctrine of reincarnation. It also is the most
>   dificult principle to grasp, because of its endless ramifications and
>   applications to all aspects of life.
>
>   Those who believe in blind chance may do so, but they are really
>   incapable of explaining many phenomena like telepathy,
>   clairvoyance,etc. Also, they can never explain fully how it is that a
>   single cell develops into a human body. Theosophy can explain these
>   phenomena and has done so for a long time. Together these first two
>   jewels can explain many questions we have about life. This will be
>   elaborated upon in a new cycle of this document, also depending on
>   your suggestions and questions.
>
>Third Jewel

>   The third jewel concerns the doctrine of hierarchies.
>
>   This principle of nature is not well-known. Yet Plato and Pythagoras
>   taught it in their academies. They stated the hierarchical structure
>   of nature to be a fact. Indeed, we can observe some remarkable
>   examples in nature and elsewhere that point clearly in this direction:
>
>
>     * Our body is organized in a most hierarchical fashion. It is
>       composed of organs, which are itself composed of tissues, which
>       are composed of cells, which are in its turn composed of certain
>       structures,etc.
>
>     * The many kingdoms of nature have a certain hierarchical
>       relationship which can only be mentioned briefly here. The mineral
>       kingdom can said to have a relation to the human body. The plant
>       kingdom uses minerals in its chemical, physiological processes.
>       The animal kingdom uses the mineral and plant kingdoms The human
>       kingdom uses or better misuses all kingdoms below it.
>
>       There are other kingdoms which cannot be elaborated upon now, but
>       may be briefly mentioned. Above the human kingdom there are divine
>       kingdoms (why would the human race be the most evolved species in
>       the universe? It isn't.)
>
>     * In man himself there is most certainly a hierarchy of beings
>
>       For simplicity I only mention some:
>
>          + the mineral and plant parts in man [bones, resp. hairs]
>          + the animal part in man
>          + the thinking part in man
>          + the inspirative part in man
>
>   This will probably raise some questions. In another cycle of this
>   document I plan to treat more fully of these parts. Mark that these
>   ideas were well known among many of the ancient peoples. On Hawaii we
>   can find the Huna-religion which just treats of the same ideas as
>   found in this example.
>
>   Societies have inherently such a structure. There is a government
>   (which does a good or bad job..), there are states, counties, towns,
>   families and individuals.
>
>   Because intellectual knowledge is higher valued than real wisdom, we
>   see the deplorable picture of governments that are not able to really
>   help their people. The accumulated wisdom of all ages is available tho
>   those who want to listen and think it over..
>
>Fourth Jewel

>   The fourth jewel is the principle of the unique characteristic of
>   every being and class of beings. This is a rather abstract principle
>   to grasp.
>
>   The idea behind this principle is that every being, consciousness,
>   manifests itself in just that form that is in accordance with the
>   developed qualities of the reimbodying consciousness. Human
>   consciousness takes a human form (body), animal consciousness
>   reimbodies into an animal, etc. More specifically stated, a
>   horse-consciousness becomes a horse; a rose-consciousness becomes a
>   rose, etc.
>
>   This brings up the question of heredity. Materialistic science tells
>   us that the cause for a rose-seed developing into a rose lies in its
>   genes. Well, to be sure, heredity exists, but it is only a secondary
>   phenomenon. We can ask a question: what are the causes for a certain
>   pattern of genes to exist? This question can never be answered by
>   science as it is now. Theosophy gives some general clues when we
>   combine the seven jewels together. At this point I should point out
>   that there are many questions of detail which require a life-long
>   study and research. At the end of this document I will provide some
>   keys to be used in this kind of research.
>
>   It should be clear by now that this principle reverses the point of
>   vision regarding heredity: heredity is not a cause for our character,
>   but just the result of our character that we built during ages and
>   ages. Heredity confines itself to the physical aspect of man.
>
>   (to be continued)
>
>Fifth Jewel

>   The fifth jewel of wisdom concerns the principle of progressive
>   evolution.
>
>   Now, evolution as it is understood by Darwin and his followers
>   concerns itself with the transformation of forms and the survival of
>   the fittest.
>
>   Theosophy regards these processes as secondary processes and states
>   clearly that consciousness is the primary factor in evolution.
>   Moreover, evolution means literally, to e-volve, to manifest certain
>   qualities (of consciousness in matter!). No phenomenon is possible
>   without an active, intelligent force. (Are you still there?) Each
>   phenomenon is evolved from Universal Life-Matter in a long line of
>   differentiations. At the same time it is Life, involved in Matter. So,
>   we have two concurrent processes, instead of just an empty
>   transformation of forms as the Darwinists will have us believe.
>
>   Now, regarding the term progressive evolution, it is stated that there
>   is a gradual development of qualities of conscience, as can be seen in
>   the different kingdoms of life. Plants are more evolved than minerals.
>   Animals are more evolved than plants, men are more evolved than
>   animals (some people may think differently..). Of course, we see men
>   often behave like animals (this is a part of our nature) but there are
>   also many examples of unselfish people who sacrifice their own life
>   for others.
>
>   Man has evolved the thinking faculty to some degree, animals have this
>   faculty in a latent condition.
>
>   Progressive evolution states that beings in a certain kingdom develop
>   their consciousness by experience in this world, they reincarnate in
>   the same kingdom until they have reached the limit of possible
>   experiences in this kingdom. Then these beings can enter the next
>   higher kingdom, after a certain period. In this new kingdom they can
>   evolve higher aspects of consciousness. This fifth jewel is clearly
>   connected with the third one, hierarchies, and the first one,
>   reincarnation.
>
>   In fact all these jewels are indissolubly interconnected.
>
>   For men, it is taught, there are still a lot of aspects of
>   consciousness that can be developed. To give two important examples:
>   the faculty of Understanding (discernment) and the faculty of
>   Inspiration (consciousness of the essential unity of all beings). This
>   is our great task. Nowadays we mostly let control our lives by our
>   lower desires and impulses. Instead, we can use the faculties of
>   Imagination and Will to create a powerful image of Brotherhood,
>   cooperation and peace. This fascinating subject will be elaborated in
>   another session. It is really a most effective way of changing the
>   mental atmosphere on this planet. Plato says: 'Ideas rule the world',
>   and he is right. Of course, we should also perform the necessary
>   actions to help realise our ideals.
>
>   All the great Teachers of humanity point out the way out of human
>   misery . This is further elucidated in the next two jewels.
>
>Sixth Jewel

>   The sixth jewel of wisdom states that: duality is the basis for all
>   manifestations
>
>   Krishna speaks about the 'pairs of opposites' in the Bhagavad Gita.
>   Mind and Matter are the two poles of manifestation. The interaction of
>   these two poles causes all progress and regress. This, again, is a
>   most profound subject with profound philosophical implications.
>
>   We can choose between selfish action or selfless service for the
>   benefit of the whole. Those who act selfishly confine their
>   consciousness to a very narrow area of existence and experience.
>
>   Those who work for the benefit of the world extend their consciousness
>   to higher planes of consciousness. Of course, this is a gradual
>   process. In Buddhism, there is a teaching about the Path of
>   Compassion. Those who work for the benefit of others , who have no
>   feelings of seperateness from others (the greatest heresy in Buddhism)
>   tread this Path ( not for themselves, but for others). They refuse
>   Liberation or Nirvana when faced with the possibility of acquiring
>   this, because they do not want it as long as others suffer in misery.
>   They do not desert the poor orphan humanity. This is the most sublime
>   ethics ever conceived of in the entire history of mankind!
>
>Seventh Jewel

>   The seventh jewel is about knowing the essence of all life.
>
>   What is the origin of all things? How does the One Essence becomes the
>   manifold? These questions are really most fundamental in philosophy.
>   It refers to the Source of all manifestation.
>
>   Is it possible to know the origin of life? Yes, Theosophy answers. In
>   the heart or core of each being Universal Life is to be found. 'Thou
>   Art That', the Upanishads say. Every human being can discover this
>   Divine Spark inside by gradually evolving higher aspects of his
>   consciousness. This will result in a realization of the connectedness
>   of all beings. This realization can be called 'enlightenment' and is
>   really a stepwise, gradual process.
>
>   Mark that evolution is the expression of inner faculties of
>   consciousness. By treading the Path of Compassion, not for one self,
>   but for the whole, one is bound to discover the core or essence of
>   things.
>
>   To be realistic, this will take many reincarnations. Of course, this
>   doesn't matter, because there is no end to evolution..
>
>   The only thing that matters is the right application of the right
>   understanding of the ancient knowledge-wisdom to daily life by using
>   your common-sense.
>
>   Some keys for the scientist-philosopher.
>   ---------------------------------------

>   The main purpose of all that has been said is to demonstrate the
>   existence of a coherent, consistent philosophy of life, which shows us
>   the rationale for ethical behaviour. Who would be so stupid to hurt
>   his fellowmen when he understands that by doing so he is really
>   hurting himself? The essential connectedness of all beings is a
>   central theme in this philosophy.
>
>   The second purpose of this document is to provide some stimulating
>   thoughts for those scientists (or people who are really interested in
>   science) who understand that a synthesis between old religious truths
>   and science is a possibility. Now, I cannot provide a finished,
>   complete system of deductive methods of esoteric science. A lot of
>   building blocks are already provided however by Theosophy.
>
>   An important principle can be found in the statement:
>
>   "nature works along analogical lines". Macrocosmic processes are
>   analogical to microcosmic processes.
>
>   The application of the seven jewels of wisdom is possible by using
>   this masterkey of analogy.
>
>   The Hermetic axiom: "So above, so below" is to be applied in every
>   direction conceivable. A deep study of the third jewel, along with the
>   other jewels of course, will yield surprising results, I think.
>
>   Also a study of old myths and sacred literature will furnish food for
>   deep contemplation. H.P. Blavatsky tells us, in the Secret Doctrine,
>   that seven keys of interpretation must be applied to each symbol and
>   allegory to fully understand what is meant.
>
>   These seven keys are: geometrical, numerical (e.g.,Ancient Kabbalah),
>   physiological (& anthropological), physical-chemical, metaphysical,
>   astronomical (& Ancient astrology, now hardly available), and
>   psychological.
>
>   This is really a master-project, which none can undertake alone.
>   Nevertheless, I hope some daring minds will take up the challenge of
>   synthesizing religion, science and philosophy into one system along
>   the lines sketched. The broad outline of this system is already given
>   to us by Theosophy.
>
>   Science will need to incorporate consciousness as a basic factor into
>   its system, otherwise it will fail to fulfil its real task: helping
>   people to understand how nature really works, thus motivating them to
>   act and think according to the principles of the timeless wisdom
>   hidden in the book of nature; principles which are, to some extent,
>   revealed by Theosophy.
>
>   Martin
>   euser@euronet.nl



________________________________________________________
Peace to all living beings.

      M K Ramadoss