Theos-Talk Archives (April 1997 Message tl00191)

At 09:58 AM 4/22/97 -0400, Bart Lidofsky wrote:

Bart:

>Are you saying that it is the policy of the Theosophical Society that
>if the observed facts disagree with one's politics, then the observed
>facts are incorrect?

MKR:

   Please give some example of "observed" "facts" you are referring to.

Bart:

>Also note that when
>people gain power in organizations, they frequently end up working
>against the principles of the organization to maintain their power.
>That, for example is one of the dangers that the Mahatmas point out in a
>paid clergy.

MKR:

   Once more the Mahatmas have been right on their observation.

   I am very glad that you brought it up. I do not know if you have seen my
posts surrounding what happened to Krishnaji. A time came when the Trust
property which was purchased and maintained to help Krishnaji to Teach, he
himself was shut out of using them in Ojai and Madras. The Trust and
Trustees have to be sued by the Attorney General of California and the new
KFA for mismanagement and it took 18 years of litigation and finally the
litigation ended only after K died. In the course of litigation, at one
point the Trustees sued Krishnaji personally for a multi-million dollars.
Yes, Krishnamurti himself was sued by the Trustees of the Krishnamurti
Trust. It is unbelievable, but it is true. Sometimes truth is stranger than
fiction.

   There is more to the irony of the situation which very few in TSA know of. 

   One of the Trustees of K Trusts (who was a party to the litigation) is
now on the Board of TSA as well as a Trustee of Theosophical Investment
Trust which manages the Investments of TSA.

   It is with the background of the above historical matter, that I voiced
great concern about the way the new bylaws of TSA read. In effect, the BOD
of TSA can one day shut down TSA, sell all the property and put the proceeds
into the Theosophical Investment Trust. 

   Once this is done, no one, you or me will have any say in or even know
what is going on in TIT and they have no legal requirement to disclose
anything to anyone. 

   This may sound very far fetched but in long term planning, when large
sums of money is involved, (due to the frailties of human nature) extreme
care and business judgement is needed to protect them at a future date when
an unscrupulous charismatic leader may emerge and do this. And it will be
too late at that time. 

   I have been shouting on this issue to deaf ears ever since the bylaw
changes were published. Do you know when I asked for a copy of the Trust
Document and the Bylaws of the Trust, I am yet to receive them after almost
more than a year. Secrecy of the Trust has already started. Nothing
surprises me anymore.

Bart:

> In the case of the Theosophical Society, the problem is
>clearly one of funding. Traditionally, we have been funded by

MKR:

   I will post a detailed msg on this in next couple of days. Keep tuned in.

Bart:

>contributions and bequests. There has also been strong feeling against
>using the activities of the Theosophical Society itself for raising
>money. The result has been that there has been self-censorship out of
>fear of offending the big contributors (frequently unnecessary, in my
>opinion; the big contributors whom I have met tend to be far more
>theosophical than they are given credit for). 

MKR:

It quite some time ago I stopped measuring who is theosophical or who is not
theosophical and to what degree.

   It is not uncommon to find the usage of "untheosophical" and "un
brotherly" as code words used in theosophical circles to deal with those
with whom one does not agree with either on doctrines or on administrative
policy/philosophy.

Bart:

>This has caused an extreme
>conservatism that tends to keep away new, younger members, which
>increases the average age of the big contributors, which completes the
>cycle. It is my opinion (not shared by many Theosophists) that I would
>much have the TS funded through the keeping of the 3 objects than
>through means that either ignore, or worse, go against the 3 objects.
>

MKR:

      I am with you 100%.