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Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Publisher: Philaletheians UK ISBN: Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 28
Book Description
Selfishness is the root cause of every vice and sorrow. Self-love is the prime mover of every mortal sin. Vice and wickedness are an abnormal, unnatural manifestation, at this period of human evolution. But truth is often stranger than fiction. Some fictions point out to some of the most hidden ulcers in social life. For morality to exist between men and women, they must follow the Law of Chastity. Jesus did not teach Monasticism but the law of Continence. Of all vices, Vanity is the last and the most troublesome. Yet, in no class of society at large are deceit and craft considered as Divine Virtues, except in the clerical classes of theologians. In the unreal world we live in, every virtue (even a papal one) is tainted with vice. The first step towards the Temple of Truth is a clean life. Forgiveness of injuries, contentment, and pity are not exclusively Christian virtues. Still, the noble love of virtue for virtue’s own sake, of which some ancient Pagan nations were such prominent exemplars, has never blossomed in the Christian heart. Salvation by personal merit and self-forgetfulness is the greatest of all virtues and cornerstone of the teachings of Lord Buddha. For virtue cannot be spoofed or hoodwinked. One has to love her for her own sake without looking for reward or profit. The eminent ideal of virtue is the only basis of spiritual insight and attainment. One ought to despise that virtue which prudence and fear alone direct. The seven cardinal virtues are superhuman divine faculties. True virtues are faculties of the sevenfold Logoic Hierarchy. All else is burlesque and ballyhoo. They are the female counterparts of the Celestial Hierarchy. Virtues are one degree of the Hierarchy of Compassion, whose mission is to maintain righteousness on earth. They are the Four Maharajas, Kings of the Dhyani-Chohans, who preside over and rule the four Cosmical Forces. They are they who, being in this world, yet live far beyond our illusive life on earth.
Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Publisher: Philaletheians UK ISBN: Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 28
Book Description
Selfishness is the root cause of every vice and sorrow. Self-love is the prime mover of every mortal sin. Vice and wickedness are an abnormal, unnatural manifestation, at this period of human evolution. But truth is often stranger than fiction. Some fictions point out to some of the most hidden ulcers in social life. For morality to exist between men and women, they must follow the Law of Chastity. Jesus did not teach Monasticism but the law of Continence. Of all vices, Vanity is the last and the most troublesome. Yet, in no class of society at large are deceit and craft considered as Divine Virtues, except in the clerical classes of theologians. In the unreal world we live in, every virtue (even a papal one) is tainted with vice. The first step towards the Temple of Truth is a clean life. Forgiveness of injuries, contentment, and pity are not exclusively Christian virtues. Still, the noble love of virtue for virtue’s own sake, of which some ancient Pagan nations were such prominent exemplars, has never blossomed in the Christian heart. Salvation by personal merit and self-forgetfulness is the greatest of all virtues and cornerstone of the teachings of Lord Buddha. For virtue cannot be spoofed or hoodwinked. One has to love her for her own sake without looking for reward or profit. The eminent ideal of virtue is the only basis of spiritual insight and attainment. One ought to despise that virtue which prudence and fear alone direct. The seven cardinal virtues are superhuman divine faculties. True virtues are faculties of the sevenfold Logoic Hierarchy. All else is burlesque and ballyhoo. They are the female counterparts of the Celestial Hierarchy. Virtues are one degree of the Hierarchy of Compassion, whose mission is to maintain righteousness on earth. They are the Four Maharajas, Kings of the Dhyani-Chohans, who preside over and rule the four Cosmical Forces. They are they who, being in this world, yet live far beyond our illusive life on earth.
Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, et al. Publisher: Philaletheians UK ISBN: 095504006X Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 54
Book Description
Loyalty and devotion to Truth make up the right attitude. The aspirant must unlearn all that he knows, prepare himself for martyrdom, and begin to learn a new alphabet on the lap of Mother Nature, every letter of which will afford a new insight to him, every syllable and word, an unexpected revelation. Nature gives up her secrets and imparts true wisdom only to Philaletheians because they love Truth for her own sake. Christianity has always put down and martyred those who have the audacity, in this time of social abasement and corruption, to live up to its ideals. The only scientific basis of morality is to be sought for in the doctrines of Lord Buddha and Sri Shankaracharya. Occultism requires unflinching loyalty and devotion to Truth. Otherwise, the faint-hearted will be ridiculed and chaffed by the masses, and partake in the terrible fate of Oedipus. But Truth should not be sought for intellectual acquisitiveness, pleasure, contempt of others, profit, fame, honour, promotion, and for other inferior ends. A clean life is the first step towards the Temple of Truth. An outward looking mindset, trapped in the gloom and doom of separateness, invariably gives rise to pessimism. But the abyss of despair has its advantages: 1 It encourages a mental U-turn from exterior preoccupations to interior realms of being and spirituality. It is like a chink in the dark prison walls of earth-life, through which breaks in a ray of light from the eternal home and which, illuminating the inner senses, whispers to the prisoner in his shell of clay the origin and the dual mystery of our being. 2 It is a tacit proof of the presence in man of that which knows, without being told, i.e., that there is another and a better life, once that the curse of earth-lives is lived through. Charity and mercy, harmlessness and humbleness, kindness and gentleness, define the right approach. Before you even think of treading the path, purify the material self. Otherwise you will end up degrading the spiritual. You have to fathom the mysteries of the heart, before you can hope to unravel the mysteries of the soul. Superhuman powers are stones on the path. Faculties and abilities will come naturally to those who are mentally and ethically fit to use them for the common good. Mere desire for powers is a form of selfishness, and receives no encouragement from our Teachers. If aroused prematurely, they will hinder rather than help. Self-interest can neither reveal the powers latent in man, nor can it alleviate the woes of the “Great Orphan.” Take heed of the words of a Master of Wisdom. Even virtues can be vices in the eyes of the beholder. Silently and quietly endure what life brings, without expecting neither plaudits nor feedback. Pristine efforts cannot be thwarted by criticism and apathy. Nor can anyone hide from the all-seeing Law. Woe to those who live without suffering. Prerequisites for study and self-knowledge. · Awareness of the ignorance and deception of the world we live in. · Conviction that self-knowledge can be obtained by personal effort. · Determination to obtain and face that knowledge. Eastern Occultism is the origin and fount of all we know and can possibly learn. There is nothing new under the Sun, nothing new except what is forgotten. The aim of education proper is the art of revealing to the ignorant the world of thought and law, of marvels and mysteries, of moral beauty and ideal truth that lies within us and about us. The aim of science proper is to trace unity in diversity and to sum up the laws that govern their manifold operations in Nature. Reasoning out the unknown from the known and vice-versa, i.e., inductive and deductive reasoning, is what meditation proper is all about. Having reasoned out the Eternal and Universal, then by purity and virtue we may begin to ascend towards the “Sacred Majesty of Truth.” Tarrying on the particulars will sink the mind in the shifting sands of doubt and despair, and any insight of the universals previously gained will be lost. One has to take into account that many of the extant Sanskrit authorities are far from being sacred. For no truly esoteric doctrines were ever written. Many things are orally explained, and always have been. In any case, intellectual study alone is never enough, unless corroborated by application, practice, and experience. Unselfishness is likely to aid the mind and protect it from error. Alas, too many Theosophists are content to read books and too few strive to further the interests of Brotherhood. If mastering a narrow domain of modern science requires years of unremitting study, how much longer will it take one to fathom out the world’s religions and philosophies? Only those Lovers of Truth who are self-reliant and willing to think for themselves can hope to progress by working out a conceptual structure of the Teachings which (a) stands to reason and (b) explains every mystery, and triumphantly demonstrates the nature of every phenomenon. Key occult terms that will have to be understood by neophytes include: · Spirit and Matter, Force and Space; · Reality and Unreality, Formless and Form, Dream and Waking. · Subjective and Objective, both as sensuous and as psychic perceptions. Arguments, contentions, objections, and dissensions about the Teachings stifle intuition and are likely to sever the link between Guru and Chela. Immoral atmosphere saps siddhis. Co-operation with Nature, diligent study, fortitude and perseverance in the face of adversity and, above all, unconditional love for humanity and all that lives, make up the right conduct. Aspirants to the narrow and thorny Path should be deeply studying the philosophy of Occultism before entering upon the practical training. One must ascend the Golgotha of sentient life step by step unaided, by his own initiatives and exertions, ever moving onward and upward. Woe to him who, instead of studying the half-defaced landmarks, he pronounces them indecipherable. The Doctrine of Heart alone, can make of him an elect. You cannot be one with ALL, unless all your acts, thoughts and feelings synchronise with the onward march of nature. You can only approach ALL through unconditional love of, and devotion to, Humanity and all that lives by turning away from selfishness, which is the main of sin and sorrow. Don’t even think of circumventing Karman through masterly inactivity. For inaction on the physical produces adverse effects on the spiritual planes. “Inaction in a deed of mercy becomes an action in a deadly sin.” The physical inactivity of a Mahatman or a Raja Yogin is quite different from the that of solitary fakirs, hermits, and Hatha Yogins. The former are working for mankind on high spiritual realms; the latter are afflicted from spiritual selfishness here, on Earth, the plane of illusion, and the greatest of all hells. Stop pushing yourself forward. “Be restrained, be liberal, be merciful.” Forget yourself in the midst of so many selves. Consider whether “turning the other cheek” may encourage offenders to re-offend. Stop abusing and tormenting animals, and eating their flesh. Desist from gossiping, for gossip fans flames! Condemn the sin, not the Sinner within. Do not set yourself as example to others, for “the camel cannot see its own hump.” But by example you can imprint upon the astral light pictures of higher aspirations and thus aid advanced souls from other spheres to descend. Stones on the Path. Practical Occultism is fraught with dangers. It requires total, unreserved and unswerving commitment, and loyalty to Truth. The aspirant must choose between the life of the World and the life of Occultism. After a pledge is given, any sensual or even mental self-gratification will forfeit the power of spiritual discrimination. And, regardless of motive, the renegade will retrogress and sink deeper into the mire. Only implicit faith to the Teachings and explicit service to mankind can admit the disciple to the Kingdom of Heaven. Neither success nor safety is to be found outside self-development. Woe to those who, driven by selfishness and vanity, dissent from the aim and ideals of the Theosophical Society and its motto. Disunity is the first condition of failure; rivalry, the second. Chelas, Disciples, Shravakas, Upasans: united in thought and deed. The sine qua non of “Chelaship is a spirit of absolute unselfishness and devotion to Truth; then follow self-knowledge and self-mastery.” Chelaship is a psychic resolvent, which eats away all dross and leaves only the pure gold behind. Real gurus are not simply Adepts in Occult Sciences: they are Living Men of profound knowledge and noble ethics. They are masters of human nature and of the secrets of Nature herself. Entrance to the mysteries of Inner Life requires a pledge of seven years’ probation. Unswerving faith, trust, and confidence to the Master are indispensable. But many are unworthy of the honour. “The results have been far from encouraging so far, and it is to show these unfortunates the cause of their failure as much as to warn others against rushing heedlessly upon a similar fate, that the writing of the present article has been ordered.” Masters normally select Chelas from natural mystics in the East. Exceptions of accepted Chelas in the West include Fludd, Thomas Vaughan, Paracelsus, Pico della Mirándola, and Count de Saint-Germain. When you see the light, that light is from you and it is you!
Author: Sune Haugbolle Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317969073 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 187
Book Description
In the last five to ten years, pressure for political liberalisation, and the growth of civil society and independent media, inside Arab countries have prompted the debate about violent events in the postcolonial period. This book features studies of six Arab countries in which legacies of political violence have been challenged through various initiatives to promote "truth-telling" and transitional justice. The analysis departs from a liberal, teleological understanding of truth and reconciliation as a linear process from trauma through memory to national healing. Instead, the articles highlight how the interplay between state-orchestrated initiatives (such as Truth and Reconciliation committees and ministerial committees); civil society actors (including former political prisoners, investigative journalists and NGOs); and external actors (such as transnational NGOs, state sponsored dialogue initiatives, the UN and the EU) is creating a new political field. The book examines the extent to which this field challenges the Arab nation-state’s monopoly on history and violence, and asks whether public narratives of violence, memory and justice consolidate or challenge political legitimacy of current regimes. This book was published as a special issue of Mediterranean Politics.
Author: Jack Webster Publisher: Black & White Publishing ISBN: 1845027590 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 308
Book Description
Jack Webster has had a lifetime of adventure as a respected and highly-commended journalist, meeting the rich and famous and experiencing what the world has to offer. From his upbringing in rural Aberdeenshire - where he survived a serious heart condition and had to overcome a debilitating stammer - to a glittering career which took him all over the world, it has been an incredible journey and a life well lived. Now, to complete his autobiographical trilogy, A Final Grain of Truth brings his story up to date, reliving magical encounters with incredible people like Charlie Chaplin, Muhammad Ali, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Field Marshal Montgomery, Barnes Wallis, Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame), Hitler's friend and mentor Dr Ernst Hanfstaengl, Christine Keeler, oil billionaire Paul Getty and a host of others as he reflects on his work, his life and his own remarkable story. Full of wonderful anecdotes and written with style and panache, A Final Grain of Truth is entertaining, heartwarming and full of enlightening insights and reflections culled from a life rich with experience.
Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, et al. Publisher: Philaletheians UK ISBN: 0955040027 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 402
Book Description
Assimilation of universal laws is the first key to manhood. Sacrificing the ephemeral to the eternal is the final key. Sacrificing others is a crime against Nature, for sacrifice is always a voluntary, not an enforced, act. Sacrifice proper is unselfish love of humanity in person and in secret. Defiling the altars of gods with blood is worse than murder. Four Metaphysical and Philosophical Keys to Theosophy: 1. Parabrahman or Absoluteness is the One and Only Reality. 2. Mulaprakriti or Noumenon of Matter is a veil thrown over Parabrahman. 3. Logos or Word is Divine Thought Concealed. 4. Fohat or Light of Logos is Divine Thought Revealed. The Three Fundamental Propositions of The Secret Doctrine analysed and amplified. How The One Becomes Two Ones: Parabrahman and Logos, and then Three. And how The Three Live within The One. Allusions to Logos in the Bhagavad Gita examined in the Light of Theosophy. Deity is Life and Law, and vice versa. Compassion is the Divine Law of Universal Sympathy and Sacrifice. Overseen by Spiritual Intelligences above, Compassion is enacted by the Intelligence of Nature and Her dual forces below. Deity is Unerring Karman or Abstract Nature: the Mind and Soul of the Universe. The One Eternal Life and Law, triple in its manifestation, is underpinned by the three Propositions of The Secret Doctrine. Each proposition is examined according to The Bhagavad-Gita, and in the light of Theosophy. Narada and Krishna speak with One Voice. Narada is the Deva Rishi of Occultism. He impelled animal man towards intellectual freedom. Narada’s aphorisms on Devotional Love and Krishna’s precepts to Arjuna are impossible to tell apart. A recension of Narada Bhakti Sutra in the light of Theosophy: 1. O Lanoo, listen to the Voice of the Heart Doctrine. 2. Give it all away or you will lose it. 3. Let your life become an example to unbelievers. 4. True life can only be found through Devotion to All. 5. With subdued heart place all thy works on Me. 6. Rise above the trappings of personal life. 7. Feel the Great Heart within. 8. With unfettered mind throw every deed on Me. 9. Intoxicate yourself with the right attitude and ethic. Avataras are our Watchers and Guardians. Prince Siddhartha Gautama locked mankind within one embrace. Jesus was a martyred Adept, not an Avatara. The real Christ is Krishna: Internal Light, not external symbols. The “still small voice” is the Heart and Pulse of the Universe. She is the Voice of the Great Sacrifice. Voice of the Silence and Light on the Path: two books, One Voice! Who speaks with a “still small voice”? Where is The Voice? When will The Voice speak? Where will The Voice speak? Under what conditions? What will The Voice say? How will I know if The Voice is genuine? What will I learn? With twenty-one tips for Pilgrim Souls: 1. Rise above the Fog of Separateness. 2. Seek Darkness with the Lamp of Faith. 3. Confirm Faith by Reason and Experience. 4. Validate Imagination by Faith and Will. 5. Lose yourself in the Sea of Devotion. 6. Realise your Ideals. 7. Live your Dreams. 8. Axe the Ashvattha Tree. 9. Slay your Mind. 10. Charity begins at home? 11. Be wise! Restrain thyself! 12. Head learning versus soul wisdom. 13. The false is nothing but an imitation of the true. 14. Act in person but Impersonally. 15. Thoughts and emotions are one and the same. 16. Action speaks louder than words. 17. Higher versus lower altruism. 18. Charity is a debt of honour. 19. Merge self in Self. 20. Seek out the fifth way of Loving. 21. Listen to the Clarion Call. Followed by four parting thoughts: - Master thyself and protect others. - Despise the life that only seeks its own. - Let thy pulses beat to heaven’s own music. - Let us be true to each other. And twelve Appendices on: Theosophists described metaphysically and ethically. Action, Renunciation, and their endless variants. At the threshold of two paths. Parabrahman: aspects, epithets, synonyms. Mulaprakriti: aspects, epithets, synonyms. Logos: aspects, epithets, synonyms. Fohat: aspects, epithets, synonyms. AUM: definitions, derivatives, parallels. Conscience and Consciousness. A Marriage made in Heaven. Alaya: aspects, epithets, synonyms. Providence rules the Power of the Will and the Necessity of Destiny.
Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
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Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, et al.
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Author: John WILLIAMS (Missionary to the South Seas.)
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Author: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, et al.