Bodhicitta

Speak plainly Spotless - what do you mean by 'these things'?

Got it nungali, thanks for clarifying.

Pablum. Be specific: What avant-garde solution do you have in mind?

As for the criticisms of Judge's "Practical Theosophy" piece; critics have gotten the wrong end of the stick. Judge was pointing out the failure of Xtian civilization to live up to the Xtian ethical ideals. Xtian's must 'be good' because God said so or love of God or fear of God or pleasing Jesus or Moses or God with virtue. But 98% do not and cannot do so. Therefore, eventually, karma & reincarnation which are rational and do not require a 'God' to operate will be accepted and more importantly, people will begin to live closer to a merit-based life. As for self-centerness being used as both reward & punishment - so what. What Buddhist or Hindu can say that most followers practice skillful karma purely altruistically? Even a real baby bodhisattva, will 'do good, do no evil and purify the mind' knowing the purifying effect of merit gathering on one, or the polluting effect of the opposite.

Just search by title, it is in several places. The link to the Philaletheians version would not work.

Alice Bailey is baloney, based on Chuck Leadbeater's psychic ravings. Consider the differences outlined in this article, between Blavatsky and pseudo-theosophy: "In Theosophy's Shadow Vanity Whispers"

Avatamsaka Sutra, ch. 12

William Q Judge on "Practical Theosophy"

Not able to follow your non sequitur-like posts, sorry.

Nungali, Interesting theory you have. According to HPB's own explanation the founding of the ES (see CW 12) had to do with the TS being a failure in its main purpose to form a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood. The ES group was supposed to be full of brotherliness and no bickering, based on their altruistic vows to each ones Higher Self, not HPB, nor any Master. This attitude was supposed to permeate the TS and thus slowly redeem it. Worship of the Masters was not part of the ES, but dedication to working for Universal Brotherhood. Of course she was dead a little more than three years later and the TS never regained even a formal unity, but split into several branches.

Guess I will have to 'sigh' write some more. 'Stay with' means if you are a Xtian or Buddhist or Jew etc. you make use of whatever that path provides in the way of practices & service. The main factor theosophy contributes is the theosophical = non-sectartian, universal brotherhood attitude. But many people wanted something special and different, so they would drop their native religion and try to make theosophy into a new one. That would require some new flapdoodle unique to their wrong-headed notion of Theosophy. Kapish?

Blavatsky was not founding a religion at all. She encouraged theosophists to stay with the spiritual paths they knew and just bring to bear whatever leavening influence they gained from the teachings of herself and her gurus. Therefore, all the meditations, rituals etc. were already there, just use them for the benefit of all beings in a non-sectarian, theosophical manner.

HPB suggested all sorts of practical altruism, but altruism requires one to care more for others (or at least as much) than self. So it is not popular with we self-cherishing folk. So all sorts of flapdoodle were devised to entertain us and give the illusion of 'spirituality'.

The power to know does not come from book-study nor from mere philosophy, but mostly from the actual practice of altruism in deed, word, and thought; for that practice purifies the covers of the soul and permits that light to shine down into the brain-mind. As the brain-mind is the receiver in the waking state, it has to be purified from sense-perception, and the truest way to do this is by combining philosophy with the highest outward and inward virtue. HP Blavatsky in her Collected Writings, vol. 9:400G

This Voice of Theosophy site with many theosophical texts was down for a time, now it is back up. And just as quickly went down.

Rulu has a new translation which is easier to follow than Buswell's earlier 1989 or 2007 efforts: http://www.sutrasmantras.info/sutra53a.html

The Buddha taught 84,000 Dharma doors, so 'authenticity' is not so simple to prove. Here is a bit from the Princeton Dictionary: “amalavijñāna. (T. dri ma med pa’i rnam shes; C. amoluo shi/wugou shi; J. amarashiki/mukushiki; K. amara sik/mugu sik 阿摩羅識/無垢識). In Sanskrit, “immaculate consciousness”; a ninth level of consciousness posited in certain strands of the YOGĀCĀRA school, especially that taught by the Indian translator and exegete PARAMĀRTHA. The amalavijñāna represents the intrusion of TATHĀGATAGARBHA (womb or embryo of buddhahood) thought into the eight-consciousnesses theory of the YOGĀCĀRA school.” Excerpt From: Lopez, Donald S., Jr., Buswell, Robert E., Jr. “The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.” iBooks.

Blavatsky in her Theosophical Glossary writes about Metatron: The name among the Jewish Kabbalists for the Dual Ego, called respectively: the Higher, Metatron, and the Lower, Samael. They are figured allegorically as the two inseparable companions of man through life, the one his Guardian Angel, the other his Evil Demon.

The Buddha answered, “I expound the Dharma because you sentient beings use speech in your lives. I expound the Dharma to express what is ineffable. What I say is the true meaning, not mere words. What sentient beings say is mere words, not the true meaning. Speech that does not reveal the true meaning is void, and void words have no meaning. Speech devoid of meaning is false speech. Speech in accord with the meaning of true suchness is apart from opposite appearances, such as empty and not empty, or real and unreal, and does not abide in the middle. Not abiding in a dharma’s three appearances[5] [arising, continuing, and ending], it abides nowhere. Speech in accord with the meaning of true suchness reveals that true suchness abides in neither existence nor nonexistence. Such is a description of true suchness.” From chapter six

Then the World-Honored One rose from samādhi and said, “Buddhas’ wisdom ground reveals the true reality of dharmas. Their skillful means and spiritual powers have no appearance because dharmas are by nature absolutely empty [śūnya].[5] However, the definitive meaning of the one realization [of one’s inherent awareness[6]] is hard to understand and fathom, and beyond the knowledge and views of riders of the Two Vehicles. Only Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can know it. To sentient beings ready to be delivered, I expound the Dharma in one flavor.” From the beginning...

For an unsensational, even boring look at present-day theosophists, here are videos of the Adyar TS convention going on for a few more days of January 2016: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG1SpKaIIjNqk39aC1A6hjA Here is the program: http://www.ts-adyar.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Events/Convention%20Programme%202015.pdf

In Praise of the Incomparable by Nagarjuna, first five verses: Homage to you, Incomparable One, Who knows the actuality of the lack of a nature And makes efforts to benefit this world That is ruined by its views. [1] Nothing whatsoever is seen By your Buddha-eye, But your unsurpassable vision, O protector, Beholds the actuality of true reality. [2] In ultimate reality, there is neither a realizer Nor something to be realized in this world. Ah, you have realized the nature of phenomena That is most difficult to realize. [3] Nothing has been produced by you, Nor did you terminate any phenomenon. Through just beholding equality, You have attained the unsurpassable state. [4] You did not aim at nirvāṇa Through removing cyclic existence. It is through cyclic existence being unobservable That you have found peace, O protector. [5]” Excerpt From: Karl Brunnhölzl. Straight from the Heart

Houdini began exposing fake mediums after the death of his mother in 1913. Blavatsky died in 1891, so your memory is poor.

Blavatsky wrote much in only 15 years or so; here is most of what she put pen to paper: http://www.universaltheosophy.com/writings-hpb/

Nungali, I am not responding to you per se, but to common misconceptions about 'racist' Theosophy. The Nazis threw European theosophists into prison camps - not what they would do to those considered their fellow racists. My sympathies are with Buddha and his lineage, one of whom was Helena P Blavatsky, who was probably the first Occidental to take refuge in Ceylon in 1880 I think.