41H.P. Blavatsky & Annie Besant, editors - Lucifer Vol. VII, No. 41 January, 1891

LUCIFER The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for any opinions, whether religious, philosophical or social, expressed in signed articles.

*• O ye Lords of Truth who are cycling in eternity . . . save me from the annihilation in this Region of the Two Truths."

Egyptian " Ritual

o j the Dead."

I.

t

H A T th e w o r ld m o v e s in c y c le s , a n d e v e n ts r e p e a t th e m s e lv e s th e r e in , is an o ld , y e t e v e r n e w tr u is m .

I t is n e w to m o st,

fir s tly , b e c a u s e it b e lo n g s to a d is tin c t g r o u p o f o c c u lt a p h o r is m s i n

p a r tib u s

in fid e liu m ,

and

o u r p r e s e n t-d a y R a b b is a n d

P h a r is e e s w ill

a c c e p t n o th in g c o m in g fro m th a t N a z a r e t h ; s e c o n d ly , b e c a u s e th o s e w h o w ill s w a llo w a c a m e l o f w h a te v e r s iz e , p r o v id e d

it h a ils trom

o r th o d o x o r a c c e p te d a u th o r itie s , w ill s tr a in a n d k ic k a t th e s m a lle s t g n a t, i f o n ly its b u z z

com es

fro m

t h e o s o p h ic a l r e g io n s .

Y e t th is

p r o p o s itio n a b o u t th e w o r ld c y c le s a n d e v e r - r e c u r r in g e v e n ts , is a v e r y c o r r e c t o n e. th e m s e lv e s .

I t is o n e , m o r e o v e r , th a t p e o p le c o u ld e a s ily v e r ify fo r Of

c o u rs e , th e

p e o p le

m eant

h ere

a re m en w h o

do

th e ir o w n t h in k in g ; n o t th o s e o th e r s w h o a re s a tis fie d to r e m a in , fro m b ir th till d e a th , p in n e d , lik e a t h is t le fa s te n e d to th e c o a t- ta il o f a co u n try

p a r s o n , to

th e

b e lie fs

and

th o u g h ts

of

th e

g o o d y -g o o d y

m a jo r ity .

W e c a n n o t a g r e e w ith a w r it e r (w a s it G ilp in ? ) w h o sa id th a t th e g r a n d e s t tr u th s a re o fte n r e je c te d , “ n o t so m u c h fo r w a n t o f d ir e c t e v id e n c e , a s fo r w a n t o f in c lin a tio n to s e a r c h fo r i t ” . b u t to a fe w .

N in e - te n th s o f th e p e o p le w ill r e je c t

T h i s a p p lie s

th e m o st o v e r ­

w h e lm in g e v id e n c e , ev en i f it b e b ro u g h t to th e m w ith o u t a n y tr o u b le to th e m s e lv e s , o n ly b e c a u s e it h a p p e n s to c la sh w ith th e ir p e rs o n a l in te r e s ts o r p r e j u d i c e s ; e s p e c ia lly i f it c o m e s from u n p o p u la r q u a r te r s .

W e a re liv in g in a h ig h ly m o r a l a tm o s p h e r e , h ig h s o u n d in g — in w o rd s.

Put to the test of practice, however, the morality of this age in point of genuineness and reality is of the nature of the black skin of the “ negro ” minstrel: assumed for show and pay, and washed off at the close of every performance. In sober truth, our opponents— advocates of official science, defenders of orthodox religion, and the tutti quanti of the detractors of Theosophy—who claim to oppose our works on grounds of scientific “ evidence”, “ public good and truth”, strongly resemble advocates in our courts of law— miscalled of justice.

These in their defence of robbers and murderers, forgers and adulterers, deem it to be their duty to browbeat, confuse and bespatter all who bear witness against their clients, and will ignore, or if possible, suppress, all evidence which goes to incriminate them. Let ancient Wisdom step into the witness-box herself, and prove that the goods found in the possession of the prisoner at the bar, were taken from her own strong-box ; and she will find herself accused of all manner of crimes, fortunate if she escape being branded as a common fraud, and told that she is no better than she should be.

What member of our Society can wonder then, that in this our age, pre-eminently one of shams and shows, the “ theosophists’ ” teachings so (mis-) called, seem to be the most unpopular of all the systems now to the fore; or that materialism and theology, science and modern philosophy, have arrayed themselves in holy alliance against theosophical studies—perhaps because all the former are based on chips and broken-up fragments of that primordial system. Cotton complains somewhere, that the “ metaphysicians have been learning their lesson for the last four (?)thousand years”, and that “ it is now high time that they should begin to teach something”. But, no sooner is the possibility of such studies offered, with the complete evidence into the bargain that they belong to the oldest doetrine of the meta­ physical philosophy of mankind, than, instead of giving them a fair hearing at least, the majority of the complainers turn away with a sneer and the cool remark: “ Oh, you must have invented all you say yourself! ” Dear ladies and gentlemen, has it ever occurred to you, how truly grand and almost divine would be that man or woman, who, at this time of the life of mankind, could invent anything, or discover that which had not been invented and known ages before ? The charge of being such an inventor would only entitle the accused to the choicest honours. For show us, if you can, that mortal who in the historical cycle of our human ®ce has taught the world something entirely new. To the proud pretentions of this age, Occultism— the real Eastern Occultism, or the so-called Esoteric Doctrine—

answers through its ablest students: Indeed all your boasted know­ ledge is but the reflex action of the by-gone Past. At best, you are but the modern popularisers of very ancient ideas. Consciously and unconsciously you have pilfered from old classics and philosophers, who were themselves but the superficial recorders—cautious and incomplete, owing to the terrible penalties for divulging the secrets of initiation taught during the mysteries—of the primaeval Wisdom.

Avaunt! your modern sciences and speculations are but the rechauffe dishes of antiquity; the dead bones (served with a sauce piquante of crass materialism, to disguise them) of the intellectual repasts of the gods. Ragon was right in saying in his Ma$onnerie Occulte, that “ Humanity only seems to progress in achieving one discovery after the other, as in truth, it only finds that which it had lost. Most of our modern inventions for which we claim such glory, are, after all, things people were acquainted with three and four thousand years back.* Lost to us through wars, floods and fire, their very existence became obliterated from the memory of man. And now modern thinkers begin to rediscover them once more.”

Allow us to recapitulate a few of such things and thus refresh your memory.

Deny, if you can, that the most important of our present sciences were known to the ancients. It is not Eastern literature only, and the whole cycle of those esoteric teachings which an over-zealous Christian Kabalist, in France, has just dabbed “ the accursed sciences” — that will give you a flat denial, but profane classical literature, as well. The proof is easy.

Are not physics and natural sciences but an amplified reproduc­ tion of the works of Anaxagoras, of Empedocles, Democritus and others ? All that is taught now, was taught by these philosophers then. For they maintained—even in the fragments of their works still extant—that the Universe is composed of eternal atoms which, moved by a subtle internal Fire, combine in millions of various ways.

With them, this “ F ire ” was the divine Breath of the Universal Mind, but now, it has become with the modern philosophers no better than a blind and senseless Force. Furthermore they taught that there was neither Life nor Death, but only a constant destruction of form, produced by perpetual physical transformations. This has now become by intellectual transformation, that which is known as the physical correlation of forces, conservation of energy, law of continuity, and what not, in the vocabulary of modern Science. But “ what’s in °TheIeirned Belgian Mason would be nearer the mark by adding a few more ciphers to his four thousand years.

a name”, or in new-fangled words and compound terms, once that the identity of the essential ideas is established ?

Was not Descartes indebted for his original theories to the old Masters, to Leucippus and Democritus, Lucretius. Anaxagoras and Epicurus ? These taught that the celestial bodies were formed of a multitude of atoms, whose vortical motion existed from eternity; which met, and, rotating together, the heaviest were drawn to the centres, the lightest to the circumferences ; each of these concretions was carried away in a fluidic matter, which, receiving from this rota­ tion an impulse, the stronger communicated it to the weaker con­ cretions. This seems a tolerably close description of the Cartesian theory of Elemental Vortices taken from Anaxagoras and some others; and it does look most suspiciously like the “ vortical atoms” of Sir W. Thomson !

Even Sir Isaac Newton, the greatest among the great, is found constantly mirroring a dozen or so of old philosophers. In reading his works one sees floating in the air the pale images of the same Anaxagoras and Democritus, of Pythagoras, Aristotle, Timaeus of Locris, Lucretius, Macrobius, and even our old friend Plutarch. All these have maintained one or the other of these propositions, (i) that the smallest of the particles of matter would be sufficient—owing to its infinite divisibility—to fill infinite space; (2) that there exist two Forces emanated from the Universal Soul, combined in numerical proportions (the centripetal and centrifugal “ forces ”, of the latter day scientific saints); (3) that there was a mutual attraction of bodies, which attraction causes the latter to, what we now call, gravitate and keeps them within their respective spheres; (4) they hinted most unmistakably at the relation existing between the weight and the density, or the quantity of matter contained in a unit of mass ; and (5) taught that the attraction (gravitation) of the planets toward the Sun is in reciprocal proportion to their distance from that luminary.

Finally, is it not a historical fact that the rotation of the Earth and the heliocentric system were taught by Pythagoras— not to speak of Hicetas, Heraclides, Ecphantus, &c.,—over 2,000 years before the despairing and now famous cry of Galileo, “ E pur, se muove "? Did not the priests of Etruria and the Indian Rishis still earlier, know how to attract lightning, ages upon ages before even the astral Sir B. Franklin was formed in space ? Euclid is honoured to this day— perhaps, because one cannot juggle as easily with mathematics and figures, as with symbols and words bearing on unprovable hypotheses.

Archimedes had probably forgotten more in his day, than our modem mathematicians, astronomers, geometricians, mechanicians, hydro-

staticians and opticians ever knew. Without Archytas, the disciple of Pythagoras, the application of the theory of mathematics to practical purposes would, perchance, remain still unknown to our grand era of inventions and machinery. Needless to remind the reader of that which the Aryans knew, as it is already recorded in the Theosophist and other works obtainable in India.

Wise was Solomon in saying that “ there is no new thing under the Sun ” ; and that everything that is “ hath been already of old time, which was before us ”— save, perhaps, the theosophical doctrines which the humble writer of the present is charged by some with having “ invented ” . The prime origin of this (very complimentary) accusa­ tion is due to the kind efforts of the S. P. R. It is the more considerate and kind of this “ world famous, and learned Society ” of “ Researches ”, as its scribes seem utterly incapable of inventing anything original themselves—even in the way of manufacturing a commonplace illustration. If the inquisitive reader turns to the article which follows, he will have the satisfaction of finding a curious proof of this fact, in a reprint from old Izaak Walton’s Lives, which our contributor has entitled “ Mrs. Donne’s Astral Body”. Thus even the scientifically accurate Cambridge Dons are not, it seems, above borrowing from an ancient book; and not only fail to acknow­ ledge the debt, but even go to the trouble of presenting it to the public as new original matter, without even the compliment of inverted commas.

And thus—all along.

In short, it may be said of the scientific theories, that those which are true are not new ; and those which are new—are not true, or are at least, very dubious. It is easy to hide behind “ merely working hypotheses ”, but less easy to maintain their plausibility in the face of logic and philosophy. To make short work of a very big 6ubject, we have but to institute a brief comparison between the old and the new teachings. That which modern science would make us believe, is this : the atoms possess innate and immutable properties. That which Esoteric, and also exoteric, Eastern philosophy calls divine Spirit Substance (Purusha Prakriti) or eternal Spirit-matter, one inseparable from the other, modern Science calls Force and Matter, adding as we do (for it is a Vedantic conception), that, the two being inseparable, matter is but an abstraction (an illusion rather). The properties of matter are, by the Eastern Occultists, summed up in, or brought down to, attraction and repulsion ; by the Scientists, to gravitation and affinities. According to this teaching, the properties of complex com­ binations are but the necessary results of the composition of elemen­ tary properties; the most complex existences being the physico­

chemical automata, called men.

Matter from being primarily scattered and inanimate, begets life, sensation, emotions and will, after a whole series of consecutive “ gropings The latter non-felicitous expression (belonging to Mr. Tyndal), forced the philosophical writer, Delboeuf* to criticize the English Scientist in very disrespectful terms, and forces us in our turn, to agree with the former. Matter, or anything equally conditioned, once that it is declared to be subject to immutable laws, c a n n o t “ grope ”. But this is a trifle when compared with dead or in a n im a t e matter, producing l i f e , and even psychic phenomena of the highest mentality !

Finally, a rigid determinism reigns over all nature. All that which has once happened to our a u t o m a t i c a l Universe, had to happen, as the future of that Universe is traced in the smallest of its particles or “ atoms Return these atoms, they say, to the same position and order they were in at the first moment of the evolu­ tion of the physical Kosmos, and the same universal phenomena will be repeated in precisely the same order, and the Universe will once more return to its present conditions. To this, logic and philosophy answer that it cannot be so, as the properties of the particles vary and are changeable. If the atoms are eternal and matter indestruct­ ible, these atoms can never have been born ; hence, they can have nothing in n a t e in them. Theirs is the one homogeneous (and we add d iv in e ) substance, while compound molecules receive their properties, at the beginning of the life cycles or m a n v a n ta r a s , from w i t h i n w it h o u t .

Organisms cannot have been developed from dead or in a n im a t e matter, as, firstly, such matter does not exist, and secondly, philosophy proving it conclusively, the Universe is not “ subjected to fatality ”. As Occult Science teaches that the universal process of differentiation begins anew after every period of M a h a - p r a la y a , there is no reason to think that it would slavishly and blindly repeat itself. I m m u t a b le laws last only from the incipient to the last stage of the universal life, being simply the effects of primordial, intelligent and entirely free action. For Theosophists, as also for Dr. Pirogoff, Delboeuf and many a great independent modern thinker, it is the Universal (and to us im p e r s o n a l because in fin it e ) Mind, which is the true and primordial Demiurg.

What better illustrates the theory of cycles, than the following fact ? Nearly 700 years B .C ., in the schools of Thales and Pythagoras, was taught the doctrine of the true motion of the earth, its form and the whole heliocentric system. And in 317 a . d . Lactantius, the °In the Revue Philosophique of 1883, where he translates such “ gropings” by atonnements successifs.

preceptor of Crispus Caesar, the son of the Emperor Constantine, is found teaching his pupil that the earth was a plane surrounded by the sky, itself composed of fire and water! Moreover, the venerable Church Father warned his pupil against the heretical doctrine of the earth's globular form,, as the Cambridge and Oxford “ Father Dons ” warn their students now, against the pernicious and superstitious doctrines of Theosophy—such as Universal Mind, Re-incarnation and so on. There is a resolution tacitly accepted by the members of the T . S. for the adoption of a proverb of King Solomon, paraphrased for our daily use: “ A scientist is wiser in his own conceit than seven Theosophists that can render a reason”. No time, therefore, should be lost in arguing with them; but no endeavour, on the other hand, should be neglected to show up their mistakes and blunders. The scientific conceit of the Orientalists—especially of the youngest branch of these—the Assyriologists and the Egyptologists—is indeed phenomenal. Hitherto, some credit was given to the ancients—to their philosophers and Initiates, at any rate—of knowing a few things that the moderns could not rediscover. But now even the greatest Initiates are represented to the public as fools. Here is an instance.

On pages 15, 16 and 17 (Introduction) in the Hibbert Lectures of 1887

by Prof. Sayce, on The Ancient Babylonians, the reader is brought face to face with a conundrum that may well stagger the unsophisticated admirer of modern learning. Complaining of the difficulties and obstacles that meet the Assyriologist at every step of his studies ; after giving “ the dreary catalogue ” of the formidable struggles of the interpreter to make sense of the inscriptions from broken fragments of clay tiles ; the Professor goes on to confess that the scholar who has to read these cuneiform characters, is often likely “ to put a false con­ struction upon isolated passages, the context of which must be supplied from conjecture” (p. 14). Notwithstanding all this, the learned lecturer places the modem Assyriologist higher than the ancient Babylonian Initiate, in the knowledge of symbols and his own religion !

The passage deserves to be quoted in toto: “ It is true that many of the sacred texts were so written as to be intelligible only to the initiated ; but the initiated were provided with keys and glosses, many of which are in our hands ( ? ) . . . We can penetrate into the real meaning of documents which to him (the ordinary Babylonian) were a sealed book. Nay, more than this, the researches that have been made during the last half-century into the creed and beliefs of the nations of the world both past and present, have given us a clue to the interpretation of these documents which even the initiated priests did not possess.”

The above (the italics being our own) may be better appreciated when thrown into a syllogistic form.

Major premise: The ancient Initiates had keys and glosses to their e s o t e r i c texts, of which they were the i n v e n t o r s .

Minor premise: Our Orientalists have many of these keys.

Conclusion; Erijo, the Orientalists have a clue which the Initiates themselves did not possess ! !

Into what were the Initiates, in such a case, initiated ?—and who invented the blinds, we ask.

Few Orientalists could answer this query'.

We are more generous, however; and may show in our next that, into which our modest Orientalists have never yet been initiated— all their alleged “ clues ” to the contrary.

(To be continued.)

JHrs. Boraws Astral Ito&ij.

f

U R N I N G o v er th e p a g es o f W a lto n ’s L iv e s th e oth er d a y , I cam e „

upon the follow in g ve ry in terestin g accou n t o f th e ap p arition o f a

liv in g person a p p e arin g to an oth er person at a d is ta n c e :— A t th is tim e o f M r. D o n n e’s an d his w ife ’s liv in g in S ir R o b e rt’s house, the L o r d H a y w a s b y K in g J am es sent upon a gloriou s em b assy to the then F re n c h K in g H e n ry th e F o u rth ; and S ir R o bert put on a su d d en resolution to a cco m p an y him to the F re n c h C o u rt, and to be present at his au d ience there. A n d S ir R o b ert put on as sudden a resolution to su b ject M r. D on n e to be his com panion in th at jo u rn e y . A n d this d esire w a s su d d en ly m ade k now n to his w ife, w h o w a s then w ith c h ild , and o th erw ise under so d an gero u s a habit o f b o d y, th at she professed an un w illin gn ess to a llo w him an y a b sen ce from h e r ; sa y in g “ her D iv in in g S ou l boded her som e ill in his absen ce ” , and therefore d esired him not to lea ve her.

T h is m ade M r. D on n e lay a sid e a ll th o u gh t o f th e jo u rn ey , and re a lly to resolve a ga in st it. B u t S ir R o b ert b ecam e restless in his p e rsu asion s for it, and M r. D on n e w a s so gen erou s as to th in k he had sold h is lib e rty w hen he received so m any c h a rita b le kind n esses from him , and told his w ife so, w h o did therefore w ith an u n w illin g -w illin gn ess g iv e a faint con sen t to the jo u rn e y , w h ich w as proposed to be but for tw o m o n th s ; for a b o u t th a t tim e th ey d eterm in ed their return.

W ith in a few d a y s after th is resolve, th e A m b a ssad o r, S ir R o b ert, and M r. D on ne left L o n d o n , and w ere th e tw elfth d a y go t a ll safe to P a r is .

T w o d a y s after their a rriva l th ere, M r. D on n e w a s left alone in th at room in w hich S ir R o bert and he and som e oth er friends had dined to g e th e r.

T o th is p la ce S ir R o bert returned w ith in h alf-an -h ou r; and as he left, so h e found M r. D on n e alone, but in such an e c sta c y and so a ltered a s to h is looks, as a m azed S ir R o b ert to behold him ; insom uch th at he e a r n e s tly desired M r. D on n e to d eclare w h at had befallen him in th e short tim e o f his absen ce.

T o w h ich M r. D onne w a s not a b le to m ake a p resen t an sw er ; but after a lon g and p erp lexed pau se, did at la st sa y , “ I h a v e seen a d read fu l vision sin ce I saw y o u ; I h a ve seen m y d ea r w ife p a ss

tw ic e by m e in th is room , w ith her h a ir h a n g in g abou t her sh oulders, and a d ead ch ild in her a rm s: th is h a v e I seen sin ce I sa w y o u ” . T o w'hich S ir R o b ert replied , “ S u re , S ir, you h a ve slep t sin ce I saw y o u , and th is is the result o f som e m ela n ch o ly d ream , w h ich I d esire y o u to fo rget, for you a re now a w a k e ” . T o w h ich M r. D o n n e’s rep ly w a s, “ I can n o t be surer than I n ow liv e , th at that I h a ve not slep t since I sa w yo u ; and 1 am as sure th a t at her second a p p e a ra n ce she stopped , and looked m e in the face, and van ish ed R e st and sleep h ad not a ltered M r. D o n n e ’s o p in io n the n ext d a y ; for he then affirm ed th is vision w ith a m ore d elib e ra te and so confirm ed a con fid en ce th a t he in clin ed S ir R o b ert to a fain t b elief th a t the vision w a s true. It is tru ly said th a t desire and dou bt h a v e no r e s t ; and it proved so w ith S ir R o b ert, for he im m ed iately sent a serva n t to D re w ry H o u se, w ith a c h a rg e to hasten b a ck and b rin g him w ord , w h eth er M rs.

D on n e w as a liv e ; and i f a liv e, in w h at condition she w a s, as to her h ea lth .

T h e tw elfth d a y, th e m essenger retu rned w ith th is a cc o u n t— th a t he found and left M rs. D onne v e ry sad and sick in her b e d ; and th at a fte r a lon g and dangerous lab ou r, she had been d elivered o f a d ead ch ild . A n d upon exam in ation it p roved to be the sam e d a y , and abou t the v e ry hour, th at M r. D on n e affirm ed he saw her pass b y him in his ch am b er. T h is is a relation th a t w ill b eget som e w o n d e r ; and it w ell m ay, for m ost o f our w orld are a t present possessed w ith an opinion th a t visio n s and m iracles are cea sed . A n d th ou gh it is m ost certain , th a t tw o lu tes b ein g both stru n g and tun ed to an equal p itch , and then one p la y ed upon, th e oth er, th a t w h ich is not tou ch ed , b ein g laid upon a ta b le , a t a fit d ista n ce, w ill (like an ech o to a tru m pet), w arb le a faint au d ib le h arm on y, in an sw er to the sam e tun e, y et m an y w ill not b elieve th ere is su ch a th in g as a s y m p a th y o f souls.

T h e last cla u se o f th is qu otation seem s to me p a rticu la rly in terestin g.

O n re a d in g it m y “ D iv in in g S ou l ” a t once inform ed me th a t I h a v e seen som eth in g rem ark ab ly like it

else w h ere,— in the “ P ro cee d in g s o f the

S o c ie ty for P s y c h ic a l R e s e a rc h ” (vide P ro c s . S .P .R . vo l. i, P t. I, pp. 32, 62, etc.).

S u re en ough, on tu rn in g to these in terestin g d ocu m en ts, there w a s the id en tica l illu stra tio n ,

b u t w ith o u t a n y n ote o f its source and w oefu lly

w o rsen ed in th e tran slation .

F o r w h ere Iz a a k W a lto n w r o te : “ tw o lu tes

w a rb lin g a faint a u d ib le h arm on y ” ,— th e a d ap tors o f th e S .P . R . can n o t soar b e y o n d : tw o tu n in g forks h u m m in g in u n is o n ; and in th e ir p a g e s the old A n g le r’s “ sy m p a th y o f souls ” is m etam orph osed into “ a su ggested m ode o f recip ro ca to ry p s y c h ic a l in teractio n ” .

T h is is in its e lf an in terestin g p s y c h ic a l phenom enon.

T h e question

a t on ce arises w h eth er the th eorisers of the S .P .R . cam e to con sid er th is illu stra tio n and exp la n a tion o f a p p a ritio n s as their ow n th rough som e p ro ­ c e ss o f fu lly d evelop ed “ v e rid ic a l h a llu cin a tio n ” , or b y the un con scious cereb ra tio n o f the rig h t hem isphere o f the b rain ?

O f course th e in tellectu al position o f the m em b ers o f the S .P .R . p reclu d es the p o ssib ility o f w h a t th e y th em selves h a v e c a lle d “ conscious collu sion , (or o f such im b e cility as w ou ld tak e the p lace o f d eceit)” .

A fte r

m ature con sid eration , I am in clin ed to consid er th is a c a se o f archeote le p a th ica l im p a ct, a ctin g upon the m olecu les o f their cereb ra l organ s o f re c e p tiv ity , and th e re b y prod u cin g a c o lle c tiv e “ v e rid ic a l h allu cin a tion ” .

C. J.

$b*os0plni antr its (Bbtim tts. hN^T O m ore difficult w ork cou ld be proposed, perh aps, to a n y b od y of people, than th e u n d erstan d in g o f T h e o so p h y and the effectual c a rry in g on o f its p ro p ag an d a.

Its ph ilosop h y is m ore ab stru se than that

o f H e g e l, w h ile it is also far m ore su b tle, and m an y o f its evid en ces require so m uch stu d y and self-denial ere th e y can be estim ated , th a t th ey w ill c e rta in ly rem ain hidden from th e m ajo rity ; not b ecau se th e y are in th em selves in com p reh en sible, bu t b ecau se a v e ra g e , ea sy -g o in g people h a ve not the c a p a c ity o f w o rk in g them ou t.

Y e t the eth ica l te a c h in g s rest

fin ally on the ph ilosop h y, and th ose w ho can not, or w ill not, stu d y the p h ilosoph y are reduced to a ccep tin g th e eth ics b y th em selves.

T h e s e can,

indeed, be shew n to b e useful, b y th a t m ost potent o f all argu m en ts, the argu m en t from e x p e r ie n c e ;

for

th e y are m ost

m orality, i.e ., in in d u cin g social happ in ess.

effective in prom oting

O n th is u tilitarian ground

th e y can b e ta u g h t, and can th ere hold th eir ground a ga in st a n y r iv a ls in th e sam e field. T h e re th ey can use th e con d itio n al, but not the categ o rical, Im p e r a tiv e : th e c a teg o rica l rem ain s veiled ; the u ltim ate a u th o rity can be found on ly on the m etap h ysica l h eig h ts, and those h eig h ts can b e scaled but b y th e stren uous efforts o f the p atien t and u n dau n ted stu d ent.

E ach

such student can , indeed, b ear his testim on y .to w h at he h a s seen and kn ow n , but to a ll, sa v e him self, h is ev id en ce rem ain s secon d-han d.

P er­

so n a lly w on, it rem ain s a perso n al possession, p riceless indeed to him , but o f v a r y in g v a lu e to those w ho h ea r it from him .

N o t on such ev id en ce can

T h eo so p h y b ase itse lf in its a p p e al to the c u ltiv a te d in tellig en ce o f th e W e s t, in tellig en ce train ed in th e sc e p tica l h ab it, and cau tio u sly g u a rd in g itse lf a gain st unproven assu m ptions.

N o r let it be forgotten th a t th e W e s t

has, in its ow n eyes, this ju s tific a tio n : th a t it h a s freed itse lf from th e b on d age o f su p erstition , and h a s w on its in tellectu a l victo ries, b y th e w ise use o f scep ticism and the prudent suspension o f ju d gm en t until assertion h as been d em on strated to be tru th .

It is then n ecessa ry , if T h eo so p h y is to m ake its w a y in th e W e s t, and to g iv e to it th e m u ch-need ed b asis o f the scien tifica lly sp iritu al, th a t T h e o so p h ists sh ould present to th e indifferent, as to th e enquirer, sufficient p rim a fa c ie evid en ce th a t it h as som eth ing va lu a b le

to im p art, e v id en c e

w hich shall arouse th e atten tion o f the one cla ss, and a ttra c t th e oth er in to th e in v estig a tio n o f its cla im s.

T h e ev id en ce m ust be such as can b e

exam in ed a t first hand b y an y person o f o rd in a ry in tellig en ce , and it n eed not seek to estab lish a n y th in g m ore than th a t T h eo so p h y is w orth stu d y in g .

L e t th e stu d y be fa irly begun , and th e stu d en t c ap ab le o f m a sterin g its in itial difficu lties, and its a cc ep ta n c e is certa in , thou gh th e period o f th a t

fall a cc ep ta n c e w ill depend on the stu d e n t's m en tal c h a ra cte ristic s and the ty p e o f h is in tellig en ce.

A s M ad am e B la v a ts k y s a y s : “ O n ce th a t the

reader h as g a in ed a cle a r com prehension o f them [the b asic con cep tion s on w hich the S ecre t D o c trin e r e s ts ] , and realised the ligh t w h ich th e y throw on e v e ry problem o f life, th e y w ill need no fu rther ju stifica tio n in his eyes, b ecause their tru th w ill be to him as ev id en t as the sun in h eaven ” — (“ S e c re t D o c trin e ” , vol. i. p. 20).

In order, how ever, th a t th e stu d y m ay

be begun , th is p rim a fa c ie ev id en ce m ust b e g iv e n , and th ese b asic co n cep ­ tions o f T h e o so p h y m ust b e rou gh ly ou tlin ed .

O n ly w hen th is is done,

can anyon e d ecid e w h eth er or not it is w orth w h ile to en ter on the stu d y and the d eeper ev id en ces o f T h eo so p h y.

T h e value o f th is evidence is a p o in t to be decided ere serious study is commenced.

O ften , in our L o d g e s , w hen the m em bers are en gaged in a co n s ecu tive course o f stu d y, a ca su a l v isito r, ad m itted b y co u rtesy, w ill get u p and su d d en ly ask, “ W h a t is th e evid en ce on w h ich T h eo so p h y is b ased , and o f w h at use is it? ” as th ou gh a p a sse r-b y, d ro p p in g in and listen in g to a teach er in stru ctin g

a

m a th em a tical c la ss

on th e th e o ry o f eq u ations, should

sudden ly c h allen ge him to p rove the use o f n um bers and the ratio n ale of the a lg e b ra ic a l sign s.

In a n y scien ce, sa v e th a t o f T h e o so p h y , a person

w ho ex p e c te d a cla ss o f stu d en ts to stop, w h ile th e reason s for their stu d y w ere ex p la in e d to a stra n g er w h o k n ew n oth in g o f th eir su b ject, w ould be recogn ised as ta k in g up a foolish and irra tio n a l p o s itio n : b u t in T h eo so p h y w e are a lw a y s e x p ected to b re a k o ff our w ork in order to prove th a t w e are not fools for d oin g it.

A n d if w e show a n y u n w illin gn ess to do this, it is at

once ta k en for gra n ted th at our position is unsound, and th a t w e are afraid o f in v estig a tio n .

A s a m atter o f fact, w e h a v e not tim e to ju s tify ou rselves

to ea c h su cce ssive visito r w ho m ay be led b y c u rio sity to ob tain from a m em ber an introd u ction to our L o d g e m e e tin g s ; and it is the pu rp o se o f th is paper to present, on ce for a ll, som e o f th e ev id en ces w h ich h ave d eterm in ed us to seek in T h e o so p h y th e lig h t w h ich , elsew here, w e h ave failed to find.

T h e w ord “ T h eo so p h y ” som etim es lea d s people w ron g at th e outset, g iv in g the idea th at the “ W isd o m -R e lig io n ” — as it is som etim es c alled — p o stu lates a personal, and therefore a lim ited d e ity . “ D iv in e W isd o m , T h e o so p h ia , or w isd om g e n e a lo g y o f th e G o d s.

T h is is not the case.

o f the G o d s, as T h e o g o n ia ,

T h e w ord T h e o s m eans a G o d in the G re e k , one of

the d ivin e b ein g s, c e rta in ly not ‘ G o d ’ in th e sense a tta ch ed in our d a y to the term . but

T h erefo re , it is not ‘ W isd o m o f G o d ', as tran slated b y som e,

D iv in e wisdom, such as th a t possessed b y th e G o d s ” — (“ T h e K e y to

T h e o s o p h y ” p. 1).

T h e nam e is not an cien t, d a tin g o n ly from th e third

cen tu ry, b ein g u sed first b y A m m on iu s S a c c a s and his school.

B u t the

te a c h in g itse lf d a tes b a c k m an y a thousan d yea rs, u n chan ged in its m ain fe a tu r e s ; ta u g h t to -d a y in E n g la n d to tru th -seek in g stu d en ts as it w a s tau gh t w hen B u d d h a w and ered over In d ian plains, or earlier still, w hen an cien t R ish is gu id ed th eir ch ela s a lo n g the p ath w h ich lead s to W isd o m .

T h eo so p h y rega rd s

the U n iv e rse

as

a

tran sito ry m anifestation o f

E tern a l E x is te n c e , the su m m er-d ay flow er o f an etern al unknow n R o ot.

T h a t R o ot is the O n e R e a lity , the o n ly P erm an en t am ong th e m yriad and fleetin g ph enom ena w hich surround us on e v ery hand , and am ong w h ich w e ou rselves are num bered.

F ro m th a t U n ity p roceeds all d iv e rs ity ;

into th a t U n ity a ll d iv e rs ity again retu rns.

It is m anifested in th e atom

as in the m an, in w h a t is spoken o f as the n on -livin g as w ell a s in the livin g.

It, “ th e infin ite and etern al C au se— d im ly form u lated in the ‘ U n c o n sc io u s’ and ‘ U n k n o w a b le ’ of cu rren t E u ro p ea n p h ilosop h y— is the rootless root of ‘ a ll th a t w as, is, or ev er shall b e ’ ” — (“ S e c re t D o c trin e,” vo l. i. p . 14).

P e rio d ic a lly the a sp e ct o f th e E te rn a l E x iste n c e th a t w e call L ife ra d ia tes as source o f the m anifested U n iv erse, the U n iv e rse b ein g but “ the va rio u sly d ifferen tiated a sp e cts ” o f the O n e L ife .

T h u s , to th e T h e o so ­

p h ist, the m ost d ifferen tiated form s are ess en tia lly one: “ m a t t e r ” and “ s p ir it” are but the tw o p o les o f th e one m agn et, in sep a ra b le, not th in k ­ a b le a s ex istin g a p a rt from each oth er.

T o use clu m sy p h raseology, spirit

is the O n e L ife in its e a rly m an ifestatio n s, m atter is the O n e L ife solid ified : the o b je c tiv e

U n iv erse “ is, so to

d ifferen tiate again and

sa y ,

held

in solution

in sp ace, to

cry sta llise out an ew ” d u rin g a period o f m ani­

festatio n .

T h e “ sp irit” , the “ d ivin e s o u l” in m an is a sp ark of the O n e L ife, u n differentiated from its paren t F ire , and therefore a lik e for e v e ry human b e in g ; it is th e fate o f th is “ sp ark ” to win self-con sciou sn ess b y passing round the c y c le o f form s, and in man rea ch in g and finally p e rfe ctin g self­ consciousness ; th e fu lly hum an sta g e on ce rea ch ed , a ll fu rth er p rogress is a m atter of personal en d eavou r, o f con sciou s co-operation w ith the spiritual forces in

N a tu r e :

“ th e

p iv o ta l

d octrin e

o f the

E so te ric

philosophy

ad m its no p riv ile g e s or sp ecial g ifts in m an, sa ve those w on b y h is own E g o through perso n al effort and m erit th rou gh ou t a long series o f meteinp y sch o ses and r e in c a rn a tio n s” — (“ S e c re t D o c tr in e ” vol. i. p. 17).

Th is

“ p ilg rim age o f th e E g o ” is th e cen tra l id ea, so to sp eak, o f T h e o s o p h y : th is gain in g o f self-con sciou sn ess is the v e r y o b ject and ou tcom e o f the U n iv e r s e :

for th is it w a s m anifested , for th is it ex ists, g ro a n in g and

tra v a ilin g in pain to perfect and b rin g forth the self-con scio u s spirit.

T h is b ald statem en t m ust suffice as to the te a ch in g s o f T h e o so p h y , for it is not the pu rpose o f th is p a p er to exp ou n d T h e o so p h ica l id ea s, b u t to set forth som e p rim a fa c ie ev id en ce th a t T h eo so p h y is w o rth y atten tion .

L e t us then turn to th e evid en ce, and ere d e a lin g w ith it in d eta il, let us consider the g e n e ra l n atu re o f the p ro o f th a t m ay be fa irly dem and ed of a n yon e w h o is w illin g to stu d y T h e o so p h y , if it can be show n to h im that the stu d y is lik e ly to be fru itfu l.

E v id e n c e m ust, sp ea k in g g e n e ra lly , be con gru ou s w ith th e position w h ich it is sou gh t to d em on strate.

T h e asp ect o f th e su b ject under

consid eration m ust go vern the n atu re o f th e evid en ce to be subm itted.

P ro b lem s o f p h ysica l life m ust be d em on strated b y p h y sic a l ev id en ces : problem s

of

in tellectu al

life

m ust

be

d em on strated

by

in tellectu a l

e v id e n c e s : and if there be the sp iritu a l life w h ich T h e o so p h y p o sits, it m ust be d em on strated b y sp iritu a l ev id en ces.

T h a t the proof m ust be

suited to th e su b ject is tak en for gra n ted , sa ve w h ere th e sp iritu a l is c o n c e r n e d : to seek to p rove to a blind man the ex isten ce o f colou r b y h old in g up colou red o b jects before his un seein g e y es w ou ld be considered a b s u r d ; b ut a n y su ggestion th a t th ere m ay be sp iritu a l eyes w h ich are blinded in som e, and th a t th e use o f those sp iritu a l ey es m ay be n eeded for the discern m en t o f certain classes o f verities, is scou ted as su p erstitiou s or fraud ulen t.

E very

p sych o lo g ist recogn ises the

difference

b etw een the

O b ject and th e S u b je c t W o rld , and in stu d y in g th e su b jectiv e he k n ow s th at it is id le to dem and o b je c tiv e proof.

T h e m ethods su ited to the

extended w orld are not su ita b le to th e un exten d ed : but a p ro o f addressed w h o lly to th e reason is none th e less cogen t b ecau se it has neither form nor colour.

A n d , in v e rity , to th e train ed in tellect the pu rely in tellectu al p ro o f

h as a c e rta in ty h igh er than th a t o f an y w hich a p p e a ls to th e senses, b ecau se the senses are m ore e a sily to be deluded th an th e in tellect, w h ere the latter h as been strictly train ed and d iscip lin ed : so w h ere the sp iritu al in tellig en ce has been duly ev o lv e d and train ed , it sp eaks w ith a c ertain ty a s m uch a b o v e th a t o f th e in tellect, as th e in tellect sp ea k s w ith a certa in ty a b o v e th a t ot th e sen ses; it ju d g e s the conclu sion s o f th e in tellect as th e in tellect ju d g e s th o se o f the senses, and u tters th e final w ord on e v e ry q uestion presented for ad ju d icatio n .

T h e “ a v e ra g e m an ” is a p t to rega rd a p h y sic a l dem onstration as the m ost co n v in cin g th at can be g i v e n :

it a p p eals

to th e senses, and “ I

m ust b elieve the ev id en ce o f m y sen ses ” is a ph rase th at often d rops from the lip s o f the slig h tly in stru cted person.

O n e o f the e a rly lessons learned

by the student of p h ysio lo g y is th at th e sen ses a re ve ry e a sily d eceived , and are su b ject to v a rio u s illu sion s and h allu cin ation s.

A n in stru ctiv e

illu stration o f this fa ct w a s g iv en b y th e ingen ious A m e rican s w ho sa w the fam ous “ b a s k e t-tric k ” perform ed b y a w a n d erin g In d ia n : one o f these gentlem en drew

w h at he “ sa w ” , w h ile the second p h otograp h ed the

variou s sta ges o f th e scen e.

T h e a rtis t’s d ra w in g shew ed th e w ell-kn ow n

succession of sta rtlin g even ts, th e cam era sh ew ed n othin g.

T h e senses

h ad been led a stra y b y “ glam ou r” , and their testim on y w as u n reliable.

S till, for d em on stratin g p h y sic a l fa cts, p h y sic a l exp erim en ts are the m ost sa tisfa cto ry , and, w ith certain precau tion s, m a y be tak en as tru stw o rth y proofs.

B u t p h y s ic a l phenom ena are not relevan t as proofs o f in tellectu a l and sp iritu a l tru th s.

N o p h ysica l “ m iracle ” can dem on strate a m oral m axim .

T h e d octrin e, “ L o v e you r enem ies, do good to them th at h ate j o u ” , is n either m ore nor less tru e b ecau se B u d d h a and Jesu s could, or cou ld not, cure certain d iseases b y m eans not understood b y th eir follow ers.

The

dem onstration o f a problem in E u clid is in no w a y assisted b y th e teacher b ein g a b le to le v ita te him self, or to d ra w acro ss th e ta b le to his hand w ith ou t co n tact a b o x o f m a th em a tical instrum ents.

H e m ight be a b le to

perform these fea ts and yet m ake a blun der in the w orkin g out o f his dem on stration ; and he m ight be to ta lly in ca p a b le o f such perform ances, and y et b e 'a com peten t m a th em a tical teach er.

M a th em atica l and logical

proofs need no p h ysica l phenom ena to accred it them : th e y stan d on their own ground, are tried by their a p p rop riate tests. follow a m a th em a tical

p ro o f;

it is im pertin en t

M an y people cannot to

d a z z le

them

into

a cq u iescen ce b y the d isp la y o f som e irreleva n t p h ysica l a b i l i t y ; if they can not a p p reciate the force o f the d em on stration, th ey m ust eith er suspend their ju d gm en t on th e conclu sion , or accep t it at secon d -h an d , i . t . , on a u th o rity .

T h e y w ill be ve ry foolish 1 f th e y deny the conclu sion becau se

the ev id en ce for it is b eyon d th eir gra sp ; but th e y are p e rfe ctly ju stified in w ith h o ld in g th eir b e lie f w h ere th ey can n o t u n derstan d.

I f som e im portant

line o f action depen ds on th eir a ccep ta n ce or rejection o f the conclusion, then th ey m ust m ake their ow n ch oice b etw een a ctin g on a u th o rity or susp en d in g action u n til a b le to u n d e rsta n d : th e resp o n sib ility is theirs, and th e loss o f non-action, if loss follow , is th eirs also.

T h e prop ou nd er of

the proposition m a y fa irly sa y : “ T h is is t r u e : I can n o t m ake the proof an y easier for you than I h a v e done.

I f you can n o t see it, you o n ly can

d ecid e w h eth er or not yo u w ill a ct on m y a ssu ran ce o f its truth.

Such

and such consequ ences w ill follow your rejection o f th e con clu sion , but I h a v e n either the rig h t nor the po w er to enforce on yo u actio n founded on th a t w h ich u n d erstan d .”

I p erso n ally kn ow to b e true, but w h ich you d o not In T h eo so p h y, the stu d en t w ill often find h im self in such a

d ile m m a : h e w ill be left free eith er to proceed, a ccep tin g th e a u th o rita tive conclusion provision ally or fu lly a s a g u id e to action, or to d eclin e to proceed, until the steps a s w ell a s the conclusion lie p la in ly before him.

H e w ill n ever find h im self d riven ; b u t i f he a lw a y s stops u n til he has p erso n a lly d em on strated a conclu sion , he w ill often find h im self losing w h at he m ight h a ve gain ed b y fearless confid ence in te ach ers oft-tim es proven .

F o r after all th e student o f T h e o so p h y is on ly a d vised to follow the m ethods ad opted b y pu p ils in e v e r y oth er scien ce.

It is not the blind faith

o f th e religion ist in p rop osition s that can n o t b e verified th a t is a sk ed from the T h eo so p h ica l s tu d e n t: it is th e reason ab le tru st o f a pupil in his m aster, th e tem p orary a cc e p ta n c e o f con clu sion s e v e ry one o f w h ich is to b e d em on strated th e m om ent th e p u p il’s p rogress m akes the dem onstration in telligib le.

T h e stu d y carries the pu p il into th e p h ysica l, th e in tellectu al,

th e sp iritu al w orlds, and in each th e a p p rop riate te sts and proofs be fo r th c o m in g : as

p h y sic a l

proofs

and

are

out

in tellectu a l

o f cou rt proofs

in

are not

th e

w ill in tel­

le c tu a l w orld , so

p h y sic a l

in th e sp iritu a l.

B u t here a ga in T h eo so p h y d em and s n oth in g differ­

a v a ila b le

in g in

kind

from

th a t

w h ich

is freely gra n ted to

our lo g ic ia n s

and

m a th em a ticia n s b y th e p h y sic ists ; as the form er are u nable to gra n t to th e la tter exp erim en ta l p h y sic a l evid en ces, so th e sp iritu al to gra n t

to

the

logician and

their sp ecial in tellectu al form s.

the m a th em a ticia n

a d ep t is u n ab le

proofs

cou ched

in

N o t th erefore is his scien ce su p erstition ,

nor his k n ow led g e f o l l y : he stan ds in the realm o f the S p iritu a l, as secure, n a y even m ore secu re, than th e y stan d in the realm s o f th e R easo n and o f the

M a te ria l.

H e can ju s tify h im self to them in their ow n w orlds, by

sh ew in g in the M a teria l th at he kn ow s m ore than the p h ysicist o f the pow ers laten t in m atter, and in the R a tio n a l b y sh ew in g th at he know s m ore than th e in tellectu al g ia n ts as to th e w o rkin gs and ca p a cities o f the R easo n ; b u t in h is ow n sphere he is ju d g ed o f none ; he an sw ers but to his C on scien ce and h is D estin y .

T h e w ord s “ T e a c h e r s ” , “ M a s te rs ” , “ A d e p ts ” , im p ly th a t T h eo so p h y, like a ll oth er ph ilosophies and scien ces, h as its a u th o rita tive e x p o n e n ts : these form a B roth erh ood , con sistin g o f men and w om en o f variou s nations, w ho b y p atien t stu d y and p u rity o f life h a v e acq u ired ex cep tio n a l, but w h o lly n atu ral, p o w ers and k n o w led g e.

T h e H in d u s sp ea k o f them as

M a h a tm a s, litera lly “ G re a t S o u ls ” — g rea t in their w isdom , g rea t in their pow ers, g rea t in th eir self-sacrifice.

T h e y are the cu stod ian s o f a body of

d octrin e, hand ed dow n from gen eration w o rk

of

ea ch .

Into

th is

b od y o f

to ge n eration , in creased b y the

d octrin e, th is v a st

collection

of

cosm ological and h isto rical facts, no n ew statem en t is allow ed en tran ce until verified b y repeated in v estig a tio n s, reiterated exp erim en ts b y different h an d s.

T h is form s the “ S e c re t D o ctrin e ” , the “ W isd o m -R e lig io n ” , and

o f this, from tim e to tim e, portions h a ve been g iv en out, and h a ve been m ade th e b asis o f the g rea t ph ilosophies, the great religion s, o f the w orld.

B y these w e m ay essay to tra ck our road through h isto ry, ga in in g, as w e go, the ev id en ce for the existen ce o f th is b od y o f d octrin e from an cien t dow n to m odern tim es.

W e w ill seek (a) ev id en ce from h is to ry ; (b) evid en ce from

w o rld -re lig io n s; then w e w ill g la n c e a t (c ) th s evid en ce from e x p e rim e n t; and (d ) the evid en ce from a n a lo g y .

T h u s m ay w e hope to sh ew th a t

T h eo so p h y is w o rth y th e a tten tion o f th e th o u gh tfu l, and so perform the d u ty p la ce d in our hands.

A

n n ie

B

esan t,

F .T .S .

(T o be concluded.)

“ M an ’ s h igh est v irtu e a lw a y s is as m uch as po ssib le to rule extern al circu m sta n ces, and as little as p o ssible to let h im self b e ruled b y them . . . . . . . A ll th in gs w ith o u t us— n ay , I m a y ad d all th in gs w ithin us— are m ere e le m e n ts ; but d eep in the inm ost shrine o f our n atu re lies the c re a tiv e force, w h ich out of these can prod u ce w h a t th ey w ere m eant to be, and w h ich le a v e s us n eith er sleep nor rest, till in one w a y or another w ith ou t us or w ith in us, th is p rod u ct h as tak en sh a p e .”

pistis - j$0pbia.

(T r a n sla ted

an d annotated by G . R . S . M . ,

w ith addition al notes by H . P . B . )

( C o n tin u ed .)

It cam e to pass, therefore, th at after all these th in gs, forw ard a ga in and ad ored the feet o f Jesu s and s a id :

M a ry cam e

“ M aster, be not

w rath w ith me qu estion in g thee, for w e seek e v e ry th in g in ea rn estn ess and stead fastn ess.

F o r thou h ast said to u s o f old : 4 S e e k and y e sh all find ;

c a ll and th e y shall open to y o u : for e v e ry one th a t seek eth , sh all find, and to

e v e ry one th at c alleth

w ith in , th e y sh all o p en .’

M a ster, w ho is he w hom I shall find ?

N o w , therefore,

O r w ho is he, w hom I sh all c a ll ?

O r w ho is he w ho h a th the pow er o f rev e a lin g th e w ord s on w h ich w e question thee ?

[1 8 2 ] O r w h o is he th a t kn ow eth th e po w er o f th e w o rd s

w h ich w e search ou t ?

F o r in u n d erstan d in g (N o u s lit., M ind), thou h ast

g iv en us the u n d erstan d in g o f L ig h t, and thou hast g iv en us th e h igh est percep tion

and scien ce.

H um an -kind , nor in th e

T h erefo re , is there no one in the W o r ld

of

H e ig h t o f the J E ons, w ho h as th e p o w er o f

reve alin g to u s the w ord s w h ich w e search ou t, excep t th y s e lf alone, w ho know est a ll and art p erfect in all, for I search them not out as the M en o f the W o r ld , b u t w e seek in the S cie n ce o f the H e ig h t, w hich thou h a st given unto us, and w e seek a lso in th e R e gio n o f th a t p e rfe ct resea rch w h ich thou h a st ta u gh t us to use.

N o w , therefore, M a ster, be not w rath

w ith m e, but re v e a l to me the w ord w hich I sh all a sk th e e .”

A n d J esu s

an sw ered and said : 44 S eek on w hat thou w ilt, and I w ill reve al to th ee in ea rn estn ess and stead fastn ess.

A

m£n ,

A

mEn ,

I sa y

unto yo u :

I w ill

reve al it to thee w ith jo y .”

[1 8 3 ]

A n d w hen M a ry had h eard the w ords w hich th e S a v io u r sa id ,

she rejoiced w ith g rea t jo y , and b ecom in g ex ceed in g jo y fu l, said to J e s u s : 4 M a ster and S a v io u r, h o w are the F o u r-an d -tw en ty In visib les ( i) , and o f w h at T y p e are th ey ; o f w h at a p p e ara n ce are th e y : or o f w hat a p p e a ra n ce is their L i g h t ? ”

A n d Jesu s answ ered and said unto M a r y :

there in th is w orld w h ich is lik e unto them ? th is w orld, w h ich is lik e unto them ? them ?

“ W h a t is

O r w hat is th e R egio n in

N o w , therefore, to w hat sh a ll I liken

O r w h at sh all I sa y con cern in g them ?

F o r there is n o th in g in th is

w orld w ith w h ich I can com pare them , nor is there a n y F orm (eidos sc. rupa) in it, w h ich can be likened to them . w orld,

w h ich

is

In d eed there is n oth in g in th is

(even) lik e to the H e a v e n .

A

m£ n

I sa y

u n to y o u ,

e v e ry In v isib le is nine tim es g rea te r th an the H e a v e n and th e S p h e re , w h ich is a b o v e it, and the T w e lv e iE o n s, a s I a lr e a d y 'to ld y o u on a n o th e r occasion .

A g a in th ere is no lig h t in th is Wrorld su p erior to th e

lig h t

of

th e

Sun.

A

m ^n ,

A

m £n ,

I

sa y

unto

you:

th e F o u r-a n d -T w e n ty

In v isib le s are o f a m ore ex cellen t L ig h t than th e lig h t o f the Sun in this W o r ld ten thousan d tim es, as I h a v e told you before on another o c c a s io n ; [1 8 4 ] f o r the L i g h t o f the S u n , in its true fo r m , is not in th is R e g io n , sin ce its L ig h t trav erses th e m an y V e ils o f the R egion s, but the L ig h t o f the S u n , in its tru e form , w hich is in th e R e gio n o f th e V irg in o f L ig h t ,’1 is o f g rea te r rad ia n ce than the

F o u r-a n d -tw en ty

In visib les, and

th e G re a t

In visib le F o re fa th e r (P r o p a ttr ), and also the oth er g re a t T rip le-p o w e re d D eity+ ten thousan d tim es, as I h a v e a lrea d y told you on an oth er occasion .

T h erefo re , M a ry , th ere is no F o rm in th is W o r ld , nor a n y L ig h t, nor a n y S h a p e like to the F o u r-an d -tw en ty In visib les, w ith w h ich I m a y com pare them .

Y e t a little w h ile and I w ill lead thee and th y B re th re n , th y

C o -d iscip le s, into a ll the R e gio n s o f the H e ig h t, and I w ill b rin g you into th e three S p a ce s o f th e F ir s t M y ste ry u p to th e S ole R egion o f the S p a ce of

th e

In effab le.

S im ilitu d e.

A n d y e sh all see all its F o rm s in r e a lity w ith ou t

A n d w hen I h a v e b rou gh t yo u into the H e ig h t, y e sh all see

th e G lo ry o f those w h o pertain to the H e ig h t, and y e sh all be in the g re a te st w on d erm ent, an d w h en I h a v e brou ght you into the R e gio n s o f th e R u lers o f the F a te , y e sh a ll see th e G lo ry in w h ich th e y are, and com p ared to the g rea tn ess o f th e ir ex tra o rd in a ry G lo r y , y e sh all consid er th is W o r ld as the M ist o f M ist, [1 8 5 ] and w hen y e g a z e below into the W o r ld o f H u m an -k in d , it shall be as a sp e c k o f dust before you both b ec a u se o f the enorm ous d ista n ce w ith w h ich it is sep a ra ted from it, and o f th e g ig a n tic fashion w ith w h ich it tran scen d s it.

A n d w h en I h a ve

b rou gh t yo u into the T w e lv e iE o n s, y e sh all see th e G lo ry in w h ich they are, an d b ecau se o f th eir g rea t G lo ry , the R egio n o f the R u lers o f th e F a te sh a ll b e consid ered b y y o u as th e M ist o f D ark n ess, and sh all be lik e a s p e c k o f dust b efore you , both b ecau se o f the en orm ous d ista n ce w ith w h ich

it is sep a ra ted from it, and o f th e v a st fashion w ith w h ich it

tran scen d s it, as I h a ve a lrea d y told you on another o ccasio n .

A n d w h en I

h a v e b ro u g h t y o u to the T h irte e n th iE o n , and y e see the G lo ry in w hich th e y a r e ; the T w e lv e ^Eons sh all ap p ear to you as the M ist o f D ark n ess, and w h en y e h a v e g a ze d a t the T w e lv e /E ons, it (the R egion ) shall be like a sp eck o f dust before y o u , b ecau se o f the enorm ous d ista n ce w ith w hich it is sep a ra ted from it, and o f th e g ig a n tic fashion w ith w h ich it tran scen d s it.

A n d w h en I h a v e brought you to the R egion o f the M id st, y e sh all see the G lo r y in w hich th ey are, and th e th irteen th iE o n shall ap p ear to y o u like th e M ist o f D ark n ess, [1 8 6 ] and y e sh a ll g a z e forth into the T w e lv e iE o n s, — and a ll th e F a te , and all th e O rd erin g, and all th e S p h eres and all th eir O rd e rs sh a ll b e lik e a sp eck o f dust before you , b ecau se o f the en orm ous d ista n ce w ith w h ich it is sep a ra ted from it.

A n d w hen I h a ve

b ro u g h t y o u to the R egion o f those w ho pertain to the R ig h t, y e sh all see • In the Region of the M id st: see Lucifer No. 34., Table I. compare See. Doct., II, 240.

For the true light of the sun,

t These belong to the Thirteenth /Eon.

the G lo r y in w h ich th e y are, and th e R egio n o f those w ho p e rtain to the M idst, shall be con sid ered b y you as the N ig h t w h ich is in th e W o r ld of H u m an -kin d , and w hen y e look forth into th e M id st, it sh all b e a s a speck o f d u st before you for the enorm ous d ista n ce, w ith w h ich th e R e gio n of those o f th e R ig h t, is sep arated from it.

A n d w h en I b rin g y o u to the

L a n d o f L ig h t, w h ich is the T re a su re of L ig h t, so th a t y e m a y see the G lo ry , in w h ich th e y are, the R egio n o f those w h ich p ertain to th e R ight shall a p p ear to you as the ligh t o f m id -day in the W o r ld o f H u m an -kind , w h en the sun look s not forth, and w hen y e shall h a v e g a z e d into the R egion of those w h ich pertain to the R ig h t, it shall be as a sp eck o f dust before yo u for the enorm ous d istan ce w ith w h ich it is sep a ra ted from the T rea su re o f L ig h t.

A n d w hen I sh all b rin g you to th e R egio n o f the

In h erita n ces o f those w ho h a v e received th e M y ste rie s o f L ig h t, so th a t ye m a y see the G lo ry o f the L ig h t in w h ich th e y are, th e L a n d o f L ig h t shall be considered b y yo u as the L ig h t o f the S u n w h ich is in th e W o r ld of H u m an -k in d , [1 8 7 ] a n d w hen y e shall h a v e g a ze d into th e L a n d o f L ig h t, it sh all be considered b y y o u as a sp eck o f dust b ecau se o f the enorm ous d istan ce, w ith w h ich it (th at R egion ) is sep a ra ted from th e L a n d o f L ig h t, and o f th e m agn itu d e w ith w h ich it tran scen d s it. * [A n d w h en Jesu s h a d fin ish ed , M a ry cam e forw ard an d a sk e d for perm ission to question further] ; and Jesus a n sw ered and said u n to h er: “ S ea rc h on

. . .

1 w ill perfect you in e v e ry p o ssib ility an d perfection

from th e In terior ;o f In terio rs to th e E x te rio r o f E x te rio rs, from the In effab le to th e M ist o f D a rk n e ss, th a t th e y m a y c a ll y o u perfections (P lerd m a ia ), p erfected in a ll k n o w led g e.

N o w , th erefore, M a r y , a sk on

w hat th ou art in sea rch of, and I w ill reve a l it to th ee w ith g re a t rejoicin g and g rea t jo y ."

It cam e to pass, therefore, w hen M a ry h ad h ea rd these

w ord s w h ich the S a v io u r sa id , th a t she rejoiced w ith g rea t jo y an d sa id : “ M a ster, su rely the M en o f th e W o r ld w h o h a v e receive d the M y ste rie s of L ig h t, w ill not be su p erior to th e P ro je c tio n s o f th e T re a su re ?

[1 8 8 ] F or

I h a v e h eard thee sa y t h a t : ‘ W h e n I h a v e b ro u g h t y o u into th e R e g io n of those w ho receiv e th e M ysteries, th e R egio n o f th e L a n d o f L ig h t w ill be consid ered b y y o u lik e a sp eck o f dust b ecau se o f th e v a st d ista n c e , by w h ich it is s ep a ra ted from it, an d b ecau se o f the g re a t L ig h t , in w h ic h it is, w h ich is th e L a n d o f L ig h t o f th e T re a su re , the R e gio n o f the P r o je c tio n s : su rely , th en , m y M a ste r, th e M en w h o receive th e M y ste rie s, w ill not be sup erior to th e L a n d o f L ig h t in th e K in gd om o f L ig h t ? ” an sw ered and said unto M a r y :

A n d Jesus

“ E x c e lle n tly , indeed, d ost thou sea rch out

a ll th in gs in earnestness and s te a d fa s tn e s s ; hearken then , M a r y , I will sp ea k w ith th ee con cern in g th e A c c o m p lish m en t o f th e iE o n an d the C om pletion o f th e E v o lu tio n o f the U n iv erse. + I not said unto you :

S u ch w ou ld not b e so, had

‘ W h e n I h a v e b rou gh t y o u into th e R e gio n o f the *

See Table I., loc. cit.

f Evcctio : ascent or consummation.

In h erita n ces o f those w h o sh a ll receive the M y ste ry o f L ig h t, th e T re a su re o f L ig h t, [1 8 9 ] the R e gio n o f th e P ro jectio n s, sh all b e considered b y you like a sp eck o f dust and m erely a s th e lig h t o f the d a y sun

It h as been

said , th en , th a t th is shall be at th e tim e o f the A cco m p lish m en t o f the C on sum m ation o f th e U n iv erse.

T h e T w e lv e S a v io u rs o f the T re a su re

and the T w e lv e O rd ers o f ea ch o f th em , w h ich O rd ers are the P ro jectio n s o f the S ev en V o ic e s and o f th e F iv e T r e e s, sh all b e w ith m e in the R egion o f the In h erita n ces o f L ig h t, reign in g as K in g s w ith m e in m y K in gd o m .

E a c h o f them sh a ll be K in g o v er its ow n P ro jectio n s.

E a c h o f them

also

sh a ll be a K in g acco rd in g to its ow n G l o r y : g rea t a cc o rd in g to its g rea tn ess o f th e

and

sm all a cco rd in g

P ro jectio n s

of

th e

to its

F irs t

V o ic e

sm alln ess. shall

And

be

in

th e

th e

S a v io u r

R egio n

of

th e S o u ls o f those w h o receiv e th e fir s t m y stery o f the F irs t M y ste ry in m y K in gd o m .

A n d the S a v io u r o f the P ro jectio n s o f th e S econ d

V o ic e sh all b e in th e R egio n o f th e S ou ls o f those, w h o h a v e the

second m y stery

o f th e

F ir s t

M y ste ry .

In lik e

received

m anner also, the

S a v io u r o f the P ro jectio n s o f th e T h ird V o ice sh all b e in th e R egion o f th e S o u ls o f those w ho receiv e th e th ir d m y stery o f the F ir s t M y ste ry in the In h erita n ce o f L ig h t.

[1 9 0 ] A n d th e S a v io u r o f the P ro jectio n s o f th e

F o u r th V o ic e shall be in th e R egio n o f th e S o u ls o f th o se w h o receive th e fo u r th m y stery o f the F ir s t M y ste ry in th e In h erita n ces o f L i g h t ;

and th e

F ifth S a v io u r o f th e F ifth V o ice o f th e T re a su re o f L ig h t shall be in th e R e gio n o f the S o u ls o f those receivin g the f i f t h M y s te r y in the In h erita n ces o f L i g h t ;

m y stery o f th e F ir s t

and th e S ix th S a v io u r o f the

P ro je c tio n s o f th e S ix th V o ic e sh all be in the R egio n o f th e S ou ls o f th o se receiv in g th e s ix th m y stery

of

th e

F irs t M y s t e r y ; and

th e

S ev en th

S a v io u r o f th e P ro je c tio n s o f th e S e v e n th V o ic e o f the T re a su re o f L ig h t sh a ll b e in th e R egio n o f th e S o u ls o f th o se receiv in g th e seventh m y stery o f th e F ir s t M y ste ry in th e T re a su re o f L i g h t ; and th e E ig h th S a v io u r, w h ich a lso is the S a v io u r o f th e P ro jectio n s o f the F ir s t T r e e o f th e T r e a s u re o f L ig h t, sh all be in th e R e gio n o f th e S o u ls o f th ose receivin g th e e ig h th m y stery o f th e F ir s t M y ste ry in th e In h erita n ces o f L i g h t ; [1 9 1 ] an d th e N in th S av io u r w h ich is a lso the S a v io u r o f th e P ro jectio n s o f the S e c o n d T r e e o f th e T r e a s u re o f L ig h t, sh all b e in the R e gio n o f the S ou ls o f th o se w ho receiv e th e n in th m y stery o f th e F ir s t

M y ste ry in th e

In h e rita n c e s o f L ig h t ; and th e T e n th S a v io u r, w h ich also is th e S a v io u r o f th e P ro je c tio n s o f th e T h ir d T r e e o f the T re a s u re o f L ig h t, sh a ll be in th e R e g io n s o f th e S o u ls o f th o se w ho receive th e tenth m y stery o f the F ir s t M y ste ry in th e In h erita n ces o f L i g h t ; lik e w ise also th e E le v e n th S a v io u r , w h ich also is the S a v io u r o f th e F o u rth T r e e o f th e T re a su re of L ig h t , sh a ll be in the R egio n o f the S o u ls w h o re c e iv e th e eleventh m y ste ry o f th e F ir s t M y ste ry in th e In h erita n ces o f L ig h t, and th e T w e lfth S av io u r, w h ic h also is th e S a v io u r o f th e P ro jectio n s o f the F ifth T r e e o f the T r e a s u r e o f L ig h t, sh all be in the R egio n o f the S o u ls o f th ose w h o receive

the tw elfth m y stery o f th e F irst M y ste ry in th e In h erita n ces o f L ig h t (2).

[1 9 2 ] A n d the S ev en th A m en (? S ev en A m ens) and the F iv e T r e e s and the T h r e e A m ens, shall be on m y righ t hand, reign in g as K in g s in the In h erita n ces o f L i g h t : and the S a v io u r, the T w in s , w h ich are T h e C h ild o f the C h ild , and also the N in e G u a rd ia n s shall rem ain a lso at m y left h an d , reign in g as K in g s in the In h erita n ces o f L ig h t, like as th e y are also in th e T re a su re o f L ig h t : and the nine G u a rd ia n s o f th e T r e a s u r e o f L ig h t shall b e m ore ex cellen t than th e S a v io u rs in the In h erita n ces o f L ig h t , and the T w in S a v io u rs shall be m ore ex cellen t than the N in e G u a rd ia n s in the K in gd o m ; and the three A m en s shall be m ore excellen t th an th e T w in S a v io u rs in the K in gd o m , and th e F iv e T r e e s sh all be m ore ex cellen t than the T h r e e A m en s in th e In h erita n ces o f L ig h t (3).

A n d I e u and the G u a r ­

dian o f the V e il o f the G re a t L ig h t and the R e ce iv e rs o f L ig h t and the tw o G r e a t L e a d e rs (Proegoum enoi ), and the G re a t S a b a o th , the G oo d , shall be K in g s in th e F irst S a v io u r o f the F ir s t V o ic e o f the T re a su re o f L ig h t, [1 9 3 ] w h ich (Saviou r) shall be in the R e gio n o f those re c e iv in g th e first m ystery o f th e F irst M y ste ry .

F o r I e u and the G u a rd ia n o f the R egion o f

those w ho pertain to the R ig h t and M elch ised ec, th e G re a t R e c e iv e r o f L ig h t, and th e T w o G re a t

L e a d e rs em a n a ted from th e

S e le c t L ig h t,

w hich is e x ceed in g ly pure, o f the F irst T re e up to the F ifth T r e e . T h is I e u is the O v erseer o f th e L ig h t, w h o first em an ated in the pure L ig h t o f th e F irst T r e e ;

th e G u a rd ia n a lso of the V e il o f those w ho p e rtain to th e

R ig h t em an ated from the S econ d T r e e , and the T w o L ea d ers em an ated a lso from th e pure and selected L ig h t o f the T h ird and F o u rth T r e e s in th e T re a su re o f L ig h t.

A n d M elch ised ec also em an ated from the F ifth T r e e .

S a b a o th also, th e G oo d , w hom I h ave called m y F a th e r , em an ated from Ieu,

the O v erseer o f the L i g h t : th ese six , therefore, b y the com m an d o f th e

F irst M yste ry , th e last S u p p o rter cau sed to be in th e R e gio n o f th ose w h o p e rtain to th e R ig h t for the R e g u la tio n (Oikonom ia) o f the A sse m b ly o f L ig h t, w h ich L ig h t is in the H e ig h t o f the ;E o n s o f th e R u lers, and in th e W o r ld s, and in e v e ry R a c e , and in those o f each o f w h ich I h a ve told yo u th e fu n ctio n appo in ted to it in th e E m a n atio n o f th e U n iv erse.

O n a cco u n t, th erefore,

of th e loftin ess o f th is fu n ctio n , th e y shall be B ro th e r K in g s in th e first m y stery o f th e F irs t V o ice o f th e T re a su re o f L ig h t, [1 9 4 ] and th e y sh a ll be in the R egion o f the S o u ls o f those w h o receiv e th e first m y stery o f th e F irst M y ste ry (4).

A n d th e V irg in o f L ig h t and th e G re a t L e a d e r o f th e

M id st, w hom th e R u lers o f the iE o n s ca ll the G re a t I a 6 ,* a cc o rd in g to th e N a m e o f th e great R u ler w h o is in th eir R egio n , he and the V irg in o f L ig h t and her T w e lv e M in isters!-in w h ich y e received F o rm , and from w hich y e received th e P o w er, sh all be a lso all o f them K in g s.

A n d th e

F irs t S a v io u r o f th e F ir s t V o ic e in th e R e gio n o f the S o u ls o f th ose w h o sh all receive the first m ystery o f the F ir s t M y ste ry in the In h e rita n c e s o f * See Lucifer No. 32, pag. 12, note (6). f Ibid. pag. 14.

L ig h t , and the F iftee n S u p p orters o f the S ev en V irg in s o f L ig h t, w h ich a re in the M idst (5) shall em an ate forth from th e R e gio n s* o f the T w e lv e S a v io u r s and the rest o f th e A n g e ls o f the M id st, ea c h a cco rd in g to his G lo r y , th a t th e y m a y be K in g s w ith m e in th e In h erita n ces o f L i g h t ; and I shall there be K in g over all o f them .

A ll o f these th in gs, then, w h ich I

h a v e said unto y o u , shall not be at th is tim e, b u t a t th e A ccom p lish m en t o f the iE o n , w h ich is th e D issolu tion o f the U n iv erse and th e total C o m p letio n o f th e N u m b e rin g ! o f the P erfec t S o u ls o f th e In h erita n ces of L ig h t .

[1 9 5 ] S o then, before the A cco m p lish m en t, th ese th in gs o f w h ich

I h a v e spoken, sh all not com e to p a ss, b u t ea ch one o f them shall b e in its o w n R e g io n , in w h ich it h as been p laced from the B eg in n in g , until th ey h a v e com pleted the N u m b e rin g o f the A ssem b lyJ o f P e rfe c t S o u ls.

The

S e v e n V o ice s, and the F iv e T r e e s , and the T h r e e A m e n s, and the T w in S a v io u r , and the N in e G u a rd ia n s, and th e T w e lv e S a v io u rs, and th e y of th e R e g io n o f those w h ic h p e rtain to th e R ig h t, and th ey o f the R e gio n o f th e M id st, sh all rem ain ea ch in th e R egion in w h ich th e y h a ve been p la ced , u n til a ll h a ve com p leted th eir e v o lu tio n s; v iz ., th e p erfect N u m b e rin g o f th e S o u ls o f th e In h erita n ces o f L ig h t.

A n d all the oth er R u le rs w h ich

repented, shall rem ain also in the R e gio n in w h ich th e y h a v e been set, until

th e y h a v e all com pleted th eir evolu tion , th e N u m b erin g o f the S o u ls o f L ig h t .

A ll (the Souls) shall com e, ea c h at the tim e w h en it shall receiv e

th e M y ste ry , and th e y sh all pass to a ll the R u lers w h o h a v e repented, an d sh all com e into th e R egio n o f those w h o pertain to th e M id st, and th ey w h o pertain to th e M id st shall b ap tise them w ith th e S p iritu a l (P n e u m a tic) U n c tio n , and sh all seal them w ith th e S e a ls o f their ow n M y s te rie s ; so sh a ll th e y p ass w ith in those w h ich p ertain to a ll the R egio n s o f th e M id s t ; a n d th e y sh all p ass w ith in th e R egion o f those w h ich pertain to the R ig h t, a n d w ith in the R egio n o f the N in e G u a rd ia n s, and w ith in the R egio n o f th e T w in S a v io u r, and w ith in the R e gio n o f th e T h r e e A m en s and o f the T w e lv e S a v io u rs,

[1 9 6 ] and w ith in th e F iv e T r e e s and S e v e n A m en s,

e a c h offerin g them the S e a ls o f their ow n M ysteries, and th ey sh all com e w ith in

them

a ll,

so th a t th ey m a y com e w ith in

In h e rita n c e s o f L ig h t ,

the

R egio n o f

the

E a c li sh all rem ain in th at R e gio n w h o rec eiv e s the

M y s te ry prop ortion ate to it in th e In h erita n ces o f L ig h t.

B rie fly then and

o n ce for a ll, a ll the S o u ls o f H u m an -k in d , w h ich shall receiv e th e M y ste rie s o f L ig h t , sh all fir s t ! com e to a ll the R u lers, w hich h a ve rep en ted , and shall * In which the Saviours now are; viz., in the Treasure of Light. t See S e c n t D octrine, Vol. I, p. 171, ist para. As said in the article on "R om an Catholicism and Christianity” , the tradition of the Church is that the number o f the elect is iden tical with that o f the " F a lle n A n g e ls ” , whom they replace.

Again the Secret D octrine, especially Vol. II., gives exhaustive evidence of the identity of the “ Fallen A ngels” with the incarnating E g o s of Humanity. Verb. Sap. J Congregatio : sc. E k k le s iu (the Church) the seventh and last of the primordial /Eons of Valentinus. See L u c ife r No. 33, p. 231, and also p. 238 in the explanation of the Chart of the Pleroma according to this master of the Gnosis.

•T

i.e., before the .Sons, &c.

first co m e.to those w ho pertain to a ll the R e g io n s o f the M id st, an d to those w ho pertain to the w h ole R egion o f those w h o pertain to the R ig h t, and th e y sh all first com e to those w h o pertain to the w hole R e gio n o f the T re a su re o f L i g h t ; b riefly and on ce for a ll, th ey sh all com e first to those who

pertain

all

to

a ll th e

R egion s,

the R e gio n s o f th e F irs t

and first

S ta tu te

to

and

those w ho p ertain

shall b e w ith in

to

them all,

to p ass into the In h eritan ce o f L ig h t, up to the R egio n o f their appointed M y ste ry

so

th at

each

m ay

rem ain

in

th at

R egion w h o receive s a

M y ste ry prop ortion ate to i t : and so also those p e rta in in g to th e R egion of the M idst and to th e R ig h t and also to the w hole R e gio n o f the Treasu re, each the

in the

R egion

B eg in n in g ,

each

of

them

of

until

th e

th e

h a v in g

O rd er, U n iv e rse

in w h ich th e y h a v e should

com p lete

perform ed its proper

set it from

its

evolution,

R e g u la tio n ,

in

which

th ey h a v e set it, on acco u n t o f the A sse m b ly o f S o u ls, w h ich have receive d th e y

the

m ay

M y ste ry

seal

a ll

by

the

reason

S o u ls,

o f th is

w h ich

R e g u la tio n ,

sh all

receiv e

p assin g w ithin them to the In h erita n ce o f L ig h t.

[1 9 7 ]

th e

that

M ystery,

N o w , therefore, Mary,

th is is the m atter w h ich thou sea rch est out in earn estn ess and stead fast­ ness.

N o w , th en , h ereafter let him th a t h a th an e a r to h ear, h e a r."

COM M ENTARY. (1) F o u r-a n d -tw en ty -In visibles o f the T h irteen th / E o n .

TABLE L

eft

T h e G r e a t In v isib le F

or

T

II.

h ir t e e n t h

orefath er,

Com pare T a b le /.

^Eo n .

w h ose S y z y g y is B

arbelo.

T h e T w o G re a t T r i p l e P o w e r s , w h ich em a n a te 2 4 I n v i s i b l e s (in clu d in g P i s t i s - S o p h i a and her S y z y g y , sh e b ein g the lo w est Projection o f all).

T

he

S

e l f -w i l l e d

O

ne,

(2)

the third g rea t T r ip le P o w er.

TABLE

III.

TH E ist

2nd

3rd 4th

5th 6th

‘

7th 8th

I

9th

-

-

10th

n th

S A V IO U R S o f the 12 P R O J E C T I O N S or O R D E R S ' o f ist

V

2nd

3rd 4th

. '--j,

5th 6th

7th ist

''

1

2nd

V O IC E .

3rd

- - . j.

4th

...

12th the 5th

'

TREE.

S k a ll be in the Region o f the S O U L S which have received the ist

2nd

3rd 4th

5th 6th

7th 8th

9th

10th

n th

12th

M Y S T E R Y o f the F I R S T M Y S T E R Y

(3) T h o u g h the carefu l student o f th is stu p en d ou s system may sense the u n ity o f the schem e w hich u n derlies such m anifold m u ltip licity, yet it * Each Saviour has

12

Projections or Orders just as Jesus has

12

Disciples.

is e x c e e d in g ly difficult, w ith o u t b ein g e x c e ssiv e ly p rolix, to point out a ll the corresp on d ences. T o all b elow it th e T re a su re o f L ig h t is a u n ity ; and its O rders, P ro jectio n s, & c., in oth er w ords its H ie ra rch ies, h a v e but one influence. T h erefo re , w hen th e con ten ts o f the T re a s u re are m entioned at an earlier period o f in stru ction , as on p a g . 18, th e y are sim ply stated w ith o u t order. B u t n ow , a fu rth er veil is w ith d raw n , and the T rea su re b ecom es the In h erita n ce o f L i g h t : th is w ill be w hen the E vo lu tio n o f C osm os is com pleted , and b y a n a lo g y at the end o f a R ound, or o f seven R ound s, or again in In itiation w hen the p lan e o f con sciou sn ess c alled the T re a su re is reach ed by th e n eop h yte. T h e n , ju st as Jesu s in h is p assage to the H e ig h t (p a g g . 25 to 37) turned six o f th e iE o n s to the R ig h t and six to th e L e ft, so w ill the In itiated en ter into the T re a su re and w ith their h igh er con sciou sn ess p e rc e iv e its d iffe re n ce s; th u s w ill th ere b e a R ig h t and L e ft even in th a t w h ich w a s p rev io u sly sup posed to be b eyon d such d ivision .

T h e O rd erin g o f th e In h erita n ce then presen ted w ill b e as fo llo w s :— T A B L E IV .

I n h eritan ce

of

L

ig h t.

R ig h t

L eft

Superior)

(Inferior)

r

k

7 Amens (or Voices) 5 Trees 3 Amens

) j

12 Saviours 9 Guardians of 3 Gates Twin Saviours.

T h is ta b le is arran ged in p a ra llel colum ns to show th e corresp on d ences and arrow s p laced to m ark th e su p erio rity and in feriority o f the O rders.

T h e T w in S a v io u r finds its p roto typ e am ong the M y ste rie s, w h ich are m en tion ed fu rth er on in inn u m erab le classes and d ivision s, for th e T w in M y ste ry is one of the M ysteries o f th e F irs t M y ste ry w h ich is said to be eith er L o o k in g -w ith in or L o o k in g -w ith o u t.

T h is is th e M y ste ry o f the D u a l M an as. A s e v e ry R egion or P la n e h as its G a te s and V e ils, so has th e T rea su re its 3 G a te s ; in oth er w ords its 3 S u b -p lan es. T h ese corres­ pond to th e th ree Y o g a S ta te s o f J a g r a t, S vap n a and S h u sh u p ti, th e so-called w a k in g, d ream in g and d ream less-sleep sta te s o f con sciou sn ess.* W e thus see that the classification o f the low er planes as show n in T a b le I, is pushed furth er b ack or w ithin on to h igh er p la n es o f consciou sness, as th e D isc ip le s are ta u gh t furth er m ysteries.

T A B L E V. O rderin g o f the R i g h t ! in the Inheritance o f L i g h t .

(4)

the Overseer The Guardian of the Veil The two Great Leaders Ieu,

of the L i g h t } who emanated from the S e l e c t L ig h t

the Great Receiver The Great S a b a o t h , the Good (the Father of the Soul of Jesus) M e l c h is e d e c ,

of the who emanated from

ist Tree 2nd „ j 3fd „

I 4th 5th

,. „

(the Father of the Father of Jesus)

I eu

* See the article " States of Consciousness,” Lucifer, No. 38. t See Table I., and compare with Table II. } Viz., that which is the Light of the Treasure for all the lower planes.

T h e s e a ll sh all be K in g s in th e R egio n o f th e F irs t S a v io u r, i.e ., o f the F irst M y stery o f th e F irst V o ice o f the T re a s u re o f L ig h t.

(5)

TABLE

V I.

M id st .

The Little I a A, the Good, called in the Asons the Great | 7 Virgins of the Light The Virgin of Light | 15 Supporters* ( 12 Ministers

I a 6.

(T o be continued.)

“ A r e w e not m arried to our con scien ces, w h ich is far m ore d isa greea b le than a w om an can be ? ” “ I n e v e r m ind th e thou ght o f d eath : our sp irit is in d e stru ctib le in essen ce and N a tu re is bound to g iv e me another ca sin g for it.” “ I

am

a lw a y s h a p p y , b u t not for o th e rs.”

w ou ld be the use o f c u ltu re if w e did not try to con trol our n atu ra l ten d en cies ? It is a great fo lly to hope th a t oth er men w ill harm onise w ith us. I h a ve n ever hoped th is. I h a v e a lw a y s regard ed each m an a s an in d ep en d en t in d iv id u a l, w hom I h a v e en d eavou red to stu d y, and to u n derstan d w ith all his p ecu lia rities, but from w hom I had a rig h t to dem and no further sy m p a th y . In th is w a y I h a ve been en abled to co n v erse w ith e v e ry m a n ; and th u s alone is p rod u ced the k n ow led ge o f va rio u s c h ara cte rs, and the d ex te rity n ecessary for the con d u ct o f life. F o r it is in a con flict w ith n atu res opposed to his ow n th at a m an m ust co lle ct h is stren gth to fight his w a y th rou gh life.” “ W

hat

“ W h o is t h e h a p p i e s t p e r so n ?— h e w h o s e n a t u r e a s k s for n o t h i n g t h a t t h e w o r l d d o e s n o t w i s h a n d use ? ”

“ H o w can a m an learn to k n ow h im self ? B y reflection n eve r, o n ly b y actio n . In the m easu re in w hich thou seek est to do th y d u ty sh a lt thou know w h at is in thee. B u t w h at is th y d u ty ? T h e d em and o f th e h o u r .” “ A m a n is not little w hen he finds it difficult to cop e w ith c irc u m sta n c e s, b ut w hen circu m sta n ces o v erm aster h im .” “ I t is c le a r that to seem w ell-bred , a m an m ust a c tu a lly b e so. It is a ls o cle a r w h y w om en are g e n e ra lly m ore exp ert at ta k in g up the air o f b re e d in g than the oth er sex : w h y cou rtiers and soldiers c a tch it m ore e a sily th a n oth er m en .” “ N o m an w ou ld ta lk m uch in S o c ie ty if he w ere con sciou s how often h e m isun derstan d s oth er p e o p le .” “ A m a n ’ s m ann ers’ are a m irror in w h ich he sh o w s h is liken ess to a n in telligen t o b se rv e r.” “ W o r d s are g o o d : but th e y are not th e b est.

T h e b est is not to b e e x p la in e d by w ord s. T h e sp irit in w h ich w e a ct is th e g rea t m a tte r .

A c tio n can b e un derstood, and again represented b y the sp irit alone. N o m an k n o w s w h a t he is doin g, w h ile he a cts rig h tly , b u t o f w h a t is w r o n g w e are a lw a y s co n scio u s.”

G

oethe.

Not to be confused with tbe Five Great Supporters, but an aspect of them on a lover plane.

(S ta g s ite

n t ^ I jm q p ljita i IttM a .

A P U R A N IC P E R F O R M A N C E .

.

ctÂą

t

.

.

M A G I N E y o u r se lf in a larg e w h ite w a sh e d b arn, w ith h igh p itch e d lo fty roof, w hose brow n te ak b eam s and ra fte rs look alm ost

a g a in st th e w a lls, w h ich are broken d oors an d w in d o w s.

on

all four

sid es

by

b lack

nu m erou s

O n the floor lies a cotton c arp e t in broad b an d s of

blue an d w h ite , from the ro o f a la m p h an g s dow n in the cen tre, w h ile oth ers are p la ce d on low stan d s at each

side.

A t a ll the doors and

w in d o w s clu ster d ark form s, h a lf reve aled b y the flash es o f lam p lig h t, sh o w in g th at th e veran d ah ru nn ing round th e entire b u ild in g is crow d ed w ith sp ectato rs.

O n both sides o f th e hall itself, som e h a lf dozen row s o f

m en sit on the carp e t w ith their feet tu ck ed a w a y under their th ig h s, m o stly w ea rin g w h ite m uslin or cotton clo th s, w ith here and th ere a n arro w strip e or tw o of colour a t th e ed ges.

T h e tu rb a n s too are m ostly w h ite ,

w ith o n ly a gold stripe run through them , th ou gh th ree or four are m ade o f rich d ark silk , shot w ith gold and pu rple and y ello w . th e form s w h ich th is h ea d ge ar ta k es, plain

M anifold too are

circu lar, o v a l, horned, w ith

the horn stick in g out eith er a t the side or b a c k , and so on throu gh w on d rous in tricacies o f sh ap e an d form .

N o t a ll, th o u gh , w ea r tu rban s.

T h e h ead s o f som e are b are, sh o w in g the crow n sh aven close a s far b ack as th e line o f th e ears, but w ith lon g b la ck h air b ehind , eith er h a n g in g loose or, m ore u su a lly , ga th e re d up into a knot a t the b a c k o f the h ead .

L o o k in g

a lo n g these lin e s o f stro n g ly m arked and h ig h ly in tellig en t faces from the to p o f the h a ll, sit four men lik e w ise cro sslegg ed on the floor, tw o o f them w ith th e ir b a c k s su p ported a ga in st th e w a ll.

T h e s e tw o are E u ro p ea n s,

th o u gh not o f the ruling A n glo -In d ian class, nor sy m p a th isin g w ith them in th eir attitu d e to w a rd s In d ia an d its p eoples.

B esid e each sits a H in d u

frien d w ho w ill n ow and aga in w h isp er b rie f ex p la n a tio n s o f the p er­ form an ce w h ich is abou t to tak e place. * * T h e op posite end o f th e room is occu p ied b y the p erform ers, or rath er th e perform er and his a cco n pan ists, a regu la r H in d u o rch estra, tom -tom , c y m b a ls , go u rd pipe and vina.

T h e la s t is a trem en dous g u ita r w ith tw o

or three strin gs, the n eck som e six feet lon g, term in atin g in a h u ge b o w l­ sh a p e d soun d ing b oard, a t lea st fifteen in ch es in d iam eter b y tw e lv e inch es in d ep th .

Its m u sic is m onotonous, form in g a continu ou s un dertone on

tw o or th ree in terva ls, w h ich all seem to lie in the com pass o f a sin gle note o f our m usic.

T h e c y m b a ls and pip e p la y the part o f treb le instrum ents,

w h ile the tom -tom g iv e s the b ass and m ark s th e m easure. * * .

*

.

S e a te d a little in front o f th e m u sician s is the c h ie f perforiv.er, a tall

fine sta lw a rt m an, his h air th ic k ly strea k ed w ith g re y , w ea rin g a w h ite loin clo th , w hich w hen sta n d in g erect he a llo w s to h a n g dow n round each leg like T u rk ish trousers.

F ro m th e w a ist up he is nude, e x c e p t for a w hite

and gold sc a r f crossed o v er th e left shou ld er, or h a n g in g loose on his arm .

In one h and he hold s a b u n d le o f b u t w ith rin g s a tta ch ed

to

m etal p la tes, lik e a palm le a f M S .,

them w h ich h e

clash es

to g eth er castan et

fashion w hen ch a n tin g im passion ed p a ssa g e s or n ea rin g a c lim a x in his d eclam ation .

* * . * T h e m u sic b e g in s— a stran g e flat rh yth m , g ra d u a lly q u ick en in g ; the

c y m b a ls and tom -tom w arm up to th eir w o rk, the gou rd pip e sends a few shrill n otes fly in g lik e a rro w s th rou gh th e fo g gy m ass o f dull sound, and the p relu d e w in d s up w ith a crash , q u ite in a cco rd an ce w ith E u ro p ea n ideas o f a “ gran d fin a le

R em em ber th ou gh th at th is is p u ck a , orth od o x

H in d u m usic, s trictly in a cco rd an ce w ith the p rescrip tion s o f the S h a stra s and d u ly a p p ro p ria ted a cco rd in g to rule, to th e hour o f d a y — or rath er n igh t. *** A fte r a m om en t’s silen ce, th e lead er rises, ta k es th ree ste p s forw ard and b egin s in T a m il a h ig h ly sp iritu a l and ph ilosop h ical in tro d u ctio n to the them e o f th e P u ra n a .

H e sp ea k s v e ry fast, m uch lou d er and in a

h igh er k ey th an w e use in the W e s t, th row in g an am ou nt o f fiery en ergy, c h a n g e s of- vo ice and tone into h is v e ry m eta p h ys ica l d iscou rse w h ich seem ed stra n g e to one accu sto m ed to th in k o f p h ilosoph y as e ss e n tia lly a su b ject for “ calm ” d iscu ssion .

* * . . . * .

S e ttin g out w ith an im passion ed in v o ca to ry hym n to S a r a sw a ti, th e

actor (for su ch indeed he is) ex p la in e d th at th e S u p rem e B e in g , w h o is

also the Im m u tab le L a w , p erio d ically in ca rn ated in sp ecial form s for the accom p lish m en t o f p a rticu la r pu rposes in certain crises o f h isto ry — th e d octrin e o f A v a ta r a s in short.

th e w o rld ’s

B u t not on ly are th e re su ch

sp ecial a v a ta ra s a s R a m a , bu t in ve ry tru th e v e ry sen tien t b ein g is a m an ifestatio n o f the S u p rem e and one w ith it .

H e n ce a ll th is a p p a ren t

d ifferen ce, strife, pain, cla sh o f in terests, & c., is a ll are one.

but e x t e r n a l;

w ith in ,

L e t us therefore recogn ise and realise th is fa ct and e sca p e

from th e pain o f sep a ra ted life. len gth , illu stra tin g

T h is th em e he w orked ou t at som e

it w ith h isto rical ex a m p les and m an y q u o ta tio n s in

S a n sk rit, H in d u sta n i, T e lu g u and

T a m il.

T h e s e q u o ta tio n s he c h an te d

to a ccom p an im en t, su p ported som etim es b y h is secon d, the m an w ith the F ro m th ese g e n e ra l top ics, w h ich h o w e ver g a v e him sco p e for a

vina.

good d eal o f effective d eclam ation and gestu re p la y , the a cto r p assed on to show how the story o f R a m a illu stra ted and exem p lified th ese a b s tra c t truths.

* * * .

• • T h u s a t la s t he go t lau n ch ed on h is a ctu a l s u b je c t ; rollin g ou t the

gra n d S a n sk rit S lo k a s an d ren d erin g them into flu en t and p ictu resq u e T a m il for th e ben efit o f h is au d ien ce.

T h e sto ry is a m ost to u ch in g an d

p a th e tic one but too lo n g to repeat h ere. scope for a d isp la y o f th e v a rie d an d

It afforded, h o w ever, am ple

ad m irab le m etrical c a p a c itie s o f

S a n sk rit, and revealed to m e a w ea lth o f rhyth m and stran g e effects o f sound com b in ation s su ch as I had n ever d ream ed of. * + * W e w ere a t A m b a sam u d ram , th e v illa g e w h ere

M r. P o w e ll, our

late fellow w orker, died, and to the m em bers a t w h ich p la ce a ll true T h eo so p h ists the w orld o v er o w e a deep d eb t o f g ra titu d e for th eir strik in g d em on stration o f the po w er o f T h eo so p h ica l B ro th erh o o d to overco m e the p reju d ices and b arriers o f race, caste an d creed .

T o us, too, th e y w ere as

kind and thou ghtfu l as for b roth ers b y blood, and not o n ly for th is, but far more for their w ork for the T .S ., the b ra n ch at th is p la ce , and esp ecia lly its tw o lead ers, d eserve sp ecia l m ention. ÂĽ *

.

^

*

O n e d a y then, w h ile there, a stra n g e visito r cam e to p a y h is resp ects— a w an d erin g d evotee.

N o fat, sleek, san ctim on iou s b eg g in g friar, w ith

rubicund cou n ten an ce and p o rtly p au n ch , b u t ta ll, lean , em aciated , till ev e ry rib sh ow ed , m arked in the eleven p rescribed p la ce s w ith vib h v ti (sacred ashes) a cco rd in g to V e d a n tic rite, w ea rin g round h is n eck and a s a crow n on his h ead strin g s o f rudraksha

b ead s, h e form ed w ith th a t far

a w a y , d ista n t look in h is eyes, a p erfect h isto rical pictu re. * * . . * H is p a rticu la r form o f d evotion (b h a k ti ) con sisted

• in

cea selessly

w an d erin g throu gh the len gth and b read th o f In d ia from one sa cred sp ot to an other, b u rn in g in cen se in e v e ry tem p le he cam e to.

F o r th is purpose

he carried a b ou t a h ig h ly e la b o ra te ap p a ratu s m ade in b rig h tly polish ed brass.

O n the top o f a h ollow s ta ff o f b ra ss som e four feet six in ch es high

w a s sup ported a sq u are tra y , its rim orn am en ted w ith little sta tu e ttes o f v a rio u s d ivin ities, and h a v in g the regu lation four b u lls or vahans at its corn ers.

In th e

cen tre

rose

a

g ra ce fu l

burn ing coals in w h ich to p la ce th e incense.

va se , lotu s sh ap ed , full

of

R ou n d th is cen tral c u p , the

o u tly in g p e ta ls w ere p ierced w ith h oles to re c e iv e the en ds o f thin stic k s o f in cen se w h ich , w hen ligh ted , form ed a crow n o f fiery perfu m e-b reath in g sp a rk s round the cen tral a lta r o f incen se.

F ro m the four corn ers o f the

tra y h u n g b y brass ch ain s v a rio u s e la b o ra te ly d ecorated u ten sils, incen se box, fire ton gs, incen se spoon, & c., & c.

T h e h ollow sta ff itse lf form ed the

b ox in w h ich these thin and b rittle incen se stic k s w ere carried . * * * T h e m an h im self w a s nude ex c ep t for th e lan gou ti, not even w ea rin g the cu sto m a ry scarf.

N o t b ein g a B ra h m in b u t a S u d ra b y caste, he o f

course w ore no sa cred th read , and w as, so far as w e cou ld lea rn , en tirely ign oran t o f ph ilosop h y or learn in g.

A sim ple religiou s d evotee, he h ad

devoted his life and fortune to th is p a rticu la r bhakti, for he d id not b e g or even a cc e p t alm s, but su p p orted h im self an d found his incen se from his own p rop erty.

O f su ch sim ple, honest devotees In d ia can still show m any.

B. K.

®b*0S0plnJ ait& (Srrlmastirism.

(A P a p er read before T h * B la v a tsk y L o d g e.)

(Concluded.)

B u t w e m ust recogn ise a n o th er fa cto r w h ich w ill co n tin u e to c a rry the ch u rch a lo n g, a fa cto r w h ich is stron ger even th a n a ll th e o th ers, v iz ., the po w er o f ve ste d in terests.

T h e c h u rch h as a g rea t p e cu n ia ry s t a k e ;

and m on ey is n ow the u n iversal stan d ard and om n ipotent pow er.

The

ch u rch is en orm ou sly w e a lt h y ; the w h ole e c c le sia s tica l system is one of m oney, from the L o r d livin g .

A rch b ish o p dow n

to the com fortab le co u n try

W h e re w ould the w h ole system be if th ere w ere no m on etary

v a lu e a tta ch e d to its offices, if th e ch u rch had follow ed th e ex a m p le and p recep ts o f the lo w ly te a c h er o f N a z a r e th w ho said : “ W h o s o e v e r w ou ld be first am ong you sh all be serva n t o f a ll,” and h im self set th e ex a m p le by w a sh in g the d iscip les’ feet. than w a sted effort.

A la s ! for th a t sin gle so lita ry life o f w orse

It fills on e’s heart w ith in e x p re ssib le sad ness to think

th a t the ou tcom e o f th a t n oble e x a m p le o f lo ve and U n iv e rsa l B roth erh ood is th a t ch u rch w h ose histo ry is one o f th e b la c k e st c rim in a lity ; w h ic h has w ad ed throu gh seas o f blood, and estab lish ed its d ogm as and in flu en ce by to rtu res and cru elties, w hich find a le g itim a te p a ra lle l in th e d o ctrin e o f H e ll.

A n d if th e a g e o f fire and blood is n ow h a p p ily past, do you th in k

th at it is b ecau se the ch u rch la c k s th e w ill, or o n ly the pow er.

T h e spirit

o f b igotry and in toleran ce is as stron g as e v e r ; it is on ly held in c h e c k b y a stron ger pow er outside the ch u rch ; and if th e ch u rch o f R o m e cou ld regain th e tem poral pow er, as indeed she still h op es to do, w ho is th ere who d o u b ts th a t she w ould again use those m ethods o f en forcin g her a u th o rity w ith w h ich she h as ev er been a sso ciated ?

A n d if w e tu rn to the C h u rc h o f

E n g la n d , w e find th e sam e sp irit there, m an ifestin g its e lf in a th o u san d a cts o f in toleran ce to w a rd s oth er sects, and to w a rd s the profane w o rld .

W e hear m uch o f the triu m ph o f th e C ross in all a ges, but th e m ethod s b y w h ich th at trium ph has been secu red h a ve been the sam e in a ll tim es, w h eth er it h as been in fa n a tic a l cru sad es a ga in st th e “ in fid e l,” in th e p ersecution and m urder o f “ h e re tic s,” or b y gu n p o w d er and rum am o n g the “ h ea th e n .”

A h ! the p ity o f it, that th e C ro ss o f C h rist sh ould e v e r

h a ve com e to be asso ciated w ith su ch triu m ph s.

Do

not

C h ristia n ity

let

me

be m isun derstood

h ere.

I

am

not s a y in g th a t

has not been a pow erful and b eneficent influence 'i n

th e

lives o f m a n y ; I am not d en yin g th a t th e o rth od o x d o ctrin es h a v e b een and are to-d ay a sou rce o f refu ge from the trials and co n flicts o f th is w o rld , w h ich it w ou ld be m ore than cru el to ta k e a w a y from som e m ind s.

I am

not sa y in g th a t there are no tru e C h ristia n s w ith in th e ch u rch ; th a t th e re

a re not th o se w ho a re w o rk in g for h u m a n ity w ith a d evotion in sp ired b y th e ir C h ristia n id eal, w h ich w ill put us to s h a in e ; or th a t th ere are not th o se w ithin the ch u rch w h o are sw im m in g b ack a ga in st the stream , and e n d ea vo u rin g to d ra w th eir inspiration from

the origin al sou rce.

But

w h a t I am sa y in g is, th a t th a t e c c le sia stica l system w h ich is su p p osed to h a v e origin ated from th e te a ch in g s of Jesu s, and to h a v e been foun ded b y th e A p o stle s, has been and is op posed in a ll its p rin cip les to th e te a c h in g s o f the M a ster it a c k n o w le d g e s ; th a t it h as been and is an in sult to th at g rea t te a c h e r before w hom w e all b ow in reveren t affection , to ca ll our E c c le s ia s tic a l S y stem the C h ristia n C h u rc h .

Its d octrin es, and d ogm as,

and cerem on ials, and p riesth ood , are not w h a t C h rist ta u g h t, bu t a m ere rechauffe o f so-called heathen ph ilosoph ies and sym b o lism , w ith all th a t w as

p h ilo so p h ica l o b literated and d efa ced .

T im e is too short for m e to enter

into th is question now , bu t one w ho h as the k e y w h ich th e Secret D octrin e su p p lies h as no d ifficu lty in reco g n isin g this.

N o r does it ev en requ ire

such a k e y , and I m ay q u ote one p a ssa g e b ea rin g on th is from P ro fesso r D ra p e r ’s “ H isto ry o f the C o n flict b etw een R elig io n an d S c ie n c e .”

He

says: “ A s y e a rs p assed on, the faith d escrib ed b y T e rtu llia n w a s tran sm u ted in to one m ore fash ion ab le and m ore d eb ased . It w a s in co rp o ra ted w ith the old G r e e k M y th o lo g y . O ly m p u s w a s restored , but th e d ivin ities passed under oth er nam es. T h e m ore pow erful p ro v in ces in sisted on the adoption o f th e ir tim e-honoured con cep tion s. V ie w s o f the T r in ity , in a cco rd a n ce w ith E g y p tia n trad itio n s, w ere esta b lish ed . N o t o n ly w a s th e ad oration o f Isis under a n ew nam e resto red , b u t ev en her im age, sta n d in g on th e crescen t m oon, reap p eared . T h e w ell know n effigy o f th a t go d d ess w ith th e infan t H o ru s in her arm s, h as d escen d ed to our d a y s in the b ea u tifu l, a rtistic creatio n s o f the M ad on n a and C h ild . S u ch resto ration s o f old con cep tion s under novel form s w ere ev e ry w h e re rec eiv e d w ith d eligh t.

W h e n it w as ann oun ced to th e E p h e s ia n s th a t the C o u n cil o f th a t p la ce , head ed b y C y r il, had d ecreed th a t the V irg in shou ld b e c a lle d ‘ T h e M other o f G o d ,’ w ith tears o f jo y th e y em b raced th e k n ees o f their b is h o p ; it w a s th e old in stin ct p e ep in g o u t ; th eir an cestors w ou ld h a ve don e th e sam e for D ia n a .” .

T h e d octrin es an d d ogm as w h ich w ere th u s e a rly e sta b lish e d b y the C h ristian ch u rch , an d w hich h a v e so lon g d om in ated the W e s te rn w o rld , are bound to con tin u e th eir in flu en ce and a u th o rity ov er certain p o rtio n s o f th e com m unity, lon g a fter th ey h a v e been rejected b y those w h o are in a position to e x ercise an indepen den t ju d g m en t.

W e m ay p e rh a p s b e told

th a t the reform ation estab lish ed th e a u th o rity o f th e B ib le as a g a in st th a t o f th e ch u rch , an d th a t th e a p p e a l o f m odern C h ristia n ity is d ire c tly to the in sp ired B o o k .

G ra n te d , so far as th e P ro te sta n t C h u rc h is c o n c e r n e d ;

but th is still le a v e s th e qu estion q u ite an open one as to w h eth er th e th eo lo gy and p ra ctices o f the P ro testa n t C h u rch are in con fo rm ity w ith th e te ach in g s o f C h r i s t ; and m oreover the fa ct m ust not b e o verlo ok ed that th e can on o f a u th o rity to w h ich th e y a p p e al w a s estab lish ed b y the ea rly ch u rch F a th e r s and B ish o p s for th eir ow n pu rp o ses.

T h e can on o f

a u th o rity to w h ich P ro te sta n ts a p p e al is q u ite as m uch th e a u th o rity o f

E c c le sia stic is m as it w ou ld be if to-d ay th e y w ere to a p p e a l d ire c tly to the C h u rch o f R om e re sp e ctin g the a u th o rity o f the P is tis-S o p h ia .

I f Jesu s w ere to com e am on gst us to-d ay, w h at w ou ld be th e reception he

w ould m eet w ith at th e h an d s o f the ch u rch ?

heretofore be a d esp ised an d persecu ted o u tca st ? d en ou n ce as th e S crib e s an d P h a rise e s o f to-d ay ?

W o u ld he W hom

not as

w o u ld

he

W h a t w ou ld he h a ve

to sa y to su ch a p iece o f ec c le sia stica l b u sin ess as the p rosecu tio n o f the B ish o p o f L in c o ln ; C a th ed ra l ?

or to th e qu estion o f the R ered o s in S t. P a u l’s

W e r e he to use the sam e w ord s o f u n com p rom isin g h o stility

to w a rd s the secta ria n s o f t o - d a y ; to insist as before on the p u rity o f the in w ard m otive, an d show the sam e con tem p t for o u tw a rd form s, w h at c h an ce o f a h ea rin g w ou ld he ob tain in a n y o f ou r C h ristian tem p les ?

A n d w ou ld it not b e w e T h e o so p h ists w ho w ou ld be the first to recogn ise and g a th e r round him ; w e T h e o so p h ists w ho are certa in ly rega rd e d w ith the g rea te st a b h o rren ce b y the religio n ists of to - d a y ; y e t w h o can claim to com e nearest to th e great M a ste r in all ou r teach in g s.

W e are regarded

a s the w orst o f h eretics, an d sup posed to b e infidels and a th eists and all th at is m ost op probriou s in the o rth o d o x d ictio n a ry .

Y e t w h o is there

am ong us w h o h a s not learn t th rou gh the te a ch in g s o f T h e o so p h y to love and reveren ce the g rea t M a ster as w e w ere n ever a b le to do b efore, when w e h ad no oth er clu e to his life than th a t w h ich the ch u rch su p p lied , and w h ich w e had lo n g sin ce rejected .

W e h a v e ca u g h t som eth in g o f that

en thusiasm o f h u m a n ity w h ich he rep resen ted , and h a ve found ou rselves d ra w n clo ser and n earer to th a t su blim e id eal w h ich as pure C h ristia n ity is also pu re T h eo so p h y.

L e t us see to it as T h e o so p h ists th at w e are not m isu n derstood in this m a tter o f the relation b etw een T h eo so p h y and C h ristia n ity , as a p a rt from E cc le sia stic is m .

H a v in g d eclared in no u n certain vo ice our d ete sta tio n of

th a t w h ich n ow p a sses for C h ristia n ity , let us b o ld ly claim th a t it is we w h o h a ve the b est rig h t to be c alled C h ristian s.

W e h a v e been called

“ E s o te ric B u d d h is ts,” and w e are not ash am ed o f the t i t l e ; b u t let it be

c le a rly un derstood by those w ho w ou ld use th is term as an op probriou s one, th a t w e a re a lso E so te ric C h ristia n s.

It w ou ld I b elieve tend ve ry

g r e a tly to set us rig h t in the e y e s of the w orld, and w ou ld d ra w a g rea t num ber o f p rofessin g C h ristian s into ou r ran k s if som e sch o la r am o n g us w ould w rite a book en titled “ E so te ric C h ris tia n ity ,” som ew h at on th e lines o f M r. S in n e tt’s “ E s o te ric B u d d h is m ,” for it is th at b ook w h ich is m ain ly respo n sib le for ou r a sso ciatio n in th e w orld a t la rg e w ith th e religion of B uddha.

N o w alth o u g h th is is q u ite rig h t in the E a s t w h ere B u d d h ism is

the p o p u la r religio n , it ten d s v e ry g r e a tly to fa lsify our p o sition in the W e s t, w h ere C h ristia n ity is the b asis o f all religiou s id eas.

I f w e are to influence and reform th e C h ristian c h u rch — u sin g th a t term n ow to in clu d e th e gen era l-b o d y o f p rofessin g C h ristia n s— w e m ust d o so as C h ristia n s an d not as B u d d h ists.

A n d it is w o rth w h ile ou r tr y in g to do

th is.

W h y should w e not la y hold o f th a t g rea t and po w erfu l o rgan isation ,

an d m ake it T h eo so p h ic ?

S e ttin g aside th e C h u rc h of R o m e, w h y should

w e not m ould the P ro te sta n t faith of the com in g cen tu ry , and p rev en t the e n e rg y o f the c h u rch , w h ich is now [running to seed in all sorts o f sects an d d ivisio n s, from b ein g w a sted and

d issip ated ?

In a v e ry v a lu a b le con trib u tion to th is su b ject in the J u ly n u m ber o f L u c ife r , M r. S in n e tt pu ts th e qu estion th u s :

“ I f w e can in d u lge

in so

w ild a dream as to im ag in e th e m a jo rity o f the c le rg y at som e fu ture tim e co m in g to th in k th e p e cu n ia ry in terests o f th e ch u rch , th e so cia l p restig e o f b elo n gin g to it, th e ran k and w o rld ly honours to w h ich it m a y lead up for m en w h o a re sk ilfu l in co u rtin g fash ion ab le ca p rices, co n sid eration s o f seco n d a ry im p o rta n ce com p ared to sp iritu a l p rogress and in terests ly in g o u tsid e th is presen t in ca rn ate life, then it is p e rfe ctly p o ssib le th a t the c h u rc h m ight becom e th e g rea t th eosop h ical o rg a n iza tio n o f th e fu tu re .�

C a n th is b e done ?

I f w e cou ld so leaven th a t po w erfu l o rga n iza tio n

w ith our p rin cip les, as to turn th e w h ole w eig h t o f its in flu en ce o v er the m asses into T h e o so p h ica l ch an n els, w h at a v a st and fa r re a ch in g reform a­ tion w ou ld be effected .

A n d this I b e lie v e can b e done, bu t w e m ust do it

a s C h ristia n s and not as B u d d h is ts ; w e m ust base our p rin cip les on the B ib le w h ich ev eryo n e k n ow s, and not on the B h a g a v a d -G it 4 , w h ich is an un fam iliar and u n in telligib le b ook am ong W e s te rn s.

A n d if w e su cceed

in d o in g th is, then th e h isto ry o f th e T h e o so p h ica l m ovem ent o f the n in eteen th c e n tu ry w ill be th e h isto ry o f the grea te st religiou s reform ation th e w orld has e v e r seen.

B u t w h ile sta tin g m y c o n v ictio n th a t th is can be done, I m ust q u alify th e sta tem en t som ew h at lest I should b e m isun derstood .

I do not m ean

th a t th e ch u rch w ill b ecom e g ra d u a lly m erged in the T h e o so p h ica l S o c ie ty , nor th a t th e T h e o so p h ica l S o c ie ty sh ould b ecom e m erged in th e ch u rch .

It is p o ssible even th a t th e term T h e o so p h y , and the T h e o so p h ica l S o c ie ty m ay d ie out.

N am e s and term s are o f no im portan ce, sa v e in so fa r as

th e y affect p rin cip les and if w e can infuse our p rin cip les into th e religio u s o rg a n iza tio n s o f th e W e s t, it w ill not m atter w h e th e r th e ch u rch es o f the future b e c alled C h ristian or T h eo so p h ic.

N o r can w e sup pose th a t such a reform ation as T h e o so p h y aim s at in the religiou s w orld, w ill c a r ry w ith it the w hole o f th e C h ristia n ch u rch .

S om e portion w ill still c lin g to th e old a u th o rity and th e old ritu a l.

R o m an

C a th o lic

C h u rc h

su rv iv ed

th e

p ro testa n t

r e fo r m a tio n ;

P ro te sta n t C h u rc h w ill su rviv e th e th eo so p h ic reform ation .

The the

Y o u m ust

k ill th e p rin cip les w hich g iv e rise to E cc le sia stic ism before it can b ecom e e x t i n c t ; b u t as far as w e can see, those p rin cip les a re still so stro n g in hum an n atu re, th a t th e d a n g er is lest T h e o so p h y should b e m erged into E c c le sia stic is m , rath er than th e co n tra ry .

T h e id ea o f th e c h u rch as b ein g

th e r e p re se n ta tiv e o f a p a rticu la r fo r m o f religio u s fa ith is d ee p ly rooted.

M o reover th e ch u rch is th e a u th o rity to w h ich th e u n th in k in g portion o f

th e com m u n ity looks in m atters o f religion . creed ; w ill h a v e a creed at all h a z a rd s.

T h e m asses m ust h a v e a

T h e y w ill eith er m ake it for

th e m selve s, and form a num ber o f fa n a tical sects, or th ey w ill a llo w oth ers to do it, and b ecom e the sla v e s o f a d esp otic h iera rch y , as in th e c a se of th e C h ristia n c h u rch .

T h e r e is no m ore terrib le e x a m p le in h isto ry of

th is fa ta l ten d en cy in hum an n atu re to m a teria lize the sp iritu a l, and o f the d eg ra d atio n w h ich resu lts therefrom , th an the h isto ry o f th e rise and p ro g ress o f

E c c le s ia s tic a l

C h ris tia n ity .

And

do

not

let

us

d eceiv e

ou rselv es b y th in k in g th a t b ecau se th e w orld is now som e few cen tu ries older, and b ecau se w e are n ow en terin g upon a n ew c y c le o f in tellectu al p rogress and m aterial p ro sp erity, th at therefore th is te n d en cy h a s been uprooted for ever.

W e w h o stu d y th e cou rse o f hum an evo lu tio n in its

c y c lic p rogress throu gh m illions o f y e a rs, an d h a v e learn t the gen era l p rin c ip les o f a n a lo g y on the lin es o f w h ich th at evolu tion p roceed s, can not d oubt b u t th at the w orld h as still m an y d a rk c y c le s to p ass th ro u g h , as d a rk or p e rh a p s d a rk er th an th a t from w h ich it is ju s t em erg in g .

T h e fou n d ers o f th e C h ristian ch u rch w ere w ise m en in th e ir d a y ; th e y pan dered in e v e ry w a y to th e p o p u lar preju d ices, and to th e lo v e of ritu a l w h ich su rv iv ed in the sh ape o f p a g a n o f w h ich had lon g been forgotten .

cerem on ies, th e m eanin g

A n d so it is to-d ay, w h eth er y o u take

th e p o lic y o f such a m an as G e n e ra l B o o th , resu ltin g in th e c o a rse and v u lg a r m ethod s o f the S a lv a tio n A rm y , or th e h ig h ly refined an d sen su ou s ritu al o f the H ig h C h u rch p a rty .

R jlig io n m ust still b e a m atter o f form s

an d form u laries for m an y a cen t iry to com e, an d

i f T h e o s o p h y ever

b ecom es a religion , ev er a ch ie v e s a p o p u la r su ccess, it w ill b e on these lines.

B u t w h o is th ere am ong us w h o w ill con sen t to see T h e o so p h y thus d eg rad ed ?

A re

not

our

w h ole

efforts

d irected

T h e o so p h y from b ein g m istaken for a creed ? h o w ever to the p o ssib ilities o f the case .

to w a rd s

p re v e n tin g

D o not let us clo se ou r eyes

T h e n um ber o f those w h o can

re a lly u n d erstan d th e p rin cip les o f T h e o s o p h y are few , v e ry few .

W ith in

the S o c ie ty its e lf th ere is even now a ten d en cy to a sso cia te th e term w ith a certain set o f d o c tr in e s ; and i f T h e o so p h y b eco m es th e creed o f th e future, it w ill do so b ecau se this elem ent w ill p re v a il.

W e do not aim a t th is now,

it is fa r rem oved from our o b jects and p r in c ip le s ; bu t w h o sh all s a y w hat m ay b e the c a se in fifty y e a rs ’ tim e ?

L o o k in g at it ind eed in th e lig h t of

h isto ry, I am alm o st bound to th e con clu sion th a t T h e o so p h y w ill suffer th e sam e p ro cess o f m a terializatio n as w e find in th e c a se o f e v e r y other fresh in flu x o f sp iritu a lity into th e w orld . resem b lan ce

b etw een

T h e r e are m a n y p o in ts of

th e p resen t age and th e

first cen tu ries o f

the

C h ristia n era, and if th e sp len d id efforts o f P a u l, the A p o stle In itiate, co u ld not p reven t th is m a teria lizin g p ro cess at th a t tim e, w h a t w ill be a b le to do it n ow ?

T h e n a s n ow th e in tellect o f th e a g e h a d k ille d the

su p erstitiou s sim p lic ity o f th e old f a i t h ; then a s n ow th e re w ere m any

fa ith s and m a n y p h ilosoph ies, but th e p r a c tic a l creed w a s m aterialism , and an accen tu a ted selfish n ess.

T h e pure eth ics o f Jesus, and the w h ole

p h ilo so p h y o f S t. P a u l cou ld not ta k e root in such an a g e.

T h e y su rviv ed

ju s t so lon g as C h r is t’s w ord s held true th at his follow ers sh o u ld

be

p e rse cu ted and d esp ised , and w hen in the 4th cen tu ry C h ristia n ity becam e th e p o p u la r religion , an d th e ch u rch d om inated th e 'p o litic s o f th e age, th a t w a s not the triu m ph, bu t th e d ow n fall o f the cross. stan d in the p la ce o f th e ea rly C h ristia n s. the sam e sou rce as th e y did.

A n d w e to-d ay

W e d ra w our in spiration from

S t. P a u l’s E p istle s are addressed to us

to -d a y as T h e o s o p h is ts ; to us b elon gs the glo riou s lib e rty o f th a t G o sp el w h ich he p rea ch ed .

It is w e I s a y aga in w h o h a v e m ost rig h t to be

c alled C h ristia n s, for to us it is g iv en to u n derstan d th a t “ w isdom in a m y s t e r y ” w h ich P a u l p roclaim ed , even the m y stery o f the d ivin e C h risto s, w h ic h

d w elleth

in

e v e ry

m an,

and

by

w h ich

alone

the

w orld

is

red eem ed .

H is to ry repeats i t s e lf ; w h a t then sh all be th e h isto ry o f th e T h e o s o ­ p h ic a l re v iv a l o f the n in eteen th c e n tu ry ?

W ill the life w h ich Jesu s lived ,

and P a u l prea ch ed , and T h e o so p h y teach es, be a ccep ted b y th e w orld n ow ?

is the w orld now , a fter 1900 y ea rs, p rep ared to a cc e p t it, or

fitte d to receiv e it ?

I am bound to confess th a t w h eth er w e look a t the

sta te o f the C h ristia n ch u rch , or a t th e condition o f s o c ie ty aroun d us, th ere d oes not a p p e a r to be a n y hop e o f g iv in g

an affirm ative answ er.

W h a t does all th is d em and for a reform o f religio u s id eas am ount to ?

W h a t is the real position o f the c h u rch in fa ce o f the scien ce and criticism w h ich h a s alien ated the c u ltu re o f the a g e ?

W ill the c h u rch — does there

a p p e a r to be the slig h test ch an ce o f th e ch u rch , a cc e p tin g a religion o f life and co n d u ct, a p a rt from its trea su red th e o lo g ica l d ogm as, a p a rt from its claim to su p ern a tu ra l a u th o rity ?

C a n the c h u rc h — does the ch u rch w ish to—

re-esta b lish its d o ctrin es on th e b asis o f th e a u th o rity in n atu ral la w w hich is n ow dem anded ?

I f w e ta k e the so-called B ro a d C h u rch m ovem en t,

a n d th e w ritin g s o f the so -ca lled advanced m en w ith in th e ch u rch itself, w h a t d oes it a ll am ount to ? relu ctan t retreat r a th e r; in tern a l v ita lity .

S im p ly th is, th a t it is a forced a d v a n c e , a

b rou gh t abou t b y e x te rn al p ressu re, not b y

It com es from no inner apprehension o f th in gs sp iritu a l,

it th row s no n ew ligh t on th e life and te a ch in g s o f Jesu s.

T a k e for

in stan ce such a book a s L u x M u n d i, as th e latest w ord o f the a d va n ced p a rty .

T h e book rep resen ts a p h ase o f th o u gh t, a certa in in tellectu al

position in th e tran sition from the old o rth od o xy to m odern freedom o f th o u gh t, w h ich h as lon g sin ce been passed b y in d epen d en t th in k e r s ; and a lth o u g h the book m ay no dou bt be c alled advanced w hen v ie w ed in relation to the g e n e ra l position o f th e o rth od o x ch u rch , it is fa r in the rear in relation to th e position occu p ied b y w riters an d th in kers ou tside o f the ch u rch . a g a in st

A n d then look at the storm o f p rotest w h ich h as been raised it

in

c le ric a l

circles, and

ju d g e

therefrom

w h at

am ou nt of

p ro b a b ility th ere is th a t th e ch u rch w ill effect the reform in her creed s and d ogm as w h ich the age dem ands.

N o , the ch u rch can not b e refo rm ed ;

it w ill con tin u e— p e rh a p s for

several c en tu rie s— to rep resen t a religion o f dead fo rm u la ries; its position is e x a c tly an alogo u s to th e old P h a risa ism o f the M o saic l a w ; and w hile m en c ry for b read , it w ill con tin u e to offer a stone.

B u t if w e ta k e th e ch u rch in th e broad er sense o f the term , not the e c c le sia stica l system m erely, but to in clu d e all se c ts and d en o m in a tio n s; if w e tak e it in th e sen se o f th e ex o teric religion o f the W e s t, then the prosp ect is som ew h at m ore hopeful, th ou gh still lim ited .

T h e r e is a

sp iritu al re v iv a l t o - d a y ; there is a d em and for a n ew fa ith , for a larger m easure o f hope, for a d eep er and fu ller a n sw er to the p rob lem s o f life than eith er the ch u rch or scien ce can g iv e .

A n d it is for us T h e o so p h ists to g iv e th is a n sw er.

O u r w ork and

m ission w ill h a ve failed if w e do not g iv e it to those w h o need it.

W h a t­

e v e r m a y be the ou tcom e o f our efforts on the w orld a t large, w h a tev er m ay be the fu tu re h isto ry o f T h eo so p h y, w h eth er it b ecom e

a w orld

religion , or w h eth er it b e classed m erely a s a re v iv a l o f G n o stic C h ristian ity , our im m ed iate w ork and d u ty are p la in ly defined, and w ith th e rest w e are un con cerned.

W e can , I b elieve , so leaven the th o u gh t o f th e d a y , so

u tilize the religio u s en ergy ou tside o f the ec c le sia stica l estab lish m en t that the ch u rch es o f the fu tu re w ill b ecom e v ir tu a lly T h e o so p h ic, tho u gh per­ h a p s not in nam e.

T h e nam e d oes not m atter, the p rin cip le is everyth in g,

but as I h a v e pointed out before, w e m ust accom p lish our w o rk b y show ing the b asis o f our te a c h in g in the life and te a ch in g s o f Jesu s o f N a za re th ; by sh o w in g th a t our e th ics are his eth ics, our stan dard of life h is stan dard of life, our lo ve o f h u m a n ity his lo ve o f h u m a n ity ; and a lso by sh o w in g the d eep and fu n dam en tal relation b etw een our d o ctrin es o f m an ’ s spiritual n atu re,

and

th at sp iritu a l m y ste ry o f the

C h risto s,

w h ic h ,

becom ing

associated w ith the teach in g s o f Jesus, g a v e him th e a p p e lla tio n o f Jesus the C h r is t.

T h is , as I u n derstan d it, is our m ission to the C h ristian w orld to-day ; th is th e relation b etw een T h e o so p h y and E c c le s ia s tic is m .

W. K

in g s l a n d ,

F .T .S .

“ H a t r e d and ill-w ill confine the sp ectato r to th e m ere su rfa ce o f w hat he sees, let him b e e v er so a c u t e ; b u t w hen g rea t p e rsp ic a c ity is associated w ith k in d lin ess and love, th e o b serve r m ay p ie rce b eyon d the m ere shell of m en and o f th e w orld , and u nder h a p p y in flu en ces m a y hope to solve the h igh est p ro b lem s.”

“ H e in w hom there is m uch to d ev elo p e w ill b e later in acq u irin g true p e rcep tio n s o f h im self and o f the w orld . T h e re are few w ho p ossess at o n ce th o u gh t and th e c a p a c ity o f a ctio n . T h o u g h t e x p a n d s but s la c k e n s: a ctio n an im ates but con fin es.”

“ j ^ k h t g tfe H ig fe r (B30.”

"E

read

con tin u a lly in

the

U p an ish ad s, the

N ew

T estam e n t,

B h a g a v a d G ita , the C h in ese S crip tu res and elsew here, th at the ligh t is to be sought and found w ithin ou rselves. m ean ?

(2)

H o w is th is light found ?

(3)

(1) W h a t do th e y all

H o w m ay it b e supposed to

m anifest itse lf w hen found ?

O f so profound a us

ta k e

the

first

su b ject on ly a m ere o f these

questions.

outline can b e P h y s ic a l

a c tiv itie s upon sense-perception, and upon w h at leg itim ate g ra tifica tio n o f a ll sensation.

m an

g iv en .

bases

is then, to

a ll

L et his

him , the

U n d er these conditions he finds

h im self in volved in the m ost d ea d ly strife w ith a ll other creatu res, all are bent upon a tta in in g the sam e

end, the

desire does not d ecrease w ith

a tta in m en t, but im m ed iately seeks oth er and w id er ground, and the field, p ra c tic a lly , is lim ited . less fierce.

T h u s th e strife m ay becom e m ore su btle, bu t not

It is ju st at th is point th a t reason com es in.

W h a t is reason ?

It is the a c tiv ity on th e low est plane o f the tru e E g o , th e m an w ith in . is the first gu id e o f p h ysical, anim al m an.

It

A t first, it holds but sligh t

con trol, m an a cts often b lin d ly, the creatu re o f the sen sation s and im pulses o f the m om ent, m akin g but little effort a ga in st

the influence o f these.

A fterw a rd s, as reason secu res its sw a y, m an b egin s to a ct w ith calcu latio n and fo r e s ig h t; but a ll th is h as on ly m ade him a m ore d ea d ly foe to the rest o f liv in g thin gs.

H e organises and controls but to sla y or b e tra y ; there is

no difference to him betw een friend and foe, b eyond w hat m a y serve his in terests.

T r e a c h e ry is his g rea t c h a ra cte ristic and he on ly k eep s faith

w hen it suits him .

W ith the further grow th o f reason th e “ virtu es ” begin

to ap p ear : th ey are the resu lt o f en lightened s e lf-in te r e st; w ithou t them there can be no society or friendship.

A t th is sta g e also another factor a p p e a r s : it is conscien ce. con scien ce ?

W h a t is

It is th a t m ysteriou s fa cu lty w h ich silen tly points the road,

a lw a y s b y w h at w e know ; it n ever in stru cts, it d ra w s up and arran ges our k n ow led g e o f “ rig h t ” and o f “ w ro n g ,” lim ited as it is ; and is a lw a y s on th e side o f w hat then a p p ears “ rig h t.” high est fa cu lty o f the m ind. m erely d a ta for it.

H e n ce it is g iv en to us as the

It presides over reason ; for a ll reason in g is

It is a ll w e k n ow o f the H ig h er E g o .

T h is then is the ligh t to be sou gh t, and w e are brou gh t to our second q u e s tio n ;— H o w ?

T h e conditions o f its a c tiv ity are silen ce and seclusion ,

and also the high est ratio cin atio n o f w h ich the m ind is cap ab le cen tred on the m ost ex a lted su b jects upon w hich ligh t is sou gh t.

C on cen tration and

p ersevera n ce are n ecessary, and the con stan t h abit o f self-criticism , and co u ra g e to fulfil th e ju d gm en ts o f th is silent president.

It w ill not pass

h igh er ju d g m en ts until those a lrea d y g iv en are fulfilled.

It n ever revokes,

and it n ever forgets, althou gh the m ind throu gh w h ich it is reflected may.

T h is concen tration and ab straction cannot ta k e p lace w h ilst there is great a c tiv ity of th e sense life ; hen ce sim p licity o f life, and absen ce o f pleasure.

S eek in g on the o u ter plane, and also indifference to p ain, h a ve always been pointed out as n ecessary.

T h en the m ind ga in in g p ro ficien cy in this,

and b ecom in g m ore and m ore accu sto m ed to lay b are q u ic k ly a ll it knows, for ju d gm en t to be d eclared , and e v in c in g ever-grow in g w illin gn ess to obey and see, finds itse lf at len gth one w ith th at m onitor, it d ra w s no distinction b etw een them .

A s a t sunset on a tran qu il sea, the golden lig h t above

can n o t be sep a ra ted from th a t b e lo w ; and w hen it v a n ish es, it ta k es all its g lo ry w ith it.

A n d now for th e third q u e s tio n :— H o w m a y it be supposed to manifest itse lf w hen found ?

The

rep ly is o b v io u s ; the m ind

in sta n tly , like a

ligh tn in g flash, d istin gu ishes b etw een w h at, to it, is “ right ” an d “ w r o n g ” , “ good ” and “ e v il.”

T h e L ig h t is flashed upon e v e ry proposition instantly.

T h e m an w ith sm all u n derstan d in g becom es w is e ; th e in tellectu al man becom es a gian t o f ju d gm en t.

T h e y both becom e u n flin ch in g and invincible,

ea ch accord in g to h is c a p a c ity .

M oreover w here th e m ind is grea tly

w ithd raw n from th e pu rsu its of the w orld, and brou gh t d ilig en tly to bear upon a ll those m an y su b jects, w ith w hich it, as it w ere, p a ves for itself “ th e path o f rectitu d e,-’ th row in g aside all those cob bleston es w h ich do not suit its purpose, althou gh th ey m ay ap p ear orn am en tal, even o f go ld itself, the progress to en lightenm ent is e x trem e ly r a p id ; for th a t upon w h ich the m ind is en tirely bent is soon a cq u ired .— “ H e n ecessa rily b ecom es that on w h ich h is m ind is fixed.

T h is is the etern a l m y ste ry .”

(A n u g ita .)

B u t for m ost m en the lettin g go o f th e inn u m erab le th rea d s w h ich bind to the c h a n g in g an d p erish ab le, is so hard a ta sk , th a t the fix in g o f the m ind, so relieved , upon th e perm anent and im m u table, progresses slow ly indeed. “ S .”

------- x-*------- “ F o o l s and sen sib le m en are eq u a lly innocuous. and th e h a lf w ise th a t the g rea t d an g er lie s .”

It is in th e h a lf fools

“ T h e m o ra l s e n tim e n t o f w h a t is c a lle d th e w o r ld is m a d e u p in g r e a t m e a s u r e o f ill- w ill a n d e n v y .”

“ I f th e E te rn a l is w ith us e v e ry m om ent w e do not h eed th e flee tin g .”

G

oeth e.

D o not in v e stig a te th e nam e o f G o d b ecau se you w ill not find it. F o r e v e ry th in g w h ich is called b y a nam e rec eiv e s its a p p ellation from that w h ich is m ore w o rth y th an itself. F o r e v e ry ca u se o f ex isten ce to a th in g is b e tte r than th a t th in g so far as the one is cau se and th e oth er e f f e c t ; th u s also t h a t w hich g iv e s a nam e to a n y th in g is b etter th an the th in g nam ed, so far as it is nam ed, i.e ., so far as p ertain s to its possession o f a n am e. In th e nom inator is the cau se, and the nam e th e effect, so th a t it is one person th at c a lls a n d another th a t hears. W h o is it therefore th a t h as g iv e n a nam e to G o d ?

G o d , h ow ever, is not a nam e to G o d , bu t an in d ication o f w h a t we c o n c e iv e o f him .

S e x t u s , the P y th a g o rea n .

I n t o a a itit

^ n g is .

<bi

t

OFTEN

find in th e W e s t th a t those p erso n s w h o do not b elieve in

the o ccu lt po w ers o f m an, refuse to ad m it th at there are m en in In d ia

w ho b y th e ir self-sacrifice, d evotion , and k n ow led ge o f o ccu lt scien ce, possess w on d erfu l p o w ers

and are c a p a b le o f

con trollin g the

hidden

forces o f n atu re ; w h ile, on th e oth er h an d , there are oth ers w ho con sid er th a t

e v e ry In d ian , esp ecia lly

if

he is a H in d u ,

m ust

possess

such

m y stic pow ers, or k n ow led ge o f th e o ccu lt scien ce, a s th o u gh it w ere his b irth -righ t.

I could g iv e in stan ces o f p erso n s o f the latter d escrip tion if

I chose, but I do not find a n y p a rticu la r use in so doin g.

N o in stan ce,

h o w e ver, is n ecessa ry o f th e form er d escrip tion o f perso n s, as even the “ S a n sc ritist” , P ro fe sso r M a x M u ller, is n otoriou sly not an ex cep tion .

I w an t to sa y a few w ord s abou t the Indian Y o g is for the inform ation , i f not th e b enefit, o f both these cla sse s o f

persons.

I f a n y W e ste rn

q u estion s m y a u th o rity , then m y o n ly rep ly is th a t I know my religion, my philosophy, and the powers of my philosophers b ette r th an any E uropean , no m atter

w h o he be, can p o ssib ly ex p ec t to know or u n derstan d .

W h ile I sa y th is

abou t the E u rop ean s, I k n ow th ere is no n ecessity to sa y a n y th in g abou t th e In d ian s, b ecau se it is an a rticle o f faith w ith them , e sp e c ia lly if th e y a re H in d u s— to w h ich nation I m y self belon g.

I h a v e also k n ow led g e of

th e M ahom ed an s, w ho, w ith the ex cep tio n o f p erh a p s a few persons, all b e lie v e in the p o w ers o f F a k ir s to perform w h at th e y c a ll K a r a m a t.

W h ile I sp ea k o f the H in d u s and th eir p h ilosop h ers and y o g is, I can n o t refrain from ex p ressin g m y g re a t sorrow and deep g r ie f to find them so id le, careless, d ev o id o f en erg y , and p e rfe ctly h eed less o f th eir ow n in terest and w ell-b ein g.

H a s a n y b o d y ev er seen such a s ta te o f affairs as

th a t th e d escen d an ts o f the g re a te st o f the g re a t, both in go d ly life, k n o w ­ led ge o f P h ilo so p h y, and the m ost p erfect w isdom a tta in a b le b y th e hum an race, should be so ign oran t o f th eir v a lu a b le b equ est, the p rice less T re a su ry left b y their ancestors, so callo u s and indifferent in th eir ow n affairs, so eager and earnest to g ra sp at e v e ry th in g th at is E u ro p ea n , h ow ever unreal th at m a y b e ?

B u t th is is not a l l : th e w orst is, th a t th ey h a v e becom e so

short-sigh ted , n a y b lin d , th a t th e y are not o n ly in c a p a b le o f ju d g in g b etw een a friend and a foe, bu t w h en ev er a friend, from p u re d isin terested m o tiv es and sim p ly w ith the vie w o f d oin g good to them and to h u m an ity in g e n e ra l, h as tak en upon h im self th e trou b le to rou se them from their deep, u n n a tu ral and un h ealth y sleep, then in stea d o f a p p re c ia tin g the n obleness an d kin d n ess o f his actio n , he is rew ard ed w ith foolish ind ifferen ce and m ad c a relessn ess.

It is c o n tra ry to the n atu re o f the H in d u s so to do, and

th erefore I a ttrib u te th is u n n atu ral con d u ct o f m y cou n trym en to n othin g

else but the go d less E n g lish

ed u cation

and bad

influence of W e ste rn

civilisa tio n , w h ich m akes them forget their ow n , w h ile the loss is not sup plied b y a b etter su b stitu te.

T h e lan d is th u s left to g ro w w eed s.

But

I do not w ish to sa y m uch on th is p o in t, as I h a ve a m ind to ad dress m y se lf se p a ra te ly to m y cou n trym en , and try m y best to rou se them from their deep

leth a rg y , their u n n atu ral slu m b er, th a t h a s confined their

spirit and p a ra ly sed the e n erg y o f th eir m ind.

I b e lie v e it is now high

tim e th at th e y should show the sign s o f their w a k efu ln ess an d a ct w ith redoubled vig ou r and en erg y , to com p en sate their p a st losses an d u n do the m isch ief th a t th e y h a ve ign o ran tly done to the cau se o f th eir ow n sp iritu a l w elfare.

N o w , as to th e p ra ctic a l ph ilosoph ers o f tru e w isd om â&#x20AC;&#x201D; th e Y o g is o f In d ia â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it is not m y inten tion to w rite a ll I k n ow abou t them sim p ly to sa tisfy the id le cu rio sity o f the gen era l p u b lic ; in fact I had no d esire to w rite a n y th in g a t all on the su b ject, but I h a v e now no ch o ice left, and therefore I shall only ju d icio u sly select one or tw o in stan ces and m ention them w ithout g iv in g a n y p a rticu la rs for their id en tification .

T h ose who

w ill b elieve me are w elcom e to do s o ; those w ho w ill not are e q u a lly w elcom e.

T h e re is not the least dou bt th at th ere are real y o g is still liv in g in I n d ia ; so also there is not the least dou bt th a t there are hu n d red s, n a y , thousan d s, of perso n s w h o are eith er self-d elu d ed yo gis, p e rfe ctly d elig h ted in seein g the T atw as and m istak in g them for th e real th in g, or d e c e itfu l im postors ea rn in g their liv in g b y false professions.

S om e o f them h a v e

la tely becom e the cu rse o f our S o c ie ty , as th ey h a ve b ecom e the cau se o f the d eath o f m any a fine rash y o u th , w h o b lin d ly follow ed th eir in s tru c ­ tions in the hope o f acq u irin g true w isd om .

N o tw ith s ta n d in g a ll th e se,

there is not th e least dou bt th at real p ra ctic a l w ise m en, i.e ., real y o g is, d o still e x is t, tho u gh ve ry rare, an d m ost d ifficult to find out, a s th e y a lw a y s hide th em selves and tak e th e utm ost care not to reve al th em selves to th e p u b lic ; b ecau se th ey know full w ell th a t the first question th at a n y m a n w ould p u t them n o w -a-d ays w ou ld be eith er to b eg for rich es, ra n k , o r honour, for w h ich th ey do not care th em selves, nor th in k it th eir d u ty to confer on oth ers, or a requ est to show som e A lc u k ik S h a k ti, i.e ., w o n d e rfu l p o w ers, w h ich o f course th e y w ill n ever show , or even ad m it th a t t h e y know , to a n y b o d y sa ve the v e ry fortu n ate.

T h e re is another reason t h a t

m akes them hide th em selves far o ff in the c a v e s o f old H im a la y a , i.e ., c o w k illin g , for the blood o f the co w pollu tes the earth to su ch a d egree, t h a t the co u n try w h ere such blood is sp ilt is bound to lose its p u re s p ir it u a l atm osp h ere and en gen d er one su ita b le for gross, m a terialistic, sen su a l a n d selfish desires.

Y o u do not find a real yo gi in e v e ry S d d h tt, neither do yo u k n o w u n d e r w h a t la m b 's skin the lion is con cealed , and therefore it is the w a tc h - w o r d am on gst the H in d u s th at you should serv e the S a d h u s w ith a ll y o u r m ig h t ,

and w ith o u t try in g to k n ow w h eth er one is good or y o u r g u id e one d a y .

b ad , and you w ill find

So also th e com m on sa y in g is G isko

g iy a , i.e ., w h o e v e r h as found a real S ad h u is sa ved .

S a d h u m ild

wo tu r

H o w e v e r m uch an

u n b eliever a H in d u m a y be, he w ill n eve r ven tu re to d istru st or d en y the h id d en and m ysteriou s p ow ers o f a rea l yogi.

O n e m a y d ou b t w h eth er

th is m an or th a t h as th e m ysterio u s p o w ers, b u t he w ill n e v e r sa y th a t none has, or th at none can h a ve them .

O n the oth er hand, a s to those in E u ro p e w ho consid er th a t

ev ery

H in d u , as it w ere, is a cq u ain ted w ith th e k n o w led g e of w h a t is know n in th e S h a stra s as S am bh avi V id y a (G u p ta V idy a) or secret k n o w led g e, I can sim p ly point out their m istak e b y m en tion ing th a t ve ry , v e r y few p eople, I m ean o f th e E n g lish -e d u ca te d H in d u s o f th e p resen t d a y, k n e w th e n am e even o f this bran ch o f ph ilosoph y, b efore T h e o so p h y w a s estab lish ed in In d ia, w hile the old P u n d its w h o are w ell versed in S a n s c n t literatu re, confined th em selves to lo g ic, gram m ar, literatu re, m etap h ysics, a stro lo g y , etc.

N o b o d y cared to un earth th e Y o g p h ilo so p h y, or d evote his tim e to its

stu d y , b ecau se th ey th o u gh t th at as th e k e y w a s lost, so n othin g cou ld be done in K a lty u g a .

T h e fa ct is, th a t as th ere is no lon ger an y regu la r school o f

Y o g p h ilosop h y am on gst th e H in d u s, th e k e y to the rea l u n d erstan d in g of the m eanin g o f such m ysteriou s and a lle g o rica l exp ression s is lost, and the tim es b ein g ch an ged , the m ind of the In d ian y o u th h as been d irected to w a rd s th e acq u irem en t o f E n g lish k n o w led g e, and to g ra d u a lly a p p re c ia t­ ing, im itatin g, and fin a lly a p ein g all th a t is E n g lis h , e x c e p t th e v irtu e and sp irit o f cohesion th a t h a s m ade E n g lish m en

the d om inan t race.

My

cou n trym en can n ow g iv e you a list of the n am es o f alm ost a ll E n g lish a uth ors o f renow n, bu t th e y do not k n ow th e nam es o f th eir ow n S h a stra s.

T h e y can te ll you th e conten ts o f a pen n y paper in E n g la n d , but th e y do not know w h eth er P a tu n ja li S h iv a -sa n h ita and V ish tid P u ra n are sim ilar books or treat o f different su b jects ; or w h at is the d ifference b etw een B h a g b u tg ita , G rim u t-B h a g b u t and M o h a b h a ru t*.

A n d I b elieve m ost o f them w ill be proud

o f th eir ign oran ce, w ith the idea th a t in proportion as th e y are ign oran t o f th e ir ow n ph ilosop h y or S h a stra s, so h a v e th ey becom e a n g licised , and th at th is is a good certifica te o f th eir h a v in g received a liberal e d u c a tio n ; for th e y h a ve now becom e m ore civilised , and risen a b o v e th e m erits o f their an cestors, w h o w ere the a u th ors o f su ch w o rk s as I h a v e m entioned a b o v e.

D o e s th is not show th a t th e y h a ve a righ t to ca ll th eir â&#x20AC;&#x153; fath ers fo o ls â&#x20AC;? ?

A n d so th e y h a v e b ecom e w ise, and th eir w isdom con sists in losin g th eir diam onds and runn ing after cu t-gla ss.

T h is sh o w s th at th e H in d u s as a

b o d y, e sp e c ia lly th ose w ho com e to E n g la n d , are not the persons w h o k n o w m uch o f th e ph ilosop h y o f the H in d u s. m ean in g o f the an cien t books is not an e a sy th in g.

To

u n derstan d the rea l

T h e y are u n m ean ing to

th e o rd in ary re a d e r; like as w hen th e W e s te rn S a n sc rit sch olar, P rofessor

* These words are spelt according to tbe Bengali pronunciation.

[Eds.]

M a x M u ller, sp ea k s o f S iv a 's d rin k in g B h a n g (sid d h i*) in order to a tta in the true w isdom .

W h a t a m iserab le w a n t o f k n ow led g e ! and y e t he v e n tu res to

ex p la in th in gs th at he does not u n derstan d , can not u n derstan d , a n d w ill n ever be a b le to u n d erstan d , h ow ever g rea t a professor or ph ilologist he m ay be.

I sa id it is ve ry d ifficult to un derstan d the real m ea n in g o f these

ph ilosophers, unless there is a te ach er w h o could e x p la in the tru e m eanin g and un lo ck the T re a su re w ith h is golden k e y .

A d d to this th a t a ll o f these

books are w ritten in th e S an scrit lan gu a g e, th at v e ry few o f th em are tran slated into oth er In d ian d ia le cts su ch as B e n g a li, G u jra ti, e tc., and th a t there are rea lly v e ry few persons am ongst the E n g lish -sp e a k in g cla ss (the P u n d its excep ted ) w h o

can read and u n derstan d such w o rk s in

S a n sc rit, and then yo u w ill be able to c o n ceiv e w h eth er it is lik e ly that e v ery H in d u , e sp e c ia lly th ose com in g to E n g la n d for a n y pu rpose, can know m uch abou t the sublim e, m ysteriou s, hidden, and n ow alm ost lost ph ilosop h y o f the Y o g a .

I h a v e a lrea d y said th a t th ere is n ow no sch ool,

and th o se w h o do k n ow sim p ly hide th em selves for reasons, som e o f w h ich are sta ted a b o v e.

I m ay also m ention here th a t it is a w ell-kn ow n ch a ra cte ristic am on gst th e H in d u s, th a t no b oy w ill e v er reveal his G u ru â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nam e, or ev en a d m it so m uch a s th a t he h as a G u ru , w h o has ex tra o rd in a ry p o w ers.

N o, a

thousan d tim es n o ! T h is he w ill n ever do even to h is ow n relation s, m uch less to his neighbou rs or oth er cou n trym en .

A n d as regard s th e W e s te r n s ,

he w ou ld g o a n y len gth to d en y the fa cts on th e supposition th at it is a g re a te r sin to reveal the clu e, or ev en th e fa ct o f the ex iste n ce of su ch secrets, to a m lecha, i.e ., one w ho ea ts all m eats th a t are p roh ib ited , and w h o n ever ta k es or uses w a ter on certain o ccasion s, than to in cu r the risk o f sp ea k in g w h a t is not true.

T h o s e w ho are u n acqu ain ted w ith the fe a tu re s

o f the n ativ e c h a ra cte r in su ch resp ects, w ill p erh a p s ju m p at on ce to th e conclusion th a t b ecau se a n a tiv e (H in du) d en ies h a v in g a cq u a in ta n ce w ith a n y such G u ru , or does not reve a l a n y th in g abou t his ow n M a ster, th a t th e re is no real G u ru or y o g i, as I m a y sa y , w ho possesses an y su ch p o w ers.

T h e H in d u , e sp e c ia lly if he is a B rah m in , w ill n eve r reve a l th e ab od e, i f such th ere be, o f a tru e y o gi, or sa y one w ord abou t him to a E u ro p e a n .

O n th e con trary, he con sid ers it his religion to p rotect th e p u rity o f h is sa in ts b y con cealin g their e x iste n ce from th e k n ow led g e o f th e p erso n s w h o are the real en em ies o f th e yogis.

N ow

to g iv e a few in stan ces.

A v e ry g rea t friend o f m ine, w h o

b elon gs to a ve ry good fa m ily o f the h igh caste B ra h m in s in B e n g a l, left h is house, in sp ite o f a ll sorts o f com forts, and b ecam e a S ad h u . him in one o f the d istan t

cou n tries o f

I saw

In d ia, v e ry far from B e n g a l.

S u b seq u en tly m y friend w ent in search o f th e y o g is to k n ow m ore o f th e Y o g ph ilosoph y.

F o r m onths he w as in the H im a la y a s, e s p e c ia lly n e a r

* Bhang is exotcrically a strong in toxican t; but in esoteric sym bology it stands for o n e o f the siddhis or occult powers. B ut a W estern Sanskritist may be w e ll p a r d o n e d f o r b e i n g ig n o r a n t o f the difference.

[E d s .]

the H u rd w a r H ills.

A fte r a lon g tim e, w hen he cam e b a c k to m y place on

one o f his w and ering tou rs, I asked him w h eth er h e h ad seen a n y th in g stran ge or found an yon e p o ssessin g e x tra o rd in ary pow ers.

In rep ly he

sm iled and said , th at the seed s h a ve not died out, the sp a rk s can still be seen in p la ce s not a ccessib le to ord inary hum an kin d .

H e said that w hen

he first took his sea t in one o f the m ost seclu d ed defiles of H im a la y a on the H u rd w a r H ills, he saw so m an y serpents a ll round abou t him th at he did not kn ow w hat to m ake o f them , but th e y n ever injured him ; b ig and b la ck poisonou s sn ak es th e y w ere, b u t as th e y cam e so th e y w en t a w a y .

H e w a s on one side o f the h ill, w h ile on the other side, covered w ith forests o f b eech trees, no hum an abod e could be there, no hum an foot could tread there, for the m ain stream o f the G a n g e s fell from an enorm ous h eight a t th a t spot, and flow ed so ra p id ly th at the force o f th e and the v e lo city and speed o f the w a ter w ere v e ry fierce.

cu rren t

It w a s not

p ossible for a n y liv in g b ein g to cross th at stream and go to the oth er side o f the hill.

H o w ev e r, on th at sam e side and quite near th e trees on the

b an k o f the sacred river, a figure could b e seen after m idnight (if I rem em ber rig h tly) sittin g near the fire— a b ig fire, too— his b a ck tow a rd s the side o f m y friend, lon g m atted h air h a n g in g dow n to his knees.

So

calm and in sp irin g w ere surrou nd ings th at it w a s som eth in g u n sp eak ab le and in d escrib a b le.

M y friend said th a t figure w a s seen re g u la rly till ea rly

m o r n in g ; but d u rin g the d a y no trace o f the fire, no w ork, no sign o f an y h u t, in fa ct n oth in g could be seen sa v e trees and m oun tain s.

S om e tim e

after he question ed a hill-m an and sp oke to him abou t the phenom enon, or w h a te v e r it w a s, and in rep ly he h eard th a t the figure w a s th at o f a ve ry great y o g i ; that n obody kn ew w h ere he lived , w h en ce he cam e, or w h ith er he w e n t ; no liv in g b ein g cou ld rea ch the oth er side, but su ch persons could go w h erever th ey liked .

M y friend sp oke of oth er in cid en ts, but I

do not wish to m u ltip ly cases. F o r m an y reasons I am u n w illin g to do so, as a fte r all,

I too,

happ en

to

b elon g

to

the

sam e

fa m ily

of

H in d u s

th at a re so undesirous to let their secrets out ;* e sp e c ia lly from the fear th at som e people in E n g la n d m ight p erh a p s ta k e a fa n c y to in trod u ce the p la y o f a “ H in d u Y o g i ” into one o f th e th e atres of L o n d o n , ju st as the p la y of “ M a h o m e t” w a s recen tly a ttem p ted b y som e o f the A n g lo -In d ia n friends o f Islam .

H o w ev e r, I m a k e a d iffe r e n c e : th at the d ese rv in g m ust possess

these fa cts, it m a tters not w ho th ey a r e , or w hat th ey are ; but the u n d e serv­ in g can h a ve none, even if th ey be the h igh est o f the B ra h m in s ; b ecau se the Y o g a p h ilosoph y k n o w s no caste or creed , no w ea lth or p o v e rty , but the one all-sa crificin g p r in c ip le : K ill th y se lf, if thou w ish est to sa v e th y se lf, and do good to oth ers if thou w ilt do good to th y self.

A B

r a h m in .

* Our friend is not to be persuaded to put on paper what he told us personally; he provokingly breaks off just where he became most interesting. His verbal account was far more actual if less picturesque than the above. [Eus.]

Jjrnbkms nf life FROM

“ TH E

D IA R Y

OF

B y N . I. P

AN

OLD

P H Y S I C I A N .”

i r o g o f f .*

( C on tinued fr o m the D ecem ber N u m b er.)

II .

O N M E M O R Y A N D C O N S C IO U S N E S S .

S E C O N D cond ition for b ecom in g a tru th fu l au to b io gra p h er is good m em ory.

F o r a person w ith a bad m em ory, h o w e ver w itty and

m en ta lly sane he m ay be, there can ex ist no p a st.

S u ch an in d iv id u a l m ay

be a profound thin ker, even a gen iu s, bu t he can h a rd ly a vo id b ein g one­ sided, as, in an y case, cle a r and fresh sen sation o f p a st im pressions is u n th in kable w ith ou t a good m em ory.

B u t, th ere are tw o k in d s o f m em ory,

I b e lie v e : one, a gen era l m em ory, m ore id ea l, m ore u n iv ersa l, and the oth er a sp ecia l and m ore te ch n ica l o n e ; such as the m em ory for m usic, for colours, n um bers, figures, e tc., etc.

T h e form er (the gen era l m em ory)

though it h as b een rejected b y som e, is p recisely the one th a t reta in s the va rio u s k in d s o f im pressions received th rou gh ou t our life, and the even ts lived ov er b y e v e ry one o f us.

A v e ry profound th in ker, and a m an full of

genius, m ay h a v e a stro n gly d ev elo p ed sp ecia l m em ory, and la c k alm ost en tirely th e oth er.

M y m em ory is o f the form er order and w a s in d a y s o f yore v e ry acute.

A n d n ow , in m y old age, as in th e c a se o f oth er old p eople, it is the past th a t a p p e ars to me the cle arest, not on ly in its even ts, but in the personal sen sation s ex p erien ced b y m e.

I feel alm ost sure o f m akin g no m istak e in

th e correct d escrip tion o f m y th o u gh ts and feelin gs a t th e v a rio u s and most rem ote ep o ch s o f m y life.

Y e t the recollectio n o f m y p a st sen sation s and

the co n v ictio n s and id eas resu ltin g therefrom , m ay, after all, not be o f th at kind w h ich I h a ve term ed “ gen eral m em ory ” .

It m ay be on ly sp ecia l or,

so to sp eak, te ch n ica l m em ory ; and it is not ev eryo n e w ho is en d ow ed w ith it.

F u rth erm o re th e m em ory or recollectio n o f on e's personal sen sation s

dem an d s c u ltu re (training), as it is on ly cu ltu re w hich can g en era te in us and d evelop e self-absorp tion .

T o the d evelop m en t o f th is q u a lity , atten tion

— cen tred on on e’s sen sation s and their fu rth er evo lu tio n — m ust be added.

In gen eral, w e rem em ber w ell o n ly th at to w h ich our a tten tion h as been called .

A tten tio n , th u s, is th e first a ttrib u te o f m em ory, alth ou g h neither

atten tion nor m em ory is a lw a y s c o n s cio u s ;— y e t the form er is r a r e ly o th e r­ w ise.

O n the oth er hand, m em ory— the sp ecia l or te ch n ica l m em ory—

freq u en tly a cts q u ite u n con sciou sly in us.

W e rem em ber a go od m an y th in g s

* Translated from the Russian, by H. P. B.

and often p a y g rea t a tten tion to them (in vo lu n tarily and u n aw ares to o u r ­ selves).

W h e n su d d en ly rec a llin g certain th in gs, h o w v e ry often a genu in e

feelin g o f surprise a rises in us th a t w e h a v e preserved them in our m em ory !

It is ex trem ely difficult to rea lise h ow certain sen sation s and re c o lle c ­ tions, not on ly o f past ev en ts in g en era l, but even th e m inu te feelin gs w h ich w e ex p erie n ced d u rin g lon g b y-g o n e even ts— how th ey can rem ain stored in ou r b ra in , a s th e y do, alm ost for a life - tim e !

T h e b rain , lik e all our

oth er o rgan s, is su b ject to a con stan t ch an ge of su b sta n ce, th e p a rticles of its tissu e s b ein g ste a d ily rep laced b y n ew on es.

W e m ust suppose that

d u rin g the process of th is ch an ge of one su b sta n ce into another, the o ld a tom s im p art to the new ones the sam e v ib ra tio n s th at m oved them , w h en e x p erie n c in g v a rio u s im pression s conn ected

w ith

the p a st.

T h u s , the

p la stic , soft b ra in -stu ff o f the ch ild , d u rin g the process o f its solidification and c h a n g e s o f its p h ysica l p rop erties, con tin u es to retain the im prin ts of its ea rliest sen sation s and im pression s, th en ce to p ass them on to our co n ­ sciou sn ess ; and th is it does still m ore v iv id ly and c le a rly in our old age than d u rin g our m anhood.

D o es not th is sp ea k rath er in favou r o f a theory

of m ine (rath er a m y stica l one, I confess), th at th e atom ic, or m olecu lar o scilla tio n s (w hich it is a b so lu tely n ecessa ry to p o stu late in sensations) ta k e p la ce , not in th e v isib le and ev er-ch a n g in g c ells o f th e brain tissu es alon e, but also in som eth in g else b e sid e s;

in a m ore su b tle, eth ereal

elem en t, w h ich , in terp en etra tin g the atom s, p asses throu gh them , and is im p e rv io u s to a ll the o rga n ic ch an ges ?* V e r y rem ark ab le, also, are the u n con sciou s sen sation s, w h ich m ay, cr m a y not, rem ain laten t in our m em ory.

A ll our inner life con sists o f in c es­

sant sen sation s— w h eth er con sciou s or u n co n scio u s; o f feelin gs ev er a ctin g upon and a g ita tin g

us, b rou gh t

from w ith ou t, and

gen erated

w ithin .

F ro m the b egin n in g o f our b ein g to th e end o f our life, our o rga n s and tissu e s b rin g to, and retain in us, a la rg e m ass o f su ch sen sation s, w h ich , in th eir turn, receive their im pressions, som e from th e extern al w orld, oth ers from their ow n innerm ost b eing.

W e do not feel our organs.

look in g at an o b ject, w e do not th in k o f our ey e.

W hen

N o one d u rin g his norm al

sta te k n ow s a n y th in g o f his liver, nor even o f his e v er-b ea tin g heart.

But

th ere is not an organ th a t fa ils to furnish w ith its sp ecial con tin gen t of sen sation s the gen era l organ ism it b elon gs to, and w h ich is com posed o f these organ s.

N o t one o f th ese, as a p a rt o f the w hole, can avoid

in cessan tly n o tify in g th e latter o f its p resence.

It is, then, th is en d less

• T h is is a purely occult teaching. O ur " m e m o r y " is but a general agent, and its " ta b le t s " , with their indelible impressions, but a figure of speech: the " brain -tablets” serve only as a upadhi or a vahan (basis, or vehicle) for reflecting at a given moment the m em ory of one or another thing. T h e records of past events, of every minutest action, and of passing thoughts, in fact, are really impressed on the imperishable waves of the A s t r a l L i g h t , around us and everywhere, not in the brain alon e; and these mental pictures, im ages, and sounds, pass from these waves via the consciousness of the personal Ego or Mind (the lower Manas) whose grosser essence is astral, into the " cerebral reflectors " , so to say, of ou r brain, whence they are delivered by the psychic to the sensuous consciousness. T h is at every moment of the day, and even during sleep. See “ P sych ic and Noetic Action ", in Lucifer, N ov., 1890, pp. 181 and 182. [ T r a n s l . ]

series o f sen sation s from w ithin and from w ith o u t— regu lated , no doubt, in a certain w a y , and therefore, rath er a c o lle c tiv ity o f sen sation s— w h ich is our “ I ” du rin g our e a rth ly life-tim e.

W h a t is, or w ould be, th a t “ I "

sep a ra ted from th is c o lle ctiv ity o f feelin gs, is som eth ing w h ich no one could represen t to h im self.

B u t there is no reason w h y he should refuse to adm it

th e p o ssib ility o f the e x iste n ce o f a sentient P r in c ip le , y e t ex p erie n cin g none o f our sen sation s.

T h u s, w h ile one “ I ” is based on exp erim en t and obser­

va tio n , the other h as to be a cc e p te d on lo g ic, and th e th ird p o stulated on fa ith .*

m ay be

T h e C a rtesia n cogito, ergo sum, m ight be rep la ce d by

the m ore correct w o r d s: sentio, ergo sum , as the sen tence “ I feel m y ‘ I ’ ” m ay be u ttered w ith ou t a n y th in kin g.

T h e feelin g— “ I am ", “ I e x ist ” , is not the

p roduct o f th e action o f a th o u gh t, but that o f a sen sation , the resu lt o f a feelin g, not o f an id ea .

T r u e , the infant w hen d ra w in g its first b reath ,

upon en terin g the w orld, does not form u late th e w ords “ I ex ist ” , though u n q u estion ab ly, w hen d ra w in g breath for the first tim e, it ex p erien ces (unconsciously) som eth in g en tirely new to it.

N o r, a ga in , is the conscious

feelin g o f e x iste n ce w h ich d ev elo p s g r a d u a lly in a ch ild th e product of th o u gh t, an y m ore than is th e oth er.

It is sim ply o n ly a m ore regu lated ,

and a firm er sensation brou gh t to him b y his organ s from the outside w orld and from w ithin him self.

T h e C artesian “ I ” , due to reason in g, is qu ite another affair.

N ever­

th eless, and lon g before w e pron ou n ce th e su g g estiv e w ords, “ I ,” and “ I am ” , w e h a v e the tim e o f rea ch in g and rea lisin g th rou gh our sen sation s and m ental rep resen tation s (not due to th ou ght, an yh ow ) our self-sen tien cy, and o f m an ifestin g it.

T h u s, the con scien ce o f our “ I ” com es to us u n con ­

scio u sly, and w e do not rea ch it th rou gh a th in k in g p rocess.

F o r , the

con scien ce o f e x iste n c e is not the p rero g a tiv e o f hum an n ature alone, but w e share it in com m on w ith the w h ole a n im ated w orld.

H o w could an an in ia

defend itself, seek for its food, and stru gg le for life, h ad it not w ith in its e lf th e consciou sness of its in d iv id u a lity ?

B u t th e full com prehension o f

one’ s ow n “ I ” or p erso n a lity, th e sum, in short, or the “ I a m ” , can , o f course, m anifest on ly in a b ein g lik e m an, i.e ., in one en d ow ed w ith sp eech and the fa c u lty o f u tterin g m en tally sy lla b ic sounds, and of com bin ing these sam e w ords, m en ta lly , aga in . sam e thin g.

T h e s e tw o facu lties and thou ght are th e

W ith o u t a “ w ord ,” th ere can be no t h o u g h t ; w ith o u t a

th o u gh t— no “ w o rd ."

S en sation and represen tation are tran sform ed in ou r

b rain into a th o u gh t or an id ea, on ly th rou gh th e sy lla b ic sounds o f w o rd s.

T h e r e is no need th a t the fa cu lty o f a rran gin g w o rd s out o f sen sa tio n s should a b so lu tely go hand in hand w ith th e fa cu lty o f sp eech , i.e ., o f p r o ­ n ou n cin g w ord s.

A d e a f and d um b person th in k s in h is ow n w a y and c a n

* " Faith ” is but the misapplication of an inner intuition. T h e latter show s to u s unerringly a general truth, in this, or that, universal proposition, which the form er p ro ce e d s to objectivise and disfigure, according to the canons of our objective plane. Intuition is divine, but faith is human.— [ T r a n s l.]

understand oth ers, though d ep rived o f the fa cu lty o f u tterin g w o rd s.*

He

rep la ce s them in his h ead b y signs, akin to sy lla b ic s o u n d s ; and the sensation n ecessary to stim u la te this fa c u lty into a c tiv ity is fu rnished him , not o f course b y the organ of hearin g, but b y th at of sigh t and oth er organs.

F o r, b esid es the organ s of sen sa tio n — -in both anim al and m an — not o n ly the con sciousn ess of in d iv id u a l e x iste n c e , but also the sen sation o f the agreeab le and the d isa greea b le, the affection s and passion s, are stim u lated b y a ll the other o rg a n s .f

T h e c o lle c tiv ity (ensem ble) o f sen sation s, furnished

to us b y a ll our o rgan s (both those w h ich do not, and those th a t do com m u ­ n ica te w ith the o u tw ard w orld, w ith the n o n -I \ ), is th a t w h ich w e c a ll existen ce, th e gist o f w h ich , as of e v e ry th in g else in th is w orld, is unknow n to us.

W e find the a b o v e v e ry g ra p h ic a lly ex p ressed in the books of old a n a to m is ts : “ C or ardet, loquitur pulmo, fel promovet ira, Splen rudere facit, cogit amare jecu r.”

In our d a y, w h en o b serva tio n s are p ro v in g th a t the actio n s of our organ s o f sense, e sp e c ia lly those o f th e eye, can b e ex p la in ed in no oth er w a y than b y a cc e p tin g u n con sciou s (instinctual) cereb ration , it is no lon ger a m atter o f dou bt th at w e atta in to a fu lly consciou s, gram m atical “ I a m ,” on ly through a lon g process o f u n con scious cereb ration p reced in g th e latter.

B u t even this fu lly con sciou s actio n o f th o u gh t has its u n con sciou s logic, w h ich d em ands a b so lu tely and fa ta lly , th at w e should think in such , and not in a n y oth er w a y , w ith m oreover, and fo rtu n ately for us, a full inn er co n ­ v ic tio n th at our thought en joys freedom .

B u t in fa ct, it is a b so lu tely free

on ly in lu n a tic s ; and even in them th is freed om — in oth er w ords the cereb ra l ju m b le — is m ost p ro b a b ly depen dent on variou s abn orm al sen sation s of personal ex isten ce, g en era ted b y the d isease o f o rgan s.T B u t an attem p t to co n v in ce o n eself and oth ers th at our th o u gh t and w ill are indeed n ever free, is also a kind o f in san ity , in its w a y .

T h e r e is n oth in g to be done a ga in st th e r e a lity o f sen sation s.

If we

are a ll h a llu cin a te d , then h a llu cin a tio n can no lon ger ex ist for u s : but w ho, in th is case, can show us th a t w e are self-d eceivin g ou rselves ? * W e are not quite sure what Professor Pirogoff meant here b y “ w o rd ” . a m ystical sense.— [ T r a n s l . ] f See '• P sych ic and Noetic Action ” part II, in Luciftr, N ov., 1890.

T h e re

It must be in

J Eastern Philosophy— occult or exoteric— does not admit of an “ I " separate from the U niverse, objective or subjective, material or spiritual— otherwise than as a temporary illusion during the cycle o f our incarnations. It is this regrettable illusion, the “ heresy of separateness " or personality, the idea that our “ I ” is distinct in eternity from the U niversal E g o , that has to be conquered and destroyed as the root of selfishness and all evil, before we can get rid of re-births and reach N irvana.— [ T r a n s l.] ^ Lunacy, or loss o f mini, as it is very suggestively called, is explained in Occultism as being prim arily due to the paralysis of the higher functions in Kama-Manas, the physical mind— and, in cases of incurable insanity, to the reunion of the superior portion of the lower with the H igher D ivine Ego, and the destruction, in consequence, of Antaskarana, the medium of communication, an event which leaves alive in man only his animal portion, whose K am ic mind lives henceforward on the astral plane.— [ T r a n s l . ]

m ight be a p o ssib ility o f p ro v in g it, if th ere w ere o n ly one organ o f sen se in us h a llu cin a te d , for then a ll the oth er organ s cou ld correct th e m istake* B u t w h at can be done w hen a ll our sen sation s, in e v e ry one o f us, lead us to th e conviction th at our th o u gh ts and our w ill are free, and w h en all the foun d ations o f life h a v e a lre a d y been shaped on th is id ea ?

T o stubbornly

persist in co n v in cin g o n ese lf and oth ers o f the co n tra ry , m igh t, in th is case, lea d the p ersu ad in g sa ge to a llo w his ow n th o u gh t and w ill so much freedom , as to m ake him qu ite fit and rea d y for a lu n a tic asylu m him self.

It is o n ly w ith abn orm al sen sation s th a t w e are able— and even th a t w ith grea t d ifficu lty— to stru gg le and hold our o w n ; w ith regard to our norm al sen sation s,

h ow ever

m ean in gless th e y

m ay ap p ear to

us,

the

least

stru gg le m ay b ecom e fatal.

O f late there h a ve ap p eared am ong our you n g so ciety m en, those w ho w ill not hear o f “ en sla v in g their th o u g h t” , even so far as to m ake them adm it th at tw o and tw o m ake four.

“ M y th ou ght is f r e e ” , th e y declare.

“ I f I choose to, I w ill a ccep t such or anoth er m a th em atical a x io m ; if 1 do not choose to do so— there it g o e s ! ” and so on.

The

idea that an

unbridled licen ce o f th o u gh t and w ill is a terrible disease, from the d ev elo p ­ m ent o f w h ich e v e ry m an, w ho w ould not end b y su icide or folly, has to gu ard him self, seem s to h a ve n ever so m uch as en tered the h ead o f these gentlem en .

E v e r y one o f us m ust be free enough to choose for h im self such

or another v ie w o f the U n iv erse, but h a v in g on ce chosen a con cep t, he has to adhere to i t ; at a n y rate until he has found a b etter one to replace it w ith .

T h e estab lishm en t o f a certain modus vivendi is n ecessa ry , not on ly for the harm onious union o f fam ilies, societies and nations, b u t likew ise for peaceful union

w ith o n e s e lf; and th is can be a ch ie v ed o n ly through a

certain and m ore or less w ell-defined w orld -con cep t.

I do not b elieve th a t an y th in k in g man h as ev er su cceed ed in allow in g h im self to be gu id ed th rou ghou t his w hole life b y one and the sam e con ­ ception ; but I feel certain th at a ll our in tellectu al life is fin ally sum m ed up b y the w o rk in g o u t— if it w ere o n ly for on e’s d a ily u s e — o f som e fin a l con cep t o f life, of the U n iv erse, and o f self.

I t is tru e th a t a con stan t w ork

o f this kind is in the w a y o f the estab lish m en t o f a status quo.

N ev erth eless,

it stretch es w ith ou t a b reak , like a red th read throu ghou t th e w hole bundle o f existen ce, and never cea ses to gu id e, and m ore or less to ru le, over a ll our actio n s.

O f cou rse d ou b ts and w a v e rin g are u n avoid ab le d u rin g su ch

a “ w orkin g out ” ; but th ey are b y far less troublesom e than those w h ich w eigh dow n th e man w h o b elieves th at sto p p in g a t som eth in g definite m eans the b re ak in g o f the freedom o f thou ght and w ill.

In the

present exam in ation o f m y life I w ill d escrib e th e sev eral

theories on the U n iv erse and M an th at I had a ccep ted at different p e rio d s o f m y ex iste n ce, h old in g to them for a greater or a sh orter tim e ; and 1 hope also to elu cid ate to m y self w h y I h a v e a ccep ted them .

F o r the presen t,

h o w e v er, I m ust tr y to w ork out for m y self th e v ie w s on w h ich I h a ve , as I b elieve, fin a lly settled .

I h a v e to a n a lyse th a t portion o f m y present ideas,

w h ich relates to m y a ctu al co n cep ts on the fou n d ations o f our b eing.

I can no lon ger settle m y th o u gh t on the ev er restless and etern a lly liv in g atom s o f sp ace.

M y m ind falls flat, and finds itse lf in a condition

from w h ich th ere is no issue w h a tev er in

eith er o f these tw o c a s e s :

( a ) w h en ev er it a ttem p ts to con ceive the w orld-atom s as in fin itely d ivisib le

and fo rm less:

or ( b ) as in d iv is ib le

and

h a v in g

a certain form .

The

p a rticle o f m a tte r ; th e in fin itely d iv isib le , the m ovin g and th e form less, self-b ecom in g, ow in g to ch an ce alone ; conditioned or lim ited , q u iescen t and now h a v in g form — a ll th is ap p ears so in con gru ou s to m y m ind th a t I am u n ab le to a ccep t th e h y p o th esis.*

N or can m y thou ght lin g er lon g on

atom s fraction ed in to gra n u les, p ellets, m a th em a tical p o in tst and w h at not else.

If th e U n iv erse is litera lly filled w ith im perm eab le atom s— m eanin g

b y im p erm eab le th a t th e y h a ve p reserved th e c h ie f prop erty o f su b sta n ce— and th a t th ey h a ve , m eanw h ile, to be in in cessan t m otion, a/here then, in w h a t (space) and h ow , does this m otion ta k e p la ce ?

M y w eak in tellect

w h ile perfo rm in g its a n a lysis o f su b stan ce, d iv id in g and d ecom posin g its atom s (particles) is u n ab le to rest on them .

It passes on fin ally, insensibly

and in v o lu n ta rily, to som ething else, h a v in g a ll the n e g a tiv e prop erties o f m atter.

M y m ental a n a ly sis b rin gs m e fa ta lly to the n ecessity o f a ccep tin g

outside these atom s som ething perm eab le and in terp en etra tin g e v e ry th in g and ev eryw h ere , in d ivisib le, form less, e v e r in m otion, and b y th ese ve ry p rop erties im p artin g, m ovin g, a ccu m u latin g, and scatterin g th e a to m s ; sh a p in g th e re b y , the form s o f su b sta n ce and p en etra tin g into them and th rou gh them , assu m in g (n estling, so to sa y , in them ), if even only tem ­ p o ra rily , th is or another a sp e ct, a cco rd in g to w h ich form o f m atter it is pen etra tin g.J C a r ry in g m y a n a ly sis o f the o rgan ic su b sta n ces and o f m y se lf further, I in v o lu n ta rily pu t m y self the q u e s tio n : w h en ce th is fa c u lty o f th e o rgan ic w orld to sense and to p e rc e iv e its e x iste n ce ?

Its fu n dam en tal atom s,

h o w ever I m ay represen t them to m yself, w ill n everth eless, ev er rem ain for m e, in fin itely d ivisib le, im p erm eab le, and so forth , i.e ., h a v in g su ch p ro p er­ ties as are u n ab le to ex p la in to m e th eir fa cu lty o f sen sin g and b ein g con sciou s o f th em selves.

It is ev id en tly n ecessa ry to allow , th a t from a ges

upon a g e s in n u m erab le, there h a v e ex isted atom s en dow ed w ith these • O ccult philosophy teaches that atoms, so called, are not of this earth but belong to quite a different plane, both of matter and consciousness. B ut, vide infra note.— [ T r a n s l .] t T h e atom ic theory is on a par only with the undulatory theory of light, which neces­ sitates the material agency of E ther. Hence, we are told by the physicists that the hypo­ thetical agent called the ether of space is both elastic, " o f extreme tenuity and absolutely im ponderable” . N evertheless this agent is made to perform functions which, if it has to remain the transm itter of light, would make it endowed to the highest degree with the properties of an absolutely hard body. T h is is exact, mathem atical science.— [ T r a n s l ] J If we understand correctly this "som ethin g permeable and interpenetrating” all and everyw here, it is Ahasa, whose lowest form is the E th er of Space, the latter, however, being considerably different from the " hypothetical agent ” or medium of Science.— [ T r a n s l .]

facu lties, w h ic h , th rou gh their accu m u latio n into one w hole, form ed sentient and con sciou s organism s.

M y m ind does not a cc e p t the idea th a t th e mere

grou p in g o f atom s into certain form s (e.g., the cereb ra l cells) cou ld make them eo ipso c a p a b le o f sen sin g, d esiring and co n ceiv in g , un less th e facu lty o f sen sin g and con sciou sn ess w ere a lrea d y innate in such u n its.* It is this p rin cip le or “ B e g in n in g ” , th is elem ent o f feelin g, o f w ill and con sciousn ess, th e m ost fu n dam en tal elem ent o f being — a p rin cip le, w ithout w h ich the U n iv erse w ou ld h a ve no ex iste n ce for us— it is th is, w h ich my m ental a n a lysis is look in g for beyond the lim its o f atom s.

A n d it searches

for it in tha t, w h ich it recogn ises through n ecessity as ex istin g outside of the p a rticles o f m atter, and h a v in g a ll th e n e g a tiv e fa cu ltie s— i.e ., con trary to those of th e m olecu les— and w ith ou t w h ich , even the p o sitive fa cu lties of m atter w o u ld rem ain n on -existin g for us.

T h is a b stra ct creation o f m ental a n a ly sis— a s a b stra ct a s are th e atom s th e m selve s— b ased on the n atu ral fa cu lty o f the m ind to c a rry its functions outside itself, m ust lik e w ise contain in its e lf th e fu n dam en tal and n egative p rop erty of the su b sta n tia l p a rticles (or atom s)— an ind epen d en t principle o f life w ith its c h ie f a ttrib u te : the c a p a c ity for sen sin g and self-con scio u s­ ness, only o f cou rse different from that c a p a c ity in us m ortals.

I c o n c e iv e — no, it is not a concep tion , but a visio n — and th is vision represents to me a lim itless, in cessan tly rolling and w a v in g ocean o f life, form less, con tain in g in itse lf the w hole U n iv erse, p en etratin g all its atom s, co n tin u a lly gro u p in g

them , then d ecom p o sin g their com b in ation s

and

agg reg a tes, and a d ju stin g them to the v a rio u s o b je c ts o f b e in g .j In w h ich so ev er series o f m y lim ited m en tal rep resen tation s I m ay cla ss th is F o u n ta in H e a d o f sensation and self-sentient life— to th a t o f F orces, or o f th e in fin itely atten u a ted su b sta n ces— it w ill still represen t to m e som e­ th in g en tirely in d epen d en t and d istin ct from th a t m atter, w h ich is know n to us through its sensuous p rop erties, i.e ., p ertain in g to sensuous in v e stig a ­ tion s and ob servation s.

I h ave no oth er m eans o f in v e stig a tin g th is sou rce

o f sen sation s and o f m y consciou s “ B e in g ” , sa v e th at c a p a c ity o f sensing receive d b y me from that sam e source. g a te and know a n y th in g fu lly,

A n d too we can on ly then in v e sti­

w h en w e find ou rselves h ig h er than , and

sup erior to, the o b ject to be kn ow n .

B u t th e p rop erty of our m ind, to

search for aim and d esign, can not fail to p e rceiv e su ch a d esignm ent in the phenom ena o f life.

T h e r e is n othin g ratio n a l and continu ou s th o u gh t out,

or d iscovered , b y our in tellig en ce th at is not to be found, c u t and d ry, so to sp eak, in the U n iv erse th a t surrounds us.

It is useless to sa y th a t ou r

organism is a m a c h in e ;— q u ite the opposite, for e v e ry m ach in e ev er in ven ted * Precisely ; and this is the chief argument of Theosophy. T h e chasm between mind and m atter is an impassable one, as Mr. T ynd all and all the other Agnostics and M aterial­ ists are bound lo admit. No theory of evolution or " h e red ity” will ever cover or explain the m ystery. — [ T r a n s l .] t T h e O ccultists and Theosophists call it " t h e One L i f e ” , the triply m anifested D eity or the three L ogoi— the one pole of which is negative, the other positive — and the whole circum ference and central point— universal mind and the atom.

T h e latter are both abstractions, yet the only R e a lity .— [ T r a n s l .]

b y m an is n othin g b u t an im pression taken from o b jects and a p p a ratu s, and v a rio u s en gin es a lrea d y ex istin g in n atu re and in our organism s.

O rg a n ic n atu re is all the m ore strik in g to us, in th a t the B eg in n in g , or the sou rce o f life, h as ad ju sted all its m ech an ical and ch em ical processes to th e variou s aim s and o b jects o f ex iste n ce.

A n d if our m ind can n o t fail

to find a design in the m an ifestatio n s o f life and a c re a tiv e fa cu lty in the variou s ty p e s acco rd in g to d efin ite form s, then th a t sam e m ind can no m ore fail to p e rceiv e in th is its e lf — i.e ., reason and in tellig en ce.

T h u s our in te l­

lect h as to a cc e p t o f n ecessity an infin ite and etern al M in d , w h ich rules the O cea n o f L ife .

( T o be continued.)

---------- ---------------T h e T a o u w hich can b e described in w ords, is not the ev erla stin g (infinite all-p ervad in g, all-creatin g) T a o u .

T h e N am e, w hich can be nam ed (or spoken), is not th e ev erla stin g nam e (of the Infinite) T a o u .

F o r u n nam eable is (the great first C au se) the M a k er o f H e a v en and E a rth .

W h ils t H e w ho can be nam ed is but the M other (T h e C reator) o f all (those) thin gs (of w h ich our senses are cogn isant).

H e n ce he w ho w ould obtain a kn ow ledge o f th is g rea t m y stery (of sp iritual being), M ust k eep h im self free from carn al desires.

F o r he w h o g iv e s w a y to passion, w ill not be a b le to see beyond the lim its im posed b y his senses.

Y e t both (spirit and m atter) issue from th e sam e source, T h o u g h th e y ex ist under different nam es.

T h e origin o f both is eq u a lly obscure, for g rea t is th e o b scu rity W h ic h enshrouds the portals, throu gh w hich w e p en etrate to these m y steries. “ H e w ho w ould en ter in etern al peace M ust free h im self from a ll sed u ctiv e thou ghts.

F o r e v e ry b ein g in a hum an form , H a s to accom p lish a fixed d estin y, A n d w e bu t w atch th e ch an ges a s th e y pass ; F o r each in turn ta k es on him som e new shape, A n d each in turn reach es his prim al s t a t e ; In oth er w ords, a rrives at final rest, H a v in g fulfilled the law w h ich ruled his fate, A n d so b ecom es im m ortal. H e w ho know s O f this, is one en ligh tened — far rem oved F ro m him w h o h as no hope to gu id e his a cts, F o r th e en lighten ed b y the F a ith upheld M o ve ca lm ly on w ard, all th e y see around T h e y look upon w ith sy m p a th y and love A s part o f th eir ow n b e in g ; and each act Is based on ju stice and th e rule o f r ig h t ; B u t h e w ho follow s Ju stice— a s a K in g S ta n d s o’er his fellow s, ev er m ovin g on W ith m easured footsteps H ea v en w a rd , th ro’ th e paths W h ic h lead him on w ard to the blessfed go al— T o w here he sin ks to final rest in T a o u : E v e r im m ortal, in etern al P e a ce .

(Laou-tsze, translated by _ Major-General A l e x a n d e r , C.B., in “ Confucius.” )

H u m a n C a t h o l i c i s m att& | jf 5

E F L E C T I N G on the su ggestion m ade b y M r. \V . K in g sla n d in his

jJy'V.

a d m irab le

ad dress

on “ T h eo so p h y and

E c c le sia stic is m ” , that

po ssib ly C ard in a l N ew m an m igh t h a ve been a re-in carn ation o f S t. P hilip N e ri, one or tw o th o u gh ts h a ve o ccu rred to m e.

A s a m em ber o f the

co n g rega tio n o f the O ra to ry foun ded b y S t. P h ilip , and introd u ced into E n g la n d

b y F a th e r F a b e r, C ard in a l N ew m an

w ould n a tu ra lly h ave a

sp ecia l devotion to w a rd s th at S ain t in com m on w ith h is breth ren , just as the Jesu its h a v e for S t. Ig n a tiu s, or the C arm elites for S t. T h e re sa or S t. John o f the C ro ss.*

A g ain , it is to be rem em bered th at S a in ts are

sup posed to be those w ho h a ve gain ed the v ic to ry o v er self, and have attairfed the B u d d h a s t a t e ; a cco rd in g to C a th o lic d octrin e, th e y h a ve no p u rg a to ry , but pass a t on ce to the regions o f h igh est b liss ; therefore, even from the T h eo sop h ist stan dp oin t, th e y cannot re-in carn ate, or if th e y did, th e y w ou ld not h a v e to p a ss through a lon g stru g g le in th eir search for tru th , but w ould p erceive it from the b egin n in g o f th e full a g e o f reason.

B u t, go in g ov er som e o f N e w m a n ’s m ore m y stical w ritin g s, it is rem ark ab le h ow

near he com es to the teach in g s o f T h e o so p h y .

in stan ce w hen he sa y s, referrin g to recollectio n s o f his used

to w ish

unknow n

th e A ra b ia n

influences, on m ight

be

ta le s w ere

m a gical

tru e :

pow ers and

a dream , and I

For

c h ild h o o d : “ I

m y im agin ation ran on ta lism a n s....................... I

thought

life

an angel and

deception,

m y fellow -an gels, b y a p la y fu l d ev ice , co n cea lin g them selves

a ll

the

world a

from m e, and d eceiv in g me b y th e sem b lan ce o f a m aterial w o rld .” preach ed on

M ich a elm as D a y o f 1831, called “ T h e

M in istry o f A n g e ls ” , N ew m an

In a serm on

com bats the “ scien tific s p ir i t ” of the

age, and a sserts th e w o rk in g o f sp iritu al forces in n atu re.

T h e follow ing

e x tra ct is not too lon g for th e exp ression o f h is idea :—

“ There have been ages of the world in which men thought too much of angels, and paid them overmuch honour, honoured them so perversely as to forget the supreme worship due to Almighty God. This is the sin of a dark age, but the sin of what is called an educated age, such as ours now, is just the reverse ; to account slightly of them, or not at all; to ascribe all we see around us not to their agency, but to certain assumed laws of nature.” “ We know” , he goes 011, " that it is the spirit in man and benst which makes man and beast move ; but reason tells us of no spirit existing in what is called the natural world to make it perform its ordinary duties.

Of course it is God's will which sustains it all, so does God’s will enable us to move also. Yet this does not hinder that, in one sense, we may be truly said to more ourselves. But how do the wind and water, earth and fire move ? >Jow hare Scripture interposes, and seems to tell us that all this wonderful harmonv is the work • •' For their Saint's honour is their own."— Marmion.

of angels. Those events which we ascribe to chance, as the weather, or to Nature, as the seasons, are duties done to that God who maketh His angels to be winds, and Hi* ministers a flame of fire. For example, it was an angel which gave to the Pool of Bethesda its medicinal quality ; and there is no reason why we should doubt that other health-springs in this and other countries, are made such by a like unseen ministry. The fires on Mount Sinai, the thunders and lightnings, were the work of angels ; and in the Apocalypse we read of the angels restraining the four winds. .............................Thus as far as the Scripture communications go, we learn that the course of Nature, which is so wonderful, so beautiful, and so fearful, is effected by the ministry of those unseen beings. Nature is not inanimate ; its daily toil is intelligent, its works are duties. I do not pretend to say that we are told in Scripture what Matter is ; but I affirm that, as our souls move our bodies, be our bodies what they may, so there are spiritual intelligences which move those wonderful and vast portions of the natural world which seem to be inanimate ; and as the gestures, speech, and expressive countenances of our friends around us, enable us to hold intercourse with them, so in the motions of universal Nature, in the interchange of day and night, summer and winter, and storm, fulfilling His word, we are reminded of the blessed and dutiful angels. Every breath of air and ray of light and heat, every beautiful prospect, is, as it were, the skirts of their garments, the waving of the robes of those whose faces see God in heaven.”

It w ou ld not be difficult to find p a rallel p a ssa ges in th e “ S ecret D o c trin e ” , m anifestly that in w h ich occu r th e w ord s “ w e adm it o f nothing in an im ate in n ature ” .

R eferrin g to th e anim al creation , h e bids m en reflect

“ That we are undeniably taking part in a third world, which we do indeed see, but about which we do not know more than about the angelic hosts— the world of brute animals ; can anything be more marvellous and startling, unless all were used to it, than that we should have a race of beings about us whom we do but see, and as little know their state, or can describe their interests or their destiny, as we can tell of the inhabitants of the sun or moon ? It is indeed an overpowering thought, that we familiarly use, I may say hold intercourse with, creatures who are as much strangers to us, as mysterious, as if they were the fabulous unearthly beings, more powerful than man and yet his slaves, which Eastern superstitions (sic) have invented. . . . We do not know whether they can sin or not, whether they are under punishment, whether they are to live after this life................... Is it not plain to our minds that there is a world inferior to us in the scale of beings, with which we are connected, without understanding what it is ?”

It need not seem w onderful to us th a t w ith such stron g intu ition as th is, N ew m an should h a v e found a hom e in th e on ly C h u rch w h ich g iv e s a c e rta in corroboration to m a n y o f th ese id eas, esp ecia lly those con cern in g th e h ierarch ies and their influence on the w o rk in gs o f n atu re and on the sp iritu a l souls o f m en.

W h ile still ou tside the C a th o lic C h u rch , he b egan

to feel th a t it w as b etter to b elieve too m uch than to reject all, consid erin g th e w a y w h ich the a ge w as ta k in g , if th e ch oice la y , as it seem ed to him to do, b etw een these tw o.

D ou b t and u n belief w ere ch illin g, and in m an y

c ases freezin g out, a ll religiou s aspiratio n , le a v in g m en in u tter gloom and d a rk n e ss as rega rd s sp iritu a l tru th , or as oth ers ph rased it, in the “ d ry

ligh t o f scien tific c e r t a in t y " .

N ew m a n ’s stu d ies in th e o lo g y h ad shewn

him th e u n ce rta in ty o f in terp retation o f th e B ib le record s, and th e wide d ive rg en ce o f creed s b u ilt up on th is foundation w ith o u t a n y ack n ow led ged a u th o rity .

N o t on ly th is, bu t the .'spectacle o f th e prosp erou s an d com ­

fo rta b le A n g lica n estab lish m en t stru ck him in u n favou rab le c o n tra st w ith the a sce tic life so la rg e ly p ra ctised in the Rom an C h u rch .

In th e la s t chapter

o f “ L o s s and G a i n ” , his criticism o f th e liv e s o f certain m in isters, bishops and deans, w ith “ n oth in g to m ake them clerg ym en bu t a b la c k c o a t and a w h ite tie

th e ir im m ed iate o b ject b eing to “ m ake th e m selve s com fortable,

to m arry, to h a ve a fair incom e ” , & c., is sev ere in th e ex trem e.

A n oth er C a th o lic d octrin e in w h ich one sees th e tra c e s o f the old W isd o m -religio n is th e lim itation in th e n um ber o f re-in ca rn a tin g souls.

T h e C h u rch te ach es th at th e p la ce s on ce held b y th e fallen a n g els h a v e to b e filled b y those w h o h a ve a tta in ed to the high est sa n c tity d u rin g their life on earth , so th at their number m ay b e com plete.

T h e S ecre t D o ctrin e s a y s : “ F o r th e E g o (the ‘ H igh er S e l f ’ when m erged w ith and in the D iv in e M onad) is M a n , and y e t th e sam e as the O

ther

’ , th e A n g e l in him in carn ated , as the sam e w ith th e universal

M ahat”.

The

K u m a ra s, the “ A n g e ls ” , b ecam e m en, th a t th e y might

re-becom e “ S on s o f G o d v irtu a lly th e sam e.

T h e d ifference is in the m ethod, th e end is

A lso th e rise and fall o f th e G re a t B re a th , cau sin g

not o n ly c y c lic action in th e K osm o s, b u t p resu m a b ly th ose a ltern a tin g sta te s o f ex a lta tio n and d ep ression so w ell k n ow n to sen sitiv e sou ls, and exp ressed in C a th o lic p a rla n ce b y th e term s “ a b u n d an ce o f g r a c e ” , and “ sp iritu al desolation ’ ’ ; o n ly th e C a th o lic a ttrib u te s th ese sta te s to th e will or c a p ric e o f a D iv in e P e rso n a lity , w h ereas th e T h eo so p h ist rega rd s them a s th e w orkin gs o f a sp iritu al law .

T h e m y stical w riters sp eak frequ ently

o f the “ su p erior ” and “ inferior ” sides o f th e soul, co rresp o n d in g to our upp er and low er M an as.

In a w ork en titled “ C h ristian P a tie n c e ” b y the

late B is h o p U llath o rn e, these exp ression s freq u en tly occu r.

S t. T h eresa

d escrib es the soul in an a lle g o ry as a fortress w ith six o u tw a rd enclosures, on e w ith in th e oth er, the cen tra l k eep b ein g the a b o d e o f th e high est or m ost sp iritu a l p a rt, w h ich m ust b e ca refu lly gu ard ed from a tta ck .

T h e m ore on e stu d ies th e m y stica l C h ristia n w riters, S t. B e rn a rd , St. T h e re sa , and e sp e c ia lly S t. John o f th e C ross, th e m ore one is stru c k with th e sim ilarity o f their id eas w ith those o f T h e o so p h y or even O c c u ltis m ; th e d ifferen ce is in th e p h raseolog y, w h ich e v e r y student can tra n sla te into his ow n lan g u a g e.

T h e stu d y o f T h e o so p h y , w hen su fficien tly diffused,

m ust h a ve th e effect o f recon cilin g th e v a rio u s creed s and relig io n s o f the w orld, and the sooner th eir vo taries le a v e o ff a c c e n tu a tin g th e ir points of d ifferen ce, w ith th e o b ject o f sh o w in g th a t th e y th e m selve s a re in the right, th e sooner w ill th is d esirab le end be b ro u g h t abou t.

E. K

isungbury,

F .T .S .

(BxoUrit ani> CSsotmr P A R T I.— S O U N D .

H A T is th e c a u se o f Sound ?

T h is question w ill a t on ce seen:

rid iculou s to even th e m ost su p erficial stu d en t o f S cie n ce. is cau sed b y vib ra tio n , I shall be told . is :

W h a t v ib ra te s ?

S ou n d

T h is b ein g so, th e n ext question

T o th is aga in I am an sw ered th at vib ration tak es

p la ce am on gst the p a rticle s w h ich sound.

A fter h a v in g been g iv en ocu lar

p ro o f o f th is b y v a rio u s exp erim en ts, I a sk h ow sound is p ro p ag ated from th e

v ib ra tin g p a rtic le to m y ear, and I am then en ligh ten ed as

to the

w a v e th e o ry o f the atm osp h ere and m an y in terestin g d eta ils are added co n cern in g the b eh a vio u r o f th e w a v e in different m edium s and under different circu m sta n ces o f tem p eratu re, & c.

T o com plete m y in stru ction

I am n ow taken th rou gh a course o f in terestin g exp erim en ts on different v ib ra tin g m a terials, th e net result o f w h ich is to le a v e m e w ith a p erfect p ictu re o f v ib ra tio n s and w a v e s under alm ost e v e r y c o n c e iv a b le asp ect.

I f I n ow ven ture to repeat m y first qu estion slig h tly a ltered t o : W h a t is S ou n d ? I shall h a v e m y atten tion recalled to th e vib ra tio n of, say, th e p ro n g o f a tu n in g fork, I shall be rem inded o f w h a t I h a ve been show n, and I sh all be told to listen , k eep in g both m y ea rs and m ind in ten t upon the n ote, an d then the sound I hear w ill be en tirely exp lain ed b y w hat I know o f th e th eory of and ex p erim e n ts in vib ra tio n .

It w ould seem , therefore,

th a t sound p roceeds from the vib ration o f the tu n in g fork, is tak en up b y th e atm o sp h eric w a v e s w h ich e v e n tu a lly reach m y ear, w h ere the d is­ tu rb a n ce is p resen tly carried on b y the a u d ito ry n erves, and con d u cted to th e m ind.

T h is is w h a t w ou ld a p p e ar to be the case a cco rd in g to the

presen t th eory o f S ou n d, bu t as a m atter o f fa ct it on ly seems to be so, and th e assertion th a t S ou n d p roceed s th rou gh the air is m islead in g.

The

vib ra tio n b y w h ich S ou n d m an ifests its presen ce does u n d o u b ted ly p a ss th rou gh th e air from the tu n in g fork to m y ear, bu t there is absolute silence in the vibration and in the atmospheric undulation.

T h e sound w hich w e hear is in

ou rselv es and not in the vib ration w hich h as been set u p.

T h is a p p e ars to

me so ev id en t th a t h a v in g called atten tion to the fa ct I should feel th a t an a p o lo g y w ere due to m y read er w ere it not eq u a lly certain th a t w e get into th e h a b it o f a ttrib u tin g sound to the w ires and

rods and

pip es w hose

son orous h arm on ies w e listen to w ith so m uch d eligh t, b u t w h ic h , p a r a ­ d o x ic a l a s it m ay seem , are m u teness itself.

In d eed , th is b ea u tifu l w orld

o f ou rs is w rap t in the m ost profou nd silen ce on th is plane w h ere the co lo u red g lo ries of D am e N a tu re ’s o u tw ard ga rb ex p ress in b rillian t hues th e sleep in g m u sic o f another sp h ere.

T h e sigh o f the w in d as it passes

o v e r the sm ilin g fields in S p rin g tim e, the h ow lin g b la st tearin g at the

bosom o f the m ig h ty ocean in sa v a g e g le e, the ch irp o f th e c ric k e t, or the report o f a gu n — none o f th ese are h eard in th is w orld.

T h e y are a ll modes

o f m otion, a c tiv e am ongst th e m selve s and silent as th e g ra v e.

A n d y et to us these m ute a c tiv itie s o f life are full o f S ou n d .

A n d not

on ly does their m usic th rill us to th e ve ry cen tre, but it com es from these sam e n oiseless vib ra tio n s, th u s m akin g S ile n ce the m other o f Sound.

H o w are w e then to ex p la in th is ap p a ren t con trad ictio n ?

O n the one

hand w e find th at th is a c tiv ity lets in upon us a som eth in g w hich is more than itself, w h ich is in fa ct q u ite d istin ct from m otion, n am ely Sou n d . th e oth er it is inaudible.

On

W e ll, if w e are to ex p la in the m eanin g o f silence

w ithout and m u sic w ith in , w e can

do so b y ob servin g in ou rselv es how the

a u d ito ry n erve passes th e vib ra tio n w h ich strik es th e ear to our consciou s­ ness, w h ere w e recogn ise it as Sou n d.

A t the point w here it originates

(say at the end of a tu n in g fork) w e h ave sim p ly th e a ctiv ity o f the note, or act o f m an ifestatio n ; w h erea s its sound, th e th in g w h ich m an ifests in the act, and w h ich lies hidden in it, b ecom es v iv id to our consciousness.

F ro m w h at w e k n o w o f the relatio n o f Sou n d to m otion, I do not think it w ill be con tested th a t the form er is a lw a y s p resen t a t th e b a c k , so to speak, o f the latter.

F o r th e o re tic a lly no m ovem en t, h o w e ver sligh t, bu t b y the

th ird la w o f m otion co n stitu tes a vib ra tio n .

T h is m ust produce a corres­

po n d in g un du lation in the su rrou nd ing a ir, w h ich h as o n ly to be repeated w ith sufficient ra p id ity , or to be produced w ith enough force, for u s to hear it.

A n d in th ese tw o d istin ctio n s w e h a ve p erh ap s, a n oth er b esid es the

g e n e ra lly a cc e p te d version o f th e differen ce b etw een noise and m usic.

F or

w h ile it h as b een d em on strated th at the form er is due to uneven pulsations and th e la tte r to even on es, m ay w e not a lso hold th a t the first is a com ­ plete vib ration or actio n and re-action both a c t iv e ; w h ile th e la tter is h a lf a m anifested v ib ra tio n , a sim ple m otion, g iv in g rise to its com pletion in the kind o f re-action ex p ressed in the th ird la w o f m otion.

T h u s since

a c tiv ity is u b iq u ito u s th e S on g o f L ife is no m ere p o etic a lle g o ry b u t a tru e and b eau tifu l re a lity , from th e h arm on ies o f w hich there is no e sc a p e sa v e in D e a th alon e.

N a tu re , as she ev o lv e s her fatefu l w ork, sin gs w ith e v e r y

m otion o f her ch an g in g m oods ; but th a t song is not intoned b y the g ro ss m aterial garm en t o f h er acts.

B o th ob servation and reason seem to assure us th a t Sound is not in the air or in th e v ib ra tin g b od y ; but th a t w e h a ve h ere o n ly m otion, w h ich w e perceive w hen it h a s d evelop ed in our m ind or co n scien ce.

W e know

in fact th a t w e h ea r the feelin g (if I m a y so ex p ress m yself) w h ich th e ag ita tio n o f th e air, or o f th e tran sm ittin g m edium , h a s produced u p o n th e ear.

A s w e are not concern ed in th is a rticle w ith the w h y and th e h o w of

th is p ercep tion , I w ill not en ter into a discussion o f the m eth od s p u t in use for the ch a n g e o f m otion w ith ou t into sound w ith in us b y ou r se n se o f hearing, but confine m y self solely to th e nature o f S ou n d . ' N o w , i f th e m ind heard , then Sound w ould a p p e a r solely as th o u gh t.

B u t the r e v e r s e is

w h a t tak es p la ce.

W e becom e aw are o f definite m en tal d ifferen ces in our

sta te s o f con sciou sn ess w ith ou t the interven tion o f definite id eas.

N o w this

e x a c tly d escrib es th e actio n b y w h ich w e hear a Sou n d and, b ecau se o f the a bsen ce o f defin ed thou ght in a m u sical note and th e presen ce o f feelin g, together w ith th e fa c t o f our a p p recia tin g it on ly on the m ental plane, I c o n ­ clu d e th a t m usic is the exp ression o f a ctio n in con sciou sn ess; noise, b ecau se o f th e in com p lete c h a ra cte r o f its vib ra tio n , is th e p a rtial exp ression o f the sam e.

A n d , as th e exp ression o f con sciou s a c tiv ity b y sound d isclo ses to

us the feelin g prod u ced on the p s y c h ic p la n e b y the form s o f m atter w hose vib ration w e sen se on the p h ysica l plan e, H e a rin g is re a lly o n ly F e e lin g , felt on another plane to th at on w h ich it w a s gen erated .

It w ill be n oted th a t M ind and C on sciou sn ess ap p ear here as b ein g d istin ct from one an other, bu t th is sep aration is m erely for th e purpose of a n a ly sis ; as it is ev id en t th at though Sou n d does not a cco m p a n y th o u gh t, yet con sciou sn ess or th e th in k in g prin cip le is the sam e as th e con sciou sn ess w h ich h ears.

WThen m o v in g w ith

th o u gh ts, th ese a ctiv itie s em it

no

sound, w h ile w hen there is action as sim ple “ con sciou sn ess o f m o tio n ” w e h ear, or in oth er w ords, feel th is a c tiv ity . o f m an ifestatio n due ?

T o w h at is th is d ifference

In the first c a se m ovem en t is in itia ted w ith in the

consciousness ; in th e second m otion from w ith ou t a p p e a ls to consciou sness.

R e v e rsin g the order o f th in gs w e find th o u gh t (or con sciou s m otion in itiated on its own psych ic plane) p ro jectin g its e lf into th is w orld as noise (as in sp e e c h ); w h ile m otion w hich p ro jects its e lf from th is w orld onto the p sych ic p lan e b ecom es th ere sound and m usic.

I con clu d e from th is th a t sound

on ly ta k es p la c e for us w hen m otion is eith er p rojected from th e p la n e o f con sciou sn ess into th is w orld, or vice versa. o f th e origin o f S oun ds.

T h is b rin gs us to th e q u estion

U n d o u b ted ly those w h ich are d evelop ed in the

M ind a re p rim a rily due to th e so-called sou n d in g b o d y.

P a ss in g from th is

b od y th ro u g h th e a ir, a d efin ite m ovem ent is prop elled into th e ear.

And

here b y the m ech an ical arran gem en t o f the inner ear, th e m aterial v ib ra ­ tion is tran slated from the plane o f p h ysica l life to the p s y c h ic plan e.

N ow

if m otion is th e a lter E g o o f Sou n d, as th is tran sform ation o f it in d icates, then at th e em ittin g b o d y and in th e tran sm ittin g m edium w e h a v e co n ­ sciousn ess tran slated to the p h y sic a l plane as M otion , w h ich is th e reversal o f w h a t ta k es p lace at th e sen sory n erve.

T h e con sciou sn ess o f m a tter is

m acrocosm ic and th a t o f m an is m icrocosm ic, so th a t

in th e sou n d ing

b od y w e h a ve the con sciou sn ess o f our m aterial w orld m an ifestin g in the m otion of th e o b jects and p a rticles w h ich com pose it.

T h e ir vib ration s

are co n n ected to th e exp ression (as Sound) o f their m ean in g by M an , w ho lives a t on ce on the p sych ic and on th e p h ysica l plane.

W e feel the

in fluen ce o f m usic as a va g u e and potent P re se n c e fillin g us w ith a co n ­ sciousn ess o f th e P o w e r w h ich h as ev o lv e d out from the W o rld , th e p r o ­ duct o f th e w a r o f op p osin g forces.

W e d rin k in w ith e v e r y note the in n er

con sciou sn ess o f those feelin gs w h ich cau sed th e e a rth ly form s to sh a p e

th e m selve s (their K a rm ic records) and w e th u s a cq u ire an ad d ed sy m p a th y w ith m un dan e life w h ich stren gth en s th e ch a in s th a t b in d th e soul to all th e lo ve s and p assion s o f our e a rth ly sta te .

F o r w e m ust not fo rg e t that

th e m usic and th e S ou n d s w hich w e are a b le to h ea r h a v e a ll rea ch ed a certain d en sity o f v ib ra to ry force before prod u cin g th e sen sation o f Sound.

W e o n ly h ear th e c o m p a ra tiv e ly coarse vib ra tio n s flu n g froir, form ulated m a tter, w h ich d ra g into th is w o rld ly sphere a fictitiou s and illu siv e con­ sciousn ess born o f th e a c tiv ity o f F o rm s and

S h a p es— a P s y c h ic C o n ­

sciousn ess, lord o f th e A stra l P la n e.

It w ill b e seen from w h a t w e h a v e said that sound is th e m anifester o f a c tiv ity on th e p sych ic plane.

T h a t m otion here breeds m u sic there.

T h u s, if w e su p pose ou rselv es a ssistin g a t a co n cert, w e h a v e our eyes fixed on th e o rch estra and w e im agin e th a t w e a re w a tch in g them m ake m usic.

B u t w h ile our e y e s are co n n ectin g us w ith the m ovem en t o f the

p h y s ic a l o b jects b efore us, our ears h a v e tran spo rted us into th e invisible and p s y c h ic plane.

Wre see m u sician s a c tiv e ly em p lo yed in settin g the

a ir o f th e co n cert room into a m aze o f silent ed d ies an d u n du lation s.

But

not a sound com es from their v io lin s ; the F re n c h horn is m ute, th e drum th u n d ers w ith o u t noise b u t, th o u gh c h ea ted b y the ey e in to b e lie v in g that th e y are m a k in g m usic on th eir in stru m en ts, th e y and w e are listen in g to th e song o f our ow n con sciou sn ess sun g to ea ch one o f us within ou rselves.

T h u s b y th e sen se o f h ea rin g w e a re tran sp o rted from the

con cert room w ith its etern al silen ce and a eria l vib ra tio n s into the in visible but not a l a s ! the S p iritu a l w orld .

O u r m u sic is th e m u sic o f extern als,

it is personal and p s y c h ic : th e n oetic son g o f our h igh er b ein g is unheard b y th e b o d ily sen se and a p p recia ted o n ly b y th e soul.

T hos. W

il l ia m s ,

F .T .S .

( T o be continued.)

h e g ro w in g good o f th e w orld is p a rtly dep en den t on u n h istoric a c ts ; and th a t th in g s a re not so ill w ith you and m e as th e y m igh t h a v e b een , is h a lf o w in g to th e n um ber w h o lived fa ith fu lly a hidden life and rest in u n visited tom bs.

T

G

E

eorge

l io t .

“ T h e m oral condition o f th e w orld d ep en d s upon th ree th in g s : T ru th , J u stice and P e a c e .”

Rabbi

A s th e A x is to the S p h ere, G o d in m a tter doth in h e r e ; F le sh o f m an th e garm en t is, T h a t en fold s tliy soul and H is.

S to n e and m etal, flow er and tree, Shroud th e hidden D e ity ; E a c h and all, in m an w e find, M irro r o f the etern al M ind.

H

il l e l

.

I.

P

r o c e s s io n

of

P

r in c ip l e s

b e g in s

in

T

im e .

H I S question w a s in cid en ta lly d iscu ssed in m y a r t i c l e " A b o u t th e E g o and th e U n m an ifested B e i n g " (L u c ife r , F e b ., 1890), and answ ered in th e n eg a tiv e.

T h e conclusion d raw n from M r. T h o s . W illia m s ’ th o u gh tfu l

and, though brief, w e ig h ty ch ap ter, h ead ed “ T h e G ra n d P a ra d o x ” ( L u c ife r , J u ly, 1890), tend to a c o n tra ry v ie w , a lb eit th e qu estion itse lf is not form ally p o sited b y him .

I prop ose in th is p a p er, to en d eavou r to m ake m y a rg u ­

m ent a little clearer.

I f w e sto p at th e “ sum to tal o f p o s s ib ilitie s ” , P an th eism is th e lo g ica l outcom e.

B u t if th e ou tcom e is seen to be illo g ica l, w e cannot stop there,

and, to m y u n derstan d in g, th is is ipso fa c to d isp ro o f o f P a n th eism .

A doc­

trine b ased on im personality is not th e re b y p a n th e is tic ; it is incom p atib le w ith th e p lu ra l.

A d octrin e grou n d ed on personality is not therefore mono-

th e is tic a l; it is in con sisten t w ith the sin gular.

G ods, or ought to.

O n e g iv e s G

od

; th e oth er

I f w e a ttrib u te “ im p erso n a lity ” to a sta te the actuality

o f w h ich is in d iv id u a lity , w e are in P

a n t h e is m

.

I f w e a ttrib u te “ person ­

a lity ” to a sta te of w h ich nothing can be p red icated , w e are in T

h eology.

B u t to a vo id confu sion, seein g th a t th e w ord has been va rio u sly in ter­ p reted , let its definition stan d t h u s : P

a n t h e is m

tha t the E te r n a l is the sum total o f p ossib ilities.

is the doctrine w h ich teaches

T h e w ord eternal is also am b ig u ­

ous, as vo u ch ed for b y th e defin itions given in d iction aries, and th e use m ade o f it in cu rren t literatu re.

S o far as it o ccu rs to m e, unchangeable (or

changeless) is th e syn o n ym ou s exp ression requ irin g the least q u alification .

It d oes not suffice, for exam p le, to defin e “ e tern a l" as w ithout beginning or end o f existence.

F

orce

h as not th e essen ce of the u n ch an geab le, and m ust

th erefore be, essentially, w ith ou t begin n in g or end, w h ile w e k n o w from e x p e ­ rience th a t , fo rm a lly , it b egin s and ends, and therefore is not etern al, alth ou gh it b e enduring, and th is is T im e , to w h ich re la tiv e n e ss is confined, as not being com p atib le w ith E te rn ity .

E te r n ity is not T im e in a n y sense w h a tev er,

th e la tte r b ein g th e a b stra ct idea o f M otion in v o lv in g change, as m anifested in ph enom ena.

H e n c e the w ord “ etern al ” is p ro p erly a p p licab le o n ly to

w h at is a b so lu tely changeless.

N o w ,th e E te r n a lis not th e “ F irs t C a u s e ” ; nor i s i t a “ c a u s e ” , inasm u ch as it is beyon d relativ en ess.

O n th e oth er hand, a F ir s t C au se a b so lu te, as

in d icatin g th e term inu s o f relativen ess, w ould not be an “ effect ’.

T h is h as

been the G o rd ian knot o f P h ilo so p h y — th e conception o f a F irs t C a u se abso­ lute.

F o r inasm uch as absolu te, it m ust be u n ch a n g ea b le ; and in th a t it

is cause, it m ust h a v e an effect, and h a v in g an effect it cannot be u n ch an ge­ able— a contradictio in adjecto.

A n effect m ust p a rtak e m ore or less o f th e

essen ce o f its im m ediate cau se (thou gh not o f a remote cau se, for th e essence o f an y cau se is changed in its im m ed iate effect, w h ich on ly p a rta k e s o f that essen ce, but is not th a t essence).

C o n seq u en tly , a cause m ust communicate its

essen ce in order th a t there be an effect. B u t if an essen ce (w heth er “ th ought ” or “ su b sta n ce ” ) is com m u n icated , th a t essen ce is su b ject t o change. that essen ce is not u n ch a n gea b le, is not eternal. is an illo g ica l concep tion .

lute

H ence,

E rg o , th e so-called A

bso­

C a u se and effect are in terdepend en t, and

h a ve no locus sta n d i out o f re lativ en ess.

It follow s th a t the F irs t C au se is

not the ultim a ratio, and con seq u en tly is also an “ effect ” , and b ein g so, it is in T im e, not in E te r n ity .

T h e F irs t C au se is th e reason o f all prin cip les, w h ich are its p o w e r s ; bu t, as an actu ality , m a y be red u ced to th e tw o h igh er p rin cip les, w h ich are inseparable, and it is b ecau se th ey are so, th at p otential.

th e y a re n ever absolutely

T h is is an effect o f th e non-absoluteness o f th e equ ilibriu m o f the

th ree M odes o f F o rc e (w h ich are id en tica l w ith a ll p rin cip les manifested, w h ilst p rin cip les in p o te n tia lity are p o w ers o f the M odes, w h ich M odes, as such, are n ever p otential, b u t in equilibrium w hen u n m an ilested ).

T h erefo re, th e F irst C a u s e (actuality o f th e D u a l prin cip le) is not an “ effect ” o f the E te rn a l, but is the effect o f th a t (the non-absoluteness of equili­ brium ) w h ich is itself.

N o w , th is “ c a u s e ” (the said a c tu a lity , e tc .,) w hich

is id en tica l w ith the “ effect ” (the said n on-absoluteness, e tc.,) is not an “ effect ” o f th e E te rn a l— for b ein g changeable it d oes not p a rta k e o f th e essence o f the U n ch a n g ea b le .

A n d y e t for a ll this, the E te r n a l is th e ultim a ratio of

th a t non-absoluten ess o f the eq u ilib riu m , w ith o u t b ein g a “ c a u se ” (quoad It is not N e c e s s ity — for N e c e s sity is in the F ir s t C a u s e — but a

d efin .).

necessary p o stu late.

T

he

F

ir s t

C

au se

T h e E te rn a l is u n definable, but I define the oth er thus : is the only cause w hich is its own effect.

It is th e F irs t C a u se th at co n stitu tes the “ sum to tal o f p o s s ib ilitie s ” at the beginning o f a cosm ic period ; and w h ich , at its end, is “ essen tially r e s u lt” (see m y form er a rticle, S e c . I I ., and M r. W illia m s ’, p a g . 385, as to th is exp ression ), for the resultant o f a period is the power o f th a t w hich follow s.

In a w ord , the F irst C a u s e is perfectible (view ed under th e ligh t of

M aya), w h ilst th e E te rn a l is not, as b ein g th a t w h ich e v er ab id es unchanged.

T h e m istak e— and a ve ry gen era l one it is— lies in id en tify in g th e F irst C au se w ith “ T h e A b so lu te ” , so-called .

T h e A b so lu te is sup posed to signify

the sta te w h ere S u b je c tiv ity and O b je c tiv ity are m erged , ph enom ena being n on -extan t, w h ile T

he

O

ne

is, and is alone in its oneness.

T h e p o stu latin g su ch a s ta te im plies th a t T

he

O

ne

is th e u ltim ate

essen ce o f th in gs. II so, this T h in g -in -Itself, alth o u g h R e a lity an d A c tu a lity , as such , is o th erw ise P o te n tia lit y ; th at is to sa y , th e sta te in q u estion is eternal in regard

to th e T h in g -in -Itse lf, and p oten tia l a s re la tin g to things.

T h is is a con trad ictio n in term s and d en ies E te r n ity . less ad m its o f no tw o a sp e cts .

T h a t w h ich is change­

A ll a n a lo gies a re w ithin T im e .

If, then , the

A b so lu te is a potential state, h ow can it a ssu m e th e actual sta te ind epen d en tly

o f an oth er ca u se ? is c alled for.

A n d , follow in g up th is v ie w , an endless series o f cau ses

It is in va in w e seek its solution in a P rocession o f p rin c i­

ples, or in E m a n a tio n , w h ich is the sam e thin g.

H y p o sta sis, or F ir s t tion.

.

.

.

T h e F irs t P rin cip le , F irst

w h a tev er w e c a ll it, is a b eg g in g o f the q u es­

I f th is “ F ir s t ” o f cau ses, a fter ly in g dorm ant from “ E te r n ity ” , as

som e h a v e it, or “ for a period ” , as oth ers p u t it, com es to th in k, or w ill, etc., th a t m an ifestatio n shall com m en ce or b e resum ed— w h eth er in the sense o f creatio n or ev o lu tio n — w h en ce com es the cau se o f th a t thought, w ill, e tc., w h ich em erges g ra d u a lly or su d d en ly, as the case m ay be ?

O r,

if it is L a w , w h ich is N e c e ssity , is th is not m a k in g the uncon d ition ed co n ­ ditioned ?

F o r S ch o p en h a u er w ell sa y s, th a t sin ce n ecessity is d ep en dent

on cond ition, a bso lu te n ecessity is a contradictio in adjecto ( Q u a d r . R oot, etc., §49);

and lon g before him , w e h a v e it from P lo tin u s, th a t “ G o d is not

su b ject to n e c e s s ity ; he co n stitu tes, in relation to oth er b ein gs, N e c e ssity and L a w ” (E n n ea d s V I , 8 §10).

E v e n as presented by the last m entioned

ph ilosopher— w ho ascribes to his O n e or F irs t H y p o sta sis, the eternal a ct of em anation , lea d in g to the S eco n d (In telligen ce), and th is to the T h ird (U n iversa l Soul), w h en ce (from its inferior poten cy) p roceeds “ m a t t e r ” — though he m ay not a p p e ar to beg the qu estion as to cau ses, he is forced th ereto as to a ttrib u tes, and th is is on ly rem ovin g the d ifficu lty.

T h e F irs t

H y p o sta sis, s a y s he, has no a ttrib u te th a t m ay be exp ressed ; and y e t, a fter show in g th a t th o u gh t, e tc., is n eed less to it, he a ttrib u te s th o u gh t to it, but “ differing from th a t o f I n te llig e n c e ” .

T h e n he m akes th e S eco n d H y p o s ­

tasis “ perfect ” , b u t less so than the F irst, and the Third h old ing the third degree o f P erfectio n , as if perfection (beyond good, better, best ) w ere su b ject to

d egree !

(See his E n n eads, p rin c ip a lly the V th , L . i , and V lt h , L . 7).

The

tru th is th a t h is F irst H y p o s ta s is is not e t e r n a l; an attrib u te is irrecon ­ cila b le w ith the C h an g eless.

A n eternal state (quoad defin.) can not lo g ic a lly be assign ed to a cau se , since a cau se com m u n icates its e s s e n c e ; w h ilst th e d octrin e o f E m a n a tio n , h ow so­ ev er form ulated , n ecessa rily im plies th a t th e F irs t P rin cip le does tran sm it its e s s e n c e ; and P h ilo so p h ers m ay assert it if th e y p lease, bu t th e y do not show th a t the first prin cip le of p rocessio n is an etern al sta te .

W h y , the ve ry

w ord “ p rin cip le ” rad ica lly in v o lv e s the notion o f som eth in g th at develops !

H en ce, the error is, not in the d octrin e o f E m a n atio n itself, w h ich is sound and non-pantheistic — bu t in the scope g iv en to it b y the

S ch ools, w h ich ,

w hether sound or unsound, bases th e d octrin e on P an th eism .

O n ce th e m ind g ra sp s th e fact th a t th ere is a sta te b eyon d th e first p rin cip le o f p rocessio n — th a t E m a n atio n commences in, and is lim ited to, T im e — th e so-called A b so lu te , M onism , and P a n th eism d isap p ear from the

scene, w ith o u t le a v in g or raisin g th e n ecessity o f a perso n al G o d .

T h a t the

concep tion h as been gra sp e d , and not on ly since the te ach in g s o f O rie n ta l T h eo so p h y w ere introduced into th e W e s t, is certain ; and w as lu c id ly put forth by K a n t in the 7th S e c . o f th e 3rd C h a p ., B o o k 2, D iv . 2 o f h is T ra n s-

cendental L o g ic (headed : U ltim a te end o f the natural dialectic o f H u m a n Reason).

H e therein show s th a t th e tran scen d en tal cau se o f phenom ena should be co n tem p lated a s

a

regulative

influence

(G ebrauch),

not

a s a constitutive

p rin cip le, and th a t one o f the errors (for he points ou t others) o f regardin g it in th is lig h t, is ignava ratio (oth erw ise argum entum ignavum ) w h ic h is ta n ta ­ m ount to F a ta lism .

K a n t uses

th e w ord p rin cip le (P r in c ip ), a s well

a s G ebrauch (literally custom, use, etc.), in referen ce to th e r e g u la tiv e idea; b oth, and no less the free tran slation influence, are in ad eq u ate term s, bu t the oth er exp ression, “ co n stitu tiv e p rin cip le ” , is p e rfe ctly co rrect, a principle b ein g the in itial condition o f a th in g co n stitu ted . th e fun dam en tal id ea o f th a t d istin ctio n

H o w e v e r th is m a y be,

is q u ite clear, n am ely , that a

phenomenon, h o w ever far rem oved from us, does not p a rtak e o f th e essence

o f the R e g u la tiv e In flu en ce, i.e ., the la tter

does not com m u n icate its

essen ce, and therefore is not a p rin cip le.

V.

de

F.

(T o be continued.)

---------- * = « !* = :---------B e ch eerfu l also, and seek not ex tern al h elp , nor th e tra n q u illity w hich oth ers g iv e . A m an m ust stan d erect, not b e k ep t erect b y oth ers.

I f n othin g a p p e ars to be b etter than the d eity w h ich is p lan ted in thee, w h ich has su b jected to its e lf all th y a p p e tite s and c a re fu lly exam ines all the im pressions, and as S o c ra te s said , h as d eta ch ed itse lf from th e persua­ sion s o f sen se and . . . . ca res for m an kin d — if thou findest e v e ry th in g else sm aller and o f less va lu e, g iv e p la ce to n oth in g else.

H o w m uch tro u b le he a v o id s w ho does not w ork to see w h at his n eigh b ou r sa y s or does or th in ks, but on ly to w h a t he d oes h im self, th at it m a y be ju st and pure.

In th e m orning w hen thou risest u n w illin g ly let th is th o u gh t b e present— I am risin g to the w ork o f a hum an b eing. W h y then am I d issatisfied if I am go in g to do the th in g s for w h ich I e x ist, and for w h ich I w a s brought in to th e w orld ? O r am I m ade for th is, to lie in th e b ed -cloth es and keep m y se lf w arm ?

I am com posed o f the form al and the m a te r ia l; and n eith er o f them w ill perish into n on -existen ce, as neither o f them cam e into ex iste n c e out of n on -existen ce. E v e r y part o f m e then w ill be red u ced b y c h a n g e into another part o f the u n iverse, and so on for ever. A n d b y con sequ en ce of such a ch an ge I too ex ist, and those w ho begot m e go on for e v e r in the oth er d irectio n . F o r n oth in g h in ders us from s a y in g so, even if th e universe is ad m in istered a cco rd in g to definite periods.

S u ch a s are th y h a b itu al th o u gh ts, such also w ill be th e c h a ra cte r of th y m ind.

In one resp e ct man is the n earest th in g to m e, so far a s I m u st do good to m en and en dure them .

R e v e re n ce th a t w h ich is b est in th e u n iv e r s e ; . . m anner reveren ce th a t w h ich is b est in th yself.

. . and in like

L e t it m ake no difference to thee if thou art cold or w arm if thou art d oin g th y d u ty , an d w h eth er thou art d ro w sy or satisfied w ith sleep.

M

arcus

A

u r e l iu s

A

n t o n in u s .

Criticism on a Critic.

P rofessor M ax M u ller in th e N e w R ev iew and in th e Sanskrit C r itic a l J o u r n a l. “ C ritic ise criticism o n ly .”

E are g la d th a t P rofessor

M ax

M uller h as n oticed us in the

J an u a ry n um ber o f the N e w R ev iew , as w e th u s h a v e th e o p p o r­ tu n ity o f return in g the com plim en t to the learn ed p h ilolog ist, for w h ose lab ou rs in th e “ S cie n ce o f L a n g u a g e ” w e h a ve a lw a y s had a profound resp ect, w h ile a t th e sam e tim e reservin g to ou rselv es our ow n opinion as to h is com p eten cy to d eal eith er w ith th e records or m atters o f A ry an religion s or ph ilosophies.

T h e a rticle in question is en titled “ C h ristian ity

and B u d d h ism ” , and w h ile w e can

c o n g ra tu la te neither religion on its

treatm en t b y the P rofessor, w e sin cerely sy m p a th ise w ith th e form er in th a t the ch am p ion sh ip o f the w ell-kn ow n O rie n talist h as left her in so sorry a p red icam en t.

W e shall p erh a p s at som e later d a te h a v e a few

w o rd s to sa y on th is su b ject, po in tin g out the u tter ign oran ce o f even elem en tary sy m b o lo gy d isp la yed in th e p ap er.

A t present, h ow ever, w e

h a ve on ly to notice the first p a ra g ra p h , and en ter a sligh t p ro te st in the nam e o f the n ativ e p a n d its in gen era l and o f the S a n sk rit

and P a li

sch o la rs o f th e T . S. in p a rticu la r, w ho are b y th e w a y sufficien tly num erous in In d ia and C ey lo n .

T h e p a rag ra p h runs as fo llo w s :— “ W h o h a s not suffered la tely from T h e o so p h y and E s o te ric B u d d h ism ?

Journals are full o f it, n ovels overflo w w ith it, and oh ! the p riv a te and con fid en tial letters to a sk w h at it all m eans.

It is n early a s bad us the A n glo-J ew ish c ra ze and the O rig in a l H o m e o f the A ry a n s. E s o te ric B u d d h ism has no sw eet odour in the n ostrils o f S a n sk rit and P a li sch olars. T h e y try to k eep a lo o f from it, and a vo id all co n tro v ersy w ith its prop hets and p rop hetesses.

B u t it seem s hard on them that th ey should be blam ed for not sp ea k in g out, w hen their silen ce sa y s rea lly all th a t is req u ired .”

E m ile B u rn o u f d id sp ea k out, h o w e ver, and the readers o f the R ev u e de D e u x M o n ie s know

w h a t he said for T h e o so p h y .

A n o th e r em inent

O rie n talist also a cc e p te d the h o sp ita lity o f L u c ife r 's p a g es la te ly , and P ro fe sso r M a x M u ller m ust now p a y th e p e n a lty o f refu sin g to listen to H a rp o cra te s, and o f ta k in g h is finger from his lip s.

F ro m th is in tro d u cto ry p a rag ra p h , w e learn the in terestin g fact th at the P ro fe sso r's calm is b ein g som ew hat d istu rb ed and th at in order to o v eraw e a q u estion in g p u b lic, he is en d eavou rin g to hide h im self in the clo ak o f sch olarsh ip , w ith its ev er-ch a n g in g h ues, an d to step on to the lo fty p ed esta l o f p atron isin g W e s te rn O rien talism .

N o w the E n g lish -sp e a k in g p u b lic is n otorious for its love o f fa ir-p la y ,

and is g ra d u a lly w a k in g up to th e fact th at it is

sy s te m a tic a lly and

stu d io u sly k ep t in ign oran ce o f m an y th in gs, w h ich preven t it form ing a ju st ju d gm en t, and th u s is p rop ortion ately gro w in g rig h teo u sly indignant.

W e , therefore, consider it our d u ty to let th e p u b lic see both sid es o f the p ictu re, by g iv in g fu rther p u b licity to a criticism o f our critic.

T h is we

do both on gen eral prin cip les, follow in g th a t id eal o f J u stice w h ich is the card in a l ten et o f T h e o s o p h y ; and also in p a rticu la r, b ecau se one o f the O b je cts o f the T h eo so p h ica l S o c ie ty is to get learn ed n ativ e gen tlem en to in struct the W e s t on the E a stern system s o f religio n , p h ilosop h y and scien ce , and so rem ove the m iscon cep tion s th a t W e ste rn sch o la rs have, con sciou sly or u n con sciou sly, in stilled into the m inds o f th eir less instructed fellow -cou n trym en .

T h is criticism , on a S a n sk rit poem w ritten b y the

P ro fesso r, is reprin ted b y perm ission from th e Sanskrit C r itic a l J o u r n a l, and is in stru ctiv e not o n ly for th e reasons g iv en a b o v e, b u t a ls o b ecau se o f the inform ation w h ich it con tain s on th e V e d a s and the m anner in w hich the H in d u s vie w th ese h o a ry relics o f th e past.

T h e tran slation o f th e poem and criticism runs as follow s :â&#x20AC;&#x201D; THE

POEM . i.

O h friends, sin g forth the praises o f th a t w on derful g rea t fish, whose nam e is L a k s h a , and w ho is beloved b y m an y people.

2.

A fte r he had grow n stron g in the sea, and h a d been w ell preserved in th e rivers, he cam e b a c k to us a w elcom e gu est.

3M a y th a t fish ( L a k s h a ) w h o is to L>e praised b y m odern p o ets as well as b y those o f old, b rin g h ith er to w a rd s us the go d d ess o f happiness, L a k s h m i!

4C om e to g eth er and look at him , h o w red his flesh, how b ea u tifu l his shape, how he shines like s i l v e r !

5W h e n the fish has been w ell steeped in sa u ce su ch as em p erors love, full o f sw eetn ess and d eligh t.

6.

T h e n indeed w e lon g for him here at th is con gress, the lo v e ly one, a jo y to look at, m eant to be eaten b y m en and w om en.

T H E T

he

C R I T I C I S M .

M

atsya

S

ukta.

( i .) T h e M a tsy a S u k ta is a poem o f six sta n za s b y P ro fe sso r Max M uller in praise of a fish called S alm on , or in G e rm a n y L a k s h a .

A fter go in g through the ab ove, it stru ck our m ind a t the first sight th a t our learn ed professor h as m ade it a parod y o f a V a id ic S u k ta , for the purpose o f pleasin g his friends.

I f our su p position b e co rrect, we c on g ratu late the professor on h is su ccess, but regret at the sam e tim e that the V e d a s , th e m ost sacred w orks o f the H in d u s, upon w h ich th e Hindu

religion is c h iefly and o rig in a lly b ased , h a ve been rid icu led in such a ch ild ish m anner b y a g rea t and good m an like P rofessor M ax M u ller, w ho is g e n e ra lly regarded as a great ad m irer o f th e V ed a s, and a c h ie f defender o f H in d uism : for a parod y or m ockery like th is m ight low er the V e d a s in the estim ation o f the H in d u s, w h o h a ve held the V e d a s in the highest resp ect from tim es im m em orial.

(2.) T h e H in d u s consider th e V e d a s as ev er ex istin g w ith the A lm ig h ty him self, and as not com posed b y a n y being.

T h e H in d u ph ilosoph ers too, a fter lon g and earnest discussion s, h a v e estab lished the sam e tru th w ith regard to the V ed a s. T h e an cien t sa ges like V a lm ik i, V a sish ta and V y a s a , e tc., w ho w ere R ish is in the true sense o f th e w ord, and p ro b ab ly m uch b etter acq u ain ted w ith th e V e d a s than a R ish i o f this iron a g e, used a new sty le o f lan gu ag e called L a u k ik a or the lan gu a g e of m en, q u ite different from th at o f th e V ed as, for th e purpose o f k eep in g the p u rity o f the V ed as u n alloyed . B y d oin g th is th e y h ave strictly prohib ited com m on m en from c o rru p tin g the V e d a s b y interpolation o f such parodies or jo k in g poem s o f their ow n. It is evid en t that a pa ro d y lik e th is low ers the V e d a s , the origin al sp rin g o f the H in d u religion ,â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an u n bearab le th in g for a H in d u .

(3) O n the oth er hand if the professor h as seriou sly intended b y th is to show how va st is his com m and o f th e V a id ic lan gu ag e, and h ow d ese r­ v in g he is o f the title (R ishi) w hich he h as assu m ed , then the w hole th in g is q u ite absurd as w ell as h ig h ly in ap p ro p riate, and his w hole attem p t in th is is an en tire failu re. .

(4) F o r in stan ce, w e first tak e the nam e o f the poem , M a tsy a S u k ta .

T h e w ord S u k ta is a pu rely V a id ic tech n ica l term , m eanin g a collection o f M an tras, g e n e ra lly used in ad dressin g a p a rticu la r d eity , so that it is qu ite absurd to use th is v e ry word in the sense o f a com m on poem , thou gh it m igh t be a collection o f sta n zas tre a tin g o f the sam e su b ject. T h e sta n zas w ritten b y P rofessor M a x M uller can n o t in a n y w a y be considered V a id ic M an tras, for as we h a v e a lrea d y sa id , acco rd in g to the H in d u S a stra s, the V a id ic M a n tra s are not creatio n s o f a n y ex istin g being.

P ro fesso r M a x M u ller is o f course w ell a cq u ain ted w ith th e fa ct, but still he c a lls his poem a S u k ta . W h a t greater a b su rd ity can th ere be than th is ?

(5) A V a id ic S u k ta has, first, a d eity or th e .su b je ct m atter o f w h ich it t r e a t s ; secon d , th e m etre in w h ich it is w ritten ; third , the R ish i b y whom it w a s first s e e n ; and fourth, V in iy o g a , or its use in a p a rticu la r religiou s cerem o n y. O ur professor follow in g th is, also h ead s his poem w ith its d eity the fish L a k s h a , its m etre G a y a tr i, and its R ish i the professor h im self; but he forgets to m ention th e la st and m ost im portant th in g, the V in iy o g a , w h ich is w ith ou t dou bt a g rea t d efect, for w ithou t k n ow led g e of the V in iy o g a a S u k ta is th o rou g h ly useless.

(6} In fa ct th e d eity, m etre, and R ish i, & c., b elon gin g to a S u k ta, are all V a id ic te ch n ica lities. T h e d eity n ever m eans a su b ject m atter treated o f in a com m on poem , b u t o n ly w h a t h as been treated o f in a genu in e V a id ic S u k ta . D o es th e poem under review b elong to an origin al V e d a , R ic , Y a ju s or S am an ? I f not, then w h a t rig h t h as its au th or to call its su b ject m a tter b y the nam e o f a d eity ? W e shall be h ig h ly ob liged if the auth or w ill k in d ly sa tisfy us w ith a n y a u th ority.

(7) M etres are o f tw o kind, V a id ic and L a u k ik a . T h e V a id ic M etres are c h iefly confined to the V ed a s w h ile the L a u k ik a s are o n ly for use in com m on p o etry . S o each o f the M etres, G a y a tr i, & c., h as d u p licate form s e n tirely differing from ea ch other. T h e c h ie f c h a ra cte ris tic o f the V a id ic form o f a M etre is th e accen t m ark o f its w ords, i.e., each w ord in it m ust be m ark ed w ith its proper a ccen t, for it is said in th e B h a s h y a of P an in i th a t a w ord w ith o u t proper a ccen tu a tio n k ills th e u tterer ju st like Indra S it r u .

It is ev id en t from the ab ove th a t a V a id ic M etre can not be used in com m on p o e try , and even in th e V e d a s e v e ry w ord in it m ust be m arked

w ilh its proper a ccen t m arks.

B u t w e are sorry to see th at P rofessor M a x M uller, the g rea t V a id ic sch olar o f the d a y , h as v io la te d th is rule b y u sin g the V a id ic form o f th e G a y a tr i M etre in his ow n poem , an d m ore­ o ver h as not m arked his w ords w ith their proper a ccen t m arks. W on d erfu l in ap p ro p riaten ess, in d e e d !

(8) N ow regard in g the R ish i, the R ish i o f a S u k ta m eans th e first seer o f a S u k ta , or one to whom the S u k ta w as first reve aled in its com plete form . F o r accord in g to the H in d u S a s tra s, though the V e d a s are ever e x istin g , th ey h a ve o ccasio n a lly d isa p p e ared a t the tim e o f P ra la y a or deluge. A n d at the begin n in g of the new creation th e y w ere a g a in partly reve aled b y the w ill of G o d to the internal e y es of som e p a rtic u la r men w ho w ere called R ish is. T h e re are a good m a n y R ish is in the V edas.

It m ust h o w ever be understood here th at in e v e ry creation the V e d a s are revealed to th e sam e m en on ly. So no n ew R ish i can o ccu p y a p la ce in the V ed a s. N o w w e m ay ask th e fa vo u r o f the p rofessor’s su p p ly in g us w ith his a u th o rity for c a llin g h im self a R ish i, w h ile a lre a d y k n o w in g that his poem can n ever be reckoned as an origin al part o f th e V ed a s ?

(9) M o reover the poem in d icates neither a n y ex tra o rd in a ry sk ill on the a u th o r’s p a rt, nor a n y uncom m on sch o la rsh ip in S an sk rit le a rn in g ; but on the oth er hand it sh o w s his d eficien cy in m odern S a n sk rit gram m ar. T h e a u th or has w ritten not on ly in the V a id ic style, but h as k ept th rou gh ­ out th e V a id ic g ra m m atica l con stru ction o f w ords, w h ich is not only str ic tly p roh ib ited to a m odern poet, but is also con sid ered asadhu or in co rrect.

So th e w ords P u rb h eb h ih , & c., th ou gh th e y m igh t be correct a cco rd in g to V a id ic gram m ar, can not be used b y a modern p oet, for none but the R ish is had the p rivileg es o f using su ch forms o f w ords. T h e R ish is, a cco rd in g to th e H in d u S astra s, are o f tw o k in d s; is t, those to w hom the M a n tra s o f the V e d a s w ere o rig in a lly r e v e a le d : 2nd, those w ho, b ein g B ra h m an b y caste, are rem ark ab le for learning, a sce ticis m , tru thfu ln ess and profound sch olarsh ip in the V e d a s . A s no V a id ic M an tra has ev er been revealed to the P rofessor, the poem under review is of course, not a V a id ic M an tra, n either is he a B ra h m a n b y caste.

T h u s it is evid en t th at he h as no righ t to use such form s o f w ord s in h is com position. T h e fam ous poet B h a b a b h u ti, it is true, follow ed o c c a sio n ­ a lly the V a id ic sty le in h is w ritin g , but he ca refu lly kept to the modern g ra m m atica l constru ction th roughout. So the m odern poets are bound to o b serve a lw a y s the rules o f m odern gram m ar, o th erw ise th eir w ritin g s can n o t be considered sadhu or correct.

(10) In conclusion we m ay point out that no e x tra o rd in a ry sch olarsh ip is to be found in the poem , for the poem con sists o f six sta n za s o r eigh t lines on ly, but ev en in these few lines, p a ssa g e s from th e R ig v e d a are borrow ed w ith ou t th e sligh test alteratio n , as w ou ld a p p e a r from the p a ssa g e s quoted b elow from the poem as w ell as from the R ig v e d a , p laced side b y side for com parison.* (11) F o r a S an sk rit poet n oth in g is m ore d isc red ita b le than to borrow p a ssa ge s from a n o th er’s w orks. B esid es such w ord s as adbhuta p u ru p riy a , & c., are repeated in M an tras of th e sam e m etre (G a y a tri) in the R ig v e d a , see the R i c s : sahasamputro adbhuta, so n obod y feels the least d ifficu lty in p ic k in g them u p . T h u s we see in the poem the a u th o r’s ow n w ord s are ve ry few and these too do not in d icate a n y c a p ita l sec u rity in th e au th or.

In our opinion a poem lik e th is is not a c re d itab le perform an ce, e v en if it com es from the pen o f an o rd in ary S an sk rit sch olar.

(12) L a s t ly it stru ck us v e ry m uch to see th a t th e w ord L a k s h m i is tran slated as go d d ess o f h a p p in ess. A n y o n e h a v in g the lea st a cq u a in ta n c e w ith S a n sk rit lite ra tu re k n ow s ve ry w ell th a t L a k sh m i is the go d d e ss of w ealth or fortu n e, and not of h a p p in ess. . * For instance stanza three, the gem of the whole poem, is word for word the same as the verse cited from the Rigveda.— [E d s .]

(13) A fte r a ll th e poem is full o f in con sisten cies and a b su rd ities, w hich th e readers w ill e a sily find o u t ; for in stan ce in the th ird sta n za, the fish L a k s h a is said to be p raised b y m odern poets, as w ell as b y those o f old tim es. H e re R ish i is tran slated into a poet, w hich is absu rd . A g ain in In d ia n either the R ish is o f m odern nor o f ancien t tim es w ere acq u ain ted ev en w ith th e nam e o f the fish. H o w th en cou ld it b e p raised b y them ?

A n d now a q u ery and a rem ark to conclu d e w i t h :— Query: S u p p o sin g a prom inent H in d u p an dit had parod ied one o f the P sa lm s o f D a v id , and used it to d escrib e a deb au ch ; w e w onder w h at the S o c ie ty for P ro m o tin g C h ristia n K n o w led ge and the oth er a sso ciatio n s of the C h u rch M ilitan t w ou ld h a ve said.

Y e t th is is bu t a feeble com parison,

for the rhythm o f the D a v id ic h ym n s o f initiation is irretriev a b ly lost, th a n k s to M asoretic d esecration , w h ereas the swara o f the V e d a s is still p reserved . com plain

T h is

is th e p a rticu la r d esecration th a t the H in d u s h a ve to

o f in th e

professor’ s p o e m ; not to m ention a hundred other

th in gs w h ich can on ly be understood b y the reveren t m ind o f the student o f eso tericism .

Remark: W e are conten t to lea v e our sch olarsh ip in the reliab le hands o f n a tiv e gentlem en , and w e p refer B h a tta P u lli to O xford .

[At the last moment of going to press we learn that paragraph 7 is founded on a mistake of the European copyist, who forwarded a copy of the pam phlet to the writer of the criticism . T he accent marks are found in the original. E d s .]

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E a s t E n d W o r k in g W o m e n ’ s C l u b .

A Hindu

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Habit.

H A B I T . It seem s a sim ple m atter. W e sp ea k and th in k o f it lig h tly , an d rarely sto p to con sid er w h a t is re a lly in v o lv e d therein.

A n d y e t w e should th in k it serious enough if w e o n ly realised what th e acq u isition o f h abit m eant in tru th . W e all k n o w o u rselv es to be, to a la rg e ex te n t, cre atu res o f h a b it. T h e fact has passed into a common p h rase, and lik e m ost oth er truism s o f th is n atu re its profound significance h a s been co n seq u en tly o v erlo ok ed , and it h as com e to be rega rd ed as a truism and n oth in g m ore. Ju st b ecau se it is su ch an e v e r y d a y expression w e do not thin k it w o rth y o f serious con sid eration . A little th o u g h t, how­ ever, should sp eed ily co n v in ce us to th e co n tra ry . I f w e a re creatu res of h a b it, and w h o w ill d en y it, w h at th a t h a b it is b ecom es o f fearfu l import­ a nce. F o r here anoth er con sid eration step s in. W e a re not o n ly creatu res of h a b it, b u t, w h a t is o f equ al im portance, creato rs o f h ab it. C re a to rs, th a t is to sa y , o f th e m aster w h o is to influence our liv e s either for good or e v il. Man m a y th u s, in a v e ry rea l sense, b e c alled his ow n creato r. C on sciou sly or u n co n scio u sly h e is th e a gen t w h o sh ap es his ow n d estin y , eith er in har­ m onious a cco rd an ce w ith , or in opposition to, th e u n iv ersa l evolutionary la w . A n d he does so m ain ly, in the first in stan ce, b y th e acquisition of h a b it. It is a recogn ised fa ct th a t certain h a b its— n o ta b ly a cravin g for a lco h o lic stim u la n ts— on ce acq u ired , p a ss in g rea t m easu re beyond our c o n t r o l: our free-w ill in th is d irectio n — th at po w er w ith in u s w h ich enables us to ad here to such and su ch a cou rse o f a ctio n , to elect to do this rather th an that— is hen ceforth p a ra ly sed , and w h en on ce th is is b ro u g h t about we b ecom e th e sla v e s o f som e m aster passion , th e p a ssiv e in stru m en ts of some d om ineering force, resistan ce to w h ich w e feel to be none the less impossi­ b le b ecau se, like F ra n k e n stein , w e are hau nted b y a m on ster o f our own creatio n .

It is often a sk ed , w h a t th ere is in the n atu re o f h a b it w h ich renders it so im portant a fa cto r in the d eterm in ation o f our liv e s : w h y it is that we lose the po w er o f co n tro llin g our a ctio n s b y rep eated ly a llo w in g free p lay to those im p u lses o f our low er n atu re ? U n d o u b ted ly it is so. E v e r y impulse w h eth er follow ed b y an a ct or not, but m ore c e rta in ly in th e la tte r case, has a te n d en cy to repeat itself, the in clin ation to do so g ro w in g stronger with e v e r y such a ct o f rep etition until th e nom inal agen t b ecom es little more th an a m ere au tom aton , and can h a rd ly , in strict ju s tic e , be h eld responsi­ b le for con seq u en ces w h ich he is p o w erless to a v e rt, or p ra ctic e s which have b ecom e to him a s a secon d n atu re. S u ch a person can s c a r c e ly be called w ick e d , in th e strict sense o f the te r m : he h a s m erely abandoned o f his ow n free-w ill th a t d ivin e fa c u lty o f self-con trol, w h ich is th e n atu ra l inherent b irth rig h t o f m an, th e “ fons etorigo ” o f a ll p o ssib ility o f fu tu re development, w ith o u t w h ich sp iritu a l regen eration , eith er for th e in d iv id u a l or the race, b ecom es a cle a r im p o ssib ility. W ith o u t it, indeed, a ll p rogressive develop­ m ent m ust be a t end, for th ose h a b its o f life w h ich aim at im m ediate grati­ fication m ust o f n ecessity unfit th e m ind for th e p rosecu tio n o f distant aims req u irin g p e rp etu a l self-d en ial and effort.

A n d now an en q u iry p resen ts itself. D o e s th e m ere surrender of such effort a d eq u a tely a cco u n t for the m a stery w h ich h abit is acknow ledged to hold o v er us ? In oth er w ord s, does th e ab sen ce o f self-con trol afford a

a

n ecessa ry and sufficien t e x p la n a tio n o f th e m ysterio u s pow er o f w h a t is k n ow n as the force o f h a b it ? O f cou rse it m ay b e tak en for g ra n te d th a t w ith o u t such a refu sal to ex ercise th e p rero g ativ e o f rig h t ju d gm en t no habit could e v er com e into ex iste n ce at all, m uch less a cq u ire the m a stery w h ich o b ta in s in such cases, and w hich com m on consent w ou ld be the last to d en y. B u t th is fu rnishes us w ith no ex p la n a tio n , prop erly so-called . It m erely in d icates the con d ition under w hich it cam e into b ein g. J u st as the settin g o f the sun h as th e p o sitive result th a t th e w ea k er b eam s o f th e stars, b efore lost in the stron ger ligh t, b ecom e m anifest, and th is settin g is th ere­ fore th e condition o f their m anifestation, so the a b d icatio n o f the e x ercise o f self-restrain t is n othin g m ore th an the w ith d raw a l o f th at safe-gu ard w ith ou t w h ich w e becom e su scep tib le o f th e influence o f h abits, w h ich , if left to th em selves, lose no tim e in a ssertin g their com m and.

It is a ll v e ry w ell to sa y th a t e v e ry im pu lse has a ten d en cy to repeat itse lf. T h a t is a m atter o f ex p srien ce, and so far verifia b le. B u t this h a rd ly ex p la in s w h y it should b e so. P o sitiv e scien ce, as far as I am a w a re, has n ever con d escen d ed to en lighten us on this q u estion , w h ich , con sid erin g its im portance both from a p sy c h o lo g ica l and eth ica l stan d-point, is to sa y the least stra n g e. W h ile a ck n o w led gin g the fa ct th a t h a b its do g ro w in proportion as th eir d em ands are satisfied , th e n atu re o f such g ro w th h as n ever been m ade the su b ject o f gen u in e en qu iry. It m ay be n oticed here th a t the qu estion is b y no m eans set at rest b y th e assertion th at the b lu n tin g of the m oral sense, w h ich n ecessa rily follow s the a cq u isition o f evil h a b its, fa cilita te s the perform ance o f such a ctio n s b y the gra d u al rem o v al o f those im pedim ents w h ich oth erw ise w ou ld m ake us p a u se. T h a t is a m ere truism , and th ro w s no ligh t on the point in hand. F o r q u ite in d ep en d en tly o f th e fact th a t the m oral sense is in m any c a se s not a t all con cern ed in the m atter, and th a t oth ers are d ire ctly san ction ed b y it— since w e are here m ore esp ecia lly con sid erin g the gen esis and evolu tion o f those h a b its w h ich men c a ll e v il— th is assertion lea ve s q u ite u n explain ed the rem ark ab le fa ct th a t the c la im s o f self-in terest, usin g the w ord in its low est sen se, are no less over-ridden. E v e r y sort o f con sid eration , it w ou ld seem , is th row n to the w in d . E v e r y th in g m ust g iv e w a y before th e d icta te s o f th at im periou s m aster w hose w ill h en ceforth is la w ; w h ile the poor instru m ent, for he is n othin g else, stan d s id ly b y , som etim es as a careless sp ectato r, som etim es w rin gin g his hands o v er th e ruin th a t has been accom p lish ed , and th a t w h ich he foresees m ust in th e cou rse o f ev en ts b e b rou ght abou t. T h e torren t has grow n too stron g to r e s is t : he m ust resign him self to b e carried w h ith e r it lists.

It w o u ld b e curiou s to learn e x a c tly w h a t solution o f th e problem is offered b y th e con cep tion s o f m a terialistic scien ce. U nless w e are to consid er all persons in th is sta te o f thraldom as m en ta lly insane, w h ich from this point o f vie w w o u ld m ean victim s o f som e p a rticu la r form o f brain d isease, it b ecom es im p o ssib le to accou n t for the oth erw ise in e x p lica b le m a stery w h ich habit a ssu m es. P a ssin g b y the u n satisfacto ry n atu re o f su ch an assertion , w hich is o b v io u sly far from m eeting the requirem ents o f m an y sp ecified form s, w e a s k w h a t cau ses su ch a desire to o rigin ate ? H o w com es it th a t, b y su b m it­ tin g to the a p p e als o f our low er n atu re, su ch a b rain -affectation is in d u ced ?

I a m not now con ten d in g th at in certain cases th e brain n ecessa rily rem ains th ro u g h o u t a lto geth er un affected b y such in d u lgen ce. T h a t w ou ld b e an a sse rtio n d ire ctly opposed to know n fa cts, sin ce it is notorious th at m adness is in m an y in stan ces so occasion ed . (A cco rd in g to th e “ In su ran ce G u id e a n d H a n d b o o k ” o f a few y e a rs ago, m ore than a ten th o f th e to tal num ber o f c a s e s o f m adn ess are a ttrib u ta b le to drun ken ness alone.) B u t to argu e th a t b ecau se e v e ry h a b it m ust in som e w a y or another, d ire ctly or in d irectly, a ffe c t th e organism o f th e b rain , therefore th e sed u ctiv e force o f habit, w h ic h is its lead in g ch a ra cte ristic, is due in its en tirety to m olecu lar d isor­ g a n isa tio n , seem s confou nd in g th e cau se w ith th e effect.

W h a t exp lan ation then can b e given w h ich w ill m eet the exigencies of the case ? If I h a v e stated the question w ith sufficient clearn ess, the diffi­ c u lty is seen to consist r.ot so m uch in a cco u n tin g for the establishm ent of h ab it, as in a cco u n tin g for its growth when estab lish ed . W e are active a g en ts in the settin g up o f h ab it, in the m ajority of cases at all even ts: we m ay not foresee w h ith er it m ay lead us, but, ex cep t in cases o f congenital pre­ d isposition, w e are not forced into its adoption. B u t on ce firm ly established a c h a n g e is effected . F rom a c tiv e a gen ts w e becom e p a ssiv e mediums: our a ctio n s are no lon ger under our control. I f it is conten ded that in all th is w e are d ealin g w ith anom alou s cases w h ich cannot b e brought under a n y one head, the an sw er is th at though such ex trem e in stan ces are fortu­ n ately o f rare occu rren ce, w e h a ve no reason to su p pose th a t they are e ssen tially different from those w hose ch a ra cte ristics are less m arked. The differen ce th at ex ists is one o f d egree on ly, not one o f kind .

It is stran g e that for gen era tion s w e h a ve been a ccu sto m ed to make use o f the phrase, grow th o f h ab it, w ith ou t at all con sid erin g w h at such a ph rase rea lly im plies. A s is the case w ith m any such m etap hors, a great tru th here a p p e a rs in m etap h orical d isgu ise.

T h e w ord grow th can­ not strictly be ap p lied to a lifeless ab stra ctio n w ithou t som e underlying reason, and w e h a v e good cau se to b elieve th at such a reason ex ists. Quite ap art from m ere th eo ry, w e h a v e th e support of circu m sta n tia l evidence to show th at th o u gh ts and sen tim en ts are not em p ty a b stra ctio n s, mere modes o f m ind as g e n e ra lly con ceived , but su b sta n tia l en tities, so to speak, which resid e in m an ’s inner w orld, and w hich influence him eith er for good or ev il. B u t though th ey h a ve no ap p ro p ria te life o f their ow n , such elemental form s— creatio n s o f th e thou gh t o f m an — h is ow n se lf indeed, are kept alive by th e life-pow er o f him w ho g a v e them b irth , and their v ita lity continues a s lon g as th ey can d erive support from th a t source. “ T h e lower self’’, sa y s D r. F . H artm an n , “ isc o m p o se d o f a g rea t m an y ‘ I ' s ’ , o f which each one h as his pecu liar claim . T h e y are the sem i-in tellectu al forces of the soul, th a t w ould rend the soul to pieces if th ey w ere allo w ed to grow, and w hich m ust be subdued b y the po w er o f th e real m aster, th e superior I— the S p ir it.”

It is not m y purpose here to attem p t a n y vin d ication o f the philosophy o f the theory here b riefly in d icated , even w ere I com petent to do so, which is very far from b ein g the case. T h a t h as been a m p ly done elsewhere by those w ho are en titled to sp eak w ith a u th o rity . I f it is n othin g more than a th eory, it p ossesses th is m erit at lea st, th a t it affords a possible and reason ab le exp lan ation o f m uch th at o th erw ise is h op elessly perplexing: and, w hat is m ore to the purpose, it serves a p ra ctica l end, not only by in d icatin g the n atu re o f th e d an ger w h ich self-in du lgen ce entails, but also b y ex h ib itin g m ore cle a rly than w ould oth erw ise be possible, the lines along w h ich d e liv e ry becom es a tta in a b le.

I h a v e m entioned above th e feelin g of h elp lessn ess w h ich is experienced b y those su b ject to th e influence o f passion . A feelin g a t on ce so universal and so w ell defined can not be regarded a s a m ere illusion, bu t must be the p rod u ct o f som e ex istin g cau se.

W h a t that cau se is, in oth er words why such a feelin g ex ists, becom es now a p p a ren t, and indeed is seen to follow as a n ecessary coro llary. T h e a n n ih ilation o f passion is an im possibility; and th at not o n ly b ecau se th e p rin cip le o f life, unconditioned in its existence, m ust b e regarded as in d e s tr u c tib le ; b u t a lso b ecau se, if passion be driven a w a y , som e oth er influence ta k es its p lace. B u t thou gh th is is the case, such accu m u lated en ergy m ay be tran sform ed into oth er m odes and channels o f actio n , and such tran sform ation is con stitu ted a ve rita b le “ deus ex machina" b y w h ose m eans eq u ilib riu m m a y once m ore be effected, and freedom restored.

B u t th is can result on ly if w e su b stitu te som e lo fty id eal in its place; oth erw ise the ch an ge m ay b rin g w ith it no im provem en t, and the last state

m ay be w orse than the first. truth in “ A u ro ra L e ig h ” —

M rs. E . B . B ru w n in g has exp ressed the sam e

" And yet because a man sins once, the sin Cleaves to him in necessity to sin, That if he sins not so to damn himself He sins so to damn others with himself.”

T h is p rin cip le o f tran sform ation m a y serve to illu stra te th e force of the com m on rem ark, th at the g rea te st sin ners som etim es turn out th e grea te st saints. T h e v e ry c a p a c ity to sin p resu p po ses and in clu d es a co rrela tive a c tiv ity in an op p o site direction if on ce th e cu rren t is reversed . O n ly by painful ex p erien ce of the con sequ en ces o f evil did m an ’s reason gro w , and “ to him th at ovcrcomcth ” is the hope m ade sure.

A n d th is ex p la in s also w h y religiou s en th u siasm , h o w e ver lu d icrou s its a sp e ct m ay b e and often is — w itn ess the d ep lo rable tom fooleries o f the S a lv a tio n A rm y — not u n freq u en tly b rin gs w ith it a v e ry m arked ch an ge for th e b etter, a determ in ation to lead a new life, and an entire su p p ression o f e v il h a b its before see m in g ly in e ra d ica b le . It is to be n oticed here th a t if o n ly an en th usiasm can be arou sed , it m atters little, as far as the result is con cern ed , th a t such en thu siasm is en tirely m istaken in its fancied in terp re­ tation o f m atters tran scen d en tal, and u tterly b ereft o f reason or lo g ic. F o r th o se w hose m inds are not c a p a b le o f em b ra cin g or respon d in g to a n y h igh er co n cep tio n s its im m ed iate result m ay be, and d ou b tless often is, p ro d u ctive o f m uch go od . B u t it w ou ld be a griev o u s error to conclu d e th a t therefore the d octrin es it em bodied w ere a n y th e less illu siv e or g ro tesq u e. " Earth's fanatics make Too frequently heaven's saints."

H a p p ily for those w ho turn in d isg u st from th ese p erversions and d isto r­ tion s o f the tru th , a p h ilosop h y and scien ce at on ce con sisten t and far-reach in g, and n ow p a ssin g th rou gh its in cip ien t sta ge s, is at h an d . Its k n o w led g e is p e n e tra tin g d eep ly into the m ind o f m an, and w ill con tin u e to do so as tim e go es on Its fa cts m ay be estab lish ed b y exp erim en tation , as in e v e ry oth er scien ce , sin ce, a s D e sc a rte s w ell ob serves, “ O u r k n ow led g e o f th e soul is m ore in tim ate and certain than ou r kn ow led g e o f th e b od y ” ; and m u ch th at for scien ce so far h a s rem ained a terra incognita rec eiv e s new and u n e x ­ p e cted interp retation .

I h a ve en d eavou red to ex h ib it a case in point. T h o u g h th e su b ject is one th a t ad m its and, from its im p ortan ce, is en titled to far g r a v e r and m ore m atu re con sid eration than is here a ttem p ted , the purpose o f th ese few lin es w ill be accom p lish ed if I h a v e su cceed ed in a n y w a y in d ra w in g atten tio n to the fa ct that here is a problem w hich scien ce, w ith a ll its b oasted k n o w led g e, h a s failed to elu cid a te , and w h ich , indeed, m a y alm ost be said to lie b eyon d its ran ge, so lon g as it is conten t to extend its progress o n ly on the old dead lev el. “ T h e first c o n d itio n ” , sa ys D u P re l in his “ P h ilo so p h y o f M y s tic is m ” , “ o f the ev o lu tio n ary ca p a c ity o f scien ce is th a t w e should co n ceiv e p rogress o th erw ise than as m ere b read th . T r u e p r o ­ g re ss is a lw a y s in the d e p t h ; w h ereas ev ery gen eration im agin es th a t it le a v e s to its su ccessors o n ly th e ta sk o f extension on the sam e le v e l.”

And th e solution o f q u estion s such as th ese, w h ich deal w ith m a tters b eyon d the p h y sic a l plane, m ust en tirely d epend on th e ex te n t to w h ich su ch a d eep en ­ in g p ro cess is carried on.

It is h igh tim e th a t a ch eck should be g iv en to the g ro w in g m aterialism o f th e d a y , b y rou sin g m an to a k n o w led g e th a t th ere are p ro v in ces in n ature w h ich o n ly th e soul can e x p lo r e ; th a t he is th e sole a rb iter o f his d estin y w h ich he can m ake or m ar a cc o rd in g to th e d ecrees o f his w ill. It is h igh tim e to sup plem en t the p a rtial and su p erficial d iscoveries o f scien ce, and by th e d ev elo p m en t of oth er and finer in stin cts to extend the ran ge o f k n o w ­ led ge in a n ew and a m ore v e rtic a l d irectio n .

M . U . M o o r e , F .T .S .

Bream.

*■When Buddhi is absorbed in Agnyana (nescience, or activity in matter) then it is that the wise term it sleep........................ When Buddhi is in full bloom, then it is said to be in Jagrat (waking s t a t e ) ................... In this universe the mundane existence, which is an ocean of sorrow, is nothing but a long dream, the longest illusion of the mind, and the longest lived reign of fancy.”— V a r a h a U p a n is h a d .

T h e azu re dom e o f go lden , clo u d less noon W a s filled w ith bridal b ells and scen t o f flow ers, A s from th e a lta r led I forth m y bride T o sh elter in m y fa th e r 's an cien t H a ll.

M y purse strin g, sw elled b y happ in ess, had burst A n d sp illed th e gold in M is e ry ’s sad lap , W h ile , from m y ligh tsom e h eart w en t out a love T h a t hid the vilen ess o f her d ra g gled robes. “ O L ife ’ ’, I th o u gh t, “ h o w gra n d a sovereign thou T o g iv e us m om ents su ch a s t h i s ! ” B u t h a rk 1 F ro m out th e inm ost silen ce o f m y soul I h eard a vo ice intone “ T h o u art a d ream ” .

I looked on m y b eloved lily b rid e— “ I f d ream s lik e th is be d ream in g, let me dream A n o th e r June h ad com e— another noon— W h en up the a isle w e p assed a g a in — w e tw a in — B u t, she w a s borne b y stron g, stra n g e hands— A still, cold th in g — nor blu sh nor sm ile— b u t prone B en e a th sw eet flow ers she last y e a r w a lk ed upon.

A n d I, in d esolation w rap p ed , w a s led B eh in d th e tra ilin g s c e n t s ; nor h eard th e toll O f b elfry m u sic, nor th e p riestly c h a n t— M y sen ses lost in one g rea t sen se o f blan k.

A s w hen th e lig h ts g o out in crow d ed hall S o b la c k th e w orld seem ed w ith m y h ea rt-lig h t gone.

T h e n sudden , throu gh m y grief, I h eard again T h e far-off vo ice I once h ad h eard before— “ T h o u art a dream F ro m a g o n izin g d ep th s I cried— “ I f th is be dream , O let me w a k e 1 ” R esp on d en t to th at p ra ye r a veil seem ed rent, A n d on m y visio n , in tro sp ectiv e grow n , A soft and d om 6 d lig h t o’erspread m y v iew , A n d held m e rap t in e x p e c ta tio n ’s th ra ll. “ O L ig h t, from D ark n e ss sp rin gin g, art Thou d ream ? ” T h u s qu estion ed I. T h e sam e cle a r tone, n ow near, R e p lie d — “ T h e L ig h t is vestu re o f T h e L o rd , A n d th u s is a lso dream ” . “ A n d T h o u ” , 1 cried , “ W h o k n ow est D ream to be, m ust su rely k n ow T h e w a k in g a fter d ream . I p ra y T h e e tell H a th she, w h o silent lies, aw ak en ed now ? ” “ ’T is but a ch an ge o f dream ” , the soft vo ice breathed. “ W h e n c h a n g in g com es for m e, shall ours in b len d ? ” ‘ T h o u so sh a lt dream , until th a t dream th read breaks.” “ O T h o u , w h o cou n test a ll the ch an gin g dream s, W h a t art T h o u ? ” “ A s the Voice I, too, am d r e a m ; B u t a s the O n e G re a t I , behind T h e W o rd , I am the S leep le ss O n e w h o n ever dream s, O n ce k n ow in g M e, a ll dream s shall c ea se for th e e .” “ O L o rd , m y d a y s an d n ig h ts shall b e one p ra ye r— L e t me aw ake 1” M a r y F r a n c e s W i g h t , F.T.S.

fU b u fo s.

— :o:—

R A J A -Y O G A . is w ith g rea t p leasu re th a t w e ta k e up our pen to n otice the second ed ition o f the in terestin g and lu cid w ork o f our learn ed brother, P rofessor M a n ila l N a b h u b h a i D v iv e d i, B .A . T h e present edition is en rich ed b y th e en tire recastin g o f the tw o in trod u ction s and b y the ad dition o f m an y va lu a b le notes, to the tw o te x ts w h ich form the b ack -b on e o f th is m ost va lu a b le exp osition o f the V ed a n tic scien ce o f R a j Y o g . T h e s e te x ts are the Vdkyasudhd, or P h ilo so p h y o f S u b ject and O b je c t, b y B h a ra titirth a , and th e Aparokshanubhuti b y S ri S an k arach a rya , to whom also th e form er tre a tise is som etim es a scrib ed .

T h e latter is head ed w ith th e E n g lish title “ D ire ct C o gn itio n ” , w ith a su b-title “ O f the U n ity o f J iv a and B ra h m a ” . A s it h as been th e fashion so far in the W e s t for th eosop h ica l stu d en ts to fly to th e difficult aph orism s o f P a ta n ja li for th eir inform ation on th e R a j Y o g , w ith the result th a t nine out o f ten o f them h a ve arisen from th eir readin g as w ise as w hen th ey sat dow n, or rath er as ig n o r a n t; or if th e y understood an y th in g, m isun derstood it, o w in g to their m ista k in g th e a lle g o rica l u ttera n ce s o f th e sa ge , w h o em p lo yed the te ch n ica lities o f H a th a Y o g (or p h y sic a l Y o g ) to expound the m ysteries o f the true m en tal and sp iritu a l con cen tration (R a j Y o g ), for so m an y cu t and dried r e c ip e s for th e atta in m en t o f M oksh . A s w e sa y , th is stron g m eat h as h ith erto p ro v ed too in d igestib le for those w ho are as y et b ab es in th e su b tleties o f E a ste rn m etap h ysics and o ccu lt trea tises, it is th erefore th o u gh t a d visa b le to recom m end m ost stro n g ly th e stu d y o f P rofessor D v iv e d i’s tran slation and com m en taries as b ein g the b est in trod u ction so far ex ta n t to this m ost difficult and su b lim e scien ce.

W e sh all therefore g iv e the book a m ore carefu l con sid eration than w ould o rd in a rily b e a ccord ed to it, in order to point out its m erits to theosop hists.

In the first introd u ction ou r learn ed au thor su rv e y s v e ry b riefly the resu lts o f th e en qu iries o f an cien t p h ilosoph ers in th e W e s t, s ta rtin g from T h a le s and P y th a g o ra s, and then tou ch es on m odern p h ilo so p h ica l sp ecu la tio n s.

H e n ext d ea ls w ith the con clu sion s o f m odern scien ce, c o n tra s tin g them w ith th e A d v a ita or V e d a n tic position, d em on stratin g the im p reg n a b le position o f this m arvello u s system o f non-dualism and its in d ep en d en ce o f the p assin g sp ecu lation s o f eith er the m aterialist, p h y sic ist or p h ysio lo gical-p sy ch o lo g ist. F o r ,h e sa y s, “ the A d w a ita -th eo ry is not at a ll w ed d ed to a n y p a rticu la r c o s m o lo g y ; it is free to a cc e p t an y ex p la n a tio n o f th e ph enom enal p rovid ed yo u a lw a y s adm it the re a lity o f the ever-p resen t and a ll-p e rv ad in g etern al n ou m en al.” H e then p roceeds to en u n cia te th e V e d a n tic position as fo llo w s :—

t

T

The Advaitin “ takes the material universe as it is and at once questions himself what the objects around him are ? He concludes that as consciousness can never transcend itself, and as objects aie only perceptible by a series of changes reflected in and through this very consciousness, the nature of the thing p e r se can never be known. That it is, is a fact beyond dispute, what it is beyond certain name and form, it is difficult or impossible to say. It is absurd to think of existence without consciousness or thought, and all objects, or even prime matter, is a compound of thought and being. Again but for thought, Matter will be nowhere, inasmuch as it will never be. Thus thought is the only reality in the ever changing drama of name and form in and through which the inscrutable Being called Matter always reveals itself. The whole universe is thus one though', one life, all and ever one— A d v a ita , without a second. The word thought is however misleading. It implies change, and is therefore not what is the essence of all. That wherein and whereof everything is known to be ever immutable, one and unique. It is the very substance of all change and all negation. It is the being, the life, and as sustaining all and everything it is

called Brahma. This is the sum and substance of the main principle of the Veddnta.

To live that life of unity and love, to know no distinction in the eternal and unique, is there.il Raja-yoga."

A g a in , in sp ea k in g o f th e “ U n k n o w a b le ” w ith w h ich our W estern ea rs h a v e been so m uch afflicted la te ly , he s a y s :— “ That, however, which cognises itself and the unknowable is not at all unknown or even unknowable. It is the very essence of Consciousness, and is ever unique and one. It is the real and ever present all-pervading Absolute. The unknowable is a wrong woi d to express this idea, for it expresses something entirely opposite. The Absolute is all Sat which means more than a predicate of mere existence ; it implies real conscious existence, a reality entirely wanting in the Unknowable of European philosophy.”

In h is second in trod u ction ou r a u th or d ra w s atten tion to the fact that there is a “ con sen su s o f p h ilo so p h ic opinion in favou r o f those w ho look upon the u n iverse as tran sitio n al in ch a ra cte r, and therefore as som ething not w orth re ly in g on ,” and te lls us th a t “ a ll th e p rin cip a l sch ools o f A ryan ph ilosophy differ from one an oth er sim p ly in th eir a ttitu d e to w a rd s this one etern al tru th .” H e then p roceeds to g iv e an u n derstan d ab le sk etch o f the m ain ten ets o f th ese six Darshanas, w h ich w ill prove o f th e first u tility to a n y stu d en t b egin n in g the d ifficult ta sk o f ta c k lin g H in d u ph ilosoph y.

H e re as in the rest o f his w ork the P rofessor is clear, co n cise and in terestin g, and should receive the th a n k s o f all th ose w ho ex a m in e these six Koshas or sh eath s but to learn how to e x tra ct th e tw o-ed ged sword, the seventh, th e E so te ric D o ctrin e represented ex o terica lly b y th e Bhaghavat Gita, an in com p reh en sible w ritin g for a ll but the in itia te d o w in g to its anth ropom orph ic “ b lin d s."

N ot b y a n y m eans the lea st in terestin g is th e a n sw er D v iv e d i g iv e s to those w ho q u ery the usefu ln ess of in trica te m eta p h ysica l d iscu ssion . “ The mind of man,” he says, “ has been ever trying with varied success to obtain happiness— that which is good, or the Good. Our enquiry divides itself at the begin­ ning into two minor issues, first whether there is any evil as such in the world, and secondly if there is, how to account for its presence and get rid of it. If evil emanates from God, he can hardly be good and omnipotent at the same time. Aryan philosophy holds that in the nature of the godhead there is no evil whatever, but what accrues as such to men is from causes set in action by themselves or by the law of Karma. The Vedantin maintains that we raise idle distinctions between happiness and misery and the like only so long as that ignorance which is the cause of this dream of the world, h.is not been suppressed. Evil arises from individuality or more properly limitation.

The Upanishads emphatically say : ‘ that which is limitless is happiness, there is no happiness in limitation.’ Having thus seen that in the nature of things there is no evil, we are confronted bv the query, what is happiness? In the objective world, everything is overshadowed by fatality ; and so also in the subjective world of the mind. Happiness could hardly rest in living according to the dictates of our senses or even the impulses of our mind. That absolute happiness, that complete bliss, in which not a single particle of any contrary feeling could find place, is impossible unless we realise, and live the life of universal Brahma. Such happiness, says the Vedantin, commences in knowledge— knowledge of one's own self—and its communion, we might say, with the so-called universal essence."

A fte r d istin gu ish in g th e n oble w isdom o f S p iritu a l V ed an tism w hich adm its that only as expedient which is good, from th e b elly-p h ilo sop h y of m odern U tilita ria n ism , w h ich (by a stran g e “ re v e rsa l,” fa m ilia r to those acq uain ted w ith th at “ L i g h t ” w'hich reflects on ly th e “ e a rth ly sensual d evilish w isd om from b elow ” ) im agin es, that only is good which is expedient— our in terestin g Shastri p roceeds to te ll u s h ow th e term B r o t h e r h o o d connotes tw o en tirely different m eanin gs w ith th e M o n oth eist and V ed a n tin , and in so d oin g strik es the k ey-n ote o f th e u tility of the T h eo so p h ica l S o c ie ty in th e W e s t, and th u s p o in ts out th e w o rk w e h ave to do before our F irs t O b je ct can b e a n y th in g else than an Id ea in th e D ivine M ind. T h u s he w r ite s :—

“ Look upon your neighbour as your brother is the loud cry of the Monotheist or Deist; but the Vedanta rationally tcaches to look upon all as self ( almaval sarva).

It follows as a natural consequence that one who thus lives in Brahma and of Brahma, breathes as it were in conformity with the universal breath of intelligent nature, and hardly collects any store of causes capable of producing pleasure or pain. In other words, the law of Karma does not bind an ascetic who thus identifies his individuality with the universal totality. When the individual is lost in the All, ti e microcosm becomes so much attuned to the macrocosm that it forgets the idea of separateness and lives in eternal joy and peace, as a part and member of the whole."

T o w a rd s th e end o f th is introd u ction , in p refa cin g his rem arks on th e different sta ges o f R a j Y o g , the professor d istin gu ish es the sch ool of S in k a ra ch a ry a from th a t o f P a ta n ja li a s follow s :— “ The Vedantic process of attaining this state of Brahma generally described as Raja-yoga is purely mental, and deals entirely with rules for restraining the mind.

Sinkaracharya, the advocate of the Vivartavdda (/ e., the theory of Illusion as referred to the evolution of the Universe), while accepting the cosmogony of the Sanijas (viz., of Kapila who left everything to the workings ot nature,Mul<i/>rairiti) and the Yo^a of Patanjali, considerably improved upon either. He abolished the idle distinction, between inseparable Purusha and Prakriti as an inconvenient bar in the wav of any action for Moksha as such, and declared that the whole universe is all Parusha or Brahma. Further perceiving the inability of physical Yoga towards the annihilation of the mind, he set up the practice of mental Yoga as both practical and easy. According to his teaching it will be pure moral cowardice on the one hand to shrink from one’s duties in life, as it will be sheer unmanliness on the other to be engrossed in, or unnerved by, the good or evil results of necessary functions.”

W e shall not tou ch upon the a ctu al system as revealed in th e slokas of the tw o treatises, or upon th e cle ar and sim ple exp osition of th e te x t in th e n otes o f our learn ed B ro th er, fu rth er than to sa y th a t a fter stru gg lin g w ith such te x ts as the S a n k y a p h ilosop h y, P a ta n ja li, or the U p a n ish ad s, it is q u ite a trea t to read the flow in g tran slation o f P rofessor D v iv e d i, and a g rea t p leasu re to fo llo w th e ea sy seq u en ce o f th o u gh t and the sim ple and y e t im pressive m anner in w h ich th is m agn ificen t system of th e blessed sage, S ri S an k ard ch arva, un folds itself. A n d yet it is difficult to refrain from q u otin g tw o or th ree slok as to sh ow th e v a lu e o f the w ork to w h ich we h a v e so stron gly d raw n atten tion , and its d eclared aversion to H a th a Y o g p ra ctice. In ex p la in in g the fifteen sta g e s o f the Y o g , it is said :— “ 116. That one, having converted his internal eye into one of pure knowledge should view the whole of this transitional universe as Brahma, is the real concentra­ tion of the eye (Driksthiti), and not that wherein the eye is fixed on the tip of the nose. “ 117. Or, the fixing of the eye (/>., vritti) on that in which the triad of the seer, sight and seen, is reduced to unity, is the real concentration, &c...................... “ 119— rao. The expulsion of the phenomenal from consciousness is the real rechaka (blowing out the breath retained in the lungs); and the conviction ‘ 1 am Brahma’ is the realpuraka (the drawing in of the breath) ; and then the immovable concentration on that very conviction is the real kumbhaka (the retention of the breath in the lungs for some time). This is the real course of Pranayama for the enlight­ ened, whereas, for the ignorant it consists in torturing the nose.”

A ll o f w h ich sh o w s b y its plain ess o f te a ch in g th a t in those d a y s in India the te ach ers w ere not ob liged to hide th eir w isdom in vag u e u tteran ces, but cou ld afford to sp eak p la in ly b ecau se of the g rea te r k n ow led g e w h ich la y beyond.

V e r y cle a r and a p p o site a lso are the rem arks of the w riter on K a rm a , w hen in com m en ting on the term prdrabdha, h e says : — “ The question occurs . . . if there is unity everywhere, what is it that governs the lot of Individuals ? The one answer to this is Karma. Karma means action, more properly that law of causation which explains the being of individuals.

As the cause so the effect ; this is the universal rule having no beginning and no explanation. Karma is as good a law of nature as this, and establishes and maintains that effects are always the consequences of previous causes. This, not only on the physical, but the mental and moral planes as well. The law has no beginning and no

end. It may socin strange lo many when I say it has no end; but the law of the conservation of energy and of the indestructibility of matter will at once justify the remark. Though the course of K a r m a never ceases, one who centres himself in A tm a n , takes his stand on the firm rock of knowledge, is never affected by it. This comes to what I have often said beiore. The coursc of nature never ceases, M oksha or the highest bliss consists in vas&nakshaya, i.e., the destruction of the sense of separateness. K a r m a o r causation binds that which has many forms, and not that which is always one, and therefore the law of laws, the K a r m a of K a r m a s . Let it be distinctly understood then that K a rm a affects the material and cognate planes, it has no power over the sphere of A tm a or the Spiiitual. " For convenience and explanation K a rm a is divided into three kinds. Sanchita is that collection of causes which are not yet ripe for fruition. Prarabdha is that part of sa nchita which regulates the course of a life-time. And Kriyant&na is that which is done in and through p ra ra b d h a . “ When one is fully enlightened, S a n ch ita and K r iy a m a n a do not affect him, inasmuch as his ignorance identifying the real Ego with the material (S th u la ) or, mental (su ksh m a ) shell is thoroughly destroyed. Prarabdha will continue till death inasmuch as it is the law of one life-time ; but the effects of its workings will leave no impression. Hence though even the enlightened are not free from the action of p r d r a b d h t, 110 k arm a of whatever description, affects them in any way.”

T h e book is head ed w ith th e d ed icatio n “ T o th e serv ice o f those w ho k n ow and h elp those w h o w ish to kn ow ” , and ends w ith th e w holesom e w o r d s :— " And indeed what avails mere words and mere show. It is the heart that should feel, it is the mind (the lower mind) that should die. The crucifixion of the Christos within is the real salvation of the man. You must die in order to live and play the phoenix of old ; no hypocrisy, no physical tortures will avail you.”

W ith such an a b le and sound-m inded exp on en t therefore, w e h ave e v e ry confid ence in recom m en din g P rofessor M a n ila l N a b h u b h a i D v iv e d i’s Raja Yoga, not o n ly to th e real stu d en ts o f occu ltism in th e T .S ., w h o alone w ill fu lly u n derstan d its spirit and a p p licatio n , but also to e v e ry m em ber o f th e T .S . w h o w ish es to m ake a safe sta rt in th e d an gero u s p a th s of th e Y o g a p h ilo so p h y .* N A T U R E ’S

F IN E R

F O R C E S .*

T w o y e a rs a go a series o f a rticles a p p e ared in the p a g es o f th e Theosophist under the a b o v e title, and w ere receive d w ith su ch fa vo u r th a t th e auth or w as a w ard ed the Theosophist go ld m edal. H e h as sin ce b een p ersu ad ed to revise his origin al eig h t essa y s and add seven n ew ones an d a ls o a full tran slation o f th e S a n sk rit te x t on w h ich his learned p a p e rs to a la rg e ex te n t w ere b ased. T h e trea tise th u s tran slated is said , at the end o f o n e o f the M S ., to be th e eig h th B o o k of th e Sivagama or “ T e a c h in g s o f S iv a W e m ay ch a ra cte rise the book, as it n ow stan d s, as a m ost e x c e lle n t serm on p reach ed on a v e ry poor te x t, for th e Sivagama is tantric to th e nth term .

T h e o rd in a ry W estern book-skim m er on o p en in g the book a n d p e ru sin g th e mantrams o f “ T h e S cie n c e o f B re a th ” w ill w on d er in to w h a t stra n g e c o u n try he h as go t, and w ill sim p ly th ro w it asid e as an E a ste rn c o m ­ p lem ent to th e m u sty tom es on Ju d icial A stro lo g y , C h eiro m an cy, G e o m a n c y , & c., & c., that the W e ste rn en qu irer g e n e ra lly flies to under the d elu sion th a t he is on th e tra c k o f o ccu lt secrets. M o reover, th e p h ysio lo gical co lo u rin g o f som e o f the v e rse s is by no m eans en co u ra gin g and w ill p ro b a b ly fr ig h te n a w a y som e readers. W e regret on th e w h ole th e p u b lish in g o f th is tr a n s ­ * Copies may be ordered at Duke Street. * The full title is "T he Science of Breath and the Philosophy of the Tatwas (trans­ lated from the Sanskrit) with Fifteen Introductory and Explanatory Essays on Nature’s Finer Forces", by Rama Prasad, M.A., F .T S., The Theosophical Publishing Society, 7.

Duke Street, Adelphi, W .C.: Heeralal Dhole, 127, Musjid Bari Sc. Calcutta: Path P .O , Box 3659, New York : price, 3s. 6d.

lation for the a b o v e reasons, and also ow in g to the ign oran ce th a t ob tain s in th e W e s t on su ch books, and to the d a n g er o f som e “ p ra ctic a l ” stu d en ts en d eavou rin g to lite ra lly tran slate th is scien ce into a ct. F o r w oe to them if th e y do. Hatha Yog is as far rem oved from R a j Yog as M ount M e ru fro m Pat&la, and consu m ption , m edium ship, and w orse w ill alone rew ard their efforts. A s our b roth er w isely sa y s in the con ven ien t glo ssa ry a p p en d ed : T h e T a n tr a “ is a c la ss o f trea tises on the scien ce o f the hum an b od y and soul. T h e y com prehend a good deal o f Yoga. T h e la n g u a g e w h ich th ey use is h ig h ly sy m b o lica l, and th e formulae o f their faith are little m ore than a lg e b ra ic a l exp ression s w ith o u t, at p resen t, a n y a v a ila b le k e y ” . T h e d ifference b etw een th e p ra ctiser of R aj (“ K in g ” ) or m en tal Yog, and Hatha (“ Sun and M o o n ” ) or p h y sic a l, or rath er p sy c h o -p h y sic a l Yog, is th at the form er con ten d s th a t Vritti, th e M ind pow er, con trols Prana or th e L ife cu rren ts, w h erea s the la tte r holds th e ex a ct op posite. W ith these w ord s o f w a rn in g w e w ill a d d ress ou rselves to the ex cellen t essa y s w h ich p ie fa c e th is “ d e b a te a b le lan d ” . O f them w e can n o t sp ea k too h ig h ly ; th e y w ill p ro v e a n ew revela tion to our scien tifica lly in clin ed rea d e rs and d em on ­ stra te c o n c lu siv e ly the im p regn able b asis o f an cien t A r y a n S cie n ce, w h ich did not n eglect the psychic and mental data w h ich th e m odern scien tific w orld must a ck n o w led g e ere lon g and so en ter upon an en tire “ R eform ation ’’ o f its m eth od s and h yp o th eses. T h e w h ole scien ce o f the T a tw a s is founded on th a t w h ich is term ed “ V ib ra tio n ” or “ M otion ” and opens up p o ssib ilities w h ich the read ers of th e Secret Doctrine alone at present can foresee. P e rh a p s it m a y be th o u gh t th at the exp osition is som ew h at “ m a terialistic ” com pared to the su b lim e m eta p h ysica l h eig h ts the T h eo so p h ic student is fo rced to fa ce , but th is w ill sp eed ily p ass a w a y as the rea d er accom p an ies the au thor in his m agn ificen t p rogress from the low er to th e h igh er Koshas (prin ciples, or sheath s), for our pundit uses the V ed an tin n om en clatu re.

T h e first series o f essay s d eals w ith the T a tw a s , th eir form s and m otions, and w ith the B o d y and L if e cu rren ts.

T h e th eo ry is w orked out in a m ost com preh en sib le m anner and w ill be o f im m ense a ssista n ce to stu d en ts w h o are a lre a d y fa m ilia r w ith the corresp on ­ d en ce b etw een the V e d a n tic and E s o te ric cla ssificatio n s, and h a v e also stud ied in tellig en tly the ta b le s o f C reatio n s, E lem en ts, S a k tis, & c.in the Secret Doctrine. In this section there are in terestin g p a g es on the post mortem s ta te s of con sciousn ess of the lo w er p rin cip les u p to the Manomaya Kosha, i.e., the lo w er Manas, the v e h icle o f vo litio n s and feelin gs. T h e stu d en t m ust, h o w ever, be carefu l not to ta k e it all as gospel. W ith p age 88 w e are in trod u ced to the m ost in terestin g portion o f the book, d e a lin g w ith M ind, S o u l and S p irit, the Manomaya, Vignanamaya and Anandamaya K o sh as, or in our ow n n om en clatu re th e low er and u pp er Manas and Buddhi.

T h e auth or reco gn ises “ R em in iscen ce ” or “ In tu ition ” in the fo llo w ­ in g s e n te n c e :— "Axiomatic knowledge is not inferential in the present, though it has no doubt been so in the past; in the present it has become native to the mind

In terestin g too and s a lu ta ry to those of ou r m em bers, if there be an y, w h o are still flou n d erin g in sp iritu alism , are m an y p a ssa ge s ; w e d ou b t v e ry m u ch w h eth er an im p a rtia l stu d y of th e book w ould not en tirely d riv e the th eory o f “ sp irits ” out o f th e h ead ot e v e ry in tellig en t “ sp iritu a list ” th at rem ain s.

T h e scien tific b asis o f ap p a ritio n s, reflection s in the A stra l L ig h t, “ T h e C o sm ic P ic tu r e G a lle ry ” , P s y c h o m e try , & c., & c., in fa ct a perfect th eory o f “ p s y c h ic vib ration ” , is c le a rly defined ; and w h at is m ost in te r­ estin g is th a t our learn ed a u th o r is not p u ttin g fo rw ard a h y p o th esis ev o lve d from h is ow n inner con sciou sn ess, but sim p ly resta tin g for an ign oran t p u b lic th e a n cien t scien ce o f A r y a v a r ta , g iv in g c h a p te r and verse for h is assertion s w h en ev er n ecessa ry . F o r in stan ce, o f the sta te called Devachan h e w r it e s :—

“ With every action the colour of the mind changes, and one colour may take so deep a root in the mind as to remain there fo r ages upon ages, to say nothing of m inutes, hours, days, and years. Just as time takes ages to demolish the impressions of the physical plane, just as marks of incision upon the skin may not pass away in even two decades, so again it takes ages to demolish the impressions of the mind.

Hundreds and thousands of years might thus be spent in D eva ch a n in order to wear away those antagonistic impressions which the mind has contracted in earthly life By antagonistic impressions I mean those impressions which are not compatible with the state of M oksha and have about them a tinge of earthly life.”

W ith regard to th e said sta te o f Moksha or Nirvana, in ord er to once m ore rem ove the errors fo ste ie d in th e W e s te r n m ind b y in terested m is­ co n cep tio n , it is useful to n o tice th e fo llo w in g : The Subject ( P a ra b ra h m a ) is in this first state of evolution, known as SAT, the fountain-head of all existence. The / is latent in this state. Naturally enough, because it is differentiation which gives birth to the I . But what is this Siate?

Must man be annihilated before he rcaches this state of what from the standpoint of man is called n irv a n a or p a r a n im a n a f There is no reason to suppose that it is the state of annihilation any more than a certain amount of latent heat is annihilated in water. The simple fact is that the colour which constitutes the ego becomes* latent in the spirit’s higher form of energy. It is a state of consciousness or knowledge above self, not certainly destroying it.’’

A n d a g a in :— “ It is enough to show that there is no annihilation anywhere in the Universe.

N ir v a n a simply means the extinguishment (which is not extinction) of the phenomenal rays.”

In q u o tin g a p a ssa g e from th e Chhandogva Upanishad, M r Ram a P ra sa d finds o ccasion to critic ise and correct the tran slation o f Professor M ax M uller, at th e sam e tim e ta k in g g r a v e ex cep tio n to th e fam ous p h ilo lo g ist’s v ie w s w ith regard to the S h a s tr a s in gen era l and the C h h a n d o g y a U p a n ish ad in p a r tic u la r ; ad d in g th a t “ T h e s e rem ark s cou ld n ever have fallen from so learned a m an had he know n and u n derstood som eth in g of th e an cien t S cie n ce o f B re a th and th e P h ilo so p h y of the Tatw as", a truism th a t is the com m on prop erty o f the learn ed in In d ia and esoteric stu d en ts in th e W e s t. H is criticism lead s him to th e tran slation o f S A T and A S A T , as “ th at-in -w h ich -is ” and “ th at-in -w h ich -is-n o t ” . M a y the tim e soon com e w hen the U p a n ish a d s m a y h a v e an E n g lish in terp retation from the m ore reveren t h and s of n ative s c h o la r s !

In w ritin g o f the Vijnana or the “ k n o w in g ” m ind, th e H ig h e r E g o , he sa y s : “ F ro m e v e r y point th e tatwic r a y s o f th e m en tal ocean g o to every point, and th u s e v e r y point is a little p ictu re o f th e u n iv ersa l mind.

T h is is the in d ivid u al m in d .”

T h e e ss a y on M em ory is also full of in t e r e s t; but m ost in s tru c tiv e of all are th e ex cellen t p a p e rs on Yoga, w h ich in trod u ce us to an interestin g sep ten ary cla ssificatio n . P rem isin g his rem arks w ith th e info rm ation that Prana and Manas m ay be eith er ' ‘ fo r tu n a te ” or “ u n fo rtu n a te ” , and t h a t : “ T h o se m a n ifestatio n s are fortu n ate w h ich are consonan t w ith our true cu ltu re, w h ich lead us to our high est sp iritu a l d evelop m en t, the summum bonum o f h u m a n ity. T h o s e th at k eep us ch ain ed to th e sphere of recu rrin g b irth s and d ea th s m a y be c alled u n fo rtu n a te ” — he a rriv e s at the follow in g c la s s ific a tio n : “ i.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

The (T h e (T h e IT h e iT h e The The

gross b od y (sthula sarira). u n h ap p y pran a. u n h ap p y m ind. h a p p y pran a. h a p p y m ind.

S ou l (vijnana) S p irit (ananda)” .

Y o g a is the po w er o f

th e soul ” , i.e., the H ig h e r M an as, he con*

tin ues, and ad ds, “ N a tu re h erse lf is a g rea t Yogi, and h u m an ity h a s been and is b ein g, purified into p erfection b y the ex ercise o f her sleep less w ill.”

W e h a v e a lrea d y o v erstep p ed our sp ace, bu t can not refrain irom rem ark in g th a t one or tw o p a ssa g e s contain a k ey to th e U p a n ish ad s.

F o r in stan ce w hen the “ four A t m a s ” a re spoken of and d escrib ed , the m y stery o f th is p u zzlin g gen eric term is som ew hat revealed , and a ga in the inform ation th at the “ m in d ” is th e “ s a c r ific e r ” w ill th row m uch light on m any p a ssa ge s th at oth erw ise w ould be hopeless. O n the w hole M r. R a m a P ra sa d ’s book is an im portan t contrib u tion to scien tific th e o so ­ ph ical literatu re , and our on ly regret is th a t he has not m ade it p lain er th at P ra n a is in ferior to M an as, and so relieved the m inds o f in experien ced stud ents en tirely from all dou b ts, even th ou gh th e y be Mlcchchas.

T H E B H A G A V A D G IT A / W e con g ratu late our friend and colleag u e, W . Q . Ju d ge on his pocket edition o f the G ita , and pronounce it a fter outside and inside inspection a trium ph o f the “ A ry a n P r e s s ” . T h e reason for the a p p e ara n ce o f th is ' edition w ill be seen from the follow in g q uotation from the p reface. “ The only cheap edition of the B h a g a v a d G itd hitherto within the range of Theo­ sophical students of limited means has been one which was published in Bombay by Brother Tookeram Tatya. F.T.S., whose efforts in that direction are entitled to the highest praise. But that was simply a reprint from the first English translation made one hundred years ago by Wilkins. The great attention of late bestowed on the poem by nearly all members of the Theosophical Society in America has created an impera­ tive demind for an edition which shall be at least free from some of the glaring typo­ graphical mistakes and blind renderings so frequent in the Wilkins’ reprint, l o meet ttiis demand the present has been made up. It is the result of a careful comparison of all the English editions and of a complete retranslation from the original, wherever any obscurity or omission was evident in the various renderings consulted. “ The making of a commentary has not been essayed, because it is believed that the B h a g a v a d G ild should stand on its own merits without comments, each student being left to himself to see deeper as he advances. The publisher of this edition holds that the poem can be read in many different ways, each depending on the view-point taken, e g ., whether it is considered in its application to the individual, or to cosmogenesis, or to the evolution of the Astral world, or the Hierarchies in Nature, or to the moral nature, and so on. To attach a commentary, except such an one as only a sage like Sankaracharya could write, would be audacious, and therefore the poem is given undisfigiired.”

W ith a ll o f w h ich w e a gree, b arrin g the strictu re on “ ty p o g ra p h ica l ” errors, w h ich h a v e n ever disturbed our eq u an im ity in our In d ian p u b lic a ­ tion s, p erh a p s ow in g to our kn ow ledge o f the great d ifficu lties to be su r­ m ounted in th at cou ntry.

A s our S a n sk rit P u n d it has not y e t reported his opinion, w e cannot ven tu re on a criticism o f th e correctn ess o f th e version. B u t ta k in g it as a w hole, it should prove both useful and su ccessfu l for the purposes con ­ tem p lated . T h e price, h ow ever, seem s still a little too high . It should be rem em bered th at the Bhagavad G itd is th e m ost com m en tated and recom ­ m en tated w ork in In d ia, and th a t h a rd ly a n y tw o n a tiv e sch o la rs agree in th e ir treatm en t o f th is m onum ent o f E so te ricism .

I f a th in g is difficult to b e accom p lish ed b y th y s e lf do not thin k it is im possible for man ; but if a n y th in g is p o ssible for m an and com fortable to his n atu re, I thin k th at th is can be a tta in ed b y th y s e lf also. * The Path, 132, Nassau Street, New York, and Theosophical Publishing Society, 7, Duke Street. W.C. 4s. 6d. .

®Ij*0S0pIjiral ^rtxbxtifs.

EUROPEAN E

S E C T IO N .

n gland.

T h e B la v a ts k y L o d g e d iscu ssion s h a v e been atten d ed b y larg e au d ien ces d u rin g the m o n th ; th e c h ie f sp ea kers h a v e been A n n ie B esa n t, W . W y n n W e s tc o tt and W \ K in g sla n d . T h e n ext ten d iscu ssion s are to be open ed b y A n n ie B e sa n t.

L e c tu re s on T h e o so p h y w ill be d elivered b y A n n ie B e sa n t at S t.

N ich o la s C lu b , 8 i a , Q u een V ic to ria S treet, on J a n u a ry 15th ; at B ed fo rd P a r k C lu b on J a n u a ry 1 7 th ; at S te in w a y H a ll, on J a n u a ry 2 4 th ; at C ro yd on on J an u a ry 27th ; at S ou th P la c e In stitu te on F e b r u a r y 22nd.

Chiswick.— U n d er th e direction of M r. F . L . G a rd n e r and M r. W .

K in g sla n d , a series o f fo rtn ig h tly m eetings h a v e b een com m en ced at C h is­ w ic k . O n S a tu rd a y even in g, th e 6th D ecem b er, the first m eetin g w a s held at M r. G a rd n e r’s resid en ce, w h ere a b ou t th irty en quirers m et tog eth er and listen ed w ith g rea t interest to an ad dress d elivered b y M r. K in gsla n d , settin g forth the origin and scope o f T h e o so p h y , and the aim s and ob jects o f th e T h eo so p h ica l S o c iety .

T h e second m eetin g o f th e series w as held at the sam e p la ce on the 20th D ec ., w hen M r. K in g sla n d lectu red on “ T h e U n ity o f the U n iv erse and th e S e p te n a ry in N a t u r e ” .

T h is w a s follow ed on the 3rd Jan. b y a lectu re on “ T h e L a w s o f C orrespon d en ce and P e r io d ic ity ” ; so that the three lectu res co ve r the w hole of th e p relim in ary grou n d , or first prin cip les in n atu ral la w upon w h ich T h e o so p h y is b ased. T h e object ot these lectu res b ein g to g iv e en qu irers a real insigh t into the b asis of T h eo so p h ica l teach in g s, so th a t th ey m ay d ecid e for th e m selve s as to w h eth er th e su b ject is w orth pu rsu in g. M r. K in gsla n d h as v e r y w isely m ade it his d u ty to a vo id in the first in stan ce a n y o f the m ore d octrin al a sp ects o f T h eo so p h y, w hich u su ally p rove th e grea test stu m b lin g -b lo ck s to those w ho h a v e sca rcely passed b eyond the orthod ox ran ge o f ideas in religion or scien ce. H e pointed out v e ry c le a rly in the first lec tu re th at before T h eo so p h y can be com pared w ith the orth od ox or o th er concep tion s, it is n ecessary to b e sure th at it is rea lly understood w h at are th e first prin cip les upon w hich T h e o so p h y stan ds. It is open for a n yon e to la y dow n w h a te v e r prem ises he m a y choose, and his su b seq u en t d ed u ction s m ay be p e rfe ctly log ical as based upon those p r e m is e s ; bu t the ob jection s w hich are u su a lly b rou gh t forw ard a ga in st T h eo so p h y from th e orth od o x stan d-p oint, are d u e to the fa ct th at the d octrin es o f both orth od o x scien ce and orth od o x religion are d erived from qu ite a different set o f prem ises, or first prin cip les, than th o se of T h e o so p h y . I f then an en qu irer cannot un derstan d and a ccep t the principles, based on n atural law , not on a u th o rity from w h ich T h eo so p h y is d erived , it is q u ite useless to a ttem p t a d em on stra­ tion o f the tru th o f reincarn ation and K a rm a , for these w ill be ju d ged of from the orthodox prem ises, w ith w h ich th e y are in d irect a n tagon ism . I f a m an cannot a ccep t th e axiom s o f G eo m etry, it is u seless for him to proceed to a stu d y o f E u c l i d ; neith er can the h igh er problem s be studied before the elem en tary ones h ave been m astered . T h e lectu re, w h ich w as listen ed to w ith th e deepest interest, w a s illu strated b y nu m erou s d iagram s, and one or tw o p ra ctica l experim ents.

T h e C o u n tess W a ch tm e iste r, w ith her w ell-kn ow n lib e ra lity, h as sent donation o f som e o f th e best T h e o so p h ica l w orks, in clu d in g th e “ S ecre t D o ctrin e ” , to form th e n u cleu s o f a len d in g lib rary in connection w ith th is n ew cen tre o f a c tiv ity . M rs. B e sa n t h as also arran ged to lectu re at the B ed fo rd P a r k C lu b , C h isw ick , on th e 17th Jan ., b y in v ita tio n o f the com m ittee.

a

S cotlan d .

The Scottish Lodge.— A t th e L o d g e m eetin gs d u rin g D ecem b er, S ectio n 5 o f “ T h e K e y to T h eo so p h y ” h as been v e ry carefu lly read and d is c u s s e d : m ost of our m em bers h a v e stu d ied the portion to be read b eforehand , and com e prep ared w ith notes and qu estion s. A s th e m a jo rity are m em bers o f the C h ristia n C h u rch con sid erable interest cen tred on th e d iscu ssion of th is S ectio n . A s firm ly as M ad am e B la v a ts k y w e reject the idea o f an e x tra -co sm ic or a n th rop om orph ic G o d , but w e h a rd ly u n derstan d the exp ression, “ the G o d o f T h e o lo g y ” — w e con ceive T h e o lo g y to be an e x a ct scien ce, though m an y c a llin g th em selves theologian s are ve ry u n scientific, but so are m an y c a llin g th em selves B io lo g ists or a n y th in g else. A H eb ra ist g a v e an exp lan ation of the root m eanin g o f the T etra g ram m a to n m r P as understood b y learned Jew s, po in tin g out h ow the anth rop om orphic and trib a l in terp retation cam e to be a cc e p te d b y the m asses o f the Jew s, and its ob viou s falseness.

T h e fine definition o f the A b solu te on p a g e 65 w a s recogn ised as an ex cellen t exp ression in w ords o f th e C h ristian concep tion , the falsen ess of the p o pu lar id ea o f the w ord “ creation ” b ein g exp lain ed and illu stra te d .

T h e kind o f p ra ye r d escrib ed on p ages 67 and 68 w as considered b y a ll present to be e x a c tly th at w h ich w a s inten ded b y and form ed the ideal of the C h ristian C h u rch . T o the qu estion w h eth er it w a s the k in d understood and p ractised b y a ll or even the m ajo rity o f p rofessin g C h ristian s, it w a s an sw ered th at the profession o f C h ristia n ity , or o u tw a rd ly jo in in g the C h u rch , cou ld no m ore g iv e sp iritu a lity than b ecom in g a F e llo w o f th e T .S . A m an w ho is and w ilfu lly rem ain s an ex o teric m aterialist, can n ever u n derstan d the p ra ye r o f the C h ristian C h u rch or th e esoteric d o ctrin es o f T h eo so p h y, and such are c e rta in ly the m ajo rity o f m em bers of th e C h u rch , prob ab ly a lso th e m ajority of ex o teric m em bers o f the T .S .

T h u s the p ra ye rs for th e V ic to ry of A rm ies are p u rely ex o teric, and thou gh often used in ch u rch es, are no part o f the teach in g of The Church, as can be rea d ily proved .

T h e definition of C h ristos on p ag e 71 and note a t foot o f p a g e 67 w as shew n to b e in a cco rd an ce w ith a u th o rita tive te a ch in g o f the C h ristian C h u rch b y quotation s an cien t and m odern, th ou gh c o n stan tly m isunderstood b y ex o teric C h ristia n s and m isrepresented b y self-con stitu ted interpreters.

T h e concep tion o f Jesu s as indepen den t and sep arate from him w h o p ra y s w a s shew n to be a b so lu tely at v a ria n ce w ith C h u rch teach in g , b elo n gin g to certain sm all and un im p ortan t sects. T h e C h ristian C h u rch te a c h e s not a blin d bu t a reason ab le faith, and th e tru e possessors th ereo f are not fa n a tical. T h e C h ristian , like the T h eo so p h ist, looks for help to the D iv in e S p irit, the G o d in him — w ell term ed his H ig h e r S elf.

T w o d octors, w ith con sid erable E a stern exp erien ce, g a v e in terestin g ra cia l p a rticu la rs sh o w in g th a t sta tistic s o f crim e w ere no fair criterion of the differen ce b etw een B u d d h ists and C h ristia n s. W e n ever m et w ith any such th in g as doom ing e v e ry n on -C h ristian to perdition, so cannot com m ent on it. T h e exp ression m a y h a ve been used in som e w ild re v iv a list haran gu e, or b y a fa n a tic a l R o m an priest, a ssu red ly it is no d octrin e o f the C h u rch .

N e ith e r is a d octrin e o f the C h u rch th a t a n ew soul is created for ev ery n ew ­ born b a b y , though p ro b a b ly m a n y or m ost exoteric C h ristian s, too ign oran t or in d o len t to stu d y the su b ject and u n derstan d the te a ch in g o f th e C h u rch , m a y hold th is vie w .

H e n c e the m ission ary story quoted on p a g e 76 sim ply sh o w s th a t th e

m ission ary (w hose nam e b y th e w a y is not giv en , th ough th a t o f the B u d d h ist priest is) w a s w h olly unfit for his office, indeed m ust h a v e been an utter and irred eem ab le fool. It w as shew n from an cien t record s and from the w ritin g s o f g rea t sch olars th at “ an e y e for an e y e ” , & c., w a s not, at the tim e the com m and w as given , cruel or san g u in ary, b u t th e in cu lca ­ tion o f eq u ity and ju stic e as a ga in st the b arb arou s ven d etta previou sly e x istin g. F o r a m ore h ig h ly cu ltu red people a t a later sta g e C h rist su bsti­ tuted the law o f A ltru ism , “ R esist not e v i l ” , & c. It w a s ad m itted on all h and s that th e strictu res contain ed in th is Section w ere w ell d eserved , that m ultitud es o f professing C h ristia n s e x a c tly fulfilled the d escrip tion . T h a t som e even >vho had en ligh ten m en t and esoteric k n ow led ge d id not liv e up to it. A ll agreed th at th e false ty p e s and id ea s o f C h ristia n ity so m ercilessly exp osed should be uprooted , "but also th a t w hen th is w as done the result w ould be the pure C h u rch o f C h rist, such as m ost o f us b elo n g to and desire to see triu m ph ant.

So m uch for L o d g e w ork.

O ur sub-section stu d y in g P a lm istry and A stro lo g y h as been w orking h ard, d ev o tin g itse lf e sp e c ia lly to th e inn er and m ystic m ean in g o f the scien ces rath er than the m ere fortune-telling.

A n other sub-section, em b ra cin g som e w ho are not y et m em bers of the L o d g e , and under th e ch arg e o f one o f our m ost earn est m em bers, is stu d y in g the eso teric interpretation o f the G o sp els, and c o m p a rin g them w ith oth er E astern w ritin gs for fuller elu cid atio n .

N e x t yea r w e ex p ect to receive con sid erab le help from a learned E g y p to lo g ist w ho has lately join ed us, and w h o h as prom ised to give us illustration s from th e R itu a l o f the D ea d , & c., o f th e su b je c ts under discussion.

[M ay w e su g gest to th e learn ed P resid en t o f th e S co ttish L o d g e the w ritin g o f a paper on w h at he consid ers th e real teach in g o f th e C hristian “ C h u rch ” for the p a g es o f Lucifer. T h e C h ristia n ity he sp ea k s so feel­ in g ly and re v e rtn tly of a p p ears to us to b e rath er th e G n o sticism o f the gran d Hcresiarchs w h o “ perverted th e true d octrin e ” , a cco rd in g to ortho­ d o x y , and w hose “ d am n able heresies ” w ere to be su p pressed w herever found, for th e “ g rea ter g lo ry ” o f the said “ C h u rch ” .

I f th e v ie w s of our brother are not “ h eretical ” in th e ey es o f m odern C h risten d o m , then w e are prep ared to resign ou r own h eretical ed ito rial ch air. In th e even t o f such a paper b ein g w ritten w e sh all en d ea vo u r to co n tro v ert several of th e a b o v e sta tem en ts.— E d s .]

A M E R IC A .

D u rin g the m onth o f N o vem b er no less than six ch arte rs w ere issued from the G en era l S e c re ta ry ’s office.

T h e “ T ra c t-m a ilin g S ch em e ” is p ro v in g a g ig a n tic su ccess. T h e e x tra o rd in ary n um ber o f 238,000 p a m ­ ph lets h a v e been d istribu ted up to date.

A U S T R A L IA .

Mtlbourne.— W e are v e ry pleased to ann oun ce th at a C h a rte r h as been a pplied for from A d y a r b y a group o f hard -w orkin g T h eo so p h ists in P atala, w e m ean th e A n tip o d es. T h e form ation o f th is B ra n ch is ch iefly ow in g to th e en ergy o f M rs. E lis e P ic k e tt, w ho has been read in g pap ers an d lectu r­ in g to interested au d ien ces. T h e fu tu re b ra n ch has a lrea d y a reading-room and lib ra ry . T h e la tter prom ises to be a g rea t su ccess, one of th e m em bers h a v in g m ost gen ero u sly exp end ed a larg e sum o f m on ey on books, besides presen tin g th e L o d g e w ith his ow n lib rary o f T h eo so p h ica l literatu re.

IN D IA . “ T h e P resid e n t-F o u n d er h ereb y d eclares th a t, from and a fte r the is t J an u a ry , 1891, the present four In d ian S e c tio n s shall be m erged in to one, to be c alled the ‘ In d ian S ectio n o f the T h e o so p h ica l S o c ie ty w ith its H e ad q u arte rs at A d y a r. “ H . S . O l c o t t , P .T .S . “ M r. B ertra m K e ig h tle y is h ereb y appointed In sp e cto r-G e n e ra l o f In d ian B ra n ch es.

A s occasion offers, M r. K e ig h tle y w ill visit our B ra n c h e s, report upon th e ir cond ition, and re v iv e their a c tiv ity a s fa r as p ra ctic a b le .

T h e G en era l S ecre ta ries o f S ection s are requested to c o rd ia lly co-operate w ith him for th e accom p lish m en t o f th e im portant o b jec t in vie w , and I p erso n ally recom m end him to our m em bers and th e gen era l In d ian p u b lic as a sincere friend o f In d ia, a w ell-w ish er o f the H in d u s, and a true-h earted gen tlem an and theosop hist. “ H . S . O l c o t t , P .T . S . ” (The Theosophist.)

B

ertram

K

e ig h t l e y ’s

L

ectu res.

R e tu rn in g to A d y a r for a short tim e, B ertra m K e ig h tle y is again on the m ove. A t T ic h u r, N o v . 29th, he lectu red on the “ R e v iv a l o f H in d u S p iritu a lity and the T . S . ” to a large au d ien ce, am ong w hom w ere the F ir s t P rin ce o f C och in and his brother. T h e follow in g d a y he lectu red tw ic e , a t 7 a.m . and 4 p.m ., on the sam e to p ics. A t P a lg h a t, the H in d u M id d le C la ss S ch o o l w a s the scen e o f anoth er lectu re, follow ed b y one on the n ext d a y in the H in d u C o llege on the “ P ro g re ss o f T h eo so p h y in th e W e s t and its b earin g o r I n d ia ” . A t th e C h itoor H in d u S ch o o l H o u se our D e le g a te lectu red to a la rg e a u d ien ce on “ T h eo so p h y and H in d u ism ” , his sp eech b ein g tran slated into M a laya lim b y th e D e w a n ; and on the n ext d a y spoke on “ K a rm a and R e b irth as scien tific tru th s ” , a lectu re w h ich w a s rep eated on his return to P a lg h a t. A t C oim bato re a larg e au d ien ce assem bled to listen to B ertra m K e ig h tle y , th e D ew a n from P a lg h a t and the M u n sif o f C h itto o r com in g from th eir resp e ctive tow n s on -----purpose to be present.

CEYLON .

The Theosophist p u b lishes a list of u p w ard s o f 40 schools in C eylo n cond ucted b y th e T h e o so p h ica l S o ciety .

W e h a ve received the follow in g ap p eal, w h ich w e pu b lish w ith ve ry g rea t pleasure and e v e ry good w ish for its su ccess.

R e v e r f .d M a d a m e ,

I write at Col. Olcott’s suggestion, as one of the organizers of the Women’s Educational Society, to call your particular attention to "The Buddhist’s ” report of the opening of the Girls’ High School on the i8lh uit.

We hardly need Col. Olcott’s assurance that the English lady members of the Theosophical Society will feel an interest and sympathy for this effort of some of the leading women of Ceylon, to elevate the condition of their sex. I am happy to say that the movement has taken hold upon the public sympathy and that the Colombo High School starts under the happiest auspices.

We have engaged a Burgher lady of good family as 'Principal and educated Sinhalese ladies as Assistant Teachers. The Society is supported by five hundred subscriptions and the Colombo High School is aided by a guarantee from a wealthy Sinhalese lady (Mrs. S. de A. Rajapakse) for the rent. We have an accumulated fund of about R2,ooo. This, of course, is a beggarly trifle to rich Europeans, but we do things here on a very economical basis.

The object of this letter is to ask you to be good enough to lay our case before the readers of L u c ifc r and the members of the T.S. and try to get us a well qualified lady to come out and take the chief management of the High School and a general superintendence over our other Girls’ Schools, founded and to be founded.

Beyond the chance of doing good and such recompense as the deep gratitude of the Sinhalese women may afford, we could offer the lady no inducement to come out.

She would have to give herself to the work as a missionary does— that is, from love to the cause she espouses. The Society could give her comfortable quarters in a

pleasant house, situated amidst beautiful tropical scenery; her board and washing, a second class passage out, and a small sum monthly as pocket money. Of course, the lady should be an earnest Theosophist with a sympathy for Buddhism. A professed Christian, however liberal-minded, would naturally be suspected by our people as a sort of missionary in disguise. The lady should have no prejudice of colour, nor be predisposed to treat Asiatics as an inferior race.

The average temperature of the air in the Island is 80 to 81 degrees, and Europeans find it more bearable than the climate of India.

I have written a letter of similar import to our Mr. Judge of New York.

I am, very sincerely yours,

PETER

de

A B R E W , F.T.S.

7, Brbwnrigg Street, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Ceylon.

T h e S eco n d A n n u a l C on ven tion o f th e C ey lo n B ra n c h o f th e T .S ., h eld at K a n d y , p roved a g rea t su ccess.

T h irte e n b ra n ch es w ere rep resen ted b y d eleg ates, and the G e n e ra l S e c re ta ry , D r. B o w le s D a ly , p resented a m ost en co u ra gin g report, from w h ich w e ap p en d su ch e x tra cts as our sp ace perm its us to p rint. T h e report opens w ith a b rie f h isto rical retrosp ect, and then p asses a glo w in g eu lo g y on M dm e. B la v a ts k y , w ho, “ like a ll the pu rest and noblest b en efacto rs o f S o c iety , h as had to un dergo th e b ap tism o f fire, out o f w h ich she h a s com e triu m phant, and, if possible, m ore loved and revered th a n ev er H e then p r o c e e d s :— “ Ofthe President Founder I need say less,as his genial presence is well known to all present, while his truthful and self-denying character is respected by all who know him...................... By his influence with Lord Derby, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, he checked the persecution of the Buddhists by the Catholic Community, besides procuring for the people a National Holiday.

He further secured the appointment of a Buddhist Registrar of marriages ; as well as paving the way to the lately enacted Buddhist Temporalities Act. In his recent missionary tour through Japan, one of the most dramatic events in modern History, he instituted a more intimate fellowship between the two great Branches of Buddhism, known as the Northern and Southern Churches ; and as a rallying point suggested a Buddhist flag now accepted by all Buddhists, and so popular that it has become an article of commercial value.

For the last ten years the Theosophical Society has been more or less active in its operations. It has established the Sandaresa, now in its tenth year, and having a wider circulation than any other Native paper, also the Buddhist, an English weekly, dealing mostly with thoughtful articles on the national religion. Since 1880 over 90,000 publications on Buddhism, have been issued by the Theosophical Society and distributed widely through the island. Buddhist missionaries have visited and delivered addresses in most of the towns and villages, rousing the people from apathy, and reviving an interest in the ancestral faith. The result has been the establish­ ment of several schools giving education to over ten thousand children. In 1880 the number of Buddhists receiving education at the hands of Christians amounted to 27,000, in 1889 this number is reduced to 16,58a, showing the force of the present activity and at the same time disclosing the large number still to be reclaimed from the narrow and degrading superstitions of Christianity.

As I have been appointed Manager of the present schools existing under the Society, it is unnecessary to say that with my other duties I cannot attend to this impor­ tant work without the assistance of Sub-Managers and Inspectors to see that the instructions laid down in the Code be observed, qualified teachers appointed, and order and punctuality enforced. I suggest then that a Committee be formed to con­ sider the subject and to act with me as a Bureau of Education.

Here I deem it expedient to warn Buddhist parents that Christian schools are mainly opened not with a view of affording secular education to their children, but solely as proselytising agencies for perverting the minds of Buddhist children from the pure and liberalising tenets of the Tathagata to the narrowing influence of a decaying faith. I therefore call on all Buddhists to withdraw their children from Christian influence.

The suicidal policy of sending Buddhist children to Christian schools gives the missionaries an annual grant of Rs. 46,263, for the impure purpose of perversion.

The number of Christian children attending Christian schools does not exceed 7,237

procuring a grant o£ Rs. 20,191, while the added number of Buddhists gives them a total of Rs. 66,454. Further comment is unnecessary to a mind of the meanest capacity. Henceforth parents who send their children to Christian schools must be regarded as renegades to the faith and apostates from the national religion.

A fte r p o in tin g to v a rio u s m atters ob served d u rin g a recent tou r, D r.

D a ly p r o c e e d e d :— Throughout my tour I have found the people uniformly courteous, kindly, hos­ pitable and obliging, a more tractable or docile people does not exist in all Her Majesty’s dominions.

Successive conquests have however sapped the national character of much of its strength, love of country and pride in ancestral tradition are much needed, and instead, an imitation of European manners, costume and vices is largely in the ascendant. The Sinhalese are an imitative race and only too ready to follow an example, whether pernicious or otherwise. The ill-advised act of the Government in introducing and legalising the drink traffic in order to add to the revenue is bearing terrible fruit, even among the remote villages of the interior, where the vice of drinking has now become common.

T he state of education in the Kandyan Province is very unsatisfactory. There are absolutely no industries in the villages, and only the most primitive agricultural implements are in use. Lace and mat-making are attempted in a few places, but the designs are inferior and the workmanship inadequate. The chiefs, with a few brilliant exceptions, are indifferent to education and totally neglectful of the wants of the people.

It is also a matter of much regret that the Government official in his periodical visits should not take up his residence at the Rest-houses, scattered extensively through the country, and provide for his own wants, instead of locating himself in houses of the chiefs and Kor&las, frequently ill-adapted to the visit of a European.

The expensive decorations and preparations for his comfort are not borne by the chief or the headman but by the villagers, who are obliged to contribute every requisite necessary for a European table. Officials are allowed travelling expenses which are ample for this purpose. It is to be hoped the new Governor will pul a stop to this form of extortion, so discreditable to an English gentleman. I regret also to be obliged to add that some of these officials in excess of their duty are using their office to proselytise and force Buddhists to abandon their religion in favour of Christianity.

The most unprecedented effort of the Society has been reserved for the present time in the establishment of a series of Girls’ Schools. The first of these I have had the honour of naming after our revered teacher, Madame Blavatsky. The second, called after the Princess Sanghamitta, was established in Colombo, and opened by the President-Founder under the most distinguished auspices. Other schools have been founded in Kandy, Gampola and Panedura, in the interests, and entirely through the action of the Women’s Educational Society ; Hon. P. Rama Nathan, c. M. G., gracefully testified to the value of this work in the following words : “ He felt that at any risk, he ought to testify by his presence to-day the deep sympathy and profound admiration he held for the Women’s Educational Society and for their present work. He thought it would not be exaggeration to say that he could well have afforded to travel hundreds of miles on the chance of hearing so beautiful an address as that of Mrs. Weerakoon, and of seeing the most respectable ladies of Ceylon binding themselves together for the elevation of their sex. Neither in his time nor that of his father or grandfather had Ceylon seen such a sight. It was full o f promise for the future of the Sinhalese people and what lent additional import­ ance and dignity to the thing was that these dear ladies had done their work in silence and modesty without public clamour. In fact, so quietly, that outside the immediate circle of their friends no one suspected what was going on. Even the Educational Department, it appears, did not know of it. He could not express his ad­ miration strongly enough. Only that morning the Hon. Abdul Raheman had told him that before any such scheme as this for a Girls’ School could be carried out in his community the Government had to be appealed to, to bring women teachers from Bombay and to guarantee the school expenses for two years. What had these Buddhist ladies asked for or gotten from the Government ? What help had they besought? Nothing. He knew what the women of England would think of them.

How proud they would be of their Sinhalese sisters.”

D r . B o w le s D a ly concluded b y sta tin g th a t a n ativ e w e e k ly paper w o u ld sh o rtly be p u b lish ed , as n ativ e in terests w ere m uch n eglected .

M a y 1891 p rove a prop itiou s y e a r to S in h a lese T h eo so p h ists.

dtohtg Wa mb Jm IN R E -G IA N T S .

H E gia n ts of old are a fiction — sa y th e w ise men of th e m odern W e s t.

W h e n e v e r the hones o f an alleged gig a n tic race o f m en a re found, and sp eed ily m ade a p retext for the glo rification of verse i , ch ap ter v i. in the revealed B o o k — there in v a ria b ly com es a C u v ie r to crush the flow er o f su p erstition in the bud, b y show in g that th ey are on ly the bones o f som e Dinotherium giganteum o f the fam ily o f tap irs. T h e “ S e c re t D oc­ trine ” is a fa iry ta le and the races of gia n ts th at preceded our ow n, a figm ent o f th e im agination o f the an cien ts, and now — o f T h eo so p h ists.

T h e latter are q u ite w illin g to ad m it th a t th e occasion al a p p e ara n ce of gia n ts and gia n tesses from seven to nine feet in our m odern d a y, is not a com p lete proof. T h e s e are not giants in the strict sen se of th e term , though the scien tifica lly d em on strated tendency to revert to the original type, is there, still unim paired. T o becom e a com plete dem onstration o f this, the skeleton fram es of our m odern G o lia th s and th e stru ctu re o f th eir bones, ought to b e p rop ortion ate in b read th and th ick n ess to the len gth o f the body and also the size o f the head. A s th is is not the case, th e abn orm al length m ay b e due as m uch to h yp ertrop h ic cau ses a s to reversion.

T o all such problem s one answ er h as been co n stan tly g iv e n , “ tim e w ill s h o w " (S ee V o l. II . Secret Doctrine, p. 277 et seq.) “ If the sk eleto n s o f the preh istoric ages h a v e fa iled so far (w hich is p o sitive ly denied) to prove the claim here a d va n ced , it is but a question of time."

A n d now it is b elieved the tim e h a s com e and th e first p ro o f is ve ry sa tisfa cto ry . W e q u ote from the Galignani's Messenger o f June 21 and 23, 1890, the n ew s o f th e follow ing find, from an a rticle headed “ G ia n ts o f O ld ” , w h ich sp ea k s for i t s e lf :—

t

Giants figure so often in our legends and the most ancient histories of the world that it has been a serious question whether a race of gigantic men has not existed at some remote period of time— for example, during the quaternary epochs of the large mammals, the mastodon, mammoth, and so on— and whether the type may not have lurvived into later times. . . . The giants, like the greater quadrupeds, would be exterminated, Our oldest human fossils, however, such as the Neanderthal and CroMagnon skulls, do not indicate an extraordinary stature.

Very tall skeletons have, no doubt, been found in some dolmens and barrows, but they are supposed to belong to the bronze age race, which is still an element of the European population. M. G. de Laponge has recently made a discovery which tends to re-open this question. At the prehistoric cemetery of Castelnau, near Montpellier, which dates from the eras of polished stone and bronze, he found last winter, among many crania, one of enormous size, which could only belong to a man very much over i metres (6ft. 6in.) in height, and of a morphologic type common in the dolmens of Loz&re. It was the skull of a healthy youth about 18 years of age. Moreover, in the earth of a tumulus of vast extent, containing cists of the bronze age, more or less injured by superposed sepul­ chres of the early iron age, he found some fragments of human bones of a most abnor­ mal size. For instance, part of a tibia 0.16 metre in circumference, part of a femur 0.13 metre in girth, and the inferior part of a humerus twice the ordinary dimensions.

Everything considered, M. de Laponge estimates that the height of this subject must have been about 3J metres (11ft.)— that is to say, a veritable giant, according to the popular notion. He must have lived during the quaternary period or the beginning o f the present, but whether he was an instance of hypertrophy, or one of an extinct race of giants, it is impossible as yet to say. Singularly enough, tradition fixes the cavern of a giant very near the spot in the cavern of Castelnau where the bones have been taken from the tumulus.

“ H y p ertro p h y ’ ’— ex te n d in g over th e “ len gth , b read th , and th ickn ess ” o f the b od y, crow n ed , m oreover w ith a h ead, or cran iu m “ o f enorm ous

size ” — looks su sp icio u sly like an em p ty p retex t to m ake an ex p lo d in g th eo ry hold out a little lon ger. It is w ell th a t scien ce sh ould be cau tio u s, but even the fo rty “ Im m ortals " in all the m a jesty o f th eir a ca d em ical slum b ers, w ould be lau g h ed at w ere th ey to attem p t to m ake us b elieve th at the abn orm al size o f th e R u ssian ch ild -g ian tess, the six -an d -a-h a lf footer, aged nine, w a s due to ch ro n ic d ro p sy !

T h e crim inal use of h y p n o tic su ggestion h as com e la rg e ly to th e front in the E y ra u d -B o m p a rd trial at P aris.

T h e evid en ce g iv en b y P rofessor L ie g e o is o f the fam ou s m edical school at P a ris , w a s p a rticu la rly in terestin g.

H e related the case o f a w om an w hom he had h yp n otised , and to w hom he h ad m ade the su ggestion th a t she had seen tw o tram p s steal £ 1 0 from a lad y , and he told her to g o to a m a gistrate and la y an inform ation. S h e did so, and g a v e an e x a c t d escrip tion o f th e tw o m en, rep e a tin g her s ta te ­ m ent on sev eral su b seq u en t o ccasion s.

T h e professor also g a v e the furth er follow in g e v id e n c e : “ There is a case of a dentist in Paris who, in a state of hypnotism, was seen to steal things out of a broker's shop. Further experiments were made upon him, and he was known to commit thefts in his normal state, having no reason whatever for doing so, which were suggested to him while in a state of hypnotism. An eloquent-preacher, who had often heard of hypnotic ‘ suggestion’, experimented on a young man who was a good subject, telling him to go and steal a certain thing and bring it to him. The young man did exactly as he was told. On another occasion, acting under directions given him in the same state, the same person astonished the congregation by commenc­ ing in a loud voice to read the Gospels.

A third time he was sent to steal and was caught in the act. An officer in barracks suggested to a hypnotizable bugler that he was a sub-lieutenant. The bugler at once went to the colonel to announce his promo­ tion, to the astonishment of the colonel, who said, ‘ The man is mad ! Take him to the infirmary ’. When the bugler awoke some hours later he remembered nothing whatever about it, and his adventure caused much amusement among the officers.”

Dr. Liegeois wished to show the jury some photographs of a hypnotizable person to whom it was suggested that he had received a severe burn, and this so entered into his system that in thirty-six hours marks appeared on the body as if the burn had really taken place. The President : ‘ I cannot allow that ; it is quite irregular ’.

Dr. Liegeois then went on with his narration of cases, citing one which occurred at Vouziers more than half a century ago, where two murders were committed by a man in an hypnotic state, who was declared irresponsible for his actions.

T h e re is no doubt th a t the gen eral p u b lication o f th e d eta ils and m ethods o f hyp n otic su ggestion h as brou ght so ciety face to fa ce w ith a ve ry serious peril. M an y persons w ill p ro b a b ly th in k th a t, a fter all, there is a go od d eal to be said for the an cien t plan o f k eep in g secret k n ow led ge w h ich p la ce d in th e h and s o f u n scru pu lou s persons con trol ov er th e su b tler forces o f N atu re.

The Indian Mirror, com m en ting on th e b ru ta l a tta ck m ade in the colum ns o f th e National Review b y M r. L io n e l A sh b u rn e r on H in d u w id ow s, q u otes a letter receive d from a H in d u corresp on d ent, resid en t in L o n d o n , w h o s a y s :— “ There is one thing more I tell you, that after long and patient research, I have found for a fact that these Theosophists are the real friends of India, and that in spite of all sorts of abuses, poured upon them,there is much truth in their doctrine, because they follow our Vedanta and Upanishads— the true philosophy of our religion and existence. India will do well to help their movement, not by money, but by friendly co-operation. Theosophy alone can put an end to the Missionary existence in India, and make the Hindus in reality what they now are only in name. I do not belong to the Theosophical Society, but I have a great sympathy for it.”

®ljm0pbual AND

JEgstic publications.

T H E T H E O S O P H IS T for Decemoer is headed with a paper by Col. Olcott on the Buchanan “ prophecies” that ap­ peared some months ago in the Arena, with some remarks on psychometry.

Bertram Keightley writes on the work of the Society in "th e W est”.

Dr. Jerome A. Anderson's article on “ Kamaloka, Devachan and Nirvana,” is reprinted from the Golden Era. The most useful contribution is ‘ the translation’ of the “ Pingala Upanishad of Sukla-Yajur V ed a”. One or two papers seem to have got into the Theosophist by mistake.

T H E P A T H for December appro­ priately opens with a Christmas story by Mrs. Ver Planck. It is well written and contains a lesson of noble self-sacrifice and forgiveness.

We are keeping our eyes wide open for tales of this nature, and rejoice as we notice the stream ot Theosophy thus trickling down the rocks of the Intellect onto the shore whose sands are lapped by the waves of popu­ lar feeling. •‘ Fifteen Years A g o ” gives some interesting facts about the founda­ tion and growth of the Society.

The second part of “ Japanese Buddhist S ects” next follows. The author intro­ duces his concluding sentences with these words : “ . . . it must be plain to any one who may read this, that there is in fact very little difference between any of the sects of which 1 have been permitted here to speak, and that their existence is due to the fact that Buddha did, as all know well, teach in many different ways, so that he might make an entry into the many different kinds of minds which men possess” . " The Basis of the Manifestation of Law ” is a sensible contribution and points out the absurdity of the “ in­ organic dead matter” postulate.

But most important of all is W. Q. Judge’s “ Shall we teach Clairvoyance ”, with the danger signal sub-title,“ A Note of Warn­ ing W e cordially endorse the article and strongly commend it to the notice of many we know of in the far West.

A thoughtful paper, ‘‘ Theosophy and the Theosophical Society” , and an in­ structive vision in “ Tea-table Talk ” com­ plete another good number of the Path.

T H E BU D D H IST.— The most interest­ ing paper in the late numbers of our contemporary is one on “ Karma and Absolution’’, by D. C . Pedris.

It is important as a contrast drawn by a Buddhist between his own philosophy and the general belief of the West. The article opens as follows :— “ There lies a wide gulf between the Buddhist doctrine of Karma and the Christian teaching regarding the dis­ pensing of reward and punishment. In proportion to that difference, the moral control exercised on human actions must each of them necessarily bear an adequate degree in respect of such difference.

Karma, according to Buddhism and other eastern schools of Philosophy, is an in­ violable natural law, which controls the lives of all sentient beings of the universe, and which in its turn is not governed by any superior force or being. As long as thoughts and actions last, so long will their results or Karma prevail.

The least thing moved in space has a certain effect on the particles floating therein ; the slightest motion in water gives rise to ripple after ripple until the force thereof is expended; the gentlest sound, sends forth vibrations producing sound some­ where ; and the very smallest thought has also its tendency to disturb either the thinker or the object thought of. The further such research is extended, the application of the Kannic law to human actions will prove to be as true and natural as the laws of attraction and gravitation are. Then, when it is known by man that all his thoughts and actions have certain tangible or perceptible effects and that these effects have a rebounding tendency, or that they remain registered in his Manas-skanda, to cleave to him in whatever condition he may be hereafter, a lasting and powerful impression of awe and veneration must be the natural result created in his mind. He, who is morally convinced of the inevitable danger of cer­ tain thoughts and actions and of the re­ ward which awaits him through certain others, must be more deeply impressed in mind than another who entertains no such belief. The Christian doctrine of absolution of sins is total cancellation of the past— whether there be crimes of

the blackest type or not— by an act of momentary repentance, which places the wretched moral leper on a par with the most exalted saint. It is appaicnt from this fact, that the votaries of Christianity rely more upon supernatural magic, to ease themselves of a life burden of ugly sins, than upon an unchequered course of pure moral life.”

Le Lotus Bleu, No. 10, contains the conclusion of J. Lemattre’s readable and careful article on “ Matter and Divinity ” .

Some extracts are given from the Voice of the Silence; but the rhythm has not been preserved and it looks strange in its French garb. In the rest of the number the useful work of translation is well continued.

Department of Branch Work.

The American Section supplies its Lodges with a short but excellent paper by Dr. J. D. Buck in the ninth number of this series, entitled “ Light and Life ” . The Doctor sums up by saying : “ T h is is n o t fine sp u n p h ilo s o p h y , tra n sc en d c n ta an d w ith o u t use or v a lu e . I t is s im p ly a lo g ic a l d e d u c­ tio n from e v e r y e x p e rie n c e o f our liv e s .

H o w can one sy m p a th is e w ith su fferin g w h o h a s n e v e r su ffered ?

A g a in I s a y , w e k n o w o n ly t h a t w h ic h w e h a v e e x p e r ­ ie n ce d , an d w e h a v e beco m e a p a rt o f a n d for e v e r in v o lv e d in th a t w h ic h w e h a v e e x p erien ce d . M a n 's w e r to e x p e rie n c e is w ith o u t lim it , a n d th is co u ld not th e ca se i f th e e le m e n ts , th e v e r y su b sta n ce a n d force o f a ll n a tu re , w e re not laten t a n d p o te n tia l in h im ."

The Theosophical Forum, No. 18, has some interesting answers on Kamaloka, Memory and the practice of Hypnotism. “ W. Q. J.” , whenever he undertakes an answer, invariably goes straight to the point, whereas “ A. F.” generalises and endeavours to take the questioner into the realm of “ Rationalism ” pure and simple. Lecky is excellent but not an authority sans reproche for the Theoso­ phist. Rationalism as a rule generally makes it *■so much the worse for the facts ”, if they do not fit. How strange again it is that Theosophical Students are always puzzling over “ Memory ” The puzzlement of the materialist is un­ derstandable, for he admits nothing but the body and its “ products”.

The Theosophist, however, who learns that every principle, as every atom in the physical body, has its own memory, is not exactly in the same predicament.

1

The Vahan, No. 2, is headed by an interesting little “ paperette ” on bacteria et hoc genus omne, by Major W . H. Hand.

Under “ The Enquirer ” heading, thereare some answers to questions about the “ Cycle ” . No. 3 begins with an open-

hearted paper by the Countess of W acht­ meister, giving the simple narrative of her acquaintance with H. P. B., and how she learnt to appreciate her work and mission. It is marked throughout with a tone of deep sincerity. “ Should Men Wear Long Hair ? ” is a reprint from the Theosophist of 1884, and may perchance induce some of our members of the mas­ culine persuasion to think twice before handicapping nature with a razor. The “ tread on the tail of my coat ” para­ graphs, otherwise " The Enquirer ” column, give very sensible answers to the queries propounded.

T E O S F IS K T ID S K R IF T , a Theo­ sophical Journal, has made its appearance in Sweden and eight numbers are to be issued during the year. This Journal is the property of the Swedish Branch of the T .S . and the Editor is the Baron Victor Pfeiflf, and the Managing Secretary Axel Zetterstein ; it is under the super­ vision of a committee of the Members of the Stockholm Lodge.

The Magazine opens with a short account of the Theosophical Society, stating its aims and objects, then follows a slight sketch of the “ Wisdom Religion ” , showing how it is contained in the New Testament as well as in the Secret Doc­ trine. The second article is a translation from Lucifer of the lecture given by Annie Besant called the “ Sphinx of Theosophy” . Bertram Keightley’s lec­ ture, delivered at the Blavatsky Lodge in August, 1890, on the “ Education of children from a Theosophical point of view' ”, is likely to provoke much atten­ tion in Sweden, where the question of education is considered of vast import­ ance and has so much care and labour expended on it. “ Know T h y self” is a short poetical effusion by Victor l’feiff, describing how God is to be found within man, and that it is only by seeking the divine that the human being can arrive at the know­ ledge of his true self.

The Journal finishes with sketches of Theosophical Activities in different parts of the world, which will be read with the greatest interest by our Swedish co­ workers, who have shown so much zeal in advancing the cause of Theosophy.

A glance at the numerous translations from Theosophical works advertised on the cover of the Journal give a slight idea of the steady perseverance and indefatigable activity of our Swedish brothers and sisters, and we wish them every success during this new year 1891.

B U IL D IN G F U N D .

The Balance Sheet ot this Account is now going to the printers to be issued with a full report of what has been done, the subscription list, the detailed items of expenditure, and the copy of the Trust Deed. The following is a resume of the Balance Sheet.

E x p e n d it u r e .

R e c k ip t s .

£ 5. d.

</.

£

9o

Already acknowledged - 1,273 1 F. Montoliu 1 Anon.

X. 5° B y error in addition of July acknowledgments -

Paid on account of building lecture hall, wing to main building, connecting covered passages, out­ houses, lavatories, repair­ ing drains and plumbing, and alterations Plumbing and gas-fitting Minor alterations Furnishing and fittings ' Priming, postage, law costs • insurance, &c.

Sundry labour •

o o

1336

9

9

less donation to H.P.B. for special purpose

-

-

993 124 6[ 72 49 11 3 155 2 0 18 12

3

2

6 5

4 9 Receipts Expenditure

^1236

9

9

1292

4

9

£55 15

o

Deficiency

We have examined the accounts and vouchers, and certify that this statement is correct.

E d w a r d T. S tu r d y .

W illia m K in g s la n d .

December 18M, 1890.

E s t im a t e d

L ia b il it ie s .

£ s. d.

T o completing cost of building „ „ „ „ alterations >, » >1 » fittings

206 30 30

1 6 1

7 1 9

266

9

5

55 15 o / 3*2 4 5

Deficiency as above

O f the sums acknowledged above ^778 is. 6d. have been given by resident members of the staff, leaving ^458 8s. 3d. as contributions from members of the Society, plus the special gift of / io o .

R e c e iv e d s in c e A u d it in g o f B a l a n c e S h e e t .

Mrs. Wilkinson V. de F. Three Theosophists

-

-

-

-

10 o o 2 7 7 5 0 0

£ 17 7 7 E d i t o r i a l N o t i c e . — It appears that one or two readers have taken the reference on p. 471 to the "Black Hole” of Calcutta, as though the English had there tortured the Indians. No such implication was intended; the binmefor the ambiguity must fall on me, as the proof-reading is my duly, and I did not notice the omission of the explanatory words. A n n i e B e s a n t .

W o m e n 's P r i n t i n g S o c i e t y , L im it e d , 21 b G re a t C o lle g e S tre e t, W e s tm in s te r .