Nurturing the Divine Seed
This year we gather for the 144th annual International Convention of the Theosophical Society (TS). One of the benefits of our relative longevity is that it affords a vision of a sweep of time — global changes, changes within the Theosophical Society, and the impact of the Ageless Wisdom on both. The relentless changes brought about by natural impulse and the application of human will, reveal a pattern to the observant mind. These patterns are part of a larger cycle. Nature, human and otherwise, is abundant in its production of seed potentials. There are trees that produce millions of seeds each year in order for one or two to find fertile soil, take root, and grow, assuring the future of the species.
In recent times we as a human family have come to the view that we are some special creation, apart from the natural world, and have behaved accordingly, forgetful of the greater life in which we are imbedded. This is a pattern of thought and behavior which has become a characteristic of our time. As members of an organization formed to stem the tide of this current of thought, we need to consider this moment carefully.
The current of “brutal materialism” and “degrading superstition” which the TS was intended to address, has grown and taken on a variety of threatening forms since the TS’s founding. What has been the impact of the work we have done in the world? What has been the impact of the world on our work? We cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that the the relationship between “the world” and ourselves is reciprocal. If we are not vigilant in our awareness, our surroundings affect us powerfully, mainly because we are unconscious of its pervasive influence through culture, social norms, and education. The idea was well expressed by J. Krishnamurti when he said: “We are the world.”
It is the nature of seeds that those which are nurtured grow more prolifically. The first line in the Dhammapada quotes the Buddha as saying: “All that we are is the result of our thoughts.” Having spent countless lives feeding the seed of a separate, independent identity, we find ourselves inheriting the world shaped from that current of thought. At this point there is a dawning clarity that this collective creation is both unsustainable and unsatisfactory. From the theosophical point of view, it is also clear that the Ageless Wisdom tradition can move us toward an experience of a dramatically different inner potential capable of invoking a brighter future.
In our brief time together let us pay attention. Let us hear beyond the inadequate words we share. Let us look and see in each other and ourselves the seed of an unfolding divinity. Let us commit to nurture that seed regardless of appearances.