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{{Style P-Quote|Within the Sun, or the solar system, or the man, the head, the eye, or the grain of sand, may be found all the experiences of a lifetime or of eternity.—''Tibetan Book of Precepts''.}}
{{Style P-Quote|Within the Sun, or the solar system, or the man, the head, the eye, or the grain of sand, may be found all the experiences of a lifetime or of eternity.—''Tibetan Book of Precepts''.}}
<center>OM.</center>
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== No. 6 – September 1889 ==
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=169}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=A Survey of Sanskrit.}}
As the study of Aryan literature is one of the declared objects of the T. S., there is little need of apology in offering some remarks about the Sanskrit language and what may be done with it by those who at the outset are totally unacquainted with it. There are several degrees of perfection in the acquisition of a strange language, from the stage at which one knows a word or two up to the condition of the perfect scholar who makes no mistakes, who writes correctly and converses fluently. Between these two extremes there is a stage which is not nearly half-way if measured by the toil necessary to reach it, and yet much more than half the whole journey if measured according to the fruits and advantages derived from its attainment. It is a stage which includes a general notion of the language in question, and sufficient knowledge of the forms of words for one to be capable of using a lexicon or referring to a grammar in case of necessity, {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=170}}(for even this implies a certain degree of knowledge). It may be fairly well defined as the stage in which the student, when supplied with the translation of the passage before him, is able to understand how such a meaning is contained in the passage, which word means what, and so forth.
Applying this to Sanskrit, a person who has before him the "red silk" Bhagavad-Gita and also some tolerably faithful translation would be able to make out how the sense given in the English version was contained in the original. This degree of knowledge places valuable powers in the student's hands. Give him the text and the translation, and he will be practically on a par with the full-fledged scholar; indeed he may even have the advantage over the ordinary Oriental professor, because his theosophical information will give him the key to certain expressions which altogether baffle the professor. He will also be able to keep a check upon the unconscientious translator who weaves his own notions and interpretations, and possibly his own emotions also, into the substance of the text, without warning the reader that he has done so.
There is no doubt that learning Sanskrit becomes possible for the devotee when the toil would not be endurable for the same person apart from his devotedness. On the other hand we not unfrequently hear of people applying themselves to Sanskrit and afterwards turning away in despair and disgust. They had not expected to find half a line and sometimes a whole one strung together without any separation between the words. How can they reach the meaning of the phrase before them when they cannot unravel the words themselves, nor even count how many there are? And then, again, there is the Sanskrit alphabet to learn. Schoolboys sometimes enjoy the fun of a new alphabet; they are eager to write their names in the new character, be it Greek or German. But with grown-up people whose objects and motives are of a less playful sort, a new alphabet to learn is a labor which severely taxes their patience. And when they have learnt what they regard as the alphabet, they find that even this is not all, but that there are any number of combinations or compound letters still to be mastered. The remedy for all this is that people should learn Sanskrit in a transliterated form. Sanskrit may still be Sanskrit as much as ever, though printed in Roman character, and it would be unnecessary to assert the fact, were it not that, through some fault in modern education, we have grown up to regard the printed page as language in its essence, whilst actual speech (of which writing is really but the handmaid) is despised as empty and transient.
Some people appear to have a sentiment of worship towards the Devanagari character; this may be very well, but it must not be carried too far. A word or two about this form of writing might have a salutary effect besides being generally instructive. Devanagari bears the marks of being {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=171}}a very primitive method of writing; it is not by any means a perfect system in all respects, but is capable of being improved upon just as much as primitive knives or primitive water-jars. What these possible improvements are may now be explained. There is one which suggests itself immediately, and that is the separation of individual words, or, we might even say, the separation of every sentence from the one which follows, for even this is not fulfilled. As an example, take a line from the Bhagavad-Gita, Chap. 2, v. 13, the meaning of which is,—"So comes the attainment of another body; the wise man in this is not deluded." The Sanskrit words are:—
{{Style P-Quote|Tatha deh'-antara-prāptir; dhiras tatra na muhyati.}}
Now this line, in the Devanagari text, is so knotted together that there is not even a gap left at the place where the semicolon has been placed, but the word prāptir runs on into the first word of the following sentence. The appearance of the line may be faithfully represented as follows:—
{{Style P-Quote|Tathā dehantaraprāptirdhirastatra na muhyati.}}
Now let us examine this line. The first word means "so," and is properly set apart. Then follows a compound word deh'-antara-prāptir including three members which mean respectively "body," "the second," "attainment"; as the three parts form a single composite word, we ought not to complain much of the absence of divisions. But why is not prāptir separated from dhiras? The reason is, that by the Devanagari system the final r of prāptir is written overhead of the dh, like a little boy mounted on his father's shoulder, so that a fore and aft separation is impossible. Once more, we might ask, why is dhiras joined with tatra? Because space can be saved by the use of a monogram for st. Yes, this saving of space or condensation is the explanation of a good deal that is met with, and it goes far to justify the application of the word primitive to this method of writing.
Sanskrit written in this ancient and primitive style ought not to be regarded as a readable text like the lines of a newspaper-column, which deliver their meaning at once as the eye glides over them, but much more as a condensed record of speech. The Sanskrit text would always supply with certainty what the failing memory had lost, in the case of hymns or other verses frequently recited; and one could read it aloud fluently and with intelligence, provided the matter to be read were familiar beforehand. It stands very much in the same position as a letter from some friend who writes an illegible hand; the receiver of the letter can manage it pretty well the second time over. Indeed, the illegible letter is not a bad comparison, for as such letters often contain some word which baffles everybody who tries to decipher it, so the Sanskrit student will not unfrequently meet with some new character, probably a compound, the value of which he cannot determine with confidence.
Learned men with knitted brows inform us that Devanagari is a "syl{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=172}}labic" method of writing. There is rather too much learning in the world just now; what we want is a little enlightenment instead of it. We want the enlightenment of a simple heart and clear mind. A single Devanagari character, it is true, may represent as much of a word as two, three, or four letters in the Roman style, and the words may be described as written in little blocks or portions; these portions, however, are not syllables. To explain the matter by examples, the word janma (birth) would be written in two blocks, Ja-NMa, and vaktra (mouth) would be Va-KTRa. Again, sattwa (goodness) would appear as Sa-TTWa, whilst the words rajas tamas (passion, darkness) occurring together would be written Ra-Ja-STa-Ma' (the apostrophe represents the final s). The reader will see from the examples how incorrect and misleading it would be to describe these blocks as "syllables." It is no use attempting to read the words block by block; the method does not answer, and is not likely to. In all the preceding instances the capital letters alone would be represented in the Sanskrit text; the vowels marked here are not really shown at all. For, as in our modern methods of shorthand writing, so in Sanskrit, chief importance is given to the consonants, the vowels being generally mere adjuncts; each of the blocks which go to compose a word is a group of consonants, the first of which probably belongs to the syllable behind, whilst a fresh syllable is commenced by those which follow. The block extends as far as the vowel of the syllable newly commenced (which in many cases is the end of the syllable); if the dull sound of the common vowel (transcribed as a) is intended to be that of the syllable, no sign at all is added, but any special tone such as that of ee or oo is indicated by a proper sign attached to the block. To meet the case of a word beginning with a vowel (such as the names Arjuna, Indra,) there are special block-characters for each vowel tone, to be used on such occasions; and likewise when a consonant stands at the end of a word as the conclusion of the syllable, a stroke is placed after it to show that this is so and that such a consonant is not to be pronounced with the "common vowel" as a further syllable.
The "block system" by which Sanskrit is written is very effective in saving paper and ink, but it makes the text more troublesome to read. The difficulty in reading is further increased by two points of irregularity in the Devanagari system which shall now be mentioned. In a perfect system of writing, the different signs would follow one another in the order of their utterance, but this law is broken in the case of short i in Sanskrit. For although pronounced after everything else in the block to which it is attached, it is written at the beginning of the block. Thus the Sanskrit word kim (what) appears in the form IK-M. This is bad enough when the block is a single k, as here; but when the block is of larger extent, this dis{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=173}}placement of the vowel i is much more confusing. Consider the combination yasmin sthito (wherein existing); its form would be Ya-ISM-INSTh-TO! In this instance the i of sthito has obtained an earlier position than the n of the preceding word yasmin.
This is enough on the displacement of i: the other irregularity mentioned may be described as the displacement of r. Such words as "far-mer" and "Ports-mouth" exemplify a certain function of the consonant r in language generally; when thus employed, its place in the syllable is immediately after the vowel to which it forms a terminal, so to speak. The function here performed by r is different from that which it performs in such a word as "France," where, on the contrary, the r is the immediate forerunner of vocal sound. Now in Sanskrit words of the same pattern as "farmer," it will be seen that the r would naturally form the first member of a block of consonants; but as a fact the r is excluded from the block; it is written overhead, at the further extremity of the block and almost beyond the block. Whatever marks or pointings may be written above that block, the r takes its place beyond them all. This overhead r is different in form from the r used in writing Rāma, and is like an apostrophe turned the wrong way. Thus the familiar word karma looks something like Ka-Mra. Or to take a stronger instance of the displacement of r, the words mūrdhni ādhāya (in-the-head fixing) assume the form Mū-DhNyr-ADhAYa. This phrase occurs in the Bhagavad-Gita, Chap. 8, v. 12; a worse case could hardly be found. It should be explained that the i of mūrdhni has become converted into a consonant y and thus entered into partnership with the consonants Dh and N to form a block. It is not at all uncommon for both instances of displacement to occur together. The word nirvana would be an instance; this in Sanskrit would stand as INVrANa. By a simultaneous displacement of the i and the r, these two letters which are properly next-door neighbors appear quite separated. The r is in Sanskrit exactly overhead of the V, and not to the right of it as here printed.
Our conclusions about Sanskrit may be summed up as follows, understanding that what is stated applies to the Devanagari letters and mode of writing. Sanskrit is not a readable text so much as a condensed record of speech, a shorthand which is at least short in space if not also short in time. Its defects are, that it does not maintain the separation of individual words, which makes the text difficult to read; and also that some of the signs are written out of their proper order. The latter defect causes trouble in writing as well as in reading, and it is only by great thoughtfulness, in writing n' dnyat kinchid (nothing else), that one can remember to insert the i of kin before the t of the preceding word. It is better at once to admit that Sanskrit is written in a barbarous fashion, and to begin planning our improvements forthwith. Nevertheless the term "barbarous" will appear {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=174}}hardly a just description when we consider how admirably the system fulfils the purpose of ancient times for which it was designed. And, after all, there are worse things than primitive barbarity; what is there so foul in all the world as civilization with its sunless cities, its unnatural pressure of labor, its increase of disease and wretchedness and crime and poverty? But we must restrain such digressions from the subject.
We have now to consider systems of transliterating Sanskrit. In some of these everything is arranged with the most scholarly precision, but one all-important canon is quite overlooked, viz. that the sign used must not suggest the wrong sound. For instance, the Sanskrit word for if, pronounced "chate" (to rhyme with hale), is represented in one system by using an italic k. In the same system janma (birth) is given as "ganma" with an italic g. How this system may suit a German is another question; but the learned Professor who devised the system was not in sympathy with the English-speaking nations. The pretext for using the italic k and g is that the Sanskrit consonants so represented are etymologically akin to the hard k and g. That may be; but it is scarcely the duty of an alphabet to teach us the past history of written forms and words.
Then again, an American Professor has adopted a plain c instead of an italic k, and writes cat to signify chat; accordingly chana (and) would be written cana. But unfortunately ca does not spell "cha"; it spells "ka." We might as well agree at once to spell the English word "chart" without the h; whatever persons of special training might see in it, every plain man would read the word cart!
When we come to apply a transcript form of Sanskrit to the purpose of separating the individual words, some difficulties present themselves which have yet to be mentioned. It is one of the peculiarities of Sanskrit that two adjacent words often actually coalesce, fusing their extremities together as it were. Thus the two words na iha, "not here," become neha. How are we to make two out of neha without robbing one or other constituent? Again yatha uktam, "as said," becomes yathoktam; how can we deal with this? These are difficulties which follow us even when we have got free from Devanagari and taken to our more familiar Roman character. In the Sacred Books of the East, edited by Prof. Max Müller, there is a great deal of Sanskrit here and there, printed in Roman characters, but the separation of the words is restricted to such cases as dhiras tatra, when the words in their conjoint arrangement have preserved their natural form intact, without any fusion or intermixture having occurred. And yet what a pity that the work should cease here! By a little ingenuity a great deal more might be done to render Sanskrit approachable, and this without interfering with its essential character. Not only should the different words {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=175}}in every case be written separately, but also the component parts of compound words should be made distinct by the use of hyphens. By this latter practice the difficulty of Sanskrit is very greatly diminished.
{{Style P-Separator custom}}
The following specimen represents a few lines from the Bhagavad-Gita. It is taken from a M.S.S. in which the entire "Song Celestial" is thus transliterated. At the foot of it is given Sir Edwin Arnold's translation.
{{Style P-Quote|Bhagavad-gita. XIII, 7-11.
7. Amānitwam, adambhitwam, ahinsā, kshāntir, ārjavam,
Āchāry'-opāsanam, ṣaucham, sthairyam, ātma-vinigraha',
8. Indriy'-ārtheshu vairāgyam, an-ahankāra eva cha
Janma-mrtyu-jarā-vyādhi-dukha-dosh'-ānudarṣanam.
9. Asaktir, an-abhi-shwanga' putra-dāra-grh'-ādishu,
Nityam cha sama-chittatwam isht'-ānisht'-opapattishu,
10. Mayi ch' ananya-yogena bhaktir a-vyabhichārinī,
Vivikta-deṣa-sevitwam, a-ratir jana-sansadi,
11. Adhyātma-dnāna-nityatwam, tattwa-dnān'-ārtha-darṣanam.
Etad DNĂNAM iti proktam; adnānam yad ato 'nyathā.
''(Translation.)''
7. Humbleness, truthfulness, and harmlessness,
Patience and honour, reverence for the wise,
Purity, constancy, control of self,
8. Contempt of sense delights, self-sacrifice,
Perception of the certitude of ill
In birth, death, age, disease, suffering, and sin,
9. Detachment, lightly holding unto home,
Children, and wife, and all that bindeth men,
An ever tranquil heart in fortunes good
And fortunes evil,
10. With a will set firm
To worship Me—Me only! ceasing not;
Loving all solitudes, and shunning noise
Of foolish crowds;
11. Endeavors resolute
To reach perception of the Utmost Soul,
And grace to understand what gain it were
So to attain,—this is true WISDOM, Prince!
And what is otherwise is ignorance!}}
Meanwhile it is not only in connection with the "red silk Gita" that an acquaintance with Sanskrit is valuable. Why do not Theosophists break through their present estrangement towards Sanskrit, complaining as they do when Sanskrit terms are employed in the teaching delivered to them? With a little adaptation, all Sanskrit terms become extremely easy to pronounce, and it is far better to have fresh names for what are really fresh notions in our philosophy, instead of falling back upon English substitutes. People should pronounce karma as if it were written "kerma" or "komta" {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=176}}and the word dharma accordingly. What could be easier? And yet the former word is persistently pronounced like that other word kāma (desire). It would really be much better to print the words just mentioned kerma and dherma respectively, when adopted into an English sentence. The mode of spelling the names in Roman letters is so unimportant a matter, whilst the preservation of the correct utterance is not an unimportant matter; we ought to adopt the spelling which is on the whole the most expressive of the proper sound, and so preserve the sacred language incorrupt. There would thus be two systems of writing Sanskrit in Roman character, the one exoteric or popular, the other esoteric or technical. The first would be used along with English text, the other in quotations—or in Sanskrit books as soon as there grows up a demand for them in this more readable form.
There is one other word which might be noticed, and that is the term parabrahm. The combination bh does not spell "bh" as conceived by English or German speakers, but is more to be compared with gh in "Drogheda" or other Celtic words. How might it best be written in the popular style? Perhaps parabra'hm would convey as correct a notion as anything else, and without causing any misleading impression. The practical result of the final syllable should be "-brom", and this would be quite consistent with the spelling when we reflect on the sound of the word "yacht." The apostrophe in parabra'hm might be regarded either as a mere instrument for disconnecting the a and the h, or as the suggestion of a g, which one would have felt too great a license if actually inserted.
{{Style P-Signature|E. Aldred Williams.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=One Touch of Nature.}}
<center>''[Read before the Aryan T. S., April 2, 1889.]''</center>
In the famous speech of Ulysses in the third act of Shakespeare's ''Troilus and Cressida'' occurs the often-quoted line, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." It is a curious fact, and one on the whole redounding to the credit of humanity, that the line is never quoted in the sense in which Ulysses uses it. He is speaking of the readiness of mankind to forget past benefits, and to prize the glitter of a specious present rather than the true gold of that which has gone by. "The present eye praises the present object," says the wise old Greek, and there is one touch of nature that makes the whole world kin, that is, men's fondness for praising that which is new, though it be gilded dust, rather than that which is ancient, though it be gold that is somewhat dusty. "Then marvel not," he says to Achilles, "that all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax."
Curiously enough, the line is always quoted as exemplifying the sym{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=177}}pathy that, once awakened, makes men feel their close relationship to each other! "Nature" is taken as meaning fellow-feeling, one touch of which makes us all brothers. This unconscious misinterpretation, or rather misapplication, of the great poet's words shows us how innate the conviction is of the fact of our universal brotherhood.
We recognise it as our nature, and one throb of fellow-feeling brings the truth home to our awakened consciousness. The touch of sympathy, like the spear of Ithuriel, instantly dispels the illusion of the senses; it lifts us from the purely terrestrial plane, the life of every day, with its apparent gulfs and abysses of worldly circumstance set between soul and soul, to that higher region where we see the non-reality of these separations; where we feel, in all those moments that call out the deeper nature of every human being, that the one great pulse of the universe throbs through all our veins. An intellectual conviction of the necessary identity of spirit will never go half so far towards convincing us of the reality of universal brotherhood, as the sudden flush of enthusiasm that follows the words of some great orator, the thrill with which we hear of some noble action, the grief with which we witness another's pain. We read in ''Light on the Path'' "Kill out all sense of separateness," because "Nothing that is embodied, nothing that is conscious of separation, nothing that is out of the eternal, can aid you." We may endeavor to realize this truth with all the mental power we can bring to bear upon it, meditate upon it for hours, and the sudden swaying of a crowd by some one mighty impulse, or the unexpected revelation of the depths of some human heart, will bring it home to us with a force that makes our intellectual conviction seem a pale and shadowy thing. There was a great spiritual truth in the old myth of the giant Antæus, who regained his strength whenever he touched his mother Earth. To sway the souls of men the poet must fall back upon our common humanity, must make men feel that he is one with them, must give voice to the inarticulate cry of the masses, must speak from the people and not to the people. It is this working from a common basis, this appeal from one man to his comrades, that makes the inspiration of Walt Whitman's poetry so great and so far-reaching, the intense conviction, in short, of universal brotherhood, that makes him say, in his ''Leaves of Grass'':
{{Style P-Quote|"Recorders, ages hence!
* * * * * I will tell you what to say of me;
Publish my name and hang up my picture as that of the tenderest lover,
* * * who was not proud of his songs, but of the measureless
ocean of love within him—and freely poured it forth;" and who wrote to "Him who was crucified: "
We all labor together, transmitting the same charge and succession;<ref>{{Style P-Editors note|Shakespeare wrote: "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." We read instead: "One touch of nature makes the whole world kind."}}</ref>
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=178}}
We few, equals, indifferent of lands, indifferent of times;
We, in ourselves, containers of all continents, all castes—allowers of all theologies;
* * * * We walk silent among disputes and assertions,
but reject not the disputers nor anything that is asserted;
We hear the bawling and din—we are reached at by divisions, jealousies, recriminations on every side,
They close peremptorily upon us to surround us, my comrade,
Yet we walk unheld, free, the whole earth over, journeying up and down, till we make our ineffaceable mark upon time and the diverse eras,
Till we saturate time and eras, that the men and women of races, ages to come, may prove brethren and lovers, as we are."}}
And here the great poet strikes the same note touched upon by our President the last time he spoke to us. Because the realization of this dream of universal brotherhood must needs be a thing of the future, because we see how far from this true concentration we are, and must be for many centuries to come, perhaps, therefore there is this need that we should "saturate time and eras," as Walt Whitman puts it, that we should "make our ineffaceable mark" upon the age. For this we come together in societies, that each may have his modicum of power reinforced by contact with others; that the reviving breath of another's inspiration may quicken the flame in our own hearts; that the individual atoms, by their union and common intensity of purpose, shall make up the little mass of leaven that shall one day leaven the whole lump.
But, as was said in one of the papers the other evening, a society can only accomplish what its individual members will and carry out, and to inspire us to this individual effort I know of nothing more effective than the words of "the good gray poet," among others, these—
{{Style P-Quote|"Is reform needed? Is it through you?
The greater the reform needed, the greater the personality you need to accomplish it. * * *
Do you not see how it would serve to have such a Body and Soul that when you enter the crowd, an atmosphere of desire and command enters with you, and everyone is impressed with your personality?
* * * * *
Whoever you are I claim your own at any hazard!
These shows of the east and west are tame compared to you;
These immense meadows, these interminable rivers,—you are immense and interminable as they;
These furies, elements, storms, motions of Nature, throes of apparent dissolution,—you are he or she who is master or mistress over them,
Master or mistress in your own right over Nature, elements, pain, passion, dissolution."}}
{{Style P-Signature|K. H.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=The Story of Ste. Cecile.}}
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=179}}
In a picture gallery in one of the large cities that border upon the Ohio River there is a group of figures painted in oils and set in a massive copper frame.
The artist's name is unknown, but it is said that upon the overthrow of Maximilian this picture was seized and brought to this country from Mexico.
The painting represents a young and beautiful woman rising from the harp which stands beside her, its strings seeming almost to vibrate from the touch of her fingers. Her rich draperies fall in marvelous folds of sheen and splendor, her golden hair floats like an aureole round her fair shoulders, while her face wears a rapt, seraphic expression as she gazes upon an angel faintly outlined holding a crown above her head. Kneeling at the feet of the woman is a youth in Spanish costume, who is overwhelmed, it would seem, by her glorious beauty. Many, many years ago this painting, reaching from floor to ceiling, stood against the wall of a miserable apartment overlooking the busy streets of the Mexican capital. The sun and air streamed in unhindered through its open windows, and at night the ghostly moonlight fell in mirror-like patches on the bare uneven floor. The brilliant coloring of the picture, now softened and mellowed by time, contrasted strangely with the dinginess and poverty of the room. There were brushes and an easel and all the necessary paraphernalia of an artist's studio, but none of its elegancies; indeed, the room served as lodging room, kitchen, and atelier combined.
Its occupant, the artist, was a Spaniard by birth, of middle age, once handsome, now worn and wasted with disease. He was called a miser by some, by others a spendthrift. A miser because it was known that his work had sold for great sums, yet he lived so meanly; a spendthrift because he gave gold coins to little ragged urchins who climbed the uncertain staircase to look at this wonderful picture of Ste. Cecile. His ambition seemed to have burned itself out in the accomplishment of this his last work, yet no offer, however large, could tempt him to part with it. One bright morning a troop of ragged children clambered up the steps to look at Ste. Cecile and to gather the coin that might be their reward. They crept softly along the gallery that ran outside, and peeped in at the open door, but no sound welcomed them. Then they entered on tiptoe—no one was there. Turning to scamper down again, a groan frightened them out of their wits, until they discovered their benefactor, the painter, lying in one corner upon a couch whose draperies he had torn away in his struggles for air.
Seeing that help was needed, the children clattered hastily down to call {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=180}}assistance. The first person they encountered was a doctor upon his daily rounds. He was familiar with this quarter of the city and knew something of the poor artist.
Persons, noting his eccentricities, had said the painter was mad, that his love for a beautiful woman had turned his poor brain. He was sane enough to execute wonderful sketches with palette and brush, he passed in and out silent and alone, he harmed no one, he shunned the world, therefore the world passed by on the other side.
Aware that the painter had not many hours to live, the doctor out of sheer sympathy for his lonely condition tarried by the bedside after having administered restoratives.
Panting for breath the patient turned suddenly and said, "Doctor, do you doubt that souls are created eternal, immortal? Is there any who think that from nothing we came and unto nothing we return?" A shiver ran through his worn frame as he pressed this inquiry. The doctor placed his finger upon his own lip to enjoin silence, fearing that even so slight an exertion would hasten dissolution.
Not heeding the caution the man continued:—
"I must tell you, doctor—I must tell you. I cannot carry this secret with me. Listen! this is not the only existence that I have known."
The doctor smiled.
"Ah, you do not believe this? You think I rave? Doctor, I never saw things clearer than at this moment."
Partly rising he looked wildly around and then whispered, "I was born upon another planet! Sometimes the remembrance of that life is wafted to me in vague whispers, fleeting as a breath, intangible as a dream."
"Yes," said the doctor, "we all have such fancies."
"It is no fancy, doctor. In that land I had a twin soul who had power to bring forth music from reeds and shells, entrancing all with the power of song. The chief condition of existence in that realm is self-ab{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=181}}negation. The penalty for its infringement is banishment to this planet called Earth for a longer or shorter period according to the enormity of the offense."
The incredulous smile of the doctor seemed to urge the man to further confession.
"You wonder, do you not, doctor, that the fairest of earth's beings are soonest blighted? Ah, you do not know that the cleaner the soul upon its arrival here, the less reason has it to become purified by earthly affliction. You cannot know what terrible sins are expiated here upon earth in long, useless, unhappy lives, or, failing in this, are still farther doomed. Oh that I did not know!"
He clasped his thin transparent hands over his piercing black eyes, and then whispered—
"In that land whence I came I yielded to the tempter and dragged down my twin soul into the abyss! Think of that, doctor! A double transgression! Do you wonder they think me mad? She and I forgot the penalty, and we defied the Power that had created us."
He paused and pushed back the damp locks that clustered upon his forehead, and his breathing grew painfully hurried. Soon he resumed: "So aggravated was my offense in thus assisting in the downfall of my twin soul, that upon me was imposed not only the pang of exile but that of remembrance also. This is rarely inflicted upon transgressors, and only when one has involved another soul in ruin. I found after a time that the earth was very beautiful. There was much in it to remind me of my former home in its waving trees, its green meadows and chattering streams, its singing birds and glorious sky. But, alas! I knew that its inhabitants were doomed, even as myself, to become purified through mortal suffering because of the sin of self-love. I knew that the constant warring of these people in accomplishing their own selfish purposes was the blight and bane of their existence. So blind were they that when one of their number, exalted through suffering, rose to a higher life, they lamented, and often rejoiced when one hopelessly given over to evil passed out of sight. It was the old demon of self, always seeking each his own individual happiness."
The doctor again lifted a warning finger, for the painter was growing weaker and his small store of vital force was rapidly passing away. The look and gesture seemed to nerve the dying man to greater effort.
"Let me finish, doctor," he said plaintively. "I had lived upon the earth three or four years as time is reckoned, when I began to feel stirring within me a power which I had possessed in my former existence—that of portraying surrounding objects. My earthly parents were astonished at this extraordinary gift.
Knowing nothing of its source, and thinking its exercise could lead only to the dwarfing of my other and, as they believed, more useful powers which they hoped to turn to their own and to my profit, they denied me every opportunity. They called me indolent, lacking in force and ambition, and sure to come to want. Then I began to work in secret, stealing away and hiding my productions; working under every possible disadvantage through lack of knowing how to use the crude material appointed to the work of this life.
Finally, one who was also doomed to earth and who had likewise struggled to give expression to the divine power within him came to my aid. {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=182}}Shall I ever forget his tender glance, his approving smile? His words of encouragement were as the dews of heaven to the parched and arid desert. He took me gently by the hand, for he was then a gray-haired old man, almost purified from the taint of self, and his skill as a painter was known throughout every royal household in Christendom. He taught me the use of earthly compounds and revealed to me the rules of art, and bidding me to rely not upon the praise of men, he left me.
Instantly a sense of my great power came upon me. At that time I was a boy of barely twelve years. My parents, won by the words of my venerable friend, no longer hindered my life-work. Was I therefore secure? Alas, no. Other and fiercer struggles I must yet endure. Men reviled my work. Jealousy and envy cast their poison over my fairest creations. Among my detractors were those who said boldly that the work was not mine, that it was that of my master, that a boy could not possibly accomplish what I claimed as my own. I was looked upon as an impostor, and my parents as the abettors of my scheme. Yet having begun, I could not but go on. Nothing else prospered under my hand. Men looked coldly on, yet I wrought when others slept—only in the exercise of my gift did I find one ray of comfort.
In all this weary life not once had I met my twin soul. Never had she who was condemned to this life with me crossed my path. Where, or in what country, was her home I knew not. I wandered from place to place hoping somewhere to hear her sweet voice, to look into those liquid eyes. I listened at church doors and beneath the windows of the rich and to the voices of the street singers, always hoping to hear that divine voice among the floating melodies, but all in vain.
Hope seemed dead within me. What I regarded as my masterpieces remained in my studio unsold. Starvation came and sat by my side, adding its pangs to my already wretched condition.
Then came the wonderful tales of a new world; a new hope was born within me. I crossed the sea, facing shipwreck and disaster with the thought that possibly in this land of gold and gems I might find the eyes of my beloved.
I knelt at shrines, I prayed to the Mother of God, I kissed the crucifix, I applied my art to the adornment of sacred places, and so began to feel a peace that I had never known. It seemed that so doing I was nearer to her unseen presence.
I was told of a beautiful woman drawing crowds nightly to listen to her marvelous power of song. I was too poor to gain admission to the brilliantly lighted theatre, but I stood without and I heard the ravishing strains. Then, joy of all joy, I knew without beholding her face that the singer was my long-lost twin soul! I stood so close that I could touch her garments when she entered her carriage. I looked into her eyes, but she only shuddered and drew away from me. The perfume of her breath floated around me. No word did she vouchsafe to me. Oh what anguish I then endured! Still I haunted her presence, I would not be denied, {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=183}}until people said that I was mad! I kissed the ground where her rich robes trailed, I gathered the petals that fell from the flowers at her bosom. I painted pictures of her beautiful face, and threw all my skill into the portrayal of her divine form. She was pure as she was beautiful. Men gazed upon the portraits which I painted and offered fabulous sums. Could I sell them? Could such perfection be counted with gold? Listen, doctor, they tried to buy her soul! They were devils! When they could not do this they turned upon her and crushed her with calumny. The earthly vesture of her white soul was too frail to withstand the stroke, and one bright morning the word was wildly circulated that the Queen of Song was dead!
Dead? her probation was ended. She had entered upon that sphere where envy, malice, and self-love could no more enter. I gave thanks upon my knees that this was so: now I looked forward to my own release.
I painted more diligently than before. I scattered with a lavish hand my brightest inspirations, caring not for the gold which now flowed toward me in abundance. Men wondered at my facility; they said that it could not last, that I was burning out my very life. Yet while they talked I threw to them new and startling proofs of what they were now pleased to call my genius.
I could feel that my body was growing weaker while my power increased. They offered me a palace in which to exhibit my art and to carry on my work. I would not accept. My garret was near the sky, and by that much nearer to my twin-soul. I became almost insensible of the needs of the body—my only desire was to complete what I felt was my greatest work, the embodiment of music in its divinest form.
To this I gave unweariedly every faculty of my being. It was not fame, it was not the hope of reward that spurred me on, it was the overwhelming sense that I possessed the power to produce something that would add to the delight of mortals. It was the rekindled flame of unselfish endeavor, the divine spark, and you, doctor, call it Genius!"
Something like a glorified smile broke over the wan features at this point in his story. A youthful look took the place of the painful expression, and his breath became less hurried and gasping.
Stretching forth his long thin arm, he pointed to the picture which covered one side of the miserable apartment, saying:
"Day and night I plied the brush, touching and retouching until I saw my beautiful twin-soul receiving the crown of life upon the canvas before me: almost breathing it seemed, the trembling harp-strings touched by her fingers answering to the breeze that swept my lonely garret. Then I slept. {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=184}}Exhausted nature had her way. I awoke not until the next day's sun was sinking behind the low hills. My first waking thought was the picture. There it stood—not as I had left it—but with another figure added to the group in which I recognized myself, now kneeling at her feet—as you see, doctor." He paused a moment and then asked, "Do you think, doctor, that I in the hours of sleep could have added this? I cannot tell; but above our heads still smiled the angel ready to crown my beloved. My work was done. An angel pressed my eyelids, the earthly clogs fell from my wearied limbs, and my soul, free and untrammeled, stood face to face with her whom I loved. Doctor, do not say I was mad; this was real. It was no delusion." The dying man ceased speaking. Gazing long and earnestly with upturned eyes, he at last slowly whispered,
"I behold thy towers, O land of my heart! Sweet are the murmurs of thy streams, but dearer than aught beside is the voice of the Daughter of Song."
Then a Great Shadow passed by, and the earthly tabernacle was dissolved.
{{Style P-Signature|M. Sears Brooks.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Reincarnation and Memory.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=I.}}
The question is often asked: If the theory of reincarnation be true, why have we no recollection of any previous life?
It may easily be conceived as possible that we have lived before on this earth, and that memory of the events of that existence has been blotted out. This lapse of memory is a frequent experience of every-day life; in fact, of all our varied experiences from youth to old age we really remember only a few of the most vivid, and can never recall all the details of even these. Indeed, we forget far more than we remember of the details of this present life, and the wonder is not so much how we can remember the few things that are partially retained, but how we can forget so much of expe{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=185}}rience that passes beyond all possible recovery. There is, no doubt, an absolute registration of every incident and experience in life, but nothing known to us as memory can possibly constitute that registry. The essence of what we designate as memory consists in our ability to recall into the sphere of consciousness past conditions and events, and this ability is seldom in any instance more than partial, and is always fleeting and uncertain. There are, indeed, flashes of memory where an event long forgotten is revived with unusual vividness, and we get the impression that nothing is really lost but that a latent or a passive memory contains them all, waiting only the touch of circumstance to recall them into being. So far as any legitimate function of memory is concerned, this is a fallacy. The absolute registration of events already referred to involves far more than can be assigned to the function of memory. This must be borne in mind, and we must accurately apprehend just what the word memory means, before we can intelligently discuss the real question under consideration. In other words, when we have carefully considered the fact, the function, and the phenomena of memory, we can easily understand why that which but partially records passing events, and never is able to recall them entire, should be unable to bridge the chasm of perhaps a thousand years and recover the incidents of a previous incarnation. It may, moreover, appear presently that all that escapes memory, all that memory appears temporarily to retain but in time loses, is nevertheless retained elsewhere and carried on from incarnation to incarnation. Let us bear constantly in mind that nothing exists without a cause, and that nothing is ever really lost. If this principle, recognized as everywhere true in physics, be true also in metaphysics and in all human experience, then each human being represents in himself and carries with him all previous experience, and is at any moment of his existence an epitome of all his past. It is, however, quite evident that nothing known to us as memory answers to this epitome, even for the present life.
The experiments in hypnotism have shown that consciousness and experience may exist independent of what we know as memory. An act to be performed at a future time and an exact date is fixed in some way on the sensorium, and the act is performed automatically at the exact time, although memory bears no record of the experience that led to the act. In another case memory may be impressed and confined to definite limits, thus showing that memory is relatively free from experience. Such illustrations might be multiplied indefinitely, to show that memory is not commensurate with all human experience, even in the present life.
As an element in man's being, consciousness is far broader and deeper than memory. Consciousness represents the fact of experience; memory the form and the details. Hence, while the fact remains and an experience once had can never be destroyed, the form and details in which it first appeared may pass away. This fact of experience remains as a precipitated result, and, divested of memory, ''i. e.'', of form and details, relations and sensations, constitutes the basic element in Karma. Add to the foregoing considerations the ethical element, or relation to other individuals, giving thus the element of motive, and we have the law of Karma deduced from the elements. In the first instance we have the individual as related to himself; in the second, as related to his fellows.
{{Style P-Signature|Harij.}}
{{Style P-No indent|''(To be continued.)''}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Judge W.Q. - The Stream of Thought and Queries|The Stream of Thought and Queries]]}}
<center>[[Judge, William Quan|W. Q. Judge]] (signed "Hadji Erinn"), pp. 186-188 (Part II)</center>
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Keightley J - Tea Table Talk|Tea Table Talk]]}}
<center>[[Keightley, Julia|Julia Keightley]] (signed "Julius"), pp. 188-191</center>
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=A Chat with Correspondents.}}
One illustration of the expansion of Theosophical interest through this country is found in the growth of business during the last two years in the joint office of the PATH and the General Secretary of the American Section. In the PATH department, this appears in the new subscriptions from various quarters; in the remittances for books and documents kept on hand or ordered from publishers as needed; and in the subscriptions transmitted to ''Lucifer'', the ''Theosophist'', and the T. P. S. In the General Secretary's department, it appears in the growing list of members, with the consequent addition to the work of recording such, issuing Diplomas and Charters, and forwarding the Applications and the dues to India; in the increasing official correspondence with Branches and members; in the many requests from outsiders for information and for guidance in reading; in the larger number of cases requiring the issue of circulars or documents to each F. T. S.—involving no small labor in the addressing of wrappers or envelopes; in the occasional supply of items or corrections to the press. And a very large additional work has accrued to the office from (a) the preparation and issue of ''The Theosophical Forum'' each month, (b) the establishment of the Theosophical Circulating Library, (c) the printing and distribution—thanks to private assistance—of thousands of leaflets or tracts expounding the principles of Theosophy in a popular way. And to all this must be added the great labor accruing to the General Secretary, and unshareable by others, from his new function as Secretary of the * * * Section.
Besides occasional aid from kind friends, the Editor and General Secretary has had the constant presence of one or another volunteer. This proving inadequate to the growing work, he was obliged to secure the permanent services of an office-boy, and, later on, of a stenographer. It was to cover the expense of these that the late Convention authorized an appeal to members. Such, then, is the present staff.
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=192}}
But the work has not ceased its growth. Let us hope and trust that it never will. New openings and opportunities continually present themselves, and must be promptly met. It is not, however, to solicit funds that the present Chat takes place. It is to solicit consideration.
It is evident that in an office with so much and such increasing duty, every time-saving appliance is a necessity. Hence the stenographer and the type-writing machine. Some of our friends dislike this. They wish a sweet note of sympathy direct from the General Secretary's own pen, and the intervention of machinery seems to chill the sympathetic current and dispel the fraternal aroma. But, Brethren, have you any right to expect that office business is to be disordered and important affairs put off in order that you may extort a fancied privilege and nurse a sentimental notion? Is it not more rational and manly (using this word as the antithesis to "childish" rather than to "feminine") to see that the Society's work is of more moment than your fancies, and that truth should have the same value to you whether its words are written or printed? Were the Editor of the PATH and the General Secretary to pen and not dictate answers to the letters received, his present life-work would lie over to his next incarnation.
Another thing. The same exigency of scant time makes imperative the obvious duty of condensed statement. But not a few F. T. S. of both sexes imagine it needful to inform the General Secretary of their varying spiritual moods, of their abounding faith in the Cause, and of their feelings and emotions and anticipations. How can any man read such outpourings; how reply to them? If half a page can state your wants, have you any right to send a sheet? With the utmost desire to give you every help, is it possible for the General Secretary to do so otherwise than briefly?
Still another thing,—this time from the editorial side of the complex role. Zealous Theosophists not infrequently send us communications for the PATH. These, with the exception of poetry, are always welcomed. But it does not follow that they can be always used. For, to the publication of any literary matter, there are certain conditions. It must be fresh, readable, instructive, valuable for the end sought. That it should be true is not enough. A friend, hearing a parishioner's comments on the sermons of a well-known clergyman, replied, "But they are true." "Yes," said the parishioner, "that is the trouble; they are too true." An article may be so true as to be truism, so obvious as to be common-place. It may want point or life or finish or verve, and hence, to the larger experience of an editor, discerning quickly what is suitable or otherwise for his columns, may not be useful. Be not offended, Brethren, if your offerings, sincere and honest as they undoubtedly are, and prepared with care and love and zeal, fail to appear in type. Therein is no slight to you, for the decision is not personal but judicial, and the judge—in such matters—is wiser than you can be.
In these things, then, and perhaps in others, the Editor and General Secretary asks consideration,—consideration in making letters concise, clear, and explicit, in remembering his many duties and his little time, in recalling the scores of other correspondents with equal claims to attention, in contentment with the brief replies and the mechanical help a busy man finds imperative. In thus exemplifying Practical Theosophy, you will show that you have not joined the Society and read the PATH in vain.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Judge W.Q. - Answers to Questioners|Answers to Questioners]]}}
<center>[[Judge, William Quan|W. Q. Judge]]'s department (signed "Jasper Niemand"), pp. 193-194</center>
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Correspondence.}}
<center>''August 12th, 1889.''</center>
To the Editor:
In the August number of ''The Path'' is an article entitled "The Worship of the Dead," which incidentally discusses the condition in Kama-loka of those taken off untimely by suicide or accident. Does the law affect in the same way those who die in early life of disease?
''Ans.''—We think that those who "die in early life of disease" may be said to have reached their natural limit of life, and that all their "principles" had been separated so as to prevent the fate of the others spoken of. The life of an individual is the expression of his Karma in action; in the case of suicide or accident—both of which are the sudden cutting off of a fixed term—the lower principles have not separated, while in death from disease the natural term of life is fixed by Karma at the limit when death occurs from the disease.—(Ed.)
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Notice.}}
Letters That Have Helped Me will be continued in October PATH.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Theosophical Activities}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=America.}}
{{Style P-Subtitle|Visits by the General Secretary.}}
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=195}}
{{Style S-Small capitals|Cleveland.}}—On the 29th of July Mr. William Q. Judge visited the Cleveland Theosophists. A large meeting was held at the house of Dr. Salisbury near Cleveland. About 60 persons were present and listened for three hours to a talk on Theosophy and questions and replies upon the same subject. The greatest interest in Theosophy was manifested.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Chicago.}}—Chicago was reached on the 1st of August, and several meetings were held at the house of Dr. Phelon, President of the Ramayana T. S. At one of these about 25 persons were present. Several visits were also made to Theosophists who could not come to the meeting.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Omaha.}}—At Omaha two public meetings of the Vedanta T. S. of that city were held in Sheeley Block. The room was crowded on each occasion, and the patience of the audience in listening quietly to a full exposition of Theosophical ideas showed their interest in the subject. Dr. M. J. Gahan was present from Grand Island, and made some remarks. The daily papers of Omaha gave full accounts of the meeting. Several private meetings of the Branch were also held on other days. What seemed to attract the attention of the newspapers was Mr. Judge's declaration that the American people were reincarnations of the great nations who dwelt on this continent ages ago, and that this country was destined to be the cradle of the new race as stated by Madame Blavatsky.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Grand Island, Neb.}}—On the 7th of August a public meeting of the Nirvana T. S. was held at Masonic Hall in that city to listen to an address by Mr. William Q. Judge upon "What Theosophy is and What it is not." Over a hundred persons were present and listened attentively from 8 o'clock until 10.30. Previous to this meeting Theosophy had been called in Grand Island "Dr. Gahan's New Religion," as he is the President of the Branch and the most active member of it. The tract called "Karma as a Cure for Trouble" has been republished in the papers by members of the Branch.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Kansas City.}}—On August 12th a meeting of the Theosophists here was held to consult with Mr. William Q. Judge about forming a new Branch, and it is expected that very soon one will be organized there with the name of "Kansas City Theosophical Society."
{{Style S-Small capitals|St. Louis.}}—There is considerable interest in Theosophy in St. Louis, and, notwithstanding the vacation, members of the two active Branches there, Pranava and Arjuna T. S., met Mr. William Q. Judge at the houses of the members and held a joint meeting at the rooms of Arjuna T. S., when Brother Judge talked at some length upon Theosophy and the best method for Branch work, after which general conversation followed. It was found that some of the old charges against Madame Blavatsky, raked up from the past 14 years, with decorative additions, were being circulated in St. Louis, but with little, if any, effect.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Cincinnati.}}—The Branch here is in vacation, but several members came together at Dr. Buck's house for the purpose of having a Theosophical conversation.
The visit, which was made as far as the centre of Nebraska by the General Secretary, showed that the Branches are rapidly learning how to {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=196}}carry on Theosophical work, and that the movement has spread with astonishing vigor and is reaching large bodies of people who hitherto had never heard of Theosophy, and whenever the subject comes before them the greatest interest is manifested. The most useful Branches are those that do active work in laying Theosophical literature before the public, in opening small libraries in which Theosophical books can be found, in inducing the public libraries to put Theosophical literature on their shelves, and in general working for the good of other people in this field. Those members who have taken up this course testify that it has been also of great benefit to themselves.
The General Secretary had intended to visit the Pacific Coast, where there are several good Branches and very great vigor, but in consequence of the season and pressing business engagements he was unable to do so, much to his regret.
It is being mooted on the Pacific Coast to have a convention there ad interim for the purpose of mutual-aid discussions of methods for Theosophical work and the election of a delegate to attend the regular Convention. It is hoped that this may be accomplished.
{{Style S-Small capitals|New Branch, San Diego, Cal.}}—A charter for a new Branch to be called Gautama T. S., located at San Diego, has been issued August 21st, 1889, to George H. Stebbins, Vera M. Beane, Stella B. Rotnor, T. B. H. Stenhouse, and Sewell Seaton.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Golden Gate Lodge}} of San Francisco now holds 8 Public Meetings each month,—4 at San Francisco in a public Hall, and 4 in Oakland. The open meetings held at S. F. are advertised in the daily press, and a good attendance is the result. Original papers are prepared by members of the Branch and read at these meetings, followed by questions and answers relating to subject treated upon in paper. Dr. J. A. Anderson read a paper upon "The Hereditary Problem," and Miss M. A. Walsh delivered a very interesting lecture at another meeting; subject, "Do we remember past Incarnations." Dr. Allen Griffiths read a paper on "Personality and Individuality a Theosophical Distinction," and Mr. E. M. Poole an essay upon "Theosophy," both having large and attentive audiences. There is much interest being awakened in Theosophical matters by these meetings, which are growing in numbers and interest. Open meetings are held on each Sunday evening at Oakland and conducted in the same manner. Free discussion is invited and all argument is discouraged.
Members of the T. S. are invited to write in their Catalogues of the Theosophical Circulating Library the following additional books; No. 98, ''Occult Science in India'', by Jacolliot; No. 99, ''Seraphita'', by Balzac; No. 100, ''The Magic Skin'', by Balzac.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=India.}}
Col. Olcott returned from Japan to Ceylon on the 19th of June, and was expected at Adyar on the first of July. A meeting was held in Ceylon in the Theosophical Hall at which the high priest Rev. Sumangala presided. An address of welcome to Col. Olcott was read. The Colonel said that he had had a very encouraging and pleasant journey in Japan; that he had been away 5 months from India. He was in Japan 107 days, travelling from Sendai in the north to the extreme south of the empire, and visiting 33 towns. In Yeddo, the capital, there are 1,200,000 Buddhists, out of 37 millions in the whole of the empire who are nominally Buddhists. On arriving in Japan {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=197}}he called together the chief priests of the 8 sects, who appointed a joint committee to arrange his tour. 12,000 rupees were collected by them for expenses, and the committee travelled with him all over Japan. During the 107 days of his stay there he delivered 76 public addresses, and the audience at each were estimated at 2,500. Many medals were presented to him by various Japanese societies who had elected him an honorary member, and three Japanese gentlemen were sent back with him to study the Pali language from the high priest. When he left Japan the High Priests all came together again for a farewell meeting, and they gave him a Sanscrit letter in reply to that from the high priest Sumangala of Ceylon.
It is 2,300 years since the quarrel arose between the northern and the southern churches, and this tour of Col. Olcott's is a great event which will result no doubt in immense benefit to Buddhists. The Sanscrit letter is one of friendship from the north to the south, and, as is customary with complimentary letters, the letter is tied with strings of paper made of two colors. The Japanese also presented to the Colonel the imperial flag to be taken to the Theosophists in India, and the Colonel also said that the Buddhist flag which the Theosophical Society, under his efforts, had caused to be adopted in India has also been adopted in Japan where he found it flying. Amongst other demonstrations there was a display of fireworks in Japan, where a bomb was exploded high up in the air and burst into the Buddhist flag fluttering in the breeze. The Colonel also brought back with him religious paintings and pictures, one of them 800 years old.
After the Colonel had spoken Mr. Kawakami spoke on behalf of the Japanese, and another Japanese priest followed with a few remarks full of friendship and love. The high priest Sumangala closed the meeting and praised Col. Olcott, hoping that the relations established between the northern and southern churches would be continued, and that it was the commencement of a real spiritual communion between all Buddhist countries.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Ireland.}}
The Dublin Lodge only had one public meeting during July, having suspended its regular open meetings for the summer. At the meeting in question Mr. J. A. Cree read an excellent paper on "Ideals of Life; and their fulfilment in Prayer, Mysticism, and Poetry." The members have not, however, slackened their exertions during the summer, and the Lodge literature is being dispersed on all sides, with good effect.
<center>Dublin, August 12, 1889.</center>
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Literary Notes.}}
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=197}}
''The Theosophical Review'' (Paris) for July is a most admirable number. The continuation of Madame Blavatsky's article, ''The Beacon of the Unknown'', contains the following interesting statement. "'The disciples (Lanoos) of the law of the Diamond Heart must help one another in their studies. The grammarian will be at the service of him who seeks the soul of the metals (chemist) etc., etc.' (Catechism of the Gupta Vidya). The profane would laugh were they told that in the Occult Sciences an alchemist can be useful to a philologist, and vice versa. They would understand better, perhaps, if told that by these nouns (grammarian, or philologist) we mean him who studies the universal language of Symbolism; although only the members of the T. S. * * * Section can clearly understand what the term philologist means in this sense. All corresponds and naturally unites in nature. In its abstract sense, Theosophy is the white ray from which are born the seven colors of the solar prism, each human being assimilating some one of these rays more than he does the six others. It follows that seven persons, each provided with his special ray, can mutually assist one another. Having the septenary branch at their service, they can thus dispose of the seven forces of nature. But it also follows that, in order to arrive at this end, the choice of the seven persons suitable to form such a group must be left to an expert, to an initiate in Occult Science." Other articles are Fragments of a novel on the Latin Decadence, by Peladan, and The Seven Principles of Man from a scientific standpoint, by Papus, a most valuable and clear exposition, well illustrated. Translations of ''The Gates of Gold'' and of ''The Secret Doctrine'' follow; a scholarly article on Chinese classics, by Amaravella, is {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=198}}very interesting, and the number closes with a thrilling sonnet on Initiation (Caminade) and the usual reviews and notices.
''Twixt Heaven and Earth'', by Mrs. Sidney Rosenfeld (United Service Pub. Co.) is another novel full of theosophical ideas. It is dedicated to an F. T. S. The scene is laid in Washington and the plot deals with hypnotism chiefly, the hypnotiser being a person of a malignant nature which finally causes his downfall and death. While we do not agree with all there is in the book, we hail its appearance with pleasure, for if the lofty ideas of its heroine were carried into practice by all theosophists, great results would speedily follow.
''The Coming Creed of the World'', by Frederick Gerhard. (W. H. Thompson, 404 Arch St., Philadelphia, $2.00.) This book, of 526 pages, tries to show that there is a better religion than Christianity; it is distinctly antichristian, and evinces a great deal of labor on the author's part but we do not find in it "the coming creed." It is evident that the writer is a student of religious history, upon which he has drawn very largely; he is for religion and not against it; he thinks that at last all will unite to honor God. This book, the result of forty years' research and put forth by the author in his old age, is not dreary nor is it deeply philosophical, but meant for ordinary minds who do not like the christian dogmas. However, we cannot help thinking that nowadays there exists no such thing as Christianity to fight against; we now live under a barbarous materialism clothed in hypocrisy.
We have received "The Buddhist" en bloc, as one may say, 15 numbers in a batch. It is the English supplement to the Sarasavisandaresa of Ceylon. It contains a series of "Studies in Buddhism" by the distinguished A. P. Sinnett, another on "Karma, Heaven, Hell, and Rebirth" by a Siamese Prince, various articles explanatory of Buddhist doctrine, a poetical translation of Chap. I of ''The Dhammapada'', written expressly for ''The Buddhist'' by Sir Edwin Arnold, accounts of Col. Olcott's tour in Japan and Ceylon, and the full text of his paper on "The History of Princess Sanghamitta" read by him before the Women's Educational Association of Ceylon on June 27th. It was this Princess who brought to Ceylon a branch of the sacred Bo-tree, which branch became a tree now 2,200 years old and in full vigor. Interesting examples are given of the union of Buddhists and Hindus under the influence of the Theosophical Society,—a thing hitherto unknown in Ceylon; and the growing interest in the festival of "Wesak", the birthday of Gautama Buddha, shows the revival of Buddhist religious feeling. An American lady contributes one stanza of an unfinished hymn upon "Wesak" by her husband,—a devout man, we should judge, though perhaps not a poet. The subscription is $1.75 per year.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Suggestions for Branch T. S. Work}}
<center>''Questions and suggestions relative hereto can be sent care of "Path."''</center>
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=VI.}}
It is the purpose and endeavor of this department to select for discussion each month that subject which appears to be attracting the most attention from the greatest number of Theosophists and Theosophical Magazines.
The Law of Cycles applies to the domain of Thought as well as to the manifestations of nature, and there seems to be some influence operating upon the majority of minds which calls attention at certain times more particularly to some one point in the Realms of Theosophic Thought. A search through the latest numbers of ''Lucifer'' and ''The Path'' will show us {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=199}}that the chief point of resemblance between the two magazines is in those articles having for their object the arousing of Theosophists to the importance of combined and immediate practical action. "Hiding Theosophy under a Bushel," July PATH; "What are You Doing for Theosophy," August PATH; "Practical Work for Theosophists," Lucifer of June, etc., etc.: these articles were all called forth by an actual want, the existence of which is only too apparent.
The cause and solution of the difficulty, which dates from the birth of the Society, are equally easy to point out. The cause is selfishness; and the solution will only be reached when each of us takes more to heart the needs of his fellows, and works for them instead of for himself.
With a few prominent exceptions people join the Society and remain in it for their own benefit. This is not only untheosophical, but is opposed to the very reasons for which the Society was organized. The most important object of the Society is its first, i. e., "to form the nucleus of an Universal Brotherhood of Humanity;" and of the three it is that which receives the least support from the majority of its members.
It is true that good work and important work is being done, but it is confined to three or four centers, and is due usually to the exertions of some few individuals.
Theosophists do not, and it seems cannot, be made to realize the paramount importance, aye, necessity, of turning their attention and efforts from their own particular selves and concentrating them upon others. No real or permanent advancement can be made by pursuing a selfish course; all such must come through a disinterested effort for others, and with the present means at their command there is no reason why every member of the Society should not perform his or her quota of work.
For those whose natural gifts enable them to write upon Theosophical subjects, there is a large field open. The General Secretary will be glad to forward articles where they will do most good, for it is not always that a branch has amongst its members even one who is capable of writing, and that branch is necessarily at a disadvantage and in need of just such help. Subjects of current and practical interest may be selected, or, if that be beyond the powers of the writer, let him examine the standard works and choose from them portions bearing upon a certain point, string these together, and make an article that cannot help but be instructive. Then there are new branches, where, even if literary talent exists, the members are not sufficiently familiar with the doctrines to trust themselves on paper. They also need assistance.
Although the field of labour for those unable to write is contracted, yet it is larger than they may think. Much good has been done lately by the dissemination of Theosophical Tracts and the spreading of the Literature of the Society.
It must not be forgotten that the Theosophical movement is governed by law, as is everything else, and we are told that the occult influence behind it only lasts for a certain term of years. It is shown, therefore, how important it is for everyone to be given a chance, which, if his nature has reached the proper degree of advancement, is all he needs to have opened before him the glorious truths of the Wisdom Religion. If there be at the end of this period some who have never had the opportunity to study The{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=6|p=200}}osophy, the fault and Karma will be ours, for to us is entrusted the task of spreading it.
There are several of these tracts that are sold very cheaply, and we do not believe there is one member who is too poor, or who could not if he would, purchase and distribute some of them.
A society such as ours is of course always in need of money. Here is an easy and pleasant means offered our rich members of doing good, but as there is a peculiar Karma attached to such gifts, of this we will not write further.
But how many of us can truthfully answer "Yes" to the self-questioning, "Do I do all I can? Do I give as much time, work, and money to the cause as I can spare from my more imperative duties?" That is the view the true Theosophist takes, and unless his answer is satisfactory, his work does not content him.
Oh! if Theosophists could only be made to understand how important, beyond all powers of description, it is for them to work! Do anything, so that it helps others; and that will help you more, a hundred times, than if the same efforts were expended upon yourself. It requires no sacrifice other than a little effort, a little trouble, and still less money, and yet the good that may result from such endeavor is incalculable.
If anyone who reads this article will write to this Department, telling what he is willing and able to do, opportunities for him to demonstrate his usefulness will be forthcoming. No one need know him, and his reward will be in the thought that through him was some benighted brother taught the supreme need of an altruistic life and the spiritual beauties of Theosophy.
{{Style P-Quote|"I would I could give reasons so strong, so overwhelming, in favour of the great future, that the pitiable plea of present necessity would quail before them." * * *}}
{{Style P-Align right|G. Hijo.}}
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We are requested to publish the following.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=The Magnetic Congress in Paris.}}
Magnetism's partisans of all the schools have decided that an international congress, in order to study the magnetism being adapted to sick persons' alleviations or recovery, will be assembled in Paris, from the 21st to the 27th next October. Amongst members of Committee are to be remarked M. M. l'abbe de Meissas, le comte de Constantin, docteur Puel, Huguet, Gerard, Chazarin, etc.
Subscriptions, fixed to fr. 10, will give a right of participating to the different labors of the congress and receiving publications and reports. Adhesions, memoirs, attestations must be addressed before the 1st October to Mr. Millien, secretaire general, place de la Nation, N. 13, or to Journal du Magnetisme, 23 Rue Saint Merri.
{{Style P-Quote|Into the north-land have gone the gods, where they await the coming of the new race who can hold the azure blossom.—''Lapland Verse''.}}
<center>OM.</center>
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== No. 7 – October 1889 ==
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Judge W.Q. - Letters That Have Helped Me (Path series)|Letters That Have Helped Me]]}}
<center>[[Judge, William Quan|W. Q. Judge]] (signed "Z."), pp. 201-204 (Part X)</center>
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Modern Astrology Defended.}}
Now and again in the course of reading one meets with a book or article which leaves on the mind an indescribable feeling of irritation akin to that produced by wrong notes and discords in music. Of this class the paper on "True and False Astrology" in the PATH for last month, by G. E. W. of Chicago, the self-appointed critic of Lilly, Morrison, Pearce, and Proctor, of astronomical and astrological renown, has proved to be in my case.
There is much in the article which commands assent, and its general drift and intention are no doubt good, but it is marred by the altogether unnecessary importation of personalities, and by the two evident disposition evinced to condemn others upon wholly insufficient ground.
As a student myself for many years of the "Science of the stars," and as a fellow of the T. S., I feel it my duty to protest against this and to endeavour to show to the best of my ability the reverse of the medal. G. E. W. writes—"Since the death of Lieut. W. R. Morrison (Zadkiel) in 1874, there has been no one of general reputation with a pretense of honest astrology in London. It is true that there is another Zadkiel in Morrison's shoes, but his lucubrations, as judged by the annual almanac issued in his name, are disgusting to a sincere believer in star-influence." Now an assertion of this nature, involving the imputation of dishonesty, untruthfulness, and {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=205}}fraud, to an author whose work has been before the public for at least 14 years, requires in the minds of all lovers of fair play the fullest proof: nothing short of a series of "disgusting lucubrations" and proven failures of prediction could establish such a sweeping statement. But what is the proof adduced? "The predictions of Zadkiel's Almanac thus far for the year 1889"—and even those predictions not quoted in full, as our critic deems it "a loss of time to quote any further," and is evidently content to believe that because he asserts with confidence that "not one prophecy among the above has come true," his readers will think with him that "the present Zadkiel is a pretender."
As a matter of fact, however, although some portion of the predictions for January which he quotes has not been fulfilled, those for February have proved quite correct, and G. E. W.'s bold statement to the contrary can only be the result of superficial observation. The Czar of Russia was in danger in February, for a plot against his life was discovered early in March and several arrests made, and the King of Italy was also under martial influence, as the riots in Rome and Milan that month attest. The news from India, Burmah, and Afghanistan was "of evil import,"—''e. g.'' the fighting in Burmah, and the strong and oft-repeated rumors of the pending outbreak of a war between Afghanistan and Russia on account of Ishak Khan. That no serious trouble would result in India was foreseen by Zadkiel, for he goes on to say (the quotation is wholly omitted by our critic)—"as Jupiter enters the sign ruling India on 5th inst. (February), some improvement in the state of our Eastern Empire will soon manifest itself, etc." Again, while it may probably be strictly true that "Anarchists," properly so called, were not particularly troublesome in France in February, was it not that month which witnessed the brilliant success of Boulanger at the polls, the intense excitement in connection therewith, and the determination of the Government to endeavour to overthrow Boulangism at all costs? And is it not well known that Boulanger received the greatest assistance from Louise Michel and other prominent "Anarchists"? I remember also that on 24th February or thereabouts there were several determined attempts made in Paris to hold Socialist meetings, which finally had to be dispersed by the Police.
Will G. E. W. in face of this adhere to his assertion that "not one prophecy among the above has come true," and will the Theosophists and others who read his article agree with him on such evidence that "the present Zadkiel is a pretender"? Before they decide, let me point them to the long roll of successful predictions which has marked the career of that astrologer,—the Franco-Prussian war, the Russo-Turkish war, the Zulu war, the war in Egypt, the Expedition to the Soudan and loss of Gordon, the Charleston earthquakes, and scores of others which time and space alone forbid me to refer to; and let me remind them that the books published by this author, the "Text Book of Astrology" in two volumes, and the "Science of the Stars," have probably done more to bring a knowledge of this branch of occult science before the reading public than any others.
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Fair play and common sense alike oppose the violent conclusion which G. E. W. draws from insufficient and ill-considered premises. Of course we all lament with him the inadequacy of modern astrology as instanced by frequent failures in prediction; but it does not follow because there are failures that modern astrologers are "pretenders." I freely admit that there is no perfect astrologer now-a-days, in the West at all events: to be such, a man must be competent to deal with astrology by other methods than those by which we students now laboriously arrive at an approximation of the truth: in other words, as our revered teacher, Madame Blavatsky, states—(''Isis'', Vol. I, p. 359)—"in astrology one has to step beyond the visible world of matter, and enter into the domain of transcendent spirit;" and again, (Idem, page 314)—"the accuracy of the horoscope would depend, of course, no less upon the astrologer's knowledge of the occult forces and races of nature, than upon his astronomical erudition." But because this is the case, and because no adept astrologer throws light on the darkness of futurity, is it fair to dub as a charlatan and a pretender one who, whatever may be his failures and shortcomings, is a sincere truth-seeker, and who, all that G. E. W. may say to the contrary notwithstanding, is admitted by the large majority of students to be ''facile princeps'' among modern astrologers in the west?
I am writing hurriedly to catch the mail steamer leaving to-day, but I propose to say something later on with respect to G. E. W.'s remarks on Horary Astrology; in the meantime I wish him from my heart a calmer judgment and more charitable opinion of his fellow students of Astrology.
{{Style P-Align right|Grenada, W. I.<br>E. D.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=The Present Situation Disconnectedly Considered.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=I.}}
From now on, the advancement of the Theosophical cause depends largely upon individual work in one or more directions. Concentrated action in this respect is at once desirable and necessary. The Enemies of the Society are at present active as never before, and their professed determination to create dissension in its ranks must be met and overcome. The silent defensive policy should be succeeded by positive, aggressive action. Detractors should be met, not on the plane of vituperation, but with clear-cut argument and controversy. The constant misrepresentation and abuse of theosophy and theosophists so often seen of late in the public press arises, it is most charitable to believe, from an entire misconception {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=207}}of the aims and teachings of theosophy. A trifle of effort on the part of members of the Society would set the matter right. Editors are notably fair and impartial, and entrance to the columns of their newspapers in defense of theosophy would not be hard to obtain. It remains for every member of the Society to do what he can in this respect, and the result will be well worth the effort.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=II.}}
A true theosophist is never a bad man or woman. This axiom is beyond controversy. A pure mind and far-reaching influence for good are part and parcel of the theosophic character. But ability to do good is frequently allowed to lapse into inactivity, and the well-meaning theosophist merges into the average person. The rule of averages, it is fair to say, is not conducive to the advancement and healthy growth of the theosophic cause. The average person moves in a rut—travels in a path previously pointed out by the custom of precedent. By simply making a detour and coming back to the old way at the same or another point, a trifle of intelligence may be grasped of what is going on in spheres outside of the accustomed common round. The greatest progress will be made and the largest degree of enlightenment secured, however, in boldly branching out and bidding farewell to all preconceived ideas as to utility, aye, even pseudo-respectability; in proclaiming the social outcast, the criminal, the rich and the poor as of one family; in seeking to raise all to the common level of Universal Brotherhood. That is radical Practical Theosophy.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=III.}}
Every walk of life contains elements that may be theosophically solidified. Wealth, position, or attainments are not a bar that need be considered in the theosophic arena; they are ephemeral, personal. On the other hand, theosophic thought and theosophic teaching are for all mankind and are eternal. It has been mistakenly said that theosophy is not for the masses; that intellectuality is the open sesame to the camp of Universal Brotherhood! Monstrous idea! Even a child can grasp with perfect understanding the wholesome truths and noble teachings of theosophy—those truths and teachings that appeal to the common sense of the multitude rather than to the intellectuality of the few.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=IV.}}
All great movements have, of a necessity, leaders and teachers of high attainments. It is not designed to belittle intellect or wealth of learning. But these possessions go for nothing without charity, truthfulness, right thinking, right living, and right action. The path of Practical Theosophy is wide; it is narrow; it is straight; it is crooked; but it is never without {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=208}}good. Expect nothing; work without thought of or desire for reward; share your happiness with others; be upright in your dealings with your fellow laborer on life's highway; work for the good of humanity; speak ill of no one; judge the act and not the actor; and last, but not least, strive for consistency as a member of the Theosophical Society. Then will be realized the basic idea of Practical Theosophy and Universal Brotherhood.
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Judge W.Q. - The Skin of the Earth|The Skin of the Earth]]}}
<center>[[Judge, William Quan|W. Q. Judge]] (signed "Bryan Kinnavan"), pp. 208-211</center>
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Lead, Kindly Light!}}
Ineffaceably stamped upon the memory are those scenes of childhood connected with religious instruction. The infant on its mother's knee listens not only to the old fashioned lullaby, but now and then to snatches of church hymns and Sunday School songs, and thus, as it were, absorbs their familiar airs among its first recognized impressions. Later, the child goes to church and learns to sing the same tunes and to repeat the same {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=212}}words, which thus acquire that depth of root in the brain enabling them to outlast years of carelessness or wicked living and to come back sooner or later as gentle reminders of the past or monitors of the future. Have we not all read stories of men steeped in crime, to whom have risen up at some supremely critical moment visions of sainted mothers and happy days of infancy, and whose hardened souls have been touched even to tenderness by the recollection of long ago church bells on peaceful Sundays in quiet country places, and the singing of the old, simple, long-forgotten hymns? Such an awakening is not by any means improbable. We must acknowledge the existence in almost every human being of some good impulses. A long course of worldly life, sordid or violent, will go far towards banishing the higher principles and degrading the soul to a lower level, but it is only in rare cases that the spiritual spark is extinguished entirely. Illustrations of the former are all around us. There are plenty of gamblers who are model husbands; there are thieves who love their children; there are drunkards who are otherwise moral; there are swindlers who are honorable in their dealings with their partners; and all of these and others equally reckless and abandoned are quick to respond to charitable appeals. What do these facts teach? That none are so far gone in depravity as to be beyond the reach of the good; that all—the exceptions are so rare as to be hardly worth noticing—possess some traits that are praiseworthy; that the good impulses, no matter how obscured by disuse, may be reached if only the right chord be touched and the proper moment seized.
The value of early religious training can hardly be over-estimated. There is no question here of creed or form. We might look out from our advanced standpoint of theosophy and say that it is better to rear a child outside the church, in order that the child may not become imbued with erroneous opinions. But how many children are there that could comprehend the subtle distinctions of mentality found in the theosophic works? Not one. Children's minds require the simplest ideas clothed in the plainest language. The strongest of mature brains find perplexities in the involved theories of Karma, Reincarnation, and the Planetary Chain. But the mind of a child can grasp the problems of good and evil and of life and death as propounded by the Christian churches. It would seem, in fact, as if the founder of Christianity reasoned from analogy when he preached the gospel first, and, likening the human race to children, adapted his teachings to the comprehension of infancy. Theosophists who have dipped into the lore of ages can, of course, put Christianity aside as being puerile in its dogmatic form, and can demand a scheme of the universe that is more satisfactory and in accordance with the known aspects of science. The least we can do is to separate the original kernels of truth {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=213}}from the outer husk of creed, reserving the former for our use and condemning the latter.
But all this does not give us the right to scoff at Christianity or to revile it as many theosophists are in the habit of doing. Christianity may be likened to a bridge which has carried part of the world over from an epoch of infancy, or at least of ignorance, to an epoch of knowledge. It should therefore not be made the target of abuse. What if it has been the vehicle of tremendous cruelty and oppression? Nobody denies it—except, possibly, a few prejudiced priests. Let us admit that from the age of Constantine to the age of Victoria the church has only one long record of blood-shed and injustice. The mistake we are apt to make is to charge those crimes to Christianity, when, as a matter of fact, the fault lay in the darkness and degradation of the race. Religion in any other form would probably have evoked the same spirit of malevolence and persecution.
Or, if we were even to admit that the church is as bad as anyone has ever claimed it to be, and if we charge all the crimes of the Inquisition directly to the church, that is, as a result of the church's teaching; still we find that these evils have largely corrected themselves with time, and that now a more liberal spirit pervades all denominations. All Theosophists who have examined the various religions must admit that Christianity stripped of dogma is truthful, even to as great an extent as Mohammedanism, Hinduism, and Buddhism are true when deprived of their external forms. It so happens that we in America are brought up in and surrounded by Christianity. It is the religion of all classes without exception, save Jews. If we were living in Constantinople it would be fitting for us to be Mohammedans, and doubtless we would be; if we were in Bengal we would be bound in the chains of caste which the Hindus have forged; if we were in Ceylon we would be followers of Buddha. Thus our external form of religion is determined, as it should be, by the circumstances of birth. Our real religion is what we make it in our daily lives. But I think it most appropriate that, as we are dwelling in a Christian country, we should be to a certain extent Christians. As there are Buddhist Theosophists, as there are Moslem Theosophists, so there can be and are Christian Theosophists. It must be admitted, however, that some members of the Society have become so irritated against the creeds of the Christian churches that they have lost all patience and continually expend most of their vitality in open abuse of Christianity. Now, it is true that there are many objectionable features to the dogmas—in fact, all are objectionable—but is it not a waste of energy to be crying out against the churches all the time? Does not such a course really obstruct the progress of the truth by arousing the hostility of the church members? If we go out to battle with the sword, immediately the sword is drawn in defense of {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=214}}long-cherished theories, even though erroneous, and they out-number us a thousand to one. Would not far greater success be achieved by exercising a larger spirit of forbearance, by dwelling more upon the words of Jesus and less upon the quarrels of the apostles? A Theosophist of renown has written a book to prove that there was no such person as Jesus Christ, but what has he accomplished by it? Nothing except to induce some Theosophists to quote this imaginary work as a real authority and to excite the sneers of Christians. But the worst feature of this and other such attacks is that they are all the time placing Theosophy in direct antagonism to Christianity. They are giving the enemies of Theosophy weapons to use against us. Admitting the abuses that have crept into the churches, admitting even the exoteric nature of their religion as now taught, admitting all the crimes of the past and the ignorance of the present era, there is still no reason why we should not endeavor to reform Christianity. And to do any effectual work in this direction requires more discreet treatment of the church, or at least of the religion of Jesus, than has been accorded to it from many quarters in the last few years. Does anyone expect to convert people from Christianity to Theosophy? The idea is absurd. Can you convert a barn-door into a barn? No, but one can so fit the barn and barn-door that they can henceforth work together in harmony.
But, after all, there is a more important aspect which this question assumes, or should assume, to faithful theosophists. A no small part of duty is to exercise charity towards everybody, not to judge harshly, and to observe the Golden Rule. Our lot is cast in the midst of Christianity. In every city and village the spires denote the devotional tendency of the people. What if many individuals are imperfect and hypocritical! Is it not our duty to endeavor to see their better sides? Should we not exert ourselves to think kindly of these neighbors and friends of ours, even if they may be cherishing beliefs which we have found to be wrong? We admit that all religions are true at bottom, and no exception is made of Christianity. Is it not therefore our part to dwell upon this esoteric side of the national religion, and to think with kindness and charity of its errors, and by so doing and thinking shall we not achieve greater results than by deliberately separating ourselves from the church, and then attacking it as a foreign and hostile power?
{{Style P-Align right|G. E. W.}}
{{Style P-Quote|"The knowledge of the Absolute Spirit, like the effulgence of the sun, or like heat in fire, is naught else than the Absolute Essence itself. The attributes of the latter, heat or flame, are not the attributes of the Spirit, but of that of which the Spirit is the unconscious cause."—''Sankaracharya''.}}
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Sanscrit Pronunciations.}}
The following are hints of how to pronounce some Sanscrit words found in theosophical literature—
{| class="wikitable"
! Word !! Meaning !! Pronunciation
|-
| Arjuna || The shining one || Arjoonah
|-
| Asura || The evil spirits || Asoorah
|-
| Atma || Soul || Atmah
|-
| Avidya || Ignorance || Ahvidya
|-
| Avitchi || Hell || Ahvitchee
|-
| Bhagavad-Gita || Song of God || Bahgavad-Geetah
|-
| Benares || The sacred city || Benahrays
|-
| Brahma || Creator || Brahmah
|-
| Buddha || Enlightened One || Boodhah
|-
| Buddhi || Highest intelligence || Boodhee
|-
| Chela || Disciple || Chaylah
|-
| Devachan || Heaven || Dayva-khan
|-
| Guru || Teacher || Gooroo
|-
| Kama || Desire || Kahmah
|-
| Kali || Death, Dark, Wife || Kahlee
|-
| Krishna || A divine incarnation || Kreeshnah
|-
| Loka || Place or plane || Lokah
|-
| Manas || Mind || Mahnas
|-
| Manvantara || The life of a Manu || Manvantahra
|-
| Siva || The destroyer || Seevah
|-
| Surya || The sun || Sooreea
|-
| Veda || The revealed book of religion || Vaydah
|-
| Vishnu || The Preserver || Vishnoo
|-
| Yuga || An age or term of years || Yoogah
|-
| Yoga || Concentration || Yohgah
|}
These will give a good idea of how, in general, all these Sanscrit terms are to be sounded; the a as ah, o as oh, u as oo, e as eh, i as ee, almost without exception. The error should never be made of pronouncing Manas, Maynas, nor Kali as Kaylai.
On p. 95 of Vol. I of PATH will be found further suggestions.
{{Style P-Quote|Analogy is the guiding law in Nature, the only true Ariadne's thread that can lead us through the inextricable paths of her domain, toward her primal and final mysteries.—''Secret Doctrine''.}}
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Reincarnation and Memory.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=II.}}
In a previous paper certain relations of experience to memory were considered, and Karma was shown to be a resultant of action. These are elementary considerations, yet none the less important. They are derived from the commonest every-day experience, and hence everyone can test them for himself. It might be profitable to observe, in passing, that this deduction of knowledge from experience is the only way of learning. We have within ourselves the elements and conditions of superior knowledge and illumination, but so long as these elements are latent and inactive they are of no practical value. They make a grave, often a fatal, mistake who imagine that those possessed of supreme wisdom can bestow it upon the ignorant as a gratuity or a favor. They have not so received it, neither can they so impart it. The law never changes, and is the same for Adept and neophyte. Most truly says Hadji Erinn in the last PATH, "It may be a child's school, but it takes a man to go through it."
This digression seemed necessary in order to show the importance of the simpler primary propositions, and the manner in which they are to be received and tested. We are not dealing with Reincarnation as a dogma, but strictly as a scientific hypothesis. For any intelligent person now-a-days to accept the special-creation theory, with birth into the present life as the beginning of man, is to confess the whole problem of life to be incomprehensible and all its mysteries incapable of solution. With shaded eyes and bated breath all such continually ask, "What does it all mean?" The most salient point, the most common objection to the theory of reincarnation, is the lapse of memory. If we could remember distinctly any existence previous to this, the problem would at once be solved. It would then be a matter of common experience, and no one would doubt it. Therefore memory becomes the point of interest in examining the theory. If we are to estimate with any degree of certainty what memory may or may not do, what it may or may not have done, we must first determine by our own daily experience just what memory is now doing. Every reader, therefore, should pause after every statement, and inquire after every proposition—"Is this true? Is it in accordance with my own experience?" If he does this, and is careful as to the use and exact meaning of words, he will find the latent stores of knowledge beginning to unfold within his own soul, and {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=217}}the meaning of life will begin to appear. This knowledge of the true meaning of life will not depend on his acceptance of the theory of reincarnation as a dogma, though even in that way it is infinitely superior to any other, but the real benefit to the student will come from the fact that he is beginning to know himself, and to read correctly the lessons of his own experience. Those who oppose the reincarnation theory almost invariably show utter ignorance of these primary considerations, the very alphabet of the whole subject. The questions involved are so deep, so broad, and in their final application so abstruse, that an error in the beginning leads to endless complications and misconceptions further on. This is because human experience covers such a wide area, and human relations are so complicated; and any theory capable of meeting these experiences at every point must be equally potent and applicable. If, therefore, reincarnation be true, and be thus involved in human experience and capable of explaining the mysteries of life, it must be capable of logical deduction from these same experiences. Its ground of operation is our legitimate ground for investigation. Those who are unable or unwilling to study the subject in this way may accept the theory as a dogma, or deny it altogether, as they please; though at this point a great deal may be said as to motive and result on human action. From the standpoint of dogma the principle of justice, both human and divine, overwhelmingly supports reincarnation; while every other theory known to modern times is horribly unjust; thus favoring priest-craft and king-craft, and rendering the essential Brotherhood of man impossible.
{{Style P-Quote|"Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless millions mourn."}}
The essence of humanity is justice; the essence of all inhumanity is injustice. Wherever exact justice reigns, divine Charity glorifies life with the halo of Divinity.
These preliminary considerations may help to set our subject in its true light, and serve in divesting it of all prejudice. Only in this way can we examine any subject dispassionately, with any probability of arriving at the simple truth.
We may now return to our original inquiry: If the theory of re-incarnation be true, why have we no recollection of any previous life? Passing by all those cases where such reminiscence is claimed by certain individuals like Apollonius of Tyana, and certain experiences difficult of explanation on any other ground in the life of many persons, passing by such considerations as favor belief in reincarnation on the ground of Justice, let us consider memory in relation to experience. From the known character of memory deduced from daily experience, is there any reason to expect it to bridge the chasm between two incarnations, provided more than the present incarnation has existed for the individual? If not, why not? Put in another form, our thesis may be stated in this way: Is the absence of memory of a previous life any bar to the acceptance and rational application of the theory of reincarnation?
The terms cause and effect are related to phenomena. The essence of {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=218}}phenomena is motion, or action. Every so-called cause is involved in its effect, and every so-called effect becomes in its turn a cause of further action to be involved in all succeeding effects. Man has sometimes been called "a creature of circumstance." This is a half-truth. Man is also a creator of circumstance. In other words, man bears the same general relation to cause and effect as does every object in nature. If we observe any object in nature we discover it giving rise to or the theatre of phenomena. If we find it acting, we may trace the so-called causes of its present activities. If we find it apparently quiescent, we may discover what activities it will presently give rise to. There is thus a period of activity followed by a period of repose, and this followed by renewed activity. All nature is thus instinct with life, for life is essential action. Thus "the out-breathing and in-breathing of Brahm" involves every atom and every object, no less than every organism.
{{Style P-Quote|Life's pulses quiver everywhere,
A solemn rhythm reigns;
A measured tread is in the air,
The ocean throbs with pain.
The solid earth its pulses keeps
While shadows come and go;
Deeps answer always unto deeps,
Glow answers unto glow.
Back of all action there is rest;
Behind all rest the flame
Of life but smoulders in Brahm's breast,
Ready to glow again.}}
{{Style P-Signature|Harij.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=H. P. Blavatsky and Theosophists.}}
In a late number of the ''Revue Theosophique'', H. P. Blavatsky says:
{{Style P-Quote|"'Love one another' said Jesus to those who studied the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
"'Profess altruism, preserve the union, accord, and harmony of your groups, all you who place yourselves in the ranks of neophytes and seekers of the one Truth', say other Masters to us. 'Without union and intellectual and psychic sympathy you will attain nothing. He who sows discord reaps the whirlwind.'
"Learned Kabalists are not wanting among us in Europe and America. What good does that do us, and what have they done for the society? Instead of getting together to help each other, they look at each other askance, ready to criticise."
"Those who wish to succeed in theosophy, abstract or practical, should remember that want of union is the first condition of failure. But let ten {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=219}}determined theosophists unite themselves; let them work together, each according to his own way, in one or another branch of universal science, but let each one be in sympathy with his brother; let this be done, and we can answer for it that each member would make greater progress in the sacred science in one year than could be made in ten years by himself. In theosophy what is needed is emulation and not rivalry.
"In real theosophy it is always the least who becomes the greatest.
"However, the society has more victorious disciples than is commonly supposed. But these stand aside and work instead of declaiming. Such are our most zealous as well as our most devoted disciples. When they write they hide their names; when they read garbled translation of sacred ancient books, they see the real meaning under the veil of obscurity that western philologists have thrown upon them, for they know the mystery language. These few men and women are the pillars of our temple. They alone paralyze the incessant work of our theosophic moles."}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=A Sonnet to Night.}}
{{Style P-Quote|The spicy fragrance of the skies
Falls through the night air on my soul,
From depths where constellations rise,
From depths where suns unnumbered roll:
From star-laid strata—star o'er star
Where God's great lanterns swing and sway,
Behind the "Gates of Light" ajar:
Behind the Barrier of the Day:
And swing, and sway;—and flash their light
Through every crevice of the night.}}
{{Style P-Signature|T. H.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Judge W.Q. - Universal Applications of Doctrine|Universal Applications of Doctrine]]}}
<center>[[Judge, William Quan|W. Q. Judge]], pp. 219-225</center>
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{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=225}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Prof. Max Muller on Buddhism.}}
The distinguished Sanscritist Max Müller delivered last year before the University of Glasgow a series of lectures—called "Gifford Lectures"—upon Religions, and made the following remarks about Buddhism which will be of interest:—
The essence of Buddhist morality is a belief in Karma, that is of work done in this or in a former life which must go on producing effects until the last penny is paid. There can be no doubt, the lecturer thinks, that this faith has produced very beneficial results, and that it would explain many things which to us remain the riddles of life. Thus, while to us the irregularities with which men are born into the world seem unjust, they can be justified at once by adopting the doctrines of Karma. We are born what we deserve to be born. We are paying our penalty or are receiving our reward in this life for former acts. This makes the sufferer more patient, for he feels that he is working out an old debt, while the happy man knows that he is living on the interest of his capital of good works, and that he must try to lay by more capital for a future life. The Buddhist, trusting in Karma—and he does trust in it with belief as strong as any belief in a religious dogma—can honestly say, Whatever is, is right; and the same {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=226}}belief, that makes him see in what he now suffers or enjoys the natural outcome of his former deeds, will support him in trying to avoid evil and to do good, knowing that no good and no evil word, thought, or act performed in this life can ever be lost in the life of the universe. But while Müller regards the Buddhist belief in Karma as extensively useful, he cannot see how it can be accommodated under any of the definitions of religion which he has passed in review.
But who, asks Müller, has the right so to narrow the definition of the word religion that it should cease to be applicable to Buddhism, which is the creed of the majority of mankind?
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=The Key to Theosophy.}}
{{Style P-Subtitle|H. P. Blavatsky's Last Book.}}
This work is meant to be a clear exposition, in the form of question and answer, of Philosophy and Ethics, for the study of which the Theosophical Society has been founded. There are 307 pages which are divided into fourteen chapters—the number of years the Theosophical Society has been in existence. There is also a conclusion in which the future of the Society is dwelt upon by the author. It is published simultaneously in New York and London.<ref>{{Style P-Editors note|1889. New York, by William Q. Judge, and London by the Theosophical Publishing Company. $1.50. The price in London is 6 shillings, in America $1.50.}}</ref>
The sections are as follows:
# Theosophy and the Theosophical Society.
# Exoteric and Esoteric Theosophy.
# The Working System of the T. S.
# Relations of the T. S. to Theosophy.
# Fundamental Teachings of Theosophy.
# Theosophical Teachings as to Nature and Man.
# On the Various Post-mortem States.
# On Re-incarnation or Re-birth.
# On the Kama-Loka and Devachan.
# On the Nature of our Thinking Principle.
# On the Mysteries of Re-incarnation.
# What is Practical Theosophy?
# On the Misconceptions about the T. S.
# The "Theosophical Mahatmas."
''Conclusion'': The Future of the Theosophical Society.
The conclusion, regarding the future of the Society, is of great interest to all earnest students, showing what our possibilities may be if we live up to our responsibilities. The manner in which the author has dealt with the subject is clear and easily understood by anyone, and the book ought to be in the possession of every Branch Library, and should be recommended by all Theosophists to others inquiring about the subject.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Keightley J - Tea Table Talk|Tea Table Talk]]}}
<center>[[Keightley, Julia|Julia Keightley]] (signed "Julius"), pp. 227-229</center>
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<hr>
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=229}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Literary Notes.}}
The John W. Lovell Co., 150 Worth St., New York, are about to issue a monthly series of publications upon Occultism at 50 cts. each or $5.00 a year. The first will be Mabel Collins's ''Blossom and the Fruit''; and then follow Dr. Anna Kingsford's ''Dreams and Dream Stories'', Rita's ''Sheba'', Edward Maitland's ''The Pilgrim and the Shrine'', Dr. Kingsford's ''The Perfect Way'', and Dr. Hartmann's ''Magic White and Black''.
It is proper to state that this is not a pirated edition, but that the authors are remunerated for their consent to the American reprint.
''The Theosophical Review'' for August (Paris) contains the conclusion of H. P. Blavatsky's article on the "Beacon of the Unknown," in which she forcibly points out that altruism and union are the only conditions which conduce to success in either abstract or practical occultism, and urges the formation of harmonious and helpful groups whose members shall assist one another. Other articles are Amaravella's translation of ''Gates of Gold''; Science and Theosophy, by Dr. F. de Courmelles; What is Theosophy, by Hermes. The Wisdom of the Egyptians, by Lambert, is a learned and valuable article on the 7 principles. A translation from the ''Secret Doctrine'', a review of New Dogmas, by Nus, two striking poems, and the usual notes complete the number. The Hermes T. S. has formed a committee for the purpose of answering all inquirers, a plan which works well and helps those who answer as well as those who ask.
''Testimonia'' is a little series of brochures published by E. A. Sheldon, 253 Main St., Hartford, Conn. ($1.00 a year, 10 cents each). No. 7 is "The Equation of Sex" by Miss Lydia Bell, covering 16 pages. The subject is as vast as it is interesting.
''The Astral Light'', by Nizida. This little book of 180 pages, upon one of the most pregnant facts in Theosophical science, deserves warm greeting. The earlier part states what is known concerning the Astral Light and its contents, and the latter part treats most justly and discriminatingly of the true and the misleading in spiritualistic phenomena. The intervening chapters deal with individual, national, and racial evolution. It is not a book of revelations, nor does it even greatly add to those facts about the Astral Light with which most Theosophists are familiar, but it is a book of singularly vigorous and healthy tone, peculiarly stimulating and bracing to the moral motive, full of high aspiration and contagious resolve. It is hardly possible to read it without marked elevation of mind and a new impulse to endeavor, and for {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=230}}this reason we estimate it as having rare value to sincere disciples. Not altogether felicitous, as the illustration of persecution in the present age, was the citation of the grudging of tobacco to paupers by rate-payers (page 98), and the word "transpire" should not be used in the sense of "occur" (page 108), but a very few small blemishes do not impair the worth of this truly excellent book.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Correspondence.}}
<center>''Pasadena, Cal.; August 22d, 1889.''</center>
I noticed in PATH an article on the "change which is coming," accompanied with a guess that this change might be the manufacture of gold. Has not Bellamy come nearer guessing the change—brotherhood and co-operation?
{{Style P-Align right|B.}}
The article referred to, "A Dream of Gold," was only the speculation of one as to what would occur if gold could be made. He was not "guessing at the coming change." Edward Bellamy guessed well at ''a'', but not at ''the'', change. The state Bellamy pictures will not be arrived at except through blood and fire, and perhaps after the fall in value of gold shall have driven the thought of values out of the people's mind. The working man is no doubt oppressed, but he is still human, and, given power, will exhibit the faults of those who now have it.—[Ed.]
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Theosophical Activities}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=America.}}
The Aryan T. S. of New York has resumed its meetings after the vacation. In the early summer two generous members offered $40 towards the purchase of new books for the Library, provided $60 were raised by the other members. This was accomplished, and, besides new books procured, many valuable pamphlets have been bound and the Library thoroughly overhauled. There are now about 220 books therein. A friend of the President, not himself an F. T. S., has presented the first six volumes of the ''Theosophist'', and, if a few missing numbers can be procured, the Aryan T. S. will enjoy the possession of a complete set of the ''Theosophist'' from the beginning,—no small achievement, as all earlier numbers are out of print. At the meeting on Sept. 10th a paper upon "The Key-Note of Karma" was contributed by Bro. James M. Pryse, Charter-member of Satwa Lodge, Los Angeles, Calif.; one on "Theosophy" by Bro. H. T. Patterson, Charter-member of Brooklyn T. S.; and one on "Broad Applications of Theosophical Doctrines" by William Q. Judge.
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=7|p=231}}
{{Style S-Small capitals|The General Secretary's Fund}} received from May 1st to September 11th: from Branches, $151.50, from individuals, $324.60.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Mrs. Ver Planck's Fund}} has reached $142, of which $71 have been sent to the T. P. S.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Boston, Mass.}}—With the first Sunday in September the Boston Branch began its regular weekly meetings. A systematic study of the Bhagavad-Gita has been taken up. There are a number of new proposals for membership.
{{Style S-Small capitals|The Blavatsky T. S.}} of Washington met again on September 11th, and the President delivered a "Digest of Theosophy" nearly two hours in length. Part of its fruit was an immediate desire to join the Society on the part of two of the hearers. Eight new members have joined the Blavatsky T. S. in as many weeks,—a rate which, if kept up, will soon make this one of our most powerful Branches. It meets at the house of the president, No. 1615 Madison St. N. W., Washington, D. C., and some of its members have secured the use of a part of a column in one of the daily papers. It has several colored members.
{{Style S-Small capitals|The Golden Gate Lodge}} held its usual open meetings in San Francisco and Oakland every Sunday during the past month. Original papers were read and lectures delivered by members before audiences ranging from 100 to 150. Some of the topics were "Why I am a Theosophist" by Prof. Charles H. Sykes; "Involution and Evolution" by Mrs. Sarah A. Harris; "Good and Evil" by Dr. J. A. Anderson; "The Constitution of Man" by Miss M. A. Walsh. Questions and answers follow each lecture, and full and free discussion upon the subject treated and general Theosophic topics is encouraged.
It is purposed to hold at some point in California during the month of either September or October an ''ad interim'' Convention of the Branches upon the Pacific Coast. This is for the purposes of mutual advancement, of the consideration of questions to be submitted to the next Annual Convention, and of appointing a regular delegate thereto; it being understood that no votes for officers or upon any other question except those for submission to the Annual Convention will be taken. The Branches projecting the scheme are the Bandhu, Point Loma, Excelsior, and Golden Gate.
Application for a Charter for a new Branch has been received from Kansas City, Mo., the applicants being Judge Henry N. Ess, Dr. J. P. Knoche, Messrs. George P. Olmstead, George F. Winter, J. H. Knoche, and Chancy P. Fairman.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=India.}}
{{Style S-Small capitals|Adyar Library.}}—The library at Headquarters grows very valuable. Though less than three years have passed since its foundation, it has a very fine collection of Oriental books. In Buddhist literature it is richer than any other library in India. A recent valuable addition is a full set of the Pali Tripitikas engraved on palm leaves and comprising 60 vols. of 5,000 pages. 20 stylus writers were occupied on this for two years. It was presented by Mrs. Dias-Bangakoon, F. T. S., of Ceylon. It cost about 3,500 rupees. Col. Olcott brought back Japanese Buddhist books numbering over 1,000.
In the department of Sanscrit literature and ancient philosophy the library is very rich.
Bro. Chas. F. Powell has been detailed by Col. Olcott to Ceylon to take charge of the Headquarters there and of the Buddhist during the absence of Bro. Leadbeater on a tour of inspection through Ceylon for three months.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=England.}}
H. P. Blavatsky has returned to London from France in very much better health.
Col. H. S. Olcott is in England, and he expects to give a course of lectures through Great Britain. We hope he will visit Ireland. During his absence from India the former Commission will have charge of the Headquarters.
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In England we can now see that H. P. Blavatsky has made the people think of Theosophy. When she arrived there four years ago it was almost unheard of; now all over England it is being gradually referred to. If even in ridicule, that is a beginning.
Bro. E. T. Sturdy of New Zealand has returned to England, stopping at New York on his way.
Annie Besant, the famous co-worker with Bradlaugh, has become co-editor of ''Lucifer'' and an earnest theosophist. Hereupon the various religious papers in England made a great fuss and became so inconsistent that, whereas hitherto they had denounced theosophy as devilish and atheistic, they now declare that Annie Besant has given up materialism and believes in God.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Switzerland.}}
{{Style P-Subtitle|A Theosophical Retreat.}}
A society has been founded, we are asked to state, with the following name, officers, capital, and objects.
Its name is "Fraternitas."
Its officers are: Countess C. Wachtmeister, F. T. S., president; Dr. A. Pioda, F. T. S., secretary; members, Dr. R. Thurman, Dr. Franz Hartmann.
Capital 50,000 francs divided into 500 fr. shares; no profits to be made, and only right of habitation given.
A house or chalet is to be built when capital is subscribed, upon land donated by Dr. Pioda and situated upon the mountains near Locarno.
When capital stock is taken a general assembly will be called, and then rules will be adopted. The funds will be deposited in Cantonal Bank, Ticino.
No distinctions of race, belief, or opinion are to be made. One end of the Society will be to afford to poor Theosophists a place of retreat.
Prices will be moderate, and the regimen will be vegetarian or not as suits those living there.
Subscriptions will be closed 31st December, 1889.
Address the secretary, Dr. A. Pioda, Locarno, Switzerland.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Ceylon.}}
The following new T. S. Branches were organized during Col. H. S. Olcott's last visit there in June and July.
Maha Mahinda T. S., at Anuradhapura; Upaya Lokartha Sadhaka T. S., at Matale; Ananda T. S., at Mawanella; Maliyadeva T. S., at Kurunegala; Sariputra T. S., at Kataluwa.
Bro. Charles F. Powell publicly embraced the Buddhist religion at Ceylon lately, and then made an address in the Theosophical Hall at Colombo. The High Priest Rev. Sumangala with other priests was on the platform, and Sumangala delivered the opening address.
In Ceylon the Theosophical movement is distinctly Buddhistic: in India it is Brahmanically philosophical; in England it is militant, lively, and interesting; in America it is startlingly rapid, with a mixture of all the rest.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=News of Damodar.}}
Damodar K. Mavalankar is a name beloved by many of our older members. He left Adyar at end of 1884 or beginning of 1885, and some said he had gone to Tibet, others that he was dead. In ''Theosophist'' for September there is a letter from Sriman Swamy of Allahabad, who says that he had been in Tibet and there seen Damodar in Lhassa in March 1887 and had spoken with him. Bro. R. Harte has conversed with the Swami, who corroborated what he had written in the letter.
{{Style P-Quote|Man is sacrifice. His first twenty-four years are the morning, and the next forty-four years the midday, libation.—''Chandogya-Upanishad''.}}
<center>OM.</center>
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== No. 8 – November 1889 ==
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Some Notes on the Mahatmas.}}
<center>''[A Paper read before the Aryan T. S. of N. Y., Oct. 8th, 1889.]''</center>
In accordance with the suggestion of our President last Tuesday evening, I have tried to collect such evidence as to the nature of the Mahatmas as I could from the Theosophical books I had in my own library, not having had time to go elsewhere. If I rightly understood Mr. Judge on the occasion referred to, he defined Mahatma, or the great souled, as a purely spiritual existence, and therefore only to be properly spoken of in the singular, as pure spirit is necessarily undifferentiated and therefore one and the same. I have not yet succeeded in finding any definition of "the Mahatma" that implies quite so impersonal an entity. The nearest approach to this idea is in an anonymous article on page 92 of ''Five Years of Theosophy'', entitled "Mahatmas and Chelas," which begins thus: "A {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=234}}Mahatma is an individual who, by special training and education, has evolved those higher faculties and has attained that spiritual knowledge which ordinary humanity will acquire after passing through numberless series of re-incarnations during the process of cosmic evolution," (provided, of course, that it moves in the right direction). Such a person having, by proper training in successive incarnations, gradually purged himself of the lower principles of his nature, there arrives a time when the entity consists solely of "that higher Manas which is inseparably linked to the Atma and its vehicle" (the sixth principle). "When, therefore," continues the writer, "people express a desire to 'see a Mahatma,' they really do not seem to understand what it is they ask for. How can they, with their physical eyes, hope to see that which transcends sight? * * Higher things can be perceived only by a sense pertaining to those higher things; whoever therefore wants to see the real Mahatma must use his intellectual sight * * The Mahatma has identified himself with that Universal Soul which runs through Humanity, and to draw his attention one must do so through that Soul."
This definition makes of the Mahatma a purely spiritual existence, and therefore part and parcel of the Divine element of which we all to some extent partake.
But the Glossary of the book quoted (''Five Years of Theosophy'') defines "Mahatma, a great soul: an adept in occultism of the highest order," and other papers in the book by Ramaswamier, Damodar, and Mohini speak of "the living physical body of the Mahatma" (p. 452), of "the Himalayan Brothers as living men, and not disembodied spirits" (p. 458), and of the Mahatma Koothoomi "as a living person like any of us."
Mrs. Sinnett's ''Purpose of Theosophy'' (p. 70) says that "the custodians of the secret Knowledge are variously called Mahatmas, Rishis, Arhats, Adepts, Guru Devas, Brothers, etc. * * * The majority of them now live in Thibet * * They can defy matter, distance, even death itself, * * and have in the routine of their training arrived at such perfection that the real spiritual man is independent of and altogether master of the material body. * * * Far above the best of the Yogis stand the Mahatmas. * * Their existence as human beings has been questioned, but, on the other hand, hundreds of people have not only seen and spoken with them, but some have even lived under the same roof with their own Mahatmas for years together." Mrs. Sinnett also says that it is well-known that "in the formation of the T. S. the founders were acting under the direct wishes of certain of the Mahatmas," and that the Hindus had to be convinced "not of the actual existence of the Mahatmas as living men, for of this they had ample proof, but that the visible founders of the Society were really their agents."
{{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=235}}
According to Mr. Sinnett, Arhat, Mahatma, Rishi, are interchangeable terms. (''Esot. B.'' p. 49 ''et seq.'') "The Arhats and the Mahatmas are the same men. At that level of spiritual exaltation, supreme knowledge of the esoteric doctrine blends all original sectarian distinctions. By whatever name such illuminati may be called, they are the adepts of occult knowledge, sometimes spoken of in India now as the Brothers. * * The Tibetan Brotherhood is incomparably the highest of such associations. * * The Mahatmas themselves are subordinate by several degrees to the chief of all" (in the Tibetan organization).
In the book called "Man," we are told that "the Adept hierarchy was established by the Dhyan Chohan to watch over and protect the growing race. * * That there are seven classes of Adepts, of which five alone are ordinarily spoken of; the last two are understood only by the higher initiates. The heads of the five classes are known in Thibet as the Chulukiu or jewels of wisdom."
On the next page the authors tell us that "there are nine grades of Adepts, each grade having seven subdivisions. In the Brahmanical system, the nine grades are referred to as the nine jewels (''nava nidhi'')."
"Unlike the ordinary man, * * * the Mahatmas live wholly in the spirit. * * The Mahatmas do not ignore the conditions of daily life; they fully sympathize with the struggling masses of humanity, but the higher cannot stoop to the lower; the lower must see the heights above, and scale them if it will. It must never be thought that the Mahatmas are creators; they are only inspirers and educators. * * * They have undoubtedly a human side to their characters, but it is so inseparably blended with their higher spiritual nature that no one who tries to dissociate the two parts of their being will ever understand either correctly."
In the PATH, Vol. I, No. 9, there is an article on "The Theosophical Mahatmas" by Mme. Blavatsky, in which she says, "Our Masters are not a 'jealous god'; they are simply holy mortals, nevertheless, however, higher than any in this world, morally, intellectually, and spiritually. However holy and advanced in the science of the mysteries, they are still men, members of a Brotherhood, who are the first in it to show themselves subservient to its time-honored laws and rules." In the same article H. P. B. speaks of "the Paraguru, my Master's MASTER." I have been unable to find any other article in the first volume of the PATH on the subject, except one on "The Reticence of the Mahatmas," which does not enter into any definition of their nature. In No. 3, vol. II, a letter signed "Julius" says that "the beings spoken of by Edwin Arnold as Mahatmas are not considered 'men' in the East."
In Vol. II, No. 4, in an article signed "S. B." on the "Reincarnations of Mahatmas," we read: "While the personality of the reincarnated {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=236}}Master is a human being, with all the attributes which make up any other human being, its constitution is naturally of a finer order, so as to make it an instrument adapted to the work for which it has been brought into the world." This idea, that the finer soul naturally falls, in re-incarnating, into a finer body, is expressed in the Wisdom of Solomon, 8:20, "Being good, I came into a body undefiled."
In the ''Secret Doctrine'', Vol. I, p. 46, Mme. Blavatsky defines Dangma as "a purified soul, one who has become a Jivanmukta, the highest adept, or rather a Mahatma so-called." In Vol. II, p. 173, she says that the Third Race "created the so-called Sons of Will and Yoga, or the 'ancestors' (the spiritual forefathers) of all the subsequent and present Arhats or Mahatmas." And on p. 423 she speaks of "the great Mahatmas or Buddhas, these Buddhas representing, as we are taught, once living men, great Adepts and Saints, in whom the 'Sons of Wisdom' had incarnated, and who were therefore, so to speak, minor Avatars of the Celestial Beings."
Patanjali tells us in his 3rd Book, Aph. No. 46, that "the ascetic who has acquired complete control over the elements obtains certain perfections; to wit, the power to project his inner-self into the smallest atom, to expand his inner-self to the size of the largest body, to render his material body light or heavy at will, to give indefinite extension to his astral body or its separate members, to exercise an irresistible will upon the minds of others, to obtain the highest excellence of the material body, and the ability to preserve such excellence when attained." And in Aphorism 39 we are told that "the inner-self of the ascetic may be transferred to any other body and there have complete control." The ascetic who has acquired the perfection of discriminative power possesses the "Knowledge that saves from re-birth." That Knowledge "has all things and the nature of all things for its objects, and perceives all that hath been and that is, without limitations of time, place, or circumstance, as if all were in the present and in the presence of the contemplator." This can only mean the virtual annihilation of time and space, and such an ascetic, Mr. Judge informs us, "is a Jivanmukta, and is not subject to re-incarnation. He, however, may yet live upon earth, but is not in any way subject to his body, the soul being perfectly free at every moment. And such is held to be the state of those beings called in theosophical literature Adepts, Mahatmas, Masters."
''Jivanmukta'' means literally a "liberated life"; Arhat, a "worthy one"; Rishi, "a revealer"; Mahatma, "a great soul." We see that all or any of these appellations may easily be applied to those Beings we also call "the Masters," although the terms themselves may have an individual and distinct meaning. That they are thus promiscuously used, the above extracts sufficiently show. They show also, it seems to me, that "the garment that we see him by" is no more the Mahatma, any more than the Othello we may see {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=237}}upon the stage this week is the real Salvini. To have obtained that lofty pinnacle of spiritual perfection known as "the great soul" is to have become independent of human conditions, and those who speak of the Masters as "men exactly like ourselves" can only refer to the special personality which for special needs they have chosen to assume for the moment. As well identify a man with his coats, as a being who can "transfer himself to any other body and there have complete control" with any form, however perfect in beauty, under which he may make himself visible to our purblind eyes. At the same time, if we are to believe Mme. Blavatsky, they are still individuals, and not pure spirit, for she says "they are simply holy mortals, nevertheless, however, higher than any in this world, morally, intellectually, and spiritually."
{{Style P-Signature|K. H.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=The Lining of the Hand.}}
<center>''[A Paper read before the Chicago T. S., September 2, 1889.]''</center>
An interesting bit of history is found in the word "lining," one of the simplest in the English language. Its origin is strictly occult. And yet how little would anyone suspect a mystic flavor in such a well-worn term, used in every-day conversation in reference to our clothes and household utensils. And in even its daily use it is always applied to the inner, as distinguished from the outer, side of any given object. One might {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=238}}quote a thousand applications of this term, all appropriate and all referring to the inner, as distinguished from the outward, side of any given object.
The origin of this very common English noun may be sought for, and correctly, in the Latin-derived word "line." But what connection is there between a "line" and a "lining"? Apparently none. The latter might have been construed, once upon a time, as a participle of the former, but that does not afford any explanation of the entirely different meanings of the two words as now used. We have seen what a lining is in the popular acceptation of the term, and we are aware that the geometrical definition of a line is that which has length but neither breadth nor thickness. One might search forever for a rational explanation of the variation in the two significations, and would never find it without referring to occultism. In that branch of science known as cheiromancy the lines traced by Nature upon the palm of the hand are discovered to possess certain senses indicative not only of past events but of the probabilities of the future. It may be supposed that in the Middle Ages, when the English tongue was being gradually evolved from the Norman, Norse, and Saxon, and when palmistry was carried across the channel by the gypsies, the lining of the hand was often referred to, strictly within the original meaning of the lines of the hand. Afterwards the same term was applied to other objects, referring to the entire inner side. Later the first sense was forgotten, and would not be readily revived in this exoteric age,—not, at least, by any of the school-men or theologians.
Concerning the lining of the hand there is a great deal to be said and much to be yet learned, notwithstanding the exhaustive labors of John Indagine, Albertus Magnus, Bartholomew Codes, le Sieur de Peruchio, J. Fricasso, and, more than any other, that enthusiastic Frenchman, Adrien Desbarolles. For, whatever may be claimed of cheiromancy, and there is no doubt but that it occupies an important field, it cannot yet be classed as an exact science. In this opinion I am aware that I am going contrary to the dicta of Heron-Allen, Rosa Baughan, and other recent English writers who say that all the important events in the life of any individual can be accurately determined. But it appears to me, after some years of careful investigation and comparison, that it is only rarely that events are so strongly portrayed on the palm as to be seen at a glance and boldly announced. My own experience is that the story of a life is much more intricate. The lines are generally so modified by one another and so inter-related that even a very careful inspection will frequently fail to bring out facts with any degree of exactness. I do not deny that the hieroglyphics are there and that they are mathematically correct, but our knowledge of them is still so limited as to render an interpretation frequently unjust and almost always incomplete. The reason for this must be found in the fact that, as all men and women are different in character and disposition, so much so that no two persons are alike, just in the same manner are all lives different in their details, so that each individual's career is unlike that of anyone else. There are millions of contingencies that may happen, and Nature must write the romance of each life on the limited space assigned to her. Our rules of cheiromancy are derived from the personal observations of a few students. Can it be for a moment supposed that they have seen and recognized more than a mere fraction of the signs taken from Nature's wide vocabulary? It is, of course, the fashion for professional cheiromants to claim everything. Especially is the fashion prominent in the works of recent writers on this subject. The elder authors were more modest, however, and interjected many pious disclaimers and humble confessions of ignorance into their folios. And yet they were men of deep learning—the quintessence of their times.
To illustrate the influence of modifiers on the lining of the hand, the instance might be quoted of a gentleman known to the writer who, according to the lines, should have been divorced, but who is living happily (or was at last accounts) with his family. In his case the divorce line, after standing out with great distinctness for several years, was finally continued {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=239}}up to the mount of Saturn and took on an altogether different signification. I recall also the case of a gentleman who has written several books on occult subjects, and who, according to all the laws of cheiromancy, should have been dead these twenty years past, but who is still enjoying excellent health. There is also another, a physician, whose career ought to have terminated last year, but who awkwardly persists in clinging to this earthly sphere and retaining his "clothes of skin." In the second of these cases there is no apparent modifier, and yet it must be somewhere on the palm to indicate Nature's reprieve. The last-mentioned instance may be simply a case of wrong measurement on the life-line, but more probably there is a modifier, if it could be discovered. Certainly there is no square of protection anywhere near the fatal epoch. It must be some other character employed by Nature than the ones known to modern cheiromants.
In the face of these and similar apparent exceptions to the rules, it is better not to press too closely the claim for cheiromancy of being an exact science. Let us put it on its proper footing. We may suppose that the Atlanteans were versed in palmistry among other magic arts. Undoubtedly some vestiges of it descended to the Aryans along with the Zodiac and the rudiments of astrology. In that most ancient occult work known as the Book of Job, both astrology and palmistry are clearly indicated. The English priests mistranslated all such passages as much as possible, in order to prevent them from being understood by the masses. In the Vulgate, on the contrary, the sense was very nearly preserved, as in chapter 37, verse 7, where it reads: "Qui in manu omnium hominum signat ut noverint singuli opera sua". (He places signs in the hand of every man in order that all may know his works). In connection with this, how ridiculous is the reading of the English Version: "He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work!" But this is on a par with other false renderings of the Old Testament, as, for instance, the first word in the first chapter of Genesis.
However, there is no doubt that cheiromancy was known among the earliest tribes of the present human race. If the later initiated were ever more guarded in referring to it than they were in speaking of astrology, the reason is not hard to find. It was comparatively safe for the ancients to compute astrologic directions with some degree of publicity, because by its very nature astrology was so difficult that ordinary minds were totally incapable of comprehending it or its rules. The Chaldean seer had no fear in calculating nativities, because the common people could not rise to his level. Cheiromancy, on the other hand, was simple and could be easily learned, the rules requiring only an effort of memory. Hence it had to be more sacredly guarded from the public, and the candidates for initiation into the mysteries might have been specially cautioned against writing or {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=240}}saying anything about it publicly. One of the lower caste tribes of India, having fled to escape the atrocities committed by Timour Beg in 1408 A. D., passed through Egypt and reached Europe in 1417. From the circumstance of their having come from Egypt they were mistakenly called Egyptians, which name has since clung to them through nearly 500 years of wanderings. The gypsies appear to have had some leaders who instructed them in the secret art of palmistry. It was the one bequest to them from their progenitors, who may perhaps have derived it from Enoch himself. Among the gypsies there were never any written rules of palmistry,—in fact, there are none even at the present day. The indications were carefully transmitted from mother to daughter,—as the fortune-telling was always monopolized by the females of this nomadic race. Many of these rules have from time to time passed into the possession of curious outsiders, but it is believed that even now the gypsies have a knowledge of certain important hieroglyphs which have never been given to the public, and which are unknown to the writers of our latest works on cheiromancy.
After indulging in some criticism on palmistry, based upon a knowledge of what it will not do, there is great pleasure in recognizing the services which it really performs. By the shape of the hand the expert cheiromant at once determines the disposition, character, and probable occupation of the owner of that hand. Physiognomy betrays the ruling planet, although the same result can be attained by an examination of the mounts of the palm. It is thus possible for one sitting in a window on a busy street of a great city to tell at a glance the leading characteristics of every individual in the passing throng, as well as the planet under which each one may have been born. This of itself is no ordinary feat, and borders closely upon the magical. D'Arpentigny's interpretation of the thumb and fingers comes the nearest to reducing this branch of the art to exactitude of any authority, ancient or modern. In fact, so far as the mere disposition and capacity of any person are concerned, this may be set down as certainly exposed to the trained eye of the disciple of D'Arpentigny. Cheirognomy is therefore to all intents and purposes an exact science. But when we come to the particular events, past, present, and future, of a particular career, then the honest cheiromant must pause and examine his ground with the utmost circumspection.<ref>{{Style P-Editors note|The reader will observe the distinction made between the two branches of palmistry, viz., cheirognomy and cheiromancy.}}</ref> No doubt there are some people whose lives have been so influenced by one great single passion or purpose as to cause the nature of that leading motive to be infallibly stamped upon the palm. Such fortunes are seen at a glance. But, speaking from experience, I have found that in the great majority of instances the subjects have been living an uneventful career,—that is to say, a career uneventful as seen by an outsider; for to {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=241}}the individual his own career is never uneventful. To the blacksmith in a country village, for instance, every occurrence is of as much importance, apparently, as are the experiences of a soldier in battle, or of a financier in a great city. But the cheiromant is compelled to establish a standard by which all lives are impartially measured. The most difficult fortunes to tell are those of mediocrity, and they are the most common. Given the hand of a talented actress, of a great soldier, of a statesman or poet, and that is most interesting and easy for the practised cheiromant to read. In stupidity and stagnation he is more often confounded.
Some recent writers on palmistry have attempted to separate it from astrology, and in so doing their arguments are as absurdly incongruous as are the efforts of Christian writers to reconcile the two opposing dogmas of free-will and predestination. No unprejudiced thinker can for a moment entertain their ridiculous sophisms. To accept palmistry and reject astrology is simply to accept a limb while rejecting the whole body, or to believe in a part while denying the whole. Cheiromancy is merely a branch of astrology. As the latter shows us how the careers of men may be indicated by the place of the planets at birth, so the lines of the hand are simply the written word of Nature in corroboration of the astral positions. Or, to be more explicit, they are the direct results of the planetary influences. Whether brought down to earth by the rays of light penetrating space, or whether transmitted through a more incomprehensible medium, there is no doubt that the subtle forces are always at work. The signature of Nature is invariably stamped upon the hand of the infant at birth, as if the child were a coin fresh from the mint. The physiological cheiromants claim that the tendencies of a man's nature are the result of his ante-natal and ancestral circumstances, instead of direct astral influences, and that it is these tendencies that mould the formations of his hands, and that the events of his life may be explained and foretold by a careful study of these causes, based upon experiences which, in these cases, do duty for experiments.<ref>{{Style P-Editors note|Heron-Allen, ''Manual of Cheirosophy'', p. 68.}}</ref> But what shall we say of the constant changing of the lines during life-time, or how account for the actual presence of the lines themselves on any such theory? The argument is altogether too weak and unsupported by other circumstances. The full extent of heredity in this science may be easily found to consist in the shape of the palm and fingers. Here Nature performs another of her miracles which would be remarkable if not an every-day occurrence. Just as the features of the face resemble the parents, so does the shape of the hand in many respects resemble that of the parent. And it must do so, of course, in all instances where the child inherits the disposition of its parents, thus proving the law of signature. But the lines on the palm are always different, and never bear any resemblance to the lining of the parent's {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=242}}hand. Here again the law is proved, for the career of the son is seldom or never a duplicate of that of his father. No heredity can possibly influence the lines. In fact, there is no possible escape for us, in seeking a natural explanation of the causes of the lines, except in the plain logical and astrological deductions of ancient cheiromancy.
{{Style P-Align right|Chicago, Sept. 1, 1889.<br>G. E. W.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Judge W.Q. - Letters That Have Helped Me (Path series)|Letters That Have Helped Me]]}}
<center>[[Judge, William Quan|W. Q. Judge]] (signed "Z."), pp. 242-245 (Part XI)</center>
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Reincarnation and Memory.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=III.}}
In the further discussion of this subject we need a few terms with definite meanings such as every one can understand. We are looking at the doctrine of re-incarnation from a single stand-point, and for this one view a comprehensive philosophy and exhaustive classification are not necessary. We need only to appeal to common experience and to logical deductions drawn therefrom. The self-conscious center in man we call the ego. Experience is the varied relations existing between the ego and all its surroundings or environment resulting in action. Action implies re-action. If the ego in man acts upon his environment, so environment re-acts upon the ego. This action and re-action constitute man's experience. The law of this action, that is, the direct relation between action and re-action, is that of all force, all attraction, all motion everywhere, viz., quantity and quality are both mathematical and rhythmical. Circular motion begets circular motion, like attracts like. For every given impulse sent out a like impulse is returned, both as to form and as to intensity or quantity. The self-conscious center in man, the ego, the "I," stands in the center of his "sphere of life," is the center of his environment, and it therefore actually stands between two worlds; the seen and the unseen; the world of action and the world of thought; the world of effects and the world of causes. Now the unseen world of causes, whence come our thoughts, our impulses, the "within" to all of man's outer world, or the center of his sphere, is also the noumenal or spiritual world, as contrasted with his phenomenal or physical world. Man's experience, therefore, whether he is aware of it or not, is drawn constantly from these two worlds, though seldom in equal degree. We say of one, "he is a man of action": of another, "he is a man of thought." We say of one, "he is spiritually minded"; of another, "he is carnally minded." We say of one, "he lives on a low plane"; of another, "he is high-minded." It may thus be seen that both our observation and common experience have become stereotyped in forms of common expression. The logical deduction thus drawn from common experience and observation leads to the conception that man is a conscious center between an upper and a lower world, or, if you please, that the {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=246}}"sphere" of man's life, of which the ego is the conscious center, is composed of two semi-spheres. A perfect sphere is an ideal in nature. It is the design drawn by the Architect upon the phenomenal trestle-board of nature. In outer nature the sphere is always imperfect. Every fruit, like an apple, for example, has an actual center just as an ideal sphere which it represents has an ideal center. These ideals only are perfect. The core, or seed-pit of the apple, is its center of life, but the two halves made by cleavage through the core are neither equal nor symmetrical, hence they are imperfect. The design of nature is its ideal. Without this ideal there could be no persistence of form, no such thing as species, no correspondences, no harmony.
Now to return to the life of man, let us observe that, relatively independent of nature's ideals, he has also his own ideals, and that these ideals or aims more or less shape his life. Man's ideals are a compound derived from his appetites, passions, or desires, on the one hand, and his aspirations, hopes, and disappointments, on the other. All these make up the round of his experience, and constitute his sphere of life. As to symmetry man's sphere is thus distorted. With the ego as the center, if man's sphere of life is to be rounded to perfection, his experience should be so adjusted that it shall pertain equally to the two worlds of which his consciousness takes equal cognisance. His thought shall inspire his action, and his action shall again give rise to thought. He will thus act consciously and designedly, rather than impulsively or passionately. Man would thus have a rounded experience and a range of consciousness that would be both extended and clear, and by so adjusting his experience of the two worlds in which his ego abides, by checking one set of experiences with the other, he would have real knowledge of both.
As a matter of fact, there are individuals who in one short life have well-nigh exhausted physical sensuous experience. The aged Faust was exactly in this condition. But in such cases, the development being altogether one-sided and the experience pertaining so largely to the gross and material, the range of consciousness is really very narrow indeed. The vehicle of this experience, the physical body, is cast off at death, and the ego thus released and rounding up its experience on the higher or spiritual plane would find itself confined to very narrow dimensions. With little conscious experience in the higher realm which now constitutes the theatre of its being, and its familiar channels destroyed, with no organ of physical memory like the physical brain, there could remain but a confused precipitate in consciousness by which even the recent experiences of earth-life could be retained, and this must soon fade away. The ego now enters on a new phase of existence, in the world of causes, but where it has to work out, or "experience", the effects of its recent life on earth. When these have run their {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=247}}course and become exhausted, let us say that it returns to life on earth. Nothing remains of its former life save only precipitated results. The former body is destroyed, and the senses of its former life changed beyond recognition. In other words, nothing remains of the former personality. The precipitated results as impulses to new activities belong to the individual life, or to the real ego. Thus the personal and the individual memory differ as do the elements of a compound from the precipitated result in life's alembic.
{{Style P-Signature|Harij.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Buck JD - Brotherhood|Brotherhood]]}}
<center>[[Buck, Jirah Dewey|J. D. Buck]], pp. 247-248</center>
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Gebhard A - The Society and its Object|The Society and its Object]]}}
<center>[[Gebhard, Arthur|Arthur Gebhard]], pp. 248-251</center>
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{{Style P-Quote|"Consider when thou speakest whether thy words will promote love; if not, then speak not. And thou shalt have no enemies all the days of thy life. But if thou canst justly say a good thing of any man, be not silent; this is the secret to win many loves."—''Kapilya''.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Edge HT - Popular Misconceptions about the Fourth Dimension|Popular Misconceptions about the Fourth Dimension]]}}
<center>[[Edge, Henry Travers|H. T. Edge]], pp. 252-253</center>
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{{Style P-Quote|"Fire and Flame destroy the body of an Arhat: their essence makes him immortal."—''Bodhi Mur'', Book II.}}
{{Style P-Quote|When we consider Life, what it is, then we find that it is a burning fire which consumeth, and when it hath no more fuel to feed upon it goeth out.—''Jacob Boehme''.}}
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Kama Loka—Suicides—Accidental Deaths.}}
<center>''[Extracts from a Private Letter upon Kama Loka and Suicides.]''</center>
Suicides, although not wholly dissevered from their 6th and 7th "principles," and quite potent in the spiritualistic séance room, nevertheless, until the day when they would have died a natural death, are separated from their higher principles by a gulf.
The 6th and 7th "principles" remain passive and negative, whereas, in cases of accidental death, the higher and the lower groups actually attract each other. In cases of good and innocent egos, moreover, the latter gravitate irresistibly toward the 6th and 7th, and thus either slumber surrounded by happy dreams, or sleep a dreamless profound sleep until the hour strikes. With a little reflection and an eye to the eternal justice and fitness of things, you will see why.
The victim of accidental death, whether good or bad, is irresponsible for his death. Even if his death were due to some action of his in a previous life or an antecedent birth, was, in short, the working of the law of retribution, still it was not the direct result of an act deliberately committed by the personal Ego of that life during which he happened to be killed. Had he been allowed to live longer, he might have atoned for his antecedent still more effectually; and even now, the Ego having been made to pay off the debt of his maker (the personal Ego), is free from the blows of retributive justice. The Dhyan Chohans, who have no hand in the guidance of the living human Ego, protect the hapless victim when it is violently thrust out of its element into a new one before it is matured and made fit and ready for that new place. We tell you what we know, for we are made to learn it through personal experience. Yes, the victims, whether good or bad, sleep to the hour of the last judgment, which is that hour of the supreme struggle between the 6th and 7th, and the 5th and 4th "principles" at the threshold of the gestation state. And even after that, when the 6th and 7th principles, carrying with them a portion of the 5th, have gone into their Akasic Samadhi, even then it may happen that the "spiritual spoil" from the 5th "principle" will prove too weak to be reborn in Devachan; in which case it will then reclothe itself in a new body—the subjective "Being" created from the Karma of the victim (or no victim, as the case may be), and enter upon a new earth-existence—whether that be upon this or some other planet.
In no case, then,—with the exception of suicides and shells—is there a possibility for any other to be attracted to a seance room. And it is clear {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=255}}that this is not opposition to our former teaching: that while shells will be many, spirits very few.
Referring now to men who fall victim to their vices, classed by some among "suicides."
In our humble opinion there is a great difference between suicides and those men who through excess of vicious indulgence fall into an early grave. We, who look at it from a standpoint which would not be acceptable to a Life Insurance Company, say that there are very few, if any, of the men who indulge in these vices, who feel perfectly sure that such a course of action will lead them eventually to premature death. Such is the penalty of illusion. They will not escape from the punishment for their "vices," but it is the causes of the vices, and not the effect, that will receive punishment, especially an unforeseen though probable effect. As well call a man a "suicide" who meets his death in a storm at sea, as one who kills himself with overstudy. Water is liable to drown a man, or too much brain work to produce a softening of that organ which may carry him away. In such a case no one ought to cross the Kalapani, or even to take a bath for fear of getting faint in it and drowning. And there are such cases. If such a view prevailed no man would do his duty, least of all sacrifice himself for even a laudable and highly beneficial cause, as many of us do. Motive is everything, and man is punished in a case of direct responsibility and not otherwise.
In a victim's case the natural hour of death was anticipated accidentally, while in that of the "suicide" death is brought on voluntarily and with a full and deliberate knowledge of its immediate consequences. Thus a man who causes his death in a fit of temporary insanity is not a ''felo de se'' to the great grief and often trouble of Life Insurance Companies. Nor is he left a prey to the temptations which assail us in the state of Kama Loka, but falls asleep like any other victim.
"A Guiteau will not remain in the earth's atmosphere with his higher principles over him—inactive and paralyzed—still there. Guiteau is gone into a state during the period of which he will be ever firing at his president—thereby tossing into confusion and shuffling the destinies of millions of persons—when he will be ever tried and ever hung, ever bathing in the reflection in the astral light of his deeds and thoughts, and especially those in which he indulged in his last hour upon the scaffold. And it is so with every murderer who is hung or otherwise despatched. Those who were vicious and not insane are only partly killed on execution. They live over their crime and their punishment in that plane of the astral light in which they are," and from there they affect all persons in any way sensitive whom they can get at. Especially at spiritualistic seances they surround the {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=256}}medium. And anyone who is naturally gifted with the power to see their plane of the astral light, or has the power from training, can see and hear over and over again the scenes of blood and punishment continually repeated in the vicinity of these unfortunates. In cases of collective murder, such as where many men enter or storm a building and cruelly kill the inmates after a prolonged struggle with the latter, the whole scene will often be re-enacted several times a year so strongly that many can see it with all its horrible details, and nearly all can hear the sounds, the groans, cries, falls of bodies, and slashing of human flesh.
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Literary Notes.}}
The Hermetic Publishing Co. of Chicago prints "Christos," a little volume aiming to prove the double nature of Jesus,—as a perfect spirit in a perfect body, manifesting the completeness of the creative thought of the Supreme Intelligence, and to awaken a conception of each man's possibilities as shown in Jesus the Man. (May be ordered through the PATH; 60cts.)
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Judge W.Q. - To Theosophists Willing to Work|To Theosophists Willing to Work]]}}
<center>[[Judge, William Quan|W. Q. Judge]], General Secretary, pp. 256-257</center>
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Suggestions for Branch T. S. Work}}
<center>''Questions and suggestions relative hereto can be sent care of "Path."''</center>
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=VII.}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=5|plain=yes|1=The Theosophist's Attitude.}}
There has been much discussion of late concerning the attitude which the true Theosophist, ''i. e.'', one who has the welfare of the Human Race at heart and is willing to sacrifice his personal feelings and comfort for its benefit, should bear towards others not Theosophists in his personal relations with them.
The missionary instinct is strong in the Western Races, and to their credit be it said that, whenever they get hold of a good thing, they want to share it with their fellows, provided it does not require too great a sacrifice. Unfortunately the means they select to propagate their opinions have not always been of the best, nor are they as careful as they should be, perhaps, to ascertain whether the views they are trying to persuade another to accept are as good for him as those he may already profess. It is an unquestionable fact that the religion of Mohammed is more suited to the majority of Mohammedans than any other. Some few would undoubtedly be benefited if they were to become Christians, while a still smaller number are in a condition to profit by Theosophy as such.
Theosophists must not forget that their philosophy is the most spiritualized the world at present can offer, and by no means everyone, indeed {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=258}}only a small minority, can appreciate sufficiently its true depth of meaning to be benefited thereby. Nor does it follow that those who can and do value it are better and more spiritually developed than others,—Intellect and soul, alas! do not always go hand in hand. It may mean simply that in this incarnation their Karma rules favorably upon such a movement; and it is a sadly well-known fact that even those who do believe in Theosophy are not always benefited and improved by their belief. We have too many confirmatory examples to deny this.
From these things we should learn a lesson, and learn it well, that it behooves us to be very careful to whom and in what circumstances we attempt to teach Theosophy. Intelligent people unhesitatingly condemn indiscriminate missionary work of any kind, and we must proceed with thought and deliberation.
As we said in our last paper, members of the Theosophical Society have an important and daily-increasing duty to perform to others, in spreading Theosophical literature so as to give everyone an opportunity to "read, learn, mark, and inwardly digest."
But a belief cannot be forced. Theosophy is not a scientific fact capable of demonstration; it appeals rather to our hearts, our souls, our intuition, and, unless our natures are prepared by past experience to accept it and believe it on our own authority, we will not believe it, and cannot be made to do so. A vessel is able to hold just so much water; do we pour in more, it spills and is wasted.
The object of the Society and the spreading of the Theosophical literature spoken of last month is to give everyone whose nature is in a condition to accept Theosophy, a chance to become acquainted with it. If they are ready, that is all they need; if they are not, we believe that forcing will only do harm. If a man once laughs at a thing, it is doubtful if he will ever afterwards give it an unbiased hearing. To the uninitiated and unprepared the new and strange theories of life Theosophy offers appear ridiculous. Any further presentation of facts will only bring forth scoffing and ridicule, harmful both to himself and others. Let him alone, and his mind, his nature, will of itself develop sufficiently to enable him to appreciate these doctrines: not in this incarnation perhaps, or for several incarnations, but when his Karma so decrees. In the meanwhile let him see the beauty of our faith in our lives, and with this living proof and confirmation before him his eyes may the sooner be opened. In all brotherly love we hope it. Example is, after all, the best and truest teacher.
It may appear that these statements are contradictory, but a little thought will show that they are not. There are so many sides to each question in Theosophy, and they are consequently often so complicated, {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=259}}that sometimes there is a semblance of a difference. Each fact has its particular bearing upon each plane, and those often seeming most radically opposite, when placed together and considered as a whole are seen to fit perfectly. This has been a difficulty to combat ever since Theosophical doctrines were first promulgated. Minds not sufficiently spiritualized to grasp a fact in its entirety, in other words, by intuition, were constantly finding contradictions, and would write to some of the magazines or members of the Society, making the wildest statements or asking the most extraordinary questions. A little further study and thought would usually show them the missing link that reconciled the two facts. So with Theosophical writers. They construct an essay on some doctrine of the Wisdom Religion from one point of view, and the readers grasp it from another. Hence differences, confusion of ideas, unsettled opinions. Who for instance upon the first reading of ''Light on the Path'' had other than a general notion that here was a masterly treatise he did not understand? And yet with each subsequent reading ideas were grasped, they grew, and at last became absorbing facts. Facts, the wisdom of which our intuition taught us; and absorbing because they influenced our whole lives.
So it is with everything in Theosophy from our first hearing of it, provided always we are prepared for it; otherwise it may do us some harm and none other than a remote good. Ideas are presented: we accept them as they appear to us reasonable; they group themselves in our minds with others similar or with a bearing upon them; before we know it they become opinions, then beliefs, and to all intents and purposes for us, facts, with an influence further reaching than we realize.
Is it not self-evident how useless it is to argue with one unprepared? Yet Theosophists must not go too far in the opposite direction, nor forget that upon them mainly depends the world's knowledge of their faith. They must be ever on the lookout for a promising pupil; ready to teach, sympathize, and help, suffer if need be, to bring one more brother to the fold. But there is a wide difference between this and missionary work.
The Masters say, "We do not ask you to believe upon our authority; you must do so upon your own, and until then we will wait for you." They do not say for a century, a thousand years, but "until then we will wait for you"; and we must model our patience upon theirs, for the soul's growth is a gradual one, and in "the fullness of time" all things come about.
{{Style P-Align right|G. Hijo.}}
{{Style P-Quote|"I am wiser than this man; for it may well be that neither of us knows anything really beautiful and good, but he thinks that he knows something when he knows nothing, whereas I neither know nor think that I know anything. I do therefore seem to be wiser than he, at least in this small particular, that what I know not, I do not even think I know."—''The Apology of Socrates''.}}
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{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=Theosophical Activities}}
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=The Theosophical Society.}}
{{Style P-Subtitle|Presidential Order.}}
I. The desire to amend certain portions of the Rules of the Theosophical Society, adopted in the Convention which met at Adyar in December, 1888, having been notified to me officially by the representatives of three Sections, I hereby, and in accordance with Paragraph 11 of Section E, summon a Special Session of the General Council to meet at Adyar on the 27th of May, 1890, at noon, to consider and vote upon such amendments as may be offered.
II. The Councils of organized Sections shall select one or more Delegates or Proxies to represent them in the Special Session aforesaid.
III. For this reason and because of my necessary absence in Europe upon official business, the Convention will not meet this year as usual. But permission is hereby given to the President's Commissioners to invite all Fellows and Officers of the Society to meet socially at the Headquarters on the 27th of December, for mutual conference, and to listen to lectures upon theosophical topics, if, upon inquiry, they find that such a social gathering would {{Page aside in Path|v=4|n=8|p=261}}be desired by a reasonable number of Fellows and Branches.
Sections and Branches will be expected to make the usual annual returns not later than December 1st, so that they may be included in the President's Annual Address and Report.
IV. The Councils of Sections and Fellows generally are earnestly requested to draw up and notify to the president at Adyar, not later than the 1st of February, whatever changes they recommend to be made in the latest revised code of Rules, so that he may intimate the same to all other Sections in ample time for them to instruct their representatives in the Special Session herein provided for.
V. The British Section having misapprehended the intended effect of the new Rules upon the autonomous powers conceded to it in the Constitution granted by me in the month of November last, I hereby declare that the said Section is authorized, pending the final decision of the General Council in the Special Session above summoned, to collect the moneys and apply the other provisions of its Constitution as adopted and by me officially ratified.
VI. Should it hereafter appear that another date than the one I have designated would be more convenient for the Indian and Ceylon Sections, the President's Commissioners are hereby instructed to announce the change in the ''Theosophist'' and especially notify the General Secretaries of Sections at least three months in advance.
VII. The President's Commissioners will furnish copies of the present Order to all whom it may officially concern. Copies have already been sent to the General Secretaries of the British and American Sections.
{{Style P-Align right|H. S. Olcott,<br>President Theosophical Society.}}
<center>London, 27th September, 1889.</center>
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=America.}}
The Golden Gate Lodge T. S. gives further proof of its vitality by the issuance for wide distribution of a tract entitled "A Theosophist; his relation to himself and others." It is very clearly written, and it most vividly explains why Theosophists do not proselyte, why their reliance on Law is so absolute, and why the smallest duty is so peremptory. Perhaps the true Theosophist is made to appear somewhat wooden, and he would appear very much so if the following passage was not later subjected to some qualification: "In fact, to the true Theosophist, the position and condition of all others, whether near and dear to him or unknown and distant, is a matter which gives him no worry or anxiety, no joy or sorrow, and scarcely any concern." Nor is it quite the fact that a Theosophist abrogates the use of moral judgment. But, allowing for a few rather ultra statements, this is a remarkably good tract, and the enterprise in issuing such, and in adding the facts about the T. S., the Branch Library, and our magazine literature, is delightfully encouraging. We expect, and we get, great things from the Pacific Coast.
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The Brooklyn T. S. has adopted a most excellent list of topics for discussion, assigning to them evenings proportionate to their importance, and covering the meeting-season with a systematic arrangement. We publish this in full, commending it to the thoughtful consideration—and imitation—of other Branches.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Brooklyn Theosophical Society.}}
{| class="wikitable"
! Date of Meeting !! Subject for Discussion !! Date of Meeting !! Subject for Discussion
|-
| Sep. 18, 1889 || What is Theosophy? || Jan. 29, 1890 || Premonition
|-
| Sep. 25 || " || Feb. 5 || Spirit Manifestation
|-
| Oct. 2 || What are the objects of Theosophy? || Feb. 12 || Astral Light
|-
| Oct. 9 || Evolution and Involution || Feb. 19 || "
|-
| Oct. 16 || " || Feb. 26 || Alchemy
|-
| Oct. 23 || " || Mar. 5 || "
|-
| Oct. 30 || Reincarnation || Mar. 12 || "
|-
| Nov. 6 || " || Mar. 19 || Rosicrucianism
|-
| Nov. 13 || Karma || Mar. 26 || "
|-
| Nov. 20 || The different Principles in Man || Apr. 2 || "
|-
| Nov. 27 || " || Apr. 9 || Prophecy
|-
| Dec. 4 || " || Apr. 16 || "
|-
| Dec. 11 || " || Apr. 23 || Mahatmas
|-
| Dec. 18 || The Post Mortem Condition || Apr. 30 || "
|-
| Dec. 25 || Kama Loka || May 7 || Avatars
|-
| Jan. 1, 1890 || Devachan || May 14 || "
|-
| Jan. 8 || Thought Transference || May 21 || Spirit and Matter
|-
| Jan. 15 || Mesmerism || May 28 || "
|-
| Jan. 22 || Dreams || June 4 || "
|}
This Branch now numbers 11 members, and meets each Wednesday evening at the house of Mr. H. T. Patterson. Much benefit has accrued from the constant presence of visitors, and on Oct. 9th, through the courtesy of the Aryan T. S., a paper by Mr. A. H. Gebhard was obtained and read.
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Persons entitled to use the Circulating Theosophical Library are invited to write in their catalogues the following additional books: No. 101, ''Clothed with the Sun'', by Dr. Anna Kingsford; No. 102, ''The Astral Light'', by Nizida; No. 103, ''Lucifer'', Vol. IV; No. 104, ''The Key to Theosophy'', by H. P. Blavatsky; No. 105, ditto; No. 106, ''Geometrical Psychology''; No. 107, Mohini's ''Bhagavad-Gita''; No. 108, ''Wheel of the Law'', by H. Alabaster; No. 109, ''Origin and Growth of Religion—Buddhism'', by Rhys Davids.
The Gautama T. S., San Diego, Cal., is reading in course from ''The Mystery of the Ages''. It has received contributions of about 20 volumes for its Library, and has voted a small fund for the same purpose.
Tract No. 4, of the series, and the 3d reprint from the T. P. S. pamphlets, has just been issued. It is called "The Necessity for Reincarnation", and will be furnished at the rate of 50 cts. per 100.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=4|plain=yes|1=Ireland.}}
The Dublin Lodge T. S. has taken a large new room at 95 Lower Leeson St., where the books of the Lodge are. Through the exertions of Bro. F. J. Allan, Sec'y, a good programme of papers is ready and will carry the Lodge to April. Small prospectuses of the Lodge are to be distributed at Col. Olcott's first lecture there. Bro. Allan's exertions cannot be too highly commended.
Col. Olcott in Ireland. The President was expected to lecture in Dublin on 14th Oct., in Limerick on 15th, Dublin again on 16th, Belfast on 17th, and again in Dublin on 19th. Letters and paragraphs are appearing in the Dublin, Limerick, and Cork local papers. The Colonel's visit is looked forward to with great hope. The Protestant Y. M. A. of Limerick waived a meeting of theirs on 15th to enable the Col. to lecture in the Athenæum there. In Dublin and Belfast the lectures were on "Have we lived on this Earth before," Long live Ireland!
Bro. B. Keightley goes to Ireland with Col. Olcott.
{{Style P-Title small caps|level=3|1=[[Keightley J - Tea Table Talk|Tea Table Talk]]}}
<center>[[Keightley, Julia|Julia Keightley]] (signed "Julius"), pp. 262-264</center>
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{{Style P-Quote|As a man leaves worn-out clothes and wears new ones, so the soul leaves old bodies and enters new ones.—''Bhagavad-Gita''.}}
{{Style P-Quote|The body, ungoverned by the Self, is like a cart without a driver, unintelligent and mad.—''Tibetan Verse''.}}


<center>OM.</center>
<center>OM.</center>


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