Hi everybody!

The question has been raised in another thread: What is the Truth? Does Theosophy have more Truth than other religions?

~~~

This is a valid question, and something Theosophists need to address. Otherwise, we will become just as closed-minded and dogma-wrapped as the major religions of the world.

Here is HPB on Truth, at katinkahesselink.net

http://lucifer7.katinkahesselink.net/i/2006/8.html

True philosophy and divine truth are convertible terms. A religion which dreads the light cannot be a religion based on either truth or philosophy - hence, it must be false. The ancient Mysteries were mysteries to the profane only, whom the hierophant never sought nor would accept as proselytes; to the initiates the Mysteries became explained as soon as the final veil was withdrawn. No mind like that of Pythagoras or Plato would have contented itself with an unfathomable and incomprehensible mystery, like that of the Christian dogma. There can be but one truth, for two small truths on the sage subject can but constitute one great error. Among thousands of exoteric or popular conflicting religions which have been propagated since the days when the first men were enabled to interchange their ideas, not a nation, not a people, nor the most abject tribe, but after their own fashion has believed in an Unseen God, the First Cause of unerring and immutable laws, and in the immortality of our spirit. No creed, no false philosophy, no religious exaggerations, could ever destroy that feeling. It must, therefore, be based upon an absolute truth. On the other hand, every one of the numberless religions and religious sects views the Deity after its own fashion; and, fathering on the unknown its own speculations, it enforces these purely human outgrowths of overheated imagination on the ignorant masses, and calls them "revelation." As the dogmas of every religion and sect differ radically, they cannot be true. And if untrue, what are they?

-- H.P.Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, Vol. II, p. 122

Great quote, thanks for reminding me ( :) ) [that wasn't cynical: I have issues of Lucifer7 planned years into the future, especially the short quotes. I don't reread them all before sending them out]

For me it speaks to the issue of fundamentalism. This issue threatens the theosophical movement as much as any spiritual or religious movement. People would so like the security of a fixed creed... especially perhaps in these uncertain times. But a fixed creed that doesn't face up to the advances of science (for instance), is one that doesn't stand in the full light of the sun.

Katinka,

I can see that you and I are in the same boat. I am beginning to realize that the issue of Truth in all of the world's religions is one of the key concepts we have to deal with.

For example, Theosophy teaches that a group of gods (not a single God) created Adam and Eve. Shall we just say it is Truth and leave it at that? Shall we allow, even encourage critical thinking towards this idea? Most importantly, are we allowed to scoff at people who believe Adam and Eve were created by a single God?

I feel the first two ideas have value. (The third idea does not....) I know that Blavatsky wants us to examine everything critically. On the other hand, I do not think that Blavatsky wants us to discard our strong convictions. I believe that a Theosophist should have convictions that are just as strong as a Born-Again Christian's convictions. The purpose of Theosophy is to develop strong convictions.

The key issue here is open-mindedness vs. closed-mindedness. Theosophy advocates having strong convictions based on relentless open-minded examinating and questioning. Which of the world's religions can say that? (How many religions are open-minded...?)

I am reminded how the word "religion" has become a dirty word in the western world. It has happened because "religon" has become synonymous with "closed-mindedness". What a shame!

This is exactly the thing that Blavatsky warned us about. She told us how all religions become ossified over the centures, eventually becoming empty shells. This is exactly why the Ancient Wisdom is periodically re-released. We can all count ourselves as lucky that we have heard this most-recent release of the Ancient Wisdom, along with HPB's admonishments to be open-minded about it.

I don't know that theosophy is about having strong convictions. But maybe you mean by that thoughts that have been well-examined, stay open and grow strong because validated in various ways (or something). In that case I agree with you. Still, personally I'd rather say I tentatively believe various things and that on some issues I feel very strongly... To say that these latter are strong convictions, just sounds so dogmatic, but perhaps thats just semantics.

Are you sure Blavatsky was 'most-recent release of the Ancient Wisdom'? I'm not, to be honest. I'm also not sure that there is such a thing as Ancient Wisdom... Sure, there is wisdom and I do believe there is hidden wisdom - but I have no idea how old that wisdom is and the Atlantis and Lemuria stuff: I've not seen enough proof that that's literally true.

Here is something regarding "strong convictions". It's from Col. Bowen's notes on How to study the SD (copied from Katinka's site):

This mode of thinking (she says) is what the Indians call Jnana Yoga. As one progresses in Jnana Yoga one finds conceptions arising which though one is conscious of them, one cannot express nor yet formulate into any sort of mental picture. As time goes on these conceptions will form into mental pictures. This is a time to be on guard and refuse to be deluded with the idea that the new found and wonderful picture must represent reality. It does not. As one works on one finds the once admired picture growing dull and unsatisfying, and finally fading out or being thrown away. This is another danger point, because for the moment one is left in a void without any conception to support one, and one may be tempted to revive the cast-off picture for want of a better to cling to. The true student will, however, work on unconcerned, and presently further formless gleams come, which again in time give rise to a larger and more beautiful picture than the last. But the learner will now know that no picture will ever represent the Truth. This last splendid picture will grow dull and fade like the others. And so the process goes on, until at last the mind and its pictures are transcended and the learner enters and dwells in the World of NO FORM, but of which all forms are narrowed reflections.

The True Student of The Secret Doctrine is a Jnana Yogi, and this Path of Yoga is the True Path for the Western student. It is to provide him with sign posts on that Path that the Secret Doctrine has been written.

I have nothing against religions, I support having them all. However, from my understanding of what they are, How Can Any Religion Be Truth?

TO EXPLAIN.

Since religions relate to the words of profits there is an inherent problem. All of these great teachers chose NOT to write anything down, as it was the "experiencing" that they wanted to share. And further, I thought it was once the tradition of passing and sharing the experience process stopped, and the memory of them became "recorded," that it was THAT, that word or the "Word" that became the subsequent religion.

I don't have Nicks recall, or my system up yet for serching for past theosophical discussions and dissertations on this, but it is not something I take credit for. It is in the material somewhere.

To go on, was it not said that "the Truth" was something we individually "found" through our discovery and experience process?

Hope it is OK to toss out questions like this.

.. Christian

Chrsitian,

I did want to mention one thing. Many of the Theosophical classic books are online. You can download them onto to your hard drive. It is then a simple task to search a document for a partiular keyword. (This is how I find all of my quotes -- I do not have the location of all of these questes memorized!)

If you need help downloading and searching Theosophical books, feel free to ask.

Very good question.

Any specific formulation of truth, is limited by the very words used. So all are limited and none are the absolute truth - including the written down words of theosophical works.
On the other hand, all religions contain references to truth(s) - theosophy (as written in books) is an attempt to synthesize those references into a whole. Theosophy (with a capital T) can also be defined as the Absolute Truth beyond all words, but in that case it has to be recognized that the books we have are merely reflections of aspects of the absolute truth - and as reflections are limited by the time they were written, the words used and the people reading the books.

Hope that helps a bit.

"The books we have are merely reflections of aspects of the absolute truth." That is an interesting way of looking at it.

I suppose we just have to wait for Enlightenment -- at least one part of the veil will be lifted at that time.

In one sense, whether a religion's teachings are Truth in full is not relevant. Because the individual cannot comprehend the full truth, each of us only can use the facet of truth that will lead us closer to omniscience. If those rays of truth one can know are not in, or part of, a religion, then that religion is worthless to one.

On the other hand, so far in history, only contact with, or immersion in, the doctrines & practices of a religion have produced sages, jivanmuktas, bodhisattvas, saints etcetera.

Standing alone and apart spiritually is not advisable nor even possible. Successful solitary physical retreats still use meditation skills based in a religion.

I see the books and religous teachings as Keys that can help us to unlock the Truth which is already "locked up" in our hearts. Some Keys will work for some and not others. The trick is to know when one's intuition is awakened by study and reflection, and not the intellect accepting (with the group) what has been given dogmatically. It can be comforting to be involved with a group of people that share a "faith" in some perceived truth. But actually, it is a false comfort - a lazy man's truth.

It takes courage to question the truth of the group. One faces rejection and alienation when challenging the paradigm. But one's soul needs to seek its own truth - to conciously become aware of that Truth inside. The intuition, once awakened, will cause the heart to rejoice when the intellect honestly questions its own beliefs and discovers a bit more of the inner Truth. When one realizes a Truth in his heart, and tries to express it to others, it then becomes only a reflection of that Truth - and a potential Key to someone else.

And Nicholas said, "Because the individual cannot comprehend the full truth, each of us only can use the facet of truth that will lead us closer to omniscience."

We can never comprehend the full Truth, but we can always comprehend more than we did yesterday. And use that Truth in our daily lives and our interactions with others. We can become an example, a light shining in the darkness.

Namaste