H.P. Blavatsky's book, The Voice of the Silence, gives plenty of advice to those people who would step upon the Path. Here, she tells us how (1) vice, lust, and unclean thoughts must be eliminated before entering the Path, and (2) it is dangerous to try to make progress along the Path while dragging these defilements behind us.

"The ladder by which the candidate ascends is formed of rungs of suffering and pain; these can be silenced only by the voice of virtue. Woe, then, to thee Disciple, if there is one single vice thou hast not left behind. For then the ladder will give way and overthrow thee; its foot rests in the deep mire of thy sins and failings, and ere thou canst attempt to cross this wide abyss of matter thou hast to lave thy feet in Waters of Renunciation. Beware lest thou should'st set a foot still soiled upon the ladder's lowest rung. Woe unto him who dares pollute one rung with miry feet. The foul and viscous mud will dry, became tenacious, then glue his feet unto the spot, and like a bird caught in the wily fowler's lime, he will be stayed from further progress. His vices will take shape and drag him down. His sins will raise their voices like as the jackal's laugh and sob after the sun goes down; his thoughts become an army, and bear him off a captive slave.

"Kill thy desires, Lanoo, make thy vices impotent, ere the first step is taken on the solemn journey.

"Strangle thy sins, and make them dumb for ever, before thou dost lift one foot to mount the ladder.

"Silence thy thoughts and fix thy whole attention on thy Master whom yet thou dost not see, but whom thou feelest.

"Merge into one sense thy senses, if thou would'st be secure against the foe. 'Tis by that sense alone which lies concealed within the hollow of thy brain, that the steep path which leadeth to thy Master may be disclosed before thy Soul's dim eyes.

"Long and weary is the way before thee, O Disciple. One single thought about the past that thou hast left behind, will drag thee down and thou wilt have to start the climb anew.

"Kill in thyself all memory of past experiences. Look not behind or thou art lost.

"Do not believe that lust can ever be killed out if gratified or satiated, for this is an abomination inspired by Mara. It is by feeding vice that it expands and waxes strong, like to the worm that fattens on the blossoms' heart...."

Blavatsky, H.P., The Voice of the Silence (online)
http://www.phx-ult-lodge.org/avoice.htm#f1

Blavatsky, H.P., The Voice of the Silence (hardcopy) pp. 15-17
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/ts/silence.htm

Sounds ominous. Wonder what that was all about?

... Christian

This is senseless to me. I can't believe she has communicated the full context of her thinking; whereby, this content cannot stand on its own, in my way of thinking. There must be something else unsaid, or quailfying, for her to say this. Or, her interepretation of the Path must be very impersonal.

... christian

Christian,

You said,

"Sounds ominous...."

--> It is. The idea is, if a person wants to get on the Path, they have to give up things like drug addiction, etc. And, the higher up the ladder they get, if they then turn to things like drug addiction, the consequences become more drastic.

"This is senseless to me."

--> I think what HPB means is, kill out all addictions, desires, and attachments. It does not mean we should not remove all of our old memories. One of the things about Mahatmas is they have perfect memory of all their past lives.

The context clarifies. Crude, personally centered, desire ridden thoughts will attract similar ones. When one has dropped all that for a time, but has not extirpated the tendencies, then bringing to mind such low thoughts will be like dropping a turd into the teapot - the tea will be ruined and a new pot must be prepared.

Nick.

Well, that is certainly a more acceptable explanation. Seems she could of just said it that way, ... no need for added mystery that I can see.

Thanks,

... Christian

Nicholas,

Thank you. It does.

... Christian