Well i just thought id post a quick thing about myself just so you can see where any questions i have are coming from. : )

Though i have very limited experience in general, In answer to dire existential crisis (;p) that occured as soon as i saw the emptiness of the Materialistic life that is expected of me to follow - I started studying various philosophical ideas starting with Neo Platonism which moved into a cursory study of Buddhism and then into Theosophy.

Having read some Theosophical classics (The Secret Doctorine aside - though i tried, as soon as i read over the Proem it became clear it would take some really study to begin to make sence of it as Blavatsky intended, as least for myself.)

But now recently, having thought Buddhism to be a suitable vehicle with a trustable lineage and teaching to advance spiritually in both a Buddhistic sense and a Theosophical one ive been investingating that further at the moment. (Im reading Je Tsong Kha pa's Lam Rim Chenmo atm if anyone is familar with it.)

I think ive moved to Buddhism primarily because Theosophy though concerned with both practice and theoretical study, does not have the infastructure as Buddhism does to facillitate that practice - Such as a Monastic order or a rich heritage of Masters and teachings.

So yeah. That's why im here; It's great to find a forum full of people who are seemingly so knowledgable about these rather ecletic topics Lol. =)

Misoshiru,

You said,

"Though i have very limited experience in general, In answer to dire existential crisis (;p) that occured as soon as i saw the emptiness of the Materialistic life that is expected of me to follow - I started studying various philosophical ideas starting with Neo Platonism which moved into a cursory study of Buddhism and then into Theosophy."

--> Having a crisis regarding the emptiness of Materialistic life is an important step to take, in order to make progress along the Path. I am glad you have made such important progress.

"Having read some Theosophical classics (The Secret Doctrine aside - though i tried, as soon as i read over the Proem it became clear it would take some really study to begin to make sence of it as Blavatsky intended, as least for myself.)"

--> I have spent a great deal of time studying the Proem and the Stanzas of Dzyan. If you have any questions in these areas, please feel free to ask.

"But now recently, having thought Buddhism to be a suitable vehicle with a trustable lineage and teaching to advance spiritually in both a Buddhistic sense and a Theosophical one...."

--> You will find Buddhism and Theosophy to be very similar.

"...ive been investigating that further at the moment. (Im reading Je Tsong Kha pa's Lam Rim Chenmo atm if anyone is familar with it.)"

--> I am not familiar with that book, but Tsong Kha Pa is an important name in Theosophical literature. Which ideas in that book do you find interesting? Do these ideas fit or not fit into your belief system?

"I think ive moved to Buddhism primarily because Theosophy though concerned with both practice and theoretical study, does not have the infastructure as Buddhism does to facillitate that practice - Such as a Monastic order or a rich heritage of Masters and teachings."

--> When the Theosophical Society was set up in the 1800's, it was decided not to create a church with buildings, priests, etc. (I think it was a good decision.) Because of this, as you have noted, Theosophy does not have big temples, etc., while Buddhism does. (Theosophy does have study centers, lecture halls, and libraries which you may wish to visit.)

Along the same line of thought, when I visit Los Angeles, I like to attend temple services at the large Buddhist temple there. I enjoy the atmosphere (the chanting, the congregation, the incense) although I am not a Buddhist. We Theosophists can enjoy spending time at Buddhist temples, even though we are not Buddhists. I think it is a great idea. (Unfortunately, when I visit Buddhist temples, I always think about the differences between Buddhism and Theosophy.) Also, there are people who are both Buddhists and Theosophists. Our member Nicholas is one such person.

Regarding your move from Theosophy to Buddhism, I will be curious to hear how you deal with the differences between Theosophy and Buddhism. In my own situation, someone once said to me, "If you believe in the Atman, you are not a Buddhist!" I thought to myself, "That works for me!" (Atman was the key issue that caused me to stop calling myself a Buddhist.)

"...a rich heritage of Masters and teachings...."

--> Theosophy has a large amount of literature. (The Theosophical library in Ojai California, near Los Angeles, has over 15,000 books.) And, in my opinion, Theosophy has enough Masters to satisfy anyone.

"It's great to find a forum full of people who are seemingly so knowledgable about these rather ecletic topics Lol. =)"

--> You will find people here with a wide range of experience in Theosophy. We are looking foreward to your questions and discussions.

Welcome Misoshiru!

Yes Mahayana Buddhism is an excellent path. And within the many fine traditions, the Gelugpa one founded by Je Rinpoche (Je Tsongkhapa) is like a diamond.

His Great Stages of the Path that you are studying is really all one needs to help one live many noble lifetimes. If you find a good Gelug lama or guru that would be even better.