The exoteric teachings of every religion are presumably the simplest presentation, but at the same time, they should embody all the essential and important principles that the religion teaches.

It is a Theosophical principle that after the true teachings have been revealed by God's divine messengers, eventually, the teachings become subject to misinterpretations, corruptions and distortions through the subsequent actions of lesser followers and misguided students. We in Theosophy have focused on the esoteric and developed on the more complex and hidden aspects. But perhaps, in our complexity, we may have inadvertently lost a true appreciation of the simple truths. I feel that we should try and agree on the basics, first, to get on the same page, before we build on them and increase the areas of our disagreements.

Therefore, I am posting my thoughts in regard to some of the main religions. And I invite everyone to share his own personal insights relating to them so that we may together come to a clearer understanding of the divine message revealed through the different world religions.

Especially, I would like to learn from you:

1. How do our own teachings in Theosophy differ from the simple truths taught to ordinary laymen and simple believers? Especially, please cite those teachings that you consider to be important and relevant to all of us in our present situation, with emphasis on those that we can and should do something about, here and now.

2. What do you find to be mistaken or missed in this presentation and why? How can they be better interpreted and explained?

God speaks to the Hindus

The Buddhists have a saying: "A thousand monks, a thousand religions." This is true also for all other faiths, as well. Still, the Teachings of Hinduism presented below are, as far as it is known to this writer, according to the thoughts expressed by the principal proponents or founders inasmuch as, in many instances, the original concepts may have been changed according the varied interpretations of their less enlightened followers. In any case, the objectionable features in the teachings and in the practices which have resulted because of such changes should not be allowed to depreciate the value of the original concepts and teachings.

Hinduism

In India, when the world was young some 4,500 years ago, the Vedas, the Indian Holy Scriptures, were prepared. Embodying the complicated combination of religious beliefs and social customs of the Indians, they later became the chief source of the teachings known in an earlier form as Brahminism and later on as Hinduism. The Hindus believe in personal gods. The most important among them are Brahma, the Father of All, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Siva, the Destroyer. They believe in the transmigration of souls, which teaches that at death, the soul transfers into some other creature, be it human or animal, as a direct consequence of one’s karma or the effects of one’s thoughts and deeds. This process continues until such time that the soul is able to attain to the state of Nirvana, and free itself from the rounds of rebirth, old age, disease and death.

Four Castes

As far as the human form of life is concerned, the Hindus believe in four progressive castes. These are the Brahmans or the priests, the Kshatriyas or the temporal rulers and soldiers, the Vaishyas or the merchants, artists and farmers and the Sudras or laborers. All who fall outside these four main groups are considered as outcastes or untouchables, the lowest of the low.

Four Goals

Hinduism lays stress on the need for self-realization and the awareness of deeper realities that overshadow our material and physical existence. Consequently, therefore, advocates of Hinduism believe that man has four basic goals in life.

The first and foremost goal is to attain to the union of Atman, the individual soul, with Brahman, the supersoul or God, which alone can bring eternal happiness.

Another important goal is the fulfillment of all normal human desires, including the enjoyment of a life of pleasure, even sexual pleasure. So, to the Hindus, there is no truth to the teaching that sex is evil. And to the Hindus, it is acceptable for a person to enjoy life’s pleasures. Many people feel, mistakenly, that sex and other worldly pleasures are bad for the soul. To the Hindus, however, these worldly pleasures are perfectly natural and should be experienced first before we can actually outgrow our desire for them and advance to the more spiritual goals in life.

A third goal is participation in economic activity and contribution to public welfare. Finally, these goals are to be pursued while one undertakes to live the right kind of moral or ethical life.

Four Stages of Life

In the pursuit of these goals, man enters into four stages of life. He first becomes a student who initiates studies mainly in preparation for the material aspects of life.

Then, he becomes a householder, at which stage, he is able to pursue three of the four goals, namely, a life of pleasure, participation in economic activity and right living.

Subsequently, as he advances in age, he might decide to retire and live the life of a hermit. Here, he withdraws from his business or professional activities. Likewise, he relinquishes direct family responsibilities and duties and enters a hermitage for further study of the more spiritual realities or otherwise engages in deeper reflections into the meaning of life. This is not a cop-out as some may think, but the hermit is withdrawing from his worldly involvements in order that he may be able to prepare himself for much greater service.

Finally, given the opportunity and the inclination, one could become a spiritual pilgrim, which is characterized by one’s complete renunciation of self and of all personal attachments, even family ties. After which, the pilgrim turns to a life of service to others. The pilgrim goes where God directs and helps whomever is worthy, all the while, trusting to divine providence by receiving needed material aid from those who are the recipients of his spiritual services. In every instance, however, such material aid comes to him never as a favor, but as a matter of right. In his travels, he promotes love and understanding. He provides guidance to all who ask and who are willing to listen by sharing the wisdom he has attained to over the years.

The Hindu Way to Salvation

Spiritual guidance is provided to the unenlightened through the Avatars or highly advanced beings under a system of discipleship whereby these Avatars, gurus or spiritual masters teach disciples or students the way towards their own salvation. According to these gurus, eventual salvation comes by way of:

1. Devotional service,

2. The accumulation of knowledge, or

3. The rendering of service to fellowmen or the accumulation of good karma.

For most people, however, who may not have the time or the desire to pursue their spiritual goals owing to their involvement in the primary material objectives such as earning a living, help and guidance are more conveniently sought through minor gods and goddesses, thus, the preponderance of personal gods to whom one can ask for special favors.

While this practice does not enable one to reach his eventual goal, he, at least, moves a step nearer to it. This suffices many, until the time comes, in their subsequent incarnations, that they are able to pursue the more spiritual goals directly to attain to their own salvation.

Reconciling Hindu and Christian teachings

Older than Christianity by 3000 years, Pantheism is actually the selfsame principle that Christ teaches us in his parable of the vine and the branches and his oneness with the Father and with us. St. Paul likewise elaborates on this important principle in his "one body of Christ" in Corinthians. Brahma, Siva and Vishnu correspond to the Holy Trinity, although not in the same exact sense. The worship of Krishna and other minor gods is equivalent to the Christian worship of Christ and the veneration of the saints. Transmigration and reincarnation was lumped into resurrection by the early Christians. The Hindu practice of devotion and meditation equate to Christian piety, contemplation and prayers.

The Hindu goal of accumulating knowledge or seeking enlightenment is a match to Christian spiritual education and mystic experiences. However, the church's insistence on the unquestioned acceptance of their dogmas is its own imposition, alone. Karma yoga is the same righteousness that Christ teaches us. While both publicly espouse the principles of personal responsibility and accountability for all thoughts and deeds, the Christian churches have by large measure nullified the strict application of this principle by demanding the blind obedience of their faithful to God according to the interpretations of their Catholic Magisterium and church edicts, and God's arbitrary granting of His divine mercy while Hindus can ask and may be granted special favors by their gods.

So therefore with only some slight modifications, Hinduism and Christianity are in effect saying the same things using different words and contexts.

Angel,

Oh my goodness, you have covered a large number of concepts in a single post. The only way to discuss these concepts is to take them one at a time.

You seem to know a lot about Theosophy, so perhaps you should start off the discussion. Take the first concept you have written about, which is a belief in personal gods. How do you think such an idea compares with what HPB wrote?

By the way, did you write your post, or did you copy it from somewhere?

Hello Nick and Everyone,

Unless otherwise acknowledged by me as written by others, all my posts are my own writings. This segment is actually the section on Hinduism in our Study Course on the Secrets of the Kingdom, the whole course is free to download from our Website.

The article is supposed to list the basic principles, hopefully but probably not, as completely as possible, hence my request for additional insights from the others, here. For lack of space, I do not go into too much detail. However, if needed, then particular principles may be targeted for discussion.

Re: HPB, to be frank, I find, as HPB herself admits, that she does not completely understand nor is she able to explain the divine concepts and principles very clearly. In the same way that we prefer to go to Jesus, not so much to his followers and less knowledgeable students in order not to be misled, HPB is a chela, not the Master. This is not in any way intended to belittle her contributions but simply to put things in their proper perspective. In order to better understand, I have needed to draw from other writers like Geoffrey Hodgson's 'Divine Plan,' for one, and my own intuition and recollection of past learnings from my past lives.

Re: personal gods, again, I am not familiar with what HPB teaches regarding this concept.

We prefer instead these definitions which are not necessarily Hindu:

God may be defined as Infinite Intelligence. Imperfect as we are and still greatly influenced by matter, we are unable to completely understand the true exact nature of God. Finite minds cannot comprehend the infinite. In addition, our vocabulary is so poor that we are unable to more satisfactorily define God. While we may attribute to God certain very desirable and positive characteristics, we should never feel that God is confined to such attributes. To do so would be to limit God, Who is unlimited. However, we will be able to know and comprehend God more fully just as soon as we become totally freed from Earthly influences and approach the righteousness that is God according to His ethical teachings.

And personal gods are our ascended elder brothers and guides.

Very good suggestion. This is the same way we went about our own studies in our lodge. After the initial information has been read or lectured, then those particular topics of interest to the attendees can then be further developed by open discussion.

Thank you, Nick.

Angel

Blavatsky is dead. Her writings are all we have. Most of those writings were inspired or dictated by Masters, so the main source for the teachings of the Adepts are Blavatsky's writings. I guess you mean Geoffrey Barborka's Divine Plan which closely follows the Masters' teachings that HPB put into The Secret Doctrine.

Angel,

You said,

"This segment is actually the section on Hinduism in our Study Course...."

--> Feel free to post a link to that webpage.

"...I find, as HPB herself admits, that she does not completely understand nor is she able to explain the divine concepts and principles very clearly."

--> HPB was hampered by two things. (1) She was first person ever to translate certain parts of the Ancient Wisdom directly into English. (2) She lived at a time when most English speakers had never heard of concepts like Reincarnation, Karma, etc. Today, words like Reincarnation and Karma are everyday words in English. Not so in HPB's day. As a matter of fact, if it were not for HPB, we would not be having this discussion right now — we owe her a huge debt.

"In the same way that we prefer to go to Jesus...."

--> We need to cover an important point in interreligious protocol. Take a look at these two statements.

1) Jesus was the son of God.
2) I believe Jesus was the son of God.

You will find that a significant number of Theosophists disagree with the first statement. If you were make such a statement, many of our readers would be turned off by your writings. (Theosophy is one of the few philosophies that brings together both Christians and non-Christians.) On the other hand, no one would disagree with the second statement. As you write posts for both Christians and non-Christians to read. you will find that writing statements like the second statement will give your writings more credibility.

"...Re: personal gods, again, I am not familiar with what HPB teaches regarding this concept."

--> Then I am happy that you have this opportunity to learn what she said. By the way, what do you mean by personal gods? Something similar to the Christian concept of Guardian Angels?

"While we may attribute to God certain very desirable and positive characteristics...."

--> Are you aware that some Theosophists do not believe in a personal God?

"...approach the righteousness that is God according to His ethical teachings."

--> You are starting to preach. The purpose of this Forum is to compare different philosophies, not to say one philosophy is better than another. Many non-Christian Theosophists disagree with the concept of righteousness as you have described it. The purpose of Theosophy is to improve communication between Christians and non-Christians, not make it worse.

Hello Nicholas and Everyone,

Thank you for the correction. It's Barborka. It is a constant source of embarassment but I do commit many mistakes all the time. Do feel free to correct me. And it's alright too if you cannot agree with something that I write.

HPB advises that there will be other messengers sent to the world, in fact, at least one every 25 years. Divine instruction is continuing and progressive. Every genuine student and earnest seeker must look everywhere, not just in their own backyard.

In regard to the work of the Masters, this is an excerpt from: http://secrets-of-the-kingdom.blogspot.com...e-movement.html

"Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, the Summit Lighthouse, the Theosophical Society and Lobsang Rampa

In line with the work of the Great White Brotherhood, the adepts and spiritual masters overseeing divine instruction on Earth, certain individuals or groups are periodically commissioned to provide continuing instruction to the people in the world relating to different aspects or levels of the Occult teachings.

Begun centuries earlier and so cannot be considered as part of the New Age Movement, Freemasonry nonetheless is a forerunner and their members continue to build positive thought forms and are active in community service. The Rosicrucians are involved in the development of their inner spiritual faculties. The Summit Lighthouse publishes books and conducts teachings that present the Eastern teachings in a context that Christians should find easier to accept.

Through Madame Blavatsky, the Great White Brotherhood, which includes advanced beings of all races and creeds, reintroduces the Ancient Wisdom and clarifies the Divine Plan. She details many of the technical aspects of the teachings relating to Cosmogony, all about the cosmos, and Anthropogenesis, the development of the human race, in the ‘Secret Doctrine,’ the guidebook of the Theosophists. For the men of Aquarius, the Ancient Wisdom of Theosophy is destined to become the motherload of technical knowledge and information concerning the Spiritual and the Divine to which all later revelations and all new upgradings must relate.

The dissertations of the Lama Lobsang Rampa are to this date the more authoritative resources in this series. Thoroughly versed in the philosophy of the East and with his spiritual faculties so very highly developed, he elucidates on the practical aspects of the teachings in a way that only those who really know can ever do."

Angel

Nick and Everyone,

For those who care to check out the complete study course, you can visit http://secrets-of-the-kingdom.blogspot.com...-religions.html. Thanks for suggesting that I post this, Nick.

Re: Jesus:

In my comment that you cited, I really meant Jesus is the recognized authority for Christians, just as Gautama is for Buddhists and Muhammad for Muslims, whoever is the chief source or prophet of their religion. I myself listen to all of them first before choosing which of the answers is the best.

Most critics and objectors blame it all on Jesus and condemn him without first giving him a fair hearing. They impute to him all manner of false teachings that he never did teach. My advice to them is not to prejudge before they study the matter more thoroughly.

Jesus is a son of God, in the same way that we are all children of the same God, or in your thought context, we are fellow created beings. Just that Jesus is far advanced over the rest of us who are still here. But everything he is, we will be. All that he has done, we too can do. This is according to his own words. We should not confuse the false interpretations of the churches and lesser followers regarding his teachings and the actual teachings of Jesus, himself, in his own words. They are not the same.

For those who care to learn the differences, I invite you to take the Test on Jesus -- 'You only think you know Jesus but you really don't' that I posted in a new thread.

More than this, I request, as much as feasible unless it relates directly to Hinduism, that we minimize further discussion regarding subjects purely Christian until after we take up the other religions. For now, I would prefer to focus on Hinduism. There is much to cover here, alone.

Re: personal gods and guardian angels:

We are discussing Hinduism and I meant it in the context of Hindu teachings. Guides also operate under a hierarchy. Guardian angels are at a lower end of the scale. In the administration of the Divine Plan, there are many different functions and duties assigned to our Supervising Guides or "Angels." But how does HPB explain this concept? And how is God defined in Theosophy? I am not clear on the official teaching of Theosophy, if there is one, and I would like to be reminded.

Re: righteousness:

Righteousness is simply love in action, not just in the mind or in empty words. This is Rajah and Karma Yoga. Do you disagree? Does Theosophy not teach this very same thing? Or do you feel that the pursuit of knowledge or Jnana Yoga is enough? To us, knowledge without the corresponding applications is useless. Without works, there is no salvation. What do you believe?

Of course, whatever works for you is fine with me.

Angel

Angel,

I have had a hard time responding to your posts, and I have just figured out why. You bring up concept after concept after concept. I am willing to discuss each concept, one by one. Yet, before we finish discussing one concept, you bring up another string of concepts. We Theosophists realized a long time ago that quality is more important than quantity.

Let's slow down, and take it one concept at a time. You have mentioned Salvation. In comparison, Theosophy teaches Reincarnation and Karma. What have you heard of Reincarnation and Karma?

Angel,

Spend more time looking at old threads here and you will find some discussion of the Theosophical Deity. Also re-read Mahatma Letter 10 (or 88 chronologically). Here is one passage, of many, by HPB:

Thank you Nicholas. I have no problem with this definition. But I was looking for a more comprehensive yet simple and concise, easy to understand by the uninitiated and more simply worded "Theosophical" definition. I no longer have access to Theosophical materials but from what I recall from my past studies, the other references are not much different from this one that you cited?

Nick and Everyone,

Per your request:

New Age on Reincarnation and Karma

For most of us at our present stage of development, a belief in Reincarnation is not mandatory. However, if one desires to understand about life and the mysteries, he should consider its implications and operation.

Whenever there is mention of this divine principle, immediately, the uninformed will relate to the old Hindu and Buddhist teachings. These earlier religions however are not New Age. And these interpretations, many of them, are now obsolete. Much of them have already been upgraded and superseded. Sadly, many have ignored these teachings or otherwise have refused to learn about them. As a result, only a fortunate few have found the answers to the confusing questions of life.

New Age refers to the emergence of new teachings, new schools and more recent sources -- Theosophy, Spiritualism or Channeling, Spiritism, Edgar Cayce and Lobsang Rampa are just some of them. New Age is about reconciling all differences and clarifying all things.

Reincarnation and Karma - Progressive teachings

Much deeper insights and clearer, more rational explanations are now made available to everyone. The Hindus believe in Transmigration which teaches that the spirit entity returns in a form, animal or human, which is determined by the desires and attitudes of the spirit, itself, at the time of its death. The more advanced branches of Buddhism, however, confine reincarnation to the human form. Theosophy and the Aquarian Gospel teach that souls develop progressively upward. Evolved group souls of plants move on to become the group souls of animals. After animal evolution, the group souls become individualized as humans. For special purposes, Avatars on special missions in our world may transmigrate to another human body, but always with the permission and willing participation of the previous occupant. Metempsychosis relates to our transferring from our old body to another body more suited to the plane or planet that we are moving to.

In the human phase, spirit students pursue their development in a minimum of 7 Globes, 7 Rounds per Globe, 7 Root-Races per Round and 7 Sub-Races per Root-Race. Currently, we here on Earth are on our 4th Globe, 4th Round and 5th Root-Race. We have progressed past the Lemurian and the Atlantean civilizations, the 3rd and 4th Root-Races.

Karma is the corollary law that governs the causes and effects that manifest in every life. It is likewise God's provisioning of the very conditions, circumstances and situations that we will encounter in our life, the lessons that will enable every spirit entity to learn and develop itself.

"A thousand years is just as one day," according to Peter. So one earth lifetime is just as one day in class for spirits. Perfection cannot be had in just one lifetime. But in the context of eternal time, all things are made possible.

To better appreciate the magnificence of the Divine Plan, sometimes, all we need to do is to relate our situation to some other simple and ordinary occurrence or experience and then, even the most difficult questions can be more easily understood, even the mysteries of life.

The Earth as a Classroom

1. School: Cosmos, All of creation

2. Objective/ Purpose: Spiritual development or character building aspect in particular

3. Teachers: Spirits of Truth, Christ, angels, prophets, apostles, saints, avatars, gurus, spiritual masters, and adepts,

4. Students: Angels, humans, nature spirits, animals, plants, elementals – all at varying levels

5. Classrooms: Universes, planes, dimensions, globes – Earth and other planets

6. Physical Facilities: Physical forms, bodies, money, treasures, wealth, land, sea, buildings, houses, climate, heat, fire, etc.

7. Subjects: Character development, righteousness in the physical planes, development of the emotions in the astral planes, development of the mind in the mental planes and higher spiritual development in the higher planes

8. Teaching aids: Experiences, simulated conditions, circumstances and situations

9. Terms, periods: 1 incarnation, 1 age (2,100 years), 1 yuga (324,000 years), 1 root race (10,000,000 years), 1 round (7 root races), 1 globe (7 rounds), 1 manvantara (period of creation)

10. Entrance: Incarnation or physical birth

11. Exit: Transition to the Spirit World or physical death

Basing on the above comparison table, if we can imagine that the Earth is for spirits just one tiny classroom in the Multiverse and that we are all students learning and evolving, then we would be much closer to the Truth. And then the Truth can make us free.

For an even more comprehensive discussion of these divine principles, you can click on:

http://secrets-of-the-kingdom.blogspot.com...-and-karma.html

Angel

Angel,

I am impressed that your beliefs on reincarnation and karma are so detailed.

Now, what do you believe regarding Jesus' ability to forgive us our sins?

You said,

"The more advanced branches of Buddhism, however, confine reincarnation to the human form."

--> Really? Which advanced forms of Buddhism (that teach this) are you familiar with? Which "non-advanced forms of Buddhism" are you familiar with?

With the Internet & Google you can find all you need regarding the theosophical notion of deity, principle etcetera. Basically there is no personal deity or God, but the way the Nameless One Principle is defined & taught differs somewhat.

Here is Mahatma Letter 10, also study the online copy of ML letter 22. These were produced by HPB's gurus:

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/mahatma/ml-10.htm

Thanks for the tip, Nicholas. I will look them up.

Hello Nick and Everyone,

In higher studies, the student must learn to think for himself, regardless of what are taught by others. But if a teaching by anyone from whatever source does not make sense, then it probably is not true and we should automatically reject it, outright. Everything must pass the test of reason in light of our own personal experience. Where experience is lacking, full acceptance should be withheld pending subsequent verification and validation.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry can forgive us. But it won't mean much to us, anyway. Ultimately, no one can forgive us but ourselves. But we can forgive ourselves only if we in our turn first forgive others. And even if we may have been able to understand our "human" frailty and forgive ourselves, still, all our debts must be paid. There is no escaping divine justice or the consequences of all our thoughts and deeds. This is clearly demonstrated also in the link I posted on Reincarnation and Karma.

But there are levels to the divine teachings, and different ways of understanding depending on our level in the order of evolution. Does the 3rd Rounder know or understand as much as the 4th Rounder? So each of us must seek his own truth at his level and work forward.

There is the concept of offsetting debts by helping others. In line with the purpose of life on earth, there is the concept of learning while teaching others, at the same time, in the same action. There is the concept of the Higher Self and being one with everyone. Therefore, what we do to others, we are really doing to ourselves. They are all discussed in the same linked article. Those who want to understand can check it out.

And to add just a bit of information that you may have been curious to know, Jesus did in fact teach Reincarnation. Even now, there are still many Reincarnation verses in the Bible that have survived the editing of the Scriptures after this teaching was declared anathema with the adoption of the Nicene Creed. Resurrection is Reincarnation misunderstood: http://innerquest1.blogspot.com/2007/04/re...ncarnation.html.

Lamaism up to the 13th Dalai Lama according to the accounts of Lobsang Rampa is far advanced. This present 14th, according to him, is not the same entity as the first 13. Nor are the teachings of Lamaism today the same level as before. Some of his books are free to download at:

A High Lama reveals the ancient secrets of the Buddhas
http://www.lobsangrampa.org/research.html

Lobsang Rampa book offerings and free e-book downloads
http://www.lobsangrampa.net/lobsang_rampa.html

All other branches of Buddhism that still hold to the old superseded beliefs and teachings are not as advanced.

Angel

Hello,

Angel, just to be sure, you are referring to Lamaism as an 'advanced form of Buddhism', yes?

Thank you.

Hello Yesspiritual,

This is according to Lobsang Rampa, himself. Yes. Lamaism is a branch of Buddhism.

Angel

Hello,

So it embraces the core teachings of Buddhism e.g. 4 Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Paths, Dependent Origination and the 12 Links of Dependent Arising. Apart from the link you provided in your earlier posting, is there any more reading you can recommend about Lamaism the 'advanced form of Buddhism'?

Thanks.

Hello Yesspiritual,

The 4 Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, yes. However, I am not familiar with the Dependent Origination and the 12 Links of Dependent Arising that you mentioned.

Basic Buddhism and Lamaism are discussed in depth in "The Saffron Robe." You can download the book by visiting http://www.lobsangrampa.org/research.html. If you find that you want to learn more of Lobsang's teachings, you can download some of his other writings. However, his first 7 or 8 books are the most authoritative and informative. They should suffice.

Angel