The Book Nirvana, An Occult Experience, by George Arundale, is now online:

http://www3.igalaxy.net/~nick/theosophy/naoe-index.htm

Not having read Arundale, his idea of Nirvana is unknown to me.

In the Theosophy of Blavatsky & her Gurus full nirvana is oneness with the Absolute and is only reached by most humans at the end of 7 rounds of evolution on this planet. Buddha and a very, very, few have reached this state before the seventh round.

But the head of the bodhisattva Brotherhood that HPB was part of did not think seeking nirvana was altruistic.

"For our doctrines to practically react on the so called moral code or the ideas of truthfulness, purity, self-denial, charity, etc., we have to preach and popularise a knowledge of theosophy. It is not the individual and determined purpose of attaining oneself Nirvana (the culmination of all knowledge and absolute wisdom) which is, after all only an exalted and glorious selfishness, but the self-sacrificing pursuit of the best means to lead on the right path our neighbour, to cause as many of our fellow creatures as we possibly can to benefit by it, which constitutes the true Theosophist."

For a Buddhist explanation of nirvana -

http://accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacc...a3/nibbana.html

The term also appears in the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga-Vasishta and other hindu works.

From the Mahatma Letters, #25

I always find a discussion about Nirvana to be fascinating. One of the amazing things about Nirvana is that different people have very different ideas as to what Nirvana is. To some, it is a "place." To others, it is more of a state of mind.

To some, it is the main goal in life. To others, it is a selfish ideal, to be avoided at all costs.

The word "Nirvana" comes from words that mean "to blow out," as in a candle that is blown out, or is extinguished. A key question, then, is -- what exactly gets blown out?

To some, the entire entity that is a human being is annhilated. I cannot accept such an idea. It would be good to look at Theosophical ideas as to what gets annihilated.

In the Besant/Leadbeater tradition, it is only the lower principles of man that are annihilated. It is a release of the higher principles from the limitations of the physical world.

My question, then, is: Is this idea supported or rejected in the Judge literature?

Blavatsky & her gurus are the best authority for Theosophy. Judge followed their lights.

Study the context of ML 25 and more insight will be gained. Also here are some references in Blavatsky Collected Writings

Use this site: CW Online

Nirvana (Sk.):
IX 206 (228)
of a Buddha, XIV 371 fn., 373-74,
387-93
an Absolute condition, XIV 375, 376
an actionless state, XIV 374, 420-21
Adept merged in, after death, XIII 32
Adepts renounce, to help Humanity,
XIV 53-54, 161 & fn., 373, 386-87,
396-97, 406 fn.
Adi-Buddha and, IV 100
alchemy and, XI 515 (538)
as Amitabha's paradise, VII 202
Bhagavad Gita passage and, X 396
Buddha's, came 20 years before death,
V 249
of Buddha's precursors & Csoma de
Körös, V 255
Buddha taught only way to, X 239
Burnouf on, X 66, 111
as Chaldean "life eternal," III 292
on content of, XIV 375-76, 393
definitions, III 297, 412, 414; V 354;
VII 184; XIV 421
Devachan is, of Initiate, XIV 262, 371
& fn., 375
Dhyan-Chohanship and, VI 248-49
differs among lesser adepts, XIV
371 fn., 375-77
differs in kind from any type of
consciousness, VIII 114
in Druse teachings, III 188
Ego becomes non-Ego in, VII 179
Ego nearly immortal if, avoided, X
219
"entering," not really possible, XIV
375
is eternal, XIV 374, 416, 432-33
extinction not, XIV 415-19, 420-21
full purity needed to reach, II 398
Hell and, III 88 et seq.
Higher Principles of Adept may
remain in, XIV 375, 376, 389-92
an illusion also, X 311, 327
immoral inferences to, XIV 437
immortality and, IV 250-51; X 219
as Impersonal life-eternal, XIV 432
an impersonal state, III 184 fn.
Invisible & imponderable, XIV 421
is but does not exist, X 175; XI 240
(277)
Jaina text on Buddha's ascent into,
XIV 416
jivas and, XI 468
legend about Buddha's, XIII 343
as Moksha, is a state, XIV 58 fn., 411,
415, 421
Mukti is freedom or, XIV 459 fn.
not annihilation, VII 51; X 66 & fn.;
XIV 415-21
Nyr-Nyang and, V 255
Occult Metaphysics based on, XIV
415
one of three Eternals, XIV 408, 411
Parabrahman identical with, XIV 376
as quest for Life-Eternal, XIV 432
as re-absorption, XIV 416, 433
on reaching, I 294, 298; XI 345; XII
407; XIII 62
is real life, VIII 114
refuge against rebirth, XI 218 (254)
remembrance of past lives and, VI 179
on renunciation of, VI 101; X 396; XI
348-49; XIV 53-54, 161 & fn., 373,
386-87, 396-97, 406 fn.
result of link with inner Deity, XIV
55, 375
rooted in non-being, XIV 416
Sahajananda and, I 335
Samadhi is not real, XIV 53, 371 fn.
Seven Paths or faculties to, X 326;
XIV 388, 436 fn.
six keys to, XIV 392 fn.
spiritually evil man & final, III 298
a state of "no return," XIV 375 fn.,
389-92, 406 fn., 420, 437
temptations leading to, XIV 262
of the Vedantins, XIV 392-93, 415-16
threshold of Parinirvana, XIV 392
as totality of Spiritual Wisdom, XIV
371
has triple positive & negative
meanings, XI 470
two kinds of, XIV 436 fn.
ultimate end of aspirant, VI 242-43,
248-49
the "unconscious whole," VI 111
vanishing point, V 174