PART II.—SYMBOLS.

The practical expounder and preachers of Sufism are the Dervishes, the

monks of Islam.

_Zaous Abou Add er-Rahman_, of Persian origin, but born in Yemen,

led the way. He had passed his early youth in the society of Zein el

Abidin, the son of Hasan, and grandson of Ali, and the first of that

family who in life and writing professed the mystical ideas and austere

practices, which ever afterwards distinguished the race. Abou-Horeirah,

the devoutest of Mohammed’s own companions, and Ebn Abbas were also

his masters. He took up his abode at Mecca, the centre of religious

feeling, and soon Zaous’ influence began to appear among the crowd of

pilgrims from all parts of the Mohammedan empire; they began to imitate

his long prayers, his fasts, and extreme poverty, and above all his

open contempt for all worldly dignity and rank, and many adopted the

peculiarity of his dress, the long and patched garment and the high

woollen cap, both of which later became so characteristic of the Sufi.

One of his most distinguished followers was _Hasan Yesar_, like Zaous,

of Persian origin, but born in Arabia, in Medinah. Having received his

liberty (he was born after his mother had become a slave of Omm Salma,

one of the numerous wives of the Prophet), he retired to Basra, on the

Persian Gulf, a town known for its attachment to the family of Ali and

their doctrines, and henceforth a stronghold of the ascetic sect. His

life proved the truth and strength of his doctrines, and Basra was now

their headquarters.

_Malik Ebn Dinar_, a Persian, and a slave by birth, known for his love

of manual labor, poverty and humility, next appears as chief among the

ascetics of his age.

_Omar Abou Othman_, was a disciple of Hasan Yesar and also an

inhabitant of Basra. Hasan Yesar described him as one worthy of angels

and prophets for preceptors and guides, one who never exhorted save to

what he had first put in practice, nor deterred from anything except

what he himself inviolably abstained from. He was a vigorous asserter

of man’s free-will.

About the same time _Omar Abou Durr_ at Coufa and _Sofein Abou Abd

Allah_ displayed similar examples of austerity and virtue, and so did

_Hammad Abou Ismail_, son of the celebrated Abou Hanifah, Abd Allah

Meroujï, and _Mohammed Ebn es Semmak_.

But whether at Mecca or at Basra, the various ascetics already

mentioned, and the many not mentioned; whatever personal influence they

exercised, and virtues they possessed, they did not form a particular

and distinct association or brotherhood. No common rule united them,

nor did they group themselves around any superior or chief, as yet.

But the next prominent man among them was not only a remarkable man

as an ascetic, but also the father and founder of all the numerous

Dervish family. His name was _Fodheil Abou Ali Zalikani_. He was

born of Persian parents and spent his youth as a highway robber. One

night he had scaled the walls of a house where the girl of whom he

was enamored dwelt, and concealed on the roof, awaited the moment to

descend and gratify his passion. But while thus occupied he heard a

voice repeating the well-known verse of the Quran: “Is it not high time

for those who believe to open their hearts to compunction?” “Lord, it

is high time indeed,” replied Fodheil; and leaving the house, as well

as his evil design, he retired to a half-ruined caravansarai not far

off, there to pass the rest of the night. Several travellers were at

the moment lodged in the caravansarai, and, concealed by the darkness,

he overheard their conversation: “Let us start on our journey,” said

one; and the others answered: “Let us wait till morning, for the robber

Fodheil is out on the roads.” This completed the conversion of the

already repentant highwayman. He advanced towards the travellers, and,

discovering himself to them, assured them that henceforth neither they

nor any others should have aught to fear from him. He then stripped

himself of his weapons and worldly gear, put on a patched and tattered

garment, and passed the rest of his life in wandering from place to

place, in the severest penitence and in extreme poverty, sometimes

alone, sometimes with numerous disciples, whom he took under his

direction, and formed into a strict and organized brotherhood. But

with all his austerity of life, his prolonged fasts and watchings, his

ragged dress and wearisome pilgrimages, he preferred the practice of

interior virtue and purity of intention to all outward observances,

and used often to say that “he who is modest and compliant to others,

and lives in meekness and patience, gains a higher reward by so doing

than if he fasted all his days, and watched in prayer all his nights.”

At so high a price did he place obedience to a spiritual guide, and

so necessary did he deem it, that he declared: “Had I a promise of

whatever I should ask in prayer, yet would I not offer that prayer save

in union with a superior.” But his favorite virtue was the love of

God in perfect conformity to his will, above all hope and fear. Thus

when his only son—whose virtues resembled his father’s—died in early

age, Fodheil was seen with a countenance of unusual cheerfulness; and

being asked by his intimate disciple Ragi Abou Ali, afterwards Kadhi of

the town of Rei, the reason therefor, he answered: “It was God’s good

pleasure, and it is therefore my good pleasure also.” We must notice

one more of his famous sentences: “Much is he beguiled who serves

God from fear or hope, for this true service is for mere love;” and,

speaking of himself: “I serve God because I cannot help serving Him for

very love’s sake.”

Fodheil died in the year 187 of the Hegira. His disciple was _Ibrahim

Ebn Adhem_, son of noble parents and also a Persian by birth, and he

is an example upon the forbearance under injury and reluctance to have

their right manifested, so prominent amongst the disciples of Fodheil.

After the death of Fodheil the supreme direction of the brotherhood

was vested in _Bishar el Hafi_, a native of Meron and inhabitant of

Bagdad. When young he had, like Fodheil, led a reckless life, till one

day walking in the streets he saw written on a piece of paper, torn and

trampled on by the feet of the passers-by, the name of God. He picked

it up and, having cleaned it to the best of his ability, took it home

and placed it out of the reach of further profanation. The same night

he heard a voice saying to him; “Bishar, thou has honoured my name.

I will accordingly render thy name honourable in this world and in

that to come.” He awoke from sleep a changed man, and began a new life

of penance and virtue. The name Hafi signifies _barefoot_. He walked

barefooted. His greatest trial was from the veneration of man: “O God,”

he used to say, “save me from this honour, the requital of which may

perchance be confusion in another life.”

Our space forbids us to dwell upon the Egyptian ascetics who helped to

lay the foundation for the future Sufism. We pass by them and dwell

mainly with the Persian representatives.

About this time—the beginning of the fourth century—two events occurred

of greatest importance in the history we are narrating. The Samanide

princes had gained ascendency in the empire over the Abbaside Caliphs.

All the princes of the Samanide race were remarkable for their piety

and patronage of learning. _Nasser Ebn Ahmed_, signalized himself by

his love of retirement and religious meditation. He founded an oratory

at Bokhara which soon became the resort of the now numerous ascetics,

and soon other similar institutions arose throughout the country and

_the dervishes of the East now took on them their permanent name and

manner of life_.

The other event which characterized this era was the outbreak of open

heterodoxy among the ascetics. Hitherto they had concealed their tenets

and practices, opposed as they were to the prevailing system, much

after the fashion of Ali Zein el Abidin, grandson of the famous Ali,

grand-master of the secret order:

“Above all things I conceal the precious jewel of my knowledge,

Lest the uninitiated should behold it, and be bewildered;

Ah, how many a rare jewel of this kind, should I openly display it,

Men would say to me: ‘Thou art one of the worshippers of idols;’

And Zealous Muslims would set my blood at price,

Deeming the worst of crimes an acceptable and virtuous action.”

After these ascetics had learned their strength from their union they

began to take part in politics and worked zealously with that party

that wished to overthrow the family and religion of Mohammed and place

Ali and mysticism in their stead. They accordingly soon had martyrs

in their ranks. Thus died at Bagdad the famous _Hosain Abou Meghith

el Halladj_. To his school belonged the three giants of learning and

piety: Abd-el-Kadir el Ghilani, Mohi ed Din Ebn-Aarabi el Moghrebi, and

Omar Ebn el Faridh. We pen a few of his words:

“I am He whom I love, and He whom I love is I;

We are two spirits, inhabiting one outward frame:

And when you behold me, you behold Him,

And when you behold Him, you behold us twain.”

He taught the freedom of the human will and wrote the following satire

on the predestinarian system of Islam:

“What can man do, if the decrees of predestination surround him,

Binding him in his every state? answer me, O learned professor.

He (_i. e._, as if He, that is God) cast him into the ocean, bound

hand and foot, and then said to him,

Woe to you, woe to you, should you get wet with the water.”

He it is who thus in his verse addresses God:

“I love Thee with a twofold love, the love of friendship,

And the love grounded on this alone, that Thou art worthy of it.

But as to that my love which is the love of friendship,

It is a love which leaves me no thought for any save Thee;

And as to the love of Thee according to Thy worthiness,

O raise from betwixt us the vail, that I may behold Thee.

Nor is any praise due to me either for this or for that (love),

But to Thee alone the praise both for this and that.”

Halladj’s three famous disciples gave their names to the three

principal brotherhoods among the Mohammedans, and their work remains to

this day.

_Abd-el-Kadir el Ghilani_ was a Persian by birth and resided at Bagdad.

Nobody doubted that he was the Kothb of his time, and as such he

announced himself in his ecstatic state, though ordinarily he strove

to conceal himself under the veil of a mean and despicable appearance.

He founded the order of the Qadiriyah which association counted in its

ranks some of the greatest names among Eastern mystics and poets. The

doctrine of the order was that of Hosein el Halladj, whom he taught the

order to look upon as their master, though their doctrine was commonly

veiled under a seemingly orthodox terminology. They subsist to this day

and are counted among the most prominent.

M. D’hosson in his celebrated work on the Ottoman empire traces the

origin of the Faquirs to the time of Mohammed in the following manner:

In the first year of the Hegira, forty-five citizens of Mecca joined

themselves to many others from Medina. They took an oath of fidelity

to the doctrines of their Prophet, and formed a sect or fraternity,

the object of which was to establish among themselves a community of

property, and to perform every day certain religious practices in a

spirit of penitence and mortification. To distinguish themselves from

other Mohammedans, they took the name of Sufis. This name, which later

was attributed to the most zealous partizans of Islam, is the same

still in use to indicate any Muselman who retires from the world to

study, to lead a life of pious contemplation, and to follow the most

painful exercises of an exaggerated devotion. To the name of Sufi they

added also that of Faquir, because their maxim was to renounce the

goods of the earth, and to live in an entire abnegation of all worldly

enjoyments, following thereby the words of the Prophet: “Poverty is my

pride.” Following their example, _Abu Bakr and Ali_ established, even

during the lifetime of the Prophet and under his own eyes, religious

orders, over which each presided, with Zikrs or peculiar religious

exercises, established by them separately, and a vow taken by each

of the voluntary disciples forming them. On his decease, Abu Bakr

made over his office of president to one _Salmann l-Farisi_, and Ali

to _al-Hasann l-Basri_, and each of these charges were consecrated

under the title of _Khalifah_, or successor. The two first successors

followed the example of the Khalifahs of Islam, and transmitted it

to their successors, and these in turn to others, the most aged and

venerable of their fraternity. Some among them, led by the delirium

of the imagination, wandered away from the primitive rules of their

society, and converted, from time to time, these fraternities into a

multitude of religious orders. * * * It was about A. H. 49 (A. D. 766)

that the Shaikh Alwan, a mystic renowned for his religious fervor,

founded the first regular order of the Faquirs, now known as the

Alwaniyah.

The Bastamiyah, the Nagshbandiyah, and the Bakhtashiyah descend from

the original order established by Abu Bakr. All the others come from

Ali.

THE FAQUIRS OR DERVISHES.

The Arabic word _Faqir_ signifies _poor_, poor in the sense of being

in need of mercy, poor in the sight of God. The Persian equivalent

_Darvish_ is derived from _dar_ “a door”—those who “beg from door to

door.”

The dervishes are, as stated before, the _practical_ expounders of

Mohammedanism. They are divided into two great classes, the _ba Shara_

(with the law), or those who govern their conduct according to the

principles of Islam: and the _be Shara_ (without the law), or those

who do not rule their lives according to the formal principles of any

religious creed, although they call themselves Muslims. To the latter,

the Sufis principally belong. These Faquirs are called either _Azad_,

the free, or _Majnub_, the absorbed. The former shave their beards,

whiskers, eyebrows, etc., and live a life of celibacy.

Every school and every brotherhood has its own distinctive teachings

and technicalities, and its peculiar practices and observances, its

saints and doctors, great men and founders.

A student will also readily discover a different character in Arabic

and Persian Sufism. The Arabic being nearer to Christianity takes up

much from it, but moulds it in its peculiar way; the Persian being

nearer the traditions of Zoroaster and in immediate contact with

Manechaism, naturally borrows from thence. Thus the “pantheistic”

tendencies, such as Divine absorption, universal manifestation of the

Deity under the seeming appearances of limited forms, the final return

of all things to the unity of God, a tendency to regard matter as evil,

the reprobation of marriage, etc.—these were ideas that rose from

Persian soil, while the ideas of a radiant Divinity mediating between

the supreme fountain-head of Being and the created world; of an

all-prevading Spirit of love; of detachment from the world; of poverty,

humility, etc., were more akin to Christian belief.

Still Saadis’ description applies to all: “The outward tokens of a

dervish are a patched garment and a shaven head; and the inward signs,

those of being alive in the spirit, and dead in the flesh:—‘not he who

will sit apart from his fellow-creatures at the door of supplication

with God; and, if he shall reject his prayer, will stand up in

disobedience; or if a millstone come rolling down a mountain, he is not

intelligent in the ways of providence, that would rise to avoid it.’

“The ritual of the Dervishes is gratitude and praise, worship and

obedience, contentment and charity, and a belief in the unity and

providence of God, having a reliance on and being resigned to his will,

confident of his favour, and forbearant of all: whosoever is endowed

with these qualifications is in truth a dervish, notwithstanding he be

arrayed in gorgeous apparel: whereas, the irreligious and hypocritical

vainboaster, sensualist, and whoremonger, who turn days into nights in

his slavish indulgences, and converts nights into days in his dreams of

forgetfulness; who eats whatever falls in his way, and speaks whatever

comes uppermost, is a profligate, though clothed in the sackcloth of a

saint.——”

The dervishes differ, says A. Vambery,[120] from each other only by the

manner in which they demonstrate their enthusiasm; still the more we

penetrate towards the East, the greater is the purity with which they

have been preserved. In Persia the dervishes play a much more important

part than in Turkey, and in Central Asia, isolated as it has been from

the rest of the world for centuries, this fraternity is still in full

vigor, and exercises a great influence upon society.

According to A. Vambery, the _Bektashi_, _Mevlevi_, and _Rufai_ orders

are principally found in Turkey; the _Kadrie_ and _Djelali_ in Arabia;

the _Oveisi_ and the _Nurbakhchi Nimetullahi_ in Persia; the _Khilali_

and _Zahibi_ in India, and the _Nakishbendi_ and _Sofi_ (a recent

order) in Central Asia.

According to Th. P. Hughes[121] the following are the chief orders of

Faqirs met with in North India: (1) The _Naqshbandia_, the followers

of Khwajah Pir Mohammed Naqshband, and are a very numerous sect; they

usually perform the Zikr-i-Khafi[122] or the silent devotion. (2) The

_Qadiria_ sprung from the celebrated Sayyid Abdul Qadir, surnamed

Pir Dustagir, whose shrine is at Bagdad. They practice both forms of

the Zikr. Most of the Sunni Moulavis of the north-west frontier of

India are members of this order. In Egypt it is most popular among

the fisherman. (3) The _Chishtia_ are followers of Banda Nawaz, whose

shrine is at Calburgah; they are partial to vocal music, for the

founder of the order remarked, that singing was the food and support

of the soul. They perform the Zikr-i-Jali. (4) The _Jalalia_ founded

by Sayyid Jalal-ud-din of Bokhara; they are met with in Central Asia.

Religious mendicants are often of this order. (5) The _Sarwardia_ are

popular in Afganistan and comprise many learned men. They are the

followers of Hasan Bisri of Basra, near Bagdad. These five are all

ba-Shara Faqirs.

The be-Shara Faqirs are very numerous. The most popular order is that

of the _Mudaria_, founded by Zinda Shah Murdar of Syria, whose shrine

is at Mukanpur, in Oudh. From these have sprung the _Malang_ Faqirs who

crowd the bazaars of India. They wear their hair matted or tied in a

knot. The _Rafia_ order is also a numerous one in some parts of India.

They practice the most severe discipline and mortify themselves by

scourging.

The secrets of the dervish orders cannot be learned. An initiation is

described in Lane’s Society is the Middle Ages and the following is

another.

The following is the account of the admission of Tewekkul Bêg into the

order of the Qadiriyahfaqirs, one of the four most prominent ones, by

Moolla Shah, a Saint and poet of some celebrity, who died in the year

of the Hegira 1072 (1661-62 of our era), at Lahore, where his shrine

was reared by the Princess Fatima, daughter of Shah-Jihan. Tewekkul is

himself the narrator:

“Having been introduced, by means of Akhônd Mollâ Mohammed Say’d

into the intimate circle of Mollâ Shah, my heart through frequent

intercourse with the Sheikh was filled with a burning desire of

reaching the sublime goal [of the mystical science], and I no longer

found sleep by night nor rest by day * * I passed the whole of that

night without being able to shut my eyes, and betook myself to reciting

a hundred thousand times the one hundred and twelfth chapter of the

Qoran. I accomplished this in several days. It is well known that in

this chapter of the Qoran the great Name of God is contained, and

that through the power of that Name, whoever recites it a hundred

thousand times may obtain all that he desires. I conceived then the

wish that the Master should bestow his affection upon me. And, in

fact, I convinced myself of the efficacy of this means, for hardly had

I finished the hundred thousandth recitation of this chapter of the

book of God, when the heart of the Master was filled with sympathy

for me, and he gave order to Senghin Mohammed, his vicar, to conduct

me on the following night to his presence. During that whole night he

concentrated his mind upon me, while I directed my meditation upon my

own heart; but the knot of my heart was not unloosed. So passed three

nights, during which he made me the object of his spiritual attention,

without any result being manifested. On the fourth night Mollâ Shâh

said, ‘This night Mollâ Senghin and Sâlih Bêg, who are both very

susceptible to ecstatic emotions, will direct their whole mind upon the

neophyte.’ They obeyed this order, while I remained seated the whole

night, my face turned towards Mecca, at the same time concentrating all

my mental faculties upon my own heart. Towards daybreak, a little light

and brightness came into my heart, but I could distinguish neither

form nor color. After morning prayer I presented myself, and the two

persons I have just mentioned, before the Master who saluted me and

asked them what they had done to me. They replied: ‘Ask him, himself.’

Then, addressing me, he told me to relate to him my impressions. I said

that I had seen a brightness in my heart; whereupon the Sheikh became

animated, and said to me: ‘Thy heart contains an infinity of colors,

but it is become so dark that the looks of these two crocodiles of the

infinite ocean [the mystic science] have not availed to bestow upon

it either brightness or clearness; the moment is come when I myself

will show thee how it is enlightened.’ With these words he made me

sit in front of him, while my senses were, so to speak, inebriated,

and ordered me to reproduce within me his appearance. Then, having

blindfolded me, he bade me concentrate all my mental faculties upon

my heart. I obeyed, and in an instant, by the divine favor and the

spiritual assistance of the Sheikh, my heart was opened. I saw then

within me something like a cup, turned upside down; and this object

having been turned up again, a feeling of illimitable happiness filled

my whole being. I said to the Master, ‘This cell, where I am sitting

before you—I see a faithful reproduction of it within me, and it seems

as if another Téwekkul Bêg were seated before another Mollâ Shâh.‘ He

answered, ‘It is well; the first vision which presents itself to thy

view is the figure of the Master.’ * * * He next bade me uncover my

eyes, which I did, and I then saw him, by the material organ of vision,

seated in front of me. Again he made me bandage them, and I perceived

him by my spiritual vision, seated in front of me just the same. Full

of wonder I cried out, ‘O my Master, whether I look with my bodily

eyes or my spiritual vision, it is always you that I see.’ Meanwhile

I saw advance towards me a dazzling figure, and upon my telling the

Master of it, he bade me ask the apparition its name. In my spirit I

put to it that question, and the figure answered me by the voice of

the heart, ‘My name is Abd Alkâdir Glilâny.’ I heard this answer by my

spiritual ear. The Master then advised me to pray the Saint to give me

his spiritual help and succor. I made this petition; and the apparition

said to me, ‘I had already granted to thee my spiritual assistance;

hence it is that the knots of thy heart have been loosed.’ Full of deep

gratitude, I imposed on myself the obligation of reciting every Friday

night the whole Qoran in honor of this great Saint, and for two whole

years I never neglected this practice. Mollâ Shâh then said, ‘The

spiritual world has been shown to thee in all its beauty: remain there

seated, effacing thyself completely in the marvels of this unknown

world.’

“I obeyed strictly the directions of my Master, and, day by day, the

spiritual world became more and more unveiled before me. The next day I

saw the figures of the Prophet and his chief Companions, and legions of

Saints and Angels passed before my inner vision. Three months passed in

this manner, after which the sphere where all color is effaced opened

before me, and then all the figures disappeared. During all this time

the Master ceased not to explain to me the doctrine of the union with

God and of mystical intuition. But, nevertheless, the Absolute Reality

would not show itself to me. It was not until after a year that the

knowledge of the Absolute Reality, in its relation with the conception

of my own existence came to me. The following verses revealed

themselves at that moment to my heart, whence they passed unbidden to

my lips:—

‘That this corruptible frame was other than water and dust

I knew not: the powers of the heart and the soul and the body I knew

not,

Woe is me! that so much of my life without Thee has for ever fled

from me.

Thou wert I; but dark was my heart: I knew not the secret transcendent.’

“I submitted to Mollâ Shâh this poetical inspiration, and he rejoiced

that the idea of the union with God was at last manifested to my heart;

and addressing his disciples, he said: ‘Tèwekkul Bêg has heard from

my mouth the words of the doctrine of the union with God, and he will

never betray the mystery. His inner eye is opened; the sphere of color

and images is shown to him, and at last the sphere where all color is

effaced has been revealed to him. Whoever after having passed through

these phases of the union with God, has obtained the Absolute Reality,

shall no more be led astray, whether by his own doubts or by those

which sceptics may suggest to him.”

(_To be continued._)

MUSINGS ON THE TRUE THEOSOPHIST’S PATH.

II.

“Work as those work who are ambitious.—Respect life as those do who

desire it.—Be happy as those are who live for happiness.”—_Light on

the Path._

We are tried in wondrous ways, and in the seemingly unimportant affairs

of life, there often lie the most dangerous of the temptations.

Labor, at best, is frequently disagreeable owing either to mental or

physical repugnance. When he who seeks the upward path, begins to find

it, labor grows more burdensome, while at the time, he is, owing to his

physical condition, not so well fitted to struggle with it. This is

all true, but there must be no giving in to it. It must be forgotten.

He _must work_, and if he cannot have the sort he desires or deems

best suited to him, then must he take and perform that which presents

itself. It is that which he most needs. It is not intended either, that

he do it to have it done. It is intended that he work as if it was the

object of his life, as if his whole heart was in it. Perhaps he may be

wise enough to know that there is something else, or that the future

holds better gifts for him, still this also must to all intents be

forgotten, while he takes up his labor, as if there were no to-morrow.

Remember that life is the outcome of the Ever-Living. If you have

come to comprehend a little of the mystery of life, and can value its

attractions according to their worth; these are no reasons why you

should walk forth with solemn countenance to blight the enjoyments of

other men. Life to them is as real, as the mystery is to you. Their

time will come as yours has, so hasten it for them, if you can, by

making life brighter, more joyous, better.

If it be your time to fast, put on the best raiment you have, and go

forth, not as one who fasts, but as one who lives for life.

Do your sighing and crying within you. If you can not receive the small

events of life and their meanings without crying them out to all the

world, think you that you are fitted to be trusted with the mysteries?

The doing away with one or certain articles of diet, _in itself_, will

not open the sealed portals. If this contained the key, what wise

beings must the beasts of the field be, and what a profound Mystic must

Nebuchadnezar have been, after he was “turned out to grass!”

There are some adherents of a faith, which has arisen in the land, who

deem it wise to cast away all things that are distasteful to them; to

cut asunder the ties of marriage because they deem it will interfere

with their spiritual development, or because the other pilgrim is not

progressed enough. Brothers, there lives not the man who is wise enough

to sit as a judge upon the spiritual development of any living being.

He is not only unwise but blasphemous who says to another: “Depart! you

impede my exalted spiritual development.”

The greatest of all truths lies frequently in plain sight, or veiled

in contraries. The impression has gone abroad that the Adept or the

Mystic of high degree, has only attained his station by forsaking the

association of his fellow creatures or refusing the marriage tie. It

is the belief of very wise Teachers that all men who had risen to the

highest degrees of Initiation, have at some time passed through the

married state. Many men, failing in the trials, have ascribed their

failure to being wedded, precisely as that other coward, Adam, after

being _the first transgressor_ cried out “It was Eve.”

One of the most exalted of the Divine Mysteries lies hidden

here—therefore, Oh Man, it is wise to cherish that which holds so much

of God and seek to know its meaning; not by dissolution and cutting

asunder, but by binding and strengthening the ties. Our most Ancient

Masters knew of this and Paul also speaks of it. (Ephesians v. 32.)

Be patient, kindly and wise, for perhaps in the next moment of life,

the light will shine out upon thy companion, and you discover that you

are but a blind man, claiming to see. Remember this, that you own not

one thing in this world. Your wife is but a gift, your children are

but loaned to you. All else you possess is given to you only while you

use it wisely. Your body is not yours, for Nature claims it as her

property. Do you not think, Oh Man, that it is the height of arrogance

for you to sit in judgment upon any other created thing, while you, a

beggar, are going about in a borrowed robe?

If misery, want and sorrow are thy portion for a time, be happy that it

is not death. If it is death be happy there is no more of life.

You would have wealth, and tell of the good you would do with it. Truly

will you lose your way under these conditions. It is quite probable,

that you are as rich as you ever will be, therefore, desire to do good

with what you have—and _do it_. If you have nothing, know that it is

best and wisest for you. Just so surely as you murmur and complain just

so surely will you find that “from him that hath not, shall be taken

even that which he hath.” This sounds contradictory, but in reality is

in most harmonious agreement. Work in life and the Occult are similar;

all is the result of your own effort and will. You are not rash enough

to believe that you will be lifted up into Heaven like the Prophet of

old—but you really hope some one will come along and give you a good

shove toward it.

Know then, Disciples, that you only can lift yourselves by your own

efforts. When this is done, you may have the knowledge that you will

find many to accompany you on your heretofore lonely journey; but

neither they or your Teacher will be permitted to push or pull you one

step onward.

This is all a very essential part of your preparation and trial for

Initiation.

You look and wait for some great and astounding occurrence, to show you

that you are going to be permitted to enter behind the veil; that you

are to be Initiated. It will never come. He only who studies all things

and learns from them, as he finds them, will be permitted to enter,

and for him there are no flashing lightnings or rolling thunder. He

who enters the door, does so as gently and imperceptibly, as the tide

rises in the night-time.

Live well your life. Seek to realize the meaning of every event. Strive

to find the Ever Living and wait for more light. The True Initiate

does not fully realize what he is passing through, until his degree is

received. If you are striving for light and Initiation, remember this,

that your cares will increase, your trials thicken, your family make

new demands upon you. He who can understand and pass through these

patiently, wisely, placidly—may hope.

AMERICAN MYSTIC.

POETICAL OCCULTISM.

SOME ROUGH STUDIES OF THE OCCULT LEANINGS OF THE POETS.

I.

In the _Bagavad-Gita_ and the _Upanishads_ it is held that:

Ishwara, the Lord of all things, dwells in the heart of every mortal

being, and from that place causes the illusions of the world to appear

to man as reality.

_Light on the Path_ dwells upon the necessity of understanding your

own heart: It tells us to seek for the source of evil there, where it

lives, as fruitfully in the heart of the devoted disciple as in that of

the man of desire, and that your heart is the profoundest mystery of

all the great obscurities.

Longfellow felt this when, in _The Beleaguered City_, he sang:—

I have read, in the marvelous heart of man,

That strange and mystic scroll,

That an army of phantoms vast and wan

Beleaguer the human soul.

This verse occurs to him in connection with the old story that the

City of Prague was once beleaguered by a vast phantom army, which

camped down on the opposite bank of the river, and he likens the

human heart to Prague. Here, in the city dwells Ishwara, who, while

thus imprisoned, is beleaguered by the vast army—the phantoms of

all the acts and thoughts of the person in this and other lives.

Occultism declares with the poet, that the heart is a mystic scroll;

it is a veritable field also, in which are sown many seeds that

may lie unnoticed, not only during one life, but often for many

many incarnations, but sure to blossom forth one day under favoring

circumstances. And as they begin to grow, they evoke the phantoms of

the deeds that sowed them, and those ghostly hosts sweep round the soul

in its prison house.

In _Resignation_, Longfellow wrote: “There is no death! What seems so

is transition.”

This is one of the propositions of Occultism. The poet was writing

upon the death of the physical body of a girl much beloved, and was

considering the change which in common life is known as “death.” But

the followers of the Wisdom Religion know that this terrible change is

not really death, is not in any sense the moment of decease of even the

physical man. The visible being is a congeries of energies or elements

which are by no means all dead when the person breathes his last, nor

when the body is consigned to the grave. It is only the transition, as

Longfellow says, of the informing spirit, to another sphere of action.

The same view is taken in the _Atharva Veda_, where it says,

“Everything is transformed. Life and death are only modes of

transformation, which rule the vital molecule from plant up to Brahma

himself.”

The occult philosophy considers as death, only that process, and

period, of separation between _all_ the various elements of one’s lower

human and animal nature; so that, in the case of suicides and other

sudden and premature deaths, what occultists know as “death,” extends

over a long period of time. The moment called death by the world, is

only the time of separation between the body and the life principle,

which the Hindus call _jiva_; this is the moment when the transition

begins.

Goethe was a profound student of occultism. Its influence is to be

traced throughout his works, and a leading motive in many of his dramas

is the dominance over the lives of men of that power which we call

_Karma_. His masterpiece, _Faust_, upon which a library of commentaries

has been written, can only be truly read in the light of Occultism.

_Faust_ comes to an end with the following “Mystic Chorus” sung by the

assembled Hosts of Heaven:

All that’s impermanent

Is but a likeness.

The Unattainable

Here findeth witness;

The Indescribable,

Here is it done;

The Ever-womanly

Leadeth us on.

A wealth of occult meaning is packed into these eight closing lines of

the grand drama, which is designed to depict the course of the soul

from Heaven, through earth, back to Heaven. All that is impermanent,

or of the earth, belonging to the realm of matter, is but a likeness,

or symbol, designed for the instruction of man, who must learn to

read the lesson if he is to progress. The Unattainable in the desires

of those on and of the earth finds witness, or comes to pass, in the

realization of all aspirations in the life beyond. The indescribable

is done there, because man in the flesh has no senses adequate to

comprehend those things pertaining to a higher plane of existence. The

Ever-womanly is that which makes progress of the soul possible—the

feminine principle which attracts the masculine, or pure spirit, to

its opposite pole and thereby causes it to manifest itself. It is by

these successive manifestations that the individual is carried forward,

enriched by the experience which only thus, through the attraction

of the Ever-womanly, or eternal feminine principle, is attained. So

the Ever-womanly, or that whereby God the spirit is made manifest in

matter, is the means to lead the soul of man on its course through the

grandest possibilities of the Universe to the most exalted heights of

the Indescribable.

Wordsworth, in his _Ode on Immortality_, says:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;

The soul that rises with us, our life’s star,

Had had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar.

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory, do we come

From God, who is our home.

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Shades of the prison-house begin to close

Upon the growing boy;

But he beholds the light, and whence it flows—

He sees it in his joy.

The youth, who daily farther from the east

Must travel, still is nature’s priest.

And by the vision splendid

Is on his way attended;

At length the man perceives it die away,

And fade into the light of common day.

It is very clear here that Wordsworth is setting down the theory of

“Reincarnation.” For he says the soul had elsewhere its setting; in

order to set elsewhere, it must have had elsewhere an existence. He

also refers, quite as curiously as do Whitman and Whittier, to a

coming from the east, as if he had memories of a previous life in some

oriental land where such ideas prevailed.

Shelley in _Prometheus Unbound_, sings:

Man, O not men! a chain of linked thought,

Of love and might to be divided not,

Compelling the elements with adamantine stress;

As the sun rules, even with a tyrant’s gaze,

The unquiet republic of the maze

Of Planets, struggling fierce towards heaven’s free wilderness.

Man, one harmonious soul of many a soul,

Whose nature is its own divine control,

Where all things flow to all, as rivers to the sea;

Familiar acts are beautiful through love;

Labor and pain and grief, in life’s green grove,

Sport like tame beasts,—none knew how gentle they could be!

In the foregoing verses, the doctrine of Brotherhood is enunciated.

Shelly refers to humanity as one, composed of its many units,—the

one-life running through all; and also, in the first two lines, to the

fact admitted by occultism, but sneered at by science, and dogmatic

theology, that this “chain of linked thought,” compels the elements,

and actually affects the course and destiny of the world. That is, that

the Karma of the physical world, indissolubly bound up in that of the

individuals upon it, is moulded and concentrated by the force of men’s

thoughts and lives. To carry this out in one direction, we say that

esoteric theosophy teaches that the inclination of the earth’s axis is

made greater or less by the influence of the wickedness or goodness

of the people upon the earth, thus bringing down what the people call

evils, such as glacial disturbances, cyclones, earthquakes and other

vicissitudes of earthly life. However fanciful this theory may appear,

it remains for us quite true; and as the scientific world has no reason

to give for the inclination of the axis, or for the precession of the

equinoxes, we are entitled to hold an opinion where they have none. For

the devout Christian this theory ought to have merits, if he chooses to

remember that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their wickedness.

They grew so horribly bad that fire was brought upon them either from

heaven or beneath. If it ever happened, it must have been a cyclic

disturbance. Science pooh-poohs it. Did it take place, then it was the

culminating point for the dynamic power of the evil deeds and thoughts

of the inhabitants.

In many places in the Christian bible, reference is made to the crying

out to the Lord of the blood of the slain. Now as blood has no power to

cry out, we must try in some way to make sense of these expressions,

and the only way is by giving to the thoughts which produce deeds of

violence, a dynamic power. It would then be easy to attribute to the

blood the ability to cry out for justice, instead of saying that the

deeds of blood require compensation.

But when blood is shed, elemental spirits pour in to the spot, drawn

there by the emanations arising from it, and they become important

factors in this supposed “calling out of the blood from the ground.”

Being strengthened by the human exhalations, they are a new force

composed not only of the thoughts of the murdered, but also of the

despair, hate and revenge of the slain. Science of course of this knows

nothing, and cares less. She cannot tell how long this new force, thus

compounded of elementals, blood, and the thought of slayer and his

victim, will last. But the God of the Christians knew all about this.

In Genesis, Ch. iv, Verse 10, He says to Cain:

“What hast thou done? _the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me

from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath

opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand._”

The blood furnishes the _occasion_, the thoughts of each give it

_force_, and the elementals give it a _voice_ to call on God.

S. B. J.

THE CORNER STONE.

Tradition relates that in the building of King Solomon’s temple there

was a stone of such peculiar shape that the workmen could find no place

for it, though it was regularly cut and with great care, and contained

the _sign_ of the Master. When the temple was near completion a place

was found for the stone which the builders had through ignorance

rejected. It was the _Keystone_ of the _Royal Arch_.

Those who have opened the halls of learning to this generation

have given a foundation stone, and repeatedly declared that no

other foundation can endure, that the floods of time and the storms

of passion will surely sweep with the besom of destruction every

superstructure not founded on this rock. And yet there are those who

wear the garb of fellow-crafts, and claim the wages of workmen, who

not only reject this stone but ridicule it, and laugh it to scorn.

The result is manifest in the confusion of the workmen, and it will

presently become manifest that those who thus reject the corner-stone

of Theosophy are brothers of the shadow literally, rather than Sons of

Light; they will find no designs on the tracing-board, and they will be

accused of murdering the “widow’s son.”

The time for wages will surely come, and even they who have come in at

the ninth hour and labored faithfully in the vineyard will receive due

wages.

The corner stone of Theosophy is distinctly stated to be _Universal

Brotherhood_. A firm belief in this principle is required of every

candidate for membership in the Theosophical Society. This is the sole

requirement for affiliation, it is made plain, and no one can plead

ignorance of this one requirement. To claim fellowship in the society,

and ignore or repudiate its cardinal doctrine is not only the most

pronounced hypocrisy, but works in every way to the injury of the

individual and the society. Those therefore who are not ashamed to

repudiate this cardinal principle ought in all fairness to retire from

the society, and direct their energies into more congenial channels.

But aside from explicit repudiation of this principle of Brotherhood

there is too often a tacit disregard of its requirements. It has been

charged against the Society, that in the enunciation of this simple

doctrine, they have announced nothing new, and it may at once be

answered that it is not claimed as a novelty, but an _actuality_. And

yet it is too often the case, that the application of this principle

of universal brotherhood reaches no further than to the admission to

membership in the T. S. of persons of either sex, and of every creed,

color, and nationality, while in the relations of members and the

necessary work of the society, the principle of brotherhood is too

often practically ignored. It may therefore be profitable to inquire

into the reasons assigned by the Masters for giving out to the world

at this time their priceless treasures, and the purpose for which

the Theosophical Society was instituted, though these purposes have

been time and again stated, in plain English, and are printed in the

rules and by-laws of the society, as well as in every application for

membership. The misinterpretation of these plain declarations leads to

constant disappointment, and hinders the legitimate work of the Society.

We have been repeatedly told that the Masters are no respecters of

persons. They have on every occasion persistently and consistently

refused to teach occultism to individuals. They have stated over and

over again the terms on which anyone can gain their notice, or hope to

advance in spiritual knowledge or power, viz: by working unselfishly

and unceasingly for the advancement of the Brotherhood of man. This

is the plan on which the masters work. Whatsoever they have given out

has been designed for the elevation and well-being of the _whole human

race_.

They have chosen such agents or assistants as were available for the

promulgation of their doctrines, and they have distinctly stated, that

not for this generation alone, but more especially for the coming Yuga,

do they labor, like wise husbandmen, sowing now the seed for future

harvests.

The meaning of Universal Brotherhood, and the mission of the

Theosophical Society become thus perfectly plain, and we can

misinterpret only at our peril. The masters have said, work with us,

and become a part of us, and share with us.

Creeds and sects are innately selfish, dividing mankind into selfish

circles of conceited and selfish men. Creeds are crumbling; replace

them with universal benevolence, toleration, charity, justice—in one

word, BROTHERHOOD. He, therefore, who repudiates brotherhood, denies

all. He who forgets charity, kindness, forbearance, forgiveness, has

no right to call himself a Theosophist. We should have charity for

everything but for uncharitableness. Let those who will in the face

of all this, strive for occult power. Let them in spite of constant

warning force, if they can, themselves into the astral plane, to be

driven back in ever lasting terror by the “Demon of the Threshold,” or

end their days in an Asylum for the Insane, but let them look for no

assistance or protection from the Masters.

Pure and undefiled Theosophy leads man only to higher planes of thought

and life. It puts him in possession of the true philosopher’s stone, by

enabling him to convert the energies of life, into higher uses, for the

welfare and elevation of his race. It teaches him neglect of no common

duty or obligation, and it nowhere holds out the inducement that a

Mahatma can be evolved by some secret hocus-pocus out of a mountebank.

The mountebanks will presently denounce Mahatmas and repudiate

theosophy, but they will prove as powerless to stay the tide of truth

as to achieve mahatmahood. They may deceive the foolish and unwary,

and console themselves with the company of Coloumb, Hodgson & Co., but

those who have accepted in deed and in truth the simple doctrine of

universal brotherhood _with all that it implies_, will possess their

souls in patience and perfect trust, for they have heard the music of

BATH COL.

J. D. BUCK.

THE SOCIETY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS.

A ROUGH SKETCH OF THEIR FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES.

(_Communicated._)

The following are in outline the fundamental doctrines of the Brothers

of the Rosy Cross. He who fulfills the required conditions, may find

all necessary information in the “Book of Initiation,” and they say

that when he is ready he finds with ease, a guide who, through his

_higher self_ instructs and directs him infallibly.

It is understood that the Society desires to be truly spiritual and

asks no fees, but it seeks as members only those who are practical

workers in the cause of humanity. But it is a secret body, not from

fear of enemies, but in order to spread the truth, unimpeded by the war

of opinions. The truth being eternal, is not subject to opinion, but to

those who are able to see, it stands revealed in its own light.

1. The _Universe_ as a whole is a _Unity_, having only _one_,

eternal, universal and fundamental cause for its existence. All the

multifarious forms, essences, powers or principles, are not originally

self-existent, but are merely various manifestations of that one and

universal cause. They are various modes of one original activity, and

their shapes or organisms are the products of that activity, working

upon different planes of existence and in various stages of evolution.

2. This cause, being eternal, unlimited and infinite, is beyond the

power of the intellectual comprehension of any mortal and limited

being. Its presence may be perceived everywhere, but in its highest

aspect it can fully be known only to itself. Beings lower than itself,

may intuitively feel its presence, but cannot intellectually know it,

until they have risen up to its own level on the plane of existence.

To avoid circumlocution, we call that eternal (spiritual) principle

in its highest aspect “_God_” or “_Brahm_”; both words signifying

originally “Good.”[123]

3. In this eternal and universal cause, the centre or fountain

of _All_, is contained potentially everything existing in the

Universe. It is itself, germinally or in a more or less developed

state contained in everything that exists. It forms the (spiritual)

centre of every living organism, and life itself is only a mode of

manifestation of its own power. It is the cause and the architect of

every form; it builds the form which it inhabits, from that centre,

by the power of its own (consciously or unconsciously active) _will_

and _thought_, and by the means offered by eternal nature, the latter

being itself a product of previous states of its own existence and

eternal action.

4. The highest form of activity of this principle requires for its

perfect expression, perfect means. The perfect cannot manifest its

perfection in an imperfect organism. The place which a being occupies

on the ladder of evolution, depends on the progress which that divine

principle, acting in the centre of each being, has made in evolving an

organism, adapted to its manifestation.

5. The most perfect organism for the manifestation of the divine and

universal principle in its highest aspect, of which we know, is the

(spiritual) organism of Man. In this organism, this divine principle,

after having attained _sensation_ and _consciousness_ in the lower

forms of nature, may acquire (spiritual) _self-consciousness_ and

_self-knowledge_, evolving what is called the individual _mind_, with

all its powers and faculties, for (spiritual) perception and _real

knowledge_ or wisdom.

6. The (ordinarily) visible so called physical-body of man is not

the _real_ Man, but merely a more or less imperfect representation

of the real, or “inner man,” whose sphere of activity may extend as

far as the sphere of his mind; in other words—as far as the power of

his (spiritual) perception. The “inner man” is a reality, which after

having attained—by the power of self differentiation—an individual

existence, will retain its individuality, after the physical forms,

which it has occupied for the purposes of evolution during its life

upon a planet, have been disintegrated and changed into other forms.

7. Every being continues to exist in its essence after the (physical)

form which expressed its essential character, has dissolved and

disappeared; but as long as it has not acquired (spiritual)

self-consciousness and self-knowledge, it is forced, after a time of

rest, to reappear in a new form (mask or personality), to resume the

process of its further development.[124] After the divine principle

in man has attained individual (spiritual) self-consciousness and

self-knowledge, it requires no more embodiments in (physical) forms,

and may, harmoniously united with the _All_, continue to exist as a

self-conscious intelligence.

8. The attainment of spiritual self-consciousness and self-knowledge

and the necessarily resulting perfection, therefore involves the

attainment of immortality, and the latter can only be acquired

by acquiring the former. Only that which is perfect remains; the

imperfect is continually subject to change.

9. Although the individual human monad, without (spiritual)

self-consciousness and knowledge, may arrive at that state of

perfection in the slow course of its evolution, extending perhaps over

many millions of years, nevertheless there is no necessity to wait

until nature may, perhaps slowly and unaided, accomplish her object,

but she may be assisted by the individual will and effort of those who

know how to proceed.

10. The _first_ necessary requirement for all who desire perfection,

is therefore _to know_ the laws that rule in the visible and invisible

universe, and the attainment of the knowledge involves a study of the

constitution of the _Universe_ and of the constitution of (the soul

of) _Man_.

11. From knowledge springs power, but those who possess knowledge,

will be in the possession of something that will not benefit them,

unless they desire to put it to some practical use. The _second_

requirement is therefore _to will_, and as an individual will,

deviating from the direction of the will of universal good, or acting

in opposition to the latter, is evil, and can only bring final

destruction upon him that exercises it, consequently the will of the

individual must act in accordance with the universal will of God.

12. To act evil is for the majority of men far easier than to do good.

Good will and desires to become useful must be made to accomplish some

work. To overcome the resistance of evil and to put good into practice

requires energy, courage and effort, and the _third_ necessary

requirement is therefore _to dare_ to practice the good which we know

and desire.

13. But as a power, after it has once been obtained, may be employed

for good or for evil purposes, and as it is not desirable that persons

with evil inclinations and tendencies, should be taught the way

to prolong their personal existence after the dissolution of their

physical form, because their existence would cause the infliction

of injury upon others, and expose themselves to a long, slow and

painful final disintegration; therefore, the deepest secrets of the

Rosicrucians, and the way to the practical application of the secret

knowledge, should be taught only to those who are good and pure to

a degree sufficient to warrant that the mysteries communicated and

revealed to them, may not be misapplied. The _fourth_ necessary

requirement for the Rosicrucian is, therefore, _to be silent_, in

regard to that which it is not expedient to speak.

[Illustration:]

HINDU SYMBOLISM.

I.

The student of Hindu metaphysical religious philosophy, will find most

of its important formulations, veiled under a mystical symbolism; to

understand which, is a key to the hints in the Upanishads and other

esoteric writings.

We propose to give those interested, a series of illustrations from

Hindu drawings with descriptions; in the latter, our study of the

Kabbalah has been of great assistance.

The figure is a symbolical representation of Brahman (neuter) intwined

in Itself.[125] It is the highest deity of the Hindus, the principle of

the universe; the representation is, of It, at the immediate instant

of Its revealing Itself in the emanation of the universe, and before

Its entrance into any kind of matter and before Its self renunciation.

It symbolises the God-dawn between the pauses of emanative creation,

its preservation, and the dissolution of created forms. Wrapped in Its

cloak-sphere, Brahman conducts Its toe into Its mouth, perhaps to make,

an eternal circle of Itself, perhaps to signify the union of the linga

and yoni, perhaps to indicate the retrogression of Itself into Itself,

or may be the eternity and unfathomableness of Its nature, plunged

in the contemplation of Its own essence. Compare with this the great

figure of Néith or Typhé, the Heaven goddess of the Egyptian Zodiac of

Dendera. Brahman (neuter) or Para-brahma, _i. e._, the Great Brahma,

as an unrevealed deity, has neither temple or image in India. It is

in effect considered in Itself without form or figure, but exteriorly

It manifests Itself in many figures and symbols. It is the unit and

the multiplied in all, at the same instant, smaller than an atom, it

is greater than the whole universe, which cannot contain It, and is

ineffable and inexpressible in Its essence. The ancient Hindus say

of it in the Vedas:—“Brahman is eternal, the being above all others,

revealing Itself in felicity and joy. The universe is Its name, Its

image, but that first existence, which contains all in Itself, is the

soul really existing. All the phenomena have their cause in Brahman,

It is not limited by time or space, is imperishable, is the soul of

the world and of each particular existence.” * * * “That universe is

Brahman, it comes from Brahman, exists in Brahman, and it will return

to Brahman.”

“Brahman, the Being existing in Itself, is the form of all wisdom and

of all the worlds without end. All the worlds are made only one with

It, because they are through Its Will. That eternal Will is innate in

all things. It reveals Itself in the emanation (or creation), in the

preservation, and in the destruction (which is also a re-creation),

and in the movements and forms, of Time and Space.” The Atharva-Veda

says:—“All the gods are in (Brahman) as cows in a cow-house. In the

beginning Brahman was this (universe). It created gods. Having created

gods, It placed them in these worlds, viz: Agni in this world, Vāyu in

the atmosphere, and Surya in the sky.[126] And in the worlds which are

yet higher, It placed the gods which are still higher. Then Brahman

proceeded to the higher sphere.” This is explained by a commentator

to be Satyaloka,[127] the most excellent limit of all the worlds.

In the “Taitteriya Brāhmana” it is; “Brahman generated the gods,

Brahman (generated or emanated) this entire world. Within It are all

these worlds. Within It is the entire universe. It is Brahman who is

the greatest of beings. Who can vie with It.” Brahman (neuter) is the

only real eternal true essence; when It passes in to actual manifested

existence It is called Brahma; when It develops Itself in the universe

It is called Vishnu, and when It again dissolves Itself into simple

being, It is called Siva; all the other deities are only symbols or

manifestations of the eternal neuter Brahman.[128]

The Vishnu Purana says: “Glory to Brahman, who is addressed by that

mystic word AUM,[129] who is associated eternally with the triple

universe (heaven, sky, earth), and who is one with the four Vedas.

Glory to Brahman, who both in the destruction and renovation of the

universe is called the great and mysterious cause of the intellectual

principle, who is without limit in time or space, and exempt from

diminution and decay, etc. To that supreme Brahman be for ever

adoration.”

In its highest development, the doctrine of the Vedas is a rational

and philosophical pantheism, combined with the most ideal, pure, and

absolute monotheism, that the mind can conceive. The doctrines as to

Brahman (neuter) in their higher conceptions, are similar in many

respects to the exalted ideas as to the Ain Soph or Non Ego, of the

Kabbalah.

Brahman, the Eternal, in Itself, Being, goes out of Its profundity in

Its eternity, to emanate the universe of all the things, and undeniably

establishes that great law of production, through the opposition and

yet a harmonious blending, as to which, all nature offers everywhere a

similitude, evidence, and image. Its first emanation is the creating

energy, force or potentiality, which manifests Itself in Time, the

mother and the matrix of the existences, that is the Sakti, Para Sakti

or Maya, the first virgin and first female or plasticity, containing

all in germ, symbolized by the Yoni. Its spouse, the spiritualizing,

the man-type, is symbolized by the Lingam.

ISAAC MEYER.

LITERARY NOTES.

BETTY’S VISIONS.—By Rhoda Broughton. (_Geo. Routledge & Sons, London._)

The prominence which occultism is acquiring, despite the attacks of so

called scientific bodies and the constant sneers of savants and their

parrot-like followers, is shown in the fact that such a book as this is

published by a firm like Routledge and written by Rhoda Broughton. It

is one of the one and sixpenny English books, in cloth. The visions are

five—through a long life—each preceding a death in the family.

* * * * *

ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY, OR MENTAL THERAPEUTICS.—By Dr. W. F. Evans.

(_Carter & Karrick, Boston._) Extra cloth, $1.00. This is designed to

complete a series of books on the subject of the Mind Cure, commenced

some fifteen years ago. It contains twelve lectures intended to

instruct in the philosophy of the subject. “To aid the student of

Christian Theosophy to explore the inner realm of truth into which his

spirit opens is the object of this volume,” and he believes that the

principles are “identical with the philosophy of the New Testament and

with primitive Christianity.” The book is well written, and is full

of excellent arguments, but it covers so much ground that it would be

impossible to properly review it in the limits allowable here.

We must disagree with him, however, in his statement: “That this system

must ever be kept within the domain of a genuine Christianity,” to be

successful. It is well known that hundreds of persons are practising

mind cure, are helping many people, and none of these either believe in

or talk of Christianity, genuine or otherwise. If mind cure have a real

basis, no monopoly of it can be had by either Christian or dissenter.

* * * * *

BUDDHIST DIET BOOK.—A New York publishing house announces this book,

prepared by Laura C. Holloway. It is a compilation of dishes used by

Buddhists in Europe and the East, interspersed with explanations of

the religious convictions of this great Sect regarding foods. The work

will be of value to vegetarians—of whom there are many in this country.

Mrs. Holloway writes with authority on this subject, having enjoyed in

Europe and Prussia the advantages of an unmixed vegetarian diet in the

homes of those who eat no meat. The book is a quaint brown-and-white

conceit in parchment covers. Price 50 cents. Theosophists who desire to

have this vegetarian cook book, can order it through THE PATH.

* * * * *

CAN MATTER THINK.—This number of Prof. Coues’ Biogen Series was noticed

in the July PATH, and through a mistaken assumption of the proof reader

it was stated that it was a reprint of an article which previously

appeared in _The Theosophist_. Prof. Coues assures us that “Can Matter

Think,” is a thoroughly original composition and has never been within

10,000 miles of India. The proof reader was thinking of the reprint of

an English book under the title “Kuthumi,” in the same series, and also

of the fact that the same subject was treated of in _The Theosophist_

some years ago. We hasten, therefore, to correct the statement made in

July.

THEOSOPHICAL ACTIVITIES.

JOSHEE.—Bro. Gopal Vinayak Joshee and his wife Anandabai, who graduated

in Medicine at Philadelphia, return to India in October.

* * * * *

RAMABAI.—Pandita Ramabai, who has been some time in America,

accompanies Bro. Joshee and his wife to India.

* * * * *

PHILADELPHIA.—The charter for a new Branch here has been received and

probably soon the organization will be complete.

* * * * *

SECRECY IN THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.—The question is frequently asked:

“Is the Society a secret body; and how can a person enter it?” The

reply can be found in the proceedings of the general Council last year,

when it was resolved, that from thenceforth any person of good moral

character, upon being recommended by two active members, and paying the

usual fee, could become a member upon signing the application in which

the declaration is made that the signer is in sympathy with the objects

of the Society.

The old obligation is retained merely for those Branches desiring to

use it in giving the signs and passwords of the Society, which are the

only points about which the new member is pledged to secrecy, it being

left to his own discretion and sense of propriety, not to make public

matters which do not concern the public. For that matter, however,

there is nothing in the teachings or practices of the lower section of

the Society requiring secrecy.

* * * * *

NEW YORK.—The New York Branch has issued its third number of the

_Abridgements of Discussions_ on Theosophical subjects. The object of

these leaflets is to increase interest among all Theosophists, and to

strengthen the feeling of union. Col. H. S. Olcott, the President in

India, has written to say, that he thinks the idea of the Abridgements

is excellent. All Branches ought to co-operate in this movement, either

by contributing questions and answers to New York, or by starting

leaflets of their own and exchanging and distributing them.

* * * * *

CINCINNATI.—The Branch here has held its first fall meeting, and has

arranged for a series of essays of an interesting character, and also

for meetings, to which strangers are to be invited by members.

* * * * *

OLCOTT.—It may be interesting to Theosophists to know that a statue was

offered to Col. Olcott in Ceylon some months ago, but was refused by

him on the ground that his work was not yet done, and no one could say

whether he would deserve a statue until his death.

* * * * *

There is a limit beyond which the sun, moon and the planets cannot

rise, and when they reach their point of climax, they come down

again. But the souls that have attained to perfection never come down

again.—_Jain Precept._

OM!

FOOTNOTES:

[120] Intell. Obs. Vol. 7.

[121] Notes on Mohammedanism.

[122] The Zikrs will be described in next number of THE PATH.

[123] Those words are continually giving rise to misunderstandings and

misinterpretations, because nearly every one has a different opinion of

what is “Good.”

[124] See Bagavad-Gita, c. 6.

[125] Taken from the Glauben, Wissen und Kunst der alten Hindus, etc.,

von Niklas Müller. Erster Band, Mainz, 1822.

[126] Fire, Æther, Light.

[127] _Satya-Loka_, the place, world, or region of Truth.—[ED.]

[128] See Indian Wisdom by Monier Williams, p. 12.

[129] This occurs at the beginning of prayers, etc., as our word AMeN

occurs at the end. It is so sacred that none must hear it pronounced.

Originally its three letters typified the three Vedas, afterwards it

became a mystical symbol of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva in unity; see

further as to AUM _supra_.

AUM

Sri Krishna is the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings; his unthinkable

glory irradiates all that is manifest and all that is unmanifest.

This infinite universe, its life and its beauty, and its joy, rest

but on his foot, from which flows the sacred stream of the Ganges,

whose mortal aspect alone is known on this earth. Krishna reveals his

infinity of attributes to his beloved worshipper, and yet he is devoid

of attributes.

It is the crown of devotion to have these mysteries revealed to the

inner gaze. May all his lovers reach that goal.—_Vaishnara Scriptures._

Inquire about him by prostration, by question, and by service,

and the wise men who know the truth, will give you the

knowledge.—_Bagavad-Gita._

THE PATH.

VOL. I. NOVEMBER, 1886. NO. 8.

_The Theosophical Society, as such, is not responsible for any opinion

or declaration in this magazine, by whomsoever expressed, unless

contained in an official document._

Where any article, or statement, has the author’s name attached, he

alone is responsible, and for those which are unsigned, the Editor will

be accountable.

THE COMMON SENSE OF THEOSOPHY.

[REPRINTED FROM THE _Dublin University Review_, MAY, 1886, BY

PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.]

It is difficult to break down the Chinese wall of misconceptions with

which all new movements of thought become more or less completely

surrounded. The assimilation by the public mind of ideas which

lie outside its mechanically-regulated every-day life is a slow

process, which the vigour of the constitution does not justify. For

all movements, which possess any vitality at all, always provoke to

an unusual degree of activity the imaginative faculties of their

opponents. More or less fantastic caricatures of the aims and methods

of a struggling movement are generated by an unconscious process of

invention, fathered upon the movement, and then knocked down with

solemn pomposity. At the end of the achievement, when the invader of

orthodox indolence and respectable indifference is found to gain ground

in the midst of the dust-storm of misrepresentations, a wondering sneer

is directed against personalities who have not had the decency and good

sense to die at the command of their antagonists. The Theosophical

movement has proved no exception to this general rule. Oppositions

against it are generally but attempts to remove this disturber of

established ease by finding some excuse for ignoring its existence.

False issues are raised in every direction, and a candid examination

of the truths that Theosophy embodies is evaded in the confusion. It

is a profitless task to hunt the brood of Error which, like the giants

of Norse folk-lore, sally forth at night to slay and devour, but melt

into thin air when surprised by a ray of sunlight. Kicking at nothing

is an exhausting process. Unmindful of this, many, in the words of the

author of _Religio Medici_, have “rashly charged the troops of Error,

and remained as trophies unto the enemies.” It is therefore proposed to

set forth a “plain, unvarnished” statement of what Theosophy really is,

and of the work in which the Theosophical Society is engaged, and leave

the decision to the common sense of the reader. The transcendental

metaphysics of Theosophy will be but slightly touched upon here. For

fuller information the inquirer is referred to sources indicated by

the publications of the Theosophical Society and the writings of the

Theosophists of the day.

What, then, is Theosophy? Numberless are the misconceptions to which

the word has given rise. Etymology does not throw any great light

on it. The interpretation of “God-wisdom” can be spread over a very

large area. Without following the history of the word, it may be

stated that the chief exponents of the present revival of Theosophy

take it to mean Wisdom-religion. Their interpretation, while open

to no great philological objection, is sufficiently precise for all

literary purposes. Theosophy from this standpoint is synonymous with

Truth—the Truth that has been clothed in various garbs of religion; it

also implies that this Truth is attainable by a natural development

of wisdom, without the intervention of supernatural means. Thus it

will be seen that Theosophy does not attach infallibility to any

particular system of revelation, but maintains that under suitable

conditions Truth reveals itself to every individual. The sun shines

equally on all; the crystal reflects it; the clod of earth does not.

Yet Theosophy sets great value on all systems of revelation, looking

upon them as finger-posts which indicate the direction in which Truth

is to be sought, although it declines to accept them as invitations

to surrender personal inquiry. This tenet of Theosophy is founded

upon the consideration that Truth is the result of real experience,

and does not consist in the transfer of intellectual symbols from one

person to another. To speak about Truth is one thing, and to perceive

it is quite another. It is a fact of common experience that the

most accurate and elaborate description of, say, a flower is by no

means an efficient substitute for a visual contact with it, although

the description has an abundant value of its own. Hence individual

consciousness is consistently upheld as the only criterion of Truth,

but this consciousness derives material help in its development and

expansion by the study of the experiences of others. Thus Theosophy

teaches that _personal exertion is the only means by which progress

can be achieved_. But in the effort for growth the ultimate unity

of consciousness must not be ignored. Individuals are not distinct

crystals, placed side by side, but the varied manifestations of one

unchanging universal consciousness. As light from one single source

produces the appearance of different lights by reflection from a

number of surfaces, so this universal consciousness, remaining itself

unchanged, produces endless individualities, which in the course of

their evolution reach perfection by recognising this essential unity.

According to Theosophical thinkers this doctrine forms the fundamental

truth upon which all religions are based; it is the final consummation

of all philosophical thought and the crowning experience of all

practical mysticism.

The search for this truth, and the practical realization of it are not

considered as mere gratification of intellectual curiosity, but as the

very _summum bonum_ of evolutionary progress. It is the Nirvâna of the

Buddhists, the Moksha of the Brahmins, and not very different from

the Beatific Vision of the Christians. When this condition, or rather

want of condition, is realized in consciousness, pain is for ever

extinguished. Nirvâna is by no means the annihilation of consciousness,

but its rest in the infinite plenitude of being. Needless to discuss

the Nihilist view of Buddhism which some scholars of ability have

brought forward; suffice it to say, that the Theosophists on this

point share the responsibility of their opinion with many names of

great eminence. Nirvâna is the extinction of all pain because, being

the ultimate unity of all being, it cannot be the playground of those

contending forces which alone produce pain.

Proceeding upon this basis, the essential features of Theosophy can

be thrown into relief by determining its relations to Religion and

Science. As the Science of Religion, it looks upon the different

systems of faith as so many languages seeking to express the truth

about man, his origin, nature, and destiny, as well as his relations to

the surrounding world of objects. But, as a word or phrase is nothing

but a sound in the absence of experience of the object connoted, so the

proper comprehension of religious symbology can be acquired only by

realizing the truths that underlie it. From the Theosophic standpoint

the different systems of religion appear as the various forms evolved

by the peculiarities of time, place, and other special causes, to

embody the bodiless truth.

It is necessary to guard against a misconception which may arise here.

Theosophy is not eclecticism, which is a mosaic, while Wisdom-Religion

is an organic whole. Theosophy is like an abstract mathematical

formula of which each religion is a particular application. It does

not select bits from all religions and piece them together according

to some fanciful standard of symmetry. But being the inner truth

itself, Theosophy regards religions as various descriptions of that

truth. It will no more recognise antagonism between religions than the

linguist will condemn the description of the same thing in different

languages because of peculiarities of idiom and grammar. Theosophy is

not hostile to any religion, but is bound, in the interest of truth, to

oppose the tyranny of ecclesiastical forms on individuals. Humanity,

in the course of its evolution, produces individuals who outstrip

the generality in the realization of truth, and are thus enabled to

perceive the capabilities of the truth to be manifested within a

certain period of time. To help the masses struggling blindly for

the light of truth, these teachers of mankind construct a symbology

of words and emblems to represent the truth. But, as acquisition of

wisdom is a change in the quality of the consciousness of the acquirer,

and not merely a surface expansion of it, the symbology, though

eminently useful, is not in itself spiritual knowledge, and can never

be converted into it except when “inwardly digested.” The physical

process of digestion supplies a striking analogy in this matter. Food,

assimilated by different organisms, follows their original differences.

Spiritual food, on assimilation, partakes of the peculiarities of the

individual, and two individuals cannot be exactly identical, whether

physically or otherwise. A contrary supposition would violate the _lex

parsimoniæ_ in nature. Consequently, Theosophy is the uncompromising

supporter of the freedom of individual conscience. On the other hand,

it condemns a selfish desire for self-development as wrong, on account

of its violation of the essential unity of being. One of the greatest

Theosophists of the world, Gautama Buddha, declared, “Let the sins

of the Kali Yuga[130] fall upon me, and let the world be redeemed.”

This noble saying found an echo in the Christian Apostle, who would be

anathema from Christ if he could save the world thereby.

Nor has Theosophy any antagonism to the scientific spirit. Claiming

to be the religion of Truth, it must show itself to be the most exact

of all exact sciences. According to it truth cannot be dissociated

from real experience; the mere intellectual form of it can never

be the truth any more than the word man can be the human being. It

opposes the dogmatisms of science which deny independent reality to

facts of mental experience because of their eminently unscientific

character. If there be no operation of thought matter itself will

disappear. The contrary of this—existence of matter without relation

to a conscious knower—has never been experienced. Therefore matter and

consciousness are both eternal or neither. Further, it rejects the

mechanical theory of the universe on account of its unreasonableness.

If consciousness is derivable from unconsciousness, a fundamental

law of reason becomes stultified. Unconsciousness is the negation of

consciousness, and therefore an affirmation of the absence of all

relations to consciousness is its essential property. How, then, can

it be related to consciousness so as to produce it? If the atoms

themselves are considered conscious the difficulty is not removed. For

consciousness must be associated with the notion of I, and if this

egoism is to be postulated for each atom it is inexplicable how a

man, composed of myriads of atoms, possesses yet a single indivisible

notion of I. It is clear therefore that there is in nature a principle

of consciousness whose units are not atoms but individualities,

and as the principle is eternal its units must also be so. For the

ocean cannot be salt unless the quality of saltness inhered in every

one of its drops. Theosophy for these, among other reasons, holds

against materialism that the individuality in man is immortal. In

this, however, it does not maintain that the present body, emotion or

thought of a man will as such abide for ever, but that the unit of

consciousness which is now manifested as the man, will never undergo

any change in essence. For change, independent of consciousness, is

unthinkable. It is in fact the unchangeableness of consciousness that

by comparison renders the conception of change a reality. In ordinary

language no doubt such phrases as the “growth and development of

consciousness” are in use, but strictly speaking it is the basis in

which the consciousness inheres that changes, the phrases in question

being of the same character as those which ascribe motion to the sun

in relation to the earth. Moreover, if one unit of consciousness were

to change in essence, that is, become annihilated, the same liability

must attach to all other units, and we shall be driven to hold that

the principle of consciousness in nature is destructible, while

matter which cannot exist in its absence is indestructible. From the

indestructibility of individual consciousness, and its relations to

matter, two important deductions follow. First, that this relation,

which is perpetually changing, changes according to a definite law. The

products of the change are bound each to each in a definite way. What

is now is not wholly unrelated to what was before. This is a matter

of experience, and in fact experience is based upon it. Without the

law of causation experience would be impossible, on whatever plane

we take experience—mental or physical. Thus by the application of

the law of causation to our being, it follows that the experience of

pleasure and pain in the present must be the necessary consequence of

causes generated in the past. A contention may here be raised that it

is a fact of experience that many sufferings and enjoyments come to

us of which we are not conscious of having generated the causes. But

it is without any real force. What connection is there between _our_

consciousness of a cause and its power to produce effect? If we receive

in the system malarious germs, the disease is not prevented because we

were unconscious of the reception. Whatever you sow the same you reap,

whether you are conscious of the sowing or not. The law of causation,

thus applied to personal experience of suffering and enjoyment, is

called by the Brahmins and Buddhists the Law of Karma.

The second deduction hinges on to the first and forms with it a

harmonious whole. If the individual consciousness is immortal, and its

experiences are governed by the Law of Karma, then it follows that

so long as all causes, capable of producing effects on the present

plane of life, are not exhausted, and the generation of similar causes

is not stopped, the individual consciousness will remain connected

with the experience of earthly existence. Thus the ego successively

incarnates itself on this earth until it has collected all experiences

that life on this planet can offer. The doctrine of reincarnation is

taught by all religions of the world, Christianity not excepted. In the

Gospel of St Matthew it is declared in no uncertain tone that John the

Baptist was the incarnation of Elias (chap. xvii. 12, 13). It is not

intended fully to discuss the scientific and metaphysical bases of the

doctrine of reincarnation, as the subject has been adequately dealt

with in a recent Theosophical publication.[131] But it will not be

out of place to consider the ethical objection which is so frequently

brought forward against the doctrine. Is it just that a person should

experience pleasure or pain for acts done in a previous life of which

no recollection is preserved? The argument thus implied is based upon

the confusion of the two different meanings of the word justice as

applied to the regulation of human affairs, and to the operation of

natural laws. Human beings are admittedly imperfect in knowledge, and

it is required for the well-being of society that all its members

should feel confident that they are not liable to arbitrary punishment.

For this reason it is necessary that before inflicting punishment the

grounds for it should be disclosed. But justice, as affecting the

operation of natural laws, is a totally different thing. The workings

of nature being invariably governed by the law of Causation are not

amenable to conditions which depend upon admitted inability to apply

that law without failure. The moral amelioration, which it is fancied

that a knowledge of the precise cause of our sufferings would produce,

is more than compensated for by the numberless incentives to good,

which gratitude and other similar motives supply.

The teachings of Theosophy from the standpoint of common sense can be

briefly summed up thus:—

1. That there is a principle of consciousness in man which is immortal.

2. That this principle is manifested in successive incarnations on

earth.

3. That the experiences of the different incarnations are strictly

governed by the law of causation.

4. That as each individual man is the result of a distinct causal

necessity in nature, it is not wise for one man to dominate the life

and action of another, no matter what their relative development

may be. On the other hand it is of paramount importance that each

individual should ceaselessly work for the attainment of the highest

ideal that he is capable of conceiving. Otherwise, pain will arise from

the opposition of the real and the ideal. Be as perfect as your Father

in heaven is perfect.

5. That for the above reasons it is wise and just to practise the most

ungrudging toleration towards all our fellow-creatures.

6. That as absolute unity of all nature subsists for ever, all

self-centred actions are bound to end in pain to the actor on account

of their opposition to this fact. The foundation of morals must

therefore lie in the feeling of Universal Brotherhood of Man.

7. That the harmony of the unit with the whole is the only condition

which can remove all pain, and as each individual represents a distinct

causal operation of nature, this harmony is attainable only through the

individual’s own exertions.

The Theosophical Society is an organization having for its object the

study of truth upon the most unsectarian basis, and as a result of such

study it believes that the truths enumerated above are, if generally

accepted, calculated greatly to benefit the age. It is necessary,

however, to add that there are many members in the Society, earnest

in the pursuit of truth, who are not prepared to subscribe to all

these doctrines without further thought and study; but all are agreed

as to the ethical principles involved therein. The chief aim of the

Theosophical Society is “to form the nucleus of a universal Brotherhood

of mankind without distinction of race, color or creed.” The basis of

brotherhood, which the Theosophical Society considers scientific has

already been adverted to. The Theosophic brotherhood does not limit the

freedom of individual development. It requires nothing from its members

but a desire to recognise the unity of the human family as a natural

fact which cannot be ignored with impunity, and a living conscious

feeling of which is sure to lead to the highest development of the

individual.

The Theosophical Society is convinced that the most efficacious

means for the study of truth is furnished by the ancient religious

and philosophical systems of the world, as they are free from the

disturbing influences by which contemporary forms are surrounded. The

Society therefore earnestly labours to promote an appreciative study

of Eastern philosophy, built up by generations of Theosophists, as

affording easy access to the Wisdom-Religion of the world.

Further, the Society seeks to combat materialism by the investigation

of abnormal phenomena which afford a practical demonstration of the

existence of a Psyche in man and to lead to a proper comprehension of

the laws which underlie those phenomena. Theosophists do not believe

in supernaturalism, and discard the notion of miracles as involving an

unreasonable limitation of the possibilities of nature. The views of

the leading Theosophists with regard to this subject are to be found

very ably expounded in Madame Blavatsky’s _Isis Unveiled_, and Mr.

Sinnett’s _Esoteric Buddhism_. All Theosophists, whether in perfect

agreement with these views or not, look upon them as opening immense

vistas of thought on subjects which are as important as they are

neglected.

In conclusion, it is to be clearly stated that the Theosophical

Society is composed of a body of earnest students and inquirers, and

not of dogmatic teachers. But naturally a large number of members

hold convictions in common on many points. Yet in each case the final

authority comes from no external source but from within.

“There is no religion higher than Truth,” is the motto of the Society.

MOHINI M. CHATTERJI.

THEORIES: ABOUT REINCARNATION AND SPIRITS.

BY H. P. BLAVATSKY.

Over and over again the abstruse and mooted question of Rebirth

or Reincarnation has crept out during the first ten years of the

Theosophical Society’s existence. It has been alleged on _prima facie_

evidence, that a notable discrepancy was found between statements made

in “_Isis Unveiled_” Vol. I, 351-2, and later teachings from the same

pen and under the inspiration of the same master.[132]

In _Isis_, it was held,—reincarnation is denied. An occasional return,

only of “depraved spirits” is allowed. “Exclusive of that rare and

doubtful possibility, ‘_Isis_’ allows only three cases—abortion, very

early death, and idiocy—in which reincarnation on this earth occurs.”

(“C. C. M.” in _Light_, 1882.)

The charge was answered then and there as every one who will turn to

the _Theosophist_ of August, 1882, can see for himself. Nevertheless,

the answer either failed to satisfy some readers or passed unnoticed.

Leaving aside the strangeness of the assertion that _reincarnation_—_i.

e._, the serial and periodical rebirth of every individual _monad_

from _pralaya_ to _pralaya_[133] is denied in the face of the fact

that the doctrine is part and parcel and one of the fundamental

features of Hinduism and Buddhism, the charge amounted virtually to

this: the writer of the present, a professed admirer and student of

Hindu philosophy, and as professed a follower of Buddhism years before

_Isis_ was written, by rejecting reincarnation must necessarily reject

KARMA likewise! For the latter is the very _corner_-stone of Esoteric

philosophy and Eastern religions; it is the grand and one pillar _on

which hangs the whole philosophy of rebirths_, and once the latter is

denied, the whole doctrine of Karma falls into meaningless verbiage.

Nevertheless, the opponents without stopping to think of the evident

“discrepancy” between charge and fact, accused a Buddhist by profession

of faith of denying reincarnation hence also by implication—Karma.

Adverse to wrangling with one who was a friend and undesirous at the

time, to enter upon a defence of details and internal evidence—a loss

of time indeed,—the writer answered merely with a few sentences. But

it now becomes necessary to well define the doctrine. Other critics

have taken the same line, and by misunderstanding the passages to

that effect in _Isis_ they have reached the same rather extraordinary

conclusions.

To put an end to such useless controversies, it is proposed to explain

the doctrine more clearly.

Although, in view of the later more minute renderings of the esoteric

doctrines, it is quite immaterial what may have been written in

“_Isis_”—an encyclopedia of occult subjects in which each of these is

_hardly sketched_—let it be known at once, that the writer maintains

the correctness of every word given out upon the subject in my earlier

volumes. What was said in the _Theosophist_ of August, 1882, may now

be repeated here. The passage quoted from it may be, and is, most

likely “incomplete, chaotic, vague, perhaps clumsy, as are many more

passages in that work the first literary production of a foreigner who

even now can hardly boast of her knowledge of the English language.”

Nevertheless it is quite correct so far as that collateral feature of

reincarnation is therein concerned.

I will now give extracts from _Isis_ and proceed to explain every

passage criticised, wherein it was said that “a few _fragments_

of this mysterious doctrine of reincarnation as _distinct from_

metempsychosis”—would be then presented. Sentences now explained are in

italics.

“Reincarnation _i. e._ the appearance of the same individual, _or

rather of his astral monad, twice on the same planet_ is not a rule

in nature, it is an exception, like the teratological phenomenon of

a two-headed infant. It is preceded by a _violation of the laws of

harmony of nature_, and happens only when the latter _seeking_ to

_restore_ its _disturbed equilibrium, violently throws back into

earth-life the astral monad which had been tossed out of the circle

of necessity by crime or accident_. Thus in cases of abortion, of

infants dying before a certain age, and of congenital and incurable

idiocy, nature’s original design to produce a perfect human being,

has been interrupted. Therefore, while the gross matter of each of

these several entities is suffered to disperse itself at death,

through the vast realm of being, _the immortal spirit and astral

monad of the individual—the latter having been set apart_ to animate

a frame and the former to shed its divine light on the corporeal

organization—_must try a second time to carry out the purpose of the

creative intelligence_.” (Vol. 1. p. 351.)

Here the “astral monad” or body of the deceased personality—say of

John or Thomas—is meant. It is that which, in the teachings of the

Esoteric philosophy of Hinduism, is known under its name of _bhoot_;

in the Greek philosophy is called the _simulacrum_ or _umbra_, and in

all other philosophies worthy of the name is said, as taught in the

former, to disappear after a certain period more or less prolonged in

_Kama-loka_—the Limbus of the Roman Catholics, or _Hades_ of the the

Greeks.[134] It is “a violation of the laws of harmony of nature,”

though it be so decreed by those of _Karma_—every time that the astral

monad, or the _simulacrum_ of the personality—of John or Thomas—instead

of running down to the end of its natural period of time in a

body—finds itself (a) violently thrown out of it by whether early death

or accident; or (b) is compelled in consequence of its unfinished task

to reappear, (_i. e. the same astral body wedded to the same immortal

monad_) on earth again, in order to complete the unfinished task.

Thus “it must try a second time to carry out the purpose of creative

intelligence” or _law_.

If reason has been so far developed as to become active and

discriminative there is no[135] (_immediate_) _reincarnation_ on

this earth, for the three parts of the triune man have been united

together, and he is capable of running the race. But when the new

being has not passed beyond the condition of Monad, or when, as in

the idiot, the trinity has not been completed on earth and therefore

cannot be so after death, the immortal spark which illuminates it, has

to re-enter on the earthly plane as it was frustrated in its first

attempt. Otherwise, the mortal or astral, and the immortal or divine

souls, _could not progress in unison and pass onward to the sphere

above_[136] (_Devachan_). Spirit follows a line parallel with that

of matter; and the spiritual evolution goes hand in hand with the

physical.

The Occult Doctrine teaches that:—

(1) There is no _immediate_ reincarnation on Earth for the Monad, as

falsely taught by the Reincarnationists Spiritists; nor is there any

second incarnation at all for the “_personal_” or _false_ Ego—the

_perisprit_—save the exceptional cases mentioned. But that (_a_) there

are rebirths, or periodical reincarnations for the immortal Ego—(“Ego”

during the cycle of rebirths, and _non_-Ego, in Nirvana or Moksha when

it becomes _impersonal_ and _absolute_); for that Ego is the root of

every new incarnation, the string on which are threaded, one after the

other, the false personalities or illusive bodies called men, in which

the Monad-Ego incarnates itself during the cycle of births; and (_b_)

that such reincarnations take place not before 1,500, 2,000, and even

3,000 years of Devachanic life.

(2) That _Manas_—the seat of _Jiv_, that spark which runs the round

of the cycle of birth and rebirths with the Monad, from the beginning

to the end of a Manvantara,—is the real _Ego_. That (_a_) the _Jiv_

follows the divine monad that gives it spiritual life and immortality

into Devachan,—that therefore, it can neither be reborn before its

appointed period, nor reappear on Earth _visibly_ or _invisibly_ in the

_interim_; and (_b_) that, unless the fruition, the spiritual aroma

of the Manas—or all these highest aspirations and spiritual qualities

and attributes that constitute the higher SELF of man become united

to its monad, the latter becomes as _Non_ existent; since it is _in

esse_ “impersonal” and _per se_ Ego-less, so to say, and gets its

spiritual colouring or flavour of Egotism only from each _Manas_ during

incarnation and after it is disembodied, and separated from all its

lower principles.

(3) That the remaining four principles, or rather the—2½—as they

are composed of the terrestrial portion of _Manas_ of its Vehicle

_Kama~Rupa_ and _Lingha Sarira_,—the body dissolving immediately, and

_prana_ or the life principle along with it,—that these principles

having belonged to the _false_ personality are unfit for Devachan.

The latter is the state of Bliss, the reward for all the undeserved

miseries of life,[137] and that which prompted man to sin, namely his

terrestrial passionate nature can have no room in it.

Therefore the reincarnating principles are left behind in _Kama-loka_,

firstly as a material residue, then later on as a reflection on the

mirror of Astral light. Endowed with _illusive_ action, to the day

when having gradually faded out they disappear, what is it but the

Greek _Eidolon_ and the _simulacrum_ of the Greek and Latin poets and

classics?

“What reward or punishment can there be in that sphere of disembodied

human entities for a _fœtus_ or a human embryo which had not even

time to breathe on this earth, still less an opportunity to exercise

the divine faculties of its spirit? Or, for an irresponsible infant,

whose senseless monad remaining dormant within the astral and physical

casket, could as little prevent him from burning himself as any other

person to death? Or again for one idiotic from birth, the number of

whose cerebral circumvolutions is only from twenty to thirty per cent.

of those of sane persons, and who therefore is irresponsible for

either his disposition, acts, or for the imperfections of his vagrant,

half-developed intellect.” (_Isis_, vol. 1, p. 352.)

These are then, the “exceptions” spoken of in _Isis_, and the doctrine

is maintained now as it was then. Moreover, there is no “discrepancy”

but only _incompleteness_—hence, misconceptions arising from later

teachings. Then again, there are several important mistakes in _Isis_

which, as the plates of the work had been _stereotyped_ were not

corrected in subsequent editions.

One of such is on page 346, and another in connection with it and as a

sequence on page 347.

The discrepancy between the first portion of the statement and the

last, ought to have suggested the idea of an evident mistake. It is

addressed to the spiritists, _reincarnationists_ who take the more

than ambiguous words of Apuleius as a passage that corroborates their

claims for their “spirits” and reincarnation. Let the reader judge[138]

whether Apuleius does not justify rather _our_ assertions. We are

charged with denying reincarnation and this is what we said there and

then in _Isis_!

“The _philosophy_ teaches that nature _never leaves her work

unfinished; if baffled at the first attempt, she tries again_. When

she evolves a human embryo, the intention is that a man shall be

perfected—physically, intellectually, and spiritually. His body is

to grow, mature, wear out, and die; his mind unfold, ripen, and be

harmoniously balanced; his divine spirit illuminate and blend easily

with the inner man. No human being completes its grand cycle, or

the “circle of necessity,” until all these are accomplished. As the

laggards in a race struggle and plod in their first quarter while

the victor darts past the goal, so, in the race of immortality,

some souls outspeed all the rest and reach the end, while their

myriad competitors are toiling under the load of matter, close to

the starting point. Some unfortunates fall out entirely and lose all

chance of the prize; some retrace their steps and begin again.“

Clear enough this, one should say. Nature baffled _tries again_. No

one can pass out of this world, (our earth) without becoming perfected

”_physically_, _morally_ and _spiritually_.” How can this be done,

unless there _is a series of rebirths_ required for the necessary

perfection in each department—to evolute in the “circle of necessity,”

can surely never be found in one human life? and yet this sentence is

followed without any break by the following parenthetical statement:

“This is what the Hindu dreads above all things—_transmigration_ and

_reincarnation_; only on other and inferior planets, never on this

one!!!”

The last “sentence” is a fatal mistake and one to which the writer

pleads “_not guilty_.” It is evidently the blunder of some “reader”

who had no idea of Hindu philosophy and who was led into a subsequent

mistake on the next page, wherein the unfortunate word “planet” is

put for _cycle_. “_Isis_” was hardly, if ever, looked into after its

publication by its writer, who had other work to do; otherwise there

would have been an apology and a page pointing to the _errata_ and

the sentence made to run: “The Hindu dreads transmigration in other

_inferior_ forms, on this planet.”

This would have dove-tailed with the preceding sentence, and would

show a fact, as the Hindu _exoteric_ views allow him to believe and

fear the possibility of reincarnation—human and animal in turn by

jumps, from man to beast and even a plant—and _vice versa_; whereas

_esoteric_ philosophy teaches that nature never proceeding backward

in her evolutionary progress, once that man has evoluted from every

kind of lower forms—the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms—into

the human form, he can never become an animal except morally,

hence—_metaphorically_. Human incarnation is a cyclic necessity, and

law; and no Hindu dreads it—however much he may deplore the necessity.

And this law and the periodical recurrence of man’s rebirth is shown

on the same page (346) and in the same unbroken paragraph, where it is

closed by saying that:

“But there is a way to avoid it. Buddha taught it in his doctrine

of poverty, restriction of the senses, perfect indifference to the

objects of this earthly vale of tears, freedom from passion, and

frequent intercommunication with the Atma—soul-contemplation. _The

cause of reincarnation is ignorance[139] of our senses, and the idea

that there is any reality in the world, anything except abstract

existence._ From the organs of sense comes the “hallucination” we call

contact; “from contact, desire; from desire, sensation (which also is

a deception of our body,) from sensation, the cleaving to existing

bodies; from this cleaving, reproduction; and from reproduction,

disease, decay, and death.”