Theosophy

Wisdom Teachings
Eternal Wisdom
Helena P. Blavatsky
Book: The Theosophical Movement

The most important teaching that the Hierarchy wishes to convey to humanity is that there is one consciousness that expresses itself through all the many forms. This consciousness is also called the Light; it is the common foundation of all of us. We all have different names, forms and characteristics, but the light within us is the same. Similarly, there are many electric lamps, but the same electricity flows in all of them. The light in our eyes and the light in the eyes of others are one.

The Masters of Wisdom want us to rise above the limitations of name and form and meet in the awareness of the Light of the Soul. It is the Light of Wisdom within us that we call the 'Buddhi'. The soul expresses itself through our personality. We should endeavour daily to call into our personality the vision of the Soul.

The purpose of any wisdom practice is to refine our personality and make it so transparent that it becomes impersonal and translucent. Then we are able to offer our personality to the impersonal Light of the Soul that holds the Divine Plan. The knowledge of how we align ourselves with the Divine is called wisdom of the Divine or Theosophy. Sophia means wisdom, Theos means God. Divine wisdom is the wisdom of God. We are to be an abode for the divine. The term 'Theosophy' was coined by Ammonius Saccas (175 - 242 CE), a Hellenistic philosopher from Alexandria. He used to pass on wisdom in secret to a few faithful disciples, and no one else knew about him.

We need not be anxious to spread the wisdom without working it with ourselves. It is a wrong understanding to believe that we can spread wisdom. Wisdom knows how to spread itself. It only needs channels. We can form channels that are good conductors of light and see that our bodies become permeable to light. Thereafter it is for the light to decide what to do, how to do, where and when to do.

There was an opportune time around the end of the 19th century where wisdom decided to make an appearance. The Hierarchy sought to find a vehicle pure and brilliant enough to reflect the wisdom. The wisdom found this carrier in Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, also known as HPB. She was the one through whom the wisdom from the Masters of Wisdom could reach humanity.

The Masters of Wisdom envision the American continent as the land where the next stages of human development will advance. Therefore, Blavatsky was sent to America. In 1875, she co-founded the 'Theosophical Society' (TS) in New York City with the aim of showing that the truth is ONE. Truth is pure existence, and it is the basis of all. Later, HPB was sent to India and Europe and came into further contact with people who associated themselves with the wisdom teachings.

Theosophy is about exploring the divine wisdom teachings, to understand their truth and the knowledge gained must become a living experience. Students approach divine wisdom in a scientific way, without sentimentality or superstition. Like the other sciences in the mundane world, everything can be experimented and experienced, and the subtle energies behind the physical - such as light, colour and sound - can be known as truth. The study of Theosophy is for thinking people, and in this it differs from a religious belief: “No religion is higher than Truth” (words from the Vedas) is the motto of Theosophy.

HPB stated that it is the height of egoistic folly to consider a particular religion superior to others and to propagate the idea that those who do not accept that particular religion are sinners. Such an attitude is contrary to true spirituality and makes the divine life a distant dream.

Madame Blavatsky's great contribution was to bring the wisdom of the East to the awareness of the West, thus uniting East and West. She affirmed that sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Gita, the Bible, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are sources of the wisdom of the universe and are guides for spiritual endeavour. HPB explained that wisdom is never new, but is just presented anew according to the needs of the time, place and people. She also mentioned the wisdom teachings have always existed and that Masters of Wisdom were born in different parts of the world in the past to present the ancient wisdom.

Most Indians did not respond well to Blavatsky's work because they assumed they already knew what HPB had to say without having understood it. However, Theosophy also attracted very intelligent and knowledgeable people all over the world. They endeavoured to read the ‘Secret Doctrine’ (book by Blavatsky) and thus learned about the Masters and their teachings. They were attracted by Blavatsky's writings and by the synthesis contained in these teachings, which brings together the unity of the different civilisations and cultures of this world.

Madame Blavatsky lived a life of sacrifice and tremendous spiritual labour. She was subjected to fierce slander, including by members of the Theosophical Society, and she was practically expelled from India. With all her will she completed her magnum opus, 'The Secret Doctrine', in Europe, which was published in 1888.

Before HPB finished her work, she predicted that a great energy would descend in the first decade of the 20th century that would reshape the planet and bring about significant transformations in people's lives. There were also expectations about the arrival of the World Teacher. The followers of Blavatsky took the hints and tried to prepare the boy Jiddu Krishnamurti for the reception of this energy and to be the future World Teacher.

The descent of the energy happened, but not according to the plans of Theosophy, so that many were disappointed. They turned against the TS and thought that the Society had made a mistake. Krishnamurti disassociated himself from the TS and led a life on his own giving teachings in his own way.

If it is the will of the Divine, the medium is also chosen by the Divine. The energy did not come in the way people had imagined. The Divine chose Master CVV and he knew about it; the members of the Theosophical Society did not. The work took its course in silence. Master CVV was born in 1868 into a wealthy family in the South Indian temple town of Kumbakonam, the name meaning 'Aquarian Angle'. He was highly respected in his town and served as mayor. Nobody knew that he was a great Master from the ashram of Master Jupiter of the Nilagiri Mountains. He encountered theosophical literature at the age of 18 and remained a member of the Kumbakonam Theosophical Society until the end of his life.

When the energy descended on 31 March 1910, people thought that thunder and lightning were falling on the Master's house. Instead, they found a great light that the Master had absorbed. For 60 days, he assimilated the energies within and experimented with them. During this time, all the great Masters of the planet came to familiarise themselves with this energy. Master CVV realised that the purpose of the visit of the energies from the higher realms was to transform humanity and enable it to transcend death by forming a body of light from out of our body of flesh and blood. He demonstrated to his students 18 times that there is no death, and he brought people back to life.

On 29 May 1910, the Master began to spread the energy of Synthesis throughout the planet. He explained that this energy would bring about a transformation on the planet and in humanity. He taught the sound key 'Namaskarams Master CVV' with which we invoke and connect to the energies of Synthesis on a daily basis. In 1922, Master CVV shed his physical body, but he permeates the entire planet with his body of Light. He continues to work with all true seekers who wish to overcome death.

In 1926, i.e. four years after Master CVV had left his physical body, another initiate was born in India, who came from the same ashram as Master Djwhal Khul. We call him Master EK. When he was 27 years old, Master CVV contacted Master EK and began to spread the energy of Synthesis through Master EK. His teachings penetrated the groups that were already familiar with the teachings of Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. The work begun by Blavatsky and continued by Bailey was now brought together by the energy of Master CVV through the channel we call Master EK. Master EK founded the World Teacher Trust in November 1971 to transmit the energy of Master CVV in the circles of the hierarchical groups.

It is the theosophical movement that went from H.P. Blavatsky to A. A. Bailey, to Master EK via Master CVV. Master CVV has synthesised the wisdom of the East and the West, and therefore the spiritual fusion is now emerging. This way, it is a work of the Hierarchy that continues on and on.

Sources used: K.P. Kumar: The Theosophical Movement; The Aquarian Master; div. seminar notes. Dhanishta Publications, Visakhapatnam, India. (www.aquariusbookhouse.com).