Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/687

 THEOSOPHY

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THEOSOPHY

A new importance of these teachings in modern thought is due to the school of Modern theosophy dating from the foundation of the Theosophical Society in New York City by Madame Blavatsky in 1875. She is the chief and only authority for the revels tion of so-called Tibetan occultism. A. P. Sinnett however uses the term Esoteric Buddhism. They claimed to have the true solution for the prob- lems of the universe and of man from the Upani- shads and Butldhist Sutras through Oriental savants, vmhalmas, the faithful de|)Ositorie8 of a profound and superhuman wisdom. In fact, a great part of their nomenclature is derived from India, and they seek there for a justification of teachings drifting about in modern thought and derived to a great extent, if not wholly, from neo-Platonic and Jewish sources through the Renaissance. The objects of the society are : t o form t he nucleus of a universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or colour; to encoiu'age the study of compara- tive religion, jihilosophy, and science; to investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man. This last clause gives occasion to include magic, the occult, the uncanny, and the marvellous in anv and every form. Madame Blavatsky, with Colonel Olcott, went to India in 1878. Shortly afterwards her frauds were exposed through letters written by her and published by Columb and his wife, who had been in her service. This was acknowl- edged by the London Society of Psychical Research, which in Nov., 1884 sent R. Hodgson, of St. John's College, Cambridge to investigate (Edmund Garrett, "Isis very much Unveiled", London, 1895; Francis Podraore, "Studies in Psychical Research"). In spite of this, however, the teaching was continued and propagated by her disciples Mrs. Besant, Col. Olcott, A. P. Sinnett, and others.

Modern theosophy claims to be a definite science. Its teachings are the product of thought, and its source is consciousness, not any Divine revelation. As a science it is supposed to be based on investiga- tion and experimentation of the occult laws in nature and in human life. Only those qualified for the inquiry can grasp these laws, and they gain from this knowledge certain superhuman powers. Mrs. Besant calls it the great synthesis of hfe, i. e. of religion, science, and philosophy, as old as thoughtful human- ity, proclaimed in a new form suited to the present lime. Its aim is that spirit is and can become the master of matter. Hence it is considered as a protest against materialism which teaches that thought and feeUng are the results of the aggregations of matter. Theosophy on the contrary sees in matter an instru- ment of life, and in thought the creative and moulding ])ower of matter.

The basic teaching of theosophy is the universal brotherhood of humanity. Hence springs the jireach- ing of toleration to all persons and to all varieties of belief, e. g. Buddhists, Christians, Atheists. It considers the different religions as methods adopted by man in the search for God. They are of necessity various, because men differ in temperament, type, needs, and stages of evolution. Hence they are difTerent and imperfect expressions of truth. As such it says: "we cannot afford to lose any of the world's religions, for each has its jiarlial truth and its characteristic mes-sage which the perfect man must acquire." Hence theosophy ajjpeals to men as the great jiracemakcr, for it teaches that all religions mean one and (he same thing, or rather that they are all branches of a single tree. In this sense it attacks comparatives mythology which tries to show that religion was originally the fruit of man's ignorance and will disa))pear with the increase of knowledge, whereas in fact religion comes from Divine knowledge, i. e. theosophy.

The principle of imiversal brotherhood rests upon

the "solidarity" of all living, of all that is, in the one life and one consciousness. Solidarity springs from the belief in the immanence of God, the only and external life manifested in the multiplicity of creation. All forces are external; there is no super- natural, except the superhuman and supersensuous, i. e. powers greater than those normally exercised by man, which, however, can be developed. Ignorance therefore makes the miracle. Hence there is no personal God, and for this reason Madame Blavatsky and Mrs. Besant say that theosophy is more readily embraced by Atheists and Agnostics. Hence also Colville could teach that the spirit or soul in man is the only real and permanent part of his being; every- thing else pertaining to him is illusory and transitory. Solidarity, i. e. the common life pervading all things, is thus made the basis of morality. Hence a wrong done to one is done to all, as e. g. an injury inflicted on one part of the human organism results in pain diffused and felt throughout. At the same time we are told that God is good and man immortal, that the "immanence of God justifies religion", i. e. the search after Him, that all things move to good and to man's benefit, that man must understand and co-operate with the scheme of things.

Man has seven aspects, or rather is a being com- posed of seven principles. These are viewed in two groups: the Quaternary, corresponding to our animal nature, i. e. soul and body, the mortal part of man, the products of evolution; and the Triad, correspond- ing to our spiritual nature, i. e. spirit, for theosophists say that Christian philosophy holds the threefold division of body, soul, and spirit in man. The Quaternary is made up of Slhula Sharira, i. e. physical body; Linga Sharira, i. e. astral double; Prana, i. e. principle of life; Kama, i. e. our passional nature. The Triad is comjposed of: Manas, i. e. mind or the thinker; Buddhi, i. e. the dwelling-place of spirit; Atmr, i. e. spirit. Hence we find Alnii-Iimldhi used conjointly. This Triad is called the Inimorlal Triad. It is united to the Quaternary by Manns, in itself viewed as Higher Manas, sending out a Ray, which as Lower Manas is imbedded in Kama. Thus Kama- Manas is the link joining our animal to our spiritual nature, and is the battle-ground of life's struggles. Man is primarily divine, a spark of the Divine life; this Uving flame passing out from the Central Fire, weaves for itself coverings within which it dwells and thus becomes the Triad, the Atma-Biiddhi- Manas, the Immortal Self. This sends out its Ray, which becomes encased in grosser matter, in the Kamic body, in the Astral Double, and in the physical body. The Astral Double, i. e. rarer matter, the exact double of the physical body, plays a great part in spiritual- istic phenomena. 'The Manas is the real I, the rein- carnating ego makes the human personality. The Quaternary as a whole is viewed as the Personality, i. e. the shadow of the Self. In fact each principle or aspect may be considered a Personality in so far as it undervalues Alma, i. e. throws its shadow over Alma and prevents us from seeing in everything Alma, i. e. the One Eternal Existence. The seer however knows that Atma is the one reality, the essence of all things, that Alma-Bitddhi is the Univer- sal One Soul, itself an a.spect. of Alma, that Alma- Buddhi-Manns is the individual mind or Tliinker, that the shadow of Manas, our Alnia-Bmldhi, makes men say "my soul" and "thy soul", whereas in reality we are all one with Atma, the Unknown Root. After death all of the Manasic Ray that is pure and un.soiled gradually di.sent angles itself, carrying with it such of life's experiences as are of a nature fit for a-ssimilation with the Higher Ego. The Manasic Ego united to Alma-Buddhi passes into the Deva- chonic state of consciousness, rapt in blissful dreams coloured by the experiences of the earth-life. This state is a continuation of the earth-life shorn of its