Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/249

* THEOSOPHY. 205 THEOSOPHY. stability of material existence, the reality of an occult world which reaches everywhere into ours. In modern times, tlip name theosophy has been given to a form of belief promulgated by a Rus- sian, iladame Blavatsky (q.v.), who gave out such doctrines concerning cosmogony and an- thropology', and who made such claims as to the source of her instructions, which, she said, were obtained from certain Masters, that "theosophy' now connotes the cult established by her. The autlioritative work on modern theosophy is lier book, The Secret Doctrine, which states "the three fundamental propositions" as follows: (1) An omnipresent, eternal, boundless, and im- mutable principle on which all speculation is impossible, since it transcends the power of human conception and could only be dwarfed by any human expression or similitude. (2) The eternity of the universe in toto as a boundless plane, periodically the playground of number- less universes incessantly manifesting and dis- appearing — the law of periodicity. (3) The fundamental identity of all souls with the uni- versal Over-Soul, the latter being itself an aspect of the unknown Root ; and the obligatory pilgrimage of every soul — a part of the Over- Soul — through the cycle of incarnation in ac- cordance with cyclic and karmic law, during the whole term. The esoteric philosophy admits of no privileges or special gifts in man save those won by his own Kgo through personal effort and merit throughout a long series of reincarnations. According to theosophie teaching, God is said to be infinite and absolute. Therefore, no at- tempt is made to qualify or describe the Great Unknown; but the manifested universe is traced back from the material world, through the powers of nature, to the Logos, from which all manifestation begins. Evolution is accepted, but as only half a law. The other half is involu- tion. Spirit and matter are the two aspects of one root-nature. According to immutable law, the spirit involves into matter and matter evolves the spirit. Thus there is a circulation downward and upward, from spirit into matter and from matter to spirit. All worlds pass through seven great periods of manifestations called Rounds. Spiritual at first, they become denser and darker in the downward cycle, the fourth of which is the densest and our present material world. Thence begins its upward movement toward spirituality. The advantage gained is the experience and ultimately the emancipation of the soul. In each of these rounds, periods of incalculable dtiration, there are seven great root-races. Each root-race has seven sub-divisions or sub-races corresponding with the rounds, which become more material from the first to the fourth. We are at present in the fifth sub-race of the fifth root-race, and on the upward cycle of the fourth round. Evolution is constant progress, an un- folding of consciousness from the most primitive forms of life to the highest intelligence. Humanity is one great familv. All souls are the same in essence, but they differ in degrees of development; each bears a certain relation to the others and to the whole. The apparent separateness of beings is overcome by the ex- periences of its involution and evohition. The more advanced souls are the natural giiardians of the less developed. Man is composed of seven ]uinci|)lcs, which are divided into a lower or mortal, and a liighcr or immortal nature. The lower nature, constituting his personality, is fourfold. One-fourth, tlic physical body, is visible, three-fourths invisible. These three are the astral or design body {linga sariru), on which are molded the physical atoms, then the life principle, and the principle of desire. The physical body (slhiiUi .wrira) is material with- out form. It is held in form by the astral body, and moved to action by the fire of desire {Iciima). This fourfold nature is common to all animal beings, is mortal and subject to dissolution at death. The higher nature of man is threefold, the mind (manas), soul (huddhi), and spirit latmaii). The mind distinguishes man from the animal. It makes liini appear to be separate from others by his self-consciousness. Entering the animal body, the mind thinks of itself as separate from others. The soul is universal, overcoming separateness and showing relation- ship of soul with soul. The spirit is the one indivisible which passes through all things and unites them with each other. Death is the separation of the principles. The physical body returns to the elements which gave it. The astral body disintegrates more slowly. The life (prana) passes at once into the universal life ijica). Desire forms itself into a body (/.hhio- rilpa) which gradually becomes exhausted, leav- ing seeds (skandhafs) . from which the return- ing soul forms a later and new personality. The trinity of mind, soul, and spirit, when freeft from the trammels of a mortal garment, passes through certain states of consciousness until it reaches the condition called heaven {dcracOnn), where it enjoys a period of bliss and rest proportionate to its good thoughts and ideals while on earth. When these exalted ideals have been exhausted, its period of rest is at an end and it descends gradually to earth. The trinitv. after enjoying its rest, and realizing those ideals which could not be attained on earth, is attracted again to earth by the unfulfilled long- ings and desires which remain behind as seeds. These it animates. It sinks into the emotional world, is attracted to a particular famil.y. who can furnish a bod- and surroundings suited to its new experience, and is reborn into this world. The higher nature must become consciously im- mortal, that is to say, it must acquire a con- tinuity of consciousness, thus making it con- sciously immortal while in the physical bod.y. One earth-life is not sufficient. Hence rebirth into the school of life is the lot of the soul until all the lessons have been learned. This doctrine is closely associated with that of Karma, which is the law of balance, of action and reaction, of effect inevitably connected with the preci'ding cause. Applied to man. it is a moral law of un- erring justice, and to it all other laws, pliysical and otherwise, are subservient. It returns to man measure for measure his good or evil thoughts and deeds. It is inseparable from re- incarnation. Man has his Karma in his duties. It is by performing every duty willingly that Karma is exhausted. If one evades the duty of the moment. Karma will ultimately compel him to perform that which is the outcome of his past thoughts and acts. Karma is the cause, rein- carnation the effect. Karma is the action and interaction between desire and mind.