Follower of Theosophy. Theosophy of Helena Blavatsky

For many years, the teaching of Helena Blavatsky, which found adherents in the theosophical movement, has remained popular. Its main motto is “There is no religion higher than truth,” and personal self-improvement in modern life has become a theme for special attention to such a topic as Theosophy.

What is Theosophy?

Some modern scientists claim that Theosophy is a new science, but this is not entirely true. This concept arose back in the 2nd century, when the philosophers Ammonius Saccas and his followers took it as a basis. They sought to establish a single ethics of eternal truths and reconcile all religions. What is Theosophy - translated from Greek it is “divine wisdom”, which can be achieved by knowing oneself. In a broad sense, Theosophy is a science that studies the laws of the Universe, the science of the spiritual purpose of each person.

Theosophy - philosophy

In philosophy, it is best expounded in the teachings of Helena Blavatsky, who positioned that theosophy explains the essence of all religions of the world. She borrowed the motto “there is no religion higher than Truth” from the Maharaja of Benares, based on the fact that only people familiar with the concepts of esotericism can cognize the Absolute Truth and very successfully move along this path. Theosophy in philosophy is the interpretation of the main moral and. But from the standpoint not of God’s will, but as a result of the actions of man himself, therefore the Theosophical Society chose the postulate as its motto: “There is no religion higher than truth.”

Fundamentals of Theosophy

The main foundations of Theosophy are the creation of a universal Brotherhood in which everyone will live for the sake of others and not for themselves. To achieve this, you need not only attachment to material goods, which are unimportant in the spiritual world, but also accept the ideas of personal perfection. Practical Theosophy provides for 2 main points.

The desire to create a society in which brotherly love was the basis of real and not fictitious relationships.
Individual improvement, this process is easily advanced by those who understand responsibility to society, renunciation of selfish aspirations for the sake of spiritual pleasure.

Theosophy in the modern world

Although Theosophy is a doctrine of spiritual improvement, it has significantly influenced the receipt of material benefits by humanity. This philosophy gained enormous worldwide fame through the Theosophical Movement, which was created by the group of Helena Blavatsky. They explained how the influence of a team can awaken the energy of Good Will in everyone, and created a method of how to actually develop in a person a sincere desire to change his life for the better. The society formulated its main goals as follows:

Creation of a cell of a single brotherhood.
Study of ancient religions and philosophies.
Study of unexplained natural phenomena or.

Theosophy and esotericism

Esotericism is a direction for initiates, which is based on secret knowledge and meditation practices. They are united with Theosophy by the use of similar methods and principles of influence, work on improving one’s “I”. And the study of natural phenomena and the spiritual essence of man implies closed access for people unprepared for this.

Theosophy and magic have a certain common basis, since occultism presupposes knowledge of the subtle matters that make up our Universe. Theosophy offers rules of behavior in the subtle worlds and the competent use of postulates, while mysticism reveals ways to influence the energy of others with the help of subtle energies, not always for the benefit of a person.

Theosophy and Buddhism

It has already been proven that Theosophy borrowed many postulates and definitions from Buddhism. The Theosophical Society revealed to the whole of Europe the peculiarities of the Buddha's teachings. Many modern researchers call the theories of Blavatsky and her supporters “theosophism,” which is an attempt to pass off their own doctrine as the postulates of Buddhism. But, in addition to common features, there are also differences between these two movements.

The Theosophical Society is not characterized by continuity and castes.
Theosophy is a constant movement in improvement.
In Buddhism, various states are viewed as consequences of karma.

Theosophy and Orthodoxy

Christianity is one of the world religions, the main axiom of which is the comprehension of Divine love through harmonious development. It is brought closer to Theosophy by its goal - the spiritual growth of man. Theosophy is called Divine wisdom, but it is a kind of list of knowledge about the laws of our world. Christianity presents this teaching through the prism of rigid postulates. But even with its commonality, the attitude of religion towards Theosophy is critical, and there are several reasons for this.

Heretical ideas, such as the doctrine of reincarnation and karma.
Theosophy allows that a person can rise to the Absolute through perfection; in Christianity, a person will never become equal to God.
In Christianity, God punishes sins; in Theosophy, man himself punishes them with the consequences of his actions.

Theosophy (ancient Greek θεοσοφία “divine wisdom”) is the theoretical part of occultism and the occult movement; in the broad sense of the word - mystical knowledge of God, contemplation of God, in the light of which the mysterious knowledge of all things is revealed. Theosophy as a concept is rooted in Gnosticism and Neoplatonism. In a narrower sense, theosophy refers to the teachings of H. P. Blavatsky. In the 1970s and 1980s, the New Age movement emerged among theosophical groups.

Modern theosophy has borrowed some concepts and terms from Buddhism. The Theosophical Society became the organization that took upon itself in 1875 the responsibility of introducing the teachings of the Buddha (at least as theosophists understood it) to the large public of Europe and America. Published in 1881, the "Buddhist Catechism" by the founding president of the Theosophical Society, G. S. Olcott, was approved by Sri Lankan learned monks.

Christianity and modern Theosophy have had a difficult and sometimes bad relationship throughout the period following the formation of the Theosophical Society. For most Western Theosophists, Christianity was the religion in which they were born and raised, but many of them came to Theosophy through a process of study and even opposition to the Christian faith. According to Professor Ellwood, "the reason for the controversy was Theosophy itself."

Blavatsky's theosophy is classified by famous representatives of Western philosophy as a “pantheistic religious-philosophical system.”

Blavatsky's theosophy had, according to research by literary and religious scholars, a certain influence on modern fiction, in particular on such types of genre literature as fantasy and science fiction. According to researchers, Theosophy significantly influenced the “Irish literary renaissance” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, judging by such representatives as William Butler Yeats and George William Russell.

Theosophy(from the Greek thes - god and sopha - wisdom, knowledge) - this is the religious mystical knowledge of God through direct communication with the deity. This teaching is based on subjective mystical experience, but at the same time it presents it in the form of a coherent system. It appeared in the 2nd century AD, thanks to the Neoplatonists Ammonius Saccas and his disciples, whose goal was to try on all religions, establishing a universal principle and a general system of ethics based on eternal truths.

Theosophy includes Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism.

This teaching became most famous thanks to the Russian writer H.P. Blavatsky and her followers. It was formed under the influence of a number of religious and philosophical concepts of Brahmanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, as well as occultism and Gnosticism.

Blavatsky sought combine different religious movements into one universal through revealing the similarities of all religions. She showed unity of all teachings, and on the basis of this she created her own teaching, which was free from any one dogma.

The purpose of this teaching was the achievement of supernatural abilities by man and the achievement of occult knowledge. Thereby the spiritual evolution of man took place.

To disseminate this knowledge and create the core of a united brotherhood Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott founded in 1875 Theosophical Society in New York in 1875. This society was engaged not only in a comparative analysis of all religious teachings, but also in the study of the hidden laws of nature and human abilities.

The activities of the society were so popular that they quickly spread to America and Europe, and in 1882 the center was moved to India.

Theosophy actually testifies to the crisis that is occurring in all religious teachings. “Universal religion” was supposed to become a kind of replacement for all of them.

At the same time, Blavatsky’s theosophy does not reject any of the religions, it offers to learn from them, to enrich one’s ideas about them.

According to Blavatsky's theosophy, the Universe arose due to the impersonal Absolute. In this case, man is a reflection of the manifested Absolute, and he is identical with It. She considers the Law of Karma to be the main Law from which all others flow.

Blavatsky said that there is no religion higher than Truth. This doctrine became the motto of the Theosophical Society.

A distinctive feature of Blavatsky's theosophy from religion is that religion is based on faith in authority and superstition, and theosophy on conviction and intuition.

Blavatsky wrote:

"Man finds his Higher Self:

listening to the voice of your own conscience;
receiving signals from your Higher Self;
developing your intuition;
meditating;
studying the principles of the Wisdom Religion;
finding harmony with Nature;
orienting your essence towards the path of virtue;
objectively contemplating the events of everyday life."

Blavatsky attached more importance Law of the Universal Brotherhood: "We are all integral in universal unity. We are sparks of one flame. Fingers of one hand. We are united on all other levels. We should:

understand our community;
reunite in an outpouring of brotherly love, altruism and compassion;
do not diminish efforts to comprehend our Higher Self,
and be guided by its principles."

The teachings of Blavatsky's theosophy had a huge influence on the worldview of Mahatma Gandhi, E.I. Roerich and N.K. Roerich, Gurdjieff, V. Solovyov and others.

Theosophy it's more than religion. This is religion and science at the same time, since it studies the mysteries of the Universe through the study of the inner man, since God is within him. And through this core inside a person there is an exit to Infinity.

THEOSOPHY

Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2010 .

THEOSOPHY

(from the Greek ϑεός - god and σοφία - wisdom, knowledge) - 1) In the broad sense of the word - mystical. knowledge of God. In the Areopagitica, T. is used as a synonym for theology. Later, T., in contrast to theology based on revelation and dogma, began to call teachings about deity emanating from the subjective mysticism. experience and seeking to present this experience in the form of a coherent system. Some researchers attributed Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, etc. to T. More common, however, is the attribution of this term to a number of mystical. teachings of the 17th–18th centuries, standing outside the direct church. Christ traditions - Boehme, Paracelsus, Saint-Martin, Swedenborg, Etinger and others. Schelling used the term "T." to denote the synthesis of the mystical. knowledge of God and diet. philosophy; after him they talked about “T” in the same sense. in relation to own Baader and Rosmini systems. For Vl. Solovyova "free T." means the highest of all knowledge in general. Ed.

2) Religious-mystical. the teachings of H. P. Blavatsky (1831–91; op. “The Secret Doctrine” - “The secret doctrine”, v. 1–2, L., 1888) and her followers. Developed under the influence of Indian philosophy (the doctrine of karma, reincarnation of the human soul and cosmic evolution as a manifestation of the spiritual absolute), occultism and orientalism. esoteric doctrines. Rejecting the “historical forms of religion,” T. seeks to unite different faiths through revealing the identity of the hidden meaning of all religions. symbols and create on this basis a “universal religion” that is not associated with k.-l. certain dogma. Unification of heterogeneous religions and mythologies. representations in T. is accompanied by a detailed schematization of cosmogonic. and anthropogonistic. processes (multi-stage seven-member “plans”, or levels, of the universe and “periods”, “circles”, etc. of its evolution, for example, the doctrine of seven races, successively replacing each other during one “world period”, etc. P.). According to T., each consists of three bodies: physical, astral and mental; A “developed” occultist can control his body, i.e. send it to any point in time and space. The ultimate theosophy is to identify the mental (i.e., spiritual) in oneself and achieve “superconsciousness.” Achieving this occult "knowledge" and supernaturals. abilities are carried out thanks to the presence of esoteric. traditions of a few “initiates” or “masters” who inspire the spiritual evolution of man.

E. Golovin. Moscow.

The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York by H. P. Blavatsky and Amer. Colonel G. Olcott with the goal of “forming the nucleus of world brotherhood,” “promoting the comparative study of religion and philosophy,” “exploring the unexplored laws of nature and the hidden forces of man.” The activities of the society soon spread to many others. countries of Europe and America; in 1879 its center was moved to India (to the outskirts of Madras). After Olcott's death (1907), A. Besant, a former socialist and active figure in the English movement, became the president of the society. free-thinking movements. In 1912, Besant declared Krishnamurti the new “savior” of humanity (later Krishnamurti left T.), after which a split occurred and anthroposophy, led by R. Steiner, emerged from T. Currently The society has 150 thousand members (including 33 thousand in India). As a form of non-confessional mysticism, T. testifies to the crisis of traditions. religious systems, which it is trying to replace with itself.

Lit.: Leadbeater Ch., Brief essay T., trans. from English, Kaluga, 1911; "Vestnik T.", 1908–18; Shakhnovich M.I., Sovr. mysticism in the light of science, M.–L., 1965; Guenon R., Le théosophisme. Histoire d'une pseudoreligion. P., 1921; Biсhlmair G., Christentum, Theosophie und Anthroposophie, W., 1950.

M. Shakhnovich. Leningrad.

Philosophical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by F. V. Konstantinov. 1960-1970 .

THEOSOPHY

THEOSOPHY (from the Greek θεός - god and σοφία - wisdom, knowledge) - 1) in the broad sense of the word - mystical knowledge of God. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite has a synonym for theology. Later, theosophy, in contrast to theology based on revelation and dogma, began to be called teachings about divinity that proceed from subjective mystical experience and seek to present this experience in the form of a coherent system. Some researchers attributed Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, etc. to theosophy. More common, however, is the attribution of this term to a number of mystical teachings of the 16th-18th centuries, standing outside the direct church Christian tradition - J. Boehme, Paracelsus, L. K. Saint-Martin, E. Swedenborg, F. Etinger and others. Schelling used the term “theosophy” to designate the synthesis of mystical knowledge of God and rational philosophy; Close to this is the concept of “free theosophy” in Vl. Solovyova; 2) the religious and mystical teaching of H. P. Blavatsky (1831-91; op. “The Secret Doctrine” - The Secret Doctrine, v. 1-2, 1888, Russian translation, vol. 1-3. L., 1991) and her followers. It was formed under the influence of the religious and philosophical concepts of Brahmanism, Buddhism, Hinduism (the doctrine of karma - the reincarnation of the human soul and cosmic evolution as a manifestation of the spiritual absolute), as well as occultism and elements of Gnosticism. Rejecting the “historical forms of religion,” Theosophy sought to unite various faiths through the disclosure of the identity of the hidden meaning of all religious symbols and create on this basis a “universal religion” not bound by a specific dogma. According to Theosophy, man's ultimate goal - the achievement of occult "knowledge" and supernatural abilities - is achieved through the presence of an esoteric tradition of "initiates" or "masters" who inspire the spiritual evolution of man. The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York by Blavatsky and the American Colonel G. Olcott. The society's activities soon spread to many countries in Europe and America; in 1879 its center was moved to India (from 1882 - to the outskirts of Madras). After Olcott’s death (1907), A. Besant became the president of the society, who declared Krishnamurga the new “savior” of humanity, after which a split occurred and anthroposophy, headed by R. Steiner, emerged from theosophy. As a form of non-confessional mysticism, Theosophy testifies to the crisis of traditional religions, which it is trying to replace.

Lit.: Leadbeater Ch. A Brief Essay on Theosophy, trans. from English Kaluga, 1911; Shakhnovich M.I. Modern mysticism in the light of science. M.-L., 1965; Guenon R. Le théosophisme. Histoire d "une pseudoreligion. P., 1921; BichimairG. Christentum, Theosophie und Anthroposophie. W, 1950.

New Philosophical Encyclopedia: In 4 vols. M.: Thought. Edited by V. S. Stepin. 2001 .

Synonyms:

See what "THEOSOPHY" is in other dictionaries:

Theosophy... Spelling dictionary-reference book

- (Greek, from Theos God, and sophos wise). 1) science that claims to teach how to communicate directly with God; spirit vision. 2) the general name of all mystical teachings. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Anthroposophy Dictionary of Russian synonyms. theosophy noun, number of synonyms: 1 anthroposophy (1) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin... Synonym dictionary

theosophy- and, f. théosophie f. , Wed lat. theosphia. Religious philosophical and mystical teaching about the comprehension of deity through revelation and the possibility of direct communication with the other world. BAS 1. She went into this... what's it called? .. V… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

theosophy- (wrong theosophy). Pronounced [theosophy]… Dictionary of difficulties of pronunciation and stress in modern Russian language

- (from the Greek theos God and sophia wisdom), 1) in a broad sense, any mystical teaching that claims to reveal special divine secrets. 2) Mystical doctrine of H.P. Blavatsky and her followers are a combination of the mysticism of Buddhism and others... ... Modern encyclopedia

- (from the Greek theos God and sophia wisdom) ..1) in a broad sense, any mystical teaching that claims to reveal special divine secrets2)] The mystical doctrine of H. P. Blavatsky and her followers is a combination of the mysticism of Buddhism and other eastern... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Greek theos God and sophia wisdom, knowledge) (1) the doctrine of the knowledge of God (as opposed to theology, based on the idea of revelation and the dogmas of the church), based on non-confessional esoteric experience. T. includes Gnosticism, Hermeticism, ... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

THEOSOPHY, theosophies, many. no, female (from Greek theos god and sophia wisdom). A religious and philosophical mystical teaching that asserts that in the mystical experience of communication with the so-called. the other world reveals the inner meaning of all religions. Intelligent... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Dictionaries

THEOSOPHY(Greek) Wisdom Religion or "Divine Wisdom." The essence and basis of all the world's religions and philosophies, taught and practiced by a select few since man became a thinking being. In practical application Theosophy is purely divine ethics; the definitions given to it in dictionaries are simply nonsense, nonsense, based on religious superstition and ignorance of the true spirit of the early Rosicrucians and the medieval philosophers who called themselves Theosophists.

Source: Blavatskaya E.P. - Theosophical Dictionary

Theosophy(Greek) Literally, "divine wisdom or wisdom of the gods."

Secret Doctrine

Is not Theosophy a new religion, we are asked? In no case; it is not a “religion”, nor is its philosophy “new”, for, as has already been said, this teaching is as old as thinking man. Its provisions have now been published for the first time, but they have already been carefully presented more than once and were even expounded more than once by European initiates - especially the late Ragon.

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Each reader will inevitably judge the statements made from the point of view of his knowledge, his experience and consciousness, basing his judgment on what he already knows.

Theo-philosophy develops along broader lines. From the very beginning of the eons - in time and space, in our Circle and Planet - the secrets of Nature (in any case, those that are legitimate for our Races to know) were captured in geometric figures and symbols by the disciples of the same now invisible “Heavenly Men” . The keys to them were passed from one generation of “Wise Men” to another. Some of the symbols thus passed from East to West, brought from the East by Pythagoras, who was not the inventor of his famous "Triangle". The last figure, together with the square and the circle, is a more eloquent and scientific description of the order of evolution of the Universe, spiritual and psychic as well as physical, than the volumes of descriptive Cosmogonies and revelations of the "Genesises".

Key to Theosophy

Asking. Theosophy and its teachings are often called a newfangled religion. Is this a religion?

Theosophist. No. Theosophy is Divine Knowledge or Science.

Asking. What is the true meaning of this term?

Theosophist. This is "Divine Wisdom", θεοσοφία (Theosophy) or the wisdom of the gods, like Θεογονία (Theogony) - the genealogy of the gods. The word θεοσ in Greek means "god", one of the divine beings, but, of course, not "God" in the sense that is given to it today. Therefore, it is not “the wisdom of God,” as some translate it, but divine wisdom- such as the gods have. This term is many thousands of years old.

Asking. What is the origin of this name?

Theosophist. It came to us from the Alexandrian philosophers, who were called “lovers of truth”, Philaletes, from “phil” - “loving”, and “aletheia” - “truth”. The word "theosophy" dates back to the third century AD, and was introduced into use by Ammonius Saccus and his disciples, who laid the foundation for the eclectic theosophical system.

Asking. What was the purpose of this system?

Theosophist. First, to instill in the disciples and all those who “love the truth” some great moral truths. Hence the motto adopted by the Theosophical Society - “There is no religion higher than truth.” The main goal of the founders of the eclectic theosophical school was one of the three goals of their modern successor, the Theosophical Society, namely, to reconcile all religions, sects and nations by a common system of ethics based on eternal truths.

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The ancient Theosophists asserted - and the modern ones say the same - that the infinite cannot be known by the finite - that is, perceived by a finite being - but that the divine essence can be transmitted to the higher Spiritual Self in an ecstatic state. This state, unlike hypnotic, is hardly achievable by “physical and chemical means.”

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It is as old as time in its teachings and ethics, if not in name, and is also the broadest and most comprehensive system of all.

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For mystics, true theosophy is a state that Apollonius of Tyana was forced to describe as follows: “I can see the present and the future, as in a clear mirror. The wise, to foresee events, need not expect either the vapors of the earth or the corruption of the air ... Qeoi, or the gods see the future, ordinary people see the present, the wise see what is already about to happen." That “theosophy of the wise” of which he speaks is well expressed in the statement “The Kingdom of God is within us.”

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We believe that in ancient times there were nations that were equally cultural and certainly ahead of us in spiritual terms. But there are several reasons for this voluntary ignorance. One of them was revealed by St. Paul to the cultured inhabitants of Athens - this is the loss for many centuries of real spiritual insight, and even interest, due to their too strong attachment to objects of feelings and long slavery to the dead letter of dogma and ritual. But the main reason is that true Theosophy has always been kept secret.

Asking. You have provided evidence that such secrecy existed, but what are its real reasons?

Theosophist. The reasons for this are as follows: Firstly, the perversity of ordinary human nature, its selfishness, always striving for satisfaction personal desires to the detriment of their neighbors and relatives. These people can never be trusted divine secrets. Secondly, their failure to preserve sacred and divine knowledge from profanation. It was the latter that led to the perversion of the most sublime truths and symbols and the gradual transformation of the spiritual into the anthropomorphic, concrete and reduced to crude images - in other words, to the belittling of the idea of the divine and to idolatry.

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Asking. What is the difference between Buddhism, the religion founded by Prince Kapilavastu, and Buddhism, the “teaching of wisdom,” which, as you say, is synonymous with Theosophy?

Theosophist. This is also the difference between the secret teachings of Christ, which were called “the secrets of the kingdom of heaven,” and the later rituals and dogmatic theology of the church and sects. "Buddha" means enlightened one bodhi, or comprehension, wisdom. Its roots and branches go back to the esoteric teachings that Gautama transmitted only to his chosen arhats.

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Asking. But isn't the ethics of Theosophy identical to that taught by the Buddha?

Theosophist. Of course, because this ethics is the soul of the Wisdom Religion, and was once the common property of the initiates of all peoples. But the Buddha was the first to include this sublime ethics in his public teachings, and made it the basis and the very essence of his public system. This is the great difference between exoteric Buddhism and any other religion. For while in other religions ritual and dogma occupy the first and most important place, in Buddhism ethics has always been most insistent. This explains the similarity between the ethics of Theosophy and the ethics of the religion of the Buddha, reaching almost to the point of identity.

Asking. Are there any points where there are significant differences?

Theosophist. One of the great differences between Theosophy and exoteric Buddhism is that the latter, represented by its southern school, completely denies: a) the existence of any deities; and b) any conscious life after death, or even any self-conscious individuality retained in man. At least, this is the teaching of the Thai sect, which is now believed the purest form of exoteric Buddhism. And this is true if we consider only the publicly available teachings of the Buddha; I will explain the reason for such restraint on his part further. But the northern Buddhist schools, established in those countries to which the initiated arhats retired after the death of their Master, teach all that is now called theosophical doctrines, because they form part of the knowledge of the initiates - thus proving that the overzealous orthodoxy of southern Buddhism has sacrificed truth for dead letters. But how much more majestic and noble, more scientific and philosophical is this teaching, even in its dead letter, in comparison with any other church or religion! And yet, Theosophy is not Buddhism.

EXOTERIC AND ESOTERIC THEOSOPHY WHAT THE MODERN THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IS NOT

Asking. In this case, your teachings are neither a revival of Buddhism nor a complete copy of Neoplatonic theosophy?

Theosophist. They are not. But to these questions I cannot give a better answer than a quotation from the paper "Theosophy", read by Dr. J. D. Buck, member of the Theosophical Society, at the last Theosophical Convention at Chicago, America (April, 1889). No living Theosophist has better expressed the true essence of Theosophy than our dear friend Dr. Buck:

"The Theosophical Society was organized for the purpose of propagating the Theosophical doctrine and encouraging the way of life corresponding to it. The present Theosophical Society is not the first of its kind. I have a book entitled: The Theosophical Protocols of the Philadelphian Society, published in London in 1697, and another , with the following title: “An Introduction to Theosophy, or the science of the mystery of Christ, that is, of the Divinity, Nature and Creation, embracing the philosophy of all the active forces of life, magical and spiritual, and giving practical guidance for the attainment of the highest purity, holiness and evangelical perfection; and also on the attainment of divine vision and the sacred angelic arts, powers and other advantages of regeneration,” published in London in 1855. Here is the dedication of this book:

"To the students of the universities, colleges and schools of Christendom; professors of metaphysics, mechanics and natural sciences in all forms; educated men and women of the fundamental orthodox faith; deists, Arians, Unitarians, Swedenborgians and other followers of all partial and unfounded creeds, rationalists and skeptics of every kind ; to the faithful and enlightened Muslims, Jews and believers in the ancient eastern religions; but especially to the preachers and missionaries of both barbarian and intellectual peoples, this introduction to Theosophy, the science of the essence and mystery of all things, is dedicated with great humility and love."

The following year (1856) another book, The Theosophical Collection, was published, 600 pages of large format in diamond type. Only 500 copies of this work were published - for free distribution to libraries and universities. These early movements, of which there were many, were begun within the Church by men of great piety and impeccable reputation. All these works were orthodox in form, used Christian expressions, and, like the works of the eminent Church leader William Law, were, from the point of view of the average reader, distinguished only by deep piety and piety. They were only attempts to extract and explain the deeper meaning and original meaning of the Holy Scriptures, and to explain and reveal the theosophical way of life. These works soon fell into oblivion and are now practically unknown. They tried to reform the clergy and restore true piety, and were never welcomed. One word “heresy” was enough to bury them along with all other similar utopias. At the time of the Reformation, Johann Reuchlin made a similar attempt, and with the same result, although he was a close and trusted friend of Luther. The Orthodox have never wanted to be instructed and enlightened. The Reformers were told, as Festus told Paul, that too much learning had driven them mad, and that it would be dangerous to go any further. Leaving aside the terminology, which was partly the consequence of the habit and education of these authors, and partly the result of religious restrictions imposed through secular power, and turning to the essence of these works, they were in the strictest sense theosophical and related exclusively to man's knowledge of his own nature and the higher life of the soul. The present Theosophical movement has sometimes been declared to be an attempt to convert Christendom to Buddhism, which simply means that the word heresy has lost its awesome meaning and force. Individual people at all times have more or less correctly understood theosophical teachings and woven it into the fabric of their lives. This teaching is not exclusive to any religion, nor is it limited to any particular society or time. By birthright it belongs to every human soul. Everyone must choose such a thing as a symbol of faith for themselves, in accordance with their nature, needs and various life experiences. That is why those who represented Theosophy as a new religion hunted in vain for its creed and ritual. Her credo is loyalty to Truth, and her ritual is “honoring every truth by its application.”

How little this principle of Universal Brotherhood is understood by the masses of mankind, and how rarely its supreme importance is recognized, may be seen by the variety of opinions and fictitious interpretations concerning the Theosophical Society. This Society was founded on a single principle, the essential brotherhood of man, as here briefly described and imperfectly stated. It has been attacked as Buddhist and anti-Christian, as if it could be both, whereas both Buddhism and Christianity, from their inception by inspired founders, proclaim brotherhood as the only fundamentally important part of doctrine and life. Theosophy was also considered something new under the sun, or at best an old mysticism masquerading under a new name. And while it is true that many Societies founded on the principles of altruism or brotherhood and their support have had different names, it is also true that many have been called Theosophical, and their principles and objects have been the same as those of the modern Theosophical Society. In these societies the essence of the teaching was the same, and everything else was random, although this does not change the fact that many people are attracted by superficial details and do not notice or ignore the essence of the teaching."

It is impossible to give a clearer and more precise answer to your question than was given by this man, who is one of our most sincere and valued Theosophists.

Asking. In this case, which system, other than Buddhist ethics, do you prefer or follow?

Theosophist. None - and everyone. Specifically, we do not adhere to any religion or philosophy - we select the good that we find in each. But here, again, it must be stated that, like all other ancient systems, theosophy is divided into exoteric and esoteric.

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Theosophist. In no way - not even in the sense of a new and direct revelation from some higher, supernatural or, at least, superhuman creatures; but only in the sense of “lifting the veil” from old, very old truths for minds that were previously ignorant of them, and did not even know about the very existence and preservation of this ancient knowledge.

Asking. You talked about "persecution". If Theosophy presents the truth as it is, why is it met with such resistance rather than universal acceptance?

Theosophist. Again, for many different reasons, one of which is people's hatred of "innovation", as they call it. Egoism is inherently conservative and hates to be disturbed. He will prefer an accommodating, undemanding lie the greatest truth, if the latter requires the sacrifice of even a little comfort. The power of mental inertia is enormous unless something promises immediate benefit and reward. Our age is to an outstanding degree unspiritual and prosaic. Added to this is the unfamiliar character of the Theosophical teachings and the complex nature of the doctrines, some of which directly contradict many of the human prejudices nurtured by sectarians and ingrained into the very core of popular beliefs. If we add to this the personal effort and high purity of life which are required of those who would become disciples internal circle, as well as a very limited number of people ready to follow our rules, which require complete unselfishness, it will become clear why Theosophy is doomed to such slow progress and such a difficult climb. In essence, this is a philosophy only for those who have suffered in the quagmire of life and have lost all hope of getting out of there in any other way. Moreover, the history of any system of faith or morality, first planted on unfamiliar soil, shows that its first shoots encountered all the obstacles that obscurantism and selfishness could inflict. Truly, “the crown of an innovator is the crown of thorns!” Demolition of old, bug-eaten buildings is never without some danger.

And I declare, openly and fearlessly, that the perversity of this [modern Christian (ed.)] doctrine, like many others, can eradicate only theosophy.

Asking. How?

Theosophist. Simply by demonstrating the logical, philosophical, metaphysical and even scientific reasons that: a) The origin of all people, both spiritually and physically, is the same, which is the fundamental position of Theosophy; b) Since humanity is essentially one, and this essence of it is one - infinite, uncreated and eternal, whether we call it God or Nature - nothing, therefore, can affect one nation or one person without affecting all other nations and all other people. This is as certain and obvious as the fact that a stone thrown into a pond will, sooner or later, set in motion every drop of water in it.

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Asking. But how does Theosophy explain the common origin of all people?

Theosophist. The teaching that root of all Nature, objective and subjective, and everything that generally exists in the Universe, visible or invisible, was, is And always will be forever one absolute essence from which everything comes and to which everything returns. This is an Aryan philosophy, fully represented only in the systems of Vedantists and Buddhists. Taking into account our first goal, it is the duty of all Theosophists to promote the spread of non-sectarian education.

Asking. But Theosophy, as you say, is not a religion?

Theosophist. Of course not, for it is the essence of all religions and absolute truth, one drop of which is the basis of every creed. If we once again resort to a metaphor, then on earth theosophy is like a ray of white light, and each religion is only one of the seven colors of the spectrum. Ignoring all the others, condemning them as false, each individual color ray thus proclaims not only its primacy, but also claims to be what it is. that same white ray, anathematizing even their own shades, from light to dark, as heretical. Yet, as the sun of truth rises higher and higher above the horizon of human perception, each ray of color gradually fades until it is again completely absorbed; humanity will be freed from the curse of falling into extremes and will finally find itself basking in the pure, uncolored sunlight of eternal truth. This is what will happen theosophy.

Asking. So you claim that all great religions have their origins in Theosophy, and that it is by assimilating them that the world will finally be saved from the curse of its great illusions and errors?

Theosophist. Exactly. And we will add that the Theosophical Society is but a humble seed, which, if watered and allowed to live, will eventually produce the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is grafted onto the Tree of Eternal Life. After all, only by studying the various great religions and philosophies of mankind, impartially comparing them with an unprejudiced mind, can a person hope to achieve the truth. This is especially achieved by searching and identifying points of coincidence. And no sooner than we have reached, either by study or by being taught by someone who knows, their inner meaning, we will almost always find that such a point expresses some of the great truths of Nature.

Asking. But on what basis do you claim this?

Theosophist. Based on what science as a whole will never accept as evidence - the body of evidence accumulated by an endless series of seers who confirmed this fact. Their spiritual visions, the most real investigations, carried out both with the help of physical and spiritual perception, which was not hindered by the sightless flesh, were systematically checked and carefully compared, and by sifting their nature was revealed. Everything that did not find confirmation in a single collective experience was rejected, and only that which in different eras and in different countries, after countless observations, was recognized as true and constantly received further confirmation was recorded as established truth. The methods used by our scientists and researchers of the spiritual and psychic sciences, as you see, do not differ from the methods of those who study the natural and physical sciences. Only the areas of their research are on two different planes, and our instruments are not created by human hands - and for this reason they may be even more hopeful. The retorts, batteries, and microscopes of the chemist and naturalist may fail; the astronomer's telescope and chronometers may be damaged; Our research instruments are not influenced by either weather or elements.

Asking. And that’s why you believe them unconditionally?

Theosophist. Faith is a word that cannot be found in theosophical dictionaries: we are talking about knowledge based on observation and experience. However, there is also a difference here - while observation and experience in physical science lead scientists to the fact that the number of “working” hypotheses they have is equal to the number of minds capable of creating them, our knowledge accepts into its storeroom only those facts that have become irrefutable and have received complete and unconditional confirmation. We do not have two different beliefs or hypotheses on the same issue.

Asking. Before we change the subject, we need to know the whole truth about this. Now some are writing that your teaching is “immoral and pernicious”, and others, relying on the so-called “authorities” and orientalists, who see nothing in Indian religions other than the cult of sex in various forms, accuse you of teaching a phallic cult . They say that since modern Theosophy is closely connected with Eastern and especially Indian thought, it cannot be free from this taint. Sometimes they even go so far as to accuse European Theosophists of resurrecting practices associated with this cult. How about this?

Theosophist. I have heard and read about this before, and I will answer you that more baseless and false slander has never been invented or spread. “A fool has bad dreams,” says a Russian proverb. Your blood boils when you hear such a base accusation made without the slightest foundation, based on mere assumptions. Ask hundreds of respected English men and women who have been members of the Theosophical Society for years whether we have ever preached to them immoral commandments and harmful doctrines. Open the "Secret Doctrine" and you will find that page after page the Jews and other peoples are condemned precisely for their adherence to phallic rituals because of the literal interpretation of natural symbolism and a grossly materialistic understanding of the dualism of nature in all exoteric creeds. This constant and malicious distortion of our teachings and views is truly shameful.

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In conclusion, I can say that the very soul of Theosophy is against the phallic cult; and its occult or esoteric part is even more than the exoteric teachings. There was no more false statement than the above.

Asking. But if your Society is led by such kind and wise people, then why are so many mistakes made?

Theosophist. Teachers Not governed neither by the Society nor even by its Founders. Yes, no one has ever claimed that they are doing this - they are just watching him and protecting him. This is confirmed by the fact that no mistakes undermined the viability of the Society, and that neither internal strife nor the most dangerous attacks could overturn it. Teachers look to the future, not the present, and every mistake is only a new accumulation of wisdom for the future. Another "teacher" who sent a man with five talents did not tell him how to double them; He also did not warn the foolish servant who buried his talent in the ground. Everyone must acquire wisdom through their own experience and merit. Christian churches, which claim to have a much higher Teacher - the Holy Spirit himself - were, and still are, guilty not only of “mistakes”, but also of a whole series of bloody crimes committed over the centuries. And yet, I believe, no Christian, despite all this, will deny that he believes this Teachers? And this despite the fact that his existence is much more hypothetically than the existence of mahatmas, since no one has ever seen the Holy Spirit, and all church history testifies against the fact that he exercised leadership over the church. Humans tend to make mistakes.

Asking. Tell me, what do you think the future of Theosophy will be?

Theosophist. If you mean Theosophy, then I answer that, just as it has existed forever throughout the endless cycles of the past, so it will always exist in the infinity of the future, since Theosophy is a synonym for ETERNAL TRUTH.

Articles

According to lexicographers, the term theosophy consists of two Greek words: theos - “god” and sophia - “wisdom”. Up to this point everything is correct. But the following explanation falls very far short of clarifying the idea of Theosophy. Webster quite originally defines it this way:

“Maintaining communion with God and higher spirits and consciously achieving superhuman knowledge through physical processes, as some ancient Platonists achieved through theurgic actions or the German fire philosophers through chemical processes.”

This is a rather frivolous and, to put it mildly, disrespectful explanation. That Mr. Webster associates such names as Ammonius Sax, Plotinus, Iamblichus, Porphyry, Proclus, with such an idea, shows either a deliberate distortion or ignorance of the philosophy and motives of the great geniuses of the Alexandrian School. To attribute the intention to develop one’s psychological, spiritual feelings through “physical processes” to those whom both contemporaries and descendants called “Theodidactoi” - scientists of God - means to speak of them as materialists. As for the last stone thrown at the philosophers of fire, it bounces off them and hits our most famous modern scientists, into whose mouth the Review James Martineau puts the following boast: "Matter is all we need; give us atoms, and we will explain the whole universe."

Vaughan offers a much better, more philosophical definition. He says:

A Theosophist is one who gives you a theory of God or the actions of God, who did not give revelations, but breathed into himself his principles.

Thus, every thinker and philosopher, especially every founder of a new religion, philosophical school or sect, was already a theosophist. Consequently, Theosophy and Theosophists have existed since the very time when the first glimmer of nascent thought forced man to seek a means of expressing his own independent opinion.

Although Christian writers date the development of the eclectic theosophical system from the beginning of the third century of the Christian era, Theosophists existed before it. Diogenes Laertius traces the existence of theosophy from the era of the Ptolemaic dynasty and names it as the founder of the Egyptian hierophant Pot-Amon. This is a Coptic name, and it means the priest of the God Amun - the God of Wisdom. History shows its revival by Ammonius Sax, the founder of the Neoplatonic school. He and his disciples called themselves “philaletes” - worshipers of truth. Popularly, for their method of interpreting all sacred legends, symbolic myths and mysteries by means of analogy or correspondence, so that events occurring in the outer world were perceived as expressing the actions and impressions of the human soul, they were called "apologist". The goal of Ammonius Sax was the reconciliation of all sects, people and nations under one faith - faith in the Supreme Eternal, Unknowable and Ineffable Power, ruling the universe by immutable eternal laws. He wanted to show that the basic system of Theosophy was initially uniform in all countries in its fundamental provisions; he wanted to persuade humanity to put aside disputes and strife and unite in thoughts and intentions, like the children of a common mother; wanted to cleanse the ancient religions of the dross of the subjective element, unifying and explaining them on the basis of purely philosophical principles. Consequently, along with all the philosophers of Greece, Buddhism, Vedanta, and Magism or Zoroastrianism were also studied in the Eclectic Theosophical School. Hence the manifestation among the Alexandrian theosophists of such features, characteristic mainly of Buddhists and Hindus, as reverence for parents and the elderly, brotherly love for all humanity, compassion even for dumb animals. He tried all the time to establish a system of moral discipline; which would arouse in people the desire to live according to the laws of their countries, to elevate and awaken their minds through contemplation and study of the Absolute Truth; His main goal, in order to reach the hearts of all people, was, as he believed, to extract from various teachings, as from a many-stringed instrument, one comprehensive melody that would find a response in all hearts devoted to the truth. This means that Theosophy is an ancient Wisdom-Religion, an esoteric doctrine that was once known in all countries that claim to be civilized. All the writers of those times depict this "Wisdom" as an emanation of the divine Principle, and a clear understanding of this is reflected in such names as the Indian Budh, the Babylonian Nabu, the Thoth of Memphis and Hercules of Greece, as well as in the names of the goddesses - Metis, Neith, Athena, Gnostic Sophia and, moreover, the Vedas, whose name comes from the word “to know.” The same definition applies to all the ancient philosophers of the East and West, the hierophants of ancient Egypt, the Aryavarta rishis, the theodiactoi of Greece who received knowledge of the occult and divine secrets. Thus, the Merkavah of the European rabbis, a popular secular series, is the means of achievement, the outer shell containing the highest esoteric knowledge. Zoroaster's magicians received instructions and initiations in the caves and secret lodges of Bactria; Egyptian and Greek hierophants pronounced their aporheta, or secret formulas, and the Mystes became epopts - prophets.

The central idea of eclectic theosophy was the one Supreme Being, Unknown and Unknowable, for, as the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad asks: “How can one know the one who creates knowledge?” Her system is characterized by three distinct sections: the theory of the aforementioned Entity, and its theurgy. It was this latter science that caused such distorted ideas about the Neoplatonists in our age of materialistic science. Essentially, theurgy is the art of using the divine powers of man to subjugate the blind forces of nature; At first, representatives of this science were called magicians - which is a corruption of the word "magician", meaning a wise or learned person - and then ridiculed. The skeptics of yesteryear would have made an incredible mistake when they scoffed at the idea of the phonograph and telegraph. Those who were ridiculed and called "infidels" by one generation were generally revered as sages and saints by the next.

Modern Theosophists believe in the Divine Essence and the nature of the soul and spirit as well as the ancients. Diu of the Aryans is identical with Iao of the Chaldeans and even with Jupiter of the less educated and philosophical part of the Romans; and likewise he is identical with the Yahweh of the Samaritans, the Tiu or "Tiusko" of the Normans, the Duv of the Britons, and the Zeus of the Thracians. As for the Absolute Essence, the One and Omnipresent, whether we take to consider this concept the teachings of the Pythagorean Greeks, the Chaldean Kabbalah or the philosophy of the Aryans, the result will be the same. The Primary Monad in the Pythagorean system, which dissolves in darkness and which is Darkness itself (for human consciousness), was the basis of all things; and this idea, in its entirety, we can find in the philosophical systems of Leibniz and Spinoza. Therefore, does the theosophist agree with the Kabbalah, which, speaking of Ein Sophia, asks: “who then can realize Him if He is Formless and Non-Existent?”; does he repeat the majestic hymn from the Rig Veda:

Does he accept the Vedantic concept of Brahma, who is presented in the Upanishads as “lifeless, mindless, pure, unconscious, for Brahma is the “Absolute Consciousness”; or, ultimately, sharing the faith of the Swabhavikas of Nepal, he claims that there is nothing except "svabhava" (the substance of nature), which exists in itself and has no Creator - any of these concepts can only lead him to pure absolute theosophy, which prompted people like Hegel, Fichte, Spinoza to continue the work of the Greek philosophers and to explain the One Substance, the Deity, the All-Divine, descended from the Divine Wisdom, unknown, unknowable and inexpressible, on the basis of all ancient and modern religions, except Christianity, and Mohammedanism. Every theosophist who adheres to the theory of the Deity, "who has not given revelations, but breathed into himself its foundations,” can accept any of the above definitions or belong to any of these religions and, nevertheless, remain within the limits of Theosophy, for it is the belief in the Divinity, which is ALL, which is the source of existence, infinity, which cannot be understood and realized, the universe which alone represents IT or HIM, as some prefer to say, thereby giving it a gender, anthropomorphizing it, which is blasphemy. True Theosophists shun gross materializations; they prefer the belief that, remaining eternally within itself, the Spirit of God did not desire anything and did not create anything. But that which is infinite, illuminating everything, emanates from the Great Center; that which creates everything visible and invisible is the Ray, which carries within itself the creative and generating forces; the ray which in turn created what the Greeks called the Macrocosmos, the Kabbalistic Tikkun, or Adam Kadmon - the primal man, the Aryan Purusha, the manifested Brahma, or Divine Husband. Theosophists also believe in anastasis, or continuation of existence, and in transmigration (evolution), a series of changes of the soul, which can be defended from attack and explained on strict philosophical principles, but only the distinction between the Vedantic paraatma (transcendental, supreme soul) and jivatma must be established (animal, conscious soul).To fully define Theosophy we must consider it in all its aspects. The inner world is not hidden from us by impenetrable darkness. In all centuries and in all countries there have existed people who, with the help of the highest intuition given by theosophy, or the knowledge of God, sensed the things of the inner, invisible world. Hence the "samadhi", or Dhyan Yog Samadhi, of Indian ascetics; "diamonionphotism", or spiritual enlightenment, of the Neoplatonists; "star conversations of the soul" of the Rosicrucians, or philosophers of fire; and even the ecstatic trance of mystics and modern hypnotists and spiritualists - although different in expression, are one in essence. The search for the human divine self, so often interpreted as personal communication with a personal God, has occupied all mystics, and the belief in its existence seems to be coeval with humanity. But each person calls it differently. Thus, what Plato and Plotinus called “mental work”, Yogin and Shrotriya call Vidya.

“By reflection, self-knowledge and discipline of thought, the soul can be raised to the vision of eternal truth, goodness and beauty - the vision of God - this is epoptia,” say the Greeks. Porfiry adds the following to this:

To unite the soul with the Universal Soul, a completely pure mind is required. Through self-contemplation, chastity and purification of the body, we can approach Her and receive, even in this state, knowledge and excellent insight.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati, who did not read Porphyry or other Greek writers, but who studied the Vedas perfectly, writes in his Veda Bhashya:

To achieve diksha (highest initiation) and yoga, one must be guided by the rules... By cognizing the Universal Spirit (or God), all the diversity of the universe and the qualities (occult) of things, the soul in the human body can create the greatest miracles. Such a person (dikshita, or initiate) can achieve the ability to hear and see at a great distance.

To conclude this we will quote the words of Alfred R. Wallace, Fellow of the Royal Society, Spiritualist and acknowledged naturalist, who boldly and frankly declares the following:

Only the spirit feels, perceives, thinks - it is he who achieves knowledge, reflects and strives... Very rarely do we encounter people with such an organization that their spirit can feel independently of the bodily senses or can, partially or completely, leave their body for a while and return to it again... spirit... communicates with spirit more easily than with matter.

Now we can see how, passing thousands of years, the era of the gymnosophists intervened in our highly civilized age, despite the enlightenment, or perhaps precisely because of the enlightenment, which shed its radiant light on both the physical and psychological areas of nature.

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Plotinus, a student of the “god-learned” Ammonius, says that secret gnosis, or knowledge of theosophy, has three degrees - conviction, study and enlightenment.

"The means or instruments of the first are feelings or sensations; the second - dialectics; the third - intuition. At the last stage, reason is in a subordinate position; this is absolute knowledge, based on the merging of consciousness with the object of study."

Theosophy is, so to speak, the exact science of psychology; it stands in the same relation to natural, uncultivated mediumship as the knowledge of physics of Tyndall and the schoolboy.

It develops direct contemplation in a person - what Schelling called “the realization of the identification of object and subject in the individual”; under the influence of the knowledge of hiponoi, man perceives divine thoughts and things as they really are and, in conclusion, “becomes the receptacle of the Soul of the World,” as Emerson so beautifully put it. “I, imperfection, worship my own perfection,” he says in his beautiful essay on the Supreme Soul. In addition to this psychological, spiritual factor, Theosophy cultivates all branches of science and art. She is very familiar with what is commonly known as hypnosis.

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Alchemy, perceived by many as a spiritual philosophy, as well as physical science, belongs to the teachings of the Theosophical school.

It should be noted that neither Zoroaster, nor Buddha, nor Orpheus, nor Pythagoras, nor Confucius, nor Socrates, nor Ammonius Sax wrote anything down. The reason for this is clear. Theosophy is a weapon, sharpened at both ends and unsuitable for egoists and ignoramuses. Like all ancient philosophies, it has priests even today; but from the most ancient times to the present day its followers are few in number, and they belong to the most diverse sects and views.