A
Summary of Bertram Keightley’s
Lectures in America
by Bertram Keightley
1890
reprinted
from “Theosophical Siftings” Volume - 3 -
[Page 3] WE are all interested in efforts to spread, as
widely as possible, the benefits that result from a knowledge
of Theosophy. But when these efforts are attended with
such marked success as that which has followed the addresses
of Mr. Bertram Keighley in the United States it is felt
that a permanent record of the good work done will be welcomed.
It will, moreover, answer two purposes. In the first place
an epitome of lectures delivered to audiences for the most
part ignorant of the scope and objects of Theosophy, will
be useful to put into the hands of inquirers; in the second
it will permit the expression of heartfelt esteem and sympathy
with one who has thrown aside all considerations of personal
ease to devote himself untiringly to the interests of humanity.
An attempt will be made to put before the reader a complete
statement of the ground covered by Mr. Keightley; and only
such additions will be made to the lecturer's words, as
reported in the American press, as may serve to link together
parts which would otherwise appear disjointed.
The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875, by Colonel
Henry S. Olcott, and Madame Blavatsky, a Russian. The first
is a soldier of eminence, who has held high places of honour
and trust in this country, and the second is a lady of
rank and family in her native land. It would seem strange
that the organization should have taken the name of Theosophy,
when it does not accept any of its dogmas. The explanation
is found on consideration of the ancient meaning of the
word. It was first used in Alexandria, and its fundamental
idea was the union of all religions. As the Society is
founded on universal brotherhood, it accepts the idea of
the unity of religions, and strives to bring them into
harmony. The Society is a protest against the materialism
of the day, and the aim of its members is to recall to
men the spiritual side of life.
The chief principle of the Society is co-operation,
and its mission is to establish in the world a true feeling
of that brotherhood which binds all men into one common
family. The Society has no creed, tenets, or religion.
In non-sectarianism it is absolute, and it requires from
its members exactly the same toleration in regard to the
opinions of others as each claims for his own. In reference
to Theosophy, it is an ancient system of thought, embodying
an [Page 4] accurate, scientific,
and experimental knowledge of those planes of nature which
transcend the observation of the physical senses. It is
as old as the human race, and its existence can be traced
from the earliest time of which we have any recollection.
Madame Blavatsky, by her literary works, has been largely
instrumental in putting the system into a form suited to
our present mental tendencies. Theosophists do not regard
her writing as infallible, but as a text-book and guide,
to assist the student in his own researches. The endeavour
of Theosophists is to follow the rule laid down by Gautama
Buddha: "Do not believe
a thing because I say it. Do not believe a thing because
the Scriptures teach it. Do not believe a thing because
others believe it. But believe it only when you have satisfied
your reason in regard to it". Theosophy is not Buddhism,
however, any more than it is Mohammedanism or Christianity.
It is the essential truth underlying all these, for, in
the opinion of Theosophists, religion is merely the science
of those planes and states of being which lie beyond the
cognisance of our physical senses. Theosophy differs from
modern science in that it analyses the universe into three
factors instead of two. Materialism regards the universe
as built up of matter in motion, and endeavours to trace
the origin of intelligence from this matter in motion.
But Theosophy recognises three co-existing factors in nature
: matter, motion, and mind, or, substance, energy, and
intelligence. In its application to human life, Theosophy
recognises as its mental doctrine the idea of evolution,
though it differs from the Darwinian school in many parts
of detail. It teaches the growth and development of the
human individual through successive reincarnations or re-embodiments
of this spiritual individuality upon this earth. The circumstances
and surroundings of each re-incarnation, as well as the
inborn faculties, aptitudes and tendencies of the child
being the result of his own action in preceding lives upon
this earth. As our lives are composed of days and nights,
and there are days and nights of the universe of immense
duration, and practically infinite to our comprehension,
although really only as drops of water in the mighty ocean.
The out-breathing of the universe becomes an intelligent
power which informs all being and nature. There is no such
thing as creation out of nothing. We trace manifestations
of ideas, forms, types, species, varieties, and individuals.
This process is sometimes referred to as the descent of
spirit into matter, for matter is the crystallization of
spirit. In stones and rocks, modern science recognises
vibrations of atoms, but Theosophy teaches that a consciousness
exists in stone or rock which, to our finite minds, is
absolutely inconceivable. The material aspect undergoes
a change at last, in the return cycle, and ultimately the
universal return to the great mother, resting in her bosom
till the time comes for the dawn of a new day upon a more
perfect scale. .The law of harmony, or the law of equilibrium,
is the basis of all form of law recognised by science.
For what purpose is all [Page 5] this
? The primary fact is a spiritual monad, which is eternal
in the past as well as in the future. It has descended
into matter under every form of manifestation. In past
cycles the spiritual monad has evolved upward through all
stages of plants, and animals, up to man himself. It then
crystallizes and acquires immortality. This constitutes
the individuality of the true inner man, which is per
se immortal. Individuality is not the same as personality,
the latter being only the experience which pertains to
a single physical life, as Mr. Smith or Mr. Jones. The
goal of man, or selfless immortality, is directly opposed
to selfishness, which is death and destruction. Union of
the personal self with the divine self forms what Buddhists
term Nirvana, or conscious bliss and rest in eternity.
The individual is like an actor who plays different parts
on successive nights. The actor is always one and the same,
but he identifies himself successively with the various
parts he performs. Tonight he is Hamlet, tomorrow King
Lear, next Macbeth, and the following, Mark Antony. So
the individuality manifests in one life as Mr. Smith, next
as Mr. Jones, and so on in another form until it has simulated
every type of experience possible on earth. The monad is
sexless and androgynous. On our plane it manifests through
male or female, the sexes usually being alternate in successive
incarnations; though there are some exceptions to this
rule. In regard to a human being, Theosophy sees in him
seven modes of manifestation. First, his gross material
body, which we perceive through material senses; second,
his vitality; third, the ethereal form in which, and through
which, his grosser or physical manifestation, is built;
fourth, the animal instincts and passions; fifth, the mind
or intelligence; sixth, the spiritual soul or the most
subtle and the highest form in which matter can exist;
seventh and last, that divine ray or animation that traverses
life after life, through the other six, and finally constitutes
all, the sum of previous incarnations.
Re-incarnation means the re-embodiment of
the true ego, or the individuality, and this re-incarnation
is brought about under known laws, called Karma. It is
obvious to everyone who will pause a moment, that one life,
even if it be extended a hundred years, is not adequate
to experience all the things necessary to beautify and
develop the individuality; besides, re-incarnation gives
a clear solution of many mysteries in human nature which
cannot be explained by heredity or any other principle.
At the present time re-incarnation is the belief of two-thirds
of the human race, and in early times it was probably accepted
by a still larger proportion. It is a Christian doctrine,
as is manifest from the conversation between Jesus and
Nicodemus, the instance of the man born blind, and several
other passages in the Gospel. It was held by Justin Martyr,
Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and, to some extent, by
St. Augustine. It is the basis of the doctrine of original
sin, and sheds light upon the double nature of man, and
the continual contest between flesh and spirit. [Page 6]
In
a word, that it alone adequately solves the problem of
life. Many people object to the doctrine of re-incarnation
on the ground that we do not remember any prior state
of existence, but Theosophy teaches that is only due
to the fact that the physical brain can be conscious
only of what has been registered upon it. The physical
brain is a new formation in each life, and is in most
people not sufficiently sensitive to register impressions
proceeding from the spirituality and individuality within
man. But what is called the voice of conscience is, in
truth, nothing but the impulse communicated to our physical
consciousness by our inner selves. As the human race evolves,
the physical mechanism will respond more readily to these
impressions, and we shall regain the memory of our past
lives. There are men living who, by a special course of
life and training, have acquired that faculty, and they
state that re-incarnation is a fact. Theosophists maintain
that the doctrine of re-incarnation may be reasonably accepted
by men, because it affords the best and only satisfactory
explanation of the inequalities of birth, and of the innate
tendencies with which every child is born, and of many
other of the mysterious problems of life. But remember
that these are not the doctrines of the Theosophical Society,
but the conclusions arrived at by many of its members as
the result of investigation and research. Certain experiments
prove that consciousness can be preserved at a distance
from the physical organism; that the greater part of the
eternal universe is transcendental to our physical senses,
as demonstrated by dream life and somnambulism. Space cannot
be eliminated from human consciousness. It must be omnipotent
and infinite; lying at the foundation of all phenomena
that we see in nature, under the three aspects of eternal
substance or matter, eternal motion or energy, and abstract,
absolute consciousness. These are not separate things,
but one, everywhere present at every point. The personal
self is embraced in a larger whole. The true ego preserves
all that is highest and best in numerous incarnations.
The theory that the earth moves round the sun is accepted
because it best explains all the facts observed. For a
similar reason the doctrine of reincarnation should be
received. It is a matter of recollection to some persons,
particularly children.
Theosophy teaches that after death the human ego passes
into a subjective condition, and there enjoys the complete
fruition of all its higher affections, loves, and aspirations.
All the animal passions, impulses, and desires are left
behind in an intermediate state before the ego passes into
the subjective condition in which the ego is wholly absorbed
in the bliss of its present experience. It does not realize
the fact that it has left the physical world, and is too
fully occupied to reflect upon and think about the actual
state, which is like that of the man who is absorbed in
listening to a strain of beautiful music. His attention
is too completely engaged to permit him to be conscious
of anything except the music to which he is listening.
While he remains [Page 7] in
that condition he is oblivious to his actual surroundings,
and will even be unaware that someone is speaking to him.
But remember the experience of the ego in the subjective
world are real to it, and many times more vivid than are
any of the experiences of the earth-life, of which we are
familiar. Since the ego is in a subjective condition, it
cannot meet and recognise departed spirits in the ordinary
sense of the meaning of those words; but all those to whom
it has been attached, or whom it has loved during earth-life,
will be present as really and actually as if they were
still living together in actual life. And this, whether
those persons are already dead or still living upon the
earth. The best analogy to guide one in forming a correct
conception of the subjective state of existence may be
found in the study of our dream-life. In a vivid dream
we are conscious, of elaborate scenery and surroundings.
We hold long and animated conversations with persons living
and dead, or even with strangers, and while we are dreaming,
the whole experience is as actual and real to us as our
waking life. But, nevertheless, there can be no question
that we are ourselves both the creator of the scenery and
surroundings of our dreams, and of the personages who figure
therein, and we are the inspirers of the thoughts which
they express. It is in a manner analogous to this that
the ego creates its own objective world, and the personages
who play their parts in this subjective life. In this way
alone is it possible for the after-death state to be one
of perfect bliss. Take, for instance, the case of a husband
and wife, when the husband is deeply in love with the wife,
but she does not reciprocate that affection. If the husband
dies, he certainly cannot be happy without the companionship
of the wife he has loved. But should the wife happen to
be in love with some other person, she will not want her
husband with her. However, when both are dead, the wife
will figure as a part of the husband's subjective experience,
but the husband will play no part in that of the wife.
Supposing a woman has had three or four husbands, and had
truly loved each one, they will all play a part in the
wife's after-death dream in the same order in which she
loved them, and to the extent to which she was attached
to them; and similarly, each of the husbands, who had truly
loved his wife, will have her as a part of his experience
when he passes into the subjective condition. Nature is
an absolutely just, yet a kindly mother, to her children,
and while she requires at the hand of every man the payment
of his just debts to the uttermost farthing, she yet provides
for him a long period of blissful rest and refreshment
before he is called upon to take up anew the burden of
earth-life, and to pay the penalties which he has deserved
through his own actions. The larger part of what we term
sin and evil proceeds from, and, is confined, to the animal
nature and instincts within us, and although these must
of necessity produce their appropriate consequences, on
the physical plane, in subsequent lives, yet the higher
nature of the man is not so deeply stained by them as to
render him, [Page 8] as
a rule, unfitted for a blissful subjective condition after
death. It requires a Satan in human form to deserve a subjective
hell. The vast majority of human beings pass into a blissful
condition after death, but the intensity of the bliss they
experience will depend upon the extent to which the man
has developed his spiritual aspirations. Theosophy holds
that men are more often sinned against than sinning, and
since we suffer personally for deeds done by our egos in
past existences, of which we have no recollection, justice
requires that the personal consciousness of man should
in some way be compensated for the sufferings which his
inner self, or spiritual ego, has deserved. Moreover, a
large part of our suffering is due to the fact that many
of our better and nobler aspirations and longings can find
no fulfilment in earth-life, owing to the pressure of circumstances,
and it is just these which find their complete fruition
in the subjective world.
Theosophy
accepts as genuine the phenomena known as spiritualistic,
excepting, of course, those cases which are proven to be
frauds. But it differs from spiritualism in the explanation
it gives of them. Theosophy teaches that the physical phenomena
of the séance rooms are not produced by the spirits
of the departed, with the exception, however, of the occasional
intervention of suicides in these productions. With regard
to the intelligence manifested in many so-called spirit
communications, Theosophy holds that it is derived from
the higher consciousness of the medium or one of the sitters
present. In reference to the phenomena of materialization,
Theosophy says they are produced mainly through the medium's
astral body, which oozes out from the left side, and assumes
the form of some person whose picture is vividly impressed
on the mental sphere of one of the sitters present, or
else moulds itself upon the astral corpse, which the ego
leaves behind in the subtile world before it passes into
the subjective condition. But Theosophy holds that it is
possible for the spirit of a living human being to take
up the mental vibrations proceeding from an entity in the
subjective world, and so to reflect as it were, the mental
conditions and surroundings of that ego; but the ego in
question is not conscious of such communication taking
place, because in that condition the faculty of self-analysis
or self-reflection is dormant. It must be remembered that
psychic phenomena existed long before the manifestations
in modern times. The Costatics, Swedenborg, Jacob Böhme,
and others, gave evidence of abnormal faculties and powers
which we term psychic. So, also, Paracelsus, Van Helmont,
and the Albigenses, the Pythonesses and Sybils of Greece,
The Jews had their schools of the prophets for the training
of the faculties. The Egyptian, Persian, and Indian schools
had systematic plans of training. What was it that was
taught in these mysteries ? Every great writer of antiquity
has borne witness to the value of the science of nature
and man, All the great inventors, teachers, and leaders
of men, have taught the [Page 9] same. The Egyptians possessed
knowledge of electricity, and probably of steam also. Hypnotism
or mesmerism is mentioned in the oldest Vedas and books
dating back to the earliest night of time. Pythagoras and
Plato spoke of these mysteries in the highest terms. Theosophists
maintain that this is the beginning of a more spiritual
cycle, and that within the next few years mental evolution
will make extraordinarily rapid advancement, supplemented
by great scientific discoveries and the demonstration of
finer forces in nature. The experiments of the famous Charcot
in hypnotism illustrate the scientific awakening to the
importance of occult forces. The psychological researches
of Ribot and Binet are of equally great importance The
comprehensive philosophy more or less expounded by numerous
Theosophic publications is a preparatory course for the
esoteric teachings given to her pupils by Mme. Blavatsky,
and involves the basic laws of reincarnation and Karma.
Much of the superficial literature of the day embodies
in a crude form theories promulgated by Theosophists, such
as refer to manifestation of the magnetic and electrical
forces, to the phenomena of clairvoyance, clairaudience,
somnambulism and mesmerism. Popular taste craves the exaltation
of the senses thus afforded, and feeds its hunger for the
marvellous, but isolated students are making unimpassioned
and careful expeditions into the psychological realm-collecting
the fundamental laws of biology, and preparing text-books
for the coming generation.
Possibly not another century will pass before the attributes
of ether will be as familiar to man as those of gas, and
his intelligent manipulation may develop cognition of new
functions and potencies in himself, fulfilling the ancient
prophecy that all nature shall be subordinate to man.
There is nothing mystic in the study of Theosophy; it
is simply investigation of natural laws and the development
of natural powers, latent though they be in every soul,
and in the present state of thought, when the minds of
men are in a constant ferment, and the development of new
and strange powers and faculties is rapidly taking place
among us, a scientific study of the knowledge possessed
by our forefathers will be of inestimable value to mankind.
The immediate advantage of the pursuit of Theosophy is
the impetus it affords humanity toward self-analysis and
self-study — a positive knowledge of the present
in place of vague beliefs and useless speculations upon
future existence — a just estimate of man's relation
to society and his duties to himself; for " the study
of mankind is man", and although his life is but
an infinitesimal fraction of the whole, it shares with
it the attribute of endlessness.
And this brings us to the question of religion. Now, the
first point which I wish to say to you in regard to religion
is that it must be scientific. Our tenets must conform
to strict logic and be capable of rational explanation.
We [Page 10] must accept nothing on faith, and must not
surrender our minds to bigotry or prejudice. In the search
of this rational and scientific religion, the leaders of
our organization are teaching now a system of Theosophy,
not as a dogma, but as a means of assisting the members
of the society in arriving at religious conclusions, which
they can formulate for themselves into distinct and logical
creeds.
The Theosophist's comprehension of deity is pantheistic,
but the ultimate fact is one absolute, unknown and unknowable.
Deity is a reality, and of it man does not, nor ever can
he know. In order to understand him, it is necessary to
be his equal, and it is no use to talk of an infinite knower,
for if infinite, nothing can exist out of him, nothing
is then to be known.
In the West the good done by the society has been chiefly
in giving a standing room for those whose intellectual
lives are darkened by the materialistic creeds of the day.
It has nothing to offer to the selfish mind. Its principles
of co-operation are rather for the altruistic than for
the egotistic. It furnishes a congenial companionship for
all who are struggling toward a newer and truer light.
The individual who attempts to stand alone cannot have
that support which is found in the presence of companions.
In this, as in all things else, union is strength. The
Theosophical Society stands in a better position than any
other ever founded, to carry on the war for the intellectual
freedom of humanity. Many societies for this purpose have
been founded from the earliest ages, but hitherto all have
failed.
In considering what the society has done
towards developing a spirit of brotherly benevolence throughout
the world, we must turn first to the East. In no part of
the world has there been so much race and theological prejudice
as in India. Here the spirit of caste has separated man
from man by a chasm which made united effort impossible,
and rendered the country helpless in the hands of every
conqueror. In this country the society has already wrought
great changes. It has, by inculcating the unity of all
religions, brought many of these people into concord with
one another, and is enabling them to act together and in
harmony for the general good of the country and its people.
And not the least part of its work has been to break down
prejudices in European minds in regard to the races of
the East, and familiarize the Eastern and Western races,
and thus make their relations more real and close. One
thousand years ago the Hindus were split up into small
subdivisions, and no co-operation was possible except among
small clans. Since the Theosophical Society commenced its
work, men of all four castes meet together and co-operate
on the platform in hospitals, dispensaries, schools, etc.
The society has brought into co-operation the conquered
Hindus and their Mohammedan conquerors; also the Buddhists
of Ceylon, who were expelled 800 years ago. Among the Buddhists
there have been two churches, as widely separated as Roman
Catholics and Protestants. [Page 11] A
reconciliation has been brought about between these two
churches. In the East men of every creed — Hindus, Parsees, Buddhists,
Mohammedans, Chinese and Japanese — all meet together,
forgetting their differences, and cooperating in establishing
knowledge of the truths of nature.
I may say right here that a part of the good work done
by the Theosophists in the East has been to counteract
the evils wrought by the missionaries of the established
churches of Christianity. These by the example of the missionaries
and by the doctrine of vicarious atonement have done much
to corrupt the natives. The Christianized people of India
have been degraded rather than elevated by a belief which
teaches them that they are to be saved not by their own
works, but by the atonement of Christ.
In
India there are 175 branches of the Theosophical Society,
and in Ceylon, also, a great work has been performed,
and a new stimulus given to life, which has shown itself
chiefly in the advance of womanhood in that island, where
there are twenty branches, with an average of fifty members
to a branch. The Society is growing rapidly. No proselytizing
is done. It is not a matter of conversion; it is a matter
of growth and development. When a mind becomes receptive
to higher religious truths, it will seek them, and until
it does become receptive, there is no use trying to force
them into it. During a recent tour of Japan, Colonel Olcott,
the president of the Society, lectured before twelve Buddhist
sects, and in temples where no American or European ever
before set foot. He went by invitation from the Buddhist
sects there. They formed a joint committee to receive him
and organize his tour. They sent a deputation to escort
him from Ceylon. He took with him letters of credence and
introduction from the High Priest of Ceylon, head of the
Southern Buddhist Church. He was received royally by the
Japanese people, spoke three times a day to native audiences
numbering several thousands each, was entertained in temples,
and when he left was presented with many rare books, pictures,
and manuscripts for the library at Adyar, the headquarters
of the whole Theosophical Society. We have in the Society
Hindus of all castes and sects, Buddhists, Mahommedans,
Parsees, besides Christians of the Protestant and Roman
Catholic Churches of every sect, creed and denomination.
Right here in the United States we have lawyers, physicians,
generals, railway men, and men at the head of large commercial
enterprises. All these have their individual beliefs, but
are active members of the Society. Our rules permit the
broadest and most varied individual beliefs, and require
only that all shall unite in working for the cause of universal
brotherhood, and that each shall exercise the same toleration
towards all that he expects to receive for himself. Remember
that Theosophy is not the creed or religion of the Theosophical
Society, since the Society has, and can have, no creed
or religion whatever. [Page 12]
On the other hand, it is not a school of
magic, and has nothing to offer to those bent on purely
selfish ends. Yet it must not be supposed that we expect
the Theosophist to be free from selfishness at the beginning
of his membership. There are three stages of his life.
We find in the first stage students who have joined through
finding in Theosophy a clue to much that is dark in the
Western system of metaphysics; students of science who
have joined for the sake of light on the genesis of man
and the elements, on the relation of the moon to the earth
and kindred topics; together with others who have joined
through interest in its teachings as to religious symbolism.
These find in one another's society sympathetic and elevating
influence, yet they gradually become satiated with intellectualism,
with words and phrases, and come to think that they are
making no headway, and that Theosophy is all empty talk.
They are to blame for this satiety. When a man has taken
in a certain amount of knowledge he cannot receive more
without giving out some of his store. When they come to
understand this truth and to act upon it they progress
to the second state.
In this state the Theosophist desires to experience a
love of the universal brotherhood of mankind, and, therefore,
wants to serve his fellows, and to learn how best to do
so. To this end it is that he who seeks for broader knowledge.
And just as he works for others does he improve spiritually.
His sympathies quicken, his grasp of spiritual truth grows
firmer, and his consciousness of spiritual joy grows more
acute. Then it is that possibilities of usefulness to the
human race productive of pure delight, superior to worldly
wealth and honours, open more and more clearly to his view.
The most of our members are in this state, and for them
the dawn of spiritual perfection has come.
The results of the Theosophist's life in this stage are
calm self-study, growth of charity, increase of tolerance,
and a readiness to take truth wherever found. With the
deeper insight into spiritual law comes less resentful
feelings as to the trials and sorrows of the world. Hope
grows as he comes to see the true path more clearly, and
there comes, besides, determination to so prepare conditions
as to increase his usefulness to others in the lives that
are before him.
Progressing, he passes by self-study into the third state,
where the main object of life is not his fame, fortune,
family, or the like, but the service of the whole human
race, life being dedicated to duty.
In
this stage the Theosophist must neglect no duty to his
fellows, even to promote his own spiritual welfare. Few
have yet attained to this stage, and few of the few — perhaps
only one or two — have ever reached true unselfishness,
which is the desideratum of Theosophy. But in the recognition
of the high ideal, a man places himself against the stream
of modern thought in every form. [Page
13] If he is beaten
down, who shall wonder or complain ? The man who breasts
the tide is the man who knows how strong the current is.
I hope that when the day comes for the record to be written
there will be not a few who will desire the epitaph which
Mrs. Besant formulated: "We have tried to follow
truth".
And
to this goal all the teachings of his philosophy lead
him, for he is taught " If the 'Secret
Path' is unattainable this 'day’ it is within
thy reach tomorrow", and the doctrine of Karma serves
as the strongest incentive and untiring effort, for this
law is simply the law of cause and effect on the moral
and spiritual planes of nature, and runs through all lives
and connects them, so that absolutely what a man sows that
shall he also reap. This is an immutable law, and in connection
with re-incarnation explains the apparent injustice and
inequalities which prevail in life. The conception of Karma
renders a man self-reliant and self-dependent, because
it teaches that he is what he has made himself by his own
actions in other lives, and that his present acts determine
his future. In this you see there is no room for vicarious
atonement, or a death-bed escape from the consequence of
one's own actions be they good or evil. Absolute justice
is the keynote of nature.
The circumstances and environment of each path as well
as the innate tendencies, faculties and aptitudes of a
new personality are determined by Karma, which teaches
man's absolute responsibility for his every action. If
this is not a superior precept to the doctrine of vicarious
atonement, we have mistaken the truth, for we believe that
more good will result to the human race from the eradication
of this erroneous conception than can be readily conceived.
More harm has been done by causing men to believe that
they can escape from the consequences of their own acts
by shifting those consequences on to the shoulder of some
other being than from any other single source. This idea
weakens and demoralizes men, enfeebles their sense of personal
responsibility, and holds out delusive hopes of escape
from the operations of the laws of nature.
Treating
of social problems, Mr. Keightley told how his heart
leapt within him when he read "Looking
Backward". He
felt that the right chord had been struck, the people's
ear gained. But could the dream of Edward Bellamy be at
once carried out, that process would not of itself radically
change human nature, since human nature changed but slowly.
Yet, to institute a system of living, whose object lessons
taught helpfulness rather than intensified selfishness,
would accelerate progress. It would, too, clarify the atmosphere
render it more healthful. The passions, emotions, thoughts
of man were real forces in nature, producing physical effects.
How different the physical atmosphere of a home where the
members worked harmoniously together from one where this
was not the case! [Page 14]
All human beings are fundamentally one, and it
is absolutely impossible for the individual to rise without
raising the whole race. The great struggle in which man
has been engaged is between the divine and the animal.
Theosophy is self-forgetfulness. Self must be subdued and
conquered and replaced by universal co-operation.
If anyone, laying aside all prejudice, would inquire into
the ancient histories of China and other countries, they
would find there had been co-operation; but, unfortunately
it had been overthrown by the internal decay of corrupted
greed and not from any external cause.
Looking at Christianity, it would be found that at first
it was purely unselfish, but, holding companionship with
human selfishness, it fell into decay by allowing a number
of persons to remain as they were, while becoming nominal
members of the church.
Selfishness is self-destructive. It is human, but it is
greatly aggravated by our present evil system of competition.
Give a man a sound basis to work on, with congenial surroundings,
and he will steadily work forward, till ultimately the
millennium is reached.
Co-operation
may be urged as the solution of the pressing problems
of humanity, and you naturally appeal to the selfish
element of humanity; that is, under co-operation, how
much better off you will be; and that no one will then
suffer as they do now. But, after all, you leave untouched
the brutal selfishness of humanity. You simply substitute
one form of selfishness for another. Theosophy, however,
takes up this selfishness and attempts to eliminate it,
it holds that men are one; that there is a unity in humanity,
and that it is impossible for the individual to leave
the mass or advance alone without the whole of humanity
advancing. You oppose competition by the spiritual or
divine law of co-operation. Theosophy does the same.
But Theosophy is more; it is the elimination of selfishness.
One of the greatest obstacles to co-operation has been
religious differences. There has been no greater impediment
since the commencement of the Christian era. Before this
period there was no such opposition as there has been
since — to go no further
back than the Roman Empire, an organization of various
tribes in a single State. The gods of other nations were
adopted, and the religions of subjected nations were recognised.
Strange to say, the change which has come from the Middle
Ages is due not to Christianity, but to Judaism, which
has rendered Christianity what it is. Dogmatism, which
has burdened Christianity since the days of Constantine,
has paused wars, persecutions and exclusiveness. It has
checked co-operation, and rendered impossible the unification
of mankind. It is the systematic growth of individualism
as opposed to co-operation. The fundamental idea of salvation
is a conception more opposed than any other to solidarity
of the race.
Now, latterly, as dogmatic religion has lost its hold
on the Western mind, we have witnessed an enormous growth
of materialism. There is supposed to be nothing beyond
matter known to the physical senses. The ancient conception
was that each nation had a right to its own religion. No
religion was believed to be superior to any other. All
religions were acknowledged to be forms of one and the
same truth. Plato and Pythagoras studied nature under Egyptian
priests. Appollonius of Tyana was instructed by Brahmins
of India. All thoughtful men recognised the idea that the
gods were various conceptions of facts in nature.
The moment a man begins to think, he says that all cannot
be right. A few minds have grasped the conception that
the number of men who have attained salvation along the
generally accepted paths was an infinitesimal fraction
of mankind. You have only to read the lives of saints of
the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches, and also the
lives of Mohammedans, Brahmins, Buddhists, and Chinese
to find that every form of religion has had sincere devotees,
whose lives have been miracles of devotion.
The spirit of materialism is found opposed
to co-operation because its whole tendency is centralization
upon self; with no larger or more permanent hope, no future,
no punishment, no reward. The tendency is to live for the
moment only, increasing the growth of selfishness and individualism.
The history of the last fifty years is a demonstration
of this statement, although men are often better than their
beliefs. Many materialists have been the examples of the
purest of Christians. To oppose this growth of selfishness
by sound philosophy, the Theosophical Society was founded
in New York in 1875. Its fundamental idea is co-operation,
the first object being to formulate a nucleus of a universal
brotherhood. There is no requirements of its members except
that they should exercise the same toleration towards others
which they claim for themselves. The essence of the Theosophical
Society is intellectual co-operation along certain lines.
Our founders chose as a basis the intellectual or spiritual
field, rather than the political or social platform. Ideas
rule the world. If men think aright, they are sure to reach
universal brotherhood sooner than by any other way. Although
the churches today have given up burning people at the
stake, they have not abandoned social ostracism.
We have, however, in America at this age the beginning
of a new race. How different this race is from the old
is shown by the success achieved by faith cures, metaphysical
healers, Spiritualists and others. The success of these
things in this country proves that the American has undergone
some deep-seated physiological changes rendering his nature
susceptible to finer vibrations and more mystical influences
than those of the people of Europe. There are a greater
number of psychics in America than in Europe. In the Eastern
States there are probably ten times as many sensitives
as in Europe, [Page 16] and
in California twice as many as in the Eastern States. It
is not so much the " glorious
climate " as the result of the mixing of Spanish,
Indian, and other bloods. These are the forerunners of
another race, the sixth sub-race of the Aryan stock. By
the development of this new race we hope to arrive at a
psychic stage which will enable us to make scientific tests
of the super-physical world which lies everywhere around
us.
Any reform to be permanent must be deeply laid in its
basis or it will not stand the test of time. All students
of history have noticed that development and progress have
been the watchword of mankind. The family is the first
step in co-operation; then the tribe is formed; then the
city is organized by the tribe; and finally the nation
is formed by tribes of the same blood. Next we find the
race, and eventually the larger and nobler idea of humanity
as a whole.
But ambition and a desire for power is an inherent idea
in human nature, and if the struggle for existence is removed,
it does not remove selfishness. The only thing which has
been removed is that which keeps ambition down, and humanity
will have more chance to gratify ambition under a system
of cooperation than now.
Human nature only changes slowly, and is influenced above
all things by the ideal. If that ideal is simply selfishness,
all the animal characteristics of humanity will work out,
and your system will fall to pieces.
Mr. Bellamy recently pointed out that Christianity is
essentially co-operative, but it made a compromise with
selfishness in the early days and fell into decay. It soon
became permeated with the worst forms of selfishness.
The study of Theosophy will show men that selfishness
is self-destruction, and that the only true way to happiness
is through the practice of altruism. This being translated
into action from generation to generation will bring about
a change in human nature. Then the noble goal of self-renunciation
shall be reached and the ambition of man shall be to live
among men, for men, with men, and through men, till at
last the soul may enter upon other cycles and universes,
having fulfilled its lower existence, and having from man
become God.