Album TS Adyar
Dated 8 December 2024
A reconciling 'Yoga of Synthesis' perspective on JK's quote and its connection with theosophy (HPB & DK-AAB) -
Warning: We are not denigrating devotion (and the value of Ray 6). Most of us have ray 6 sheaths and see ourselves as a devotee of all true gurus (on various rays). And personally I do not endorse the western criticism of other people’s thoughts, calling devotion foolish (note the other side of HPB's prophetic words). In fact, Damodar (the only golden child to pass the probation in those days) touched the blessed feet of HPB in devotion (a tradition in India) before leaving Adyar.
I saw some recent questions and photos from my admin friends on the BBR and Wisdom Retreat groups regarding JK. I felt an inner calling to make this post summarizing my understanding (so far) of his works and mission (based on direct experience and evolving through the path of Advaitee Vedantist). Interestingly I had been in TS@Adyar just last week at the very location where Leadbeater first spotted JK.
In the WISDOM RETREAT group friend Adam asked about JK posting his quote: "What is dying ? - To die to everything you psychologically possess."
As a new age Advaitee Vedantist, JK meant that the Jiva-atman (the divine spark of the spirit or monad in theosophy) must die to identifying itself with its lower self or its vehicle on the planes of duality (mental,emotional and physical planes in theosophy) and be reborn in the higher Self (atmic - buddhic - abstract manasic planes of soul and monad). It must realise itself as a non-dual pure awareness.
Famously when JK proclaimed "Truth is a pathless land" I believe his students interpreted truth being subjective and relative to their own point of view. But from a greater theosophical seven rays perspective (that holds Advaitee Vedantism as a fragment of the whole) it must be intuitively interpreted that Truth has at least Seven major (and 7 minor which makes 49 ways = 7 rays of soul in combination with 7 rays of personality) ways of being approached (remember the visual of Elephant and 7 blind men arguing in ancient India) and when combined with our evolution through many births in various civilizations its appears limitless.
But why did he say this and what was his true mission ?
To understand this we need an appropriate context. It lies hidden in these prophetic words of HPB (Mistaken Notions on The Secret Doctrine, Lucifer June 1890) -
“There are several ways of acquiring knowledge: (a) by accepting blindly the dicta of the church or modern science; (b) by rejecting both and starting to find the truth for oneself. The first method is easy and leads to social respectability and the praise of men; the other is difficult and requires more than ordinary devotion to truth, a disregard for direct personal benefits and an unwavering perseverance. Thus it was in the days of old and so it is now, except perhaps, that such devotion to truth has been more rare in our own day than it was of yore. Indeed, the modern Eastern student’s unwillingness to think for himself is now as great as Western exactions and criticism of other people’s thoughts. He demands and expects that his “Path” shall be engineered with all the selfish craft of modern comfort, macadamized, laid out with swift railways and telegraphs, and even telescopes, through which he may, while sitting at his ease, survey the works of other people; and while criticising them, look out for the easiest, in order to play at the Occultist and Amateur Student of Theosophy. The real “Path” to esoteric knowledge is very different.”
I feel JK resonated naturally to the deeper truth of 'Eastern student’s unwillingness to think for himself' being in a Hindu body in that life. He gave a direct blow to what he thought as a dangerous old tendency of an Eastern Devotee getting crystallized to out-worn forms of devotion instead of the fiery devotion to the universal life animating the forms on the Ray 6. He wanted to set them free (and then may be transform themselves into real yogi of synthesis)
The path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga or Knowledge turned into understanding and further into wisdom through Buddhi) and the path of mind (Patanjali's Chitta) control (Raja/King Yoga for the one who obtains a divine union through a kingly control on his own mind) followed by JK (and largely by every occultist from the head centre) must be synthesised with Bhakti (Path of mystic devotion) and Karma Yoga (path of selfless action) into the Yoga of Synthesis of HPB/DK-AAB/Sri Aurobindo/Nicholas Roerich/VBA (DK revealed a part of what Gautam Buddha taught to his inner group of Arhats through Alice Bailey's books).
All rays have their own virtues and vices (glamours) and must be properly integrated. That is why the middle path (or the yoga of synthesis) of Buddha is not an easy path.
Relevant References -
I AM THAT (by Nisargdatta Maharaj) or material by Ramana Maharshi and ofcourse JKs writings.
The INITATE SERIES by Cyril Scott, and
The theory of the Deva Evolution (which seems highly probable to my intuition as JK was both a Raja Yogi and Jnana Yogi) from Alpheus- https://www.alpheus.org/.../contenti.../scott_anrias_re.html
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