Celebrating the passing of Helena Betrovna Blavatsky on The White Lotus Day

Last week, I was honored to have been invited to speak at the Theosophical Lodge of the Sunshine Coast at Buderim and the Tewantin in honor of The White Lotus Day.

Helena Betrovna Blavatsky died on the 8th of May in 1891. The day came to be remembered and celebrated annually as the White Lotus Day.

Helena wished that people would remember her passing by reading their favorite passages from the Indian epic 'Baghavad Gita' or from the 'Light of Asia' by Edvin Arnold.

For my speech, I chose the first line of the Badhavad Gita: "Dharmaksetre kuruksetre..." Or "On the field of virtue ..." and the 58 verse from chapter 18 of the same epic: "Keep your attention on Me, for if the attention is on Me, you will pass through by my grace ..."

I compared it to the note in Blavatsky's 'The Secret Doctrine' where she explains that it is the personality that must 'cling to the Monad' or otherwise perish.

The esoteric tradition has an understanding that always at a beginning of an age the humanity has been given some new esoteric teachings to follow in order to expand the universal consciousness of humanity. The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 to ensure that humanity would not fall to utter materialism in the 'coming of the new age' which we have just arrived at.

The Baghavad Gita was written at the age of Aries. The Bible was collected for the age of Pieces and now we have the Quantum Science for the more secular Aquarian age. The teachings seems to be compatible, the method, the wording and the interpretation changes according to the current understanding of humanity.

What the Baghavad Gita stated was that everything real is on the field of the consciousness, from the creation to destruction it is on the field of 'virtue'. That only through the 'divine' grace can the personality hope to cross the bridge that shoots our consciousness to be together with 'Budhi' ( the higher consciousness) and become 'insightful' enough to 'cling to the Monad' and keep its imprint with the higher consciousness.

Monad theory was introduced to the world by Madame Ann Conway, who was the most brilliant pupil of Henry Moore at the turn of 18th Century. (Look up 'The Death of Nature' by Caroline Merchant). The theory was then spread to the population by Leibniz and he also got the credit for it (even in the 'Isis Unveiled' by Balvatsky) due to that women were writing as pseudonyms at the time.

According to the Theosophical Doctrine, there are three kinds of evolutions: the physical, the intellectual and the monadic. The two first ones are well known but the monadic one is mostly unknown to many.

The Monadic Evolution happens in the 'non-locality', where everything is possible. The only thing for a personality who hopes to participate is to elevate itself enough to imprint on the monadic current that enables the memories of the higher consciousness to be passed on to the next incarnation in the ever evolving passage of the monadic evolution.

We are like a holograph of the imprint of a reflection of a Monad that drifts in the current of its own evolution that we cannot even begin to understand as it is outside our imagination and can be anything and everything in space in nothingness.

We can only hope for that through our physical and intellectual evolution we can in time understand the world and the reality we live in a little bit better in order to get to know a little bit more about the purpose of being and becoming.

It is the days like 'The White Lotus Day' that enable us to focus our thoughts in the 'unthinkable' and 'unimaginable' for a few moments. The days like these give us hope that some day, in some new age, we might get to understand how and why we are here and that it was not by change but by intention and purpose that we can live our lives to the full, now and always.
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Overview of my talk on Helena Blavatsky and the History of Charitable (Philanthropic) Thinking – A theosophical worldview

This talk was given at the Brisbane Theosophical Society in July 2010



The talk is concerned about the roots of the charitable thinking processes and how a theosophical worldview can be seen as a vehicle in aiding humanity in the process of building the core of the Brother/Sisterhood of humanity.

Discussion segments:
1. Helena Blavatsky as inspiration.
2. The brief history of charitable thinking as an idea.
3. The concept of philanthropy in development.
4. Theosophical Society as a vehicle for Philanthropy in Action.
5. Theosophical Order of Service as a philanthropic organisation in action.
6. From charitable thinking to emergency relief.
7. How selfless is our charitable/philanthropic action?

My talk starts with the introduction of Helena Blavatsky as a major inspiration in my life. She was born in Russia in 1831 and was one of the original founders of the Theosophical Society in 1875. I was introduced to her thinking by my grandfather, who gave me her book The Secret Doctrine published in 1888 as a 16-year old and urged me to read it. Of course it went a bit over my head then and instead of finishing it I first completed her The Isis Unveiled, published in 1877. I studied Blavatsky’s ideas as my special subject of study in my university History of Sciences and Ideas studies.

Helena Blavatsky has remained a major influence in my life. I have always liked to talk about her achievements and recite the stories I know about her charitable acts towards others. Many of her actions were just natural random acts of kindness towards people in need, often resulting in a great expense to her own comfort. To know more read for example Sylvia Cranston’s biography of Blavatsky (Cranston, 1993). She was continuously engaged in introducing the world to what would be a philanthropic or charitable action in practice from the theosophical point of view. A brief history of the charitable/philanthropic thinking processes in this light challenges us to talk about several ideas taken from different sources.

The first reference is to Prometheus Bound, a classical book, now convincingly argued to have been authored by a Greek author Aeschylus’ son, Euphorion (Sulek, 2010).

Prometheus is our first classical example of a god who has reached out to advance the humanity in its struggle from oblivion to understanding. Through him we get the concept of philanthropy as an action as he was accused of being a philanthrôpos, a friend of humankind, by other gods and Zeus bound him to a mountain and he suffered for his kindness. Blavatsky referred to this by stating that Prometheus was only a traitor in reference to other gods. In relation to humanity he was a philanthropist (Blavatsky, 1979).

How can we define the word philanthropy?

A colleague of mine, a researcher in America has just published two articles on the meaning of the word philanthropy from both classical and modern references. I shall quote from the hypotheses included in his presentation and the pictures here give you the dictionary definitions arranged by Marty Sulek (2010):



1. Philanthropy has (had) a variety of meanings, academic & common, contemporary & historical
2. The academic definition of philanthropy is more narrowly focused than common usage
3. The meaning of philanthropy has evolved along a discernable historical trajectory
4. Understanding the meaning of philanthropy as a whole can grant insight into its constituent parts

If we further look to understanding philanthropy through authors Payton and Moody, we can see that philanthropy can mean a lot of things:
• Voluntary giving, when we give our money...
• Voluntary service, when we give our time and sometimes our talent…
• Voluntary association, the organized activity…(Payton & Moody, 2008, p. 6)
Philanthropy has an assortment of meanings in other ways as well
• A moral action in response to the ‘human problematic’.
• ‘A social history of the moral imagination.”
• Essential to free, open, democratic, civil society.
• Tradition in jeopardy… (Payton and Moody, 2008)
The philanthropic action includes
• ‘Random acts of kindness’
• Organized action
• Systematic efforts
• Seek to reduce suffering
• Seek to improve quality of life (Payton and Moody, 2008)

How can a theosophical worldview aid us in our aim to understand the charitable thinking processes?

In the letter 45 in the Letters of the Masters to A.P.Sinnett, Koot Hoomi Lal Singh, one of the Blavatsky’s teachers wrote: “A true Theosophist is a philanthropist (Hao Chin Jr., 1998).” His reference is to the first object of the Theosophical Society which involves building a core of the Brother/Sisterhood of humanity. There is a hint of what it means in his declaration that a Buddha is the real philanthropist. The Chohan’s definition of philanthropy as ‘divine kindness’ (Ibid. p. 479) brings more clarity of what they might indicate in terms of what philanthropic action is expected of this core of the Brother/Sisterhood of humanity.

From the modern Buddhist perspective the concept of altruism and its relationship to the philanthropic action can further clarify this underlying meaning. In a resent email Marty Sulek reminded me that the concept of altruism was only brought to our vocabulary by Augustus Comte in his System of Positive Polity (1851). The Dalai Lama takes this modern concept of altruism and explains it in relation to the classical Buddhist concept of bodhichitta as the highest possible charitable action by a candidate, “the compassion towards sentient beings... [and] the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the sake of all (Dalai Lama, 2003).” I can well draw a straight line to philanthropic action in the classical sense. In my mind this matches with the definition of ‘divine kindness’ very well. In his talks the Dalai Lama often states that everybody is seeking for happiness.

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) on the other hand did not think that happiness has anything to do with it. He stressed the principal of duty and said that since happiness was based on imagination, this did not qualify as rational action. Koot Hoomi disagreed with him and stated that the western thinkers were not putting the concept of philanthropy in a context of universal law and that they just made it to an ‘accidental manifestation’(Hao Chin Jr.,1998). However that may be, Kant’s thoughts have dictated a lot of western thinking processes, particularly the reformist thinking. Many people following the Lutheran ethics do not handle the notion of happiness, passion or self-fulfilment very well.

The second object of the Theosophical Society urges us to further research in the realms of religions and sciences. Can we find anything there that can enhance this understanding?

The Buddhist example contributes with the idea of Bodhisattva who refuses to take on the ‘divine ropes’ and instead stays as a part of a core of brother/sisterhood in consciousness to aid the rise of the awareness of humanity. Lama Govinda (Govinda, 1969) is a good author to read for further explanation on this philanthropic action model. The Hindu example is in the Bhagavad-Gita with its 18 yoga chapters and different yogas to aid an aspirant from ‘non-action to in-action’. The modern scientific example comes from the brain research in Hypothalamus, the brain of our brain with its ability as a tool to sort out the many layers of our feelings and emotions. With the help of this we can aid the psychological understanding of what relates to the development of empathy and compassion. Our ability to see the others’ views is also a part of the modern study of what is involved in philanthropic action. The Christian view is brought in with the urge to treat the others as you want them to treat you and with the orthodox idea of ‘go-working with God’ as a definition to philanthropic action.

We can name plenty of nonprofit organisations who have taken this kind of action as their core business. The International Theosophical Order of Service was founded by Annie Besant to take on the practical adaptation of theosophical ideas in the real world. The work of the TOS has become even more important in today’s society where there is a real need to understand that the global economy needs global solutions in the fight against exclusion, poverty, abuse and corruption in its aim for the equal human rights to everyone. The US nations 1948 Human Rights Declaration urges us to work towards this goal “in the spirit of brotherhood.”

I myself work in a community care organisation with the aim of making sure that all the members of the community, the elderly, disabled, families, and children and otherwise underprivileged are assured human dignity and equal possibility to community participation and services. The many faces of emergency relief can now be seen as the organised continuation of charitable thinking processes and charitable action in our modern society.

Basically my scientific conclusion is that the charitable/philanthropic action as such is the highest selfish action we can take. On the whole it pays to be charitable and enhancing others will work towards enhancing yourself and your own wellbeing. Working in an organisation which heavily relies on voluntary contribution in service delivery, I see this every day. It brings people happiness and self-satisfaction to work together towards common goals. The positive results that come from being able to help are blatantly visible. I urge everyone to join in the brother/sisterhood of the charitable philanthropic action wherever and whenever possible.

What it all comes to is in the end is the three C:s: Compassion, Conviction and Cooperation.








References:
BLAVATSKY, H. 1979. The Secret Doctrine Vol II, Madras, The Theosophical Publishing House.
CRANSTON, S. 1993. HPB, The Extraordinary Life & Influence of Helena Blavatsky Founder of the Modern Theopsophical Movement, New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons.
DALAI LAMA, T. 2003. Transforming the Mind, Teaching on Generating Compassion, Thorsons, HarperCollinsPublishers.
GOVINDA, A. 1969. Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism, Boston, WeiserBooks.
HAO CHIN JR., V. (ed.) 1998. The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, Adyar: The Theosophical Publishing House.
PAYTON, R. L. & MOODY, M. P. 2008. Understanding Philanthropy: its meaning and mission, Bloomington, Indiana Univercity Press.
SULEK, M. 2010. On the Classical Meaning of Philanthrôpía. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 39: 385 originally published Online on 13 March, 2009

High Ideals and Community Capacity Building Basics

Reflections on the 10th World Congress of the Theosophical Society.


Not so long ago, I attended an Emergency Relief training seminar for community organisation workers where the participants introduced themselves to others by explaining what sustained them. On the surface it is an easy question and can have a few easy answers such as family, children and partners, compassion and love. On a deeper level it is interesting to further develop a personal understanding of what it is that really makes one’s life worth living; what keeps us doing what we do. This applies especially to people who work in difficult circumstances where they meet others with complex needs and help them to get over difficult phases or life situations on a daily basis. What is it that sustains their ability to cope and give?

My answer to this was and is: an unshakable belief in that there is an underlying goodness in human beings. Later, while searching for definitions of the concept of Philanthropy, this belief emerged as an underlying condition for it (Juusola-Halonen, 2010).

Another way to train and to continue a compassionate life is to attend such congresses, which remind us of the practice of high ideals, where principles are talked about by such individuals who apply them in their daily living. High ideals remind us that there is something worth living and worth striving for in our community and for the humanity. High principles, such as Compassion, Kindness, Unity and Justice are worth thinking about and can be applied to community building, as well as, other more ordinary things. Money might be the deciding force but the guidance of ethics and high ideals can help to bring the priorities to a more manageable focus.

I found a keynote speech by Dr P. Krishna, at the 10th World Congress of the Theosophical Society in Rome titled ‘What Divides Us’ a very enlightening reminder of how to go about building unity in community, especially where small differences are blown out of proportions to create divisions between people, nations and communities. He is the Professor of Physics at the University of Varanasi in India.

In his speech, he reminded the audience that on a deeper level we all function in the same manner, with the same ability to react and experience. On the molecular level, our abilities, our senses, our brain works just the same, with no difference. It is the memories that we store that are the only difference. What divides us is when we ‘put tremendous importance’ in our own memories and consider them more valuable than other people’s experience. “Division comes from the ego process”, Dr Krishna said. We say that our understanding is the true experience, our view right and the other’s point of view wrong. Then we proceed to judge and act on creating a gulf between our ‘superior’ opinions and the other’s ‘wrong’ or less worthy opinions and manipulating them into the same belief patterns we have.

Dr Krishna further reminded us that memories are a rather superficial way of dividing humanity. Stressing the similarities, the unity of everything, would be a more constructive way of building a more inclusive, peaceful and harmonious society. ’’All is connected. It is a scientific fact”, he said.

Community capacity building can be discussed from many angles, from the need analysis to service quality management and operational policies and processes. Sometimes it is good to start from what should be the basics of an ideal community and how to aim for it. This can help to find a way to integrate and look for holistic models in community development.

Another talk in the same congress by Vic Hoe Chin Jr., the President of the Theosophical Order of Service (TOS) in the Philippines, presented a practical example of how to build capacity for the community.

Vic is a long time advocate for youth services in the Philippines. According to him, it is the young people that should be educated. The high ideals should be popularised for them. Unity, Self-transformation and Peace education should be part of curriculum in all schools and youth projects. He is the Chairperson of the Golden Link College in Caloocan City. The school provides education for students, starting from the pre-schoolers and up to the tertiary level Bachelor Degrees in Education and Business. All levels include Theosophy or Perennial Wisdom studies aimed at popularising high ideals such as Unity, Peace and Self-transformation for the youth. One problem Vic has identified is the difficulty of getting skilled volunteers. This is where our views co-inside very well.

There is very little skilling provided for volunteers on the ideals behind community participation. The research shows that to keep volunteers happy to continue volunteering, the volunteer relying organisation need to strive to match the provided volunteer opportunities with the individual volunteer’s motivation to donate their time and effort, be it driven by a social, ideological or feel good need to participate (Halfpenny, 1999; Schmid, 2002). There is not much adequate education or skilling about the ethics of volunteering in relation to community capacity building. Neither is there much discussion about the responsibility and community participation for volunteers. It could be really interesting to develop some international co-operation in volunteer training from the ethical point of view. Self-transformation could be seen as a motivation to volunteer given the right environment. This would provide for more awareness building for aspiring philanthropists.

There are great ideas out there. Attending a World Congress on Theosophical ideas brings the high ideals into focus. From there it is easier to proceed to building a core of Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Humanity without distinction.

I did bring a souvenir from the Congress back to Australia with me. It is a small, knitted bear. One of the international projects of the Theosophical Order of Service is the ‘Heart Babies Project’ where children with a heart condition are brought to India for surgery. It is shown by research that those children who have a little bear along to cuddle recover quicker and easier. The Italian TOS section had knitted hundreds of bears that were destined to be owned by children in hospitals in India and Africa. This is just one example of a project that can bring unity, peace and harmony into community.


References:
Halfpenny, P. (1999) Economic and Sociological Theories of Individual Charitable Giving: Complementary or Contradictory? Volutas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations; 10(3)
Juusola-Halonen, E (2010) Is a Volunteer a Philanthropist? Queensland University of Technology, Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies. (a working paper)
Schmid, A. (2002) Using Motive to Distinguish Social Capital from Its Outputs, Journal of Economic Issues; 36(3), September

The 10th World Congress of the Theosophical Society, Rome, Italy,

“Universal Brotherhood without distinction: a road to awareness”

Invitation to participate:

Many might hold an opinion that people should be practical and do things that really advance their daily life, like building a house, a garden, buying a needed car, or repairing that car in order to get to work to earn money for food and rent and ordinary daily living expenses. Some form of entertainment expenses like movies or restaurants might still be acceptable as practical action in daily life. But what about if one spends their money, seemingly unavailable, takes time off work and flies to the other side of the world, may it be Rome, to participate in a Congress that talks about Brotherhood as an ideal for the betterment of the humanity? Is it useful? Can this action further one’s practical daily living or work experience?

I certainly find it can. It is wonderful to sit in the assembly room, share the experiences and thoughts with others, those who have seriously thought about the theme of the Congress, share meals with friends from all over the world (from over 30 countries). It is refreshing to talk about the ideal of Brother/Sisterhood and confirm that it is still as Helena Blavatsky pointed out in her Key to Theosophy that only by ‘all men becoming brothers and all women sisters and together in Brotherhood and Sisterhood' we shall be able to form the nucleus of the 'Universal Brotherhood' of humanity.

Luckily, it is possible to partake through the Internet and so save your money for the daily living expenses. Only your time needs to be volunteered to watch and listen. Here is the link to the life feed of the Congress for all those interested to share:

http://www.teosofica.org/en/live/,316

Have a wonderful time, listening and please share your thoughts with me.
After the Congress, I am sure; the speeches can be bought as a DVD or listened through the Internet.

PS
Suomeksi linkin Teosofisen seuran maailmankongressiin loytää Teosofisen seuran nettisivulta!