Quest Magazine

When We Burned the Bonds

by Janet Kerschner

Originally printed in the SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Kerschner, Janet. "When We Burned the Bonds." Quest 95.5 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007):

Eighty years ago, the Theosophical Society in America moved into its new headquarters in Wheaton, Illinois. Envisioned as a serene retreat, centrally located and readily accessible to Chicago by President L. W. Rogers, the Wheaton complex has served generations of Theosophists as a spiritual home. The land, construction of the main building, and equipment cost $250,000, quite a large sum in 1927. Here is the story of how Theosophists financed our national headquarters, and how we burned the bonds.

Early in his presidency, L. W. Rogers instituted a search for a new headquarters location to replace the severely overcrowded Oakdale building in Chicago. Board Member Kay Campbell located a site in Wheaton, Illinois, which the Society purchased in 1925. A Building Fund was established, and excitement grew nationwide at the prospect of a new headquarters.

The May 1925 issue of The Messenger invited members to suggest ideas for raising $100,000, with a prize of $100 going to the lodge with the winning entry. Over forty responses ranging from little heart-felt notes to elaborate proposals with samples of forms and brochures arrived by the June 1 deadline. Entries included conventional plans for pledge drives, mortgages, and sale of bricks, but some were distinctly inventive. One writer asked each lodge to compose a song, preferably a popular ballad, which could be sold as sheet music. A "Soul's SOS" called for sacrificial gifts. Inspired by the Biblical parable of Mathew 25, "Talent Tithes" asked each individual to invest a small sum for the profit of the Society. An offbeat proposal was to earn money from a Society-owned sanitarium that would "concentrate on Mental Cases—naturally a Theosophical field—securing experts on curing obsessions etc. by Theosophical scientific methods." Most writers attempted to attract participation from as many members as possible to encourage a sense of brotherhood and ownership in the national home.

The winning proposal from the Houston Lodge asked each local branch to be responsible for bringing in pledges over a three-year period which were proportionate to their membership. The progress of this pro rata plan was reported in a Building Fund Bulletin in The Messenger, tracking the success of the lodges in eliciting pledges. Within a year, members pledged over $163,000, but only $39,122 cash was in hand. President Rogers faced the need for short-term financing of $135,000. Reluctant to pay an extra $10,000 to banks for mortgage commissions and prepayment fees, he called upon the membership to invest in bonds paying 6% interest. Theosophists responded enthusiastically, investing in amounts from $10 to $5000. Issuance of bonds was finely calibrated to the monthly requirements of construction, and contractors were paid on schedule as the building took form.

On August 29, 1926, Annie Besant presided over the laying of the cornerstone in a Masonic ceremony, and one year later, staff moved into a headquarters building that was wholly owned by the Society. No mortgage debt had been incurred. Bonds were aggressively paid off as pledged donations arrived, before maturity when possible, until the Great Depression struck. In 1930, as the economy bottomed out, some members declined to renew their building bonds, or asked to cash them in early. National Treasurer Sidney Cook asked wealthier Theosophists "to give a practical expression of brotherhood" by taking on extra bond commitments to accommodate their fellows in need. He worked tirelessly through the Dust Bowl era to keep up with financial obligations.

As national president in 1937, Cook introduced a lively Burn the Bonds campaign to retire remaining debt. International President Arundale encouraged the effort, writing "these bonds are eager for cremation, for they know that their sacrifice is Olcott's freedom to do more even than it has done before." Sidney Cook said "The world needs Theosophy. Debt is a barrier. Fire, destroyer and regenerator, clears the way. LET'S BURN THE BONDS." During the summer Convention of 1938, busloads of onlookers delighted in a "dramatic incineration ceremony" on the front lawn at Olcott. Retired bonds totaling $301,000 filled a perforated barrel that was suspended from a rustic framework. A torch passed through the hands of Theosophists representing the past, present, and future, to Eugene J. Wix, head of the Burn the Bonds committee. His successful campaign reduced indebtedness to members by $20,000. The final bonds were paid off in 1944, when, after almost twenty years of fundraisers, letters, articles, and pleas, the Theosophical Society was relieved of debt. Sidney Cook wrote, "Freedom won!"

Part II: Recalling the Beginnings

by Joy Mills

Originally printed in the SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Mills, Joy. "Part II: Recalling the Beginnings." Quest 95.5 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007):

When I entered the national president's office that morning in July 1965, as the first woman to hold the office of president of the American Section, there was one document on the desk which, as I read it, both challenged and inspired me. That document was the portion of the Kern Foundation Trust Agreement which opened the door for grants to be made to the Theosophical Society in America, the Krotona Institute of Theosophy, and possibly (based on certain criteria) to the Happy Valley School in Ojai, California. The opportunities for creative new programs that would carry the theosophical message to an ever wider audience; the possibilities that appeared to open before us as we were encouraged by Herbert Kern's words in that document; the future that seemed to beckon us to move forward in ways we had not dared to dream of in the light of our limited resources: these—the opportunities, the possibilities, an amazing future—constituted the challenge embodied in the Kern Foundation Trust Agreement.

So, where to begin? Recalling many conversations with Herbert Kern during his later years, long before I knew of his intent to establish a foundation that would so benefit the Society, I proposed to the National Board of Directors that our first request should be for funds to begin a program of publishing high-quality paperbacks, available at a modest cost, that would bring Theosophy to a larger audience than had ever been possible before. This meant subsidizing the actual cost of publishing such books and undertaking an advertising program to make our literature known on a national scale never before attempted. Theosophical literature, books, in particular, had been one of Herbert Kern's deepest passions. This I knew from those informal conversations with him, and he had even spoken of the need to have basic Theosophy available in paperback at a price that the average person could easily afford.

With the unanimous agreement of the Board of Directors, I then developed a proposal based on what it would cost us to publish at least two titles during the coming year as well as advertise them in the trade journal, Publishers Weekly, and in some of the better mass-circulation magazines. A Kern Foundation Programs Committee was established, with John Kern as a member and Helen Zahara, who, after eight years as head of the Australian Section, had recently joined our American headquarters staff, as coordinator of the Kern Foundation Programs. At that moment in time, none of us, I certainly least of all, had any idea how those programs would multiply, expand, develop, and reach into every area of the American Section's work.

When we received word that our first grant application had been approved and the funds for a new publishing program would be forthcoming, I suggested to my colleagues on the staff that we might find a suitable name for this new program, one that would distinguish us from other paperback publications on the market. So began a number of brain-storming sessions as we tried out one idea after another, until one day, during our afternoon tea-time, I said casually, "Let's call them Quest Books." I went on to say that as Theosophists are inquirers, on a quest for wisdom, such a name seemed most appropriate. There was unanimous agreement and so "Quest Books" was born! The year was 1966.

To record the full story of the birth and early years of Quest Books would take a sizeable volume, in addition to which would have to be added various other projects for which grants were requested as we began to visualize the expansion of theosophical activities. In that same year, 1966, a World Congress of the Society was held in Salzburg, Austria, hosted by the European Federation of Theosophical Societies. With our new publishing program in its infancy, we called for an International Publishing Conference to be convened as part of the World Congress and while the American Section financed my participation in the Congress, the Kern Foundation aided in subsidizing the participation of several of our key workers. We discussed possibilities of collaboration with the publishing programs undertaken by the English Section (London) and at Adyar. It was at that time, too, that by mutual agreement, we changed our name from the Theosophical Press to the Theosophical Publishing House with the title page of all publications, whether produced by Wheaton, London, or Adyar, carrying the names of all three publishers to indicate the international scope of our publishing program. At the same time, of course, each of the publishing houses would maintain its own independent structure and operation.

Not all of the programs initiated with Kern Foundation support during those early years proved completely successful, but it was only with that support that we could venture into new areas. For example, with grant assistance we initiated Quest Films, with two award-winning films being produced by professional film companies. A grant for a Writers' Fellowship Program enabled us to encourage new writers to produce works of a contemporary nature. Under that program, we turned to a member who was already an accomplished writer and journalist, Howard Murphet, and asked that he write easily readable biographies of H. S. Olcott and H. P. Blavatsky. As a result, the books, Yankee Beacon of Buddhist Light (originally titled Hammer on the Mountain) and When Daylight Comes, were produced and published.

Again, it would take a major volume to document the development of program after program which received Kern Foundation grant support, and many wonderful stories could be told as we adventured onto untrodden ground in those early years, each program calling on us to extend our capacities to meet our obligations in fulfilling our commitment. As the Quest Books program expanded, there was an urgent need for more staff and more space at our National Headquarters. So, at the Summer Convention of 1968, just two years after the launching of Quest Books, and with the full and unanimous support of the National Board of Directors, I inaugurated a campaign to build the second major structure—a building that would house our rapidly expanding publishing house as well as provide accommodations for our enlarged staff on the headquarters estate. And for this, funds from the Kern Foundation could not be made available, since the Trust Agreement specifically forbade grants for "brick and mortar." This meant the members had to provide the funding if we were to continue on the road on which we had embarked with our publishing program and the many other programs that had, in one way or another, become spin-offs of Quest Books.

So it was that in 1969, just three years after the Quest Books program had begun, we laid the cornerstone of the Theosophical Publishing House building. The members had risen to the challenge of providing the funds and the Kern Foundation aided us in such ways as they could within the framework of Herbert Kern's Trust Agreement.

And now, without lengthening this story further by indulging in further recollections, let me use the example of the way in which the members of the American Section responded to the call for funding the construction of the publishing house building to remind today's members of their responsibilities in maintaining the essential work of their Section. Two aspects of the Kern Foundation's Trust Agreement should be especially noted. The first has just been mentioned: funds are not available for "bricks and mortar," and while in more recent years the Sellon Charitable Trust has become available to assist with some major work in connection with the Headquarters two major buildings, it is ultimately the responsibility of the members to see that our National Headquarters is maintained in the best condition possible. As one who presided over the work of the American Section for nine years, which included those exciting and eventful years when the Kern Foundation became operative, I know only too well that buildings age and need continual attention and it is the contributions of the members, donations large and small, given out of love and devotion to the work of the Society, that make possible the maintenance of the beautiful physical plant which houses that work.

The second aspect of the Trust Agreement which I recognized on that July day in 1965 when I first read the document is simply that the grants from the Kern Foundation were intended as "seed" money for programs that would extend and expand the work of making Theosophy better known in the world. As I have related above, I have omitted mention of the fact that at the same time that we were venturing into new areas, the normal work of the Society through its various departments—Membership, Library, Information, etc.—was going forward, financed as it had always been, by the dues and contributions of its members. For it was Herbert Kern's view, as I well knew, that consideration in the disbursement of grants would be given to those organizations whose members showed a willingness to support their own organizations. So it is that we must always do our part to see that the "seed" money is nourished and added to by our own contributions. There is not one department of the Theosophical Society in America that has not been impacted by the generous grants from the Kern Foundation; the inception of Quest Books alone, for example, brought increased work for staff in Membership, Information, Library, Administration, and every other department at the National Headquarters. The same has been true at the Krotona Institute of Theosophy, where grants for our educational programs—through the School, the Library, and the Bookshop—have increased the work load of all who work and serve at this vital center.

It is always true that for those to whom much is given, much is also demanded. In Letter 140 of The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, written in 1886, H. P. Blavatsky wrote: "Make your activity commensurate with your opportunities." Note she did not say our activities were to be measured by our resources, whether human or financial, but by our "opportunities." The opportunities that still lie before us in bringing the theosophical perspective to bear on human and world problems, in transforming the consciousness of humanity and in birthing an era of peace and genuine brotherhood, are greater today than at any time in the history of our planet. United we can do much; let each one do their part to ensure that the Theosophical Society as a whole meets the challenges we collectively face.

The Solitary Retreat Musings of Ani Kunzang Droima, Part 2

Originally printed in the SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Molina, Lilia. "The Solitary Retreat Musings of Ani Kunzang Droima, Part 2." Quest 95.5 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007):

In conjunction with the Theosophical Society's pilgrimage to Blavatsky's Tibet, we share with you a continuation of reflections from a solitary retreat in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Ani Kunzang Drolma, a Buddhist nun of the Tibetan Kagyu Lineage, went into solitary meditation in November, 2005. Many of her realizations are so universal that they may reflect in some small way the impact of the meditative Tibetan pilgrimage account found in the President's Diary. The first part of Ani's experience (Quest, September-October 2006) gave details about the beginning of her retreat and the daily routine. We continue with her musings from March, 2006.

March 8, 2006

Today I feel peaceful. More peaceful than I can remember feeling. During afternoon practice, I realized that I had been asking all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to make the outer circumstance of my retreat conducive to practice. Specifically, I had been wanting my family's lives to go well. Now I see they have their own karma. They don't perceive their own lives the way I do. My anxiety about them is really about me. I just let go. My life for now is here in retreat. I love my family deeply. I wish the best for them in all areas of their lives but I'm here. I'm here when babies are born, while there are high points and lows, successes and failures, accidents, surprises, traumas and joys. I'm here saying prayers and mantras and looking at the nature of mind. If I were with them I would be part of the drama. Here I have the opportunity to transcend the dramas. So I am peaceful at least for the moment. I have learned very vividly that no matter what the feeling is, it changes.

March 13, 2006

We've had lots of snow, lots for this elevation in California. I've enclosed a photo.

March 17, 2006

The snow seems to have ended for now but there are still white patches here and there. I'm such a California woman. Don't really like snow except in small patches that go away quickly.

Practice goes well. Sometimes I have a tendency to daydream. The other day as I was wandering off, I realized that daydreams have never brought me happiness. I want to be happy so I need to control this diversion. It was such a nice realization, I think I will still struggle but now reason is on my side, as well as the internal injunction to concentrate. Reason has always been my ally.

I am getting some inklings that this retreat will totally change how I see myself. Sometimes in the middle of a session, my self-image/identification weakens, things become a bit transparent, for an instant or two. I can't really explain it any better. It's such a relief when this occurs. Relaxing tension from my whole life. Maybe from many lives.

March 25, 2006

My anxiety and depression have vanished. Occasionally, I get a minute or two of anxiety but it's within normal bounds. I've been pondering this. The very same thoughts that 6 weeks ago seemingly aroused despair, now arise, float around a bit and dissipate with little or no negative emotion. I think it is possible that negative emotions arise and we attach them to issues we're experiencing in our outer lives. If the fit is "good" we keep the afflicted emotion and outer experience together with mental glue. We feel pressure and act to relieve this pressure. The action perpetuates the pattern. Here in retreat, I just have to sit with the emotions and the thoughts. The only action available is to look at the pattern. Here it is so much easier to see that the pattern of afflictive emotional state leading to actions which set up conditions for further afflictive emotions is useless at best and usually quite damaging. Some of my dysfunctional patterns have been replaying for years and years.

I think I would have been a better parent, sister, friend, and even wife if I had recognized that I do not have to blindly play out these patterns. I'm incredibly grateful for the chance to be here, to have been given some tools that dismantle the whole neurotic structure and that maybe can free us all together. Perhaps the negative emotions do not really arise because of the circumstances of our everyday lives. Perhaps they just arise as habitual thought patterns. Maybe it was by clearing these habitual thought patterns, the great saints and Mahasiddhis were able to endure horrendous life conditions with little or no concern and even joy, and not only endure, but also accomplish great benefit for all of us.

March 29, 2006

Yesterday was a Tsok day (a bit like a Eucharist). I was thinking of my family and their various needs, issues, fears, etc., and it came to me on a deep, clear level that there was absolutely nothing more beneficial I could do for them than to gain enlightenment, even "seeking" it diligently and with sincerity would benefit them; now they might not agree, and the benefit may not be immediately apparent. What if Khenpo Tsultrim had gone to take care of his mother, brother, or whoever instead of practicing in various places? Now his wisdom shines in all of us who have heard him. I don't pretend I will ever have the level of the realization or scholarship of Khenpo Tsultrim or Lama Lodro, but I do think I can make some progress. I am at peace about my family, at peace that here is where I need to be and want to be. But the thoughts of them do keep arising. It is now much easier to feel that all beings are my relatives and that all suffer and all need liberation.

I was reading a book about Saraha's Dohos (spiritual teachings in the form of poems), by Herbert Guenther called Ecstatic Spontaneity. It is written in one of the most obtuse and confusing styles I have ever encountered. I had to slowly read a sentence out loud to even figure out slightly what he was talking about. There was a phrase that captivated me. "There are no things here only relationships." When I pondered on it, I was stunned. As I write this letter there is a relationship web of finger, hand, pen, paper, eyes, muscles, sight, memory, etc. And fingers are in relationship to DNA, parents, parents' emotional states, nutrition, teachers. Paper is in relationship with tree, sun, water, earth, loggers, etc. In fact, each focus of the relationship web is a center focus of a vast web of its own. I thought about "Indra's Net," in terms of my awareness, but now I see all phenomena in this net. This is an incredibly complex web of relationships. When I contemplate this web, I feel like I'm standing on an incline covered with loose gravel, a bit insecure because suddenly there is no longer any "mine." How can it be my eye, when all the physical aspects of it, the energetic aspects of it, even its name, only exist as a temporary focal point in this vast, continually changing web of relationship?[The] "Me" [being] even more ephemeral. Certainly not the body parts, not the feeling, emotions which are even more fleeting relationships. Not the web of thoughts, not anything, yet here I write this letter.

April 10, 2006 I am now doing Guru Yoga, a profound practice. It really is the practice that sets up the conditions in which Mahamudra realization can occur. In the Vajrayana this is practice in which devotion is cultivated. Lama-la said to me that in the instant of pure uncontrived devotion, realization dawns. Obviously, I have a ways to go.

May 22, 2006

Meditation goes well for 3 or 4 days, then I have a couple of sluggish days. I talk to Lama about the sluggishness; he says it's normal. I think I need to exert more self-discipline. Sometimes I feel like this retreat is as much a "rest" from the stress of single parenthood/ modern American lifestyle as it is a spiritual quest.

We live in such a competitive world, or I perceive it that way. It seems to me that in order to feel like a successful competent adult, we must be financially successful, have a profession we are good at, be healthy, be thin, exercise regularly, be attractive, have a successful "mate" relationship, be outstanding parents, keep up on current affairs, keep our houses clean and neat, including yards and garages, be well groomed, be unaffected by aging either in terms of our bodies or minds, associate only with other successful people, have no addictions, no bothersome personality traits, etc. Lots of these, of course, are just my own take, but I think most are right on the money. No wonder so many of us are incredibly stressed. So few of us really feel successful. So I have, in addition to meditating on the nature of my mind, been resting. Just being who I am, a mixture of faults and virtues, so mixed up, I can't really separate the two so I just have to accept the whole package.

I wrote a poem that came as I just sat with myself after a meditation session.

Just resting,

Listening to the rustle of lizards

Scurrying along my canvas fence

With love and deep gratitude

For your Friendship

Kunzang

And so it goes during this Solitary Retreat—until 2009.

Correspondence by Ani Kunzang, P.O. Box 43, Laytonville CA 95454

In the Name of Love

Originally printed in the SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Rajan, Ananya S. "In the Name of Love." Quest 95.5 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007):

Theosophy for us must be a way of life, including thinking and feeling, not mere lecturing and attendance at meetings.

—N. Sri Ram

Love, it is such a potent word. As Theosophists, we know that love is the basis of Theosophy. Without love, Theosophy could not exist. Without love, Theosophy is nothing. Love is the force that holds the universe together and keeps the cycle of everything going. Love gives us the power to know ourselves and others.

Love has many definitions in the dictionary, but despite the various ways to describe love, the commonality that all the definitions have are words like "attraction," "concern," "loyalty," "affection," "benevolence," "devotion." They are words of altruism: words that are used when we think about others we care for and words we use when we act on behalf of another's benefit. They are words that we use toward people we love. They are also watchwords for Theosophist. Theosophists are people who find themselves searching for the deeper meaning behind the actions of the universe and our humanity, who hold the welfare of others higher than their own, and whose every action is made with thoughtfulness and concern of how that action will affect others. Theosophists are people who hold love as sacred because true love is Theosophy and such love is altruism.

In The Key to Theosophy, Madame Blavatsky is asked whether the Theosophical Society (TS) regards self-sacrifice a duty of members and she replies, "We do; and explain it by showing that altruism is an integral part of self-development." She warns that such self-sacrifice must be used with discrimination and that it does no good to be fanatic about one's self-sacrifice: "A man has no right to starve himself to death that another man may have food, unless the life of that man is obviously more useful to the many than is his own life" (142).

In the same regard, Madame Blavatsky clarifies that there is never a time when self-sacrifice cannot be performed. In every moment of our lives, there is always an opportunity to do something for another and, in turn, aid our own self-development:

No man has a right to say that he can do nothing for others, on any pretext whatever. . . . A cup of cold water given in a time to a thirsty wayfarer is a nobler duty and more worth than a dozen of dinners given away, out of season, to men who can afford to pay for them. No man who has not got it in him will ever become a Theosophist; but may remain a member of our Society all the same. We have no rules by which we could force any man to become a practical Theosophist, if he does not desire to be one.

When asked why a person should enter the Society at all if they do not agree with the above statement, Madame Blavatsky replies, "That is best known to him who does so. For, here again, we have no right to prejudge a person, not even if the voice of a whole community should be against him" (144). This is an example of not only the altruistic attitude of H. P. Blavatsky (HPB), but also the courageous endurance with which she lived her life. Altruism is not only about action, but includes our outlook on life and the way we think about a particular situation. To be open-minded and not give in to the negativity of others, benefits humanity more than we may know. It is impossible to know the truth of any given situation as there are myriad factors and intentions involved. Theosophy practices truth and to practice truth, we need to keep an open-mind and a pure heart. It is through such practice that we can know love.

One year after Annie Besant took office in 1907, she formed the Theosophical Order of Service (TOS). With a motto that states "A union of those who love; for the service of all who suffer," Mrs. Besant created an arm of the Society that allowed Theosophists to put into action the principles by which they lived their lives. As many know, Mrs. Besant worked on behalf of several different social causes so it was not surprising that she felt Theosophy and the Theosophical Society were the perfect platform for a service organization. However, Madame Blavatsky wrote in The Key to Theosophy that, "the Theosophical ideas of charity mean personal exertion for others; personal mercy and kindness; personal interest in the welfare of those who suffer; personal sympathy, fore-thought and assistance in their troubles or needs. We believe in relieving the starvation of the soul, as much if not more than the emptiness of the stomach" (145).

It would seem that HPB felt that each individual member should perform such charity on an individual basis. If this is the case, then an organization like the Theosophical Order of Service could possibly be looked at as contradictory to what Madame Blavatsky proposed members of the Society should do. Perhaps an organization like the Theosophical Order of Service could make such actions institutionalized; often helping those one may never meet and providing charity without really knowing who or what one was helping. Yet, while it sounds contradictory, it could also be a warning to members of the Theosophical Society and the Theosophical Order of Service to be careful about how they go about relieving the suffering of others.

When the Theosophical Society was founded, there was not another organization like it. If we try to understand what the founders had in mind when they started the TS, on the surface it seems very easy:

To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color,

To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science,

To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man.

These objects are easy enough until one tries to put them into practice. As Theosophists, there are many situations we come upon in life that are in direct contrast to how we live our lives and what we believe promotes unity. Theosophy is about discovering the unity in all life. Not just the human life, but the life that vibrates all around us. It is about the realization that we are part of that life and that vibrancy. The Theosophical Society provides seekers with different resources to study and understand this unity, but it is up to the individual to take the first step into the world in order to put the concept into action and make it practical.

When Annie Besant founded the Theosophical Order of Service, the initial formation was a bit haphazard. Wanting to apply the objects of the Society to the world, members of the TS dove into one activity after another and one "league," as they were called at the time, after another was formed. There were leagues for the blind, the disabled, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the poor, the uneducated, and for animal welfare. The enthusiasm was wonderful and heartfelt, but as Madame Blavatsky warned, self-sacrifice must be discriminate. As quickly as the organization blossomed, it also began to wilt. There was an initial lack of structure and guidance. However, if the roots of a plant are hearty, the plant will survive and as did the TOS. With the help of different leaders and more support from the Theosophical Society, the Theosophical Order of Service became, and continues to be, a diverse, unique organization with many dynamic leaders.

What makes the Theosophical Order of Service different from other service organizations and keeps it from being institutionalized is Theosophy. Theosophy is a living wisdom that teaches that there is, "one absolute, incomprehensible, and . . . infinite essence as the root of all nature, and of all that is, visible and invisible" (Key, p. 2) and that this essence is part of everyone and everything around us. When we truly feel this and produce action from this way of being, the action cannot but help others because it comes from that oneness which is love in all its totality. There are no boundaries, there is no separation, there is no you and me. There is just one. The action is personal because there is no difference. It is this "personal interest" that Madame Blavatsky spoke about in The Key to Theosophy. The action that one does should be personal; it should be from the heart. It is this action that keeps Theosophy alive and a service organization like the TOS vibrant and constantly renewed. It is also this type of action that makes us practical Theosophists.

The Universal Brotherhood of Humanity

By Edward Abdill

Originally printed in the SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Abdill, Edward. "The Universal Brotherhood of Humanity." Quest 96.5 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008):177-179, 191.

IN HER LETTER TO THE SECOND CONVENTION of the American Section, H. P. Blavatsky wrote:

[There are those] among us who realize intuitionally that the recognition of pure Theosophy—the philosophy of the rational explanation of things and not the tenets—is of the most vital importance in the Society, inasmuch as it alone can furnish the beacon-light needed to guide humanity on its true path. This should never be forgotten, nor should the following fact be overlooked. On the day when Theosophy will have accomplished its most holy and most important mission—namely, to unite firmly a body of men of all nations in brotherly love and bent on a pure altruistic work, not on a labor with selfish motives—on that day only will Theosophy become higher than any nominal brotherhood of man.

Theosophical Society - Ed Abdill author of The Secret Gateway, is vice-president of the Theosophical Society in America and past president of the New York Theosophical Society. His article "Desire and Spiritual Selfishness" appeared in the Winter 2011 Quest.

In that short paragraph, HPB summarized the principal objective of the Theosophical Society. Yet, the ideas contained in that paragraph need to be explored and meditated upon if we are to fully grasp what is meant by Theosophy and what the Theosophical Society was meant to do. We might begin our exploration by considering the evolution of the objectives (Objects) of the Society. The objectives and their changes were formulated in the nineteenth century when the term "man" referred to the species, not the male, and "brotherhood" included all human beings.

At the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875, the objectives of the Theosophical Society were "To collect and diffuse a knowledge of the laws which govern the universe." In 1878, the objectives were expanded, ending with "and chiefly, aid in the institution of a Brotherhood of Humanity."

In 1879, the objectives were restated to include the following points. The Theosophical Society is formed upon the basis of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity. . . . The Society's plans are declared to be as follows:

a) To keep alive in man his spiritual intuitions.

b) To oppose and counteract—after due investigation. and proof of its irrational nature—bigotry in every form.

c) To promote a feeling of brotherhood among nations.

d) To seek to obtain knowledge of all the laws of Nature and aid in diffusing it; and especially to encourage the study of those laws least understood by modern people and so termed the Occult Sciences.

e) To gather for the Society's library and put into written forms correct information on ancient philosophies, etc.

f) To promote in every practicable way non-sectarian education.

g) To encourage and assist individual Fellows in self-improvement, intellectual, moral, and spiritual.

There have been several other revisions, the latest in 1896, being the current objectives:

To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color.

To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy, and science.

To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity.

Two threads are clear throughout these objectives: (1) Universal Brotherhood, and (2) methods by which it might be realized. Paramount to such a realization is knowledge. To do the good, we must know what the good is. Hence a common emphasis throughout these objectives is to obtain knowledge and make it available to everyone. Perhaps for that reason the objectives of 1875 emphasized that we must first discover the laws that govern our universe. Clearly we are creatures within this universe and are therefore also subject to the laws that govern it. If we are to live in harmony with nature and with each other as part of nature, we must discover the laws that govern nature and ourselves. To date, humanity has learned a great deal about physical nature, but very little about inner nature. The third objective of the TS today is: "To investigate the unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity." It is in those latent powers of humanity and the unexplained laws of nature that we are most likely to discover what unites us all at the very core of our being.

Since the founding of the Theosophical Society, there has been an emphasis on discovering the laws that govern our universe, especially those hidden or "occult" laws that govern our subjective nature. Psychology and sociology have made a start by seeking to discover principles that rule our mental and emotional nature. But these are soft sciences still in their infancy.

Throughout the changes of objectives, universal brotherhood has been emphasized equally with the intent to discover the laws of our universe. Is there a connection between the two, and if so, what might that connection be?

In the proem of The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky lists three fundamental propositions on which, she says, the entire Theosophical philosophy is based. The first of these reads, in part:

An Omnipresent, Eternal, Boundless, and immutable PRINCIPLE on which all speculation is impossible, since it transcends the power of human conception and can only be dwarfed by any human expression or similitude. It is beyond the range and reach of thought—in the words of the Mandukya Upanishad "unthinkable and unspeakable."

While that is theoretical, even to Blavatsky's teachers, everything her teachers have discovered points to that unspeakable principle as the root and source of all existence.

For a universe to come into being, that boundless principle must be differentiated. We might say that eternal SPACE "crystallizes" like water into ice to become matter and form. If so, then we, and all existence, are but temporal states within an eternal reality. If true, as more and more evidence suggests, then universal brotherhood is not something that we must create; it is a fact to be realized. We are all different states of the same stuff. To use another metaphor, we are all unique and distinct waves in an eternal and indivisible sea.

The teachers of H. P. Blavatsky, known as adepts, Mahatmas, or Masters, emphasized brotherhood more than once in their letters. In Letter 12 of The Mahatma Letters, chronological edition, Koot Hoomi (KH) wrote: "The Chiefs want a â€˜Brotherhood of Humanity,' a real Universal Fraternity started; an institution which would make itself known throughout the world and arrest the attention of the highest minds."

Yet, despite the emphasis on Universal Brotherhood, Theosophists have fought among themselves from the days of HPB every bit as much as other religious groups have fought among themselves since the days of their founders. Perhaps the problem lies in the definition of brotherhood.

To many, "Brotherhood" means that we should be tolerant of one another, that we should be nice to one another, that we should not say anything negative about one another. Yet in The Mahatma Letters and HPB's writings, one finds sharp criticism of members and non-members, warnings about the motives of certain individuals and the danger they posed to the Society, and even biting irony to deflate a personal ego.

In reading the letters, one quickly learns that no matter how much the adepts may have approved of tolerance and civility, Universal Brotherhood meant something far more profound to them. Perhaps the following statements from the letters will help us to discover what they meant.

In Chronological Letter 5, KH wrote: "The term â€˜Universal Brotherhood' is no idle phrase. Humanity in the mass has a paramount claim upon us. . . . It is the only secure foundation for universal morality . . . and it is the aspiration of the true adept." And in Chronological Letter 33, he wrote: "It is he alone who has the love of humanity at heart, who is capable of grasping thoroughly the idea of a regenerating practical Brotherhood who is entitled to the possession of our secrets. He alone . . . will never misuse his powers, as there will be no fear that he should turn them to selfish ends. A man who places not the good of mankind above his own good is not worthy of becoming our chela [student]—he is not worthy of becoming higher in knowledge than his neighbor."

In the above cited passage, the adept is telling us that the love of humanity can open our eyes to the fact that all individuals are rooted in the One. Simply believing in universal brotherhood is not sufficient. Ultimately, the belief must give way to become an insight into its truth. When that happens, we sense the unity of all life, and from then on we are passionately dedicated to awakening that awareness in others.

The current first object of the Theosophical Society is "To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity." But what does "The Universal Brotherhood of Humanity" mean?

Let's go back to the objectives of 1879. In part they read: "To keep alive in man his spiritual intuitions." In that phrase there may be a clue to the Universal Brother-hood to which the adepts refer.

Intuition, in the Theosophical sense, means insight and insight comes from a unifying aspect of the inner self of every human being (buddhi). By effort, meditation, and an altruistic way of life, we are capable of becoming one with that aspect of the inner self from which all insights derive. From that, in deep meditation, we can get a sense of what the adept calls "humanity as a whole." When we do, even for a fleeting forever, we have become one with the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity.

The Theosophical Society was organized to form a nucleus of people who have some sense of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, a nucleus of people who sense that the Divine consciousness in them is identical to the Divine consciousness in all others. The Theosophical Society was meant to be an organization of people from every culture who have some sense of the underlying unity of all. It was meant to be an organization of people who work together to help others realize their underlying unity with humanity as a whole. Far as we may be from it, that is our ultimate goal. Why is it so difficult to achieve?

In Chronological Letter 131, the adept warns us:

Beware then, of an uncharitable spirit, for it will rise up like a hungry wolf in your path, and devour the better qualities of your nature. . . . Broaden instead of narrowing your sympathies; try to identify yourself with your fellows, rather than to contract your circle of affinity. . . . Friend, beware of pride and egoism, two of the worst snares for the feet of him who aspires to climb the high paths of knowledge and spirituality.

We so often identify as Christians, Jews, Hindus, Americans, Russians, atheists, and even Theosophists. Yet, none of those labels describes who we really are. In fact, there are only human beings. All the labels do no more than describe what we believe, how we have been conditioned, our place of birth, our preference for one religion or another or none. Many may recognize the truth of that, but few feel with every fiber of their being that they are at root one with humanity as a whole. Even those among us who respect all cultures may not sense the divine spark of life in every person we meet. We are likely to judge others by appearances. We see only a Polaroid snapshot of those we meet, and we tend to judge that person on the tiny bit of information that the photo provides. We human beings are extraordinarily complex. One moment we may appear to be saints, and in the next to be devils. It is easy to feel unity with someone who is displaying their saintly side, but not so easy to feel it when they show their diabolical side.

The Theosophical Society is open to all who are in sympathy with its objectives. We are meant to see beyond the appearances of not only race, creed, and sex, but to see beyond the irritating faults of the people we meet, especially members of the TS Universal Brotherhood has no meaning if we only feel brotherly toward those whom we like. This is not to say that we should be sentimental and pretend that everyone is a nice person. Some people and some members are not nice. Yet, behind the surface irritants and faults lies the divine spark with which all are united.

This is not to say that we should be blind to the faults of others. That would be reading something into Brotherhood that is not there. Brotherhood is not even personal affection for everyone. That is impossible, even for some, if not all, of the adepts. Yet in spite of the faults we see in others, and in spite of the fact that some people try our patience, we can still see the Divine life within them and we can still work with them for the greater good.

From an awareness of underlying unity comes an altruistic way of life that is compassionate, wise, and practical. That is the sacred mission of the Theosophical Society, made clear by KH when he wrote: "The chief object of the T. S. is not so much to gratify individual aspirations as to serve our fellow men" (Letter 2).

If we aspire to a realization of the One, then we can change ourselves in such a way that we can get insight. We can lay aside our own preconceived ideas about people and see beyond appearances to the divine life that is deep within them as it is deep within us. Simply joining the Theosophical Society will not bring this about. We must have an iron, never-failing determination to bring it about in ourselves.

Dora Kunz was a past president of the Theosophical Society in America and a devoted student of the Mahatma Letters. In 1955 she gave a talk on the Masters. What she had to say has much to do with the kind of Brotherhood meant by the Masters. The following quote is from the transcript of her talk:

There are thousands of members of the Theosophical Society, but there are very few Theosophists. It is very easy to sign a piece of paper and say you want to join the Theosophical Society and that you believe in brotherhood, but brotherhood is something we should live instead of talking about it. The Theosophical Society is the testing ground for brotherhood. It is the place to let ourselves grow, to let ourselves understand that we are not to be dogmatic, to let ourselves learn to get along with one another whether we like one another or not. You must be willing to have differences of opinion. You must be willing to stand the acid test, even if you are called names. It is you who are being tested. If you walk out because one individual says something nasty to you, you are failing the test of brotherhood. . . . If you could think of the personalities that you meet as the acid test of your own character, of your own Theosophy, you would get a different point of view. When something comes up, ask yourself how you will take it, and ask yourself what it is about you that needs to be changed.

The tests are not easy. They require us to stand firm on the principle of brotherhood despite subtle or direct attacks on us. Personal injustice is never easy to bear, but nothing truly worthwhile is ever easy. Blavatsky tells us that "There is a road, steep and thorny, beset with perils of every kind, yet still a road, and it leads to the very heart of the universe." The thorns and perils come as personal injustice and the arduous tasks required in the self transformation process. There at the heart of the universe is the ultimate unity of all. Those in the Theosophical Society who even dimly sense that unity are forming a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity. Those who sense it work passionately to help their neighbors to sense it.

Although often veiled, the idea of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity appears in the world's great religious traditions. Perhaps ultimate unity is emphasized more frequently in Eastern religions, but it is not absent from Western religions. Let me close by quoting the text of a beautiful Christian hymn that poetically expresses the longing of humanity for ultimate unity. It begins by speaking of our destructive behavior, called in the hymn our "foolish ways." It goes on to say what might be if we awake out of our ignorance, called our "haunted sleep." Finally, it predicts the time when all will realize unity.

Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways.

Old now is earth, and none may count her days.

Yet thou, her child, whose head is crowned with flame,

Still wilt not hear thine inner God proclaim,

"Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways."

Earth might be fair and all men glad and wise.

Age after age their tragic empires rise,

Built while they dream, and in that dreaming weep:

Would man but wake from out his haunted sleep,

Earth might be fair and all men glad and wise.

Earth shall be fair, and all her people one:

Nor till that hour shall God's whole will be done.

Now, even now, once more from earth to sky,

Peals forth in joy man's old undaunted cry:

"Earth shall be fair and all her folk be one!"

Edward Abdill, author of The Secret Gateway (Quest Books 2005), has served six years on the National Board of Directors of the Theosophical Society in America. He also presents courses on Theosophy at the New York Theosophical Society and lectures, in English and Spanish, in the United States, Australia, Brazil, England, and New Zealand. His video course, "Foundations of the Ageless Wisdom," is viewed throughout the world. He and his wife, Mary, are certified teachers of the Royal Scottish Dance Society and live in midtown Manhattan.

Quest Magazine

When We Burned the Bonds

Part II: Recalling the Beginnings

The Solitary Retreat Musings of Ani Kunzang Droima, Part 2

In the Name of Love

The Universal Brotherhood of Humanity

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