MECHANICAL THEOSOPHY
The earnest, devoted student can hardly believe that there
exist any theosophists sincerely holding a belief in theosophical
doctrines but who are, at the same time, found to have such a
mechanical conception of them as permits one to retain undisturbed
many old dogmas which are diametrically opposed to theosophy.
Yet we have such among us.
It comes about in this manner. First, Theosophy and its doctrines
are well received because affording an explanation of the sorrows
of life and a partial answer to the query, "Why is there
anything?" Then a deeper examination and larger comprehension
of the wide-embracing doctrines of Unity, Reincarnation, Karma,
the Sevenfold Classification, cause the person to perceive that
either a means of reconciling certain old time dogmas and ideas
with Theosophy must be found, or the disaster of giving the old
one up must fall on him.
Contemplating the criminal class and laws thereon the mechanical
theosophist sees that perhaps the retaliatory law of Moses must
be abandoned if the modus vivendi is not found. Ah! of
course, are not men agents for karma? Hence the criminal who
has murdered may be executed, may be violently thrust out of
life, because that is his karma. Besides, Society must be protected.
You cite the bearing on this of the subtile, inner, living nature
of man. The mechanical theosophist necessarily must shut his
eyes to something, so he replies that all of that has no bearing,
the criminal did murder and must be murdered; it was his own
fault. So at one sweep away goes compassion, and, as well, any
scientific view of criminals and sudden death, in order that
there may be a retaliatory Mosaic principle, which is really
bound up i our personal selfish natures.
Our naturalistic mechanician in the philosophy of life then
finds quite a satisfaction. Why, of course, being in his own
opinion a karmic agent he has the right to decide when he shall
act as such. He will be a conscious agent. And so he executes
karma upon his fellows according to his own desires and opinions;
but he will not give to the beggar because that has been shown
to encourage mendicity, nor would he rescue the drunken woman
from the gutter because that is her fault and karma to be there.
He assumes certainly to act justly, and perhaps in his narrowness
of mind he thinks he is doing so, but real justice is not followed
because it is unknown to him, being bound up in the long, invisible
karmic streams of himself and his victim. However, he has saved
his old theories and yet calls himself a theosophist.
Then again the mechanical view, being narrow and of necessity
held by those who have no native knowledge of the occult, sees
but the mechanical, outer operations of karma. Hence the subtile
relation of parent and child, not only on this plane but on all
the hidden planes of nature, is ignored. Instead of seeing that
the child is of that parent just because of karma and for definite
purposes; and that parentage is not merely bringing an ego into
this life but for wider and greater reasons; the mechanical and
naturalistic theosophist is delighted to find that his Theosophy
allows one to ignore the relation, and even to curse a parent,
because parentage is held to be merely a door into life and nothing
more.
Mechanical Theosophy is just as bad as that form of Christianity
which permits a man to call his religion the religion of love,
while he at the same time may grasp, retaliate, be selfish, and
sanction his government's construction of death-dealing appliances
and in going to war, although Jesus was opposed to both. Mechanical
Theosophy would not condemn-as Christianity does not-those missionaries
of Jesus who, finding themselves in danger of death in a land
where the people do not want them, appeal to their government
for warships, for soldiers, guns and forcible protection in a
territory they do not own. It was the mechanical view of Christianity
that created an Inquisition. This sort of religion has driven
out the true religion of Jesus, and the mechanical view of our
doctrines will, if persisted in, do the same for Theosophy.
Our philosophy of life is one grand whole, every part necessary
and fitting into every other part. Every one of its doctrines
can and must be carried to its ultimate conclusion. Its ethical
application must proceed similarly. If it conflict with old opinions
those must be cast off. It can never conflict with true morality.
But it will with many views touching our dealings with one another.
The spirit of Theosophy must be sought for; a sincere application
of its principles to life and act should be made. Thus mechanical
Theosophy, which inevitably leads-as in many cases it already
has-to a negation of brotherhood, will be impossible, and instead
there will be a living, actual Theosophy. This will then raise
in our hearts the hope that at least a small nucleus of Universal
Brotherhood may be formed before we of this generation are all
dead.
William Q. Judge
Path, November, 1895
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