Theosophy and the Theosophical Society

The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 at a time when the West was just becoming seriously aware of the existence of religions and people elsewhere. Intelligent people could no longer classify Islam as devilish for instance, or Hinduism as barbaric. But what then? The serious study of religion was started at universities - the first professor of comparative religion got his post in 1875.

Karma and reincarnation facts - about good and evil

Karma and reincarnation are related beliefs that have been popular in India and surrounding countries for a very long time.

Karma means action. The idea is, at it's simplest, that good is rewarded and evil punished. Or more practically put: selfishness is punished and unselfishness rewarded. The Dalai Lama puts it even more radically: From the perspective of karma it is selfish to help others, because that will be rewarded.

Belief in karma means that reincarnation follows logically: otherwise the actions done just before death would not have their logical result.

More Blavatsky

Just gathering some Blavatsky links here.

First a repeat: the Blavatsky Collected Writings.

Second: Her letters - the ones she Blavatsky before going to India.

Third and not least: Read about her life 'the Extraordinary life of H.P.B.'.

If you don't want to read that, read this about her life: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

Then her most famous book: The Secret Doctrine by H.P. Blavatsky.

Hindu spirituality - Upanishads and Vedas

Theosophists have been interested in the ancient spirituality of India from day one. Blavatsky wrote positively about the Vedas and Upanishads and popular translations in many languages of these classics have been done and/or published by theosophists since. Blavatsky even started her Secret Doctrine with a quote from the Rig Veda.

Blavatsky Collected Writings

Big news: the Blavatsky Collected Writings (BCW) are online again. This time on Katinka Hesselink's site: http://www.katinkahesselink.net/blavatsky/

Blavatsky's collected writings is all her known articles gathered together. 15 volumes worth.

You can buy them here: H.P. Blavatsky Collected Writings for sale.

The Secret Doctrine, by H.P. BLavatsky

I started reading theosophy at age 19 and went on to reading the cream of the theosophical cream soon: There was a Secret Doctrine studygroup in Amsterdam and I went regularly. The book itself is difficult - not many people can read it without some sort of guidance. One of the advantage of having a group to study with is that you get their intuitions on what the book means - as well as their knowledge about the many subjects Blavatsky covers.

Anyhow: what an inspiration that book was.

Many people read it by just opening it somewhere and reading what it says. That's a great way to do it, because the book isn't organized very well anyhow. Just the same it contains many vistas of inspiration and wisdom.

Blavatsky - inspiration and spiritual quotes

I love H.P. Blavatsky.

I love Blavatsky's style (flamboyant, alive).

I love Blavatsky's work (insightful, deep).

I love Blavatsky's Spiritual quotes (just great).

I love Blavatsky's articles for the spiritual inspiration they bring.

Modern Theosophy

Theosophy is divine (theos) wisdom (sophia). Theosophists are those who seek this divine wisdom. Divine knowledge is beyond the mind (manas) - and is called Buddhi in Sanskrit. It implies that beyond logical thought is real truth. This truth is accessible through intuition - and has as much to do with mystical experience as it has to do with objective truth.

More on Modern Theosophy

Modern theosophist generally believe in karma and reincarnation. This belief is not mandatory, because theosophists are free to believe in whatever they choose to.

Well known theosophists include H.P. Blavatsky, H.S. Olcott, C.W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant.