The Study of Theosophy

[Olcott Library]

Our librarian, Marina Maestas, interviewed Pablo Sender about how to study Theosophical literature.

Below, you can find links to the audio portion of each question and answer (MP3 files). To download the audio file, right click on the link "Listen audio," and select "Save target as...." Then select "My Documents" folder and click on "Save."


1- Study in a practical, theosophical context. Listen audio 3:17 min.

2- Some methods we can use to approach various kinds of theosophical literature. Listen audio 4:06 min.

3- Discussion about a quote from HPB describing how to approach our studies. Listen audio 2:37 min.

4- Discussion about a quote from The Secret Doctrine about accessing intuitive faculties through study. Listen audio 2:13 min.

5- Background or environmental aspects of study practices. Listen audio 1:45 min.

6- Discussion about a quote from The Secret Doctrine about the nature of esoteric truth. Listen audio 5:16 min.

7- Studying with a group vs. studying by oneself. Listen audio 1:46 min.

8- Internet activity and study. Listen audio 3:13 min.

9- Some study practices. Listen audio 4:22 min.

10- Varying study practices for various books like the Mahatma Letters and The Voice of the Silence. Listen audio 2:40 min.


Feel free to share with us your insights and experiences about this subject!

[Kerry James Goodhew]

Enjoyed your post Danelys

[Olcott Library]

Thanks Konstantin! We'll try what you suggest.

[Konstantin Zaitzev]

A technical note: the sound is of not very high quailty, it has some metallic tint, like a radio tranmission from the austronauts. Examining the files, I've found out that they are encoded in stereo. In mono with the same bitrate they would sound much better.
An example of the more natural sound with the same bitrate: http://www.esoterra.ru/audiobooks/bowenhpb.mp3
(It's in Russian but I had no other. And it doesn't matter in this context).

[Pablo Sender]

Hi Danelys,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us.
Yes, I also see these three practices of meditation, study, and service as different aspects of the same attitude. One refines and deepens the other.
Regarding the need of silence for serious study or meditation, I think the main point is to discover what makes your mind calm.
Mahatma K.H. wrote to Sinnett:

". . . for a clearer comprehension of the extremely abstruse and at first incomprehensible theories of our occult doctrine, never allow the serenity of your mind to be disturbed during your hours of literary labour, nor before you set to work. It is upon the serene and placid surface of the unruffled mind that the visions gathered from the invisible find a representation in the visible world. Otherwise you would vainly seek those visions, those flashes of sudden light which have already helped to solve so many of the minor problems and which alone can bring the truth before the eye of the soul. It is with jealous care that we have to guard our mind-plane from all the adverse influences which daily arise in our passage through earth-life."

In my case I also need silence. Other people may be inspired by soft music, as your example of the veena in India...
Have a nice day!

[Danelys Valcarcel Cuellar]

Fraternal greetings Pablo and Marina,

I feel honored to be the first person to share this serious discussion with you both. This has been one of the most beautiful blogs posted in this community so far.

Life can not be appreciated just by mere intellectual studies. Without noticing we are becoming more and more selfish, more self centered with the abuse and wrong manipulation of this knowledge . We are so identified with our physical origin, that it is very difficult to establish not even a small connection with our higher self.

The other day I came across a lady in the store that I work at that teaches meditation. She was wearing a 101… spiritual attributes or symbols as jewels. She said to me that she teaches meditation; that she had gone, I don’t recall the place here in US, but any ways the point is that she had to pay $10 000 to become a meditation teacher. “Oh Bhagavan!” that was all I could say… I could not believe what I was hearing! And the conversation went on, until a non sense discussion from her side…

So, here is the vivid example of what can take you to do a wrong interpretation and a wrong guidance in these spiritual maters. Meditation always will be and unending discussed topic… And I so agree with your point of view.

In my opinion, studies, meditation and practice are profoundly interconnected. You can not do two of these ones without the presence of the third one or vise versa. I understand that Meditation is the subtlest and highest way of study , that brings inner transformation or transmutation as result, which is nothing but action in it self. On the other hand the intellectual studies can’t be assimilated without meditating each thought written or said by the author. Isn’t it Pablo, to concentrate, be in tune as you say, and in order with what you read a way meditation in itself?

I think now of a thought of Krishnamurti when ever he says that the observer is the observed. We can apply this truth to say as for example that the listener is the listened or the reader is the red, and so forth. I bring this reflection about by thinking of what you mention about creating the right environment for studying, and I would say to meditate as well. I reflected for a couple of minutes on this topic.

As you say, everybody is different and put this into practice differently. I personally one thing I never do is to listen to music while meditating or studding. Even though the music I listen today is very selected, I find very difficult to concentrate, while studding and listening both. I can’t become both at the same time. You know, in Indian culture the music is most respected and the instruments are considered sacred objects. The Veena is related for example, to Goddess Saraswati, the tabla or drums to God Ganesh and so forth... So, if I choose listening to music, I try to find God through it and I put to rest all the other sences. As you say, to listen to music can be a distraction as well. But music is so sacred to me that I can not do multitasking while listening to it.

If I know I need to get into a very deep study everything has to be in perfect order within me, and I would include the physical area in which I will remain for a while. The external influences, noise from out side I can control and even ignore completely but not my immediate environment. Perhaps this is not a good thing, I don’t know. Perhaps this is an inherent characteristic of been a Montessori teacher. Order and Silence are major emphasis in a Montessori environment because of some specific reasons, that have so much to do with some occult principles.
Multitasking, distraction... are some of our biggest limitations to awaken the intuition . You can not achieve a real concentration if you are doing multitasking. To study Theosophy or meditate without any conditioning of the mind is the biggest challenge of all.

The study by oneself is as important as the study in group. Here we can bring about the porpoise and occult meaning of the theosophical lodges. I so agree with your point of view regarding the study groups on internet. I have experienced the same situation on my own even in this same TC. I think I mentioned in one of my previous discussion. But like you say the key is to be mindful of the limitations, without any attachment because otherwise it can become an obsession and it losses its aim. I think that introducing yourself humbly and altruistically to others can be very helpful in any study group.

I personally thank so much this community, through which I have met and shared with such wonderful people around the world. Through this community we fist met and I could also meet sister Idarmis and Elvira and all my dear people at Olcott.

Thanks indeed.

Something to share:

“Fohat is the personified electric vital power, the transcendental binding unity of all cosmic energies, on the unseen as one the manifested planes, the action of which resembles, on an immense scale, that of a living Force created by Will in those phenomena where the seemingly subjective acts on the seemingly objective, and propels it to action.” S.D., I., 136

"To live to benefit mankind is the first step." V.S., 52

Blessings,

S.D.