Mahatma Letter No. 2 - Revision history

Ariel Martínez: /* Page 11 */

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	distinctive title of its own) be, in fact, a Branch of the Parent body as is the British Theosophical Society at London, and contribute to its vitality and usefulness by promoting its leading idea of a Universal Brotherhood, and in other practicable ways.		distinctive title of its own) be, in fact, a Branch of the Parent body as is the British Theosophical Society at London, and contribute to its vitality and usefulness by promoting its leading idea of a Universal Brotherhood, and in other practicable ways.

	Badly as the [[phenomena]] may have been shown, there have still been — as yourself admit — certain ones that are unimpeachable. The "raps on the table when no one touches it," and the "bell sounds in the air" have, you say, "always been regarded as satisfactory," etc., etc. From this, you reason that good "test [[phenomena]]" may easily be multiplied ad infinitum." So they can — in any place where our magnetic and other conditions are constantly offered; and where we do not have to act with and through an enfeebled female body in which, as we might say, a vital cyclone is raging much of the time. But, imperfect as may be our visible agent — and often most unsatisfactory and imperfect she is — yet, she is the best available at present,		Badly as the [[phenomena]] may have been shown, there have still been — as yourself admit — certain ones that are unimpeachable. The "raps on the table when no one touches it," and the "bell sounds in the air" have, you say, "always been regarded as satisfactory," etc., etc. From this, you reason that good "test [[phenomena]]" may easily be multiplied <u>ad infinitum</u>." So they can — in any place where our magnetic and other conditions are constantly offered; and where we do not have to act with and through an enfeebled female body in which, as we might say, a vital cyclone is raging much of the time. But, imperfect as may be our visible agent — and often most unsatisfactory and imperfect she is — yet, she is the best available at present,

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	in, and in full sympathy with it — you are undoubtedly right. But the men of this other world of ours, untutored in your modes of thought, and who find very hard at times to follow and appreciate the latter, can hardly be blamed for not responding as heartily to your suggestions as in your opinion they deserve. The first and most important of our objections is to be found in our Rules. True, we have our schools and teachers, our [[neophyte]]s and [[Khobilgan#Shaberon\|shaberons]] (superior [[adepts]]), and the door is always opened to the right man who knocks. And, we invariably welcome the new comer; — only, instead of going over to him he has to come to us. More than that: unless he has reached that point in the path of [[occultism]] from which return is impossible, by his having irrevocably pledged himself to our association, we never — except in cases of utmost moment — visit him or even cross the threshold of his door in visible appearance.		in, and in full sympathy with it — you are undoubtedly right. But the men of this other world of ours, untutored in your modes of thought, and who find very hard at times to follow and appreciate the latter, can hardly be blamed for not responding as heartily to your suggestions as in your opinion they deserve. The first and most important of our objections is to be found in our <u>Rules</u>. True, we have our schools and teachers, our [[neophyte]]s and [[Khobilgan#Shaberon\|shaberons]] (superior [[adepts]]), and the door is always opened to the right man who knocks. And, we invariably welcome the new comer; — only, instead of going over to him he has to come to us. More than that: unless he has reached that point in the path of [[occultism]] from which return is impossible, by his having irrevocably pledged himself to our association, we never — except in cases of utmost moment — visit him or even cross the threshold of his door in visible appearance.

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Ariel Martínez: /* Page 7 */

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	shall be founded through your kind services, in the management of which neither of our present representatives shall have any voice; and second, that one of us shall take the new body "under his patronage," — be — "in free and direct communication with its leaders," and afford them "direct proof that he really possessed that superior knowledge of the forces of nature and the attributes of the [[Soul#Human soul\|human soul]] which would inspire them with proper confidence in his leadership." I have copied your own words, so as to avoid inaccuracy in defining the position.		shall be founded through your kind services, in the management of which neither of our present representatives shall have any voice; and <u>second</u>, that one of us shall take the new body "under his patronage," — be — "in free and direct communication with its leaders," and afford them "direct proof that he really possessed that superior knowledge of the forces of nature and the attributes of the [[Soul#Human soul\|human soul]] which would inspire them with proper confidence in his leadership." I have copied your own words, so as to avoid inaccuracy in defining the position.

	From your point of view then, those terms may seem so very reasonable as to provoke no dissent; and, indeed, a majority of your countrymen — if not of Europeans — might share that opinion. What, will you say, can be more reasonable than to ask that teacher — anxious to disseminate his knowledge, and pupil — offering him to do so should be brought face to face and the one give the experimental proofs to the other that his instructions were correct? Man of the world, living		From your point of view then, those terms may seem so very reasonable as to provoke no dissent; and, indeed, a majority of your countrymen — if not of Europeans — might share that opinion. What, will you say, can be more reasonable than to ask that teacher — anxious to disseminate his knowledge, and pupil — offering him to do so should be brought face to face and the one give the experimental proofs to the other that his instructions were correct? Man of the world, living

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	upon your ear, has a peculiar significance with us which it cannot have with you; therefore, and to begin with, you must not accept it otherwise, than in the former sense. Perhaps you will better appreciate our meaning when told that in our view the highest aspirations for the welfare of humanity become tainted with selfishness if, in the mind of the philanthropist there lurks the shadow of desire for self benefit or a tendency to do injustice, even when these exist unconsciously to himself. Yet, you have ever discussed but to put down the idea of a universal Brotherhood, questioned its usefulness, and advised to remodel the [[Theosophical Society\|T.S.]] on the principle of a college for the special study of [[occultism]]. This, my respected and esteemed friend and Brother — will never do!		upon your ear, has a peculiar significance with us which it cannot have with you; therefore, and to begin with, you must not accept it otherwise, than in the former sense. Perhaps you will better appreciate our meaning when told that in our view the highest aspirations for the welfare of humanity become tainted with selfishness if, in the mind of the philanthropist there lurks the shadow of desire for self benefit or a tendency to do injustice, even when these exist unconsciously to himself. Yet, you have ever discussed but to put down the idea of a universal Brotherhood, questioned its usefulness, and advised to remodel the [[Theosophical Society\|T.S.]] on the principle of a college for the special study of [[occultism]]. This, my respected and esteemed friend and Brother — will never do!

	Having disposed of "personal motives," let us analyze your "terms" for helping us to do public good. Broadly stated these terms are — first: that an independent [[Simla Eclectic Theosophical Society\|Anglo-Indian Theosophical Society]]		Having disposed of "personal motives," let us analyze your "terms" for helping us to do public good. Broadly stated these terms are — <u>first</u>: that an independent [[Simla Eclectic Theosophical Society\|Anglo-Indian Theosophical Society]]

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Ariel Martínez: /* Page 5 */

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	most occult and the best guarded — the whole truth about our Lodges and ourselves; to get, in short, the positive assurance that the "[[Brothers]]" — of whom everyone hears so much and sees so little — are real entities — not fictions of a disordered hallucinated brain. Such, viewed in their best light appear to us your "motives" for addressing me. And in the same spirit do I answer them, hoping that my sincerity will not be interpreted in a wrong way or attributed to anything like an unfriendly spirit.		most occult and the best guarded — the whole truth about our Lodges and ourselves; to get, in short, the positive assurance that the "[[Brothers]]" — of whom everyone hears so much and sees so little — are real entities — not fictions of a disordered hallucinated brain. Such, viewed in their best light appear to us your "motives" for addressing me. And in the same spirit do I answer them, hoping that my sincerity will not be interpreted in a wrong way or attributed to anything like an unfriendly spirit.

	To our minds then, these motives, sincere and worthy of every serious consideration from the worldly standpoint, appear — selfish. (You have to pardon me what you might view as crudeness of language, if your desire really is, that which you profess — to learn truth and get instruction from us — who belong to quite a different world from the one you move in.) They are selfish because you must be aware that the chief object of the [[Theosophical Society\|T.S.]] is not so much to gratify individual aspirations as to serve our fellow men: and the real value of this term "selfish," which may jar		To our minds then, these motives, sincere and worthy of every serious consideration from the worldly standpoint, appear — <u>selfish</u>. (You have to pardon me what you might view as crudeness of language, if your desire <u>really</u> is, that which you profess — to learn truth and get instruction from us — who belong to quite a different world from the one you move in.) They are selfish because you must be aware that the chief object of the [[Theosophical Society\|T.S.]] is not so much to gratify individual aspirations as to serve our fellow men: and the real value of this term "selfish," which may jar

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Ariel Martínez: /* Page 2 */

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	evidences of the possibility of their possession. The [[adept]] is the rare efflorescence of a generation of enquirers; and to become one, he must obey the inward impulse of his [[soul]] irrespective of the prudential considerations of worldly science or sagacity. Your desire is to be brought to communicate with one of us directly, without the agency of either [[H. P. Blavatsky\|Mad. B.]] or any [[medium]]. Your idea would be, as I understand it, to obtain such communications either by letters — as the present one — or by audible words so as to be guided by one of us in the management and principally in the instruction of the [[Theosophical Society\|society]]. You seek all this, and yet, as you say yourself, hitherto you have not found "sufficient reasons" to even give up your "modes of life" — directly hostile to such modes of communications. This is hardly reasonable. He who would lift up high the banner of [[mysticism]] and proclaim its reign near at hand, must give the example to others. He must be the first to change his modes of life; and, regarding the study of the [[occult]] [[mysteries]] as the upper step in the ladder		evidences of the possibility of their possession. The [[adept]] is the rare efflorescence of a generation of enquirers; and to become one, he must obey the inward impulse of his [[soul]] irrespective of the prudential considerations of worldly science or sagacity. Your desire is to be brought to communicate with one of us directly, without the agency of either [[H. P. Blavatsky\|Mad. B.]] or any [[medium]]. Your idea would be, as I understand it, to obtain such communications either by letters — as the present one — or by audible words so as to be guided by one of us in the management and principally in the instruction of the [[Theosophical Society\|society]]. You seek all this, and yet, as you say yourself, hitherto you have not found "sufficient reasons" to even give up your "modes of life" — directly hostile to such modes of communications. This is hardly reasonable. He who would lift up high the banner of [[mysticism]] and proclaim its reign near at hand, must give the example to others. He must be the first to change <u>his</u> modes of life; and, regarding the study of the [[occult]] [[mysteries]] as the upper step in the ladder

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SysopJ: /* Physical description of letter */

2021-04-29T11:07:12Z

Physical description of letter

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	The original letter is in Folio 1 in the British Library. According to [[George Linton]] and [[Virginia Hanson]], the letter was:		The original letter is in Folio 1 in the British Library. According to [[George Linton]] and [[Virginia Hanson]], the letter was:
	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	Similar in appearance to [[Mahatma Letter No. 1\|ML-1]] and in the same dull black ink. On 6 sheets of standard size white paper, on both sides. Also, as in ML-1, the signature is in a somewhat different script from the text and in a slightly darker ink. It has a tinge of red in places. Also the signature varies a little from the previous one in that the last three parts are all joined together and the "h" at the end is illegible or missing. There are three dots ~~int he~~ form of a triangle beneath the signature.<ref>George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., ''Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'' (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 37-38.</ref>		Similar in appearance to [[Mahatma Letter No. 1\|ML-1]] and in the same dull black ink. On 6 sheets of standard size white paper, on both sides. Also, as in ML-1, the signature is in a somewhat different script from the text and in a slightly darker ink. It has a tinge of red in places. Also the signature varies a little from the previous one in that the last three parts are all joined together and the "h" at the end is illegible or missing. There are three dots in the form of a triangle beneath the signature.<ref>George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., ''Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett'' (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 37-38.</ref>
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

Anton Diachenko: /* Page 1 transcription, image, and notes */

2020-07-27T07:00:12Z

Page 1 transcription, image, and notes

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	Much ~~Esteemed~~ Sir and Brother,		Much esteemed Sir and Brother,

	We will be at cross purposes in our correspondence until it has been made entirely plain that [[occult science]] has its own methods of research as fixed and arbitrary as the methods of its antithesis physical science are in their way. If the latter has its dicta so also has the former; and he who would cross the boundary of the unseen world can no more prescribe how he will proceed than the traveller who tries to penetrate to the inner subterranean recesses of L'Hassa — the blessed, could show the way to his guide. The [[mysteries]] never were, never can be, put within the reach of the general public, not, at least, until that longed for day when our religious philosophy becomes universal. At no time have more than a scarcely appreciable minority of men possessed nature's secret, though multitudes have witnessed the practical		We will be at cross purposes in our correspondence until it has been made entirely plain that [[occult science]] has its own methods of research as fixed and arbitrary as the methods of its antithesis physical science are in their way. If the latter has its dicta so also has the former; and he who would cross the boundary of the unseen world can no more prescribe how he will proceed than the traveller who tries to penetrate to the inner subterranean recesses of L'Hassa — the blessed, could show the way to his guide. The [[mysteries]] never were, never can be, put within the reach of the general public, not, at least, until that longed for day when our religious philosophy becomes universal. At no time have more than a scarcely appreciable minority of men possessed nature's secret, though multitudes have witnessed the practical

SysopJ at 16:31, 4 March 2020

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	[[Category:ML to A. P. Sinnett]]		[[Category:ML to A. P. Sinnett]]
	[[Category:ML with images]]		[[Category:ML with images]]
	~~[[Category:ML needs publication history]]~~
	[[Category:ML needs commentary]]		[[Category:ML needs commentary]]

SysopJ at 23:08, 26 February 2020

2020-02-26T23:08:44Z

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	[[Category:ML from Koot Hoomi]]		[[Category:ML from Koot Hoomi]]
			[[Category:ML to A. P. Sinnett]]
			[[Category:ML with images]]
	[[Category:ML needs publication history]]		[[Category:ML needs publication history]]
	[[Category:ML needs commentary]]		[[Category:ML needs commentary]]

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	in, and in full sympathy with it — you are undoubtedly right. But the men of this other world of ours, untutored in your modes of thought, and who find very hard at times to follow and appreciate the latter, can hardly be blamed for not responding as heartily to your suggestions as in your opinion they deserve. The first and most important of our objections is to be found in our Rules. True, we have our schools and teachers, our [[neophyte]]s and [[Khobilgan#Shaberon\|shaberons]] (superior [[adepts]]), and the door is always opened to the right man who knocks. And, we invariably welcome the new comer; — only, instead of going over to him he has to come to us. More than that: unless he has reached that point in the path of [[occultism]] from which return is impossible, by his having irrevocably pledged himself to our association, we never — except in cases of utmost moment — visit him or even cross the threshold of his door in visible appearance.		in, and in full sympathy with it — you are undoubtedly right. But the men of this other world of ours, untutored in your modes of thought, and who find very hard at times to follow and appreciate the latter, can hardly be blamed for not responding as heartily to your suggestions as in your opinion they deserve. The first and most important of our objections is to be found in our <u>Rules</u>. True, we have our schools and teachers, our [[neophyte]]s and [[Khobilgan#Shaberon\|shaberons]] (superior [[adepts]]), and the door is always opened to the right man who knocks. And, we invariably welcome the new comer; — only, instead of going over to him he has to come to us. More than that: unless he has reached that point in the path of [[occultism]] from which return is impossible, by his having irrevocably pledged himself to our association, we never — except in cases of utmost moment — visit him or even cross the threshold of his door in visible appearance.

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	upon your ear, has a peculiar significance with us which it cannot have with you; therefore, and to begin with, you must not accept it otherwise, than in the former sense. Perhaps you will better appreciate our meaning when told that in our view the highest aspirations for the welfare of humanity become tainted with selfishness if, in the mind of the philanthropist there lurks the shadow of desire for self benefit or a tendency to do injustice, even when these exist unconsciously to himself. Yet, you have ever discussed but to put down the idea of a universal Brotherhood, questioned its usefulness, and advised to remodel the [[Theosophical Society\|T.S.]] on the principle of a college for the special study of [[occultism]]. This, my respected and esteemed friend and Brother — will never do!		upon your ear, has a peculiar significance with us which it cannot have with you; therefore, and to begin with, you must not accept it otherwise, than in the former sense. Perhaps you will better appreciate our meaning when told that in our view the highest aspirations for the welfare of humanity become tainted with selfishness if, in the mind of the philanthropist there lurks the shadow of desire for self benefit or a tendency to do injustice, even when these exist unconsciously to himself. Yet, you have ever discussed but to put down the idea of a universal Brotherhood, questioned its usefulness, and advised to remodel the [[Theosophical Society\|T.S.]] on the principle of a college for the special study of [[occultism]]. This, my respected and esteemed friend and Brother — will never do!

	Having disposed of "personal motives," let us analyze your "terms" for helping us to do public good. Broadly stated these terms are — first: that an independent [[Simla Eclectic Theosophical Society\|Anglo-Indian Theosophical Society]]		Having disposed of "personal motives," let us analyze your "terms" for helping us to do public good. Broadly stated these terms are — <u>first</u>: that an independent [[Simla Eclectic Theosophical Society\|Anglo-Indian Theosophical Society]]

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	evidences of the possibility of their possession. The [[adept]] is the rare efflorescence of a generation of enquirers; and to become one, he must obey the inward impulse of his [[soul]] irrespective of the prudential considerations of worldly science or sagacity. Your desire is to be brought to communicate with one of us directly, without the agency of either [[H. P. Blavatsky\|Mad. B.]] or any [[medium]]. Your idea would be, as I understand it, to obtain such communications either by letters — as the present one — or by audible words so as to be guided by one of us in the management and principally in the instruction of the [[Theosophical Society\|society]]. You seek all this, and yet, as you say yourself, hitherto you have not found "sufficient reasons" to even give up your "modes of life" — directly hostile to such modes of communications. This is hardly reasonable. He who would lift up high the banner of [[mysticism]] and proclaim its reign near at hand, must give the example to others. He must be the first to change his modes of life; and, regarding the study of the [[occult]] [[mysteries]] as the upper step in the ladder		evidences of the possibility of their possession. The [[adept]] is the rare efflorescence of a generation of enquirers; and to become one, he must obey the inward impulse of his [[soul]] irrespective of the prudential considerations of worldly science or sagacity. Your desire is to be brought to communicate with one of us directly, without the agency of either [[H. P. Blavatsky\|Mad. B.]] or any [[medium]]. Your idea would be, as I understand it, to obtain such communications either by letters — as the present one — or by audible words so as to be guided by one of us in the management and principally in the instruction of the [[Theosophical Society\|society]]. You seek all this, and yet, as you say yourself, hitherto you have not found "sufficient reasons" to even give up your "modes of life" — directly hostile to such modes of communications. This is hardly reasonable. He who would lift up high the banner of [[mysticism]] and proclaim its reign near at hand, must give the example to others. He must be the first to change <u>his</u> modes of life; and, regarding the study of the [[occult]] [[mysteries]] as the upper step in the ladder

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