Masters of Wisdom

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The Masters of Wisdom, or simply "The Masters" are initiates in the occult science and esoteric philosophy, who take disciples or chelas. H. P. Blavatsky, in the glossary of her book The Key to Theosophy defined the Theosophical concept of "Master" as follows:

Master. A translation from the Sanskrit Guru, "Spiritual teacher," and adopted by the Theosophists to designate the Adepts, from whom they hold their teachings.[1]

The Masters of Wisdom are sometimes referred indistinctly as "Brothers", "Adepts", or "Mahatmas."

Adepts and Masters

The word "Adept" was used by Mme. Blavatsky as a general term to denote people with a varying degree of occult knowledge and initiation. This term does not necessarily imply a person with a high spiritual evolution, and it was sometimes used even to denominate black magicians. Thus, there are good and evil Adepts, of a high or low order.

The word Master, however, seems to be reserved to high adepts who work in line with the evolutionary movement. This idea is expressed to certain extent by Charles Johnston in his published interview to H. P. Blavatsky:

Then she told me something about other Masters and adepts she had known -- for she made a difference, as though the adepts were the captains of the occult world, and the Masters were the generals. She had known adepts of many races, from Northern and Southern India, Tibet, Persia, China, Egypt; of various European nations, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, English; of certain races in South America, where she said there was a Lodge of adepts.[2]

Although the Masters known through the Theosophical literature use a male body, there are testimonies by a number of chelas that there are women adepts, even of the highest degree.

Renouncing Nirvana

An important feature of the Masters of Wisdom is that, although they have attained the right to enter in Nirvāṇa they renounce to it in order to stay in touch with humanity. This is the same concept of the Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, which was not very well know at the time to the Western world:

. . .the hitherto very esoteric doctrine of the Nirmanakayas was lately brought forward as a proof and explained in the treatise called The Voice of the Silence. These Nirmanakayas are the Bodhisattvas or late Adepts, who having reached Nirvana and liberation from rebirth, renounce it voluntarily in order to remain invisibly amidst the world to help poor ignorant Humanity within the lines permitted by Karma.[3]

This is evidently a sacrifice on their part, renouncing to live in a state of bliss on higher planes to incessantly work on the lower ones. As Mahatma K.H. wrote to A. P. Sinnett:

I will be busy night and day, morning, noon, and evening. At times I feel a passing regret that the Chohans should not evolute the happy idea of allowing us also a "sumptuary allowance" in the shape of a little spare time. Oh, for the final Rest! for that Nirvana where — "to be one with Life, yet — to live not." Alas, alas! having personally realized that: ". . . the Soul of Things is sweet, The Heart of Being is celestial Rest," one does long for — eternal REST![4]

The work of the Masters

When asked by Charles Johnston about their work she answered: "You would hardly understand, unless you were an adept. But they keep alive the spiritual life of mankind."[5] He then asked her how the adepts guide the souls of men, to which H. P. Blavatsky answered:

In many ways, but chiefly by teaching their souls direct, in the spiritual world. But that is difficult for you to understand. This is quite intelligible, though. At certain regular periods, they try to give the world at large a right understanding of spiritual things. One of their number comes forth to teach the masses, and is handed down to tradition as the Founder of a religion. Krishna was such a Master; so was Zoroaster; so were Buddha and Shankara Acharya, the great sage of Southern India. So also was the Nazarene. He went forth against the counsel of the rest, to give to the masses before the time, moved by a great pity, and enthusiasm for humanity; he was warned that the time was unfavorable, but nevertheless he elected to go, and so was put to death at the instigation of the priests. . . .
But that is not the only work of the adepts. At much shorter periods, they send forth a messenger to try to teach the world. Such a period comes in the last quarter of each century, and the Theosophical Society represents their work for this epoch.[6]

There are some references to some kind of involvement of the Masters in political or social matters. For example in The Mahatma Letters, the Master K.H. wrote to A. P. Sinnett around November 1880:

A crisis, in a certain sense, is upon us now, and must be met. I might say two crises — one, the Society's, the other for Tibet. For, I may tell you in confidence, that Russia is gradually massing her forces for a future invasion of that country under the pretext of a Chinese War. If she does not succeed it will be due to us; and herein, at least we will deserve your gratitude. You see then, that we have weightier matters than small societies to think about; yet, the T.S. must not be neglected.[7]

Another reference by the same Master, written around July, 1882, states:

The Egyptian operations of your blessed countrymen involve such local consequences to the body of Occultists still remaining there and to what they are guarding, that two of our adepts are already there, having joined some Druze brethren and three more on their way. I was offered the agreeable privilege of becoming an eye-witness to the human butchery, but — declined with thanks. For such great emergency is our Force stored up, and hence — we dare not waste it on fashionable tamasha.[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Helena Ptrovna Blavatsky, The Key To Theosophy, Glossary (Pasadena, CA: Theosophical University Press, 1972), 348.
  2. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings, vol. 8 (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1960), 400.
  3. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings, vol. 12 (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 31.
  4. ↑ Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett in chronological sequence No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 203-204.
  5. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings, vol. 8 (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1960), 401.
  6. ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings, vol. 8 (Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1960), 401-402.
  7. ↑ Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence No. 5 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 15.
  8. ↑ Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence No. 68 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 203.

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