Masonic, Occult and Esoteric Online Library
The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett - 1923
By A. T. Barker
Letter No LXXXVII
To the London Lodge, Theosophical Society—Greeting. Since the telegrams to Mrs. Kingsford and Mr. Sinnett and myletter from Mysore have not been fully understood, I was orderedby the Maha-Chohan to advise the postponement of the annualelection, so as to avoid anything like precipitancy and gain timefor the consideration of this letter. After the cold reception givenby the members of the L.L.T.S. on December the i6th to theproposal contained on page 29 of the printed and confidentialcircular of Mrs. Kingsford and Mr. Maitland (in the latter'sRemarks and Propositions), namely the necessity of forming a dis-tinct body or group within the general group of the L.L.T.S.—which proposition, if not identical in its suggested practicalmethod, is so in substance with that thrown out by me in myletter December 7th—on the one hand, and certain misconceptions,false hopes and displeasure on the other—the postponement wasfound absolutely necessary.
As implied in my last, at the date of the above communicationthe burning question was not as to the literal or allegoricalcharacter of Mr. Sinnett 's latest work but the loyalty or disloyaltyof your President and her co-worker towards ourselves, whommany of you have seen fit to choose as your esoteric Teachers.From such a standpoint, and no other complaint having beenlodged at that time (October 21st), an imperative necessity aroseto maintain, in the wise words of Mrs. Kingsford—themselves butthe echo of the Tathagatha's own voice—the policy of dissociating'* the authority of names, whether in the past or in the present,from abstract principles." (Inaugural Address of the President,October 21st, 1883). The question involved being that of Justice,Mrs. Kingsford' s ignorance of our real character, our doctrinesand status (underlying as they do all her uncomplimentary remarksin connection with the present writer and his colleagues) madethem of not even the weight of a flake of cotton in the matterof her re-election. This, coupled with her own intrinsic andindividual worth and her charity to the poor brutes as also thefact of her asking Madam H. P. Blavatsky to ** submit my(her)letter to Koot-Hoomi "—made her former course the prop>er one.
And now, the development of events since the despatch of thetelegrams in question, will have perhaps suggested to someofyou the true reason for so unusual, not to say arbitrary, an actionas an interference with the reserved elective rights of a Branch Time often neutralizes the gravest evils by hastening a crisis. Moreover, and once more in the language of her address,—(your President referring to a private letter of mine to Mr. Ward, which she had read, wherein I wrote, as she thinks) " in evident ignor- ance of the facts, and this is not wonderful "—^we may be sup- posed to have been likewise ignorant of the forthcoming printed ** Letter, private and confidential " circulated among the members of the L.L.T.S. on December the i6th. Thus she need hardly be surprised to find that this ** Letter " has greatly altered the case. Always on the strength of the principle of impartial justice involved, we find ourselves obliged not to ratify literally our decision as to her re-election but to add to it certain clauses and make it henceforth impossible for the President and members to misconceive our mutual position. Far from our thoughts may it ever be to erect a new hierachy for the future oppression of a priest-ridden world. As it was our wish then to signify to you that one could be both an active and useful member of the Society without inscribing himself our follower or co-religionist, so is it now. But it is just because the principle has to work both ways, that (our personal desire for her re-election notwithstanding) we feel and would have it known that we have no right to influence the free will of the members in this or any other matter. Such interference would be in flagrant contradiction with the basic laws of esotericism that personal psychic growth accompanies pari passu the development of individual effort, and is the evidence of acquired personal merit. Moreover, a great discrepancy is observable in the reports to us of the effects produced by the '* Kingsford—Sinnett inci- dent " upon the members. In the face of this I find it impossible to accede to Mrs. Kingsford's several desires as expressed in her letter to Madam Blavatsky. If Mr. Massey and Mr. Ward give the lady their ** entire approbation and sympathy " a very large majority of members seem to give their's to Mr. Sinnett. Therefore, were I to act up to Mr. Massey 's suggestion as reported by Mrs. Kingsford in her letter of December 20th in which she gives as his opinion that '* a word only from Mahatma K.H. would be quite sufficient to reconcile Mr. Sinnett to my (the lady's) view of the matter and to establish between him and the Lodge the most perfect cordiality and understanding."—I would be actually making myself the quasi Pope she deprecates and an unjust and an arbitrary one besides. I would then truly lay myself and Mr. Sinnett open to just criticism, even more severe than that found in her inaugural address, in the several remarkable utterances wherein she affirms her " mistrust of all appeals to authority." One who has just said : " I look with sorrow and concern on the growing tendency of the Theosophical Society to introduce into its methods—^the exaggerated veneration for persons and personal authority—^the veritable outcome of which is a mere servile hero-worship. —There is far too much talk among us about the Adeptsour * Masters ' and the like. —Too much capital is made of theirsayings and doings, etc."—should not have asked me for suchinterference even though sure that my faithful friend, Mr. Sinnett,would not have resented it. Were I to have acceded to the lady'sdesire to apfK>int her as the '* apK>stle of Eastern and WesternEsotericism " and try to force her election on even one unwillingmember, and taking advantage of Mr. Sinnett' s never waveringwarm regard for myself, influence his future attitude toward herself and the movement, I would then indeed deserve to be tauntedas " the oracle of the Theosophists " and classed with *' Jo Smithof the Latter-day-Saints, and Thomas Lake Harris," thetranscendental misegenist of two worlds. I cannot believe that onewho maintained only a few days previously that *' our wise andtruly theosophical course is not to set up new Popes and proclaimnew Lords and Masters "—should now in her own case seek theprotection and evoke the aid and ** authority," which could onlyassert itself upon the hypothesis of a blind surrender of privatejudgment. And, as I prefer to attribute Mrs. Kingsford's desireto her ignorance of the real feeling of some of her colleagues, thenature of which is perhaps disguised now under the polished in-sincerities of civilized Western life, —I would recommend her andothers interested in the present dispute to appeal to the decisionof the ballot, by which all may express their wishes without invidi-ously exposing themselves to the charge of discourtesy. This'would be but to take advantage of the privilege given to themat the close of Art. 3 of their Rides.
And now for another consideration. However little we mightcare for personal subserviency to us, the accepted leaders of theFounders of the Parent Theososphical Society, we can neverapprove or tolerate disloyalty in any member of whatsoeverBranch to the fundamental principles represented by the ParentOrganization. The rules of the mother-body must be lived uptoby those composing its Branches ; provided of course, that theydonot transcend the three declared objects of the organization. Theexperience of the Parent Society proves that the usefulness ofaBranch very largely, if not entirely, depends up>on the loyalt}sdiscretion and zeal of its President and Secretary ; however muchtheir colleagues may do to assist them, the efficient activity oftheir group develops proportionately with that of those officers.
In conclusion I must repeat that it is to prevent action in thematter of Mrs. Kingsford's re-election until the effacement of anymisapprehension produced by my previous communications, thatI have advised the annual election of office-bearers of your Lodgeto stand over until the arrival of the present letter. Moreover,as the President-Founder—who knows our mind and has our confidence—is expected to be in England in a very short time, we do not see the necessity of taking any hasty steps in the matter. He has been given such a general view of the situation as will enable him to deal impartially with this case and others upon his arrival, as the representative at once of his Master and of the best interests of the Society.
(By order of my Most Venerated Guru Deva Mahatma K Y It would be wise to read this letter to the members—including Mrs. Kingsford—before the new day of election. I would have you prevent, if possible, another **coup de theatre." However natural such sensational surprises may be in politics when parties are composed of devotees whose souls rejoice in party intrigue, they are very painful to witness in an Association of persons who profess to give themselves up to the most solemn questions affect- ing human interest. Let meaner natures wrangle if they will ; the wise compound their differences in a mutually forbearing spirit.
K. H
Mr. Maitland's Remarks and Observations on Esoteric Buddhism are fully answered by Subba Row and another still greater scholar. They will be sent next week in pamphlet form, and Mr. Sinnett asked to distribute them among those members esf>ecially who have been affected by the criticism.
