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The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett - 1923

By A. T. Barker

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Letter LXIII

Received London, Summer, 1884. 

Good friend— 
When our first correspondence began, there was no Idea then ofany publications being issued on the basis of the replies you mightreceive. You went on putting questions at random and theanswers being given at different times to disjointed queries, andso to say, under a semi-protest, were necessarily imperfect, oftenfrom different standpoints. When the publication of someofthese were permitted for the Occult World, it was hoped thatamong your readers some may be able, like yourself, to put all thedifferent pieces together and evolve out of them the skeleton orashadow of our system which, although not exactly the original—this would be an impossibility—would be as near an approach toit as could be made by a non-initiate. But the results have provedquasi-disastrous ! We had tried an experiment and sadly failed!

Now we see that none but those who have passed at least their third initiation are able to write upon those subjects comprehensively. A Herbert Spencer would have made a mess of it under your circumstances. Mohini is certainly not quite right, in some details he is positively wrong, but so are you my old friend, though the outside reader is none the wiser for it and no one, so far, has noticed the real vital errors in Esoteric Buddhism and Man; nor are they likely to. We can give no further information on the subject already approached by you and have to leave the facts already communicated to be woven into a consistent and systematic philosophy by the chelas at the headquarters. The Secret Doctrine will explain many things, set to right more than one perplexed student.

Therefore, to put before the world all the crude and complicated materials in your possession in the shape of old letters, in which, I confess, much was purposely made obscure, would only be making confusion worse confounded. Instead of doing any good thereby to yourself and others it would only place you in a still more difficult position, bring criticism upon the heads of the Masters and thus have a retarding influence on human progress and the T.S. Hence I protest most strongly against your new idea. Leave to the Secret Doctrine the task of avenging you. My letters must not be published, in the manner you suggest, but on the contrary if you save Djual K. trouble copies of some should be sent to the literary Committee at Adyar—about which Damodar has written to you—so that with the assistance of S.Y.K. Charya, Djual K., Subba Row and the Secret Committee (from which H.P.B. was purposely excluded by us to avoid new suspicions and calumnies) they might be able to utilise the in- formation for the realization of the object with which the Committee was started, as explained by Damodar in the letter written by him under orders. It is neither new *' Kiddle developments " that I seek to avoid nor criticism directed against my personality, which indeed can hardly be reached ; but I rather try to save yourself and Society from new troubles which would be serious this time. The letters, in short, were not written for publication or public comment upon them, but for private use, and neither M. nor I would ever give our consent to see them thus handled. As regards your first letter D.J.K. has been instructed to attend to it. In such delicate matters I am still less competent to give advice than to satisfy aspiring ** chelas " of the ** L.C.H." sort. I am afraid the ** poor, dear Mrs. Holloway " is showing her white teeth and would hardly be found now ** a charming companion." Under instructions Olcott wrote a letter to Finch—which gives the key to the little problem. It is Fern, Moorad Ali, Bishen Lall and other wrecks, over again. Why shall " would-be " chelas with such intense, self-personalities, enforce themselveswithin the enchanted and dangerous circle of probation ! Pardoning- my short letter, I am very busy just now with the comingnew year. 

K. H