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1The chief Hierophant of Buddhism and the Thibetan adepts is the Taley Lama of Lhassa. “Every Lama,” says Madam Blavatsky, “is subject to the grand Taley Lama, the Buddhist pope of Thibet, who holds his residence at Lhassa and is a re-incarnation of Buddha.” This assertion fully corroborates what we said previously. Note well the last sentence, “and is a re-incarnation of Buddha.” Compare this with the fact II on a preceding page, and you will see once more that we find the leaders of Theosophic Buddhism re-asserting the theological dogmas of a church and teaching them for truth. Buddhists would have us really believe that Buddha continues to incarnate and re-incarnate age after age. We can only say that no soul who has passed through the trials of material incarnation and the fires of spiritual purification would submit to continually exist within a material organism, and endure from age to age the hell of a Grand Lama’s life. For the formulas, ceremonies and usages of a religious potentate are indeed a hell to the pure in heart. We shall be met face to face with the assertion that with very high adepts and other exalted souls these things are different, that Nature’s laws are either reversed or transcended. To this we would say that such statements are false; they are of the same stamp as the KARMA 71
2Roman Catholic Bulls of the past, nothing but priestly word-juggling. Nature is no respecter of persons, and neither Buddha nor any other soul can continue to re-incarnate from age to age. The most that such a dominant mind could do would be to obsess and mould an unborn foetus to suit its purpose and then, by virtue of such obsession, partially inhabit the same. Under these circumstances the physical body is but the helpless machine of a dominant foreign mind, and we need scarcely say that no purified soul would sink to such a plane of existence. This question of obsession brings us to the subject of our next chapter, therefore, we must bring the present one to a close.
3The whole teaching of Re-incarnation and Karma as taught by Buddhism, esoteric (?) or otherwise, is purely dogma; it is materialism run to seed, combined with oriental speculations. It is a huge system of selfishness, to work out good here for the sake of greater good hereafter. Such motives of exchange are corrupt. As Socrates says; “We give up some small pleasures for still greater pleasures.” This, instead of being truly good, is the polar opposite. MOTIVE ALONE is the proper cause of action, according to the Hermetic doctrine. Do good for the sake of simple goodness and virtue alone, not for the sake of gaining favor. There is too much of this “I am holier than thou” about the oriental teachings of karma. A prosperous, self-righteous Pharisee gloats over his previous good karma when he sees his downtrodden brother and when he aids it is because he thinks the karma of the action will well repay him. Then again, when any serious case of suffering is presented to these great Buddhist souls for their magical intervention and psycho¬ logical aid, we are piously told that karma cannot be interfered with. If, instead, they said that to aid was beyond their reach of power, they would probably speak the real truth. Lastly, let us say distinctly that the author has put the assertion of old Socrates (at the head of this chapter) to the test. The whole of these Hermetic teachings have been personally verified within the realms of spirit when free from the control of the body, and therefore, we know whereof we write.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
1The chief Hierophant of Buddhism and the Thibetan adepts is the Taley Lama of Lhassa. “Every Lama,” says Madam Blavatsky, “is subject to the grand Taley Lama, the Buddhist pope of Thibet, who holds his residence at Lhassa and is a re-incarnation of Buddha.” This assertion fully corroborates what we said previously. Note well the last sentence, “and is a re-incarnation of Buddha.” Compare this with the fact II on a preceding page, and you will see once more that we find the leaders of Theosophic Buddhism re-asserting the theological dogmas of a church and teaching them for truth. Buddhists would have us really believe that Buddha continues to incarnate and re-incarnate age after age. We can only say that no soul who has passed through the trials of material incarnation and the fires of spiritual purification would submit to continually exist within a material organism, and endure from age to age the hell of a Grand Lama’s life. For the formulas, ceremonies and usages of a religious potentate are indeed a hell to the pure in heart. We shall be met face to face with the assertion that with very high adepts and other exalted souls these things are different, that Nature’s laws are either reversed or transcended. To this we would say that such statements are false; they are of the same stamp as the KARMA 71
2Roman Catholic Bulls of the past, nothing but priestly word-juggling. Nature is no respecter of persons, and neither Buddha nor any other soul can continue to re-incarnate from age to age. The most that such a dominant mind could do would be to obsess and mould an unborn foetus to suit its purpose and then, by virtue of such obsession, partially inhabit the same. Under these circumstances the physical body is but the helpless machine of a dominant foreign mind, and we need scarcely say that no purified soul would sink to such a plane of existence. This question of obsession brings us to the subject of our next chapter, therefore, we must bring the present one to a close.
3The whole teaching of Re-incarnation and Karma as taught by Buddhism, esoteric (?) or otherwise, is purely dogma; it is materialism run to seed, combined with oriental speculations. It is a huge system of selfishness, to work out good here for the sake of greater good hereafter. Such motives of exchange are corrupt. As Socrates says; “We give up some small pleasures for still greater pleasures.” This, instead of being truly good, is the polar opposite. MOTIVE ALONE is the proper cause of action, according to the Hermetic doctrine. Do good for the sake of simple goodness and virtue alone, not for the sake of gaining favor. There is too much of this “I am holier than thou” about the oriental teachings of karma. A prosperous, self-righteous Pharisee gloats over his previous good karma when he sees his downtrodden brother and when he aids it is because he thinks the karma of the action will well repay him. Then again, when any serious case of suffering is presented to these great Buddhist souls for their magical intervention and psycho¬ logical aid, we are piously told that karma cannot be interfered with. If, instead, they said that to aid was beyond their reach of power, they would probably speak the real truth. Lastly, let us say distinctly that the author has put the assertion of old Socrates (at the head of this chapter) to the test. The whole of these Hermetic teachings have been personally verified within the realms of spirit when free from the control of the body, and therefore, we know whereof we write.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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