THEOSOPHY-BRIDGING THE CENTURIES

RUKMINI DEVI ARUNDALE

From the age of sixteen, I have been connected with the Theosophical Society as an official member, and before, as an unofficial member. My contact has not been with those great people such as Madame Blavatsky or Colonel Olcott and their generation to whom we owe so much. My contact has been with others who have inspired me in my life. The three who have most inspired me have been Dr Besant, who has been like a mother and Guru to all of us, C. W. Leadbeater, a great comrade in the work, and Dr Arundale, because of whom I had wonderful opportunities of coming into a greater family. My experiences have been not merely something to talk about, but have been educative, because I feel that when I travel, speak, or do any work, I am not only trying to tell somebody what to do or to teach, but much more, to learn why we are moving about in the world. That has been the great education. But most important of all has been the spiritual appeal made to each one of us to live a grater life, a life of dedication and sincerity by which we discover ourselves.

When I pay profound homage to Dr Besant, I would like very strongly to say, as one who knows, I think probably better than anybody else here, that never has the spiritual education she gave been such as to make us into what other people want. What I learned from Dr Besant was to discover myself, to discover my capacity, to discover my contribution, and to give it to the best of my ability. When speaking about “my” contribution, there is no “I” in it. It has nothing to do with the personality. It is the contribution we have built up through ages and incarnations, that with which we are born, and which we have yet to discover, just as each child is trying to discover its own life.

So we come with certain gifts which we have built up in many incarnations, and these gifts we must develop in this and in every life. If we can fulfil our missions and give the best that we can, whatever it may be, this is the highest and the greatest contribution we can make. The essential message of a spiritual life, or even of the celebration of a centenary, is not that we should think of starting a new century in time. In terms of years it is a new century, but in terms of life, it is not a new century.

We have been taught to try to attain certain spiritual levels, in order to achieve spiritual consciousness and live in a greater way because of it. We have been taught that we must rise into the consciousness of the Great Ones in order to become one with our Higher Selves and with the Great Ones. We have been taught that we have to reach the feet of those Elder Brothers by our life, by meditation, by spiritual perception, by study. All this may be true, but in my school, which is the world, it is not so much that we make a bridge between ourselves and that which is highest, but that our interest should be the bridge between ourselves and all that is great. If we are going to meditate on God, I would like to reverse the process and say let us mediate on life. Let us meditate on the thing which we think is less evolved. I feel that the contact we make with things around us is even more important than the contact we try to make with something greater and un-seen by us. Because all that is unseen, all that is greater, is also in the seen and in the lesser. And in the lesser and in the seen, there is greatness, there is beauty, there is perfection, which we must learn to appreciate and enjoy. I feel that unless we can express that, unless we can feel that, we can never go into a new century except in the process of time.

Going into a new century is starting life, a new life, a new world, a new expression, and a change that must take place within ourselves. And that change which must take place within ourselves is the only change that will come, not any other.

We all speak about Theosophy and the Theosophical Society and the great gifts given by Madame Blavatsky. We all accept them, but however proud we may be of these gifts, we must not act as if we initiated them. We did not start them. Amongst you there may be a great person who might revolutionize the world, but I think the majority of us are not capable of starting such a movement or giving such a teaching. Therefore, we have to learn that the greatness in H. P. B. brought forth a message, and we are merely humble recipients of that message which we must appreciate, understand and be inspired by. There must be that greatness which makes us humble rather than proud of it.

I feel very often that we talk about Theosophy and the Theosophical Society as if they are our private possessions. I think that attitude of possession is something we have to forget, because we do not really possess them, we cannot possess them. It is impossible to possess these things. What we can possess is the gift that we receive as the result of an inspiration that we might derive under any circumstances. If you ask what is spiritual, I would say any inspiration that we can derive which is true, which is beautiful, which inspires others, which appreciates others, which brings comfort to others, which helps others. That inspiration is the reality, the inspiration from above. We cannot label it and say this inspiration is Theosophy, that inspiration is not.

People talk about defining Theosophy, but we need not take the trouble to define it. Why do we want to analyze it? Why do we want to put it into words? That which is the greatest can never be put into words. It is inspiration, it is universal, it is greatness. That is the essence of all spiritual teaching.

Therefore it is the life and not the form which is Theosophy. It is that life that we must learn to feel under every circumstance in the world. There are thousands of circumstances in which we can feel, and be inspired. Unfortunately we do not often recognize them. If we do not feel inspired by something, we say this is not it. We miss the great opportunity of contacting a very wonderful and high consciousness of beauty which we can do if only we will not be sectarian, or if we will not label that life under any name whatsoever. All that is great is obviously nameless.

Therefore, what we have to do if we really want this convention, or this particular moment, to be a great moment that will take us into a new life, is to try to lift ourselves, not into something higher, because there is nothing higher, but into everything around, which is high also. We have to learn to express that life and let that life flow through us, first, by inspiration and second, by action, because right action can come only from inspiration. Life can be released only by that inspiration. First we have to learn to be inspired. Second, we have to learn to give. We have to learn to express that inspiration in a thousand different ways.

I am not not saying anything new. We cannot say anything new, but we can think, we can feel, we can examine ourselves to see how many things there are in the world for which we really feel concerned. We talk about helping humanity. The first question we have to ask is how interested we are in humanity. How interested are we in the world? How deeply do we feel for the world? How much do we feel the suffering that is taking place? I think that we should spend at least two-thirds of our time on these things and only one-third on speaking or teaching or talking. This is my viewpoint. There are those for whom we must feel. What will be our contribution? If we are inspired, how will we express that inspiration? Where is our contribution? We say that we believe in brotherhood. Brotherhood has to be proved. It is not enough to believe. Everybody in the world believes in brotherhood. Even those who are violent believe in brotherhood, only, they are brotherly in a violent way. Why do you fight? Be calm, they say, but with great anger. And so violence is approved as a means of working for brotherhood. We have to think of the means to the end.

So, if we believe in brotherhood, it is about time that we do not talk about it at all, because it is understood. We do not need to talk about it any more. Why should we go on talking about something we all know? Why should we try to convert the converted? Now the thing to do is to practise it. How can we put it into practice? We have to feel. We have really to love. We have to sympathize. We have to think about brotherhood. We have to do many things which must come from out hearts. That is important.

I am interested in and appreciate the great achievements of the intellect. I appreciate the wonderful way in which humanity has discovered ways of going to the moon, the wonderful way in which humanity has discovered how to get into Mars. All these wonderful things are there, but we still remain where we are. Our world is still the same world, and we have to change our world. Though the achievements are there, the greatest achievement is the achievement of change that we can make in ourselves. So, when we talk about brotherhood, let us examine many things–whether we are really working for it.

I really believe that not all of us are practising our Theosophy as much as we should and as much as we could. We have not yet learned to appreciate fully, to understand, and to take interest in life in all its forms. There is so much suffering going on in so many ways. I do not understand why it is we cannot say to all our Theosphists, as the Ashrams do and insist on that. To lead a spiritual life we must be vegetarian? Indeed, we say that we must be vegetarian only to be spiritual. Why cannot we be vegetarian because of compassion? So many are vegetarians because they think by being vegetarian they can make great spiritual progress, yet there is no love or compassion. May be the time will come when we can say that we should not follow these ways just for our personal benefit. We want to be recognized by some great being, or we want to gain a very high level of spiritual consciousness. If we cannot put our tenets into practice, how can we reach that spiritual level and why should we want salvation? I am not interested at all in whether I am going to be saved in this life or in the next life. I shall be much happier in saving a large number of animals and human beings. Why must we think of spiritual life in terms of personal satisfaction and our personal progress? I feel really that we should avoid that particular way of thinking. The great teachers of humanity have said “change yourself”. Think how you can reach the feet of God. We do not know how they meant it, but we know very well when we read their words that when they think of God, they think of God in every living being, in every living creature on earth. I cannot see God anywhere except here in this world. I can only see around me. I am blind as far as God is concerned in that exalted form in which people picture Him. I am not blind when it comes to seeing people, human beings, those about us, the animals, and so on. There are so many things to which I feel we must put our minds. We must examine ourselves and see in what way we can change our way of thinking. How can we turn outward and not always inwards. The strange thing is you cannot turn inward unless you turn outward. If you cannot love nature and animals, it is no use saying I am going somewhere deep inside. Even those who are the most highly developed have insisted upon love and compassion towards all living creatures, not merely compassion but active practical compassion. It is no use going along the street and saying, “Look at that poor man. I am so sorry for him.” He does not care whether you are sorry for him or not. What he wonders is what are you going to do. It is no use saying, “Look at that animal suffering. It is a great pity the SPCA does not do something.” What do you do? How do you try to serve that creature? This is Theosophy. This is brotherhood. Our mind must be turned outwards. If it is not, it is not spiritual, as far as I am concerned.

There are many things in the world which we can do, but we must see the world, study the world. You may think, I want to change the world. How am I going to change it? Take it step by step. This year is called the International Women’s Year. I have told many that I do not like the idea of a year for women. It is the International Women’s Century. There are problems of the East and problems of the West. The West–quite a large number of people in the West–is interested in Eastern teaching. The East is interested to see how Western they can be. While Western young men wear dhotis, our Indian young men wear trousers. While foreign women want to wear saris, our Indian young women want to wear trousers. The other day I happened to mention it to the Dalai Lama. “That’s a good exchange!” he said in fun. I do not mind whether they wear saris or trousers, but the fact is we have not understood values. If we understand values, if we really feel that we appreciate them, that is all right. But mere exterior form without appreciation of the meaning or values is an unfortunate tendency in our world. The appreciation of true values is important.

Very often I hear people say, “Oh, this is what they do, but that is the modern way.” I cannot understand that phrase at all. What does it matter whether it is modern, or old, or new, but is it true, is it beautiful, is it real? Is not that much more important? People condone certain customs, and say, that is the modern outlook. The only thing I can say then, is that I do not like that modern outlook. Even Theosophists say, “Well, you know, ideas have changed.” So, if ideas change for the worse, we accept the change because it is the latest. Is that right? Accept it if you want to, but accept it after thinking, after feeling.

We must have a standard, a certain idea created by our sensitiveness, not through our mental concept of right or wrong, but through our sensitiveness to feel the reality–to feel what is great, what is beautiful, what is noble, what is true–and act according to that. This is a timeless thing, and it has no nationality whatever.

In modern times, there is a general deterioration along so many lines. What are we thinking, what are the reforms we are trying to make? How are we affecting our civilization? Most important is our not examining the things that we do not see. So many things we do not see. We talk about violence. There is violence everywhere. We feel it very deeply when a hundred people die in an aeroplane accident, or there is violence in this country or another. There is violence in India. Everywhere there is. No country is better than another. But we are not interested in true values. We are in a mental world of our own. What is that world according to which we must live? The greatest and most important influence of all is the influence that must be created by a very sympathetic and loving attitude towards all living things.

India has been the great source of inspiration. That is why Madame Blavatsky came here. She discovered the rishis. Perhaps we are incongruous. When we use the word rishis, we think we are being Hindu. When we use the word Masters, we think that we are not. The teachings of the great rishis are founded on this selflessness, on making a complete contact between the higher and the so-called lower world. There is neither a higher nor a lower world. There is only one world, one life, one atmosphere, one greatness. And the great rishis have given this message, and the teachings of the Buddha, of Sri Krishna–marvellous, wonderful examples to all of us. The entire world is trying to understand them.

We who are in India, we who are members of the Theosophical Society in this country, what are we doing to see the truth, to take away from it all falseness that might exist created by ourselves, to see the truth, to discover the truth, lift it and give that message to the world? When we give that message to the world, I do not mean by talking, but by action. I am only pointing out the opportunity that we all have, which each one of us must share in this tremendous opportunity to give that true message to the country which has been the source of inspiration to the great founders. It has been the source of inspiration to our great leader, Dr. Annie Besant. She established schools and colleges everywhere so that our young people might imbibe that spirit.

I will tell you one small story about her. One day when I came on a boat with her to Bombay, she landed, and I saw her prostrating on the dirty ground outside. I stood there and said, “Why do you do it?” She said, “Because this is the land which the great Teachers of humanity have trodden. I do not see the dirt, I only see the light.” That was because of her own greatness. We may not feel like doing it. I am only telling you what inspired her. Let these great teachings and the Teachers inspire us on our pathway. Let them inspire us to make our country a truly holy, beautiful country, an Ashram and a home of the most compassionate living. As we read in The Saakuntala, when the king comes hunting in the Ashram, the Guru says, “No, this is a place of peace for all living creatures. No creature must be hurt.” How beautiful those words are! Try to feel, and if you feel deeply you realize how beautiful it is. Try to live beauty.

I know you might expect me to speak about art, but art is this same thing to me. It gives inspiration, it gives me a picture of another world that can become part of this world. It gives me a picture of a world that can show how this world can be, how you and I can be. And therefore, that inspiration is the inspiration which unites all, which uplifts us all and brings into our life new greatness. That is the greatness for which we may live. So, if you say to me, “What is the centenary, what is the new life?” I say I don’t mind what I am or to what religion or to which organization I belong, but as long as I can sincerely feel without bitterness or hatred or jealousy, a real love for every living creature, as long as I can give every ounce of my energy to help these, as long as I can feel or at least try to do so, I think, for me, that I have fulfilled my mission as a Theosophist.

(Public Lecture delivered at the Centenary Celebrations Theosophical Society)

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