A 2012 Open Letter to the
President to the Adyar Society
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Main building of the Headquarters of the Adyar
TS, in Chennai, India
Mrs. Radha Burnier
International
President,
The
Theosophical Society,
Adyar,
Chennai 600 020
Brazlândia,
12 April 2012.
Dear
Mrs. Burnier,
Fraternal
greetings from Brazil
I’m
glad to write you this year about the dynamic unity and living dialogue we seem
to need in the theosophical movement. Brotherly unity must be based on a
common search for truth. Its true foundation includes frankness, justice, and
ethics.
There
are by now a few signs announcing the possibility of a new springtime for the
theosophical movement as a whole, which must include the Adyar Society.
As you
know, one or two followers of Mr. Vladimir Soloviof created an almost
unprecedented crisis in your Society in the 2007-2011 period. They are much
calmer now from a political viewpoint: your own moderate political leadership
seems to be stronger since the second semester of 2011.
Such a
renewed scenario in 2012 is good news for the entire theosophical movement.
There can be no actual separation between the various theosophical schools of
thought. Therefore the movement can have no one slandering the Founders in the
name of any theosophical publishing
house or association. Respect
for truth and for each other is a practical principle to be followed
everywhere. We are all essentially one. We have no popes and no bishops. No
frauds are “eternal” or “sacred” among us; and it is our duty to show them all
for everyone to see.
In
order to experience the occult unity existing among all theosophists and to
promote the living of universal brotherhood while actively searching for truth,
one must renounce personal attachment to such sad illusions like personal power
or corporate interests. This is an often uncomfortable, yet unavoidable
challenge: it is also a key to the future.
We can
illustrate the point with a historical fact or two.
It was
in August 1925 that Mrs. Annie Besant, after having many a personal talk with
the King of the World, with the Manu of present humanity, with her favorite
“Lord Christ” and all sorts of imaginary individuals, finally announced to her
closest associates that she herself, and Mr. Leadbeater, Mr. Arundale and
several others, were all Adepts, id
est, Masters of the Wisdom. A detailed narrative of this
extraordinary event can be found at the book “Life and Death of Krishnamurti”,
by Mary Lutyens (Krishnamurti Foundation India, 1990, pp. 53-58).
If we
go back some thirty years from that memorable occasion in 1925, we can see
Annie Besant skillfully organizing in1895 her political campaign against
William Judge. While accusing Judge of “forging messages from the Mahatmas”,
Mrs. Besant, however, was taking part in mesmeric and mediumnistic “séances” at
the London Lodge of the T.S., and talking to “Masters” in meetings presided by
her new close associate Mr. Alfred Sinnett, who candidly reveals the facts in
his Autobiography.
Should
we, Mrs. Burnier, make believe such events never happened?
Of
course not. In theosophy, there are no political aims higher than truth.
Does
it make any sense, then, for anyone to try and sustain the old “conspiracy of
silence” around the life and work of William Judge?
Of
course not. Unlike Annie Besant and other Adyar leaders in the 1895-1934
period, William Q. Judge never lost his common sense. He was one of the main
founders of the movement in 1875. He never had absurd “talks to Masters”. He
never created a Catholic Church within the movement. He never made a Circus of
the movement by theatrically announcing the return of a Christ. He always kept
loyal to the original teachings of Theosophy. He led an ethical life to the
end. His numerous writings have great practical value in the 21st century.
The
Adyar Society is extremely important and valuable to the movement. As a result,
it cannot be left for any indefinite length of time under the spell of
illusions of whatever kind.
As one
who has for decades felt respect and admiration for your dedication to the
Theosophical Cause, I would like to submit a suggestion or two to your kind consideration.
Let’s
accept, if you please, the need for renewing the movement on the basis of
respect for truth.
The
21st century is a time to aim at the sacred potentialities of ethics in the
common theosophical effort.
Let’s
think of the year 2075 and beyond from a truthful point of view. Let’s
acknowledge the farces, follies and mistakes of pseudo-theosophy. May we
look ahead in a constructive way. It’s no good denying History.
We
must get rid of those false rituals based on talks to imaginary Masters. Let’s
take into consideration that no fraud can deceive everyone, all the time. Let’s
choose sincerity instead of forgery and do justice to William Judge
and H. P. Blavatsky.
It is
within our reach to celebrate a non-bureaucratic view of the theosophical
movement, as proposed, for instance, in Judge’s article “The Theosophical
Movement”. Let’s remember that even a poor dialogue, once it is frank
and sincere, is better than no dialogue and healthier than false courtesy.
Let’s try and accelerate the process by which both the Adyar TS members
and the associates of other theosophical groups can renew their ever
challenging commitment to truth, while gradually liberating themselves from
blind routine and ritualistic conditioning.
Your
father, Mr. N. Sri Ram, took a few cautious yet real steps in the right
direction.
He was
the first Outer Head of your Esoteric
School
He
firmly supported the publication of H.P. Blavatsky’s Collected Writings
and other books of authentic theosophy. Among them, one finds “Damodar and
the Pioneers…”, by Sven Eek, a book which also does justice to William
Judge.
During
the 1966 World Congress of your Society, N. Sri Ram firmly opposed the practice
of tampering with theosophical literature. The unfortunate editorial policy of
tampering with books - first inaugurated by Annie Besant in the 1890s through
her edition of “The Secret Doctrine”- was in 1966 again openly defended
by various U.S.A.
Life
unceasingly renews itself. Other steps and new measures need to be taken in the
21st century toward the goal of placing truth and ethics above politics and
ritual in our movement. Progress in that direction depends not only on you, but
also on all earnest students around the world, whether they belong to any
theosophical association or to none of them.
You,
Mrs. Burnier, certainly deserve thanks and congratulations for having done your
best since 1980 and before. It is believed, however, that you can do much more
in the right direction. It should not be too difficult to follow the trajectory
adopted by your father and take new strong steps ahead, thus going further away
from falsehoods and towards common sense.
Sincerely yours,
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Caixa Postal 5111,
Ag. Brazlândia
CEP 72.705-970 Brasília, DF
Brazil.
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