Dear Member,
By Enquiries
On H.P. Blavatsky's The Secret Doctrine
Among the subjects of perennial interest to members of the Theosophical Society is the study of The Secret Doctrine by H.P. Blavatsky. New members particularly have expressed a desire to take up this study, but repeatedly they have encountered a number of difficulties and, in some instances, have even given up the attempt. This is not an uncommon experience, for the study of these volumes is not easy. To some extent it is due to the fact that The Secret Doctrine is unique in the annals of literature and therefore calls for an approach quite different from the usual method employed in studying other books. It is actually less a book to be read than an experience in spiritual and psychological or inner growth.
In talks with her own class, given in London during the years 1888 to 1891, H.P. Blavatsky said: 'Reading The Secret Doctrine page by page as one reads any other book will only end in confusion. The first thing to do ... is to get some grasp of the ''Three Fundamental Principles'' given in the Proem.' These may be summarised briefly as follows:
- There is an omnipresent and eternal Reality which antecedes all manifested conditioned being but from which conditioned being takes its rise.
- All manifestation, including the universe and all creatures in it, is governed by the unfailing law of periodicity.
- Every individual soul is fundamentally identical with the universal Oversoul and is engaged in an obligatory pilgrimage through the cycle of incarnations in accordance with the law of cause and effect.
These brief statements are necessarily incomplete, and in any serious study of the Three Fundamental Propositions they should be read fully, with the accompanying commentaries - and not merely read, but taken into one's inner being and pondered. They may be found beginning on page 14 of Volume 1 of the 1978 TPH edition of The Secret Doctrine and on page 10 of the Abridgement mentioned later in this letter.
H.P. Blavatsky commented further to her class: 'If anyone imagines that one is going to get a satisfactory picture of the constitution of the universe from The Secret Doctrine, one will get only confusion from its study. It is not meant to give any such final verdict on existence, but to lead towards Truth. Come to The Secret Doctrine without any hope of getting the final Truth of existence from it, or without any idea other than seeing how far it may lead towards the Truth. See in its study a means of exercising and developing the mind never touched by other studies.'
One may, of course, use The Secret Doctrine as a basic reference work to approach for greater enlightenment on any subject in the whole range of theosophical philosophy. It sets forth an ancient and immemorial science, consistent in all its parts, but it gives the seeker an insight into a new way of approaching knowledge. This is a way which can hardly be described in words except to say that one enters a boundless field of exploration and experiences the continual delight of discovery and growth. Students find themselves uncovering layer after layer of meaning and realise that each uncovering but reveals greater depths to be plumbed. The one necessary condition is an open mind; students must not bring old predilections to the search; they must not approach it in an attempt to reconcile what they find, with knowledge which they already possess. The Secret Doctrine is a new experience to one who seeks to explore the domain of invisible nature and to learn something of its secrets. The mind is not set aside in this search; it becomes a reflecting mirror for the higher Self to perceive Reality.
H.P. Blavatsky made other valuable suggestions for the study of The Secret Doctrine. One was that we follow the Three Fundamental Propositions with the numbered items in the 'Summing Up' at the conclusion of Volume I (pages 272-274; pages 119-122 in the Abridgement). Here we find six outstanding ideas necessary for our understanding of the entire work. There is not space in this letter to enumerate these in detail, but they concern the source and nature of the Ancient Wisdom; the immanence of the one Reality in every atom of the universe; the temporary nature of all manifestation; the consciousness of everything in the universe on its own plane of perception; and the unfoldment of life from within. If you are interested in undertaking a serious study, you will find that from these first steps you may 'move freely through the volumes, seeing the outworking of the great conceptualisations and ... finding endless excitement in the correspondences that emerge' as you explore the great universals of truth which are set forth.
If you are approaching these volumes for the first time, it may be useful simply to look through them casually to see how they are organised and what they contain. Do not feel that you need to pursue the study in any set manner. At times you may wish to explore a certain idea as it is developed in various places in the volumes and as it is shown in different contexts. The index is an invaluable aid in this kind of adventure.
You will find in time, if you persevere, that you will be developing your own techniques for study and that these are bringing you exciting rewards in deeper insights because they are the response of your own inner nature to that which lies beneath and beyond the words of the printed page. Above all, do not grow discouraged. If you find that The Secret Doctrine seems to resist your most sincere and persistent efforts, lay it aside for the time being. Sooner or later, the impulse to seek its light on some subject will no doubt occur. You may spend a lifetime at this! It does not matter. The Secret Doctrine enables you to set your own pace. Above all, one should never engage in this study due to a feeling of compulsion. Certainly with these volumes the study can, and should be, a process of creative discovery by which we enter into the larger and deeper reaches of our own nature.
Mention was made above of An Abridgement of The Secret Doctrine. This was prepared by two outstanding students, Christmas Humphreys and Elizabeth Preston, and many have found it a very useful 'tool' in commencing the study of the larger work. It contains the fundamental concepts of the original work without any rearrangement of the text. It is not a condensation in the usual sense of that term. The deletions consist of references to 19th-century science no longer as pertinent as when the book was written, and numerous extremely fascinating digressions, allied, but not necessarily essential, to the main thesis. The Abridgement enables the beginning student to grasp the basic ideas more quickly, without the initial confusion that sometimes results from trying to assimilate all the related material found in the larger work. Eventually, of course, you will wish to explore the full text, and this can mean a lifetime of absorbing research and ever-deepening comprehension of the theosophical philosophy.
To aid you in your initial study of H. P. Blavatsky's work, you might like to read the leaflet on H.P. Blavatsky and Her Writings
In closing, let me leave you with this thought of Madame Blavatsky's: 'Follow not me, nor my Path, but the Path I show, which leads to the Masters'.
Some Suggested Reading
In addition to the works listed on the back page of the brochure enclosed, the following may be suggested:
Living in Wisdom by Joy Mills
Getting Acquainted with The Secret Doctrine by John Algeo
An Intuitive Approach to the Seven Stanzas of Dzyan by Beverley Noia
