THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION?

Theosophical Society at Adyar is leasing land to a private Trust for $66million to build a school.

In the lease contract between TS and Nadar Trust there is an interesting & shocking statement which bears the signature of

Mr. Tim Boyd, International President

"The land which is the subject matter of the lease deed and of the proposed tenancy belongs to the Theosophical Society, which is a religious institution, which is used as of right by members of the said denomination, for public worship."

When did Theosophical Society become a religious institution and the members using Adyar land as a place of public worship?

HP Blavatsky clarified that Theosophy is NOT a Religion.

Look at Key to Theosophy

What is going on in Adyar Theosophical Society

Many students of theosophy are confused and shocked

We are yet to hear an official response

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Permalink Reply by Richard Ihle on June 15, 2022 at 3:59pm

Greetings,my most admirable friend M K Ramadoss!

Thank you so much for making me aware of this information. Of course, I suppose it all hinges upon what sort of "religion" is being talked about. (Incidentally, the last time I was at Wheaton they actually had meditative alcove featuring a statue of the "Virgin Mary" which was set up for some oh-so-inclusive, H.P.B.-rolling-rolling-rolling-over-in-her-grave ecumenical reason.)

Anyway, this morning I was prompted to send Tim Boyd an email with the subject line "THEOSOPHY, the RELIGION."

I thought that you and some others might like to see it. Warmest best wishes, Richard Ihle

{GENERAL THEOSOPHY: "Intuitional knowledge or wisdom resulting from an individual's own advancing progress in Self-awareness and/or personal experience of his or her own Transcendental ('Divine') Nature."

GENERAL THEOSOPHIST: "An individual who is at least willing to consider SOMEONE ELSE'S potential knowledge and/or wisdom purportedly based on his or her advancing progress in Self-awareness and/or experience of his or her Transcendental ('Divine') Nature."

Because both definitions employ the proper adjective "Divine," a strong case might be made that both the words Theosophy and Theosophist can be justifiably capitalized when they are referring to the epistemological meaning—whether old English teachers and other writing-convention sticklers like this or not. Certainly, compared to small-t, dumpster-duty theosophy, a capital-T Theosophy seems to have much more of a Transcendent "do-it-yourSelf," RELIGIOUS flavor to it—the original Latin root religio meaning "to tie back" (as in tied-back to Atman/Brahman, Undifferentiated I-Consciousness, Higher Self, etc.).

RELIGIOUS flavor, yes; nevertheless, PSYCHOLOGICAL flavor, yes, too. Indeed, the great German Orientalist Max Muller [1823-1900] once even wrote a book with the title THEOSOPHY OR PSYCHOLOGICAL RELIGION [1882, emphasis added]. Incidentally, H.P. Blavatsky often showed considerable appreciation for this ground-breaking compiler/translator of the 50-volume SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST, referring to him as “the Right Hon. Max Muller” and “the learned professor.” Such admiration did not seem mutual, though. In an 1893 article called "Esoteric Buddhism" [Nineteenth Century Vol. 33] the author says, “If I were asked what Madame Blavatsky's Esoteric Buddhism really is, I should say it was Buddhism misunderstood, distorted, caricatured.”

Thus it seems unlikely that Muller would have approved of trying to turn the capitalized term Theosophy into something like an exclusionary synonym for Madame Blavatsky's underskirt arcana. He may have thought that over-study of THE SECRET DOCTRINE could become a labor-intensive digression, not only from the original Eastern writings he translated, but perhaps also from each individual's responsibility to "cultivate/customize/practice" some form of Transcendental Religion for himself or herself—in other words, that becoming a pettifogging scholar does not by itself guarantee any advancement in the pettifogger's Spiritual life and/or his or her Personal Degree of Atman-Awareness ("Hierarchical" Degree of Self-awareness).

So who knows? Were Muller still alive today and currently a member of The Theosophical Society in America, he might even be among those who worry that the Wheaton, Illinois-based organization might sooner or later be in danger of losing its IRS tax-exempt status if a budget-minded Congress should suddenly decide that this Charlotte's-webby, not-for-profit corporation, now mostly old-mattress-stuffed with sexa- septua- and octo-genarian dues-payers, had merely turned into a secular philosophy club of some sort.

After all, as a visitor once said, "I went to a Theosophical meeting looking for the Ancient Wisdom Religion, but all I found were the ancients. . . ."}