After watching the movie “Doubt” (also a Play). I wanted to write this essay on the subject. I loved the movie “Doubt” by the way. It was superbly done and has great critical acclaims. The story of Doubt has very little to do what I am about to say but I could not resist the “plug”…

Now for the concept of doubt; many New Age authors claim to have been guided or met supernatural beings. Some people lap it up while others show disdain and contempt.

What is the truth behind such outrageous claims of connecting with divine presents, channeling old souls and other New Age phenomena?

Ascended masters or as I call them High Souls or Mahatmas are around and walk the streets and ride public transportation. It is very rare, I might add, that they would connect to mere humans while revealing their status as true Masters.
Having said this I agree with the general skepticism in regards of claims of “meeting with ascended” masters, a trend that by the way is still being done by new authors and self-proclaimed “sages”.
Usually the motive of such claim is the purpose of self-promotion. This whole business is Ego enlargement for the sake of monetary gains and book sales.
I simply do not know whether such claims are true or not. I try to eliminate “doubt” from my mind and vocabulary.
As I have said, the likelihood of a Mahatma revealing of being a mahatma is a long shot by any measure. It is said (and by a real Guru, I might add) that if a Mahatma by circumstance somehow gets found out, he would drop everything and disappear forever.

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Comment by M. Sufilight on June 14, 2009 at 1:18pm
Dear freinds

Thanks Andras.

Yes.
The Law of Karma is how the universe is organized.
There are organization and there are spiritual organization.

M. Sufilight
Comment by andrasnm on June 14, 2009 at 10:42am
Thanks for the vigorous activity on this subject. I am organizing and reading some letters and quotes from J. Krishnamurti and I came upon this. I HAD to share it;
"You may remember the story of how the devil and a friend of his were walking down the street, when they saw ahead of them a man stoop down and pick up something from the ground, look at it, and put it away in his pocket. The friend said to the devil, 'What did that man pick up?' 'He picked up a piece of the truth,' said the devil. 'That is a very bad business for you, then,' said his friend. 'Oh, not at all,' the devil replied, 'I am going to help him organize it.'"
Comment by M. Sufilight on June 13, 2009 at 5:57pm
Dear friends

My views are:


Is It Me? or Who are you?
Mullah Nasrudin ran into a merchant's tent and asked the owner, "Have you ever seen me before?"

"No, never!" he replied.

"Then how do you know it IS me?" Nasrudin cried.
- - -

Who Am I?

Mullah Nasrudin was going into a large inn to sleep for the night. There were many beds all in one room. The thought occurred to Nasrudin that in the dark he would not know who he was, so he tied a balloon to his ankle.

While Nasrudin was sleeping, the man in the next bed decided to play a joke. He untied Nasrudin's balloon and tied it on his own ankle.

When Nasrudin woke up, he looked at the man next to him. Then he reached out to shake hands and said, "Ah, I know who you are. You are Mullah Nasrudin, but please, tell me who I am."

- - - -
HOW TO BECOME A MASTER AND MAHATMA ( or Insha Allah)

Nasrudin had saved up to buy a new shirt. He went to a tailor's shop, full of excitement. The tailor measured him and said: "Come back in a week, and if God wills - your shirt will be ready."

Nasrudin contained himself for a week and then went back to the shop.

"There has been a delay. But - if God wills - your shirt will be ready tomorrow."

The following day Nasrudin returned.

"I am sorry," said the tailor, "but it is not quite finished. Try tomorrow, and - if God wills - it will be ready."

"How long will it take," asked the exasperated Nasrudin, "if you leave God out of it?"

- - -

SPARE TIME. Part Two
"There is a famous passage in the Alcoran, which looks as if Mahomet had been possessed of the notion we are now speaking of. It is there said that the Angel Gabriel took Mahomet out of his bed one morning to give him a sight of all things in the seven heavens, in paradise, and in hell, which the prophet took a distinct view of; and, after having held ninety thousand conferences with God, was brought back again to his bed. All this, says the Alcoran, was transacted in so small a space of time, that Mahomet at his return found his bed still warm, and took up an earthen pitcher, which was thrown down at the very instant that the Angel Gabriel carried him away, before the water was all spilt.

There is a very pretty story in the Turkish Tales, which relates to this passage of that famous impostor, and bears some affinity to the subject we are now upon. A sultan of Egypt, who was an infidel, used to laugh at this circumstance in Mahomet’s life, as what was altogether impossible and absurd: but conversing one day with a great doctor in the law, who had the gift of working miracles, the doctor told him he would quickly convince him of the truth of this passage in the history of Mahomet, if he would consent to do what he should desire of him. Upon this the sultan was directed to place himself by a huge tub of water, which he did accordingly; and as he stood by the tub amidst a circle of his great men, the holy man bade him plunge his head into the water and draw it up again. The king accordingly thrust his head into the water, and at the same time found himself at the foot of a mountain on the sea-shore. The king immediately began to rage against his doctor for this piece of treachery and witchcraft; but at length, knowing it was in vain to be angry, he set himself to think on proper methods for getting a livelihood in this strange country. Accordingly he applied himself to some people whom he saw at work in a neighbouring wood: these people conducted him to a town that stood at a little distance from the wood, where, after some adventures, he married a woman of great beauty and fortune. He lived with this woman so long that he had by her seven sons and seven daughters. He was afterwards reduced to great want, and forced to think of plying in the streets as a porter for his livelihood. One day as he was walking alone by the sea-side, being seized with many melancholy reflections upon his former and his present state of life, which had raised a fit of devotion in him, he threw off his clothes with a design to wash himself, according to the custom of the Mahometans, before he said his prayers.

After his first plunge into the sea, he no sooner raised his head above the water but he found himself standing by the side of the tub, with the great men of his court about him, and the holy man at his side. He immediately upbraided his teacher for having sent him on such a course of adventures, and betrayed him into so long a state of misery and servitude; but was wonderfully surprised when he heard that the state he talked of was only a dream and delusion; that he had not stirred from the place where he then stood; and that he had only dipped his head into the water, and immediately taken it out again.

The Mahometan doctor took this occasion of instructing the sultan that nothing was impossible with God; and that He, with whom a thousand years are but as one day, can, if He pleases, make a single day—nay, a single moment—appear to any of His creatures as a thousand years."
http://addison.classicauthors.net/essaytales/essaytales15.html

M. Sufilight
Comment by andrasnm on June 12, 2009 at 3:40pm
William, what I was told that while the mahatmas could interact, him being a mahatma would NEVER be revealed to the other parties. While he (the mahatma) is in human form he is vulnerable to the same conditions and dangers as any mortal would.

Moderator
Comment by M K Ramadoss on June 12, 2009 at 3:03pm
Here is the link to T Subba Row's letter:

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/mahatma/ml-130.htm

Moderator
Comment by M K Ramadoss on June 12, 2009 at 2:58pm
Here is the letter from T Subba Row where he makes a reference to the Mahatmas.




“When you know more about them and the peculiar life they lead, I am sure you will not be inclined to blame them for not affording to you personally the instruction you are so anxious to receive from them.”



MKR
Comment by william bradley crawford on June 12, 2009 at 1:27pm
I am in agreement with andrasnm overall. I think we may be wrong to sespect that the Masters would not
interact with some specific aim in mind. The testimony of HPB,Bailey,Agni Yoga tradition,etc. all say
otherwise. I think we may look at the result of those interactions and judge the results. I think we would
do well to consider the use of asrological cycles, etc. by the Elder Brothers with some benefit. Also we
might conider what should come next. Also, how might we hasten the next profitable interactions?
We as dedicated aspirants might be able to do more to provide the needed conditions for what is
next to come rathr than paying attention to the noisey attention-lovers that you first referenced.
Comment by andrasnm on June 12, 2009 at 12:40pm
The main impetus for me to write this article is to shed light to my own ambivalence regarding modern day claims and authors with the specific notion of "disbelief", "doubt" and discerning. The paradox is ever present of making right choices, while avoiding doubt. This is especially difficult without living Gurus and teachers to guide us. Unfortunately my teacher and I are no longer in communication (other than I have his book, and some notes and website). It is entirely possible that Leadbeater was right in his assertion that mahatmas are not walking much on earth as they are actors on the subtle plains. My former teacher said that they were...
The main issue is people making all sorts of things up in order to get followers, or to get on Oprah....

Moderator
Comment by M K Ramadoss on June 12, 2009 at 12:11pm
Susan commented:

"This is an interesting thread. As for what andrasnm points out, I have to agree that there are great souls that walk among us, as Guatama Buddha did, and he never claimed he was a Mahatma to my knowledge. On the other hand, as William points out Ledbeater wrote in Masters and the Path that the "masters" hide out in the Himalayas and only use one cup, plate and utensils for the entirety of their extremely long lives, and really never get down into the gritty world beside us anymore."

There is an interesting incident cited in Light of Asia. When a devotee came to Buddha and touched his feet in the traditional Indian manner and addressed him as my Lord or God or something like it, Buddha raised the devotee and put his hand on his shoulder and said "I am your Brother". I agree that he would never have claimed to be a Mahatma to show of the superiority compared to the rest.

On the issue of the lives of Mahatma's, T Subba Rao, who HPB claimed as her equal, has made a comment that they lead an unusual type of life, which should make sense since much of their activity is on the higher realms.
Comment by andrasnm on June 12, 2009 at 10:41am
I came from a "mixed teaching", Theosophy + Agni Yoga. The Guru, who passed away early in my life, had all his lectures and meeting subscribed into a two volume book. He makes specific recommendations of books and authors to read and the rest he says should be questioned. He never said do not read them but there is a point to this. There are lots of books out there. Not all convey the Truth. I often looked at other authors and books as I do not take anything for granted. It must be injected here that I am a publisher albeit very small fish.

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