The Key to Theosophy: Being a Clear Exposition, in the Form of Question and Answer, of the Ethics, Science and Philosophy for the Study of Which the Theosophical Society Has Been FoundedBlavatsky, H. P. (Helena Petrovna)
Religion
The Key to Theosophy: Being a Clear Exposition, in the Form of Question and Answer, of the Ethics, Science and Philosophy for the Study of Which the Theosophical Society Has Been Founded
Blavatsky, H. P. (Helena Petrovna)
Theosophy
Spirit, means “_union with_.” It can never mean annihilation, as
that would mean eternal separation.
ENQ. Do you not lay yourself open to the accusation of preaching
annihilation by the language you yourself use? You have just
spoken of the Soul of man returning to its primordial elements.
THEO. But you forget that I have given you the differences between the
various meanings of the word “Soul,” and shown the loose way in
which the term “Spirit” has been hitherto translated. We speak of
an _animal_, a _human_, and a _spiritual_, Soul, and distinguish
between them. Plato, for instance, calls “rational SOUL” that
which we call _Buddhi_, adding to it the adjective of “spiritual,”
however; but that which we call the reincarnating Ego, _Manas_, he
calls Spirit, _Nous_, etc., whereas we apply the term _Spirit_,
when standing alone and without any qualification, to Atma alone.
Pythagoras repeats our archaic doctrine when stating that the
_Ego_ (_Nous_) is eternal with Deity; that the soul only passed
through various stages to arrive at divine excellence; while
_thumos_ returned to the earth, and even the _phren_, the lower
_Manas_, was eliminated. Again, Plato defines _Soul_ (Buddhi) as
“the motion that is able to move itself.” “Soul,” he adds (Laws
X.), “is the most ancient of all things, and the commencement of
motion,” thus calling Atma-Buddhi “Soul,” and _Manas_ “Spirit,”
which we do not.
“Soul was generated prior to body, and body is posterior and
secondary, as being according to nature, ruled over by the
ruling soul.” “The soul which administers all things that are
moved in every way, administers likewise the heavens.”
“Soul then leads everything in heaven, and on earth, and in
the sea, by its movements—the names of which are, to will,
to consider, to take care of, to consult, to form opinions
true and false, to be in a state of joy, sorrow, confidence,
fear, hate, love, together with all such primary movements
as are allied to these.... Being a goddess herself, she ever
takes as an ally _Nous_, a god, and disciplines all things
correctly and happily; but when with _Annoia_—not _nous_—it
works out everything the contrary.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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