Esoteric Doctrine of the Masters

This is the beginning of one of the 'mahatma letters' from K.H. in 1881.  The letters can be read in the book The Mahatma Letters To A. P. Sinnett from The Mahatmas M. & K.H. (1923) transcribed, compiled and with an Introduction by A. T. Barker. 

The potentialities of human experiences following an Earth life are suggested in books chronicling cases of transcendental communication.  Among these, Edward Randall wrote about his and Emily French's investigatory work concerning Direct Voice mediumship (profiled in the article "Researching the Afterlife").  The commentary of contemporary ascended master Ramtha is 'channeled' through JZ Knight, who has explained that she goes out of her body for intervals to allow Ramtha to speak.  Ramtha offers audiences his philosophy that occasionally encompasses "verbiage contradictions" and morality stories concerning spiritual development and reincarnation.  He has occasionally referred to himself as "the enlightened one" and "the outrageous Ramtha."  A glossary of terms and expressions used by Ramtha is presented in Ramtha: The White Book (1999) mentioning "Ramtha refers to the soul as the Book of Life, where the whole journey of involution and evolution of each individual is recorded in the form of wisdom."

The preserved communication from masters of earlier epochs also offer a diverse range of expression, at times suddenly diverging into travesty.  Examples of this are noticeable in the 'mahatma letters' associated with the case of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1931-1891) and in the transcripts of ascended master discourses first published by Guy and Edna Ballard in the 1930s.  

For this article, I took another look at The Mahatma Letters (1923) and perusing the mahatmas' episodic occultism reminded me that among the many cases of so-called 'paranormal phenomena' that I've studied, the intricate sequence of mahatma and ascended master communications have been among the most exacting to read and place in perspective. 

The Introduction of The Mahatma Letters reported that in 1880 A. P. Sinnett, living in India began a correspondence with Madame Blavatsky's mysterious teachers existing beyond the dimensions of customary human interaction, "whom she referred to variously under the terms, 'The Brothers,' 'The Mahatmas,' and later 'The Masters of Wisdom.'"

During the course of this correspondence which extended over the years 1880 to 1884 Mr. Sinnett received many letters from The Mahatmas M. [Morya] and K.H. [Koot' Hoomi Lal Singh], the Teachers in question, and it is these original communications which are published in the present volume . . .

The writer undertook the task with the fullest sense of the grave responsibility attending his action, convinced that the moment had come when the highest interests of The Theosophical Society demanded the full publication of The Teachings of The Masters given to Mr. Sinnett.

Chronicled in many books involving the Theosophical Society, the mahatmas and the unexplained phenomena witnessed by their initiates were things of wonder described in reverent detail.  Madame Blavatsky attempted to succinctly define her mysterious masters in the 1884 article "Mahatmas and Chelas".  Her article begins: 

A Mahatma is a personage, who, by special training and education, has evolved those higher faculties and has attained that spiritual knowledge, which ordinary humanity will acquire after passing through numberless series of reincarnations during the process of cosmic evolution . . .

 

In recent decades, Ramtha is a contemporary representative of what he has described as "an unseen brotherhood who loves mankind greatly."  Having  also referred to himself as an "enigma," Ramtha has given hundreds of discourses that have been recorded with many published.   

Preceding Ramtha, a twentieth century brotherhood is chronicled in The Saint Germain Series of Books documenting the case of Guy and Edna Ballard, who published transcripts of hundreds of discourses dictated to them by beings who identified themselves as ascended masters.  The biographical book The History of the "I AM" Activity and Saint Germain Foundation (2003) includes a short paragraph mentioning the young couple's early metaphysical research.  "About 1928 Mr. Ballard received a surprising message from the Ascended Master Saint Germain, Chohan of the Seventh (or Violet) Ray: henceforth, the family would be under His Ray."

 
A footnote refers the reader to the April 1947 The Voice of the "I AM" magazine.  In "Beloved Fun Wey's Discourse" of March 6, 1947 (transmitted by Edna Ballard) is mentioned:

This Messenger used to say something when she was in the early days of Theosophy, and when people thought she was queer, she used to use an expression that shut them up always; and while We do not care for you to use it, I want you to have the thought.  She used to say: "Well I would rather be considered unusual, because I love God and can produce Perfection, than be considered sane because I live like the rest of mankind, who are going to destruction."

This grim perspective was apparently fostered by Edna's interpretation of Theosophical Society teachings.  Madame Blavatsky had warned in her article that even the mahatmas might "go . . . against the purposes of Nature and thus bring on their own annihilation."  Presumably, this signified merely a new reincarnation as in one letter K.H. mentioned that if he didn't "make the same efforts as I do now . . . Koothoomi will vanish and may become a Mr. Smith or an innocent Babu, when his leave expires."  The History then describes the momentous beginning of Guy Ballard's spiritual odyssey that would lead to the books inspiring the I AM movement that became part of the popular culture of the United States in the 1930s.

In the summer of 1930 Guy Ballard was in Los Angeles.  Like thousands of Americans at that time, he was looking for a job.  He had little money in his pocket and managed to live on one hamburger a day!  Fear besieged his every thought.  Walking down a street one morning, he realized he must speak to his human creation that had frightened him all his life.  He stopped on the street and said vehemently: "Stand aside while I go to my God!"  Suddenly, he felt a great calm within himself.  In a few days he felt the direction to leave the city on a mission.  It was then the end of July.  He boarded a bus to northern California, and got off in the remote town of Weed.  Dominating the scene was a snow-covered peak that could be seen for a hundred miles, Mt. Shasta.  The trip was long, hot, and tedious and it left him ill.  He rested a few days to recover.  He wrote Mrs. Ballard on  August 11, 1930, that he had taken a room in the town of Mt. Shasta.  He imagined owning a cabin in the embrace of this mystic mountain that towered above all the others, a home that his family might enjoy.  He made friends with local residents.  Among them were the postmaster and the principal of the high school, with whom he made an overnight trek up the fourteen-thousand-foot peak August 16.

In a stream of letters to his wife, which survive, Mr. Ballard records this climb and succeeding ones made alone.  In his chronicle for August 19 to 23 he describes his meeting on the mountain with a young man . . .

 

He began to write down what he saw and heard.

His letters record the progress of a manuscript that he mailed to his wife, who began to edit and recopy each section.  This was Unveiled Mysteries.  He remained in Mt. Shasta through the winter.  On January 26, 1931, he noted his arrival in Denver.  There commenced the experiences that form his second Book, The Magic Presence.

 
As found in the sixth volume of The Saint Germain Series, the usually considerate and genteel Saint Germain contributed a morose and irate New Year's Day discourse in 1937 that included the following:

If we cannot be obeyed, when We know and through the kindness of the Law bring before you, that which will enable you to be free, then again We cannot help you.  Tremendous protection has been given the coast of America.  Do you want to undo this, beloved students everywhere, and let this cataclysm come forth and destroy you all; just because you will not control your human impulses?

In the same discourse, Saint Germain extravagantly praised another ascended master, 'Nada' (a name with the literal meaning of 'nothing') in what can only be considered another of the passages of travesty. 

As in the Ballards' case, Ramtha's teachings compel readers to carefully reflect on their perceptions of reality.  So do the mahatma letters.  I have previously written about the mahatmas involved with the Theosophical Society in such blog articles as "A. P. Sinnett's Occult World" and "The Mahatma Letters".  Here follow some extracts from the letters of Koot' Hoomi Lal Singh as published in The Mahatma Letters for comparison with the teachings in the ascended master cases promulgated by the Ballards and JZ Knight.  Prominent messages in these cases instruct about each person's "I Am Presence" and, quoting Ramtha, "You are God."

The term "Universal Brotherhood" is no idle phrase. Humanity in the mass has a paramount claim upon us, as I try to explain it in my letter to Mr. Hume, which you had better ask the loan of.  It is the only secure foundation for universal morality.  If it be a dream, it is at least a noble one for mankind: and it is the aspiration of the true adept.


You may get phenomena and proofs, but even were you to fall into the old error and attribute them to "Spirits" we could but show you your mistake by philosophical and logical explanations . . .


The deviation of each one's course, and his rate of progress from Nirvana to Nirvana is governed by causes which he himself creates out of the exigencies in which he finds himself entangled.


And thus are misinterpreted and mistranslated nearly all our Sutras; yet even under that confused jumble of doctrines and words, for one who knows even superficially the true doctrine, there is firm ground to stand upon.


Of course, of all men, spiritualists will be the first to reject and throw off our doctrines to "the limbo of exploded superstitions."  Were we to assure them that every one of their "Summerlands" had seven boarding houses in it, with the same number of "Spirit Guides" to "boss" in them, and call these "angels," Saint Peters, Johns, and St. Ernests, they would welcome us with open arms.  But whoever heard of Tathagats and Dhyan Chohans, Asuras and Elementals?  Preposterous!


"Isis" was not unveiled but rents sufficiently large were made to afford flitting glances to be completed by the student's own intuition.  In this curry of quotations from various philosophic and esoteric truths purposely veiled, behold our doctrine, which is now being partially taught to Europeans for the first time.


This state of hers [HPB] is intimately connected with her occult training in Tibet, and due to her being sent out alone into the world to gradually prepare the way for others.


It is not physical phenomena that will ever bring conviction to the hearts of the unbelievers in the "Brotherhood" but rather phenomena of intellectuality, philosophy and logic, if I may so express it.  See "Spirit teachings" by + as given out by Oxon—the most intellectual as the best educated of all mediums. Read and—pity!


Your strivings, perplexities and forebodings are equally noticed, good and faithful friend.  In the imperishable Record of the Masters you have written them all.  There are registered your every deed and thought; for, though not a chela, as you say to my Brother Morya, nor even a "protégé"—as you understand the term—still, you have stepped within the circle of our work, you have crossed the mystic line which separates your world from ours, and now whether you persevere or not; whether we become later on, in your sight, still more living real entities or vanish out of your mind like so many dream fictions—perchance an ugly night-mare—you are virtually OURS.  Your hidden Self has mirrored itself in our Akasa; your nature is—yours, your essence is—ours.  The flame is distinct from the log of wood which serves it temporarily as fuel; at the end of your apparitional birth—and whether we two, meet face to face in our grosser rupas—you cannot avoid meeting us in Real Existence.  Yea, verily good friend your Karma is ours, for you imprinted it daily and hourly upon the pages of that book where the minutest particulars of the individuals stepping inside our circle—are preserved; and that your Karma is your only personality to be when you step beyond. In thought and deed, by day, in soul-struggles by nights, you have been writing the story of your desire to become our co-worker, he himself "precipitates" the written entries by the identical process used by us when we write inside your closed letters and uncut pages of books and pamphlets in transit.


You can never know her [HPB] as we do, therefore—none of you will ever be able to judge her impartially or correctly.  You see the surface of things; and what you would term "virtue," holding but to appearances, we—judge but after having fathomed the object to its profoundest depth, and generally leave the appearances to take care of themselves.


Tenfold greater pains then heretofore will be taken to cover you with ridicule for your credulity, your belief in me—especially, and to refute your arguments in support of the esoteric teaching.  They may try to shake still more than they already have your confidence with pretended letters alleged to have come from H.P.B.'s laboratory, and others, or with forged documents showing and confessing fraud and planning to repeat it. It has ever been thus.  Those who have watched mankind through the centuries of this cycle, have constantly seen the details of this death-struggle between Truth and Error repeating themselves.  Some of you Theosophists are now only wounded in your "honour" or your purses, but those who held the lamp in preceding generations paid the penalty of their lives for their knowledge.


I have a habit of often quoting, minus quotation marks—from the maze of what I get in the countless folios of our Akasic libraries, so to say—with eyes shut.  Sometimes I may give out thoughts that will see light years later; at other times what an orator, a Cicero may have pronounced ages earlier, and at others, what was not only pronounced by modern lips but already either written or printed—as in the Kiddle case.  All this I do (not being a trained writer for the Press) without the smallest concern as to where the sentences and strings of words may have come from, so long as they serve to express, and fit in with my own thoughts.


We have done our duty; and, because the voice of truth came thro' a channel which few liked, it was pronounced as false, and along with it—Occultism.  The time has gone by to argue, and the hour when it will be proved to the world that Occult Science instead of being, in the words of Dr. R. Chambers—"superstitions itself," as they may be disposed to think it, will be found the explanation and the extinguisher of all superstitions—is nearby.

 

Answering cosmological queries and commenting about the seven rounds of human life, the 'Brother' known as M mentioned in an 1882 letter: "But this is a mystery.  Our beloved K.H. is on his way to the goal—the highest of all beyond as on this sphere."  In another letter, M. explained:

By the bye, you ought to come to some agreement as to the terms used when discussing upon cyclic evolutions.  Our terms are untranslateable; and without a good knowledge of our complete system (which cannot be given but to regular initiates) would suggest nothing definite to your perceptions but only be a source of confusion as in the case of the terms "Soul" and "Spirit" with all your metaphysical writers—especially the Spiritualists.

 

In addition to the current series of articles about Ramtha, previous blog articles about cases of transcendental communication include "Yada Speaks", "Rosemary Brown's Comments about Direct Voice Medium Leslie Flint", "The Coming of Seth", "Patience Worth", "Instrumental Transcommunication", "Transcendental Communications from 'Abduhl Latif'" and "Messages from Michael".