The Theosophical Society In Orlando, School of Theosophy, Orlando. Celebrating 73 Years of Continuous Activity In The Central Florida Community

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1 UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD--FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE----Wisdom Is Knowing That We Are All One----Love Is What It Feels Like----Compassion Is What It Acts Like Forwarded message From: (THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY) To: Date: Thu, 20 Mar :24: Subject: Theosophy Today #36 ~~~ THEOSOPHY TODAY ~~~ The Theosophical Society In Orlando, School of Theosophy, Orlando. Celebrating 73 Years of Continuous Activity In The Central Florida Community 1935 == 73 == ~ INTERNET NEWSLETTER ~ March ~ April ~ May Send all comments and literary contributions to: Editor: Theosophy Today Theosophist@webtv.net == == ~~STUDY~~MEDITATION~~SERVICE~~ == == THEOSOPHICAL MEETINGS We invite your participation. 1st & 3rd Friday each month. All Meetings run from 8:00 to 9:30 P.M. unless otherwise noted. March 7th... MEDITATION ON LIFE..N.Sri Ram

2 21st...THE ANCIENT WISDOM.. Dr.Annie Besant 28th...HEALING CIRCLE..Learn The Art & Practice of Spiritual Healing. April 4th...MEDITATION ON LIFE...N.Sri Ram 18th..Annual Business Meeting of the Corporation and Elections. ( Lodge Members Only ). 25th...HEALING CIRCLE...Learn The Art & Practice of Spiritual Healing. May 2nd...MEDITATION ON LIFE..N.Sri Ram 16th...ANNUAL WHITE LOTUS DAY OBSERVANCE...And Installation of Officers. 23rd...HEALING CIRCLE..Learn The Art & Practice of Spiritual Healing Traditionally Orlando Lodge closes down for the Summer months of June, July, August, No Programs or Activities are scheduled. Our New Season of Activity will resume on Friday September 5th, at 8:00 P.M. The Theosophy Healing Circle will continue to meet on June 27th, July 25th, August 22nd at 8:00 P.M. = LODGE OF THE AIR Home Study Program While nothing can replace the value of personal interaction, discussion & dialogue experienced at a Theosophical Meeting we realize that sometimes circumstances prevent one from being physically present with us. In these cases you can still derive a benefit of Theosophical Study with

3 us by participating in our Lodge Of The Air Program. If you would like to participate in this seasons study of Annie Besant's ANCIENT WISDOM and cannot attend our meetings, we have included the online version of this classic Theosophical text for your convenience. All that is required is that you send us your name and address so that we can include you in our thoughts. As a participant in the Lodge Of The Air Program you can send us your questions and discussion ideas to share with the meetings. THE ANCIENT WISDOM by Dr. Annie Besant Online Version [click link] ~ A MEDITATION FOR THE LODGE ~ Grant, O Loving Kindness within us all, that those who work and study in the Lodge may never mistake numbers, praise, or publicity for success; may never strive for position when all service is valued and all are equal; may never seek for self; may preserve a kindly humor and go their way content to serve. May such a Spirit of Fellowship abide as to silence all gossip and destructive criticism, so that all who enter find enduring peace, true kindliness and understanding. So May It Be! ============================= ============================= ============================= ~ ORLANDO LODGE ~ Orlando Lodge is an intentional community of Theosophical Students serving the objectives of the Theosophical Society, and is dedicated to the creation and maintainance of a Spiritual Center where the Theosophical Philosophy, the Ancient Wisdom, may be studied and lived.

4 THE THREE TRUTHS OF THE WHITE LOTUS There are three truths which are absolute, and which cannot be lost, but yet may remain silent for lack of speech. "The soul of man is immortal, and its future is the future of a thing whose growth and splendor has no limit. "The principle which gives life dwells in us, and without us, is undying and eternally beneficent, is not heard or seen or smelt, but is perceived by the man who desires perception. "Each man is his own absolute lawgiver, the dispenser of glory or gloom to himself; the decreer of his life, his reward, his punishment. == Special Feature: Considered to be one of The Most Powerful Bodhisattvas ( Buddhist Saints ) known as Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, and referred to in Japan as Jizo Bosatsu... We Invite You to Explore... KSITIGARBHA BODHISATTVA Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva ~~~~~~ ~~~~ Bodhisattva (Jp. = Bosatsu) - Japanese Buddhism & Shintoism, Buddha Statues Project

5 ~~ The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows ~~~~ KSITIGARBHA SADHANA ( Short Version) Daily Recitation ( 108 times on mala beads) "Om namo Mahasattva Ksitigarbha, Om Ba La Mo, Ling To Ning Svaha, Om Ahimsa, Om Shanti." ============================= JOY, PEACE AND LIGHT WITHIN By K VIJAYARAGHAVAN Resolutions, made even with sincere efforts, often are not carried to their logical conclusion. This is because the dictates of the willing conscious mind are not accepted by the deeper and finer levels of one's personality the subconscious and the unconscious, which are in conflict with themselves and with the conscious mind. Only when these conflicts are resolved and when harmony is established, all aspects of one's personality work in unison, each complimenting the aims and efforts of the other. It is in this situation that the resolution (sankalpa) is translated into reality. In the beginning of the yoga nidra practice, feeling the stillness (antarmouna) within, the aspirant repeats to himself his sankalpa, in the form of a pithy, positive and assertive statement, summing up his overall aspirations and objectives in life. Harmonising and integrating the different aspects of his personality (the five kosha) in the subsequent stages of the practice and in the joy of self discovery, the aspirant again conceives of his sankalpa, in the peace within, also at the end of the practice. The integrated personality, in this situation, is receptive to such commands and suggestions, whereby the sankalpa in the form of wish power (ichcha shakti) progresses to obtain the needed knowledge (gnana shakti) and thereafter to obtain the wherewithal and techniques (kriya shakti) for actually realising, for the aspirant, in actual practice, his deep

6 felt aspirations and dreams. Yoga nidra, which literally means 'sleep, rooted in yoga', actually bases itself on total awareness throughout the practice, not ever falling into sleep. This awareness and alertness, rooted in joyful relaxation, is the ultimate healing power a kind of trance or 'yogic sleep'. This deep relaxation also, as Swamy Satyananda observes, confers an altered state of perception. With the tints of ignorance, stresses and prejudices giving way, one beholds the truth. This truth, as John Keats would say, is verily beauty that harmony with nature, where, as Wordsworth observes, all that one beholds is "full of blessings". This also is that power, referred to by Bhagawad Gita (5,24), as "joy within, peace within and light within" and by the Bible (Luke 17,21), as the "kingdom of God", which too is within us all. Essentially this is self realisation, knowing oneself, realisation of one's real potential or finding one's work upon the earth by whatever term one may like to call it. ============================== Special Feature: The Gayatri Mantra is The Most Sacred Prayer recited daily by Orthodox Hindus... We Invite You to Experience Gayatri Upasana... Gayatri Upasana Gayatri Mantra OM BHUR BHUVAH SUVAHA TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT We meditate upon the glorious splendor of the Vivifier Divine.

7 May He Himself illumine our minds! ( click link to hear recitation) ========================== THE INFINITY WITHIN By Sarah Belle Dougherty "Know ye not that ye are gods, and sons of the most high?" asked the Psalmist (82:6). If we feel bereft of the gods, it is because we have forgotten our true self. We sleep and dream dreams of matter, oblivious that gods are the very fabric of nature -- its source, life, and substance, for Divinity is formed of countless divine consciousnesses. Galaxies and stars, animals, plants, and minerals, all are physical expressions of conscious, evolving divinities, sons of the most high. Like human children, each carries impressed within it the blueprint of its parent, and has the promise and capacity in time to achieve divine adulthood and take its place beside its source. Humanity is one such host of spiritual entities. As gods, each of us is a universe in our own right. This is evident in our physical body, with its numberless lives: organs, cells, atoms, and particles. But as a microcosm we mirror and contain all the potentials of our parent-source. In its entirety our being extends from physical through ethereal, emotional, mental, and spiritual realms, until we arrive at a point human consciousness can no longer comprehend or imagine. To that point, and all beyond it, we give names like the Unknown, the Causeless Cause, That, Divinity, Parabrahma, Atman, Truth. Such terms do not represent an absolute ending or limit in nature, merely the limitation of our present understanding. The Psalmist continues, however, reminding us that "Ye shall die like Adam, and fall like one of the princes" (82:7). Clearly human beings are not immortal; we die and vanish from the physical world. Does this contradict our divine status? Because our awareness is centered in psychological aspects which die as the body does, we are out of touch with the more fundamental parts of us

8 which are eternal and in constant contact with the All. From the human viewpoint, to be immortal is to pass consciously through death, maintaining complete continuity of awareness despite physical dissolution. This can be achieved only by centering awareness in facets of ourself that do not disintegrate when the body dies. With effort and discipline, people can reach this state -- though most of us choose to identify with the material realms and our more familiar, limited, mortal selfhood. Nevertheless, throughout time there have been those who have delved into the mysteries of their own being, and some of them have left reports of their findings. These records tell us that as we ascend toward the divine source, unity becomes increasingly evident. This connectedness and identity make possible not only communication, but communion and conscious union of each with all and of the human with the divine. Our mind, caught up in the magical panorama presented by the senses, fails to perceive this fundamental oneness. Those striving toward fuller understanding of reality transcend the senses and learn to traverse the whole spectrum of selfhood. They experience in ever fuller measure the states and entities which form the cosmos, because a part of them corresponds to each. Investigating the powers innate in man and cosmos is central to this process of understanding and growth. Among the objectives of the Theosophical Society since its early years, it is an invitation to "know yourself." By discovering the potentials within our own being, we realize and experience that life, perception, intelligence, free will -- in fact, all our characteristics -- have their counterparts on every plane of existence and in every entity. In this way our sympathies expand, our vision becomes more penetrating, and we are better able to control ourselves and the corresponding aspects of nature. To be more we must become more, yet part of us has already reached the goal. Hidden from us by the limitations we usually call ourself, it is ready at any time to help us enlarge our awareness and self-direct our evolution. For each of us is the temple of a living god now, at this very moment -- as the accounts of the Wise attest and our own investigations can prove.*

9 Special Feature: THE INNER GOD By Dr. Gottfried de Purucker The Meditation On Life... The ONE Pivitol and KEY Doctrine of ALL Theosophical Teaching is the Radical UNITY of ALL Life & Creation. We find ourselves in our everyday lives imprisoned and polarized in a world of separatensss and division. All caused by the unregulated activity of the Lower or Carnal Mind, fuled by desires, ambitions and passions which propel us further into the jungle of separateness. Regular serious meditation on and pondering The Meditation on Life will cause the shackles that imprison us to loosen and gradually disappear...finding ourselves in a New World of Freedom, Happiness & Peace.. The astute student will find that The Meditation on Life contains within it the Entire Distilled Essence of All Theosophical Teaching and Effort... MEDITATION ON LIFE Arranged by N. Sri Ram At the heart of the Cosmos there is One. That One has its sanctuary and shrine in the heart of every human being. Man's first spiritual discovery in consciousness is of this Divine Presence within him, the Inner Ruler Immortal seated in the hearts of all beings. Thereafter, identity with the One Alone, fully conscious absorption "like water in water, space in space, light in light," for evermore in the eternal, self-existent ALL is achieved. This is man's ultimate goal. Regular wisely directed meditation can hasten its attainment.

10 The first object in meditation is to discover one's own Spiritual Selfhood as distinct from the personal vehicle, physical, emotional,mental, and the consciousness active within them. So we begin with an exercise in dissociation seeking both to realize the distinction between the Immortal Spiritual Self and the mortal changing personality. We then come to realize that the Spiritual Self of man is forever an integral part of the Spiritual Self of the universe, the All-Pervading Supreme Lord. Man is One with God and through THAT with All that lives. We discover that the Godhood within us is One with the Godhood in All, that Man-Spirit and God-Spirit are One Spirit. Meditation: Preparation.. Body relaxed. Emotions harmonized Mind alert and charged with will. Dissociation.. Mentally affirm and realize; I am not the Physical body...i AM the Spiritual Self. I am not the Emotons,...I AM the Spiritual Self I am not the Mind,...I AM the Spiritual Self Let us first meditate on Life in it's innumerable forms and its ever-varying expression; then on consciousness, which is one with life, and its nature as we can understand it in ourselves and in others; then on sympathy, not so much by thinking as by feeling, as though one is blending one's own consciousness with that in another, whether a human being, or an animal or a plant; and lastly the love that arises from such blending. Imagine all Life as a vast ocean, of which each individual life is a

11 drop --- life in plants, in animals and birds, in human beings of all races, man, woman, and child, of all ages. Meditate on Life as conscious and active evolving through every form, Life as divine energy pouring through forms of every sort, omnipresent, surging, asleep in the minerals, dreaming in the plant, partly awake in the animals, fully awake and self-conscious in man. Let us think of consciousness as awareness of whatever is before us or around us, as sensation and thought. Let us think of consciousness in plants dimly experiencing, sensing, just beginning to stir; then in animals, with keener more varied sensations, aware of their surroundings, just beginning to think; then of the consciousness of our fellow human beings, experiencing sensation, getting attached to it, thinking with hopes and fears, longings of various sorts, and imagination. Let us think of those known to us, identifying ourselves inwardly with them, trying to see as they see, feel as they feel. Then extending the thought to others unknown to us personally, try to feel a universal sympathy, with boundless good-will, a longing that every life may find the happiness it seeks, the happiness which we seek for ourselves. Try to regard all men and women as brothers and sisters, the learned and the simple. Think of Those who are the flowers of humanity, the finished products of evolution --the Masters, the Christ, the Buddha. Think of their nature as extraordinarily sensitive, pure and compassionate; trying to feel that love and reverence which is naturally evoked as we lift our eyes and hearts to the beauty of what They are. Try to look upon All Life as They look upon it, feeling Their love and tenderness to All and Their sense of Unity with All. Dwell in this Unity. Voluntairly imprisioned within You as Light is an Omnipotent Power. Set it Free, Let the Light Shine. ==== THE STUDY CORNER We Invite You To Discover.."Theosophy."

12 *Studying Theosophy ~ *Theosophical Manuals By Katherine Tingley ~ *Introductory Studies in Theosophy - by Adelaide Gardner ~ *Some Basic Concepts with Veteran Theosophists Eunice & Felix Layton *Exploring Theosophy with David Pratt * To Light A Thousand Lamps A Theosophic Vision By Grace Knoche (Click Link) * THE OLCOTT LIBRARY & RESEARCH CENTER CLASSIC THEOSOPHICAL BOOKS ONLINE

13 WORKS ON VEDIC CULTURE & LITERATURE ============================== THE HARMLESS DIET *Christian Vegetarian Movement ~~ * Vegetarian recipes for the Small Household ~~ * Delicious Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World. ~~ TryVeg.com - Table of Contents ~~ Ethical & Religious Vegetarians ~~ The Vegetarian Channel Vegetarian Recipes & Resources = = ONLINE RESOURCES: Many of your favorite articles from previous editions of Theosophy Today, as well as our Online Theosophical Library are now archived on our Yahoo Website Message Board.

14 We Invite You to Visit: ============================== ============================== THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA ( Orlando Lodge) The Theosophical Society In Orlando was chartered in January 1935 and has been active in the Central Florida community since that time. Theosophical Meetings are held on the first and third Fridays at 8:00 P.M. September thru May. The Society maintains a Lending Library, Nature Sanctuary, and Meditation Room open weekly to the public, September thru May. The School of Theosophy,Orlando presents classes in Basic Theosophy and Meditation twice a year, in the Spring and Fall Semesters. A school catalog and class syllabus are available upon request. Theosophy is the Perennial Wisdom which lies at the root of all religion, yet is the exclusive possession of none. Members of the Society seek to promote a sense of tolerance, understanding, and universal brotherhood among all people. The aims and objectives of the Society are purely altruistic in the highest sense. The Society does not involve itself in sectarian or political causes whatever. Theosophy is non-dogmatic and does not promote any creed or specific belief. Rather, through Study, Meditation, and Service members attempt to gain a greater understanding of themselves and their purpose in the universe. The Society is not authoritarian and has no clergy or leaders, other than democratically elected officers. It promotes complete individual freedom of thought and conscience, and refers the individual back to his own conscience as the only ultimate authority in regard to spiritual and moral decisions. The Theosophical Society In Orlando is a local branch of a national and international organization with headquarters in Chennai, India.

15 We invite your interest and participation in our programs. ORLANDO FLORIDA LODGE Theosophical Society In Orlando 1606 New York Ave. Orlando, Florida, ~~ THE SCHOOL OF THEOSOPHY, ORLANDO We Invite You To Visit & Join Our Online Discussion Groups T_S_THEOSOPHIST And on Google too: THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Google Groups (click Link) THE INTERFAITH MESSENGER The School Of Theosophy,Orlando, also publishes a monthly E-Zine, THE INTERFAITH MESSENGER, addressing Interfaith Affairs, It is seen each month by over 3,058 of Florida's Top Faith,Cultural & Business Leaders, For your free subscription send request to: InterfaithMessenger@webtv.net, Also visit and join the INTERFAITH COMMUNITY message board. And/or on Google:

16 THE INTERFAITH COMMUNITY Google Groups ============================== THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY ( Adyar) LINKS Further Detailed Information about Theosophy, and/or The Theosophical Society... International Headquarters, Adyar, Chennai, (Madras) India National Headquarters, Theosophical Society In America, Wheaton, Illinois ============================ ============================ UNTIL NEXT TIME... We hope that you have enjoyed this issue of Theosophy Today and always invite your inquiries, comments and suggestions. And We THANK YOU for helping to Light The Candle of Theosophy by forwarding Theosophy Today to your online friends. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Address all corropsondence to: Editor, THEOSOPHY TODAY Theosophist@webtv.net

17 Postal: The Theosophical Society In Orlando 1606 New York Ave. Orlando, Florida, U.S.A Phone Locate us: Use Mapquest zip code ~~ THEOSOPHY TODAY ~~ The Emblem of The Theosophical Society. A description of the perennial Spiritual significance of this emblem. ============================

Celebrating 72 Years of Continuous Activity In The Central Florida Community

Celebrating 72 Years of Continuous Activity In The Central Florida Community UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD--FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE----Wisdom Is Knowing That We Are All One----Love Is What It Feels Like----Compassion Is What It Acts Like---- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: