DAY
|
TIME
|
DETAILS
|
Fri 1
|
6.00 pm
|
Members’ Meeting – Study of AB & CWL’s Book “MAN.. Whence, How and Whither” conducted by Sis Aban Patel
|
Sun 3
|
10.00 am
10.30 am
|
Bharat Samaj Pooja
BTF Council Meeting
|
Fri 8
|
6.00 PM
|
Bank Holiday – Lodge closed
|
Sun 10
|
10.30 am
10.30 am
|
To gather for preparation for the Ritual
Mystic Star Ritual
|
Fri 15
|
6.00 pm
|
Members’ Meeting – Study of AB & CWL’s Book “MAN.. Whence, How and Whither” conducted by Sis Aban Patel
|
Fri 22
|
4.30 pm
6.00 pm
|
Blavatsky Lodge Managing Committee Meeting
Members’ Meeting - Talk on ‘Demystifying Pathanjali’ by Bro. Arni Narendran
|
Sun 24
|
10.45 am
|
Maitreya Round Table
|
Fri 29
|
6.00 pm
|
Members’ Meeting – Study of AB & CWL’s Book “MAN.. Whence, How and Whither” conducted by Sis Aban Patel
|
Tues 5, 12, 19, 26
|
4.15 pm
5.30 pm
|
Yoga Session conducted by Shernaz Vatchha
SS Meeting
Members’ Meetings to read & discuss ‘Lives of Alcyone’
|
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF
THE BOMBAY
THEOSOPHICAL FEDERATION
Volume
85
|
—
|
No.7
|
–
|
April 2016
|
Live as if you were to die
tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.
The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Happiness is when what you think,
what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma
Gandhi
CONTENTS
Quote of Mahatma Gandhi
|
Cover
|
Blavatsky Lodge
invite for M.C. Nominations
|
2
|
News & Notes
|
2 - 3
|
‘Compassion’ by
Chittranjan Satapathy
|
4 - 9
|
Poems by Sis. Freny
Paghdiwala, Nature Inspired
|
9 - 10
|
BTF & Lodge Programmes April
2016
|
11 - 12
|
NEWS
& NOTES
NOMINATION NOTICE
BLAVATSKY LODGE MANAGING
COMMITTEE INVITES NOMINATIONS for Election to the
following positions for the Managing Committee of the Blavatsky Lodge, T.S., for the term of two years 2016-2018:
(1) President (2) Vice-President (3) Treasurer and
(4) SEVEN members of the
Managing Committee
Nomination slips are available with Lodge Assistant Sis Asha
Mhatre. These slips duly filled in and signed by the Nominee and the Proposer
/ Seconder (Blavatsky Lodge members) should be handed over to Election Officer Bro. Khosrav D Pavri latest by 22nd April 2016.
|
SHANTI LODGE MUSICAL EVENING on 26th February 2016 was a delightful evening listening
to Junior & Senior Choirs of Sis. Freny Paghdiwala. There were Old
Favorites, songs with spiritual messages and songs about beautiful Nature. Sis
Freny, who has taught music over 50 years, explained that the purpose of her
Choir is to learn & appreciate music, to sing for joy of singing and to
spread joy around.
************************************************Editor – Bro. Rustom R. Dalal
Cover Page By: Sis. Kashmira Khambatta
Editorial Committee – Sis. Mahazaver Dalal (in charge of Mailing
List), Sis. Kashmira Khambatta, Sis. Aban Patel and Ex-Officio: President Dr. Ajay Hora, Secretary Sis. Aban Amroliwalla. Note: News, Notes and Programmes to
be printed in the Bulletin, be forwarded by e-mail to: rrpdalal@hotmail.com or kashmirakhambatta@yahoo.com latest by 16th
each month.
PAVRI’S Book "Theosophy Explained in Questions and
Answers” added to Jalbhai CD Library by Bro. NAVIN KUMAR:
It was a an inexplicable inspiration
which compelled him to spend about 25 hours on the computer to extract
the text of this book page by page from Million Book Project The texts were
corrected & reformatted for word & PDF formats.
Bro. Navin Kumar has created a web library on the net called “Jalbhai CD Library” containing most of the important books on Theosophy. Jalbhai CD Library is available on the following link:https://sites.google.com/site/thegrandoldmanofblavatskylodge/home
It was a an inexplicable inspiration
which compelled him to spend about 25 hours on the computer to extract
the text of this book page by page from Million Book Project The texts were
corrected & reformatted for word & PDF formats.Bro. Navin Kumar has created a web library on the net called “Jalbhai CD Library” containing most of the important books on Theosophy. Jalbhai CD Library is available on the following link:https://sites.google.com/site/thegrandoldmanofblavatskylodge/home
This particular book is
place in cupboard 1 of that website. Brethren, who are internet inclined, may
avail of this opportunity to read the book
BLAVATSKY LODGE PROGRAMMES:
‘Happiness Unlimited’ by Brihmakumari Shivani: There was screening of about 28
talks of Brihmakumari Shivani followed by discussions. At the end of the series
of Talks, Bro. Navin Kumar screened PPP of summarized talks with captions of
key messages.
Study of ‘Demystifying Patanjali Yoga’: Bro. Arnie Narendran is
currently conducting
the study. Bro. Navin Kumar at the following meetings presents PPP on the portions
covered with summary of explanations.
In month of March 2016 the Movie ‘Anna Karenina’ based on Tolstoy’s
Novel was
screened over four turns, with a purpose to understand how a person creates his
own Destiny.
Sis Kashmira Khambatta presented ‘Introduction to The Lives of
Alcyone’. Now the
stories of his lives will be read and discussed by the members at Tuesday
meetings
From April 2016 on Fridays, Sis. Aban Patel will conduct the study of
Annie Besant & C.W. Leadebeater’s occult book ‘MAN.. Whence, How and
Whither’. This great book is out of print. Do not miss the chance of learning
about MAN’s origin and his ultimate goal.
COMPASSION
IN DIFFERENT SPIRITUAL
TRADITIONS
Chittaranjan
Satapathy
International Vice
President, the T. S
Talk delivered at the International
Convention, on Jan 3,2016
****
Compassion
is a virtue in every major tradition and is also central to each religion.
Compassion implies a feeling of oneness with the other, not merely feeling pity
for somebody. In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, compassion is equated with karuna. A different expression daya is used to imply mercy, kindness
and sometimes pity. Some of these expressions are often used interchangeably
due to lack of clarity and deeper understanding. Theosophical teachings greatly
value the virtue of compassion for spiritual growth and enlightenment. In The Voice of the Silence, which is the
final gift of HPB to all of us, it is said that Compassion is no attribute and
cannot be destroyed. Compassion is the law of laws – eternal Harmony – the law
of love eternal. In the Laws of the
Higher Life, Dr. Besant says: ‘Every scripture declares that the Heart of
the Divine Life is Infinite Compassion. Compassionate, then, must be the
spiritual man’. In view of the importance accorded to compassion, we are
examining the same in the context of different traditions and religions.
Hinduism
In classical Hindu literature, compassion is recognized as a great
virtue and is expressed in different terms, the most common ones being karuna, daya and anukampa. Karuna particularly implies an effort to understand
others from their perspective. Words like karuna
sindhu (ocean of compassion) and karuna
nidhana (abode of compassion) are the names given to the important Hindu
deities Krishna and Rama. Buddha came to be recognized subsequently as one of
the ten avatars (incarnations) of the Hindu deity Vishnu. The Dasaavatara Strota (hymn to ten avataras)
eulogizes his compassion and the steps he took to stop animal sacrifice. These
examples amply demonstrate that karuna as
a virtue is given the highest importance in Hinduism. The vedic texts enjoin
extending compassion not only to human beings but to every living being.
Compassion is a state in which one sees
all living beings as part of one’s own self and every one’s suffering is seen
as one’s own suffering. It is extended to all, including those who are
strangers and even those who may be inimical. Daya (mercy) is defined in Padma
Purana as the virtuous desire to mitigate sorrow and difficulties of others
by putting forth whatever efforts are necessary. Anukampa, a similar expression, refers to one’s state after one has
observed and understood others’ pain or suffering .
Therefore, compassion is not pity (kripa) as the former implies feeling of
oneness with the sufferer whereas pity may suggest merely feeling sorry for him
accompanied by condescension.
An ancient Hindu Tamil text, Thirikkural which is very popular in
south India says: “Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion.
For if the various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to
liberation” (Thirukkural 25:241-242).
Patanjali in his Yogasutra highlights the importance of compassion ( karuna ) along with the other three
virtues namely maîtri, mudita, and upeksha.
Sikhism
Sikhism equally considers compassion to
be a great virtue. Guru Granth Sahib goes on to say: ‘You have no compassion;
the Lord’s Light does not shine in you. You are drowned, drowned in worldly
entanglements’.
A Sikh is enjoined to feel the pain and suffering of other people
involved in any tragedy and compassion is considered to be a divine quality. In
the Sikh scripture, God is called mahadaial
(super
compassionate), daialpati (lord of
compassion), and daial dev (merciful
God).
Jainism
Jainism emphasizes observance of verbal
and mental compassion in addition to compassion for all living beings. Lord
Mahavira adopted supreme compassion in His life even towards poisonous snakes.
The Jain tenet, ahimsa paramo dharma,
stems from compassion for all, which enjoins living beings to render service to
one and another.
Christianity
The Hebrew and Greek words translated
as ‘compassion’ in the Bible means sympathy, mercy and pity. The Bible
describes God as compassionate and gracious, abounding in love, and his
compassion is described as unfailing, infinite and eternal. Compassion is said
to arise in us when we are confronted with those who suffer and it produces
action to alleviate their suffering. In Christian literature, being
compassionate is also equated with being tender hearted and acting kindly.
God’s compassion is given freely and tenderly like the mother’s compassion for
a child. God’s compassion is characterized by acts of kindness and concern for
human suffering. Duty towards God in Christian literature includes
compassionate care for people including neighbors. Christ is considered to be
the Father of Compassion characterized by notions of tenderness and affection,
and the believers are required to be imitators of Christ to live a life of love
and care for others.
Islam
Islam is much misunderstood today because of the horrendous acts of
terrorism by some. Many people both non-Muslims as well as Muslims wrongly
think that the concept of Jihad is central to Islam. However, this is not true.
Firstly, jihad literally means striving to serve the purposes of God. It is
understood that jihad encompasses religious duties to maintain the religion as well as inner spiritual
struggle, the latter being more important.
Secondly it is compassion which
represents the true spirit of Islam as in the case of other spiritual
traditions. In the Islamic tradition Allah is referred to as the Merciful and
the Compassionate. In the Arabic language in which the Quran is written, the
words used are Rahman and Rahim. One hundred thirteen chapters of
the Quran out of a hundred and fourteen begin with the verse ‘In the name of
God the Compassionate, the Merciful’. The Muslims are urged in their scriptures
to show compassion towards everyone including the poor, the widows, the orphans
and even the captives. They pay Zakat (mandatory
giving rather than sadaqa – voluntary
giving), which goes to help the poor and the needy. When they fast during the
month of Ramadan, it helps them to empathize with the hunger pangs of the less
fortunate and enhances their sensitivity to the suffering of others. Prophet
Mohammad is referred to as the ‘Mercy of the World’. He is quoted as saying,
‘God is more loving and kind than a mother to her dear child’. As in the case
of other traditions, in the Islamic tradition also, compassion which implies
suffering with others is considered to be a virtue. It is said in the Quran
that God has created man in his image and amongst all His divine qualities,
compassion and mercy are considered the highest. Therefore, for a Muslim,
compassion and mercy become the highest ideals to be realized. There is no
doubt that compassion occupies a central place along with the virtues of
loving, caring and showing mercy. The Quran particularly emphasizes compassion
to parents, children, spouse, relatives, orphans, sick and suffering neighbours
and wayfarers.
The Sufis lay great importance to
compassion and their very fundamental doctrine is called ‘Sulh-i-kul’, that is
peace with all, which in other words means no violence and no aggressiveness.
Judaism
In the Jewish tradition, God is invoked
as the Father of Compassion and hence is referred to as a compassionate
(Rahmana). The Rabbis speak of the thirteen attributes of compassion. the
conception of compassion is likened to a feeling of a parent for the child. The
word Rihim comes from the Hebrew word
Rehem, the mother. In Judaism
compassion includes sorrow and pity for one in distress, creating a desire to
relieve, and lack of compassion is characterized as cruelty. Judaism uses words
like compassion, empathy, altruism and love interchangeably. However, an in
depth examination makes it clear that compassion is more than simply a human
emotion. Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition puts it this way: ‘Kindness gives
to another. Compassion knows no other’. It is also said that compassion is the
basis of love.
Buddhism
Compassion or Karuna is at the very
heart of Buddha’s teachings. When he was asked by Ananda as to whether
cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is a part of our practice, Buddha
replied in the negative. He said cultivation of loving kindness and compassion
is not part of our practice but is all of
our practice. It is said that the ultimate wish of the Buddha was to relieve
the suffering of all living beings everywhere. The Dalai Lama says, “If you
want others to be happy practice compassion. if you want to be happy practice
compassion” in Buddhism loving kindness (
metta / maître ) and compassion are complementary virtues – the former has
the characteristic of wishing for the happiness and welfare of others whereas
compassion has the characteristic of wishing others to be free from suffering
which is extended to all living beings.
Conclusion
In
most traditions, compassion is differentiated from pity. While pity may be
condescending, compassion arises from a sense of equality and
interconnectedness of life. Compassion presupposes respect for dignity of life
– ours as well as others.
As such compassion has little to do
with sentimentality or mere pity. Pity which springs from emotions and
sentimentality, alone cannot relieve suffering and bring joy. On the other hand
compassion belongs to a higher spiritual level which arises from prajna or wisdom. In fact wisdom and
compassion go together and you cannot have one without the other. It is through
wisdom, prajna that one understands the suffering of the others and through
compassion one helps to remove that suffering. The enlightened ones remain with
us as teachers and liberators because of their immense compassion, karuna . The Great Ones can truly be
described as compassion embodied.
We are told that the quickest way to
spiritual growth is the path of compassion. And the reason why this is so is
not difficult to guess. Through compassion we put to use our noblest and
loftiest and most divine faculties, we
assume responsibility towards one and all, universal responsibility if you
wish, and that leads to end of separateness. A state of non- separateness, identification
with all, is a sure indication of wisdom. Compassion, universal responsibility,
non-separateness and wisdom are multiple facets of spiritual life. That is why,
all spiritual traditions, without exception, enjoin us to be compassionate.
********************************************************
Poems by Sis Freny Paghdiwala, Nature
inspired
PEACE IN
PANCHGANI
Mountains & hills,
valleys & plains
Amid the green, nestled
within
Lies every soul, longing
for peace
Cattle & farms, birds & the bees
Singing & humming,
welcoming the Spring
Young & old, poor &
rich
Each one is wanting &
seeking for Peace
Where will they find it?
Oh! Where? Oh! Where?
Nowhere except “Deep down
Within”
JUHU BEACH
Waves, waves of the Arabian
Sea
White, green & blue of
colours three
The setting Sun is shining
bright
Throwing on the sands its
golden light
Countless humans walk
around
Where else can such Joy be
found?
MOTHER NATURE
Little flowers (2)
How gentle & true
With Mother Nature’s
Blessings
How beautifully you grow
Little leaves (2)
How tender & green
With little bit of human
touch
How joyfully you spring
Little birds (2)
How delightful your songs
That make most human hearts
rejoice
When other things go wrong
Flowers, leaves, birds and
all
Spring up at Mother
Nature’s Call
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1)
Grace is only to be found by effort,
Although it is here
and now.
2)
The highest form of grace is silence
3)
Appreciating the mind as
‘All Silence I Am’
Is Meditation.
4) Out of purity and silence
comes the word power.
5) The end of ego is the
‘Mystic Death’ of the meditator.
Golden Sayings (Central
Chinmaya Mission Trust)
BTF & LODGE PROGRAMMES MARCH 2016
1. ANANDA LODGE:
Theosophical Colony, Juhu,
Mumbai 400049. Sunday 17th April 2016
at 12.00 noon. Contact Dr. Smruti Hora Tel: 26151060 for details
2. BLAVATSKY LODGE: 7 French Bridge, Mumbai 400007.
DAY
|
TIME
|
DETAILS
|
Fri 1
|
6.00 pm
|
Members’
Meeting – Study of AB & CWL’s Book “MAN.. Whence, How and Whither”
conducted by Sis Aban Patel
|
Sun 3
|
10.00
am
10.30
am
|
Bharat
Samaj Pooja
BTF
Council Meeting
|
Fri 8
|
6.00 PM
|
Bank
Holiday – Lodge closed
|
Sun 10
|
10.30
am
10.30
am
|
To gather for preparation for the Ritual
Mystic
Star Ritual
|
Fri 15
|
6.00 pm
|
Members’
Meeting – Study of AB & CWL’s Book “MAN.. Whence, How and Whither”
conducted by Sis Aban Patel
|
Fri 22
|
4.30
pm
6.00
pm
|
Blavatsky
Lodge Managing Committee Meeting
Members’
Meeting - Talk on ‘Demystifying Pathanjali’ by Bro. Arni Narendran
|
Sun 24
|
10.45
am
|
Maitreya
Round Table
|
Fri 29
|
6.00 pm
|
Members’
Meeting – Study of AB & CWL’s Book “MAN.. Whence, How and Whither”
conducted by Sis Aban Patel
|
Tues
5, 12, 19, 26
|
4.15 pm
5.30 pm
|
Yoga
Session conducted by Shernaz Vatchha
SS
Meeting
Members’
Meetings to read & discuss ‘Lives of Alcyone’
|
3. CENTENARY LODGE:
Will inform when they are able to hold
meeting.
4. JYOTI LODGE: Contact Bro. Taral Munshi, c/o Dr. Ajay
Hora, B-7, Juhu Theosophical Colony,
Mumbai 400049 Tel 26151060
5. SHANTI
LODGE:
C/o Bro. Rustom Dalal, Vijay Niwas, 2nd Floor, Plot 5, Sleater Road, Mumbai 400007
Thursdays at 6.15 p.m.
7
|
Study of C. W. Leadbeater’s book ‘Man
Visible & Invisible’
Talk
by Dr. Darius H. Umrigar (at
Blavatsky Lodge)
|
