PROGRAMME FOR OCTOBER 2016

BLAVATSKY LODGE: 7 French Bridge, Mumbai 400007.
PROGRAMME FOR OCTOBER 2016

2-10-16	12.00 pm	Bharat Samaj Pooja
	10.30  pm	BTF Council Meeting
16-10-16	10.30  am 11.00 am	To gather for preparations Mystic Star Ritual

1-10-2016 Saturday	6.00 pm	Celebration of  Annie Besant’s Birthday by a symposium on her life, personality and contribution for humanity.
4-10-2016    Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
7.10-2016    Friday	6.00 pm	Members/Friends Meeting
11-10-2016  Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
14.10-2016  Friday	6.00 pm	Members/Friends Meeting
18-10-2016  Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
21.10-2016  Friday	6.00 pm	Members/Friends Meeting
14-\10-2016	6.00 pm	Talk by Bro Darius Umrigar
25-10-2016  Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
28-10-2016  Friday 28-10-2016  Friday	4.30 pm 6.00 pm	Managing Committee Meeting Members/Friends

Bombay Theosophical Bulletin

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BOMBAY THEOSOPHICAL FEDERATION

Volume 86

—

No.1

–

Oct  2016

CONTENTS

Quote of  Dr. Annie Besant	Cover
News & Notes	2
The 141st International Convention	2-  3
A Special Issue of the Indian Theosophist	3 - 4
North India Study Camp at Varanasi	5
Program of BTF Annual Session  November 2016	6 - 7
Communication at varied levels by Viloo Adajania	8 - 10 -
BTF & Lodge Programmes October 2016	10 - 12

NEWS & NOTES

DR. ANNIE BESANT’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION ON OCT 1 AT 6 p.m. There will be a symposium on her life, personality and contribution for humanity.at Besant Hall. Please do attend.

OBITUARY BRO FALI COOPER, one of our oldest members, was a very erudite student of Theosophy. At one time he used to take lectures on Vedanta. He passed on to Light Eternal on 14-9-2016. Till the very end he used to attend all the Lodge meetings in the last few years. An advocate by profession he used to supplement or clarify the points raised during presentation and discussions. He will be sorely missed. May his Soul rise on the Higher Planes.

THE 141ST INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

At ADYAR from 31st December 2016 to 5th January 2017:

Theme: Beyond Illusion: A Call to Unity

Registration Fees: Members Non-Members

Delegates Rs.150/- Rs.300/-

Delegates under 21 Rs. 60/- Rs.200/-

Accommodation (from 29 Dec. 2016 to 6 Jan 2017)

*Other Accommodation

Including mat/cot or mattress Rs.350/- Rs.500/-

Meals 30 Dec (Dinner) to 6 Jan (Breakfast)

Meals at the Canteen Rs.1,000/-

*Leadbeater Chambers Rs.5,000/- Rs.7,000/-Meals at LBC Rs.3,000/-

For Children: Half rate for under 10 and no charge for under 3

For Non-Members: Request for permission of Int. President should be sent with recommendation of Federation Officer to the Convention Officer before 22 November 2016.

Registration Period: 5 September to 1 December 2016

Registration Payment: Bank Draft duly crossed payable to The Treasurer, The Theosophical Society, Chennai

Convention Officer Contact: The Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai 600020 or e-mail:adyarconvention@gmail.com

Registration Forms available with Lodge Assistant Sis. Asha

A SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE INDIAN THEOSOPHIST just published in the 125^th year of the Indian Section tells us there have been 124 General Secretaries during these 125 years It includes some Articles written by some of them, a circular sent in 1894 to Presidents and Branches of the ,the Annual Reports of 1907 and 1908 Indian Section by the GS of those years and monthly Notes written by the GS in September 1930.The selections were made by the Treasurer of the Indian Section. All this makes interesting and thought provoking reading and gives an insight to the working of the lodges in those years.

The issue contains an article by Dr. Bhagwan Das who was GS from 1911-12 from which the following paragraph is quoted

“Mrs. Besant was a great leader in every respect, with the soul of fire, the burning eloquence, the imaginative vision, the great and high aspirations, the quick decision, and the generous and trustful nature. The scrupulous regard for promises made, the exceeding considerateness for juniors and subordinates, anxious fulfillment of their hopes even casually aroused by any work of hers and, above all else, the mystic power of magnetic personality, which inspire and attract and keep followers. Her trustfulness and generosity, because of her intense high-strung nature and her eagerness to help and quicken the uplift of humanity, were indeed at times rather reckless; and as could not but happen in such conditions, she sometimes received and trusted wrong advice, and sometimes undeserving persons took unfair advantage of her open-handed liberality and readiness to help- whom she always incorrigibly forgave despite repeated experience. But mostly the help went to the deserving persons a well as causes.”

Another article by Bro. Iqbal Narain Gurtu who was GS from 1912-1916 also extols the virtues of Annie Besant: “It is very difficult to give in the space of an article any adequate idea of the outstanding greatness of Dr. Annie Besant. In fact true greatness can never be fully measured.  Even those who violently differed from her cannot but acknowledge her transparent honesty of purpose, her indomitable will and unfailing strength, her matchless courage and energy her extraordinary versatility and intellectual powers, and her remarkable capacity for organization coupled with practical idealism and commonsense; while those who had the privilege of working in close association with her at one felt struck with the boundless generosity of her noble heart, the utter simplicity of her life, her wise and understanding love, her lofty spirituality and grasp of fundamentals which enabled her to offer happy solutions to the deeper problems of life not merely by percept but in her own daily life. Throughout her life, crowded with big events and equally big crises, she had to sacrifice tremendously for her fidelity to what she believed to be true. But with the entire heavy price that she had to pay for her intensity of conviction, the one outstanding feature of her noble character was its freedom from any trace of dogmatism or bitterness or intolerance.

The Bhowali Himalayan Centre of the Indian Section offers Courses in English and other languages including European languages. Our Federations may consider using it to hold special courses.

NORTH INDIA STUDY CAMP AT VARANASI ON 15, 16, & 17 OCTOBER 2016:

Prof R C Tampi will direct a study of the book AN APPROACH TO REALITY by N. Sri Ram. This will be followed by E.S. Retreat on 18-19 October 2016.

Please remit before 30^th September 2016

 1 Study Camp: 25 Deluxe Rooms Rs.1130/-; 22 Special Rooms; Rs 930/-;35 Ordinary Rooms:  Rs .880/ for 3 days from evening of 13^th.

2 ES Retreat: Deluxe Rooms Rs.750/-; Special Rooms Rs.700/- and Ordinary Rooms Rs.650/-

Book before 30^th September 2016.  Accommodation on first-come first served basis. Cancellation before Oct 1st will cost Rs. 100/-

Remit to Vijaya Bank, Kamachha, Varanasi,A/c No.718301010005045;IFSC Code VIJB 0007183 IN NAME OF Indian Section, The Theosophical Society.

 Can also be remitted by cash or draft

Please inform your arrival and departure dates by email to theosophyvns@gmail.com; or theosophy-vns@yahoo.com

ANNUAL SESSION OF

                THE BOMBAY THEOSOPHICAL FEDERATION

        4th, 5th & 6th November 2016

CHIEF GUEST

Dr.Cittaranjan Satapathy

International Vice President

THEME

Theosophy the Ageless Wisdom

Friday  4th November 2015 – Opening of Annual Session 

Venue: Blavatsky Lodge, 7- French Bridge, Mumbai 400007

 6.00 p.m.   Lighting of the Lamp & Prayers of All Religions

                   Opening of Annual Session Reading of Greetings

                    Welcome & Introduction of the Chief Guests

                        by President Dr. Ajay Hora

6.30 p.m.    Opening Address  on The Theme

by Chief Guest Dr C Satapathy

Saturday 5th November 2016  

Venue: Blavatsky Lodge, 7- French Bridge, Mumbai 400007

6.15 p.m.      Talk by Chief Guest

Sunday 6th November 2016 – Session at Juhu   

Venue: Juhu Theosophical Colony, Mumbai 400049

10.00 a.m.   Tea & Snacks

10.30  a.m.   Bharat Samaj Pooja

11.00.a.m.    Welcome by BTF President & Juhu T. Colony

11.10 a.m.    Talk  by the Chief Guest Dr C Satapathy

                     Followed by Q & A                  

                  

12.30 p.m.  Annual General Meeting

                   (Annual Report 2015-2016 will be given at AGM)                     

  1.00 p.m.  Lunch

  3.00 p.m.  Tea 

  3.30 p.m.   Symposium chaired by

                        Chief Guest Dr C Satapathy

  5.00 p.m.  Vote of Thanks by BTF Secretary Bro. Ram Kalra 

Blavatsky Lodge Book Depot Counter will be open at Juhu Session. Brethren interested in specific books please inform in advance Blavatsky Lodge Book Depot Manager Sis. Freny Paghdiwala Tel: 23806564

There will be bus service for Juhu. Timings will be announced

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: COMMUNICATION AT VARIED LEVELS

VILOO H. ADAJANIA examines what makes communication effective at the outer as well as the subtler and deeper levels of existence.

By Socratic dialogue, the dialogue of the Buddha and a number of others in the Upanishads, Chinese literature, Taoist thought, and so on, teachers were trying to stimulate the hidden capacity in their listeners, the people to whom they were talking to communicate. Communication does not mean just speaking. We think, if we say something, that is communication. It may not be, because the person to whom we are speaking may not be open to what we say, and this creates a barrier between the two.

So the power to communicate means to have a two-way flow of insight, understanding and appreciation. These teachers were very aware that they were not telling people things, but entering into a form of communication which would help others to see for themselves. This was the whole purpose of real dialogue.

Communication is not always verbal. Verbal communication is necessary in this world to some extent, but many of us use wrong words, talk too much and go off the track, or show a certain resistance. With resistance, communication is impossible because it kills our desire and inspiration to communicate. Therefore, it is important to examine what makes communication effective at the outer as well as the subtler and deeper levels of existence.

Communication need not be between same levels of beings. It has been said that people must be equals, at the same level, in order to communicate. The very simple fact that an adult can communicate something to a child shows that this idea is not entirely correct. A child is also able to communicate something to an adult, even though they are not equals in the sense of growth and maturity. Actually, the adult is not necessarily a superior person ; the child may be more evolved than the adult and sometimes it happens that from a very early physical age the maturity of the soul begins to reveal itself in communication. So it is not equality, in the sense of equal knowledge and so forth, that makes for communication. Then what makes communication possible?

Obviously people’s brains are full of contradictory movements and there are notions, images, prejudices, which block communication, and this makes the quality of communication very poor at the outer as well as the subtler and deeper levels of existence. We may come to a sacred place and if the mind is quiet, not chattering or filled with mundane concepts and desires, perhaps there may be communication with the holy and the sacred. But suppose people are chattering in the hidden chambers of their being, the flow of obstructions continues to take place, and there is no communication. The Masters are all part of the sacred sphere, but the communication they want is absent, because our own minds are not in a state which makes it possible.

Indians are particularly fond of saying, “I want the blessings of the Masters”. This is unnecessary, because the Masters’ blessings are always present everywhere, poured forth continually. Their very existence is a blessing. But we create barriers and prevent its entry into our hearts and minds. So we have to make sure that our own being is ready for communication and not wait for a ‘guru’ to come.

Nature, as the sages say, speaks; Nature is not silent, but we do not hear. We wait for the word of the Master – but what is the word of the Master? Is it spoken at a particular time when one has to be present to hear it? Not at all, because when the heart is ready, pure, unobstructed by prejudice, by previous ideas, by desires, and all sorts of things, then the voice from the deeper, more spiritual level, is heard, though at first not very clearly. But as we proceed, it is heard deeply by the better part of ourselves.

The qualifications on the Path have been well known through ages. One of them is silence, at least at certain moments of the day when Nature Herself is trying to communicate with us. Communication means that we are entirely ‘receptive’ and also we are able to channel spiritual energies to some extent atleast, to pass through us to others.

So communication calls for the qualities necessary both for receiving and radiating the right energies. As stated above, many sages and wise people have tried to stimulate spiritually those who are receptive. For this one of the important things is silence. The ability to be silent does not mean putting a seal on one’s lips – to be silent verbally. It means that you are unperturbed at the conscious and the subconscious levels. The brain likes to chatter, to create conflicts, to resist according to what it likes and dislikes. All that has to subside if we desire to communicate at a higher meaningful level.

At a higher level the Divine Spirit or the Wisdom of God must be sought not outside you but within you. “Plunge fearlessly into the depths of your own being; seek in the cavity of your own heart the hidden mystery and there, there only you will find Him.”

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BTF & LODGE PROGRAMMES OCTOBER 2016

1. ANANDA LODGE: Theosophical Colony, Juhu, Mumbai 400049. Sunday 16th October  2016 at 12.00 noon. Contact Dr. Smruti Hora Tel: 26151060 for details

2. BLAVATSKY LODGE: 7 French Bridge, Mumbai 400007.

2-10-16	12.00 pm	Bharat Samaj Pooja
	10.30  pm	BTF Council Meeting
16-10-16	10.30  am 11.00 am	To gather for preparations Mystic Star Ritual

1-10-2016 Saturday	6.00 pm	Celebration of  Annie Besant’s Birthday by a symposium on her life, personality and contribution for humanity.
4-10-2016    Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
7.10-2016    Friday	6.00 pm	Members/Friends Meeting
11-10-2016  Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
14.10-2016  Friday	6.00 pm	Members/Friends Meeting
18-10-2016  Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
21.10-2016  Friday	6.00 pm	Members/Friends Meeting
14-\10-2016	6.00 pm	Talk by Bro Darius Umrigar
25-10-2016  Tuesday	5.45 pm	SS Meeting
28-10-2016  Friday 28-10-2016  Friday	4.30 pm 6.00 pm	Managing Committee Meeting Members/Friends

3. CENTENARY LODGE:

Will inform when they are able to hold meeting.

4. JYOTI LODGE: C/o Bro. Taral Munshi, C/101, Building No.19, New Mahda, Garden Hill C.H.S., New Mahda Colony, Behind N.P.A., Goregaon (East), Mumbai 400065

5. SHANTI LODGE: C/o Bro. Rustom Dalal, Vijay Niwas, 2nd Floor, Plot 5, Sleater Road, Mumbai 400007

Thursdays at 6.15 p.m. The dates and subjects will be announced later

Dr. Darius Umrigar will address members and others on Oct 20 at Blavatsky Lodge

6. UNITY YOUTH LODGE: C/o Blavatsky Lodge

Wed 19 5.30 pm Theosophical readings guided by Sis. Soonoo Vesuna at her residence Vijay Niwas, 4th Floor, Sleater Road

7 & 8 VASANTA LODGE & GANESH LODGE: Please note NEW ADDRESS: C/O Dr. Ajay Hora, Kamla Sadan 1st Floor, Pherozsha Mehta Rd., Santa Cruz West, Mumbai 400054.

Wednesday 5,19,26  Meetings at 6.30 pm.

BANK HOLIDAY ON 12^TH

9. VIMADALAL BILIA LODGE: Family House, Parsi Colony, Dadar, Mumbai 400014.

Thurs 6      6.00      Lodge Meeting by Sis. Armaity Tirandaz

Thurs  13   6.00      Lodge Meeting by Sis. Armaity Tirandaz

Thurs 20    6.00 Talk by Bro Rustom Chothia on Zoroastrianism

Thurs 27    6.00 Lodge Meeting by Sis. Armaity Tirandaz

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QUOTES

True wisdom comes to only those who seek it to benefit others.

 Madame H. P. Blavatsky

J K. used a vocabulary which is not the traditional one. He did not use such words as “the Path”. In fact he said “Truth is a pathless land” and many people are still puzzled by it. But from the Theosophical point of view every Monad is unique and, entering the material plane, follows its own unique path. The development which takes place in every individual is unlike any other--- the whole of Nature is like this… So each person has to proceed through his own understanding of tto the truth. Nobody else can say “This is the path you must tread”

                                                                                    Radha Burnier

                                              (Quoted in The Theosophist Sep 2016)

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Price: Rs. 1/- Annual Subscription: Rs. 10/-

Edited & Published by Editor Shri. Rustom R. Dalal, The Bombay Theosophical Federation, c/o Blavatsky Lodge, 7 – French Bridge, Chowpatty, Mumbai – 400 007. (Tel: 23685026) and Printed at Vijay Copy Centre, 48/A, Saidunnisa Building, Sleater Road, Opposite Grant Road Station (West), Mumbai – 400 007.