The Messiah — Theosophy’s view

[AndrewX]

Originally Posted by Nick the Pilot

Hey, Andrew, do you have a quote from Balvatsky that says "The sixth figure listed [Padmasambhava] according to H.P. Blavatsky, was pretty much an immediate reincarnation of the Buddha {Shakyamuni}"?

Nick,

Screwed up this I did the order of ... since I messed with the list a couple of times. Actually it should read that the 7th figure, Shankaracharya, was the rebirth of Shakyamuni. This should not be considered the "next Buddha." It was the SAME MAN. But this begs the question: What is the relationship of MANAS to the "rest of us," astral, physical, Buddhic and Atmic. And remember, we are a trinity of ternaries. The personality reflects the Spiritual Triad, yet the latter incarnates the Triune Monad on a higher turn of the spiral ... the Monad itself a spark of the Divine (TRINITY!).

So to say that the Buddha reincarnated pretty much soon after (fifty years) his own death, is kind of a tangent to Theosophy's take on the Messiah, but since CHRISTOS is a Spiritual PRINCIPLE for Theosophists more so than any one historical Incarnation of the same, I think it's worth going into it a bit. HPB discusses it on page 377 forward in the Secret Doctrine, Vol. 3, as well as elsewhere in this text. There is quite a bit of discussion of the Buddha Shakyamuni, as this subject holds the key to a good deal of related understanding (the Principles, the rebirth of individual Jivas, such as that of Siddharta Gautama, prior to and subsequent to THAT lifetime).

The mistake, as some would agree, is to unduly glamorize the lives of the Great Ones ... and even the subject seems unrescuable from this kind of treatment. Still, I like to turn over a new leaf once in a blue moon.

Padmasambhava incarnated several centuries later, in Tibet, and sought to reform the native sorcery of the region by kind of grafting onto it something of the true Dharma. This may seem irreverent, especially to devoted students of the Bon traditions, but anyone versed in the Mahatama Letters will know that this is not how Buddhas tend to act. The incarnation as Padmasambhava, however, was not the Buddha Shakyamuni, or at least not strictly so, as one of the Pratyeka Buddhas, or Buddhas of Activity (future Lords of the World on Mercury) was the overshadowing `Tulku' (not truly Tulku, but something related, on a much higher turn of the spiral). The clue is the reference to "a RAY" of Sanat Kumara, keeping in mind how Arupa these levels of being are, with SK's focus - and that of the other Kumaras - being on the highest planes of our Planetary System, where Human evolution does not even yet occur!

It's complicated, this subject, only by the fact that Theosophical (and related esoteric) Teachings do treat our Spiritual Constitution as an amalgam of varying parts, rather than one, simple unit. St. Paul does the same in the Christian tradition, and we will see the same anywhere else we look. Simplification is always best, but once we grab hold of the rabbit, it's down the hole we go ...

You will find what you're looking for on Padmasambhava, with references to Jesus, in Volume 14 of the Collected Works of HPB, on pages 382 forward. As you will see, the reference to Jesus is only in passing, as the latter is a high Adept, now a Chohan and head of the 6th Ray of Devotion (see the chart given by C.W. Leadbeater, which he himself `borrowed' from Master DK, via Alice Bailey's book, Initiation Human and Solar - published in 1919, well before CWL's Masters and the Path!).

You may also want to look at pages 403-407 of the same volume, on the Reincarnations of Gautama Buddha. Again, all of this is useful is we are able to accept that the EGO, or SOUL of Gautama Buddha is what is being studied ... inasmuch as SOMETHING does reincarnate. Buddhists will get all nitpicky and talk about the bundle of attributes, or Skandhas, but hey, it's not like this things just magically gel from out of nowhere, especially when we consider the Causal Body, or objetification of the THREAD (sic) of Continuity (Sutratma) between all of our incarnations. The Antahkarana, or Consciousness thread, however, has more to do with the Christ in the sense of Coming One, or Messiah, as this focuses upon the BRIDGE in consciousness which we are building with the Higher Self (and vice versa, thankfully so).

Jesus, as I have politely tried to clarify, is pointed out both in Theosophical Teachings as well as by Alice Bailey and others as a completely different EGO, or reincarnating Soul, than The Christ, or Maitreya. The latter appeared as Sri Krishna, and Master DK mentions one more obscure incarnation (in exactly these words) which none of us would recognize. The implication, to me, is that we are looking at a Soul of somewhat unique accomlplishments (the FIRST of true, Lemurian Humanity to reach THE GOAL - vs. those who later came in from earlier cycles, or the BUDDHA, who comes to us from the Moon Chain).

Jesus of Nazareth, on the other hand, being a high Initiate even in his birth as the Galilean, had already appeared twice before in Biblical history, once as Joshua, Son of Nun, right beside Moses and Aaron, thus a direct lineage-holder in this most ancient and esoteric of traditions ... plus as the High Priest Joshua, made Initiate as related by Zechariah. The incarnation of Jesus in 105BC comes 150 years after the cusp of Pisces, just as the current Reappearance of the Christ has yet to technically, fully occur, even after 111 years of Aquarius!

Jesus, of course, didn't get to fulfil the Ministry that might have been, although the esoteric tradition is that after 3 years of teaching in the physical body, he did manage to continue appearing to the Apostles for another 30, from subtle world. Such, as we know well, is by this point the Overshadowing PRESENCE of what Christians call the 2nd Person of the Trinity, and while esotericists recognize that this is relative, both to our little planet and even to the current STAGE of our evolution (which prevents certain Greater recognitions) ... we also know, or can study and trace, the origins of the Blue Lodge of Masonry right to the Great Lodge on Sirius.

Sirius, the Cosmic Christ, reaches us with its influence in numerous ways, yet Venus (having REACHED her goal early, spiritually speaking, and thus being an Adept among planets) has a similiar relation to Earth, as Sirius does to our entire Solar LOGOS. Sirius essentially IS the Soul of our System, or its overshadowing Christ Principle (more technically, the Spiritual Triad). Its influence also reaches our planet directly through the Hierarchy, via the Solar Lord, without going through Shambhala, as other Cosmic Energies do. This still gets my attention every time I read it.

Originally Posted by Nick the Pilot

And do you have a quote placing Jesus as a reincarnation of Padmasambhava?

Jesus did reincarnate, of course, first as Appollonius of Tyana ... whose life was discussed by HPB, later by the Tibetan, also by Master M. in the Agni Yoga Teachings, and so forth. This was the life in which Jesus took the Asekha Adept Initiation (Ascencsion, or 5th) ... later followed by an incarnation (or overshadowing?) of the Indian Saint, Sri Ramanuja Acharya. CWL mentions this, and I think I have noted other references ... but not necesarily Alice Bailey.

Incidentally, DK does tell us that Master J. overshadowed and Inspired the Prophet Mohammed, very much as the Christ Himself had earlier done with the Initiate Jesus. And is not Islam thoroughly a 6th Ray religious system? It is heavy on the discipline and has the martial flare of the Nazarene Adept, while the fanatical element is perhaps the most in excess of all the religions at this point, certainly of the Three Religions of the Book.

Theosphy's message regarding the Messiah (hence, the Messiah's own Message, or the Gospel Itself, from an esoteric angle) seems to include an opportunity to learn how we progress spiritually by studying how the Great Ones have done exactly the same thing. How did the Masters handle such and such a particular situation? What did or would they do if such and such arose? Essentially, WW the Master Do, where the Master can be practically any of the several dozen Whom students have been able to learn about in recent decades or centures. This is quite like the WWJD bumper sticker and idea, perhaps just a broader application. Fine, the Christian will be lost if s/he attempt the same path, or spiritual approach (can Pythagoras lead me to the Father, to Salvation, s/he may ask?) ... yet for those of us who can see and trace the line of incarnations, why not? The answer may be: YES, every bit as much as any of the Great Ones, provided we continue our study, and learn Who and what the Masters truly are, and Who and what they are not!

So, I would say it DOES make all the difference in the world, if Jesus and the Christ were two different individuals. History, for reasons that should be obvious, knows them as ONE. It is an oversight which offends neither party, nor are they so diversified in their Work, at this point for there to be an impact (for the esoteric work is ONE WORK, even while Christ's Ashram is the whole Hierarchy, with ALL the Masters as His direct Apostles, some of the original Biblical disciples being some real clods, if you ask me). The Tibetan refers to these as the golden and silver threads of Christianity, which may one day be disentangled. By then, we may have been able to grasp just how true it is that Truth is One, Paths are Many.

I consider him who cannot see his Brother approaching the same central spiritual Source (Christ, from and at one vantage point or angle), though by different means ... still a bit blind. This is not as simple as crying "Lord, Lord" in another language, for there the differences may begin, yet a Mass can be conducted in a dozen languages and still be essentially the same Divine Communion (in the broader sense, not just this one Sacrament). Christ Himself tells us though, many of us who seek Him later will realize our errors, when He says, "I did not know you."

How clear the meaning of this should be, yet how confused the interpretation apparently is, among Christendom. I doubt Theosphists will miss a beat. It is not that I enjoy making this distinction. I doubt Master J. is thrilled about it, either.

So to study the Christ, or Messiah of Theosophy, is to open our doors to EVERY or ANY Tradition, of whatever date in antiquity, or modernity, which can throw Light upon the subject and Reality in question. Words typed on a forum in 2011, off the cuff, can assist in our exploration, perhaps ... while mostly I regard it (with my background) as a chance to shift around a little, maybe grow especially uncomfortable in my seat, and perhaps see an opportunity to do something Right, or Good, or better, or useful.

I'm in a pretty bad frame of mind, so I apologize, but there is always a RAY. That, upon which EVERY Human Soul exists (one of the 7), might be considered the true CHRISTOS, if we want to take that avenue of inquiry ... regardless of which Ray of Approach we happen to be most influence by. Ray 2, naturally, expressing the 2nd Aspect, will show forth especially CLARION in this 2nd Ray Solar System, no matter what happens during the long, long cycle (right, Nick?) of a Solar Lord's Incarnation. But one doesn't need to be on the 2nd Ray to find his way back to the Father's House, just as all 7 Rays influence every single human being, and also every particle of substance.

Poof! Whatdoiknow.

pip-pip-cheerio!

[Nick the Pilot]

Andrew,

Thanks for those quotes and page numbers. I can take a look at them when I get some time. (I teach at a college, and we are right in the middle of semester final exams.)