Theosophy and Universal Brotherhood
THEOSOPHY AND UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD
Theosophy—the Wisdom Religion
Universal Brotherhood
Theosophy is “Divine Wisdom”, that bedrock of Truth which underlies and unites all of life. It is the Philosophia Perennis, the philosophy of human perfectibility, the science of spirituality and the religion of responsibility. It has been expressed in different ages by great teachers such as Krishna and Buddha, and Lao Tzu in the East, and by Pythagoras, Plato, and Jesus in the West. It was the sustaining spiritual arc of Mahatma Gandhi. Theosophical teachings recognize that there have always been Great Masters of Wisdom and Teachers of Humanity in every age and culture who have presented Theosophia as an integrated system of knowledge. Theosophical teachings describe cosmic and human evolution, the interconnectedness of Man, Nature and the Cosmos, and the operation of universal laws, visible and invisible. Theosophy illuminates the vast pilgrimage of the Immortal Soul.
Theosophy makes the connection between universal brotherhood and divine wisdom. The Four Golden Links expressed in The Key to Theosophy focus on unity (essential oneness of all) and universal causation (all life is interconnected), human solidarity, karma, and reincarnation. These principles are inclusive of the “Golden Rule” found in all universal religions. As Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (H.P.B.), the modern messenger of the Theosophical Movement pointed out, Theosophy is “a philosophy which can bind the whole of humanity into one Brotherhood.”
Philosophy
A Mahatma wrote that “If you wish to know us, study our philosophy. If you wish to serve us, serve our Humanity”. The philosophy can be summarized briefly under three great ideas or principles:
- The SELF as the transcendent, unitary ground and universally immanent origin of all Life — the eternal basis of Universal Brotherhood.
- The LAW of cycles and of Karma governing all of manifestation, and
- The process of spiritual, intellectual, and material evolution, giving spiritual meaning, purpose, and direction to every link in the great chain of BEING.