To Netnews Homepage Previous Next Index Table of Contents |
Autobiography of Alice A. Bailey - Appendix - The Principles of the Arcane School |
VII. The Arcane School presents the Fundamental
Doctrines of the Ageless Wisdom It simply presents them for consideration and for acceptance or rejection, according to the thinking and wish of the student. There is, as you well know, no official, theological, dogmatic imposition of truth.
Upon these eight fundamentals all the esoteric teaching rests. There are necessarily subsidiary factors and other presented teachings which the student is asked to study but which he again accepts or not as he likes. Such are the teaching on Reincarnation, governed by the Law of Rebirth, the cyclic nature of all manifestation, the nature and aim of the evolutionary process, the existence of the Spiritual Hierarchy, the existence of the Masters and Their work, and the nature of consciousness with its various stages of individualized consciousness, [296] self consciousness and spiritual consciousness, demonstrating upon the Path of Evolution and culminating in the Path of Initiation. The great primary truths are presented for acceptance because they exist as the foundational truths of all the world religions and have evoked universal recognition; man instinctively knows them, either as working hypotheses which he feels have no sane opposition or as facts which he accepts owing to his point in evolution. The second category of truths are offered simply for consideration and as aspects or details, implementing or growing out of the more fundamental body of truth. They are more frankly controversial but are held as beliefs by millions of people. These, therefore, are the seven governing factors in the work of the Arcane School. Students are asked to study them and accept them as long as they work with us. They come to us voluntarily and can leave us at any time. It is not an easy Way. We shall all have moments of discouragement and we shall none of us see the world as perfect as we hope it some day will be, nor will we see ourselves as perfect as we would like to be. But we can work for (and see) many great improvements, both in ourselves and in the world. The vision ever lies on ahead; if it did not there would be nothing to incite us to effort. It is helpful however to realize that some part at least of our vision can become an attained fact. It is for this that we work. [297] 1947 |
To Netnews Homepage Previous Next Index Table of Contents |
Last updated Monday, July 6, 1998 © 1998 Netnews Association. All rights reserved. |