DAILY THEOSOPHY QUOTES
Sunday 18th January 2015
“The very best I can say to you is that, as you know, all our troubles
in life arise from ourselves, no matter how much they may seem to come from the outside; we are all parts of the one great whole, and if you try to centre your mind upon that fact, and to remember that those things that seem to trouble you are really due to your own way of looking at the world and life, you will probably grow more contented in mind. It is your own mind you should watch, and not the circumstances in which you are placed. Others have been in worse circumstances than what you think surround you, and have not been disturbed as you seem to be. It must be, therefore, that it is the way you yourself look at this thing; stop looking at it, then, in that way and look at everything in a contented spirit, feeling sure that they are all more or less illusionary, and you will do better.”
– William Q. Judge, Letters That Have Helped Me, p. 176
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See also: Who was William Quan Judge?, The Welcome Influence of William Q. Judge, A Right Understanding of Karma, The Personal Self in the Light of Theosophy, Can there be Unmerited Suffering? and Helpful Hints for Spiritual Progress.
T H E O S O P H Y 
And what about the poisoned air, soil, water, food … is that an illusion too? How can the human biological structure can adapt to the present environmental conditions?
Hello Maria, thank you for your comment.
When Theosophy speaks of things as being “illusionary” or “illusory” it doesn’t mean “non-existent” or “imaginary.” It means that they are undeniably impermanent, temporary, finite, and subject to change, and therefore cannot be considered TRULY real when compared with our Real Self which is pure eternal Spirit.
The article “It’s all illusion – but how?” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/its-all-illusion-but-how/ may explain more about this.
Of course, serious problems have to be addressed and dealt with somehow. This is our duty and responsibility as human beings and the quote isn’t trying to tell us to forget about global problems and ignore them…it’s simply encouraging us to look at things in our own personal life in a different way and from a different perspective.
Thanks Maria for your question because I had a similar one, I have a hard time understanding how the devastation happening in our environment (our planet) is caused by my perspective, or by my actions, as I am very conscientious…and thoughtful to the “Whole” in my choices. Is it that I “believe” that the environment is polluted and thousands of species are dying off each year?… Simply, is it that since I believe what is being reported about all the environmental issues, that it is “real” in my experience? The message in this article seems to say that it really is a matter of perspective and belief, of how we choose to interpret or look at things…
So, my question is to clarify this understanding.. Is it our belief that creates the illusion we experience? If true, if the Media would begin reporting the healing of the earth, to tell us the water purified itself continuously, that the trees were not dying, that the oceans were clean, that radioactivity and nuclear waste were not a threat… and we beLIEved these reports.. would we see/experience a different reality?
Thank you for your comment Kara.
With these daily quotes we always include the source and reference for the selected passage as well as links to a few related articles, partly because this helps to show the context and background of what was said.
Perhaps the link to the article about illusion (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/its-all-illusion-but-how/) referred to in the earlier comment should have been included at the end of the quote post itself, as it seems there has been some misunderstanding.
As was said in the earlier comment: “Of course, serious problems have to be addressed and dealt with somehow. This is our duty and responsibility as human beings and the quote isn’t trying to tell us to forget about global problems and ignore them…it’s simply encouraging us to look at things in our own personal life in a different way and from a different perspective.”
The letter quoted from was written to someone who was feeling a bit troubled about some personal problems and the advice given relates solely to personal problems in our own personal life and not to global or environmental affairs, which aren’t referred to or implied anywhere in the quote.
You asked, “Is it our belief that creates the illusion we experience? If true, if the Media would begin reporting the healing of the earth, to tell us the water purified itself continuously, that the trees were not dying, that the oceans were clean, that radioactivity and nuclear waste were not a threat… and we beLIEved these reports.. would we see/experience a different reality?”
What Theosophy means by “illusion” was explained in the answer to Maria and in the article linked to. The Theosophical view of it is quite different from the popular New Age and New Thought ideas and perspectives on the matter, which are what you seem to have in mind. A student of Theosophy would object to such ideas as strongly as you do!
If the media told us all those things you mention, then the media would be lying to us and we would be living in either denial or ignorance or both.
In regard to our own personal life and situations, however, the latter “are all more or less illusionary.” Why? Because we unwittingly make many things in our life seem far worse than they are because of our perspective, emotions, or imagination, and also because those things are all so temporary, finite, and evanescent, in the whole scheme of things.
All I can suggest is that readers take William Judge’s words in their own right context and make use of some of the suggested links. We don’t include them for purposes of self-promotion but rather in order to help, explain, clarify, and lead to deeper study and contemplation.
One more article is “The Existence of Evil” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/the-existence-of-evil/ which challenges and deals with the popular notion that evil and bad things do not exist unless we believe they do.
if the media did indeed give us a more optimistic view, would it be a lie?
Where truly does the ignorance lie? In our understanding of what truly is reality, No?
I think you are trying to tell me that ultimately my experience in this reality is up to me and my beliefs. As long as I am involved in the manifested reality, then I am responsible for my experience and my perception of what IS. The manifested reality is an illusion, because it is fleeting and forever changing. So why act? just sit back and observe… Observe one’s own beliefs, one’s thoughts.
I have read the links you suggested…but I still am a bit confused and unable to articulate exactly what it is that is confusing me here .
“Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different.”
– Katherine Mansfield