“Theosophia (Gr.). Wisdom-religion, or “Divine Wisdom.” The substratum and basis of all the world-religions and philosophies, taught and practised by a few elect ever since man became a thinking being. In its practical bearing, Theosophy is purely divine ethics; . . .” (H. P. Blavatsky, “The Theosophical Glossary” p. 328)

“Ethics are the soul of the Wisdom-Religion, . . .” (HPB, “The Key to Theosophy” p. 14)

“The Ethics of Theosophy are more important than any divulgement of psychic laws and facts. The latter relate wholly to the material and evanescent part of the septenary man, but the Ethics sink into and take hold of the real man – the reincarnating Ego. We are outwardly creatures of but a day; within we are eternal. Learn, then, well the doctrines of Karma and Reincarnation, and teach, practise, promulgate that system of life and thought which alone can save the coming races.” (“Five Messages from H. P. Blavatsky to the American Theosophists” p. 26)

“For alone in reincarnation is the answer to all the problems of life, and in it and Karma is the force that will make men pursue in fact the ethics they have in theory. . . . [reincarnation] is a doctrine the most noble of all, and with its companion one of Karma, . . . it alone gives the basis for ethics.” (William Q. Judge, “The Ocean of Theosophy” p. 64, 87)

“The Theosophical “missionaries” aim also at a social revolution. But it is a wholly ethical revolution. It will come about when the disinherited masses understand that happiness is in their own hands, that wealth brings nothing but worries, that he is happy who works for others, for those others work for him, and when the rich realize that their felicity depends upon that of their brothers – whatever their race or religion – then only will the world see the dawn of happiness.” (HPB, “Misconceptions,” “Theosophy: Some Rare Perspectives” p. 20)

“True Theosophy has all that is practical, but many forget this; there is no greater system of practice than that required by it.” (WQJ, “Answers To Questioners”)

The basic definition of “ethics” and “ethic” is:
A set of moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour and how they conduct their activities.

Some synonyms include principles, ideals, rules of conduct, moral values, standards, virtues, and ethos.

From the perspective of Karma and soul evolution, how could anything be more important or significant than how we do what we do? This includes the unseen thought and feeling, as well as – and even more importantly than – the externally perceptible word and action. Our life is our spiritual practice. There is no separation or division between the two.

A lot of people think and claim that Theosophy offers very little in terms of spiritual practice. “There’s lots of metaphysical theory but almost no spiritual practice,” they say. People who say this often have the idea that spiritual practice is something one does for half an hour or so every day and that the rest of one’s day and night is not one’s spiritual practice. But Theosophy disagrees and emphasises the vital importance of every single moment. While specific periods in the day for specific spiritual practices are perfectly fine and can be extremely beneficial, the Yoga of LIFE is, first and last, the Yoga of ETHICS. Universal, divine ethics turned into a vibrant application to every circumstance of life, most especially our own thoughts and feelings every moment of the day.

Can we all immediately live up to this and succeed in it? No. But we can all try, and in so doing, we discover experientially the truth of William Judge’s statement quoted above, that there is no greater or further-reaching system of practice than that inculcated by Theosophy.

And here by “Theosophy” we mean “the anciently universal Wisdom-Religion,” as HPB called it, and not only modern Theosophy. All true spiritual Teachers through the ages have always demanded the highest ethical conduct and nurtured the highest sense of ethical responsibility among their disciples and followers. The Science of Life and the Art of Living . . . this is what Divine Wisdom or Theosophia has been called.

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ETHICS AS PART OF THE PRACTICE OF YOGA

From the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book II (Sadhana Pada), v. 28-32, 35-45

Through the practice of the component parts of yoga, as impurity is gradually destroyed, the light of wisdom shines forth, leading to discriminative cognition of Reality.

Restraint (yama), binding observance (niyama), posture (asana), regulation of breath (pranayama), abstraction and sense-withdrawal (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), contemplation (dhyana) and perfect meditative absorption (Samadhi) are the eight limbs of yoga.

Of these, non-violence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), continence (brahmacharya) and non-possessiveness (aparigraha) are the five forms of restraint (yamas).

These are not conditioned or qualified by class or country, time or circumstance, and apply to all spheres and stages, thus constituting the Great Vow.

Purity, contentment, austerity, self-study and devoted self-surrender to the Lord are the five observances (niyamas). . . .

When one is firmly grounded in non-violence (ahimsa), all hostility is given up in one’s presence.

When one is firmly grounded in truth (satya), all acts gestated bear fruit dependably.

When one is firmly grounded in non-stealing (asteya), all sorts of precious jewels present themselves.

When one is firmly grounded in celibacy in consciousness and conduct (brahmacharya), one gains vigour, vitality and strength.

When one is established in non-possessiveness (aparigraha), one gains luminous insight in relation to the process and purposes, the meaning and significance, of the succession of births.

Through internal purity and external purification, one gains bodily protection and freedom from pollution in contacts with others.

Through the cleansing of consciousness and purity of motivation, one gains mental serenity, one-pointedness, control of the sense-organs, as well as fitness for soul-vision and direct apprehension of the Self.

Through joyous contentment, one gains supreme happiness.

Through the elimination of pollution, the practice of penance (tapas) brings about the perfection of the body and the sense-organs.

Through self-study comes communion with the chosen deity.

Through persevering devotion to the Lord comes perfection in meditative absorption (Samadhi).

Translation by Raghavan Iyer, published by Theosophy Trust

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FROM “ARMOR OF LIGHT” BY NICHOLAS ROERICH

(Russian Theosophist and celebrated artist)

Is it not high time to introduce into all schools without delay, from the earliest grades, the foundations of practical Ethics?

Unfortunately this most essential subject is now regarded as something abstract, of which it is not even customary to speak because it would be considered antiquated, not of proper social grace, and would arouse the severe derision and the resistance of the allies of conscious evil.

But if the beautiful ancient concept of “Ethics” is not to be blamed in itself, is it not we who are guilty in having eliminated all discussions about good, blissful things from our social life?

We are all guilty of having garbed the vital foundations of ethics in a dull gray toga, while allowing the slanderers to utilize the most vivid pages of the human vocabulary. In our social life, do we not regard enthusiasm, this radiant flame of the heart, as something unfit and childish? Praise and admiration, these flowers of the Beautiful Garden, are considered almost as a sign of ill breeding. And adoration, instead of its inspirational significance, assumes the form of conventional hypocrisy and is admitted as such. . . .

Dusty are the gray togas in which we have garbed Ethics and each lofty mark of creativeness. And these have been replaced by accusations, malicious whispering and the spreading of falsehood. . . .

It almost seems that if men could pass but one day without inflicting evil on one another, some great miracle would occur, some beautiful healing force would visit us as naturally as a kind smile of the heart, or as a fertile shower over parched fields.

A woman once said to a priest, “When I pray, the sacred Image smiles at me.” And the wise priest answered, “your heart smiled and the smile of the Savior responded!” Is it possible that this smile of grace, of the truth, the smile of blissful offering and self-sacrifice is no longer possible? Is it possible that egoism, this nearest kin to lie, has actually been victorious?

No, it is impossible – since ancient times wise Commandments have been given.

Let the children, from their very infancy, from youth, march by the new paths of great co-operation with creative Bliss, not with the boredom of Ethics distorted by misunderstanding, but with the joy of Ethics, transmuted by the fire of the heart!

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“In considering a question bearing on the ethics of any case, we have first to be sure that we have no prejudices or preconceptions that can interfere with correct conclusions; in other words, “to be free from hard and fast conclusions as to men, things and methods.” If we are thus free, we will not be liable to be swayed by the general classifications of good and evil, so common in the world, and the great error of the churches. The way is then open for the real point at issue, which to me is not what is done, but why was it done – the motive. Now who can answer this but the one who acts? If the act appears to him as a duty, and a proper one, he alone has paramount power, and there should be none to question a right to perform duty as it is seen and understood. It might very well be that another’s acts would be improper for us, because of our different attitude; it might also be that our acts, seemingly proper to us, would to that other seem improper. From these considerations it would seem fair to deduce that the only correct sanction, and the one we should seek, would come from within.” (Robert Crosbie, “The Friendly Philosopher” p. 39)

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FROM “METAPHYSICS AND ETHICS” BY RAGHAVAN IYER

It is natural for us to make a firm distinction between our study and our application of Theosophy, between theory and practice. As a result, we contrast the capacities of the head and the heart, and assume that we seek and secure different kinds of nourishment from The Secret Doctrine and The Voice of the Silence. At the same time, we also know that Theosophy is essentially the Heart Doctrine, distinct from the head-learning with which our world abounds. What is more, the whole purpose of Theosophical discipline is to blend the head and the heart, to broaden our mental sympathies and to awaken and direct the intelligence of the heart. . . . We need, in fact, to acquire an entirely new and original view of the relation between true metaphysics and enduring ethics and to appreciate the profound epistemological nature and the peculiar therapeutic value of Theosophical statements, as indicated in the First Item of The Secret Doctrine.

. . . the speculations of most metaphysicians do not give us a basis for moral conduct and moral growth, and . . . the injunctions of many conventional ethical codes do not have their basis in the moral and spiritual order of our law-governed cosmos.

In Theosophical literature, however, every metaphysical statement has an ethical corollary and connotation, and every ethical injunction has a distinct metaphysical basis. It is impossible to grasp the force of any of the seven Paramitas of The Voice of the Silence without a comprehension of the Three Fundamental Propositions regarding God, Nature and Man that underlie the order of reality intimated by the Stanzas of the Book of Dzyan, on which The Secret Doctrine is closely based. Theosophical literature assumes, as shown especially by Light on the Path, the truth and validity of the Socratic axiom “Knowledge is virtue.” . . .

It is, therefore, necessary for students of Theosophy to see the fundamental difference between what goes by the name of metaphysics and has rightly become suspect today, and the “metaphysics, pure and simple”, with which The Secret Doctrine is concerned. We cannot, however, grasp the metaphysics given in Theosophical teachings unless we perceive its close and inseparable connection with Theosophical ethics. . . . Without a proper understanding of Theosophical psychology and the teachings regarding the nature and constitution of man and the working of Karmic law, we cannot appreciate the metaphysical basis of Theosophical ethics or the ethical significance of Theosophical metaphysics. Hence the importance of a careful study and application, from the first, of the Ten Items from Isis Unveiled or the Propositions of Oriental Psychology, and of the Aphorisms on Karma by W.Q. Judge. Until this is done, we cannot begin to see the ethical import of the statements in The Secret Doctrine or the metaphysical basis of the statements in The Voice of the Silence and Light on the Path.

We are told explicitly in The Secret Doctrine that “to make the workings of Karma, in the periodical renovations of the Universe, more evident and intelligible to the student when he arrives at the origin and evolution of man, he has now to examine with us the esoteric bearing of the Karmic Cycles upon Universal Ethics”. Our ethical progress depends on an increasing awareness of the “cycles of matter” and the “cycles of spiritual evolution”, and of racial, national and individual cycles. The kernel of Theosophical ethics is contained in the statement that “there are external and internal conditions which affect the determination of our will upon our actions, and it is in our power to follow either of the two.”

This contains a great metaphysical and psychological truth, which is illuminated by the seminal article on “Psychic and Noetic Action”, written, late in life, by H.P. Blavatsky, the Magus-Teacher of the 1875 cycle. Theosophical ethics is in the end no easier to understand properly than Theosophical metaphysics. It can no more be grasped by the mentally lazy than Theosophical metaphysics can be comprehended by the morally obtuse. There is nothing namby-pamby about Theosophical ethics and it is as fundamentally different from conventional ethics as Theosophical metaphysics is from conventional metaphysics. Just as modern metaphysics is a shadowy distortion of archaic metaphysics, modern ethics is a sad vulgarization of the archaic ethics taught by the early religious Teachers of humanity. . . .

Although we may talk of Theosophical metaphysics and Theosophical ethics, and classify texts broadly under these heads, we must get beyond the conventional distinction between metaphysical and ethical statements and grasp central concepts, such as Dharma and Karma, which are protean in scope and profound in content, and incapable of being regarded as purely metaphysical or exclusively ethical.

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FROM CHAPTER 12 (“WHAT IS PRACTICAL THEOSOPHY?”)
OF “THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY” BY H. P. BLAVATSKY

“Duty is that which is due to Humanity, to our fellow-men, neighbours, family, and especially that which we owe to all those who are poorer and more helpless than we are ourselves. This is a debt which, if left unpaid during life, leaves us spiritually insolvent and moral bankrupts in our next incarnation. Theosophy is the quintessence of duty.” (p. 229)

“Those who practise their duty towards all, and for duty’s own sake, are few; and fewer still are those who perform that duty, remaining content with the satisfaction of their own secret consciousness.” (p. 229)

“Modern ethics are beautiful to read about and hear discussed; but what are words unless converted into actions?” (p. 229)

“If you ask me how we understand Theosophical duty practically and in view of Karma, I may answer you that our duty is to drink without a murmur to the last drop, whatever contents the cup of life may have in store for us, to pluck the roses of life only for the fragrance they may shed on others, and to be ourselves content but with the thorns, if that fragrance cannot be enjoyed without depriving some one else of it.” (p. 229-230)

“No Theosophist has the right to this name, unless he is thoroughly imbued with the correctness of Carlyle’s truism: “The end of man is an action and not a thought, though it were the noblest” – and unless he sets and models his daily life upon this truth. The profession of a truth is not yet the enactment of it; and the more beautiful and grand it sounds, the more loudly virtue or duty is talked about instead of being acted upon, the more forcibly it will always remind one of the Dead Sea fruit.” (p. 230)

ENQUIRER: “What do you consider as due to humanity at large?”

HPB: “Full recognition of equal rights and privileges for all, and without distinction of race, colour, social position, or birth.”

ENQUIRER: “When would you consider such due not given?”

HPB: “When there is the slightest invasion of another’s right – be that other a man or a nation; when there is any failure to show him the same justice, kindness, consideration or mercy which we desire for ourselves. The whole present system of politics is built on the oblivion of such rights, and the most fierce assertion of national selfishness.” (p. 230-231)

ENQUIRER: “And what may be the duty of a Theosophist to himself?”

HPB: “To control and conquer, through the Higher, the lower self. To purify himself inwardly and morally; to fear no one, and nought, save the tribunal of his own conscience. Never to do a thing by halves; i.e., if he thinks it the right thing to do, let him do it openly and boldly, and if wrong, never touch it at all. It is the duty of a Theosophist to lighten his burden by thinking of the wise aphorism of Epictetus, who says: “Be not diverted from your duty by any idle reflection the silly world may make upon you, for their censures are not in your power, and consequently should not be any part of your concern.” (p. 241)

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“Esoterically, thought is more responsible and punishable than act. But exoterically it is the reverse. Therefore, in ordinary human law, an assault is more severely punished than the thought or intention, i.e., the threat, whereas Karmically it is the contrary.” (HPB, “Transactions of The Blavatsky Lodge” p. 142)

“Once one understands that in universal memory everything is not only recorded but felt, one can no longer hold to a separative concept of ethics. Instead, one will turn to the perspective of the poets, the seers, the Great Compassionaters who have always taught that every thought affects every plant and every star. Whilst caught up in a separative conception of ethics, one may hold oneself responsible for hurting another person, but not necessarily every leaf and plant on earth. Yet, when human beings generate maleficent vibrations, every element in nature is wounded. Innumerable ripples reach out throughout all differentiated nature, and they are all preserved in the universal memory, not merely as information about individual lives, but as part of the constitutive basis for living beings in general. When this observation is coupled with a consideration of the problem of unconscious cerebration, at the level of the personal mind, the entire nature of the quest for continuity of consciousness is transformed. Instead of simply insisting to oneself that one should be more responsible or more effective, that one should learn from past failures so as to acquire virtue in an egocentric sense, such personal conceptions are supplanted by a sensitivity to universal responsibility, universal causation and the operation of karmic law within the framework of universal unity. The Wheel of the Good Law revolves for all at all times. If individuals are not aware of everything that is emanating out of them and creating effects throughout the whole of nature, this is because they are indulging in their own vibrations in a self-protective or egotistic manner. Whether positive or negative, one’s feelings nonetheless affect the overall vibratory field of life in which all living beings live, move and have their being.” (Raghavan Iyer, “Resonance and Vibration”)

“It is not what is done, but the spirit in which the least thing is done that is counted.” (WQJ, “Letters That Have Helped Me” p. 9)

“Since happiness is but a dream on earth, let us be resigned, at least. To do this, we have but to follow the precepts of our respective great and noble Masters on earth. The East had her Sakyamuni Buddha, “the light of Asia”; the West her Teacher, and the Sermon on the Mount; both uttered the same great, because universal and immortal, truths. Listen to them: –

““Crush out your pride,” saith the One. “Speak evil of no one, but be thankful to him who blames thee, for he renders thee service by showing thee thy faults. Kill thine arrogance. Be kind and gentle to all; merciful to every living creature. Forgive those who harm thee, help those who need thy help, resist not thine enemies. Destroy thy passions, for they are the armies of Mara (Death), and scatter them as the elephant scatters a bamboo hut. Lust not, desire nothing; all the objects thou pinest for, the world over, could no more satisfy thy lust, than all the sea water could quench thy thirst. That which alone satisfies man is Wisdom – be wise. Be ye without hatred, without selfishness, and without hypocrisy. Be tolerant with the intolerant, charitable and compassionate with the hardhearted, gentle with the violent, detached from everything amidst those who are attached to all, in this world of illusion. Harm no mortal creature. Do that which thou wouldest like to see done by all others.”

““Be humble,” saith the Other. Resist not evil, “judge not that ye be not judged.” Be merciful, forgive them who wrong thee, love thine enemies. Lust not; not even in the secresy of thy heart. Give to him that asketh thee. Be wise and perfect. Do not as the hypocrites do; but, “as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”

“Noble words these. Only how far are they practicable, in the Nineteenth Century of the Christian era, and the tail end of the Brahmanical cycle?” (HPB, “Forlorn Hopes”)

“Theosophy can be practised by Christian or Heathen, Jew or Gentile, by Agnostic or Materialist, or even an Atheist, provided that none of these is a bigoted fanatic, who refuses to recognise as his brother any man or woman outside his own special creed or belief. Count Leo N. Tolstoy [i.e. the famous Russian writer, 1828-1910, author of such celebrated novels as “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina”; he later became a religious thinker and was held in very high regard by HPB] does not believe in the Bible, the Church, or the divinity of Christ; and yet no Christian surpasses him in the practical bearing out of the principles alleged to have been preached on the Mount. And these principles are those of Theosophy; not because they were uttered by the Christian Christ, but because they are universal ethics, and were preached by Buddha and Confucius, Krishna, and all the great Sages, thousands of years before the Sermon on the Mount was written. Hence, once that we live up to such theosophy, it becomes a universal panacea indeed, . . .” (HPB, “Is Theosophy A Religion?”)

For the text of the Sermon on the Mount and other comments on it by H. P. Blavatsky, please see the article Jesus, Christos or The Christ Principle, and Christianity.

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