July 2023 Newsletter
The following articles are reproduced from the July 2023 Newsletter to members. Non-members may or may not be able to relate to the contents.
The Lotus Unfolds
By Brandon Goh
For young Theosophists who attended last year’s gathering in Naarden, the year that followed put our learning to the test. Could we find harmony in ourselves and bring together diverse people, beliefs and voices? Were we able to cultivate a sense of togetherness and shared purpose? Well, it remains a work in progress and only the beginning.
Having kindled the flame of unity within the sanctuary of our hearts a year ago, we returned to the familiar embrace of the ITC, no longer as a trio but a band of 7 hailing from Singapore. Again, because youths are assumed to have boundless energy, the days overflowed with talks, volunteer activities and workshops, which forced the coffee at ITC to demonstrate its worth. Those brave souls who sacrificed more sleep to play the iconic game of ‘Werewolf’ looked almost panda-eyed as they battled the drowsiness that weighed upon them during the day; they would have surrendered had it not been for the exhilarating programme!
The gathering featured an entrancing theme of cooperation, not only among fellow humans, but encompassing all realms of life, from the mineral to the angelic, restoring our much neglected Third Object to its rightful place and illuminating its relevance to our foundational First Object of universal solidarity. Offering a tantalising glimpse into hidden worlds, the talks prepared us for developing sensitivity to the true needs of different beings and collaboration with the devas. The talk on helping the dying and the departed struck a particularly deep chord as it provided practical insights and ways to ease the transition for all concerned besides simply giving them the book ‘To Those Who Mourn’.
As a matter of fact, my affinity for the Third Object began since the age of 5 and I felt strongly about it when I first joined the Theosophical Society 12 years ago. One might think that my fervour for it would be boundless now, but I approached it with caution instead. Having studied, explored and experienced much of the invisible worlds for about 2 decades, I had since been focusing on spirituality and self-transformation, and was wary of accentuating this aspect of human development until the foundations are secure.
Nonetheless, our speaker, Kurt Leland, unveiled and articulated what I knew as well as sensed with crystalline clarity and relatable language, opening my mind to vast new horizons in such an impersonal and grounded manner, that I find myself deeply grateful for this beacon of light in the Theosophical Society who balances the more mystical luminaries therein. For instance, Kurt presented types of devas which I knew but never found in Theosophical literature, used modern and relatable terms to name them and presented practical ways to engage with them for those who might not intuitively know how to do so. He also championed a grounded perspective of Theosophy that I resonate with but did not express skilfully and impersonally: we need to cultivate our own synthesis of science, religion and philosophy in the highest sense of the terms and what we do not know for ourselves is not real Theosophy. His talks clarified my understanding of collaboration and invigorated my mind. A man who actually walks the talk, he is an exemplar of wisdom in action, someone who gives ‘power under’ and not ‘power over’.
The youth-led workshops also added a touch of magic and delight to our collective experience: Self-Compassion by Janne, Storytelling by Catalina, Clover and Miriam, Sharing the Light by Francis and me, Art & Mandalas by Filipo and Merike. Among the echoes of laughter in the workshops, the experience of co-writing a story blindly in a group of 7 stood out as a comedy of epic proportions, weaving cherished memories and theosophical jokes that shall always tickle our souls. One thing is for sure – we will continue to be young at heart well after our official WFYT ‘expiry dates’.
Leo’s chanting sessions were so moving that they left participants asking for more. During these heart-stirring sessions, profound oneness occurred, tears were shed and a sweet peace descended upon all who were privileged to take part. It is evident that music and mantras can help us feel Theosophy rather than simply think and talk about it.
With the coordination of the WFYT Board, there was an atmosphere of collaboration and equality among all participants and the programme flowed effortlessly. We embraced uncertainty and spontaneity, freeing ourselves from the obsessive planning that plagues modernity. It was alright to be late for dinner, alright to take suggestions from anyone, alright to make sudden changes, alright to simply let events flow as if orchestrated by the hand of serendipity. As Kurt aptly expressed, we were flying our plane while building it – and it was liberating! Nevertheless, this unconventional approach, while transformative within the context of our gathering, requires a cohesion that is not easily found elsewhere and may not necessarily be appropriate in other circumstances.
As twilight enveloped us during the personal sharing sessions, a profound realisation dawned on us: nearly everyone is in some way sensitive to the realms unseen and our experiences unveil a universe brimming with a compassionate guiding intelligence. A sense of unity is forged as individuals shared experiences they rarely or never divulged. There it was – a shining example of the elusive ‘safe space’, a sanctuary of kindred souls.
It is almost enough to say that this year’s youth gathering went beyond expectation and belief, for the inner experience remains incommunicable though expressed in heartfelt words by all participants during the final sharing. For me, everyone present embodies the essence of a true Theosophist, adorned with their own inspiring talents, each a mirror of what is within me and what I can be. While this sentiment has echoed through the voices of many throughout our time together, I express and reiterate it from the bottom of my heart, a reality that sounds trite if it is not deeply felt: we are truly a spiritual family – a vibrant sun radiating the resplendent hues of a harmonious rainbow.
Under the sunlight of oneness, the lotus unfolds invisibly and soundlessly within our hearts.
The Asala Festival
Bishop C. W. Leadbeater wrote in The Masters And The Path, which was first published in 1925, the following account of the Asala Festival.
“Besides the great Wesak Festival there is one other occasion in each year when the members of the Brotherhood all meet together officially. The meeting in this case is usually held in the private house of the Lord Maitreya, situated also in the Himalayas, but on the southern instead of the northern slopes. On this occasion no pilgrims on the physical plane are present, but all astral visitors who know of the celebration are welcome to attend it. It is held on the full moon day of the month of Asala, (in Sanskrit Asâdha), usually corresponding to the English July.
This is the anniversary of the delivery by the Lord Buddha of His first announcement of the great discovery—the sermon which He preached to his five disciples, commonly known as the Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta, which has been poetically translated by Rhys Davids as “The Setting in Motion of the Royal Chariot Wheels of the Kingdom of Righteousness”. It is often more briefly described in Buddhist books as “The Turning of the Wheel of the Law”. It explains for the first time the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, expounding the great middle way of the Buddha—the life of perfect righteousness in the world, which lies midway between the extravagances of asceticism on the one hand and the carelessness of mere worldly life on the other.
In His love for His great predecessor the Lord Maitreya has ordained that, whenever the anniversary of that first preaching comes round, the same sermon shall be recited once more in the presence of the assembled Brotherhood; and He usually adds to it a simple address of His own, expounding and applying it. The recitation of the sermon commences at the moment of full moon, and the reading and the address are usually over in about half an hour. The Lord Maitreya generally takes His place upon the marble seat which is set at the edge of a raised terrace in the lovely garden just in front of His house. The greatest of the Officials sit close about Him, while the rest of the Brotherhood is grouped in the garden a few feet below. On this occasion, as on the other, there is often an opportunity for pleasant converse, and kindly greetings and benedictions are distributed by the Masters among Their pupils and those who aspire to be Their pupils.
It may be useful to give some account of the ceremony, and of what is usually said at these Festivals, though it is, of course, utterly impossible to reproduce the wonder and the beauty and the eloquence of the words of the Lord Maitreya on such occasions. The account which follows does not attempt to report any single discourse; it is a combination of, I fear, very imperfectly remembered fragments, some of which have already appeared elsewhere; but it will give to those who have not previously heard of it some idea of the line generally taken.
That great sermon is wonderfully simple, and its points are repeated over and over again. There was no shorthand in those days, so that it might be taken down and read by every one afterwards; His disciples had to remember His words by the impression made on them at the time. So He made them simple, and He repeated them again and again like a refrain, so that the people might be sure of them. One may readily see in reading it that it is constructed for this special purpose—that it may be easily remembered. Its points are arranged categorically, so that when it has once been heard each point reminds one of the next, as though it were a kind of mnemonic, and to the Buddhist each of these separate and easily remembered words suggests a whole body of related ideas, so that the sermon, short and simple as it is, contains an explanation and a rule of life.
One might well think that all that can be said about the sermon has been said already many times over; yet the Lord, with His wonderful eloquence and the way in which He puts it, makes it every year seem something new, and each person feels its message as though it were specially addressed to himself. On that occasion, as in the original preaching, the Pentecostal miracle repeats itself. The Lord speaks in the original sonorous Pâli, but every one present hears Him “in his own tongue wherein he was born,” as is said in the Acts of the Apostles.”
In addition to the account by C. W. Leadbeater we also have the testimonial of Geoffrey Hodson (1886-1983), a renowned theosophist and clairvoyant and also a priest of the Liberal Catholic Church, regarding the Asala Festival. In his occult diary, his wife Sandra Hodson wrote on July 7, 1976, “Geoffrey recorded to me verbally that on one or more occasions he remembered, on awakening, an out-of-the-body experience following the Asala Festival, of attendance at the home and garden of the Lord Maitreya. Geoffrey stated, “As far as my memory goes, not only Adepts, but a considerable number of aspirants to Adeptship—devotees of the Lord Buddha, the Lord Maitreya, and the Masters of the Wisdom—were also present and listened to the discourse. Most of them, in physically influenced memory, were floating in their subtle bodies, as it were, in the air above the Lord’s garden on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains.”