Arvindus

Contemplations

'Ageless Wisdom' and 'Sanatana Dharma'

  • Title: Contemplations, 'Ageless Wisdom' and 'Sanatana Dharma'.
  • Author: Arvindus.
  • Publisher: Arvindus.
  • Copyright: Arvindus, 2019, all rights reserved.
  • Index: 201912081.
  • Edition: html, first edition.

Content

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The teachings as brought forth by the Master Djwhal Khul through Alice Bailey (1880-1949) are by the latter referred to with the name "Ageless Wisdom".1 As has been explained in ''Secret Wisdom Teaching'' of the 'Ageless Wisdom' series this is not an isolated set of teachings.2 They are rather presentations, qualified by the specific Master Djwhal Khul and the specific disciple Alice Bailey, of a wisdom that is not confined by the aforementioned. This same wisdom we see for instance in the same timeframe presented in a different manner by the Master Morya through the disciple Helena Roerich (1879-1955), who calls it simply "Teaching".3

Now that such a wisdom is qualified by a disciple means that it is also qualified by the timeframe in which the disciple has incarnation. The wisdom is ageless but the presentation thereof is age specific. The presentations of several Masters through Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891), those of an unspecified Master and the World Teacher Maitreya through Benjamin Creme (1922-2016), and those of the Master Morya through Geert Crevits (1944-2012) are all attuned to their specific timeframe, as those of Bailey and Roerich. At the same time these presentations are however ageless in the sense that they present the ageless wisdom.

A disciple does however not only incarnate in a specific time frame, by which his presentation of the ageless wisdom will be qualified; he also incarnates at a specific place and within a specific culture. The above mentioned disciples have all incarnated in Western cultures, giving Western names to their presentations. Eastern cultures however too bring forth disciples presenting the ageless wisdom in a specific manner. These in fact have a much more potent tradition of wisdom presentation and this tradition is the formal root of the ageless wisdom presentations of the West in the present, new age.4 In Hinduism these ageless wisdom presentations are in their entirety called "Sanatana Dharma".5, 6, 7 Now 'sanatana' in Sanskrit means 'eternal'.8 'Dharma' is often translated as 'law' and 'religion',9 but refers in its full meaning rather to a proper mode of conduct.10, 11

Now the English word 'ageless' can be used as a synonym of 'eternal'. And a proper mode of conduct is a mark of wisdom. Thus we see how in the Western presentation of the ageless wisdom of Alice Bailey with 'Ageless Wisdom' a straight translation is used of 'Sanatana Dharma', being the name of reference of the Eastern presentation of the ageless wisdom of Hinduism.

Ageless wisdom is sanatana dharma.

Notes
  1. 'Ageless Wisdom, 'Secret Wisdom Teaching'', Index: 201211101.
  2. Ibidem.
  3. Ibidem.
  4. Alice A. Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, in: Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy, (CD-ROM, Release 3), Lucis Trust, London / New York, 2001, p. 0. "DEDICATED WITH GRATITUDE TO HELENA PETROVNA BLAVATSKY, THAT GREAT DISCIPLE WHO LIGHTED HER TORCH IN THE EAST AND BROUGHT THE LIGHT TO EUROPE AND AMERICA IN 1875."
  5. Klaus K. Klostermaier, A Survey of Hinduism, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1994, p. 607.
  6. Steven J. Rosen, Essential Hinduism, Praeger, Westport, 2006, p. 23, 24.
  7. Sri Ramakrishna, in: Mahendranath Gupta, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Volume I, Swami Nikhilananda (translator), Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, p. 406. "The Eternal Religion, the religion of the rishis, has been in existence from time out of mind and will exist eternally. There exist in this Sanatana Dharma all forms of worship—worship of God with form and worship of the Impersonal Deity as well. It contains all paths—the path of knowledge, the path of devotion, and so on. Other forms of religion, the modern cults, will remain for a few days and then disappear."
  8. Monier Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Etymologically and Philologically Arranged, With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, Gothic, German, Anglo-Saxon, and Other Cognate Indo-European Languages, The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1862, p. 1057.
  9. A Survey of Hinduism, p. 596.
  10. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p. 449.
  11. 'Contemplations, Karma and Dharma and Choice and Fate', Index: 201608291.
Bibliography
  • 'Ageless Wisdom, 'Secret Wisdom Teaching'', Index: 201211101.
  • 'Contemplations, Karma and Dharma and Choice and Fate', Index: 201608291.
  • Mahendranath Gupta, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Volume I, Swami Nikhilananda (translator), Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.
  • Klaus K. Klostermaier, A Survey of Hinduism, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1994.
  • Steven J. Rosen, Essential Hinduism, Praeger, Westport, 2006.
  • Monier Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Etymologically and Philologically Arranged, With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, Gothic, German, Anglo-Saxon, and Other Cognate Indo-European Languages, The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1862.