THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 12768, 22 March 1906, Page 1

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

A public meeting of the above society \vas held in their rooms last evening, when A. W. Maurais delivered an address on ‘Reality.’ Prom the speaker’s remarks it appeared that “reality” was another name for eternity-and immortality. That which existed for ever was real; that which was subject to change was illusory or phenomenal, Dealing with the various theories of religion and science as to the nature of man, the speaker said that all religions originally emanated from the Wisdom Religion, which was a great mass of knowledge as to. things visible and invisible, the custody of which was committed to a hierarchy of perfected men who watched over and guided the human race. All religions gradually deteriorated from the time they were launched upon the stormy sea of human passions. The Eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddism, in despite of much degradation, yet retained a hold, on reality, and could offer not only logical reasons for things as we saw them, but also a course of study and. training which 'would bring the devout and earnest student ; into touch with that reality. Christianity had suffered a great loss when in the early centuries it had lost the twin doctrines of karma and reincarnation, arid it had now but little hold upon the educated and reasoning classes as a religion; though as a conventional institution its power was still great. The lecturer contrasted the. modes of scientific and religious thought in Europe, arid declared them to be incompatible—the crux of the matter being the question of the immortality’ of man. Science expressly declared that life and mind were .but products of temporary material combinations of protoplasm, which disappeared when , the .prganisin in which theyinhered broke up. The Christian Churchy apparently, -had no' convincing answer to this. But in the more learned , circles, ofEastern thought there was an answer, and the answer was concerned with the question of . reality. Finsfc . theoretically, then practically; the' student was shown jfchtit nothing,’existed hut God. Time,, space, and the idea of motion , were but methods of His thought, as reflected in the human mind, and that human mind itself was, in the last analysis, discovered to be God, in separation drom : Himself, working hut, amid the, iflusory joys and sorroy-s of many earthly lives, a would take Him who was both God and, manhack to the reality, the on© Reality, whiclv was God. Mr G. Richardson presided, and there was a good attendance.