THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2325, 22 September 1898, Page 43

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

The Theosophical Society held a public -meeting in the board room of the Agriculture ,1 Hall on Monday, when Mr A. W. Maurais lc jctured. on " The Ceasing of Sorrow." Everytl ling of the nature of grief, said the speaker, 1 lad its origination in ignorance — ignorance, ths vt was, of the nature, qualities, and powers of tl le soul. The essential nature of God — and there fore- of the soul, which was a part of God— ws £ love,, and one aspect of love was bliss. I nstead, however, of finding love and harmony t he rule on earth, the opposite was the ca.se, an d mankind were found sunk in misery of all < ieacriptions, that struck at both rich and poor, aaispting its methods to the circumstances ■ of men, but reaching them all. Now, it was 7 perfectly, true that a man reaped exactly as he so} ved; but he (tho speaker) wished to deal with f he origin of sorrow itself — not with the adjninis feration of it. Just as bliss was an aspect o' j love, soselfishness was an aspect of ignorance, and the oause of sorrow lay in the , mistaken idea that a man could secure his • j\vn happiness while disregarding or prejudi' jiallY affecting the welfare and progress of oth ers. Temporary satisfaction might be secured , in that way, but its fruit soon withered; an d though selfishness had played a useful pa rt in the past evolution of the race, its utility was now outworn, and progress demanded t jie surrender of self. The lecturer then proceeded to describe the' steps to be taken for the destruction of ignorance and the consequent ceasing of sorrow. First, a man had to cease to identify, himself with the bodies in Which he worked, or with his lower mind. In this way knowledge gradually illuminated the ignorance-born darkness in which he dwelt— he realised the vanity; of earthly pleasures and rewards and the unity, of the race; knowledge caused him to perceive that the progress of an individual eventually) depended upon the progress of all men, and he began to practise altruism; then he discovered that happiness lay not in the satisfaction of desires which, indeed, are insatiable, — but in in the extinction of them; and when, beginning with the ape and the tiger, ho had. killed; out all personal desire, and lived but for others, perennial cheerfulness, happiness that knew n.q decay because its cause was eternal and changeless, flowed in upon him, washing away car© and sorrow. Mr G. Richardson occupied tha chair, and the meeting was well attend,^ TOW&i aueatigna being ftske^i a* &» close.

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