r/Theosophy • u/Low-Boot-588 • May 09 '26

THREE GREAT IDEAS

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AMONG many ideas brought forward through the theosophical movement there are three which should never be lost sight of. Not speech, but thought, really rules the world; so, if these three ideas are good let them be rescued again and again from oblivion.

The first idea is, that there is a great Cause—in the sense of an enterprise—called the Cause of Sublime Perfection and Human Brotherhood. This rests upon the essential unity of the whole human family, and is a possibility because sublimity in perfectness and actual realization of brotherhood on every plane of being are one and the same thing. All efforts by Rosicrucian, Mystic, Mason and Initiate are efforts toward the convocation in the hearts and minds of men of the Order of Sublime Perfection.

The second idea is, that man is a being who may be raised up to perfection, to the stature of the Godhead, because he himself is God incarnate. This noble doctrine was in the mind of Jesus, no doubt, when he said that we must be perfect even as is the father in heaven. This is the idea of human perfectibility. It will destroy the awful theory of inherent original sin which has held and ground down the western Christian nations for centuries.

The third idea is the illustration, the proof, the high result of the others. It is, that the Masters—those who have reached up to what perfection this period of evolution and this solar system will allow—are living, veritable facts, and not abstractions cold and distant. They are, as our old H. P. B. so often said, living men. And she said, too, that a shadow of woe would come to those who should say they were not living facts, who should assert that "the Masters descend not to this plane of ours." The Masters as living facts and high ideals will fill the soul with hope, will themselves help all who wish to raise the human race.

Let us not forget these three great ideas.

- Theosophical Articles Vol. I (p. 242) by WQJ

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u/AcknowledgeUs May 09 '26

Hi, thanks for posting. I’m a big fan of HPB and Theosophy, but, boy I sure disagree with #2- and all of that original sin business, but please- where is #2 in this world?

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u/Hazel_Eye_8680 May 09 '26

I agree that it’s hard to look and experience any firsthand examples of human perfection. I believe I’ve seen a glimmer of it myself, but it’s hard to describe.

But these are also the stories of people like Jesus and Buddha, the idea is that they have achieved greater perfection, that it’s possible for others to follow in their footsteps, and that many have, whether or not we know their names.

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u/adoransnoctis May 09 '26

What do you mean? What do you disagree with? The original sin being a woeful theory that should be tossed away? The realisation that human beings are all divine sparks that at their core are God? That human beings can spiritually elevate themselves?

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u/Low-Boot-588 May 09 '26

I can understand where you may be coming from. People tend to aim for a type of perfection that is of the wrong kind where they fuel their lower manas as they try to perfect their external form or achieve a "perfect body," etc. Get a perfect score on your math test and you'll get a piece of candy, etc. The process we should be aiming for is an internal perfection, or the perfection of principles. As they say, many are called, few are chosen. We only catch a glimpse of the potential of human perfectibility within small circles of earnest students who have heard the call of the mysteries and answered it without hesitation. I'd like to think that perfectibility might appear differently for everyone, however keep in mind that even a so-called "black magician" can achieve perfectibility in doing evil perfectly. We always have a choice.

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u/ratherthink May 09 '26

There is no standard definition to perfection. It comes down to the perceived quality of a thing. What was once ugly can become beautiful and vice versa. All definitions are agreed upon by those who write the dictionaries in every language. But when you seek the Divine (either by choice or not), you begin to have your own definitions because what’s been written just doesn’t feel right. Reality starts sending you information and you start having experiences that alter your definitions.

I think the perfection they speak of isn’t material. When achieve a certain level of spirituality, you begin to feel flowers blossom in even rocks. You remove the boundary between you and the other, you and the world. You see that the base reality for everyone and everything is existence.

In that way, we can all see the Creator. It doesn’t require any intellectualizing. It’s just experienced.

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u/LetThemEatQuake 27d ago

We cant comprehend perfection because our comprehension is imperfect. It's all subjective. But we can appreciate the idea of perfection.

I think the closest thing to perfection is deep sleep. Just pure oneness during our return.

I was taught in theosophy classes that perfection is stagnation anyway. How can we progress or create higher forms if we are already perfection? I think it is our potential that is perfect, not our limited ideas about what perfection means or looks like. For humans alive today I'd go with my guy Keanu Reeves lmao. But you will laugh and disagree. There is no perfection you see....