From ”H.P.B. — A Great Betrayal”, by Alice Leighton Clether, p. 53:

… Mr. Leadbeater … wrote, and … Mrs. Besant … published the following lines in the Adyar Album, p. 45:

”What can I say to you of your President that you do not know already? Her colossal [sic] intellect, her unfailing wisdom, her unrivalled eloquence, her splendid forget-fulness of self, her untiring devotion to work for others — all these are familiar to you. Yet these qualities, these powers, are but a small part of her greatness; they are on the surface, they may be seen by all, they leap to the eyes. But there are other qualities, other powers, of which you cannot know, because they pertain to the secrets of Initiation. She is a pupil of our Masters; from the fount of Their archaic wisdom she derives her own, the plans which she is carrying out are Their plans for the welfare of the world. Think, therefore, how great an honour it is for you that you should be permitted to work under her, for in doing so you are virtually working under Them. Think how watchful you should be to miss no hint which falls from her lips, to carry out exactly whatever instructions she may give you. Remember that because of her position as an Initiate she knows far more than you do; and precisely because her knowledge is occult, given under the seal of Initiation, she cannot share it with you. Therefore her action must certainly be governed by considerations of which you have no conception. There will be times when you cannot understand her motives, for she is taking into account many things which you cannot see and of which she must not tell you. But wbether you understand or not, you will be wise to follow her implicitly just because she knows. This is no mere supposition on my part, no mere flight of the imagination. I have stood beside your President in the presence of the Supreme Director of evolution on this globe, and I know whereof I speak. Let the wise hear my words, and act accordingly.”

It is easy to see how minds not gifted with a highly developed critical faculty, or the instinctive sense that discriminates the true from the false, would yield hopelessly to such a formidable assault. They cannot see that he who thus guarantees the infallibility of Mrs . Besant has himself need of guarantee. . . I do not think that any religion or man-made cult, even in the earliest ages, has ever promulgated superstition in its grossest form so openly and boldly as this. . . … Mr. Leadbeater.. . demands deliberate suppression of thought. . . And having extolled such a deliberately induced mental torpor for Mrs. Besant's benefit, he immediately demands it for himself when he speaks of the ”Supreme Director of evolution on this globe.” Who is this administrative person? With whom is he to be identified in the scheme of evolution as it has been given to us by Mrs. Besant and Mr. Leadbeater themselves ? . . . What avenging God will come to confound this impious prophet who seeks to reduce humanity to the level of a troop of obedient automata! . . . A gentle and winning voice, infinitely reassuring, rises out of the depths of my being . . . a great light breaks forth, triumphant. Mr Leadbeater hears the words of a judgment immediate and without appeal, pronounced by the Buddha himself:

”Believe not what you have heard said; believe not in traditions merely because they have been transmitted through many generations; believe not merely because a thing is repeated by many persons; . . . believe not conjectures . . . believe not solely upon the authority of your Masters and elders. WHEN UPON OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS A PRINCIPLE CONFORMS TO REASON AND LEADS TO THE BENEFIT AND WELFARE OF ALL, ACCEPT IT AND HOLD IT.” (Buddha, Anguitura Nikaya.)

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With Subtle Mixtures
of Personal and Impersonal Aspects of Consciousness
the best will, good motive and most Wonderful Experiences
may lead into Difficulties, Sorrows and Conflicts.
And Further Experiences, Insights, Realizations and Values.

Stockholm, 5th of April, 2011,
Gunnar Larson.
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