the key to theosophy…

“Mr. B. Keightley:  Old’s identification of the Buddhi’s intuition is derived from Sinnett’s Esoteric Buddhism.

 
Mme. Blavatsky:  That is certainly not esoteric.

 
Mr. Kingsland:  You cannot identify Buddhi with intuition, because intuition, after all, is only the intellectual process of the very highest order.

 
Mr. Old:  I understand there are two facets to Buddhi?

 
Mme. Blavatsky:  One thing you may say about Buddhi. Intuition is in Manas for the more or less light shed on it by Buddhi, whether it is assimilated much or little with Buddhi.

 
Mr. Kingsland:  It must pass through Manas. It is derived from Manas.

 
Mr. Old:  Ultimately it is from the brain; it can flow down. The brain is the instrument of thought.

 
Mme. Blavatsky:  My poor Old! I never thought you were as materialistic as you are.

 
Mr. Old:  You have put me off the track by asking me the question whether I was speaking esoterically or exoterically. I was talking on my ground, and you told me to get off.

 
Mme. Blavatsky:  Was I wrong?

 
Mr. Old:  No, you were right.

 
Mme. Blavatsky:  There are esotericists here, and exotericists. The esotericists will be terribly confused if we speak in this way, and the exotericists still more.

 
Mr. Old:  I ought not to have mooted it.

 
Mme. Blavatsky:  Buddhi by itself can neither have intuition, nor non-intuition, nor anything; it is simply the cementing link, so to say, between the higher spirit and Manas. What goes into Devachan? What reincarnates?

 
It is certainly the ego, the Manas, the higher portion of Manas. Once in Devachan we call it the eternity, but it has no eternity at all, because Buddhi and Atma are nothing but obstructions, in the strict sense of the word.

 
It is the reincarnating Manas that goes; and therefore intuition belongs to Manas, because it brings it through all the reincarnations that it passed through.

 
All this is more or less defined through the amount of light shed on Manas by Buddhi, but so far as regards this life. You understand? Because the intuition is one. You have learned enough about that, Mrs. Gordon.”

 
H. P. Blavatsky