tktt: Theosophy is not Buddhism

“Enq:  You are often spoken of as “Esoteric Buddhists”. Are you then all followers of Gautama Buddha?

 
Theo:  No more than musicians are all followers of Wagner. Some of us are Buddhists by religion; yet there are far more Hindus and Brahmins than Buddhists among us, and more Christian-born Europeans and Americans than converted Buddhists.

 
The mistake has arisen from a misunderstanding of the real meaning of the title of Mr. Sinnett’s excellent work, “Esoteric Buddhism”, which last word ought to have been spelt with one, instead of two, d’s, as then Budhism would have meant what it was intended for, merely “Wisdomism” (Bodha, bodhi, “intelligence”, “wisdom”) instead of Buddhism, Gautama’s religious philosophy.

 
Theosophy, as already said, is the WISDOM-RELIGION.

 
Enq:  What is the difference between Buddhism, the religion founded by the Prince of Kapilavastu, and Budhism, the “Wisdomism” which you say is synonymous with Theosophy?

 
Theo:  Just the same difference as there is between the secret teachings of Christ, which are called “the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven”, and the latter ritualism and dogmatic theology of the Churches and Sects.

 
Buddha means the “Enlightened” by Bodha, or understanding, Wisdom. This has passed root and branch into the esoteric teachings that Gautama imparted to his chosen Arhats only.

 
Enq:  But some Orientalists deny that Buddha ever taught any esoteric doctrine at all?

 
Theo:  They may as well deny that Nature has any hidden secrets for the men of science. Further on I will prove it by Buddha’s conversation with his disciple Ananda. His esoteric teachings were simply the Gupta Vidya (secret knowledge) of the ancient Brahmins, the key to which their modern successors have, with few exceptions completely lost. And this Vidya has passed into what is now known as the inner teachings of the Mahayana school of Northern Buddhism.

 
Those who deny it are simply ignorant pretenders to Orientalism. I advise you to read the Rev. Mr. Edkins’ Chinese Buddhism – especially the chapters on the Exoteric and Esoteric schools and teachings – and then compare the testimony of the whole ancient world upon the subject.”

 

H. P. Blavatsky