Blavatsky’s
magnum opus, the Secret Doctrine, is an epic three-volume, two thousand page
work that explains the creation of the universe, the solar system and the
evolution of life on earth. The first two volumes (sub-titled Cosmogenesis and
Anthropogenesis respectively) are each divided into three sections: the first
deals with the main theme of cosmic and human evolution, the second with
comparative religious symbolism, and the third is devoted to a wide variety of scientific topics. The third volume deals with eastern and western esoteric history and contains Blavatsky's Esoteric Instructions.
Obviously,
one could start reading this work cold from page one and proceed sequentially.
Even though the chapters aren’t always tightly sequential, the sections are
complementary and so you would get a kind of overall, progressive, panoramic
view of the story of the universe. The only problem is that the text is often
extremely difficult. The esoteric concepts are very complex and the erudition
is such that one would ideally have to have the knowledge of a Mircea Eliade
and a Fritjof Capra combined to be comfortable with it. Being familiar with world mythology, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Vishnu Purana, the Zohar, the Timaeus, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Hermetica, and Gnosticism would be helpful.
Another
way of approaching the work is to start with easier works and gradually
progress to reading the full text. Below are some suggested introductory texts
to make the journey easier:
Basic
Introduction
Blavatsky
- The Key to Theosophy (1889)
Basic
general notions are covered, the sevenfold principle, karma, reincarnation.
The
Ocean of Theosophy, William Q. Judge (1893)
This
one’s a little more comprehensive, with a chapter on spiritual evolution.
Earlier
Literature
Blavatsky
- Isis Unveiled 2 vols. (1879 )
Why
not start with her first great work? Metaphysical and spiritual evolution
concepts in a more basic form. Lots of interesting details that you find
nowhere else.
Esoteric
Buddhism by A.P. Sinnett 1883
The
major concepts of chain, rounds and races were first significantly presented in
this work.The source material of this revolutionary work was later released as The
Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in 1923 by A. Trevor Barker.
Laura
Holloway & Mohini Chatterji – Man, Fragments of a Forgotten History (1885)
This
work elaborates on Esoteric Buddhism with some original elements.
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| Highly recommended |
Blavatsky
- Secret Doctrine Commentary: Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge of the
Theosophical Society 1890, 1891.
This
short work is a transcript of study classes, but the language is very clear and
the difficult concepts explained with admirable simplicity, a gem.
Theosophical
Gleanings by Two Students
A
collection of magazine articles from the era, a very solid summary of technical
intricacies.
Volume 3
Volume
three appeared posthumously, in 1897, and was moved to volumes 12 & 14 of
Blavatsky’s collected writings in the 1980s. One can consider it separate or as
part of a trilogy. (Originally announced as a four-part work, volume three would correspond to parts 3 & 4).
Secret Doctrine Volume 3
 |
| This edition has more updated references. |
The
Myth of the "Missing" Third Volume of The Secret Doctrine Daniel H.
Caldwell
Short
Versions
Below
are some solid, basic summaries:
The
Peopling of the Earth. Geoffrey Barborka
This
covers volume one.
The
Story of Human Evolution. Geoffrey Barborka (1979)
This
covers volume two.
The
Secret Doctrine: The Classic Work, Abridged and Annotated: H.P. Blavatsky,
Michael Gomes: 2009
This
abridges the first sections of volumes 1 & 2 and certain parts of the
symbolism sections.
O
Lanoo! ~ The Secret Doctrine Unveiled Harvey Tordoff 1999
The
structure of the Secret Doctrine is based on a commentary of an eastern
creation poem called the stanzas of Dzyan, which is very cryptic. This work
paraphrases the stanzas in easy to understand modern English.
Easier
Sections
The
various chapters are only loosely inter-connected, so one can tackle the work
piecemeal. Below are a selection of text sections that are both relatively easy
to read and quite self-contained. Overall, volume 2 is less difficult than
volume 1, so reading volume 2 first can be a good approach.
 |
| At its most opulent, it was available in a 6-volume hardcover format. The text formatting is more reader-friendly, which is helpful. |
Introduction
Proem
1, 1, 6 A Few Misconceptions concerning planets, rounds and man
Summing
Up
1, 2,
3 Primordial Substance and Divine Thought
1, 2,
4 Chaos, Theos, Cosmos
1, 3,
11 On the Elements and the Atoms
1, 3,
15 Gods, Monads, Atoms
2,
Preliminary Notes
2,
2, 25 The Mysteries of the Hebdomad
General resources
Finally, it might be useful to note that the Secret Doctrine does not fully explain the system of chains and rounds; It is necessary to study Esoteric Buddhism and other works to get the full picture. Another important addition was provided by Blavatsky with a series of answers to seven questions entitled:“Some inquiries suggested by Mr. Sinnett’s
Esoteric Buddhism” (see vol. 5 of her collected writings).
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