THE MASTERS LETTERS RECEIVED BY FRANZ HARTMANN

Franz Hartmann was a famous esoteric writer who was closely related to the Theosophical Movement.

During the 14 months he stayed at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in Adyar (India), he received at least ten letters from Masters Kuthumi and Morya, and although unfortunately not all of them were preserved, the content of some of those letters have been recovered.

THE FIRST LETTER KNOWN

FROM MASTER MORYA

Franz Hartmann reported that a week after his arrival in Adyar (December 4, 1883), seeing that people were sending letters to the Masters; he decided to do the same and gave to Colonel Olcott a brief note so that he put in the “Shrine.”

The note said the following:

-         "Revered Master!  The undersigned offers you his services. He desires that you would kindly examine his mental capacity and if desirable give him further instructions.  Respectfully yours."

And two weeks later, on December 25, 1883, Hartmann received an answer from Master Morya.

And Master Morya's reply was the following:

« My blessings!  If we had to employ a man without intelligence in our service, we would have to point out to him as you say in the West: “the chapter and the verse,” i.e. we would have to give him very detailed commissions and orders well defined. But a mind like yours, with a history of so many experiences, can easily find its way when it receives a suggestion regarding the direction that leads to the goal.

Therefore, make a clear image of what a human being is. In what relationship he is in this particular life with respect to the sum total of his previous existences, and considers that his future is entirely in his own hands, and you will no longer have doubts about what you should do.

. . .

You committed an act of great imprudence while you were in San Francisco. (Here Master Morya gave details about a private and delicate matter that Franz Hartmann did not want to reveal to the public).

I put into the Henry Olcott´s head the idea of suggesting you to come here. So stay in Asia for a while. Participate in the work of the Theosophical Society. Let the principles of the theosophical philosophy be known without reserves, let it speak louder in your heart. Help others, so that you can be helped yourself. ... Live according to the Highest Ideals of Humanity. Think and work.  And these are the conditions of satisfaction for you and for others. ... M. »

Hartmann mentioned that he was very perplexed that Master Morya knew what he had done in San Francisco because it was something very personal that he had not told to anyone, and there was not also one who could have told to the Master, since in San Francisco, Hartmann he was even more unknown than he was at Adyar.

And below is a facsimile of a portion of that letter:

The text and the facsimile were reproduced by Boris de Zirkoff in the biography he wrote about Franz Hartmann and which was published in the Collected Writings, vol. 8, p.449

THE SECOND LETTER KNOWN

FROM MASTER MORYA

Franz Hartmann reported that on the morning of February 5, 1884, he went upstairs to Madame Blavatsky's room to have a conversation with her in regard to Theosophical Society’s matters, and he wanted to ask her opinion about a certain subject of which I had been thinking.

She advised him to mentally ask this question to the Master himself, and the Master would surely answer him. A few minutes later the domestic worker came because her wish to have a pair of pincers, which she needed for some purpose, and Franz Hartmann remembered that he had such a pair of pincers in his desk drawer, so he went down to his room to get them.

Hartmann took the pincers and was about to close the drawer, when he saw in the drawer a large envelope with the well-known Master's handwriting and sealed with a stamp bearing his initials in Tibetan characters.

The letter gave him a detailed answer to the question he had formulated mentally, and what surprised him most was that this letter must have been written, sealed and put in the drawer in less than four minutes, while he It took forty minutes to copy it the next day!

And below I present an extract of this letter:

« Friend!  You seem to me the only fully rational being among the Pelengs [Europeans] now left at headquarters.  Therefore with an eye to a variety of unexpected emergencies in future which I foresee, I must ask you to show practically your devotion to the cause of truth by accepting the rudder of the theosophical course.

If I know anything, I know you to be entirely free from those prejudices and predilections that are generally in the way of a calm and dispassionate pursuit of the chief aim of the Society, full equality among men as brothers and an entire unconcern with the childish fairy tales they call their religion, whether exoteric or esoteric.

If you kindly consent to take care of theosophical interests during the absence of Henry Olcott and Upasika (Blavatsky), I will cause him to write you an official letter, investing you with more official power than any other “assistant,” so as to give you a firmer hold of the rod of authority than you would otherwise have with an informal title shared by so many others.

. . .

Your pucca authority I ask you to make the best of it in the interests of Truth, Justice and Charity. … M. »

(This portion was published in the Occult Review, January 1908, p.24)

THE THIRD LETTER KNOWN

FROM MASTER MORYA

Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott publicly took “Panchashila” at Ceylon, on May 25, 1880, and with that ritual they formally become Buddhists, and they were the first known Westerners to do that.

When Dr. Franz Hartmann questioned about it, Master Morya explained him that becoming Buddhist would serve to have an easier access to the path of knowledge, and that is why Dr. Hartmann followed suit and became a Buddhist on December 26, 1883.

And two weeks later (on February 25, 1884) Master Morya sent a letter to Franz Hartmann where he wrote the following:

« Let me give you an advice. Never offer yourself as a chela, but wait until chelaship descends by itself upon you. Above all, try to find yourself, and the path of knowledge will open itself before you, and this so much the easier as you have made a contact with the Light-ray of the Blessed one, whose name you have now taken as your spiritual lode-star. Receive in advance my blessings and my thanks.  M. »

(This text was published in the Collected Writings, vol. 8, p.446)

THE FOURTH LETTER KNOWN

FROM MASTER MORYA

In his autobiography, Dr. Hartmann mentions a letter he received on April 27, 1884 in which Master Morya warned him of the conspiracy being carried out by Mrs. Coulomb and Mr. Coulomb to overthrow the Theosophical Society.

And below I put an extract of that letter:

« For some time, Mrs. Coulomb has opened a communication with the enemies of the cause. Hence hints as to trapdoors and tricks. Moreover when needed trapdoors will be found, as they have been forthcoming for some time. They (the Coulombs) have full entrance to and control of the premises. Mr. Coulomb is clever and cunning at every handicraft, a good mechanic and carpenter and good at walls likewise. ... M. »

(This extract was published in the Occult Review, January 1908, p.27)

THE FIRST LETTER KNOWN

FROM THE MASTER KUTHUMI

And although the situation deteriorated, at the beginning Master Kuthumi tried to be very compassionate to Mrs. Coulomb as was indicated by the letter he wrote to Franz Hartmann.

And on this letter, Hartmann mentioned that:

« I received a letter from Master Kuthumi on March 22, 1884. The letter was inside an envelope with Tibetan characters, and the letter handed to me by Damodar, who received it in my presence from the hands of the astral form of a Chela. »

(Note published in the Theosophist magazine, Supplement, July 1884, p.99)

And later, in the report that Franz Hartmann wrote, he gave more details about that event:

« Affidavits sent in by several members went to show, that the Coulombs were guilty of gross misconduct, of lying about the Society, slandering its officers, wasting the funds of the Society, etc.

We therefore concluded to impeach them in a formal manner, and were engaged in drawing up the charges in my room when the astral body of a Chela appeared, and handed the following letter to Damodar.

 . .

This was rather like throwing cold water on the fire we had kindled to purify the Society. ... The letter was in the well-known hand writing of K.H.  It was enclosed in a Chinese envelope, addressed to me, and the Chela who handed it to Damodar was recognized by him.

There could be no longer any doubt as to its being genuine, and there was nothing to be done, but to obey.  I therefore rather reluctantly obeyed, and an armistice was concluded with the Coulombs by treating them with greater consideration.

Madame Coulomb had some of her glory and power restored to her, and we all attempted to get rid of her by persuasion and kindness. »

(Extracts from the report of observations made by Franz Hartmann during his nine month stay at the Headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras, India. Printed at the Scottish Press by Graves, Cookson, and Co., 1884, p.33)

And below I transcribe the content of this letter:

« So long as one has not developed a perfect sense of justice he should prefer to err rather on the side of mercy than commit the slightest act of injustice.

Mad. Coulomb is a medium and as such irresponsible for many things she may say or do.  At the same time she is kind and charitable.  One must know how to act towards her to make of her a very good friend.

She has her own weaknesses but their bad effects can be minimized by exercising on her mind a moral influence by a friendly and kindly feeling. Her mediumistic nature is a help in this direction, if proper advantage be taken of the same.

It is my wish therefore that she shall continue in charge of the household business, the Board of Control of course exercising a proper supervisory control & seeing in consultation with her, that no unnecessary expenditure is incurred.

A good deal of reform is necessary and can be made rather with the help than the antagonism of Mme. Coulomb.  Damodar would have told you this but his mind was purposely obscured, without his knowledge, to test your intuitions.

Show this to Mad. Coulomb so that she may co-operate with you.  K.H. »

And below I show you a facsimile of that letter:

The text was first published in the book "The Letters of the Masters of Wisdom," second series, (letter No. 73), published in 1926 by The Theosophical Press, Chicago.

And the facsimile was first published in the book "Who wrote the Mahatma Letters?" by William Loftus Hare and Harold Edward Hare, published in 1936 by Williams & Norgate, London.

ANOTHER LETTER FROM KUTHUMI

 

William Tournay Brown was a young Scotsman who became interested in Theosophy, which is why he went to live for a time at the Theosophical Society's headquarters in Adyar, India. In an article he wrote, he mentions another letter that Franz Hartmann received from Master Kuthumi:

 

« On August 2, 1884, two letters were received in Kuthumi's well-known handwriting, the first addressed to Dr. Hartmann and Mr. Lane Fox jointly, and the second addressed to Mr. Lane Fox only. Copies of these letters, made by me at that time, are in my possession.

The letter to Dr. Hartmann and Mr. Lane Fox concerns a dispute that had arisen between Damodar and myself, and what the master wrote was the following:

  « Damodar has undoubtedly many faults and weaknesses as others have. But he is unselfishly devoted to us and to the cause, and has rendered himself extremely useful to Upāsika [Blavatsky].

His presence and assistance are indispensably necessary at the Headquarters. His inner self has no desire to domineer, though the outward acts now and then get that colouring from his excessive zeal which he indiscriminately brings to bear upon everything, whether small or great.

It must, however, be remembered that, inadequate as our 'instruments' may be to our full purpose, they are yet the best available, since they are but the evolution of the times. it would be most desirable to have better 'mediums' for us to act through; and it rests with the well-wishers of the Theosophical Cause how far they will work unselfishly to assists in her higher work and thus hasten the approach of that eventful day.

Blessings to all the faithful workers at the headquarters.

K.H.  »

And the following passage is from the letter to Mr. Lane Fox:

  « Yes, you are correct in your assumption. We allow each human to exercise their own judgment and manage their affairs as they see fit. Each human is the creator of their own karma and the master of their own destiny. Each human must overcome their own trials and difficulties in this world; and these very trials and difficulties aid their self-development by calling their energies into action, and ultimately it is they themselves who determine the course of their higher evolution.  »

Now, it's interesting to ask:

Where was Madame Blavatsky when these letters were received?

And the answer is that she was in Europe.

And where was Colonel Olcott?

He was also in Europe.

And where were the Coulombs ?

The Coulombs had already been expelled.

Could Damodar have written them?

Damodar is unable to admit that he has "flaws and weaknesses."

So all those accusations that they wrote about the masters' letters are false.

_ _ _

I remained in India until January 1885, and together with other researchers, I received the greatest satisfaction. From the existence of the Adept Kuthumi, I obtained all the desirable proofs, and I am convinced of the soundness of theosophical teaching.

It only remains to add that I left India at almost the same time as Mr. Hodgson, the researcher from the English Psychical Research Society. I think Mr. Hodgson sincerely believes in the report he prepared on the phenomena of the Theosophical Society, but due to his incompetence in dealing with occult and psychic matters (probably stemming from a materialistic upbringing), I fear he will mislead a very important group of thinkers. »

(Published in The Religio - Philosophical Journal of January 29, 1887, p.2, under the title “Occultism in India” )

 

This letter was later transcribed in the book "The Letters of the Masters of Wisdom", First Series, No. 28, and this is the facsimile (you can see it larger at this link):