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doctrine has contrived to get rid of the idea of God (Mr. Maitland's "idea" probably) for the purpose of avoiding these difficulties. This is clearly fallacious. In the Esoteric doctrine, Parabrahma is not a matter of inference. If the necessities of logic and theoretical metaphysics have not led the students of Esoteric science to adopt any particular view regarding the "first cause," it is because their knowledge is derived by a more direct method; and thus, they being most pronounced gnostics, it becomes the more ridiculous to suspect them of agnosticism. Highly developed spiritual powers, and a keen sense of intuitive perception have enabled them to arrive at the truth without any reference whatever to the difficulties of theoretical religious philosophy, as conceived by Western minds. Mr. Maitland is simply trying to throw discredit on "Esoteric Buddhism" by the dint of far fetched and strained constructions, in direct connection with those interminable and meaningless controversies regarding free will and pre-destination, which occupy such a prominent place in the arena of Western religious speculation, and are so happily conspicuous by their absence from the plane of Hindu and Buddhist religious thought.
From this it becomes quite clear, that, (a) in our critic's opinion, the denial of a personal God is synonymous with rank atheism; and (b) that the teachings of "Esoteric Buddhism," as really stated by the author, are, in no way, inconsistent, illogical, or unscientific; but that simply Mr. Maitland has run away with a very hazy idea of what those teachings are, in truth. Whatever those teachings may be, one thing is certain: they are neither atheistic nor even materialistic in the ordinary sense of the words; for, if anything, they are pantheistic. Mr. Maitland's definition of atheism seems to be one of a very complicated character. From his stand-point, an atheist is to be defined as one who believes the doctrines of Esoteric Buddhism, or entertains the same opinions as Mr. Sinnett regarding Parabrahma; and this is to be considered as the outcome of the whole discussion!
