I've been planning to do a post about Lobsang Rampa for some time, but I put that on the back burner as I found Karen Mutton's book on Rampa FAR better than anything I could ever do (for a start, Ms Mutton had access to people that I didn't, and never would). However, I had done some work on that post, and I need a convenient point of reference to get information from time to time, which is part of what this blog is about, so below is an incomplete, mostly unedited post.
PS
Since publishing this, I have also come across the following interesting posts:
DRAFT POST
As an overall assessment, I consider Rampa a good source of
metaphysical knowledge, but some of his specific attitudes I strongly
disagree with - for instance, his view of women I consider to be
misogynistic and even sexist. However, I thought I would do some
reviewing of Rampa from the point of view of nearly four decades later
on. Before I do that, however, I have to say that Karen Mutton has, in
her book "Lobsang Rampa: New Age Trailblazer" (pub 2006, TGS Publishers, ISBN 0-971-3166-0-0),
done a better job than I could possibly even consider doing - in
particular, she has had access to the key people involved. Having read
Karen Mutton's book, which acknowledges things like the inconsistency
between Rampa's later books and earlier books on his life details and
speculates about the possible impact of his illness and the constant
attacks on his identity and credibility, and being very familiar with
the effects of constant attacks on personal identity that trans people
are forced to endure, I am inclined to empathise with his bitterness.
So ... let's go through a few specific points.
The need for religion
Rampa
considers that there is a need for the world to return to some form of
religion to provide a form of spiritual discipline and guidance. I
disagree with this: I consider that humanism and evidence-based decision
making could actually make the world a better place.
As
an example of the latter, consider children and gay or lesbian parents.
Proper, objective, scientific evidence has consistently shown, since
the 50s, that gay and lesbian people are not different to other people.
More recently, evidence has shown that, if there is a difference between
the children of gay or lesbian parents and those of heterosexual
parents, it is that the former are more likely to be considerate and
inclusive than the latter.
Ergo, there is no reason to ban gay or lesbian couples from parenting. (I
am unfortunately unaware of any such studies relating to bisexual,
intersex or trans people, but my personal experience is that LGBTIQ
people are more likely to think about what they are doing, and hence
make far better parents than many straight, cisgendered
people. I wish to point out that I fit into a couple of these
communities - feel free to disregard what I've said, if you wish, but I
still consider rational decision making better than politics which
panders to the lowest common denominator.)
So ... I don't consider religion necessarily essential (religious
conflicts have been a problem, and the rabid anti-LGBTIQ attitudes of
some religious is, in my view, verging on criminal), but caring in a way that many religions claim to preach in favour of, is essential.
On
the other hand, if we look at personal satisfaction, I consider that
religion, which deals with concepts that I don't necessarily consider
scientific method to be suited for, and it often DOES provide a sense of purpose, or motivation, or peace (see here for a past post of mine which touches on this).
So, overall, I consider Lobsang Rampa about three-quarters correct on this point.
Sex
My assessment of this is that, despite statements such as:
- "if these people are in love, then a normal sex life increases
the strength of the auric current of each, bringing luster and clarity
to the color of the aura as any clairvoyant can tell" (Chapters of Life, p. 147) and "Unfortunately
Western translations, or mistranslations, state that the Easterner has
no sex life at all in spiritual planes. This again is wrong. Sex is all
right if the two people need it and if they are truly in love" (Chapters of Life, p. 148; this book goes on to say eastern depictions show right and wrong sex life so can compare);
- the discussion on page 173-174 and 178-183 of "Cave of the Ancients",
where the young Rampa expresses amazement at Westerners claiming that
mankind has been created in the image of God, yet finds many forms of
nudity pornographic, and many Western couples insist on "making love" in
the dark; the discussion then goes on to credit much of the problematic
attitudes towards sex in Western cultures to the changes made by early
Christian church leaders, who are described as being "afraid of women",
and state explicitly that sex can increase spiritual force;
- a description of open/free sex and public
nudity on a planet which presumably was one from which the (spiritually
advanced) Gardeners of the Universe came; and
- in a description of Kundalini, which in itself was part of an interpretation of the meaning of the Garden of Eden myth, Rampa includes the following: "Sex used properly and in a certain way can raise one's vibrations";
the discussion also states that sex can awaken the Kundalini (although
this should never be abused), and that those religions which say there
should be no sex are tragically wrong.
Rampa is what I would call "sex negative".
Incidentally, Alice A Bailey has, on pages 668 - 671 of "The Rays and The Initiations"
a discussion on transmutation of the sex drive which includes
consideration of what is described as the two most common mistakes:
- attempting to suppress everything sexual; and
- trying to exhaust the sex drive, as if it is a limited thing, by being excessively promiscuous.
Overall, I would give Lobsang Rampa about a 60-70% ranking on this part of life.
Women
Rampa wrote the following in "The Third Eye": Lamastic life had upset my “social” values, women were strange creatures to me (they still are!). I
consider Rampa's writings around women to be biased, and possibly a
result of his upbringing and/or "the times". On the other hand, there is
the loyalty showed to him by his wife and, for many years, Sheelagh
Rouse, and the work he did to help women (albeit mostly physically).
I'd give Rampa's writings a ranking of around 5% on this aspect.
Gays and lesbians ("homosexuals"), bisexuals, trans, intersex and queer
Rampa's writings show a distinctly homophobic slant - particularly the comments in "Feeding the Flame" and "Candlelight".
On the other hand, it is clear from Sheelagh Rouse's writing that, in
everyday life, Rampa was ahead of his times in his personal tolerance of
gays (I
don't know about his behaviour around lesbians, and bisexuals, trans,
intersex and queer people appear not to have existed in Rampa's world
awareness ... ).
I'm aware that Rampa's views may reflect cultural and religious biases and "the times", but that doesn't excuse them.
I'll rank Rampa at around 5% on this topic as well.
Psychic Development
Works for me! Good coverage in Karen Mutton's book.
Verifiable knowledge
Seems to be quite good on this as well.
Hollow Earth
I
disagree with Rampa on this: whilst there may be large caverns and
other-dimensional hollows, the sheer volume of information built up from
listening to the sounds of earthquakes bouncing round the planet, and
proven knowledge of gravity, make the possibility of a physical hollow
inside the earth so low that I am comfortable saying it doesn't exist. (SIGH - I nearly had my consulting habits from carry over and lead to me to qualify that ... )
Predictions
- The Third Eye, p. 118 (first pub. 1956): "if England and America do not check Communism, a war will start in the Year of the Wood Dragon, which in this cycle, is 1964":
- US President Lyndon B Johnson reversed Kennedy's disengagement policy and escalated US commitment in late 1963 (see here), and the "Gulf of Tonkin incident" occurred in August 1964, although US military involvement dated back to 1961 and the Vietnamese had been at war since the Japanese invasion during the Second World War in 1940 (and, after that war, against the French in 1950-54), but ... maybe the Cuban missile crisis was the "check of the communists" that was referred to, and hence the war which was meant did NOT start in 1964?;
- ... (assessment not completed)
Personal characteristics
From Sheelagh's essay Grace:
he
evidently practised what he preached in terms of helping others, but
decried pity. Think this is a bit hair splitting. Clearly no snobbery.
Overall
Was
Rampa a fraud? Not in my opinion - despite his obvious shortcomings on Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism (and Buddhism generally). Are other explanations for flaws, but
I think the constant attacks on his identity were key problem.
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