Boodhasp

The term "Boodhasp" is presented as a Chaldean corruption, but Blavatsky identifies it as a transliteration of "Bodhisattva," a Sanskrit term meaning "enlightenment being." The root is bodhi (awakening) and sattva (being or essence). This connection highlights a potential cross-cultural diffusion of spiritual concepts.

An alleged Chaldean; but in esoteric teaching a Buddhist (a Bodhisattva), from the East, who was the fo\inder of the esoteric school of Neo-Sabeism, and whose secret rite of baptism passed bodily into the Christian rite of the same name. For almost three centuries before our era, Buddhist monks overran the whole country of Syria, made their way into the Mesopotamian valley and visited even Ireland. The name Fcrho and Faho of the Codex Nazaranis is but a corruption of Fho, Fo and Pho, the name which the Chinese, Tibetans and even Ne])aulese often give to Buddha. Book of the Dead. An ancient Egyptian ritualistic antl occult work attributed to Thot-IIermes. Found in the coffins of ancient mummies. Book of the Keys. An ancient Kabbalistic work. Borj (I'crs.). The Mundane Mountain, a volcano or lire-mountain; the same as the Indian Meru. Borri, Joseph Francis. A great Hermetic philosopher, born at Milan in the 17th century. He was an adept, an alchemist and a devoted occultist. He knew too nuich and was, therefore, condemned to death for heresy, in January, 1661, after the death of Pope Innocent X. He escaped and lived many years after, when finally he was recognized by a monk in a Turkish village, denounced, claimed by the Papal Nuncio, taken back to Rome and imprisoned, August 10th, 1675. But facts show that he escaped from his prison in a way no one could account for.

Blavatsky's invocation of "Boodhasp" is a fascinating, albeit complex, thread in her vast tapestry of esoteric connections. She positions this figure not merely as a historical entity but as a symbolic conduit, a nexus where Eastern wisdom, specifically the concept of the Bodhisattva, purportedly merged with Western esoteric currents, notably Neo-Sabeism. The assertion that this "secret rite of baptism passed bodily into the Christian rite" is audacious, inviting contemplation on the deep, often obscured, lineages of spiritual practice.

To modern seekers, the significance of Boodhasp lies in its challenge to notions of discrete, self-contained religious or philosophical origins. It echoes the work of scholars like Mircea Eliade, who explored the universality of certain archetypal symbols and myths across disparate cultures, suggesting a shared human spiritual consciousness. The idea of a Bodhisattva, a being dedicated to the liberation of all sentient beings, resonates with contemporary non-dual philosophies and the growing emphasis on interconnectedness and compassion.

The mention of Buddhist monks traversing vast distances, reaching even Ireland, speaks to a pre-modern globalism of ideas that predates our contemporary understanding of cultural exchange. It invites us to imagine a world where spiritual seekers, like seeds carried by the wind, disseminated profound teachings across continents, seeding the ground for future spiritual flowering. The esoteric schools Blavatsky alludes to were not mere academic institutions but living laboratories of the spirit, where the practical application of wisdom was paramount. Boodhasp, in this context, becomes a potent symbol of this ancient, cross-cultural transmission of transformative knowledge, a reminder that the quest for enlightenment has always been a shared human endeavor. The very act of questioning the origins of our spiritual practices, as Boodhasp encourages, can be a profound step on the path of self-discovery.