A Poet Theosophist: Walt Whitman
“I myself but write one or two indicative words for the future, I but advance a moment, only to wheel… Read More »A Poet Theosophist: Walt Whitman
Charles Johnston
Theosophist, Author, Linguist. Translator of the Upanishads, Gita, Yoga Sutras, etc. Bio: Charles Johnston
Lovers of the East: Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1765-1837)
A satirical critic of our orientalists once said that their capacity, like the Word divine in the heavens, had three… Read More »Lovers of the East: Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1765-1837)
Self-Glorification or Self-Conquest
I. In the first two Gospels, there is a story of gentle irony at the expense of the non-discerning disciples.… Read More »Self-Glorification or Self-Conquest
Chandogya Upanishad 6:1-7 (First Principles 1)
[Translation] There lived once Shvetaketu, Aruni’s grandson; his father addressed him, saying: —Shvetaketu, go, learn the service of the Eternal;… Read More »Chandogya Upanishad 6:1-7 (First Principles 1)
The Opening Eyelids of the Morn
“There is a small white lotus bud in this house of the Soul; in it there is a firmament, and… Read More »The Opening Eyelids of the Morn
A Visit to the Buddha
Something has been said of the relation of Siddhartha the Compassionate to the Masters, according to the Suttas and more… Read More »A Visit to the Buddha
A Trap for a Friend
Not exactly a trap, though even if a very valuable truth has allowed itself to be caught therein. It happened… Read More »A Trap for a Friend
Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
I. [Translation] The Evolver first of the bright ones came into being, the maker of the whole, the guardian of… Read More »Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
Chandogya Upanishad 1:8-2:21 (The Mysteries of Sound 2)
[Translation] Three, verily, were skilled in the up-singing Shilaka Shalavatya, Chaikitayana Dalbhya, Pravahana Jaivala. They said: In the up-singing, indeed,… Read More »Chandogya Upanishad 1:8-2:21 (The Mysteries of Sound 2)
A Page of the Apocalypse
I. One of the purposes of the Theosophical Society is to pursue the comparative study of religions, with a view… Read More »A Page of the Apocalypse
States of Consciousness
One of the Buddhist Suttas is known as the Potthapada Sutta, so called in honour of the Brahman to whom… Read More »States of Consciousness
The Indian Renaissance
At the close of the nineteenth century, the scientific ideal was already visibly losing its power. Very strange; yet an… Read More »The Indian Renaissance
Materialistic Science (A Summary)
In the August number of this Magazine, in an essay entitled “Two Thousand Years Ago,” I endeavoured to show that… Read More »Materialistic Science (A Summary)
Lovers of the East: Anquetil Duperron (1731-1805)
Who opened the doors of the east to the west? Who brought to the west the light of the east?… Read More »Lovers of the East: Anquetil Duperron (1731-1805)
The Secret of Power
“He who, dwelling in the earth, is other than the earth. whom the earth knows not, for whom the earth… Read More »The Secret of Power
The Childhood and Youth of St. Paul
“When I was a child . . .” The religions of the Orient give us a wide view of life… Read More »The Childhood and Youth of St. Paul
Rajput and Brahman in Buddha’s Day
The understanding of Buddhism by Western scholars is in general marked by certain limitations. To begin with, they are inclined… Read More »Rajput and Brahman in Buddha’s Day
The Dream of Life
Dream, wherein the Self is mirrored, has two, powers,—to extend and to envelope; enveloping the habitual self and its world,… Read More »The Dream of Life
The Songs of the Master
I. In the Bhagavad Gita, first translated and best known of all the Sacred Books of the East, there is… Read More »The Songs of the Master
The Books of Hidden Wisdom
. . . Beheld the Gods all, sweatless, steady-eyed, their flower-wreaths fresh and dust-free, as they stood, touching not the… Read More »The Books of Hidden Wisdom
The Antiquity of India
In previous articles on Primeval Man,1 we have tried to outline and develop a view of the unfolding of history,… Read More »The Antiquity of India
The Buddha’s Former Births
[Introduction] Among the great religions of the world, none has been so greatly misunderstood in our day as the teaching… Read More »The Buddha’s Former Births
Reminiscences [Clement Griscom]
One whose memory of The Theosophical Society goes back for thirty-four years, of necessity recalls many deaths, and, unhappily, many… Read More »Reminiscences [Clement Griscom]
“The Second Wave”
Have you ever stood on the shore, and watched the incoming tide? First a tiny ripple advances a few inches… Read More »“The Second Wave”
“Two Professors.” Christian and Skeptic.
At the recent May Meeting of the Church Missionary Society, Sir M. Monier-Williams felt impelled to lay before the world… Read More »“Two Professors.” Christian and Skeptic.
The Buddha’s Teaching of the Logos
For millenniums the Brahman community has dominated the religious and intellectual life of India. It may be added that, today,… Read More »The Buddha’s Teaching of the Logos
Classification of Principles
[Note: for some background, see: Classification of “Principles”] It seems a pity that the time and energies of our brothers… Read More »Classification of Principles
Tattva Bodha (Shankaracharya’s Catechism)
Introduction This charming little treatise bears in Sanskrit the title Tattva Bodha, which means “The Awakening to Reality,” or, to… Read More »Tattva Bodha (Shankaracharya’s Catechism)
The Meaning of OM
Mandukya Upanishad The unchanging Om is the All. Its expansion is, what has been, what is, what shall be. And… Read More »The Meaning of OM
Theosophy (Lecture)
Perhaps it would be an auspicious beginning, if we were to try to make clear what The Theosophical Society is,… Read More »Theosophy (Lecture)
[True Poverty and True Wealth]
There is one Lord, the inmost soul of all beings, who makes visible one power in many forms;—they who behold… Read More »[True Poverty and True Wealth]
An Outline of the “Secret Doctrine”
In these papers an attempt will be made to give a clear account of the theory of life and development… Read More »An Outline of the “Secret Doctrine”
Gleams from the Dawn-Land
The Peaks of Atlantis Frequent allusion is made, in the pages of the Secret Doctrine, to the reminiscences still existing… Read More »Gleams from the Dawn-Land
Occultism in the Upanishads
“The true desires are overlaid with false; though true, there is a false covering-up of them. For if any one… Read More »Occultism in the Upanishads
The Sermon on the Mount
I. In studying the Teachings of Jesus, we shall do well ever to bear in mind his words to his… Read More »The Sermon on the Mount
Aitareya Upanishad (Macrocosm and Microcosm)
I. Atma, verily, Universal Self, alone was this in the beginning, nor was aught else with opening and closing eyes.… Read More »Aitareya Upanishad (Macrocosm and Microcosm)
The Ideal Brahman
It has been suggested that the principal purpose of the Buddha, in all that he did and taught, was the… Read More »The Ideal Brahman
Dream and Dreamlessness
“What is he Soul? The Soul is consciousness among the powers of life. It is the inner light in the… Read More »Dream and Dreamlessness
The Early Races in the Popol Vuh
[I.] We have heard much of the Sacred Books of the East. It is time to say something of the… Read More »The Early Races in the Popol Vuh
The Buddha’s Cosmology
The teaching of the Buddha, particularly where it is most profound and spiritual, is for all practical purposes identical with… Read More »The Buddha’s Cosmology
The Sevenfold Counsels of Perfection
The manner in which the Buddhist scriptures came into being has set its mark on them in two ways. First,… Read More »The Sevenfold Counsels of Perfection
“Vita Brevis”
Whither are gone the great lords of the earth, with their might of chariots and armies? The earth, that witnessed… Read More »“Vita Brevis”
The Meaning of Om
According to the tradition of the Eastern Mysteries, the syllable Om is divided into three parts: a-u-m. These three parts… Read More »The Meaning of Om
Eastern and Western Psychology
I. A Theosophical Need Mr. Judge writes, in one of the closing chapters of The Ocean of Theosophy, that “there… Read More »Eastern and Western Psychology
Madame Blavatsky’s Forbears
Through her grandmother, Princess Dolgoruki, Madame Blavatsky was descended from Prince Yuri Dolgoruki, that is, Yuri the Long-armed, who founded… Read More »Madame Blavatsky’s Forbears
Sankara, the Teacher
The Upanishads, Buddha, and Sankara: these are the three great lights of Indian wisdom. The Upanishads far away in the… Read More »Sankara, the Teacher
A Rajput Sage
The story of this Rajput Sage is a very ancient and very significant one. We have two versions of it,… Read More »A Rajput Sage
King Nala’s Rivals
[Translation] When a fair time had come, and a lucky day and hour, King Bhima called the lords of the… Read More »King Nala’s Rivals