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
Charles Johnston
Theosophist, Author, Linguist. Translator of the Upanishads, Gita, Yoga Sutras, etc. Bio: Charles Johnston
Faith and Works In the Upanishads and the New Testament
I. There is a passage of singular charm and vivacity, which one may call, I think, the keystone of the… Read More »Faith and Works In the Upanishads and the New Testament
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
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 Hymn of the Spirit
Thousand-headed is Spirit, thousand-eyed, thousand-footed; he wrapping the world altogether, overpassed it by a space of ten fingers. Spirit verily… Read More »The Hymn of the Spirit
The Warrior
Seership is of the Self; actor-ship, of the powers. For, as the great King, even without being engaged himself, becomes… Read More »The Warrior
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 Dangers of Psychism
A number of short treatises, in verse and prose, are attributed to the great Indian Teacher, Shankaracharya, though it is… Read More »The Dangers of Psychism
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 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
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
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)
Kena Upanishad (By Whom?)
[Translation] By whom commanded does the mind go forth? By whom compelled does the first life go forth? By whom… Read More »Kena Upanishad (By Whom?)
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)
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
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
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
Taittiriya Upanishad 1 (The Lotus of the Teaching)
I. [Translation] Om Bless us Mitra; bless us Varuna; bless us Aryaman; bless us Indra, Vrhaspati; bless us wide-stepping Vishnu.… Read More »Taittiriya Upanishad 1 (The Lotus of the Teaching)
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 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”
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
The Logos Doctrine
Let us begin by trying to translate as literally as possible the opening passage of Saint John’s Gospel, retaining the… Read More »The Logos Doctrine
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
Self and Eternal
“As the web-wombed spider puts forth and draws to him, as trees come forth upon the earth, as from a… Read More »Self and Eternal
Prashna Upanishad (A Vedic Master)
Prashna Upanishad, “the Mystical Teaching of the Questions,” brief though it be, is a masterly summary of the Secret Wisdom.… Read More »Prashna Upanishad (A Vedic Master)
The Memory of Past Births
Contents PREFACE CHAPTER I. How the Teaching Came. CHAPTER II. The Tradition of the East. CHAPTER III. Where Memory Dwells.… Read More »The Memory of Past Births
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
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)
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
Vikramâditya’s “Jewel.”
Dramatis personae. 1. Ghost of Kâlidâsa (the Court-poet of King Vikramâditya). 2. Professor M.M. (Orientalist). 3. Smith (a plebeian). ———… Read More »Vikramâditya’s “Jewel.”
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
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
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
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)
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
The Turning Tide
“There are those who draw near to Thee through will, holding Thee ever in their hearts: there are those who… Read More »The Turning Tide
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
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 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 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
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
The Logos and Life
E la sua volontate è nostra pace: Ella è quel mare, al qual tutto si move Ciò ch’ ella crea… Read More »The Logos and Life
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)
The Doctrine of the Divine Man
Among the discourses of the Buddha there is one named the Lakkhana Suttanta. The first part of the Pali name… Read More »The Doctrine of the Divine Man
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
Songs of the Master
[I.] Introductory Before all things remember that the Bhagavad Gita is a textbook of the Mysteries. It has seven keys,… Read More »Songs of the Master
Indian Chronology
“It holds through all literature, that our best history is still poetry. It is so in Hebrew, in Sanskrit, and… Read More »Indian Chronology
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