Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
Brahmâ the Evolver, first of the Bright Powers came to birth, Maker of all, Preserver of the world. He declared… Read More »Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
Charles Johnston
Theosophist, Author, Linguist. Translator of the Upanishads, Gita, Yoga Sutras, etc. Bio: Charles Johnston
Vakya Sudha (The Essence of the Teaching)
The power of vision in the eye sees form; the mind sees the power of vision in the eye; spiritual… Read More »Vakya Sudha (The Essence of the Teaching)
“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.
Thyself and Thy King
Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom. We were talking of lucent intervals, when the primeval… Read More »Thyself and Thy King
Fear and Valor
A summer evening, high among the Alps; the in-gathering of purple twilight veils the world in mystery; the hills, with… Read More »Fear and Valor
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
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.”
Chandogya Upanishad 6:8-16 (First Principles 2)
[Translation] Aruna’s son Uddalaka addressed his son Shvetaketu, saying: —Learn from me, dear, the reality about sleep. When a man… Read More »Chandogya Upanishad 6:8-16 (First Principles 2)
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
Chandogya Upanishad 2:22-24 (The Mysteries of Sound 3)
[Translation] I select and assign the different notes of the chant. The animal note is the up-singing of the Fire-lord.… Read More »Chandogya Upanishad 2:22-24 (The Mysteries of Sound 3)
[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]
Mrs. Donne’s Astral Body
Turning over the pages of Walton’s Lives the other day, I came upon the following very interesting account of the… Read More »Mrs. Donne’s Astral Body
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
Lovers of the East: Sir William Jones (1746-1794)
We have seen how Anquetil Duperron, a Lover of the East, brought to Europe the first seed of Indian Wisdom… Read More »Lovers of the East: Sir William Jones (1746-1794)
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
Discipline for Disciples
The rules of conduct which the Buddha enjoined on the members of his Order are embodied, as almost always, in… Read More »Discipline for Disciples
A High Disciple, a Prophecy, and a Miracle
The passages of the Buddhist Suttas here translated contain many things which illumine different sides of the Buddha’s character. There… Read More »A High Disciple, a Prophecy, and a Miracle
An Answer
A question has been asked about the meaning of the frequent references to the Vedas; whether they have any settled… Read More »An Answer
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 Sacred Books of the Jews
Hardly any Orientalist who writes about the Sacred Books of India can help falling into wonder and astonishment over the… Read More »The Sacred Books of the Jews
The World Without End-Hour
Time is endlessly long.—GOETHE. Somebody made the remark, the other day, that Providence must be an Irishman, because, in the… Read More »The World Without End-Hour
The First Fruits of Peace
“With soul in perfect peace and rid of fear, standing firm on the path of the Eternal; with steadfast heart… Read More »The First Fruits of Peace
A Word on Schopenhauer
I remember once attending a drawing-room lecture on Schopenhauer and his philosophy of pessimism, where the audience, as is very… Read More »A Word on Schopenhauer
Theosophy (Lecture)
At the Convention of The Theosophical Society yesterday, much was said regarding the significance of the fact that the Society… Read More »Theosophy (Lecture)
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 Realm, the Radiance, and the Power
“Learn now of me, how he who has won the first great victory, shall go forward to the everlasting Power.… Read More »The Realm, the Radiance, and the Power
The Immortal Family
Which of us knows much about the corals of Lake Baikal or the warm springs of Lake Issyk Kul; about… Read More »The Immortal Family
The Earliest Races
[I.] At the beginning of the formative period, in the first of the four ages, the Evolver put forth beings.… Read More »The Earliest Races
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
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
Karma: Works and Wisdom
Contents I. The Three Kinds of Karma II. Karma in the Upanishads III. Karma in the Bhagavad Gita IV. Krishna’s… Read More »Karma: Works and Wisdom
The Mother of the Vedas (Gayatri)
The Gâyatri, the most sacred Indian verse, the Mother of the Vedas, is taken from the third of the ten… Read More »The Mother of the Vedas (Gayatri)
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 Races of Ancient India
Of the Brahmans, white is the color; of the Kshattriyas, red; of the Vaishyas, yellow is the color; of the… Read More »The Races of Ancient India
Taittiriya Upanishad 3 (The Lotus of the Sage Bhrgu)
III. [Translation] Invocation Om. May That guard us two—teacher and pupil; may That save us two; may we two do… Read More »Taittiriya Upanishad 3 (The Lotus of the Sage Bhrgu)
The Logos and the Heart
Greater love hath no man than this. The surface character of the Logos, we can know from our own consciousness,… Read More »The Logos and the Heart
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)
Chandogya Upanishad 4:4-9 (Teachers Other Than Human)
[Translation] Satyakama the son of Jabala addressed his mother Jabala thus: I am going to dwell with a teacher, in… Read More »Chandogya Upanishad 4:4-9 (Teachers Other Than Human)
The Soul’s Way
“When all the desires that were laid up in the heart are let go, then the mortal becomes immortal, he… Read More »The Soul’s Way
The Birth of the World-Egg
The universe was wrapped in darkness, unseen, unnamed, unthinkable, unknowable, in dreamless sleep. Then the Self-being, the unmanifested Master, manifested… Read More »The Birth of the World-Egg
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 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
New Year in the New Land
It is marvelous how the archaic wisdom explains all things. Here is an instance, quite unthought of hitherto. Half way… Read More »New Year in the New Land
The Great Deep
For the Waters were in the beginning, when fire had perished from the face of the world; and all things,… Read More »The Great Deep
The Lord of the Will
“These are but passing vestures of the everlasting lord; he suffers no detriment, he is illimitable; therefore, son of warriors,… Read More »The Lord of the Will
The Growth of Philosophy in America
It has long been a conviction of mine, that when the American genius awakens, when America realizes the existence of… Read More »The Growth of Philosophy in America
Among the Celestials
We have been told that Prince Siddhartha, son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, born in the ancient city of… Read More »Among the Celestials