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
Charles Johnston
Theosophist, Author, Linguist. Translator of the Upanishads, Gita, Yoga Sutras, etc. Bio: Charles Johnston
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
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)
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)
Nala and the Gods (Mahabharata)
And when the king of the Nishadhas had been chosen by the daughter of Bhima, the lords of the worlds… Read More »Nala and the Gods (Mahabharata)
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
From the Upanishads
Wilt thou not open thy heart to know What rainbows teach, and sunsets show? Verdict which accumulates From lengthening scroll… Read More »From the Upanishads
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
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
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
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)
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
The Water of Life
“Narada came to Sanatkumara, saying: Master, teach me to know the Soul: for I have heard from the sages that… Read More »The Water of Life
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
The Lesson of Loneliness
We shall learn many good things that we have long forgotten, as we find our way back again to real… Read More »The Lesson of Loneliness
The Religion of the Will
Contents The Will in the Body I. The Search for FoodII. Continuity of LifeIII. The Creative Will in Man The… Read More »The Religion of the Will
The Great Upanishads
“From every page of the Upanishads, deep, original, lofty thoughts step forth to meet us while a high and holy… Read More »The Great Upanishads
The Sorrows of Damayanti
Thereon Damayanti, seeing King Nala, ruler of men, thus distraught, his thoughts wrapped up in the play, herself not distraught… Read More »The Sorrows of Damayanti
Shankara’s Thought
The glamour of India; the hot, luminous sky; palm trees, with their metallic glitter, fringing her sacred rivers; heavy-curtained mango… Read More »Shankara’s Thought
The Three Gods of Man
Who could live, who could breath, if the heart of Being were not Joy. It is a shallow age, this… Read More »The Three Gods of Man
Atma Bodha (The Awakening to the Spirit)
For the sake of those whose darkness has been worn away by purifications, who have attained to peace, whose passions… Read More »Atma Bodha (The Awakening to the Spirit)
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 Birth of Space”
“Know, the stars yonder, the stars everlasting, Are fugitive also . . . .”—EMERSON. Waves of credulity and of mental… Read More »“The Birth of Space”
The Four Duties of a Dervish
The faith of Islam, the latest of the world-wide religions, is also, in many things, the most materialistic and dogmatic.… Read More »The Four Duties of a Dervish
The Guatemalan Secret Doctrine
Among students of occultism, there have been persistent traditions of a branch or branches of the Great Lodge in the… Read More »The Guatemalan Secret Doctrine
The Magicians of the Blue Hills
Mme. Blavatsky departed to the land of the unseen’ some seven years ago, but her books go marching along. A… Read More »The Magicians of the Blue Hills
Rajput and Brahman
Aruna’s grandson Shvetaketu came to the gathering of the Panchâlas. He came to Pravâhana the son of Jibala, in the… Read More »Rajput and Brahman
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
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
The Dream of Ravan
I. A Mystery Many conjectures have been offered as to the source and authorship of this curious and wonderful book,… Read More »The Dream of Ravan
Atma Bodha (The Awakening to the Self)
This awakening to the Self is recorded for those whose inner darkness has been worn away by strong effort, who… Read More »Atma Bodha (The Awakening to the Self)
The Genius of the New Era
There is first the intuition of the Soul; that haunting vision of might and joy that has been hovering over… Read More »The Genius of the New Era
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)
The Lessons of Karma
“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will.” The idea most usually attached to the word… Read More »The Lessons of Karma
Shankara, Teacher of India
A short time ago, an esteemed friend of mine who has devoted much study to Buddhism in writing of Indian… Read More »Shankara, Teacher of India
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
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)
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 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
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
True Friendship
He who transgresses and despises modesty, who says—I am a friend but undertakes nothing for his friend, know that he… Read More »True Friendship
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)
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 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 Dramatic Element in the Upanishads
A good many readers make the acquaintance of the Upanishads in the two volumes which Prof. Max Müller contributed to… Read More »The Dramatic Element in the Upanishads
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)
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
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