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
Charles Johnston
Theosophist, Author, Linguist. Translator of the Upanishads, Gita, Yoga Sutras, etc. Bio: Charles Johnston
Tattva Bodha (Shankara’s Catechism)
Introductory In the “Awakening to the Self” [Atma Bodha], and, still more, in the “Crest-Jewel of Wisdom”, Shankara the Teacher… Read More »Tattva Bodha (Shankara’s Catechism)
Visâkhâ: A Woman Disciple of the Buddha
Besides the supreme figure of the Buddha and the noble personalities of his leading disciples, a host of men and… Read More »Visâkhâ: A Woman Disciple of the Buddha
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)
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
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 Creed of Christendom
I. “The fairy tale of the three supernatural persons, woman can verify.”—Matthew Arnold. Three centuries ago, the main tide of… Read More »The Creed of Christendom
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 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
Christianity and War
There is a widespread feeling, which has found eloquent expression in many places, that the great world war, in the… Read More »Christianity and War
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)
Shall We Know our Friends in Heaven?
When that system of philosophy which is now known as the Esoteric Doctrine was first given to the world, it… Read More »Shall We Know our Friends in Heaven?
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 Word of the New Cycle
What follows, is not a prophecy in any sense, astrological or other; it is simply a series of deductions from… Read More »The Word of the New Cycle
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
Indian Proverbs
[I.] On a lake reflecting myriads of stars a swan, by night seeking the young lotus buds, though wise, was… Read More »Indian Proverbs
“Light on the Path.”
“The Soul of man is immortal and its future is the future of a thing whose growth and splendour has… Read More »“Light on the Path.”
Indicative Words for the Future
“You are to hand on this teaching of mine; yet never to those who lack fervent aspiration, who love not,… Read More »Indicative Words for the Future
The Theosophical Society
When we were in search of a suitable theme for the lecture on the occasion of our Convention, a good… Read More »The Theosophical Society
Buddha’s Method
“If a Bhikshu should desire, brethren, by the complete destruction of the three bonds to become purified, to be no… Read More »Buddha’s Method
Concerning Three Brahmans
I. In the city of Devikota, there is a Brahman, Vedasharma by name. In the season of the equinox, he… Read More »Concerning Three Brahmans
Esoteric Teaching (Rig Veda, i. 164, 45)
The most ancient declaration of Esoteric Teaching in the Sacred Books of India is probably this verse from the earliest… Read More »Esoteric Teaching (Rig Veda, i. 164, 45)
The Tale of a Tiger
Once on a time, as I passed through the Southern Forest, I beheld An old Tiger who had taken a… Read More »The Tale of a Tiger
The Prince and the Woodman
A certain prince, born under an evil star, was cast out from the city, and fed by a certain woodman.… Read More »The Prince and the Woodman
The Song of the Self
Nor earth nor water, fire nor liquid air, Nor ether, nor the powers, nor these in one; Undifferentiated, in dreamless… Read More »The Song of the Self
The Kingdom of Heaven and the Upanishads
[Reprinted as “The Parables of the Kingdom,” Quarterly Book Department, 1909] I. Were a student of the Upanishads, steeped in… Read More »The Kingdom of Heaven and the Upanishads
The Soul and the Self
The oneness of the soul with the Self is already a fact, and not a thing that requires a further… Read More »The Soul and the Self
Isha Upanishad (By The Master)
[Translation] By the Master is to be covered all, whatever moving thing there is in the world. By this renouncing… Read More »Isha Upanishad (By The Master)
Prashna Upanishad (A Vedic Master)
[I.][Translation] These men, Sukesha Bharadvaja, Shaivya Satyakama, Sauryayani Gargya, Kaushalya Ashvalayana, Bhargava Vaidharbhi, and Kabandhi Katyayana, bent on the Eternal,… Read More »Prashna Upanishad (A Vedic Master)
H. P. B.
When I first met H. P. B. in the spring of 1887, she was already an old and valued friend. I had… Read More »H. P. B.
[Review: Letters That Have Helped Me, Vol. 2]
Letters That Have Helped Me, Vol. II., compiled by Jasper Niemand and Thomas Green. This is by far the most… Read More »[Review: Letters That Have Helped Me, Vol. 2]