The Vedanta Philosophy and the Doctrine of Maya
The doctrine of Maya is considered by many thinkers, both in the East and the West, to be an integral part of the Vedanta philosophy.… Read More »The Vedanta Philosophy and the Doctrine of Maya
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Articles from various theosophical authors.
The Ethics of the Vedanta
A system of philosophy is generally tested by its ethical doctrine. Though a criticism of life, philosophy is judged by its capacity to improve life.… Read More »The Ethics of the Vedanta
Short Survey of the Vedanta System
1. Introductory. Fundamental thought of the Vedanta § 1. The fundamental thought of the Vedânta, most briefly expressed by the Vedic words: tat tvam asi, “that art… Read More »Short Survey of the Vedanta System
The Dwellers on High Mountains
An account of the dwellers upon high mountains would be incomplete without some reference to a widespread belief prevailing in Hindustan in regard to authorities… Read More »The Dwellers on High Mountains
The Story of Adam and Eve in the New Testament
In trying to realize the thought, feeling and aspiration of the people of Palestine in the time of Jesus, with the desire to understand the… Read More »The Story of Adam and Eve in the New Testament
The Dogma of the Virgin Birth
“A certain woman lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee. . . . “But He said, Yea,… Read More »The Dogma of the Virgin Birth
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 Upanishads; the passage containing what… Read More »Faith and Works In the Upanishads and the New Testament
Life and Teachings of Pythagoras
I. Life “Pythagoras, the pure philosopher deeply versed in the profounder phenomena of nature, the noble inheritor of the ancient lore, whose great aim was… Read More »Life and Teachings of Pythagoras
The Childhood and Youth of St. Paul
“When I was a child . . .” The religions of the Orient give us a wide view of life and its progression, drawing back… Read More »The Childhood and Youth of St. Paul
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 the now world-famous Sacred Books… Read More »The Dramatic Element in the Upanishads
The Theosophical Society
When we were in search of a suitable theme for the lecture on the occasion of our Convention, a good friend suggested that it might… Read More »The Theosophical Society
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 to making clear the inherent… Read More »A Page of the Apocalypse
What the Theosophical Society is Not
We have been considering, during this period of reunion, that it is just a third of a century since the Theosophical Society was founded in… Read More »What the Theosophical Society is Not
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 the spiritual world, this young… Read More »The Growth of Philosophy in America
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 Will in the Soul I.… Read More »The Religion of the Will
The Theosophical Movement
It will be best to treat my theme historically; and I may be pardoned, perhaps, if I speak of my own observation of the Theosophical… Read More »The Theosophical Movement
The Vedanta in Daily Life
Every land has something to contribute to our life. In many cases we may recognize our indebtedness. Thus from Rome we get the foundation of… Read More »The Vedanta in Daily Life
The Religion of China
[I.] The records of China go back nearly five thousand years. Twenty-eight centuries before our era, say these records, a hundred families, coming from the… Read More »The Religion of China
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 disciples: “It is given to… Read More »The Sermon on the Mount
The Religion of India
I. When we come to India, the contrast with Egypt and Chaldea is strongly marked. Of the ancient Sumerian culture and religion of Chaldea, nothing… Read More »The Religion of India
The Religion of Chaldea
The land long known as Chaldea, wherein many nations successively grew and ruled, bears striking resemblances to the land of Egypt. Like Egypt, it is… Read More »The Religion of Chaldea
The Vedanta Philosophy
I. Two things seem to me to distinguish our philosophy in the West from the philosophy of India, especially in its golden age. Without disrespect… Read More »The Vedanta Philosophy
The Religion of Ancient Egypt
Introductory We must study religions from within, not from without. If we ourselves genuinely believe in spiritual life and spiritual law, and have some knowledge… Read More »The Religion of Ancient Egypt
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 the golden air of Eastern… Read More »The Kingdom of Heaven and the Upanishads
The Gospels of the Kingdom
In much of our popular theology there is some danger that teachings about Jesus have somewhat overshadowed the teachings of Jesus, and that we are… Read More »The Gospels of the Kingdom
Introduction to the Philosopher [Laotze] and His Book the Tao Teh
Little or nothing is known in regard to the early life of the old philosopher Laotze, but history reports that he was born in the… Read More »Introduction to the Philosopher [Laotze] and His Book the Tao Teh
Philosophy of the Yogācāra
The Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism, as far as it is known in China and Tibet, divides itself into two great schools, the Mādhyamika and the Yogācāra.… Read More »Philosophy of the Yogācāra
The Vedanta Philosophy
The keynote of the Indian Renaissance of today, is the great and increasing attention paid to the Vedanta Philosophy; and especially to the thought and… Read More »The Vedanta Philosophy
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 often the case when these… Read More »A Word on Schopenhauer
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, in the light of our… Read More »The Antiquity of India
India, Mother of Nations
It is a hundred years now since Schopenhauer foretold that India and the genius of India would produce an effect on the spirit of western… Read More »India, Mother of Nations
Aryan Origins and the Primeval Savage
In discussing the question of Indian Chronology, and the almost inextricable confusion it had been thrown into by the conjectures of the first generation of… Read More »Aryan Origins and the Primeval Savage
The Buddha’s Life
We first heard of Buddhism, it may almost be said, through the works of Brian Houghton Hodgson, and his explorations in the libraries of Nepal.… Read More »The Buddha’s Life
Arjuna’s Beliefs
In Vedic India there were two quite distinct beliefs as to death and the soul’s future destiny; the one belief belonging to the Vedic Hymns,… Read More »Arjuna’s Beliefs
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 Sacred Books of the West,… Read More »The Early Races in the Popol Vuh
A Bengal Bazaar
India is a ruin, beautiful only by moonlight; and, like a ruined temple, old India’s beauties dwell no longer in perfect design and harmonious unity,… Read More »A Bengal Bazaar
The Nativity of Buddha
I feel more convinced than ever that Ashva Ghosha’s Sanskrit Life of Buddha will be the Life of Buddha which will hold the attention of… Read More »The Nativity of Buddha
The Religious Question in China
[I.] “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of… Read More »The Religious Question in China
Indian Chronology
“It holds through all literature, that our best history is still poetry. It is so in Hebrew, in Sanskrit, and in Greek.”—EMERSON. A curious chapter… Read More »Indian Chronology
The Immortal Family
Which of us knows much about the corals of Lake Baikal or the warm springs of Lake Issyk Kul; about the two strange seas that… Read More »The Immortal Family
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 marvelous expedients adopted by the… Read More »The Sacred Books of the Jews
The Law of Cycles
It is a matter of the deepest interest for every thinking man to obtain as clear an idea as possible of the way in which… Read More »The Law of Cycles
The Indian Renaissance
At the close of the nineteenth century, the scientific ideal was already visibly losing its power. Very strange; yet an undoubted truth. The Titans of… Read More »The Indian Renaissance
Shankara’s Thought
The glamour of India; the hot, luminous sky; palm trees, with their metallic glitter, fringing her sacred rivers; heavy-curtained mango groves, where the golden orioles… Read More »Shankara’s Thought
Schopenhauer and Shankara
It is a somewhat humiliating thing to think of, that in spite of all the good intentions and praiseworthy endeavours of Sir William Jones and… Read More »Schopenhauer and Shankara
Children as Teachers
When we talk of teaching children, of forming their minds and hearts by suggestions taken from the experience of our own lives, we are often… Read More »Children as Teachers
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 stand for the three worlds:… Read More »The Meaning of Om
Universal Brotherhood in Daily Life
Before brotherhood can be made a part of daily life, it must first be recognized as a fact. The intellectual conception passes gradually into a… Read More »Universal Brotherhood in Daily Life
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 us through the ages. We… Read More »The Genius of the New Era
Buddhism
For this is the message we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; but how shall we love our brothers if… Read More »Buddhism
The Heart of the Mystery
[I.] “. . . Beheld the immortals sweatless, steady-eyed, their garlands fresh, and touching not the ground; but he, doubled by his shadow, standing there… Read More »The Heart of the Mystery
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
[I.] “I understand, Socrates. It is because you say that you always have a divine sign. So he is prosecuting you for introducing new things… Read More »Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
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 principles perhaps as yet only… Read More »The Word of the New Cycle
Songs of the Master
[I.] Introductory Before all things remember that the Bhagavad Gita is a textbook of the Mysteries. It has seven keys, and holds seven meanings. But… Read More »Songs of the Master
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, or who will not listen,… Read More »Indicative Words for the Future
On the Tattvasamāsa and its place in Sāṃkhya
However far the Kārikās of Īsvara-Kṛṣṇa may go back, they are what they are, a metrical work in the style of a later age, an… Read More »On the Tattvasamāsa and its place in Sāṃkhya
“The Crown of Life”
“Laying all thy works in thought on me, and full of me, let thy imagination be ever bent on me, holding firmly to the illumined… Read More »“The Crown of Life”
The Guardian of the Gate
“Seeking the gifts of the gods, Vajashravasa of old offered up all his possessions. He had a son, by name Nachiketas. While the cattle were… Read More »The Guardian of the Gate
The Turning Tide
“There are those who draw near to Thee through will, holding Thee ever in their hearts: there are those who draw near in thought to… Read More »The Turning Tide
Brotherhood: The Law of Being
It has ever been the aim of true scientific research not so much to discover new phenomena and to record facts, as to demonstrate the… Read More »Brotherhood: The Law of Being
Quetzalcoatl
Since the earliest times of which we have any historical knowledge, the emblem of the serpent has always been used as a symbol of occult… Read More »Quetzalcoatl
“Not Unto Us.”
“All of life, throughout all the world, is to be the dwelling-place of the King; by renouncing life thou shalt possess it, nor envy any… Read More »“Not Unto Us.”
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, fight! “He who sees the… Read More »The Lord of the Will
The Tree of Life
“Rooted above, with branches downwards, stands the immemorial Tree of Life. This, verily, is called the Shining, the Eternal, the Immortal. In it are all… Read More »The Tree of Life
The Water of Life
“Narada came to Sanatkumara, saying: Master, teach me to know the Soul: for I have heard from the sages that he who knows the Soul… Read More »The Water of Life
Egypt and the Egyptian Dynasties
I. Egypt the Realm of the Gods. “Spirits or gods that used to share this earth with man as with their friend.” —Coleridge Past time… Read More »Egypt and the Egyptian Dynasties
The Secret of Power
“He who, dwelling in the earth, is other than the earth. whom the earth knows not, for whom the earth is a body, who rules… Read More »The Secret of Power
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. Here is the perfect rule… Read More »The Realm, the Radiance, and the Power
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 what is therein is to… Read More »The Opening Eyelids of the Morn
The Soul’s Way
“When all the desires that were laid up in the heart are let go, then the mortal becomes immortal, he enters the Eternal. As the… Read More »The Soul’s Way
Notes on the Mādhyamika Philosophy
The Mādhyamika School is known in China as the “Three Çāstra Sect” which was first introduced by Kumāra-jīva in A.D. 401. With many other Çāstras… Read More »Notes on the Mādhyamika Philosophy
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 and imagination full of the… Read More »The First Fruits of Peace
The Mādhyamika School in China
History. The introduction of the Mādhyamika philosophy into China, according to an opinion prevalent among Japanese and Chinese Buddhists, was effected by Kumārajiva (A.D. 339-382-413)… Read More »The Mādhyamika School in China
Dream and Dreamlessness
“What is he Soul? The Soul is consciousness among the powers of life. It is the inner light in the heart. And this spirit moves… Read More »Dream and Dreamlessness
[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 him dwelling in their hearts… Read More »[True Poverty and True Wealth]
The Wisdom Religion of Zoroaster
“The primeval religion of Iran,” says Sir William Jones, “if we rely on the authorities adduced by Mohsan Fani1 was that which Newton calls the… Read More »The Wisdom Religion of Zoroaster
Buddha’s Cosmogenesis
When Mr. Sinnett’s work “Esoteric Buddhism” was given to the world, some fourteen years ago. Mr. Rhys Davids achieved some celebrity by the epigram that… Read More »Buddha’s Cosmogenesis
Zoroaster, The Father of Philosophy
Seven cities are named as claiming to have been the birthplace of Homer. His great poem is the classic above other literary productions, but the… Read More »Zoroaster, The Father of Philosophy
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. CHAPTER IV. How to Remember.… Read More »The Memory of Past Births
Meditation
“The seer is not born, nor dies, nor does He come from aught, or become aught. Unborn, everlasting, eternal, the Ancient is not slain when… Read More »Meditation
The Lord of the Three Worlds
“All this, verily, is the Eternal; let him draw near to it in the silence, as gleaming through all the world. “Man, verily, is formed… Read More »The Lord of the Three Worlds
The Ancient Druids
I Their History and Religion The Science of Comparative Religion originating out of the philosophic spirit of the age, has already won for itself a… Read More »The Ancient Druids
The Culture-Language of the Future
It has often seemed to me that even the best Sanskrit scholars in Europe and America alike have no very clear insight into the purpose… Read More »The Culture-Language of the Future
The Universal Brotherhood of Man
This ideal when first approached from an intellectual standpoint presents no great encouragement for the realization of its truth; its consideration must be accompanied by… Read More »The Universal Brotherhood of Man
Shankara, Teacher of India
A short time ago, an esteemed friend of mine who has devoted much study to Buddhism in writing of Indian philosophy, drew a comparison between… Read More »Shankara, Teacher of India
On Argument
I do not like arguments. They lead into endless labyrinths and convince no one. For conviction must come from the inner consciousness absorbing a truth.… Read More »On Argument
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 century of ours: a bushel… Read More »The Three Gods of Man
The Teachings of Plato
“‘Eagle! why soarest thou above that tomb?To what sublime and starry-paven homeFloatest thou?’‘I am the image of great Plato’s spiritAscending heaven; Athens doth inheritHis corpse… Read More »The Teachings of Plato
Mystics and Mysticism in Christianity
It is no part of the purpose of the writer of this paper to give a connected history of mysticism, or to introduce all the… Read More »Mystics and Mysticism in Christianity
The Ancient Wisdom of the Maoris
In his reports of the World’s parliament of religions at Chicago, Mr. Stead has a fine portrait of Tawhiao the late Maori King, but describes… Read More »The Ancient Wisdom of the Maoris
The Dream of Ravan
I. A Mystery Many conjectures have been offered as to the source and authorship of this curious and wonderful book, which appeared in the first… Read More »The Dream of Ravan
Cyclic Impression and Return and our Evolution
[Note: this was serialized from Feb.-Apr., 1897] Mr. Chairman, Fellow Theosophists, Ladies and Gentlemen: The title of what I am about to say to you… Read More »Cyclic Impression and Return and our Evolution
A Hundred Years Ago
I. Here is a curious old book, duskily venerable in paper and binding outworn in the fashion of the German, Greek, Hebrew type, and with… Read More »A Hundred Years Ago
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 between the old land and… Read More »New Year in the New Land
Colonel Olcott at Home
There are few more picturesque things in the world, and also few more horribly inconvenient, than landing in the harbor of Madras from one of… Read More »Colonel Olcott at Home
“To Die, To Sleep”
To sleep; perchance to dream, ay, there’s the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this… Read More »“To Die, To Sleep”
Theosophy in the Apocrypha
I. Esdras The word Apocrypha means hidden, or secret, i. e., esoteric, and is applied to fourteen books originally published with the Old Testament, but… Read More »Theosophy in the Apocrypha
The Upanishads and the Brahmans
“Thinking sacrifices and offerings are best, these fools know not the better way.” —Mundaka Upanishad. It has always been accepted as one of the established… Read More »The Upanishads and the Brahmans
The Lesson of Loneliness
We shall learn many good things that we have long forgotten, as we find our way back again to real life; among them one that… Read More »The Lesson of Loneliness
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 much of profound value for… Read More »The Songs of the Master