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
Translation
Translations
The Song of Life
The Gospels are the perfect flower of Palestine. The Upanishads are the chiefest treasure of most ancient India. The heart… Read More »The Song of Life
Aitareya Upanishad (Father, Mother and Son)
[Translation] Self was here verily in the beginning; nothing else opposing at all. He beheld, saying: Let me now put… Read More »Aitareya Upanishad (Father, Mother and Son)
The Noble Eightfold Path
I. There are two extremes, Brothers, that he who has renounced should shun. On the one side, the constant following… Read More »The Noble Eightfold Path
Chandogya Upanishad 1:1-7 (The Mysteries of Sound 1)
Note: It will be advisable to study the Commentary that follows, before reading this translation. [Translation] OM: let a man… Read More »Chandogya Upanishad 1:1-7 (The Mysteries of Sound 1)
Kshatriya and Brahman
In the Pali Suttas the teachings of the Buddha are conveyed, not in philosophical abstractions, but in lively narratives with… Read More »Kshatriya and Brahman
The Fourfold Self’s Three Vestures
Introduction The doctrine of the fourfold Self and its three vestures is outlined in Prashna Upanishad, clearly stated in Mandukya… Read More »The Fourfold Self’s Three Vestures
The Fruits of Discipleship
The questions of King Ajatashatru, with the Buddha’s answers, make up the Sutta called The Fruits of Discipleship. There is… Read More »The Fruits of Discipleship
Pages from the Upanishads—Mandukya Upanishad
The Four Steps of the Self. The syllable OM is all; its expansion is what has been, what is, what… Read More »Pages from the Upanishads—Mandukya Upanishad
Manava-Dharma-Sastra (Manu-Smriti) [Selections]
Preface The following is a compilation of references to and quotations from the Manava Dharma Shastra (“Laws of Manu”) by… Read More »Manava-Dharma-Sastra (Manu-Smriti) [Selections]
Tabula Smaragdina (The Emerald Tablet)
Tradition declares that on the dead body of Hermes, at Hebron, was found by an Isarim, an initiate, the tablet… Read More »Tabula Smaragdina (The Emerald Tablet)
Plato’s Chariot Allegory, with the Commentary of Hermeas
[Introduction] The following is an exploration of the Platonic Charioteer Allegory, an allegory which appears not only in Greek philosophy, but… Read More »Plato’s Chariot Allegory, with the Commentary of Hermeas
Buddha’s Renunciation
[Introduction] It is not quite certain when the poem, from which is taken this story of The Great Renunciation, was… Read More »Buddha’s Renunciation
Kena Upanishad (By Whom?)
By whom impelled flies the forward-impelled Mind? By whom compelled does the First Life go forth? By whom impelled is… Read More »Kena Upanishad (By Whom?)
Chandogya Upanishad 4:1-2 (An Old Legend)
[Translation] Janashruti, the grandson of Janashruta, was full of faith, a giver of many gifts, bestowing much cooked food. He… Read More »Chandogya Upanishad 4:1-2 (An Old Legend)
Vestures of Consciousness
It will be remembered [see “States of Consciousness”] that the crowd of pilgrims who, with Pilgrim Potthapada, were in residence… Read More »Vestures of Consciousness
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)
“For I Desired Mercy, and Not Sacrifice”
Toward the close of the nineteenth century, it was the custom among Occidental students of Buddhism to maintain that the… Read More »“For I Desired Mercy, and Not Sacrifice”
Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
I. [Translation] The Evolver first of the bright ones came into being, the maker of the whole, the guardian of… Read More »Mundaka Upanishad (The Two Wisdoms)
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
The Grand Inquisitor
[Dedicated by the Translator to those sceptics who clamour so loudly, both in print and private letters—“Show us the wonder-working… Read More »The Grand Inquisitor
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 2 (The Lotus of the Bliss of the Eternal)
II.[Translation] The knower of the Eternal obtains the supreme; therefore this is declared: Real, wisdom, endless is the Eternal; he… Read More »Taittiriya Upanishad 2 (The Lotus of the Bliss of the Eternal)
Some Parables of the Buddha
It has been well said that when a great Master incarnates, his whole life is a parable. Not only does… Read More »Some Parables of the Buddha
Philostratus’ Life of Apollonius of Tyana
Introduction The Life of Apollonius of Tyana has only been once translated in its entirety into English, as long ago… Read More »Philostratus’ Life of Apollonius of Tyana
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
Porphyry, On Abstinence from Animal Food
Book One 1. Hearing from some of our acquaintance, O Firmus,1 that you, having rejected a fleshless diet, have again… Read More »Porphyry, On Abstinence from Animal Food
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)
A Concise Exposition of Chaldaic Dogma, by Psellus
“They assert that there are seven corporeal worlds, one Empyrean and the first; after this, three etherial, and then three… Read More »A Concise Exposition of Chaldaic Dogma, by Psellus
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
A Visit to the Buddha
Something has been said of the relation of Siddhartha the Compassionate to the Masters, according to the Suttas and more… Read More »A Visit to the Buddha
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
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 Pythagoric Symbols, with the Explanations of Iamblichus
All these Symbols are exhortatory in common to the whole of virtue; but particularly each to some particular virtue. Different… Read More »The Pythagoric Symbols, with the Explanations of Iamblichus
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 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
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
Fragments of the Ethical Writings of Certain Pythagoreans
FROM HIPPODAMUS, THE THURIAN, IN HIS TREATISE ON FELICITY. ———— Of animals, some are the recipients of felicity, but others… Read More »Fragments of the Ethical Writings of Certain Pythagoreans
Tabula Smaragdina (The Emerald Tablet)
Latin Text Verum sine mendacio, certum et verissimum: quod est inferius, est sicut id quod est superius, et quod est… Read More »Tabula Smaragdina (The Emerald Tablet)
Ibn ʿArabī, Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam (Pearls of Wisdom)
Shaykh al-ʾAkbar Muḥyiddin ibn al-ʿArabī, Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam, Chapters 1-5, with selections from Qayṣarī’s Commentary (Shaykh Sīdī Dawūd al-Qayṣarī, Maṭla’ Khuṣūṣ… Read More »Ibn ʿArabī, Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam (Pearls of Wisdom)
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
Ancient Iranian and Zoroastrian Morals
“The little work called Ancient Iranian and Zoroastrian Morals, compiled by Mr. Dhunjibhoy Jamsetjee Medhora, a Parsi Theosophist of Bombay,… Read More »Ancient Iranian and Zoroastrian Morals
Vakya Sudha (The Essence of the Teaching)
[Translation] Seer and Seen The form is seen, the eye is seer; the mind is both seen and seer. The… Read More »Vakya Sudha (The Essence of the Teaching)
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 Kalevala
[Reviews: “The National Epic of Finland,” by H. P. Blavatsky & “The Kalevala,” by Anon.] [Dedication] To Dr. J. D.… Read More »The Kalevala
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
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)