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
Theosophical Forum (2nd Series)
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 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
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
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
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
“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
“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
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
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
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]
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
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 Criterion of Theosophy
Question—The fundamental question, “What is the criterion of Theosophy?” calls for an answer. Has Theosophy the power of growth, progress and advancement in line with… Read More »The Criterion of Theosophy