By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

69 Pages | First edition 1926, reprint 1927, second edition 1988 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | No ISBN.

‘The first edition was issued under the title The Mediator. Some of the titles of the essays included therein have been altered in this Volume to make them more meaningful. The essay The Mediator does not find a place in this edition; hence the change of the title of the book.

From Chapter 10 – The Secret of the Ages (p. 63):

” If only we will look rightly into our own heart, and listen to the still small voice there, we shall hear where our path lies, and we shall always see visions of our work. At the bottom of our nature we are unselfish, and we hunger to give. Even when we are reckless in selfishness, the soul’s cry at our depths is ‘Let me find how to give’. When, with increasing will, heart and mind are used to subdue the fierce thirst for sensation, then, evitably vistas appear of a work. For Soul and work are interchangeable terms, and the greater the work the more spiritual the Soul . . . “

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

189 Pages | First to fourth reprints 1973 – 2002 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170593964.

From the Foreword:

” I AM privileged to introduce to the world this priceless booklet of Letters from the Elder Brothers, who were the true Founders of the Theosophical Society. Many a Pilgrim on the Probationary Path will find in it much of help and inspiration, and it will serve to deepen the sense of the reality of our Teachers, sometimes blurred in the mind of neophytes by the tumultuous happenings in the outer world, as the notes of a vina are drowned if played in the rattle of an engine-shed. May it speak to those who have ears to hear. “ – Annie Besant

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

64 Pages | Published in 1915 | Paperback |  Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170590159.

‘To the Master Koot Hoomi from his living son’.

From the Foreword:

” We met only for an hour, but I felt from the moment I saw you, that I had a message to give you. What that message is, you will find in the following pages. You have come to a point in your life when you feel you cannot any longer be fully of the world. You are established in an honourable career, and you know that time will bring you success and ease. But you already feel that you cannot work for success alone. You feel you must be an idealist in your profession, and be loyal to the ideal you see, even though it means suffering and humiliation. You are in the position that hundreds are in to-day, but you are different from them, in that you believe that the ideal which compels your obedience is not a thing of your imagination, but the first glimpse of a Personality whom you would like to call the Master. You feel that if this Master really exists and you could know hyim, then you could be utterly true to him in every way, regardless of what comes. 

You know further that you cannot seek this Master by retiring into some monastic seclusion, in order that by meditation and contemplation there you might commune with him. You are not free to consider your welfare only, for there are those depending upon you for their needs. For their sakes you know you must engage in a worldly career. But while you are so engaged, you would like, if it be possible, at the same time to serve the Master is some way. It is because there is such a way, that I write these pages for you, and for others who are opening their eyes to those higher human possibilities which you have already seen.

Each human Soul has some message to givr to every other human Soul and what I wrtie is my message to you just now. It is not mine in reality, for it came to me from other human Souls, and I am giving to you as a brother what others as Brothers have given to me. “

C.J.  – Taormina 1912.

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

76 Pages | First Edition 1928, 1st – 3rd reprints 1949-1954, second edition 1986 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170590329.

These three Lectures were delivered by the Author at the Queen’s Hall London in May 1927, and formerly published  under the title ‘The Divine Vision’.

It is a true saying, and one experienced and proved by us all, that we rise to higher things on the stepping stones of our dead selves. The life of man is a continual change of vision; as experiences come to him one after another, it is as if he rose from one level to another as he climbs up a mountain side, and therefore his visions steadily changes.

We recognise that there are two kinds of vision possible for us, that of the ordinary man of the world, and that other vision, which is presented to us by the great leaders of humanity, the founders of the religions. But we are apt to imagine that that lofty vision of the great teachers is something reserved for them alone, that we men in these lower levels are not capable of a divine vision. Yet the whole purpose of the message of Theosophy is to show that what the greatest of mankind has achieved shall some day be the achievement of every human being. In the course of these three Lectures, I shall try to show there is possible for us a divine vision of man, of nature and of God.

From Page 26:

” The student of Nature wonders the more and is astonished the less, the more conversant he becomes with her operations; but of all the perennial miracles she offers to his inspection, perhaps the most worthy of admiration, is the development of a plant or of an animal from its embryo. Examine the recently laid egg of some common animal, such as the salamander or a newt. It is a minute spheriod in which the best microscope will reveal nothing but a structureless sac, enclosing a glairy fluid holding granules in suspension. But strange possibilities lie dormant in that semi-fluid globe. Let a moderate amount of warmth reach its watery cradle, and the plastic matter undergoes changes so rapid and yet so steady and purposelike in their succession, that one can only compare them to those operated by a skilled modeller upon a formless lump of clay. As with an invisible trowel, the mass is divided and sub-divided into smaller and smaller proportions until it is reduced to an aggregation of granules not too large to build withal the finest fabrics of the nascent organism. And, then, it is as if a delicate finger traced out the line to be occupied by the spinal column, and moulded the contour of the body, pinching up the head at one end, the tail at the other, and fashioning flank and limb into due salamandrine proportions in so artistic a way that, after watching the process hour by hour, one is almost involuntarily possessed by the notion that some more subtle aid to vision than an achromatic microscope would show the hidden artist, with his plan before him, striving with skilful manipulation to perfect his work. ” – Lay Sermons, Chapter – ‘The Origin of Species’.

By Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

122 Pages | Published in 1953 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | No ISBN.

Selected and arranged by E.N.

This Volume of Poems by Jinarājadāsa is presented in fulfilment of a verbal promise made to him in 1949, further enjoined by a clause is his last Will, to the effect that after his death there should be published certain poems written in notebooks carefully preserved by him from 1909, when he first adopted the poetic method for giving expression to his feelings, thoughts and aspirations. Not many of these have previously appeared in print, although from time to time he has quoted a number to illustrate some point in a lecture or a book, and has on several occasions given readings from this poems to Theosophical audiences. I am indebted to the Manager of the Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar Madras, for permission to reproduce here a few poems which have already appeared in one or two of the author’s prose works.

From Page 3:

LACRIMAE RERUM
(To ‘Little Flower’)

” This I see – that Nature is but a glass

Before which Form and Formless transient pass.

This I think – that a Hand unseen but kind,

To joys of Life my tranced eyes unbind.

This I feel – that life is a darkened room,

Where yearning I fulfil a weary doom.

This I know – that in inmost heart I cry

From life’s oppressive shadow-show to fly.

For this I AM: my flower-heart unfurled,

Turns to a Sun not of this shadow-world.

And so I cull the perfume of each thing,

And to you, dearest Shadow, tearful bring. “

France, 1913.

Door Helena Petrovna Blavatksy (1831 – 1891), met een voorwoord door Ianthe Helen Hoskins (1912 – 2001).

80 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 1992, gebaseerd op de Engelse 1988 editie | Softcover, incl. woordenlijst en literatuurlijst | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | ISBN: 9789061750673.

Engels origineel: Foundations of Esoteric Philosophy | First Adyar Edition, fifth reprint 2012 | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 9788170592211.

Zoals het zand, dat op zichzelf vormloos is, door de wind wordt beroerd en als gevolg daarvan een oneindige rijkdom aan patronen te zien geeft, zo zijn alle dingen voortgekomen uit een samenspel van stof en geest is voortgekomen uit het Ene.

De esoterische filosofie legt er de nadruk op dat achter de veelvuldige wereld van onze ervaring een enkele Realiteit ligt, die de bron en oorzaak is van alles wat ooit was, is en zal zijn. Aangezien alle dingen zijn voortgekomen uit het Ene Allerhoogste, zijn ze zelf, in hun ware aard, dat Allerhoogste. De oneindige verschijnselen van het gemanifesteerde universum, van het hoogste tot het laagste, van het omvangrijkste tot het nietigste, zijn het Ene, gehuld in naam en vorm.

In dit zevende deel van de Adyar-reeks zijn enkele sleutelpassages samengebracht uit de Geheime Leer van Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, de grondlegster van de Theosofische beweging. De lezer kan zo in kort bestek kennis nemen van deze diepzinnige esoterische filosofie.

Afkomstig uit ‘Drie Grondstellingen’ (blz. 26):

” De ENE WERKELIJKHEID; haar tweevoudige aspecten in het voorwaardelijke Heelal. Verder stelt De Geheime Leer: (B) De eeuwigheid van het Heelal ‘in toto’ als een grenzeloos gebied, periodiek ‘het toneel van talloze Heelallen die zich onophoudelijk manifesteren en verdwijnen en die de zich manifesterende sterren en de vonken van de eeuwigheid worden genoemd. De eeuwigheid van de pelgrim is als een oogwenk van het Zelf-bestaan (Boek van Dzyan). Het verschijnen en verdwijnen van werelden is als een regelmatig getij van eb en vloed. “

By Ianthe H. Hoskins.

28 Pages | First edition 1969, 3rd reprint 2002 , Adyar Mini| Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592003.

From the Foreword:

” To study yoga without attempting to translate it into practice is like studying the technique of car driving without ever taking the car from the garage. Yoga is a practical science, and its value to the student can be appreciated only when the theoretical study is translated into experience. The questions and notes which follow may provide a starting-point for those, who feel the need of some simple and precise suggestions in applying what they have studied to everyday life. “

The notes in this Adyar Mini Booklet are intended as an introduction to the deeper study of the Yoga Sutra-s of Patañjali available in various translations. For further reading, The Still Mind by Roy Agard and Rāja Yoga – A Practical Course by Wallace Slater, are recommended.

Geoffrey Hodson (1886 – 1983).

95 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 1978; dit boek maakt deel uit van Lotusreeks I | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | ISBN: 9789061750482.

Engels origineel: The Seven Human Temperaments | Uitgegeven in 1973, reprint 2006 (Kessinger Publishing, LLC.) | The Theosophical Publishing House | ISBN: 9781428648203.

‘Het leven gelijkt enigermate op een geweven tapijt: aan de onderzijde ziet men een wirwar van kleuren, knopen en draden; een patroon kan men echter niet ontdekken. Zodra de bovenzijde wordt bekeken ziet men de bedoeling van het weefsel en, hòe alles – juist in die volgorde – werd gerangschikt’, aldus Hodson. Het menselijk verstand, dat begrensd is, kan de ‘waarheid’ niet geheel bevatten, want deze is onbegrensd. Maar het begripsvermogen van de mens kan worden getraind en vergroot, wanneer het leven vanuit verschillende invalshoeken wordt waargenomen. Zo kan iemand een berg waarnemen, iedere keer vanuit een ander gezichtspunt. Ook al blijft de berg hetzelfde; de aanblik is iedere keer weer anders en zo kan de berg steeds beter worden begrepen. Zo werkt het precies met het leren kennen van ‘waarheid’.

Afkomstig uit Hoofdstuk IV – ‘De Derde Straal’ (blz. 44):

” De derde Straal is een openbaring van het derde aanzicht van de heilige Drievuldigheid, de heilige Geest, de Vernieuwer en Hervormer. De karakterhoedanigheden zijn bevattingsvermogen – speciaal van grondbeginselen – een begrip, een diep indringend en verklarend denkvermogen, aanpassingsvermogen, tact, waardigheid, welk besef zich heel sterk uit, en erkenning van de macht en de waarde van stilte. Bekwaamheid tot scheppend beelden is een van de karakteristieke vermogens. Het type mens is de filosoof, de organisator, de diplomaat, de strateeg, de tacticus, de geleerde, de econoom, de bankier, de schaakspeler, de rechter, de mens die zich uit in zinnebeelden. “

Compiled by V. Hanson and C. Pedersen.

127 Pages | First Quest printing 1985, 2nd printing 1987 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835605930.

In a spiritual sense one might describe the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson as that of a nineteenth century ‘Voice of America’. Contained within his writings one will find almost incomparable insights into the nature of America, of America’s people and their destiny.

Emerson’s essays are based on his sensitivity to the fundamental fellowship of all that lives. The 301 excerpts in this book have been culled from the author’s best-known works including The Oversoul, Compensation, Fate, Friendship, Nature, Heroism and Self-Reliance. Here then is The Sage from Concord at his transcendental best – a selected digest of his philosophy particularly suitable for today’s seeker, who must ‘read as he/she runs‘.

Terminus (p. 127):

” As the bird trims her to the gale

I trim myself to the storm of time

I man the rudder, reef the sail,

Obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime:

‘Lowly faithful, banish fear,

Right onward drive unharmed;

The port, well worth the cruise, is near,

And every wave is charmed’. “

By Manly P. Hall (1901 – 1990).

52 Pages | Published in 1982 | Softcover | The Philosophical Research Society Inc. | ISBN: 0893148121.

Humanity is the only form of life in our physical environment capable of the experience of joy; therefore, it should be assiduously cultivated. If pleasures are normal, require no compromise of moral or ethical values, and are free from dissipation, they are a valuable defense against morbid conditions arising in the mind or body.

A bit advice stated by the English scholar Robert Berton, author of The Anatomy of Melancholy, is summarized in the six words, ‘Be not solitary, be not idle‘. We should all maintain a direct and friendly contact with the society to which we belong, and regardless of the availability of leisure, we should never permit ourselves to be idle. If we remain concerned with the common good and contribute in various practical ways to the well-being of the community in which we reside, we have every reason to hope that health problems can be controlled and for the most part overcome. Health, like happiness, must be earned. It is a reward for constructive involvement in labors dedicated to the common good.

From Page 10:

” Paracelsus regarded disease as an organism with its roots in the invisible nature of man, like parasitic plants or, like lecherous animals, sucking the blood of his Soul. He declared that as lions and tigers attack and devour humans and each other, so diseases are ravenous beasts loosed from the matrix of perverse impulses, and must be treated as such; not as mere aggregations of irrational malignancies. A disease is a story or diary, usually a rather comprising document. It sets forth that which we would tell no man, for it is a forced confession. When man can be laid low in no other way, he is humiliated by infirmity. But even the ailment may be a blessing in disguise, for by such checking we are often protected from ourselves. We are prevented by a lesser ache from doing a greater wrong. “

By Duncan Greenlees (1899 – 1966).

404 Pages | World Gospel Series: First Edition 1952, 2nd edition 1960, 3rd edition 1968, 4th edition 1975, 5th edition 1994 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592364.

Sikhism is the religion taught through Guru Nanak in the forms of the Ten Gurus, and now through the Guru-Granth Sahib and the whole community of disciples. It is a practical way of life that does not involve itself in verbose theorizing but leads a man straight to his goal.

To protect the young community of disciples (Sikhs) that had become subject to persecution, the sixth Guru converted it into a semi-military brotherhood, arming it with outward insignia and sacraments, and thus subjecting it to the purifying fires of martyrdom, which instilled the necessary courage and resolution in its heart. The Sikhs should therefore have a great place in the future of their country, as so pure and spiritual a religion as theirs has already a great place among the religions of the world.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Duncan Greenlees was educated in England and spent much of his life in India. He was associated with Dr. Annie Besant in her educational work for India and served as Principal of one of the many theosophical high schools she founded. He participated in the Indian national struggle for freedom, was associated with Gandhi, and drafted the Indian National Education Policy. Later, withdrawing from all worldly and political activities, he made a study of the religious scriptures of the world. His detailed expositions of the underlying philosophy of the religions are published as the World Gospel Series.

From Chapter 6 – ‘The Way to God’ (p. 294):

“7. Happiness is not for those, who make many friends in the world; it is those who keep the mind on the One, who ever enjoy happiness (K. śloka 21). The servants serve [Him] who uplifts [them] by kindness; dewy is the night of those in whose heart is a yearning [for Him] (N.Āsa di vār, 5 Sl.2). Bliss is in the heart which delights in love [N. Barah Maha, 16], so there is always bliss for devotees; they are put into ecstasy by singing the excellences of God (Ar.Āsa, 10:2). “

By Duncan Greenlees (1899 – 1966).

438 Pages | World Gospel Series: third reprint 2003 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592585.

The literary language in Zarathushtra’s days in Eastern Irān was the dialect of Avesta (an Aryan tongue close to Sanskrit) known to us as Gāthic. This has generally been assumed, because more primitive in form, to be older than the normal Avesta, but as Jackson suggested it is quite as likely to be a geographic, not chronologic, variation – for Bactria is far from Persis.

Two books in this Gāthic dialect survive, both of them forming part of the Yasna included in the original Stot-Yasht Nask. These two books are the Gāthās and the Haptanghaiti Yasna (Y.35-42) and considered two most important sources for the Prophet’s teachings. Of the Prophet it was Khwāja Kamāluddin, who said: ‘Zoroaster was the true Prophet of God’.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Duncan Greenlees was educated in England and spent much of his life in India. He was associated with Dr. Annie Besant in her educational work for India and served as Principal of one of the many theosophical high schools she founded. He participated in the Indian national struggle for freedom, was associated with Gandhi, and drafted the Indian National Education Policy. Later, withdrawing from all worldly and political activities, he made a study of the religious scriptures of the world. His detailed expositions of the underlying philosophy of the religions are published as the World Gospel Series.

From page 267:

AIRYEMA-ISHYO

” To both men and women of Zarathushtra, may the dear Friendship, the grace of Love, come down! I pray for that precious reward, the blessing of Righteousness, which is won through the Faith – a longing which the Lord God satisfies. (Y.54:1).

Zarathushtra closes his Divine Message by invoking God’s full blessing and intimate fellowship upon all who loyally and righteously serve the Cause of his Religion. So may it be! “

By Duncan Greenlees (1899 – 1966).

438 Pages | World Gospel Series: First Edition 1948, first reprint 1973, second reprint 1996, 3rd reprint 2000 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592771.

Islam is the religion of self-surrender to God, which alone can bring peace to the world and peace to the Soul of man. It was given to the world more than thirteen centuries ago through the life and preaching of Muhammad the Prophet of Arabia. But it does not derive from him, and claims to be nothing but a re-statement of the natural and primeval religion of the world, dropping the accretions that time brings in to corrupt it from age to age.

It teaches that all the universe, seen and unseen, was brought into being at a word by the One and Only God, whose Nature is perfect Goodness, absolute Justice, and almighty Power. To man, God has given reason and conscience as a guide towards righteous life in accordance with His will. To make man’s path in life easier to trace, He has sent down in all ages and to all people of the world His messengers, to teach the ways of peace and to warn against unrighteous paths.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Duncan Greenlees was educated in England and spent much of his life in India. He was associated with Dr. Annie Besant in her educational work for India and served as Principal of one of the many theosophical high schools she founded. He participated in the Indian national struggle for freedom, was associated with Gandhi, and drafted the Indian National Education Policy. Later, withdrawing from all worldly and political activities, he made a study of the religious scriptures of the world. His detailed expositions of the underlying philosophy of the religions are published as the World Gospel Series.

From Chapter 7 – ‘The Muslim’ (p. 166):

82. And Kind to Parents

” 1 | Your Lord has ordained Goodness to parents; if one or both of them reach old age in your presence, do not say ‘Pooh!’ to them, nor scold them, but speak to both of them with polite words, and make yourself tenderly submissive and gentle, and say, ‘My Lord, have compassion on them both, just as they cared for me when little.’ (17:23-24). “

Door Adelaide Gardner, vertaald door E. v.d. Berg – Boldingh.

121 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 1978; dit boek maakt deel uit van de Lotusreeks I | Softcover | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | ISBN: 9789061750475.

Engels origineel: Meditation – A Practical Study | Uitgegeven in 1986 | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 9780835601054.

Gardner biedt een eenvoudige, tegelijk zeer praktische handleiding in meditatie voor alle leeftijden. Per hoofdstuk zijn oefeningen opgenomen voor individuele toepassing en groepsmeditatie. De volgende onderwerpen komen onder meer aan de orde: het doel van meditatie, verschillende methoden, concentratie en contemplatie, hindernissen en hulpmiddelen, groepsmeditatie, het helpen van anderen door gedachten en aanbevolen literatuur voor verdere studie.

Afkomstig uit Hoofdstuk 2 – ‘De Wezenlijke Achtergrond'(blz. 31):

” Er is een zelf, dat uit de essentie van stof bestaat – er is een ander innerlijk zelf van leven, dat het eerste vult – er is en ander innerlijk zelf van de gedachte – er is een ander innerlijke zelf van waarheid – kennis – er is een ander innerlijk zelf van zaligheid. “ – Taittirīya Upaniṣad.

Edward Lewis Gardner (1869 – 1969).

15 Pages | Reprinted 1966, 1975, 1991 | Mini-booklet | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

From the Appendix to The Web of the Universe.

A study of the Earth Chain is a study in essence of the whole Scheme. Just as in embryology one may trace the evolution of the physical form through all the earlier stages of development from the simple cell, so in the first three Rounds of our Chain the work of the first three Chains is recapitulated. On these Rounds certain work is done rapidly that took untold ages of effort on the earlier chains. The Scheme works onwards to the Climax of its involution in the fourth Round of its fourth Chain. The Rounds are the big and important divisions of a Chain’s manifestation.

From page 3:

OUR TERRENE SCHEME

” In each Planetary Scheme there are seven successive incarnations or circuits of the great Life Waves from the Solar Logos. On each Chain, from the first onwards, all the stages of consciousness known as the kingdoms of nature, from the elemental to the human, are present. The broad rule appears to be that, for the span of a Chain, a given impulse of the Logoic consciousness functions through the forms of one kingdom only. “

By Gopalakrishna Gandhi.

26 Pages | First edition 2001 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170594324.

‘Where does the real India reside?’‘ asks the author, for India is a land of enormous disparities and contradictions. In 1916, his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi denounced before an august assembly at Varanasi the existence of pomp and wealth amidst degrading penury, filfth around holy places, and the domination of a foreign language over native tongues. He also pronounced other unpalatable truths.

This lecture contains and eloquent description of the same contradictions, existing even today all over India, because the same attitudes of callousness and cruelty continue. But there is also an aquifer of goodness that is essentially Indian, which must be tapped and never allowed to run dry.

‘What we are, the world is’. Here is a compelling call to every Indian to tap that goodness and be what is needed for the redemption of the nation.

From page 10:

” Where does India, the real India, reside? Not in cities, surely, where money grows but humanity shrinks; where you have, for example, this hush so wonderful, this air so pure, but just beyond, a steaming slum which bravely, hopefully (perhaps sarcastically?) is called ‘Jasmine Town’ (mallippoo nagar). Soweto in Johannesburg, the world’s most famous informal settlement, is an eldorado compared to the slums in India’s cities, slums that are home to what Valentine Chirol in his essay on Kalighat described as ’tangled knots of perspiring humanity’. Is this, the Theosophical Society, which affords divine knowledge (brahmajñana), the real thing, or is it mallippoo nagar? “

By Rajmohan Gandhi.

32 Pages | First edition 1994 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592275.

The deep commitment of this grandson of Mahatma Gandhi to the well-being of India led him to participation in the public life of the nation and to being a member of the Rajya Sabha. The present publication consists of the Besant Lecture delivered at the annual international convention of the Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras in 1993.

Rajmohan Gandhi is Research Professor at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi and was formerly Editor of Indian Express and Himmat. Among his well-known publications are: The Rajaji Story; A biography of his grandfather C. Rajagopalachari: a biography of Vallabhbhai Patel; and Eight Lives: A Study of Hindu-Muslin Encounter.

From page 20:

” Was God absent-minded then when designing the Indian character? Is the Indian Soul inferior in quality? No! No with a dozen exclamation marks! Often the Indian citizen is heroic in his or her response to the trials of every day, fighting for standing room, for elbow room, for space in the place of work, in the home and on the way from one to the other, for a place in school or college, or for a job. Where in the world do you see greater endurance? Our failing is that we evoke one another’s worst rather than best. “

Door Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004), vertaald door Louis Geertman.

54 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 2001 door de Theosophical Society, London; deze Nederlandse editie is uitgegeven in 2008 | Brochure | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9789061750871.

Engels origineel: Theosophy, Its Beneficent Potentialities | Een Blavatsky-lezing gehouden in Winchester op 29 juli 2001 tijdens de Zomerschool van de Engelse afdeling van de Theosophical Society | Geen ISBN.

Theosofie is in haar totaliteit een allesomvattende kennis van de aard en van de wijzen waarop de Natuur werkzaam is, waarbij de mens een fundamentele rol speelt. Het mensenrijk vertegenwoordigt een kritische fase in het immense evolutionaire programma, wanneer de ‘mens’, de denker, geboren wordt. Kennis van de Theosofie wordt verkregen door generaties van getrainde zoekers en onderzoekers, ingewijden in de esoterische mysteriën. Zij maakt er aanspraak op een uitdrukking te zijn van waarheid, van de feiten van het bestaan. Daarom berust zij niet op gissingen of geloof.

Afkomstig uit de ‘Inleiding’ (blz. 7):

” Occultisten, kabbalisten, theosofen, jullie weten heel goed dat een Woord, zo oud als de Wereld, hoewel nieuw voor jullie, geklonken heeft bij het begin van deze cyclus, waarvan de potentie onopgemerkt door anderen, verborgen ligt in de som der cijfers van de jaren 1889; jullie weten heel goed, dat er zojuist een toon is aangeslagen die nooit eerder door de mensheid van dit tijdperk is gehoord; en dat er een Nieuw Denkbeeld wordt onthuld, gerijpt door de krachten van de evolutie. Dit denkbeeld verschilt van alles wat er in de negentiende eeuw is voortgebracht; het is echter identiek met de gedachte, die de overheersende toon en de grondtoon vormde van iedere eeuw, in het bijzonder van de afgelopen eeuw – absolute vrijheid van denken voor de mensheid. “

– Uit: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), Collected Writings XI, blz. 133.

By Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

53 Pages | Revised and enlarged edition December, 1999 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

ISIS UNVEILED (1877) | THE SECRET DOCTRINE (1888) | THE CORNER STONE.

Theosophy is a relatively recent name for the Ancient Wisdom known from time immemorial, ever since there were minds to apprehend it. It is variously known as the Wisdom Religion, the Ancient Wisdom, the Science of Sciences, Esotericism and Occultism. It has been kept secret to preserve it from distortion, adulteration and misuse. As much of it as was thought wise by two if the Masters was made public for the first time at the end of the 19th century. This was mainly in the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891); something of how this was done is told herein. The word ‘modern’ can only properly be applied to this outpouring, not to the ever-enduring Wisdom itself.

The expressed purpose behind this release of information was the eradication of superstitious ignorance and crass materialism, and the earnest desire to establish a Universal Brotherhood of Mankind on a truly spiritual basis.

From page 45:

” Help Nature and work with her and Nature will regard thee as one of her creators and make obeisance.

And she will open wide before thee the portals of her secret chambers, lay bare before thy gaze the treasures hidden in the very depths of her pure virgin bosom. Unsullied by the hand of matter she shows her treasures only to the eye of Spirit – the eye which never closes, the eye for which there is no veil in all her kingdoms.

Then she will show thee the means and way, the first gate and the second, the third, up to the very seventh. And then, the goal – beyond which lie, bathed in the sunlight of the Spirit, glories untold unseen by any save the eye of the Soul. [V.S. vs 66, 67, 68]. “

By Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

36 Pages | May 25th 1974 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

The Blavatsky Lecture delivered at the Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in England, May 25th 1974.

Life is something we all feel we know something about at first hand, because we are alive. We know what it feels like. We may never examine that realization much, but to the extent that we do, we know what life is. Similarly, we all dream or at least can remember having dreamed, and we are all certain of our own eventual demise even if that prospect does not unduly worry us. The subject of life, death and dreams is one then, that concerns us all even if we do not pay it much attention in the ordinary way. For theosophical students, however, it is of more interest. The word ‘Theos’ is, for them, synonymous with ‘Deity’ in a pantheistic sense, and in Madame Blavatsky’s writings Deity equates to life in all its aspects. Theosophy is therefore a study or knowledge of life, in the very widest and deepest sense.

From page 3:

” The Mysteries of life as of death, of the visible and invisible worlds, have been fathomed and observed by initiated Adepts in all epochs and in all nations. They have studied these during the solemn moments of union of their divine monad with the universal Spirit . . . and they have recorded the observations of one with those of another, and finding none of the contradictions so frequently noticed in the dicta, or communications of the mediums, but on the contrary, having been able to ascertain that the visions of Adepts, who lived 10.000 years ago are invariably corroborated and verified by those of modern Adepts, to whom the writings of the former never do become known until later – the truth has been established. A definite science, based on personal observations and experience, corroborated by continuous demonstrations, containing irrefutable proofs, for those who study it, has thus been established. I venture to belief that this science is just as good as that which relies on the accounts of one or even of several somnambulists (C.W., V,51). “

By Geoffrey A. Farthing (1909 – 2004).

49 Pages | Published in 2001 | Brochure | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | No ISBN.

Nederlandse vertaling: Aspecten van de Goddelijke Wet | Published in 2004 | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9061750849.

Most in this brochure is extracted from the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891). It has been said that these writings constitute a quarry from which generations of students can extract treasures of information concerning the truths of existence. What follows has been taken from these writings by the use of indexes, and the numerous extracts classified very roughly according to aspect. The story is a vast one. The universe manifests dynamism in all its operations and these operations apparently exhibit order. Whatever chaos there may have been in the remote beginnings of things now manifests this order as harmony and equilibrium. Where this not so the whole cosmic scene would be chaotic and self-destructive, whereas it is self-preserving as is evidenced by its very existence after countless millions of years.

From page 49:

” If Theosophy prevailing in the struggle, its all-embracing philosophy strikes deep root into the minds and hearts of men, if its doctrines of reïncarnation and karma, in other words, of hope and responsibility, find a home in the lives of the new generations, then, indeed, will dawn the day of joy and gladness for all, who now suffer and are outcast. For real Theosophy is ALTRUISM, and we cannot repeat it too often. It is brotherly love, mutual help, unswerving devotion to Truth. If once men do but realize that in these alone can true happiness be found, and never in wealth, possesions, or any selfish gratification, then the dark clouds will roll away, and a new humanity will be born upon earth. Then, the GOLDEN AGE will be there, indeed . . . “

From: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), Collected Writings XI, p. 202.

De Yoga-Aphorismen van Patañjali – Manilal Nabhubhai Dvivedi. vertaald door Ir. A.J.H. van Leeuwen.

159 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 1970; dit boek maakt deel uit van de Lotusreeks II | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | ISBN: 9789061750406.

+

Een Inleiding tot de Studies van Theosofie en de Yoga-Aphorismen van Patañjali – Geoffrey C.E. Williams.

40 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 1970 | Brochure | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | Geen ISBN.

Een nieuwe vertaling van de Yoga-Sūtra’s van Patañjali heeft geen inleiding nodig. Binnen de Theosofie bestaat immer een grote belangstelling voor al wat yoga is; want wat zou Theosofie zijn als het geen yoga was? Dvivedi, hoogleraar Sanskriet, geeft een vertaling en commentaar op het ethisch-filosofisch systeem van de Yoga-Sūtra’s van Patañjali. In de uitgebreide inleiding onderzoekt hij de plaats van yoga in de Indiase filosofie. Het werk bevat eveneens een register en index van Sanskriet termen.

NB: Het wordt aangeraden eerst het werkje van Williams te lezen, want er zijn weinig besprekingen van de Yoga-Sūtra’s, die zo helder, enthousiast en opwekkend zijn geschreven, waardoor het lezen van de Sūtra’s zelf veel duidelijker bestudeerd en in de praktijk gebracht kan worden.

Afkomstig van blz. 13 (Williams):

” Patañjali leerde, dat door de gedachten op een enkel punt te concentreren, met uitsluiting van alle andere gedachten, en door het denken op die ene gedachte gevestigd te houden, men deze hogere vermogens van het denkvermogen – de occulte, sublieme, verborgen eigenschappen van de ziel, kan dwingen om te hulp te komen, als het ware, en het lagere verstand te verlichten. Hij leerde, dat wanneer iemand het vermogen van mentale concentratie in volmaaktheid bezat, het slechts nodig was om het denken op een bepaald probleem te richten om het dan dadelijk te doorzien en te begrijpen.

Het denken op een enkel punt richten, met uitsluiting van van alle andere gedachten, lijkt zo, op het eerste gezicht, iets heel eenvoudigs en gemakkelijk te verrichten, en toch ben ik er zeker van, dat niemand diergenen, die dit lezen, het zal kunnen doen. Het is een mentale operatie van het allergrootste kaliber en van titanische afmetingen. Beproef het eens en ontdek dat voor U-zelf. “

By Madhu Dandavate (1924 – 2005).

17 Pages | First reprint 2005 | A Besant Lecture given at the Theosophical Society, Adyar, Chennai on Thursday, 27 Dec. 2001 | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170594804.

Gender injustice is an evil that exists even today, though in a less virulent form than in earlier times. In this lecture, Prof. Madhu Dandavate traces the roots of this inequality from mythological to contemporary times and the involvement of social reformers like Dr. Annie Besant, Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi in attempting to wipe out this black spot in civilized nations.

Prof. Madhu Dandavate, freedom fighter for Indian Independence, former Union Cabinet Minister in India and author of several books on social and political issues, is a well respected public figure in India. He is known for his tireless work and commitment to social issues.

From page 17:

” With my criticism of social orthodoxy on the question of gender injustice, my speech may please some and displease others. In this context, I would like to conclude by again quoting Dr. Annie Besant, who wrote in her autobiography:

‘Here, as at other times in my life, I dare not purchase peace with a lie. An imperious necessity forces me to speak the truth as I see it, whether the speech please or displease, whether it brings praise or blame. That one loyalty to Truth I must keep stainless, whatever friendships fail me or human ties be broken. She may lead me to the wilderness, yet I must follow her she may strip me of all love, yet I must pursue her, though she slay me, yet will I trust in her; and I ask no other epitaph on my tomb but;

‘SHE TRIED TO FOLLOW TRUTH’ “

By Jessie K. Crum.

96 Pages | Copyright 1975, fourth printing 1989 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835603032.

TRUST YOUR INNER VOICES.

Here is a key to personal revolution, a remarkable guide to discovering and exploiting your own creative birthright. The author has written a helpful, hopeful, book about her own experience with self-awakening – how it happened, and the steps in this new and absorbing quest.

The search voor understanding, the far-reaching effects of thought and emotion, IQ and genius, the role of faith, meditation, focus, love, how to contact the higher mind: The Art of Inner Listening offers the touchstone to perception beyond the conscious mind. It is a guide for the most rewarding journey you will ever make!

From the flyleaf:

” Power is available for your use, and the connection also is ready, but it is up to you to turn on the switch. 

You can become your own best self only by remaining true to yourself. There is a clear and simple path to self-discovery, as beautiful and direct as a straight line. 

Every man is potentially creative, and the seeds of genius are asleep within him. “

By Irving S. Cooper

107 Pages | First published in 1915, 1979 edition | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606511.

” Reincarnation…Karma…Evolution…The Soul… All lead us inexorably to The Splendid Goal. “

And, all of these things together form the basis of the ancient and sublime system of thought known as theosophy. That’s what this book is all about. There has been a dramatic upsurge of interest in this time-tested religio-philosophy during recent years. People everywhere are coming to know that there are many important aspects of life, that cannot be experienced through our five senses. People everywhere are becoming aware, that there is indeed a great and grand Divine Plan behind all of creation; that the people are participants in this plan; that knowledge of this plan is available to every human being.

With these facts in mind, The Theosophical Publishing House decided to re-issue this primer of theosophy. Simply put, it is about the creation of the world and the evolution of humankind. Everything else is but a commentary upon the methodology used by the instigator of the Plan. The instigator is called Brahma, God, Allah, Jehovah, The First Principle, the Causeless Cause, or any of a thousand other appellations. Theosophy Simplified is a brief, clear, highly readable explanation of the most basic and important questions that we may ask ourselves.

From Chapter 1 – ‘The Sources and Nature of Theosophy’:

” Theosophy is, then, the archaic Wisdom-Religion, the esoteric doctrine once known in every ancient country having claims to civilization. This ‘Wisdom’ all the old writings show is an emanation of the Divine Principle; and the clear comprehension of it is typified in such names as the Indian Budh, the Babylonian Nebo, the Thoth of Memphis, the Hermes of Greece;  . . . and finally the Vedas, from the word ’to know’.  – Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), A Modern Panarion (1895).

By Clara Margaret Codd (1876 – 1971) and Dorothy Codd.

76 Pages | Published in 1964 | Softcover| Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | No ISBN.

This little work consists of a selection of poems written by the sisters Codd.

From page 1 & 2:

To The God In My Heart

” Ah! Thou most beautiful,
Mysterious, pure,
And high above my Soul as life and death,
Whence comest thou?
Dear God! Dear God!

Ah! Thou strange visitant,
And yet not strange,
My soul cries for Thee through the veil which
. . . shades
My clearer sight,
And loves, loves, loves.

Whence comes that wondrous world,
Still, far, and sweet,
Which opens to my soul, and makes my heart
Stand still, forget
She lives, she beats?

Ah! I have lived so long,
Eternities!
Such long, long years surge in my memory,
Such years and years
Of long-dead sweets.

So, then. within the circle of these arms,
As though a cross upheld through all the worlds;
So, then, within the boundary of his heart,
Grown greater than the seas, and deep as hell;
Come thou, O world, I that have ache of thee,
And pity that shall fill a thousand years
For every tear of thine! And thee, thou soul
Amongst all other souls so well-beloved,
If thou hast will to come –

Aye! If thou art blind, and know not –
Little one, come! “

By Clara Margaret Codd (1876 – 1971).

47 Pages | Sixth reprint 2004 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 817059071X.

Clara Margaret Codd was born in England in 1876. Early in life she rejected conventional thought. Rebelling against all oppression and injustice, she plunged into the Suffragette Movement. Her meeting with Colonel Henry-Steel Olcott, President-Founder of the Theosophical Society, proved a turning point in her life. She let go an assignment in the Women’s Social and Political Union to work for the Theosophical Society. A lecturer for the Society, who travelled widely, she spoke and wrote with intimate understanding of various aspects of life.

From page 2 & 3:

The Masters of the Art and Science of Living:

” There are vast and immutable laws governing the progress of life. This is its science. Most of us are merely children in the great school of life and are learning by experience something of these great laws. But there must be those, who know them thoroughly, and therefore share their power. William James, the psychologist, once said that all great thinkers presuppose that there must be behind every different form of human knowledge a root knowledge. What would that root knowledge be? Surely the great art and science of life itself. Occultism, about which we hear so much these days, has been defined by a great occultist as: ‘The Science of Life and the Art of Living’. 

Just as in the science of mathematics where there are the children learning that two and two make four and the great professors of the science, like Albert Einstein, for example, so in the great school of life there are the scholars of varying degrees of growth and attainment, and also the great professors of that Science of all sciences and that beautiful Art of all arts. For untold ages in the history of this planet great master-minds, sages and adepts have garnered this deeper knowledge, and have handed it on from one generation to another; and now, in these modern days, they have lifted a tiny corner of the veil, which screens this tremendous knowledge, and gives us, through their pupils, an outline of the universal principles which govern all life. What these are, and how they illuminate life for us, we shall now try to describe. “

By Harindranath Chattophadyaya (1898 – 1990) with a Foreword by Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa (1875–1953).

Chattopadyaya 135 Pages | Published on Sept. 2nd 1950 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | No ISBN.

From the Foreword:

For over half a century the poetry of England and the United States has been balefully influenced by the prevailing materialism of our age. They remind me of our Indian ants, who bite the yellow rind only and never penetrate into the sweet pulp. The Poetry of today with its rhythms and imageries appeals mainly to the mind. Not that they are not exquisite in their way; they can certainly do give delight. Yet nevertheless, it can be said of these poets:

‘Tis ye, ’tis your estrang-ed faces,

That miss the many-splendoured thing’.

Of course here and there are a few exceptions like Alice Meynell, Francis Thompson, A.E. Yeats, Cousins and a few others. But in the main, I who love poetry greatly, have felt a profound dissatisfaction with the poems I have read.

From the Prelude:

” I AM a vagabond, but never ask me
From where I came.
I only know that I came like a shadow,
I’ll pass like a flame.
Every man that you meet on the roadway
And in the street,
Without his knowing hides a great vagabond’s
Tune in his feet.
What is the sun but a vagabond’s laughter?
What are the stars but a vagabond’s tears?
And the wide world is a wandering vagabond
Looking for some one through the long years. “

By Charles E.O. Carter (1887 – 1968).

88 Pages | First published in 1929, second edition 1946, reprinted in 1984 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, London | ISBN: 722951450.

In a sense of course, all Astrology is in part astronomical, for astronomy furnishes at least some of the symbols, which we use in the most abstract system, to wit, the Sun, Moon, and planets, and to some extent the Houses and the Zodiac, which begin from astronomical datum-points. But when we desire to progress the natus or radical figure and study its changes as indicative of the development of a human life, an acute difference may arise as between an astronomical method and a symbolic one. In both cases it is true that the measure of time is symbolic, be it a day to a year or the passage of a degree of right ascension over the meridian to a year. But in the primary and secondary systems, the movements of the planets are not symbolic but actual, whether denominated real or apparent. In the symbolic methods the movement is a mere arbitrary assumption, used for the sake of practical convenience.

From the Introduction (p. 11):

” In time, simplicity and completeness may be combined in one. Thus, we may look forward to the construction of a complete and harmonious system of Symbolic Directing, founded on basic but simple principles. However, it is well to recollect that the material plane can never perfectly reflect the Ideal Realm, and, therefore, such a system may require supplementing for practical purposes. This may well be the function of the astronomical methods, such as secondaries, transits and lunations. “

By Radha S. Burnier (1923 – 2013).

62 Pages | First edition 1971, first reprint 1980, 2nd reprint 1984, 3rd reprint 1993, 2nd edition 2000 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170594189.

The Blavatsky Lecture – delivered at the Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in England, 26th May 1979.

‘To reach Nirvana one must reach Self-knowledge and Self-knowledge is of loving deeds the child’.

Progress in Theosophy is the journey from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. The beginning of that progress is in understanding that the infinite cannot be known by the finite. The imperishable cannot be found by involvement in the perishable and the compounded. The study of Theosophy in the true sense is the study not only of Theosophical literature; it is the study of the book of life, the observation of human nature, the contemplation of Nature and the phenomena of the created world in such a way that there is a sense of the One Existence.

From page 58:

Freedom from Attachment

” The unlimited creative power of consciousness can operate only when the limitation of attachment ends and identification is not made with objects. In  freedom from attachment, there is the discovery of another of the eternal values inherent in consciousness. Since in the absence of inward freedom the other absolute values are incapable of flowering, spiritual liberation has been spoken of in the East, as the fundamental aim of human existence. “

Door Radha S. Burnier (1923 – 2013).

150 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 1994 | Softcover | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9061750695.

Engels origineel: Human Regeneration – Lectures and Discussions | Uitgegeven in 1990 | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9061750644.

Theosofen zijn met elkaar verbonden door een gemeenschappelijk streven naar de regeneratie van de mens. Ze verschillen misschien in hun overtuigingen, interessen of benadering. De leringen van Boeddha, Jezus, Blavatsky, Besant en Krishnamurti zijn voor sommigen van hen inspirerend, voor anderen niet. Maar er is een sterke gemeenschappelijke band, namelijk een diepgaande interesse in de vooruitgang en vervolmaking van de mensheid, niet alleen op de materiele en intellectuele niveaus, maar in moreel en spiritueel opzicht.

Een Theosoof zoekt niet naar wijsheid voor zichzelf. ‘Hij/Zij leeft niet voor zichzelf, maar voor de wereld‘, en hoe dieper de toewijding aan het ideaal van de regeneratie van de mensheid, des te groter het begrip van zichzelf en de wereld en het doordringen van het geheim van het leven. Doel is om de bron van Goedheid en Geluk te ont’dekken in zichzelf, dat het geboorterecht is van alle levende wezens.

Afkomstig uit Hoofdstuk 3 – ‘Regeneratie en de doeleinden van de Theosofische Vereniging’ (blz. 91):

” Vanuit een praktisch gezichtspunt bekeken: begint Broederschap niet met eenvoudige dingen? Gewoon aardig zijn, aan een ander denken, in plaats van alleen aan onszelf. Wij willen het graag prettig hebben, maar een ander moet het werk doen. Zijn we bereid iets van onze gemakzucht op te offeren om degene, die werkt te helpen? Zo begint Broederschap. Maar als we broederlijk en vriendelijk zijn in de gewone zin van het woord, dan blijft nog steeds het gevoel dat we anders zijn dan anderen – je blijft in een wereld van dualiteit. We moeten dus Broederschap blijven beoefenen, totdat de neiging van het denken om de dingen in termen van dualiteit te zien verdwenen is. “

Door Radha S. Burnier (1923 – 2013).

87 Pages | First edition 1985, second reprint 2005 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592763.

‘Within you is the light of the world- the only light that can be shed upon the Path. If you are unable to perceive it within you, it is useless to look for it elsewhere’.

The destiny of the human being is to travel on a path leading to perfection. the Upanishad says this spiritual path is like ‘the sharp edge of a razor, difficult to cross and hard to tread. A teacher or a guru may at best give a hint or indicate the direction of the path, but the aspirant has to tread the path by himself.

This little volume describes the nature of the path, the qualifications needed, and the pitfalls encountered. As the theosophical classic Light on the Path says: ‘Each man is to him- or herself absolutely the way, the truth and the life’.

From Page 56:

” One of the greatest of Masters, the Lord Buddha, said: ‘Be a lamp unto yourself.’ He taught: do not make an authority out of tradition, the Scriptures, other people, or me; find out for yourself what is the truth. The importance of enquiry (vichāra) is emphasized also in Vedānta. “

By Radha S. Burnier.

34 Pages | First edition 2006 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN:

The Theosophical Society exists for the regeneration of humanity, beginning with establishing a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood, encouraging an open-minded quest for Truth, and investigating the essence of man and the universe. Because this is the main thrust of the Society, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), co-founder of tbe Theosophical Society with Colonel Steel Olcott (1832 – 1907), discussed what would ensure the stability of the Society’s work and its future in her book The Key to Theosophy.

The ‘Blavatsky Lecture’ discusses in depth what she regarded as necessary for continuing the work of regeneration without a break. Apart from essential qualifications like earnestness, selflessness, devotion, knowledge and wisdom, ‘living truth’ must dynamize the workers of the Theosophical Society. But what is ‘living truth’? The reader will learn by perusing this lecture and realize how much we can ensure peace and goodness upon the earth.

From page 22:

” . . . we never accept on faith any authority upon any question whatsoever; nor, pursuing as we do, Truth and progress through a full and fearless enquiry, untrammelled by any consideration, would we advise any of our friends to do otherwise. ” – Blavatsky – CW II, p. 433.

By Cyril H. Boynes.

113 Pages | First edition 1984 – A Quest Miniature | Softcover| Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835605841.

‘I go to prepare a place for you… that where I AM, there you may be also…’

The colorful balisier is indigenous to Trinidad. The fiery plant has taken on deep mystical overtones for many of the natives, because of its unusual characteristics. It represents a symbol of life’s conflicts and eventual victory over our temporal nature. It might be said, it represents eternity itself, because of its almost indestructable nature. Because of the snake, that makes the balisier its home, it represents the dangers we encounter in our search for Truth. All this and more is brought to light in this Quest Miniature booklet. A native of Trinidad, points to many symbolic correspondences between the balisier and Christianity in an ecumenical sense.

From Chapter 3 – ‘A Symbol for a full Heart (p. 31 & 32):

” I decided to take Emerson’s concept splitting a word and watching it bleed to study this silence that flows into our stilled Souls. So I broke the word ‘silence’ and watched it bleed:

S = See | I = Into | L = Life | E = Every | N = New | C = Creative | E = Experience.

That means to me that in silence we can look at life in a new way and see in every experience a newly created thing flowing out from God. Seeing this new creation, our hearts, which are the dwelling place of God, can both appreciate and participate in the creation of new experiences. This is what our natural Self yearns to do. “

By Robert Bowen (1815 – 1908).

18 Pages | First published in 1960, reprinted in 1967, first Indian edition 1979, 3rd reprint 1973 – 1992, 4th reprint 1997 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170591910.

Robert Bowen’s personal notes on the teachings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891) provide an invaluable aid to the student today. They offer insights into the study and understanding of the essentials of Theosophy, particularly of Madame Blavatsky’s major work The Secret Doctrine (1888). They also point to their impact on the mind of the serious student, who is urged to go beyond verbal expositions of Theosophy to the depth of experience where alone truth is revealed.

From page 12:

” (D) Fourth and last basic idea to be held is that expressed in the Great Hermetic Axiom. It really sums up and synthesizes all the others. As is the Inner, so is the Outer; as is the Great so is the Small; as it is Above, so it is Below; there is but ONE LIFE AND LAW; and he that worth it, is ONE. Nothing is Inner, nothing is Outer; nothing is Great, nothing is Small; nothing is High, nothing is Low, in the Divine Economy. “

By Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891).

235 Pages | First edition, 8th reprint 2013 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 9788170590064.

The Stanzas of Dzyan are the skeleton as it were, around and attached to which the massive body of H.P. Blavatsky’s great work The Secret Doctrine, is built up. The Book of Dzyan – from the Sanskrit dhyāna (mystic meditation) – is the first Volume of the Commentaries [in fourteen volumes] upon the seven secret folios of Kiu-ti, and a glossary of the public works of the same name. Thirty-five volumes of ‘Kiu-ti’ for exoteric purposes and the use of the laymen may be found in the possession of the Tibetan Gelugpa lamas, in the library of any monastery. Yet not in the possession of European libraries being highly unknown to our philologists.

From page 231:

” The present is the child of the past; the future the begotten of the present; and yet, o present moment! Knowest Thou not that Thou hast no parent! Nor canst Thou have a child; that Thou art ever begetting but Thyself? Before Thou has ever began to say ‘I am the progeny of the departed moment, the child of the past, Thou has become that past itself. Before Thou utterest the last syllable, behold! Thou art no more the present but verily that future. Thus are the past, the present, and the future, the ever-living trinity in ONE – The great illusion of the Absolute is . . . “

By Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891).

212 Pages | First edition 1889, 30th reprint 2005, Adyar Mini | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170591163.

This Gem of Eastern Wisdom, first published in 1889, is a translation and commentary by H.P. Blavatsky. Blavatsky of a manuscript known as the Book of the Golden Precepts. It is one of three philosophical classics , which are invaluable to aspirants on the spiritual Path, the other two being At the Feet of the Master and Light on the Path. It contains profound teachings expressed in poetical language with beautiful imagery. It has run into many editions and has been translated into several languages.

From page 9 & 10:

” 22. Three Halls, O weary Pilgrim lead to the end of toils. Three Halls, O conqueror of Māyā, will bring thee through three states into the fourth and thence into the seven worlds, the worlds of Rest Eternal.

23. If thou wouldst learn their names, then hearken, and remember.

24. The name of the first Hall is Ignorance – Avidyā

25. It is the Hall in which thou saw’st the light, in which thou livest and shalt die.

26. The name of the Hall the second is the Hall of Learning. In it thy Soul will find the blossoms of life, but under every flower a serpent coiled.

27. The name of the third Hall is Wisdom, beyond which stretch the shoreless waters of Akshara, the indestructible fount of omniscience. “

Door Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), vertaald door Helma Kool.

52 Pagina’s | Uitgegeven in 1952, derde druk 1973 | Brochure | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9789061750048.

Engels origineel: First Steps in Occultism, later published as Practical Occultism | Published in 1952, second edition 2011 | Softcover | ISBN: 9788170595595.

‘ Deze artikelen zijn van zo grote waarde, voor allen die zich wensen voor te bereiden voor het Leerlingschap, dat ik ze gaarne uit Lucifer liet overdrukken, ten einde ze binnen het bereik van alle bestudeerders te brengen. ‘ – Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

Er zijn velen, die praktisch onderricht wensen in het occultisme. Derhalve wordt het noodzakelijk eens voor al vast te stellen:

A) Het inwezenlijke verschil tussen theoretisch en praktisch occultisme; of wat in het algemeen bekend is als Theosofie enerzijds en Occulte Wetenschap anderzijds.

B) De aard der moeilijkheden, welke de studie van de laatstgenoemde met zich brengt.

Het is gemakkelijk een Theosoof te worden. Elk mens van gemiddelde verstandelijke vermogens, en met een neiging tot het bovenzinnelijke; ieder, die rein en onzelfzuchtig leeft en meer vreugde vindt in het helpen van zijn of haar naaste dan in het zelf hulp ontvangen; iemand, die steeds klaar staat zijn of haar eigen genoegens ter wille van andere mensen op te offeren, en die Waarheid, Goedheid en Wijsheid om huns zelfs wil lief heeft, niet om de voordelen die zij kunnen schenken – is een Theosoof.

Afkomstig van blz. 23:

” De sleutel in elke graad is de aspirant zelf. Het is niet de vreze des Heren die het begin van Wijsheid is, maar de kennis van het Zelf, welke is de Wijsheid Zelve. 

Hoe groots en hoe waar blijkt dan voor de bestudeerder van het occultisme, die enige der voorgaande waarheden is gaan beseffen, het antwoord dat het orakel van Delphi gaf aan allen, die occulte wijsheid kwamen zoeken – de woorden, die telkens weer met nadruk worden herhaald door de wijze Socrates – ‘ MENS, KEN UZELF! ‘ “

Paperback

door Mary-Rose Birfelder

Het eiland, de jongen en de reis

Breda Uitgeverij De Ster | ISBN 9065562826 | Prijs € 1,95

In het allegorische verhaal ‘Het eiland, de jingen en de reis’ schetst Mary-Rose Birfelder op eenvoudige doch treffende wijze de overgang van de mythische naar de denkende mens. Het laat zien hoe door zelfstandig denken verkregen inzichten en ervaringen botsen met een patroon van normen, waarden en vooroordeel, gebaseerd op een mythische voorstelling van zaken. Het verhaal houdt ons een spigel voor: herkennen wij onszelf of anderen in de jongen óf zijn omgeving? Een verhaal dat tot nadenken stemt . . .

By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

44 Pages | First edition 1963, second edition 2005 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170594685.

Annie Besant (1847 – 1933), second President of the Theosophical Society (1907 – 1933) was described as a ‘Diamond Soul’, for she had many brilliant facets to her character. She was an outstanding orator of her time, a champion of human freedom, educationist, philanthropist and author with more than three hundred books and pamphlets to her credit. She also guided thousands of men and women all over the world in their spiritual quest.

In 1896, Dr. Annie Besant gave four Convention Lectures on Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Chrisitianity at Adyar, Madras, on the twenty-first anniversary of the Theosophical Society, the President-Founder, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832 – 1907), being in the Chair. In 1901, she continued the series with another four lectures on Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Theosophy or ‘Divine Wisdom’ as the common source of all religions at the twenty-sixth anniversary, Colonel Olcott again presiding. Each of the lectures on the seven religions has been published as a separate booklet with the exception of the lecture on Divine Wisdom, and the whole series as a single volume under the title Seven Great Religions.

From page 37:

” Zarathustra gave the words of power that could call down the fire down from above, and century after century, the fire that blazed on the Zoroastrian altar in the fire-temple was no mere mingling of material flames. The sacred fire was called down from fiery ākāśa; at the word of the priest, it fell upon the altar, and blazed there as the living symbol of God. When the lower priesthood had to act (when the higher one was not available), they were given the rod, in which the living flame or fire was ever flashing, and, as when they touched the altar fuel with it, the heavenly fire blazed forth. “

By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

29 Pages | 6th Reprint | Pamphlet | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8179593492.

Every great religion has two parts, an inner and an outer, a spirit and a body, the ‘knowledge of God’, which is ‘Eternal Life’ and its dogmas, rites and ceremonies. The inner part, ’the wisdom of God in a mystery’, spoken of by St. Paul as known to ’the perfect’, is that which has, since the third century, been known in the West as Theosophy: in the East as Brahmā-vidyā, God-Wisdom, God-Knowledge or God-Science. Such Theosophy, or mysticism, the direct knowledge of God by man, belongs equally to all the great religions as their sustaining life. And it may be possessed by any individual, even outside any religious organization.

NB: This pamphlet was previously printed under the title of Theosophy and The Theosophical Society (1931, 1952 & 1985) as an excerpt from a larger work of that title by Annie Besant. The title has been changed to avoid confusion between the two works.

Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House Adyar

49 pages | 2005 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar

” Annie Besant s words strike at the very heart of the human problem : the need to realize and to live in accordance with the realization that all life is ONE. “

These two lectures, delivered at the Chicago World Parliament of Religions 1893 by Annie Besant, are printed here with brief, historical comments by Joy Mills in a Preface, where she says : ‘In these, we may find both practical suggestions for a mode of living consonant with Theosophical ideals and inspiration to act in such a manner as may bring about that global Transformation which signals the dawning of the “Brotherhood” enunciated in the First Object of the Theosophical Society.‘

By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

138 Pages |; 2nd edition 2016| Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 9788170591542.

(Also Published in 1988 by Quest, Wheaton).

(A twenty-first century adaptation of Annie Besant’s classic work Thought Power was issued in 2001 by John Algeo and Shirley J. Nicholson and published by Quest).

At the world level, we assess our ability, strength, or power before embarking upon a new venture. At the higher level, the value of knowledge is tested by its power to purify and ennoble one’s life, and by its application to the evolution of one’s character. This book helps to understand better one’s intellectual nature in order to cultivate the good in it, and allow the One Self to be the Knower. The oneness of the Self is not easy to comprehend, but the author asserts that ‘those, who would fulfil the maxim ‘Know thyself’ must not shrink from a little mental exertion, nor must expect mental food to drop ready-cooked from the sky into a lazily-opened mouth’.

Subjects discussed are:

• Training the mind
• Improving concentration
• Strengthening thought power
• Meditation
• Improving memory
• Thought transference
• Building the mental body
• Combining thoughts with others
• Achieving peace of mind.

From Chapter VIII – ‘Obstacles to Concentration; Wandering Minds’ (p. 104):

” The concentrated intelligence, the power of withdrawing outside the turmoil, mean immensely increased energy in work, mean steadiness, self-control, serenity; the man of meditation is the man, who wastes no time, scatters no energy, misses no opportunity. Such a man governs the events, because within him is the power whereof events are only the outer expression; he shares the divine life, and therefore shares divine power. “

By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

51 Pages | First edition, 9th reprint 2014 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN:

What is the Theosophic life? It is to live wisely. A distinguished and wise Theosophist tells us how to live wisely by understanding the principles of reïncarnation, karma and social service.

From p. 43:

” To live the life of service clears the mental atmosphere of the distorting fogs of prejudice, passion, temperament. Service alone makes the eye single, so that the whole body is full of light, and only those who serve are those who truly live… “

52 pages | Gebonden/Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House Adyar, 2008

What is the Theosophic Life? It is to live wisely. A distinguished and wise Theosophist tells us how to live wisely by understanding the principles of Reincarnation, Karma and Service.

An Adyar book, imported from India.

By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

111 Pages | First Adyar Edition, 12th reprint 2015 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 9788170590972.

This book is the first in a series of manuals intended to meet the need for a simple exposition of Theosophy. It describes in clear terms the seven aspects of man’s nature based on theosophical precepts. Its aim is to lead the casual enquirer to a deeper study of the philosophy, science and religion of Theosophy and ultimately to a realization of the central objective of the Society, the Brotherhood of man and the possibility of spiritual growth.

From page 2:

” Man, according to the Theosophical teachings, is a sevenfold being, or, in the usual phrase, has a septenary constitution. Putting it in another way, man’s nature has seven aspects, may be studied from seven different points of view, is composed of seven principles. The clearest and best way of all in which to think of man is to regard him as one, the Spirit or true Self; this belongs to the highest region of the universe, and is universal, the same for all: it is a ray of God, a spark from the divine fire. This is to become an individual, reflecting the divine perfection, a son that grows into the likeness of his father. “

By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).

153 Pages | 14th Reprint, 2015 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170591236.

In these four lectures, Annie Besant traces the Path of Discipleship through perceptible and subtle milestones. The experience that is gained by action done for self-gratification could be elevated in to a dutiful performance of rites and ceremonies for the settlement of karmic clearance, which in turn could ascend into a joyful and sacred dedication, that accomplishes union with Godhead.

Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House Adyar

300 pages | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House Adyar, 1998

Sanatana Dharma is the Eternal Wisdom or Order. Through millennia, India’s culture was moulded by it. Its principles have a timeless relevance to humanity in general. In this work, Annie Besant and Bhagavan Das have drawn the principles of Sanatana Dharma from the vast, nebulous, scattered sources, and have presented them in an integrated, abridged form for students below the college level.