Writings
of H P Blavatsky
Cardiff Theosophical Society in Wales
206 Newport Road, Cardiff, Wales, UK. CF24 -1DL
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891)
The Founder of Modern Theosophy
Gems from the East:
A Birthday Book
By
H
P Blavatsky
A Birthday Book of Precepts and Axioms
Compiled by H.P.B.
PREFACE.
Few words will
be needed by way of preface to these "Gems from the East." At a time
when Western minds are occupied in the study of Oriental Literature, attracted
possibly by its richness of expression and marvelous imagery, but no less by
the broad yet deep philosophy of life, and the sweet altruistic doctrines
contained therein, it is thought seasonable to present the public with a useful
and attractive little volume such as this.
The Precepts
and Aphorisms, compiled by "H.P.B.," are culled chiefly from Oriental
writings considered to embody, in part, teachings which are now attracting so
much attention in the West, and for the diffusion of which the Theosophical
Society is mainly responsible. As far as possible we have endeavoured
to make the volume attractive, handy, and useful to all. It contains a Precept
or an Axiom for every day in the year; lines of a Theosophical nature, selected
from sources not invariably Oriental, preface each month; and the whole is
embellished with drawings from the pen of F. W., a lady Theosophist. It is
hoped that our efforts will meet with approval from all lovers of the good and
beautiful, and that they maynot be without effect in
the cause of TRUTH. W.R.O. "THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH"
JANUARY.
"UTTISHAT! -- Rise! Awake!
Seek the great
Teachers, and attend! The road
Is narrow as a
knife-edge! Hard to tread!"
"But whoso
once perceiveth HIM that IS; --
Without a name,
Unseen, Impalpable,
Bodiless,
Undiminished, Unenlarged,
To senses
undeclared, without an end,
Without
beginning, Timeless, Higher than height,
Deeper than
depth! Lo! Such an one is saved!
Death hath not
power upon him!"
-- THE SECRET OF DEATH (fr. The Katha
Upanishad).
1 The first
duty taught in Theosophy, is to do one's duty unflinchingly by every duty.
2 The heart
which follows the rambling senses leads away his judgment as the wind leads a boat
astray upon the waters.
3 He who casts
off all desires, living free from attachments, and free from egoism, obtains
bliss.
4 To every man that is born, an axe is born in his mouth, by
which the fool cuts himself, when speaking bad language.
5 As all
earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of
mortals.
6 Wise men are
light-bringers.
7 A just life, a religious life, this is the best gem.
8 Having tasted
the sweetness of illusion and tranquillity, one
becomes free from fear, and free from sin, drinking in the sweetness of Dhamma (law).
9 False friendship is like a parasitic plant, it kills the tree it
embraces.
10 Cut out the
love of self, like an autumn lotus, with thy hand! Cherish the road of peace.
11 Men who have
not observed proper discipline, and have not gained treasure in their youth, perish like old herons in a lake without fish.
12 As the bee collects nectar, and departs without injuring the
flower, or its color or scent, so let a Sage dwell in his village.
13 As rain does not break through a well-thatched house,
passion will not break through a well-reflecting mind.
14 He who hath
too many friends, hath as many candidates for enemies.
15 That man
alone is wise, who keeps the mastery of himself.
16 Seek refuge
in thy soul; have there thy Heaven! Scorn them that follow virtue for her
gifts!
17 All our
dignity consists in thought, therefore let us contrive
to think well; for that is the principle of morals.
18 Flattery is
a false coin which circulates only because of our vanity.
19 Narrowness
of mind causes stubbornness; we do not easily believe what is beyond that which
we see.
20 The soul
ripens in tears.
21 This is
truth the poet sings -- That a sorrow's crown of sorrows / Is
remembering happier things.
22 Musk is musk
because of its own fragrance, and not from being called a perfume by the
druggist.
23 Not every
one ready for a dispute is as quick in transacting business.
24 It is not
every graceful form that contains as graceful a disposition.
25 If every
pebble became a priceless ruby, then pebble and ruby would become equal in
value.
26 Every man
thinks his own wisdom faultless, and every mother her
own child beautiful.
27 If wisdom
were to vanish suddenly from the universe, no one yet would suspect himself a
fool.
28 A narrow stomach may be filled to its satisfaction, but a
narrow mind will never be satisfied, not even with all the riches of the world.
29 He who
neglects his duty to his conscience, will neglect to
pay his debt to his neighbor.
30 Mite added
to mite becomes a great heap; the heap in the barn consists of small grains.
31 He who tasteth not thy bread during thy lifetime,
will not mention thy name when thou art dead.
FEBRUARY.
"Behold,
we know not anything;
I can but trust
that good shall fall
At last -- far
off -- at last, to all,
And every
winter change to spring.
"So runs
my dream: but what am I?
An infant
crying in the night:
An infant
crying for the light:
And with no
language but a cry."
-- TENNYSON (In Memoriam)
1 Two things
are impossible in this world of Maya: to enjoy more than Karma hath allotted;
to die before one's hour hath struck.
2 A student
without inclination for work is like a squirrel on its wheel; he makes no
progress.
3 A traveller without observation is a bird without wings.
4 A learned man without pupils, is a tree which bears no
fruit; a devotee without good works, is a dwelling without a door.
5 When Fate
overtakes us, the eye of Wisdom becomes blind.
6 Keep thine eyes open, or Fate will open them for thee.
7 He who kisses
the hand he cannot cut off, will have his head cut off
by the hand he now kisses in the next rebirth.
8 He who keeps
to his business, he who loves his companions, he who does his duty, will never
be poor.
9 A thousand
regrets will not pay thy debts.
10 Fallen
flowers do not return to their stems, nor departed
friends to their houses.
11 To feel
one's ignorance is to be wise; to feel sure of one's wisdom is to be a fool.
12 One proof is
better than ten arguments.
13 Rain in the
morn brings the sun after
14 The
soothsayer for evil never knows his own fate.
15 Like oil, truth often floats on the surface of the lie. Like
clear water, truth often underlies the seeming falsehood.
16 Often
vinegar got for nothing, is sweeter to the poor man than honey bought.
17 Every tree
hath its shadow, every sorrow its joy.
18 The fields
are damaged by weeds, mankind by passion. Blessed are the patient, and the
passionless.
19 The virtuous
man who is happy in this life, is sure to be still
happier in his next.
20 What ought
to be done is neglected, what ought not to be done is done. The sins of the
unruly are ever increasing.
21 Without
Karma, no fisherman could catch a fish; outside of Karma, no fish would die on
dry land, or in boiling water.
22 Let every
man first become himself that which he teaches others to be.
23 He who hath
subdued himself, may hope to subdue others. One's own
self is the most difficult to master.
24 Hatred is
never quenched by hatred; hatred ceases by showing love; this is an old rule.
25 The path of
virtue lies in the renunciation of the seven great sins.
26 The best
possession of the man of clay is health; the highest virtue of the man of
spirit is truthfulness.
27 Man walks
on, and Karma follows him along with his shadow.
28 Daily
practical wisdom consists of
four things: -- To know the root of Truth, the branches of Truth, the limit of
Truth, and the opposite of Truth.
MARCH.
"Say not
'I am,' 'I was,' or 'I shall be,'
Think not ye
pass from house to house of flesh
Like travellers who remember and forget,
Ill-lodged or
well-lodged. Fresh
Issues upon the
universe that sum
Which is the
lattermost of lives. It makes
Its habitation
as the worm spins silk
And dwells
therein."
-- LIGHT OF
1 Four things
increase by use: -- Health, wealth, perseverance, and credulity.
2 To enjoy the day of plenty, you must be patient in the day
of want.
3 Expel avarice
from your heart, so shall you loosen the chains from off your
neck.
4 Let a man overcome anger by love, evil by good, greediness by
liberality, lie
by truth.
5 Do not speak
harshly to anybody; those who are so spoken to will answer thee
in the same way.
6 This life is
in the world of work and retributive justice; the life that
follows is in the world of great reward.
7 Excuse is
better than disputation; delay is better than rashness;
unwillingness of strife is better than eagerness in seeking it.
8 Cut down the
whole forest of lust, not the tree. When thou hast cut down every tree and
every shrub, then thou wilt be free.
9 The
avaricious go not to the world of the gods (Devas),
for the fool commands no charity.
10 He who holds
back rising anger like a rolling chariot, is called a real
driver; other people are but holders of the reins.
11 The fool who
is angered, and who thinks to triumph by using abusive language, is always
vanquished by him whose words are patient.
12 The best of
medicines is death; the worst of diseases is vain anticipation.
13 An easy temper is a good counsellor,
and a pleasant tongue is an excellent
leader.
14 A good word
in time is better than a sweet pie after meals.
15 Foolish pride
is an incurable malady; a bad wife is a chronic disease; and a
wrathful disposition is a life-long burden.
16 Truth is
brighter than the sun; truth is the sunny day of Reason, and
falsehood the mind's dark night.
17 All has an
end, and will away. Truth alone is immortal, and lives for ever.
18 The light of
all flesh is the sun; the light of the soul -- truth
everlasting.
19 The road to
sin is a wide highway; the way out of it, a steep and rugged
hill.
20 The fault of
others is easily perceived, but that of oneself is difficult to
perceive.
21 Good people
shine from afar like the snowy mountains; bad people are not
seen, like arrows shot at night.
22 Where two
women meet, there a market springs; where three congregate, a
bazaar is opened; and where seven talk, there begins a
fair.
23 Extensive
knowledge and science, well-regulated discipline and well-spoken
speech, this is the greatest blessing.
24 The subtle
self is to be known by thought alone; for every thought of men is
interwoven with the senses, and when thought is purified,
then the self arises.
25 Lead me from
the unreal to the real! Lead me from darkness to light! Lead me
from death to immortality!
26 The Sage who
knows Brahman moves on; on the small, old path that stretches far away, rests
in the heavenly place, and thence moves higher on.
27 Neither by
the eyes, nor by spirit, nor by the sensuous organs, nor by
austerity, nor by sacrifices, can we see Brahma. Only the
pure, by the light of
wisdom and meditation, can see the pure Deity.
28 By
perfection in study and meditation the Supreme Spirit becomes manifest;
study is one eye to behold it, and meditation is the
other.
29 Alas! We
reap what seed we sow; the hands that smite us are our own.
30 Thoughts
alone cause the round of rebirths in this world; let a man strive to
purify his thoughts, what a man thinks, that he is: this
is the old secret.
31 "My
sons are mine; this wealth is mine": with such thoughts is a fool
tormented. He himself does not belong to himself, much less
sons and wealth.
APRIL.
"The
untouched soul,
Greater than
all the worlds (because the worlds
By it subsist);
smaller than subtleties
Of things
minutest; last of ultimates;
Sits in the
hollow heart of all that lives!
Whoso hath laid
aside desire and fear,
His senses
mastered, and his spirit still,
Sees in the
quiet light of verity
Eternal, safe, majestical -- HIS SOUL!"
-- THE SECRET OF DEATH (fr. The Katha
Upanishad).
1 He who leaves
the society of fools, cleaves unto the wise.
2 The self is
hidden in all beings, and does not shine forth; but it is seen by
subtle seers, through their sharp and subtle intellect.
3 Patience
leads to power; but eagerness in greed leads to loss.
4 Three things
make a poor man rich: courtesy, consideration for others, and the
avoidance of suspicion.
5 When trust is
gone, misfortune comes in; when confidence is dead, revenge is
born; and when treachery appears, all blessings fly
away.
6 The world
exists by cause; all things exist by cause; and beings are bound by
cause, even as the rolling cart-wheel by the pin of an
axle-tree.
7 The living
soul is not woman, nor man, nor neuter; whatever body it takes,
with that it is joined only.
8 He ho wishes
to reach Buddhahood, and aspires to the knowledge of
the
Self-born, must
honor those who keep this doctrine.
9 As the spider
moving upward by his thread gains free space, thus also he who
undertakes moving upward by the known word
10 The wheel of
sacrifice has Love for its nave, Action for its tire, and
Brotherhood for
its spokes.
11 Man consists
of desires. And as is his desire, so is his will; and as is his
ill, so is his deed; and whatever deed he does, that
he will reap.
12 A stone
becomes a plant; a plant a beast; the beast a man; a man a Spirit;
and the Spirit -- GOD.
13 There exists
no spot on the earth, or in the sky, or in the sea, neither is
there any in the mountain-clefts, where an evil deed
does not bring trouble to
the doer.
14 Whoever, not
being a sanctified person, pretends to be a Saint, he is indeed
the lowest of all men, the thief in all worlds,
including that of Brahma.
15 If a man
consorting with me (Buddha) does not conform his life to my
commandments, what benefit will ten thousand precepts be to
him?
16 He who
smites will be smitten; he who shows rancor will find rancor; so, from reviling
cometh reviling, and to him who is angered comes anger.
17 "He
abused me, he reviled me, he beat me, he subdued me"; he who keeps this in
mind, and who feels resentment, will find no peace.
18 Like a beautiful flower, full of color, but without scent,
are the fine but
fruitless words of him who does not act accordingly.
19 When your
mind shall have crossed beyond the taint of delusion, then will you become
indifferent to all that you have heard or will hear.
20 The wise
guard the home of nature's order; they assume excellent forms in
secret.
21 If thou losest all, and gettest wisdom by
it, thy loss is thy gain.
22 Empty thy mind
of evil, but fill it with good.
23 Great works
need no great strength, but perseverance.
24 Sleep is but
birth into the
of the Past.
25 To forgive
without forgetting, is again to reproach the wrong-doer every time
the act comes back to us.
26 Every man
contains within himself the potentiality of immortality,
equilibrated by the power of choice.
27 He who lives
in one color of the rainbow is blind to the rest. Live in the
light diffused through the entire arc, and you will know
it all.
28 Every time
the believer pronounces the word
the divine potentiality enshrined within the Soul.
29 People talk
of the Devil. Every man has seen him; he is in every sinful
heart.
30 The Higher
Self knows that highest home of Brahman, which contains all and
shines so bright. The wise who without desiring happiness
worship that SELF, are not born again.
MAY.
I'm weary of
conjectures, -- this must end 'em.
Thus am I doubly
armed: my death and life,
My bane and antidote, are both before me:
This in a
moment brings me to an end;
But this
informs me I shall never die.
The Soul,
secured in her existence, smiles
At the drawn
dagger, and defies its point.
The stars shall
fade away, the sun himself
Grow dim with
age, and nature sink in years;
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth,
Unhurt amidst
the war of elements,
The wrecks of
matter, and the crush of worlds.
--
1 The eternal
Spirit is everywhere. It stands encompassing the whole world.
2 He who feeds
the hungry before he has assuaged his own hunger, prepares for
himself eternal food. He who renounces that food for the
sake of a weaker
brother is -- a god.
3 The altar on
which the sacrifice is offered is Man; the fuel is speech itself,
the smoke the breath, the light the tongue, the coals
the eye, the sparks the
ear.
4 One moment in
eternity is as important as another moment, for eternity
changeth not, neither is one part better than another part.
5 Better it
would be that a man should eat a lump of flaming iron than that one
should break his vows.
6 Even a good
man sees evil days, as long as his good deeds have not ripened;
but when they have ripened, then does the good man see
happy days.
7 By oneself
the evil is done, by oneself one suffers; by oneself the evil is
left undone, by oneself one is purified.
8 Purity and
impurity belong to oneself; no one can purify another.
9 Self is the
lord of Self: who else could be the lord! With self well
subdued,
a man finds a master such as few can find.
10 If one man
conquer in battle a thousand times a thousand men, and if another
conquer himself, he is the greater of the two conquerors.
11 Who is the
great man? He who is strongest in patience. He who
patiently
endures injury, and maintains a blameless life -- he is a
man indeed!
12 If thou hast
done evil deeds, or if thou wouldst do them, thou mayest
arise
and run where'er thou wilt,
but thou canst not free thyself of thy suffering.
13 There is a
road that leads to Wealth; there is another road that leads to
Nirvana.
14 An evil deed
does not turn on a sudden like curdling milk; it is like fire
smoldering in the ashes, which burns the fool.
15 An evil deed kills not instantly, as does a sword, but it
follows the
evil-doer into his next and still next rebirth.
16 The
calumniator is like one who flings dirt at another when the wind is
contrary, the dirt does but return on him who threw it.
17 The virtuous
man cannot be hurt, the misery that his enemy would inflict
comes back on himself.
18 Nature is
upheld by antagonism. Passions, resistance, danger, are
educators.
We acquire the
strength we have overcome.
19 If a man
understands the self saying "I am He," what could he wish or desire
that he should pine after the body?
20 That word
which all the Vedas record, which all penances proclaim, which men
desire when they live as religious disciples, that word I
tell thee briefly, it
is
21 As a person having seen one in a dream, recognizes him
afterwards; so does
one who has achieved proper concentration of mind
perceive the SELF.
22 It is better
to do one's own duty, even though imperfectly, than to perform
another's duty well.
23 The wise who
knows the Self as bodiless within the bodies, as unchanging
among changing things, as great and omnipresent, does
never grieve.
24 The path of
virtue lies in the renunciation of arrogance and pride.
25 He who
wrongs another unjustly will regret it, though men may applaud him;
but he who is wronged is safe from regret, though the
world may blame him.
26 There is
more courage in facing the world with undisguised truth, than in
descending into a wild beast's den.
27 True clemency is in foregoing revenge, when it is in one's power;
true
patience is in bearing up against disappointments.
28 The happy
man must prepare ere the evil day comes; and when it does, let the thought that
every good and great man has been made to suffer at some time
console him.
29 Wealth in the
hands of one who thinks not of helping mankind with it, is sure
to turn one day into dry leaves.
30 Like as the night follows the day, so misfortune is the
shadow of joy; Karma
bestowing her lots with both hands.
31 The eagle catcheth not flies; but even the eagle is disturbed by
them.
JUNE.
"There is
'true' Knowledge. Learn thou it is this:
To see one
Changeless Life in all that lives,
And in the
Separate, One Inseparable.
There is
imperfect Knowledge: that which sees
The separate
existences apart,
And, being separated, holds them real.
There is false
Knowledge: that which blindly clings
To one as if 'twere all, seeking no cause,
Deprived of
light, narrow, and dull, and 'dark.'
"
-- SONG CELESTIAL, Bk. 18 (fr. The Bhagavad-Gita)
1 Judge the
tree by its fruits, man by his deeds.
2 Theosophy is
not the acquirement of powers, whether psychic or intellectual,
though both are its servants.
3 Neither is
Theosophy the pursuit of happiness, as men understand the word; for
the first step is sacrifice, the second, renunciation.
4 Life is built
up by the sacrifice of the individual to the whole. Each cell in
the living body must sacrifice itself to the
perfection of the whole; when it is
otherwise, disease and death enforce the lesson.
5 Theosophy is
the science of life, the art of living.
6 Harmony is
the law of life, discord its shadow; whence springs suffering, the
teacher, the awakener of consciousness.
7 Through joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, the soul comes to
a knowledge of
itself.
8 The eyes of
wisdom are like the ocean depths; there is neither joy nor sorrow
in them. Therefore the soul of the disciple must
become stronger than joy, and
greater than sorrow.
9 We hate but
those whom we envy or fear.
10
Self-knowledge is unattainable by what men usually call
"self-analysis." It
is not reached by reasoning or any brain-powers.
11 Real
self-knowledge is the
awakening to consciousness of the divine nature of man.
12 Will is the
offspring of the Divine, the God in man; Desire, the motive power
of the animal life.
13 Will is the
exclusive possession of man. It divides him from the brute, in
whom instinctive desire only is active.
14 To obtain the knowledge of self, is a greater achievement
than to command the elements or to know the future.
15 The great
watchword of the True is this -- in last analysis all things are
divine.
16 Fear is the
slave of Pain, and Rebellion her captive.
17 Endurance is
the free companion of Sorrow, and Patience her master.
18 The husband
of Pain is Rapture, but the souls are few in whom that marriage
is consummated.
19 Spirituality
is not what we understand by the words "virtue" and
"goodness."
It is the power
of perceiving formless, spiritual essences.
20 The
discovery and right use of the true essence of Being -- this is the whole
secret of life.
21 When desire
is for the purely abstract -- when it has lost all trace or tinge
of "self" -- then it has become pure.
22 Adepts are
rare as the blossom of the Udumbara tree.
23 The one
eternal, immutable law of life alone can judge and condemn man
absolutely.
24 Will and
Desire are both absolute creators, forming the man himself and his
surroundings.
25 Will creates
intelligently; Desire blindly and unconsciously.
26 Man makes
himself in the image of his desires, unless he creates himself in
the likeness of the Divine, through his will, the
child of the light.
27 Theosophy is
the vehicle of the spirit that giveth life;
consequently,
nothing dogmatic can be Theosophical.
28 Some pluck
the fruits of the tree of knowledge to crown themselves therewith, instead of
plucking them to eat.
29 It is not
necessary for truth to put on boxing-gloves.
30 You cannot
build a temple of truth by hammering dead stones. Its foundations must
precipitate themselves like crystals from the solution of life.
JULY.
"The mind,
enlightened, casts its grief away!" --
"It is not
to be known by knowledge! man
Wotteth it not by wisdom! learning
vast
Halts short of
it! Only by soul itself
Is soul
perceived -- when the soul wills it so!
There shines no
light save its own light to show
Itself unto
itself!"
-- THE SECRET OF DEATH (fr. The Katha
Upanishad).
1 One cannot
fill a vacuum from within itself.
2 When a
certain point is reached, pain becomes its own anodyne.
3 Many a man
will follow a mis-leader. Few will recognize truth at
a glance.
4 Esteem that
to be eminently good, which, when communicated to another, will be increased to
yourself.
5 Be persuaded
that those things are not your riches which you do not possess in the penetralia of the reasoning power.
6 As many passions of the soul, so many fierce and savage
despots.
7 No one is
free who has not obtained the empire of himself.
8 It is the
business of a musician to harmonize every instrument, but of a
well-educated man to adapt himself harmoniously to every
fortune.
9 It is
excellent to impede an unjust man; but if this be not possible, it is
excellent not to act in conjunction with him.
10 Sin should
be abstained from, not through fear, but for the sake of the
becoming.
11 Vehement
desires about any one thing render the soul blind with respect to
other things.
12 Many men who
have not learnt to argue rationally, still live according to
reason.
13 The equal is
beautiful in everything, but excess and defect do not appear so.
14 It is the
property of a divine intellect to be always intently thinking about
the beautiful.
15 As two pieces of wood may come together in the ocean, and
having met, may
separate again; like this is the meeting of mortals.
16 Youth is
like a mountain-torrent; wealth is like the dust on one's feet;
manhood is fugitive as a water-drop; life is like foam.
17 Who fulfills
not duty with steadfast mind, duty which opens the portals of
bliss, surprised by old age and remorse, he is burned by
the fire of grief.
18 Even in a
forest hermitage, sin prevails over the unholy; the restraint of
the senses in one's own house, this is asceticism.
19 Who performs
a right action, free from impurity, the house of that man is a
forest hermitage.
20 As the streams of a river flow on, and return not, so pass
away the days and
nights, taking away the lives of men.
21 Unenduring are youth, beauty, life, wealth, lordship, the
society of the
beloved; let not the wise be deluded by these.
22 In this world, fugitive as tempest-driven waves, death for
another is a rich
prize earned by virtue in a former birth.
23 The shadows
of a cloud, the favor of the base, new corn, a flower, these last
only a little time; so it is with youth and riches.
24 Let the wise
think on wisdom as unfading and immortal; let him fulfill his
duty as though Death grasped him by the hair.
25 If evil be
said of thee, and if it be true, correct thyself; if it be a lie,
laugh at it.
26 Pagodas are
measured by their shadows, and great men by their enviers.
27 The sage
does not say what he does; but he does nothing that cannot be said.
28 The man who
finds pleasure in vice, and pain in virtue, is still a
novice in
both.
29 The wise man
does good as naturally as he breathes.
30 He is a man
who does not turn away from what he has said.
31 The heart of
the fool is in his tongue; the tongue of the wise is in his
heart.
AUGUST.
"Death has
no power th' immortal soul
to slay,
That, when its present body turns to clay
Seeks a fresh
home, and with unlessened might
Inspires
another frame with life and light.
So I myself
(well I the past recall),
When the fierce
Greeks begirt
Was brave Euphorbus: and in conflict drear
Poured forth my
blood beneath Atrides' spear.
The shield this
arm did bear I lately saw
In Juno's
shrine, a trophy of that war."
-- DRYDEN'S OVID
1 The man who
neglects the truth he finds in his soul, in order to follow its
dead-letter, is a time-server.
2 He who does
not recognize the bread and salt is worse than a wild wolf.
3 Man who has
not hesitated to project his image in space and call it the
Creator,
sculpted not to endow God with his own vices.
4 He who has
been once deceived, dreads evil, and suspects it even in truth.
5
Chedi.
To the roar of the tempest, and not to the jackal's howl, the elephant
trumpets a reply.
6 Not the tender
pliant grass is uprooted by the storm, but the lofty trees. The
mighty war only with the mighty.
7 The sandal
tree has snakes; the lotus tank, alligators; in happiness there is
envy. There are no unmixed pleasures.
8 No creature,
no thing is free from evil. The sandal tree has its roots sapped
by snakes, its blossoms attacked by bees, its
branches broken by monkeys, its
top eaten by bears. No part of it is secure from pain.
9 Grieve not
about thy sustenance; nature will supply it. When a creature is
born, the mother's breast supplies milk.
10 Who gave the
swan his whiteness, the parrot his wings of golden green, the
peacock his iris-hues? Will not that which provided for
them provide for thee?
11 All good
fortune belongs to him of contented mind. Is not the whole earth
leather-covered for him who wears shoes?
12 This world
is a venomous tree, bearing two honey-sweet fruits: the divine
essence of poetry and the friendship of the noble.
13 By the fall
of water-drops the pitcher is gradually filled; this is the cause
of wisdom, of virtue, and of wealth.
14 Let one who
would live in the memory of his fellow men, make every day
fruitful by generosity, study, and noble arts.
15 No plunge in
clear cool water delights so much the heat-oppressed, no pearl
necklace the maiden, as the words of the good delight the
good.
16 Good men
vary. Some are like cocoanuts, full of sweet milk; others, like the
jujube, externally pleasing.
17 Like an earthen vessel, easy to break, hard to reunite, are
the wicked; the
good are like vessels of gold, hard to break and
quickly united.
18 Be not a
friend to the wicked -- charcoal when hot, burns; when cold, it
blackens the fingers.
19 Shun him who
secretly slanders, and praises openly; he is like a cup of
poison, with cream on the surface.
20 A chariot
cannot go on one wheel alone; so destiny fails unless men's acts
co-operate.
21 The noble
delight in the noble; the base do not; the bee goes to the lotus
from the wood; not so the frog, though living in the
same lake.
22 Like
moonbeams trembling on water, truly such is the life of mortals. Knowing
this, let duty be performed.
23 Bathe in the
river of the soul, O man, for not with water is the soul washed
clean.
24 The pure
soul is a river whose holy source is self-control, whose water is
truth, whose bank is righteousness, whose waves are
compassion.
25 Of a gift to be received or given, of an act to be done,
time drinks up the
flavor, unless it be quickly performed.
26 When the
weak-minded is deprived of wealth, his actions are destroyed, like
rivulets dried up in hot seasons.
27 He who wants
a faultless friend, must remain friendless.
28 Eat and
drink with your friends, but do not trade with them.
29 Without
trouble one gets no honey. Without grief and sorrow no one passes his life.
30 Vinegar does
not catch a fly, but honey. A sweet tongue draweth
the snake
forth from the earth.
31 What good is
advice to a fool?
SEPTEMBER.
"Shall
there not be as good a 'then' as 'now'?
Haply much
better. . . Therefore fear I not;
And therefore,
Holy Sir! my life is glad,
Nowise
forgetting yet those other lives
Painful and
poor, wicked and miserable,
Whereon the
Gods grant pity! But for me,
What good I
see, humbly I seek to do,
And live
obedient to the law, in trust
That what will
come, and must come, shall come well."
-- LIGHT OF
1 To him who has subdued self by SELF, his self is a friend;
but to him who has not subdued senses by mind, that self is an enemy.
2 The eye is a
window which looks into the heart. The brain is a door through
which heart escapes.
3 Devotion and
clear vision are not his who eats too much, nor his who eats not
at all; not his who sleeps too much, nor his who is
too awake.
4 At the end of a life of study, the man possessed of
knowledge approaches
Deity; and at
the end of many lives, the wise man becomes one with the ALL.
5 Grief and
wrath, avarice and desire, delusion and laziness, vindictiveness and
vanity, envy and hatred, censoriousness and slander --
are the twelve sins
destructive of man's bliss.
6 The wolf
changes his coat, and the serpent his skin, but not
their nature.
7 The young of
the raven appears to it a nightingale.
8 The dog howls
at the moon, but the moon heeds it not; be like the moon.
9 Let your soul
work in harmony with the universal intelligence, as your breath
does with the air.
10 Let no
bitterness find entrance into the heart of a mother.
11 Pervert not
the heart of a man who is pure, for he will turn thine
own first
enemy.
12 Do not make
a wicked man thy companion, or act on the advice of a fool.
13 Save not thy
life at the expense of another's, as he will take two of thy
lives in future births.
14 Mock not the
deformed; assume not a proud demeanor with thy inferiors; hurt not the feelings
of the poor; be kind to those weaker than thyself, and
charitable to all beings.
15 Sacrifice
not thy weaker child to the stronger, but protect him.
16 Amuse not
thyself at the expense of those who depend on thee. Mock not a
venerable man, for he is thy superior.
17 Death is a
black camel that kneels at everybody's door. Death is a friend and
a deliverer.
18 A little hill in a low place thinks itself a great mountain.
19 Men are
gnomes condemned to forced toils in the kingdom of darkness (or
ignorance).
20 We are the
true troglodytes, cave-dwellers, though we call our cavern the
world.
21 Living for
ages in the night-realm, we dream that our darkness is full day.
22 All life is
but a perpetual promise; an engagement renewed, but never
fulfilled.
23 Man is a
king, dethroned, and cast out from his kingdom; in chains and in a
dungeon.
24 The heart of
a beggar will not be content with half the universe; he is not
born to a part, but to the whole.
25 Our life is
the ante-room of the palace where our true treasure lies --
immortality.
26 Useless to
seek to seize the ocean-echo, by clasping the shell in which it
lies hid; as useless to try to seize this essence, by
grasping the form in which
for a moment it shone.
27 When the
leaden clouds clash together, the fair glimpse of heaven is shut
out.
28 When the
silence falls upon us, we can hear the voices of the gods, pointing
out in the quiet light of divine law the true path for
us to follow.
29 All the air
resounds with the presence of spirit and spiritual laws.
30 The spirit
it is, that, under the myriad illusions of life, works steadily
towards its goal; silently, imperceptibly, irresistibly,
moving on to divinity.
OCTOBER.
The
consciousness of good, which neither gold,
Nor sordid
fame, nor hope of heavenly bliss,
Can purchase;
but a life of resolute good,
Unalterable
will, quenchless desire
Of universal
happiness; the heart
That beats with
it in unison; the brain
Whose
ever-wakeful wisdom toils to change
Reason's rich
stores for its eternal weal.
This
"commerce" of sincerest virtue needs
No mediative signs of selfishness,
No jealous
intercourse of wretched gain,
No balancings of prudence, cold and long: --
In just and
equal measure all is weighed;
One scale
contains the sum of human weal,
And one, THE
GOOD MAN'S HEART!
-- SHELLEY.
1 The glamour
of Time conceals from the weak souls of men the dark abysses
around them, the terrible and mighty laws which incessantly
direct their lives.
2 There is no death without sin, and no affliction without
transgression.
3 Man's actions
are divided, as regards their object, into four classes; they
are either purposeless, unimportant, or vain, or good.
4 The sun
causes day and night, divine and human. Night is for the sleep of
beings, day for the performance of their duty.
5 If we were
convinced that we could never make our crooked ways straight, we
should for ever continue in our errors.
6 Where there
are not virtue and discrimination, learning is not to be sown
there, no more than good seed in barren soil.
7 A teacher is more venerable than ten sub-teachers; a father,
than one hundred
teachers; a mother, than a thousand fathers.
8 Let not a
man, even though pained, be sour-tempered, nor devise a deed of
mischief to another.
9 One is not
aged because his head is grey: whoever, although a youth, has
wisdom, him the gods consider an elder.
10 A wise man
should ever shrink from honor as from poison, and should always be
desirous of disrespect as if of ambrosia.
11 Though
despised, one sleeps with comfort, with comfort awakes, with comfort
lives in this world; but the scorner perisheth.
12 Trust not in
business one ever caught asleep by the sun rising or setting,
for thereby he incurs great sin.
13 Those who prefer to swim in the waters of their ignorance, and to
go down
very low, need not exert the body or heart; they need
only cease to move, and
they will surely sink.
14 As a man digging comes to water, so a zealous student
attains unto knowledge.
15 A good man
may receive pure knowledge even from an inferior; the highest
virtue from the lowest.
16 Ambrosia may
be extracted even from poison; elegant speech even from a fool;
virtue even from an enemy; and gold from dross.
17 Whoever
offers not food to the poor, raiment to the naked, and consolation to the
afflicted, is reborn poor, naked, and suffering.
18 As a sower gets not his harvest if he sow
seed in salt soil, so the giver
gets no fruit by bestowing on the unworthy.
19 There are
three things of which one never tires: health, life and wealth.
20 A misfortune
that cometh from on high cannot be averted; caution is useless
against the decrees of Fate.
21 The worst of
maladies is envy; the best of medicines is health.
22 Three things
can never be got with three things: wealth, with wishing for it;
youth, with cosmetics; health, with medicine.
23 Trifling
ruins earnestness, lying is the enemy of truth, and oppression
perverts justice.
24 Caution can
never incur disgrace; imbecility can never bring honor with it.
25 Whomsoever
riches do not exalt, poverty will not abase, nor calamity cast him down.
26 Night and
day are the steeds of man; they hurry him on, not he them.
27 Whoso heeds
not a plaint, confesses his own meanness; and whoso makes a merit of his
charity, incurs reproach.
28 There are
four things of which a little goes on a long way: pain, poverty,
error, and enmity.
29 He who knows
not his own worth, will never appreciate the worth of
others.
30 Whosoever is
ashamed of his father and mother, is excluded from the
ranks of the wise.
31 He who is
not lowly in his own sight, will never be exalted in the sight of
others.
NOVEMBER.
"As large
as is the unbounded Universe,
So large that
little, hidden Spirit is!
The Heavens and
Earths are in it! Fire and air,
And sun and
moon and stars; darkness and light,
It comprehends!
Whatever maketh Man,
The present of
him, and the past of him,
And what shall
be of him; -- all thoughts and things
Lie folded in
the eternal vast of It!"
-- THE SECRET OF DEATH (fr. The Katha
Upanishad).
1 In every blessing think of its end, in every misfortune
think of it removal.
2 If justice
predominates not over injustice in a man, he will speedily fall
into ruin.
3 Vain hopes
cut man off from every good; but the renunciation of avarice
prevents every ill.
4 Patience
leads to power, but lust leads to loss.
5 By wisdom is
the gift of knowledge displayed; by knowledge are high things
obtained.
6 In calamity
are men's virtues proved, and by long absence is their friendship
tested.
7 That man who
accurately understands the movement and the cause of the
revolutions of the wheel of life is never deluded.
8 Days end with
sunset, nights with the rising of the sun; the end of pleasure
is ever grief, the end of grief ever pleasure.
9 All action
ends in destruction; death is certain for whatever is born;
everything in this world is transient.
10 In
information is shown the
wit of man, and in travel is his temper tried.
11 In poverty
is benevolence assayed, and in the moment of anger is a man's
truthfulness displayed.
12 By truth
alone is man's mind purified, and by right discipline it doth become
inspired.
13 By shaking hands with deceit, one is tossed on the billows
of toil.
14 Fear of
judgment will deter from wrong, but trifling with it leads to
destruction.
15 An act may seem right, but it is by its results that its
purpose is shown.
16 Intelligence
is shown by good judgment.
17 Learning clears the mind, and ignorance cobwebs it.
18 Whoso takes
good advice is secure from falling; but whoso rejects it, falleth
into the pit of his own conceit.
19 By a trusty
friend is man supported in life, and by reward are friendships
increased.
20 Whoso cannot
forgive wrong done to him shall learn to know how his good deeds are undone by
himself.
21 He who
bestows bounty on mankind, makes of mankind his debtor
in a future birth.
22 The envious
man is never satisfied, nor can he ever hope to become great.
23 The more a
man clothes himself in modesty, the better does he conceal his
faults.
24 The best
policy for a man is not to boast of his virtues.
25 The kindest
policy for a strong man is not to flourish his power in the sight
of a weaker man.
26 The
contentious man induces antagonism; people cannot often repress anger
when contending with fools.
27 Intelligence
is not shown by witty words, but by wise actions.
28 Of the
eloquence of the pleasant speaker all men are enamored.
29 Craft has
the best of men; boldness conquers cities; the first is despised,
the last admired.
30 The brave
man of whose prowess all men stand in need, will never be
distressed by adversaries.
DECEMBER.
"Ring out the
old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy
bells, across the snow:
The year is
going, let him go;
Ring out the
false, ring in the true.
"Ring out
the grief that saps the mind,
For those that
here we see no more;
Ring out the
feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress
to all mankind."
-- TENNYSON (In Memoriam)
1 The most
precious gift received by man on earth is desire for wisdom.
2 In health and
wealth man is never in want of friends. True friends, however,
are those who remain when they are needed.
3 Of all the animals on earth, man alone has the faculty of
causing moral
trouble.
4 Man contains
three kinds of evil: the evil caused by his (lower) nature; the
evil done by man to man; and the evil caused by man to
himself.
5 A great man is he who is proof against flattery, vanity,
injustice, and the
love of pomp and power.
6 The wise man
is he who can either take or leave those so-called necessities of
life with which other people are intemperate.
7 To hold on with fortitude in one condition, and sobriety in
the other, is a
proof of a great soul and an impregnable virtue.
8 Let every
action be done with perfect gravity, humanity, freedom, and justice,
and perform it as though that action were your last.
9 A man can
rarely be unhappy by being ignorant of another's thoughts; but he
that does not attend to the motions of his own is
certainly unhappy.
10 Do not let
accidents disturb, or outward objects engross your thoughts; but
keep your mind quiet and disengaged, to be ready to
learn something good.
11 Manage all
your actions, words, and thoughts accordingly, since you can at
any moment quit life.
12 What matters
dying? If the gods are in being, you can suffer nothing, for
they will do you no harm.
13 And if the
gods are not, or take no care of mortals -- why, then, a world
without gods is not worth a man's while to live in.
14 The being of
the gods, and their concern in human affairs, is beyond dispute.
15 Remember
that life is wearing off, and a smaller part of it is left daily.
16 Depend not
upon external supports, nor beg your tranquillity of
another. In a
word, never throw away your legs to stand upon
crutches.
17 If you
examine a man that has been well-disciplined and purified by
philosophy, you will find nothing that is unsound, false, or
foul in him.
18 Life moves
in a very narrow compass; yes, and men live in a small corner of
the world too.
19 Poor
transitory mortals know little even of themselves, much less of those
who died long before their time.
20 Death and
generation are both mysteries of nature, and resemble each other;
the first does but dissolve those elements the latter
had combined.
21 Do not
suppose you are hurt, and your complaint ceases. Cease your complaint, and you
are not hurt.
22 That which
does not make man worse, does not make his life worse; as a
result, he hath no harm either within or without.
23 At present
your nature is distinct; but ere long you will vanish into the
whole: you will be returned into that universal reason
which gave you your
being.
24 Do but
return to the principles of wisdom, and those who take you now for a
monkey or a wild beast will make a god of you.
25 Do not act
as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at
your elbow. Be good for something, while you live, and
it is in your power.
26 He that is
so anxious about being talked of when he is dead, does
not
consider that all who knew him will quickly be gone.
27 If you
depend too servilely upon the good word of other
people, you will be
unworthy of your own nature.
28 Whatever is
good has that quality from itself; it is finished by its own
nature, and commendation is no part of it.
29 Do not run
riot; keep your intentions honest, and your
convictions sure.
30 He that does
a memorable action, and those who report it, are all
but
short-lived things.
31 Put yourself
frankly into the hands of Fate, and let her spin you out what
fortune she pleases.
______________________
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Preface
Theosophy and the Masters General Principles
The Earth Chain Body and Astral Body Kama – Desire
Manas Of
Reincarnation Reincarnation Continued
Karma Kama Loka
Devachan
Cycles
Arguments Supporting Reincarnation
Differentiation Of Species Missing Links
Psychic Laws, Forces, and Phenomena
Psychic Phenomena and Spiritualism
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What is Theosophy
? Theosophy Defined (More Detail)
Three Fundamental Propositions Key Concepts of Theosophy
Cosmogenesis Anthropogenesis Root Races
Ascended Masters After Death States
The Seven Principles of Man Karma
Reincarnation Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott William Quan Judge
The Start of the Theosophical
Society
History of the Theosophical
Society
Theosophical Society Presidents
History of the Theosophical
Society in Wales
The Three Objectives of the Theosophical
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Explanation of the Theosophical
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The Theosophical Order of
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Glossaries of Theosophical Terms
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A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom
(Selection of Articles by H P Blavatsky)
The Secret Doctrine – Volume 3
A compilation of H P Blavatsky’s
writings published after her death
Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries
The Early Teachings of The
Masters
A Collection of Fugitive Fragments
Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy
Mystical,
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Edited by George Robert Stow Mead
From Talks on the Path of Occultism - Vol. II
In the Twilight”
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Twilight” series appeared during
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from 1909-1913 in The Theosophist.
compiled from information supplied by
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Letters and
Talks on Theosophy and the Theosophical Life
Obras Teosoficas En Espanol
Theosophische Schriften Auf Deutsch
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Elementary Theosophy Who is the Man? Body and Soul
Body, Soul and Spirit Reincarnation Karma
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