The Upanishads

Religion & Spirituality

UNKNOWN

Hinduism

Spirit Seeker Books

Practical Mysticism

Originally Published 1915.\nWe are often told, that in the critical periods of history it is the national soul which counts: that "where there is no vision, the people perish." No nation is truly defeated which retains its spiritual self-possession. No nation is truly victorious which does not emerge with soul unstained. If this be so, it becomes a part of true patriotism to keep the spiritual life, both of the individual citizen and of the social group, active and vigorous; its vision of realities unsullied by the entangled interests and passions of the time. This is a task in which all may do their part. The spiritual life is not a special career, involving abstraction from the world of things. It is a part of every man's life; and until he has realised it he is not a complete human being, has not entered into possession of all his powers. It is therefore the function of a practical mysticism to increase, not diminish, the total efficiency, the wisdom and steadfastness, of those who try to practise it. It will help them to enter, more completely than ever before, into the life of the group to which they belong. It will teach them to see the world in a truer proportion, discerning eternal beauty beyond and beneath apparent ruthlessness. It will educate them in a charity free from all taint of sentimentalism; it will confer on them an unconquerable hope; and assure them that still, even in the hour of greatest desolation, "There lives the dearest freshness deep down things." As a contribution, then, to these purposes, this little book is now published. It is addressed neither to the learned nor to the devout, who are already in possession of a wide literature dealing from many points of view with the experiences and philosophy of the mystics. Such readers are warned that they will find here nothing but the re-statement of elementary and familiar propositions, and invitations to a discipline immemorially old. Far from presuming to instruct those to whom first-hand information is both accessible and palatable, I write only for the larger class which, repelled by the formidable appearance of more elaborate works on the subject, would yet like to know what is meant by mysticism, and what it has to offer to the average man: how it helps to solve his problems, how it harmonises with the duties and ideals of his active life. For this reason, I presuppose in my readers no knowledge whatever of the subject, either upon the philosophic, religious, or historical side. Nor, since I wish my appeal to be general, do I urge the special claim of any one theological system, any one metaphysical school. I have merely attempted to put the view of the universe and man's place in it which is common to all mystics in plain and untechnical language: and to suggest the practical conditions under which ordinary persons may participate in their experience. Therefore the abnormal states of consciousness which sometimes appear in connection with mystical genius are not discussed: my business being confined to the description of a faculty which all men possess in a greater or less degree.\nThe reality and importance of this faculty are considered in the first three chapters. In the fourth and fifth is described the preliminary training of attention necessary for its use; in the sixth, the general self-discipline and attitude toward life which it involves. The seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters treat in an elementary way of the three great forms of contemplation; and in the tenth, the practical value of the life in which they have been actualised is examined. Those kind enough to attempt the perusal of the book are begged to read the first sections with some attention before passing to the latter part.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

UNDERHILL, Evelyn

Alternative Medicine

The Way of Initiation: How to Attain Knowledge of the Higher Worlds

TABLE OF CONTENTS\nTRANSLATOR'S NOTE\nBeing deeply interested in Dr. Steiner's work and teachings, and desirous of sharing with my English-speaking friends the many invaluable glimpses of Truth which are to be found therein, I decided upon the translation of the present volume. It is due to the kind co-operation of several friends who prefer to be anonymous that this task has been accomplished, and I wish to express my hearty thanks for the literary assistance rendered by them-also to thank Dr. Peipers of Munich for permission to reproduce his excellent photograph of the author.\nThe special value of this volume consists, I think, in the fact that no advice is given and no statement made which is not based on the personal experience of the author, who is, in the truest sense, both a mystic and an occultist.\nIf the present volume should meet with a reception justifying a further venture, we propose translating and issuing during the coming year a further series of articles by Dr. Steiner in continuation of the same subject, and a third volume will consist of the articles now appearing in the pages of The Theosophist, entitled "The Education of Children."\n- MAX GYSI.

Politics & Social Sciences

STEINER, RUDOLF

Philosophy

TABLE OF CONTENTS\nFIRST PART 
THE SON OF THE BRAHMAN 
WITH THE SAMANAS 
GOTAMA 
AWAKENING\nSECOND PART 
KAMALA 
WITH THE CHILDLIKE PEOPLE 
SANSARA 
THE FERRYMAN 
THE SON 
OM 
GOVINDA

Siddhartha: An Indian Tale

HESSE,HERMANN

Buddhism

The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece

Initiates", "Three

New Age & Spirituality

Sacred Mysteries among the Mayas and the Quiches - 11, 500 Years Ago: In Times Anterior to the Temple of Solomon

Business & Money

Plongeon, Augustus

Economics

The Tao, and its Characteristics. By Laozi. Translated by James Legge.

The Tao

Laozi

The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ: The Original Text of Nicolas Notovitch's 1887 Discovery

After the Turkish War (1877-1878) I made a series of travels in the Orient. From the little remarkable Balkan peninsula, I went across the Caucasus to Central Asia and Persia, and finally, in 1887, visited India, an admirable country which had attracted me from my earliest childhood. My purpose in this journey was to study and know, at home, the peoples who inhabit India and their customs, the grand and mysterious archeology, and the colossal and majestic nature of their country. Wandering about without fixed plans, from one place to another, I came to mountainous Afghanistan, whence I regained India by way of the picturesque passes of Bolan and Guernaï. Then, going up the Indus to Raval Pindi, I ran over the Punjab-the land of the five rivers; visited the Golden Temple of Amritsar-the tomb of the King of Punjab, Ranjit Singh, near Lahore; and turned toward Kashmir, "The Valley of Eternal Bliss." Thence I directed my peregrinations as my curiosity impelled me, until I arrived in Ladakh, whence I intended returning to Russia by way of Karakorum and Chinese Turkestan. 
One day, while visiting a Buddhist convent on my route, I learned from a chief lama, that there existed in the archives of Lhasa, very ancient memoirs relating to the life of Jesus Christ and the occidental nations, and that certain great monasteries possessed old copies and translations of those chronicles.\n- Nicolas Notovitch\nTable of Contents\nPreface 
A Journey in Tibet 
Ladakh 
A Festival in a Gonpa 
The Life of Saint Issa 
Resumé 
Explanatory Notes

Notovitch, Nicolas

History

The period of "Let Us Follow Him" is that of the death of Christ. Antea, the wife of a Roman patrician, ill with terrible visions, is advised by a physician to seek the air of Jerusalem. There she and her husband meet Pilate, who tells them of the doctrine of the Nazarene, Jesus, and his condemnation to death. They are present at the Crucifixion, and Antea gives honor to the condemned Nazarene, saying, "Thou art Truth."\nOriginally published in 1897.

Let Us Follow Him

Sienkiewicz, Heunryk

Christian Books & Bibles

The Cowardly Lion of Oz

Literature & Fiction

Thompson, Ruth

Classics

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