A system of beliefs and actions shared by a group which gives the members of that group an object for their worship and a code of behavior, although early Shintō lacked the latter and only in more recent times has it adopted ethical codes either from Confucianism,…

The likelihood of a favorable acceptance of the astounding revelation to be made in this essay will be considerably heightened if the epochal disclosure is preceded by sufficient prefatory exegesis to present it in its proper "frame of reference".

From the Proceedings of the Federation of European Sections of the Theosophical Society, Amsterdam 1904 Published in 1915 Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai [Madras] India The Theosophist Office, Adyar, Madras. India

(The scheme of transliterating Sanskrit words adopted in this essay is mainly that agreed upon by western scholars) [Page 1]

Many years of study of Christian origins have convinced some of us that it is impossible to be absolutely certain historically of any objective fact relating to the life of Jesus as handed on by tradition. -from the Foreword How much of the New Testament gospel story is true? This is the stunning question posed-and answered-in this provocative volume, first published in 1903 and just as…

Everybody in Christendom has heard of Simon, the magician, and how Peter, the apostle, rebuked him, as told in the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles. Many also have heard the legend of how at Rome this wicked sorcerer endeavoured to fly by aid of the demons, and how Peter caused him to fall headlong and thus miserably perish. And so most think that there is an end of the matter, and either…

This is one of the best books about the Gnostics written prior to the Nag Hammadi discoveries. G.R.S. Mead, who also translated the Pistis Sophia, summarizes what was known about the Gnostics at the turn of the 20th century. At that time, a better picture of the Gnostics was emerging, based on several papyri which had been recently discovered.

Early Christianity held secrets equal to those of other great religions, says Annie Besant. Its first followers guarded them as priceless treasures. After an increasingly rigid hierarchy began to bury these truths in the early centuries A.D., they were known only to a few initiates, who communicated them privately, often in obscure language.

Radhanath Swami, born as Richard Slavin in Chicago, came to confront a deep sense of alienation from the materialism and the civil injustices of mid-20th century America. Near-death encounters, apprenticeships with advanced yogis, and years of travel along the pilgrim's path led him to the inner sanctum of India's mystic culture.

True open-mindedness is not a condition we are born with. Children assume that their parents' values and prejudices are the correct ones and that the way things are is the way they ought to be. In adolescence, we may begin to challenge the values and assumptions of our childhood and become open to other ways of thinking and acting. This attitude of receptiveness to new ideas develops in stages…

In a generous comment on my book The Yoga of the Christ, the justly highly regarded comparative religionist, Huston Smith, hailed it as a landmark in interfaith dialogue. However, I have become increasingly uneasy about this comment because I do not believe that I was engaging in interfaith dialogue in that book or in any of my other writings or talks. I have wished to engage in what may be…

Why is it important to understand religion? What is the real picture of religion in the world today? And why is seeing that portrait, with all its contours, all its foreground activity, and deep background important for Theosophists and others interested in the spiritual evolution of individuals and the world?

To begin with, consider the second object of the Theosophical Society: To…

Reincarnation is the theory or belief that human beings are born into the physical body, not just once, but multiple times. In many religions and teachings, it includes being born into animal bodies, but in others, such as in theosophy, only in human forms.

Leslie Wolf presentaion on the religion of Islam which is more than 1,400 years old, and it has had an enormous impact on world civilization.