The Book of the Golden Precepts E-Book

H. P. Blavatsky

• Herausgeber: Radiant Books
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Unveiling the secret wisdom of the ages, H. P. Blavatsky, “the most remarkable woman of the modern world” (Manly P. Hall), reveals fragments from The Book of the Golden Precepts — a sacred book kept in strict secrecy beyond the Himalayas.

So unsurpassable in luminous beauty and inspirational power that even Elvis Presley read them onstage, these fragments reveal the secret path to supreme enlightenment and awakening of divine consciousness, serving as keys that open the way to authentic transformation.

If you’re seeking real spiritual growth, if you long to access divine wisdom that will explain everything that is happening in the world, if you want to live with deeper and majestic purpose, The Book of the Golden Precepts is your key, no matter your background or belief.

“I believe that this book has strongly influenced many sincere seekers and aspirants to the wisdom and compassion of the Bodhisattva Path.”
— His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

“[It is] the only true exposition in English of the Heart Doctrine of the Mahayana and its noble ideal of self-sacrifice for humanity.”
— His Holiness the 9th Panchen Lama

“Whatever critics may say against Madame Blavatsky, . . . [her] contribution to humanity will always rank high.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

Buy this book now to discover the secret path to supreme enlightenment!

Leseprobe

The Book of the Golden Precepts

The Voice of the Silence and Other Fragments of Divine Wisdom

Praise for H. P. Blavatsky and Theosophy

“I owe much to the Theosophical friends among whom I have many. Whatever critics may say against Madame Blavatsky, . . . [her] contribution to humanity will always rank high.”

— Mahatma Gandhi, leader of India’s non-violent independence movement

“Her books show extraordinary erudition and capacity for hard work.”

— Arthur Conan Doyle, writer, creator of Sherlock Holmes

“. . . theosophy seems to be a good enough religion — its main principles being that all religions contain some truth and that we ought to be tolerant . . .”

— Aldous Huxley, writer, philosopher, author ofBrave New World

“I feel that a great part of my being is striving toward theosophy.”

— Franz Kafka, writer, author ofThe Metamorphosis

“Her books are famous. There is a lot of good in them; what is not good is that they speak of what people are unable to understand.”

— Leo Tolstoy, writer, philosopher, author ofAnna Karenina

“I have always wondered at . . . the miracles of Madame Blavatsky. . . . Here we plumb some profounder law — deeper than the ordinary laws of nature.”

— H. G. Wells, writer, considered “the father of science fiction”

“Theosophy is not a religion. Its followers are simply ‘searchers after Truth.’ Not for the ignorant are the tenets they hold, neither for the worldly in any sense. Enrolled within their ranks are some of the grandest intellects of the Eastern and Western worlds.”

— L. Frank Baum, writer, author ofThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz

“I became a member of the Theosophical Society at thirteen . . . I have no doubt that those years . . . left a deep impress upon me, and I feel that I owe a debt . . . to Theosophy.”

— Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India

“The Theosophical Society is a fellowship of seekers. Its contribution to India’s cultural and political rebirth is well known. The gentle strength of the quest for truth enabled it to withstand opposition and misrepresentation in its early years. Perhaps that is what attracted my father to it . . . and probably the message of theosophy had much to do with his universalism, his reverence for different faiths and his repugnance for any kind of fanaticism.”

— Indira Gandhi, first and only female Prime Minister of India

“Theosophists have guessed at the awesome grandeur of the cosmic cycle wherein our world and human race form transient incidents. They have hinted at strange survivals in terms which would freeze the blood if not masked by a bland optimism.”

— H. P. Lovecraft, writer, author ofCthulhu Mythos Tales

“[Indian philosophy] remained the preserve of Sanskrit scholars and philosophers. But it was not so very long before the Theosophical Movement inaugurated by Mme. Blavatsky possessed itself of the Eastern traditions and promulgated them among the general public.”

— C. G. Jung, psychiatrist, founder of analytical psychology

“Much of what I learned in those [Theosophy] classes was very helpful to my own constantly evolving personal beliefs about God and the universe.”

— Jane Goodall, PhD, ethologist, activist, author ofThe Book of Hope

“I am extremely impressed . . . with the quality and power of Madame Blavatsky’s work.”

— Brian L. Weiss, MD, psychiatrist, author ofMany Lives, Many Masters

“A fantastic and enlightened lady. I’m only sorry she lived a century too early. How I would have loved to work with her, be inspired by her, and have traveled and taught with her!”

— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, MD, psychiatrist, author ofOn Death and Dying

“[She was] humorous, unfanatical, and displaying always, it seemed, a mind that seemed to pass all others in her honesty.”

— W. B. Yeats, poet, Nobel Prize laureate in Literature

“The wisest woman in Europe.”

— T. S. Eliot, poet, Nobel Prize laureate in Literature

“Madame Blavatsky put forth two astounding tomes into which entered a labor so prodigious that men are still cracking their skulls over them. I refer to The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled. If they accomplished nothing more, these two books, they certainly put to rout the idea of the caveman’s contribution to our culture. Drawing from every imaginable source, Madame Blavatsky amasses a wealth of material to prove the everlasting continuity of esoteric wisdom.”

— Henry Miller, writer

“Try and get hold of Mme. Blavatsky’s books.”

— D. H. Lawrence, novelist, poet

“In fact no other woman has been so powerful in the whole history of man, has had influence worldwide. . . . She really loved humanity, and did everything that she felt was right.”

— Osho, contemporary mystic and philosopher

“Incredible and mysterious Russian lady . . . [who] persuaded a goodly number of British aristocrats and literati to consider the Upanishads, the Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Buddhist Tripitaka.”

— Alan Watts, philosopher, writer, author ofThe Wisdom of Insecurity

“[Theosophists] weren’t charlatans. They weren’t using a good old gimmick or trick to exploit people. They really — please believe me — sincerely believed what they were doing. It wasn’t just a hoax.”

— Jiddu Krishnamurti, philosopher, writer, author ofFreedom from the Known

“The Indians . . . from time to time confront those learned in our civilization with problems which we have either passed by unnoticed or brushed aside with superficial words and explanations. H. P. Blavatsky was the first person, after living for many years in India, to establish a strong bond between these ‘savages’ and our ‘civilization.’ This laid the beginnings for a tremendous spiritual movement which today includes a large number of people . . . who seek to approach the problem of the spirit by way of inner knowledge.”

— Wassily Kandinsky, painter, art theorist, author ofConcerning the Spiritual in Art

“She wrote to me to follow the light that is within me. I have strictly followed her advice, and am glad to testify to her wonderful powers of mystic illumination. . . . Love to all living beings, small and great, the desire to renounce sensual pleasures that impede the progress in the realm of spirituality and the strenuous effort to do meritorious deeds for the betterment of humanity, forgetting self, have been to me a kind of spiritual pabulum which I have partaken since I came in touch with the wonderful personality of H.P.B.”

— Anagarika Dharmapala, Buddhist revivalist, founder of the Maha Bodhi Society

“Many of the remarks which she made at that time, which were highly controversial, are now generally accepted. Many of the findings which she reported and which amazed her contemporaries, now belong to our common knowledge.”

— Manly P. Hall, scholar, philosopher, author ofThe Secret Teachings of All Ages

“H. P. Blavatsky . . . [is the] most comprehensive announcer of . . . [ancient esoteric] teachings.”

— William Walker Atkinson, writer, publisher, author ofThe Kybalion

“The Great Theosophists like Madame Blavatsky — like the Great Christians; or the great anything else — were not Theosophists — or Christians — they were seekers.”

— James Jones, writer, author ofFrom Here to Eternity

“Who will not bow before her, who took upon herself such a heroic deed amidst the abyss of ignorant negations, suspicions, and persecutions? Truly, she was a martyr for the new salvation, which she revealed to humanity in the era of suffocating and corrupting materialism.”

— Helena Roerich, philosopher, author of theAgni Yogaseries

“The great Foundress of the Theosophical Society H. P. Blavatsky, in her last article, pointed out the importance of Art. She foresaw the future significance of this great creative force, which will help to build the coming world, as Art is the nearest bridge between different nations. We should always remember this last thought of the great personality. . . . My painting The Messenger . . . is dedicated to the memory of this great woman.”

— Nicholas Roerich, artist, philosopher, three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee

“When she died she passed not into historical oblivion or outdatedness, as so many past great luminaries have. Rather, her aura of timeliness and timelessness has grown.”

— Ingo Swann, parapsychology researcher, writer, artist, author ofPenetration

“Theosophy has been brutally redacted from the story of modern art. . . . No one wants to believe that theosophy changed anything. But it did. Actually, theosophy changed everything. Without it, abstract art would never have happened. All the pioneers of abstraction, all of them, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Malevich, the Italian futurists Boccioni and Balla, all of them were fascinated by theosophy. And Jackson Pollock was fascinated by it too. . . . Theosophy turned a lot of heads. And a remarkable number of them were the heads of artists. When Mondrian died in New York, one of the few possessions he had brought with him from Europe was the photo of Madame Blavatsky. It is one of the great untold stories of modernism, how the mysterious cult of theosophy changed art. . . . Theosophy’s influence was remarkable. Hundreds of significant American artists fell under its spell, including Thomas Wilfred. . . . Madame Blavatsky continues to pull the strings of American art.”

— Waldemar Januszczak, art critic ofThe Sunday Times

“A visionary trailblazer, H.P.B., more than any other person was responsible for the introduction of Eastern religious and spiritual thinking into Western religion, science, psychology, art, music and literature.”

— Jeremy P. Tarcher, publisher of non-fiction bestsellers

“What was necessary [to the Masters] was nobility of soul and a heart full of devotion capable of absorbing what had to be infused into humanity. And that she possessed!”

— Rudolf Steiner, philosopher, social reformer

“I got everything from The Secret Doctrine.”

— Piet Mondrian, painter, art theorist

“Mme. Blavatsky’s ideas helped me in my work and gave me power to accomplish my task.”

— Alexander Scriabin, composer, pianist

“I am amazed at the vast amount of erudition displayed in [two very handsome volumes of Isis Unveiled] and the great interest of the topics on which they treat. . . . [This] book will open up . . . a whole world of new ideas, and cannot fail to be of the greatest value.”

— Alfred Russel Wallace, naturalist, co-author with Darwin of the theory of evolution

“She had an excellent heart, for she lived very plainly in order that she might give more to the worthy poor. . . . It is quite true that Madame Blavatsky is an exceptional person.”

— Abner Doubleday, US Army officer, once considered the inventor of baseball

“I got my own ideas about Hyperborea, Poseidonis, etc., from such [Theosophical] sources, and then turned my imagination loose.”

— Clark Ashton Smith, writer, author ofThe Dark Eidolon and Other Fantasies

“Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was unquestionably one of the outstanding women of her age. . . . [Her teachings] have had a profound influence on religious thought — especially in the Western world. . . . The publication of her Isis Unveiled in 1877 attracted worldwide attention and brought her permanent recognition as one of the greatest authorities ever known on the subject of occultism.”

— Dennis Wheatley, writer, author ofThe Forbidden Territory

“Undoubtedly, Madame Blavatsky had in some way been initiated into the deeper side of Mahayana teaching and then gave out what she deemed wise to the Western world as Theosophy.”

— D. T. Suzuki, philosopher, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, author ofAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism

“[Theosophy is] the crown blessing of my life.”

— Matilda Joslyn Gage, writer, activist, president of the National Woman Suffrage Association, co-author ofHistory of Woman Suffrage

“The Secret Doctrine is a sort of stupendous encyclopaedia of esoteric knowledge, . . . in which we shall find a host of ingenious and interesting comparisons between the teachings and the manifestations of occultism throughout the centuries and in different countries.”

— Maurice Maeterlinck, playwright, poet, Nobel Prize laureate in Literature

“The word Theosophy with the name Blavatsky . . . [opened] a new phase of my life.”

— Alexandra David-Néel, traveller, writer, author ofMy Journey to Lhasa

“She was tormented, misunderstood, slandered, distrusted. But the years have passed, and what do we see? Her heroic personality seems to be of unprecedented greatness. It rises above all the narrow-minded calumnies, which often stemmed from her closest colleagues, and makes these people seem even darker because of the blackness of their gloomy deeds, born of envy and ambition, the two scourges underlying all slander! . . . The works of H.P.B. are the best criterion by which to judge her, and these will always speak for themselves. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow cast upon it. The greater the phenomenon, the greater the contrast. This is the touchstone.”

— Svetoslav Roerich, painter

“Theosophical study provided my first introduction to Oriental thought, and set me off upon a line of investigation which has become more fascinating still with the passage of time.”

— Paul Brunton, writer, philosopher, author ofA Search in Secret India

“Here was a being who had the capacity to demonstrate that certain assumptions science was making were only that. And we owe a lot to her whether we are theosophists or not. . . . She is a true pioneer; a real Copernicus, if you wish.”

— David Spangler, philosopher, writer, author ofApprenticed to Spirit

“In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts.”

— Agustín Pío Barrios, virtuoso classical guitarist, composer

“Madame Blavatsky reinforced and almost recreated in many minds the sense of this life being a mere probation. In this respect her teaching was much more in accord with the spirit of the New Testament than much of the pseudo-Christian teaching of our day. She widened the horizon of the mind, and she brought something of the infinite sense of the vast, illimitable mystery, which characterizes some of the Eastern religions, into the very heart of Europe in the nineteenth century.”

— W. T. Stead, newspaper editor, investigative journalist

“H.P.B. had a different task in a different age and with a different race — than did Buddha. She did all she did, wrote what she wrote under guidance. . . . The West needed first an all-comprehensive philosophy — a synthesis of religion, science, and philosophy — the East had always had it.”

— Lawren S. Harris, painter, founding member of the Group of Seven

“I marvelled what I could have done to merit birth in an age wherein such wisdom was on offer to all who could beg, borrow or steal a copy of those [Blavatsky’s] works.”

— George W. Russell (Æ), poet

“My salvation and inspiration come from philosophy a little and religion a great deal, especially from the mystics ancient or modern theosophical. With them my load is lifted and I regain peace, courage, faith.”

— Alfred Deakin, second Prime Minister of Australia

“Astrology without Theosophy has no meaning.”

— Alan Leo, astrologer, writer, considered “the father of modern astrology”

“What a woman! . . . Misunderstood, vilified, and abused, and yet with a brilliant, cultured, and deeply learned mind; the very soul of generosity; a woman of direct speech and action, refusing to talk the pious platitudes and nonsense that we chatter under the guise of socially good manners, but offering the truth for anyone who wanted it. . . . She was never neutral, or the same to all. She made a great number of friends who would die for her, and enemies who would kill her if they could. . . . Those strong blue eyes could see into the character of every man and woman who came to her, and even see by whom she would later be betrayed. . . . She would help from her meagre funds (and she was always poor), all those in need, even though she knew at the time that they were planning to smash the cause she had given her life to serve. . . . As a speaker she was magnetic; she never lectured but she would talk, and those who heard her could think of nothing else.”

— Christmas Humphreys, jurist, writer, founder of the Buddhist Society

“A forceful, pugnacious, and gifted personality — worse still, a forceful, pugnacious, and gifted woman, one of the great liberated ladies of her day — she could not help but draw withering, critical fire by her every act and word, especially when she presumed to challenge the most entrenched intellectual orthodoxies of the age. Still today people who have never read a line she wrote remain adamantly convinced she was a fraud and a crank. . . . Above all, she is among the modern world’s trailblazing psychologists of the visionary mind.”

— Theodore Roszak, PhD, academic, historian, novelist

“Boldly announcing that she was an agent of the Great Lodge, she outlined the fundamental teachings of the Wisdom Religion even before she founded the Theosophical Society. . . . Braving the painful, though sacred, duty of openly naming the Mahatmas who are behind the Movement, she demonstrated the grandeur of the theosophical system and the danger of playing with its Fohatic fire. In expounding the fundamentals of theosophia and the basic principles of oriental philosophia, she pointed to the underlying roots of all individual and collective progress.”

— Raghavan N. Iyer, PhD, philosopher, professor, author ofThe Moral and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi

“I would recommend Blavatsky’s enormous work, The Secret Doctrine, in which . . . we encounter small, precious features that introduce us to an understanding of religious creativity.”

— Andrei Bely, poet, novelist, author ofPetersburg

“When, with all kinds of political failures and economic breakdowns we (Indians) were suspecting the values and vitality of our culture, when everything round about us and secular education happened to discredit the value of Indian culture, the Theosophical Movement rendered great service by vindicating those values and ideas. The influence of the Theosophical Movement on general Indian society is incalculable.”

— Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, second President of India

“I knew Madame Blavatsky very well . . . and I believe there is no doubt that the Theosophical movement has had an excellent effect upon humanity. It has made a large number of people understand what all India always understood, and that is the importance of invisible things.”

— Edwin Arnold, poet, author ofThe Light of Asia

“She had a marvellous aptitude for rendering abstruse Eastern metaphysical thought into a form intelligible to Western minds, and for verifying and comparing Eastern wisdom with Western science.”

— Max Heindel, mystic, author ofThe Rosicrucian Cosmo Conception

“H. P. Blavatsky founded a new nation, a universal nation, that knows no limits of geography, whose citizenship is not based on colour, race, or creed, but it depends on character.”

— Talbot Mundy, writer, author ofKing of the Khyber Rifles

“She was chaste, generous, forgiving, amusing, lovable; . . . she sacrificed her station, her patrimony, her ease, her honour, her wealth, her life itself, for a high and noble cause.”

— Claude Bragdon, architect, writer, publisher

“Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society. Its activities accelerated the influx of knowledge about Asiatic religions and restored self-confidence in the wavering minds of the Asiatics themselves. . . . By its timely intervention, the Theosophical Society has done a great service to the Buddhist cause.”

— Edward Conze, Buddhologist, translator

“[H.P.B.] was a titan among mortals. . . . [She] was a warrior not a priestess, a prophetess rather than seeress; she was, moreover, most things you would not expect, as an instrument for bringing back the memory of much that was most holy and wise in antiquity.”

— G. R. S. Mead, historian, writer, first English translator ofPistis Sophia

“She lived in great truth, yet was called a liar; in great generosity, and was called a fraud; in a detestation of all shams, and yet — was crowned the Queen of Humbugs.”

— Edmund N. Russell, artist

“She appears to be an extraordinary, naturally gifted yogic practitioner. . . . Now, Buddhist devotees in many foreign countries gather like stars in the sky, largely due to this woman’s new movement. . . . Her teachings captivate many Westerners because they are explained in the context of modern perspectives according to the latest scientific developments. While earlier foreigners were sceptical of supernatural powers, she has not only demonstrated them but also explained these abilities through modern scientific principles, such as how supernatural powers can transform material objects.”

— Gendun Chopel, philosopher, historian, translator

“Her familiarity with Tibetan Buddhism as well as with esoteric Buddhist practices seems to be beyond doubt.”

— Gunapala Malalasekera, PhD, academic, diplomat, founder of the World Fellowship of Buddhists

“Hardly anything had been known about Shambhala in the West before H. P. Blavatsky who presented the Ancient Wisdom of the East to an unprepared European and American public in the Victorian era.”

— Andrew Tomas, writer, author ofWe Are Not the First

“Blavatsky [was] the teacher among men, the sufferer in the hands of men.”

— Dane Rudhyar, writer, composer, artist, astrologer

“I felt more and more the need for [The Secret Doctrine].”

— Ruth Crawford Seeger, composer, musicologist

“On ordinary lines it is strange that an old, sickly woman, not consulting a library and having no books of her own of consequence, should possess the unusual knowledge that Madame Blavatsky undoubtedly did. . . . But it is a fact that she knew more than I did on my own particular lines of anthropology, etc. . . . Madame Blavatsky certainly had original sources of information (I don’t say what) transcending the knowledge of experts on their own lines.”

— Charles Carter Blake, anthropologist, palaeontologist

“Madame Blavatsky . . . was one of the great women of the last century.”

— Katherine Sophie Dreier, artist, lecturer, social reformer

“Madame Blavatsky . . . prophesied the arrival of the present scientific predicament, and were she alive today she would doubtless register the ‘I-told-you-so’ expression.”

— Alvin Boyd Kuhn, PhD, writer, author ofThe Esoteric Structure of the Alphabet

“When H. P. Blavatsky came to the Western world with her message from the Brothers, . . . she met with the same reception that every Saviour, every prophet and teacher has met with since the beginning of time: crucifixion of body or soul or both.”

— Francia La Due, philosopher, founder of The Temple of the People

“If she had not lived and done what she did, humanity would not have had the impulse and the ideas toward the good which it was her mission to give and to proclaim.”

— William Q. Judge, lawyer, writer, co-founder of the Theosophical Society

“The secret of [H.P.B.’s] potent spell was her undeniable spiritual powers, her evident devotion to the Masters . . . and her zeal for the spiritual uplifting of humanity by the power of the Eastern Wisdom.”

— Henry Steel Olcott, lawyer, Buddhist revivalist, co-founder of the Theosophical Society

“She was of heroic stature, and smaller souls instinctively resented her strength, her titanic nature. Unconventional, careless of appearances, frank to unwisdom — as the world estimates wisdom — too honest to calculate against the dishonesty of others, she laid herself open to continual criticism and misunderstanding. Full of intellectual strength and with extraordinary knowledge, she was humble as a little child. Brave to recklessness, she was pitiful and tender.”

— Annie Besant, social reformer, writer, Indian independence leader

“She was one of the true Saviours of the race; one of that deathless band of Great Ones ‘whose hands hold back the heavy karma of the world’ — who ‘remain unselfish to the endless end.’”

— Alice L. Cleather, writer, author ofBuddhism: The Science of Life

“H. P. Blavatsky, ‘that great path-breaker in the wilderness of a Paradise debased,’ has put the Master Key into our hands. It is our own fault if, through ignorance, prejudice, or indifference we fail to use it.”

— Basil Crump, lawyer, writer, editor ofThe Law Times

“The significance of Blavatsky is that, thanks to her, we do not have to choose between a faith and a philosophy. If, as her enemies allege, what she teaches is not Buddhism, it is an improvement on it. She has given us our immortality within the grandest design we have been privileged to glimpse.”

— Jean Overton Fuller, writer, painter, author ofMadeleine

“The world, dazzled by the light of her doctrines, which the majority of men did not grasp, because they were new to them, looked upon her with distrust, and the representatives of scientific ignorance, filled with their own pomposity, pronounced her to be ‘the greatest impostor of the age,’ because their narrow minds could not rise up to a comprehension of the magnificence of her spirit. It is, however, not difficult to prophesy, that in the near future, when the names of her enemies will have been forgotten, the world will become alive to a realization of the true nature of the mission of H.P.B., and see that she was a messenger of Light, sent to instruct this sinful world, to redeem it from ignorance, folly and superstition, a task which she has fulfilled as far as her voice was heard and her teachings accepted.”

— Franz Hartmann, MD, writer, author ofParacelsus

“[She was] the best and truest of Teachers, the most faithful and untiring of Messengers.”

— Isabel Cooper-Oakley, writer, author ofThe Count of Saint-Germain

“I have personally received from my association with them [Theosophists] more help, more encouragement to live my own life and express my own opinions and develop my own thinking than from any set of people with whom I have come in contact.”

— George Lansbury, politician, leader of the Labour Party (UK)

“In spite of her tremendous attainments and unrivalled talent, she had not a vestige of pedantic assumption, and had the simple heart of a child. ‘Imposter’ indeed! She was almost the only mortal I have ever met who was not an impostor. . . . [She was] the most extraordinary woman of our century, or of any century.”

— William Stewart Ross, writer, publisher, editor ofThe Secular Review

“It is now beginning to be recognized that her writings contain the key to the profoundest mysteries of Man and the Universe, and those who opposed her, finding themselves unable to disprove the value and truth of her philosophy, sought by means of personal slander and vilification to prejudice public opinion, and thus divert attention from the treasure of knowledge which she was the means of giving to the world, and which, if impartially considered on its merits, must have carried with it the conviction of the integrity of the writer.”

— A. Trevor Barker, writer, lecturer, transcriber ofThe Mahatma Letters

“To anyone who studies the evidence thoroughly and without prejudice, there is no doubt that Madame Blavatsky was a genuine worker of what the world calls magic.”

— Howard Murphet, writer, author ofSai Baba: Man of Miracles

“I went to her a materialist, she left me a Theosophist, and between these two there is a great gulf fixed. Over that gulf she bridged the way. She was my spiritual mother, and never had child a more loving, a more patient, a more tender guide.”

— Herbert Burrows, socialist activist

“What characterizes the philosophy taught by H. P. Blavatsky is that it appears to many minds, when revealed to them, as the noblest of all philosophies, as the only system which is clear and reasonable, the knowledge of which is a motive to self-development. To become more intelligent and better, not in the ordinary meaning of the words, but to become more worthy of esteem in one’s own eyes — that is what is possible for people nowadays, thanks to her.”

— Maurice Magre, writer, poet, playwright

“It is not even remotely possible to register everything that has been written about Blavatsky. Having greatly interested Western Europe, North America, and India with her Theosophy, Blavatsky gave rise to a huge volume of panegyric and polemical literature: many dozens of books, hundreds of magazine pieces, and thousands of newspaper articles. Her fame is so great that in the respectable London dictionary Men of the Time, where one column is devoted to the most famous people of our time, three are devoted to Blavatsky.”

— Zinaida Vengerova, literary critic, translator

“Helena Blavatsky tirelessly called for spirituality, for the liberation of thought from the yoke of external forms, for broad tolerance, for the realization of unity and brotherhood among people and nations. With fiery enthusiasm she affirmed the divinity of human nature and the possibility of communication with higher worlds; with indomitable energy she fought against the materialism that filled the world and against everything that extinguishes the spirit.”

— Elena Pisareva, philosopher, translator, writer

“I am always captivated when the theosophical principle penetrates what is most precious to me — i.e., art.”

— Serge Wolkonsky, theatrical worker, director, writer

“Madame Blavatsky had a profound knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, and the doctrines she promulgated were those of many great teachers.”

— B. T. Chang, secretary of the Ninth Panchen Lama of Tibet

Praise for Fragments from theBook of the Golden Precepts

The Voice of the Silence

“I believe that this book has strongly influenced many sincere seekers and aspirants to the wisdom and compassion of the Bodhisattva Path.”

— His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet

“First in this series of the scriptures of wisdom religion which can impregnate and fructify our educational, social, economic, and cultural fields — even politics, diplomacy, and industrial power — is The Voice of the Silence, or fragments from the Book of the Golden Precepts which has been beautifully translated by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.”

— Reverend Father Anthony Elenjimittam,philosopher, theologian, writer

“It is good to carry this little book with you. As you progress along the Path, everything said therein becomes, when re-read, so distinct, infinitely close, and so directing into the Radiant Future. All that is said is more than just metaphors. It becomes the Truth experienced by the heart and enlightened consciousness.”

— Helena Roerich, philosopher, author of theAgni Yogaseries

“The essential substance of the Book of the Golden Precepts . . . has been, I think, rather beautifully set forth in the fragments which Madame Blavatsky collected and called The Voice of the Silence.”

— Manly P. Hall, scholar, philosopher, author ofThe Secret Teachings of All Ages

“The Voice of the Silence is true Mahayana doctrine.”

— D. T. Suzuki, philosopher, Nobel Peace Prize nominee

“A pure Buddhist work.”

— Anagarika Dharmapala, Buddhist revivalist, founder of the Maha Bodhi Society

“This book is a gem of inexhaustible wisdom, written in beautiful poetic prose with unforgettable metaphors, friendly but frank warnings about the pitfalls on the Path, and magnanimous encouragement for all souls. It gives superb guidance for all earnest pilgrims who are fearless, patient and persistent in their unutterable faith in the Diamond Soul, the vajra of adamantine courage, and the boundless compassion of time-honoured lineages of enlightened sages.”

— Raghavan N. Iyer, PhD, philosopher, professor, author ofThe Moral and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi

“The Buddhists and Theosophists of the West, all converts, be it noted, from some other faith, have much in common: The Voice of the Silence.”

— Christmas Humphreys, jurist, writer, founder of the Buddhist Society

“The message of The Voice of the Silence is not to be understood unless we realize that it appeals to the heart, that it strives to develop intuition, to awaken Soul-wisdom, and that in so doing its principal methods are paradox and poetry.”

— Sangharakshita, writer, founder of the Triratna Buddhist Community

“Many mystical scriptures are indeed little more than musical compositions. . . . These words [from The Voice of the Silence] . . . stir chords within you which music and language touch in common.”

— William James, philosopher, psychologist, author ofThe Principles of Psychology

“In contemporary mystical literature, Blavatsky’s The Voice of the Silence and M. Collins’ Light on the Path stand out in a special way. These two little books contain a whole collection of Eastern wisdom.”

— P. D. Ouspensky, philosopher, author ofIn Search of the Miraculous

“Its verses ripple on in a rhythmic cadence aptly suited to assist the feeling of mystical devotion. Like other of the Oriental books it consists of ethico-spiritual maxims, which hardly so much attempt to give a systematic exposition of moral principles, as to reduce the spiritual essence of these principles to a mantric form capable of exerting a magical potency when used ritually. . . . What The Voice of the Silence aims to do is to strike the spiritual keynote of the ancient science of mystic union or yoga as essentially a spiritual technique and not a system of magical practices.”

— Alvin Boyd Kuhn, PhD, writer, author ofThe Esoteric Structure of the Alphabet

“The Voice of the Silence, expressing the views of the highest schools of occultism, asks us to step out of the sunlight into the shade so as to make more room for others, and declares that those whom we help in this life will help us in our next one.”

— William Q. Judge, lawyer, writer, co-founder of the Theosophical Society

“The book is . . . a prose poem, full of spiritual inspiration, full of food for the heart, stimulating the loftiest virtue and containing the noblest ideals. It is not a hotch-potch drawn from various sources, but a coherent ethical whole. It moves us, not by a statement of facts gathered from books, but by an appeal to the divinest instincts of our nature. It is its own best testimony to the source whence it came.”

— Annie Besant, social reformer, writer, Indian independence leader

“The Voice of the Silence is intended to serve as meditation material. It is written entirely based on occult knowledge. Occult knowledge is living knowledge, which means that it acts as a force on the entire human being when one imbues oneself with it while meditating. . . . It is not a question of intellectually absorbing and analysing this knowledge, but of total devotion to it. Only those who succeed in freeing their field of consciousness from all everyday impressions for a short time and during this time, in filling themselves completely with thoughts of meditation, will receive the fruit of meditation. . . . Then [the occult knowledge underlying The Voice of the Silence] becomes a part of our soul and it works in us, even if we do not think about it in detail during meditation.”

— Rudolf Steiner, philosopher, social reformer

“One of the most important tenets of the Esoteric Teachings, clearly given out as the ‘Heart Doctrine’ by H.P.B. in The Voice of the Silence . . . is this: That ‘the heart of the Universe is Love’ — love so divine and impersonal as but faintly to be comprehended by finite minds.”

— Alice L. Cleather, writer, author ofBuddhism: The Science of Life

“When such qualified and eminent Eastern scholars thus endorse Madame Blavatsky’s interpretation of Mahayana Buddhism, the words of any Western pundit to the contrary should be brushed aside as so much chaff — he but merely airs his ignorance of that particular subject.”

— Miriam Salanave, writer, author ofA Buddhist Roll Call

“If we look at The Voice of the Silence as at a revelation giving to the uninitiated an idea of the enormous spiritual labour and tension through which the disciple of an occult school passes, creatively reworking their entire inner life along new lines, we shall find in this little book guidance of inestimable value.”

— Elena Pisareva, philosopher, translator, writer

“This little book, the gem of Buddhist teachings, . . . is like a call to men to forsake desire, dispel every evil thought, and enter the true Path.”

— B. T. Chang, secretary of the Ninth Panchen Lama of Tibet

“The editors were fortunate enough to come into close touch with the Tashi Lama himself during his visit to Beijing, and to obtain from him a Foreword in his own handwriting which is reproduced . . . as he wrote it. . . . The significance of such an action is profound. The Tashi Lama is the spiritual head of the Buddhist community for an enormous area of Asia, and deeply venerated by the whole of the Mahayana School. The effect of this official sanction is therefore finally to accept this gem of Wisdom for the pure Buddhist work we have ever claimed it to be.”

—Buddhism in England(London, December 1927)

“The value of the addenda is largely in indicating that the reprint has the cooperation and endorsement of the Tashi Lama, and as affording incontrovertible evidence that The Voice of the Silence is not a work of H.P.B.’s imagination, but is taken from documents known to exist and which represent the actual ethical teachings of the Tibetan Masters. In fact, these addenda give a sense of reality and a feeling of conviction which is not conveyed by any other edition.”

—O. E. Library Critic(Washington, March 1928)

“With the publication of The Voice of the Silence under the authority of the Tashi Lama himself, an impetus has been given throughout the Buddhist world to the study of the latest and most complete presentation of that Ancient Wisdom, The Secret Doctrine, as given out by the same writer, H. P. Blavatsky.”

—Buddhism in England(London, March 1928)

“In view of the fact that the first edition of this valuable gem of esoteric literature was the only correct one, and is now unprocurable, it will be seen that the new publication is of the greatest interest, and should be in the hands of all students and admirers of the work of Madame Blavatsky.”

—The Occult Review(London, April 1928)

“It is unfortunate that many members of the Southern School allow the veil of prejudice to blind them to the value of the Mahayana Wisdom, while the inability of many Mahayanists to accept the works of H. P. Blavatsky as Buddhism is more pathetic still. H.P.B. not only derived her material from personal instruction in Tibet, but with that splendid worker, Col. H. S. Olcott, was avowedly a Buddhist in the world of men. The endorsement by H. H. the Tashi Lama of her The Voice of the Silence, which she translated from an esoteric manuscript, as being a Buddhist work, though infinitely older than Gautama Buddha, has done much to destroy the foolish prejudice.”

—Buddhism in England(London, July 1928)

“It has been alleged that the Sanskrit and other texts from which H.P.B. claimed to have her information concerning the secret wisdom, were spurious, and that claims made by her, or on her behalf, that the texts were studied in Tibetan libraries in a period preceding 1880 were false. Mrs. Cleather and Mr. Crump struck a great blow in her defence when they secured a frontispiece from the pen of the Tashi Lama, and a signed preface at the hands of his secretary, to a facsimile edition of H.P.B.’s The Voice of the Silence. The Tashi Lama is at the head of all Buddhist communities in Tibet, India and China, and might justly be termed the ‘Pope’ of the Buddhist world, though Buddhism and Confucianism are not, and have never been, sectarian in policy, being essentially religions of peace. The Voice of the Silence is a small volume of practical occultism, an excellent basis for meditation, and purports to be a translation of some of the oldest stanzas ever written in the early Sanskrit idiom. It has thus come to pass that the work of [H.P.B.] has been placed beyond criticism as regards authenticity, being now sponsored by the Tashi Lama, the highest authority on the subject.”

—The Path(Sydney, August 1928)

“For reasons we have never understood Buddhists in England seem reluctant to accept this exquisite small work as part of the literature of Buddhism. Yet it was quoted by William James in The Varieties of Religious Experience, and by Dr. Evans-Wentz, an authority on Tibet. The late Anagarika Dharmapala described it as a ‘pure Buddhist work,’ and now by chance we have come across a report of a remark by Dr. D. T. Suzuki made many years ago to the American pioneer Buddhist, Mrs. Salanave. ‘I saw The Voice of the Silence for the first time when at Oxford. I got a copy and sent it to Mrs. Suzuki (then Miss Beatrice Lane) at Columbia University, writing to her: Here is the real Mahayana Buddhism.’ Has anyone ever read it who did not rank it among the world’s greatest scriptures?”

—The Middle Way(London, August 1965)

Light on the Path

“This little book — a true jewel — belongs to, and emanates from the same school of Indo-Aryan and Buddhist thought and learning as the teachings in The Secret Doctrine.”

— H. P. Blavatsky

“Anybody who wants to travel towards the heights has to understand Light on the Path. It is a small book as far as quantity is concerned, just a few pages, but as far as quality is concerned it is one of the biggest, the greatest books. . . . Whosoever wrote it, whosoever guided the writer, that’s beside the point; the book itself stands like a golden tower.”

— Osho, contemporary mystic and philosopher

“Everything it has to say seems to be contrary to the essence of modern life; but after it is understood and lived up to, I think it is a very helpful guide.”

— Jackson Pollock, painter

“Of all the numerous books written for the purpose of throwing light on the path of the student of occultism, we know of none better fitted for the purpose than that wonderful little book called Light on the Path, written down by ‘M.C.,’ at the instigation of some intelligences far above the ordinary. It is veiled in the poetic style common to the Orientals, and at first glance may seem paradoxical. But it is full of the choicest bits of occult wisdom, for those who are able to read it. It must be read ‘between the lines,’ and it has a peculiarity that will become apparent to anyone who may read it carefully. That is, it will give you as much truth as you are able to grasp today; and tomorrow when you pick it up it will give you more, from the same lines. Look at it a year from now, and new truths will burst upon you — and so on, and on. It contains statements of truth so wonderfully stated — and yet half-concealed — that as you advance in spiritual discernment — and are ready for greater truths each day — you will find that in this book veil after veil will be lifted from before the truth, until you are fairly dazzled. It is also remarkable as a book which will give consolation to those in trouble or sorrow. Its words (even though they be but half-understood) will ring in the ears of its readers, and like a beautiful melody will soothe and comfort and rest those who hear it. We advise all of our students to read this little book often and with care. They will find that it will describe various spiritual experiences through which they will pass, and will prepare them for the next stage.”

— William Walker Atkinson, writer, publisher, author ofThe Kybalion

“Light on the Path, just like The Voice of the Silence, is full of symbols, allusions, and hidden meaning. This little book must be read carefully. Its deeper meaning seems to disappear, and then reappear throughout the book, and so should be read when the reader is in a particular kind of mood. Light on the Path prepares the ‘disciple’ for conversation with the ‘Master,’ that is, it prepares the ordinary consciousness for communication with the higher consciousness.”

— P. D. Ouspensky, philosopher, author ofIn Search of the Miraculous

“Light on the Path is highly mystico-spiritual in tone, a companion work to The Voice of the Silence. It is couched in allegorical and figurative language, depicting forms of nature as symbolical of spiritual truth.”

— Alvin Boyd Kuhn, PhD, writer, author ofThe Esoteric Structure of the Alphabet

“Definitely intended for the quickening of the evolution of those who are on the Path, this book puts forward ideals which people of the world are rarely prepared to accept. Only as far as a man is able and willing to live the teaching, will he be able to understand it. If he does not practise it, it will remain a sealed book to him. Any effort to live it will throw light upon it; but if the reader makes no effort, he will not only gain very little, but he will turn against the book and say that it is useless.”

— Annie Besant, social reformer, writer, Indian independence leader

“Highly significant also are the sayings in Light on the Path that have been written down by Mabel Collins, under the instruction of higher powers. Actually in the first four sentences there is something that, when applied with patience in the appropriate way, is capable of so seizing upon the human aura that this aura is completely shot through with new light. One can see this light in the human aura shining and glistening. Bluish shades arise in place of the reddish or reddish-brown shimmering shades of colour, and, in the place of yellow shades, clear reddish ones arise, and so on. The whole colouring of the aura transforms itself under the influence of such eternal thoughts. The student cannot yet perceive this in the beginning, but he gradually begins to notice the deep influence that emanates from the greatly transformed aura.”

— Rudolf Steiner, philosopher, social reformer

“For manifestation in the physical world, we have an instrument which we call our body; for manifestation in the sphere of feelings and emotions, another instrument which has been called the astral body; for manifestation in the sphere of thinking, the body of thought; for expression in the higher worlds we have an instrument to which we give the name of spirit, and in the East is given the name buddhi. The rules for the complete awakening of this instrument of the spirit are given in the book Light on the Path.”

— Elena Pisareva, philosopher, translator, writer

“Miss Mabel Collins’ Light on the Path has been translated into Sanskrit, and will be placed by the Hindu pundits as one of the Sanskrit classics. Translation into Sanskrit is a thing which has not been done for at least 100 years past; but the book is sufficiently Buddhistic and occult to satisfy even the learned Hindus.”

—The Star(London, 1888)

The Book of the Golden Precepts

The Voice of the Silence and Other Fragments of Divine Wisdom

H. P. Blavatsky

Copyright Page

Copyright © 2025 by Radiant Books. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For additional information, please contact [email protected].

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023951163

Foreword © 1989 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Reprinted by permission of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from the Centenary edition of The Voice of the Silence (Santa Barbara, CA: Concord Grove Press, 1989).

Foreword, Commentary, The Island of Bliss © 1964, 1981 by Reverend Father Anthony Elenjimittam. Reprinted by permission of the Welfare Society for Destitute Children from The Voice of Silence (Bombay: Aquinas Publications, 1981).

Forewords by His Holiness the Ninth Panchen Lama and B. T. Chang, comments by Alice Cleather and Basil Crump were originally published in The Voice of the Silence (Peking: Chinese Buddhist Research Society, 1927). Foreword by William Walker Atkinson was originally published in Light on the Path (Chicago: Yogi Publication Society, 1903). Foreword by Manly P. Hall was originally published as an article in The All-Seeing Eye, vol. 3, no. 15 (2 March 1927).

Fragments from the Book of the Golden Precepts, The Voice of the Silence and Light on the Path, were originally published in 1889 and 1885, respectively; Mabel Collins’ comments on Light on the Path in 1887–1888. The Golden Stairs was originally published in 1890; To the Esotericists in 1889; The Three Desires in 1888; At the Feet of the Master in 1910; Love with an Object in 1888; The Heart in 1891; Will and Desire, Self-Knowledge, Desire Made Pure, The Great Paradox in 1887; Spiritual Progress in 1885; Practical Occultism, Occultism Versus the Occult Arts in 1888; The Blessings of Publicity in 1891; The Theosophical Mahatmas in 1886; Chelas and Lay Chelas in 1883; Mahatmas and Chelas, Chelas in 1884; The Ten Rules of Discipleship of the Fourth Degree of the Great White Lodge in 1925; The Maha Chohan’s Letter in 1896; Master Koot Hoomi’s Letter in 1923; Master Hilarion’s Letter in 1925; H.P.B.’s Letter in 1891.

The Influence of H. P. Blavatsky, The Embodiments of Love and Compassion, Glossary © 2025 by Alexander Gerasymchuk; edited by Joanna Dobson. Three Fragments in Modern English © 2025 by Alexander Gerasymchuk; prepared by Joanna Dobson and Alexander Gerasymchuk. Translations from the Chinese © 2025 by Alexander Gerasymchuk; translated by Eric Stone, Ken Kraynak, Alina Hu, and Dubaibob; edited by Joanna Dobson. Translations of The Path of Heroic Deeds in Everyday Life, Recommendations for a Healthier Life, The Lotus © 2025 by Alexander Gerasymchuk; translated from the Russian by Alexander Gerasymchuk and Joanna Dobson.

Edgar Cayce Readings © 1971, 1993–2010 The Edgar Cayce Foundation. All rights reserved.

H. P. Blavatsky’s photo was taken in New York around 1874–1876 by Edsall Photographic Studio. Master Morya’s portrait was received by Helena Roerich in 1921. His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s photo © Chuck Nacke/Alamy Stock Photo. The photos of His Holiness the Ninth Panchen Lama and Reverend Father Anthony Elenjimittam were restored by Beata Korozo.

Photograph in the Introduction: The Holy Relics of Shakyamuni Buddha and Lama Tsongkhapa by Harvey Benge. Courtesy of ThePowerOfHolyRelics.com. Used by permission.

Cover design by semnitz™.

Grateful acknowledgement is made for permission to include quotes inPraiseby:

Aldous Huxley, from Letters of Aldous Huxley by Aldous Huxley. Copyright © 1969 by Laura Huxley. Reprinted by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc. on behalf of the Aldous and Laura Huxley Literary Trust. All rights reserved.

C. G. Jung, from Psychologie und Religion © 2007 Foundation of the Works of C. G. Jung, Zurich. Reprinted by permission of Paul & Peter Fritz AG Literary Agency.

Jane Goodall, PhD, from Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall, copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Brian L. Weiss, MD, from H.P.B. by Sylvia Cranston. Copyright © 1993 by Brian L. Weiss. Reprinted by permission of the Weiss Institute.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, MD, from H.P.B. by Sylvia Cranston. Copyright © 1993 by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Reprinted by permission of the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation.

Henry Miller, from The Books in My Life, copyright © 1969 by New Directions Publishing Corp. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.

Osho, from Beyond Psychology and Books I Have Loved. Copyright © 1984, 1986, 2025 by OSHO International Foundation. Reprinted by permission of OSHO International Foundation.

Alan Watts, from In My Own Way © 2001 by Joan Watts and Anne Watts. Used by permission of New World Library, www.newworldlibrary.com.

Jiddu Krishnamurti, an extract from an interview by Wilfred Thomas at Brockwood Park, 1970 copyright © Krishnamurti Foundation Trust Ltd. Permission to quote from the works of J. Krishnamurti has been given on the understanding that such permission does not indicate endorsement of the views expressed in this media. For more information about J. Krishnamurti (1895–1986) please visit: www.jkrishnamurti.org.

James Jones, from Some Came Running. Copyright © 1958 by James Jones. Reprinted by permission of Kaylie Jones.

Ingo Swann, from H.P.B. by Sylvia Cranston. Copyright © 1994 by Ingo Swann. Reprinted by permission of the Ingo Swann Estate.

Waldemar Januszczak, from Waldemar’s American Road Trip: Big Dreams, Big Art. Copyright © 2018 by ZCZ Films. Used by permission of Waldemar Januszczak.

Jeremy P. Tarcher, from H.P.B. by Sylvia Cranston. Copyright © 1998 by Jeremy P. Tarcher. Reprinted by permission of Mallory Lewis.

Paul Brunton, from “My Tour Among the Yogis,” The London Forum (1934). Copyright © 1934 by Paul Brunton. Reprinted by permission of the Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation.

David Spangler, from a lecture delivered at the Mayflower Bookshop, Ferndale, MI. Copyright © 1977 by David Spangler. Used by permission of David Spangler.

Raghavan N. Iyer, PhD, from “The Seventh Impulsion,” Hermes (1975) and The Voice of the Silence (Santa Barbara, CA: Concord Grove Press, 1989). Copyright © 1975, 1989 by Raghavan N. Iyer. Reprinted by permission of Pico Iyer.

Sangharakshita, from “Paradox and Poetry in The Voice of the Silence,” Aphorisms, the Arts, and Late Writings, Complete Works, vol. 26 (Cambridge: Windhorse Publications, 2022), pp.197–212. Copyright © 1958, 2018 by Sangharakshita. Reprinted by permission of the Urgyen Sangharakshita Trust.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits.

Published in 2025 by Radiant Books

radiantbooks.co

ISBN 978-1-63994-054-7 (hardback)

ISBN 978-1-63994-055-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63994-056-1 (e-book)

Contents

Foreword by Manly P. Hall

The Influence of H. P. Blavatsky

The Golden Rule

The Embodiments of Love and Compassion

The Golden Stairs

The Voice of the Silence

Foreword by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

Foreword by His Holiness the Ninth Panchen Lama

Foreword by Reverend Father Anthony Elenjimittam

Foreword by B. T. Chang

Foreword by Alice Cleather and Basil Crump

To the Esotericists

Preface

Fragment I

Fragment II

Fragment III

The Island of Bliss

Three Fragments in Modern English

Light on the Path

Foreword by William Walker Atkinson

Part I

Part II

Karma

Comments

Questions and Answers

The Three Desires

Insights for the Path

The Path of Heroic Deeds in Everyday Life

At the Feet of the Master

Love with an Object

The Heart

Will and Desire

Self-Knowledge

Desire Made Pure

The Great Paradox

Spiritual Progress

Practical Occultism

Occultism Versus the Occult Arts

The Blessings of Publicity

Questions and Answers

Recommendations for a Healthier Life

The Theosophical Mahatmas

Chelas and Lay Chelas

Mahatmas and Chelas

Chelas

The Ten Rules of Discipleship

The Maha Chohan’s Letter

Master Koot Hoomi’s Letter

Master Hilarion’s Letter

H.P.B.’s Letter

The Lotus

Glossary

List of Portraits:

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Master Morya

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Ninth Panchen Lama

“There is no Religion higher than Truth.”

* * *

There is a road, steep and thorny, beset with perils of every kind — but yet a road, and it leads to the Heart of the Universe. I can tell you how to find Those who will show you the secret gateway that leads inward only, and closes fast behind the neophyte for evermore. There is no danger that dauntless courage cannot conquer. There is no trial that spotless purity cannot pass through. There is no difficulty that strong intellect cannot surmount. For those who win onwards, there is reward past all telling: the power to bless and save humanity. For those who fail, there are other lives in which success may come.

— H. P. Blavatsky

Foreword

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

The Most Remarkable Woman of the Modern World

We present the most remarkable woman of the modern world, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and philosopher to whom the world is indebted for the most complete outline now in print of the doctrines and mysteries of the ancient and modern worlds, both Eastern and Western. It is impossible to estimate the influence of this woman. She was a forerunner, and the modern tolerance for metaphysical and oriental thought is largely the result of her years of labour.

Madame Blavatsky was born in Yekaterinoslav, Russia,1 in July 1831.2 At the age of seventeen, she married a Russian officer, Nikifor Blavatsky, many years her senior. She lived with him but a few months and then began a life of wandering which included travel in Mexico, Canada, India, and Tibet. With the assistance of Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, she founded the Theosophical Society in New York City in 1875. Madame Blavatsky was made an American citizen, and declared that her citizenship papers were one of her most cherished possessions.

She wrote a number of books of which The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled are the most important. She also edited a magazine which she called Lucifer (The Light-bearer). She died suddenly in London while working on the third and fourth volumes of The Secret Doctrine.

Madame Blavatsky was a pioneer in the Western world, for she brought to Europe and America the first connected account of the Eastern Schools of Occult Philosophy. A woman of commanding personality and scintillating mentality, she demanded and secured respect for ideas far in advance of the age. In her two great works, she acts as the mouthpiece of a very seclusive group of Eastern Adepts, known as Masters or Mahatmas, dwelling in the unexplored fastnesses of Greater and Lesser Tibet. She makes no claim to have written The Secret Doctrine, but states that she was merely a pen in the hand of a ready writer. Modern students should not lightly consider these works, for to contradict her is to contradict the Illustrious Brotherhood who chose her to serve them.

There is no doubt that Madame Blavatsky possessed superphysical powers similar to those of the East Indian Adepts. She demonstrated these many times. Most of her work was carried on under bitter opposition from all sides, from the scientist, the theologian, the man of the world, and even in spite of treachery among her own followers. During all this time she was in continuous poor health, the result of exposures in early life. While she never claimed to be an Initiate, there is every reason to suppose that she had been admitted at least into the lower or lesser mysteries, and consequently, was privileged to use the title Initiate.

It would pay everyone to study her books for the vast field of information on the ancient cultures and philosophies and it would especially be valuable for students of the occult to depart from less important books and study The Secret Doctrine.

When we say this, a great cry will go up by the student: “Oh, a book like The Secret Doctrine