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Detachment Gelassenheit

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

310 passages · 12 traditions
buddhism: 68 passagesbuddhism68christian_mysticism: 65 passageschristian_mysticism65taoism: 55 passagestaoism55western_esoteric: 29 passageswestern_esoteric29renaissance_hermeticism: 19 passagesrenaissance_hermeticism19neoplatonism: 15 passagesneoplatonism15gnosticism: 14 passagesgnosticism14greek_mystery: 14 passagesgreek_mystery14sufism: 13 passagessufism13platonism: 12 passagesplatonism12hermeticism: 5 passageshermeticism5finnic: 1 passagefinnic1
buddhism68
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter I, Section 1b
“70-75.' I do not deny that this may have been the traditional interpretation, at all events since the days of Buddhaghosa, but the very legend quoted by Buddhaghosa in illustration of this verse shows that its simpler and purely moral inter…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter I, Section 1c
“The play on the words anikkasâvo kâsâvam, or in Sanskrit anishkashâya h kâshâyam, cannot be rendered in English. Kashâya means 'impurity,' nish-kashâya, 'free from impurity,' anish-kashâya, 'not free from impurity,' while kâshâya is the na…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter I, Section 1d
“He suffers when he thinks of the evil he has done; he suffers more when going on the evil path. 18. The virtuous man is happy in this world, and he is happy in the next; he is happy in both. He is happy when he thinks of the good he has…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter II, Section 1a
“p. 9 CHAPTER II. ON EARNESTNESS [1] . 21. Earnestness is the path of immortality (Nirvâ n a), thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already. 22. Those who are…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter II, Section 1b
“A Bhikshu (mendicant) who delights in earnestness, who looks with fear on thoughtlessness, [25. Childers explains this island again as the state of an Arhat (arahatta-phalam). 28. Cf. Childers, Dictionary, Preface, p. xiv. See Vinaya,…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter III, Section 1a
“p. 12 CHAPTER III. THOUGHT. 33. As a fletcher makes straight his arrow, a wise man makes straight his trembling and unsteady thought, which is difficult to guard, difficult to hold back. 34. As a fish taken from his watery home and th…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter III, Section 1b
“That s ru means 'to run,' and is in fact a merely dialectic variety of sru, has been proved by Burnouf, while Boehtlingk thinks the substitution of s for s is a mistake. Â s rava therefore, or âsrava, meant originally 'the running out towa…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter III, Section 1c
“I translate it therefore in a more general sense, let him not return or turn away from the battle, let him watch Mâra, even after he is vanquished, let him keep up a constant fight against the adversary, without being attached to anything o…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter IV, Section 1a
“p. 16 CHAPTER IV. FLOWERS [1] . 44. Who shall overcome this earth, and the world of Yama (the lord of the departed), and the world of the gods? Who shall find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the (right)…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter IV, Section 1b
“The flower-arrows of Mâra, the tempter, are borrowed from Kâma, the Hindu god of love. For a similar expression see Lalita-vistara, ed. Calc. p. 40, l. 20, mâyâmarî k isad ri sâ vidyutphenopamâ s k apalâ h . It is on account of this p…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter V, Section 1a
“p. 20 CHAPTER V. THE FOOL. 60. Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law. 61. If a traveller does not meet with one who is his better, or his eq…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter V, Section 1b
“In Manu IV, 172, where a similar sentence occurs, the commentators are equally doubtful: Nâdharma s k arito loke sadya h phalati gaur iva, 'for an evil act committed in the world does not bear fruit at once, like a cow;' or 'like the earth…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter VI, Section 1a
“p. 23 CHAPTER VI. THE WISE MAN (PA ND ITA). 76. If you see an intelligent man who tells you where true treasures are to be found, who shows what is to be avoided, and administers reproofs, follow that wise man; it will be better, not wo…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter VI, Section 1b
“I would rather take the whole sentence together as a gloss upon the word va g anti:--va g antîti arahatta ñ ânena apaka ddh antâ kh andarâga m vi g ahanti; va g anti means that, ridding themselves of lust by the wisdom which Arhatship confe…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter VI, Section 1c
“Fausböll seems inclined to take âsava in this passage, and in the other passages where it occurs, as the Pâli representative of â s raya. But â s raya, in Buddhist phraseology, means rather the five organs of sense with manas, 'the soul,'…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter VII, Section 1a
“p. 27 CHAPTER VII. THE VENERABLE (ARHAT). 90. There is no suffering for him who has finished his journey, and abandoned grief, who has freed himself on all sides, and thrown off all fetters. 91. They depart with their thoughts well-co…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter VII, Section 1b
“Without the hints given by the commentator, we should probably take the three similes of this verse in their natural sense, as illustrating the imperturbable state of an Arahanta, or venerable person. The earth is always represented as an…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter VII, Section 1c
“In the mischief done by the eye, we have, perhaps, the first indication of the evil eye. (Mahâbh. XII, 3417. See Dhammapada, vv. 231-234 .) On the technical meaning of tâdi, see Childers, s.v. D'Alwis (p. 78) has evidently received th…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter VIII, Section 1b
“Buddhism, however, acknowledges the existence of some of the Hindu deities, and from the various friendly offices which those Devas are said to have rendered to Gotama, Buddhists evince a respect for their idols.' See also Buddhaghosha's Pa…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter IX, Section 1
“p. 34 Chapter IX. Evil. 116. If a man would hasten towards the good, he should keep his thought away from evil; if a man does what is good slothfully, his mind delights in evil. 117. If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again; let him…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter X, Section 1a
“p. 36 CHAPTER X. PUNISHMENT. 129. All men tremble at punishment, all men fear death; remember that you are like unto them, and do not kill, nor cause slaughter. 130. All men tremble at punishment, all men love life; remember that thou…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter X, Section 1b
“He who inflicts pain on innocent and harmless persons, will soon come to one of these ten states: [133. See Mahâbhârata XII, 4056. 134. See Childers, s.v. nibbâna, p. 270, and s.v. kâ m so; D'Alwis, Buddhist Nirvâ n a, p. 35. 136.…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter X, Section 1c
“Nakedness he seems to have rejected on other grounds too, if we may judge from the Sumâgadhâ-avadâna: 'A number of naked friars were assembled in the house of the daughter of Anâtha-pi nd ika. She called ber daughter-in-law, Sumâgadhâ, and…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XI, Section 1c
“I had formerly translated anibbisan, as not resting (anirvi s an), but the commentator seems to authorise the meaning of not finding (avindanto, alabhanto), and in that case all the material difficulties of the verse seem to me to disappear…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XIII, Section 1a
“p. 47 CHAPTER XIII. THE WORLD. 167. Do not follow the evil law! Do not live on in thoughtlessness! Do not follow false doctrine! Be not a friend of the world. 168. Rouse thyself! do not be idle! Follow the law of virtue! The vir…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XIII, Section 1b
“(4) Arhat, the venerable, the perfect, who has reached the highest stage that can be reached, and from which Nirvâ n a is perceived (sukkhavipassanâ, Lotus, p. 849). See Hardy, Eastern Monachism, p. 280; Burnouf, Introduction, p. 209; K…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XIV, Section 1a
“p. 49 CHAPTER XIV. THE BUDDHA (THE AWAKENED). 179. He whose conquest is not conquered again, into whose conquest no one in this world enters, by what track can you lead him, the Awakened, the Omniscient, the trackless? 180. He whom no…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XIV, Section 1b
“527, 528 of his 'Lotus.' He prefers sa k ittaparidamanam, which Csoma translated by 'the mind must be brought under entire subjection' (sva k ittaparidamanam), and the late Dr. Mill by 'proprii intellectus subjugatio.' But his own MS. of…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XIV, Section 1c
“But that is not a safe refuge, that is not the best refuge; a man is not delivered from all pains after having gone to that refuge. 190. He who takes refuge with Buddha, the Law, [188-192. These verses occur in Sanskrit in the Prâtihârya…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XV, Section 1a
“p. 53 CHAPTER XV. HAPPINESS. 197. Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! among men who hate us let us dwell free from hatred! 198. Let us live happily then, free from ailments among the ailing! among men who are ail…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XV, Section 1b
“loss at game, a losing throw, and occurs in that sense again in verse 252 . The Chinese translation has, 'there is no distress (poison) worse than hate.' A similar verse occurs Mahâbh. S ântip. 175, v. 35. 'Body' for khandha is a free…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XVI, Section 1
“p. 56 CHAPTER XVI. PLEASURE. 209. He who gives himself to vanity, and does not give himself to meditation, forgetting the real aim (of life) and grasping at pleasure, will in time envy him who has exerted himself in meditation. 210. Let no…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XVII, Section 1a
“p. 58 CHAPTER XVII. ANGER. 221. Let a man leave anger, let him forsake pride, let him overcome all bondage! No sufferings befall the man who is not attached to name and form, and who calls nothing his own. 222. He who holds back risi…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XVIII, Section 1a
“p. 60 CHAPTER XVIII. IMPURITY. 235. Thou art now like a sear leaf, the messengers of death (Yama) have come near to thee; thou standest at the door of thy departure, and thou hast no provision for thy journey. 236. Make thyself an isl…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XVIII, Section 1b
“On the five principal commandments which are recapitulated in verses 246 and 247, see Buddhaghosha's Parables, p. 153. 248. Cf. Mahâbhârata XII, 4055, yeshâ m v ri ttis k a sa m yatâ. See also verse 307 .] p. 62 249. The world gives…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XVIII, Section 1c
“As to bahira, I should take it in the sense of 'external,' as opposed to adhyâtmika, or 'internal;' and the meaning would be, 'a Sama n a is not a Sama n a by outward acts, but by his heart.' D'Alwis translates (p. 85): 'There is no footpr…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XIX, Section 1a
“p. 64 CHAPTER XIX. THE JUST. 256., 257. A man is not just if he carries a matter by violence; no, he who distinguishes both right and wrong, who is learned and leads others, not by violence, but by law and equity, and who is guarded by…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XIX, Section 1b
“(See Lassen, Indische Alterthumskunde, II, 700.) The Chinese Shamen and the Tungusian Shamen come from the same source, though the latter has sometimes been doubted. See Schott, Über die doppelte Bedeutung des Wortes Schamane, in the Philo…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XX, Section 1a
“p. 67 CHAPTER XX. THE WAY. 273. The best of ways is the eightfold; the best of truths the four words; the best of virtues passionlessness; the best of men he who has eyes to see. 274. This is the way, there is no other that leads to t…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XX, Section 1b
“Weber renders it by 'Gedeihen,' but the commentator distinctly explains it as 'vast knowledge,' and in the technical sense the word occurs after vidyâ and before medhâ, in the Lalita-vistara, p. 541. 283. A pun, vana meaning both 'lust'…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXI, Section 1a
“p. 70 CHAPTER XXI. MISCELLANEOUS. 290. If by leaving a small pleasure one sees a great pleasure, let a wise man leave the small pleasure, and look to the great. 291. He who, by causing pain to others, wishes to obtain pleasure for him…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXI, Section 1b
“Beal in his translation of the Dhammapada, Introduction, p. 5. Here a stanza is quoted as having been recited by Buddha, in explanation of a similar startling utterance which he had made to Mahâmati: 'Lust, or carnal desire, this is the M…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXII, Section 1a
“p. 74 CHAPTER XXII. THE DOWNWARD COURSE. 306. He who says what is not, goes to hell; he also who, having done a thing, says I have not done it. After death both are equal, they are men with evil deeds in the next world. 307. Many men…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXIII, Section 1a
“p. 77 CHAPTER XXIII. THE ELEPHANT. 320. Silently shall I endure abuse as the elephant in battle endures the arrow sent from the bow: for the world is ill-natured. 321. They lead a tamed elephant to battle, the king mounts a tamed elep…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXIII, Section 1b
“281) shows clearly that it meant 'origin,' or 'cause.' Yoniso occurs frequently as a mere adverb, meaning 'thoroughly, radically' (Dhammapada, p. 359), and yoniso manasikâra (Dhammapada, p. 110) means 'taking to heart' or 'minding thoroug…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXIV, Section 1a
“p. 80 CHAPTER XXIV. THIRST. 334. The thirst of a thoughtless man grows like a creeper; he runs from life to life, like a monkey seeking fruit in the forest. 335. Whomsoever this fierce thirst overcomes, full of poison, in this world,…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXIV, Section 1b
“This verse seems again full of puns, all connected with the twofold meaning of vana, 'forest and lust.' By replacing 'forest' by 'lust,' we may translate: 'He who, when free from lust, gives himself up to lust, who, when removed from lust r…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXIV, Section 1c
“Pleasures destroy the foolish, if they look not for the other shore; the foolish by his thirst for pleasures destroys himself, as if he were his own enemy. [352. As to nirutti, and its technical meaning among the Buddhists, see Burnouf, L…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXV, Section 1a
“p. 85 CHAPTER XXV. THE BHIKSHU (MENDICANT). 360. Restraint in the eye is good, good is restraint in the ear, in the nose restraint is good, good is restraint in the tongue. 361. In the body restraint is good, good is restraint in spee…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXV, Section 1b
“Nâmarûpa is here used again in its technical sense of mind and body, neither of which, however, is with the Buddhists âtman, or 'self.' Asat, 'what is not,' may therefore mean the same as nâmarûpa, or we may take it in the sense of what is…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXVI, Section 1a
“p. 89 CHAPTER XXVI. THE BRÂHMA N A (ARHAT). 383. Stop the stream valiantly, drive away the desires, O Brâhma n a! When you have understood the destruction of all that was made, you will understand that which was not made. 384. If the…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXVI, Section 1b
“'Both' in the first edition of my translation was a misprint for 'birth.' 394. I have not copied the language of the Bible more than I was justified in. The words are abbhantaran te gahana m , bâhira m parima gg asi, 'interna est abyssus,…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXVI, Section 1c
“405. Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who finds no fault with other beings, whether feeble or strong, and does not kill nor cause slaughter. 406. Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who is tolerant with the intolerant, mild with fault-finders,…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXVI, Section 1d
“Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who has left what gives pleasure and what gives pain, who is cold, and free from all germs (of renewed life), the hero who has conquered all the worlds. 419. Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who knows the dest…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter XXVI, Section 1e
“Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a who calls nothing his own, whether it be before, behind, or between, who is poor, and free from the love of the world. 422. Him I call indeed a Brâhma n a, the manly, the noble, the hero, the great sage, the…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1b
“observes that pa kkh abhatta m pi nd apâtapa t ikkânto is a {Greek ú!oteron próteron }, as it means, having returned from his rounds, and then made his meal on the food obtained on his rounds. 4. Pâli pa ññ ata. 5. Burnouf, Lotus, p. 3…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1d
“In the next or third 500 years, they will be strong in 'much learning,' i.e. bahu s ruta, religious knowledge. In the next or fourth 500 years, they will be strong in founding monasteries, &c. In the last or fifth 500 years, they will be…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1f
“Because, O Subhûti, the highest perfect knowledge of the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas is produced from it; the blessed Buddhas are produced from it. And why? Because, O Subhûti, when the Tathâgata preached: [1. See Childers, s.v. Lok…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1g
“Therefore he is called an Anâgâmin.' Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, does an Arhat think in this wise: The fruit of an Arhat has been obtained by me?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, an Arhat does not think in this wise…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1h
“Do you think then, O Subhûti, that his selfhood (he himself) would be large?' Subhûti said: 'Yes, O Bhagavat, yes, O Sugata, his selfhood would be large. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, when the Tathâgata preached: "Selfhood, selfhood indee…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1i
“Therefore it is called the Pra gñ â-pâramitâ. 'Then, what do you think, O Subhûti, is there anything (dharma) that was preached by the Tathâgata?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagvat, there is not anything that was preached by the Tathâga…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1j
“Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A true idea, a true idea indeed!" 'It is no wonder to me, O Bhagavat, that I accept and believe this treatise of the Law, which has been preached. And those beings also, O Bhagavat, [1. Will possess mira…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1m
“At that time the venerable Subhûti thus spoke to the Bhagavat: 'How should a person, after having entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas, behave, how should he advance, and how should he restrain his thoughts?' Bhagavat said: 'He who has e…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1n
“This prophecy is supposed to have been addressed by Dîpankara to S âkyamuni, before he had become a Buddha.] perfect knowledge has been known, he would speak an untruth, and would slander me, O Subhûti, with some untruth that he has learned…”
◆Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1o
“Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the bodily eye?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, the Tathâgata has the bodily eye.' Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the heavenly eye?' Subh…”
◆Prajña-pâramitâ-hridaya (Heart Sutra) | Section 1
“THE SMALLER PRA GÑ Â-PÂRAMITÂ- H RI DAYA-SÛTRA. ADORATION TO THE OMNISCIENT! The venerable Bodhisattva Avalokite s vara, performing his study in the deep Pra gñ âpâramitâ (perfection of wisdom), thought thus: 'There are the five Skandhas, a…”
◇Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1c
“Because that Bodhisattva, O Subhûti, who gives a gift, without believing in anything, the measure of his stock of merit is not easy to learn.'--'What do you think, O Subhûti, is it easy to learn the measure of space in the eastern quarter?'…”
◇Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1k
“Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A gift should not be given by a Bodhisattva[1] who believes in anything, it should not be given by one who believes in form, sound, smell, taste, or anything that can be touched." 'And again, O Subhûti, a…”
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christian_mysticism65
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1l
“Need is there to understand that in proper truth we do but use the elements and syllables and phrases and written terms and words as an aid to our senses; inasmuch as when our soul is moved by spiritual energies unto spiritual things, our s…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1‚
“Aug., Transcende mundum et sape animum, transcende animum et sape Deum. 307 This shows that the Via Negativa starts from something positive. It is a transcendence, not a mere negation. 308 Prov. iv. 6, 8 . 309 ὁ ἐμὸς Ἔρως ἐσταύρωται&g…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1l
“This apparent hair-splitting is really of the utmost practical importance. D. is attacking the irreligious attitude in science, philosophy, and life. We must seek for all things (including our own personalities) not in themselves but in…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter Ia
“Wheat is the Divine Gloom. T rinty, which exceedeth all Being, Deity, and Goodness! 514 514 Lit. “Super-Essential, Supra-Divine, Super-Excellent.” Thou that instructeth Christians in Thy heavenly wisdom! Guide us to that topmost height…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter IIa
“How it is necessary to be united with and render praise to Him Who is the cause of all and above all. Unto this Darkness which is beyond Light we pray that we may come, and may attain unto vision through the loss of sight and knowledge, an…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | Ib
“It is also a fellowship with the Devil, for everything hath fellowship with its like; and sin maketh the soul and Satan resemble each other. It is also an expulsion of Christianity, for it depriveth the sinner of all the profit that comes…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | IIIb
“The earth cannot flee from heaven: whether it flee up or down, the heaven rains its influence upon it, and stamps its impress upon it, and makes it fruitful, whether it be willing or not. Thus doth God with men: whoever thinketh to escape…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 1 (part 10)
“It is itself the most secret thing, which can be known by no one except by him who has experienced it; neither do those that live entirely within the realm of animality, or within that of the speculating intellect, believe that such a state…”
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taoism55
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 1
“The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a n…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 2
“All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is. So it is that existe…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 5
“Heaven and earth do not act from (the impulse of) any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the dogs of grass are dealt with. The sages do not act from (any wish to be) benevolent; they deal with the people as the dogs of gras…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 6
“The valley spirit dies not, aye the same; The female mystery thus do we name. Its gate, from which at first they issued forth, Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth. Long and unbroken does its power remain, Used gently, and wi…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 9
“It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness. When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor canno…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 10
“When the intelligent and animal souls are held together in one embrace, they can be kept from separating. When one gives undivided attention to the (vital) breath, and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can become as a (tender) b…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 13
“Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind). What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position (after the…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 15
“The skilful masters (of the Tao) in old times, with a subtle and exquisite penetration, comprehended its mysteries, and were deep (also) so as to elude men's knowledge. As they were thus beyond men's knowledge, I will make an effort to desc…”
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western_esoteric29
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Cross and the Crucifixionk
“The figure is nailed to the cross, which symbolizes the death and surrender of the self-will, and that it should not attempt to accomplish anything by its own power, but merely serve as an instrument wherein the Divine will is executed. Ab…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Faith of Islamf
“* * * They called him a Prophet, you say? Why, he stood there face to face with them; there, not enshrined in any mystery, visibly clouting his own cloak, cobbling his own shoes, fighting, counselling, ordering in the midst of them, they m…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter II (part 3)
“The thought of past ages has used the conception of a three-dimensional space, and by that means has classified many phenomena and has obtained rules for dealing with matters of great practical utility. The path which opens immediately bef…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter IV (part 7)
“In addition to all this it is necessary to remember that through the same slit through which we see the world we observe ourselves and see in ourselves changes similar to the changes in the rest of things. 2. Why can we not extend that sl…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XIV (part 6)
“And at last he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him as he is in his own proper place, and not in another, and he will contemplate his nature. Certainly. And after this he will reas…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XVIII (part 1)
“p. 213 CHAPTER XVIII Rationality and life. Life as knowledge. Intellect and emotions. Emotion as an organ of knowledge. The evolution of emotion from the standpoint of knowledge. Pure and impure emotions. Personal and impersonal emot…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XIX (part 1)
“p. 232 CHAPTER XIX The intellectual method, objective knowledge. The limits of objective knowledge. The possibility of the expansion of the application of the psychological method. New forms of knowledge. The ideas of Plotinus. Differ…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XIX (part 7)
“In the reduction of your soul to its simplest self, its divine essence, you realize this union—this identity. But this sublime condition is not of permanent duration. It is only now and then that we can enjoy this elevation above the limi…”
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renaissance_hermeticism19
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogued
“Some are called in vain to put in a ready appearance, and are chiefly those which proceed from the lower instincts, and which obey the reason either not at all, or very little; and forcing himself to prevent their actions and condemn those…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogueb
“On the contrary, I mean that there is in these another species of foolishness and a worse. Cic. Who, then, is wise, if foolish is he who is content, and foolish he who is sad? Tans. He who is neither merry nor sad. Cic. Who? He who s…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialoguea
“. Tansillo . There are several varieties of enthusiasts, which may all be reduced to two kinds. While some only display blindness, stupidity, and irrational impetuosity, which tend towards savage madness, others by divine abstraction bec…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogueb
“It is not a fury of black bile which sends him drifting outside of judgment, reason, and acts of prudence, and tossed by the discordant tempest, like those who, having violated certain laws of the divine Adrastia, are condemned to be scourg…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialoguec
“Here he shows his love not to be like that of the butterfly, of the stag, and of the unicorn, who would flee away if they had knowledge of the fire, of the arrow, and of the snares, and who have no other sense than that of pleasure; but he…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialoguee
“Others esteem him unhappy through this appearance of an evil destiny, as being condemned to these pangs, for he will never cease from acknowledging the obligation he is under to love, nor cease from rendering thanks to him because he has pr…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialoguee
“She dispatches the armed thoughts, which, solicited and urged by disagreement with the inferior nature, are sent to recall the heart. The soul instructs them how they should conduct themselves, so that, being allured and attracted by the o…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialoguef
“Hence it follows that not less do we desire to see things unknown and unseen than those known and seen. And from this it does not follow that the desire does not proceed from cognition, and that we desire something that is not known; but I…”
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neoplatonism15
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII~
“But Pythagoras, as he was astronomizing, happened to meet with the Phrygian piper at an unseasonable time of night, and persuaded him to change his Phrygian for a spondaic song; through which the fury of the lad being immediately repressed,…”
◆Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 38
“Section 5 5. But what of sorrows, illnesses and all else that inhibit the native activity? What of the suspension of consciousness which drugs or disease may bring about? Could either welfare or happiness be present under such conditions? A…”
◆Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 40
“Section 7 7. Then why are these conditions sought and their contraries repelled by the man established in happiness? Here is our answer: These more pleasant conditions cannot, it is true, add any particle towards the Sage's felicity: but th…”
◆Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 44
“Section 11 11. We shall perhaps be told that in such a state the man is no longer alive: we answer that these people show themselves equally unable to understand his inner life and his happiness. If this does not satisfy them, we must ask t…”
◆Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 45
“Section 12 12. The pleasure demanded for the life cannot be in the enjoyments of the licentious or in any gratifications of the body- there is no place for these, and they stifle happiness- nor in any violent emotions- what could so move th…”
◆Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 46
“Section 13 13. The characteristic activities are not hindered by outer events but merely adapt themselves, remaining always fine, and perhaps all the finer for dealing with the actual. When he has to handle particular cases and things, he m…”
◆Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 48
“Section 15 15. But suppose two wise men, one of them possessing all that is supposed to be naturally welcome, while the other meets only with the very reverse: do we assert that they have an equal happiness? We do, if they are equally wise.…”
◆Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 67
“Section 6 6. For, as the ancient teaching was, moral-discipline and courage and every virtue, not even excepting Wisdom itself, all is purification. Hence the Mysteries with good reason adumbrate the immersion of the unpurified in filth, ev…”
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gnosticism14
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1b
“TRUTH MADE NAMES Truth made names in the world, and without them we can’t think. Truth is one and is many, teaching one thing through the many. RULERS The rulers wanted to fool us, since they saw we were connected with the good. They too…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1f
“When wanton women see a man sitting alone, the man is overcome. They fondle him and pollute him. When wanton men see a beautiful woman sitting alone, they overcome her, and she is violated and polluted. But when spirits see a man and his…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1i
“His seed was Jesus, and the plant was the cross.” The tree of life in the middle of that garden of paradise is an olive tree, and from the olive tree comes chrism, and from that oil comes the resurrection. THE WORLD EATS BODIES The world e…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1j
“In the world these are the true people. They are the attendants of the bridal chamber. POWER AND WEAKNESS In this world, power and weakness mingle when man and woman have sex. Joining is different in the eternal realm, though we use the…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 16
“Jesus said, "Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I have come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword, and war. For there will be five in a house: three will…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 27
“<Jesus said,> "If you do not fast as regards the world, you will not find the kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the father."…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 36
“Jesus said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what you will wear."…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 37
“His disciples said, "When will you become revealed to us and when shall we see you?" Jesus said, "When you disrobe without being ashamed and take up your garments and place them under your feet like little children and tread on them, then w…”
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greek_mystery14
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXV. THE MUSES (part 2)
“207 fury arises from truth, and the amatorial from beauty; so the poetic proceeds from divine symmetry, by means of which it most intimately unites the poets with the Gods. Plato, in the Phædrus, speaking of this Fury, says that it is an o…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXXVI. DEATH (part 2)
“The waters of Thames, heavy laden with the wealth of merchandize, and sonorous with the din of trade, may devolve abundance in a golden tide; but we must remember that the Dæmon of commerce is at the same time advancing with giant strides,…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 5 (part 2)
“The mortal Oath--that used amongst men--has to be reverenced as an image of the other, and as leading to the greatest strength and stability of character. And if man would reverence the Oath, then must he do all in his power to understand…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 5 (part 3)
“"Thou shalt not hope what thou ought'st not to hope," knowing the nature of all things, and what is possible. 55. The Gods near at hand are virtue and truth. p. 17 59, 60. The fatal strife is caused by our inclination "madly to run cou…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 7 (part 1)
“p. 29 THE PYTHAGOREAN SENTENCES OF DEMOPHILUS 1. Request not of Divinity such things as, when obtained, you cannot preserve; for no gift of Divinity can ever be taken away; and on this account he does not confer that which you are unable…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 7 (part 2)
“Understand that no dissimulation can be long concealed. 24. The unjust man suffers greater evil while his soul is tormented with a consciousness of guilt, than when his body is scourged with whips. 25. It is by no means safe to discours…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 8 (part 1)
“p. 37 THE SIMILITUDES OF DEMOPHILUS 1. Flattery is like painted armour, because it affords delight, but is of no use. 2. Learning is similar to a golden crown; for it is both honourable and advantageous. 3. Flighty men, like empty ves…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 10 (part 1)
“p. 53 SELECT SENTENCES OF SEXTUS THE PYTHAGOREAN 1. To neglect things of the smallest consequence, is not the least thing in human life. 2. The wise man, and the despiser of wealth, resemble God. 3. Do not investigate the name of God,…”
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sufism13
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUEa
“HEARKEN to the reed-flute, how it complains, Lamenting its banishment from its home: "Ever since they tore me from my osier bed, My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears. I burst my breast, striving to give vent to sighs, And t…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUEb
“Knowest thou why thy mirror reflects not? Because the rust has not been scoured from its face. If it were purified from all rust and defilement, It would reflect the shining of the SUN Of GOD.6 O friends, ye have now heard this tale, Whic…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Ia
“The Prince and the Handmaid. A prince, while engaged on a hunting excursion, espied a fair maiden, and by promises of gold induced her to accompany him. After a time she fell sick, and the prince had her tended by divers physicians. As,…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY II
“The Oilman and his Parrot. An oilman possessed a parrot which used to amuse him with its agreeable prattle, and to watch his shop when he went out. One day, when the parrot was alone in the shop, a cat upset one of the oil-jars. When the oi…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IV
“Another Tyrannical Jewish King. A certain Jewish king, the same who is referred to in the Sura "Signs of the Zodiac," I made up his mind to utterly exterminate the Christian faith, and with that view he set up a huge idol, and issued comman…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Vc
“The skill taught by God to the silkworm Is a learning beyond the reach of the elephant. The earthly Adam was taught of God names, 4 So that his glory reached the seventh heaven. He laid low the name and fame of the angels, 5 Yet blind ind…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIa
“Omar and the Ambassador. The hare, having delivered his companions from the tyranny of the lion, in the manner just described, proceeds to improve the occasion by exhorting them to engage in a greater and more arduous warfare, viz., the st…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIIIa
“The Harper. In the time of the Khalifa 'Omar there lived a harper, whose voice was as sweet as that of the angel Israfil, and who was in great request at all feasts. But he grew old, and his voice broke, and no one would employ him any lo…”
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platonism12
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1g
“And he attains to the knowledge of them in their highest purity who goes to each of them with the mind alone, not allowing when in the act of thought the intrusion or introduction of sight or any other sense in the company of reason, but wi…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1s
“The lovers of knowledge are conscious that their souls, when philosophy receives them, are simply fastened and glued to their bodies: the soul is only able to view existence through the bars of a prison, and not in her own nature; she is wa…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1{
“For example, when the body is hot and thirsty, does not the soul incline us against drinking? and when the body is hungry, against eating? And this is only one instance out of ten thousand of the opposition of the soul to the things of th…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1~
“I might compare him to a person who began by maintaining generally that mind is the cause of the actions of Socrates, but who, when he endeavored to explain the causes of my several actions in detail, went on to show that I sit here because…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1‰
“Those again who have committed crimes, which, although great, are not unpardonable-who in a moment of anger, for example, have done violence to a father or mother, and have repented for the remainder of their lives, or who have taken the li…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1Š
“In any way that you like; only you must get hold of me, and take care that I do not walk away from you. Then he turned to us, and added with a smile: I cannot make Crito believe that I am the same Socrates who have been talking and conduct…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1d
“But the non-lover has no such tormenting recollections; he has never neglected his affairs or quarrelled with his relations; he has no troubles to add up or excuse to invent; and being well rid of all these evils, why should he not freely d…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1h
“Once upon a time there was a fair boy, or, more properly speaking, a youth; he was very fair and had a great many lovers; and there was one special cunning one, who had persuaded the youth that he did not love him, but he really loved him a…”
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hermeticism5
◆Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles | Section 1b
“And having raised themselves so far they sight the Good; and having sighted it, they look upon their sojourn here as a mischance; and in disdain of all, both things in body and the bodiless, they speed their way unto that One and Only One.…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 7: The Seven Powers | Section 1
“The Greatest Ill Among Men is Ignorance of God 1. Whither stumble ye, sots, who have sopped up the wine of ignorance and can so far not carry it that ye already even spew it forth? Stay ye, be sober, gaze upwards with the [true] eyes of the…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1b
“For It doth will to be, and It is both Itself and most of all by reason of Itself. Indeed, all other things beside are just bacause of It; for the distinctive feature of the Good is "that it should be known". Such is the Good, O Tat. Tat…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 12: The Prayer | Section 1c
“All things incorporeal when in a body are subject unto passion, and in the proper sense they are [themselves] all passions. For every thing that moves itself is incorporeal; while every thing that's moved is body. Incorporeals are further…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 13: The Discourse of Hermes to Tat | Section 1b
“Thou seest me with eyes, my son; but what I am thou dost not understand [even] with fullest strain of body and of sight. 4. Tat: Into fierce frenzy and mind-fury hast thou plunged me, father, for now no longer do I see myself. Hermes: I…”
finnic1
◆The Kalevala | Rune XXIIIa
“THE BRIDE-ADVISER Now the bride must be instructed, Who will teach the Maid of Beauty, Who instruct the Rainbow-daughter? Osmotar, the wisdom-maiden, Kalew's fair and lovely virgin, Osmotar will give instructions To the bride of Ilmarinen,…”