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praxis

Inner Silence

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

220 passages · 19 traditions
taoism: 53 passagestaoism53neoplatonism: 40 passagesneoplatonism40christian_mysticism: 26 passageschristian_mysticism26western_esoteric: 18 passageswestern_esoteric18hermeticism: 14 passageshermeticism14hinduism: 13 passageshinduism13renaissance_hermeticism: 13 passagesrenaissance_hermeticism13greek_mystery: 11 passagesgreek_mystery11buddhism: 10 passagesbuddhism10jewish_mysticism: 4 passagesjewish_mysticism4native_american: 4 passagesnative_american4celtic: 3 passagesceltic3sufism: 3 passagessufism3egyptian: 2 passagesegyptian2gnosticism: 2 passagesgnosticism2finnic: 1 passagefinnic1norse: 1 passagenorse1platonism: 1 passageplatonism1theosophy: 1 passagetheosophy1
taoism53
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 3
“Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves; not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; not to show them what is likely…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 4
“The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness. How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things! We should blunt our sharp points, and…”
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 8
“The highest excellence is like (that of) water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike. Hence (its way) is near to (that of…”
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 12
“Colour's five hues from th' eyes their sight will take; Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make; The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste; The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste Make mad the mind; and objects rare and stran…”
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…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 16
“The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour. All things alike go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return (to their original state). When thin…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 17
“In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know that there were (their rulers). In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Thus it was that when faith (in the Tao) was…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 20
“When we renounce learning we have no troubles. The (ready) 'yes,' and (flattering) 'yea;'-- Small is the difference they display. But mark their issues, good and ill;-- What space the gulf between shall fill? What all men fear is indeed to…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 23
“Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature. A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven and E…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 26
“Gravity is the root of lightness; stillness, the ruler of movement. Therefore a wise prince, marching the whole day, does not go far from his baggage waggons. Although he may have brilliant prospects to look at, he quietly remains (in his p…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 27
“The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps; the skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or blamed; the skilful reckoner uses no tallies; the skilful closer needs no bolts or bars, while to open what…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 31
“Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures. Therefore they who have the Tao do not like to employ them. The superior man ordinarily considers the left hand the most honourable place,…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 37
“The Tao in its regular course does nothing (for the sake of doing it), and so there is nothing which it does not do. If princes and kings were able to maintain it, all things would of themselves be transformed by them. If this transformatio…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 38
“(Those who) possessed in highest degree the attributes (of the Tao) did not (seek) to show them, and therefore they possessed them (in fullest measure). (Those who) possessed in a lower degree those attributes (sought how) not to lose them,…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 41
“Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the Tao, earnestly carry it into practice. Scholars of the middle class, when they have heard about it, seem now to keep it and now to lose it. Scholars of the lowest class, when they have…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 43
“The softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest; that which has no (substantial) existence enters where there is no crevice. I know hereby what advantage belongs to doing nothing (with a purpose). There are few in th…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 45
“Who thinks his great achievements poor Shall find his vigour long endure. Of greatest fulness, deemed a void, Exhaustion ne'er shall stem the tide. Do thou what's straight still crooked deem; Thy greatest art still stupid seem, And eloquenc…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 52
“(The Tao) which originated all under the sky is to be considered as the mother of them all. When the mother is found, we know what her children should be. When one knows that he is his mother's child, and proceeds to guard (the qualities of…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 56
“He who knows (the Tao) does not (care to) speak (about it); he who is (ever ready to) speak about it does not know it. He (who knows it) will keep his mouth shut and close the portals (of his nostrils). He will blunt his sharp points and un…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 57
“A state may be ruled by (measures of) correction; weapons of war may be used with crafty dexterity; (but) the kingdom is made one's own (only) by freedom from action and purpose. How do I know that it is so? By these facts:--In the kingdom…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 61
“What makes a great state is its being (like) a low-lying, down- flowing (stream);--it becomes the centre to which tend (all the small states) under heaven. (To illustrate from) the case of all females:--the female always overcomes the male…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 63
“(It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting; to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavour; to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense inju…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 81
“Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. Those who are skilled (in the Tao) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious are not skilled in it. Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do n…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book I (part 5)
“You, Sir, have a large tree and are troubled because it is of no use;--why do you not plant it in a tract where there is nothing else, or in a wide and barren wild? p. 175 [paragraph continues] There you might saunter idly by its side, or…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (part 1)
“p. 176 BOOK II. PART I. SECTION II. Khî Wû Lun, or 'The Adjustment of Controversies 1 .' 1. Nan-kwo Sze-khî 2 was seated, leaning forward on his stool. He was looking up to heaven and breathed gently, seeming to be in a trance, and to…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (part 2)
“Where their utterances are like arrows from a bow, we have those who feel it their charge to pronounce what is right and what is wrong.; where they are given out like the conditions of a covenant, we have those who maintain their views, det…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (part 6)
“Let us abjure such procedure, and simply rest here 1 . 7. The Tâo at first met with no responsive recognition. Speech at first had no constant forms of expression. Because of this there came the demarcations (of different views). Let m…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (part 7)
“How do you know that when I say "I know it," I really (am showing that) I do not know it, and that when I say "I do not know it," I really am showing that I do know it 1 .' And let me ask you some questions:--'If a man sleep in a damp place…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (part 8)
“You see the egg, and (immediately) look out for the cock (that is to be hatched from it); you see the bow, and (immediately) look out for the dove (that is to be brought down by it) being roasted. I will try to explain the thing to you in…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (part 9)
“The harmonising of them is to be found in the invisible operation of Heaven, and by following this on into the unlimited past. It is by this method that we can complete our years (without our minds being disturbed) 1 . 'What is meant by h…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book III (part 1)
“p. 198 BOOK III. PART I. SECTION III. Yang Shang Kû, or 'Nourishing the Lord of Life 1 .' 1. There is a limit to our life, but to knowledge there is no limit. With what is limited to pursue after what is unlimited is a perilous thing;…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book IV (part 3)
“Doing what other men do, they would have no occasion to blame me. This p. 208 is what is called being a fellow-worker with other men. 'Fully declaring my sentiments and substantiating them by appealing to antiquity, I shall be a co-worke…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book IV (part 4)
“I have heard of the knowledge of the wise; I have not heard of the knowledge of the unwise. Look at that aperture (left in the wall);--the empty apartment is filled with light through it. Felicitous influences rest (in the mind thus emble…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book IV (part 5)
“They know that there is no alternative to their acting as they do, and rest in it as what is appointed; and this is the highest achievement of virtue. He who is in the position of a minister or of a son has indeed to do what he cannot but…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book IV (part 7)
“People came to see it in crowds as in a market place, but the mechanic did not look round at it, but held on his way without stopping. One of his workmen, however, looked long and admiringly at it, and then ran on to his master, and said t…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 1)
“p. 223 BOOK V. PART I. SECTION V. Teh Khung Fû, or 'The Seal of Virtue Complete 1 .' 1. In Lû 2 there was a Wang Thâi 3 who had lost both his feet 4 ; while his disciples who followed and went about with him were as numerous as those o…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 4)
“for many months, when I was drawn to the man; and before he had been with me a full year, I had confidence in him. The state being without a chief minister, I (was minded) to commit the government to him. He responded to my proposal sorro…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 2)
“Hence he who tries to share his joys with others is not a sagely man; he who manifests affection is not benevolent; he who observes times and seasons (to regulate his conduct) is not a man of wisdom; he to whom profit and injury are not the…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 3)
“When the springs are dried up, the fishes collect together on the land. Than that they should moisten one another there by the damp about them, and keep one another wet by their slime, it would be better for them to forget one another in t…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 5)
“Dze-sze 1 , Dze-yü 1 , Dze-1î 1 , and Dze-lâi 1 , these four men, were talking together, when some one said, 'Who can suppose the head to be made from nothing, the spine from life, and the rump-bone from death? Who knows how death and birt…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 7)
“With these views, how should they know wherein death and life are to be found, or what is first and what is last? They borrow different substances, and pretend that the common form of the body is composed of them 1 . They dismiss the thou…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 8)
“When they wailed, he also wailed, having in himself the reason why he did so. And we all have our individuality which makes us what we are as compared together; but how do we know that we p. 255 determine in any case correctly that indivi…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 9)
“257 [paragraph continues] 'I have lost all thought of ceremonies and music.' 'Very well, but that is not enough., A third day, Hui again saw (the Master), and said, 'I am making progress.' 'What do you mean?' 'I sit and forget everything 1…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 10)
“The Shwo Wän dictionary defines the name by , 'a recluse of the mountain, whose bodily form has been changed, and who ascends to heaven;' but when this account was made, Tâoism had entered into a new phase, different from what it had in the…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 13)
“See what I have said on II, par. 9. 255:1 This also is obscure; but Confucius is again made to praise the Tâoistic system. 255:2 Î- r is said by Lî Î to have been 'a worthy scholar;' but Î- r is an old name for the swallow, and there is…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VII (part 1)
“p. 259 BOOK VII. PART I. SECTION VII. Ying Tî Wang 1 , or 'The Normal Course for Rulers and Kings 1 .' 1. Nieh Khüeh 2 put four questions to Wang Î 2 , not one of which did he know (how to answer). On this Nieh Khüeh leaped up, and in…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VII (part 2)
“Yang Dze-kü 5 , having an interview with Lao Tan, said to him, 'Here is a man, alert and vigorous p. 262 in responding to all matters 1 , clearsighted and widely intelligent, and an unwearied student of the Tâo;--can he be compared to one…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VII (part 4)
“It conducts nothing and anticipates nothing; it responds to (what is before it), but does not retain it. Thus he is able to deal successfully with all things, and injures none. 7. The Ruler 3 of the Southern Ocean was Shû 4 , the p. 267…”
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neoplatonism40
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-ad
“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 23
“Section 5 5. So we come to the scope of the purification: that understood, the nature of Likeness becomes clear. Likeness to what Principle? Identity with what God? The question is substantially this: how far does purification dispel the tw…”
Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 30
“Section 4 4. But this science, this Dialectic essential to all the three classes alike, what, in sum, is it? It is the Method, or Discipline, that brings with it the power of pronouncing with final truth upon the nature and relation of thin…”
Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 42
“Section 9 9. But when he is out of himself, reason quenched by sickness or by magic arts? If it be allowed that in this state, resting as it were in a slumber, he remains a Sage, why should he not equally remain happy? No one rules him out…”
Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 70
“Section 9 9. And this inner vision, what is its operation? Newly awakened it is all too feeble to bear the ultimate splendour. Therefore the Soul must be trained- to the habit of remarking, first, all noble pursuits, then the works of beaut…”
Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 100 (part 2)
“Such motion alone can constitute its impulse towards its centre: it cannot coincide with the centre, for then there would be no circle; since this may not be, it whirls about it; so only can it indulge its tendence. If, on the other hand,…”
Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 220 (part 1)
“Section 6 6. What, then, is the achieved Sage? One whose Act is determined by the higher phase of the Soul. It does not suffice to perfect virtue to have only this Spirit [equivalent in all men] as cooperator in the life: the acting forc…”
Select Works of Plotinus | Select Works, Section 238 (part 2)
“It is lifeless objects that deal the severest blows; they hit hardest and hurt most; where there is life- that is to say participation in Being- there is beneficence towards the environment, all the greater as the measure of Being is fuller…”
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christian_mysticism26
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1c
“59 59 ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἴχνους τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κρυφίαν αὐτῆς ἀπειρίαν διεληλυθότων. Two interpretations of this passage are possible: (1) Those who have penetrated the hidden Depths cannot describe the Vision (cf. Dante, Par. xxxiii. 55–66) ; (2…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1a
“CHAPTER XI Concerning ” Peace “ and what is meant by ” Very Being “ Itself , ” Very Life ,” ” Very Power ,” and similar phrases . 1. Now let us praise with reverent hymns of peace the Divine Peace which is the Source of all mutual attract…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter I-a
“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…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | II-a
“THE NEARNESS OF THE KINGDOM St Luke xxi. 31 .—“Know that the Kingdom of God is near.” Our Lord saith that the Kingdom of God is near us. Yea, the Kingdom of God is within us as St Paul saith “our salvation is nearer than when we believed.…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | III-b
“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…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | IV-a
“TRUE HEARING Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 30 .—“Whoso heareth Me shall not be confounded.” The everlasting and paternal wisdom saith, “Whoso heareth Me is not ashamed.” If he is ashamed of anything he is ashamed of being ashamed. Whoso worketh in…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | V-b
“It is necessary, therefore, for all the creatures which issued forth from God to co-operate earnestly with all their powers to form a Man who may again attain that union with God which Adam enjoyed before he fell, and who may again restore…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | VI-a
“SANCTIFICATION 1 1 That is separation from all outward things. St Luke x. 42 .—“One thing is needful.” I have read many writings both of heathen philosophers and inspired prophets, ancient and modern, and have sought earnestly to discover…”
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western_esoteric18
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 2)
“The anonymous Cloud of Unknowing belongs, I believe, to the early part of the fifteenth century, and it is to be classed among the most signal presentations of the conditions and mode of the Union which I have met with in Christian literatu…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 9 (part 4)
“The sources of occult wisdom, it proceeds, are, firstly, in God; secondly, in spiritual essences--that is to say, the Angelical Hierarchy; thirdly, in corporeal creatures, the reference being probably to the signatura rerum of Paracelsus; f…”
The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter VII (part 5)
“The Law of Correspondence, in our opinion, reaches only to that aspect of THE ALL, which may be spoken of as "The Aspect of BECOMING." Back of that Aspect is "The Aspect of BEING" in which all Laws are lost in LAW; all Principles merge into…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 18. Methods Of Defence II-a
“THERE are two types of practical psychic work which may be used separately or in combination, the latter method, in my opinion, giving by far the best results, though the exponents of each are apt to decry the other. The method which we wi…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Life and Philosophy of Pythagoras-h
“This fifth element, or ether, was called by the Hindus akasa . It was closely correlated with the hypothetical ether of modern science, and was the interpenetrative substance permeating all of the other elements and acting as a common solv…”
The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) | Page 23
“THE HERMIT. THE HERMIT. 9. ט 9th Hebrew letter (Teth). ORIGIN OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE NINTH CARD OF THE TAROT. Hieroglyphically the Teth represents a roof, and suggests the idea of a place of safety, a protection. All the ideas arising from…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XIV (part 4)
“He hears "the voices of stones," understands the whisperings of ancient walls, of tumuli, of mountains, rivers, woods and plains. He hears " the voice of the silence ," understands the psychological difference between silences, knows that…”
Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XXII (part 10)
“But it does not bear fruit presently; and, though it blossoms, they fall off; also many a cold wind, frost and snow, puff upon it, before it comes to any growth and bearing of fruit. Boehme's books are full of wonderment before these myste…”
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hermeticism14
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1a
“Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men <This is the most famous of the Hermetic documents, a revelation account describing a vision of the creation of the universe and the nature and fate of humanity. Authors from the Renaissance onward have been…”
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1f
“All this befell me from my Mind, that is Man-Shepherd, Word (Logos) of all masterhood, by whom being God-inspired I came unto the Plain of Truth. Wherefore with all my soul and strength thanksgiving give I unto Father-God. 31. Holy art T…”
Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1a
“Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest 1. I will recount to thee this sermon (logos) too, O Tat, that thou may'st cease to be without the mysteries of the God beyond all name. And mark thou well how that which to the many seems unmanifest…”
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 8: The Eight Sphere | Section 1b
“Now the third life - Man, after the image of the Cosmos made, [and] having mind, after the Father's will, beyond all earthly lives - not only doth have feeling with the second God <i.e., the Cosmos>, but also hath conception of the first; f…”
Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1a
“The Key <This longer tractate presents itself explicitly as a summary or abridgement of the General Sermons (CH II-IX), and discusses the Hermetic view of knowledge and its role in the lives and afterlives of human beings. The attentive re…”
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 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1c
“For that the soul who hath no knowledge of the things that are, or knowledge of their nature, or of Good, is blinded by the body's passions and tossed about. This wretched soul, not knowing what she is, becomes the slave of bodies of stran…”
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hinduism13
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter II, Section 1c
“But the states of mind of those who have no firm understanding are many-branched and endless. The state of mind consisting in firm understanding regarding steady contemplation does not belong to those, O son of P ri thâ! who are strongly…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter II, Section 1d
“For his mind is steady whose senses are under his control. The man who ponders over objects of sense forms an attachment to them; from (that) attachment is produced desire; and from desire anger is produced ; from anger results want of dis…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter V, Section 1b
“For the enjoyments born of contact (between senses and their objects) are, indeed, sources of misery; they have a beginning as well as an end . O son of Kuntî! a wise man feels no pleasure in them. He who even in this world, before his r…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VI, Section 1a
“CHAPTER VI. The Deity said: He who, regardless of the fruit of actions, performs the actions which ought to be performed, is the devotee and renouncer; not he who discards the (sacred) fires , nor he who performs no acts. Know, O son of P…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VI, Section 1b
“That (mental condition), in which the mind restrained by practice of abstraction, ceases to work; in which too, one seeing the self by the self , is pleased in the self; in which one experiences that infinite happiness which transcends the…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VIII, Section 1a
“CHAPTER VIII. Ar g una said: What is that Brahman, what the Adhyâtma, and what, O best of beings! is action? And what is called the Adhibhûta? And who is the Adhiya g ña, and how in this body, O destroyer of Madhu? And how, too, are yo…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XVII, Section 1a
“CHAPTER XVII. Ar g una said: What is the state of those, O K ri sh n a! who worship with faith, (but) abandoning scripture ordinances--goodness, passion, or darkness? The Deity said: Faith is of three kinds in embodied (beings), it is pr…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 15
“Ceasing from self-indulgence is conscious mastery over the thirst for sensuous pleasure here or hereafter. Rightly understood, the desire for sensation is the desire of being, the distortion of the soul's eternal life. The lust of sensual s…”
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renaissance_hermeticism13
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-c
“Hence he cries: "O mountain of Parnassus, where I abide! Muses, with whom I converse! Fountain of Helicon, where I am nourished. Mountain, that affordest me a quiet dwelling-place! Muses, that inspire me with pro found doctrines. Fount…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-d
“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 Dialogue-d
“So that, finding himself thus ascending and descending, he feels within his soul the greatest dissension that is possible to be felt, and he remains in a state of confusion through this rebellion of the senses, which urge him thither where…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-e
“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 Dialogue-f
“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…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-k
“That is a maxim of the Epicureans which, being well understood, would not be considered so unworthy as the ignorant hold it to be, seeing that it does not detract from what I have called virtue, nor does it impair the perfection of firmness…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-o
“For love, while it is finite, contented, and fixed in a certain measure, is not in the form of the species of divine beauty, but as it goes on with ever higher aspirations, it may be said to verge towards the infinite. Cic. . How is brea…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-d
“You see, Cesarino, how this enthusiast is justified in his anger against those who reproach him with being in captivity to a low beauty, to which he dedicates his vows, and attributes these forms, so that he is deaf to those voices which ca…”
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greek_mystery11
Orphic Hymns | Hymn II. NIGHT
“II. TO NIGHT. The FUMIGATION with TORCHES. NIGHT, parent goddess, source of sweet repose, From whom at first both Gods and men arose, Hear, blessed Venus, deck'd with starry light, 3 In sleep's deep silence dwelling Ebon night! Dreams and s…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXXV. THE DIVINITY OF DREAMS
“LXXXV. TO THE DIVINITY OF DREAMS. The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. THEE I invoke, blest pow'r of dreams divine, Angel of future fates, swift wings are thine: Great source of oracles to human kind, When stealing soft, and whisp'ring to the min…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 6 (part 2)
“38. The love is just which, unattended with injury, aspires after things becoming. 39. Admit nothing as pleasant which is not advantageous. 40. It is better to be governed by, than to govern, the stupid. 41. Not argument but calamity…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 6 (part 3)
“A woman should not be given to loquacity; for it is a dreadful thing. 77. To be governed by a woman is the extremity of insolence and unmanliness. 78. It is the property of a divine intellect p. 27 to be always intently thinking about…”
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 11
“p. 62 PYTHAGOREAN SENTENCES FROM THE PROTREPTICS OF IAMBLICHUS 1. As we live through soul, it must be said that by the virtue of this we live well; just as because we see through the eyes, we see well through the virtue of these. 2. It must…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 2)
“At the same time, however, we perfectly fall short of the gods, and neither possess the same power with them, nor equal virtue, This Symbol, therefore, in a particular manner introduces the knowledge of the gods, as beings who are able to e…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 3)
“75 words accord with their energies, to honour and reverence them with the greatest earnestness. SYMBOL 9. Cut not fire with a sword. 1 Explanation .--This Symbol exhorts to prudence. For it excites in us an appropriate conception with…”
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buddhism10
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 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 VIII, Section 1a
“p. 31 CHAPTER VIII. THE THOUSANDS. 100. Even though a speech be a thousand (of words), but made up of senseless words, one word of sense is better, which if a man hears, he becomes quiet. 101. Even though a Gâthâ (poem) be a thousand…”
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 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 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…”
Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1a
“THE VA G RA KKH EDIKÂ OR DIAMOND-CUTTER. ADORATION to the blessed Ârya-pra gñ â-pâramitâ (perfection of wisdom). I. Thus it was heard by me: At one time Bhagavat (the blessed Buddha) dwelt in S râvastî, in the grove of G eta, in the gard…”
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jewish_mysticism4
The Greater Holy Assembly (Idra Rabba Qadisha) | Idra Rabba, Chapter 1 (part 1)
“p. 109 HADRA RBA QDIShA (HA IDRA RABBA QADISHA); OR, THE GREATER HOLY ASSEMBLY. CHAPTER I. THE INGRESS AND THE PREFACE. 1. TRADITION.--Rabbi Schimeon spake unto his companions, and said: "How long shall we abide in the condition of one…”
The Greater Holy Assembly (Idra Rabba Qadisha) | Idra Rabba, Chapter 1 (part 2)
“1 12. "For it is written, Deut. xxxiii. 29: 'Blessed art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee?' Also it is written, Exod. xv. 11: 'Who is like unto thee among the gods, O Tetragrammaton?'" 2 13. He called Rabbi Eleazer, his son, and…”
The Lesser Holy Assembly (Idra Zuta Qadisha) | Idra Zuta, Chapter 1 (part 1)
“CHAPTER VIII. CONCERNING THE FOREHEAD OF MACROPROSOPUS. 87. THE forehead of His skull is the acceptation of acceptations, whereunto is opposed the acceptation of Microprosopus, like as it is written, Exod. xxviii. 38: "And it shall be…”
Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation) | Section 1a
“Wescott, tr. (1887) CHAPTER 1 1. In two and thirty most occult and wonderful paths of wisdom did JAH the Lord of Hosts engrave his name: God of the armies of Israel, ever-living God, merciful and gracious, sublime, dwelling on high, who i…”
native_american4
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter I-a
“THE GREAT MYSTERY Solitary Worship. The Savage Philosopher. The Dual Mind. Spiritual Gifts versus Material Progress. The Paradox of “Christian Civilization.” The original attitude of the American Indian toward the Eternal, the “Great My…”
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter II-a
“THE FAMILY ALTAR Pre-natal Influence. Early Religious Teaching. The Function of the Aged. Woman, Marriage and the Family. Loyalty, Hospitality, Friendship. The American Indian was an individualist in religion as in war. He had neither…”
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter II-d
“Names of any dignity or importance must be conferred by the old men, and especially so if they have any spiritual significance; as Sacred Cloud, Mysterious Night, Spirit Woman, and the like. Such a name was sometimes borne by three generat…”
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter IV-a
“BARBARISM AND THE MORAL CODE Silence the Corner-Stone of Character. Basic Ideas of Morality. “Give All or Nothing!” Rules of Honorable Warfare. An Indian Conception of Courage. Long before I ever heard of Christ, or saw a white man, I h…”
celtic3
The Mabinogion | Tale PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC-f
““Tell me, my soul,” said the man, “which of the youths thinkest thou plays best.” “I think,” said Peredur, “that the yellow-haired youth could draw blood from the other, if he chose.” “Arise thou, my life, and take the cudgel and the shield…”
The Mabinogion | Tale PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC-l
“And in the morning he arose, and when he went forth, behold a shower of snow had fallen the night before, and a hawk had killed a wild fowl in front of the cell. And the noise of the horse scared the hawk away, and a raven alighted upon th…”
The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESIN-j
“And the king caused them to fetch Elphin in haste from his dungeon, and placed him before Taliesin. And it is said, that immediately he sang a verse, so that the chains opened from about his feet. “I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animati…”
sufism3
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VI-a
“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 IX-d
“I knew of myself what ye thought, But I desired that ye should speak it; As this boasting of yours is very improper, So shall my mercy be shown to prevail over my wrath: O angels, in order to show forth that prevailing, I inspired that pret…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY XV-a
“Counsels of Reserve given by the Prophet to his Freedman Zaid. At dawn the Prophet said to Zaid, "How is it with thee this morning, O pure disciple?" He replied, "Thy faithful slave am I." Again he said, "If the garden of faith has bloomed…”
egyptian2
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 39 (part 3)
“8258, mottled glass buckle having the loop inlaid with blue composition; No. 8259, red faïence double buckle, pierced lengthwise for threading in a necklace.] deceased] he shall be among those who follow Osiris Un-nefer, triumphant. The g…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 66)
“141. 2. Ibid. , p. 149. 3 Ibid. , p. 172.] God and the gods. The passages from the pyramid of Pepi show at once the difference between neter as God, and the "gods" neteru ; the other passages, which might be multiplied almost indefi…”
gnosticism2
Gospel of Thomas | Logion 13
“Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell me whom I am like." Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a righteous angel." Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to him, "Master, my mouth is who…”
Gospel of Thomas | Logion 90
“Jesus said, "Come unto me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."…”
finnic1
The Kalevala | Rune L-f
“In thy years, for greater follies, Greater sins and misdemeanors, Thou wert not unjustly punished. In thy former years of trouble, When thou gavest thine own brother, For thy selfish life a ransom, Thus to save thee from destruction, Then…”
norse1
The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1j
“On his ring swore Othin | the oath, methinks; Who now his troth shall trust? Suttung's betrayal | he sought with drink, And Gunnloth to grief he left. * * * 111. It is time to chant | from the chanter's stool; By the wells of Urth I was,…”
platonism1
Plato: Symposium | Section 1ah
“Yet at a festival he was the only person who had any real powers of enjoyment; though not willing to drink, he could if compelled beat us all at that,-wonderful to relate! no human being had ever seen Socrates drunk; and his powers, if I a…”
theosophy1
The Secret Doctrine | Page 16 (part 5)
“As Hermes says, "Knowledge differs much from sense; for sense is of things that surmount it, but Knowledge (gyi) is the end of sense" -- i.e., of the illusion of our physical brain and its intellect; thus emphasizing the contrast between th…”