soteriology
Theosis Deification
The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.
612 passages · 17 traditions
christian_mysticism170
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1b
“For where Scripture speaks of things as “eternal” it doth not always mean things that are absolutely Uncreated or verily Everlasting, Incorruptible, 171 Immortal, Invariable, and Immutable ( e.g.
“Be ye lift up, ye eternal doors,” 461 461…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1d
“If Time be thought of as an infinite series of finite numbers Eternity is the sum of that series and not its process.
But the name may be applied loosely to the process, though this is generally to be avoided.
According to St.
Thomas, Et…”
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 1, Section 1d
“And we press upwards to those beams which in the Holy Scripture shine upon us; wherefrom we gain the light which leads us unto 55 the Divine praises 64 64 πρὸς τοὺς θεαρχικοὺς ὕμνους.
Either (1) “leads us to declare the Divine praises”; or…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1e
“These mysteries we learn from the Divine Scriptures, and thou wilt find that in well-nigh all the utterances of the Sacred Writers the Divine Names refer in a Symbolical Revelation 72 72 ἐκφαντορικῶς καὶ ὑμνητικῶς.
to Its beneficent Emanat…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1f
“And in all the other Divine enlightenments which the occult Tradition of our inspired teachers hath, by mystic Interpretation, accordant with the Scriptures, bestowed upon us, we also have been initiated: apprehending these things in the pr…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1g
“But if It is greater than all Reason and all knowledge, and hath Its firm abode altogether beyond Mind and Being, and circumscribes, compacts, embraces and anticipates all things 87 87 παντῶν .
.
.
προληπτική—i.e.
contains them eternall…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1j
“143 143 God is above Time.
For the Nameless Goodness is not only the cause of cohesion or life or perfection in such wise as to derive Its Name from this or that providential activity alone; nay, rather does It contain all things beforehan…”
Show all 170 →neoplatonism102
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter I
“Hermes, the God who presides over language, was formerly very properly considered as common to all priests; and the power who presides over the true science concerning the Gods 18 is one and the same in the whole of things. Hence our ancest…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter II
“We shall, therefore, deliver to you the peculiar dogmas of the Assyrians; and also clearly develop to you our own opinions; collecting some things from the infinite writings of the ancients, but others from those particulars which were comp…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter V-a
“In the next place, let us direct our attention to the solution of your inquiries.
There is, therefore, the good itself which is beyond essence, and there is that good which subsists according to essence; I mean the essence which is most an…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-b
“Hence, through these things such a corporeal-formed division as you introduce, is demonstrated to be false.
It is, indeed, especially necessary not to propose any thing of this kind; but if this should appear to you to be requisite, yet yo…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IX-b
“For in things which are of a kindred nature, according to essence and power, or which are, in a certain respect, of the same species, or homogeneous, a certain comprehension, or conservation, may be discovered.
But in such things as are en…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter X-a
“After these things, you again subjoin another division for yourself, “ in which you separate the essences of the more excellent genera by the difference of passive and impassive .” But neither do I admit this division.
For no one of the mo…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XI-a
““ How therefore ,” you ask, “ are many things performed to them in sacred operations, as if they were passive?
” I reply, that this is asserted through an ignorance of sacerdotal mysticism.
For of the things which are perpetually effected…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XI-b
“Things of this kind, therefore, are introduced for the sake of our soul, and of the diminution of the evils which adhere to it 55 through generation, and of a solution and liberation from its bonds.
On this account, also, they are very pro…”
Show all 102 →gnosticism94
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 1c
“And Jesus said, “Whoever will not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within him.” What does he mean?
His flesh is the word and blood the holy spirit.
Who has received these has food and drink and clothing.
I condemn those who sa…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1d
“When the child is grown, however, then the father turns over all he possesses.
THE LOST Those who have gone astray are those born of the spirit.
And they are usually lost because of the spirit.
So from one single breath of spirit the fir…”
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 Philip | Section 1k
“If you become light, light will share you.
If you are of those from above, one of those from above will rest in you.
If you become a horse or a donkey or bull or dog or sheep or another animal that is wild or tame, then neither a person n…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1m
“If we know the truth, we shall find the fruits of the truth within us.
If we join it, it will fulfill us.
THE STRONG AND WEAK, THE MANIFEST AND HIDDEN Now we have the manifest things of creation.
We say, “The strong are they who are held…”
Gospel of Thomas | Logion 2
“Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."…”
Show all 94 →egyptian87
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 4 (part 12)
“They found in this basin, after they had broken the covering of it, the decayed remains of a man, but no treasures, excepting some golden tablets inscribed with characters of a language which nobody could understand.
Each man's share of th…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 4 (part 17)
“will show that about three-fourths of the whole may be found in the monuments of his ancestors.
What principle guided each king in the selection of his texts, or whether the additions in each represent religious developments, it is impossi…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 4 (part 19)
“Chapp.
30B, 164, 37B and 148.
Although these chapters were found at Hermopolis, the city of Thoth, it does not follow that they were drawn up there.
5.
See Birch, in Bunsen, Egypt's Place in Universal History , vol.
V., p.
125; Navill…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 4 (part 27)
“For the variant vignettes see Naville, Todtenbuch , Bd.
L, Bl.
8o.
2.
One of the two variant vignettes shows the deceased in the act of adoring Ra, and in the other the deceased kneels before Ra, Thoth, and Osiris; see Naville, Todtenbu…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 5 (part 1)
“THE LEGEND OF OSIRIS.
The main features of the Egyptian religion constant.
The chief features of the Egyptian religion remained unchanged from the Vth and VIth dynasties down to the period when the Egyptians embraced Christianity, after t…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 5 (part 3)
“When Isis heard of this she went to Byblos, and, gaining admittance to the palace through the report of the royal maidens, she was made nurse to one of the king's sons, Instead of nursing the child in the ordinary way, Isis gave him her fin…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 1)
“THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL LIFE.
Egyptian belief in a future life.
The doctrine of eternal life in the VIth dynasty.
The ideas and beliefs which the Egyptians held in reference to a future existence are not readily to be defined, owing to t…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 12)
“Every khu and every god stretcheth out his hand unto this Pepi when he cometh forth into heaven by the Ladder of God .
.
.
.
that which he seeth and that which he heareth make him wise, and serve as food for him when he cometh forth int…”
Show all 87 →western_esoteric39
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 1)
“Click to view THE TEMPTATION OF EVIL From Cædmon.
INTRODUCTION THE mystic tradition in Christian Times is preserved, apart from all questions and traces of Instituted Mysteries, in the literature of Christian Mystical Theology; it is a lar…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 4)
“Blessed and Holy are those who receive the experience of God in the dilucid contemplation, but sanctity and benediction and all in all is that state wherein contemplation is ineffably unified, by a super-eminent leap over of love, with that…”
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 Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Initiation of the Pyramid-i
“The Mysteries taught that the divine energies from the gods descended upon the top of the Pyramid, which was likened to an inverted tree with its branches below and its roots at the apex.
From this inverted tree the divine wisdom is dissem…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Stones, Metals and Gems-a
“EACH of the four primary elements as taught by the early philosophers has its analogue in the quaternary terrestrial constitution of man.
The rocks and earth correspond to the bones and flesh; the water to the various fluids; the air to th…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Stones, Metals and Gems-c
“As the homeland or birthplace of a race was considered sacred, these stones were emblematic of that universal regard shared by all nations for the place of their geniture.
The discovery that fire could be produced by striking together two…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Mystic Christianity-d
“Godfrey Higgins has discovered two references, one in the Midrashjoholeth and the other in the Abodazara (early Jewish commentaries on the Scriptures), to the effect that the surname of Joseph's family was Panther , for in both of these wor…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Mystery of the Apocalypse-i
“As nearly all the ancient Mysteries included a test of the neophyte's moral character, the temptress (the animal soul) is here portrayed as a pagan goddess.
THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE.
From Solis' Biblische Figuren.
In the alleg…”
Show all 39 →renaissance_hermeticism31
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | INTRODUCTION-j
“The body is in the soul, the soul is in the mind, the mind is in God.
The life of the soul is the true life of the man.
Of all his various faculties, that which rules all, that which exalts our nature, is Thought.
By means of it we rise…”
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-e
“Herein he proves that his love is truly heroic; because he proposes to himself as the chief aim, not corporeal beauty, but rather the grace of the spirit, and the inclination of the affections in which, rather than in the beauty of the body…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-a
“.
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 Dialogue-b
“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 Dialogue-c
“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 Dialogue-d
“In this disposition, I believe, was the Nolano when he said: 14.
Woe's me!
my fury forces me To union with the bad within, And makes it seem a love supreme and good.
Wearied, my soul cares nought That I opposing counsels entertain, And w…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-e
“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…”
Show all 31 →hermeticism22
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1b
“But when He raised His head, I see in Mind the Light, [but] now in Powers no man could number, and Cosmos grown beyond all bounds, and that the Fire was compassed round about by a most mighty Power, and [now] subdued had come unto a stand.…”
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1e
“To the first zone he gives the Energy of Growth and Waning; unto the second [zone], Device of Evils [now] de-energized; unto the third, the Guile of the Desires de-energized; unto the fourth, his Domineering Arrogance, [also] de-energized;…”
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 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 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1c
“And for this cause hath He all names, in that they are one Father's.
And for this cause hath He Himself no nome, in that He's Father of [them] all.
Who, then, may sing Thee praise of Thee, or [praise] to Thee?
Whither, again, am I to tur…”
Corpus Hermeticum 9: The Decalogue | Section 1a
“On Thought and Sense <This somewhat diffuse essay covers a series of topics, starting with (and to some extent from) the concept that the set of perceptions we call "thoughts" and the set we call "sensory perceptions" are not significantly…”
Corpus Hermeticum 9: The Decalogue | Section 1b
“But I return once more to the Discourse (Logos) on Sense.
That sense doth share with thought in man, doth constitute him man.
But 'tis not [every] man, as I have said, who benefits by thought; for this man is material, that other one subs…”
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…”
Show all 22 →greek_mystery18
Orphic Hymns | Hymn VII. THE SUN
“VII. TO THE SUN. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE and MANNA. HEAR golden Titan, whose eternal eye With broad survey, illumines all the sky. Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light, And to all eyes the mirrour of delight: Lord of the seasons…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn XVIII. THUNDRING JOVE
“XVIII. TO THUNDRING JOVE. The FUMIGATION from STORAX. O Father Jove, who shak'st with fiery light The world deep-sounding from thy lofty height: From thee, proceeds th' ætherial lightning's blaze, Flashing around intolerable rays. Thy sacre…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXV. THE MUSES
“LXXV. TO THE MUSES. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. Daughters of Jove, dire-sounding and divine, 1 Renown'd Pierian, sweetly speaking Nine; p. 206 To those whose breasts your sacred furies fire Much-form'd, the objects of supreme desire:…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXXIII. VESTA
“LXXXIII. TO VESTA. The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. Daughter of Saturn, venerable dame, The seat containing of unweary'd flame; 2 p. 221 In sacred rites these ministers are thine, Mystics much-blessed, holy and divine In thee, the Gods have f…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 4 (part 2)
“Wherein have I done amiss?
What have I done?
What have I omitted that I ought to have done?
43.
If in this examination thou find that thou hast done amiss, reprimand thyself severely for it; 44.
And if thou hast done any good, rejoice.…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 5 (part 1)
“p.
9 NOTES ON THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS FROM THE COMMENTARIES OF HIEROCLES.
The Golden Verses may be divided into two parts, the first treating of the Practical or Human Virtues, whose aim is the making of Good Men; and the second,…”
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…”
Show all 18 →theosophy12
The Secret Doctrine | Page 9 (part 1)
“The Secret Doctrine by H.
P.
Blavatsky -- Vol.
1 [[Vol.
1, Page]] 106 THE SECRET DOCTRINE.
STANZA V.
1.
T HE P RIMORDIAL S EVEN, THE FIRST SEVEN B REATHS OF THE D RAGON OF W ISDOM, PRODUCE IN THEIR TURN FROM THEIR HOLY CIRCUMGYRATING…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 11 (part 3)
“From the foregoing table it will be seen that the third principle in the Buddhist classification is not separately mentioned in the Vedantic division, as it is merely the vehicle of Prana.
It will also be seen that the Fourth principle is…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 15 (part 3)
“[But Nephesh , the "breath of [[first column continued on next page]] [[second column]] Say the Theosophists: -- E SOTERIC P NEUMATICS.
1.
Ditto, for it is Atma-Buddhi- Manas.
2.
Ditto.* 3.
Spiritual Soul.
4.
Mediator between Spirit…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 56 (part 7)
“As the Tyndaridae, the twin brothers are an astronomical symbol, and stand for Day and Night ; their two wives, Phoebe and Hilasira, the daughters of Apollo or the Sun, personifying the Dawn and the Twilight.** Again, in the allegory where…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 57 (part 3)
“It is easy to trace the legend in Berosus, who says that Thalatth (the Omoroca, or Lady of Urka) was the beginning of creation.
She was also Melita, the queen of the Moon.
.
.
.
The two twin births of Genesis, that of Cain and Abel, an…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 64 (part 4)
“We learn of Ichthyosauri and Plesiosauri in the lakes and rivers, and of winged crocodiles or lizards flying in the air.
After which, in the Tertiary period "we find the Mammalian type exhibiting remarkable divergences from previously exis…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 66 (part 2)
“tated everywhere the use of titanic powers, and which tradition associates in all countries with the ideas about giants, volcanoes and magic." ( Page 48.) In the same work above cited of the Abbe Pegues, the author wonders why in Bible and…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 69 (part 3)
“It is evident that, taken in their dead letter, the Puranas read as an absurd tissue of fairy tales and no better.
But if one reads chapters I.
, II .
and III .
from Book II.
(Vol.
II.) of Vishnu Purana and accepts verbatim its geogra…”
Show all 12 →sufism9
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUE-a
“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) | STORY I-a
“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 V-c
“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 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 VII-a
“The Merchant and his Clever Parrot.
There was a certain merchant who kept a parrot in a cage.
Being about to travel to Hindustan on business, he asked the parrot if he had any message to send to his kinsmen in that country, and the parrot…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IX-c
“When love of God kindles a flame in the inward man, He burns, and is freed from effects.
He has no need of signs to assure him of love, For love casts its own light up to heaven.
Other details are wanting to complete this subject, But tak…”
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…”
Show all 9 →platonism8
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1ap
“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 1l
“And I bethink me of an ancient purgation of mythological error which was devised, not by Homer, for he never had the wit to discover why he was blind, but by Stesichorus, who was a philosopher and knew the reason why; and therefore, when he…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1m
“For prophecy is a madness, and the prophetess at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona when out of their senses have conferred great benefits on Hellas, both in public and private life, but when in their senses few or none.
And I might also…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1ah
“And this skill he will not attain without a great deal of trouble, which a good man ought to undergo, not for the sake of speaking and acting before men, but in order that he may be able to say what is acceptable to God and always to act ac…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1aj
“Then he will not seriously incline to "write" his thoughts "in water" with pen and ink, sowing words which can neither speak for themselves nor teach the truth adequately to others?
Phaedr.
No, that is not likely.
Soc.
No, that is not l…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1q
“Now all this is very natural in students of philosophy such as I have described, and also, as I was just now saying, most excusable.
Yes, he said; and, I may add, pitiable.
Therefore, that your feelings may not be moved to pity about our…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1f
“For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms?
He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this.
Or who would desert his b…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1ab
“This, my dear Socrates," said the stranger of Mantineia, "is that life above all others which man should live, in the contemplation of beauty absolute; a beauty which if you once beheld, you would see not to be after the measure of gold, an…”
hinduism7
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XVIII, Section 1c
“Agriculture, tending cattle, trade, (this) is the natural duty of Vai s yas, And the natural duty of S ûdras, too, consists in service.
(Every) man intent on his own respective duties obtains perfection .
Listen, now, how one intent on on…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 1
“OM: Here follows Instruction in Union. Union, here as always in the Scriptures of India, means union of the individual soul with the Oversoul; of the personal consciousness with the Divine Consciousness, whereby the mortal becomes immortal,…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 16
“The consummation of this is freedom from thirst for any mode of psychical activity, through the establishment of the spiritual man. In order to gain a true understanding of this teaching, study must be supplemented by devoted practice, fait…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book III | Sutra 35
“The personal self seeks to feast on life, through a failure to perceive the distinction between the personal self and the spiritual man. All personal experience really exists for the sake of another: namely, the spiritual man. By perfectly…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book III | Sutra 40
“By mastery of the binding-life comes radiance. In the Upanishads, it is said that this binding-life unites the upward-life to the downward-life, and these lives have their analogies in the 'vital breaths' in the body. The thought in the tex…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book IV | Sutra 25
“For him who discerns between the Mind and the Spiritual Man, there comes perfect fruition of the longing after the real being of the Self. How many times in the long struggle have the Soul's aspirations seemed but a hopeless, impossible dre…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book IV | Sutra 26
“Thereafter, the whole personal being bends toward illumination, toward Eternal Life. This is part of the secret of the Soul, that salvation means, not merely that a soul shall be cleansed and raised to heaven, but that the whole realm of th…”
jewish_mysticism7
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1g
“The four wheels are their correlatives under the second Sephira, on their four sides--namely, the four elements of the air, fire, water, and earth, which are the abodes of the spirits of the elements, the sylphs, salamanders, undines, and g…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LVIII
“LVIII-LXXI. The Third Parable . LVIII. The Blessedness of the Saints . CHAPTER LVIII. 1. And I began to speak the third Parable concerning the righteous and elect. p. 75 2. Blessed are ye, ye righteous and elect, For glorious shall be your…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXX
“LXX. The Final Translation of Enoch . CHAPTER LXX. 1. And it came to pass after this that his name during his lifetime was raised aloft to that Son of Man and to the Lord of Spirits from amongst those who dwell on the earth. 2. And he was r…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXXI
“LXXI. Two earlier visions of Enoch . CHAPTER LXXI. 1. And it came to pass after this that my spirit was translated And it ascended into the heavens: And I saw the holy sons of God . They were stepping on flames of fire: Their garments were…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter CIV
“CIV. Assurances given to the Righteous: Admonitions to Sinners and the Falsifiers of the Words of Uprightness . CHAPTER CIV. 1. I swear unto you, that in heaven the angels remember you for good before the glory of the Great One: and your na…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter CVIII
“CVIII. AN APPENDIX TO THE BOOK OF ENOCH. CHAPTER CVIII. 1. Another book which Enoch wrote for his son Methuselah and for those who will come after him, and keep the law in the last days. 2. Ye who have done good shall wait for those days ti…”
Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation) | Section 1f
“The Third Path is the Sanctifying Intelligence, and is the basis of foundation of Primordial Wisdom, which is called the Former of faith, and its roots, Amen; and it is the parent of Faith, from which virtues doth Faith emanate.
The Fourth…”
taoism2
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…”
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…”
zoroastrianism2
Avesta (Gathas) | Ahunavaiti Gatha, Yasna XXX, Section 1b
“And may we be such as those who bring on p.
34 this great renovation, and make this world progressive, (till its perfection shall have been reached).
(As) the Ahuras of Mazda 1 (even) may we be; (yea, like Thyself), in helpful readiness t…”
Avesta (Gathas) | Ahunavaiti Gatha, Yasna XXXI, Section 1c
“49 harm to the tiller's herd, to the pious husbandman's flock, who speaks no word with lying, (who abjures the Lie-demon's faith 1 )?
16.
Yea, I would ask Thee such a thing as this: How such an one as he who, with wise action, has striven…”
mesopotamian1
Epic of Gilgamesh: Tablet XI — The Flood | Tablet XI, Section 1d
“Then Enlil, on his arrival, Spied out the vessel, and (straightway) did Enlil burst into anger, Swollen with wrath ’gainst the gods, the Igigi : 'Hath any of mortals ’Scaped?
Sooth, never a man could have lived through (the welter of) ruin…”
native_american1
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter V-a
“THE UNWRITTEN SCRIPTURES A Living Book.
The Sioux Story of Creation.
The First Battle.
Another Version of the Flood.
Our Animal Ancestry.
A missionary once undertook to instruct a group of Indians in the truths of his holy religion.
H…”