Christian lamps were preserved by the power of god. Pagan lamps were the work of the devil, according to St. Augustine, “who deceives us in a thousand ways.” Their light is sublimated gold, rescued magically by invisible stellar attraction, out of material depths. With bibliographical note by Boris de Zirkoff.

Parabrahman (Absoluteness) is the One and Only Reality, an unthinkable and unspeakable state of Ultimate Subjectivity. Ishvara is Conscious Universal Mind (Second Logos), not the personal God and Master. Vishishtadvaita Philosophy in a nutshell. 1 The Vishishtadvaitis are a sect of Vedantins; refusing to accept dualism, they place willy-nilly the origin of evil and good in Parabrahman. 2 They believe that the sun-souls attract lost earth-souls, and direct them to the path that leads to Nirvana. 3 They refer to Advaitis as Buddhists in disguise. 4 Refined Vishishtadvaitism is Ancient Magianism. Madame Blavatsky comments on the non-dualistic philosophy of Vishishtadvaita, and distinction between Impersonal and Personal God. With key metaphysical concepts by the Series Editor.

Madame Blavatsky defends Buddhism in Ceylon, and points out that the root cause of the Kotahena riot in was the ungenerous and unlawful attitude of the Christian padris and bigots of Ceylon toward the Buddhist religion. The spirit of the law is easily avoided, while its dead letter is as often made the weapon and pretext for the perpetration of the most iniquitous deeds. Honour your own faith, and do not slander that of others. Buddhism is the least aggressive of all religions, as Christianity the most aggressive of all and more so than Mohammedanism. The devil who, to defeat God and thwart the ends of Justice and of Right, sows on earth the seeds of thousand and one conflicting religious sects; the seeds sprouting and growing into the strong weeds that will stifle mankind, unless destroyed and annihilated.

The sense of smell is due to vibrations similar to, but of a lower period, than those which give rise to the senses of light and heat. Olfaction can distinguish between two different odours inhaled simultaneously. Two colours, on the other hand, will produce a single impression on the eye. There is a perfect correspondence, or mutual compensation, between all vibrations of Nature, and a most intimate relation between the set of vibrations which give us the impression of sound, and that other set of which give us the impression of colour. The adept applies this knowledge when he transforms any disagreeable odour into any delicious perfume he may think of.

Colonel Olcott wrote what he then thought was the truth, honestly and sincerely; and, as I had a determined object in view, I did not seek to disabuse him too rudely of his dreams. It was only after the formation of The Theosophical Society in 1875, that he learned the whole truth! But when Colonel Olcott clearly says in his book that instead of being controlled by spirits to do their will, it is I who control the so-called “spirits,” yet he was made to say by Mr. Lillie that it is I who was controlled! I had known “John King” since 1860, for it was the form of an Eastern adept, who has since gone for his final initiation, passing through and visiting us in his living body on his way, at Bombay. What right does Mr. Lillie has to cross-examine me? But since he chooses to take such liberties, I will tell him plainly that he himself knows nothing, not only of initiations and Tibet (not even exoteric), let alone Esoteric Buddhism. Yet he who knows nothing of either Tibet or Buddhism, tries his best to make out Madame Blavatsky a liar in a cunning attempt to elevate himself above his station. Accusations and insinuations against one whom no insult of his can reach, are worthless and unworthy of a self-proclaimed Buddhist. Mr. Lillie is ruining terribly his reputation as an Orientalist. Indeed, before this controversy is settled, he may lay bare the last shreds of his supposed oriental learning for all to see. The irrepressible Arthur Lillie, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, continues his extravagant tirade against Madame Blavatsky. He keeps feeding his censer with his own incense with endless heaping of malignant nonsense, peppered with misconceptions, blunders, and unfair insinuations. His tactics are a sort of guerrilla skirmishing; one answers and corrects one set of blunders when, forthwith, there appears a fresh series. Mr. Lillie is a base man indeed who, having had truth revealed to him under the seal of secrecy, and solemnly pledged himself never to reveal the information, does nevertheless divulge it to the profane. I was a Spiritualist well before the truth of modern Spiritualism. As regards to mediums, séances, and the spiritualistic “philosophy,” so-called — belief in the latter alone constituting a Spiritualist. It is most unfortunate that Mr. Lillie hardly ever knows what he is talking about.

The Bible is a tale sublime in its morality and didactics, truly — still, a tale and an allegory. Its fables are ingeniously concealed verities that are revealed only to those who, like the Initiates, have a key to their inner, esoteric meaning. It is a mere repertory of invented personages in its older Jewish portions, and of dark sayings and parables in its later additions, and thus quite misleading to anyone ignorant of its Esotericism. The Christian Holy Book is Astrolatry and Sabæan worship, pure and simple, that is to be found in the Pentateuch — when read exoterically — and Archaic Science and Astronomy to a most wonderful degree — when interpreted in the light of Eastern Occultism.

In view of the sustained attack by Anglo-Indian and English journals, we are obliged to enter the arena of controversy, under the penalty of having our silence construed into tacit consent. The torrent of letters from our opponents, pouring upon us from all sides, compelled us to lower the flag of truce which we have hitherto presented to spiritualists. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. The peacock’s feathers of the Indian Dailies and Weeklies, which are made to clumsily cover the ugly bird beneath, now painfully ruffled stand on end, can no longer hide the ravenous crow. Christian charity and malicious slandering of innocent people are mutually exclusive with the true religion of Christ (who has nothing to do with modern christrinity), however much they have become synonymic in the mind of some Bishops and their clergy. Those Anglo-Indian editors who done their best to injure the Theosophists, not only they patently failed in their unholy attempt, they did help our Branches to skyrocket worldwide. The sanctioning and spreading of flagrant untruths and malicious innuendoes, constitutes a dishonourable and venomous act — all the more reprehensible as it comes from the missionary press of Bombay. The clerical and Jesuitical policy is to disseminate false rumours, malicious backbiting, wicked and stupid cock-and-bull stories, by salaried catechists, zenana-missionaries, and padris under the sanction and with the blessings of their respective Bishops. We are charged with anti-Christism, while we are guilty but of anti-clericalism; and with a “fierce hatred of the Church,” when we confess but to a ferocious contempt for the ecclesiastical system — the system that crucifies its Christ daily, tramples His commands in the dust under his feet, and disfigures His noblest and most divine teachings! Other persons, nobler and far higher in social position than we, humble Theosophists, are no better protected against scurrilous abuse in the Indian Empire; and thus we find ourselves standing on parallel lines with His Excellency, the Viceroy of India.