The Occult Significance of the Bhagavad Gita

The Occult Significance of the Bhagavad Gita PDF Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: SteinerBooks
ISBN: 1621510336
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
So Rudolf Steiner describes this old Indian scripture 'The Bhagavad Gita'. It tells how in the midst of a fratricidal battle the lofty Krishna appears in spiritual form to the soldier Arjuna revealing the mysteries of universal egohood and the path of yoga. "The highest to which the individual man can soar by training himself and working on himself with wisdom -- that is Krishna... In all of earthly evolution there is no Being who could give give the individual human soul so much as Krishna," remarks Steiner. But Steiner also Describes out of his spiritual research how Krishna's one-sided inspiration of the ninner path of the individual was balanced and countered by what Christ brought from outside for all humanity. In impressive pictures Steiner paints the secrets of Krishna's evolutionary sacrifice, his role in the life and work of Jesus and Christ, and the relevance of his teaching for our time.

The Occult Significance of the Bhagavad Gita

The Occult Significance of the Bhagavad Gita PDF Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: SteinerBooks
ISBN: 1621510336
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Get Book Here

Book Description
So Rudolf Steiner describes this old Indian scripture 'The Bhagavad Gita'. It tells how in the midst of a fratricidal battle the lofty Krishna appears in spiritual form to the soldier Arjuna revealing the mysteries of universal egohood and the path of yoga. "The highest to which the individual man can soar by training himself and working on himself with wisdom -- that is Krishna... In all of earthly evolution there is no Being who could give give the individual human soul so much as Krishna," remarks Steiner. But Steiner also Describes out of his spiritual research how Krishna's one-sided inspiration of the ninner path of the individual was balanced and countered by what Christ brought from outside for all humanity. In impressive pictures Steiner paints the secrets of Krishna's evolutionary sacrifice, his role in the life and work of Jesus and Christ, and the relevance of his teaching for our time.

The Bhagavad Gita and the West

The Bhagavad Gita and the West PDF Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: SteinerBooks
ISBN: 0880109610
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
5 lectures, Cologne, Dec. 28, 1912 - Jan. 1, 1913 (CW 142) 9 lectures, Helsinki, May 28 - June 5, 1913 (CW 146) 1 lecture, Basel, Sept. 19, 1912 (CW 139) This combination of two volumes in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works presents Steiner's profound engagement with Hindu thought and, above all, the Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as they illuminate Western Christian esotericism. In his masterly introduction, Robert McDermott, a longtime student of Rudolf Steiner, as well as Hindu spirituality, explores the complex ways in which the "Song of the Lord," or Bhagavad Gita, has been understood in East and West. He shows how Krishna's revelation to Arjuna --a foundation of spirituality in India for more than two and a half millennia --assumed a similarly critical role in the Western spiritual revival of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the West, for instance, leading up to Steiner's engagement, McDermott describes the various approaches manifested by Emerson, Thoreau, H.P. Blavatsky, and William James. In the East, he engages with interpretations of historical figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo, relating them to Steiner's unique perspective. In addition, and most important, he illumines the various technical terms and assumptions implicit in the worldview expressed in the Bhagavad Gita. The main body of The Bhagavad Gita and the West consists of two lecture courses by Rudolf Steiner: "The Bhagavad Gita and the Epistles of Paul" and "The Esoteric Significance of the Bhagavad Gita." In the first course, his main purpose is to integrate the flower of Hindu spirituality into his view of the evolution of consciousness and the pivotal role played in it by the Mystery of Golgotha --the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Steiner views Krishna as a great spiritual teacher and the Bhagavad Gita as a preparation, though still abstract, for the coming of Christ and the Christ impulse as the living embodiment of the World, Law, and Devotion, represented by the three Hindu streams of Veda, Sankhya, and Yoga. For Steiner, the epic poem of the Bhagavad Gita represents the "fully ripened fruit" of Hinduism, whereas Paul is related but represents "the seed of something entirely new." In the last lecture of part one, Steiner reveals Krishna as the sister soul of Adam, incarnated as Jesus, and claims Krisha's Yoga teachings streamed from Christ into Paul. In the second lecture course, five months later, Steiner engages the text of the Bhagavad Gita --on its own terms --as signaling the beginning of a new soul consciousness. To aid in understanding both of these important cycles, this book includes the complete text of the Bhagavad Gita in Eknath Easwaran's luminous translation. In our age, when East and West are growing closer and we live increasingly in a global, intercultural and religiously pluralistic world, this remarkable book is required reading. The Bhagavad Gita and the West is a translation of two volumes in German: Die Bhagavad Gita und die Paulusbriefe (CW 142) and Die okkulten Grundlagen der Bhagavad Gita (CW 146). The lecture in the appendix is translated from Das Markus-Evangelium (CW 139) and was published in The Gospel of St. Mark (Anthroposophic Press, 1986).

The Ultimate Communion of Mankind

The Ultimate Communion of Mankind PDF Author: Karen Swassjan
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 9780904693829
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
Swassjan's sparkling humor, wit, and lively style spill over every page, making this a thoroughly unique discourse on Rudolf Steiner's book The Philosophy of Freedom. His brilliant insight and comprehensive scholarship ensure that the reader's attention is engaged to the very end.

Interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and Images of the Hindu Tradition

Interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and Images of the Hindu Tradition PDF Author: Catherine A. Robinson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134278918
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
The Bhagavad-Gita is probably the most popular - and certainly the most frequently quoted and widely studied - work of the Hindu scriptures. This book investigates the relationship between the various interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Hindu tradition. Taking into account a range of influential Indian and western thinkers to illustrate trends in writing about the Bhagavad-Gita including Western academic; Indian activist; Christian theological; Hindu universalist; perennialist mystical and contemporary experiental accounts. Examining the ideas of such influential figures as F Max Muller, M K Ghandi, Bede Griffiths, Swami Vivekananda, Aldous Huxley and Swami Bhakivedanta, this book demonstrates the inextricable link between different interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and images of the Hindu tradition. This accessible book aptly demonstrates the relevance of the Bhagavad-Gita for an understanding of Hinduism as a modern phenomenon.

The Spiritual Origins of Eastern Europe

The Spiritual Origins of Eastern Europe PDF Author: Sergei O. Prokofieff
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 1906999910
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 562

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Book Description
‘And however paradoxical it may seem today, the “Grail mood” is in the fullest sense to be found in Russia. And the future role that Russia will play in the sixth post-Atlantean epoch... rests firmly upon this unconquerable “Grail mood” in the Russian people.’ – Rudolf Steiner Although Eastern Europe has been part of the Christian world for more than a thousand years, its spiritual identity remains a mystery. This mystery, says Sergei Prokofieff, can only fully be solved by looking behind external events and seeking spiritual – meta-historical – dimensions of reality. In illuminating the maya of outer history, Prokofieff reveals the forces that have been at work to hinder the progress of mankind: the materialistic Brotherhoods of the West and the occult aspects of both Jesuitism and Bolshevism. These adversary groups have created a ‘karma of materialism’, that the eastern Slavic peoples have taken upon themselves out of their ‘exalted willingness for sacrifice’. Prokofieff shows how, from the earliest times, the future ‘conscience of humanity’ flowed from hidden mystery centres in Hibernia, to the eastern Slavic peoples. As a result, qualities of ‘compassion, patience and willingness for sacrifice’ developed in their souls, creating a truly Christian ‘Grail mood’. Despite incalculable suffering – from the persecutions of the Mongol hordes to the Bolshevik experiment of the last century – this quality has become an unconquerable force. Will humanity be able to use the present opportunity granted by this sacrifice to fulfil the primary purposes of the present cultural epoch? Can the future mysteries of the Holy Grail be fulfilled? In this momentous work, breathtaking in its scope and detail, the author attempts a truly esoteric approach, penetrating to the spiritual wellsprings of Eastern Europe in the light of Rudolf Steiner’s research.

The Two Jesus Boys

The Two Jesus Boys PDF Author: Christoph Rau
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 1912230275
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
The two contradicting genealogies of Jesus in the Gospels have long puzzled biblical scholars. Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual research led him to the controversial theological conclusion that historically there existed two Jesus boys, born of two holy families. These two boys, he said, were necessary as part of the spiritual preparation of forming a suitable human body for the incarnation of Christ into the earthly realm. Both apocryphal texts and the writings of the Essenes – as discovered at Qumran by the Dead Sea – now appear to support this conception, with references to Messianic figures from both royal and priestly lines. Various authors have developed Rudolf Steiner’s observations – first presented in the early twentieth century – although much of this literature has lacked the rigour of accurate and broad scholarship. The Two Jesus Boys is not simply a derivative rehash of these previous publications. Rather, it offers a fresh investigation of primary sources, coupled with an objective determination to allow the facts to speak for themselves. Christoph Rau thus comes to the unavoidable conclusion that Steiner’s presentation of the chronology of the two births needs revision; furthermore, the most recent discoveries and interpretations of Essene scrolls reveal that the Jewish sect expected not one but three Messiahs. Rau quotes from and analyses numerous documents from the landscape of early Christianity and Judaism. His findings provide a secure foundation for the historical existence of two Jesus boys in the prelude to Christ’s incarnation on earth, as well as a revelation of the Essenes’ long expectation of three Messiahs.

The Heavenly Sophia and the Being Anthroposophia

The Heavenly Sophia and the Being Anthroposophia PDF Author: Sergei O. Prokofieff
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 9781902636795
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
Based on the author's experience of the suprasensory being behind spiritual science (Anthroposophy), this volume is the culmination of Sergei Prokofieff's twenty-five years of work on Rudolf Steiner's spiritual impulse. He shows that the being Anthroposophia is not merely a poetic image or an abstract concept, but an actual spiritual entity who works in the higher worlds to benefit earthly evolution and bring to humanity "the new revelation of the heavenly Sophia, the divine wisdom." In the first part of the book, Prokofieff describes the path that led him to experience the being Anthroposophia--a path that is clearly outlined so that it can be followed by the reader as well. In the second part, beginning with Steiner's relatively few statements on the subject, the author considers the position of the living Anthroposophia in the cosmic hierarchy--specifically her relationship to Christ, to the heavenly Sophia, and the to Archangel Michael. Finally available in paperback, this work will be of special interest to all those who have a close connection to Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy.

Rudolf Steiner and the Founding of the New Mysteries

Rudolf Steiner and the Founding of the New Mysteries PDF Author: Sergei O. Prokofieff
Publisher: Temple Lodge Publishing
ISBN: 1912230046
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 474

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Book Description
In this revised and expanded edition of his classic debut, Sergei O. Prokofieff investigates the deepest mysteries of Rudolf Steiner’s life and individuality, from ‘the years of apprenticeship’ and ‘the great Sun period’ to ‘the path of the Teacher of Humanity’ and ‘the birth of the New Mysteries’. He discusses the earthly and supersensible aspects of the first Goetheanum, the implications of the Christmas Conference of 1923-24, and the Foundation Stone meditation that Steiner left as a legacy to members of the Anthroposophical Society. In his very personal Introduction, Prokofieff describes, in moving detail, the events in his life which led to his discovery of anthroposophy whilst living in Communist Russia, and how eventually he came to write this extraordinary study of Rudolf Steiner. The resulting volume – a work of secondary anthroposophical literature unprecedented in its depth and significance – was first published in Germany in 1982, meeting with equal amounts of acclaim, astonishment and controversy. It is published in this paperback edition to mark the 35th anniversary of the original publication.

Agriculture, Spiritual-Scientific Foundations

Agriculture, Spiritual-Scientific Foundations PDF Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
ISBN: 1855846667
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Book Description
One hundred years after Rudolf Steiner presented his lectures on agriculture in 1924, the impact of his words are self-evident. Around the world, biodynamic principles are practised in thousands of thriving farms, vineyards and gardens, and Demeter certification for biodynamic produce is recognized internationally as a mark of quality. Speaking to a modest audience of farmers in a village in modern-day Poland, Steiner launched the first organic agricultural movement. But what has come to be known as ‘biodynamics’ is distinguished by many unique aspects, including the use of herbal and mineral ‘preparations’ (which serve as dynamizing applications for compost and field sprays) and the concept of the farm or garden as a single living organism, encompassing animals, crops, soil and community. This definitive, centenary edition of the influential Agriculture Course has been reedited from primary sources to be as faithful as possible to Steiner’s original meaning. Shorthand reports have been freshly transcribed, archival discoveries added, and fresh commentary and notes inserted. In addition to the original eight lectures and four discussions, this volume features a wealth of new texts, including notes, addresses and resolutions relating to the Experimental Circle – founded contemporaneously to bridge research and practice – comprehensive facsimiles of Rudolf Steiner’s preparatory notes for the course; original programmes and attendee lists; questions sent in advance; written and verbal reports by Steiner, including his address to young people; photos of Koberwitz, and high-quality colour plates of his original blackboard drawings. Eight lectures, four question-and-answer sessions, Koberwitz, June 1924, GA 327

Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner PDF Author: Colin Wilson
Publisher: Aeon Books
ISBN: 1912807556
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Of all the important thinkers of the twentieth century, Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) is perhaps the most difficult to come to grips with. For the unprepared reader, his work presents a series of formidable obstacles, from the dauntingly abstract style to the often bizarre pronouncements on the nature of man and his cosmic destiny. And yet, Steiner was perhaps the most influential and charismatic occult philosopher of his generation and the movement he launched, Anthroposophy, with its educational, agricultural, and artistic applications, still has many thousands of followers worldwide. No one interested in esoteric thought can ignore Steiner, but until now there has been no genuinely accessible introduction to his ideas. This lucid and sympathetic account describes Steiner's development from shy scholar to the international figurehead of Anthroposophy, his break with Madam Blavatsky's Theosophy, his struggles to find a voice, and the essence of his insights into the supersensible world.