Where is the necessity for imposing our personal views upon others who must be allowed to possess as good a faculty of discrimination and judgment as we believe ourselves to be endowed with? It is difficult to obliterate innate differences of mental perceptions and faculties, let alone to reconcile them by bringing under one standard the endless varieties of human nature and thought. No attempt toward engrafting our views and beliefs on individuals, whose mental and intellectual capacities differ from ours as one variety or species of plants differs from another, will ever be successful. Nor we will ever be able prove our love to our fellow man by depriving him of his divine prerogatives — those of an untrammelled liberty of reason, right of conscience, and self-reliance. The religion of love and charity is built upon the gigantic holocaust of the faithful, fuelled by the illegitimate desire to impose a universal belief in Christ. Where is that creed that has ever surpassed it in bloodthirstiness and cruelty, in intolerance, in papal bulls, and the damnation of all other religions? Genuine morality does not rest with the profession of any particular creed or faith, least of all with belief in gods or a God. No matter how sincere and ardent the faith of a theist, unless he gives precedence in his thoughts first to the benefit that accrues from a moral course of action to his brother, and then only thinks of himself (if at all), he will remain at best a pious egotist. Theism and atheism grow and develop together our reasoning powers, and become either fortified or weakened by reflection or deduction of evidence. Why should not men imagine that they can drink of the cup of vice with impunity when one half of the population is offered to purchase absolution for its sins for a paltry sum of money? The more a child feels sure of his parents love for him, the easier he feels to break his father’s commands. One ought to despise that virtue which prudence and fear alone direct. We have therefore no right to be influencing our neighbours’ opinions upon purely transcendental and unprovable questions, which are speculations of our emotional nature, for none of us is infallible. Opinions are never static: they are amenable to change by reason and experience. By stirring up religious hatred, propagandism and conversion are the fertile seeds of cruelty and crimes against humanity. Where is that wise and infallible man who can show to another man what, or who, should be his ideal? The most fragrant rose has often the sharpest thorns. And it is the flowers of the thistle, when pounded and made up into an ointment, that will cure the wounds made by her cruel thorns the best. For all its beauty, it is an ungrateful task to seek to engraft the rose upon the thistle, since the rose will lose its fragrance, both plants will be deformed, and become a monstrous hybrid. Theosophy is Religion itself. Loyalty to Truth is its creed. Virtue, morality, brotherly love, and kind sympathy with every living creature are its noble objectives. Godless Buddhism ennobled the least philosophical of the dissenting sects of his religion, the Lamaism of the nomadic Kalmyks.

This book presents a unique collection of papers on various philosophical aspects of the unknown and unvoiced truth and reality of the cosmic world. It offers a systematic analysis of the three philosophical theories of Quietism, Agnosticism and Mysticism and introduces readers to the fundamentals of mystical knowledge claimed by philosophical schools of the east and the west. It discusses, debates and deliberates on philosophical issues concerning the acquisition of truth, its objectivity and its various dimensions along with the application of thoughts pertaining to Quietism, Agnosticism, and metaphysical-mystic traditions in philosophy. It examines and precisely defines the scope and limits of knowledge, the respective way of life, its expressions and morality, mystical revelation, ineffability of the ultimate, value realism, and faith and reason - with a primary focus on the classical Indian schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Agnosticism, the Bāuls, Greek traditions, modern western meta-philosophy, and contemporary quietist debate in religion and theology. This insightful collection should be of great interest to independent researchers, students and teachers of philosophy, theology, Mysticism and Agnosticism, cultural studies and religious studies.

Agnosticism is the modern variation on the ancient theme of the Greek philosopher, “All I know is that I know nothing.” Agnosticism is lack of reason, nescience rather than ignorance. Having found gnosis we cannot turn our backs on it and become agnostics, says a Master of Wisdom. The strong Agnostic assumes the negative position of knowing nothing but phenomena and refuses to believe in anything else. The weak Agnostic may be ready to entertain new ideas, but the light of Truth will always blind the religious bigot. With the exception of psychism, every other –ism is a shade of materialism — a science without a soul. Ancient pagans held far deeper views on the First Cause and its emanations than modern philosophers, whether Agnostics, Materialists or Christians. Agnostics have to choose between the Secret Doctrine of the East, and the materialistic Darwinian and Biblical Doctrines of the West. Agnosticism, Positivism, and Materialism are the worst enemies of Theosophy and Mysticism. Much of current agnostic speculation on the existence of the First Cause is little better than veiled Materialism. Between Agnostics and Catholics, the age revels at a debauch of phenomena. Brutal but frank Materialism is more honest than Janus-faced agnosticism in our days. Monism is no better than a mask concealing the void of final annihilation, even of consciousness. The Occultist would be guilty of treason, were he to demolish the old gods before he could replace them with the eternal verities that they represent. Atheists and Agnostics are thinly attracted to “godless” Buddhism, or to our highly philosophical and logical agnosticism. The “moral standard of the Theosophists” is TRUTH and this covers all. No sincere seeker of Truth can ever be found among the blind believers in the “Divine Word.” Our doctrine knows no compromises. It either affirms or denies, for it never teaches but that which it knows to be Truth.

Contrast to popular belief, this book demonstrates that you do not have to be religious to get benefits of philosophy attached to it. Looking at a very unique angle, this book provides a path to be self control and have contentment and happiness possible even under life dilemmas that force people to seek refuge in various religions. Surprisingly, the guidance toward this independence and contentment is presented in a simple manner by observing basic life forms. The book presents several other novelty concepts in an interesting manner that can not be read elsewhere. Author admits the guilt for not only presenting an over decorated religious concept in a very simple manner but also giving a vision for readers to view beyond that concept. Hence, this book may be categorised under self development, philosophy and also under religion. The term SOVAN comes under Buddhist domain but here that term is considered as a philosophy emphasising the value of that instead of demanding respect on it. The benefit of SOVAN is assumed obvious once the term is understood. Therefore benefits those could have been overlooked are listed instead. Author proposes partial SOVAN but never recommended not to attain full SOVAN Buddhist readers will find this book interesting as this provides a fresh view on the Buddhist concepts allowing the reader to deepen his or her understanding. As for an additional service, book states possible contradictions allowing the reader to make his or her own comparisons to improve understanding.

If you have recently joined the growing ranks of nonbelievers, you may be wondering where to go next. What do you leave behind when you abandon religion? Is atheism and agnosticism a spiritual dead-end? How do you find meaning, morality, and spiritual satisfaction in a world without God? Going Godless takes a look at spirituality redefined within the material world around us, the world we know exists. Whether you are atheist, agnostic, deist, or simply don't subscribe to any existing religion, you are faced with going through life without a rule book handed down by God. Going Godless does not provide you with a rule book, but rather an important perspective for writing your own.

A non-theistic contribution to the dialogue between religion and secular humanism through the medium of Buddhist spiritual practice.