Wisdom of the Ancients

276 Pages·2013·1.39 MB·English

T. LOBSANG RAMPA

WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS

(Edition: 18/06/2021)

Wisdom of the Ancients — (Originally published in
1965) This is indeed a suitable title for this fascinating
book. The larger part of it consists of a Dictionary of
the Occult, and Dr Rampa has called upon his great
knowledge and experience to explain fully and very
comprehensibly many of the mysteries of the hidden
world. Following the dictionary are four supplements:
on Breathing, Stones, Foodstuffs and Exercises.
Originally Dr Rampa intended to call this book ‘Just a
Word’. His publishers felt, however, that this was too
modest a title for a book which contained so much
invaluable information.
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It is better to light a candle than to curse the
darkness.

The Coat of Arms is surrounded by a Tibetan rosary
made up of one hundred and eight beads symbolising
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the one hundred and eight books of the Tibetan
Kangyur. In personal blazon, we see two rampant seal
point Siamese cats holding a lit candle. In the upper
left-hand of the shield we see the Potala; to the right-
hand of the shield, a Tibetan prayer wheel turning, as
shown by the small weight which is over the object. In
the bottom, left-hand of the shield are books to
symbolise the talents of writer and knowledge of the
author, whereas to the right-hand side of the shield, a
crystal ball to symbolise the esoteric sciences. Under
the shield, we can read the motto of T. Lobsang Rampa:
‘I lit a candle’.
To
The Lady Ku'ei
who taught me
many
Siamese Cat
words
and always encouraged me!

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Table of contents
Table of contents ....................................................... 4
What this book is ....................................................... 5
From A to Z ............................................................... 6
A ................................................................................................ 6
B............................................................................................... 22
C............................................................................................... 33
D .............................................................................................. 43
E ............................................................................................... 57
F ............................................................................................... 67
G .............................................................................................. 73
H .............................................................................................. 82
I ................................................................................................ 94
J .............................................................................................. 102
K ............................................................................................ 105
L ............................................................................................. 115
M ............................................................................................ 129
N ............................................................................................ 148
O ............................................................................................ 158
P ............................................................................................. 167
Q ............................................................................................ 186
R............................................................................................. 189
S ............................................................................................. 195
T ............................................................................................. 212
U ............................................................................................ 220
V ............................................................................................ 223
W ........................................................................................... 228
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X ............................................................................................ 230
Y ............................................................................................ 232
Z ............................................................................................. 234
Supplement A: Breathing ...................................... 235
Supplement B: Stones ........................................... 251
Supplement C: The stuff we eat! ........................... 263
Supplement D: Exercises (Why you should NOT
exercise) .................................................................... 280
‘Kindness to publishers’ department ..................... 283
Interactive index .................................................... 286

What this book is
Such a lot of people like to have big words. Such a
lot of people mess up the whole thing when they go in
for Big Words.
I like small words. It is so much easier to say what
one means with small words. After all, if we are going
to read a book in English, or Spanish, we do not
normally need Sanskrit or Hindustani or Chinese
words. However, some people like Big Words.
This is an honest attempt to give you a Dictionary of
certain words, and to go into some detail about the
meanings. In some instances the meaning could well
constitute a monograph.
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Monograph? MONOGRAPH? What is a
monograph? A short essay on one subject will explain
it.
But let us get on with our little Dictionary because
that is what you will be interested in. I thought that first
of all I should say—Just A Word!
From A to Z
We will start with the letter A. I cannot think of any
which comes before, so the first word is:
A
ABHINIVESHA: This indicates possessiveness
restricted to a love of life on Earth. It is an attachment
to the things of life and a fear of death because of the
loss of possessions which that will bring. Misers love
their money, and they fear death because death will part
them from their money. To those who suffer from this
particular complaint I will say that no one has yet
succeeded in taking even a penny into the next life!
ABSTINENCES: We have to abstain, or refrain from
doing, certain things if we are to progress on the road to
spirituality. We must refrain or abstain from injuring
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others; we must refrain from telling lies. Theft—we
must avoid theft because it is altering the material
balance of another person if we steal from them.
Sensuality? That is an impure form of sex, and while
pure sex can elevate one, sensuality can ruin one
spiritually as well as financially!
Greed is a thing of which we should not be guilty.
Mankind is lent money or abilities in order that we may
help others. If we are greedy and refuse to help in case
of genuine need, then we may be sure that help will be
refused us in time of need.
If one can honour the Five Abstinences—abstention
from injuring others, abstention from lies, abstention
from theft, abstention from sensuality, and abstention
from greed, then one can be at peace with the world,
although it does not follow that the world can be at
peace with one.
ACHAMANA: This is a rite practiced by those of the
Hindu belief. It is a rite in which a worshipper purifies
himself by thinking of pure things while sipping water
and sprinkling water around him. In some ways it is
similar to the sprinkling of water during a Christian
ceremony. The Hindu, having done this, can then retire
into a peaceful state of meditation.
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ACHARYA: This is a word for a spiritual teacher, or,
if you prefer it, a Guru. Acharya is frequently a suffix
to the name of some revered religious teacher.
ADHARMA: This indicates lack of virtue, lack of
righteousness. The poor fellow probably does not
abstain from any of the Five Abstinences.
AGAMA: A Scripture, or in Tibet a Tantra. It can be
used to indicate any work which trains one in mystical
or metaphysical worship.
AGAMI KARMA: This is the correct term for Karma.
It means that the physical and mental acts performed by
one in the body affect one's future incarnations. In the
Christian Bible there is a statement that as one sows so
shall one reap, which is much the same as saying that if
you sow the seeds of wickedness then you shall reap
wickedness, but if you sow the seeds of good and help
for others then the same shall be returned to you ‘a
thousandfold.’ Such is Karma.
AHAMKARA: The mind is divided into various parts,
and Ahamkara is the sort of traffic director which
receives sense impressions and establishes them as the
form of facts which we know, and which we can call to
mind at will.
AHIMSA: This was the policy followed by Gandhi, a
policy of peace, of non-violence. It is refraining from
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harming any other creature in thought, deed, or word. It
is, in fact, another way of saying, ‘Do as you would be
done by.’
AI: The shortest known way of saying equal love for
all without discrimination as to race, creed, colour, or
form. When we are capable of truly fulfilling the
meaning of the word Ai, then we do not have to stay on
this world any longer, because we are too pure to stay
here any longer.
AJAPA: This is a special Mantra. The Easterner
believes that breath goes out with the sound of ‘AJ,’
and is taken in with the sound ‘SA.’ Hansa is the sound
of human breathing. ‘HA,’ breath going out; ‘N’ as a
conjunction; ‘SA,’ breath coming in. We make that
subconscious sound fifteen times in one minute, or
twenty-one thousand six hundred times in twenty-four
hours. Animals also have their own particular rate; a cat
does it twenty-four times a minute, a tortoise three
times a minute.
Some people consider that the Ajapa Mantra is also
an unconscious, or rather, a sub-conscious prayer,
which means ‘I am That.’
AJNA CHAKRA: This is the sixth of the commonly
accepted figure of seven of the known Yogic centres of
consciousness. Actually there are nine such centres, but
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that would be delving too deeply into Tibetan lore to
explain here.
Ajna chakra is the Lotus at the eyebrow level, a
Lotus, in this case, with only two petals. This is a part
of the sixth-sense mechanism. It leads to clairvoyance,
internal vision, and knowledge of the world beyond this
world.
AKASHA: Many people refer to this as ether, but a
rather better definition would be—that which fills all
space between worlds, molecules, and everything. The
matter from which everything else is formed.
It should be remembered that this matter is common
throughout our own planetary system, but it does not at
all follow that other universes have the same form of
matter. You can say that the human body consists of
blood cells, flesh cells, and, yet in a different part, bone
cells.
AKASHIC: This is usually used when referring to the
Akashic Record.
It is difficult to explain to a three-dimensional world
that which is an occurrence in a more multi-
dimensional world, but it may be regarded like this:
Imagine that you are a cine photographer who has
always existed and will always exist, and you have an
unlimited supply of film (and someone to process it for
you!). From the beginning of time you have
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