The purpose of this work is not the enunciation6 of any special philosophy or doctrine2, but rather is to give to the students a statement of the Truth that will serve to reconcile the many bits of occult knowledge that they may have acquired, but which are apparently7 opposed to each other and which often serve to discourage and disgust the beginner in the study. Our intent is not to erect8 a new Temple of Knowledge, but rather to place in the hands of the student a Master-Key with which he may open the many inner doors in the Temple of Mystery through the main portals he has already entered.
There is no portion of the occult teachings possessed9 by the world which have been so closely guarded as the fragments of the Hermetic Teachings which have come down to us over the tens of centuries which have elapsed since the lifetime of its great founder10, Hermes Trismegistus, the "scribe of the gods," who dwelt in old Egypt in the days when the present race of men was in its infancy11. Contemporary with Abraham, and, if the legends be true, an instructor12 of that venerable sage13, Hermes was, and is, the Great Central Sun of Occultism, whose rays have served to illumine the countless teachings which have been promulgated14 since his time. All the fundamental and basic teachings embedded15 in the esoteric teachings of every race may be traced back to Hermes. Even the most ancient teachings of India undoubtedly16 have their roots in the original Hermetic Teachings.
From the land of the Ganges many advanced occultists wandered to the land of Egypt, and sat at the feet of the Master. From him they obtained the Master-Key which explained and reconciled their divergent views, and thus the Secret Doctrine was firmly established. From other lands also came the learned ones, all of whom regarded Hermes as the Master of Masters, and his influence was so great that in spite of the many wanderings from the path on the part of the centuries of teachers in these different lands, there may still be found a certain basic resemblance and correspondence which underlies17 the many and often quite divergent theories entertained and taught by the occultists of these different lands today. The student of Comparative Religions will be able to perceive the influence of the Hermetic Teachings in every religion worthy18 of the name, now known to man, whether it be a dead religion or one in full vigor19 in our own times. There is always certain correspondence in spite of the contradictory20 features, and the Hermetic Teachings act as the Great Reconciler.
The lifework of Hermes seems to have been in the direction of planting the great Seed-Truth which has grown and blossomed in so many strange forms, rather than to establish a school of philosophy which would dominate, the world's thought. But, nevertheless, the original truths taught by him have been kept intact in their original purity by a few men each age, who, refusing great numbers of half-developed students and followers21, followed the Hermetic custom and reserved their truth for the few who were ready to comprehend and master it. From lip to ear the truth has been handed down among the few. There have always been a few Initiates22 in each generation, in the various lands of the earth, who kept alive the sacred flame of the Hermetic Teachings, and such have always been willing to use their lamps to re-light the lesser23 lamps of the outside world, when the light of truth grew dim, and clouded by reason of neglect, and when the wicks became clogged24 with foreign matter. There were always a few to tend faithfully the altar of the Truth, upon which was kept alight the Perpetual Lamp of Wisdom. These men devoted25 their lives to the labor26 of love which the poet has so well stated in his lines:
"O, let not the flame die out! Cherished age after age in its dark cavern—in its holy temples cherished. Fed by pure ministers of love—let not the flame die out!"
These men have never sought popular approval, nor numbers of followers. They are indifferent to these things, for they know how few there are in each generation who are ready for the truth, or who would recognize it if it were presented to them. They reserve the "strong meat for men," while others furnish the "milk for babes." They reserve their pearls of wisdom for the few elect, who recognize their value and who wear them in their crowns, instead of casting them before the materialistic27 vulgar swine, who would trample28 them in the mud and mix them with their disgusting mental food. But still these men have never forgotten or overlooked the original teachings of Hermes, regarding the passing on of the words of truth to those ready to receive it, which teaching is stated in The Kybalion as follows: "Where fall the footsteps of the Master, the ears of those ready for his Teaching open wide." And again: "When the ears of the student are ready to hear, then cometh the lips to fill them with wisdom." But their customary attitude has always been strictly29 in accordance with the other Hermetic aphorism30, also in The Kybalion: "The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding."
There are those who have criticized this attitude of the Hermetists, and who have claimed that they did not manifest the proper spirit in their policy of seclusion31 and reticence32. But a moment's glance back over the pages of history will show the wisdom of the Masters, who knew the folly33 of attempting to teach to the world that which it was neither ready or willing to receive. The Hermetists have never sought to be martyrs34, and have, instead, sat silently aside with a pitying smile on their closed lips, while the "heathen raged noisily about them" in their customary amusement of putting to death and torture the honest but misguided enthusiasts35 who imagined that they could force upon a race of barbarians36 the truth capable of being understood only by the elect who had advanced along The Path.
And the spirit of persecution37 has not as yet died out in the land. There are certain Hermetic Teachings, which, if publicly promulgated, would bring down upon the teachers a great cry of scorn and revilement38 from the multitude, who would again raise the cry of "Crucify! Crucify."
In this little work we have endeavored to give you an idea of the fundamental teachings of The Kybalion, striving to give you the working Principles, leaving you to apply therm yourselves, rather than attempting to work out the teaching in detail. If you are a true student, you will be able to work out and apply these Principles—if not, then you must develop yourself into one, for otherwise the Hermetic Teachings will be as "words, words, words" to you.
THE THREE INITIATES.
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1 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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2 doctrine | |
n.教义;主义;学说 | |
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3 doctrines | |
n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 );教义;学说;(政府政策的)正式声明 | |
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4 countless | |
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的 | |
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5 arcane | |
adj.神秘的,秘密的 | |
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6 enunciation | |
n.清晰的发音;表明,宣言;口齿 | |
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7 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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8 erect | |
n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的 | |
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9 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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10 Founder | |
n.创始者,缔造者 | |
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11 infancy | |
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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12 instructor | |
n.指导者,教员,教练 | |
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13 sage | |
n.圣人,哲人;adj.贤明的,明智的 | |
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14 promulgated | |
v.宣扬(某事物)( promulgate的过去式和过去分词 );传播;公布;颁布(法令、新法律等) | |
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15 embedded | |
a.扎牢的 | |
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16 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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17 underlies | |
v.位于或存在于(某物)之下( underlie的第三人称单数 );构成…的基础(或起因),引起 | |
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18 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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19 vigor | |
n.活力,精力,元气 | |
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20 contradictory | |
adj.反驳的,反对的,抗辩的;n.正反对,矛盾对立 | |
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21 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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22 initiates | |
v.开始( initiate的第三人称单数 );传授;发起;接纳新成员 | |
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23 lesser | |
adj.次要的,较小的;adv.较小地,较少地 | |
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24 clogged | |
(使)阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 ); 淤滞 | |
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25 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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26 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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27 materialistic | |
a.唯物主义的,物质享乐主义的 | |
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28 trample | |
vt.踩,践踏;无视,伤害,侵犯 | |
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29 strictly | |
adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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30 aphorism | |
n.格言,警语 | |
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31 seclusion | |
n.隐遁,隔离 | |
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32 reticence | |
n.沉默,含蓄 | |
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33 folly | |
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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34 martyrs | |
n.martyr的复数形式;烈士( martyr的名词复数 );殉道者;殉教者;乞怜者(向人诉苦以博取同情) | |
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35 enthusiasts | |
n.热心人,热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
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36 barbarians | |
n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 );外国人;粗野的人;无教养的人 | |
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37 persecution | |
n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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38 revilement | |
n.辱骂,诽谤 | |
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