Eastern Tradition Research Archive

Our starting point is the conviction that the once universal but now hidden Wisdom Tradition exists. Our purpose is to trace this lost tradition in its extant sources, primarily the scriptures of the East. This is intended to establish the fact of its existence, and to ascertain more fully and accurately its teachings.

In order to achieve this, we have assembled an extensive archive of primary sources in their original languages. These are the scriptures of ancient India, namely, the Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, and Tibetan texts of the Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist traditions. To facilitate research, we have prepared bibliographic guides to some of these texts, and these bibliographic guides will be posted on this website.

It is our specific aim to trace the secret "Book of Dzyan" and "Book of the Golden Precepts", the basis of H. P. Blavatsky's books, The Secret Doctrine and The Voice of the Silence. Through these published books Blavatsky made known the existence of the once universal but now hidden Wisdom Tradition. Either these secret books are real, and can therefore eventually be found, or, along with the Wisdom Tradition itself, are merely figments of Blavatsky's imagination.

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Featured Book

Foundations of the Wisdom Tradition

  1. The First Letter of Mahatma K.H. to A. O. Hume (1880)
  2. Mahatma Letter Two (K.H. to A. P. Sinnett) (1880)
  3. The Maha-Chohan's Letter (1881)
  4. Mahatma Letter Ten (1882)
  5. Mahatma Letter Twenty-two (1882)
  6. What Is Matter and What Is Force? (excerpts) (1882)
  7. Doctrines of the Nepalese Svabhavikas (excerpts) (1874)

Studies in the Wisdom Tradition, by David Reigle

  1. Theosophy and Buddhism (2000, 2015)
  2. Samkhya and the Wisdom-Religion (2000, 2015)
  3. The First Fundamental Proposition of the Secret Doctrine (2004, 2011, 2015)
  4. The Original Sankaracarya (2001, 2007, 2015)
  5. God's Arrival in India (2003, 2007, 2015)
  6. The Doctrinal Position of the Wisdom Tradition: Great Madhyamaka (2008, 2015)
  7. Tsongkhapa and the Teachings of the Wisdom Tradition (2008, 2015)

Book of Dzyan Research Reports, by David Reigle

  1. Technical Terms in Stanza I (1995-1999)
  2. Theosophy in Tibet: The Teachings of the Jonangpa School (1996-1999)
  3. Technical Terms in Stanza II (1997)
  4. The Doctrine of Svabhava or Svabhavata and the Questions of Anatman and Sunyata (1997-2004)

Articles on Various Topics, by David or Nancy Reigle

Relevant Materials by Various Authors

Bibliographic Guides

Sanskrit Texts

Portuguese Section

Spanish Section (translated by a group of students of ULT Los Angeles, unless otherwise noted)

Our Projects

  1. The Book of Dzyan Project
  2. The Buddhist, Hindu, and Jaina Scriptures Collection: Sourcebooks of the Wisdom Tradition