English-Chinese Theosophical Dictionary
英汉神智学词典

Prepared by
Vicente Hao Chin Jr.
蔡志增

Note: The following dictionary has been prepared for translators of English theosophical literature to Chinese. A simple English definition of each term has been added to provide a brief understanding of the term and to distinguish it from other usages of the term.
Some terms come from Hindu, Buddhist and other religious literature. These have been added because they are frequently encountered in theosophical literature. Transliterations of Hindu and Buddhist names are based on popular usages, and diacritical marks have not been added for this initial version.
The compiler wishes to thank Bro. Hauw Tio Hiong of the Singapore Lodge of the Theosophical Society, who reviewed this compilation and made very helpful suggestions.
Suggestions for additional terms, or corrections of translations, are most welcome. Please email to v.haochin@gmail.com.
January 9, 2011

Absolute – 绝对 (指真理或原则) Perfect or complete. The highest state.
Abstract mind － 抽象心智. The higher mind capable of thinking abstract or formless ideas.
Abstract thinking – 抽象思维. Thinking without form.
Adept – 大圣。In theosophy, it refers to a perfected human being, a Mahatma.
Adi － 阿提，阿底. The first place of nature according to the writings of C. W. Leadbeater.
Adi-Buddha – 阿提佛。The supreme Buddha, the One unknown without beginning or end.
Advaita Vedanta – 不二吠檀多。 A non-dualistic form of Vedanta philosophy.
Adyar － 阿迪尔(印度地区名)。A section of Chennai City, India, where the Theosophical Society headquarters is located.
Agni – 阿格尼,火神. Hindu God of fire.
Agnosticism – 不可知论。The view that knowledge about one cannot know much of the claims of religion and philosophy, such as the existence of God.
Ahamkara – 我慢. I-making faculty.
Ah-hi – 阿喜。Spiritual beings involved in the manifestation of divine will, equated with Dhyan Chohans.
Ahimsa – 不害，不杀生. Harmlessness.
Ainsoph – 无限(犹太教)。In Kabbalah, the deity or state of existence prior to manifestation as the cosmos.
Ajna chakra - 额轮. The brow chakra.
Akasa – 阿迦奢、 虚空. Primordial substance or essence that pervades all Space.
Akashic record - 阿卡西记录。The record of all events in the Akasa.
Alaya – 阿赖耶 . Storehouse of consciousness. Also Alaya-vijnana. In Northern Buddhism it also refers to the Universal Soul.
Alchemy – 炼金术。 A medieval chemical science and philosophy that seeks to turn base metals to gold. Its symbolisms are relevant to the spiritual life of human beings.
Altruism – 利他主义. The quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
Amanasa – 无心。Mindless. This refers to the First Root Race of humanity where the mind is not yet functioning.
Amitabha Buddha –阿弥陀佛. A Buddha venerated by the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, where people who call on his name will be reborn in Pure Land or Sukhavati 净土。
Anagamin – 阿那含, 不還. A third initiate in the Buddhist system, freed from the five fetters and non-returner to the rounds of rebirth.
Anahata chakra – 心轮. The heart chakra.
Analogy – 类似。consider 比拟The use of one thing to explain or understand another thing. This can be the use of correspondences in two complex entities, understanding the unknown entity by comparison with the known entity.
Ananda – 喜. Bliss. It is a quality of the buddhic consciousness.
Anandamaya kosa – 喜鞘。 The buddhic body or the body of bliss.
Anatman or Anatta - 无我The Buddhist view that there is no enduring self.
Anatta – （巴利文） 无我 the Buddhist view that there is no enduring self.
Anatman （梵文），即非我，也有译为无我。
Anima mundi – 世界的灵魂。 The soul of the world.
Animal Soul – 动物性的灵魂。This refers to the desire body or kama-rupa. It is different from the soul of animals.
Annamaya kosa –肉 鞘。 The food sheath or the physical body.
Anthropogenesis – 人类起源和发展. The origin of human beings.
Anthropomorphic God. 似人神。Consider 拟人化的神、人格化的神 God with human qualities.
Anthropomorphism – 拟人化的神论、人格化的神论 A view of God that endows him with human characteristics.
Anu –阿努. The ultimate physical atom.
Anupapadaka or aupapadaka – 化生. Parentless. The second plane of nature according to the writings of C. W. Leadbeater.
Apocrypha – 经外书。Christian scriptures which are not included in the standard compilations of the Bible.
Appolonius of Tyana – 阿波罗尼 俄斯（提阿那的）. A Greek adept and philosopher.
Archangel - 大天使, 天使长. Higher angels, sometimes equated with Dhyan Chohans.
Archetype – 愿型 (Consider 典型、原型)。The ideal, abstract or primordial forms from which things can be derived, such as objects in the universe.
Arhat – 阿汉，阿罗汉 the fourth initiate in the Buddhist system
Arupa – 无色 Without form or formless.
Arupa loka – 无色界. The formless world
Arya Samaj – 雅利安社. A Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayanand in 1875. The Theosophical Society merged with it for a time and afterwards broke up again.
Aryan. 阿利安。The fifth root race.
Asana – 体位. Physical postures or positions in yoga.
Asanga – 慈恩大師。 Buddhist teacher that expounded the Yogacara tradition.
Ascending Arc – 向上的弧。In evolution, there are cycles where part of which the entitles rise to higher forms. This is the ascending phase or arc.
Astral body － 灵体, 星光体，魂体. The term is used in theosophical literature in two different ways. H. P. Blavatsky used it to mean the Linga Sarira 模体 or the etheric double 以太副身. C. W. Leadbeater used it to mean the desire body or kama rupa 欲体.
Astral light – 星界光。 The lower manifestation of Akasa or primordial substance, and which is next to the physical plane.
Astral projection – 灵体投射. The separation of the astral body from the physical body.
Astral shell – 灵体壳。The remaining body after the second death of a person where the kamarupa 欲体 and part of the mental body 智体 are separated from the causal body 因果体。This shell retains the memory and characteristics of the dead person and appears to be the real person who had died.
Astrology - 占星学. The study of the movement of planets in relation to human destiny.
Asura - 阿修罗。Deities in Hinduism that are opposed to the Devas or angels. They are usually associated with negative qualities such as pride and arrogance.
Atlantis – 阿特兰提斯， 太平洋洲 A civilization that once existed around the Atlantic Ocean. Theosophical literature considers it as the fourth root race, and its last island was sunk in about 9,000 BCE.
Atma – 神我。 The true Self in a human being. It is universal and not individual.
Attachment – 执着。Identification or dependency on something.
Aum – 唵. The sacred sound in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Aura - 气场。 The energy emanation from living beings that are normally invisible to the eye but visible to clairvoyants.
Auric Egg – 气场蛋。An envelope that contains all the principles of a human being, from the Atma to the physical body and is the synthesizing element of the human principles.
Avalokitesvara – 观世音. The Bodhisattva of compassion. In theosophy it is equivalent to the Third Logos.
Avatar – 阿凡达，神之化身. The descent of a deity to human incarnation.
Avichi or Avici – 无间地狱, 阿 鼻 旨. A state of great isolation after death, created by a life of extreme selfishnesss and evil actions. In Buddhism it is the lowest hell.
Avidya – 无明. Ignorance.
Awareness - 观察, 觉知. Being conscious of something.It is an important quality in meditation and the spiritual life.
Baptism – 洗礼，浸礼 (基督教) . A Christian sacrament or ritual where a person is sprinkled with, or immersed in, water, symbolizing initiation into Christianity.
Bardo – 中阴。In Tibetan Buddhism, this is the condition of the soul in the intermediate state between death and rebirth.
Besant, Annie – 贝桑特 , 安妮。 English social reformer who became the second International President of the Theosophical Society.
Bhagavad Gita - 博伽梵歌. A sacred Hindu text which teaches about liberation and the different yogas.
Bhakti yoga – 信仰 瑜伽。 The yoga of devotion.
Bible – 神经。The scriptures of Christianity.
Bija – 种子。A seed or life germ that causes the descent of Avatars to human incarnation.
Blavatsky, Helena – 布拉瓦茨卡娅, 海伦娜。 The co-founder of the Theosophical Society and the principal source of theosophical teaching.
Bodhi – 菩提. Wisdom or enlightenment.
Bodhicitta - 菩提心. The desire to attain enlightenment to help others.
Bodhidharma - 菩提达磨 the Buddhist monk who brought Buddhism to China
Bodhisattva - 菩萨. A state of attainment just below the Buddha and who foregoes Nirvana to help others.
Boehme, Jacob - 柏麦. A German mystic.
Brahma - 梵天. The masculine deity in Hinduism; the third Logos.
Brahma loka – 梵天界。 The abode of Brahma.
Brahma Vidya - 梵天明。Divine wisdom or knowledge.
Brahman – 梵. The impersonal deity, the first Logos.
Brahmanism – 婆罗门教。The religious and social system of Hinduism.
Bubbles of Space – 空间之泡。In theosophical literature, it is said matter is created by creating bubbles in space. Later called “bubbles of Koilon.”
Buddhi – 菩提。The sixth level of consciousness of a human being, characterized by spirituality, intuition and compassion.
Buddhic body – 菩提体。The vehicle or body next to Atmic consciousness and which is responsible for creating monads.
Caduceus – 蛇杖。A rod with winged tips and with two snakes intertwined. It has several meanings on of which refers to the channels of kundalini where the snakes represent Ida and Pingala, and the rod is the Susumna.
Causal body － 因果体。The body of the reincarnating ego and carrier of the karmic seeds of an individual.
Causal Body – 因果体。The reincarnating principle in a human being.
Chain – 链. A system of globes in our solar system. Each is said to have seven globes.
Chakra – 轮， 脉轮)，energy centers in the body. Root chakra 根轮，Spleen chakra 脾轮，Navel chakra 腹轮，heart chakra 心轮，Throat chakra 喉轮，Brow chakra 额轮，Crown chakra 顶轮。
Chaya – 影。The astral form of the First Root Race around which the physical form of the body was built.
Chela – 弟子。 A disciple of a guru or Master.
Citta – 心，心念。 Thought matter.
Clairaudience – 超感听觉。 The ability to hear what is normally inaudible to the ear.
Clairvoyance – 超感视觉。 The ability to see what is normally invisible to the eye.
Co-Freemasonry – 男女共济会。A freemasonic organization that admits both men and women.
Compassion – 慈悲。 An awareness and sympathy for the suffering of another person or being.
Concentration – 集中. To focus the mind of something. Same as dhrana.
Concept – 观念。 An idea or abstract thought.
Concrete – 具体. Something that has shape or form. So a concrete thought is a thought that has shape or form.
Concrete mental body – 具体智体. The grosser or lower mental body that uses thoughts with forms.
Consciousness – 意识，知觉. The state of being conscious or aware.
Cosmic – 宇宙的. Pertaining to the cosmos or universe. Cosmogony – 宇宙起源. The study of the origin of the universe.
Cosmic Ideation – 宇宙的观念构成。The cosmic mind at the dawn of manifestation of the universe. This is after Divine Ideation.
Cosmic Substance – 宇宙原质。The primordial substance of the universe from which everything came. Same as Mulaprakriti.
Cosmology – 宇宙学. The study of the universe.
Cosmogenesis – 宇宙起源论。The origin and development of the universe.
Cosmos – 宇宙. The universe. Theosophical literature uses the word Kosmos to refer to a more encompassing universe compared to the Cosmos, which is a particular universe.
Correspondence, Law of – 对应的法。The principle that certain things in the universe have correspondence with other objects, that is, analogous. For example, colors have their correspondences with the human principles.
Creation – 创世、创造)。In religious literature, the making of something out of nothing.
Creationism – 创造宇宙说。The view that the universe was created by God out of nothing, in contrast to the view that it emanated from primordial substance.
Creative hierarchy – 创造性的阶系。The hierarchy of celestial or divine beings that are involved in the creation of entities in the process of evolution.
Cremation – 火葬。The burning of the body of people who have died instead of burying them.
Cycle – 循环. A series of recurring events.
Dana – 布施. Charity; this is one of the Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism.
Dark night of the soul – 灵魂的暗夜。A stage in the spiritual life of a person where there is a feeling of suffering, aridity and abandonment.
Dead Sea Scrolls – 死海古卷。Biblical manuscripts found in the caves near Qumran in Israel.
Death, second – 第二次的死。After the physical death of a human being, there is a process where the inner bodies are also discarded before entering into Devachan. This is called the second death.
Demiurge – 巨匠造物主。A Greek term for the builder of the universe, equivalent to the Third Logos and Brahma.
Descending Arc – 下降的弧。In evolution, there are cycles where part of whic the entitles go into grosser forms. This is the descending phase or arc.
Desirelessness – 无欲. Freedom from desire.
Deva – 提婆, 天. A non-physical beings commonly identified with angels
Devachan – 天界。 The heaven world in the after-death state, but which is not identical with the eternal heaven of Christianity.
Dharana － 凝心 or 集中。Concentration, one of the eight stages of yoga.
Dharma – 法。 Law, teaching or religion.
Dharma – 责任。 Duty.
Dharmakaya – 法身。 one of the
Dhyana - 禅定 or 禅。Meditation. This is one of the eight limbs of yoga, and also one of the Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism.
Dhyani Chohan – 禅定主。 “Lord of Meditation.” They are celestial beings far more advanced than humanity in evolution. They are identical with the angelic hosts of Christianity.
Dhyani Buddha － 禅定佛. (五方佛) Celestial beings who are prototypes of the Buddhas.
Disciple – 弟子。A pupil of a guru or Master.
Discrimination – 分辨. To distinguish between important and unimportant, the true and the false, the enduring and the fleeting.
Divine Ideation – 神圣的观念构成。The divine mind before manifestation of the universe takes place.
Doppelganger – 分身。An apparition of a living person, a double, a wraith.
Dualism – 二元论。 A philosophical or religious view that there are two absolute principles in the universe, such as spirit and matter, good and evil.
Dugpa – 巫师。 A Tibetan term for a sorcerer.
Dweller of the Threshold – 居于门槛之物 。An invisible malevolent entity that attaches itself to a person. It is actually the astral shell of the same person in another incarnation. The term is coined by Bulwer Lytton in his novel Zanoni.
Earthbound Entity – 捆绑于地球的灵魂。 Souls of those who have died who are still attracted to the physical world.
Ego － 自我. The Self.
Eightfold path – 八正道. The eight guidelines towards the cessation of desire in Buddhism.
Elemental – 元素精灵. Living and semi-intelligent entities that are on the downward course of involution.
Elementaries – 邪恶、自私的人死后被捆绑于地球的灵魂. The earthbound soul of dead people who had lived evil or selfish lives.
Emanation – 流溢。The flowing out or issuing out of a being to produce another being. This is contrasted to “creation” which means creating out of nothing.
Enlightenment – 觉悟. A state of transcendent realization of truth and reality.
Epistemology – 认识论。 A branch of philosophy that studies how human beings can know certain things.
Esoteric – 密传,隐秘的。Knowledge which is confined to a particular group.
ESP or Extrasensory Perception - 超感官知覺. The capability to perceive things without the use of the five senses. Examples are clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry 接触感应, telepathy 心灵感应.
Ether – 以太。In theosophy, this refers the levels of Akasa or space. It is also called Astral Light.
Etheric double – 以太副身. The etheric counterpart of the physical body.
Evolution – 进化. The process of continuously changing from simpler or lower to more advanced or higher state.
Exoteric – 公开的，普及的。A knowledge that can be given out to the public.
Fairy – 仙女。Nature spirits or elementals.
Fana or Fannah – 灭绝。Annihilation of the self in Sufi spirituality, similar to Union in Christianity and Nirvana in Buddhism.
Fetter –结,束缚、脚镣 Something that restrains one from progressing.
First Logos – 第一逻各斯. The unmanifested deity, as opposed to manifested deity such as Brahma.
Fohat – 呋哈特, 宇宙生命力。The primordial force or vitality in the universe.
Form –形体，佛教称为色。 Shape or appearance.
Four Noble Truths – 四圣谛. The teaching of the Buddha on the cause of suffering and the way towards the cessation of desire.
Freemasonry – 共济会. A fraternal organization that has esoteric teachings.
Gandharva - 乾达婆. Devas or angels of music.
Gelugpa – 格鲁巴, 藏传佛教中的一个派系。A branch of Tibetan Buddhism, also called the Yellow Hats, founded by Tsong-ka-pa.
Ghost – 幽灵。Apparitions of the astral bodies of dead people.
Globe – 球, 球形体). A planet of the solar system.
Gnana Yoga – 智慧瑜伽. The yoga of knowledge.
Gnome – 地的精灵. A nature spirit of the earth element.
Gnosis - 诺斯, 真知, 直觉真知) Knowledge or wisdom.
Gnosticism - 诺斯替教, 直觉真知教)The teachings and practices of early Christian groups that are claimed to have been transmitted from teacher to student and are esoteric.
Group Soul – 群灵魂, 灵魂群)The collective soul of animals and plants.
Gunas - 特徵 or 性质. The three qualities of things in the universe: Rajas 激质, Tamas 翳质 and Sattva 纯质.
Guru – 上师. A spiritual teacher.
Hatha Yoga - 诃陀瑜伽. Yoga for physical health which includes asanas or postures and pranayama or breath control.
Hell – 地狱。A place of suffering or punishment. In some religions, like Christianity, it is regarded as eternal, while in others it is a temporary state, as in Buddhism.
Hermeneutics – 圣经诠释学。The study of the principles of interpreting the Bible and other scriptures.
Hermeticism – 海尔梅斯主义。A philosophical and mystical tradition based on the Hermes Trismegistus, a mythical personage identified with the Greek God Hermes.
Hierarchy - 阶系, 级系. A grouping of people or things arranged in different ranks or levels.
Higher mind – 较高的心智. The abstract mind.
Higher self – 高自我。The Atma. Sometimes it is used to refer to the higher triad of Atma-Buddhi-Manas.
Hinayana - 小乘， 现称南传佛教. A term used for Theravada Buddhism to distinguish it from Mahayana.
Holy Grail – 圣杯 （基督教）。 The legendary cup supposed to have been used by Jesus Christ during the last supper. The grail legend is regarded in theosophy as a symbol of discipleship and initiation.
Human constitution – 人的构成。The structure of the human consciousness and vehicles.
Hypnotism - 催眠术. The art and science of inducing a trancelike state similar to sleep but subject retains ability to communicate.
Hyperborean – 极北族。The Second Root Race of humanity which had ethereal bodies and without intelligence.
Ignorance – 无明。In theosophical and religious literature, it refers to lack of insight into regarding important truths and laws about life and the cosmos.
Illusion – 幻觉. The state of being deceived by appearances.
Impermanence – 无常. The Buddhist view there are no enduring entities or things.
Incarnation – 赋予肉体, 以肉体出世于人世。Being born into a physical body.
Individuality – 个性. The inner nature of a human being as opposed to the personality, which is outer.
Individuation – 个别化. The process of becoming an individual.
Initiation – 点道, 灌顶). The process of admitting an aspirant to a more advanced state of learning.
Intellect – 智力。The capacity to know.
Intuition – 直觉. The direct perception of truth.
Invisible helpers – 看不见的帮手。Those who are able to help in a non-physical manner, usually in the astral world.
Involution - 内卷化， 卷入. The process of involving of consciousness into grosser and grosser matter.
Ishvara – 自在天,上帝. Hindu deity.
Jehovah – 耶和华。The Jewish and Christian God in the Old Testament.
Jiva – 命。 The immortal essence of a living organism.
Jnana Yoga - 智慧瑜伽. The yoga of knowledge.
Judaism – 犹太教。The religion of the Jewish people.
Judge, William – 威廉贾奇. One of the founding members of the Theosophical Society.
Kabbalah – 卡巴拉 (犹太教). The esoteric and mystical teachings in Judaism.
Kali Yuga – 卡利年代。An age of darkness according to Hindu system. We are said to be in this period now.
Kalpa – 劫. A long period of time. The Puranas state that it is equal to 4.32 billion years.
Kama － 欲. Desire.
Kamaloka – 欲界. The desire world.
Kamarupa – 欲体. The desire body.
Karana sarira - 因果体. The causal body in a human being.
Karanopadhi – 因果基体。 The causal body, which is a base or vehicle of the higher principles.
Karma – 业，因果. The law of cause and effect that determines the destiny of an individual.
Karma Yoga - 行动瑜伽. The yoga of action.
Kirlian photography – 克里安照相术。A method of photography claims to be able to take pictures of the aura or energy emanations of living things.
Klesa – 烦恼。Defilement or afflictions.
Kosa – 鞘。 Sheath of each principle of a human being.
Kosmos – 大宇宙。 The totality of the universe as opposed to Cosmos which implies a more limited part of the universe.
Krishna – 黑天 , 奎师那. The Hindu avatar.
Krishnamurti, Jiddu – 克里希那穆提。A spiritual teacher brought up and trained by Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater.
Ksanti – 忍辱. Patience or forebearance; one of the Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism.
Kumara – 俱摩罗。 A divine youth. In theosophical literature it refers to a class of beings who came from another planetary evolution and who are helping humanity.
Kundalini - 昆达里尼, 灵量。 The energy residing at the base of the spine.
Kuthumi, Mahatma – 库图弥大师。One of the adepts who inspired the founding of the Theosophical Society.
Kwan Yin – 观音。A popular deity in China and equivalent to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
Leadbeater, Charles - 查尔斯利德比特。 A prominent theosophist who is known as a clairvoyant and has written many books on theosophy.
Lemuria - 雷姆里亚。 A continent and civilization that preceded the Atlantean civilization; Lemurians are the third root race people.
Levitation – 升空现象。The raising of a heavy object in the air without any support. It is considered one of the paranormal powers of human beings.
Linga-sarira - 模体. The etheric double 以太副身 which is the mold of the physical body.
Lipika – 里毗卡, 记录神。Celestial beings who are recorders of karmic actions.
Logos – 逻各斯。 A deity. In theosophy there are three Logoi, the third one of which is manifested while the others are not.
Loka – 界。A world or sphere of existence.
Lucifer – 路西弗。The name means the “Light Bearer,”now associated with the Devil. Esoterically it refers to the celestial beings who helped provided the mind “light” to human beings. It is similarly to the legend of Prometheus in Greek mythology.
Lunar Pitris – 来自月亮的祖先。The celestial beings who come from the Moon Chain and who provided the physical bodies of human beings.
Macrocosm - 宏观宇宙，大宇宙. The universe, as opposed to a microcosm such as a human being.
Magic – 魔法. The art of invoking invisible powers.
Mahatma – 大圣. A great soul, an adept.
Mahayana – 大乘，现称北传佛教. One of the branches of Buddhism; it emphasizes compassion and self-sacrifice to help others.
Maitreya – 弥勒. The future Buddha. He is often equated with the Christ.
Manas – 心，智慧。 The mind.
Manas Taijasi – 辉煌的心。“Radiant mind,”referring to a mind that is illuminated by Buddhi or the spiritual consciousness.
Manasaputras – 供心的祖先。Celestial beings who provided the mind to humanity.
Mandala – 曼陀罗. A diagram, usually concentric, which is used as an aid to meditation.
Manipura chakra - 腹轮。The navel chakra.
Manomaya kosa – 末那识鞘。The lower mind.
Mantra - 咒语。A phrase that is repeated and believed to be capable of bringing transformation to the individual.
Mantra Yoga - 音瑜伽. The practice of yoga meditation using mantras or sounds.
Manu – 摩奴，人类始祖. The progenitor of mankind. In theosophy, there are many Manus who take charge of different phases of human evolution.
Manvantara - 曼梵达拉期. A period of manifestation.
Master – 真师. A adept or Mahatma who accepts pupils.
Maya - 幻觉. Illusion.
Meditation – 静坐，入定，坐禅。The practice of allowing the conscious to be quiet and aware as a preparation for attaining a transcendent state.
Mediumship – 通灵术. Entering into a state of passive trance to allow discarnate spirits to make use of one’s body to speak or convey messages.
Mental body – 智体. The vehicle of thoughts, divided into lower mental and higher mental.
Mesmerism – 麦斯麦术. The control of animal magnetism, different from hypnotism.
Metaphysics – 形而上学. The study of existence.
Metempsychosis – 轮回. Reincarnation.
Microcosm – 微观宇宙. The small cosmos, referring usually to a human being.
Moksha - 解脱. Liberation from the rounds of existence.
Monad – 单子. The basic unit of individuality. This refers to Atma-Buddhi, where the Buddhi is the vehicle that individualizes the universal Atmic consciousness. In the later writings of C. W. Leadbeater, however, the Monad is described as residing in the Anupadaka plane, which is one plane higher than the Atmic plane.
Morya， Mahatma – 摩亚大师。One of the adepts that inspired the founding of the Theosophical Society; teacher of H. P. Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott.
Muladhara chakra – 根轮. The root chakra.
Mulaprakriti – 原质。Primordial matter from which everything originates.
Mysteries – 神秘校. The ancient mystical schools of Ancient Greece, Egypt and other places, such as the Eleusinian mysteries. They are divided into the Greater Mysteries and the Lesser Mysteries.
Mysticism – 神秘主义. The quest for union with the Absolute or Reality. Every major religion has its mystical aspects.
Mythology – 神话学。The study of myths or legendary stories of various cultures, especially concerning gods and goddesses.
Nature spirits – 自然之灵. Elementals of the air, water, earth and fire.
Near-death experience - 濒死体验 or 临死体验。The experience of those who have been clinically dead but who were conscious in another body or state during the time the body is supposed to be dead.
Neo-platonism – 新柏拉图主义。 The mystical school established by Ammonius Saccass, of which Plotinus is its most famous exponent.
Nidana – 尼陀那. The chain of causation in Buddhism that leads to old age,death and rebirth. Buddha says that there are twelve stages in the chain starting from ignorance.It is also called “dependent origination.”
Nirmanakaya – 化身。One of the three vestures in Buddhism, the others being Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya. In theosophical literature, it refers the bodies retained after death. In Nirmanakaya, all the inner bodies are retained after death except the kama rupa or the body of lower desires. The purpose of retaining these bodies is to be able to continue doing servicee to humanity.
Nirvana - 涅盘. The extinction of the ego and the cessation of suffering. It is equivalent to the attainment of the Atmic level of consciousness in theosophy, union in Christianity, and fannah in Sufism.
Niyama - 遵行. Observances, one of the eight limbs of yoga which includes purity, contentment, simplicity, self-study and self-surrender.
Non-attachment – 不执着. Freedom from identification and dependence on objects.
Nous – 努斯. The mind in Greek philosophy.
Occultism - 玄秘学. The study of the hidden side of nature.
Olcott, Henry Steel - 亨利 奧里科特. The co-founder of the Theosophical Society and its first President.
Oneness – 单一性，同一. The unity of individual consciousness with other beings.
Outpouring – 流出. A term used in the writings of C. W. Leadbeater regarding the descent of the three Logoi to lower planes of nature.
Pancasila – 五戒（佛教）。The five virtues of Buddhism: not killing living things 不杀生, not stealing 不盗, not engaging in sexual misconduct 不邪淫, non-lying 不妄语 and not drinking intoxicants 不饮酒。
Pantheism – 泛神论。The view that the whole universe is God.
Parabrahman - 超梵. That which is beyond Brahman. It is equated with the Absolute in theosophy.
Paramita – 菠萝蜜，六度. In Mahayana Buddhism, qualities needed to attain perfection, consisting of Dana or charity 布施, Sila or virtue 持戒, Ksanti or patience 忍辱, Virya or zeal 精进, Dhyana or meditation 禅定, Prajna or wisdom 般若. Four more qualities are sometimes added: Upaya or right means, 方便， Pranidhana or vows 愿,Bala or power 力, Jnana or knowledge 智。
Paranormal – 超常。That which is beyond the normal, such as extrasensory perception, spontaneous combustion, UFO, etc.
Parapsychology – 超心理学。The study of the paranormal nature of human beings.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras - 帕坦加利瑜伽经. The book on yoga practice which is the basis of Raja yoga.
Path – 道途。 The way to self-realization and liberation.
Perennial philosophy – 永恒哲学。The ageless wisdom of humanity on the nature of the universe and human life that points to the way that human beings can attain to oneness with the Divine.
Periodicity – 周期性。The cyclical nature of the processes of nature.
Personality – 人格。The lower nature of a human being that includes the body, etheric double, desire body and lower mental body.
Physical body － 肉体. The grossest vehicle of a human being.
Pisaca or Pisacha – 鬼魂。The ghosts of those who lived evil lives.
Pitris – 祖先。Progenitors of humanity, such as the Solar Pitris or Lunar Pitris who provided various capacities to human beings.
Plane – 层面, 位面)。Level in nature, such as physical plane, astral plane, mental plane.
Prajna - 般若.Transcendental Wisdom or intuition. It is one of the Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism.
Prakriti – 物质質原物. Matter, as opposed to consciousness or Purusa.
Prajapati – 生主，造生物主。In Hinduism, they are the givers of life.
Pralaya – 毁劫, 还归, 普罗拉亚, 静寂). The period of rest in the cycle of manifestation and cessation; manvantara is the manifestation phase. There are minor pralayas and major pralayas.
Prana – 气。 Vital energy in nature and human beings. It is also called the chi or qi in Chinese.
Pranamaya kosa –气 鞘。 The vitality sheath or the etheric double.
Pranayama – 呼吸控制。The control of breath, one of the stages in Raja Yoga.
Pratyahara - 制感 or 摄心. Sense withdrawal, one of the eight stages of Yoga.
Pratyeka Buddha - 辟支迦佛. A type of Buddhas who have attained enlightenment by their own efforts.
Precipitation – 沉淀。In theosophical literature, this refers to the impressing upon paper the mental images of a writer. This was the method that the Mahatmas used when writing letters to certain theosophists.
Precognition – 预知. The ability to know coming events.
Prometheus – 普罗米修士。In Greek mythology, the giver of fire to humanity, for which he was punished by Zeus. Theosophy interprets this as giving of the mind to humanity, similar to Lucifer.
Psychic power - 心灵力。The ability to use the paranormal powers of the mind and other aspects of the human constitution.
Psychokinesis - 念动力. The ability to move material things with the use of the mind. Also called telekinesis.
Puranas – 往世书 (兴都教)。Hindu religious texts that contain accounts of the origins of the universe and gods.
Purusa – 神我 or 布路沙。 Consciousness, as opposed to matter or Prakriti.
Pythagoras - 毕达哥拉斯. Ancient Greek sage who established a mystical school. He is also known for the Pythagorean theorem in mathematics.
Qur’an – 古兰经 （伊斯兰教）。The scripture of Islam.
Raja Yoga – 胜王瑜伽。The yoga based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Rajas - 激质。 One of the three Gunas. It tends to be active and to stimulate.
Rebirth – 再生。Reincarnation or being born into another body.
Reincarnation – 转世，轮回. The return of the soul to human incarnation. Theosophy asserts that human beings do not reincarnate as animals.
Renunciation - 舍 or 放弃。 Giving up feeling of possession and other objects of desire.
Rishi – 仙。Hindu term for seer or holy person.
Root race – 根族。The basic races of humanity. It is used in theosophy in a different sense from the ordinary usage of race.
Rosicrucianism - 玫瑰十字主义. An esoteric movement in the West.
Round - 圈, 轮次 。One cycle of evolutionary activity through a series of globes in the solar system.
Rupa loka – 色界。 The plane where objects have forms, as contrasted to the arupa loka, or formless world.
Sahasrara chakra – 顶轮. The crown chakra.
Sakradagamin - 斯陀含. The second initiation in the Buddhist system.
Salamander – 火的精灵。 The nature spirits of the fire element.
Samadhi – 定, 三昧 or 三摩地。The highest state of consciousness in Yoga where the sense of self disappears.
Sambhogakaya - 报身 （佛教）。One of the three vestures in Buddhism. It retains also some of the lower bodies like the Nirmanakaya, but free of all earthly concerns.
Samskara – 行蕴。Karmic seeds that create tendencies in a human being. One of the five aggregates in Buddhism.
Sanjna – 想蕴。Recognition or conception. One of the five skandhas in Buddhism.
Sarira – 体。A body or a vehicle. Sthula-sarira 肉体 is the physical body. Linga-sarira 模体 is the etheric double 以太副身. Suksma-sarira 细微体is the desire and lower mental body. Karana sarira 因果体 is the causal body.
Satori – 悟
Sattva 純質. One of the three Gunas. It is harmonious and pure.
Séance – 降神会。 A gathering of persons for the purpose of contacting the dead or spirits.
Second Logos - 第二逻各斯。 The intermediate stage before the First Logos manifests as an existing being which is the Third Logos.
Secret Doctrine, The – 秘密教义。The title of the most important book of Helena P. Blavatsky dealing with the origin of the cosmos and humanity.
Self-Actualization - 自我实现. The actualization of the higher potentials of a human being. A term used by the psychologist Abraham Maslow.
Self-awareness – 自我觉察。Awareness of one’s sensations, feelings and thoughts.
Self-consciousness – 自我意识。Being aware of oneself as a self.
Self-culture – 自修。The process of self-development.
Self-Realization – 自我实现. The realization of one’s true Self, the Atma.
Seven planes of nature –自然界的七个层面或位面) The planes of nature from the physical to the Atmic plane.
Seven principles of man – 人的七个本性. The principles that constitute a human being. In the writings of H. P. Blavatsky, they are physical body, prana, linga-sarira, kama, manas, buddhi and Atma. In the writings of later theosophists, they are physical body, etheric double, astral or emotional body, lower mental, higher mental, buddhi and Atma.
Shamballa – 香扒拉。A legendary place in Asia where adepts are supposed to reside.
Sila or virtue – 持戒.Virtue or proper conduct, one of the Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism.
Sishta – 留存生命。The remaining life in a globe when that globe is in an inactive state or dormant.
Skandhas – 蕴。 The aggregates that constitute an individual， consisting of Rupa or form, Vedana or sensation 受蕴, Sanjna or mental conception, Samskara or mental formation and Vijnana or consciousness.
Solar Logos – 太阳逻各斯。The deity that governs the solar system.
Solar Pitris – 来自太阳的祖先。The progenitors of mankind who gave mind to human beings.
Spirit – 精灵。The highest essence of human consciousness, equivalent to Atman or True Self.
Spiritual – 精神的。Transcendent consciousnesss beyond the thinking mind, starting with the Buddhic consciousness; mystical or contemplative.
Spiritualism – 灵魂学。The movement about the spirit world of people who have died and how to contact them.
Srotapana –须陀洹， 初果). The first initiation in the Buddhist system.
Sthula-sarira － 肉体。The physical body.
Sthulopadhi – 肉基体。The physical body which is the grossest base of the human constitution.
Sufism – 苏菲教派 （伊斯兰教）。The mystical branch of Islam.
Sukshmopadhi –细微的基体。 The kama rupa which is the subtle base or vehicle of the human principles.
Suksma-sarira - 细微体. The desire body and lower mental body in a human being.
Sunyata – 空（佛教）。Void or nothingness.
Supernatural – 超自然。Refers to that which occurs beyond the laws of nature.
Sutra – 经。 Sacred texts in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Svabhava – 自性。 The self-nature of things.
Svadhishthana chakra – 脾轮。 The spleen chakra.
Sweat-born – 汗生来的。The method of procreation of the second root race of humanity.
Sylph - 空气精灵。 Nature spirits of the air element.
Symbolism – 象征主义。 The use of objects or diagrams to represent a set of ideas of teachings.
Tamas – 翳质. One of the three Gunas. It is characterized by inertia or immobility.
Tantra Yoga - 密传瑜伽. An approach to enlightenment through insight of the interplay of Siva, representing consciousness, and Sakti, its dynamic aspect.
Tattva – 真实。“Thatness”or “truth”but implies the essential principle underlying each plane or stage of manifestation.
Telekinesis - 念动力. The ability to move material things from a distance without touching the object and only using the mind. Also called psychokinesis.
Telepathy – 心灵感应。Communication between mind and mind without the use of the senses.
Theology – 神学。The study of God.
Theosophical Order of Service – 神智学服务会。The service arm of the Theosophical Society founded in 1908 by Annie Besant.
Theosophical Society – 神智学会。Founded in 1875 to disseminate theosophy or the ageless wisdom to the world.
Theosophy – 神智学。The ageless wisdom.
Theravada Buddhism - 上座部佛教. A branch of Buddhism, contrasted to Mahayana Buddhism.
Theurgy – 神通。The practice of magical rituals to commune with divine or spiritual beings.
Third Logos - 第三逻各斯. The manifested Logos, in contrast to the first two Logoi that are unmanifested.
Thought power – 智力， 思想力. The power of the mind to affect others and oneself.
Thought-form – 思想形。 The form produced by thoughts.
Trance - 恍惚。A half-conscious state where the personal will is suspended. Mediums enter into a trance to enable discarnate entity to take possession of their faculties.
Transcendence – 超越性。Going beyond the ordinary mind.
Transformation – 转化。Changing from one state to another.
Transpersonal Psychology – 超个人心理学。The study of states of consciousness beyond the personality.
Trinity – 三位一体. The belief that God has three aspects. In Christianity, it is Father, Son and Holy Ghost. In Hinduism, it is Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.
Tsong-ka-pa – 宗客巴。A great reformer of Tibetan Buddhism.
Ｕndine – 水的精灵. The nature spirits of water.
Union, Mystical – 神秘的单一性，神秘的结合。The union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. It is the summit of the spiritual life. It is equivalent to Nirvana of Buddhism and Fana of Sufism.
Universal Brotherhood – 普世兄弟关系 ， 普世手足情)。The brotherhood of all people regardless of creed, sex, caste,or race. The attainment of this is the first objective of the Theosophical Society.
Universal Mind – 宇宙的心。The divine mind prior to manifestation, similar to Divine Ideation.
Upadhi – 存在的基体。The base or bases of the different levels of consciousness of a human being.
Upasika – 优婆夷。A female disciple in the Buddhist tradition.
Upanisads - 奥义书。Hindu mystical texts.
Upasika - 优婆夷 or 邬波斯迦。 A female disciple.
Upaya or, 方便. Right means, one of the additional Paramitas in Mahayana Buddhism.
Vaivasvata Manu – 毗婆斯婆多摩奴。The progenitor of present mankind according to Hinduism.
Veda - 吠陀。 Ancient religious texts of India that contain hymns and rituals.
Vedanta - 吠檀多. Literally, means “end of the Vedas.” A system of philosophy based primarily on the Upanisads.
Vidya – 明。Knowledge.
Vijnanamaya kosa –细微识鞘 The higher mind.
Virya or zeal 精进. Zeal, one of the Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism.
Vishuddha chakra – 喉轮the throat chakra
Will – 意志。The self-determining power that can alter the influence of circumstances.
Yama - 禁制. Restraints, one of the eight limbs of yoga that involve restraining from five kinds of actions. They are non-violence, non-lying, non-acquisitiveness, non-sensuality and non-stealing.
Yoga - 瑜伽. A practice that originated from India for the attainment of physical health, psychological harmony and spiritual realization. The most famous treatise on the subject is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Zen – 禅。A branch of Buddhism that uses zazen, koan and other methods to prepare aspirants for satori or initial enlightenment.