The roots these teachings grew from.
The oldest words beneath these paths, freely offered, as they were meant to be.
Foundational texts
A small and growing collection of the public-domain texts beneath these traditions. More will be added over time.
The Diamond Sutra
A foundational Mahayana text on emptiness and non-attachment, read across Buddhist schools.
The Heart Sutra
The shortest and most recited Mahayana text, distilling the Prajnaparamita teaching on emptiness.
The Cloud of Unknowing
The anonymous 14th-century English guide to contemplative prayer.
Meister Eckhart's Sermons
The first English translation of the medieval German mystic's sermons.
The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus
Teresa of Ávila's own autobiography of her spiritual life and visions.
The Interior Castle
Teresa of Ávila's map of the soul's seven mansions, from the outer wall to union with God.
Revelations of Divine Love
Julian of Norwich's showings of divine love, and the promise that “all shall be well.”
The Practice of the Presence of God
Brother Lawrence's letters and conversations on finding God in ordinary, everyday tasks.
The Imitation of Christ
The quiet classic of Christian devotion, second only to the Bible in its historic readership.
The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Siena's account of a mystical conversation with God, dictated in ecstatic trance.
Tao Te Ching
The foundational text of Daoism, in 81 short verses — beautifully typeset here.
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi)
The other foundational Daoist text: parables, paradox and humour.
The Kabbalah Unveiled
English translations of three key books of the Zohar, via Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin.
Sepher Yetzirah
The Book of Formation — one of the oldest and most foundational texts of Kabbalistic cosmology.
The Varieties of Religious Experience
William James's classic study of mystical and religious experience across traditions.
The Masnavi
“The Qur’an in Persian” — Whinfield's readable free abridgement of Rumi's great Sufi poem.
Selected Poems from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz
Rumi's ecstatic verses to his teacher Shams, rendered by the great scholar of Sufi poetry.
The Dhammapada
The standard free translation, from the Sacred Books of the East — formal but clear.
The Questions of King Milinda
A Greek king's dialogue with the monk Nagasena — Buddhist philosophy made through conversation.
The Bhagavad Gita
The poetic translation that influenced Gandhi; still very readable.
The Upanishads
A clear, devotional rendering by an Indian teacher rather than a Victorian academic.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Published as The Book of the Spiritual Man — a readable, contemplative rendering.
The Gospel of Ramakrishna
Mahendra Nath Gupta's recorded conversations with Ramakrishna, revised into English by his direct disciple.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The classic manual of postures, breath and purification practices underlying Hatha Yoga.