Ancient Mysticism

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Celestial Hierarchy

Celebrated as one of the great works of the late classical period, Pseudo-Dionysius offers a picture of the cosmos that is filled with a spiritual presence. Containing one of the most detailed accounts of angelic procession, the title proved massively influential for later thought on the hierarchy of spiritual entities, beginning with God and culminating in our material world.

Ancient Mysticism

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Divine Names

Like his other work, On the Celestial Hierarchy, On the Divine Names remains one of the most important works on spirituality in history. Unlike his other work, this title focuses primarily on God, arguing that the mystery of the divine nature supersedes all language and can be understood only beyond all logical, rational thought through the mystical experience itself.

Ancient Philosophy

Plato, Collected Works

It has famously been asserted that all Western philosophy is merely a series of footnotes to Plato. As one of the greatest minds ever to put pen to paper, Plato’s works have influenced every major text that followed them, both spiritual and non-spiritual. His dialogues wrestle with the very nature of reality itself, the ephemerality of life, and how one can escape to higher planes of existence, where the eternal light of higher forms and the font of all goodness and beauty reside.

Buddhism

Dhammapada

Among the wide array of sacred Buddhist texts, few (if any) have attained the fame of The Dhammapada. As part of the buddhavacana, or ‘Word of the Buddha’, it contains a collection of 423 sayings attributed to Siddharta Guatama, more commonly known as the Buddha. Standing as the most popular Buddhist texts in the West, many believe it to be one of the best encapsulations of the great teacher’s core ideas and an ideal introduction to the ancient religion that bears his name.

Christianity

The Bible (Old and New Testament)

Undoubtedly, the Bible stands as the most influential, well-read, and debated text of the Western canon, forming the foundation for both Judaism and Christianity. The first section, called the Old Testament, contains anywhere from 39 to 54 books (depending upon the tradition) and primarily catalogues God’s interaction with the people of Israel over a thousand-year span. The second section, the New Testament, consists of 27 books and focuses exclusively upon the teachings and work of Jesus and his immediate followers.

Confucianism

The Five Classics

Along with the Four Books, the Five Classics are the most important titles for Confucian thought. The five works include the Classic of Poetry (a compilation of poems, songs, and hymns), the Book of Documents (speeches and writings from early Chinese leaders), the Book of Rites (a collection of rites and ceremonies), the I Ching (a source of divination), and Spring and Autumn Annals (a record of Confucius’s homeland of Lu). All five are said to have either been edited or written by Confucius.

Confucianism

The Four Books

These works, like the Five Classics, represent the foundational texts for Confucianism. Unlike the Five Classics, the Four Books are more narrowly focused on the teachings of Confucius himself and his close followers. These four works include the Great Learning (a collection of Confucius’s teachings along with commentaries), the Doctrine of the Mean (teachings from Confucius’ grandson Zisi), the Analects (speeches from Confucius and his followers), and the Mencius (extended dialogues between the philosopher Mencius and Chinese kings).

Gnosticism

The Gnostic Gospels

During the late classical era (c.100-500 AD), groups now known as the Gnostics wrote and preserved texts said to contain esoteric wisdom capable of freeing us from our lower plane of earthly existence and helping us discover our inner divine reality. While lost for centuries, the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library in Egypt in 1945 allows us, for the first time in over a millennium, to read these forgotten texts and recover their occult teachings.

Hermeticism

Corpus Hermeticum

According to legend, the great Hermes Trismegistus discovered the secrets of alchemy and hermeticism and recorded his discoveries in the cryptic texts of the Corpus Hermeticum. The seventeen writings contain many texts that would prove highly influential in classical and medieval alchemy, but perhaps none more so than the Emerald Tablet, which is often associated with popularising the concept of the philosopher’s stone as well as the saying, ‘As above, so below.’

Hinduism

The Bhagavad Gita

The most famous section of the sacred epic Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita records the dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, prior to a battle Arjuna only reluctantly wishes to engage in. Despite its violent setting, the work was an inspiration for Gandhi, who interpreted the text as an allegory for one’s inner struggle against lower desires. Moreover, the work has proved a foundational text for Hindu understandings of Atman, yoga, and many other key doctrines and likewise serves as a centrepiece in the Vedanta tradition.

Hinduism

The Upanishads

While the Vedas, the sacred texts of the Hindu tradition, possess an enormous amount of ancient teachings, the most famous portion is the most recent. The Upanishads, which are a collection of 108 writings at the end of the Vedas, contain the deepest philosophical portions of the Vedas. The works deal with such topics as the relationship between Atman and Brahman, the practice of rituals and meditation, and the nature of reality in general. Of the 108 texts, the first few are considered the most important and have served as the central texts, along with the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras, for the school of Vedanta.

Islam

The Koran

Next to the Bible, the Koran is perhaps the most important and well-read religious text in history. The work, believed to have been given to the prophet Muhammed by the angel Gabriel, serves as the canon for the Islamic faith. Divided into 114 chapters (surahs or suwar), the Koran is argued to be a direct revelation from God (Allah) that contains the key teachings for the attainment of salvation.

Jainism

Agamas

Serving as the canon of the Jain faith (a religion focussing on nonviolence, asceticism, and the incomprehensibility of absolute truth), these ancient writings were first penned sometime between the 6 th and 3rd centuries BC, though there is a general consensus among its practitioners that the works contain teachings that are originally millions of years old and derive from the wisdom of the tirthankaras, the great teachers of the dharma, on how to escape the cycle of samsara (endless rebirths and suffering) and reach moksha (liberation).

Judaism

The Talmud

While the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) have traditionally served as the central religious texts in Judaism, another collection of writings, written in the late classical or early medieval period, has proven key to Rabbinic Judaism. The Talmud (which is a shorthand for the Babylonian Talmud) contains a large collection of teachings on Jewish law, history, and customs as well as extensive commentaries on the Torah and other sacred books by the greatest rabbis of the period.

Kabbalah

The Zohar

The mystical, esoteric branch of Judaism, known as Kabbalah, contains many important spiritual texts, such as the Sefer Yetzirah and the Bahir. However, the most popular and influential remains the Zohar. Though first appearing in the 13th century, the work is credited to the 2nd - century Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, who appears as the most prominent figure in the text. However, the bulk of the work is a commentary on the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), drawing forth the supposed hidden meaning beneath the words and revealing the true nature of God, the world’s origins, and humanity’s place within it.

Shinto

The Kojiki

Shintoism, a traditional, animistic faith native to Japan, has no set canon of sacred texts. Rather, the religion centres around public shrines and rituals. However, the Kojiki, an 8th -century text that is often considered the oldest existing Japanese work, provides the myths and history that serve as its foundation. The text itself is believed to have originated with Ō no Yasumaro, an aristocratic chronicler of Japanese lore.

Sikhism

The Guru Granth Sahib

Sikhism is, along with Buddhism and Hinduism, another major (yet often overlooked) faith tradition originating from the Indian subcontinent. The religion emerged in the 15th and 16th centuries through the teachings of Guru Nanak, who was succeeded by nine more gurus. The tenth and final guru declared the Guru Granth Sahib, the text that had become the central canon of the religion, as his successor, thus ending the line of gurus. The text itself contains the writings of the previous gurus which argue for monotheism, selfless love, and universal justice.

Sufism

The Masnavi of Rumi

Sufism is the mystical sect of Islam; as such, its primary sacred text is the Koran. However, later writings by Sufi thinkers often maintain an elevated status, and perhaps no thinker is more revered than Rumi. The Masnavi is a collection of six books of poems and is sometimes regarded as the greatest work of mystical poetry in history.

Taoism

Tao Te Ching

As the central work of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching is a relatively short book that contains 81 chapters of eloquent and often cryptic and paradoxical sayings. It focuses on the Tao, the font of all reality, and how one can become aligned with its ceaseless flow. According to tradition, the work derives from a scholar named Lao Tzu who, before deserting the decaying remnants of the society around him, was forced by a city guard to record his teachings for future posterity. Along with Confucius, Lao Tzu is now renowned as the greatest spiritual thinker China has ever produced.

Zoroastrianism

The Avesta

While Zoroastrianism is nearly extinct, its impact on later religions (particularly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) ensures its place as one of the most influential religions of all time. The Avesta represents the collection of their sacred writings from across the centuries. Its principal portion, the Yasna, provides a source for the ceremonies and liturgies of the religion.