The Kober Press
Catalog

All knowledge, faith, and forming of hypotheses remains completely worthless so long as it does not effectively determine the conduct of one’s daily life in each and every instance.

Bô Yin Râ: An Introduction to His Works is a collection of articles that give the reader an overview of the painter and writer Bô Yin Râ, whose writings in the fields of metaphysics, religion, and philosophy are difficult to classify but rich in meaning. The book includes a brief biography and a chronological list and chapter headings of the author’s works, in the order in which they were published in the original German.

Contents:
Preface. About My Books. Concerning My Name. In My Own Behalf. Essential Distinction. Résumé. Comments on the Cycle Hortus Conclusus and Related Works. Brief Biography of Bô Yin Râ. The Works of  Bô Yin Râ.

In this beautiful and atmospheric book, Bô Yin Râ sets the tone for concepts he develops in all his future works. Rich in allegory, metaphor, and poetic language, The Book on the Royal Art invites readers to enter the path of the inner journey towards an awakening of their timeless, true self.

The path is simple, straightforward, and quiet. At the core of Bô Yin Râ's teaching is the importance of cultivating an inner silence so that one’s eternal self can slowly emerge. It is the work of a lifetime, and transcends death. Bô Yin Râ stresses that there is no need to look outside for masters, to renounce the world, or to engage in unusual practices: We can develop ourselves in our everyday, familiar surroundings. All experiences in life can be of use. Even the most painful grief and sufferings of life can be used to strengthen us and bring us into greater aliveness and joy.

The "royal art" refers to the preparation received by the Luminaries, beings who live among us, almost always in obscurity, who act as mediators of eternal light. The Luminaries form a bridge helping us to receive, in a gradual and gentle way, spiritual light that would otherwise be too powerful to absorb. They function as inner protectors, buoying us up with strength and insights that speak to us in silence and from within. Bô Yin Râ disabuses us of the temptation to think of Luminaries as godlike, emphasizing that they are ordinary people who have been chosen, often to their horror, to bear the burdens and risks of their compassionate task. "Know that on your quest for light" Bô Yin Râ tells us, "your path will be protected by the spirit’s Luminaries…"

Contents:

The Book on the Living God describes the inner path that leads to the birth of the Living God within—what we must do and what to avoid on the long journey towards awakening the consciousness of our timeless self.

Ordinary consciousness, Bô Yin Râ tells us, is actually like sleep; there is a greater consciousness that is alive in us, informing every cell, and our task is to unite it with our self-awareness. He reassures us that we are not alone on this journey; there are helpers here on earth who give us inner support and act as transformers, enabling us to receive needed spiritual energies that would otherwise be too powerful to tolerate.

Bô Yin Râ recommends practices to help us on the path: He counsels us to set aside time for daily contemplation and to meditate on words that touch and uplift us. Words in particular can be a gateway to an expanded sense of existence, because they embody hidden energies. The key is to experience their aliveness and not just understand them mentally. We should strive to master and unify the many thoughts and wills that struggle within us and cultivate an attitude of quiet joy and serene detachment.

We must also set aside the ideas we have been taught about an anthropomorphic God. God is not meant to be an external object of worship but, rather, an experience to be awakened within us. We are cautioned to avoid the pitfalls that might divert us: following false teachers or believing that certain foods or exercises, or ecstatic experiences, have spiritual merit. Everyday life, when lived with attention to the ultimate goal, will lead us towards a gradual awakening of our timeless self.

Contents:
Word of Guidance. "The Tabernacle of God is with Men." The White Lodge. Meta-Physical Experiences. The Inner Journey. The En-Sof. On Seeking God. On Leading an Active Life. On "Holy Men" and "Sinners." The Hidden Side of Nature. The Secret Temple. Karma. War and Peace. The Unity among Religions. The Will to Find Eternal Light. The Human Being's Higher Faculties of Knowing. On Death. On the Spirit's Radiant Substance. The Path toward Perfection. On Everlasting Life. The Spirit's Light Dwells in the East. Faith, Talismans, and Images of God. The Inner Force in Words. A Call from Himavat. Giving Thanks. Epilogue.
 

The Book on Life Beyond is a guide to help readers understand what they can expect to find in the life beyond death, and how to best prepare for it.

Bô Yin Râ explains that life beyond is actually another dimension of the same life we know here on earth—just as real and solid, but perceived through spiritual, rather than our limited, physical senses. He emphasizes the direct connection between our actions here on earth and their effects on life beyond. We bring with us into life beyond the same state of inner being with which we departed, and are able to experience its wonders exactly to the degree to which we have developed our spiritual self. For example, those who have failed to show compassion for others and have lived selfishly will find that life beyond lacks the warmth and light that other, more developed souls can perceive.

Bô Yin Râ counsels us to mentally practice the “art of dying” as a meditative practice to prepare for the transition from physical to spiritual existence. The goal is to constantly orient one’s thinking, emotions, and desires toward transformation of the self, in order to be able to receive the spiritual help that will be available to us after death.

Contents:
Introduction. The Art of Dying. The Temple of Eternity and the World of Spirit. The Only Absolute Reality. What Should One Do?

The Book on Human Nature presents basic concepts about human nature with the goal of inspiring readers to awaken the timeless, spiritual spark within. We become fully human only when the spiritual potential within us gradually awakens and infuses our material, purely animal selves. It is a path that every human being may and should pursue.
 
A central understanding is that all life results from the joining of opposites, in particular, the polarity of male and female energies. Bô Yin Râ emphasizes that the true spiritual human being is male and female united in one entity: When we seek our spiritual self, we must call forth the male and female in ourselves and in all things. He discusses the biblical fall from grace as a descent from the spiritual plane, in which male and female were united, onto a material plane, in which male and female are split apart.

Bô Yin Râ warns men that holding onto the illusion of male superiority means forfeiting their spiritual life. While the spiritual paths that are natural for men and women are different in tone—open and receptive for women, active and grasping for men—they are equal and complementary. He tells us that true marriage is preparation for the life beyond: by coordinating the desires, wills and attitudes of two beings we once again bring about, in some measure, the original state in which male and female energies are united.

Contents:
Introduction. The Mystery Enshrouding Male and Female. The Path of the Female. The Path of the Male. Marriage. Children. The Human Being of the Age to Come. Epilogue. A Final Word.
 

In The Book on Happiness Bô Yin Râ guides the reader to a new and deeper understanding of the spiritual laws at the root of happiness. He stresses the importance of finding happiness in this life; it is happiness that gives life its meaning and lifts it out of drudgery and pain. Happiness here on earth is the basis for happiness in the life beyond.

Bô Yin Râ defines happiness as the joy that comes from creative endeavor—whether through work, the building of a loving relationship or, most fulfilling of all, the development of one’s inner self. Happiness is not given to us by luck or fate; rather, it must be actively sought and forged out of whatever circumstances life gives us—even the most difficult. We must turn our thoughts to beauty, strength and soundness, transforming ourselves into “solid optimists” so that we become magnets of good fortune.

Creating happiness is our moral duty: It is a responsibility we have to both ourselves and others. Since we are part of a greater web of life, everything we do as individuals affects the balance of the whole world. As more people develop their capacity for happiness, the waves of their cumulative energy go forth to renew all humanity.

Prelude. Creating Happiness as Moral Duty. "I and "You." Love. Wealth and Poverty. Money. Optimism. Conclusion.

God is not an idea to be believed in but, instead, an experience that must be felt within the depths of one’s being. This is the central message of The Path to God. As Bô Yin Râ explains, God cannot be approached by thought: Faith in God is the experience of an energy that reconnects the spiritual human being with the primordial Ground of Being that sustains all levels of existence. Until we connect with that energy, belief has no meaning; once we connect with it, inner certainty is ours.

In our quest to attain that ultimate experience, we should remember that the path to God is different for everyone and refrain from comparing the pace or challenges of our own journey to that of others. Bô Yin Râ counsels us to strengthen our will and stay laser-focused on the goal, making all our life decisions, whether large or small, in alignment with that goal. At the same time, we should not seek to impose our will on others. We should be steadfast in our efforts to master our animal impulses and not allow them to rule us. We should strive to perfect ourselves in the ways that are unique and natural to us as individuals, keeping in mind Bô Yin Râ’s guiding words: “Your path to God is but the journey to your own perfection.”
 
Contents:
Fantasy and Faith. Knowing Certainty. Dreaming Souls. Truth and Reality. Yes and No. The Decisive Battle. Individual Perfection.
 

In The Book on Love, Bô Yin Râ explores love as a spiritual energy, a life-embracing force that is manifest in all of nature. He distinguishes between love as an emotional attachment, which requires an object to attract and possess, and cosmic love, which is free of attachment and sufficient unto itself. This is the love that can truly give us freedom.

Bô Yin Râ’s purpose is to kindle in us this “liberating light of timeless love.” Only celestial love, he tells us, can bring forth miracles of spiritual awakening, and inspire the fundamental trust in our eternal life that relieves us of worry. This love can infuse our everyday lives, elevating even the most ordinary work and everyday relationships, and transforming our lives into works of art.

Bô Yin Râ discusses at length the role of Jesus of Nazareth as the embodiment of the full might of love and what it can accomplish. He provides an intimate portrait of Jesus as a Jew and an earthly human being, disabusing readers of the ways in which Jesus’s teachings have been misinterpreted and distorted, both in his lifetime and ours.

Of special interest also are the feelings Bô Yin Râ shares about his own role as teacher.

Contents:
Introduction. The Greatest of Compassion’s Mediators. On Love’s Primordial Fire. Light of Liberation. On Love’s Creative Power.
 

The Book on Solace offers guidance on how to best ride the waves of pain and sorrow that are an inevitable part of human life. Bô Yin Râ’s purpose is to teach us how to use life’s painful experiences in service of our spiritual growth.

We should neither seek to flee from our grief and pain, nor to indulge in it. In Bô Yin Râ’s words: “Souls who probe the very depth of grief, but afterwards rise up to overcome their sorrow; souls who lift their eyes to goals that lie ahead, and bravely set out to begin anew …they above all others reap the greatest blessings from their grief.”

We should face our trials squarely and with dignity. At the same time, we should not fall into the trap of regarding suffering as something holy or as a punishment from God, or feel that suffering makes us better than those who suffer less.

Bô Yin Râ points out that souls of greater depth, who have greater capacity for feeling, may suffer more profoundly than shallow individuals, “Thus, only souls whom grief and pain have shaken to their roots have need of solace…” That solace can be found in understanding the spiritual challenge that our ordeals present, by committing ourselves to our work in the world, whether menial or lofty, and by remembering the possibility for being reunited with loved ones in the life after death.

Contents:
On grief and Finding Solace. Lessons One Can Learn from Grief. On Follies to Avoid. On the Comforting Virtue of Work. On Solace in Bereavement.
 

The Book of Dialogues is a series of conversations between the author and his spiritual mentors on topics essential to inner development and spiritual life and knowledge.

The book sheds light on the author's own development from early childhood on and, also, on the trials and ordeals which those who become authentic masters—spiritual mediators competent to speak of and convey the substance of eternal Light—need to endure. 

Readers will become aware that the author is the Western representative and voice of the perennial source from which all true insights into spiritual dimensions have been granted humanity since the dawn of time, long before the rise of religious creeds.

Contents:
Testimony.  Knowledge and Reality in Action. Light and Darkness. The Spirit's Might. The Jewel of the Heart. Transformation.  The Dialogue on the Innermost East. The Dialogue on the Parting of a Master.  The Flower Garden.  The Deviant Pupils. Night of Trial.  Individuality and Person. The Realm of the Soul. On Finding Oneself. On the Elder Brothers of Mankind.  Mysteries of Magic.
 

The Wisdom of St. John provides a portrait of Jesus as his friends and adversaries knew him, before  his words and teachings were interpreted by those who came after. In separating history from legend, it sheds fresh light on the true meaning of many Christian dogmas. One central tenet of the book is that, by dying without hatred, Jesus performed the ultimate deed of spiritual liberation for all humanity, making it possible for spiritual help to reach seeking human beings more easily.

The book references the wisdom of St. John, whose gospel Bô Yin Râ considered to be closest to the authentic teachings of Jesus.

Introduction. The Master's Image. The Luminary's Mortal Life. The Aftermath. The Missive. The Authentic Teaching. The Paraclete. Conclusion.
 

Signposts Along the Way is a collection of essays meant to encourage those who seek to “touch the Spirit within their soul’s innermost.” It offers pointers—signposts—that help these seekers stay steadfast on their path towards inner awakening and avoid missteps.

As in his other books, Bô Yin Râ emphasizes the importance of inner experience versus thought or belief. He counsels us to pursue spiritual experience in a calm and clear headed manner, avoiding the allure of ecstatic or other extreme emotional states. Here he also introduces other themes: the beauty of appreciating things we may take for granted, such as the energies transmitted through the written word; the nature of healing power and what makes someone a true healer; the need to avoid the trap of idealizing others on the one hand, or of criticizing them mindlessly on the other; and the harm that comes from assuming one is qualified to impart spiritual wisdom to others when one may not be truly ready.

This book also includes 22 poems that echo the themes of the prose.

Promise. Experience and Phenomenon. Knowing and Conveying Knowledge. The Art of Reading. On Letters. Cults of Personality. The Urge to Criticize. Who Was Jakob Böhme? The Gift of Healing. The Dangers of Mysticism. Poems.
 

Fata Morgana. Necessity. Community. Authority. Divisiveness. Economic Mismanagement. Competition. Catchword Fever. Self-Expression. Religion. Science. Awareness of Reality.
 

As long as a passage in one of my books that deals with the substantial realm of the Spirit of Eternity and life within the radiant Spirit does not yet awaken a joyful echo within the reader—as if something once loved and long forgotten is now called to mind once more—then the passage in question has not been truly understood.

In The Path of My Pupils, Bô Yin Râ speaks to those who are seriously committed to following a spiritual path, and offers guidance as to how best to use his books. A patient and serene approach, letting go of expectations, a generous and non-competitive spirit towards fellow seekers, and faith in one’s own abilities are essential.

Bô Yin Râ emphasizes the importance of shedding “the habit of living in one’s thoughts,” all too common in our contemporary world, so that the life of the mind does not overshadow the life of the soul. Of special interest are his personal revelations about the challenges of conveying spiritual matters—which can only be known through experience—in language.

Who Do I Consider to Be My Pupils?. A Necessary Distinction. Needless Self-Torment. Unavoidable Difficulties. Dynamic Faith. The Greatest Obstacle. Pupils and Their Companions. Inner Life and Outer World. How One Ought to Use My Books.
 

In The Mystery of Golgotha, Bô Yin Râ connects his teachings on finding one’s eternal self with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. He offers guidance on what to do and what to avoid in order to experience the light of spiritual truth, and seeks to extricate Jesus’s words from the “layers of debris” that have obscured their true meaning.

Bô Yin Râ explains that Jesus’s death at Golgotha was a cosmic event that profoundly changed the spiritual aura of the planet. Through his ability to transcend hatred, Jesus made a wellspring of liberating, spiritual energy accessible to those who seek. Bô Yin Râ tells us that Jesus continues to channel this energy to us through the Luminaries—those beings who mediate eternal Light—and so remains active and close to us here on earth.

How can we connect with this spiritual energy of love? Bô Yin Râ counsels simple methods: going out into nature very early or very late, quieting the mind, and using the mundane tasks of everyday life to serve the growth of the soul. In our confusing times, when the “desperate longings of the heart” may lead us astray, he warns against extreme practices such as fasting and sexual abstinence, or following false teachers who seek to impose their will and bind us to them, and the mistake of thinking that the tools of science and intellect can lead to spiritual understandings. Perhaps the most authentic spiritual exercise, Bô Yin Râ advises, is to diligently follow the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.

Introduction. The Mystery of Golgotha. The Most Pernicious of Our Foes. Love and Hatred. The Soul and Its Growth. Spiritual Guidance. Occultists’ Exercises. Mediumism and Artistic Creation. At the Wellspring of Life. Membership in “The White Lodge.” Follies of Imagination.

In Ceremonial Magic and Myth, Bô Yin Râ takes us back before the dawn of time to reveal the origins of the great myths and rituals our ancestors created to grapple with the mysteries of existence on earth.

Sweeping forward to the present day, he beckons us to regard these mythic stories and practices with renewed respect: as a means to reconnect with the celestial realm that is our soul's original home.

Human beings can only reach the divine through the external world of which we are a part: this is the true meaning of magic. Every thought, word, and action in our everyday lives can become an instrument for bringing about that magical return. Sacred ceremonies, in particular, have the ability to awaken inner life and unite heaven and earth.
 

Preface. Humanity's Creative Works. Myth and Reality. Myth and Ritual. Ritual as a Form of Magic. Magic and Spiritual Cognition. The Inner Light. Conclusions One Should Draw.
 

In The Meaning of This Life, Bô Yin Râ instructs readers to explore life’s ultimate questions in new and different ways: Instead of asking “Does life have meaning?” one should ask “What meaning can I give to my life?” Instead of asking “Is there a God?’ one should ask “What do I need to do to find God within myself?” This approach shifts the focus from looking for answers outside oneself to looking within.

Bô Yin Râ’s purpose is to guide the reader onto the surest path to reaching “the highest good"—the conscious rediscovery of our timeless spiritual nature—and away from misleading byways. In pursuing that goal, one should commit wholeheartedly to the journey and pay attention to moments of remembrance and “mysterious longing” for  our “timeless home.” One must cultivate an inner silence and refrain from diluting the sanctity of the inner journey by speaking of it too freely to others.

Bô Yin Râ emphasizes that truth is not a statement but, rather, an inner experience that is gained gradually as we change our inner being and ready it to receive the ultimate truth of the Living God within.

A Call to the Lost. The Iniquity of the Fathers. The Highest Good. The "Evil" Individual. Summons from the World of Light. The Benefits of Silence. Truth and Verities. Conclusion.
 

The title of this book, More Light, sums up the purpose of all of Bô Yin Râ's books: to shed more light on topics that require illumination if human beings are to safely pursue the path that leads to the Eternal Spirit.

Preface. Words of Guidance. To All Those Tired of Sleeping: A Call to Awaken. The Master Builders of Humanity's Eternal Temple. Theosophy and Pseudo-Theosophy: How the Word Theosophy Has Come to Be Devalued. The Three Levels of Being. What Needs to Be Understood. The Mystery of Artistic Expression. Kabbalah. The Light of the Spirit in Christianity. The Secret of the Ancient Lodges. True Worship.
 

Life’s Highest Goal is a guidebook for those seeking to realize the Living God within themselves. The book emphasizes the importance of seeking to perfect our lives here on earth as the means to create happiness for ourselves both in this life and in the life beyond. All material goals are limited in space and time, but the goal of inner awakening in the Spirit transcends the laws of matter.

The path that leads to the highest goal is “long, steep and rugged” but also simple: Life’s Highest Goal advises us to use our daily work and relationships to grow spiritually, and cautions against withdrawing from the world. It tells us to turn towards the Light within ourselves and away from darkness, to focus inward and avoid being consumed by the outer world. It emphasizes the central importance of seeking to embody the energy of love: “The might of human beings truly knows no limits when their lives embody love.” Finally, it describes Jesus as the embodiment of the highest love of anyone who has lived on earth.

Preface. The Call of the Spirit. The Two Paths. On Seeking and Finding. The Radiance of Eternal Light. The Colors of Eternal Light. On the Nature of the Highest Goal. On the Paths of the Ancients. On the Blessings of Work. The Might of Love. The Master of Nazareth.
 

---

Bô Yin Râ describes resurrection as the human being's spiritual awakening amidst the illusions and spiritual numbness of physical existence. The book Resurrection explains that most people are physically awake while being spiritually asleep; thus, they can only understand concepts such as "God," "eternal life," and profound questions about the meaning of life, intellectually. But the truth that underlies these concepts can be apprehended only through experience, and only when the individual has been spiritually "resurrected." Resurrection is not a gift reserved by an imagined higher power for believers, but every human being's spiritual obligation and potential—the rising up from the spiritual slumber of earthly existence into the Light. Resurrection offers guidance as to what is to be done, and what should be avoided, to reach this goal.

Worlds of Spirit occupies a special place among the 32 works that form Bô Yin Râ's teaching cycle Hortus Conclusus (The Gated Garden), for here the author's text is illuminated by twenty of his Spiritual Perspectives, paintings that depict the nature and dynamic structure of eternal life.

Bô Yin Râ tells the reader that his goal is to help “…unlock the soul’s sublime horizon in yourself.” If readers  are to absorb what this book imparts, they must leave aside all intellectual interpretation of the images and instead “ …immerse one’s inmost self into their forms, to feel them solely from within; for only that can bring about the transformation of the hieroglyphs, here given visual form, into dynamic inner energy, which then will stir the soul…”

In a departure from the didactic style of his other teachings, Worlds of Spirit relies on a storytelling form that brings the journey of the soul alive for readers. Both written word and visual image describe the ascent of an awakened human spirit, under the protection of its inner guide, to a dimension in the Spirit`s world where ultimate perfection is attained. From here the human spirit is able to survey and understand its journey from its origins in the Light, through its fall into the temporal world, and its long and burdensome return to its home in the realm of Spirit.

"Marriages are made in heaven"—that is the essence of Bô Yin Râ's message in this exploration of the transcendent and practical dimensions of marriage.

A harmonious marriage, in which the polarities of Male and Female energies are melded, gives us a glimpse of the undivided human being we each once were in the Spirit's realm, before the Fall into this world of matter.

How is harmony to be achieved? Bô Yin Râ emphasizes that marital harmony must be actively and intentionally cultivated and cannot be left to chance. He offers practical advice on the proper attitude towards the profound physical-spiritual bond of sex, on how to handle disagreements, and how to approach the challenges of daily living in the spirit of cooperation.

Marriage takes place in this earthly realm but is rooted in the realm of Spirit: It is an event of cosmic significance whose reach extends far beyond the couple. The spiritual energy that radiates from a happy marriage nourishes the couple and is also a model of the harmony that could exist for humanity as a whole. And like material wealth, the legacy of happiness can be handed down to future generations.

Contents:
The Sanctity of Marriage. Love. Marital Harmony. Sorrow and Joy. Danger and Temptation. The Stresses of Everyday Life. The Will to Create Unity. Happiness as an Inheritance. The Bond that Is Eternal.
 

In On Prayer, Bô Yin Râ teaches us how to use prayer as  a path to inner awakening. He draws on Jesus’s words from the Sermon on the Mount: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7 KJV), and explains the correct ways to ask, seek, and knock so that we will receive and find, and so that the door to our inner self will be opened.

Bô Yin Râ defines prayer as an attitude of openness to receive, an asking for inner guidance, or a means to send love and healing. Prayer must never demand an answer; instead, one should cultivate an inner calm and wait patiently for the help one desires. In this way, prayer is not only a source of strength and comfort, but also becomes one of many approaches to inner awakening.

On Prayer includes 22 prayers that address specific life challenges and desires, such as facing death, temptation, and despair, as well as joy and success.

Spirit and Form is a practical guidebook intended for those who have seriously committed themselves to the path towards the Spirit. The title refers to the intricate relationship between the way in which we shape our lives in the outer world and our inner development. The forms through which we express our thoughts and emotions, the ways in which we order our physical environment, the decisions we make as to work and play, public and domestic life: all can be used to enhance our inner life, and all should be made to “remind us of our spirit’s height.”

Everything that is of the Spirit has substance and form, and everything in the physical world is imbued with Spirit. Form and Spirit are one and permeate each other. Thus, our task is to give form to our lives with “the respectful reverence one owes the spirit’s life.”

The Question. Outer World and Inner Life. At Home and at Work. Forming One's Joy. Forming One's Grief. The Art of Living.
 

In connection with this text one ought to read the small brochure:
"The Use of Mantras" (1928).
 

---

In Words of Life, Bô Yin Râ presents his teachings in a dramatized and poetic form: Here God addresses the searching soul directly and guides it towards the  source of all Being that is its goal. The immediacy of this style lets readers feel they are being spoken to directly and that they are in intimate relationship with spiritual guidance.

The phrase “words of life” derives from a passage in the Gospel of St. John (St. John 6:68). Each chapter of the book deals with a quality that lends the soul the strength to succeed in its quest: inner reflection, love, action, struggle, peace, and trust. Having achieved its goal and attained illumination, the awakened soul expresses its joy in a vow of devotion.

A Call to the Soul. I Who Am. Reflection. Love. Action. Struggle. Peace. Energy. Life. Light. Trust. Enlightenment. Vow.
 

Life in the Light is a collection of 32 poems describing and what life is like if you are able to live in the Light, as well as Bô Yin Râ's own experience of living in the Light.

Here is the title poem:

Life in the Light
can only come into being
in regions
begotten and formed by Light.
Here time
is enfolded within space.
All of time
has been poured into space
and all of space
is life unbroken
lived in Light
lovingly devoted to Light.

Experience and knowing
become one within Being
and enter the soul
as space
the soul that itself is space
that in itself
embraces time
and in which Light
reveals itself
as space.

Contents:
Self-disclosure. Fundamental. Question and Answer. Union. Three in One. Who I Am and Who I Am Not. Identical. Destiny. If I Am to Be Your Path. Called to Show the Way. God. Eternal Union. One within the Other. Infinitely Varied Unity. Omnipotence. Mastering the Senses. Extra-Sensory. Spiritual Awareness. Only Then. Fear. Giving and Receiving. Indescribable. Enlightenment. Life in the Light. Transformation. The Soul. More about the Soul. The Departed. Near and Far. Ineffably Close. Life in Eternity. Fulfillment.

In Letters to One and to Many, Bô Yin Râ draws from his voluminous correspondence with his readers over many decades to address the concerns they have most frequently expressed to him. The book takes the form of a series of personal letters in which Bô Yin Râ responds to a fictitious letter writer--who is actually a composite of many real letter writers. He offers guidance as to the proper relationship between attending to matters "between cradle and grave" and the life beyond, answers questions about the nature of God and how spiritual help and blessings reach human beings, and offers encouragement to those who walk along the inner path.

Contents:
Translators' Note. Preface. What the Soul Possesses. Needless Fears. Necessary Confidence. My Way of Writing. On Revealing Who I Am. What One Must Leave Behind. The Temple of Eternity. About My Spiritual Nature. How Spiritual Help Reaches Us. God Is Not Involved in World Affairs. How God Grants Help to Individuals. The Forces of the Soul. On New Editions of My Books. Polytheism and the Veneration of Saints. The Nature of Life in the Light. True Awakening Is Always Gentle. Jacob Böhme and the German Mystics. What God Is. Being and Beingness. Questions I Do Not Want to Be Asked. The Number Twelve and the Bell Tower Clock. The Blinders that Must Fall from One's Eyes. No Two Individuals Are the Same Before God. On Professing Before Others. Masters Who Have Fallen. Radiant Stones and Substances. The Need to Devalue Suffering. The Nature of Blessing and How It Is Bestowed. The Timeless Nature of Eternity. Surrender and Inner Stillness. Conclusion.

The Gated Garden is the final book in Bô Yin Râ’s 32-volume teaching cycle (the totality of which is called by the same name), and aims to fill in gaps in the spiritual guidance offered in previous books. The book covers a wide range of topics, including: the nature of our consciousness after death and what carries over from this life, how the Luminaries help beings on earth and in the life beyond, how the concept of space differs in the temporal and timeless realms, how the approach to awakening differs in the Eastern versus Western quest for inner illumination, and the difference between what is truly eternal and ideas about the eternal.

Contents:
Words of Guidance at the Gate. On the Simplicity of All that Is Eternal. On Changing the Point of Perspective and on the Concept of “Steps.” On Levels of Consciousness and Helping Those Who Suffer. On the Consciousness of the Departed. What a Helper is Risking to Lose. The Image Mocking the Eternal Self. Once More Concerning Truth and Reality. On Timeless and Temporal Space. On Insights of Asian Religions. On the Mystery of the Orient. On Religion and Its Forms. On Giving Consent and the Power of Faith. On Mistaken Images of God. On the Intent of All Teaching. Where I Am but the Messenger. To Whom I Have Nothing to Say. On the Soul’s Eternal Salvation. How the Urge to Ask Questions Delays One’s Advance. On the Timeless and Temporal Form of the Soul. What Survives After Death. On a Name and a Mere Expedient. Conclusions to Be Drawn on One’s Own. On Crucial Underestimation. On the Dilemma of Pastoral Care. How Everything Eternal Is to Itself Merely Natural. Conclusion and Farewell. List of Works Comprising the Cycle Hortus Conclusus.

Preface. Secret Knowledge and Hidden Science. The Planet's Helping Forces. The Mystery of Dreams. Mantic Arts. Hypnosis. Enigmas of the Future.
 

Why This Book Was Written. Why I Had to Study Painting. About My Spiritual Perspectives. My Portrait of Jesus. Profession and Calling.
 

THE REALM OF ART

Preface to the New Edition. Art as a Factor of Life. Is Art a Luxury? On Art "Analysis." Artistic Perception. On "Beauty" in Art. Art and Nature. Sculptural Perception. Artist and Layman. Artist, Public, and Jury. The Work and Its Technique. The Work and Its Style. The Metaphysical Component in the Work of Art. Art and World View. On "Modern" Art. Expressionism. Pointless Quarrels. On the "Limits" of Painting. Primitive Art and Archaism. Art and Virtuosity. The Art of Dilettantes. The Art of Raphael.
 

---

Seven untitled chapters on a variety of topics.
 

The Idea of God Versus God's Reality. Living Light and Regions Closed to Thought. The Atrophy of Spiritual Perception. The Loss of God Through "Fear of the Lord." "What Is Truth?" Comments on the Texts of the Hortus Conclusus and the Related Works.
 

What the Title Means. Concerning the Theme. (Bô Yin Râ gave whimsical titles to the next three chapters in this book.) The First Chapter. The Other Chapter. Chapter III. Appendix: Numbered catalog of the 268 individual chapters comprising the cycle Hortus Conclusus.
 

Two volumes of a posthumous collection of essays, reviews, and poems, published in various German-language newspapers and journals between 1913 and 1937.