  [[Vol. 1, Page xvii]]    "Gently to hear, kindly to judge."
SINCE the appearance of Theosophical literature in England, it
has become customary to call its teachings "Esoteric Buddhism."
And, having become a habit -- as an old proverb based on daily
experience has it -- "Error runs down an inclined plane, while
Truth has to laboriously climb its way up hill."   "Esoteric
Buddhism" was an excellent work with a very unfortunate  [[Vol.
1, Page]] xviii INTRODUCTORY.  title, though it meant no more
than does the title of this work, the "SECRET DOCTRINE." It
proved unfortunate, because people are always in the habit of
judging things by their appearance, rather than their meaning;
and because the error has now become so universal, that even
most of the Fellows of the Theosophical Society have fallen
victims to the same misconception. From the first, however,
protests were raised by Brahmins and others against the title;
and, in justice to myself, I must add that "Esoteric Buddhism"
was presented to me as a comp