Fourteen

Palampur, IndiaJuly 4, 1933

Dear Fellow Travelers,

This is American Independence Day; but I am think-ing more of the independence of the soul, of its emanci-pation from the five enemies that have so long enslaved itand from the domination of the Negative Power. I amthinking of

The Path of the Saints

that Royal Highway which leads to complete and eternalfreedom of the soul. I am thinking especially today ofthe Great Deliverer, the noble emancipator, the Master,the true Saint, by whose grace the sojourner in therealms of Kal is enabled to break the last fetter thatbinds him and reach his home in the Supreme Region. Iwould like to sketch this Path today, if I might, andmake it so clear that all men could see it. If only we couldmake it so plain and definite that it could not be mis-taken again, even by the casual reader! This holy pathshould be so differentiated and marked out that noneever miss it. Its main features should be so clearly setforth that it will be easily distinguished from all otherpaths of a religio-spiritual nature. This path of the Saintsis indeed unique and individual. There is no other waylike it, or even approximately similar. There is no otherway 'just as good'. For it there can be no substitutes; for

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there is only one Way that leads to the Supreme Goal.This holy path is not a theory. It is not a system of

beliefs or dogmas. It is not even a religion, although itembraces all of the values of religion. It is an actual Way,a genuine road to be traveled, involving of course certainpreparation and training as one goes along. In fact, theword 'path' is not altogether appropriate. It is moreproperly speaking 'el Camino Real' or the King's High-way. It belongs to the Royal Masters, and it leads thetraveler from earth upwards through kingdom afterkingdom, from country to country, each one more splen-did than the other, in an advancing series until the upperterminus lands the traveler at the very feet of theSupreme Lord of all regions. And this is no allegory, nofigure of speech, no flight of the imagination. It is aliteral, actual highway, over which the Saints and theirdisciples travel, passing through numberless and vastregions, stopping at different stations en route. The pas-sage is really a succession of triumphs, for the disciples ofthe Saints are enabled to master each region as theyenter it, to absorb its knowledge and powers and becomecitizens of it. No Hannibal or Alexander or any Caesarever made such a triumphal advance. The Saint is theGreat Captain leading the soul from victory to victory. Itis a long and difficult passage; but the Saint has beenover it many times, and he is Master of it all. He is, infact, Lord of all intervening regions through which thisHighway leads, and before him numberless multitudesbow down as he passes. It is therefore a long successionof triumphs, even until he reaches the Grand Terminus.

Many splendid continents and worldsIn each region through which the traveler passes he

discovers new continents, new worlds, and meets their

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inhabitants. He beholds their dwellings and modes ofliving. He studies them, perhaps visits there for monthsor years, before he advances. Then he passes on to higherplanes. The journey may require many years, all depend-ing upon the difficulties one meets within himself, hiskarma and the general fitness with which he enters uponthe journey. But if he persists, by the grace of his Masterhe arrives at last at the end of the Highway, at theSupreme Region, the Home of the Saints and the abodeof the Supreme Father. And this is the end of the jour-ney, because there is nothing higher. He has reached theultimate region.

^>The journey made during life

This journey is undertaken by Master and pupilwhile both are living here in the physical body. In fact, ifit is not at least begun while they are both here in thebody, it cannot be accomplished after death. That is thesupreme value of this physical body. It offers everyonethe most priceless opportunity to escape from the en-tanglements and bondage of earth and return to histrue home above. But if he lets this opportunity passuntil death overtakes him, he must inevitably return tothis life before he can even begin his upward journey.

Not confined to this bodyBut the enquirer may ask: "How can you or a Saint

really make a journey to a far country while you are stillliving here in the physical body? You certainly cannottake it with you." This question reveals a misunderstand-ing which must be cleared up. We are not confined tothis physical body, even while we are still living in it.You are imprisoned in this body only because you donot know how to get out of it. The body is no part of

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ourselves. It is only a covering, a house of clay in whichwe live for the time being. It is simply an instrument ofcontact with this physical world. That is all. If then wewish to travel in regions far above this plane, where thisclumsy body cannot go, we have only to step out of itand go. We need not break the connection. We canreturn to it when we like, and resume its use. This, all ofthe Saints and their disciples who have reached the firstregion above, do at will. They are quite free. How to dothis is one of the first lessons taught their disciples by theSaints. Naturally, it is the initial step to be taken beforethey can even begin their upward journey. But once gain-ing this freedom, the soul is ready to begin its long anddifficult but triumphal journey to distant worlds.

The reader is now asked to follow in his mind thejourney over the Royal Highway of the Saints, stage bystage, as it will be given in some detail. Let him makenote of its main features, so that never again will he havethe least doubt concerning the Path of the Saints, or failto understand how it differs from all other paths. The de-scription is necessarily extremely limited and meager.Only the merest hints can be given here, for it wouldrequire volumes to describe the Way, even if one werecapable of doing it at all.

Preparation for the journeyAs in all other cases of travel, naturally some prepa-

ration must be made for the journey. This usually meansthe gathering together of a lot of luggage to be used onthe trip, or at the other end of the journey. But in prepar-ing to start on this trip over the Royal Highway of theSaints, the process is exactly the reverse of the usualprogram—it consists in getting rid of all luggage.Though we may not fully realize it, it is nevertheless a

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fact that most of us are going around carrying on ourbacks piles of useless luggage which weigh us down andhold us in slavery. Our plight is worse than that of thepoorest coolie. The very first step is to break the ties thatbind us and rid ourselves of the useless luggage thatholds us down to earth. These consist of the manifoldevil ways, the gross sins, unholy desires, the self-indulgences, the passions, the love of the world, its pleas-ures, its pomp and vanities. All of these thingsconstitute the load of luggage each one is carrying aboutwith him, and by them he is hopelessly and literallyweighted down to earth and bound here. Until the souland the mind break loose from these and stand free fromthem, we cannot take the first step on the Path of theSaints.

How to break these bonds constitutes the moral phi-losophy of the Saints. But in this there is nothing unique.The moral philosophy of the Saints differs but little, ifany, from that of all great world religions. This knowl-edge is a common possession of mankind. No one has amonopoly of the knowledge of correct living. The Saintstake but little time to inculcate morality. That is takenfor granted. It constitutes but the most elementary stepon this Path. Perhaps no better system of morality hasever been formulated and given to mankind than that ofthe 'Eightfold Path' of Prince Gotama Buddha. But hereall religions meet on a common ground. In this respectthe Path of the Saints differs but little from all othersystems. We simply must disburden ourselves of thisworld. We cannot take this world and its ways with us tohigher regions. That is the sum of the whole matter.Disentangle yourself from the world and stand alooffrom it.

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Morality alone not sufficientBefore passing from this point, it would appear

fitting to call attention to one vital consideration, usuallylost sight of by most teachers and systems. It is this:Morality, even though it be of the most perfect systemimaginable, and even though its every precept be mostscrupulously observed, is not sufficient to break thechains of slavery which bind every soul to this world andto the wheel of birth and death.

And this leads us to one point regarding the moralphilosophy of the Saints that must be especially noted.In this regard alone, it may be said to differ from theteaching of all other systems. The Saints tell us that itlies not in the power of any man to free himself by hisown unaided efforts. He is so entangled and bound hereby the chains of the five enemies that he cannot effect hisown escape without help. It is just here that the Saintcomes to the rescue of his disciple. The Master, and heonly, has the power to break those fetters. Without him,the individual may struggle as he will, he may fight man-fully to the end of his days, and all he can do is better hiscondition a little, store up more favorable karma forthe future. But in the end he is still bound, and he mustreturn to earth again and again under the 'wheel ofeighty-four'—that is, the endless circle of transmigra-tion. This is a vital truth overlooked by most teachers ofmoral philosophy. Many students boast that man is mas-ter of his own fate, that he must look to himself alone forliberation. It is a vain boast. For he will return here birthafter birth, age after age, until he finally places his des-tiny in the hands of a real Master. We believe that thisegotistical assumption of many students is a sort of natu-ral reaction against the useless intervention of the priest.But the position of the true Master in his relation to his

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disciple is as different from that of the priest, as day isdifferent from night. While the priest is not only uselessbut highly detrimental to the individual, the Master isabsolutely essential to spiritual liberation and upwardprogress.

Preparing to leave the bodyAssuming now that the outer preparation has been

made, that the student has divested himself of all evilluggage which bound him down and obstructed hisupward passage, his next step is to close all of the nineavenues of sense that connect him with the outer world,and then go inside and prepare to leave the body. Howto do this in the best and most effective manner everySaint teaches his disciples at the very outset. The methodis made so clear that he cannot mistake it and the studentis amply safeguarded against all possible errors. He can-not be misled if he follows instructions.

His first exercise is to concentrate his mind at the'tisra til' or third eye. He must pull in his wanderingthoughts, restrain his restless mind, and hold it steadilyat one point. The mind is often compared to a monkey,hopping around. But it must be brought to a stand-still, to absolute rest at the given center. In due time,if the process is complete, the individual spirit currentor substance is slowly withdrawn from the body, firstfrom the lower extremities which become feelingless,and then from the rest of the body. The process is iden-tical with that which takes place at the time of thedeath, only this is voluntary, while that of death is invol-untary. The whole spiritual being gathers at the givencenter, or focus, its powers increasing because of theconcentration. Eventually he is able to pierce the veilthat intervenes—which in reality is "not thicker than the

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wing of a butterfly"—and then he opens what is called the"tenth door" and steps out into a new world. The bodyremains in the position in which he left it, quite senseless,but unharmed by the process. He can return to it at will.He may remain out of it for hours, or even weeks andmonths. The life processes slow down almost to a stand-still, but the body remains in perfect health until theowner is ready to return to it.

In all of this the student is neither asleep norunconscious—not for a moment. In fact, the reversetakes place. He is superconscious. He knows all that isgoing on in and around him and vastly more than heever knew before. He is intensely awake and will re-member all of his experiences vividly. He is now in aworld he never saw before and of the very existence ofwhich most people are unaware. But it is a world whichimpresses itself upon the traveler as being much morereal than this world. It is also much finer and morebeautiful and full of light. Here he beholds a great va-riety of scenery, of landscapes, of rivers and mountainsand trees and flowers and buildings. Here he meets withmultitudes of people, gathered from every nation andtribe of earth. He converses with them; for there all lan-guages are understood by all. The light and colors of thatworld surpass anything he ever saw before. All of thesethings the student traveler looks upon for the first time,and with a new pair of eyes which he never consciouslyused before. He is now operating in his astral body andusing his astral senses for communication, the same as heused the physical senses before.

Our student is now in the position of a man who hasbeen all of his life confined in a semidark prison and hasjust been given his freedom. He steps out from behindprison walls into a beautiful park or garden in front of

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the prison, ready to begin his journey home. In fact he isnow ready to actually begin to live. His freedom is intoxi-cating, joyous. And he is just now ready to begin hisjourney on the Path of the Saints, for that is the way thatleads to his homeland. Up to this moment all he hasdone is to prepare himself for the journey and to openthe door of the prisonhouse which held him in. Up tothis point there is but little that is absolutely unique inthe process of his preparation. Many others besides theSaints have reached this region. By dint of the moststrenuous efforts and the practice of certain yoga, manyof the ancients and some modern students have reachedthe astral plane. They have subdued but not overcomethe passions, and their excellent concentration has giventhem great powers of penetration into the lower astralregions. Their understanding and their powers over theforces of Nature have increased correspondingly. Manyof them, rejoicing at the great beauty and light of thisregion, have quite firmly believed that they have reachedthe highest heaven and that the Lord of this region wasthe Supreme God. But, in fact, this is only the verylowest threshold of that vast system of heaven-worldswhich lie above and beyond it. It constitutes the very firststage or resting place on the Path of the Saints. In real-ity, their journey begins here since this is the lower termi-nus of the Royal Highway of the Saints. And yet formost of the world religions, this is the end, for theirfounders never went beyond this region, and so theybelieved it to be the ultimate.

At this point the student traveler enjoys many newsensations, so much so that he is quite bewildered. He isfairly intoxicated with delight. He is conscious of a mar-velous influx of power. His vision is lucid. Space is oblit-erated. Time has disappeared; for now all events stand

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before him clearly outlined, the past, the present and thefuture. He now realizes the shadowy nature of the lowerworld from which he has just escaped. He beholds itspitiful limitations, its passing deceptive show, its pano-rama of births and deaths, under the wheel of karma, orthe law of cause and effect. All of these things are nowclear to his illuminated consciousness, and yet he hastaken but the first step. For the Royal Highway beginsjust as you step through the tenth door, out of the physi-cal body, and into the first astral zone.

Student here meets his MasterIt is here on the very threshold of the upper regions

that the student traveler first meets his Master faceto face in his Radiant Form. From that moment on,through the remainder of his life, that Radiant Form ishis constant companion and he may always ask theRadiant Master any questions he may wish to ask andreceive an answer. From that happy day forward, heneeds no other teacher. All information on any subject isready at hand. It is this Radiant Master who now takescommand of the upward journey. He will be his guide allthe way. A few of the bravest of men have reached thisregion by their own unaided efforts, but even they doubt-less had the help of some men who had already gone thatfar. A few may advance a little further, but only theSaints and their disciples may travel the Royal Highwayto the higher regions. Fortunate indeed is the studentwho has a real Saint as his Master. For he alone will reachhis home in the exalted planes of the Region of Truth.

The Shabd or Sound CurrentIt is quite necessary to call attention here to the

Sound Current. For that is a vital factor in the Path of

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the Saints. From the very first, the disciple begins tolisten for its sound, during his hours of sitting. By and byhe will come to hear it at any and all times, even while heis about his daily duties. Gradually the sound becomesmore distinct and sweeter in tone. Only when he reachesthe first region, the true Sound is heard, the real Shabd.This Sound Current is the most vital factor in his furtherprogress. From it he constantly draws energy, and by ithe is enabled to overcome all hindrances and all weak-nesses. It is extremely musical, sweet and delightful. Itsattraction fairly pulls the soul upward; and throughoutthe entire journey, this Sound Current is his constantcompanion and support. Without it he could never makethe journey. Consequently, the Sound Current and theMaster are the two vital factors in making the upwardjourney. Without them both, it cannot be made. Thesetwo, then, are the all-important factors in the Path of theSaints—the Sound Current and the living Master.

Location of the first regionThe location of the first region should be kept in

mind. In the Radha Soami literature, mention is oftenmade of the three grand divisions of creation. The first,or highest, is that of the Supreme Being, his residence,and it consists of pure spirit, unmixed with matter of anysort, and is free from all imperfections. It is called theSat Desh or Sach Khand. In that region, there is noteven mind—only pure spirit. That region is so vast inextent that all the rest of creation below it appears nomore than a small cloud floating in its sky. It is inhabitedby vast multitudes of pure spirits who are not subject todeath or change. They are supremely happy.

Then comes the second grand division, called Brah-mand, the middle division. It is of a very high order of

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creation, mostly spiritual, but is mixed with mind andother very fine sorts of matter. In fact, mind itself is anextremely high order of matter; for it is not self-conscious and is wholly dependent upon spirit for its lifeand function. This grand division is the realm of univer-sal mind. All souls, in their descent from Sach Khand,here take on their mental apparatus for purposes of con-tact with the worlds below; and here, on their upwardreturn journey, they discard it.

In this grand division are located all of the heavens ofthe great world religions, most of them in the very lowersections of it. Compared to the physical worlds, thisdivision is also vast in extent and is divided into number-less distinct regions, or planes, world above world, and isinhabited by millions and billions of refined beings,many of whom believe that they are in the highestheaven.

Then comes the third grand division, the physicaluniverse, called Pinda. In it are all of the suns, moons,stars, and planets, all of the unnumbered worlds notedby our astronomers, and far beyond the range of theirmost powerful telescopes still other universes withoutnumber. Our earth is only one of the small planetsbelonging to one of the suns of this system. The earth iscomparatively but a mere microscopic speck of dustfloating in the sky of one small universe.

Now, the astral region, which our traveler has justentered, lies at the top of this third grand division, justbeyond the topmost border, or frontier, of the physicaluniverse. It lies in a subdivision of Brahmand, calledAnda. Its substance, while very coarse when comparedwith the finer worlds above it, is extremely fine whencompared with the earth substance. It vibrates at a muchhigher speed than any known earth substance, and its

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light is much greater in intensity. It has its own laws andcharacteristics. It is a distinct plane of life and is the firstof the numberless sets of three dimensions, extendingupward beyond the earth planes. So, even this physicalplane of ours is only one of these sets of three dimen-sions, arranged in an ascending scale. There are otherplanes of life below us, coarser and poorer, and theirinhabitants are of a lower order of being than ourselves.As a rule, the inhabitants of one plane are wholly un-conscious of all other planes above them. They live anddie somewhat as we do and pass to other regions, astheir karma impels them. The duration of individual lifeincreases as you go from lower to higher regions. Alwaysthe passing from a lower to a higher plane depends uponthe life one has lived and the assistance of his or herMaster.

Such is the order of creation—plane upon plane,world above world, universe beyond universe, in endlesssuccession and variety. To break the bonds of one planeand to traverse other and higher regions is an accom-plishment. To do so, one has to qualify for a permanentresidence in the upper region. He need not stay therepermanently, but he must qualify for it. In fact he mustmaster each region before he passes to the next higher.That being done, he must then learn the secrets ofbreaking down the barriers in his way. These secrets canbe obtained only from the Master. But the Way is alwaysopen for those who earnestly seek the upward Path.

It may not be amiss to just mention in this connec-tion one of the most vital and important principles of allprogress. It is this:

Make yourself master wherever you are; then pass toa higher degree.

Now, our student, having broken the bondage of the

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physical body, steps out upon the first of the upperworlds. But he has not yet entered the city which consti-tutes his first real station on the Royal Highway. Thereare many subdivisions in this, as in all other realms.There is much to be seen of that vast and beautifulregion called Sahansdal Kanwal, so named from a gigan-tic flower-like light, looking like a thousand-petalledlotus. This region has been briefly sketched by Soami Jiin his Sar Bachan. He calls them only hints. They are butlittle more than that. But let us read what he says:

Soami Ji describes the first region"I will give you the secret of the Path; a few hints

concerning it. First fix your mind and soul upon tisra til.Gather together mind and soul, again and again, andbring them inside. Then behold a window; and beyondthat an open maidan, or field. Concentrate the attentionupon that and hold it there. You will see a five-coloredflower garden, and inside of that, behold the Joti (candleor light). Enjoy this scene for some days. Then see theblue-colored sky appearing like a chakra (circular disc).Impelled by love and longing, pierce through this. Thengaze at the Joti with detached mind. Hear the unendingbell sound and become absorbed in it. Next you will hearthe conch. Let yourself become saturated with it."

This description is quite incomplete of course. Itomits to mention thousands of things of the mostabsorbing interest. In that region are suns and moonsand stars. In fact many of them are seen before you reachthe real Sahansdal Kanwal. There are people of manysorts, living in different styles and engaged in variousoccupations—of course, not of a commercial nature.Mostly, they spend their time in concentration, meditat-ing upon the lord of that region. For this, as all other

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regions, has its own lord or ruler, and he is the creator ofall below him, including the physical universe. Hederives his powers from the lord next above him. It is notsurprising that he is often mistaken for the SupremeLord of the entire universe of universes, by those who gono further than his region and who know of nothingbeyond that.

Just before the first region, near the entrance to thisregion at Ashtdal Kanwal, the student first meets theRadiant Form of the Master. From here on they makethe journey together. Let us now proceed to the secondstage.

Region number two, TrikutiWith our great Captain in command, we resume our

journey. He alone knows the Way, and he alone has thekey to all regions; for he has traveled them all manytimes, and besides, he is the recognized Lord of them allfor the time being. The true Saint is King of kings, and isuniversally recognized as Lord because he is one with theSupreme. His power and authority are recognized allalong the route. All other lords, rulers and people payobeisance to him. Under his protection we now enterTrikuti, the second stage on our journey. Here we mayrest and study for a long time, even years. There is muchhere to absorb attention; besides, one has to himselfgrow and develop before he can advance. Let us quote abrief description of this region from Soami Ji:

"Now, my dear companion, prepare to enter thesecond stage. Behold Trikuti, the abode of the Guru,where the sound of Onkar is heard perpetually resound-ing. Then you go on up and open a gate and enter 'bunknaF (the crooked tunnel), passing on to the other end ofit. Then you cross high and low hills. Now the vision

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appears to be reversed, and one sees as if from the oppo-site side of the veil which he has penetrated. Lookingupward, he passes into a fortlike region which he entersand becomes master of it. He reigns there as lord of thatregion. Here the soul becomes adorned with the attri-butes of devotion and faith. Here the seed of all karma isburned, destroyed. You will see thick dark clouds, fromwhich peals of thunder constantly resound. When risingabove these dark clouds, behold, the entire sphere is red,with the beautiful red sun in the center imparting itscolor to everything.

"This is where the Guru really gives Nam, for theMaster's Shabd Rup is here. This Shabd is, in fact, theFifth Veda. Here you will see the red four-petalled lotusspoken of by the Saints, the details and colors becomingvisible as one comes nearer to it. Here the bell and conchsounds are left behind and the sound of mardang (like adrum) is heard.

"After that, the soul resumes its upward journey.Now comes the sound of a huge drum, beaten inces-santly. Here the soul has grasped the Primal Current,from which all creation emanates. Innumerable suns andmoons are seen here and many kinds of skies, filled withstars. The soul here realizes its complete separation fromPind, and rises to the upper Brahmand, as if intoxicatedwith joy. He sees and traverses deserts and mountainsand gardens. In the gardens are flowers arranged in artis-tic designs and groups everywhere. Canals and rivuletsof transparent water are flowing in abundance. Then oneapproaches an ocean, which he crosses by means of abridge. He then beholds the three mountains, or promi-nences, called Mer, Sumer, and Kailash. (From these theregion is named.) After this, he passes on to a region ofthe most unalloyed delight."

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advances to the next. But as we are now traveling inimagination only, we may proceed. Quoting again fromSoami Ji, we read as follows:

"Now, the soul goes on up and opens the third veiland hears the voice of the Sunn region. This is DaswanDwar, with very brilliant light. The Akash* of SahansdalKanwal and Gaggan* of Trikuti have been left behind.The soul here bathes in Mansarover and joins the groupof hansas (swans). The soul then circles about and risesto the top of Sunn, and there hears the kingri andsarangi (stringed instruments, something like a guitar).

"After hearing this sound one penetrates and crossesTribeni (a place where three streams meet), there enter-ing the vestibule of Maha Sunn, where he picks up thesecret knowledge. This great sphere alone is seventypalangs in circumference and in this sphere there is atfirst pitch darkness. Four Sound Currents are heard ema-nating from invisible sources, the music varying, everyminute changing in tone. The sound of the jhankarpredominates and is indescribable in mortal language.One hears them and is entranced by their sweetness.Here are five egg-shaped regions or worlds all full of avariety of creations and each is permeated and governedby a Brahm. How can one describe the beauty of thesecreations? Each has its own predominating color likegreen or yellow or even white. They are quite vast inextent, in comparison with which the entire universebelow Trikuti appears very insignificant."

Students who attain this third region gain cor-responding increase of power and understanding in pro-portion as this region is vast in extent beyond thosebelow it. But there is constantly increasing difficulty as

•Sky.

I

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one goes on up in giving expression to anything relatingto those higher regions. They are further removed fromthe earth and its language, even its ideas. The very ideasin those upper regions are beyond the grasp of earth'sinhabitants until those regions have been traversed andthen one is unable to put them into earthly language.

Crossing this third region not only indicates anotherstage passed on our journey but it marks a distinct epochin the progress of the soul. Here he leaves the last rem-nant of earthly impurities, and the last of his three bodiesin which he lives and operates while here. In this region,wholly purified, the soul for the first time sees itself as itis, pure spirit, a child of the Supreme Lord. So, here forthe first time it truly knows itself. Here for the first timeit is absolutely untrammeled and free. And from here onits tendencies are all upward instead of downward. Theattraction of the still higher regions becomes overwhelm-ing and the soul is impatient to go on. From here hereturns no more to be born in the flesh—except thosewho come on special missions of redemption. Being nowfree from all impurities, the soul here attains a brilliancyequal to twelve of our suns, and now it rises rapidly tothe more perfect regions above. Let us then resume ourjourney. We traverse almost measureless space andapproach the fourth region.

Region number fourQuoting again from the descriptions of Soami Ji, we

read:"Now prepare for the fourth stage, O soul, and catch

the Sound. Cross the pass above the Hansni tunnel andenter the Rukmini tunnel, where you will see a strangeand beautiful mark, or structure, seeing which, the surat(power to hear) and the nirat (power to see) both attain

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to that of many millions of suns combined. It is utterlybeyond comprehension; but let us now enter his region.

Region number fiveSoami Ji, with increasing difficulty of expression, has

given a few hints concerning this region. We read:"In the fifth region is a f ortlike place wherein is situated

the throne of the King of kings. You should know him asthe true king. The soul now advances to a great andwonderful field, or park, the scenery of which is absolutelyindescribable. There is also a great reservoir, from belowwhich flow abundant streams of the most delicious nec-tar, and this nectar flows out through large canals, tosupply distant regions. Golden palaces are set in openfields of silvery light. But the landscape is indescribable,and the beauty of the hansas living there is incompre-hensible, the brilliancy of each one being equal to thecombined light of sixteen suns and moons.

"The soul then passes on up to the real entrance. Thewatchers by the gates are the hansas. Here the SahajSurat asks the soul: 'How have you managed to reachthis region?' The newcomer replies: 'I came across aSaint and he gave me knowledge of this region.' Sayingthis, the soul then pushes on and enjoys the darshan ofSat Nam, and rejoices with an exceeding great joy. Avoice then emanates from within the lotus, saying: 'Whoare you, and what purpose or object brings you here?' Heanswers, 'I met the Satguru and he gave me full instruc-tions. Through his kindness I now have the privilege ofyour darshan.' From this darshan the soul derivesimmense pleasure. Sat Purush then speaks of the mys-teries of Alakh Lok, and with his own powers and love,he aids the soul to make further advance toward the stillhigher regions."

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Our traveler has now reached the highest Grand Divi-sion of Creation, the region of immortality and of Truth.While still in the lower regions of Brahmand, he isalways liable to return to earth, and to rebirth anddeath—the wheel of eighty-four. But when he reachesthis pure region of Sat Lok, the first plane of which iscalled Sach Khand, there is no more return to earth,except as a Redeemer. Here the student traveler entersupon the full reward of his long and arduous course oftraining. He becomes a Saint himself, and the mission ofhis Guru is finished, so far as this journey is concerned.But the soul has yet to travel over the most sublime andbeautiful part of his journey. Above Sach Khand thereare three other planes or regions, of utterly inconceivablesplendor. But from here on, the Great Father of SachKhand takes over the responsibility of guiding the soulto the end of his journey. By his great love and light, hedirects the advancing traveler through all of thoseexalted regions. First he becomes united in a mystic waywith the very essence of the great Sat Purush, and so,becoming one with him, partakes of all his attributes. Hethen advances to the three remaining regions.

The three higher regionsThe next one is Alakh Lok, presided over by the

Alakh Purush and the next after that is Agam Lok,presided over by Agam Purush. Finally, the travelerarrives at the end of his journey, the region of the name-less One, or of Radha Soami, the Supreme Lord of allthat exists. Although the name Radha Soami may beascribed to Him, it is fully recognized that no name candescribe Him. No thought can embrace Him. No lan-guage can tell of Him. He is the formless, all embracingOne. He is the impersonal, infinite ocean of love. From

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Him flows all life and spirituality, all truth, all reality. Heis all wisdom and love and power. All visible lords of allregions are His manifestations—He taking form, manyforms, in order that His gracious purposes might be car-ried out in all creation. They are all His forms; but noneof them expresses His totality. He may take millions offorms but He himself remains formless, impersonal, all-pervading. He is universal Spirit, universal life. Whymultiply words? No one can tell of Him.

When the traveler reaches this supreme region, calledby Soami Ji, the 'regionless region', he is so absorbed inits joys, so lost in its unutterable splendor, that he atonce realizes the futility of even attempting to tell thestory to earthbound people. Say what he may, they canform no conception of that region or the life there.Soami Ji finishes his descriptions by saying:

"The beauty of Alakh Lok is utterly incomprehen-sible. The soul, unable to describe those regions, goes onup and sees the Alakh Purush, the Agam Purush, andthen the Monarch of all, Radha Soami. From one stepto another the soul beholds strange things which cannotbe described in human language. Every region and every-thing is utterly beyond words. What beauty and glory!How can I describe them? There is nothing here to con-vey the idea. I am helpless.

"The soul has now seen the three regions above SachKhand, and the ruling Purush in each one. He has seenthem and united his own being with them. All he can sayis that here in these Holy Regions

Love plays the supreme part.It is all love.

So says Radha Soami."

208 LETTER FOURTEEN

We are now at the terminus of the Royal Highway ofthe Saints. We have finished the journey we set out upon,from the common level of earth life. It has been a jour-ney of the greatest glory and triumph. It has led us stageby stage from the low levels of earth to the highest con-ceivable realm of bliss. The traveler, the student, byvirtue of his advancement, has changed from the statusof a mere man, crawling in the dust of earth, to a realgod of such unclouded glory, wisdom and power, that nolanguage can recount his triumphs. What he has nowbecome must forever remain quite inconceivable to theordinary earth man. He may catch only a few glimmer-ings of it. And this is the Path of the Saints. Among allof the systems of religion or philosophy that have everengaged the thought of men, is there anything compa-rable to the achievements of this Path?

The position of the Master, or Saint, must now beapparent. The journey to the higher regions can never bemade without him, either in this life or after death.Therefore the Saint is the supreme necessity, if one is toreach those regions. For this reason, the way to thoseregions is called the Path of the Saints. The entire scienceis called Sant Mat, or the teaching of the Saints. Happyindeed is the soul who takes shelter with a Saint andundertakes the journey in company with him. Among allthe sons of men, he is the most fortunate.

With greetings of love and all good will, believe me,

Your grateful fellow student,Julian P. Johnson