Mystic path to cosmic power.docx

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Contents

I. The Greatest Secret on Earth!• The needless desperation of man

• There is a way out

• The greatest secret on earth

• What is mysticism?

• The miraculous message of mysticism

• How to perform right action

• The two seles within a man

• ercoming the "arrier to happiness

• #inding your True Self changes eerything

• Clim" a"oard!

• $alua"le %eiew of ChapterII. Wa&e up to a world of Wonder

• The strange case of hypnoti'ed humanity

•

How to wa&e up to a world of wonder• The confession of a famous no"leman

• (our single greatest techni)ue for newness

• Try this remar&a"le e*periment

• What the new awa&ening does for you

• The power of self+understanding

• ,othing can preent your richer life

• How to stop hurting yourself

• -asic principles that help youIII. The arels of the ystic /ath

• How good things happen to you

• 0nyone can enter the mystical life• ysticism is a personal e*perience

• (our attractie changes

• en who hae wal&ed the ystic path

• The courage of the mystics

• What you should &now a"out mystical teachings

• 1nderstand this ital feature

• How to "e free of sadness

• How to wal& the ystic /ath

• #oremost features to remem"erI$. How to #eel Great Eery inute

• How to understand negatie emotions• The ystic /ath is heroes

• How to detach distress

• The cure for depression

• Surprising facts a"out desire

• (our freedom from painful craing

• The only answer to anger



• (ou can "e happy right now

• (our 2eld of diamonds

• $ital aids to &eep in mind

$. (our iraculous source of Help•

How to contact Higher /ower• The di3erence "etween thought and awareness

• (ou will win!

• How to faor yourself

• 0"andon human e3ort

• Sure steps to awa&ening

• #ifteen ways to gain new strength

• #reedom from in4ustice

• ercoming "arriers to Higher /ower

• To contact Higher /ower

$I. The /ower of 5oe 0mong people• The maiden at the stream

• The ystic6s compassion

• Twenty special secrets

• 0nswers to )uestions a"out loe

• How to deelop loe+capacity

• The power of psychic awa&ening

• How to handle di7culties with people

• 0n esoteric reelation a"out loe

• Truths a"out the power of loe

$II. How to Stop Heartache and Su3ering• 0 ital secret for you

• How pain magically disappears

• 8on6t ma&e this mista&e

• The hunter

• 5ights along the ystic /ath

• The alue of a crisis to you

• Su3ering has no power oer you

• What a mystic &nows

• The authentic answer to worry

• To end heartache su3ering



$III. ystical ysteries that Change (our 5ife• 0 life+changing techni)ue

• How to "e loing

• (our four golden &eys good cheer

•

ystical teachings a"out the future• How to wor& for yourself pro2ta"ility

• Helpful ideas from this chapter

I9. The Sure Cure for #ear and Tension• The tremendous discoery of Socrates

• The strange truth a"out results

• 5et cosmic principles wor& for you

• The winning way

• #ear has no power whatsoeer

• The unusual George Gurd4ie3

• Gie special attention to this idea• The peaceful alley

• Summary of successful ideas

•

Chapter I - The Greatest Secret on Earth

:What is the cause and cure of a man6s or a woman6s pro"lems on earth?;

That is the foremost )uestion eer formed in the human mind. 8iscoering thecause and applying the cure is the purpose of this "oo&.

an&ind can "e li&ened to a large party of tourists searching for new homesite. They "oard a train that can ta&e them from a dry and dreary desert to a grand andlofty mountaintop. The trael guide assures them that the higher they go< thegreater their capacity to see and en4oy the countryside.

There are station stops all along the upward way. 0 tourist may get o3 and end histrip at any point he li&es. He is perfectly free to cut himself short< or to continue allthe way to the top.

Some get o3 at the 2rst stop. They 2nd themseles in desolate country. They settledown in secret despair.

thers go on for another station or two< then ta&e their leae of the train. Theirlocation is somewhat "etter< "ut< still< they settle down with a ague uneasiness.

0 few others< the enduring ones< &eep going. Somewhere along the early part of the 4ourney< they made a fascinating discoery= Though the trip certainly has itschallenges< the farther they go the easier it "ecomes. /atience and persistencepresent sure rewards. So they eagerly press on. 0s they do so< they reach the pea&s



of happy and unworried liing. With enormous relief< they 2nd that the mountain+topwas not 4ust something announced in the trael guide> it is real< it is there< it istheirs.

The Needless Desperation of Man

Edward 0rlington %o"inson sums up the desperate predicament of man in his classicpoem< Richard Cory . Eeryone in town admired %ichard Cory6s princely manners.

They enied his apparently e*alted station in life. He seemed the ery ideal of thesuccessful indiidual. -ut it was all a stage performance. ,o one &new it "etter than%ichard Cory. In his despair< he 2nally ed the stage in the only way he &new< inself+destruction.

Genuinely happy people are much rarer than one supposes. /eople wear a ariety of mas&s= smiling mas&s< wise+appearing ones< e*cited ones< mas&s of worldlysuccess< all a frantic attempt to conince themseles and others that the act is real.-ut< sooner or later< the play must come to an end< leaing the actor alone andafraid on his little stage.

What does eery man want? He only senses what he wants. He wants to "e free.#rom what? #rom his heartache and su3ering< from his compulsie desires< from hisfear of what other people can do to him< from secret shames and guilts carried oerfrom past folly.

He wants self+li"erty. -ut he doesn6t &now what it is< or where to 2nd it. Still< hean*iously see&s< and almost always in the wrong places. In despair oer 2nding theright needle in a haystac&< he doesn6t een see he@s searching in the wronghaystac&.

He hopefully comforts himself< :Well< tomorrow will "e di3erent.; -ut it won6t. 0ndhe &nows it. He &nows he will loo& "ac& and 2nd himself in the same old despair. The only change will "e in a few e*terior surroundings. -ut it6s still the same oldhaunted house.

The famous prisoners+in+the+cae allegory of Socrates< as told "y /lato< e*plainsman6s condition= 0 num"er of men are chained in a dar& caern. 0 2re "la'esaround them< producing fearful shadows. #alsely assuming that the shadows arereal< they cringe in terror and hostility.

-ut one prisoner gets tired of it all. Ta&ing charge< he decides to ris& all in anattempt to escape. #ighting his way through the dar&ness< he emerges into the

sunlight of the real world. He 2nds himself a free man.

0nd what happens if he goes "ac& to tell others of his wonderful discoery? What if he e*plains that their agonies result from their illusions< that an entirely new worlde*ists on the outside? Will they welcome his message? They will not. What!+andgie up their smug assumptions that they already &now what is real? 0nd distur"their ego+centered ways? ,o! They will scorn and resent him< call him a deludedfool+and remain in their secret despair.



What solution does the ystic /ath o3er?

There Is A Way Out

an is a frightened wanderer. That is an o"sera"le fact. -ut there is a second facthe rarely glimpses= There is a way out. It consists of 2nding his true identity. That is

the only way any human "eing has eer shed the ache of separation< isolation<loneliness0 prince was &idnapped at "irth from his father6s palace. %aised in poerty in awretched illage< he re"elled against the poerty of his life. He constructed carefulplans for "ecoming the &ing of the land. Through a series of schemes and "attles<he won the throne. -ut he was an*ious< hostile. Haing ta&en the &ingdom "y force<he lied in dread of other am"itious men. It was day+to+day misery.

Then he learns his true identity. He is a &ing "y "irthright. He sees the folly of tryingto retain "y force what is already his inheritance. ,ow< with this &inglyconsciousness< there is no fear< no threat< only )uiet dominion."seres 0ldous Hu*ley=

It is because we don’t know Who we are, because we are unaware that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, that we behave in the generally silly, the often insane, the sometimescriminal ways that are so characteristically human. We are saved, we are liberated andenlightened, by erceiving the hitherto unerceived good that is already within us, by returning to our eternal !round and remaining where, without knowing it, we have alwaysbeen.

Eery man is a &ing through conscious awareness of his true identity. He need not

try to "e anything> he need only reali'e who he really is+a &ing "y "irthright.

:How can we start practicing this idea?;

:How would you feel if you had no fear? #ell li&e that. How would you "ehae toward

other people if you reali'ed their powerlessness to hurt you? -ehae li&e that. How

would you thin& toward yourself if you &new you were really alright? Thin& li&e that.

These are &ingly states of consciousness. -y liing them< you lie li&e a &ing.

It is a fascinating process. 0 self+wor&ing indiidual will "e sitting around home one

day when the startling thought occurs< :Here I am< sitting around< doing nothing of

interest< nothing to hope for< no one to tal& with+and I am not depressed.;

He &nows what would hae happened a year or two ago in a similar situation. He

would hae trem"led at the nothingness< at the lac& of outside stimulation. -ut he

has changed. He is no longer at the mercy of moods. He sees through the "lu3s of

negatie impressions. He is )uietly there. 0nd that6s all there is to it.



The Greatest Secret On Earth!

What is it?

"y contacting a Higher #ower, a man can live an entirely new life, both in the here

and now and in the there and hereafter .

That is the greatest secret on earth.

The ystic /ath leads upward to that a new life.

How does the aerage man spend his day? He can "e li&ened to a pendulum.

Something faora"le happens in his e*terior life< perhaps a raise in pay< or a

compliment. He feels good. -ut the ne*t moment< strangely< the pay raise and the

compliment "ecome meaningless< so he swings from one state to its opposite+

"etween con2dence and fear< "etween cheeriness and gloom< calmness andnerousness< peace and anger< decision and indecision.

This is followed "y feelings of futility< of "eing trapped. Though he may see&

answers here and there< he has no real hope. Though "elieing that he may feel

good tomorrow< he agoni'es oer the &nowledge that he will plunge into emptiness

the day after. He &nows that his temporary elation will cruelly anish< as the mirage

disappears "efore the desert wanderer.

There is another way to lie.

I assure you that this is no mere opinion of mine. I &now. I also &now that my telling

of this can encourage "ut cannot conince you. -ut you can< "y ta&ing careful heed

to the principles< conince yourself through actual e*perience. ,o person and no

circumstance on earth can preent it< if you are willing to change who you are. ur

life+transformation is in e*act proportion to the amount of truth we can ta&e without

running away.

What< then< is the re)uirement for the man or woman who wants to possess this

greatest secret on earth? It is not strength< nor con2dence< nor youthfulness< nor

anything else li&e that. There is only one re)uirement= The see&er must "e willing to

listen< and to learn something new. With that< all things are possi"le.

Eery man and woman< without e*ception< senses that there is something

else "eyond his ordinary life. The perfect eidence that there is something far "etter

is his enduring search for it. ur tas& is to raise this unconscious sense to the

conscious leel where it enriches us< 4ust as pearls enrich the man who "rings them

up from the ocean oor.



0t this point< we can clear a ma4or di7culty confronted "y the sincere see&er. The

moment he "egins his )uest< he is assaulted "y the terri"le thought that this too

may "e a delusion. He agoni'es oer the possi"ility that the answer may not really

e*ist after all. His preious failures oerwhelm him with the horror that this new

reaching may also come "ac& with empty hands.

,o! If he persists< in spite of his dou"ts and failures< he will 2nd the answer.

It e*ists. The mystics hae found it< and they point the way> "ut the discoery itself

must "e personal. So do this= /roceed courageously upon the principle that een

4ust a glimpse of light leads to more light. #or it always does. Aust dare a lot< and you

will get a lot.

:-ut all this may call for more of a spiritual life than I want.;

:8on6t try to "e spiritual. That is only a word in the dictionary. a&e it your goal to

"ecome a normally functioning indiidual. 5et these principles shape you according

to your real nature of a simple< decent< honest< unafraid human "eing.;

:Then mysticism is a system for mental health.;

:f course. 0nd much more.;

What Is Mysticis

What is ysticism?

We want to settle for an accurate de2nition of mysticism. 0s used and a"used as

the term is< we must clarify our thin&ing for the purpose of our study. We can state

our de2nition in seeral ways< reali'ing that they all descri"e the same essential

thing. ysticism is= a. 0n adanced state of inner enlightment. ". 1nion with %eality.

c. 0 state of genuinely satisfying success. d. Insight into an entirely new world of

liing. e. 0n intuitie grasp of Truth< a"oe and "eyond intellectual reasoning. f. 0

personal e*perience< in which we are happy and healthy human "eings.

This descri"es genuine mysticism. /seudo+mysticism see&s to eade reality>

authentic mysticism wants to lie it. -ecause it is real< it ultimately "ears the fruitsof loe< understanding< and compassion within the indiidual. It has nothing to do

with counterfeit claims resulting in indiidual turmoil and worldwide calamity.

#raudulent mysticism gies rise to self+deception< neurosis< unhealthy emotionalism.

ur concern is with intelligence< normalcy< wholesomeness.





What< then< is the miraculous message of mysticism?

Happiness is yours in the here and now. The painful states of an*iety and loneliness

are a"olished permanently. #inancial a3airs are not 2nancial pro"lems. (ou are at

ease with yourself. (ou are not at the mercy of unful2lled craings. Confusion is

replaced with clarity. There is a relieing answer to eery tormenting )uestion. (oupossess a True Self. Something can "e done a"out eery unhappy condition. While

liing in the world you can "e inwardly detached from its sorrows to lie with

personal peace and sanity.

0nd this is what un&nowing people call impractical mysticism!

This is the greatest secret on earth. 1nfortunately< it is a secret hidden from the

eyes of most men. -ut it is aaila"le to all. 0nyone< who really wants it< can hae it.

,eer forget< you are following all this for your own sa&e. (our purpose along the

ystic /ath is a ery personal one. The o"4ectie of eery see&er is to "ecome an

enlightened< happy< and pleasant human "eing.

#o$ To %erfor &i"ht Action

illions of people assume it is enough to see& the Truth. It is not. It is essential to

see& in the right way. The right way starts with a right frame of mind< with simple

receptiity. Eerything depends upon the way we ta&e the Truth. ,o other mystical

point is more important than this. The seed must fall on fertile< not roc&y ground.

The eeryday mind misunderstands and distorts mystic principles. ,on+action is agood e*ample. /anic&y people e*claim< :-ut we must do something. It6s foolish to

sit around with folded hands.; This misses the point entirely. ysticism e*plains that

a panic&y man is li&e a passenger on a relia"le ocean liner. The passenger races

furiously forward on the dec& in order to get himself to port. If he would stop this

panic&y action< he would do the right thing< which is calmly see that he need not do

anything "ut let the ship carry him to port.

Some in)uirers are apt to thin& that mystic teachers dwell in some sort of iorytower< haing no contact with the realities of a harsh world. Such notions are )uic&lydispelled "y reading a"out the early lies of teachers li&e 0ugustine and Count

Tolstoy< whom we meet later. The di3erence "etween the mystic and his critic isthis= The mystic has met and con)uered the harsh world< while the s&eptic is stillpunished "y it. When a teacher is accused of &nowing nothing a"out the eerydayworld< he reects upon his own former "usiness struggles< his a3airs with women<and his own intensely hard wor& at self+li"eration. When accused< he thin&s of it all<smiles< and says nothing.

The ystic /ath has eerything to do with eeryday a3airs. Ta&e< as a singlee*ample< failure to "rea& an unwanted ha"it. What goes wrong? The person fails



"ecause the ery self who is trying to "rea& the ha"it is the same self who istrapped "y it. 0 man in this state is li&e a prisoner who dreams he is the guard withthe &eys. 0 new sense of self is needed. When the man discoers this new self< healso "rea&s the ha"it< for man6s essential self is 4ailed "y nothing.

The T$o Sel'es Within A Man

Certain "asic principles form the foundation of the ystic /ath. ne of them< whichwe now meet< will "e referred to repeatedly. (our grasp of it ma&es eerything elseclear. 0n indiidual lies with two conicting seles within him= his True Self and hisfalse self. It is di7cult at the start to see that this is so< "ut what a 2ne 2rst steptoward wholeness!

The false self consists of everything negative within a person. Its nature is to "eenious< helpless< angry< despairing< worried< critical< unsta"le< foolish< andeerything else at enmity with happiness. %eligions call the false self the deil or

sinfulness> philosophy sees it as the lower nature> modern psychology calls it theego+self that lies in illusion. -ut whateer the name< it is the cause of all inwardpressure< which e*plodes outwardly in wars< crimes< and other social tragedies.

The man dominated "y his false self does not live his day> he is driven through it.

He is hounded "y compulsie desires< pained "y automatic angers< scared "y

unrealistic imaginations. -ecause he identi2es with these terrors< that is< "ecause

he wrongly ta&es himself as his false self< his desperation is endless. He is clutched

"y an unseen enemy. :The entire root of your pro"lem is that you cannot get out of

yourself.; D#rancois #enelon

,ow< it is utterly useless for a man to try to change or reform his old nature. (oucannot improe it in any way whatsoeer. Here is where everyone makes his great mistake.He thin&s he can change his false self< which is impossi"le. The false self ma&es promises to itself which it can no more &eep than a haw& can change itself into a doe. :f what use to ma&e heroic ows of amendment< if the same oldlaw"rea&er is to &eep them?; D%alph Waldo Emerson in $%erience It is the 2*ednature of the false self to "e negatie< 4ust as it is the nature of 2re to "e hot.

Then what can "e done?

O'ercoin" The (arrier To #appiness

The false nature cannot "e< and need not "e changed< "ut it can "e dissoled andreplaced "y the True Self. Try to see the di3erence in an impossi"le e3ort to changethe false self and that of replacing it with your essential self. 0 haw& cannot "echanged into a doe< "ut it can "e replaced with a doe.



%emem"er< the false self is false> it is non+e*istent< "ut< "y "elieing in it< we act asif it were real. In reality< there is only one Self< one /ower.

The True Self is< as the ,ew Testament phrases it< the Fingdom of Heaen within. Itis your higher self< the 8iinity in man.

,ow< since eery man possesses this True Self< what are our possi"ilities once werelease it through awareness of its e*istence? They are eerything good andpleasant and satisfying. (ou can accept that as a fact right now< een if you do notfeel it to "e so. #orget your feelings> accept the fact.

I e%ist as I am&that is enough' If no other in theworld be aware, I sit content +Walt Whitman< (ong of )yself

ur tas& is to dissole the imaginary self and lie from our real center of "eing. Thatis the only way to human health. -ut it is the sure cure. It is li&e remoing a

distorting "lan&et from a statue< ena"ling us to see its true form.

I 2nd that the greatest single "arrier to attaining this is man6s secret assumptionthat he already &nows the answers to his pro"lems. -ut we all sense this pretense.illions of unhappy people ma&e this false assumption< "ut do not see it< thusfree'ing their potentialities for happiness.

0 tremendous power wor&s for the man who meets a challenging pro"lem with thehonest admission< :I don6t &now the answer.; -y turning his helplessness oer tothe power< he ena"les it to reeal the answer. It is li&e turning oer the "asicmaterials to a master rug+ma&er< &nowing that he can ta&e what we gie and weaesomething far more "eautiful than we could eer do.

Aust as a su"4ect under the inuence of a stage magician doesn6t reali'e hishypnotic state< neither does a man comprehend his life+hypnosis. 0nd< of course<how can he &now? While under hypnosis< he has no "asis for comparison "etweenhypnosis and wa&efulness. -ecause the hypnoti'ed man &nows only hypnosis< hewill scorn any other possi"ility. There is a way to "rea& the spell< as we will see infollowing chapters.

)indin" *our True Self Chan"es E'erythin"

an has a false sense of identity. He thin&s he is his false self< which he is not. He is

his True Self< "ut doesn6t &now it. 0ll man6s grief can "e traced "ac& to his utterlyain attempt to proe this false sense of identity< for instance< through a compulsiedrie to "e admired and applauded. (es< the egotistical self craes and demandsapplause< "ut man is not his ego+self.

The only eil is ignorance< unawareness< failure to see our authentic identity. To thedegree that we learn to lie from our true identity< our pains and follies fall away< to"e replaced with peace and wisdom.



: -ut this is such a wic&ed world. I don6t see how it is possi"le for an indiidual tolie such a wonderful life.;

:If you plant a tulip "ul" in a weed patch it will still grow into a tulip.;

5osing the false self is li&e this= Imagine yourself with an ac)uaintance whom you&now ery well "ut one who causes you nothing "ut trou"le. (ou decide to put himout of your life< so he starts wal&ing away. 0t 2rst you feel an*ious< for< astrou"lesome as he is< he is all you thin& you hae. -ut then< something interestinghappens. 0fter your false friend has wal&ed away in one direction< you sight a new2gure in another direction. 0s the false friend wal&s away< to the same degree doesthis new 2gure come closer. #inally< you recogni'e him as a new trustworthy friend<your True Self.

So the whole )uestion is= How can we free ourseles from the false power of the oldnature? 0uthor /.8. uspens&y )uotes a modern mystic< George Gurdie3e.

*reedom, liberation, this must be the aim of man. +o become free, to be liberated fromslavery this is what a man ought to strive for when he becomes even a little conscious ofhis osition. +here is nothing else for him, and nothing else is ossible so long as he remainsa slave both inwardly and outwardly. "ut he cannot cease to be a slave outwardly while heremains a slave inwardly. +herefore in order to become free, man must gain inner freedom.+he -rst reason for man’s inner slavery is his ignorance, and above all, his ignorance ofhimself. Without self&knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of hismachine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave,and the laything of the forces acting uon him.+his is why in all ancient teachings the -rst demand at the beginning of the way to liberation

was Know thyself./

Fnowledge of his real nature. That is how a man achiees unsha&ea"le success. Heis li&e a permanent guest in a spacious mansion< who en4oys eerything< while "eingresponsi"le for nothing.

Cli+ A+oard!

Wheneer a new idea rushes into the mind< it smashes into a mass of distortingelements> li&e a "all tossed hard against the walls of a closet< the idea "ouncesagainst our 2*ed attitudes and opinions. In meeting the ideas of this "oo&< you may2nd them "ouncing against your present iewpoints. The new concepts may appearmysterious< or illogical. When this happens< do not leap to automatic conclusions.

This cuts o3 necessary in)uiry. %ather< adenture with the new ideas< getac)uainted with them. :There is a pleasure in the passing woods.; DGeorge Gordon-yron

%ead as if you hae no personal attitudes. -e open and receptie. This frees themind of conditioned thin&ing< ena"ling it to a"sor" the new. We need start withnothing more than a simple desire to get the point. It is not a )uestion of intelligence. Eeryone has the intelligence. We need hae no concern whether we



are a"le to do this or that toward our inner happiness. ur only concern is whetherwe are willing to learn. 0nd een if we are not< we can "e willing to "e willing.

The Truth at all costs! It is li&e an ice"rea&ing ship that crac&s its passage throughfro'en o"stacles.

:-ut I get discouraged so easily.;

:There is no need for discouragement oer anything. Simply reali'e that you haenot yet grasped this or that idea. Why "e dismayed 4ust "ecause you are in the 2fthgrade instead of the si*th? Feep studying. (ou are doing 2ne!;

n the 2rst reading of this "oo&< proceed without any particular e3ort to graspanything that seems strange. 8on6t pause to pu''le too much. n your secondreading< do the ery same thing. -ut this time it will "e di3erent. Ideas which werepreiously ague now spar&le. 0lready< they gie you a new feeling toward yourself.

This chapter opened with man&ind pictured as liing at arious leels along arailway. 0s& yourself whether you are satis2ed with your present leel. It is perfectlypossi"le for you to "e carried up the mountainside. There is a new train along eeryhour. Clim" a"oard!

,alua+le re'ie$ of chapter . 8eeply within< eery human "eing yearns for the free and en4oya"le life.

. The greatest secret on earth is that any man or woman can hae this new life.

. (our search for the richer way is perfect eidence of its e*istence.

J. The ystic /ath is a simple< sensi"le< and sure way toward all+around success.

K. (ou can 2nd the answer to eery pro"lem and confusion.

L. 5earn to see& Truth in the right way+with the fundamentals of mysticism.

M. We must dissole the false self through right &nowledge< and lie from the TrueSelf.

N. It is essential that we do not unconsciously assume that we already &now theanswers.

O. 0denture down the ystic /ath with a totally receptie mind.

P. Start right where you are.

Chapter . / #o$ To Wa0e 1p To A World Of Wonder



-ritish noelist H.G. Wells was an e*plorer in the psychic world. 0n outcome of his

search was the noel< In the 8ays of the Comet. This story has an interesting

parallel to the fascinating su"4ect of this chapter.

The noel tells of a world torn "y warfare< intrigue< and treachery< in other words< a

world much li&e our own. ne day a mysterious comet approaches to hoer oer theearth. It discharges a great green cloud that puts eeryone on earth into a strange

sort of sleep.

5ater< eeryone wa&es up. It is the same physical world< "ut what an ama'ing

change has ta&en place in human "eings. Hostility and mistrust are gone6 eeryone

is calm and understanding. Soldiers clim" out of their trenches to greet each other

as friends. /eace is no longer a word< "ut an actual condition.

0wa&ened humanity reali'es something preiously unseen. Their wic&edness was an

outcome of their human+hypnosis. They saw that their preious platitudes< so no"le

and high+sounding at the time< were thin mas)uerades for sel2sh am"ition. -ut all

that had anished. ,ow they see things as they really are. It is a glad and new world

of wonder and happiness< li&e this=

This life< this a"iding< enduring peace that neer fails< this serene power and

unhurried con)uest< inward con)uest oer ourseles< outward con)uest oer the

world< is meant to "e ours. It is a life that is freed from strain and an*iety and hurry<

for something of the Cosmic /atience of God "ecomes ours. DThomas %. Felly< 0

Testament of 8eotion

The Stran"e Case of #ypnoti2ed#uanity

an is hypnoti'ed. His entire life is one great nightmare< which he ta&es for reality.

ne of his handy sleeping pills is his "lithe assumption that he is not asleep< that he

is a perfectly conscious human "eing.

In spite of the repeated disasters occurring in his nightmare< he still insists he is

awa&e. He goes through life li&e a sleepwal&er< "umping into one painful o"4ect after

another< "ut neer letting the shoc& wa&e him up.

This is what the mystics hae "een trying to get oer to humanity for centuries. :5etthe pride of man "e stilled> he thin&s he is free "ut he is not.; D#rancois #enelon

an is in a peculiar &ind of psychic sleep< which he fails to recogni'e. So he casually

"rushes it aside as haing nothing to do with his life. Spiritual literature a"ounds

with references to this unconscious slum"er. :0wa&e thou that sleepest.; DEphesians

K=J %emem"er< this was said to people running goernments< doing "usiness<



raising families. These ery people so "usy in the material world are told they must

wa&e up to a new sense of life!

We must not assume that we are spiritually awa&e. This is of utmost importance. We

hae already seen that one of the smoothest tric&s of the false self is to deceie us

into thin&ing that our present state< een when 2lled with charita"le actiities< is aconscious one. ,o< we must proceed with the idea that we are presently hypnoti'ed.

It helps to understand that this is QaR di3erent &ind of psychic slum"er< which we

don6t recogni'e as yet.

0nother great help is to see that alertness in e*terior a3airs has no connection with

psychic+awareness. E*terior a"ilities are on the mental plane> psychic s&ill is on a

higher< spiritual leel. This e*plains why a genius in politics< or science< or "usiness

can "e utterly lost in his priate life.

:(ou &now< r. Howard< for a long time I hae wondered what is wrong with myself

and other people. The idea of a hypnoti'ed humanity ma&es perfect sense. Why

else would millions of people march o3 to senseless war? I hope we can continue

with this su"4ect ne*t wee&. I want to &now more.;

:8on6t "e concerned if it is not clear to you 4ust now. This merely indicates that you

hae not< as yet< escaped far enough to detect the di3erence "etween sleeping and

awa&ened states. (ou see< a person in psychic slum"er cannot possi"ly see what is

meant "y wa&efulness until he actually wa&es up. Suppose you are deeply asleep in

your "ed tonight. Would you hear someone who )uietly informed you that you are

asleep?;

:,o. I see what you mean. To use another e*ample< we are canaries in a cage who

hae no idea of the open s&y. -ut what a di3erence!;

:0wa&ening is the most di3erent eent a human "eing can e*perience.;

#o$ To Wa0e 1p To A World Of Wonder

If a sleepwal&er wants to stop "umping into things< what must he do? Wa&e up.

That6s all. Aust wa&e up. So must the man or woman in psychic sleep. He or she

must open the eyes of understanding.

Haing recogni'ed< een dimly< the nightmare that &eeps us weary and afraid< we

want to end it. -ut how? How do we awa&en from the "ad dream?



0 man must hae a deep and sincere desire to change his inner self. He must "etired of merely rearranging the toy "loc&s of his e*terior a3airs and get down toadult "usiness with himself.

With one man it is enough to feel a nagging dissatisfaction with things as they are.He is disappointed< restless< 2nding no lasting ful2llment in wealth< or fame< or

social success. 0nother man might "e 4olted out of his complacent sleep "y a shoc&<or a crisis< or "y disgrace. When used as a message< not as a punishment< a shoc&can open a man6s eyes.

0 man must sense that something is wrong< deeply wrong. ,ow< eery man hassuch a ague hint within< "ut he fails to listen to the message accompanying it.

This new and strange distur"ance is accompanied "y the eer+so+slight suggestionthat there 4ust might "e a way out. He senses an alternatie to his desperation<though< at this early stage< he has no idea of what it might "e. It is a ague "utentirely new hint of higher possi"ilities.

0 few years preious to this mysterious stirring within< the man might haechallenged a mystic< :Why should I "other with what you say? I6m a happy andactie man.;

:-ecause<; replies the mystic< :you are not really happy+and no one &nows it "etterthan you. -eyond all your shallow pretenses and inented actiities< you see yourown emptiness. (ou can try to &id yourself< "ut you can6t &id your nerousness< andyour irrita"ility< and your sleepless nights.;

,ow< haing reached the end of his rope of egotism< no longer a"le to hide "ehindhis pretenses< the man utters his 2rst faint< :(es< that is so. I am willing to go on

from whereer I am to e*plore whateer there is.;

The Confession Of A )aous No+lean

This "rings us to a man who wo&e up= Count 5eo Tolstoy. -orn into a family ofno"ility< Tolstoy was not religious in the usual sense. His early life proed theopposite. -y his own confession he led a wretched life of ro""ery< se*ual e*cess<drun&enness< cruel oppression of peasants< and iolence of eery description. 0s asoldier he was a icious &iller. #ew crimes escaped him. So Tolstoy lied+andsu3ered inner torment. Was there< he faintly )uestioned< another way to lie?

He "egan to write< motiated< he reali'ed< "y a driing desire for money and fame.He soon succeeded in attracting attention as a talented author. -ut it did nothing tocoer up the inner agony. 5oo&ing around at his world he wrote< :It is now clear tome that "etween ourseles and the inha"itants of a madhouse there was nodi3erence= at the time I only aguely suspected this< and< li&e all madmen< thoughtall were mad e*cept myself;





(ou do not personali'e. (ou do not react or form an opinion a"out anything youo"sere< whether it is a newspaper headline< or an inner feeling.

(ou 4udge nothing as good or "ad< pleasura"le or painful< faora"le or unfaora"le. (ou simply watch< 4ust as if you hae no personal connection with whateer youo"sere. Thin& of yourself as standing on a rier"an&< watching passing ships. Some

of the ships are "right with lights and color< others are dar& and dreary> "ut whathas either to do with you? (ou hae no connection with either the "rightness or thedreariness+you are merely watching them come and go.

Self+"seration means passie detachment. (ou do not try to change the thingsyou see in yourself> you interfere with nothing. Without attitude and withoutcomment< you simply look.

It is a remar&a"le e*perience to stand aside and watch a fear< or a depression< or apassion pass through out without personali'ing it. It is sheer magic that eentuallychanges things e3ortlessly and correctly.

:-ut I am thin&ing a"out myself all the time< anyway. I don6t see any di3erence inwhat you say and my present self+preocupation.;

:We must "e totally clear on this. Self+"seration is not thin&ing a"out yourself. There is a world of di3erence. Self+preocupation is li&e gra""ing and wrestling with atiger. Self+"seration is li&e )uietly watching the tiger wal& "y.;

Why are we emphasi'ing this? It is the very key to liberating self&knowledge. Itena"les us to see ourseles as we really are< not as we imagine ourseles to "e.1pon that realistic foundation< we "uild a new self> and< great news< when we aredi3erent<things are di3erent.

/.8. uspens&y )uotes his teacher< George Gurd4ie3=

Self+o"seration "rings man to the reali'ation of the necessity for self+change. 0ndin o"sering himself a man notices that self+o"seration itself "rings to understandthat self+o"seration is an instrument of self+change< a means of awa&ening. -yo"sering himself he throws< as it were< a ray of light onto his inner processes whichhae hitherto wor&ed in complete dar&ness. 0nd under the inuence of this light theprocesses themseles "egin to change. DIn Search of the iraculous

Try This &ear0a+le E4perient

When a prisoner+of+war plans an escape< what does he do? He o"seres thecondition he is in. he "ecomes ac)uainted with the fencing< the schedule of theguards< and so on. 1pon that intelligent information< he plans a successful escape.

That is also our purpose+successful escape from the prison of psychic sleep.

Try it right now. 5oo& up from this "oo&. Sha&e your head to "rea& your presentmental state< and loo& around. Simply notice where you are. 8on6t 4ust notice theroom> see also that you are in a room. Thin&< :Well< I6m here.; When done correctly<



it gies you an entirely new sense of yourself. 8o you see the di1erence in yourthin&ing as you now loo& around the room and the state you were in a moment agowhile a"sor"ed in the "oo&?

,otice this= While a"sor"ed in your reading you did not e%ist to yourself. There wasreading< "ut no conscious awareness that you were reading. -ut now< upon

detachment from your concentrated reading< you are conscious of your owne*istence in the room. What a tremendous secret you hae here!

We want to "ecome self+aware human "eings. This happens when we see& in theright place. :(ou men< why do you loo& without for that which is within you?;Deister Ec&hart 0wareness of the inner man is< as all mystics proclaim< theFingdom of Heaen within. It is the Truth itself. 2wareness and hainess aree%actly the same thing.

Impartial Self+"seration is the gate to a new sense of self. It "rea&s through into

the dawn.

It is as if a saage from a remote 4ungle was ta&en to a merry+go+round at night and

set upon one of the horses. He feels himself carried around and around "ut has no

idea of what he is doing< or where he is going. He cringes at the surrounding

shadows that seem to threaten him eery time around. -ut as the light dawns< he

understands. He sees the shadows as trees that< in reality< were neer a threat. He

reali'es that not only is he now safe< "ut always was> he has only "ecome aware of

his security.

0s the techni)ue is practiced< we are "ound to "e a "it distur"ed at what we see.

We 2nd we are not who we thought we were. We notice negatiities we were

perfectly sure were not within us. -ut we should not mind the distur"ance> we

should not turn away. We can ta&e it. The new insight does not ma&e us worse< as

we might assume< "ut "etter. Why are we healthier than "efore? -ecause we hae

e*posed to the light the ery negatiities that &ept us unconscious prisoners.

/sychic light< as any psychologist testi2es< destroys dar&ness.

:8welling in the light< there is no occasion at all for stum"ling< for all things are

discoered in the light.; That is the testimony of George #o*< the enlightened

founder of the Society of #riends.

,othing is more alua"le to the prisoner who wants to escape than honest Self+"seration. So write down< memori'e< and wor& with this &ey=

Impartial Self+"seration leads to self+awa&ening< which leads to self+li"erty.

What The Ne$ A$a0enin" Does )or *ou



. #resh health= If anything is certain< it is that the awa&ening process ushers in a

new era of health and itality. It cannot "e otherwise< for your dynamic psychic

forces now wor& for your physical self< not against it.

. #reedom from nagging triialities= (ou e*perience great relief from unimportantthings. you see that your life itself is much too ital for concern oer "eing rich or

poor< famous or un&nown< fat or thin< popular or ignored< handsome or plain. They

"ecome as colorless pe""les surrounding a spar&ling diamond.

. 5asting elation= Can you thin& of anything more permanently elating than to &now

that you are on the right road at last?

J. 5oneliness anishes= Why are most people lonely< een when surrounded "y a

crowd? -ecause their sense of security is attached to its noise and e*citement<

which sooner or later fades away. The awa&ened man dwells in the world of his True

Self< where loneliness is impossi"le.

K. 0new &ind of self+acceptence= an no longer har"ors a secret self+re4ection. He is

through with su"consciously la"eling himself as stupid or wic&ed. He sees that such

la"els go with human hypnosis< "ut now awa&e< he no longer accuses himself.

L. Wisdom in human relations 0 man in this new state< considering a "usinesspartnership< would wisely select men capa"le of mature 4udgment. 0 woman<contemplating marriage< would reali'e that it is a thousand times more important tomeet a plain< "ut emotionally steady man than a handsome nut

M. ysteries of life are soled= The open+eyed man clearly understands the rightfulplace of se*< money< religion< happiness and so on. They are no longer pro"lems.Each new insight adds another piece to the 4igsaw pu''le.

N. /ersonal safety= (our 2e senses function e7ciently. (ou see and hear clearly.Want to see a perfect e*ample of how a self+a"sor"ed state causes accidents?Watch the facial e*pressions of people as they cross a "usy street. ost of them area thousand miles away!

O. 8aily inspiration= Aust as a cup is open to eerything a"oe and closed toeerything "elow< so is the li"erated man. He receies a constant and fresh ow of)uietness< cheerfulness< rela*ation.

P. QiR0"sence of self+defeat= Eer notice what happens wheneer you come acrossa misspelled word in a "oo&? (our &nowledge of spelling tells you something iswrong. (ou feel the urge to correct it. So does the li"erated person correct hisactions as he goes along. That is self+adancement.

. En4oyment= How many people do you &now who really en4oy their day? Theawa&ened man en4oys eerything. If you as& him why< he replies< :Whynot?



. Eerything "ecomes easier= 0 space roc&et ta&es e*tra e3ort to get o3 theground< "ut 2nally reaches free ight. The awa&ened man oats forward easily.

The %o$er Of Self-1nderstandin"

There are two "asic methods "y which one can grasp a practical self+&nowledge=. Wor& with yourself . 5isten to those on a higher leel

In actual practice< these more or less oerlap< "ut let6s e*amine these separately.

(ou can wor& with yourself in the many ways already discussed. (ou can o"sere

why you do what you do. 0 pain or pro"lem can "e trac&ed "ac& to its origin in a

false iewpoint. (ou can demand strict self+honesty from yourself.

-ut we should also aail ourseles of aid. Here is where the mystics e*tend theirhelpful hand. -ut this ta&es more heroism than might "e e*pected> for they are not

going to tell us what we prefer to hear< "ut what we need to receie. We should

hum"ly reali'e that it is ignorance of ourseles that places us in danger from

ourseles. This is welcome news< for now we can "rea& into the open.

If a man would put on+tenth of the energy he uses to defend himself into a program

for 2nding himself< he would e*perience the miracle of self+change. Self+&nowledge

awa&ens us. If we awa&e at the switch< we can turn our lies onto the right trac&.

ur responsi"ility is not to do anything "ut to understand something. Aust as we cansee more of the countryside from a mountain than from a hill< our actions emerge

on the same leel as the understanding that pro4ects them. It is useless to try to act

superior until self is superior. It is of paramount importance to grasp this.

Self+&nowledge has nothing to do with collage degrees< or "oo&+facts< or pu"lic fame

as a scholar. It is self+insight. often< we must set aside our mental education< if we

are to awa&en our spiritual intuition. /eople as& whether it is really possi"le to

transcend their own conditioned minds and contact a higher power. Swiss

psychiatrist Carl Aung< who "ridged the gap "etween Eastern mysticism and Western

psychology< replies=

+o this 3uestion there is a ositive answer only when the individual is willing to ful-ll the

demands of rigorous self&e%amination and self&knowledge. If he follows through his

intention, he will not only discover some imortant truths about himself, but will also have

gained a sychological advantage4He will have set his hand, as it were, to a declaration of

his own human dignity and taken the -rst ste towards the foundations of his conscious4

Nothin" Can %re'ent *our &icher 5ife



Self+&nowledge is really a simple thing. It is getting to see how we operate< 4ust as

we learn how an automo"ile wor&s. That places us in control of our human machine.

Insight into the two seles within a man clears up many confusions and

contradictions. 0 mystic says that man is wic&ed. That is true. -ut he also proclaims

the Fingdom of Heaen within. 0lso true. The True Self is eerything good> the falseself is all that is "ad. 0 man6s conicts arise from the "attle "etween the two. 0s we

permit our essential nature to ta&e rightful domination< we win. It was our

understanding that preceded our ictory.

/rogress through self+insight is li&e a great disappearing act. /icture a man caught

in the middle of a rioting mo". He is struc& "y 2sts and stones< whirled a"out< and

cursed. -ut he has a magical potion for ma&ing himself inisi"le. Gradually< as he

"ecomes less eshly< the "lows hurt less and less. #inally< as his physical self

disappears completely< he cannot "e hurt at all. Though he is still there as an

o"serer< the "lows pass right through him.

0s our false notions disappear< nothing can hurt us. We see that we were hurt

"ecause of the ego+hardened self which ta&es eerything as personal "lows. -ut

through self+insight< the hardness has melted< and with it< comes the )uietness we

always wanted.

:How will I &now that I6e grasped this idea?;

:(ou will &now. (ou will no longer feel insults as insults< losses as losses< threats as

threats. While other people may< on the human leel< "ehae "adly toward you< you

are no longer on that leel< so you cannot "e o3ended.;

This is the tremendous message of mysticism= (ou need not "e hurt "y anyone or

anything> you need not "e enslaed "y anything outside you or within you. ,ot

when you really understand.

5oo& ery closely. (ou will see that no person and no circumstance can preent you

from "ecoming a self+understanding man< or woman. Who is stopping you at this

ery moment? ,o one.

The ystic /ath neer re)uires that you grasp more than you can at the present

moment. If you can only listen to wisdom< then listen. If you can only understand

that personal e3ort is necessary< then reali'e that much. If you can grasp 4ust one

truth out of a hundred< that is 4ust 2ne. 8o only what you can do for now. /rogress is

certain.

#o$ To Stop #urtin" *ourself



any people will not "eliee it when told how seerely they hurt themseles "y lac&

of self+understanding. They still wrongly thin& that harm originates from outside<

rather than from its actual origin within.

Ta&e negatie reactions. Who is painfully negatie when rain ruins the picnic+therain or the reaction? Who gets hurt when someone "rea&s a promise to us+the

"ro&en promise or the person ta&ing it with resentment?

It is as simple as this= We cannot cling to our negatie emotions without paying the

price. Can we "e at peace at the same time that we feel frustrated? ,o. Can we

en4oy ourseles while har"oring de4ection? Impossi"le. It is one or the other.

Suppose a man wor&ed with this enlightening fact until he saw it clearly. He would

at once drop his preference for negatiity. He would see how it ro"s him of the ery

happiness he wants.

:I &now the harm in anger< "ut can6t seem to do anything a"out it.;

:(ou can understand it. 0nger ares up wheneer something distur"s a pretentious

picture we hae of ourseles. The man< who sees himself as "eing important< will

resent anything suggesting the opposite. If you don6t try to "e important< you

cannot "e distur"ed. If you don6t want to "e an Indian chief< you are indi3erent

when someone ta&es your grand feathers.;

The awa&ened man no longer commits crimes against himself< such as

psychosomatic illness and a sense of shame. Shame is a crime against the self?Certainly. The "orn+again man sees too clearly into his psychic+self to fall ictim to

that folly. ,ot that he denies any harmful acts he may hae committed against

himself and others< "ut he now sees why he acted li&e that+ he was under the spell

of his false self whose ery nature is harmful.

Suppose a decent and sensi"le man is hypnoti'ed "y an eil magician and told that

he is a fool. So he acts li&e one. -ut the ne*t day he snaps the spell. Should he feel

ashamed? ,o. That would indicated that he still falsely identi2es himself as a fool<

which he is not. ,o! He sees that his foolish "ehaior sprang from a false sense of

identity. He doesn6t condemn his past "ehaior> he understands it< which is )uite

another thing. His essential decency+which he always had+now commands him.

:The freedom6 of the Cosmic Sense is supreme. It a"soles a man from his former

self and ma&es future slaery impossi"le.; D%ichard aurice -uc&e in Cosmic

Consciousness

ysticism6s declaration of independence can "e summari'ed in 4ust two words=



:Wa&e up!;

-asic principles that help you

. an&ind lies under a peculiar &ind of hypnosis which he fails to recogni'e.

. We can wa&e up to an entirely new world of wonder.

. Count 5eo Tolstoy is a good e*ample showing how a man or woman can awa&en

to a new life of happiness.

J. (our single greatest techni)ue for life+transformation is impartial Self+

"seration. 1se it.

K. Self+"seration is a )uiet watchfulness of all that happens inside and outside

yourself< without attitude or 4udgment toward what you see.

L. -y clearly seeing what we are li&e< we change ourseles into what we li&e.

M. So not "e distur"ed at any negatiities uncoered "y Self+"seration. (our

honest insight destroys them.

N. %emem"er all the rich rewards gien to the awa&ened man.

O. Wor& for more and more self+understanding. It is a power "eyond imagination.

P. Wa&e up!

Chapter 6 The Mar'els Of The Mystic %ath

:-ut is the ystic path practical for modern men and women?;

:,othing else is practical. (ou can proe it in 2e minutes. Aust loo& around.

Honestly< now< what do we see? We see heartache< defeat< )uarreling< illness ofeery sort. Is this practical? It is entirely possi"le for any man or woman to loea"oe all these defeats.;

/eople also wonder how their attention to the inner life will a3ect their e*teriora3airs. They wrongly assume that their "usiness< social< and domestic actiities willsomehow su3er.



They will do the e*act opposite. They ta&e on a "rightness you cannot imagine. 0new inner life always reects itself outwardly. It is strange how people wrongly thin&in terms of either this+or+that. (ou don6t lose one alue "y adding another. 0 manwith an automo"ile is gien a "oat. 8oes he lose the automo"ile? ,o< he hassomething else> another alue. -oth hae their place and use.

The awa&ened man not only continues nicely with his e*terior a3airs "ut e*erts anew command oer them. -ecause he no longer uses them to feed ego+needs he istotally free of worry. His sense of psychological surial does not depend upon thisor that happening. In 2nding himself< he discoers a magni2cent truth= He is not atthe mercy of anything in this world.

:The man of inner life is easily aware of himself< since he is neer totally a"sor"edin outward a3airs. Therefore< his e*terior occupations and necessary actiities donot distract him< and he ad4usts himself to things as they come. The man< whoseinner life is well+ordered< is not "othered "y strange and trou"lesome ways ofothers. 0 man is "loc&ed and distracted "y such things only as he permits himself to"e.;

What is more practical than this way of life< as outlined "y the medieal teacher< Thomas a Fempis?

#o$ Good Thin"s #appen To *ou

The time will come when you no longer try to ma&e good things happen. They 4usthappen. (ou will "e astonished. (ou will "e astonished< "ecause you now see thatwhateer happens to you is good. Is this as yet a mystery to you? If words could

only show you. Someday you will delightfully e*claim< :So that6s it!;

We can ta&e a modern situation to see how an aware man improes e*terior a3airs.0 "usiness can ma&e this e*periment= -efore your ne*t telephone call< or "usinessconference< clarify its e*act purpose. Write it down in a word or two on a slip ofpaper. ,ow< watch what happens. ,otice the useless chatter. -e aware of how fewpeople can get to the point and "e done with it. -y alertness to this wastage< youcan ta&e steps to sae your time and energy.

It is not a )uestion as to whether or not the ystic /ath is practical. 0 manmust reali'eits e3ectieness. So he must listen< a"sor"< pro"e< e*periment. He mustwa&e up to new possi"ilities. He must "egin to see things as they are< not as he

dreams they are.

If we loo& out the window during a storm< we see eerything through the "lur of thewet glass. The trees seem out of shape< the hills dar& and ague. (et we &now this isonly an appearance> they seem out of shape "ecause of our temporarily distortedision. When the storm passes< we see things clearly< as they really are< and as theyalways were.



ur life+o"seration starts with a collection of "lurs. In our early confusion< we thin&we must change the trees and hill. -ut< as our ision clari2es< we see that we needpay no attention to anything out there. We need only to see them as they reallyare. That ma&es them right for us.

The moment a man utters his 2rst faint :(es; to his True Self< he "egins to change

his ision. It is the "eginning of what all religions call the ,ew -irth.

:Then we really can retain an inner )uietness< while actiely engaged in theturmoils of e*terior life?;

:/erfect )uietness. #or one thing< the self+discoered man can "e either a hugesuccess in his outer a3airs or a so+called dismal failure and "e completely at ease.;

Anyone Can Enter The Mystical 5ife

:That6s a new idea. How can a so+called failure "e at ease?;

:#ollow carefully. The self+free man has an entirely di3erent concept of success andfailure. In fact< the two terms don6t e*ist for him. If success e*ists for him< so mustfailure< which &eeps him nerous. Watch what happens to you< when you reallygrasp this. (ou will en4oy your worldly actiities regardless of results. Hae younoticed how concern with results &eeps you 4ittery?;

:,ow that you point it out< yes.;

:5et6s e*plore. In your new state of thin&ing< you do not use your worldly actiitiesto gie you a sense of self+esteem. (ou already &now who you are< so you don6t

depend upon e*terior success to ma&e you feel good. (ou en4oy yourself< regardlessof results. (ou hae no idea of the mountain+top feeling you possess when you nolonger depend upon good results to ma&e you feel good.;

:I6d gie anything to "e unconcerned with whateer happens.;

:Wor& with these ideas and you will "e that way.;

0nyone can enter the mystical life of inner )uietness. %egardless of age< theclamors of "usiness< the pro"lems of his home< in spite of eerything< anyone canenter. It is a matter of inner deelopment. (ou carry your mind with you whereeryou go< therefore< you always hae the opportunity to wor& with yourself. 0n*iety isin the mind> so is peace.

(es< a simple self+contentment. That is a guaranteed marel of the ystic /ath. (ouhae no pressure to "e anyone "ut who you are< a so+called success or a so+calledfailure.What a pri'e!



8iogenes was an early e*ponent of the contented life< the Henry 8aid Thoreau ofhis day. Great crowds trudged from distant lands to hear 8iogenes declare< :(oulose the ery life you see& when you wallow in stupid lu*uries. (ou don6t need nine+tenths of the things you scram"le for. 8on6t "e afraid to hae nothing. 8on6thesitate to "e a no"ody. Happiness is not what you hae< "ut who you are. (ou arealready e*actly who you need to "e. See it!;

True to his teachings< 8iogenes was unimpressed "y wealth and power. ne day<when 0le*ander the Great isited Corinth< the masses oc&ed to hail him. ,eedingno hero to worship< 8iogenes stayed home.

:Well< said 0le*ander< noting the a"sence of the famous teacher< :I suppose I mustgo to him.; The great warrior found the contented philosopher warming himself inthe sunlight. 0le*ander as&ed the rela*ed man< :What can I do for you?;

:Aust one thing< please<; replied 8iogenes. :Stand aside Q<R (ou are "loc&ing mysunlight.;

Mysticis Is A %ersonal E4perience

The ystic /ath is a personal e*perience< not a mere discussion of ideas. Who wantsto hear a description of a "eautiful symphony< when he can feel the music forhimself? ,o one is coninced of anything until he inwardly perceies that it is true.We can read a"out the spiritual precept< tal& and reect a"out it< "ut the 2nal proofis internal witness. Then we &now. If eeryone else on the face of the earthdisagreed< we would still stand securely upon the roc& of inner illumination. :#or thespiritual life is as much its own proof as the natural life< and needs no outward orforeign thing to "ear witness to it.; DWilliam 5aw

ere &nowledge is not enough. It must form a foundation for personal perception.Fnowledge without insight is li&e a horse in a li"rary. Fnowledge of spiritual factsand the e*periencing of those facts alternate as we go along. We study the recipeand then "a&e the ca&e.

0s 0lfred Tennyson phrases it=

5et &nowledge grow from more to more<-ut more of reerence in us dwell>

That mind and soul< according well<ay ma&e one music as "efore.

8on6t thin& that you must inole yourself with comple* intellectual philosophies.8on6t try to "e profound or educated. That only wears you out. Aust "e simple. 5eteeryday life "e your teacher.

Eerything is useful for self+adancement. 5oo& for more self+insight in the littlethings that happen to you eery day. 0s& why you reacted as you did to thatune*pected news. Try to understand why you replied the way you did to a )uestion.-e aware of the disappointment you feel when a hoped+for eent fails to appear.



Waste nothing that happens to you. 8on6t resist anything> 4ust o"sere it. This ise*actly what the mystics do to reach the trou"le+free life.

8oes mysticism carry us up and away? 8o we sight something out of this world? 8r./aul -runton replies=

The only way to settle these )uestions is not "y argument or discussion< "ut"y getting the direct e*perience of diine illumination. 0nd that is a personal thing.Each person must o"tain it for himself or herself. Then only will you 2nd out what isreally meant "y the &ingdom of heaen. This attainment is not )uite so hard as itseems to "e< "ecause you are not see&ing something a hundred miles distant> youare see&ing something which is here+right here+inside yourself. (ou are not see&ingsomething which is alien to you< "ut rather your own inmost nature< your essence.

*our Attracti'e Chan"es

0 see&er came to his teacher to complain< :aster< I am unhappy with the people in

my life. They are unfaithful< inconsiderate. I am not wanted or appreciated. How canI change them?;

%eplied the teacher< :Change yourself.;

The wal& down the mystic path is toward self+change. If we reminded ourseles ofthis a do'en times today< it would not "e too much. We hae do'ens of arrows< li&eself+study and persistence< "ut we shoot them all toward the single target of innertransformation.

We do not see& a mere change in human opinions. That pins us down to the sameleel. The conditioned mind can only rearrange human ideas of the same limited

alue< 4ust as you might change a dollar "ill for ten dimes. -ut a gain in cosmicconsciousness is li&e adding a "loc& of gold to the original dollar.

ystical truths uplift your leel of consciousness. When it happens< you &now that ithas happened. How? What curiously attractie changes they are!

ne sure sign is that you feel less attered "y attery and less "lamed "y "lame. 0nenlightened indiidual is a3ected "y neither praise nor accusation< though he mayget plenty of "oth from unawa&ened people.

0nother pleasant change is an entirely new feeling toward time. (ou feel no sense of hurry< yet you accomplish your daily tas&s far more e7ciently. (ou lie in thatwonderful moment mysticism calls ,ow.

:In one of your "oo&s< you said that self+transformation frees us from a false senseof responsi"ility. Will you please descri"e this newness?;

:It is the only way to lie. There is a certain aimlessness< a lac& of concern< "ut ithas nothing to do with common carelessness. (ou reali'e that all that furiousrushing around the dec& does a"solutely nothing to moe the "oat forward. (ou



2nally grasp the Cosmic Truth that the "oat carries you> you don6t carry the"oat. (ou sense that your a"andonment of control does not mean disaster after all<"ut< for the 2rst time< an en4oya"le oyage. -efore< you thought the "oat would stopif you ceased pretending you were the captain. ,ow you &now "etter. There is a realCaptain. How glad you are to see it!;

Men Who #a'e Wal0ed The Mystic %ath

The mystics themseles are a marel of the /ath. We hae de2ned mysticism as asane and practical approach to the richer life. So we can de2ne a mystic as onewho< haing discoered this life for himself< points the way for others.

The mystic discoered this new life. He once had eery pain< temptation< andconfusion as other see&ers had< may"e a lot more. -ut he heroically sought andfound answers. He recogni'ed his self+deception and stopped it> he faced the horrorof his illusion+"ased wic&edness and dissoled it> he ran into one "lan& wall after

another< "ut &ept going.

The authentic mystic personally e*periences the Truth> the hypnoti'ed man merelyrepeats what he has "een told. The mystic hears the music within himself> theunawa&ened person merely plays another man6s phonograph record.

:Can anyone "ecome a mystic?;

:8e2nitely. -ut please don6t hold an imaginatie picture of a mystic as somestrange loo&ing indiidual in a long ro"e. 0n authentic mystic is a sensi"le man wholies in the midst of a trou"led world "ut is a"oe its folly. 0 "usinessman at hisdes& or a homema&er at her stoe can easily "e a practicing mystic.;

The greatest mystics of history possessed arious "ac&grounds and personalities=

5ao+Tse was a li"rarian in charge of secret scrolls.%ene 8escartes was a lawyer< army o7cer< author< musician< psychologist<philosopher and a mathematical genius.

The Emperor of %ome< arcus 0urelius< was caught "etween his loe of the spirituallife and the demands of royalty. He wrote< :5oo& within. Within is your fountain ofgood.;

/ythagoras< who lied a"out KKP -.C.< used the principles of music to teachphilosophic truths.

-rother 5awrence< whose real name was ,icholas Herman< was a "ig and aw&wardcoo& in a monastery. Though ignorant of literary matters< his inner ictorye*pressed itself on one of the great mystical classics< /racticing the /resence ofGod.

-uddha was a prince who gladly gae up a &ingdom in e*change for personalpeace.0 champion on the athletic 2eld was named /lato.



8anish mystic< Soren Fier&egaard< urged eery man to "e a rugged indiidualist inself+discoery. He made an ama'ing statement that could "e said only "y a manwho had shattered his own false personality= :I hae "ecome myself.;

-ut whateer their indiidualities< they agree whole+heartedly on the principle of theystic /ath= . an su3ers< "ecause he lies under a peculiar &ind of hypnosis. .

With right e3ort and &nowledge< he can snap the spell to lie anew.

It is as if you were traeling across the hot desert< stopping eery so often for adrin& of water. The 2rst oasis+&eeper might "e a rough+loo&ing character with a no+nonsense manner who "luntly waes you toward the pool. 0t the ne*t stop you aregreeted "y a gentle personality who seres you with his own hands. ther oasis+&eepers hae their own appearance and manner< "ut all supply you from the sameunderground stream of water.

:Such men not only li"erate themseles> they 2ll those they meet with a free mind.;D/hilo

The Coura"e Of The Mystics

These teachers of man&ind hae more insight into human nature than a roomful ofSigmund #reuds. Haing shed his personal ego< it no longer clouds the mystic6sperception of things as they are. ost men are easily fooled "y the shallow e*teriormanners of society> not so the enlightened man. He sees and spea&s fearlessly ofman6s dreadfully destructie self+deception=

:Human life is thus only an endless illusion. en deceie and atter each other. ,o

one spea&s of us in our presence as he does when we are gone. Society is "ased onmutual hypocrisy.; This is /ascal6s "lunt insight.

,o< it is not pessimism spea&ing. It is the highest optimism and courage. 0pessimist is one who refuses to face the fact of man6s folly< including his own<"ecause he secretly fears there is no cure. -ut the mystic &nows that humanity6shealth can "e regained. Conse)uently< he is unafraid of an honest diagnosis of theillness< seeing its necessity for the cure.

:I suppose we must face it. ost people stum"le from one foolishness to another.Why?;

:Wheneer someone does a foolish thing< he &nows it is foolish. This creates apressure< an an*iety< a sense of guilt. In an attempt to escape the pain< he "ehaesrashly again< "ut< since his inner nature remains unchanged "etween the two acts<the second act is also the outcome of a foolish nature. This creates another pressureand the ne*t foolishness.;

:How can he "rea& the icious circle?;



:-y grasping all that we tal& a"out in these classes. (ou hae nothing to do e*cept"ecome an aware man or woman. Incidentally< neer feel ashamed or guilty oeryour foolishness+which does not mean you eade your responsi"ility for it. It meansthat you don6t deepen the confusion as to who did it. The false self+which is not thereal you+did it.;

0s you go through life you often ma&e mista&es that cause you to cry in despair<:What6s the matter with me? Why can6t I "ehae normally< )uietly< pleasantly?;

When this happens< as it does to eeryone< don6t fall into anguish. 1se yourmista&es< great or small< to see how they stem from a wrong sense of self. This getsyou on the royal road once more.

What *ou Should 7no$ A+out Mystical Teachin"s

If the mystics denounce human folly with one oice< they o3er delierance with

another< :0ll that pains you is only yourself< for you are at enmity with yourself<;declare Aaco" -oehme. -ut from the gospels come the gentle promise< :0nd youshall &now the truth< and the truth shall ma&e you free.;

The persecution of those who see deeply into the human condition is a sadreection upon man6s aersion to life+li"erating facts. When 8utch philosopher<-enedict Spino'a< refused a "ri"e of 2e hundred dollars a year in return for hissilence< he was e*communicated and sta""ed. Aaco" -oehme< the Germanshoema&er of Goerlit'< was denounced from the pulpit and hounded out of town "yhis own pastor< a self+righteous hypocrite named Gregorius %ichter. ImmanuelFant6s charge that Christ6s teachings had "een set aside in faor of church ritual"rought down upon his head the wrath of &ing #rederic& of /russia.

,o one is )uali2ed to 4udge a mystic e*cept another mystic. 0 lower leel ofunderstanding cannot possi"ly ealuate a higher one. When a lower+leel man triesto 4udge+which happens all the time+his 4udgment is li&e e*plaining the fruit of a treewhile ga'ing at the trun&. 0 lower+leel man fears those occupying the higher> thehigher appears as a threat to his ego+centered concepts. We understand the personof a loftier leel only when we reach that new plane for ourseles. Then< in a newhumility< we smile patiently at our former foolish 4udgment.

To "e of genuine help< a teacher must constantly urge the see&er toward self+change< which alone can li"erate. The see&er must not "e directed solely towardgood wor&s in his e*terior life< for he will mista&enly assume that they are the same

as inner transformation< which they are not.

It is not an easy tas& for the teacher< for the see&er persistently resists anythingcalling for the sacri2ce of his fro'en concepts. -ut the Truth must "e told at allcosts< no matter how unpopular it may "e. The authentic spiritual leader< haingfreed himself of his own false need to "e popular< tells the truth< whether it "efallson fertile or stony ground. Such a teacher is the salt of the earth< though few &nowit.





sentimental memory. What does this mean? Watch your ne*t arising of sadness. (ouwill 2nd that it connects in some way with remem"rance of a past era that youconsider more e*citing< more romantic< or more rewarding than now.

The sadness comes from the unnecessary tyranny of sentimental memory andnothing else. The past gae us pleasure< "ut it is gone< and so we are sad. We want

those pleasura"le days "ac&< "ut we &now that all things change.

In your new and unattached state< you are no longer at the mercy of imaginatiememory. There is no longer a painful yearning for what has "een< "ut a gentleen4oyment of what now is.

emory has its place in recording non+psychological facts< li&e the alpha"et< "utcreates useless sorrow when misused in sentimental imagination.

0 sure way to detect harmful identi2cation is the pendulum test. Wheneer weidentify with anything we thin& is e*citing< we sooner or later swing "ac& to the

opposite feeling of "oredom. Identi2cation with e*citement is always followed "y anunhappy reaction.rs. Aones has great fun at the party> ne*t morning she feelsdepressed. r. Aones "eams with 4oy oer a "ig 2nancial success> ne*t day hedespairingly wonders whether the only alue in life is one 2nancial success afteranother.

0ll this is not negatie. It presents you with a wonderful opportunity to 2nd lastingalues in self+li"erty. -y ceasing to place our trust in anything outside our True Self<we cannot possi"ly "e afraid of anything. This is the secret "ehind the mysticalteaching that the man who has nothing has eerything.

arelous rewards come to the non+attached man or woman. The "oss may still "e

a tyrant< "ut no longer has he power oer you. 0n irritating relatie may "e 4ust asun"eara"le< "ut you are free of him. (ou< in your new role of a detached o"serer<are aware of eerything "ut a3ected "y nothing.

We hae already seen that man6s identi2cation is with his false+self< his ego+self. Heis not this counterfeit man< "ut his "elief in it creates chaos.

If man is not his false self< who is he? He is his True Self< which is a point ofawareness< which is an o"serer of all that happens. That is what is permanent andeternal in man.

0ll this e*plains why mysticism urges us to detach ourseles mentally. 5ean on

nothing outside your own spiritual self. 8etachment neer ta&es away anything"ene2cial> only the harmful.

#o$ To Wal0 The Mystic %ath

5earning to wal& con2dently is largely an unlearning process. We must cease to



accept the false as true. The degree of inharmony in our lies is the sure test as tothe num"er of counterfeit coins we are ta&ing as real. Increased consciousnessgies us siler< not lead.

We cannot learn what is right if we secretly insist that we already &now it. ,ow< thisstatement seems )uite o"ious> a man would )uic&ly agree with it. (et< there is

something drastically wrong somewhere. If a man truly sees that he does not &nowrightness< his ery emptiness leaes room for it< which changes the man into a freerstate. If a man does not change< it means 4ust one thing= he fearfully clings to thefalse assumption that he already &nows rightness< which "loc&s entrance of genuinerightness.

8o not "e afraid of your emptiness. It is not what you thin& it is. 8o not gie it falsepower "y resisting it. 5et it "e there. 5et it "e there< if it wants< and you will seethrough a painful hoa* played upon you. 0nd then you will &now something entirelynew.

Thin& of yourself as erasing a mental "lac&"oard. If we try to write new sentencesoer the old< it "ecomes unintelligi"le. We must erase 2rst. Then< we write withclear wisdom.

Eagerness to learn indicates an indiidual6s insight into his present helplessness. 0sstinging to the pride as it may "e for the moment< he is on his way at last.

ystical learning consists of more self+insight. 0ugustine receied a ash of self+discernment while wal&ing down a street in ilan< Italy. He saw a poor wandererwho was laughing and 4o&ing. 0ugustine reported< :0nd in truth he was 4oyous< Ian*ious> he free from care< I full of alarms.; 0ugustine painfully perceied that inspite of all his education and pu"lic honor he was far from possessing personal

peace+the ery peace he had urged others to 2nd! -ut honest appraisal changedthings in his faor.

ne interesting feature of mystical progress is that you ta&e the whole "usiness lessand less grimly. 0t the start< a man is deeply serious "ecause he has not as yetfound any answers to his )uestions and wonders whether he eer will. -ut< with thedawning of light< he "ecomes cheerfully rela*ed. Haing caught sight of the har"or<he sails eagerly "ut restfully on.

#oremost features to remem"er

. ystical truths ma&e your life practical in an inspiringly new way.

. 0nyone can hae the self+contented life. Sincere search is always rewarded.

. Go "eyond words. a&e mysticism your personal e*perience.

J. 1se eery eent as a source of self+understanding and self+adancement.



K. Self+change is a marel of the ystic /ath.

L. The great mystics< haing wal&ed the /ath successfully< now aid your 4ourneyforward.

M. %emem"er that< while e*terior good wor&s are commenda"le< they are not thesame thing as inner transformation.

N. Spend e*tra time in studying the su"4ect of identi2cation. Then< don6t identify!

O. 5ean on nothing outside your True Self.

P. Wal& the ystic /ath with rela*ed good cheer.

Chapter 8/ #o$ to )eel Great E'ery Minute

%ecently I was standing on a corner in downtown 5os 0ngeles waiting to cross the

street. The tra7c signal suddenly went cra'y< "linging sensessly from stop to go< go

to stop. Confused pedestrians started< stopped< whirled around< started again. ,o

one &new what to do.

That is what happens to people whose emotional signals are out of order. They 4ust

don6t &now what to do.

The entire secret of success with your emotions is this=

You feel good not because the world is right, but your world is right because you feel good.

We start with that all+powerful principle of the ystic /ath= self awareness. We must

"ecome ac)uainted with our emotional household> we must see our feelings as they

actually are< not as we assume they are. This "rea&s their hypnotic and damaging



hold on us. ,egatiities are li&e weeds in a deep "as&et. When we "ring them to the

surface of the "as&et+ of our awareness+the winds of %eality carry them away.

8on6t hesitate to challenge any negatie feelings you discoer within yourself. That

is a giant step toward their dismissal. er many years of lecturing and counseling<

I 2nd many people hesitant to )uestion their negatie condition. They fear theremay not "e an answer. -ut we must dare to as& anything and eerything< especially

when suspecting that the answer may "e contrary to our present opinion. This

gradually awa&ens the intuitie self which e*plains eerything to us. What a

pleasure to hear someone fran&ly admit a confusion in order to clear it! E*ample=

I don6t understand. (ou say that emotional pains are caused "y illusion. Illusion or

not< I feel the pain!;

:0 man certainly su3ers from a frightening nightmare< "ut when he wa&es up< where

is the su3ering?;

Wheneer confronted "y a particularly distur"ing emotion< you may wonderinglyin)uire< :Is it really possi"le to arise a"oe this?; With perfect assurance you may

tell yourself< :(es< een this.;

#o$ To 1nderstand Ne"ati'e Eotions

-efore reading this section< thin& of the negatie emotion that "others you the

most. It might "e "oredome< restlessness< a sense of futility< something li&e that.

This gies you ma*imum "ene2t from our e*ploration.

Grasp this "asic fact a"out negatie emotions= 0ll arise from false sense of identity.

We thin& we are the false self< "ut we are not. Eery painful feeling+sadness< eny<guilt< insecurity+ is sour fruit of the false self. What a great day when we see this. We

can destroy the sour fruit "y chopping down the tree at its trun&. Then< how

di3erently we greet each morning!

It helps to see that there is no such thing as a single negatiity in a man. The

frightened person will also "e defensie> the discouraged man will "e nerous.

,egatiities are li&e mar"les in a 4ar. Though they appear indiidually< they are all

part of the self+enclosed ego+self. This is more good news< for as we crac& the 4ar<

away roll many negatiities. Ta&e hostility. Hostility is simply an aggressie

e*pression of despair and heartache. When the heartache goes< so does hostility.

0n o"ious fact a"out negatie feelings is often oerloo&ed. They are caused "y us<

not "y e*terior happenings. 0n outside eent presents the challenge< "ut we react

to it. So we must attend to the way we ta&e things< not to the things themseles. It

is our happy responsi"ility to react constructiely.



We destroy painful emotions "y "ecoming fully conscious of them. We must see

them clearly< without easion< without any reaction whatsoeer to whateer we see

within ourseles.

:This seems to connect with the techni)ue of impartial Self+"seration< which you

spea& a"out so often.;

:E*actly. /assie self+e*amination "rings negatie feelings to the surface of

awareness. We see them as "eing within us< which "egins to destroy them. We

"ecome conscious of what was preiously unconscious. 5et6s ta&e an eeryday

e*ample. Suppose you resent someone for pushing ahead of you at the chec&+out

line at the grocery mar&et. If you do not o"sere this resentment< you su3er from it

un&nown to yourself.;

:It has happened!;

:-ut suppose you are an earnest student of the ystic /ath. n the way home you

o"sere< (ou &now< I was actually resentful. I really see it.6 ,ow< you hae stoodapart from yourself and o"sered the resentment o"4ectiely. This clear recognition

has already wea&ened the resentment< for you hae seen it not as part of the real

you< "ut as a hold+oer from the old< ha"itual< conditioned self.;

The Mystic Is )or #eroes

,oticing our negatiities is a curious process. It is li&e a seeing a shadow and ta&ing

it as a frightening phantom. If you loo& closely< you see it as a mere shadow. -ut

refusal to loo& at it perpetuates the painful illusion of a frightening phantom. This is

the awful state unnecessarily endured "y millions of unawa&e people. They su3erwithout &nowing why.

y own early e*periences show that adancement to a higher leel of freedom is

often triggered "y a re"ellion against the e*isting lower leer. (ou decide not to lie

that way anymore. (ou get tired of enslaement to a ha"it. Eerything you hae

done in the past fails to "rea& the ha"it. So you dare to try a new way< such as

understanding how and why ha"its are formed. That new understanding "rea&s the

ha"it.

(ou must re"el constructiely. 8o not direct your re"ellion against people or

conditions< rather< against your own fear of people and conditions. /erhapssomeone in your life "others you. (ou need not get mad at him or her. -ut you need

to say silently to this person and to yourself< :#rom this day on< I will no longer

sacri2ce my natural integrity to you. #rom now on I am liing my life. I will no longer

"arter my true indiiduality in order to please you and to hold you. Ta&e me or leae

me< "ut you6ll hae to ta&e me as I am.;



When silently spo&en with insight and without hostility< this speech "egins a

tremendous transformation within.

In his essay Self+%eliance< %alph Waldo Emerson declares<

:If you are true< "ut not in the same truth with me< cleae to your companions> I will

see& my own. I do this not sel2shly< "ut hum"ly and truly. Howeer long we hae

dwelt in lies< now your interest< mine< and all men6s< is to lie in truth. 8oes this

sound harsh to+day? (ou will soon loe what is dictated "y your nature as well as

mine< and< if we follow the truth< it will "ring us out safe at last.;

The ystic /ath calls for heroes. To perform deeds of alor on the "attle2eld is not

necessarily heroic. 0uthentic heroism is inner action< unseen and unapplauded "y

men. It consists in a willingness to wade< if necessary< through a thousand personal

"lunders in order to reach the ne*t eleation. The "asic heroism is an agreement to

higher truth.

#o$ To Detach Distress

0 story from Taoism tells of a carefree "and of horses which galloped spiritedly

around the hills and meadows. They dined on green grass and dran& clear water

from cool streams. 5iing freely and naturally< they lied contentedly.

0long came a famous horse+trainer named /olo. He captured the unsuspecting

horses< declaring< : I &now what is "est for them.; He "ridled the horses< decorated

them with cheap ornaments< gae them num"ers. Then he made them perform in

pu"lic. They were forced to trot a"out in precise formation to the crac&ling

commands of a whip.

The once+carefree horses turned into mechanical performers+tired< sic&< afraid.

That is how modern society regiments man. 0nd that is why he is tired and afraid.

How can we regain our natural and spontaneous feeling for life? Through the

dynamic principles of the ystic /ath< li&e this startling one=

(ou hae neer "een discouraged or depressed. (ou neer hae and neer will

ma&e a mista&e of any &ind.

The clue is in the word you. 0s we hae seen< man6s whole di7culty lies in his false

sense of identity. He wrongly ta&es himself as the negatie false person. -ut< in

reality< he is his True Self< which can no more "e negatie than an angel can "e

impure.

Here is how the mista&e proceeds in a man6s emotional life= 0 feeling of sadness

arises. The man immediately identi2es with it< that is< he ta&es himself as the



feeling. He things he is this feeling< which he is not. He dou"les the error eery time

he says< :I am sad.; The more he says it the sadder he feels> the sadder he feels

the more he says it.;

If you< the reader< run into this< what can you do?

Separate the way you feel from who you really are. (ou are not that feeling of

sadness. Try to grasp this.

Impersonali'e a negatie feeling. 8o not say :I; to it. %ather< refer to the feeling as

:it;. 0 man should say< :it is depressed< it feels helpless< it is enslaed "y passion< it

feels guilty< it craes alcohol< it wants reenge< it is terri2ed< it is a compulsie

eater< it has heartache< it feels "etrayed< it is confused< it does foolish things< it is

secretly "itter< it is enious< it feels "ored< it is nerous< it has sleepless nights< it is

irrita"le< it is e*hausted.

8o you see what this does? It separates the false you from the real you. -y

detaching this false sense of identity you also detach the distress it creates.

Separate your feeling a"out yourself from who you really are+a free person.

Separate< separate< separate.

It is not an easion of your responsi"ility when you attri"ute your negatiities to

:it;. It is a new &ind of self responsi"ility< a genuine techni)ue that deliers you

once and for all.

(our whole duty is to understand this. It is your understanding that destroys painful

negatiities. Wor& with this miracle+method of the ystic /ath.

The Cure )or Depression

y chief negatie emotion is depression. What causes it?;

:#ollow carefully. (our understanding rids you of the pro"lem. 8epression occurs

when you catch a sudden insight into the emptiness of your life. 0 man thin&s he is

happy with all his "usiness and social actiities. -ut he catches a glimpse that it is

all an act< which depresses him. It is li&e dreaming a"out a palace and wa&ing up in

a mud hut.;

:0nd the cure?;

:-e willing to see through your pretensions of haing a purposeful life. This is an

awa&ening shoc&. -ut when we a"andon a pseudo+purpose< when we hae nothing

left of the false self< a true purpose enters the life. Then< depression is a"solutely

impossi"le.;



:I don6t &now what you mean "y pseudo+purpose. There is nothing wrong a"out

"uilding a "usiness< a career< or haing a happy home.;

:,o< of course not. Go ahead and "e a successful "usinessman< or homema&er< or

whateer else you want on the worldly leel. -e as outwardly prosperous as li&e. -ut

don6t thin& it can add anything to your interior life. (ou must not use worldlysuccess as a means of psychological identity< such as picturing yourself as an

important person. This creates an*iety. %emem"er< you lie in two worlds+the

material world of "usiness and homes< and the spiritual world. Feep each in its

place. If you try to use e*terior success to 2nd your True Self< you will fail and fall

into depression. (ou can6t paint the outside of your house and e*pect the liing

room to loo& any di3erent.;

:Is this why successful people li&e moie stars often lie so unhappily?;

They get depressed "ecause they catch a glimpse of their inner poerty. This

frightens them< for they fear there is nothing "esides this showy sham. There is

something else. We 2nd it "y daring to a"andon the false. Then< we hae no

pro"lems whatsoeer with our e*terior a3airs. This is what the ,ew Testament

means "y see&ing the Fingdom of Heaen.;

:-ut no one really pays attention< do they? That is why eeryone su3ers from

depressions.;

:Wor& with these ideas so that you don6t su3er.;

5et6s pause to in)uire into the reason for our inestigation of negatie emotions.

Why spend so much time discussing unhappiness? The reason is= it 2nally awa&ens

us to the ery life we see&. We cannot "ecome happy "y altering our e*terior a3airsany more than we can improe our handwriting "y getting a new pen. The

understanding of unhappiness "rings happiness. To see what is false is also to see

what is true. We are e*actly where we hae chosen to "e. -ut we "elong where our

original nature longs to "e.

Surprisin" )acts A+out Desire

The aerage man6s day is characteri'ed "y strained e3orts to ful2ll inner desires

through outer supplies. He surprised and hurt when outer supplies are denied. He

rarely suspects the "ase of the pro"lem. He assumes that it lies in e*terioraaila"ility< when it really resides in his own desire.

ystical teachings a"out desire are fre)uently misunderstood. Those who read

mystical literature are urged to "e free of craings. They react< :-ut my whole life

centers around wanting things and going after them. What would I do without my

desires?;



ysticism e*plains< :,o< do not try to e*tinguish all desires. -ut try to separate the

healthy from unhealthy. How can you tell the di3erence? Watch them. ,otice what

they do to you. 0 false desire is painful< compulsie< nerous< angry. It &eeps you

running< "ut you don6t &now where. 0 false desire mas)uerades as real fruit< "ut it is

arti2cial> it cannot satisfy hunger.;

Healthy desires< mysticism continues< are )uite di3erent. They also actiate you<

"ut you run in a straight line< not in a circle. It is healthy to wish for greater self+

understanding. It is 4ust 2ne to desire a "etter life. It is healthy to yearn for the way

out of your haunted house.

#reedom from compulsie desire is nes+door+to+heaen. How would you< the reader<

feel right now if you were free from a certain craing? 8o you see the magni2cent

possi"ilities?

If people inoled themseles only with necessary things< they would< with one

stro&e< cut away ninety percent of their emotional griefs. -ut they mista&e wants for

needs. Genuine wants< such as for food< rest< recreation create no pro"lem. -eing

normal needs< they are easily satis2ed. -ut false appetites< arising from the false

self< &eep the see&er an*ious< een when o"tained. ne way to see a worthless goal

as worthless is to o"tain it. The child soon feels that he really didn6t want the "ee.

The identity of these needless craings may surprise some people. (ou need not

crae to "e appreciated. It ma&es no di3erence whether you are popular or not.

There is no need to lead the "and.

If you could peer into your original nature< you would see that you haen6t the

slightest desire to lead the "and< whether socially< commercially< or intellectually.

(our inner self is )uite content to remain in the ran&s as a utest or drummer. It is

the ego+self that insists upon "eing the drum ma4or. It is a sign of psychic e*pansion

to "e unconcerned with your position among the ran&s of men. 0s long as we are

spiritually in place< we don6t gie a hoot a"out our position in the earthly "and. 0nd

that is when we en4oy the march and the music.

Eery man senses the truth of this. -ut there is another part of him that disli&es the

idea. This is merely the egotistical self which fearfully protests its threatened

e*tinction. Good. (our tas& is to e*tinguish it.

(our True Self has no desperate or unful2lled desires. It already has all it needs. Its

ery Self is what it needs.

*our )reedo )ro %ainful Cra'in"

:/lease e*plain how false desires cause distress.;



:5et6s trac& down a typical human trait< that of anity. Hae you eer noticed the

undercurrent of pain and an*iety there is in anity? We worry that people won6t

notice or appreciate us enough. ,ow< anity feeds the false self< which has an

endless appetite. It can neer get enough> it &eeps us chasing frantically around<

see&ing the food of attention and attery. So o"sere how painful it is to lie with

this nagging o3spring of the false self. That is super" start for dismissing it fromyour mental household.;

:Then the ystic /ath frees us from the painful desire for attery and attention?;

:Trying to atter a mystic is li&e praising an apple for creating itself. The mystic has

e*tinguished identi2cation with his ego+self. He sees his own dependency upon a

power far "eyond himself. 0nd so he has no worries in his human relations. He is

not nagged "y self+centered demands upon others and that< incidentally< is a state

of genuine loe. (ou loe someone only when you don6t want something from him.;

The lopping o3 of false desire proides ama'ing new command in your human

relations. ther people hae no power oer you whatsoeer. With full integrity< you

face anyone with con2dence. -y not hungering for r. 06s approal< you are free of

him. -y no longer needing iss -. to dispel your loneliness< you are happy with her<

or without her.

There is only one real desire: to know what is true, to be spiritual. No

more of materialism, no more of this egoism. I must become spiritual.

Strong, intense, must be the desire. If a man’s hands and feet were so

tied that he could not moe, and then if a burning piece of charcoal

were placed on his body, he would struggle with all his power to throw

it off. !hen I shall hae that sort of e"treme desire, that restless

struggle to throw off this burning world, then the time will hae come

for me to glimpse the #iine Truth.

In summary< compulsie craings are part of the arti2cial self. -ut as we awa&en<

they dry up "ecause they no longer hae a source. It is a wonderful e*perience to

see them anish foreer. We are then left with healthy desires< in which there is no

pain< and which sere our genuine interests.

The Only Ans$er To An"er

0 compassionate &ing wishes to help the poor citi'ens of his land. He was also a

wide &ing. He refused to hand our unearned "ene2ts< &nowing how they corrupthuman nature. So he set up "ountiful stores of food and clothing at one end of a

long< dar& alley. 0ll along the trail he placed straw men< each one more 2erce+

loo&ing than the last. The citi'ens who dared to face and pass "y the 2erce 2gures

receied their share of the reward.



That is what we must do. When faced with emotional "arriers< we must "ecome

aware of their imsy falseness. If we really do this< unwanted emotions leel and

disappear li&e a sand castle "efore the waes.

(ou eentually reach a ery interesting state. (ou will hae no time to fool around

with things that used to "other you. (ou ignore them. (ou pass "y. (ou smile inamusement at the childish attempts of fear and worry to drag you down. (ou calmly

see that they hae no power whateer to touch the new you.

In this adanced state< a "usinessman is not afraid of competition or poor

commercial conditions. 0 wife is unafraid of her hus"and< or children< or relaties. 0

hus"and is without an*ious feelings toward his employer or friend. 0 single person

is no longer preyed upon "y loneliness. 0 citi'en is free of apprehension toward a

domineering goernment or worldwide threats. n this higher leel< no one is afraid

of anyone.

: Then can men hae no more power oer us< "ecause they can neither ta&e us "y

our desires< nor "y our fears.; 8o you see something of e*traordinary depth in this

declaration of #rancois #enelon?

:(ou &now< r. Howard< I feel free in these classes to spea& a"out things I usually

hide. Ta&e anger. I try not to get mad< "ut fail eery time. I would li&e to hear what

you hae to say a"out this.;

: (ou must stop trying not to get angry. This is suppression< which only ma&es it

worse. Wheneer you are angry< "e angry< without condemning yourself for it.

5isten carefully< please. (ou do condemn yourself for "eing angry> that is why you

hide it. (ou hae and ideal picture of yourself as "eing a peaceful person< a non+

angry person. So< wheneer anger arises oer something< it shoc&s you. (ou are

shoc&ed "ecause the actual anger clashes with the imaginary picture you hae of

"eing a non+angry person. -ecause you don6t li&e giing up this attering and phony

picture< you get angry often.;

:This is so utterly new. I want to thin& a"out it. So I must gie up my pretentious

picture of "eing a non+angry person?;

:(ou can do this "y o"sering your anger without identifying with it. Simply watch it

come and go< without shame or comment. This is the only way in the whole wide

world you or any other person eer frees himself of anger. 0nd it is )uite necessary

that you free yourself.;

:Well< as you say< we can6t "e angry and happy at the same time.;

*ou Can (e #appy &i"ht No$



Why does man feel so "ad so often? What is wrong with our emotions?

,othing wrong< says mysticism< that mental clarity cannot cure. The pro"lem is

man6s insistence upon feeling a fact "efore esta"lishing that feeling upon the

foundation of reality. 0 psychological fact cannot "e felt correctly until we 2rst

understand it. To place feeling "efore understanding is to cause tragic illusion.

We can "e happy in the here and now. That is a fact. We rightly grasp this fact "y

seeing that happiness is a state of non+illusion< of seeing things as they are< not as

we are. With this foundation< we feel happy permanently. -ut suppose we hear the

fact and try to feel it without seeing what it means? In that case< the wild

imagination pro4ects all sorts of false ideas a"out happiness+for instance< that is

comes through wealth or power. We may feel e*citement at that< "ut sooner or later

it collapses.

This is important enough to reiew= 8o not try to feel a fact until it is personally

understood. 8o we try to feel the "eauty of a symphony "efore reaching the concert

hall? We must stop reaching for emotional sensations. They deceie. They preent

us from e*periencing the fact which produces they genuine feeling. 0n emotion

"ased on reality is permanent> it neer uctuates with e*terior changes. 0 false

feeling is as sha&y as the mirage of an oasis. 0 genuine feeling comes

spontaneously< when we sight a real oasis. This feeling cannot "e sha&en "ecause

the oasis itself cannot "e sha&en.

0 tale from the 0ra"ian ,ights tells of Aallanar< a "eautiful slae+girl. So impressed

was the Fing of /ersia "y her loeliness that he too& her into the royal palace as his

)ueen. 0lthough gien eery lu*ury "y the Fing< she declined to spea& to him.

:Why;< he as&ed. :do you not tell me your secrets? Who are you? Where do youcome from? Why are you silent?;

Aallanar 2nally told him< :I am a princess< the daughter of a Sea Fing. I hae

remained silent in order to proe you. I now see that you are a &indly &ing who truly

loes me.;

The Truth is li&e that. -efore giing us its 4oy< it tests our sincerity. When we are

right< the right emotions come< and neer go away.

:The most "eautiful and most profound emotion we can e*perience is the sensation

of the mystical.;D0l"ert Einstein

*our )ield Of Diaonds

%emem"er this "asic principle for happy feelings which were set down at the start

of the chapter=



(ou feel good not "ecause the world is right< "ut your world is right "ecause you

feel good.

5et6s see how this happens. The following Illustration is from my preious "oo&<

/SCH+/ICTG%0/H(= the ,ew Way to 1se the iracle /ower of (our ind.

Suppose you are not feeling well one day< yet you

accompany some friends on a leisurely drie

through the "eautiful countryside< someone calls

your attention to a loely la&e< "ut< "ecause of your

illness< you cannot gie it your attention or interest.

Someone else remar&s a"out a magni2cent

mountain in the distance< "ut you hardly hear him<

(ou pass one loely scene after another< yet they

hae no meaning to you. -ecause your illness has

ta&en all your energy< you hae none to spare in

en4oying yourself. It is the same to your mine as ifthese natural "eauties didn6t e*ist at all. In you

present ill state< they hae neither e*istence nor

attraction. -ut the ne*t day you recoer. (ou feel

2ne. There is no inward attention to anything> you

are outward "ound once more. So again you go on

a drie> you isit the ery same places. -ut now<

eerything is completely di3erent. (ou en4oy the

loely la&e and magni2cent mountain. (ou respond

to them. (ou en4oy yourself.

How come? It was the ery same scenery "othtimes. -ut on the second trip you were di3erent.

(ou saw eerything in an entirely new way. (ou had

the inner freedom to see and appreciate your outer

world. 5i&e magic< your changed mental iewpoint

changed the world for you.

In Chapter we will discoer a"solute eidence that our pains and di7culties are

caused "y distorted thin&ing. We will also learn how to correct the thin&ing and

there"y a"olish the pain foreer.

5et me spea& ery personally with you< the reader< for a moment. If you continuewor&ing with all these ideas< a"sor" them as "est you can< you will loo& "ac& with

deep gratitude for your persistence. How happy you will "e that you &ept wal&ing.

(ou will feel li&e a man turned loose in a 2eld of diamonds!

%emem"er< eery indiidual< who has found personal peace and happiness< has

"een through eerything you may now "e e*periencing. He or she &nows the

"arriers and the frustrations you face along the way. He understands your concern



oer 2nancial a3airs> he &nows how ferently you wish you had not made that

impulsie error> he sees your secret sorrow. -ut mystic+man &nows something far

a"oe all this. He &nows it can come to an end.

This too will pass!

$itals aids to &eep in mind

. (our world turns right when you feel right

. 0 clear understanding of negatie emotions dismisses them. Wor& for their

dismissal.

. It is right and necessary to re"el constructiely against tyrannical feelings within

yourself.

J. There is not a single painful mood that you cannot separate from your life.

K. 1se the techni)ues gien for the release of depressions. They wor&.

L. It is essential to gain awareness of the whole process of desire.

M. (our original nature< which can always "e reclaimed< is totally free of painful

craings.

N. When we wa&e up to the facts of life< we are left with "ene2cial desires only.

O. ,eer condemn yourself for haing negatie emotions. %ather< 2nd freedom

through self+&nowledge.

P. It is a fact+ you can "e happy in the here and now.



Chapter 9- *our Miraculous Source of #elp

Fing Canute< the 8anish ruler of England< was worshipped and attered "y his

su"4ects. They thought he possessed supernatural powers which could &eep them

safe and happy. -eing a wise monarch< Canute loo&ed for a dramatic way to teach

his su"4ects a"out the Higher /ower.

ne day< while isiting the seashore at Southhampton< he ordered a chair "e

"rought to him. When the pu''led attendants o"eyed< the &ing commanded< :Set

the chair in the sand< in the path of the incoming tide.; 0s they did so< Canute sat

down in the chair and as&ed< :,ow< do you thin& the tide will o"ey me if I command

it to stop? We shall see.;

Canute commanded the tide to halt. It crept closer. He shouted the order once

more. The tide adanced to splash around his an&les. The &ing continued his

demands> the sea continued to splash against him with increasing force. #inally< an

impudent wae "ro&e oer the entire royal party< causing eeryone to retreat<dripping wet.

:,ow you see<; Fing Canute merrily called out< :that the highest of human

persuasion is as nothing when compared with ,atural 5aws. 8o not see& to control

1niersal Truth< "ut ally yourself with it.;

Today< in Southhampton< Great -ritain< a "ron'e ta"let reads= n this spot< in the

year P< Fing Canute re"u&ed his courtiers.

Fing Canute may not hae reali'ed it< "ut he dramati'ed the ery message of

mysticism= :8on6t worship human "eings. 0ll human e3ort is egotistical and"lundering. 8on6t hesitate to a"andon so+called human power. Honestly< now< whathas it done for you? There is a Higher /ower. (ou may not reali'e it as yet< "ut thereis something far a"oe and "eyond the human intellect. 5et6s search it outtogether.;

#o$ To Contact #i"her %o$er

In the deep corners of their minds people secretly as&< :%eally< now< is there aHigher /ower who can help me? I &now that we all profess to "eliee in somethingfar a"oe our humanhood< "utwell< )uite fran&ly< why am I una"le to contact this

miraculous source of help?;

(es< there is a Higher /ower. (es< man can ma&e contact< and< if he could only see it<he has neer "een separated from it. In reality< we can no more "e separated fromHigher /ower than one section of s&y can "e separated from another. 0ll is ne.



0t this point< we can say that it ma&es no di3erence what term we use whenreferring to the miraculous source of help. The word is not the thing. We can use theterms God< Higher /ower< Supreme Intelligence< %eality< Truth< whateer we li&e.

:I am utterly confused a"out reality< or Truth< or whateer term we use. Can you

help us identify it?;

8o not try to identify Truth. If you do< your identi2cations will "e "ased on yourhuman desires and imaginations. This "uilds as unreal concept. 0nd that< in turn<gets you into an endless mess of illusions and frustrations. #orget trying to identify

Truth. Instead< wor& on yourself as outlined in these classes. Then< eentually< youwill see that Truth is something entirely "eyond mental concepts. It is not somethingyou thin& a"out< as you might thin& a"out a "eautiful meadow< "ut an actuale*perience> you are within that meadow.

Here is where man ma&es his mista&e when see&ing contact with Higher /ower= He

see&s it through his limited mental faculties. It cannot "e done. The conditionedhuman mind can thin& a"out< memori'e< speculate< een "eliee< "ut it cannotpenetrate spiritual s&ies. Something far greater than mere thought is needed inorder to &now.

How can we &now? Through awareness< which is )uite a di3erent thing thanconditioned thought. We must "ecome aware of the Fingdom of Heaen alreadywithin. That is why we are wal&ing the ystic /ath.

It helps to remem"er the wise counsel of eister Ec&hart= :/eople should thin& lessa"out what they ought to do and more a"out what they ought to "e. If only their"eing were good< their wor&s would shine forth "rightly. 8o not imagine that you

can ground your salation upon actions> it must rest upon that you are.;

The Di:erence (et$een Thou"ht And A$areness

any years ago an East /russian philosopher decided to write and lecture on thepower of human logic and reason. To his astonishment he found that there was awall "eyond which human intellect could not pass. That startling discoeryreolutioni'ed his life. %eersing himself completely< he declared the e*istence of a#orce completely unli&e mind+power. He declared furthermore< that this mysterious#orce is aaila"le to anyone who wants it "adly enough. The see&er must "e willingto see& "eyond his limited mental forces.

That discoery was made "y Immanuel Fent< giant among mystic+philosophers. Itcan also "e your discoery.

Spiritual awareness and human thought are two entirely di3erent things. We mustneer forget this. The human mind can "egin the )uest< "ut it cannot ma&e theactual discoery of %eality. The human mind can raise the sail in order to "egin the



oyage< "ut< haing done that< it can only Dand need only rest and let the winds of%eality carry it to port.

,ow< while liing on this earth< we need "oth spiritual awareness and humanthought. The human mind< which consists of memori'ed data< is useful forremem"ering how to tend the garden< or 2gure 2nances< or greet someone in the

morning. -ut awareness is far a"oe mechanical memory> it is %eality itself.

8r. Su'u&i< the Ben master< e*plains=

The intellect raises the )uestion< "ut fails to gie it a satisfactory solution. This is inthe nature of the intellect. The function of the intellect consists in leading the mindto higher 2eld of consciousness "y proposing all sorts of )uestions which are "eyonditself. The mystery is soled "y liing it< "y seeing into its wor&ing< "y actuallye*periencing the signi2cance of life

This e*plains one of the great mysteries of life= How can someone who is "rilliantlysuccessful in pu"lic a3airs "e such an utter failure in his priate life? #or e*ample< awealthy "usinessman may "e dominated "y personal an*ieties which causedomestic conict. The answer is simple enough= There is no connection "etween hisworldly success springing from the mental leel< and spiritual s&ill arising from the

True self within. It is li&e oil and water which hae their separate functions in aengine< "ut do not mi*.

:Then what is the di3erence "etween a person whom we would call mentallymature and one who is spiritually aware?;

0 spiritually aware person is always mentally mature< "ut a mentally mature man is

not necessarily an aware man. 0n indiidual on the lowest step of awareness ishigher than someone on the highest step of intellectual maturity. The mentallymature man is ready to step up to higher consciousness. He has rid himself ofenough mental 4un& to ma&e room for greater insight.

Summary= Human thought races around the 4ungle in a frantic e3ort to 2nd a wayout. Spiritual awareness stands )uietly on a hilltop oerloo&ing the 4ungle< fromwhich it clearly sees the way out.

*ou Will Win!

How can we contact this purifying Higher /ower? -y lifting the eils of illusion thathang "etween the human mind and reality. -y seeing that the eils of the ego+self"loc& the light. -y seeing this we penetrate into the innermost secret of humanhappiness< earthly and eternal.

It is not the lofty sending station that is out of order> it is our receiing set.



Somehow we sling to the notion that something is wrong up there. We are li&e aman with a "ro&en teleision set complaining that the T$ station won6t send himpictures.

In his essay Spiritual 5aws< %alph Waldo Emerson sums up the mystical principle=

:0 little consideration of what ta&es place around us eery day would show us that ahigher law than that of our will regulates eents> that our painful la"ors areunnecessary and fruitless> that only in our easy< simple< spontaneous action are westrong/lace yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom whichanimates all whom it oats< and you are without e3ort impelled to truth< to right<and a perfect contentment.;

It is only when we dare to oat upon this stream of awareness that we really &now

that eerything is 4ust 2ne. It is a peculiarly contradictory state+we do not hae theslightest idea of where we are going< and yet we are completely unafraid. :We feeland &now that we are eternal.; D-aruch Spino'a We &now for sure that all is well.

I want to spea& to you with unresered candor. 8o you &now what 2nally determineswhether or not we 2nd ourseles in the stream of wisdom and power? It is the waywe ta&e a truth we don6t want to hear. 0nyone can run away< eade< pretend toaccept< "ut this is not heroism and it so not genuine indiiduality. It iscommonplace> it is what the mass of men and women do. That is why most peopleare far unhappier than they appear to "e.

(ou see< all of us hae degrees of resistance to the ery truth that could sae us. Itis the ery nature of the false self to resist and resent anything that threatens itstyranny. -ut if you are tired of paying the price< you can stop. (ou can "e a genuineindiidual who refuses to run away from what appears to "e a threat< "ut whichactually< what you want more than anything else in life.

Stand up for yourself! (ou will win. 5ittle "y little< you will win. (ou may "e reluctantto start "ecause you are not sure what it is all a"out> you don6t &now whether allthis ma&es sense. -ut it ma&es the only sense there is. So start.

8o not thin& that willingness to contact Higher /ower must include the strength todo it. In fact< power comes only when we see our helplessness. We must see this

unemotionally< simply as a fact< without shame or despair. This is what the ,ew Testament means "y losing our life in order to 2nd it. Willingness does not meanstrength> it means only a de2nite decision to change the direction of life.

#o$ To )a'or *ourself



Success in life depends upon the head)uarters from which we ta&e orders. /icture asoldier on the "attle2eld "etween two military head)uarters. To "e his left is thegenuine head)uarters< maintained "y his own army. To his right is a counterfeitstation< set up "y the enemy to deceie him< to ma&e him go wrong. His successdepends upon his choice "etween the two.

We always receie accurate guidance from our genuine head)uarters within. It isneer wrong. The instructions may appear confusing at times> we may haedi7culty in carrying them out< "ut we are good soldiers> we follow along. Sooner orlater< falsehood must surrender to Truth.

The test of what you accept as true is the way you go through your day. 8o not tryto change your day> see& to alter what you accept as true. Then< e3ortlessly< yourday will change in faor of yourself.

(ou need not understand eerything in order to start faoring yourself. Start rightwhere you are. (ou need not understand the secret process "y which air refreshesthe "ody> you need only to "reathe. 5i&ewise< lie along without worry or strain oerthe whole process of life. Here we meet one of those seeming contradictions which"ecome )uite clear after awhile= The less you strain your mind< the more it contactsthe Higher /ower that wor&s through you and for you.

The soldier on the ystic /ath encounters many alua"le challenges. ne of them isa sudden discouragement a"out it all. He wonders whether it is worthwhile. lddou"ts and feelings< which he thought were far "ehind him< suddenly loom upagain. He is sta""ed "y dread that the whole thing may "e only a dream world ofhis own illusions. Such periods of temptation are perfectly normal> e*pect them to

come. Such a crisis came to George #o*< founder of the Society of #riends. Hewaited patiently. Suddenly< the dawn "ro&e through with peaceful assurance.

0nother crisis is the uneasiness of self+condemnation. There is no one in the entireworld who condemns you. (ou yourself are the only person who condemns you+andpointlessly. In reality< there is no condemnation whatsoeer< "ut as long as you thin&there is< you ache. ,ot only that< "ut a man dwelling with the illusion of self+condemnation is compulsiely drien to do things that increase the illusion. There isno man< nor god< nor past e*perience to condemn you. (ou are free and you are freeright now. Will you try to see this?

Go all out to contact Higher /ower. So not ta&e half measures. 8o not hesitate to as&

"oldly for far more. Who as&s a &ing for a penny?

A+andon #uan E:ort

We remain wea& as long as we cling to unhealthy attitudes. What if a man "ought apri'e+winner steer and fed it all sorts of delicacies that he assumed the steer would



li&e< rather than what nature decrees. That steer would win no more pri'es.5i&ewise< we must not set up stu""orn assumptions a"out what we need. The test of a genuine need is so simple that millions miss it= 8oes it ma&e me genuinely happy<or does it lead to een more despair?

1nhealthy attitudes lur& "ehind all personal tragedies. What an incredi"le situation!

I hae &nown hundreds of people liing their lies on the roc&s of alcoholism<emotionally+induced illness< se* frustrations. 8o you &now what they fear when Ipoint out the need for dismissing their destructie attitudes? They fear that "ygiing them up they will lose control of their lies!

%eceptiity to right ideas places us in the right position. If we want an eleator tocarry us upward< we cannot stand in the street. We must stand upon the surfacecapa"le of uplifting us. We must stand with a mind courageously willing to a"andonlower leels. -y standing on the platform of %eality< it lifts us all "y itself.

We should "e ery glad we get tired of wor&ing so hard at liing. The a"andonment

of useless human e3ort is 4ust the thing we need for contacting Higher /ower. -ya"andonment I mean setting aside ego+directed dries< such as< planningcontriing< desiring< hoping< yearning< speculating< demanding< straining< claiming<inuencing< dominating. 0ll these interfere with the natural ow of the inner life. Wecontact the Higher /ower only as we loosen our attachments to them. 0nd then< atsome magic moment< we change from drien men to carried men.

,o one should eer feel "ad if Self+"seration reeals that he or she is presentlyon a lower leel. n the contrary< we should "e glad< for only this discoery ma&esupliftment possi"le. It is the foolish person who imagines he has nothing to learn.0lso< remem"er< the ystic /ath has no moral 4udgments. There are no such thingsas good and "ad< superior or inferior. We don6t consider a 2e year old child inferior

to a child of ten. We simply reali'e that eeryone is on a di3erent leel of insightand awareness.

0s you coer all these ideas< let your preious studies in religion or psychologyenter. (ou will see how eerything agrees.

y own early search and study coered enough "oo&s to 2ll a small li"rary. Iinestigated eery teacher and system from 0ristotle and 0polinarianism to Benoand Ben. The teachings aried in outer forms< "ut all agreed on the essentials=an6s tas& is to awa&en to his true identity. The Fingdom of Heaen is within.Spiritual truths are discoered with an entirely new &ind of thin&ing< )uite distinctand astly superior to the mind that "uilds "ridges and sells merchandise.

Sure Steps To A$a0enin"

0long the ystic /ath we< again and again< come across the sign= Wa&e up! In thissection we meet a num"er of short and e3ectie eye+openers=



/eople thin& that life has hundreds of pro"lems. It hasn6t there is only one pro"lem. The lost child doesn6t &now the way home.

The Truth is stronger than thought< emotion< desire< se*< regret< money< fear<"oredom< the past< the future> stronger than anything in life. ,one of these can eertrou"le the mystic+man.

When new students came to Gree& philosopher< /ythagoras< the ery 2rst lessonthey heard was< :5earn to "e silent. 5et your )uiet mind listen and a"sor".;

We try to reassure ourseles with our human thoughts< "ut mental gymnasticscannot help us and we &now it. Trying to uplift ourseles with conditioned ideas isli&e trying to get upstairs "y pacing around the "asement. 0 new &ind of mind isneeded.

The less your e*ternal comforts from friends< position< money< the more your innercomfort from the Higher /ower. ,ow< whateer you do< do not ta&e this as religiousor philosophical speculation. Ta&e it as a practical fact< for that is e*actly what it is.

0 perfect method for awa&ening is to e*amine the results of our daily reactions. Ifthey are harmful< we &now we need more consciousness.

The reason Truth a3ects a man so powerfully is "ecause he already &nows it deepwithin. 0ll emotional feeling toward Truth is a response< a recognition. We mayaccept it< or re4ect it< "ut we see it.

We cannot "e free of nagging desires through suppression. That is li&e trying to&eep a ru""er "oat "eneath the water. -ut we can remoe compulsie desiresaltogether "y understanding their nature.

Wheneer you wor& in harmony with a mystic principle< you ally yourself with aforce ten+thousand times greater than you &now.

0wa&ening starts when we actually see our hypnosis. We must suspect that we areentirely di3erent people than we thought we were.

(ou can "e guided accurately "y an inner oice< "ut your 2rst tas& is to separate itfrom all the counterfeits. 0nd someday you will see that this inner sense ofguidance was right all along.

Since distress is caused and felt "y the arti2cial self< as&< :If I e*tinguish this falseself< who is left to get distressed?; There is no one left.

The ystic /ath has the simplest morality possi"le= Whateer helps us to awa&en isright> whateer &eeps us hypnoti'ed is wrong.



)ifteen Ways To Gain Ne$ Stren"th

#resh energy ows from you into eery daily pro4ect when you=. See the attractieness of the higher life.

. 8on6t accept unhappiness as necessary.. Increase your self+awareness.J. 0"andon self+defeating attitudes.K. Insist upon strict self+honesty.L. Try to understand your desires.M. a&e simple and persistent e3orts.N. %efuse to sacri2ce your integrity to anyone.O. ,o longer ta&e e*citement as happiness.P. Stop wasting energy in negatie emotions.. a&e self+change your aim in life.. 8on6t identify with anything.. 5isten carefully to mystical principles.J. a&e self+discoery your daily ho""y.K. Want the Truth more than anything else.

Select any one of these as your mental e*ercise for the ne*t few days. Thin& itthrough< try to see its full signi2cance. That is how you add new strength.

5et6s illustrate point = See the attractieness of the higher life=

0 younger archer was imprisoned for accidentally trespassing upon the &ing6spriate hunting grounds. The &ing< notorious for his harsh 4ustice< ordered the young

man imprisoned inde2nitely. Though allowed to roam around the prison yard< hecould see nothing of the outside world< for the prison was surrounded "y a tall wallof eucalyptus trees. (ears passed. The prisoner gradually lost interest in the outsideworld. He felt a dull sort of comfort in his routine e*istence. He wal&ed a"out as if ina da'e< performing his lo"os mechanically. To most of his guards he appearedcontent< "ut one or two noticed a horrifying hostility deep down in his eyes.

ne day a new and &indly &ing too& the throne. Hearing of the prisoner< he orderedhis release. His 4ailors too& him to the prison gate and opened it wide. The prisonerglanced pu''ledly and apprehensiely outward< then turned around and wal&ed"ac& to his cell.

The &ing< as wise as he was &indly< gae new instructions= :Each morning set a newattraction outside the gat. Set them progressiely farther and farther away. Then<open the gate "efore the prisoner.;

The attractions were set out as instructed. ne morning the attraction was afriendly illager< then new clothing< then fresh fruits. Step "y step< the prisoner losthis li&ing for the ha"itual and suppressed life. Each new attraction of the other worldgae him a fresh sense of freedom. Gradually< he led himself to li"erty andhappiness.



0nyone who feels imprisoned "y life can do li&ewise.

)reedo )ro In;ustice

-aUed "y what happens to you? (ou cannot see why this defeat or that sorrowcomes your way? These perple*ities are daily eents to millions of people.

The mystic+man &nows why things happen as they do. -etter yet< he &nows thesolution+his own awa&ened state.

We can ta&e a common complaint and see "oth its cause and solution+the onlysolution you will eer 2nd=

:With all our laws and moral persuasions< why is there so much in4ustice in theworld?;

-ecause hypnoti'ed men are incapa"le of 4ustice. I must spea& fran&ly to you a"outthis. /lease follow ery carefully.

:We6ll follow.;

0 hypnoti'ed man6s only idea of 4ustice is haing what he wants< what he insists hehas coming to him. If he gets his demand< to him that is 4ustice. If denied< he calls itin4ustice. His entire false scale of 4ustice rests on whether or not "e gats hisdemand. This is why we hae endless conict "etween people and nations. ,o oneeer stops to in)uire whether his ery demand may "e unhealthy or unnecessary tohis true interests.

:Then there can "e no 4ustice among hypnoti'ed men? How dreadful.;

,ot dreadful for you< if you are awa&e. 0gain< please follow carefully> you hae noidea of the gold here. When you are awa&e< human in4ustice cannot possi"ly hurtyou. ,o matter what happens< you are at peace.

:I don6t understand how this is possi"le.;

The goernment ta*es you un4ustly? (ou are not your money> you cannotlose yourself. (our spouse "etrays you? (ou hae not a"andoned your true identityto him or her< so you retain your inner )uietness.

:If only I could "eliee that!;

8on6t try. /ersist along the ystic /ath. (ou will hae the personal e*perience of allthis. (ou can lie among eery sort of human in4ustice and it will "e as nothing toyou. I am not spea&ing religiously or idealistically. I am giing you a fact.

:(es< I sense that you &now what you are tal&ing a"out. It is 4ust that I6m not awa&eenough to comprehend.;





. (ou presently possess a #orce entirely di3erent from human mind+power andastly superior to it.

. 1se your mind to raise the sails< "ut let the winds of psychic awareness carry youforward.

. Human thought+power is useful and necessary for human a3airs. Spiritualawareness is necessary for inner freedom.

J. (ou will win!

K. Ta&e orders only from the head)uarters of your True Self.

L. There is no condemnation whatsoeer. This "ecomes a relieing fact when youreally see it.

M. If it helps us to awa&en< it is right. If it &eeps us asleep< it is wrong.

N. ,othing< a"solutely nothing< is more attractie than the ,ew 5ife e*isting outsidethe walls of the ego+self.

O. (ou can so transform yourself that you will neer again "e pained "y feelings ofin4ustice.

P. 0s we remoe negatiity< contact with Higher /ower grows stronger.

Chapter < - The %o$er of 5o'e Aon" %eople

We hae seen that eerything in our day can "e used for self+enrichment. In thischapter we will discoer the mystical way to healthy human relations which lead tothat supreme state called loe. These principles present you with entirely new waysfor liing in self+harmony while liing with others.

0s& 2fty people for their de2nition of loe and you receie 2fty di3erent answers."iously< loe is not something that the conditioned human mind can discoer



through personal iewpoints. Human reasoning can hae opinions and attitudesa"out loe< "ut only a spiritually attuned mind can &now.

The mystics hae a practical system for getting at the truth a"out anything<including loe. It can "e termed the :,ot this and not that; method. -ysystematically discarding eerything that loe is not< we 2nally arrie at what it is+

4ust as gold is left after clearing the pe""les.

5oe is not dependency< idoli'ation< sentimentality< craing< or physical attraction.Human relationships "ased on these attri"utes are strained< ready to "rea& apart atany moment.

Genuine loe does not start with an emotion. It "egins with a state ofconsciousness< of clear awareness< of a deep understanding of "oth the self and theother person. Then< the emotions arising from this are legitimate< natural fruit.

Tenderness and a3ection are among them. When an emotion comes 2rst< it is notgenuine loe< only a counterfeit< which is really craing< or passion< or a wish to ee

from an unwanted self into the other person.

ystical loe cannot "e "ased on desire or craing. /eople sometimes say< :I hae apainful craing for a certain person of the opposite se* whom I cannot hae. Howcan I reliee my mind of this torture?;

:Try to see that the craing is not "ased on actual )ualities of the other person< "utrather in your idealistic imagination of him. He represents something you need<perhaps strength< or security< or a3ection. -ut this ideal is merely a need inyou which you mista&enly assume is a reality in him. Try to see this. 0s you succeed<you will "e astonished at how di3erently you see this so+called ideal person. He orshe has not changed> you hae.;

The Maiden At The Strea

0 remar&a"le feature of mystical loe is that it is "oth deeply personal< yetunattached. To un&nowing people it often appears cold and "lunt. -ut "eneath thesurface< it is warm< caring< responsie. It is the nature of authentic loe to ignorethe e*ternal impressions it ma&es on others< faora"le or unfaora"le. It does notcare what people thin&> it does what its ery compassionate nature impels it to do.E*terior show "elongs to pseudo+loe< motiated "y self+glory in hope of attractingpu"lic praise.

The story is told of two disciples of mysticism who were returning one afternoon to

their monastery. They came to a "ridgeless stream where a pretty maiden sought tocross. When the 2rst disciple announced his intension of carrying her across< hisshoc&ed companion o"4ected< :,o! We are sworn to purity. It iolates our ows toeen touch a woman.; Ignoring the o"4ection< the 2rst disciple "oldly pic&ed thewoman up< waded across the stream< set her down and went on his way. #or thene*t seeral miles< he was indignantly accused of conduct un"ecoming a disciple.#inally< the 2rst man turned to his companion and remar&ed< :5oo&< I left thatwoman "ac& at the stream+you are still carrying her.;



5oe is li&e that. It does what it sees to do and lets it go at that. :/erfect &indnessacts without thin&ing of &indness.; D5ao+Tse

5oe is a state of psychic understanding. 5ac& of loe is lac& of comprehension.What must we understand? Ta&e fear. The ,ew Testament states that perfect loecasts out fear. #ear arises in human relations wheneer we want something from

someone and worry that we won6t get it. The mystic+man has no fear "ecause hehas no demands upon others> he lies "ountifully from his Fingdom of Heaenwithin. 0 loe relationship is impossi"le when "ased on demand< su"tle or o"ious.Such pseudo+loe is merely a "argain= :(ou "e nice to me and I6ll "e nice to you<"ut< if you cease to please me< I6ll go away.; The mystic life has none of that. It is anentirely di3erent world.

The Mystic=s Copassion

How does the mystic see humanity? In an entirely di3erent way from ordinary men

and women. It is pro2ta"le for us also to see people from mystical iewpoint. Itproides power.

The enlightened mystic sees human "eings as little children. The children aresometimes nice and sometimes not so nice. If they "ehae "adly< he &nows it is"ecause they hae not as yet made contact with their spiritual "eing within.

He sees them as secret su3erers< for that is always the condition of little children inspiritual dar&ness. He has great compassion toward them< &nowing the price theymust continue to pay until they use their ery su3ering as a li"erating teacher. He isli&e a father who hears his child call out in distress when they are separated in acrowd. While &nowing that the distress is genuine< he also &nows that the child need

only loo& in the right direction to ma&e eerything all right.

:(ou are loed<; the mystic neer ceases to proclaim< :far more than you thin&.;

Where ordinary man ha"itually "lames and accuses others< the mystic has none ofit. He &nows why people "ehae as they do> he has no illusions that people could"ehae "etter if only their circumstances were di3erent. He &nows that wic&ednessis performed mechanically< unconsciously< "y hypnoti'ed people who thin& they areawa&e. 8o you< he as&s< "lame an automo"ile for loosening its "ra&es and crashinginto a "uilding? ,o< you understand that an automo"ile does not &now what it doesto itself and to others.

-ut ma&e no mista&e< the mystic is not soft. He coddles no one. He is the toughestteacher on earth. 5oe won6t permit him to let others get away with it. The truthmust "e told at all costs< no matter who it hurts or how much. While not "laming ahuman machine for running wild< he insists that it cease to "e a machine and turninto its "irthright as a conscious human "eing.

George Gurd4ie3 once remar&ed that true loe consists in aiding another6sdeelopment all the while &nowing full well that the other person may snap at the



e*tended helping hand. The loing person must willingly ta&e the hostility of thosehe tries to help< 4ust as a ranger ta&es the snarls of a "ear with a thorn in its foot.

The spiritual man6s compassion springs from his insight into things as they are. ,otonly does he &now that a ,ew World e*ists "ut he dwells in it.

T$enty Special Secrets

.When two people meet< the pri'e always goes to the one with the most self+insight. He will "e calmer< more con2dent< more at ease with the other.

.,eer permit the "ehaior of other people to tell you how to feel.

./ay little attention to what people say or do. Instead< try to see their innermostmotie for spea&ing and acting. D,ow< apply this ery same rule to yourself and you"ecome an enlightened person!

J.0ny friendship re)uiring the su"mission of your original nature and dignity toanother person is all wrong.

K.ystically spea&ing< there is no di3erence "etween you and another person. Thisis why we cannot hurt another without hurting ourseles< nor help another withouthelping ourseles.

L.When we are free of all unnecessary desires toward other people< we can neer "edeceied or hurt.

M.(ou ta&e a giant step toward psychological maturity when you refuse to angrily

defend yourself against un4ust slander< for one thing< resistance distur"s your ownpeace of mind.

N.(ou understand others to the e*act degree that you really understand yourself.Wor& for more self+&nowledge.

O.8o not "e afraid to fully e*perience eerything that happens to you in your humanrelations< especially the pains and disappointments. 8o this< and eerything"ecomes clear at last.

P.The indiidual who really &nows what it means to loe has no an*iety when hisloe is unseen or re4ected.

.If you painfully lose a alua"le friend< do not rush out at once for a replacement.Such action preents you from e*amining your heartache and "rea&ing free of it.

.8o not "e afraid to "e a no"ody in the social world. This is a deeper and richertruth than appears on the surface.



.Eery unpleasant e*perience with another person is an opportunity to see peopleas they are< not as we mista&enly ideali'e them. The more unpleasant the person is<the more he can teach you.

J.(ou can "e so wonderfully free from a sense of in4ury and in4ustice that you aresurprised when you hear others complain of them

K.We cannot recogni'e a irtue in another person that we do not possess inourseles. It ta&es a truly loing and patient person to recogni'e those irtues inanother.

L.8o not mista&e desire for loe. 8esire leaes home in a frantic search for onegrati2cation after another. 5oe is at home with itself.

M.There are parts of you that want the loing life and parts that do not. /laceyourself on the side of your positie forces> do all you can to aid and encouragethem.

N.(ou must stop liing so timidly< from 2*ed fears of what others will thin& of youand of what you will thin& of yourself.

O.8o not contrie to "e a loing person> wor& to "e a real person. -eing real is"eing loing.

P.The greatest loe you could eer o3er to another is to so transform your innerlife that others are attracted to your genuine e*ample of goodness.

Ans$ers To >uestions A+out 5o'e

:I &now I "ehae unloingly at times. How can I "rea& the pattern?;

:Wheneer it happens< do not agree with it internally. Supreme Fnowledge withineach of us spea&s reproal wheneer we act without loe. 5isten to that oice< notto your harsh "ehaior. 0 person can go on for months or years under the hypnosisof the un&indly false self. Gradually< you "ring e*terior action into line with theloing interior< 4ust as a good father inuences his unruly son for good.;

:Why is it so shoc&ing to lose someone we loe?;

:-ecause it "rings us face to face with our own emptiness. If the marriage fallsapart< or the sweetheart goes away< the su3erer6s 2rst urge is to 2nd a replacementto 2ll the oid. (ou do this "ecause you are scared< insecure< you feel unwanted andunloed. -ut< een if you 2nd a replacement< it does nothing for you< really. Thetrem"ling is still there< only coered up. If a "rea&+up occurs< e*amine your owndriing need to 2nd security in a replacement. Insight reeals that it can do nothingfor you. Then "eyond that shoc&ing fact you ma&e an ama'ing discoery= (ou seethat the only security is in the truth itself. #rom that point on< all your relations withthe opposite se* are entirely di3erent. -ecause there is no fear< there is genuineloe.;



:How can I get people to act as I wish?;

:(ou must hae no ideas whateer as to how people should "ehae toward you. (ouwant them to turn left. They turn right. (ou hope they do this. They do that. Why doyou get hurt? ,ot "ecause of what people do "ut "ecause you hae demanded theyshould do as you wish. 0"olish all demands> then< people can "ehae any way they

li&e while you remain at peace.;

:What happens when a self+aware person meets one still in psychic slum"er? Imean< is it possi"le for them to loe each other< for instance< when man meetswoman?;

:0 self+aware person can loe a non+aware person< "ut the reerse is not possi"le. Two conscious human "eings can e*change loe< "ut two unawa&ened peoplecannot. How can they e*change a loe they don6t hae? 5oe comes with

awa&ening. Hypnoti'ed people can only gie what they call loe< for e*ample<mutual attery. Their relationship is "ased on desire< not loe. This is easilyo"sered. ,otice how )uic&ly the so+called loe turns to resentment when aparticular desire is denied or thwarted.;

#o$ To De'elop 5o'e-Capacity

:Why all this contradiction in people? We tal& so much a"out loe "ut "ehae 4ustthe opposite.;

:ost tal& a"out loe is 4ust that+tal&. 0 man must "ehae according to his leel ofpsychic deelopment. ,o one can possi"ly "ehae on a higher leel of loe than theleel he actually occupies. -ut remem"er< human "eings are ery cunning withe*terior appearances of loe< so don6t "e fooled. -y self+wor&< a man can raise hisloe+leel. Then< he will "ehae di3erently< with more genuine compassion. That isan o"4ectie of the ystic /ath. We want to uplift our compassion "y raising ourspiritual leel.;

:(ou once said that we deelop our loe+capacity "y patiently enduring unloingwords and actions from others. How?;

:-e willing to gie up immediate and unhealthy pleasures for long+term riches. (oumay get an immediate sensation of pleasure "y snapping "ac& at an un&ind person<"ut< if you do< you hae lost a great opportunity for adancing your inner self.Instead< discoer why you needed to snap "ac&. (ou will discoer your action sprangfrom the touchy ego+self. That ery o"seration in itself wea&ens the ego.;



:I used to thin& that my whirlpool of social actiities sprang from my loe of people<from wanting to help them and to "e with them. -ut now I feel oppressed "y allthese maddening inolements and wonder why I continue.;

:(ou do them not "ecause they mean anything to you "ut "ecause they distract youfrom your inner "lan&ness. (ou 4ust don6t &now what else to do with yourself. /ullout. 8o it gradually< if you li&e< "ut< for your mental and spiritual health< pull out.Get o3 "y yourself and as& yourself whether you really want this &ind of life. Honestin)uiry will produce a tremendous sigh of relief. ,ow< you are starting to en4oy yourlife< for you are no longer sacri2cing it to frantic inolements.;

:Why are human relations so painful? What can we do to ease the stress andan*iety?;

:In preious discussions< we saw that su3ering is destroyed "y "ringing it up fromthe unconscious to the conscious leel. Connect this with your human relations. Tryto see how much pain you hae "ecause of unconscious hopes< demands<e*pectations< fears< and desires toward others. (ou want them to act in a way thatpleases you. (ou desire friendship< conersation< se*< and so on. Try to see+reallywor& at it+try to see that these ery desires cause you pain< for you fear theirfailure. ,ow< can you a"andon them? If so< su3ering is impossi"le. (ou e*perience afantastic relief< 4ust li&e "rea&ing through an entangling net.;

The %o$er of %sychic A$a0enin"

Eery man does the "est he &nows how< "ut no one actually does his "est. Socratespoints out that man6s "asic error lies in ignorance of his true nature. This ignoranceleads to false and eeting alues. Spiritual awa&ening corrects his alues so that hecheerfully cherishes wisdom< and gentleness< and old+fashioned goodness.

0s we awa&en from psychic sleep< we see others in a new way. They loo& entirelydi3erent from "efore. We may thin& they hae changed< when< really< it is ourseleswho hae altered. This introduces many rich "ene2ts. #or one thing< we can clearlydistinguish "etween people on a higher leel of understanding and those on a lowerleel. This is the same as seeing that people occupy di3erent leels of loe< forunderstanding is loe. This insight leads us to see& out those on the higher leel< for

they are the ones with whom we now hae more in common. There is no sense ofsuperiority in leaing former friends> we 4ust reali'e that we must go upward. Withthem or without them< we must go on.

0nother healthy "ene2t deried is that of no longer fearing resentment< ordisapproal< or accusation from others. (ou clearly see that their negatie attac&s"elong to them> they hae nothing whatsoeer to do with you. 8o you feel ill 4ust"ecause someone else does? It is li&e that.



/sychic awa&ening creates smooth relations with others< especially with those whoare wea& in spiritual understanding. Strong people understand wea& people. Theunpleasant or disloyal "ehaior of wea& people cannot distress those who aregenuinely strong. -ut unawa&ened people cannot lie together harmoniously. Theysee and disli&e wea&nesses in others that unconsciously they hae and disli&e inthemseles. This causes irritation< impatience< all sorts of grief. The only cure is

spiritual strength. The only strength is Truth.

Sooner or later< along the ystic /ath< we ma&e an enlightening discoery. We seethat we cannot "ehae unloingly toward others without paying the price in psychicdistur"ance. 8oes anyone do wrong? It is to himself that he does the wrong.;Darcus 0urelius 0t one time we may hae thought this was a moralistic platitude

4ust 2ne to teach children< "ut not applica"le to a harsh world. ,ow we &now it to "ean un"rea&a"le law of life. We see that un&ind "ehaior is li&e "urning down ourown homes in order to stri&e "ac& at unpleasant guests. -ut< at the same time< wealso see the positie side of the law= We cannot loe another without doing good toourseles.

#o$ To #andle Di?culties With %eople

#rom the mystical iewpoint< there is no such thing as di7culties with other people>the only di7culty is within ourseles. We need only to clear our own psychologicalconfusion> then< that inner clarity ena"les us to handle anything coming from theoutside. n the human leel we may 2nd others to "e trou"lesome and disloyal<"ut< if our essential self dwells on the spiritual leel< we cannot "e in4ured. 5i&e this=

:I suppose I6m too sensitie< "ut how can I preent people from hurting myfeelings.;?

:,o one on earth can hurt you< unless you accept the hurt in your own mind. What if you are o3ered a sour apple "ut refuse to ta&e it? To whom does the sourness"elong? 0s the false sense of self falls away< so does your acceptance of the sourapples of criticism and un&indness from others. The pro"lem is not other people> itis your reaction.;

5et6s see how increased insight changes our attitudes and< there"y< lessens ourdi7culties with others. ur awa&ened awareness reeals that no"ody is really ashappy as we preiously thought. We see through the mas&s that people wear> wesee how hard they wor& to conince themseles and others that all is well. It6s all an

act< and how clearly we reali'e it. Their nerous social and "usiness pursuits< andtheir empty amusements< no longer fool us. We &now they wa&e up the ne*tmorning with dread of the day.

We understand all this "ecause we hae 2rst seen through our own pretenses. Theyare repeating the ery same wearisome stage performance that used to &eep us sotired.



This completely alters our iewpoints and relations. We are no longer critical orenious. ur preious eny sprang from the illusion that others had more out of lifethat we< "ut we &now "etter. We see them as secret su3erers< 4ust as we used to "e.Seeing this< we can no longer thin& or act harshly toward them. Henry Wadsworth5ongfellow once remar&ed that if we could see the concealed sorrows of others6 wewould "e ery tender toward them.

We forgie them as we forgie ourseles. ur new gentleness toward ourseles cannow e*tend itself freely to others.

0nd now we understand something for the 2rst time< something preiously "loc&ed"y pride and anity= 5oe is not of the human self< "ut of the Supreme within us.

This ma&es us smile for a do'en reasons> one< "eing that we need no longer wor& atloe> we need only rest in the Supreme< which is loe itself.

#rom this lofty height< arious e*pressions of loe among people< includinga3ection< drift down.

0 world of weary people yearns for a3ection. What a sadly needed form of loea3ection is< whether it "e a cheery word< or an understanding nod< or a touch of thehand. %ich people would gladly gie up their treasures for this precious 4ewel. Thosewith power and prestige would e*change eerything for someone with whom theycould e*perience the a3ectionate way of life.

E*change of a3ection "etween two people< perhaps man and woman< is possi"leonly when "oth possess the capacity. It cannot "e one+sided. 0 person capa"le ofgiing genuine a3ection will also "e a"le to receie it< for they are two parts of thesingle a"ility< 4ust as a wae adances and recedes.03ection grows naturally as we awa&en to our true nature.

An Esoteric &e'elation A+out 5o'e

5asting loe in2lls the indiidual liing from his True Self. The True Self is loe. It isimpossi"le for people liing from their authentic identities to )uarrel or hurt eachother. They do not and cannot see another person as a rial< or as a threat. Theother person is not a separate identity to "e feared> therefore< only )uietunderstanding passes "ac& and forth "etween them. There is no impulsie "ehaioror thoughtless mista&es. :5oe is infalli"le> it has no errors< for all errors are thewant of loe.; DWilliam 5aw

We may see each other as "eing indiidual in physical appearance and as "eingdi3erent in human personality< "ut we do not see others as "eing di3erent inspiritual identity. We are ne. Aust as the moon reects the same light in seeralponds< so are we the indiidual reections of the Single Supreme.

0ny e3ort of the false self toward loe is unnatural in appearance and tragic inconse)uence. 5e"anese poet and mystic< Fahlil Gi"ran< once declared that men andwomen lose the spirit of loe "ecause of their own wrong concepts a"out it. 5oe is



not what the conditioned human mind wants to "e< "ut always what it really is. 0false desire for loe to "e this or that is li&e adding paint to a rier in order to giecolor to a waterfall. 5oe must "e left alone "y the mind> it must "e permitted to "ee*actly what it is. 5oe< when left alone< glows in all its natural "eauty.

/ro"lems relating to loe will neer again cause distress< once you grasp this

esoteric secret= 5oe does not arise from the conditioned human mind. Thin&inga"out loe is not the same as &nowing loe. The mind must "rea& through its socialconditioning and enter an awareness of %eality< which is loe. Then< we rest fromconcern oer all things< including the need to hae someone to loe and someoneto loe us. %eferring to Christ6s teaching to ta&e no thought for tomorrow< 8r. /aul-runton e*plains=

He meant that we should cease worrying< cease "eing an*ious< let go of alldistur"ing thoughts< and resign all pro"lems to the erself< to the higher power. -ylogical< rational thin&ing< you may 2nd a human solution< "ut "y ceasing to thin&< "yta&ing no thought and relin)uishing your pro"lem< the higher power is then gien anopportunity to deal with it. To ta&e no thought means to still the mind> to sit andenter into real meditation. There"y the erself is gien a chance to come and ta&ethought on your "ehalf for you. D/aul -runton

We must "e li&e Aason who was promised the Golden #leece< if he would performcertain heroic tas&s. In spite of all his suspense and uncertainty< he "oldly acceptedthe challenge. ne "y one< he achieed the seemingly impossi"le< aided "y themagic s&ill of the princes edea.

So can we accept the challenges of the ystic /ath< regardless of our deep dou"tsand confusions. 0nd so can we< aided "y the magical Higher /ower< turn

impossi"ilities into liing ictories.

Truths in this chapter a+out the po$er of lo'e

.(ou can use eery human relationship to "uild a life of loe.

.We discern loe6s authentic nature "y 2rst seeing what it is not.

.5oe is a state of psychic understanding< of eleated awareness.

J.(ou are loed far more than you thin&.

K.To "e considerate of others without their &nowledge is loe in action.

L.To "e real is to "e loing.

M.ur loe+capacity deelops spontaneously as we sincerely wal& the ystic /ath.

N.Self+understanding leads to other+understanding which leads to compassion andgentleness.



O.5oe is not of the conditioned mind< "ut of the Supreme.

P.When we are fully loing we hae no cares whatsoeer.

Chapter @ - #o$ To Stop #eartache And

Su:erin"

If we want to end a distur"ing condition in our "usiness a3airs< we study thecondition. If we wish to correct a mista&e in directions< while traeling on acation<we study a map. That is e*actly what we must do with heartache and su3ering. Wemust study them 4ust as carefully as any other condition we wish to correct.

We don6t want temporary relief. We want to end it once and for all. ere relief is li&eta&ing aspirin eery day for a headache. Why not destroy the ery cause of theheadache once and for all so that daily relief is unnecessary? It can "e done.

Start with this= Wheneer you su3er from anything whatsoeer< remem"er that itcould hae "een aoided. Simply remem"er that had you understood the ystic/ath more fully< you would not hae felt that pain. This helps you to wor& withyourself today< so that tomorrow will "e serene.

What< e*actly< is su3ering?

ur pains are caused "y our wrong iewpoints toward things. The false self throwsup an imaginary picture of how it insists things should "e. 0nd eery timethis should "e clashes with what actually happens< we react painfully. The pro"lemis not what actually happens< "ut our demands that something else should happen.8on6t ta&e my word for this> e*periment for yourself.

f course< human "eings don6t li&e it when adised to gie up illusory demands forthis or that. It saddens us. 5iing in illusions gies one a false sense of alieness< sowe fear to "e without them. It is li&e feeling sad when the doctor adises us to gieup tainted food!

To repeat< pain appears wheneer a desire for a particular happening clashes withwhat actually happens. We want someone to appreciate us. When he doesn6t< weare sad. We hope for the o7ce promotion. Someone else gets it and we fall intogloom. We hope to &eep a friend. He goes away< leaing us with heartache.

The pain may "e ma4or or minor< noticea"le or su"conscious< "ut it always swells upwheneer a desire smashes against the wall of reality. This fact alone should promptthe serious see&er to thoroughly inestigate his desire and yearnings.

A ,ital Secret )or *ou

So how does pain ease? ,ot "y aoiding inolement with life< for this merely setsup a hard wall of resistance< which causes fear. 0nd not "y "uilding up lots of friendships so that if one fails we hae another. This is an attempt to 2nd security



"y attachment to others< which only creates more insecurity. :There is noconsolation e*cept in truth alone.;

So how? The entire "oo& answers this< "ut we will e*plore seeral speci2canswers.:ay we pause here for a )uestion? (ou say that su3ering is an illusion< "utit feels )uite real to me.

Su3ering is caused "y an illusion. -y liing from the illusory false self< we encounterpain. -ut when awareness of the truth dissoles the false self< who is there tosu3er? How can a non+e*istent person su3er? Try to grasp this> it is so important toyou. To repeat a preious e*ample< suppose some night you hae a dreadfulnightmare. It tortures you. -ut< when you wa&e up and see it as a nightmare< do youstill su3er? What person is there to su3er? ,one.

8r. Hu"ert -enoit presents the clearest e*planation of this that I hae eer found=

0nguish is then an illusion since its causes are illusory. -eside this theatrical

demonstration we can o"tain a practical demonstration of it= we can proe directly<intuitiely< the illusory character of anguish. It in fact at a moment at which Isu3erI shift my attention from my thin&ing to my feeling< if< leaing aside all mymental images< I apply myself to perceiing in myself the famous moral su3ering inorder to saoQuRr it and to 2nd out at last what it is+I do not succeedof su3eringitself I do not 2nd a scrap. The more I pay attention to the act of feeling<withdrawing there"y my attention from my imaginatie 2lm< the less I feel. 0nd Iproe then the unreality of anguish.

Say< for e*ample< the mind runs an imaginatie 2lm a"out some foolishness in ourpast. That stream of thought causes painful guilt and shame. So we su3er anguish.

-ut the feeling is false< "ecause it is "ased on mere thought a"out something that isnot nowhappening and which has noting to do with us right now. -ut "y permittingthe imaginatie 2lm< we also permit the illusion that it is happening now< whichcauses pain.

#o$ %ain Ma"ically Disappears

5et6s see how we can call the "lu3 of these negatie 2lms= Suppose an anonymousoice on the telephone tells you that a tiger is prowling in the "asement of yourhouse. (ou sco3< hang up< go a"out your "usiness. -ut you sense a strangeuneasiness. (our imagination runs a 2lm of a tiger prowling the "asement. %eali'ing

that what "others you is the imagination< you turn on the "asement light and loo&down. ,o tiger. (ou are relieed. (our anguish anishes. (ou wonder why you did notloo& down immediately when you felt the an*iety.

This is e*actly what happens in the psychological world. The mind unreels animaginatie 2lm which frightens us. Then< we mista&enly assume that the fright is"ased on reality< which it is not. The tiger is not really there. We hae the relief of that fact when we simply see that fact.



arcus 0urelius comes to the point= :Erase the imagination.;

If we awa&en ourseles long enough to erase the imaginatie 2lm and to search forthe pain caused "y it< what happens? agic! The pain cannot "e found. Why? Austas the awa&ening sun dissoles fog< so does our conscious awareness of pain ma&eit disappear. Try it. Feep trying. It ma&es magic.

0 collie and a wolf found themseles traeling together along the coast. Coming toa "ay< they decided to sae time "y paddling across on a log. :-y the way<; the wolf "oastfully declared as they paddled along< :I am considered an authority on thescience of the sea. Suppose we pass time discussing the tides and currents.;:Sorry<; replied the collie< :"ut when it comes to the sea I &now only one thing.;:Well< then<; the wolf spo&e up< :I am also famous around the forest for my sea+going philosophies. Suppose we meditate together upon the ocean6s "eauty andgrandeur.;:I am afraid<; the collie told his companion< :that regarding the ocean I &now onlyone thing.;0t that moment a sudden wae washed "oth traelers into the water. The wolf splashed helplessly a"out< calling for help. The collie s&illfully towed him "ac& toshore.:Too "ad<; the collie e*plained to the gasping wolf< :that we couldn6t discussscience and philosophy out there< "ut< when it somJes to the ocean< I &now onlyone thing+how to swim.;

There we hae the ery heart of the ystic /ath. ,eer mind discussion< orphilosophies< or fancy phrases. When it comes to heartache< or any other pro"lem inlife< we need do 4ust one thing+learn how to swim.

Don=t Ma0e This Mista0e

See how all this connects with the "asic techni)ue of impartial Self+"seration.Witness the passage of mental and emotional grief. Watch it pass through you. 8onot resist what you see. 8o not identify wit it< that is< do not ta&e the painful feelingas "eing part of the essential you. (ou are someone entirely di3erent. Separate thepain from the person you call :I;. this is a challenging practice at 2rst< "ut itproduces ama'ing results. (ou hae here a mystical techni)ue that changes yourlife. I assure you of this.

It is as though a man had a poc&etful of 2recrac&ers that e*ploded one after

another. If he fails to see that they are within his own system< he cannot get rid of them. -ut id he holds them at arm6s length for e*amination< the ery e*aminationtells him to toss them away.

:I don6t understand the need for "ringing our pains up to the surface of consciousawareness. Why not &eep them hidden away so that they won6t "other us?;



That is a serous mista&e made "y millions. %epressed negatiities cause innerturmoil< whether you are aware of them or not. 0 hurricane in the dar&ness of thenight is 4ust as destructie as during the day.

:(ou are saying that whateer we refuse to face consciously< we must su3er fromunconsciously?;

%ight. 0nd don6t ta&e it as a psychological assumption> ta&e it as the fact it is. 5etme show you a small "ut typical pain that is e*perienced "y many people withouttheir slightest awareness. It has to do with the painful feeling that one has missedout on opportunities in life. 0 man reads in the newspaper that a certain piece of property in his neigh"orhood that had "een worth ten+thousand dollars 2e yearsago is now worth twenty+thousand dollars. The man feels a po&e of pain. He &ic&shimself for not "uying the property> he feels li&e a fool< a failure.

:(ou are descri"ing me!; (ou can "e entirely free from such po&es of pain. It won6t ma&e any di3erence to

you whether you "ought the property or not. -ut you must start "y seeing that thepangs are actually within you. (ou cannot escape prison if you insist you are not inone.

We must see that our negatie emotions are self+induced su3ering< for that ise*actly what they are. Can we "e angry and happy at the same time? f course not.Can we "e in a mood of depression and en4oy ourseles? ,o. It is possi"le to "e on2re with worry and still hae a pleasant day? "iously not. Here is a great clue=See all negatie feelings as pointless pain. That will aid you to understand and toremoe them.

-y the way< all this is not a grim tas&. It is really a lot of fun.

The #unter

So runs my dream> "ut whatam I?

0n infant crying in thenight=0n infant crying for the

light=0nd with no language "ut acry.

+0lfred Tennyson

Tears can stop tric&ling. That is why we are wal&ing the ystic /ath. It shows ushow.

5et me introduce you to a personal term of mine I call a Higher Hint. 0 Higher Hintcomes to the person who has reached the end of his ego+endurance. He catches a



Higher Hint< a ague and mysterious feeling that he can no longer use his humanlogic and reasoning to sae himself. He dimly recogni'es the inade)uacy of hispresent self+structure. His mental supports are collapsing "eneath him.

Such a man is awa&ening to the light! Haing a"andoned the false+with fear andtrem"ling+he catches his 2rst Higher Hint of the true. He is face to face with the

greatest secret on earth+the ,ew 5ife.

0 hunter< stal&ing game in the 4ungle< fell into a deep well< a"andoned long ago "ythe naties. The "ottom of the well as shallowly coered with water from anunderground stream that entered and e*ited from opposite creices. #lounderingaround in the dim light< the hunter searched desperately around for a way out. Tohis delight he discoered seeral ines hanging down from the walls of the well.Gra""ing one< he struggled upward< "ut< a moment later< the ine snapped apart<spilling him into the water. He tried one ine after another< "ut all failed.

He stared fearfully at the single ine remaining. Should he try it or not? He reali'ed

the wae of horror that would sweep through him if he tried it and failed. ay"e< hereected< he should wait awhile< comforting himself with the thought that the inecould rescue him any time he really wanted.

,o< that was all wrong. -etter to face the fact< one way or the other. With trem"linghands he reached out< tugged on the ine. It tum"led down at his feet.1tter despair.

Then< a strange thing happened. With the loss of hope< he sensed an entirely new&ind of resourcefulness. It was something di3erent< stronger< higher than anythinghe had &nown "efore.

Then he "ecame aware of the water at his feet. It spar&ed an idea. Ta&ing some

heay mud< he plugged the creice where the water e*ited. 0s the well 2lled withwater< he rose with it to the top.

ur Higher Hint comes when we hae courage to face and a"andon our false hopes. Then< we &now e*actly what to do. Then< e3ortlessly< we rise to the top of life.

5i"hts Alon" The Mystic %ath

/eople say to me< :-ut I am trying to li"erate myself< yet nothing happens. In spiteof all my e3orts I remain as I am. Why?;

If you hae eer as&ed this )uestion< do not "e concerned. It merely means that thesee&er is still trying to grasp higher truths with the lower mind. It cannot "e done.

That is li&e trying to hear music "y reading the printed notes. 0 new sense isneeded< that ofawareness. The eeryday mind can lead to the door of the higherworld "ut it cannot enter. That is of the utmost importance to understand> it saesso much frustration. ,otice how often the ,ew Testament states that the humanmind cannot comprehend cosmic concepts.



0wareness that we are not getting anywhere+listen to this!+awareness that we arenot ma&ing progress is actual progress. It means that we hae at last seen throughour pretensions of progress< ma&ing way for the real thing.

8o not complicate your de2nition of awareness. We 4ust need to &now more a"outourseles. That is all. We 4ust need to learn more. 0nd anyone can do that.

Ta&e distress arising from mista&es. a&ing mista&es is 4ust a lac& of conscious&nowledge of ourseles. Consciousness is light. Imagine yourself wor&ing aroundyour home in total dar&ness< wit the lights out of order. (ou stum"le into furniture<use pepper instead of salt< perform aw&ward and een dangerous actions. -ut< asthe day dawns< you see "etter and act "etter. #inally< as the sun shines "right< so doall your actions. The more light of consciousness that is in your day< the smootheryour wor&< the )uieter your rest< the sunnier your smile.

Here are some lights along the way=

. ,othing is too di7cult for you to accomplish.

. The Truth teaches us what nothing else on earth can teach.

. #orget eerything "ut self+adancement.

J. The Truth will not start the wal& for you< "ut it will match eery step you ta&etoward it with a step of its own toward you.

K. If we hae not en4oyed the last hour< we hae wasted it.

L. There is another ind that thin&s for you.

M. Higher awareness is a lofty state< where you see ama'ing sights you neer saw"efore.

N. Su3ering is not an enemy. -ut a guide to correction< li&e a temperature gauge ina hot room.

O. 8on6t wor& so hard at liing your life> 4ust let it "e lied.

P. Turning the wheel of your car in the right direction< a single wise turn of thought

gies your life new direction.

The ,alue Of A Crisis To *ou

0dancement to higher understanding is always preceded "y a crisis of some &ind. The greater the crisis the greater the opportunity for self+uplifting. 5et6s ta&e ane*ample= Suppose a man pretends that he really li&es and en4oys other people. He



acts out his pseudo+fondness "y performing arious acts of &indness that arecommonly accepted as stemming from a &indly indiidual.

-ut this man is on the ystic /ath. This re)uires a strictly self+honest o"seration of how he really feels toward others. He shoc&ingly 2nds that he really doesn6t li&eother people at all. He is enious< competitie< resentful. He now sees that his

e*terior acts of &indness were only stage performances for pu"lic display.His real motie was to impress people< to persuade himself that he was &indly.

He faces a seere crisis. Why? -ecause how he has his choice of honestly facing hisself+deception< or of coering it up with rationali'ations or e*cuses< or "y simplyrefusing to loo& at it. If courageous< if wanting the truth a"oe all< he will enter thecrisis< that is< he will o"sere+as painful as it is for the time+his actual moties<which are far di3erent from what he pretended them to "e.

0t this point< a miracle occurs. Haing "rought his pretense up from thesu"conscious to the conscious leel+as shoc&ing as it is+he crashes

through. 0wareness of his pretense destroys it+and away fall all the weariness andguilt that goes with pretense.-ecause the man no longer identi2es with the stageperformer< "ecause he sees that the actor is not his True Self< he separates from it<then< he is foreer free< 4ust as an actor playing the dreadful r. Hyde separatesfrom the role to "ecome the real and compassionate 8r. Ae&yll.

8on6t thin& all this is complicated. It is really ery simple. 0 crisis of pain or su3eringshould "e alued. ,ot that such things should "e self+induced< "ut< then they come<they must "e seen as opportunities. Su3ering< when properly used< is the eryending of su3ering. 1se anguish to eliminate its own cause!

:I don6t understand. (ou say that awareness of an*iety dissoles it. I &now how

an*ious I am and still it persists.;

#eeling an*iety is not the same as awareness of it. When you merely feel an*ious <you are identi2ed with it> you are so close you can6t see it. It you close your eyesand feel a round o"4ects with your 2ngers< you may worry that it is a "om". penyour eyes and you see it is a harmless "all. 5i&ewise< as we awa&en to see things asthey really are< our pains disappear.

Frishnamurti DThe #irst and 5ast #reedom e*plains correct awareness=

0wareness is o"seration without condemnation. 0wareness "rings understanding<"ecause there is no condemnation or identi2cation "ut silent o"seration. It I want

to understand something< I must o"sere< I must not critici'e< I must not condemn<I must not pursue it as pleasure or aoid it as a non+pleasure. There must merely "ethe silent o"seration of fact. There is no end in iew "ut awareness of eerythingas it arise.

Su:erin" #as No %o$er O'er *ou



5et6s clarify our discoeries=We can either su3er from our su3ering< or we can use itto end su3ering. To a"olish anguish we must understand its nature. What issu3ering? It is a face to face encounter with something that the false self doesn6twant to face. It is resistance against the Truth< against %eality. We resist the ery

Truth that could li"erate us "ecause we don6t recogni'e it< "ecause we are still

under the delusion that falsehood is all there is.

Su3ering is nothing more than an attempt "y ,ature to help us face illusions wedon6t een suspect we har"or. Scientist 5ouis 0gassi' points out< :,ature "rings us"ac& to a"solute truth wheneer we wander.; If we learn the lesson< we lose "oththe illusion and the pain that it causes. If we resist< misery remains.

:If our plans are caused "y wrong ideas< why do we 2ght so 2ercely wheneer amystic tries to separate us from them?;

-ecause there is a temporary and frightening gap "etween the old and the new. (ou

resist leaing prison "ecause you fear that the other world may "e een worse./eople 2ght inner li"erty "ecause their prison+conditioned minds pro4ect an*iousimaginations of what the new world is li&e. -ut it is not at all the prison. (ou musthae courage to leae the pseudo+security of your prison+thin&ing. Then youe*perience the happy new.

Su3ering of itself teaches us nothing< anymore than "oarding a ship ta&es usanywhere. We must use it correctly. We must endure it long enough to call its "lu3.We must not runaway to refuge in self+pity or to high+sounding rationali'ations.Such retreats only increase the illusion that su3ering has us on the run. In spiritual"attle we defeat the enemy< not through ight "ut through standing still ling enoughto see that we hae mista&enly attri"uted power to the enemy. Su3ering has no

power oer anyone. Aust perceie this. /erceie it and you win eery time< whetherthe assault comes as loneliness< frustration< despair< whateer.

8o not thin& of su3ering as something hateful or something to escape. To do this isto miss the meaning entirely.5earn to use su3ering wisely.#or what purpose?To dissole the ery su3ering.

0s a practical illustration< suppose our distress is caused "y a cruel remar& fromsomeone. ,ow< the distress arises "ecause the remar& fell on the false self< whoseery nature is touchy< sensitie< indignant. -ut as this arti2cial self fades awaythrough psychological insight< what entity is left to su3er? If a thousand peoplethrow "lac& paint against the air< it remains clear and undistur"ed.

What A Mystic 7no$s

:(ou say we must react rightly to su3ering. What is a wrong reaction?;

When you resist it< hate it< 2ght it< try to escape it with some frantic e*terior actiity.



:Why are those reactions wrong?;

-ecause they preent you from understanding the whole process. 0nd that is whyyou su3er oer and oer again. If your car "rea&s down< do you wal& away andpretend there6s nothing wrong< or do you wor& at understanding the mechanicalfailure in order to repair it? Why not face the inner "rea&down and correct it?

1nsoled pain gradually increases.

:In what way?;

Ta&e a person who gets angry fre)uently. He 4usti2es his painful anger "y sayingthat people are rude or inconsiderate to him> therefore< he has a right to his anger.He fails to see that anger is a self+punishing feature of the ego+self< which can< if hechooses< "e dissoled. So< "y not handling his anger correctly< he creates othernegatiities that go with it< li&e guilt and tiredness.

:That is true. I see that much.;

When a man reaches a certain leel of insight< he ta&es an entirely di3erent iew of his unhappiness. He no longer resists it. He understands its alue. He sees that ashoc& or crisis is a message telling him that in some way he is liing out of harmonywith his original nature. Therefore< although shoc&ed< he studies what happened. 0shis enlightenment grows< he is less and less shoc&ed and more and more at peace.

:I will try to understand.;

Good. (ou will "e happy. -ut don6t e*pect your friends to grasp this. They are stillresisting eerything that happens to them!

Here we can add another de2nition of the true mystic=He is one who has su3ered 4ust as much as anyone< may"e a lot more< "ut he facedit s)uarely> he entered deeply into the dar& tunnel and came out on the other side.

The mystic understands the su3erer and has great compassion for him. The mystic&nows how much this man or that woman agoni'es+and he &nows the cure. -ut healso understands the tremendous resistance within the su3erer. This is why theenlightened teacher neer argues a"out spiritual matters> he sees the uselessnessof trying to persuade the understanda"le.

What is the mystic6s attitude toward those who refuse to receie the ery truth thatcould set them free? It is ery simple. He says to them silently< :When the pain"ecomes un"eara"le< when you are willing to gie up the false self< come "ac& andwe6ll tal& it oer.;

The Authentic Ans$er To Worry

What a"out that type of pain we call worry?It is totally unnecessary.



This is not a "eautiful dream. It is a fact. When you reach a certain height of wa&efulness you don6t worry a"out anything+and I mean anything.

ne of the deepest despairs of man is that he can do nothing a"out the thousandand one worries that his day dishes out. He sighs< :Well< that6s life<; neer reali'ingthat all can "e di3erent.

To 2nd the answer< we must return to the "asic fact of man6s real self and hisinented self. The false self< with all its wrong iewpoints< can do nothing to dismissworry> it can only cause it. The conditioned mind can only su"stitute a new worry foran old one< li&e a motorist slipping in a muddy 2eld from one mess to another.

5et us not "e fooled "y thoughtless thin&ing on this point. ,o man< who still liesfrom his false self< is free from worry. The only way you< or I< or anyone else 2ndsfreedom is "y e*tinguishing the false sense of :I; and liing from our authenticnature.

5et6s state the pro"lem as simply as possi"le= 0ll worry+and there are no e*ceptions+all worry springs from false notions a"out ourseles. We mista&enly thin& we must"e popular+and< when the telephone fails to ring< we worry. We assume that wemust "e wise+and< when we do some foolish thing< we fret oer our intelligence. Weinsist that e*citing things should happen to us+and< when they don6t< we feel empty.

It is utter nonsense that we must "e popular< or wise< or e*cited. We need "e onlyone thing+mature< and decent< and happy human "eings. Then< "y one of themagical features of mysticism< we are genuinely wise and e*cited in a new way.

(ou no longer ta&e an*ious thought for tomorrow. (ou are carefree and cheery. (ouwon6t &now nor care where your good comes from. 0nd for adanced students of

the ystic /ath I add this= ,ot only will you neither &now nor care where your goodcomes from "ut you won6t care whether it comes or not. (ou already hae it.

Two farmers own wells the sell of the 2rst farmer is dry. He gets water only whenrainfall 2lls it accidentally and irregularly. That farmer is insecure and apprehensie>he is at the mercy of chance. The well of the second farmer is fed naturally andconstantly "y an underground stream. That farmer is rela*ed and unworried.

When liing from our True Source< we are rela*ed and unworried.

To end heartache and su3ering

. Study su3ering scienti2cally.

. 0ll heartache is caused "y wrong iewpoints.

. We must stop running imaginatie< negatie 2lms.

J. -y "ringing anguish up to full awareness< we destroy it once and for all.



K. 5i&e the hunter in the story< you can rise to the top of life.

L. 0wareness means simply understanding ourseles. We must wor& sincerely atself+awareness.

M. %eiew the supplied 5ights 0long the ystic /ath.

N. Eery crisis of pain can "e used to ma&e future pain impossi"le.

O. 8o not resist any &ind of anguish or heartache. If we resist< we miss the erylesson it teaches.

P. Worry is non+e*istent to the adanced traeler along the ystic /ath.

Chapter - Mystical Mysteries That Chan"e *our 5ife

0uthor and mystic< /.8. uspens&y< wrote an interesting noel called the Strange5ife of Ian so&in. Ian< a young man who 2nds life intolera"le< isits a wisemagician to complain< :If only I could go "ac& through the years and start again. If only I could do things di3erently.; The magician assures him that it would not ma&ethe slightest di3erence+he would repeat the ery same mista&es. In dis"elief< Ianas&s to "e sent "ac& for a test. 0greeing< the magician sends I an "ac& tweleyears.

Ian goes through the ery same dismal e*periences. Eerything tragic thathappened "efore happens again. He is ama'ed to 2nd that< in spite of all his goodintentions< he has no power to alter the course of his life. Ian returns to themagician in complete "ewilderment to as& what it is all a"out. The magiciane*plains= #or eents to "e di3erent< Ian himself must "e di3erent. His ery inwardnature must "e transformed< made new. 0 new nature< which calls for persistentself+wor&< will set new causes into motion for him. Then< eerything will "e di3erent.

The ystic /ath leads to total transformation of our reactions toward life. Howama'ing it really is. Eerything is seen in a di3erent light. What we preiouslythought ital "ecomes triial> what we used to ignore< we now treasure. We see thatriotous social conditions need not mean distur"ance within us. We clearly reali'ethat freedom6s inner &ingdom cannot "e touched "y e*terior attac&s.

We delightedly perceie that we can truly choose to change from ictim to ictor.We can stop running so frantically through our day< for we understand that we reallydid not want to race so "reathlessly> we merely did not &now what else to do. -utnow we &now. We hae caught that 2rst magni2cent glimpse of a higher world.

We also sense the secret of continued progress= We need only refuse to accept ourpresent ision of this new World as the limit of the World.



A 5ife-Chan"in" Techni3ue

In our eeryday a3airs we clearly see the need for placing things in their right order.We &now the foundation of a home must come "efore the roof> we reali'e we musttrim the egeta"les "efore coo&ing them. The ery same principle of the+right+

order+of+things must preail in our psychic life if we are to aoid confusion andachiee success.

This single idea< faithfully understood and applied< could mar& the turning point of your life.0 man wants to "e happy. #ine. He can "e happy. -ut< if he placeshappiness as his 2rst order of "usiness< he will not 2nd it. He will 2nd temporarythrills or distractions< not a"iding contentment. He must proceed in the right order.Happiness follows a sincere e3ort at self+discoery. We cannot possi"ly "e happy< if we are strangers to ourseles. Self+understanding is the door to )uietude.

5et6s see how it goes in other areas=

Change yourself< rather than wor&ing to change others.

/lace the inner man in control of the outer.

0"andon the false "efore see&ing the true.

-e loing and you will "e loed.

0ttend to the reason you felt hurt< not to those who hurt you.

Set inner integrity "efore good wor&s.

/lace thin&ing "efore spea&ing.

-e a real person< then a social person.

1nderstand yourself< then try to &now others.

Set self+awareness "efore self+grati2cation.

8estroy negatie attitudes< not negatie conditions.

/lace small e3orts "efore great determination.

ay"e you face an une*pected and distur"ing crisis. What is the right order to meetthis crisis? 8o not attac& it directly. That only ma&es things worse. %ather<immediately connect it with eerything you &now a"out the ystic /ath. Supposeyou feel that your life is shallow< spinning in pointless circles. What does the ystic/ath say? Well< it says you feel this way only as yet "ecause you hae not returnedto your original nature. 0lso< it tells you to see& more self+&nowledge. It gently



points out that such despair is totally unnecessary. 0nd so on. 0ll this leads to theanswer+"ut it will "e entirely di3erent from what you now imagine!

%emem"er your purpose in wor&ing with the principles of the ystic /ath. (ou wanta change of "eing. 8o not practice merely to hae something to do. (our goal is anew self.

:/lease discuss the right order of things in connection with our physical appetites.We oereat> we6re o"sessed with se*.;

/hysical appetites in themseles are normal. (ou are enslaed when you place yourgrati2cation of them "efore your understanding of them. We are slaes to whateerwe don6t understand. #ood and se* are powerful stimulants. Stimulation is a craingof the false self. /eople fear that "y losing these craings they will "e left withnothing to lie for. In truth< they will hae something for which to lie for the 2rsttime.

The supreme right order was clearly presented hundreds of years ago= See& 2rst theFingdom of Heaen and all else will "e added to you.

#o$ To (e 5o'in"

We lie in a unierse goerned "y spiritual and psychological principles. We haenothing to do "ut understand and ally ourseles with them. This was the entirefoundation of the philosophy of -aruch Spino'a< a 8utch mystic.

We start "y reali'ing that our deeper self already &nows and understands. 5i&e a

powerful underground spring see&ing to "urst a"oe ground< so do life+principlessee& to "rea& through our hardened attitudes. 0s we permit the "rea&+through<things that hae pu''led us for years clear up. We see why eerything happened tous the way it did.

Ta&e the principles goerning loe "etween man and woman. The a"ility to gie loeand to receie it are e)ual. 0 man can o3er a woman genuine loe "ut< unless she ison the same leel of loe< she can neither receie nor reciprocate. We cannotreceie anything a"oe our own leel any more than we can stand on the groundand reach a peach at tree top.

There is no point whateer for an unloing man searching around for a woman to

loe him. He will meet endless frustration. In the 2rst place< he would not recogni'ea genuinely loing woman if he met one. Secondly< a loing woman would wiselysee that she and the man had noting in common. 0 loe relationship "etween twopeople of widely separated psychic leels is impossi"le. There is no attraction"etween them. 5i&e attracts li&e. 5oe can only "e attracted "y and returned "yloe.



0nother principle to "ear in mind is that the false self has no real e*istence. -ut"ecause we wrongly assume that we are this arti2cial self< we confusedly act fromit. It is as if a man put on a gorilla suit and< unthin&ingly< assumed that he really wasthe gorilla. -y thin&ing and acting from that false premise< he "ehaes aw&wardlywhereer he goes. Consciousness of his true identity ma&es the gorilla+in+man fallaway< permitting him to "ehae s&illfully. When the ystic /ath as&s us to gie up

our false sense of self< it as&s only that we gie up our aw&wardness.

5iing in harmony with uniersal principles can "e compared with playing the piano.We &now when we are following the music and we &now when we stri&e a wrongnote. We can hear the di3erence immediately. 5i&ewise< when feeling discord in ourlies< we &now we hae failed to play the cosmic composition correctly. -ut thedisharmony need to continue. We were not made for failure. We can loo& again andpractice some more. We can learn to play it rightly.

:(ou once said that mysticism is a system for mental health. I imagine a grasp of itsprinciples helps us to thin& clearly.;

We learn to see things as they really are< not as we imagine they are. #or e*ample<we must stop associating change with loss. ,otice how you fear that change willta&e things away from you? /sychologically< change is neer a loss> it is changeonly. Watch how your world "rightens as you let this idea enter your daily eents.

*our )our Golden 7eys

(es< there will "e times when we get weary. ur studies< "oo&s< and see&ings mayseem futile. E*pect it to happen> it happens to eeryone on the /ath. #or one thing<

we are goerned "y the principle of alternating e3ort+and Xrela*ation. 0 change of pace is necessary for refreshment. When tiredness or discouragement sets in< don6t"e upset. Vuietly set the "oo&s aside and hae some tea and ca&e. Hae no fear indoing this. If the intention is right< we are naturally drawn "ac& again to our studies<reied< and ready for the ne*t upward step.

0ll we need is a decision to see& the light. When that is done< all else is done for us.0 sing of deepening insight= When you see how one psychological principle connectswith another. (ou might for e*ample< see how =%esist not eil; connects with the lawof not worshiping false gods. How? When we resist something< perhaps an un&indremar&< the ery resistance implies a "elief that that remar& can harm us. We are<therefore< worshiping a false and powerless god+the un&ind remar&. ,on+resistance

calls the "lu3 and destroys the falsity.

The 2rst step through harmoni'ing with uniersal law is to hear of them. 5et mepresent four simple and "asic steps which readers found helpful in my preious"oo&< /sycho+/ictography. Called :(our #our Golden Feys to ,ew #reedom andHappiness<; they are=



. 0 sincere desire for inner change= Self+transformation "egins from the momentwe earnestly wish to "e a di3erent &ind of person.

. Contact with wor&a"le principles= We must connect ourseles fwith a source of genuine help< perhaps a "oo&< or an enlightened teacher< or with our own innerlight.

. Self+honesty= With endurance< happiness comes gradually "ut de2nitely< li&e a"lin&ing light that 2nally glows permanently.

J. /ersistence=With endurance< happiness comes gradually "ut de2natley< li&e a"lin&ing light that 2nally glows permanently.

0s we read and wor& with mystic principles found in a "oo&< we e*perience amysterious change within. What we formerly too& as attractie words and phrasesnow turns into a ery de2nite feeling. This means that we hae seen "eyond thewords> the intuitie self has "ro&en through to transform an intellectual idea into a

liing e*perience.

It is as though you attend a lecture "y a famous astronomer who tells you a"out thewonders of the moon. He e*plains its si'e< distance from the earth< and so on. (oua"sor" the facts< "ut they do not e*cite you emotionally. Then< as the lecture ends<you step outside to loo& directly at the "rilliantly yellow moon. What a di3erence"etween the words and the e*perience!

The Mystery Of Tao

ut of the East drifts that mystical fascination &nown as Tao. 0t 2rst glance< itappears too airy a philosophy for the modern man "ustling around his cash registersand space roc&ets. -ut wait a minute. 5et6s loo&. We don6t want to miss anything.

Taoism< which means The Way< was founded "y the ancient mystic< 5ao+tse. (earslater< his teachings were e*plained and e*panded "y his chief follower< Chuang+tse.

What is it? What does it hae to say to "usy people? ,o system is more to the pointthan Tao= 5ife is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. 8on6t resist them>don6t wish things were di3erent. That only creates sorrow. Go along. 5et %eality "e%eality. 5et things ow naturally forward in whateer way they li&e. -e li&e a pe""lecarried e3ortlessly along the stream of life.

Why? Why< that is the way to harmony. It is the little ego+self that ainly thin&s itcontrols nature. It doesn6t. It doesn6t need to. -ut eery time it tries< it falls andcries. How strange that we should een as& why we should not interfere with thecourse of eents. Why< that is the only road to what we really want+a)uiet garden inthe midst of a rowdy world.



Tao points out< :The snow goose need not "athe to ma&e itself white. ,either needyou do anything "ut "e yourself.;%iches? #ame? /ower? How empty. With Tao< youhae genuine wealth that neer fades away. 0nd you don6t need to shout it around.If you hae a poc&etful of gold< it is 4ust as alua"le whether others &now a"out it ornot.

:-ut<; the "ustling man protests< :We can6t 4ust drift. We must ta&e the initiatie> wemust do something.;

I can almost hear 5ao+tse6s gentle reply< :(es< I am afraid that6s your whole pro"lem. (ou are always doing something. In your an*iety to gain a goal< or reliee apressure< you do something impulsie. So you create a second pro"lem. Slow down.8on6t fear to "e without an immediate solution. 5et your receptie mind supply theanswer. It is 4ust as useless and unnatural to wor& at liing as it is to force a "all toroll downhill.

Too di3erent from the usual? 5et6s see. 8on6t resist life< says 5ao+tse. So does Christ.

See the folly of egotistical striings< urges Tao. So does the ,ew Testament< andWilliam Aames< and 0rthur Schopenhauer< and Eric& #romm< and 0l"ert Schweit'er<and Henry 8aid Thoreau+plus anyone else who has at least glimpsed the lofty life.

/eace and contentment< in spite of a noisy world. That is the simple message of Tao.,othing airy a"out that.

Try it. a&e the following e*periment for the ne*t thirty minutes= 5et life happen. 5etanything happen the way it wants< with no resistance and no o"4ection. Go a"out asif you need not thin& a"out anything. (our 2rst surprise will "e that your usualduties go on ery nicely as "efore. Secondly< you will catch a grand glimpse of thee3ortlessly owing of Tao. (ou do not carry> you are carried.

Where To )ind 5astin" 5oyalty

:(ou fre)uently say that we can lie in this rough world without getting roughed up.I really don6t see how this can "e so.;

0n illustration will help. If you ride an airplane along rough ground< you get "umped.If you y a"oe the "umps< they are still there for other people< "ut they cannot 4oltyou. (ou are carried aloft "y a new sense of self.

:-ut what if I get 4olted in the meantime?;

-e encouraged "y this principle= 0ny shoc& or tragedy< when met with self+awareness< can neer again shoc& with the same intensity and will eentuallydisappear altogether.;

:What is an e*ample of useful shoc& or tragedy?;



5oss. Wheneer a man loses something of alue he su3ers a degree of shoc&. Heshould then wor& with and rely upon the mystical principles he has a"sor"ed. Hecan then come out upon a higher leel then "efore. Eerything depends upon theright use of shoc&. %ightly used< we loosen the chains> wrongly used< they growtighter. Suppose you lose someone important to your happiness. (ou gain strength"y seeing that you were depending upon e*ternal alues which hae no

permanency. ay"e you lose popularity or power. -ecome aware that you wereusing them for a needless sense of identity. Correctly used< shoc& diminishes futureshoc&.

,otice that our human leel of liing goes from one "etrayal to another. 5oo& at it. (ou cling to youth and are "etrayed "y adancing years. (our wealth and positionthreaten to leae you at any moment. (our am"itions and your careers showtreachery "y &eeping you an*ious oer them. (our relaties and friends "etray you"y changing< or disappearing< or )uarreling.

It is not negatie to face all of this. It is tremendously positie. It means that theyearning you hae for something far "etter can now "e heeded. Haing "een"etrayed long enough on the human leel< you are ready for that lofty leel whereloyalty only e*ists.

There is a techni)ue for winning all this. Simply stated< the techni)ue is this= Wemust cease to &now so many wrong things. We must willingly let go of the anityand pride that pretends it has already won. That e*it of the false ma&es room for thetrue. 0 Su2 mystic sums up=

Sell your cleerness and "uy "ewilderment>Cleerness is mere opinion<"ewilderment is intuition.+Aalal+uddin %um

I want to tell you how enormously important all these principles are to you. I am not)uestioning your intelligence when I say that you may not as yet see howoerwhelmingly ital they are to your life. Vuietly accept the fact that you nay not<as yet< hae grasped the magni2cence of it all+though it is )uite possi"le that youhae your 2rst grand glimpse.

It is a thousand times more alua"le than anything else you now posses. Wor& tosee this. So much+so ery much more that you can imagine+depends upon it. Theseideas are not my personal opinions. They are far "eyond that. They are the erytruths that set you free.

(e Of Good Cheer

any mysteries are soled when we see that life consists of arious leels of understanding. Eeryone occupies a di3erent leel. #or one thing< we see that wefail at many things "ecause we try to claim the success of the higher leel while stilloccupying a lower one. That is li&e trying to claim the contents of an apartment onthe si*th story while actually liing on the third story. To claim the rewards of acertain leel< we must actually "e on that leel.



We will also see that on a lofty leel of liing there is no such thing as competition.n the human leel of "usiness< and politics< and male+female relations<competition e*ists. -ut higher up< there is no such thing. (ou and eeryone elsehaQeR all and eerything needed. Competition and limitation hae no meaning. 8oany of us compete for the air we "reathe? That is how it is up there.

It is urgent for us to see this= ,othing can improe until we see the lin& "etween ourpsychological leel and the things that happen to us. If we are secretly "lamingpeople or eents for our pro"lems< we miss the mar& completely. There is a humancause for eerything trou"lesome< and that cause is the ery person whoe*periences the e3ect!

#rustration occurs when we try to do without 2rst understanding. We cannotpossi"ly act successfully a"oe our own leel of insight< "ut we can wor& to raisethe leel. 1nderstanding is doing< the &ind that returns a pro2t. 8o not race aheadof your understanding> let it "e li&e a torch that goes ahead to light up the /ath foryou.

Here is a mystery to unrael= Each new upliftment must "e preceded "y a plungeinto the dar&ness< li&e a train going upward through a tunnel. Why must dar&nessand uncertainty precede our e*it into the sunlight of a higher leel? This dar&nessindicates a willingness to shed ain illusions that we already &now this or that. It is astate of honest receptiity to wisdom greater than our own. The time+honoredmystical classic<Theologia Germanica< e*plains< :0nd so his hard+won not+&nowing"ecomes his highest &nowledge.;

I we insist that we already &now what it is li&e "eyond the tunnel< we deceieourseles. What we imagine will "e "ut a counterfeit manufactured "y ourconditioned desires.

It we dare the dar&ness< we 2nd the light. When human reasoning completely failsto entice answers< they come. We cannot force ourseles to thin& clearly< "ut wecan "ecome aware that we are not in clarity. Consciousness of our confusion thenleads to a new &ind of clearness in which there is no more dou"t. It should not"other us in the slightest to suspect that there might "e something wrong with theway we thin&. To the contrary< it should e*cite us< for we are on the doorstep tofantastic discoeries.

-e of good cheer. (ou hae often as&ed yourself whether there is something a"oeand "eyond your present routine life. There is. Aust as the wind is not meant forenclosure in a room< neither are you meant for con2nement within your thoughts

and feelings. True liing is 4ust as free as the wind.

Mystical Teachin"s A+out The )uture

What proceeds from all this? Eerything for which you hae "een searching. I amnot spea&ing merely of spiritual "ene2ts< "ut of all those down+to+earth reliefseeryone wants.



What do you want for your physical health? %ela*ation from muscular tension? ,omore headaches? 0"undance of natural energy? ,o more e*haustion? %estfulSleep? (ou can hae them. Ta&e it as true that you will feel "etter and stronger.Health+power increases as you step upward to new leels.

There is a story a"out the small "oy attending a party ne*t+door to his own house.

Seeing a couple of the other children depart< he thought it was also time for him toleae. The hostess as&ed< :What6s your hurry?; He thought it oer for a moment<then yelled oer to his mother< :om< what6s my hurry?;

That story illustrates another reward+freedom from a nagging sense of an*ioushaste. ur dawning awareness leads us to as&< :What6s my hurry?; 5isteningcarefully< the answer comes< :,one at all.;

0nd we are unhappy< uneasy< strained< oppressed< and fearful we shall "e shallow.#or oer the margins of life comes a whisper< a faint call< a premonition of richerliing which we &now we are passing "y. Strained "y the ery mad pace of our daily

outer "urdens< we are further strained "y an inward uneasiness< "ecause we haehints that there is a way of life astly richer and deeper than all this hurriede*istence< a life of unhurried serenity and peace and power. It only we could slipoer into that Center?

We can slip oer into that Center. 0ny time we really choose.

0nother "ene2t connects with the future. The )uestion comes< :8oes the ystic/ath ena"le us to foresee our future< or is prophecy a fa&e?;

There is authentic prophecy "y which you can foretell your inner future. -y wor&ing

at self+transformation< you can accurately predict easy liing. 0s for outer eents<you need pay no attention to them "eyond your normally intelligent plans. Whenliing from your True Self< you hae no concern with future 2nances or friendships.

(ou truly ta&e no thought for tomorrow. The new Cause within you ma&es eerythingright without unnatural e3ort on your part.

:What does the ystic /ath tell us a"out heaen?;

Heaen is not a place> it is a lofty leel of psychic deelopment. 5oe is heaen. Sois peace< understanding< compassion< tenderness. Hell is also a psychic condition>one of ignorance and unawareness. Hatred is hell. So is anger< arrogance< 4ealousy<competitieness< and especially fear. Heaen or hell are right now+as you well &now

without me een telling you. (ou get your 2rst foot into heaen "y courageouslyfacing the fact that you presently hae none if its peace.

:I hae at least a glimpse of my own pretenses. How can I stop?;

0 small child imitates a famous soldier or great Indian chief< "ut at maturity he 2ndsno pleasure in arti2cial roles. He yearns for his real self. 0s he heads toward it< hestops playing great+man< or famous+man< or dynamic+man. Then< he loses the



torment in playing these shallow roles. Try to see that you are acting> then < thecostume falls away of itself.

#o$ To Wor0 )or *ourself %roBta+ly

/eople are pu''led oer the part they should play in transforming their lies. Theysay< :Where must I ma&e a personal e3ort and where should I "e still and receptieto the truth?;

,eer forget< receptiity is your personal e3ort. It is the whole wor&s. (ou must nottry to do anything else< for< in fact< you can6t do anything else. If we< standing indar&ness< do our part "y opening the door< the light rushes out to meet us.

%eceptiity has many interesting areas. #or e*ample< our protests and o"4ections toa truthful statement ma&e a 2ne source for self+study. ,otice how )uic& we are to

o"4ect< and deny< and argue< wheneer a new idea presents itself. We may thin&that we argue "ecause we already &now the truth< when< in fact< honest reectionreeals the opposite= we protest "ecause our arti2cialities are threatened withe*posure. This could lead to the honest insight< :Well< I6m not as sure as I thought.Here is an opportunity to crac& through my false ideas.;

0s strange as it seems< receptiity means that you don6t ta&e any"ody6s word foranything. This is mental la'iness< and what a painful price is paid. -ut refusing to "egulli"le does not mean that we "ecome cynical. It means we must test eerythingfor ourseles.

(ou often read a story or see a 2lm going li&e this= The hero sets out to accomplish

some no"le tas&< such as carrying life+saing medicine to a remote 4ungle tri"e.Eery step calls for super+heroism= his mission is "loc&ed "y 4ealous o7cials< or he isthreatened "y 4ungle storms< or he is foolishly attac&ed "y the ery naties hehopes to help. -ut he persists and wins. We admire him.

ur admiration is our awa&ened sense of no"ility. We &now that the true hero mustoften stand alone< must persist in spite of danger from foolish men< that he mustprefer integrity to popularity< goodness to applause.

The ystic /ath calls for the "raest and "est within us. 1prightness. Integrity.Honesty. #earlessness. That is all. There is nothing comple* a"out success.

a&e up your mind to go all the way. 8o not hesitate. 8o not compromise. /lace the Truth a"oe all else. 8o not "e afraid. The most helpful o"stacles are theinsurmounta"le ones.

0nd don6t apologi'e. (ou need apologi'e for nothing. (ou are a free and digni2edhuman "eing. Whether aware of it or not< you are.





:(ou are afraid.;

:afraid? %eally?;

:#ear is always a dominating di7culty of anyone separated from his original nature. Aust as thorns are natural to a cactus< so are fear and an*iety a part of the false self.-ut there is "right hope here. 8o you see it?;

:-y recoering our natural self< we lose our fears. Is that what you mean?;

:(es. 0n*iety "ecomes impossi"le.;

:That6s what I want. So< please< I6d li&e to e*plore it.;

That is what we will do in this chapter. Eeryone treading the ystic /ath must slaythe dragons of fear< "oth the surface sha&ings and the deeper dreads. #ear is notonly a terri"le foe in itself "ut leads to other negatiities< such as anger< which

Confucious descri"ed as a foremost self+destroyer.

The ery root of fear is a false sense of identity. 0ll other negatie states< li&e worryand restlessness< grow from this 4ust as sour apples spring from an unhealthy tree.an wrongly assumes that he is his name< or "ody< or possessions. -ecause of this<he fearfully 2ghts through life trying to proe that he is these things. This is utterlyfutile+as men sadly discoer eery day. -ecause they don6t see the alternatie< theycontinue the ain struggle. 0nd so you see millions of people acting gaily "ut theireyes tell )uite another story.

5iing from this false sense of identity creates thousands of fearful and self+damaging ideas toward life. #or instance< there is no more dangerous< nor

frustrating. 8octrine than that :you ought; to lie according to the dictates of aconfused society. (ou ought to do nothing of the sort. In fact< the only real life youhae is that which springs spontaneously from your own spiritual nature.

When this life is achieed< we care no longer mechanical ro"ots "ut no"le human"eings who lie as we really want to lie. ,o longer do we march dully to the "laring"ands of an authoritarian society< "ut we dance gaily to the music swelling up fromour original "eing. In that free state we are unafraid of anything or anyone+anythingor anyone.

The Treendous Disco'ery of Socrates

ne deeply rooted an*iety that must "e a"olished has "een e*pressed in thephrase< :-ut what will happen to me tomorrow?; /eople strain oer their future2nances< friendships< health< 4ust a"out eerything. They hope they will improe< orat least not worsen. -ut the hope is fearful< for they sense their lac& of control oerthe future.

0way with all this self+torture. I tell you truly that you need not hae the slightestconcern with tomorrow. 0ll is well. Een if you do not reali'e it< the fact remains. -ut



you must not try to feel this fact< for your emotions will fool you. Without inolingfeelings< simply see the fact that all is well. -y doing this< you create the legitimatedand a"iding feeling of assurance. The right order is to place fact "efore feeling.

/erhaps someone as&s< : -ut does all this apply to me as an indiidual? Can Ipersonally &now the answers?;

(ou can. (ou can certainly esta"lish yourself upon the unsha&ea"le roc& of your TrueSelf. (es< of course< the answers come to the man or woman who in)uiries with this&ind of earnestness=

I would rather have trustworthy and satisfying answers to these3uestions than all the gold of the Indie. +o know&not to believe, not tohoe, not to have faith, but to know that the universe is friendly, thatour feet are set on an intelligent ilgrimage, and there is 5ove at theheart of things this is knowledge for which I am still 3uesting and forwhich I would gladly barter, as for the earl of great rice, all other

knowledge.

It is helpful to see that those who attain the lofty life hae the same e*periences. The ystic /ath presents the same challenges+and rich rewards+to all. Eeryonemeets "aUing )uestions which seem unanswera"le. 8iscouragement and a sense of futility are common to all. -ut all who persist arrie. 5et6s e*amine the e*periencesof two enlightened men> these sere as heartening e*amples.

When Socrates reached his fortieth year< his perple*ities a"out himself reachedtheir pea&= :What is life all a"out? What is really worthwhile? Who is this person callSocrates? Is there another way to lie?

Socrates put his )uestions to men who supposedly &new the answers+ theeducators< philosophers< politicians< men of s&ill< and men in authority. Theirmuddled replies proed that they were 4ust as ignorant as he. -ut there was adi3erence. Socrates &new he was ignorant< while they< in their human conceit<perfectly "elieed in the mythical self+pictures they had of themseles as wisecounselors. So Socrates resolutely set out to do what eery psychic e*plorer mustdo+see& the truth for himself< within himself. See&ing< he found. He came up withthe declaration< :The une*amined life is not worth liing.;

Compare Socrates6 )uest with that of Count Tolstoy6s in Chapter . ,otice how theirintense integrity compelled them to see through the shallow authorities of the dayand to plunge into the mystery for themseles. Though widely separated "y

centuries< Socrates and Tolstoy reached the same tremendous conclusion= :To 2ndyourself< thin& for yourself.;

THE ST%0,GE T%1TH 0-1T %ES15TS

:I6m "oth fascinated and "aUed "y something you said the other night. (ou said wemust learn to "e completely unconcerned with the results of our social and "usiness



e3orts. f all the mystical principles you hae gien us< this is the hardest tograsp.;

The in)uirer is right. While it ta&es intensie study< no mystical truth o3ers moreenrichment. It is ital that we do not misunderstand< so let6s e*plore carefully.

5earn to "e indi3erent to the results of your e3orts in the human a3airs ofmoneyma&ing< friendships< career< and so forth.

,otice the tormenting worry oer results. Will the new friends li&e us? Can I ma&ethe sale? Will my marriage "e happy? Can I succeed at this? Concern with results is

a ma4or torture to man. oreoer< it is the ery thing that unconsciouslycauses failure.

eet "oth so+called good results and so+called "ad results with )uiet indi3erence.,either ma&es any di3erence as far as your personal happiness is concerned.

We demand a 2nancial success< or a social gain< "ecause we thin& it will ful2ll usinwardly. It won6t. It neer willYas we hae suspected all along. So+called successproides ego+e*citement< "ut neer self+ful2llment. It is 4ust as impossi"le for ane*terior result to proide inner happiness as it is for a new hat to gie us a newmind.

0 man may o"4ect< :-ut what do I hae to lie for< if not for e*citing results?; Themystic replies< :#or a"iding happiness.;

I &now. This principle goes against eerything we hae "een taught. 0ll of us areconditioned from "irth to insist< e*pect< demand+and "e an*ious. (es< this is thehuman way. -ut we are tired of it. We are on the esoteric path where eerything isdi3erent. The di3erence is the gift of cheery a"andonment for which we haealways yearned.

When we don6t hae an ego+centered demand for a particular result< we remainlight+hearted< whether the outcome is so+called good or so+called "ad. The free mandwells a"oe human good and "ad> he oats in a higher Good.

,ot that we are careless in our human a3airs. #ar from it. We are much more s&illfulin running our daily tas&s. This freedom clears the mind< turns emotions into allies.

Thin& of some plan that you desperately want to succeed. ,ow as& yourself< : How

would I feel if I didn6t care how it turned out?; See! (our peace is assured<regardless of results. That is what we are getting at.

:I am a practical "usiness e*ecutie. I don6t see how I can "e indi3erent to results inthe arena of dollars and cents. This particular idea somehow eludes me.;

:5et6s put it this way= -e 4ust as actie as you li&e in your "usiness< "ut do it to earnyour liing. ,eer for egograti2cation. Try to see the di3erence in the two. I



guarantee that you will neer again hae a "usiness headache< not een whenseere pro"lems arise. The situation may "e confused< "ut you are not.;

5ET CSIC /%I,CI/5ES W%F #% (1

:I6d li&e that. Will you please summari'e?;

:Intelligently wor& for this or that goal in your daily a3airs< "ut gie up all concernfor results. 5et whateer wants to happen to go ahead and happen. (ou &eep yourpeace when you don6t demand a certain result> for e*ample< that the customershould "uy your product< or that this person should appreciate you. Set up nodemands for anything from anyone. Grasp this tremendous principle and your lifewill neer again "e the same.;

(ou< the reader< can start right now. Try it in small matters at 2rst. 8o what you li&e<"ut leae results entirely to themseles. Call it an outcome< "ut do not la"el it aseither a good or "ad outcome. -y doing this< you wor& in harmony with mysterious

and powerful cosmic principles. ,ow< let6s discoer a practical procedure fore3ectie wor&.

er the years I hae found it a alua"le practice to select a "asic principle< reduceit to a single sentence< and reect on it for seeral days. We do this in our ystic/ath Study Groups here in 5os 0ngeles. (ou can do li&ewise with any of the hundredsof ideas in this "oo&. Select one that attracts you in particular and wor& with it. 5et6sselect three mystical principles and see how our reections might go.

/%I,CI/5E= The ystic /ath calls for courage and persistence.

( %E#5ECTI,= :I wor& daily to "ecome a stronger and more self+aware person. I

will "e neither surprised nor afraid if and when my present world of "eliefs andopinions comes tum"ling down. This is "oth good and necessary. ,ow< on thecleared space< I can "uild a new self made of wisdom and )uietude.

/%I,CI/5E= an is asleep< "ut can awa&en.

( %E#5ECTI,= :an su3ers "ecause he does not see the true nature of things. Sogreat is his sleep+hypnosis that he doesn6t een suspect that he sees eerythingthrough the screen of his own false assumptions. -ut man can wa&e up! 0ll can "echanged. There is another world. Through willingness to surrender the ego+self+notthrough strength or wisdom< "ut through willingness+he can "rea& free intospontaneous liing.;

/%I,CI/5E= We must constantly see& a clear self+understanding.

( %E#5ECTI,= :Self+clarity comes 2rst. 1nless I am clear within myself< I cannotpreent pro"lems from arising< nor can I dismiss them. I must wash away confusingemotions< li&e depression and self+pity< which ma&e self+clarity impossi"le. How canwe see things clearly when our eyes are full of tears?;



THE WI,,I,G W0(

ne permanent enrichment gien "y uniersal principles is a e*i"ility that ena"lesus to meet and handle any situation. If it is unwanted ha"it< it falls away. If it is afamily crisis< we remain in calm command.

0 person liing from his false self cannot do this. He reacts rigidly and mechanicallyto eerything. He has no choice> he must o"ey the tyrannical dictates of thearti2cial self< which leads to distress and disaster. This e*plains the repeated failureof the person who ows not to lose his temper anymore and to "e nicer to others.

The false self cannot "e anything "ut negatie. :It is foolish to "e surprised whenthe 2g tree produces 2gs.; Darcus 0urelius

0 rigid man is li&e a lecturer who writes out ten speechless "ut is satis2ed only withthe last one. Since he carelessly carries the nine 4um"led ersions with him as hefaces his audience< he fum"les around< read the wrong notes< forgets what he wantsto say< and so on. He is em"arrassed and distressed< all "ecause he is still

connected with the faulty material of the past. (et< he can use his intelligence sothat this won6t happen again. He can toss out the wrong notes. Then he can spea&accurately and easily.

So can we< "y dismissing the false ideas we hae collected oer the years< "e freeand e*i"le.

ne useless idea is that a mere discussion of our faults< that is< merely tal&ing a"outthem< does any good. Self+confession must "e accompanied "y self+insight. Withoutinsight< tal& "ecomes an endless procession of wrongdoing and confession<mis"ehaing and admitting. Genuine confession represents and honest"rea&through into ourseles. When that happens< there is less and less of

wrongdoing and< )uite naturally< less pain in the form of reactions. The ,ew Testament term metanoia< sometimes translated as :repentance<; means :changeof mid.; That is what we gain as we see into ourseles. We e*perience genuinechange of mind< a new &ind of mind< one that is e*i"le< wise< unafraid< one capa"leof sering our true interests.

0nother false notion to dismiss is that we are threatened "y our past follies. 5isten!nce we determine to 2nd ourseles< past e*periences turn to pro2t. This includeseerything unhappy< sinful< shameful< childish< impulsie< regretful. How? ne wayto &now this is "y contrasting what we used to "e and what we are changing into.,othing is more encouraging than to see ourseles actually changing our erynature.

In addition< past eents help us to see a "asic lesson of the ystic path= Human follyis done while in a state of non awareness< of psychic hypnosis. This encourages usto "ecome more awa&e< for we see that wa&efulness is the true and only answer tohuman folly. #inally< we see that we can "ecome entirely free of guilt and shamestemming from past "ehaior. We reali'e that it was not done "y the True Self< "ut"y the arti2cial self+which is now fading out. Who needs a candle in the sunlight?



#E0% H0S , /WE% WH0TSE$E%

#ear toward something gies that something false power oer you. The chainswhich appear to enslae us are made of paper. That is what we must see. #ore*ample< the )uestion comes=

:(ou often repeat that we must see things as they really are< not as we imaginethem. ay we hae an e*ample of this from eeryday life?;

Ta&e a man in middle age or older who suddenly sees that his "usiness a3airs haefailed< or are only mediocre. His friends are much more successful or are alreadyretired on comforta"le pensions. The thought 2lls him with despair. He feelscheated. That man could change eerything in a win&. He need only see things asthey are in reality> that is< it ma&es no di3erence whatsoeer to his own happinesswhether he succeeds or not. It neer did ma&e any di3erence< "ut he is tillhypnoti'ed "y deluded society with all its stupid praise of what it calls success.Incidentally< that man6s more successful friends are not nearly as happy as they

pretend.;

To destroy the false power of fear< a man can start with his human relationships. Hecan "rea& the paper chains looped around him "y society. He can refuse to cringe"efore the cruel and the domineering and daringly pursue his true indiiduality. If%alph Waldo Emerson had not penned anything "ut the following< he would haeleft man&ind with a resounding "attle cry of freedom=

:Society eerywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of eery one of itsmem"ers Self+reliance is its aersionIt loes not realities and creators< "utnames and customs He who would gather immortal palms must not "e hindered"y the name of goodness< "ut must e*plore if it "e goodness. ,othing is at last

sacred "ut the integrity of your own mind.; DSelf+%eliance

We might add= ,othing is at last no"le "ut a human "eing whose mind is free offear.

:There is a particular area of social relation that is seldom discussed as it needs to"e. I6m spea&ing of the fear that people hae toward each other. Will you commenton this?;

:(ou must neer inwardly consent to a fear relationship with another person. Een if you must lie with him or her< you must refuse to "e afraid. The techni)ues of theystic /ath will help you detach yourself.;

:What do you mean "y a fear relationship?;

:Where you are not fully at ease. There can "e no loe or understanding if you areuneasy toward another. It is necessary that you "ecome aware of your an*ietytoward him or her. This leads to other insights which gradually set you free.;

:Why are we afraid of others?;



:-ecause we want something from them. The desire can "e almost anything+companionship< approal< se*< security. This mista&e is this= ,ot haing found the

True Self which is free from compulsie desires< we see& grati2cation from people. This creates fear that we won6t get what we want< or an*iety that the other personwill ma&e us pay dearly for it. 0ll this terri"le torture which you must refuse toendure any longer. With your new insight< all your human relationships are

carefree.;

THE 1,S105 GE%GE G1%AIE##

5et6s meet a modern mystic with some uni)uely e*citing ideas a"out escape frompsychic prison= George Gurd4ie3. Though his early life is eiled in mystery< Gurd4ie3was pro"a"ly "orn in 0le*andropal< in 0sia inor< a"out NM. This remar&a"le andoften controersial man spent a do'en years roaming a"out the East in search ofesoteric teachings. He returned with a tremendous wealth of wisdom for theWestern world.

Gurd4ie3 summari'ed the pro"lem= an&ind is asleep "ut doesn6t &now it. So deepis his hypnotic slum"er that he does his daily wal&ing and tal&ing< his legislating andmarrying in a state of unconsciousness. 0ctually< the acts are the mechanical actsof hypnoti'ed people. 0nd that< Gurd4ie3 declares< is the simple reason why theworld goes from one disaster to another= :Would;< he as&s< :a conscious human"eing destroy himself through war< and crime< and )uarrels? ,o< man simply &nowsnot what he does to himself;.

Hopeless? ,ot at all. Gurd4ie3 has supreme optimism. It is the only worthwhile &indof optimism+that "ased on a personal e*perience of li"eration. :(ou can;< heannounces< :wa&e up. (ou can turn from a mechanical man into a true indiidualistwho runs his own life. (es< while here on earth you can "e a perfectly conscious and

happy person. 5oe< Intelligence< peace will no longer "e mere words or theories+they will "e you.;

How? Aust "e honest with yourself. That opens the door. Try to see the di3erence"etween the person you imagine you are and how you actually are. h< it mightshoc& a "it at 2rst< "ut neer mind. (ou are doing what the mass of men neer dareto do= start the process of inner change of "eing.

ne day during World War I< Gurd4ie3 and a news paper reporter name /.8.uspens&y met in a small cafZ to tal& things oer. It was a momentous meeting oftwo great minds. upens&y "ecame Gurd4ie36s chief disciple and reporter. -etweenthe two of them< an intriguing and practical system for self+awa&ening came forth.

ne of their "asic principles e*plains the many and aried I6s in man. Theunawa&ened man is not a uni2ed person. He has do'ens of seles within him< eachfalsely calling itself I. any philosophers< including George Santayana and 8aidHume< hae also o"sered how a person switches constantly from one I to another<"ut Gurd4ie3 and uspens&y spo&e with the most clarity on the su"4ect.

The many I6s within a man e*plains many mysteries a"out human nature. #ore*ample< a man decides to gie up an undesira"le ha"it< "ut the ne*t day he



repeats it again. Why? -ecause another I has ta&en oer< one that li&es the ha"itand has no intention of giing it up. r perhaps a woman decides to )uit foolingaround with her life> she determines to 2nd her real self. She reads a "oo& or twoand goes to a few lectures. Then< suddenly< she loses all interest and goes "ac& toher self+defeating "ehaior. What happened? 0n entirely di3erent I< one that doesn6twant her to wa&e up< too& charge.

Gurd4ie3 proides a simple solution to this contradictory condition= -ecome aware of the many I6s. Watch how one ta&es oer and then another. 0lso< see that they donot represent the true you< "ut consist of "orrowed opinions and imitatediewpoints. Such Self+"seration wea&ens their grip> you eentually 2nd your %ealI. That is the ,ew -irth proclaimed "y esoteric Christianity.

GI$E S/ECI05 0TTE,TI, T THIS I8E0

5et6s see how an*iety connects with a particular desire within a man= the desire fore*citement< thrills< and emotional sensations.

There greater an indiiduals6s enslaement to thrills< the more he su3ers from anunsatisfying and unsta"le life. 1nhealthy desires can neer "e satis2ed> they are"ottomless "as&et. We escape our compulsie appetites only when we see them assuch. It is a sure sign of escape from the psychic torture cham"er when we feel lessand less compelled to see& arti2cial stimulations.

In your practice of Self+"seration< notice how uncomforta"le it is to "e withoute*citement< to hae nothing happening. ,otice how you are always doingsomething in order to &eep the mind and "ody in motion. We are afraid of coming toa stop< of "eing empty< of not feeling anything. This fear is "ased on the illusion thatwithout these e*citements we would cease to e*ist. We cannot imagine who we

would "e if we did not identify ourseles with agitation. (es< we actually fear that wewould cease to e*it. 0nd this is right> the counterfeit self would cease to e*ist Xwhich is the ery thing that gies you genuine e*istence< real 4oy< permanent peace.

What to do? %efuse to accept emotional e*citement as happiness. It is nothappiness. It is emotional e*citement> it is a counterfeit that "etrays you. Highemotional ights must always crash.

,o< do not thin& that lac& of arti2cial stimulation means "oredom. It means thee*act opposite. If only you will wor& to see this! -oredom is the crash from the highight. This freedom means the fading of "oredom and the appearance of authenticinspiration.

I &now that this point "others a lot of people> it is fre)uently mentioned at mylectures so I want to repeat= 8o not assume that the a"andonment of inentedthrills will ta&e all the fun out of life. It puts lasting fun into your life< may"e for theery 2rst time. If you really mean "usiness< you are in for the time of your life. (ouare em"ar&ing upon the greatest adenture any man has eer e*perienced.



%eal e*citement? (ou hae no idea how e*citing it is to o"sere the gradual "utde2nite appearance of your real self.

Watch narrowly The demonstration of a truth< it6s "irth<0nd you trace "ac& the eUuence to its spring

0nd source within us> where "roods radiance ast + %o"ert -rowning /aracelsus

The only enduring thrill comes with the awa&ening of our intuitie self. ,othing elseeer has or eer will satisfy. We need only e*amine our present lies to see that thisis so. We always pay a dreadful price when we try to induce feelings of alienessthrough ego+directed actiities.

We are not spea&ing< of course< of the normal pleasures of good

T#E %EACE)15 ,A55E*

%ecall a ital point for ma&ing swift progress= We must read and hear theseprinciples with our intuitie self< not with our rigid intellecets. %eading mysticalfacts with a conditioned mind is li&e reading a sentence "ac&wards [ we get words<"ut no meaning. eaning comes from within. 0nd meaning is within eeryone<including you< the reader. There is a momentous mystical truth which reliees youof all an*iety= (ou are not your conditioned thoughts. 8o you see the signi2cance of this? Stop and consider. (ou are tense oer a family crisis. Where is the tension? The only place it can "e [ within your own mind. (ou are e*hausted oer a2nancial pro"lem. 5oo&< now< where did the tirdness originate? ,ot in the pro"lemitself< "ut within your an*ious thoughts toward it.8o not identify with your thoughts. do not thin& you are your an*ious thoughts. (ou are not. (ou are entirely separate. See your thoughts as a passing stream which you merely o"sere> don@t 4ump into

that stream and get carried away. We must reach the place where we actually seethat we don@t &now what we are doing with our lies. We must recogni'e that wedon@t &now where we are going [ and neer hae! This must "e done withoutan*iety and without emotion< 4ust as we might recogni'e that we too& a wrong turno the highway. We must see that our human opions are worthless for us. When thishappens< we are on the edge of a monumental discoery. \-ut shouldn@t we haeour personal opinions a"out who we are and where we are going?\ \Why shouldyou hae opinions a"out anything whatsoeer? Why not see& the facts? pinionsand theories are li&e riding a merry[go[round= you hae an illusion that you aregoing somewhere. /eople adopt opinions in an attempt to feel secure< "ut theyproide nothing "ut nerousness. Instead of coering up human sha&iness with ashallow theory< why not let the facts e*pose and destroy it?\ \How do we 2nd

facts?\

\8are to lie without opinions. 0t 2rst< you feel 4ittery< li&e an inalid a"andoninghis cane< "ut< later< )uitness sets in. The test of whether you really see a fact a"outlife is this? When clearly seen< you feel a great sense of relief.\

It is as if a party of traelers in a stormy country decide to scale a high mountainto see whether the other side has a peaceful alley. Each man< in turn< tries toclim" to the pea&< "ut failing< supplies his pest theory for failure. ne pessimistic



hi&er guesses that it is pro"a"ly 4ust as stormy on the other side. 0 scholar with lotsof "oo&[ &nowledge deliers a long and "oring lecture< which says nothing. Thethird man la'ily sits "ac& and gulli"ly swallows anything the other say.

-ut a fouth traeler is practical. He has no use for mere theories. He wants to 2ndout for himself. So he courageously clim"s all the way to the top. His reward is the

fact itself [ their is a peaceful alley on the other side.

CH0/TE% S10%( # S1CCESS#15 I8E0S

. #ear is totally unnecessary.

.0s we dissole fear< we lie as we really want to lie.

.The only solution to inner tension is contact with the inner self.

J.5et no one thin& for you. Thin& for yourself always.

K.Hae no concern whatsoeer for results.

L.0s outlined< let cosmic principles wor& for you.

M. #ear has no power at all. See this for yourself "y refusing a fear relationship withanyone.

N.It is impossi"le for a uni2ed person to "e an*ious.

O. 8on@t accept emotional thrills as genuine happiness.

P. %egardless of e*terior disorder< you can "e inwardly carefree.

C#A%TE& T#E M*STIC %AT# TO 5ASTING#A%%INESS

What is the "rand of happiness e*perienced "y most men and women? -uddahillustrated the sad state of a3airs with a remar&a"le enlightening story= 0 traelerwas passing through the forest when he was sighted and pursued "y a tiger. Heed frantically away until stopped "y a cli3. Spying a ine hanging down its side< helowered himself downward. -ut the ine was to short for him to reach the ground.

Aust then he saw another tiger "elow [ what could "e worse? Hanging there< theman saw a luscious loo&ing straw"erry growing on the side of the cli3. %eachingout< he too& the straw"erry "etween his 2ngers< "it into its aor< and happilye*claimed< How delicious!\ That is how it is with most people. Caught "etween thetigers of fear and despair< they 2nd a distracting straw"erry [[[ a new e*citement<more money< social success [ and call it happiness. It need not "e li&e that at all. We can get rid f the tigers. Then we can truly en4oy whateer straw"erries lifeo3ers. We must see what happiness is not. It is not e*terior actiity< that ismerely a distraction from inner unhappiness. What< then< is happiness? The



answer is not comple*. Happiness is simply a state of inner freedom. #reedom fromwhat? With a "it of self insight< eery indiidual can answer that )uestion forhimself. It is freedom from the secret angers and an*ieties we tell no one a"out. Itis freedom from fear of "eing unappreciated and ignored< from muddled thin&ingthat dries us to compulsie actions< and later< to regrets. It is freedom from painfulcraings that deceie us into thin&ing that our attainment of his person or of that

circumstance will ma&e eerything right. Happiness is li"erty from eerything thatma&es us unhappy. Happiness is formless> it cannot "e 2tted into the frame of ourdemands. We insist upon this wife or hus"and< this career or achieement< thishome< this security< e*citement< or distraction. Een if we get our demands< we areno happier than "efore> we hae merely coered our unhappiness. It is still there<and it will ineita"ly show itself when change occurs. We must "rea& the framealtogether and 4ust let life happen> then we enter an ama'ing new world whosee*istence we neer "efore suspected.

\#or a happy life is 4oy in the truth.\ 0ugustine Vuietly )uestions eery idea youhae a"out yourself. 0s&< \It is possi"le that I am an entirely di3erent person than Iimagine I am? \Suspect that it might "e so. -y doing this< you set a miracle inmotion. It is an e*traordinary e*perience of awa&ening to newness. (ou get adi3erent feeling toward yourself. (ou cannot de2ne it< nor need you try. -ut howde2nite is this 2rst faint stirring of something else! If you dip only a single 2ngerinto a great rier< you feel its power ow at once. That is how it comes to us.

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Mystic path to cosmic power.docx