Engage, therefore, in holy meditation ;
Master. The purified heart is not stained by desire ;
Search thy heart with the searching of Truth,
The upright mind is not impelled by passion ;
And cast out therefrom all that is of self.
And in the blameless life there is no thought of self.
Disciple. What is of self ?
Search thy heart, and follow Truth ;
Master. Desire and passion and egotism.
Put away the self of desire and passion and
From desire and passion and egotism springs self - egotism,
delusion ;
Deny, overcome, and abandon it ;
And self-delusion is the obscuration of Truth.
Let no vestige of it remain with thee,
Renounce desire ;
For it is the author of all confusion,
Overcome passion ;
The source of all affliction,
Put away egotism,
The spring of pain and sorrow and unrest.
Then will delusion be dispelled, and all thy doubts Rest thou in me.
will vanish.
Disciple. Thou hast pointed out to me the way of
Disciple. O Master ! great is the task which thou
Truth,
hast set before me,
Even the holy way of selfishness.
Laborious the work which thou commandest me to That way will I walk ;
do,
My resolution, O Master of Truth ! is fixed in thee.
Steep and strange the way of renunciation which
I will put away desire, and will cling to thee ;
thou hast pointed out to me.
I will be deaf to the voices of passion, and will
Desire is deeply rooted in my nature,
listen only to thy voice ;
And passion binds me fast to earthly things,
I will not seek my own, but will obey the holy Law.
Yea, desire and passion are my very self ;
Lo ! I have put my feet upon thy way.
Must I renounce myself ?
Lead thou thy servant unto light and peace.
Must I yield up that which seems so sweet ?
Master. Thou hast entered, O disciple ! the path of
All men long to preserve the self ;
righteousness;
They pray for its eternal preservation and
Thy feet are set upon the way of wisdom ;
possession,
Thou shalt comprehend my Law,
And must I let it perish ?
The light of knowledge shall illumine thee.
Master. Thou must, for thou hast vowed to follow And I will guide thy footfalls unto peace.
me.
Disciple. Yea, I have vowed, and I will follow thee. 3. Of Discipline and Purification Master. Seest thou how all men suffer ?
Disciple. I am in sorrow, O Master!
This is because they long to preserve the self;
My feet are weary, and darkness is closing around
This is because they labour for its eternal
me ;
preservation and possession.
Desert me not, but come now to my assistance !
In desire and egotism and passion are turmoil and My desires are strong, and they cry out for their unrest,
habitual pleasures ;
In me alone is peace ;
My passions are violent, and overwhelm me with
Weary and pain - stricken is the world because it
their strength ;
knows not me ;
And the voices of my false opinions weary me with Before thou canst behold the full glory of Truth, their demands.
All thy impurities must be purged away,
