The way is dark and difficult to follow ;
The delusions dispelled,
Shed upon me, O Master ! the light of thy
And thy mind fortified with endurance.
knowledge,
Though darkness surroundeth thee,
Comfort me with the balm of thy instruction.
Though temptation assaileth thee on every hand,
Master. Thy sorrow, O disciple ! is of the self ;
Though thou art sore distressed, and seest not
In me there is no sorrow.
before thee,
The darkness which surrounds thee is the shadow Yet relax not thy faith in Truth ;
cast by the self ;
Forget not that Truth is eternally supreme,
There is no darkness in me.
Remember that I, the Lord of Truth, am watching
Truth is serene and sorrowless ;
over thee.
There is no weeping and weariness and lamentation Disciple. Great is my faith in Truth ; in Truth.
And I will not forget, but will remember thee.
Even now, though thou seest it not, my light is
Master. Walking faithfully the path of discipline
shining on thy pathway ;
and purification,
But thou seest only the dark illusions of thy
Not forsaking and abandoning it,
worldly self ;
And not longing to enjoy the pleasures which thou
Press forward, and think only of Truth ;
hast left behind thee,
Look not behind thee, nor let thy mind swerve from Thou wilt learn those things which are necessary thy holy resolution ;
for thee ;
Great is the conquest Which thou hast entered
Thou wilt learn of the nature of sin and the
upon, Even the mighty conquest of thy self;
meaning of temptation ;
Be faithful, and thou shalt overcome.
Of suffering and sorrow, and their cause and cure;
Disciple. Lead me, O Master ! for my darkness is Of the fleeting nature of thy self, and its pleasures ; very great ;
Of the permanence of Truth and its abiding peace ;
Clouds of selfish thoughts envelop me,
Of what are the marks of ignorance, and what
And the enemies within my mind assail me
constitutes knowledge ;
continually ;
Of what makes evil and what is eternally good;
In the snares of my own making my feet are
Of the painfullness of self and the bliss of Truth
caught,
wilt thou learn,
And when I think to walk firmly I stumble and fall Thou wilt also learn of illusion and Reality.
;
Be faithful and endure, and I will teach thee all
Yea, my falls are many and grievous, and my
things.
wounds frequent and sore.
Disciple. I will not turn my face from thee,
Will the darkness lift, O Master ?
Nor will I desert thy holy Way.
Will trial end in victory ?
Master. Hear me again, O disciple !
And will there be an end to my many sorrows?
Walking faithfully the path of discipline and
Master. When thy heart is pure, the darkness will
purification,
disappear ;
Not abandoning it, but submitting to its austerities,
When thy mind is freed from passion, thou wilt
Thou wilt acquire the three lesser powers of
reach the end of trial,
discipleship;
And when the thought of self - preservation is
Thou wilt also receive the three greater powers ;
