Commentary on The Light on the Path By Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater Talks on the Path of Occultism - Vol. III THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE Adyar, Chennai 600 020, India • Wheaton, 111, USA First Edition 1926 1 Table of Contents Part I Light On The Path........................................................................................................ 6 Chapter 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 6 Talks on the Path of Occultism.......................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2 The Four Preliminary Statements........................................................................ 13 “Before the eyes can see they must be incapable of tears”.............................................. 13 The Four Preliminary Statements .................................................................................... 14 “Before the ear can hear it must have lost its sensitiveness.”.......................................... 19 Before the voice can speak in the presence of the Masters it must have lost the power to wound............................................................................................................................... 20 Before the soul can stand in the presence of the Masters its feet must be washed in the blood of the heart. ............................................................................................................ 21 Chapter 3 The First Rule Kill Out........................................................................................ 24 I. Kill out ambition........................................................................................................... 27 Work as those work who are ambitious........................................................................... 35 Chapter 4 Rules 2 To 4 ........................................................................................................ 44 2. Kill out desire of life.................................................................................................... 44 Respect life as those do who desire it.......................................................................... 44 Talks on the Path of Occultism.................................................................................... 47 3. Kill out desire of comfort............................................................................................. 49 Be happy as those are who live for happiness. ............................................................ 49 Chapter 5 Rules 5 To 8 ........................................................................................................ 59 5. Kill out all sense of separateness. ................................................................................ 59 6. Kill out desire for sensation. ........................................................................................ 70 7. Kill oat the hunger for growth. .................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 6 RULES 9 TO 12 ............................................................................................ 76 9. Desire only that which is within you. .......................................................................... 76 10. Desire only that which is beyond you........................................................................ 78 11. Desire only that which is unattainable..................................................................... 79 CHAPTER 7 RULES 13 TO 16 .......................................................................................... 81 13. Desire power ardently.............................................................................................. 81 14. Desire peace fervently................................................................................................ 86 15. Desire possessions above all.................................................................................... 90 CHAPTER 8 RULES 17 TO 19 .......................................................................................... 93 17. Seek out the way. ..................................................................................................... 93 18. Seek the way by retreating within.............................................................................. 98 19. Seek the way by advancing boldly without. .............................................................. 98 Chapter 9 Rule 20 .............................................................................................................. 101 The followers of the Buddha often asked: ..................................................................... 115 A.B.—The Master Hilarion adds the following note to Rule 20................................... 116 Chapter 11 Rule 21 ............................................................................................................ 126 21. Look for the flower to bloom in the silence that follows the storm: not till then. ... 126 We come now to the Master Hilarion's note on Rule 21. .............................................. 128 2 Part Ii Light On The Path................................................................................................... 147 Chapter 1 The Preliminary Comment................................................................................ 147 Chapter 2 Rules 1 To 4 ...................................................................................................... 161 3. Take his orders for battle, and obey them................................................................ 168 Chapter 3 Rules 5 To 8 ...................................................................................................... 169 Chapter 6 Rules 14 To 21 .................................................................................................. 214 INDEX PAGE.................................................................................................................... 224 3 CONTENTS PAGE FOREWORD V LIGHT ON THE PATH: PART I 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 3 2 The Four Preliminary Statements 17 3 The First Rule 40 4 Rules 2 to 4 81 5 Rules 5 to 8 114 6 Rules 9 to 12 151 7 Rules 13 to 16 160 8 Rules 17 to 19 185 9 Rule 20 201 10 The Note on Rule 20 234 11 Rule 21 255 LIGHT ON THE PATH: PART II 1 The Preliminary Comment 303 2 Rules 1 to 4 332 3 Rules 5 to 8 347 4 Rules 9 to 12 378 5 Rule 13 416 6 Rules 14 to 21 433 Index 457 FOREWORD 4 THIS book is merely a record of talks by Mr. C. W. Leadbeater and myself on three famous books—books small in size but great in contents. We both hope that they will prove useful to aspirants, and even to those above that stage, since the talkers were older than the listeners, and had more experience in the life of discipleship. The talks were not given at one place only; we chatted to our friends at different times and places, chiefly at Adyar, London and Sydney. A vast quantity of notes were taken by the listeners. All that were available of these were collected and arranged. They were then condensed, and repetitions were eliminated. Unhappily there were found to be very few1 notes on The Voice of the Silence, Fragment I, so we have utilized notes made at a class held by our good colleague, Mr. Ernest Wood, in Sydney, and incorporated these into Bishop Leadbeater's talks in that section. No notes of my own talks on this book were available; though I have spoken much upon it, those talks are not recoverable. May this book help some of our younger brothers to understand more of these priceless teachings. The more they are studied and lived, the more will be found in them. ANNIE BESANT 5 Part I Light On The Path Chapter 1 Introduction A.B.—Light on the Path is one of a number of different occult treatises which are in the care of the great Teachers and are used in the instruction of disciples. It is a part of The Book of the Golden Precepts, which contains many treatises which were written in different ages of the world, but have one characteristic in common, that they contain occult truth, and have therefore to be studied in a different way from ordinary books. The understanding of these treatises depends upon the capacity of the reader, and when any one of them is published to the world only distorted views of its teaching will be acquired, if it is taken literally. Definitely intended for the quickening of the evolution of those who are on the Path, this book puts forward ideals which people of the world are rarely prepared to accept. Only as far as a man is able and willing to live the teaching, will he be able to understand it. If he does not practise it, it will remain a sealed book to him. Any effort to live it will throw light upon it; but if the reader makes no effort, he will not only gain very little, but he will turn against the book and say that it is useless. Talks on the Path of Occultism This treatise falls naturally into certain divisions. It was given to the Western world by the Master Hilarion, one of the great Teachers belonging to the White Lodge —a Master who played a great part in the Gnostic and Neoplatonic movements, one of the great persons who made attempts to keep Christianity alive. His incarnations have run very much in Greece and Rome, and he takes special interest in guiding the evolution of the Western world. He obtained the book as we have it, without the notes, from the Venetian Master, one of the great Teachers whom H.P.B. spoke