beacon of light for the all the western seekers
path of the masters
The book is available for download
This book is now well known to the West and is almost a classic on Sant Mat in English. In fact, it has been instrumental in guiding many seekers to the path of the Masters.
Dr. Johnson was a man of many parts, and besides being a distinguished surgeon, was also an artiest, scholar, pilot and an ordained minister of the church, and had been in India before, as a missionary.
He could not, however, rest satisfied with orthodox religion and church dogmas. His soul longed for truth and firsthand experience. He felt keenly that no departed intelligence, however great could be a substitute for a living teacher. But where was one to be found?
His quest was soon rewarded, and the guiding forces brought him to the feet of the Great Master, whose picture adorns the first of this book. At his feet this apt pupil imbibed the principles of Sant Mat at firsthand, and under his supervision and guidance he practiced devotion and meditation; and this spiritual intercourse went on uninterruptedly thenceforth.
Though he was the recipient of considerable attention and grace, he did not accept things blindly and would quite often say, with half-suppressed smile, to his satsangi friends in private conversation, “I am from Missouri.” And herein lies the great value of the book.
Being a man of strong conviction and penetrating judgement, he has expressed himself rather strongly here and there, but it is all in good faith. True to his profession, he has not hesitated to carry on the operation simply to spare the feelings of the patient. Had he lived longer, he might have softened some of his expressions, but he was destined to leave this world while the book was yet in the press.
The Great Master, who inspired this book is no more, and his successor, Sardar Bahadur Jagat Singh Maharaj, has also joined him on the other side after finishing his work. The steady demand for the book, however, continues and has ncessitated a new edition. The present Master, Maharaj Charan Singh, perhaps on account of my previous associations with the learned author, has kindly entrusted to the undersigned the duty of revising and editing the book where necessary, before sending it to the press. In doing this, while I have taken note of the suggestions and criticisms, my aim has been not to mar the character and main trend of the book. May it continue to serve as a beacon of light to all those struggling on the Path!
Grateful acknowledgements are due to Mrs. Madelene Mutter for kindly correcting grammatical and typographical errors; to Mr. Harvey H. Myers, Col C. W. Sanders and Dr. Pierre Schmidt for several corrections and useful suggestions; to Mr. and Mrs. P. Fripp, who happened to be visiting Dera at this time, for the considerable pains they took in revising and correcting the Index and for their help in going through the prrofs; and last, but not the least, to Shri R. D. Ahluwalia and Rai Sahib Munshi Ram for kindly going through the manuscript with me and helping me in the difficult task of editing the book.
Jagmohan Lal
Excerpts
Human Science is peripheric and essentially centrifugal; it makes a study of the visible part of the sensible world, the surface upon which - so to speak - thought reflects itself upon itself. Spiritual science is, on the contrary, essentially centripetal; it, studies the internal thought from internal planes, thence to deeper and deeper ones, approaching nearer and nearer the Absolute from which all life proceeds and which is the one and the only reality.
We wander from the cradle to the tomb, yet know not our true destination, which is not the tomb but rather the discovery of our 'super-self'.
Only by bitter experience can man learn the folly of fratricidal strife.
The supreme will must prevail in world affairs. We need not worry. The whole world cannot go to the devil, because the infinite one is guiding its destiny.
They know not their true inheritance.
That mind and spirit play a vital part in every manifestation of life upon this planet is, of course, not yet known to physical science. But it is well known to the Masters.
Science will eventually be obliged to recognize that spirit is the supreme force in nature, as well as the immortal spark in man himself. When science becomes vitalized by spirit, the age of true science will dawn.