THE SEVEN PORTALS
shadow moveth, creeping like the stretching serpent coils
.. . lt grows, swells out, and disappears in Darkness.”
In this passage a definite vision is presented to the Lanoo.
This can be done by an Adept, and sometimes it is a useful
method.
9. It is the shadow of thyself outside the PATH, cast on
the darkness of thy sins.
This charming poetic image should not be taken literally.
10. “Yea, Lord; I see the PATH; its foot in mire, its sum-
mit lost in glorious light Nirvanic. And now I see the ever-
narrowing Portals on the hard and thorny way to Gnydana.”
This continues a vision which resembles, only too pain-
fully, the coloured prints of the Broad and Narrow Ways so
familiar to those unfortunates whose business takes them
through Paternoster Row.
11. Thou seest well, Lanoo. These Portals lead the aspi-
rant across the waters on “to the other shore.” Each Portal
hath a golden key that openeth its gate; and these keys are:
The expression “the other shore” is particularly unfortu-
nate, owing to its associations in English minds with the
hymn usually known as “The sweet bye and bye.” It isa
metaphor for which there is little justification. Nirvana is
frequently spoken of as an island in Buddhist writings, but
Iam not familiar with any passage in which the metaphor
is that of a place at the other end of a journey. The meta-
phor moreover is mixed. In the last verse he was climbing a
ladder; now he is going across the waters, and neither on
ladders nor in journeys by water does one usually pass
through Portals.
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