Book 4 (Part I)

64 They exhaust the possibilities of poetry to declare what is demon— strably untrue. For example, we find in the Shiva Sanhita that “he who daily contemplates on this lotus of the heart is eagerly desired by the daughters of Gods, has clairaudience, clairvoyance, and can walk in the air.” Another person “can make gold, discover medicine for dis- ease, and see hidden treasures.” All this is filth. What is the curse upon religion that its tenets must always be associated with every kind of extravaganceand falsehood? There is one exception; it is the A:. Ax., whose members are ex- tremely careful to make no statement at all that cannot be verified in the usual manner; or where this is not easy, at least avoid anything like a dogmatic statement. In Their second book of practical instruction, Liber 0, occur these words: “By doing certain things certain results will follow. Students are most earnestly warned against attributing objective reality or philo- sophical validity to any of them.” Those golden words! In discussing Dhyana, then, let it be clearly understood that some- thing unexpected is about to be described. We shall consider its nature and estimate its value in a perfectly unbiassed way, without allowing ourselves the usual rhapsodies, or deducing any theory of the universe. One extra fact may destroy some