 “I was rapidly regaining my health and strength and was becoming fired with an irresistible ambition to get back and start all over again. Censuring myself for having wasted so many valuable years in fruitless effort in my old way, I was eager to start in the new way. Approaching the end of our voyage and feeling that I was soon to part from my great benefactor, to whom I had become greatly attached and to whom I owed so much, I handed him my card and asked for his, to which he replied, ‘I have no card, no name, no address. I am like the wind. I come from nowhere and I go everywhere. As for my name, you may call me Friend.’ Saying that I would much prefer to call him Master, he replied, ‘No, no, not Master. Just Friend. That will do.’ Glancing at my card, he said, ‘I turn up at the most unexpected places. I might be out to see you soon. If I do, I will write to you.’ “I shall never forget the parting instructions that he gave me. In a manner like a parent with a child, he said, ‘You are indeed a fortunate man. Just think of the millions of gifted, highly talented people, many blessed with rare qualities for success and leadership whose achievements would mean so much to their fellow men and happiness and contentment to themselves and their families who do not know what you know. But who go on striving and straining, wasting their precious life force, only to find themselves dissatisfied, discouraged, disheartened, crushed, as you once were, yet spurred on by that divine spark, that irresistible urge within by which they instinctively realize that there is a way but which they, in their ignorance, misinterpret and consequently find themselves failures after years of despairing effort. “All this you can now avoid. Go home. You have learned all that you will need. If you will diligently follow the instructions that I have given, you may reach any heights. You may accomplish any worthy purpose easily and quickly. There need be no limit to your possibilities. Your successes will multiply and increase in proportion to your master of the Law. With each success your faith in the Law grows stronger until you reach the point of conviction. Then you are invincible. “Bear in mind the warning that I have repeatedly given you. Reveal nothing of this to even your dearest friend. To do so before you are powerfully fortified in the Law would only tend to interfere with your plans, but particularly, it would result in the scattering of your forces and consequently weaken their power for your good. Therefore, keep your secret securely locked within your heart. You will never be able to work out another’s problems. Neither will another be able to work out yours. This is strictly a matter for each individual. Accomplishment of anything, in any line, is the result of the operation of this inner force, discovered and set to work, and this must be done by each one for himself. There is no other way. “When the time arrives that you shall have retired from commercial pursuits, you may, after seeking the guidance of your conscience, release it for the benefit of others. Thus liberated from further commercial allurements, you will be free to devote your life to the uplift of your fellow man, lending your help to freeing him from the bondage of want, misery and unhappiness.’ “Reluctantly parting with my benefactor as he entered a taxi with his servant and gave directions to this hotel, I started down the street unconscious of the crowds and with such a peculiar sensation of exaltation and buoyancy that I seemed to be just floating along rather than walking. Sleep had no attraction for me and it was with difficulty that I induced myself to retire to a hotel. “On the train speeding home I carefully avoided all unnecessary contact with my fellow passengers. I kept to my stateroom. Oh, how I wanted to be alone and to think. I could not think of sparing any of my precious time for worthless, idle conversation and gossip. How useless it seemed to me now, when there was so compelling a purpose to try out my new teaching and not another day could be wasted. Nothing else interested me and nothing else mattered. “There you have as much of my story as I am at liberty to reveal at this time, and I give you this much in the hope that it will encourage you to such an extent that you will consider any personal sacrifice well worth the price of such knowledge. For years I have been blindly seeking what I never imagined existed, and now that I have it, no fortune is large enough to buy it.” Noticing upon me the appalling effect of his inability to enlighten me further, Dave attempted to ease my feelings with the assurance that he would see that I got in touch with the Master upon his arrival. This only intensified my determination as I excitedly exclaimed, “I’ll never wait for an arrival that might never occur. By the gods I’ll find him if you will give me the name of his hotel.” So different from his former excitable nature, he remained calm and poised as he replied that he had not overheard the name. |
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