Listen, as the sacred teaching unfolds, revealing the path from hope to the highest Self. A seeker approaches the revered teacher and learns: Whoever meditates upon hope as Brahman finds all desires fulfilled by hope. Wherever hope exists, there the seeker moves as he wishes. Yet, the student asks, “Sir, is there something greater than hope?” The teacher affirms, “Yes, there is indeed something greater.” The teacher reveals: “Life-breath is greater than hope. Just as the spokes of a wheel are fixed in the hub, so everything is fixed in the life-breath. Life-breath moves, gives, and exists for itself. Life-breath is father, mother, brother, sister, teacher, and Brahmin. If one were to speak harshly to these—father, mother, siblings, teacher, or Brahmin—people would call him a slayer of them. But even if someone were to strike them while their life-breath remains, he would not be called a slayer, for it is the life-breath that is truly all these.” The teacher continues: “Thus, one who sees, thinks, and knows in this way becomes someone who speaks beyond others. If others recognize his words as extraordinary, he should accept it, for he truly speaks beyond others.” Yet, the teacher says: “It is the one who speaks with truth who speaks beyond others.” The student now asks, “Sir, I wish to speak beyond others with truth.” The teacher replies, “One should desire to know truth.” The student affirms, “Sir, I desire to know truth.” The teacher guides further: “Only one who knows speaks the truth; without knowing, one cannot. Therefore, knowledge must be sought.” The student says, “Sir, I desire to know knowledge.” The teacher explains: “Through thinking, one comes to know; not by mere names, but by thought alone. Therefore, thought must be sought.” The student declares, “Sir, I desire to know thought.” The teacher continues: “When one has faith, then one reflects; without faith, reflection does not arise. Faith alone must be sought.” The student responds, “Revered sir, I wish to know faith.” The teacher says: “When one is steadfast, then faith arises; without steadfastness, faith does not come. Steadfastness must be sought.” The student affirms, “Revered sir, I wish to know steadfastness.” The teacher reveals: “Only by acting is one steadfast; without action, steadfastness does not arise. Action alone must be sought.” The student says, “Revered sir, I wish to know action.” The teacher declares: “When one attains happiness, then one acts; without happiness, action does not arise. Happiness alone must be sought.” The student responds, “Revered sir, I wish to know happiness.” The teacher teaches: “That which is vast is happiness; there is no happiness in the small. The vast alone is happiness and must be sought.” The student says, “Revered sir, I wish to know the vast.” The teacher describes: “Where one does not see, hear, or know another—that is the vast. Where one perceives another, that is the small. The vast is immortal; the small is mortal.” The student asks, “In what does the vast rest?” The teacher answers, “In its own greatness, or not even in greatness.” People often say greatness is cattle, horses, elephants, gold, servants, wives, fields, and houses. But the teacher rejects this, saying, “One thing is established in another.” Then, the teacher declares: “He is below, above, behind, before, to the right, to the left—he alone is all this. The instruction concerning the self is: I am below, I am above, I am behind, I am before, I am to the right, I am to the left; I alone am all this.” Again, the teacher instructs: “The self is below, above, behind, before, to the right, to the left; the self alone is all this. One who sees, thinks, and knows thus delights in the self, sports in the self, mates with the self, rejoices in the self—he becomes sovereign, moving as he wishes in all worlds. But those who know otherwise are ruled by others; their worlds are perishable, and they do not move as they wish.” For the one who knows thus, from the self arises life, hope, memory, space, fire, water, appearance and disappearance, food, strength, knowledge, meditation, understanding, intention, mind, speech, name, mantras, actions—all this is indeed the self. A verse is recited: He does not see death, nor sickness, nor pain; he who sees attains all everywhere. He becomes one, threefold, fivefold, sevenfold, ninefold, and again elevenfold; a hundred, ten, and one, and also twenty thousand are said. When food is pure, the mind becomes pure; when the mind is pure, memory is steady; when memory is steady, all knots of the heart are loosened. To him whose stains are washed away, the venerable Sanatkumara shows the further shore of darkness. They call him Skanda; they call him Skanda. Now, the teaching turns to the city of Brahman. Within this city, there is a small lotus-like dwelling, and within it a small space. That which is within should be sought and known. If asked, “What is there in this small space that should be sought and known?”—the answer is: As vast as outer space is, so vast is the space within the heart. Heaven and earth, fire and air, sun and moon, lightning and stars, everything here and not here—all this is contained within it. If asked, “When old age comes or it is destroyed, what remains?”—the reply is: By old age, this does not age; by death, this is not killed. This is the true city of Brahman, wherein desires are contained. This self is free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, free from hunger and thirst, whose desires and intentions are true. As people enter according to their conduct, so too, according to their desire, whatever end they desire—whatever country, whatever field—they attain that. Just as the world won by action perishes, so too does the world won by merit. But those who depart after knowing the self and true desires, for them, in all worlds, there is freedom of movement. For those who depart without this knowledge, there is no such freedom. If one desires the world of ancestors, by mere intention his ancestors arise, and he is fulfilled. If he desires the world of mothers, mothers arise. If he desires the world of brothers or sisters, they arise. If he desires the world of friends, friends arise. If he desires perfumes and garlands, food and drink, song and music, or women, by mere intention they arise, and he is fulfilled. Whatever end or wish he desires, that arises for him by mere intention, and he is exalted. These true desires are covered by the untrue; among the true, the untrue is the covering. Whoever departs without knowing these does not obtain them for seeing here. Whatever living beings are his here, those departed, and whatever else he desires but does not obtain, all that he finds after departing, for here his true desires are covered by the untrue. Just as people who do not know the place pass again and again over a hidden treasure and do not find it, so too all beings go daily to the world of Brahman but do not find it, being turned away by the untrue. This indeed is the self within the heart; its name is ‘heart’—for it is in the heart. One who knows thus, day by day, attains the heavenly world. This serene one, having arisen from the body, attains the highest light and manifests in his own form—this is the self; this is the immortal, the fearless, this is Brahman. Of this Brahman, the name is ‘Truth.’ These are the three syllables: ‘sat-ti-yam.’ ‘Sat’ is the immortal; ‘ti’ is the mortal; and by ‘yam,’ both are united. By this union, day by day, one who knows thus attains the heavenly world. Such is the sacred journey, from hope to the vastness of the Self, from the heart’s inner space to the immortal truth—revealed to those who seek, who know, and who delight in the Self.