Light on the Path (book)

Light on the Path is a perennial favorite of Theosophical literature written by Mabel Collins in 1885. Its subtitle is "a treatise written for the personal use of those who are ignorant of the eastern wisdom, and who desire to enter within its influence." The text provides rules that serve as rungs of a ladder in the progress of the spiritual life. These rules are accompanied by commentaries provided by the Master Hilarion. H. P. Blavatsky wrote the following regarding the origin of the book,

This little book—a true jewel—belongs to, and emanates from the same school of Indo-Aryan and Buddhist thought and learning as the teachings in The Secret Doctrine.

Writing of the book

In the fall of 1884, soon after Mabel began to write Light on the Path, she met Blavatsky, who was in London for a visit. According to Blavatsky, they met on a few occasions, always in the presence of others, before she returned to India a few weeks later. In one of these meetings, Mabel showed her the first pages of the book she was working on, and claimed that the teachings were inspired by an "astral figure." Recalling this encounter, Blavatsky wrote:

Before my return to India in 1884, I saw Mabel Collins barely three or four times. She then showed me the first page or two of Light on the Path, wherein I recognized some phrases which were familiar to me. Therefore I the more readily accepted the description of the manner in which they had been given to her. She herself certainly believed that this book was dictated to her by 'some one' whose appearance she described.

Dedication by Mabel Collins saying, in part, "Work done under Sri: Hilarion."

Mabel later identified this figure with Master Hillarion, as can be seen in a dedication she wrote on a printed copy of the book, stating,

By Sri: Hilarion

Work done under Sri: Hilarion.
"Light on the Path" begun October 1884.
"Karma" written December 27, 1884.

Mabel Cook.

Blavatsky accepted this claim, writing later:

[Mabel] saw before her, time after time, the astral figure of a dark man (a Greek who belongs to the Brotherhood of our Masters), who urged her to write under his diction. It was Hillarion, whom Olcott knows well. The results were Light on the Path and others.

In 1889, four years after the publication of Light on the Path, Mabel left the Theosophical Society. At the time, Prof. Elliott Coues sought to discredit Madame Blavatsky by means of an article appearing in the The Religio-Philosophical Journal. According to him, right after the publication of Light on the Path in 1885, he had inquired Mabel about the authorship of this work. The answer he received was:

"The writer of the Gates of Gold is Mabel Collins, who had it as well as Light on the Path and the Idyll of the White Lotus dictated to her by one of the adepts of the group which through Madame Blavatsky first communicated with the Western world. The name of this inspirer cannot be given, as the personal names of the Masters have already been sufficiently desecrated."

However, he claimed, in April 1889 he received a retraction from Mabel, which he published in the periodical. In this retraction, she states that when she received Coues' original inquiry, in 1885--

"I took the letter [from Coues] to her [H. P. Blavatsky]; the result was that I wrote the answer at her dictation . . . because she begged and implored me to; and this I did for that reason. So far as I can remember I wrote you that I had received "Light on the Path" from one of the Masters who guide Madame Blavatsky. I wish to ease my conscience now by saying that I wrote this from no knowledge of my own, and merely to please her; and that I now see I was very wrong in doing so. I ought further to state that "Light on the Path" was not to my knowledge inspired by any one; but that I saw it written on the walls of a place I visit spiritually, (which is described in the "Blossom and the Fruit") – there I read it and I wrote it down. I have myself never received proof of the existence of any Master; though I believe (as always) that the mahatmic force must exist."

Blavatsky quickly and vigorously disputed this claim in a letter published in the periodical Light, on June 1, 1889. She stated, among other things, that she had seen Mabel only a few times in London in October 1884, when Mabel was in the process of writing the book, after which Blavatsky returned to India in November. She was not in London in 1885 when the book was published and Prof. Coues wrote to Mabel inquiring about the its authorship, and could therefore not have dictated any answer to her. However, she seemed to agree with the existence of the "wall" mentioned by Mabel, saying, "These are aphorisms as old as the Book of the Golden Precepts, from which they radiated—on the walls—and thence into Light on the Path."

Years later, in a 1922 article published in the London Occult Review, Mabel acknowledged that "by the help of a Master, and for an object which will be of service to the world, it is possible for the spirit of a disciple on earth to visit this higher state we call ethereal and enter the Hall of Learning, in full waking consciousness. It was in that way that I obtained the stanzas of Light on the Path."

Judge N. D. Khandalavala, a loyal supporter of the Founders, described the way the book was written as follows:

The lady [Mabel Collins] was psychic, and she said that she used to be taken day after day for several days in her astral body to a Hall, on the walls of which she used to see and read some lines written in golden letters, which she remembered and, when she woke up, put down on paper. These lines, when all put together, formed the remarkable little book called Light on the Path written down by M. C.

Criticism of Rule 20

In a letter to Theosophist John Ransom Bridge, Blavatsky referred to some corrections she had to make to an occult novel that Mabel Collins had published in the Lucifer (periodical) in installments, titled The Blossom and the Fruit. Then, she added:

Nor do I believe that the "stab," however powerful, could be half as "insidious" and DANGEROUS as is rule 20 in "Light on the Path" whose venom and close relationship to Tantrika Black Magic has never been suspected by the innocent and sincere admirers of this otherwise priceless book, the main body of which only was dictated by a true Adept, and the rest added from the inner consciousness of Miss Mabel Collins.

Blavatsky is referring to Rule 20 of the first part, which is among the longer ones, and has also a note added. She did not elaborate on what aspect of this rule is questionable. Some of the speculations by students point to phrases such as:

- "All steps are necessary to make up the ladder. The vices of man become steps in the ladder, one by one, as they are surmounted." This could be interpreting as meaning that vices are necessary.

- "Seek it [the way] by testing all experience, by utilizing the senses in order to understand the growth and meaning of individuality. . ." This could be interpreted as promoting the search for all experiences, pure and impure. Perhaps to avoid this interpretation, a note was added that states:

"Seek it by testing all experience; and remember that when I say this I do not say: 'Yield to the seductions of sense in order to know it.' Before you have become an occultist you may do this; but not afterwards. When you have chosen and entered the Path you cannot yield to these seductions without shame. Yet you can experience them without horror; can weigh, observe, and test them, and wait with the patience of confidence for the hour when they shall affect you no longer."

This note itself may be interpreted as advising to hold inwardly all passions without trying to work with them. In an article written in 1888 she may have referred to this misunderstanding as follows:

There are those whose reasoning powers have been so distorted by foreign influences that they imagine that animal passions can be so sublimated and elevated that their fury, force, and fire can, so to speak, be turned inwards; that they can be stored and shut up in one's breast, until their energy is, not expanded, but turned toward higher and more holy purposes. . . . For this purpose they will not struggle with their passions nor slay them. They will simply, by a strong effort of will, put down the fierce flames and keep them at bay within their natures, allowing the fire to smoulder under a thin layer of ashes.​

Structure of the book

Annie Besant & C. W. Leadbeater discuss the origins and structure of Light on the Path in Talks on the Path of Occultism (Vol. III: Light on the Path):

A.B. This treatise falls naturally into certain divisions. It was given to the Western world by the Master Hilarion, one of the great Teachers belonging to the White Lodge – a Master who played a great part in the Gnostic and Neoplatonic movements, one of the great persons who made attempts to keep Christianity alive. His incarnations have run very much in Greece and Rome, and He takes special interest in guiding the evolution of the Western world. He obtained the book as we have it, without the notes, from the Venetian Master, one of the greater Teachers whom H.P.B. spoke of as Chohans.

Fifteen of the short rules that you find in the first part of this book, and fifteen in the second part, are exceedingly old, and were written in the most ancient Sanskrit. To these short sentences which are used as a basis for the instruction of the disciple, the Chohan added other sentences, which now form part of the book, and are always to be read along with them, to supply complementary ideas without which the reader may be led astray. All the rules in both parts of the book, except the thirty short aphorisms, were written by the Chohan who gave it to Master Hilarion. The following table shows the fifteen short rules in Part I as they existed in the exceedingly ancient manuscripts; the number at the beginning of each is the original one, but the number at the end is that which appears in the modern book.

I	Kill out ambition.	1
II	Kill out desire of life.	2
III	Kill out desire of comfort.	3
IV	Kill out all sense of separateness.	5
V	Kill out desire of sensation.	6
VI	Kill out the hunger for growth.	7
VII	Desire only that which is within you.	9
VIII	Desire only that which is beyond you.	10
IX	Desire only that which is unattainable.	11
X	Desire power ardently.	13
XI	Desire peace fervently.	14
XII	Desire possessions above all.	15
XIII	Seek out the way.	17
XIV	Seek the way by retreating within.	18
XV	Seek the way by advancing boldly without.	19

It will be noticed from the above table (which covers only Part I of this book) that rules 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 21 are absent from the list. That is because they do not belong to the most ancient part of the book. Those rules and the preliminary and concluding comments are the portion added by the greater One who gave it to the Master. In addition there are notes, which were written by the Master Hilarion himself. The book as originally published in 1885 contained these three portions: the aphorisms from the ancient manuscript, the additions of the Chohan, and the notes of the Master Hilarion. All these were written down by Mabel Collins, who acted as the physical instrument, as the pen that wrote it. The Master was Himself the translator of the book, and He impressed it upon her brain. His was the hand that held the pen. Then there subsequently appeared in Lucifer under the title of “Comments” a few articles which were written by Mabel Collins under the influence of the Master, and which are exceedingly valuable, worth reading and studying.

...

C.W.L. As we have it at present it was dictated by the Master Hilarion through Mabel Collins – a lady well known in Theosophical circles, who at one time collaborated with Madame Blavatsky in the editorship of Lucifer. The Master Hilarion had in turn received it from His own Teacher, the Great One who among Theosophical students is sometimes called the Venetian. But even He was the author of only a part of it. It has passed through three phases; let us set them down in order.

It is but a small book even now, but the first form in which we have seen it is smaller yet. It is a palm-leaf manuscript, old beyond computation; so old that even before the time of Christ men had already forgotten its date and the name of its writer, and regarded its origin as lost in the mists of prehistoric antiquity. It consists of ten leaves, and on each leaf are written three lines only, for in a palm-leaf manuscript the lines run along the page, not across it as with us. Each line is complete in itself – a short aphorism – and the language in which they are written is an archaic form of Sanskrit.

The Venetian Master translated these aphorisms from Sanskrit into Greek, for the use of His Alexandrian pupils, of whom the Master Hilarion was one, in His incarnation as Iamblichus. Not only did He translate the aphorisms, but He added to them certain explanations, which we shall do well to take along with the original. For example, if we look at the first three aphorisms, we shall see that the paragraph marked 4, which follows them, is clearly intended as a commentary on them; so we should read it thus: “Kill out ambition; but work as those work who are ambitious. Kill out desire of life; but respect life as those do who desire it. Kill out desire of comfort; but be happy as those are who live for happiness.”

In the same way rules, 5, 6 and 7 form a group, followed by 8, which is a comment by the Chohan – and so on far into the book. These groups of three are not put so by mere coincidence, but intentionally. If we examine them we shall find that there is a certain bond between the three in each case. For example, the three rules grouped together above point to purity of heart and steadiness of spirit. One may say that they indicate what the man must do with himself, what is his duty to himself in the way of preparation for work.

The second set of three aphorisms (numbers 5 to 8) states that we are to kill out all sense of separateness, desire for sensation, and the hunger for growth. They indicate man’s duty to those around him socially. He must realize that he is one with others. He must be willing to give up selfish and separate pleasures. He must kill out the desire for personal growth, and work for the growth of the whole.

In the next set of three (numbers 9 to 12) we are told what to desire – that which is within us, that which is beyond us, and that which is unattainable. These are clearly a man’s duty to his Higher Self. Then follow aphorisms (13 to 16) on the desire for power, peace and possessions. Those are all desires which fit us for the work of the Path. The next group of rules (17 to 20) tell the aspirant how to seek the way.

The rules now numbered 4, 8, 12, etc., are explanations and amplifications by the Venetian Master. They, with the original aphorisms, formed the book as it was first published in 1885, for the Master Hilarion translated it from Greek into English and gave it in that form. Almost immediately after it was printed. He added to it a number of most valuable notes of His own. For that first edition those notes were printed on separate pages, the backs of which were gummed so that they might be attached at the beginning and the end of the little book which bad just passed through the press. In further editions, those notes have been inserted in their appropriate places.

...

C.W.L. [The chapter on Rule 21 indicates a statement by the Venetian Master, followed by additional sentences by the Chohan and Master Hilarion's notes.] The Chohan then concludes Part I with the words: These written above are the first of the rules which are written on the walls of the Hall of Learning. Those that ask shall have. Those that desire to read shall read. Those who desire to learn shall learn. Peace be with you ∆

...

PART II C.W.L. - The second part of Light on the Path assumes that the student has passed the First Initiation; it carries the man on through the steps of the Path leading up to the Adept level. But a second and higher interpretation of it begins beyond that, and helps to guide the man who has already become an Adept on to His next stage.... [There is an] introduction to this second part, written by the Venetian Master....[followed by paragraph written by the] Chohan [who] goes on to remind the student of his qualifications...Then comes a long note by the Master Hilarion, and we can see at once from looking at that note that He is dealing with the whole matter very differently in this second part. Before, He gave us what we might call a general comment upon what was said; here He explains practically every word of the text, so that evidently He regards this as something much more difficult to understand, requiring explanation rather than mere comment.

...

C.W.L. - In the last chapter we considered what is really a preface to the second part of the book, but now we come to the rules. Up to Rule 12 these are numbered in the same manner as in Part I: Rules 1 to 3, 5 to 7, and 9 to 11 belong in sets of three to the ancient palm-leaf manuscript, and Rules 4, 8 and 12 are comments by the Chohan. Further on the numbering follows a different plan.

...

C.W.L. - At this point in Part II of Light on the Path the numbering of the rules undergoes a change. We have no longer sets of three aphorisms from the old manuscript, followed by a comment by the Chohan. Rule 13, to which we have now come, is given by the Chohan.

...

C.W.L. - Rule 14 is once more a comment by the Chohan, not so much upon what has gone before as in preparation for another set of three aphorisms, which are numbered 15, 16 and 17.

...

C.W.L. - Rule 18 is once more a comment by the Chohan....The last three aphorisms [19-21] once more form a series; in number 19 there is a preparatory comment by the Chohan...Then come the three rules...

Publication history

This book has been published with the subtitle "a treatise written for the personal use of those who are ignorant of the Eastern wisdom, and who desire to enter within its influence." Exceptions are noted. Translations have been made in German, French, Spanish, Slovenian, Finnish, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Polish, Tamil, Portuguese, and other languages.

• Light on the Path. London: [George Redway?], 1885. First Edition
• Light on the Path. Boston: Cupples, Upham and Company, 1886. Available at Internet Archive.
• Light on the Path. Boston: Occult Publishing Company, [1887?]. Available at Internet Archive.
• Light on the Path. London: George Redway, 1888.
• Light on the Path. Boston: Cupples and Hurd, 1888, fifth edition; 1889; sixth edition.
• Light on the Path. Adyar: Published by the Proprietor of the "Theosophist," [1894]. With commentary and annotations by P. Srinivasa Row, F.T.S. Includes Karma.
• Light on the Path'. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1895. Hathitrust.
• Light on the Path. New York: Theosophical Publishing Co., 1897, reprinted by special permission. Available at Hathitrust.
• Light on the Path. Subtitle: "a treatise written for the personal use of those who are ignorant of the Eastern wisdom, and who desire to enter within its influence. with notes and comments by the author." Chicago: Advanced Thought Publishing Co., [1903-4?]. With an introduction by Yogi Ramacharaka (William Walker Atkinson). Some sources show the publisher as Oak Park, Illinois: Yogi Publication Society, and others as Chicago: Yogi Publication Society.
• Light on the Path and Karma. Subtitle: "with notes and comments." London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1908.
• Light on the Path and Karma. Adyar: Theosophical Publishing House, 1911 [2nd 1924; 3rd 1928]. With an introduction by C. W. Leadbeater.
• Light on the Path. Chicago: Rajput Press, 1911. Introduction by C. Jinarajadasa. Available at Hathitrust.
• Light on the Path. Point Loma, Calif.: Theosophical Pub. Co., 1913. Available at Hathitrust.
• Light on the Path. Krotona/Hollywood/Los Angeles: Theosophical Publishing House, 1919. Introduction by C. Jinarajadasa (credited as "C.J.").
• Light on the Path and Karma. Subtitle: "with notes and comments." Chicago or Wheaton, IL: The Theosophical Press, 1923 [additional edition 1944]. Introduction by C. Jinarajadasa.
• Light on the Path and Karma. Subtitle: "with notes and comments." Philadelphia: David McKay Company, [1923?].
• Light on the Path. Subtitle: "a treatise written for the personal use of those who are ignorant of the Eastern wisdom and who desire to enter within its influence, and an essay on karma." Adyar: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1943 [new (4th) Adyar edition; 5th 1945; 6th 1949; 7th 1951;8th 1953; 9th 1956; 10th 1958; 11th 1961; 12th 1963; 13th 1966; 14th 1968; 15th 1971; 16th 1972; 17th 1975; 18th 1981]. With an introduction by C. W. Leadbeater.
• Light on the Path. Subtitle: "a treatise written for the personal use of those who are ignorant of the Eastern wisdom, and who desire to enter within its influence." Through the Gates of Gold. Subtitle: "a fragment of thought." Pasadena, Theosophical University Press, 1960 [additional editions: 1968, 1971, 1976].
• Light on the Path. Subtitle: "written for the personal use of those who are ignorant of the Eastern wisdom, and who desire to enter within its influence, and an essay on karma." Wheaton, IL: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1970 [2nd 1974].
• Light on the Path. Los Angeles: Theosophy Company, 1975. Note: [reprinted verbatim from the original texts].

Published commentaries

Mabel Collins

Mabel Collins herself published several articles and books on Light on the Path.

• A Cry from Afar. Subtitle: "to students of Light on the Path." London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1905.
• The Illumined Way. Subtitle: "a guide to neophytes being a sequel to Light on the Path." Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society, [1903]. The subject matter of this litle book first appeared in a leading English occult magazine, a number of years ago under the title of Comments on Light on the Path, running in the shape of a series of essays extending over a period of several months.
• Light on the Path. Subtitle: "a treatise written for the personal use of those who are ignorant of the Eastern wisdom, and who desire to enter within its influence." Pasadena, Theosophical University Press, 1960. The present edition of Light on the Path is a verbatim reprint of the 1888 edition (George Redway, London) in which later edition the Notes by the Author first appear. The Comments, which are not in the 1888 edition, are here taken directly from Lucifer, Volume I, 1887-8, where they were first published. Also in this volume we reprint verbatim the original edition (1887) of Through the Gates of Gold by the same Author, together with a commentary by William Q. Judge taken from his magazine, The Path, March, 1887.
• Light on the Path and Karma. Subtitle: "with notes and comments." Wheaton, IL, The Theosophical Press, 1944. Introduction by C. Jinarajadasa.
• Our Glorious Future. Subtitle: "the interpretation of Light on the Path." Edinburgh: Theosophical Book Shop, 1917.

Annie Besant & C. W. Leadbeater

• Talks on the Path of Occultism (Vol. III: Light on the Path). Subtitle: "a commentary on...Light on the Path." Adyar: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1926. Talks on the Path of Occultism give the guidance of Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater on the teachings contained in...Light on the Path. The two leaders spoke on many occasions on [this book]...and notes taken at such talks were gathered together, edited and revised by them, and published in [this volume].

Lilian Edger

• Gleanings from "Light on the Path". Subtitle: "four lectures delivered at the 33rd anniversary of The Theosophical Society held at Adyar, on Dec. 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 1908." Adyar: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1909.

Rohit Mehta

• Seek Out the Way. Subtitle: "(studies in Light on the Path)." Adyar: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1955. [This] book has grown out of a series of talks given to a group of students at the Headquarters of the Theosophical Society in India at Banaras.

Joy Mills

• Entering on the Sacred Way. Subtitle: "a psychological commentary on Light on the Path." Series: "Wisdom Tradition Books; 2." Wheaton, IL, and Chennai: Oclott Institute of the Theosophical Society in America and The Theosophical Publishing House, 2000. Through the years many commentaries on [this book] have appeared, and the texts themselves have been published in numerous editions and in many languages. Why, then, it may be asked, another commentary on Light on the Path?...It is true that, for those who are determined to reach the summit of the mount of vision, no commentary is necessary; such individuals need no guide but their own pure hearts and strong wills....Nevertheless, yet another commentary may be useful as indicating that, as always, there are fellow-seekers in the foothills of the Himalayan ranges of Wisdom.

Yogi Ramacharaka (William Walker Atkinson)

• Advanced Course in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism. Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society, 1931 (Thirtieth Edition). Lessons I to IV, inclusive, consist of an analysis and explanation of the little occult manual known as "Light on the Path," and have been highly praised by lovers of that little book as well as advanced students in occultism. They are said to be superior to anything ever written along these lines....September 1, 1905

Reviews

The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals has over 90 articles reviewing, extracted from, or commenting on Light on the Path. These are some examples of the book reviews:

• Anonymous. "Review - Licht Auf Den Weg (Light on the Path) tr Baron von Hoffman". The Theosophist 6 (June, 1885), 222.
• Anonymous. "Review - 'Light on the Path'". The Path 2.3 *(June, 1887), 94.
• Anonymous. "Review - 'Light on the Path'". The Path 89.10 (January, 1895), 322.
• Anonymous. "Review - 'Light on the Path', Adyar Edition". The Theosophical Quarterly 20 (1923), 284.
• Anonymous. "Book Reviews - Light on the Path and Karma". Theosophy in New Zealand 10 (May, 1912), 67.
• Ballard, S. D. "Review - 'Light on the Path' by Mabel Collins". The American Theosophist 58.9 (September, 1970), 279.
• Bhashyacharya, Pandit N. "Review - 'Light on the Path in Sanscrit'". The Path 4.4 (July, 1889), 120.
• Blumensaadt, Naomi. "Review - 'Inspirations from the Ancient Wisdom' At the Feet of the Master, Light on the Path, Voice of the Silence". Theosophy in Australia 65.3 (September, 2001), 96.

Online resources

Articles

• Reflections on Light on the Path By Robert Ellwood
• "Light on the Path" and Mabel Collins compiled and with Notes by William Q. Judge and Archibald Keightley

Books

• Light on the Path by Mabel Collins
• Talks on the Path of Occultism - Light on the Path by Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater

Audio

• Light on the Path by Mabel Collins
• Light on the Path by Felix Layton

Video

• Light on the Path (4 Talks) by Pablo Sender