THE MASTERY OF BEING. William Walker Atkinson

      Chapter I

       The Quest for Truth.

       Table of Content

      THERE IS an ancient Oriental fable which runs as follows: There was once a fabulously rich potentate, who died bequeathing all his property to Yusef, his favorite slave, with the one reservation that each of his sons was to be allowed to select some one thing of value, which should be set aside from the residue of the estate for the son to have and to hold forever, with all appertaining thereto. The sons each selected some one valuable piece of property. The eldest selected the royal palace; the second, the famed hanging gardens; the third, the jeweled peacock throne bestudded with precious stones of great value, and so on. Each son made his choice, and yet each bewailed the fact that the great bulk of the potentate’s possessions must pass into the hands of Yusef the slave.

      Awaiting his turn sat the youngest son, a mere stripling. When his elder brothers had each made his choice, and the time of the youngest had come, he turned to the executors, saying: "I choose Yusef the slave!" A cry of wonder and admiration went up from the assembled judges, courtiers, and soldiery, for the stripling youth had displayed the greatest mental keenness and cunning. He had chosen as his one piece of property the favorite slave to whom the potentate had bequeathed the bulk of his estate. As the will provided that with each piece of property chosen by the sons should also go "all appertaining thereto," the owner of the slave thus became owner of the enormous possessions forming the residuary bulk of the estate. Under the law the slave's possessions became the property of the owner of the slave. By owning the slave the lad became the owner of all except the comparatively trifling things that the brothers had chosen. He had chosen the only possible thing which, when owned, made him the owner of all the rest of real and permanent value.

      And so, in the spirit of the allegory, the attainment of the knowledge of REALITY causes one to become the attainer of All Truth, for All Truth is included in the content thereof. REALITY is the "one thing which, when known, all is known." It is the primal and elemental Truth-of-All-Truth.

      THE PATH OF ATTAINMENT.

      Truth is discovered only by those who have the courage, faith, and persistency to climb the steep Path of Attainment; by those who brave the rocky, narrow footpath; by those who are appalled not when they gaze down upon the canyons far beneath them, seeing the multitude of crawling, creeping things that look like tiny ants—the world of men living on the lower planes of thought. A clear head, steady nerves, sound lungs, strong muscles, and sure feet are needed by him who would attain the heights. Do you possess these?

      Have you the courage to leave behind you all preconceived notions, superstitions, and prejudices of finite life? Have you the intellectual daring which alone will enable you to make foot places along the jagged cliffs in which your feet must be placed one after the other as you mount higher and higher? Have you the persistency which will cause you to proceed thus, step by step, mounting higher and higher toward Truth without becoming dizzy when you chance to look downward over the immense