Of Purity of Heart

Disciple. While I am undergoing thy discipline and purification,
While walking the holy way of renunciation,
Let me behold the beauty of thy Purity;
Reveal to me the Purity which is divine;
For I would know the Highest, even Truth:
I would gaze upon thy face, O Master!
I would behold thy glory;
I would see thee as thou art.
Master. He who rightly renounces,
Who humbly purges his heart of self,
Who diligently searches for Truth not for selfish pleasures,
He, my lonely one, shall find my Purity;
He, my faithful one, shall surely see my face,
He, my chosen one, shall come to me at last.
Disciple. Thou art my refuge and my dwelling-place;
My eyes, I know, will rest on thee at last;
My heart at last will stay itself on thee.
Show me the highest and holiest way,
Even the stainless way of Purity.
Master. Thou art ready to be washed free from thy defilements;
As a vessel thou art ready to be cleansed;
And when thou art cleansed thou shalt be filled with the pure Water of Truth.
By these four things is the heart defiled–
The craving for pleasures,
The clinging to temporal things,
The love of self,
The lust for personal continuance:
From these four defilements spring all sins and sorrows Wash thou thy heart;
Put away sensual cravings;
Detach the mind from the wish for possession;
Abandon self defense and self-importance;
And do not long for personal immortality.
Thus putting away all cravings, thou wilt attain to satisfaction;
Detaching thy mind from the love of perishable things, thou wilt acquire wisdom;
Abandoning the thought of self, thou wilt come to peace;
And not lusting for eternal life, thou wilt realize the incorruptible Truth.
He is pure who is free from desire;
Who does not crave for sensual excitements;
Who sets no value on perishable things;
Who is the same in riches and poverty,
In success or failure,
In victory or defeat,
In life or death;
Who does not set up his own opinions;
Who is willing not to be;
Lo! he it is who possesses my Pureness;
His happiness remains;
His rest is sure;
His peace is not disturbed;
He knows what constitutes holiness;
He understands the stainlessness of Truth.
Disciple. I will cleanse my heart with the cleansing of Truth;
I will be pure as thou art pure;
I will put away the thought of pleasure;
I will not covet perishable things;
My personality I will regard as of no importance,
Ceasing to crave for its eternal continuance.
Death comes to all men, and the tears of sorrow flow;
But Truth is eternal, and its knowledge leads to peace.
I followed self, but it was filled with pain;
I followed the world but it was fraught with heavy sorrow;
But now, O Master of Truth I follow thee,
And thou art leading me to bliss unspeakable;
Thou directest my steps into the way of purity and peace.
Master. Be strenuous in effort,
Strong in resolution;
Patient in endurance;
So wilt thou overcome all sin;
Thou wilt become divinely pure;
Sorrow and pain thou wilt altogether subdue
And thou wilt acquire joy and strength and equanimity.