"The Path to God" by Bô Yin Râ: Part 2 of 7

"Sure Knowledge"

Richard C. Cook, Editor, Three Sages: For the past year, Three Sages has included in its publishing agenda articles about German spiritual master Bô Yin Râ (Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken 1876-1943), along with excerpts from his works. We have had a strong and positive reception among English-speaking readers from the US, Europe, and elsewhere in the world, so have been encouraged to continue. Most recently we published the complete text of two of Bô Yin Râ’s major books; namely, “The Book on the Beyond,” and “The Book on Happiness.” We are now moving ahead with publishing another complete text of one of Bô Yin Râ’s books, this one entitled “The Path to God.” Readers familiar with spiritual literature may rightfully ask whether anything new can be said on this topic. Please follow along with us over the next few weeks. You may find yourself very pleasantly surprised; perhaps even grateful! Three Sages is the only US website currently publishing Bô Yin Râ’s works, though we welcome others to join us. We are bringing you his books courtesy of the new US publishing house, Books to Light. We now proceed starting with editorial information from Books to Light.

Bô Yin Râ

The Path to God (Der Weg zu Gott)

Hortus Conclusus Book Six

October, 2024

' Der Weg zu Gott ' was first published in German language in 1924 by Rhein-Verlag, Basel, (Switzerland)

© Books to Light (the United States) The Standard-translation© into English, 2nd Edition (1st Edition was published by Posthumus Projects in 2015). The emphases used in original German are included in this new hardcopy edition (emphases edited by Books to Light to match the original writings).

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024946722

The Standard-translation© of the Hortus Conclusus (The Enclosed Garden) encompassing the spiritual teachings in thirty-two books by Bô Yin Râ. Bô Yin Râ is the spiritual name of Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken. Published by Books to Light. Editors: Posthumus Projects (the Netherlands), Books to Light (the United States), Detlef Janssen (Germany). All rights, copyrights included, reserved by Books to Light. Posthumus Projects and Books to Light are responsible for this Standard-translation©. Primary place of publication: U.S.

Advice to readers from Bô Yin Râ:

Dearest Reader, please note, that I can not write anything that is not experienced most emphatically as spoken language. This explains everything which at first sight might appear as a deliberate eccentricity in my sentence structure and punctuation. (From: 'Letters to One and Many', middle of chapter About my Manner of Writing)

(...) no translation, no matter how excellent, can ever replace knowledge in the original language. One day we may learn German as we once learnt Latin and Greek because we wanted to understand the ancient authors in their own language. This is not a "prophecy", but an unalterable view of spiritually assured insight, which, however, refers only to my work and exclusively to its language – for its own sake ! –(From: Bô Yin Râ, 'Kodizill to My Spiritual Teachings', middle of first chapter)

Contents of The Path to God

Delusion and Belief . . . 5

Sure Knowledge . . . 39

The Dream of Souls . . . 67

Truth and Reality . . . 95

Yes and No . . . 123

The Great Struggle . . . 161

Completion . . . 175

Part 2 of 7: Sure Knowledge

You will surely never attain sure ‘know- ledge’ if beforehand the power of belief [also translated as “faith”—ed.] has not illuminated your way ! – – –

Behold, I too once walked upon false paths when I still did not know myself ! –

I too was a slave to my delusion, before I was found by those to whom I belonged long before the time I first experienced myself as a son of this Earth within a body of this Earth ! – – –

Truly I am permitted to bring tidings of those things which bring about certainty; for I had to experience beforehand in myself of what delusion is capable of ! – –

Those who follow my words will find sure guidance !

Truly I came to know the way which leads to the goal; I became the ‘way’ myself before I was given the task of showing others the way ! – – –

I became aware of myself in the eternal radiant light; only then did it become my duty to bring light to all those who sit in darkness ! – – –

Only then was I commanded to awaken all those my words could reach from the dream of darkness ! – – – – –

I too had once to trust in the power of belief before I came to sure knowledge ! –

And greater trust was required of me than you will ever have to show ! –

There was a day when I had to prepare to leave this life on Earth for ever. Only the power of belief [faith] could inspire me to face a test whose outcome could have brought me the end of my earthly life, as it truly brought me – without my intuiting and even less knowing it – in truth an awakened life . . .

I can therefore in truth confirm that you can trust the power of belief [faith]!

Furthermore, I can say to you that you will attain sure knowledge to the extent of your trust in the exalted power of belief [faith]! – – –

‘Belief’[faith] and ‘knowledge’ in this context are not in any way opposed to one another; for what I call ‘belief’ [faith] here, is a prerequisite for attaining ‘know- ledge’ ! – – –

The power of belief [faith] only creates within you the possibility of sure knowledge ! – –

As long as you harbor doubts and fail to entrust yourself to the power of belief [faith], you have no right to ever becoming ‘one with knowledge’ ! –

There is a chain here whose links are interconnected.

Trust in the power of belief [faith] is necessary; this same power of belief [faith] provides you with the trust you need if you want to attain knowledge ! – – –

‘Knowledge’ here is not knowing of some causal connection !

‘Knowledge’ here is a certain inner awareness which knows no more doubt and stands secured in itself! – –

For those who have attained this knowledge, the ‘proof’ required by intellectual knowledge based on earthly thought is but a stop-gap they can dispense with, since their knowledge itself is at the same time proof of what they know ! – – –

Anyone pressing the button of an electrical doorbell do not first need ‘proof’ that the doorbell can now ring; – as they also have no need to know the causal connection which makes the doorbell ring, so, those who have spiritual knowledge are aware of their knowledge within, without needing ‘proof’, and without bothering about the causal links required for their knowledge to enter their consciousness . . .

Those who want to attain sure knowledge of how the sighted people see, even though they are in no position to explain the process of seeing, must simply accept that they cannot gain such knowledge without help from on high, in the same way as those who see must accept that they can only see if a very fragile organ in their bodies comes to their aid . . .

In both events a prerequisite must be fulfilled in order for the thing desired to become accessible. –

The slightest clouding of your eye’s ‘lens’ will rob you of, or impair your ability to see. You are only able to see through the help given you by a tiny organ in your body. –

But if you want to see as far as the stars or recognize the smallest of objects, you will need the help of those optical instruments people have invented and learned to produce. –

All this will seem to you to be entirely as it should be; you will certainly not expect yourself to have to see without eyes, or to recognize Saturn’s rings without a telescope. – –

Indeed, you have known for a long time that even the most precise telescope is incapable of showing you the farthest stars, and that the best microscope is not sufficient to enable you to see the very smallest of objects whose existence you can deduce without them ever showing themselves to the human eye. –

Yet in spiritual matters you think you can dispense with all help ! –

Your ‘God’ is good enough for you just to be on familiar terms with, and you ask in your foolish ‘presumption’ – since you have, in this regard, lost all ‘proportion’ – that nothing be permitted to stand between you and your ‘God’ . . .

You are like the child who would catch hold of the moon because it seems no further from it than the toy hanging on its window ! – –

Here on Earth you make enormous distinctions between your equals. –

In which every way you address the ‘great’ before whom you bow: – they are always still people just like you, even if you feel they are superior to you in knowledge and ability, wisdom and power, or even through ancient hereditary rule. – –

How contemptuous must be your view of the kingdom of the spirit, if you do not feel intuitively that there exists also in this kingdom level upon level, and that an almost unending hierarchy rises up, before the most exalted princes of the spirit can be reached. They – living in the innermost light of the Godhead – truly correspond to the picture human imagination has created of the highest ‘angels’, of the ‘cherubim’ and ‘seraphim’ ! – – – – –

‘Princes’ have arisen from among your own fellow men on this Earth, and if you value the creativity of the human spirit more highly than all the dignity of princes, you will know of those who have been able to bring about almost superhuman achievements in, what you call on Earth, ‘spiritual’ matters; – yet even the highest of those you revere while still active in the earthly apparel, have hardly attained the lowest level of those living already within the essential spirit. – – –

How then can you imagine that you, who bows down to the ‘higher ones’ here on Earth, can be so close to your ‘God’ that there could be nothing at all between you and ‘God’? ! ? –

Yes, – if we were talking about the idol you created after your own likeness, – you are truly in the right ! –

However, if you would unite with your GOD, who remains in existence from eternity to eternity, and reveals itself within you, then you must renounce such folly ! – –

You will have to recognize from within yourself that you need help in this and as soon as you have recognized this, help will be yours. – – –

Help is there for everyone as soon as one desires it ! – – –

The eternal First Light itself, which you imagine you can easily recognize without an intermediate stage, has provided helpers on this planet; they can reach you as soon as you want to be reached ! – –

I have spoken many times to you about this help in other books, using different words and different parables. However, here I want to speak more to you of the condition in which you must find yourself, if you would walk along the path to God . . .

As soon as you have embarked on this path, you will soon discover that you cannot continue along it unless you receive help from on high. – –

When you discover this, you are ready to receive help ! – – –

Do not concern yourself about where this exalted help comes from !

But be confident in yourself, through the power of belief [faith], that you are bound to receive help !

You will then receive it in all certainty, even if you had no idea where it reaches you from !

With this help alone you will attain the sure knowledge ! – – –

Perhaps you will think, if you trust first appearances, that you are merely coming face to face with your own knowledge, you will barely suspect that someone else speaks to you in your soul: – one of those living on this Earth, and being at the same time conscious within the spiritual world, albeit on the lowest level of that hierarchy whose higher levels must remain unattainable to you as an inhabitant of this Earth.

Only in your most exalted moments will you experience this help within you, whether you recognise it or not ! – – –

But then the dark hours will return, and you will groan in your despair ! . . .

You will feel ‘forsaken by God’ and will not know where to find refuge ! . . .

Do not let your courage fail you at this time !

Suddenly, once again words will be ‘spoken to you’. Everything that oppressed you will gradually slip away from you ! – –

Persistence will bring you to your goal; you will know that exalted powers are guiding you ! – – –

You are prepared through the power of belief [faith] !

You will now attain sure knowledge !

It will truly be yours, if you seek it in yourself ! – –

As long as you still stumble and do not know what you want, you will seek in vain for this sure knowledge ! – –

You will first have to become certain in yourself, if you want to be raised to the certainty of spiritual ‘knowledge’ in the spirit ! – – –

If you have put, however, your trust in the power of belief [faith], you will indeed have become certain in yourself ! – –

You will discover the source of all wisdom in your innermost being ! You will attain a form of ‘knowledge’ within yourself which the outside world can not give you ! – –

Only within yourself, my friend, can you gain certainty ! – – –

This ends Part 2 of 7

Part 1 of 7: Delusion and Belief