n, Transcendental-less shrine. A
nervous tension permeated the room. Atmananda strode in, sat down, and
fiddled with his wristwatch. Then he looked up and quickly raised his
hand to his mouth--as if he were surprised that he was not alone. A
few people laughed.

"There are four paths leading to enlightenment," Atmananda said.
"Bhakti yoga, the way of love, is by far the easiest path because love
is the strongest force in the universe."

He had described the four paths many times before, and I began to feel
slightly more at ease. It was particularly reassuring in his
tumultuous world that love was still so important a quality.

"Karma yoga, the path of selfless service, is perhaps the noblest of
the paths if you can avoid feeling superior to those whom you serve.
Mahatma Gandhi was a karma yogi, though he never actually attained
enlightenment."

"How can he be so sure?" I wondered. "Maybe Gandhi *had* attained
enlightenment." I also wondered if Atmananda would end up serving
himself rather than the Infinite.

"Jnana yoga, the path of knowledge and wisdom, is the least traveled of
the four paths. Jnana yogis face the difficult task of learning to
discriminate between what is real and what is maya, or illusion."

It was extremely difficult for me to face my friend and hero, and to
discern whether his was a genuine path to the Infinite or an illusory
path to himself. So I thought, instead, about jnana yoga master Sri
Yukteswar, whose disciple, Paramahansa Yogananda, wrote the popular
Autobiography of a Yogi.

"Mysticism," Atmananda said, "is the path described in the Castaneda
books. By living impeccably, the mystic accumulates personal power
until she or he is capable of entering into the Other Worlds. Though
mysticism is the fastest way to enlightenment, it is also the most
dangerous. Mystics are often attacked and drained of their power by
the Dark Magicians, and many end up becoming Dark Magicians themselves."

Though enthralled by this path, I was bothered by Atmananda's
insistence that a myriad of beings, human and otherwise, stood poised
to destroy mystics who strayed from a constantly changing set of
rules--that Atmananda happened to know all about. I was also bothered
by Atmananda's seeming obsession with "Dark Magicians."

"In past lives," Atmananda continued, "I have followed, mastered, and
taught each of the four paths. You should understand that if you
choose to continue your spiritual