INTRODUCTION

This is an excerpt from an essay I wrote in 1979 regarding the Eastern roots of the Thelemic current.  I had been a self-taught student of Thelemic magick since 1970 and like many students, it was Crowley's elegant and innovative ceremonies that held my interest more than the comparitively dry discipline of Yoga.  By 1979 my interest had shifted away from (Western) ritual magick and towards (Eastern) philosophy and meditation (which is not surprising because I was a religious studies student whose focus was on Eastern religion.)  The more I learned about Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism the better I understood Thelema.  At its core the philosophy of Thelema is most akin to Taoism, and its method should be as direct and experiential as the Zen-flash of consciousness on all levels clicking into place.

The full essay compares the mystical philosophy and practice of Thelema with Hindu Vamacharins, Buddhists of the Vajrayana path, Taoism and Zen. This is an excerpt from the last segment of the essay, "Thelemamarga" (rough translation: the Way of Will). 

Reading it now I see a lot of statements I would change, given the hindsight of 30 years, but I still believe that the "path direct" of Thelema is a lot less complicated than it seems, and that sometimes a smack on the head is better than climbing the stairs.