The Idyll of the White Lotus is a story told in all ages, and among every people. It is the tragedy of the soul. Attracted by desire, it stoops to sin; brought to itself by suffering, it turns for help to the redeeming spirit within and in the final sacrifice achieves its apotheosis and sheds a blessing on mankind. It is a story of initiation written in tender and beautiful language, and bears on its face the stamp of verdicity in simplicity and dignity. Behold I stood alone, one among many, an isolated individual in the midst of a united crowd. And I was alone, because, among all the men my brethren who knew, I alone was the man who both knew and taught. I taught the believers at the gate, and was driven to do this by the power that dwelleth in the sanctuary. I had no escape, for in that deep darkness of the most sacred shrine, I beheld the light of the inner life, and was driven to reveal it, and by it was I upheld and made strong. For indeed, although I died, it took ten priests of the temple to accomplish my death, and even then they but ignorantly thought themselves powerful. Mabel Collins was a writer of popular occult novels, a fashion writer and an anti-vivisection campaigner. She was a theosophist and author of over 46 books. This edition includes the essay "On The Idyll of the White Lotus" by Tallapragada Subba Rao, and the explanatory monograph The Story of Sensa by Mabel Collins.
