The MasterPath is a contemporary expression of the ancient Teachings of Light and Sound. Books and talks by Sri Gary Olsen, the leader and founder of MasterPath, explain that these principles of truth have been taught by all great Masters, such as Plato, Pythagoras, Jesus, Lao-Tse, Rumi, Nanak, and many others. All have taught that enlightenment, realization, and true spirituality lie within, and the path to attain these goals lies within. MasterPath teaches that our true identity is soul, though it is lying dormant and unable to express itself until awakened through initiation by an authentic living Master, one who carries the Sound Current. Sri Gary Olsen is such a Master, and through the MasterPath teachings, he makes this inner path available to all sincere seekers of truth. MasterPath is a Western expression of Surat Shabda Yoga, known in the East for millennia as the spiritual discipline (yoga) undertaken to merge soul (surat) with the Sound Current (Shabda). Sri Gary Olsen has fully traversed this inner journey, and through MasterPath brings this practice to contemporary students. MasterPath is Surat Shabda Yoga, and as each living Master has the duty and responsibility to tailor the outer practices for the students who come to his door, Sri Gary Olsen has done this for the MasterPath student. The Teachings of MasterPath stress balance rather than renunciation. Sri Gary Olsen offers his students the means to discriminate between morality and a loving, natural draw to deepen the intimacy between soul and the Creator, which is naturally expressed as dharma, or spiritual ethics. While many religions dictate lists of prohibited actions, MasterPath and the Light and Sound Teachings focus on awakening the slumbering soul, so that it, once awakened, can view thoughts, feelings, and actions from a heightened perspective. Surat Shabda Yoga has traditionally emphasized the practice of meditation. Sri Gary Olsen, through the teachings of MasterPath, has shifted this emphasis for his students to the practice of contemplation. Where meditation attempts to simply still the mind, the MasterPath practice of contemplation offers the active Western mind an alluring method to become still, while at the same time awakening the spiritual faculties of soul.