Christine Towned met through the gift of circumstances, Vimala Thakar, who illustrated through the example of her life and her teaching, that self-transformation is the birthright of every human, and that there is a direct path, a scientific enquiry, which can bring about an inner revolution, a radical shift in perception and awareness, in the human psyche. In recent years there has been an increased interest in the subject of enlightenment. Among the plethora of claims, and the multitudinous information, much confusion, contradiction, and misdirection is to be found, perhaps deterring some from going further in their inquiries, due to the emotional and exaggerated stories that are told. The Hidden Master is the story of an inquiry into the nature of total transformation of the human psyche, sometimes called enlightenment, as revealed by a realized Teacher, Vimala Thakar. It is also a story about the interaction of two forces-the force of understanding (the Teacher) and the force of inquiry (the seeker after truth). In attempting to live and practice the teaching of Vimalaji, the inquirer, Christine Townend, decided to record and analyse the inner and outer events of the investigation which she undertook. She was interested to observe how a realised Teacher lived, worked and taught. It was felt that is was important, not only to describe the difficulties of sadhana through which the seeker passes, but also to describe the qualities of a realized human being, without glamour or sentimentality. It was Vimalaji who encouraged and guided the writing of the book, and who gave so much of her time and love in the form of interviews and discussions for this purpose.