Book Title: Wisdom Roads
Author(s): Lorrence G Muller
Publisher: Continumm New York

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 40
________________ SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA the Bhagavad Gita and even build temples for the book, but they don't know one verse. L.M.: They're not living those truths of the scriptures. S. SATCH: Mere worshiping of the ladder will not make it go up. L.M.: The book, or the teacher. S. SATCH: It's just a ladder. You say: "Oh, this is the ladder my teacher gave me. I worship it, I adore it. How can I step on it?” Because it's a holy object, no. Then what is the point of giving a ladder to you? L.M.: The teaching is there to be used. S. SATCH: You have to go up; and once you reach the top, you go on your way and leave the ladder for somebody else. You don't keep on holding onto the ladder saying: this is the ladder that brought me up. L.M.: We learn to let go. S. SATCH: Let go—you even have to let go of the teacher himself. L.M.: That can be difficult, since a certain devotion to the teacher is also necessary. S. SATCH: In the beginning, it is necessary. After some time however, even that should be discarded, renounced. Because you're attached then to that form. L.M.: The teacher's outer form and personality. Does the teacher also have an inner form—the true, eternal form in God? S. SATCH: Yes, yes. L.M.: We shouldn't get caught up in the external. 39 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188