The True Sage

To walk with one's own light

To walk with one's own light. A young rabbi: 'During study I feel life and light, but when I stop, it's gone.' The rabbi of Rizhyn: 'When you walk, walk with your own light.' To walk with one's own light: don't depend on borrowed light—scriptures, masters, teachings. The light must be your own. Study is borrowed; meditation is your own light.

To walk with one's own light -- Questions and answers

To walk with one's own light—Q&A. 'Your words contain a subtle ideology.' Language is ideology—to talk is to fall into the trap. To walk with one's own light: the master's words are not ideology but devices. Don't cling to the words—use them to find your own light. Truth is beyond language.

The watchman

The watchman. Rabbi Naftali met a watchman: 'For whom are you working?' 'And for whom are you working, rabbi?' The words struck him: 'I am not working for anybody just yet.' 'Will you be my servant?' 'What would be my duties?' 'To remind me.' The watchman: the master needs a reminder—someone to shake him awake. The disciple reminds the master of his own teaching.

The watchman -- Questions and Answers

The watchman—Q&A. 'Why does what you say seem completely familiar yet full of revelations?' Truth is eternal—neither old nor new. You've heard it millions of times but not understood. The day you understand, you disappear from this world of dream. Understanding is a great death. The familiar yet revelatory: truth recognized is truth lived.

The perfect swimmer

The perfect swimmer. 'How does the zaddik pray quietly without ecstasy?' 'A poor swimmer thrashes to stay up. The perfect swimmer rests on the tide and it carries him.' The perfect swimmer: don't thrash—the tide of existence carries you. Effortlessness is the highest art. Ecstasy is not in effort but in surrender to the current.

The perfect swimmer -- Questions and Answers

The perfect swimmer—Q&A. 'I don't have eyes to see, ears to hear. I am absolutely stupid.' A good beginning—to feel ignorant is the first step. Those who think they know are in real trouble. The perfect swimmer: the very understanding of ignorance illuminates your being. Grace comes when you stop pretending to know.

The light behind the window

The light behind the window. The rabbi pointed out the window: 'Do you see?' The guest sang: 'The holy old man has shown me a light. But who knows how many years we still must sleep?' The light behind the window: the sage sees the light, but even seeing it doesn't guarantee awakening. Sleep is deep. The light is there—when will you wake?

The light behind the window -- Questions and answers

The light behind the window—Q&A. 'I'm neither totally in the world nor the watcher on the hill.' That is exactly where you should be. There's no need to be a watcher on the hills. The light behind the window: be where you are—don't try to be somewhere else. The in-between is the right place when accepted.

True wisdom

True wisdom. The rabbi tested three passersby. The first would return the purse—'a fool.' The second would keep it—'a bad lot.' The third: 'How can I know what I'd do when I find it? Perhaps I'll be overcome, perhaps God will help me.' 'You are a true sage.' True wisdom: not knowing what you'll do—aware that the future is uncertain, that evil is possible but so is grace. The sage knows his own fallibility.

True wisdom -- Questions and Answers

True wisdom—Q&A. 'What's the difference between being passive and flowing with the river?' The passive mind has an attitude of passivity—flowing has no attitude. True wisdom: flowing is active, alive, responsive. Passivity is dead, stagnant. The river carries you but you are not passive—you dance with the current.