One man believed that an ordinary, waking life could in no way be complete. He was looking for the true Teacher of the Age. He read many books, moved in many circles; he listened to the words and observed the deeds of one master after another. He followed the instructions and spiritual exercises that seemed most attractive to him.
Some of his experiences encouraged him. At other times he was at a loss; and he had no idea what stage he was at, nor where or when his search might end.
One day, while reflecting on his behavior, this man suddenly found himself not far from the house of a sage of high reputation. In the garden of this house, he unexpectedly met Khidr, a secret guide who shows the path to the Truth. Khidr led him to a place where he saw people in great suffering and inconsolable grief. He asked them who they were.
“We are those who did not follow the true teachings, who were not faithful to our obligations, who revered impostor teachers,” they said.
Then the person was brought by Khidr to a place where everyone was attractive and full of fun. He asked who they were.
“We are the ones who did not follow the true Signs of the Path,” they said.
- But if you ignored the Signs, how can you be happy? - asked the traveler.
“Because we chose happiness instead of Truth,” the people answered, “while those who chose impostors also chose sadness.”
“But isn’t happiness the ideal of man?” - asked the man.
— The goal of man is Truth. Truth is more than happiness. He who has the Truth can have any mood he wants or none, they told him. “We pretended that Truth is happiness, and happiness is Truth, and people believed us, so you, too, until that moment, imagined that happiness is the same as Truth.” But happiness makes you its prisoner, just like grief.
And then the man discovered that he was again in the garden next to Khidr.
“I will fulfill one of your wishes,” said Khidr.
“I want to know why I failed in my quest and how I can succeed in it,” said the man.
“You have everything, but you wasted your life,” Khidr replied, “because you were a liar.” Your lie was that you were seeking personal satisfaction when you could have been seeking the Truth.
“And yet, I came to the place where I found you,” said the man, “and this hardly happens to anyone.”
“You met me,” said Khidr, “only because, at least for a moment, you were sincere enough to desire the Truth for its own sake.” It was sincerity, in this single moment, that made me answer your call.
And the man felt an all-consuming desire to find the Truth, even if he lost himself. However, Khidr began to move away, and the man rushed after him.
“You cannot follow me,” said Khidr, “for I am returning to the ordinary world, the world of lies, for that is where I need to be if I intend to do my job.”
And when the man looked around again, he realized that he was no longer in the garden of the sage, but was standing in the Land of Truth.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru