Bahauddin Naqshbandi once found himself in the city of Alucha, because respected residents of the city, having heard that he was passing by on the main road, came out to meet him and asked him to honor their city with his presence.
- Do you want to satisfy your curiosity about me, treat me and honor me, or ask for the transfer of teachings? he asked.
After consulting, the elder replied:
“We have heard a lot about you, but you may not have heard anything about us.” Since this is a rare opportunity for us to hear teaching, we gratefully choose this one from among the opportunities you offer.
Bahauddin entered the city. All residents gathered in the city square.
The local spiritual masters conducted Bahauddin to the place of honor, and when he was seated, the wisest of the learned men, Aluchi, addressed him with the following words:
- O spirit of truth and great mentor! We have all heard about you, for isn’t the whole earth full of rumors about you? You are probably far from the concerns of such insignificant people as we are, and therefore we ask permission to express to you our views, so that you can support them, correct them or refute them, with undoubted benefit for us.
Here Bahauddin interrupted the speaker:
- Of course, I will tell you what can be done, and for this you do not need to tell about yourself.
And he began to describe to these people their way of thinking, their flaws and their morals, through the prism of which they look at various life problems. After this, he said to the stunned townspeople:
“And now, before I start talking about how this state of affairs can be corrected, for your own good, express what is tormenting your hearts, so that, having received the necessary explanations, you can then fully concentrate on my advice.”
The wisest of the learned men, after consulting with others, said:
- O guide from ancient times! We are all astonished and embarrassed that you were able to learn so much about us, about our difficulties and thoughts. Are we right in believing that such knowledge can be had by a person who has received a special blessing and has achieved the highest form of direct perception?
In response, Bahauddin asked for a large clay vessel, some water in a jug, flour and salt. He poured flour and salt into the vessel and poured water into it. Then he asked the chief of the wise:
- Please, do me the courtesy of telling me what is in this vessel?
He said:
- Oh Teacher, there is a mixture of flour, salt and water.
-Can you find out what its properties are? - asked Bahauddin.
- When the constituent parts are known, there can be no doubt about the properties of the mixture.
“Here is the answer to your question - an answer that does not require any explanation from me,” said Bahauddin Naqshbandi.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru