The Sufi mystic Hassan was dying. The disciples asked him:
“You never told us who your Teacher was.” Tell me please.
Hasan replied:
“I never talked about this because there was no Teacher in my life.” I learned from many people. My first Teacher was a small child. Listen to the story.
At that time I did not know the Truth, but I was a very educated person, a famous scientist, and I thought that I knew. My name was known even outside the country. People came to me thinking I knew. I pretended to know without knowing that I was pretending. I became a teacher. Without experiencing the Truth, without even entering my own inner world, I spoke of great things. I knew all the scriptures: they were on the tip of my tongue.
I was a very popular person and was used to being in the public eye all the time. But one day I had to go to a country where no one knew me. I was eager to find someone who would ask me something so I could demonstrate my knowledge.
Only a wise man can be silent. For a wise man, speaking is almost a burden. Therefore, it is believed that the one who knows is silent. The one who speaks does not know.
And so, for three days I was forced to remain silent. It was like fasting, and I felt the need for at least someone.
It was evening, I saw a little boy carrying a clay lamp, and I asked him:
- Tell me, please, where are you taking this lamp?
And the child answered:
— I'm heading to the temple. My mother sends me every evening to put this lamp in the temple, because it is dark there, and the God of the temple should not live in the dark.
“You answer very reasonably,” I said, “but tell me one thing: do you light the lamp yourself?”
The child answered: “Yes.” Then I asked:
“If you light the lamp yourself, can you tell me where the flame comes from?” You must have seen where it comes from.
The child laughed and said:
- Look!
He blew out the flame and said:
— The flame disappeared right in front of you. Can you tell me where it went? You must have seen it!?
I was completely petrified; I didn't know what to answer. I bowed to the child and left. At that very moment I realized that all my knowledge was borrowed from books. I lectured on the creation of the world, but I did not know where even a small flame comes from. I threw away all my teachings, all my knowledge, I forgot my glory and began to walk like a beggar. And as I slowly went into meditation, I opened my own mind. Since then, I have learned from many people; life has sent me the necessary meetings.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru