Bayazid often said to his disciples:
- Be aware!
- But what is awareness? - they asked. One day he led them to the river, where, on his instructions, a narrow bridge was built.
“To find out what awareness is, you will have to cross this bridge to the other side,” said Bayazid.
When they came close to the bridge and saw that it was very narrow, the disciples exclaimed:
“But it’s dangerous, the bridge is only one foot wide!”
Bayazid said:
- But how long do you need to walk? When you walk on the ground, you can easily walk in a one-foot wide strip. Why can't you walk along such a strip hanging between two hills?
Several people tried, but got scared and turned back. Then old Bayazid himself walked across the bridge. Some students followed him. When they reached the other side, those who followed him fell to their knees and exclaimed:
- Oh, master, now we know what awareness is. The danger was so great that we could not afford to relax. We had to be vigilant, aware.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru