My teacher would say that to know about others is to be clever and knowledgeable, but to be enlightened, you must know yourself. The great seer Bulle Shah laments:
Reading books and deep study – you are now full of knowledge, Alas, you never read yourself.
The scriptures continuously guide us to seek out the holy congregation and the true teacher, who will guide us on the path of enlightenment. For the devotee, it becomes difficult to decide about the true teacher and the true congregation. Of this path, Saint Kabir would say:
The world dies gathering knowledge, but none could master the art,
The one who read the alphabets of Love, he became enlightened. The Book talks to us of universal love. There is no need or desire to defeat others, but an effort to understand and win over oneself. There is no longing to gather some divine power; instead, the devotee seeks grace, and becomes graceful. The true congregation has respect for all, and does not waste its time in saying that their path is better than others, but prays for blessings for all.A king came to meet Saint Farid. He had thought of many gifts for the great seer, and finally decided on a scissor. He had it specially crafted – sharp blades of the finest steel, held together in engraved gold, with an ivory grip, and studded with diamonds and rubies. “Please accept this humble gift,” the king said, “this scissor represents knowledge, the instrument that cuts through ignorance.”And Farid said, “The shine of gold and the glitter of diamonds may belong to knowledge, but it can only cut and disunite, and I have no use for it. Instead, get me the humble needle of love, for that is my trade – I want to sew people together.”
Guru Gobind Singh writes:
Listen to me ye all – I speak the truth:
He is discovered only through love.