My Teacher told me this Sufi story.
A man had three sons. When the eldest son came of age, he called him aside and said, “You are now of age, and I am giving you a ring as a mark that you are my successor. The ring has great value and beauty, and it has the capacity to open the gates of a vast treasure.”
When the second son, came of age, the father called him aside and gave him another ring and repeated what he had told the eldest son. In time, the third son also came of age, and the father gave him another ring, with the same advice.
In time, the ancient wise man passed away. Soon, each of the ring holders claimed primacy, showing the ring as proof of true succession. As time passed, each of the rings gathered their own adherents, who claimed that their ring was the best.
But all forgot that the rings were actually the keys to a vast treasure, and were only lost in arguing over precedence, and the possession of the ring.
Only a few looked beyond the ring to the treasure. They found that if you contemplated any of the rings without a sense of possession or attachment, you could see the treasure, which they found to be inexhaustible. When these wise men wanted to tell this great discovery to the adherents, they found few listeners. The first group said that the ring itself is the treasure. The second said the way to the treasure was inscribed on the ring, and was known only to its owner. The third said that the owner of the ring will find it in the future. Guru Granth Sahib gives this counsel:
The One Name is the treasure, listen to the Teachings.
If you read in duality, you shall only continue to suffer
My teacher said that most of us just seek some profit from the Signs, but only the wise know that all signs only point to Him, the real treasure.