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"I teach well. I used to really like teaching a lot. I enjoyed it a lot and I was good at it."

"Bhikkhus, the teaching is merely a vehicle to describe the truth. Don't mistake it for the truth itself. A finger pointing at the moon is notthe moon. The finger is needed to know where to look for the moon, but if you mistake the finger for the moon itself, you will never knowthe real moon.The teaching is like a raft that carries you to the other shore. The raft is needed, but the raft is not the other shore. An intelligent personwould not carry the raft around on his head after making it across to the other shore. Bhikkhus, my teaching is the raft which can help youcross to the other shore beyond birth and death. Use the raft to cross to the other shore, but don't hang onto it as your property. Do notbecome caught in the teaching. You must be able to let it go."

"Never follow any impulse to teach, however strong it might be. The command to teach is not felt as an impulsion."

"The Seeking of the Master. Musa Najib was asked why he charged a fee from those who came to his sessions; and why he often did not even address his audience. He said: 'I charge for this object lesson: people believe that knowledge must be given freely, and consequently mistake everything which is free for knowledge. I do not always lecture because, among Sufis, "The Master finds the pupil. The pupil has to be physically present: but he may be absent in every other sense. When I discern that a pupil is "present then I "find him, for then his inner call is audible to me, even if it is silent to him.' 'Seek and you will be found."

"Teaching is the best way to learn. Never stop learning."

"Counsels of BahaudinYou want to be filled. But something which is full has first to be emptied. Empty yourself so that you will fill properly, by observing these counsels, which you can do as duties to yourself:FirstNever follow any impulse to teach, however strong it might be. The command to teach is not felt as an impulsion."

"From today onward, you will learn how to become evangelical about the many ways you help people."

"The most important and uniquely glorious element of Buddha's character was that, he did not compel his pupils to be slaves either to his teachings or to himself, but like a conscientious human, demanded from his followers to accept his words not merely out of regard for him but after subjecting them to a thorough examination. And this is where Buddha stands out from the crowd of self-proclaimed prophets."
Explore more quotes by Idries Shah


"To 'see both sides' of a problem is the surest way to prevent its complete solution. Because there are always more than two sides."


"Enemies are often former or potential friends who have been denied - or think that they have been denied - something."


"From a personal experience and the examination of literature, I feel that we cannot take for granted that a dialogue, without information and perhaps without understanding, is possible between any individuals or groups on all levels. So the prerequisite is information."
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