Do I know what I need? I

THERE is a very old story to the effect that a man asked a wise man to tell him about the wise man's ideas and teaching so that he could decide whether he was a real teacher, and could give the seeker what he wanted. 

The wise man asked his visitor if he would do a small favor for him, before he replied to the visitor. He agreed, and the wise man took a ring from his finger, and asked the seeker to take the ring to the stallkeepers in the flea market across the way and to get several estimates as to its value. 

The visitor took the ring and returned shortly with estimates of value and offers to buy from eleven to seventeen dollars. The wise man thanked the visitor and asked if he would do one more favor.    

The visitor agreed, and the wise man thanked the visitor and asked that he take the ring down the street to any fine jewelry store and see if he could get an offer to buy the ring. Again, the visitor returned shortly with an offer to buy the ring - for $43,000 ! 

A person who is full of conditioning thus under control of illusion, conflicts, struggles to be non-disturbed, and subject to emotions, belief, etc., is in no way qualified to know what he needs. In effect he may pass over a real gem as worthless because it doesn't appeal to his conditioning, and on the reverse he may pay a considerable sum for a cubic zirconium because it appeals to his conditioning & emotions. 

A school, or a teacher, to be of any value to a person, must be able to provide what the seeker needs. What the seeker needs is very, very seldom recognized by the seeker. 

As long as a person lost in the forest believes he knows his way, no one can be of assistance to the lost person. When the person has lost his or her way, and CAN RECOGNIZE TI-IE CONDITION, then much can be done which is of real value. 

Each day's mail brings many letters with requests for all sorts of things believed to be what is needed for transformation. These include a new pink Corvette, a job in the theatre, a boy friend, a girl friend, more money, a trip around the world, getting rid of the present mate, and many more of the same level asking for things or situations to tickle the senses. 

Now and then comes something to the effect that, "I'm confused and feel lost. I don't even KNOW what I want. Can anything be done for me?" This kind of asking gets service. 

Arizona Newsletter vol 1, #:3