Short Story: The old Professor meets up with a Sufi Master
By emptychair
@innertalks (23744)
Australia
May 18, 2018 12:37am CST
The Sufi master looked greatly confused, or was that amused.
The Old Professor in the town had come to him to ask his opinion on a certain matter, that had been troubling him lately.
The master asked him what this was.
The old man said that he was rather ashamed to admit it, but that he had gotten to this great old age of 66 now, and that he was still teaching his pet subject of philosophical studies, but that he still had no idea really that there was any real value in his teachings.
He could not feel the aliveness of their truth, as he could in the Sufi’s teachings.
The Sufi master smiled, and simply said,
"The aliveness does not come from out of the teachings, it comes from you putting yourself into them. For the students to feel the truth in the teachings live them within life too, in your life, my old friend."
"Live as you love, but make sure that you teach as you live that love, not as you love that teaching. There is a subtle distinction here."
The old Professor thanked the master, and left, wondering about how at his advanced age, he could ever alter his way of his teaching now. He had been teaching this way, for over forty years now.
Just then, the Sufi Master called out after him,
"Be he who be's, not he who sees."
Photo Credit:
The photo used here was freely sourced from the free media site: pixabay.com.
The gold in your teaching of others must come from within, not from any outer show. Do not perform falsely, give out what you know from your heart.
Let your lessons be reflections of your own knowing of the truth.
2 people like this
3 responses
@mlgen1037 (29882)
• Manila, Philippines
18 May 18
I have always been told to teach from the heart, because the heart provides love and compassion. And if you have love, you can lead thru examples. I like the message that this implies. Thank you, Steve.
2 people like this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
18 May 18
Thanks Louise. I agree with what you said there.
I tend to write about how I would like to be myself. I am mostly a head person. I try to see the truth with my mind, rather than my being that truth from my heart.
The Sufi master's last words in my tale apply to me most of all.....LOL...
"Be he who be's, not he who sees."
It means to "see" truth from our heart, not try to see it blindly from our minds only.
2 people like this
@mlgen1037 (29882)
• Manila, Philippines
18 May 18
@innertalks You are most welcome, Steve. It is the heart that can see better than the mind. The mind can only provide logic and reason while the heart has love. 
2 people like this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
18 May 18
@mlgen1037 Thanks Louise. That's very true.
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (28394)
• Singapore
18 May 18
Yes, we should seek the truth with utmost sincerity from our own perspective and life experiences.
If we parrot what others say, then our words ring hollow; we may fool others but we certainly waste our lifetime then.
Searching within gives us more insights than looking for pearls of wisdom from the physical world and our history.
A blend of both will distil the essence from both worlds - siva
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
18 May 18
Thanks siva, that is very well said.
Searching within certainly connects us to our own real self more than most other ways can do so.
The generation of truth within each vehicle depends on that vehicle aligning itself to its own truth as it sits within God, and love is the focuser for this and the connector and the power behind truth coming alive in you, so it is a dual thing.
God's love must be lived from, focussing on our own truths which must come alive for us to be us as our real selves, in this world of duality, and its apparent abundance of non-love.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
19 May 18
@Shiva49 Yes, and then there are ones like me. I always hear my inner voice, but then I hardly ever follow it.
I sort of think in some ways, what right has it got to advise me and take away the lessons that I might learn from making my own mistakes.
So I go ahead and make my own choice, invariably the wrong one, and sometimes I regret not having followed my inner voice, but in another way I feel more confirmed about the way that was really right for me, as there is nothing like a mistake to point out even further, or more strongly for one, the error of our ways.
When driving, for example, I will get an inner voice, telling me to turn left, and so to avoid a traffic jam up ahead. I always go ahead to confirm the traffic jam really exists, and then it also more confirms to me that my inner voice is really giving me real information too, otherwise I might have never known for sure...LOL...as I would have avoided the traffic jam.. although maybe I might have had it confirmed for me from a radio traffic report...but I like to see things directly, not indirectly, for myself.
1 person likes this
@Shiva49 (28394)
• Singapore
19 May 18
@innertalks Thanks Steve, we tend to forget as to who we really are captivated as we are with all that glitter in this physical world. We forget and ignore our inner voice as it is drowned out by the cacophony of the outside world.
We need introspection and reflection often as to the path we are taking here. I have seen few regretting at the end of the day when they were carried away by irrational exuberance on those that are transient. Their lives then ring hollow when they approach the exit gates here - siva
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