Knowing Yourself

And a man said, Speak to us of Self-Knowledge.

And a man said, Tell us about Self-Knowledge.

And he answered, saying:

And he answered:

Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.

Your hearts silently know the secrets of the days and nights.

But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart’s knowledge.

But you long to hear what your heart knows.

You would know in words that which you have always known in thought.

You want to put into words what you have always known in your thoughts.

You would touch with your fingers the naked body of your dreams.

You want to touch the naked body of your dreams with your fingers.

And it is well you should.

And it is good that you should.

The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;

The hidden spring of your soul must rise and flow, murmuring, to the sea.

And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.

And you would see the treasure in your infinite depths.

But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;

But do not use scales to weigh your unknown treasure.

And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.

And do not try to measure the depths of your knowledge with a measuring rod or sounding line.

For self is a sea boundless and measureless.

For the self is a sea without limits or measure.

Say not, “I have found the truth,” but rather, “I have found a truth.”

Do not say, “I have found the truth,” but say, “I have found a truth.”

Say not, “I have found the path of the soul.” Say rather, “I have met the soul walking upon my path.”

Do not say, “I have found the soul’s path.” Say instead, “I have met the soul walking on my path.”

For the soul walks upon all paths.

Because the soul walks on all paths.

The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.

The soul does not walk in a straight line, nor does it grow like a reed.

The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

The soul opens like a lotus with countless petals.