With growing excitement Janet replied, "What is the difference between realizing it intellectually and realizing it from within?"
Andy's eyes twinkled. "The difference is like night and day. One is a learned process from the physical world and the other is an inner virgin knowledge that lies deep within the consciousness of all human beings."
I asked Andy if he could give us an example. Without any hesitation he said, "Yes—Einstein! When Einstein realized his theory of relativity, it was a virgin thought—or, if you wish, an original thought. However, once he spoke of his finding it became of this world; it joined with his intellect and that of all humanity. To me, Einstein was both a wise and an intelligent man."
"How do we find such wisdom?" Janet asked. "You wouldn't believe the number of awareness groups I've attended, or the masses of books I've read in the search for some answers, both for myself and to assist in my work."
"Janet, there are many ways to try to find such knowledge," the gardener answered, "but it makes no difference which path you follow or which journey you take. You must first learn to listen; otherwise, no matter how anyone tries to explain the unexplainable to you, it will never make sense. You see, Janet, because the elusive knowledge you seek has no form, it can only be explained metaphorically—and until you learn to listen, you will only hear the metaphors.
"Now, I'm not talking about listening from the old noggin. I'm talking about listening to a little voice, deep within your very soul. This is the little voice that will take you to the knowledge you seek."
He continued, "Why do you think people meditate? Because meditation is good for the soul; it rests the weary travelers on their journey through life and cleanses the channels of their minds. The state of meditation quiets personal thoughts and takes you on a journey—past the illusionary ego and into the land of knowledge that lies within. This is where you will find the understanding you seek regarding the true mechanism of human behavior."
"Andy, I still don't get it," I admitted. "I've looked all over the world and, no matter where I've gone or how earnestly I've searched, I haven't found a satisfying answer. For one reason or another, there are always inconsistencies in the explanations I'm given. Could you possibly explain it another way?"
"All right, let's try it this way," Andy said with a wink. "Let me tell you a little story...
Once upon a time there was a very wise swami who was also a very ardent flute player. He would often sit for hours and play his meditative music. Then one day a young man came looking for some inner knowledge and asked the swami to teach him how to find the Truth.
The swami listened to the young man's pleas, then asked him to come back in 10 days for his answer. After 10 days had come and gone, the young man returned to the swami's house and waited patiently outside his door. Finally, the swami opened the door and invited the young man into his home.
'I have decided,' said the swami, 'to teach you to find the true wisdom that lies within.'
The young man was filled with pride when he heard that the wise Master had chosen him as a student.
'Your first lesson, young man, involves that little tree lying on the ground over there. I happen to know that the good Lord has hidden a very special flute inside it. I want to see if you can find that flute. If you can uncover it, I would surely love to see such a work of art.'
Using his Master's knife, the young man methodically chipped away at the tree in search of the elusive flute. Finally, after chipping at the tree for several days, the young man returned to the swami and said, 'Master! I have diligently cut and chipped the entire tree, and I can assure you there was no flute hidden inside.'
'Well done, my young apprentice,' the swami answered. 'You should be proud of your enthusiasm and hard work. But it is strange that one so diligent didn't find what he was looking for. I can't imagine the good Lord forgetting to put a special flute into that tree.'
After the apprentice had a day of rest, the swami asked to see him again. Tor your next assignment, I would like you to find a quiet spot and meditate on why the good Lord didn't put a flute in that tree.'
When the apprentice had meditated for two whole days, the Master again asked to see him. 'I would imagine, young man, that you have great things to tell me about the missing flute?'
'No, Master,' the student replied. 'I still don't understand why you are so convinced that there was a flute in that tree. Nor can I understand what this has to do with my finding the Truth I seek.'
The swami answered, 'Oh, but I'm absolutely certain that the flute was there. Perhaps, quite innocently, you may have chopped it up into goodness knows how many pieces without recognizing it for what it was. And as for the second part of your question, only you have the power to find the answer to such a riddle.'
The young student just couldn't comprehend the deeper meaning of the swami's words.
Finally the swami said, 'Young man, I've given great thought to your dilemma of not recognizing such a valuable flute. Therefore I shall assign you another task. This time I want you to go to the top of the mountain where tranquillity reigns. There you will find one more tree lying on the ground. This time I want you to take no knife, just enough food and water for three days. See if you can find the answer to the riddle of the missing flute.'
'But Master,' the student protested, 'how can I possibly find a flute without my knife?'
'Carve it in the silence of your mind,' the swami replied.
The young student, although bewildered by his Master's words and orders, did as he was asked. Three days went by, and the young student returned full of glee as he announced to the Master that he had solved the riddle of the elusive flute.
'Well,' asked the swami, 'what did you find on top of the mountain?'
'Master, for the first two days I felt confused by the orders you had given me. But on the third day it came to me like a flash of lightning—the flute I sought was there all the time, only it had not been carved yet. Then I realized that the Truth I seek is just like the flute and the tree—it lies within my soul, waiting to be exposed by chopping away all the unnecessary beliefs I have in my head.'
'Well done, young man,' the swami said with a smile. 'Well done.'
'But tell me, Master,' the student said, 'why did you send me on a wild goose chase when all you had to do was tell me the answer?'
'Young man, the important thing is that you realized the answer on your own. Had I merely given you the answer, it probably would have become just another of your beliefs.'"
Andy paused to let us absorb his story. Bewildered by the riddle of the missing flute, Peter questioned the gardener. "That's an interesting story, but I still don't quite see the connection to Eric's personal search for wisdom."
The gardener smiled. "My dear young man, perhaps you should all take heed of what happened to the young man in the story and try to find what you seek in the silence of your own minds. Just as the flute was hidden in the tree, the knowledge sought by each of you lies hidden in the depths of your own inner consciousness, waiting to be released and reshaped.
"May I suggest to you," Andy concluded, "that you take a look at your thoughts and chip away those which hide your elusive Inner Wisdom?"
I thought I had followed Andy's story but sought affirmation. "So what I hear you say, Andy, is that you believe mental health is already in us if we can detach the wrongful thoughts from our heads. This is definitely a new idea to me. I was trained to believe that mental health is taught— healing knowledge comes into your head from the outside. Now you are saying mental health comes to us from inside."