In a quiet forest cabin at the break of dawn, we find the Master and the Seeker. The air is filled with the fresh scent of rain, and birds sing in the distance. The Seeker, carrying a question that has weighed heavily on his heart, sits before the Master, seeking clarity.
Seeker: Master, why does one become a spiritual seeker? What drives someone to embark on this path?
Master: Ah, a profound question. But tell me first, why do you feel that you are a seeker?
Seeker: Perhaps because something feels missing in my life. It's as though I'm always searching for something to fill this emptiness. Sometimes I feel happy, but it never lasts. I long for something deeper.
Master: That sense of emptiness is the first step. It’s the initial whisper of a deeper truth calling to you. Most people feel this at some point, but tell me, why do you believe the answer lies outside yourself?
Seeker: I don’t know. It always seems as if the answer is somewhere else – in a book, a teaching, or maybe in another person.
Master: This search is natural. The human mind is conditioned to believe that fulfillment and peace are external. But tell me, what happens when you achieve what you’ve been seeking? Doesn’t another desire take its place?
Seeker: Yes, it always does. Every goal I reach is quickly replaced by a new one.
Master: And that is why one becomes a seeker. Initially, the search is outward, but when it becomes clear that external things cannot provide lasting satisfaction, the direction of the search changes. It turns inward.
Seeker: But why isn’t everyone compelled to seek? Why are some people content with what life offers, while others feel this longing?
Master: Not everyone is at the same stage of their journey. Some are satisfied with surface-level joys, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone begins their search when the time is right for them. It cannot be forced. Life itself will guide them.
Seeker: So, is all suffering and longing actually a gift?
Master: Precisely. Suffering is your teacher. It’s like a bell that rings, saying, “Wake up! Look deeper into who you truly are.” But many fear this call, so they avoid it or numb it.
Seeker: Why are they afraid?
Master: Because the spiritual path demands that you face the truth of who you really are. And that is terrifying to the ego. The ego fears its own dissolution, while the soul yearns for the truth. This creates a tension within you.
Seeker: And what does one find when they truly discover the truth?
Master: They realize they were never lost. They see that there is nothing to find because they have always been what they were searching for. This is the great paradox: the seeker is what they seek.
Seeker: But if that’s true, why can’t I see it now?
Master: Because the mind veils the truth. It is clouded by thoughts, beliefs, and desires. When the mind becomes quiet, when all desires and attachments are released, the truth reveals itself effortlessly.
Seeker: So the end of the search is realizing there is nothing to search for?
Master: Exactly. But this understanding must be lived to become real. The mind cannot grasp it, but your heart already knows.
Seeker: How do I begin?
Master: You have already begun. The fact that you are here, asking this question, shows that the journey is underway. Simply observe, turn inward, and be patient. The truth is never far from you; it only waits for you to notice it.
By the time their conversation ended, the sun was high in the sky. A new sense of peace and curiosity had awakened in the Seeker’s heart. He knew the path ahead would be long, but he no longer feared it. As the Seeker disappeared into the forest, the Master silently watched, confident that the questions would soon transform into answers—and then, into deeper questions.