You Are Too Clever

Half smiling, with imperturbable brightness and friendliness, the Buddha looked steadily at the stranger and dismissed him with a friendly gesture.
    “You are clever, O Samana,” said the Illustrious one, “you know how to speak cleverly, my friend. Be on your guard against too much cleverness.”
    The Buddha walked away and his look and half-smile remained imprinted on Siddhartha’s memory forever.
Herman Hess
Siddhartha
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We called it, “Too big for our own britches,” in my day. It happens that we respect, admire, or are sometimes intimidated by those who have a way with words and profound insights. I sometimes impress myself with such nonsense. This is especially true when I listen to spiritual gurus or preachers; but, it is the ones who speak clearly and are grounded in the simplicity of experience that change me. As soon as someone starts blabbing about things they have not experienced but expound on exotic theories based on conjecture, my ears turn off. This is particularly true with “new agers”: using spirituality to escape the reality of the desperation, alienation and confusion dealt to us from birth. Pseudo-science, astrology, crystals for every ailment, aroma therapy, and so on… I’m not saying that these don’t work for some of us but I have found, after racing around… chasing after the chimera of my own delusions… the truth is as simple as it is kind. The Heart of Compassion, or God, is easily accessible and within reach of all of us at all times… if only I would allow myself to be humble enough. All I have to do is kneel or sit a few minutes at the start of each day to bask in Compassion’s grace: Namaste.
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