As a public service here are words of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, from the book, I Am That, first published in 1973, translated by Maurice Frydman (I have the Chetana Press edition, which has been reprinted in 1976, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and perhaps since then...)
The following is an extract from pag 106, in a session which is entitled "The beginingless begins forever"
Questioner: I have another question to ask: some Yogis attain their goal, but it is of no use to others. They do not know, or are unable to share. Those who can share out what they have, initiate others. Where lies the difference?
Maharaj: There is no difference. Your approach is wrong. There are no others to help. A rich man, when he hands over his entire fortune to his family, has not a coin left to give a beggar. So is the wise man (gnani, tzadik in Jewish terms - Immanuel's insertion) stripped of all his powers and possessions. Nothing, literally nothing, can be said about him. He cannot help anybody, for he is everybody. He is the poor and also his poverty, the thief and also his thievery. How can he be said to help, when he is not apart? Who thinks of himself as separate from the world, let him help the world.
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I read this several times but couldn't make sense of it. It sounds perilously close to a cop-out from any form of helping, sharing, educating, mentoring, or alms-giving. Because those are all based on the fallacy of the individual's perception of himself as somehow separate from the rest of the world. Hmmm...
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