The Wrong Wisdom

A MAN came to a famous guru and asked to be accepted as a pupil.

"What do you wish to learn from me?" the guru asked. "I want to learn to fly through the air," said the man.

A second man also asked to be taken on as a pupil "Do you also want to learn to fly through the air?" asked the guru. "No," said the man, "I want to learn to walk on the water."

A third man asked to be taken on as a pupil. "Do you want to learn to fly and walk on water?" asked the guru. "No, I want to learn to control my breathing," replied the man. "Why do you want to learn such unusual accomplishments?" asked the guru.

They all had the same response. They said they believed that these practices would help them in their spiritual development.

"But all these three accomplishments will result in attaining the ability to defy physical laws. How will this help you in your spiritual development?" asked the guru.

They answered that it was physical laws that bound them to the material world and that therefore they believed that the ability to defy them would necessarily help them on the spiritual path.