Reverence

Reverence

A devout pupil attended a spiritual meeting in another part of the country, at which holy texts were intoned by individual men and women.
On his return he told his teacher that he had been shocked by the lack of reverence shown by those reciting the texts. “I had heard that they were a very good group, but they did not seem to show respect for what they were reading. You have told us that we should always read holy texts with great reverence.”
The teacher, who was well known for deep insight, asked, “And did you feel the truth of the texts when they were being recited as you say?”
“Why, yes. It was very clear and firm. But no reverence—that put me off.”
The teacher said, “When we recite the holy texts, we must always do it with great reverence. But if it should come to pass that there is no more ‘I’ or ‘we,’ then there is no reverence either. The holy texts speak out the truth as it is: they have nothing to do with reverence or no reverence. That’s for human beings who still feel themselves separate individuals.”