every man
who is willing to be taught; the mind of every one who is ready to be
instructed. Never does the spiritual teacher withhold knowledge because
he grudges the giving. He is hampered in the giving by the want of
receptivity in those to whom his message is addressed. Ill do men judge
the divine heart of the great Teachers, or the faint reflection of that
love in the mouth of Their messengers, when they think that knowledge is
withheld because it is a precious possession to be grudgingly dealt out,
that has to be given in as small a share as possible. It is not the
withholding of the teacher but the closing of the heart of the hearer;
not the hesitation of the teacher but the want of the ear that hears;
not the dearth of teachers but the dearth of pupils who are willing and
ready to be taught. I hear men say: "Why not an Avatara now, or if not
an Avatara, why do not the great Rishis come forward to speak Their
golden wisdom in the ears of men? Why do They desert us? Why do They
leave us? Why should this world in this age not have the wisdom as They
gave it of old?" The answer is that They are waiting, waiting, waiting,
with tireless patience, in order to find some one willing to be taught,
and when one human heart opens itself out and says: "O Lord, teach me,"
then the teaching comes down in a stream of divine energy and floods the
heart. And if you have not the teaching, it is because your hearts are
locked with the key of gold, with the key of fame, with the key of
power, and with the key of desire for the enjoyments of this world.
While those keys lock your hearts, the teachers of wisdom cannot enter
in; but unlock the heart and throw away the key, and you will find
yourselves flooded with a wisdom which is ever waiting to come in.

As Searcher of hearts--Ah! here again He is so difficult to understand,
this Lord of Maya, this Master of illusion. He tests the hearts of His
beloved, not so much the world at large. To them is the teaching that
shall guide them aright. For Arjuna, for Bhima, for Yudhishthira,
for them the keener touch, the sharper trial, in order to see if within
the heart one grain of evil still remains, that will prevent their union
with Himself. For what does he seek? That they shall be His very own,
that they shall enter into His being. But they cannot enter therein
while one seed of evil remains in their hearts. They cannot enter
therein while one sin is left in their nature. And so in tenderne