How Many Paths (a parable)

The Master had trod many a ways. So a disciple asked him once as to how many spiritual paths were there?

“As many as there are human beings” replied the Master rather laconically, and then added after a pause, “there are as many paths as there are aspiring souls and yet in reality there is only one path.”

“And which path is that?” asked one who had a special liking for a particular way hoping to get approval of his methods.

But the Master responded rather quizzically, – “well, it is the path that is no path!”

Seeing the puzzled look on the faces of the disciples he explained by taking them to the sea shore where the sun was just beginning to rise and its first reflections fell upon the waters. A small section of the sea was lit up by the sun as its rays fell upon it. He asked one of them if he saw a path of light over the waters? “Yes, of course, right in front of me.” The eager disciple noted.
Bidding him to stay there, the Master took another a few steps further and asked if he also saw a path of light upon the sea in front of him.

“Yes of course, it is there right in front,” said the second. And so on and so forth as they moved ahead each one noted a path of light upon the sea right in front irrespective of how much ever far they went.

“There you are,” said the Master, “see how the one path becomes the many depending upon the angle of your vision, the starting point of your journey, the route you take and the goal you set in front of you. In fact there is only one path and that is the universal path of the sun through whose help we climb to the Light and Force that governs the world. It is the sunlit path. But men are not yet wide and their vision too narrow, so they break the path into several streams and oppose it to each other.”

Alok Pandey