The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable.
Rabindranath TagoreRead
For the current of our spiritual life creeds, rituals and channels that may thwart or help, according to their fixity or openness. When a symbol or spiritual idea becomes rigidly elaborate in its construction, it supplants the idea which it should support.
Interpretation
Rigid religious structures can hinder true spiritual understanding.
In this quote, Rabindranath Tagore emphasizes that when spiritual beliefs and practices become overly fixed or complex, they can obstruct the very essence of the spirituality they are meant to express. Instead of facilitating spiritual growth and understanding, these elaborate structures can lead to a detachment from the original ideas and truth they aim to communicate.
In practice
In a speech about open-mindedness in spirituality, one might say, 'As Tagore reminds us, rigid beliefs can hinder our true understanding.'
The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable.
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