The advantage of the sutra form lies in its brevity. The sayings and parables of Jesus, too, when taken out of their narrative context could be regarded as sutras as well as the profound teachings contained in the Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese book of wisdom. The Vedas and Upanishads are the early sacred teachings recorded in the form of sutras, as are the words of the Buddha. Sutras are powerful pointers to the truth in the form of aphorisms or short sayings with little conceptualĢ elaboration. Allow the book to do its work, to awaken you from the old groves of your repetitive and conditioned thinking The form of this book can be seen as a revival for the present age of the oldest form of recorded spiritual teachings, the sutras of ancient India. It is always more helpful and more important to stop reading than to continue reading. Many readers will feel naturally inclined to stop reading after each entry, to pause, reflect, become still. Or spend more time holding it than reading it. And, more importantly, put it down frequently. This is not a book to be read from cover to cover and then put away. It is reminding you of who you are and pointing the way back home. So whenever you feel inner peace arising as you listen, the book is doing it work and fulfilling its function as your teacher. A vibrantly alive peace is one of the characteristics of that dimension. That to which they point is not to be found within the realm of thought but a dimension within yourself that is deeper, and infinitely vaster than thought. It is good to remember that, to feel that, as you listen. And you will miss the very essence of the teaching, the essence of this book which is not in the words but within yourself. In other words, if you are looking for food for thought, you won't find it.
If you come to a spiritual teacher or this book looking for stimulating ideas, theories, beliefs, intellectual discussions, then you will be disappointed. The spiritual teacher is there to uncover and reveal to you that dimension of the inner depth that is also peace. The only function of such a teacher is to help you remove that which separates you from the truth of who you already are and what you already know in the depth of your being. 1 Eckhart Tolle Stillness Speaks Introduction A true spiritual teacher does not have anything to teach in the conventional sense of the word, does not have anything to give or add to you, such as new information, beliefs, or rules of conduct.