Whoever loves Wisdom loves life,
and those who seek her will be joyful.
Whoever embraces her will be raised up.
Wherever she enters will be blessed.
Whoever obeys her will be a sure judge.
Whoever attends to her will live securely.
If you have faith in her, you will obtain Wisdom,
and so will your descendants.
But first you will walk with her
on narrow paths, fearful and terrified.
First you will be tested by Wisdom,
with her disciples and orders.
But then she will gladden you
and tell you all her secrets.
~Sirach 4: 11-18
It is not easy to become wise. All the great traditions tell us that. Whether it be Buddhism or Christianity,
yoga or tantra, these spiritual paths tell us that to gain wisdom, we must discipline ourselves. We must
struggle to reach understanding. And along the way, we will find ourselves tested in ways we never imagined.
Many are those who give up on the path to wisdom. They wish to be wise, but they wish even more to be comfortable.
No one needs to be ashamed of giving up the search for wisdom, or of taking a break in the struggle. Inner
transformation is difficult, and often painful. And there is no way to predict who will have the courage and the
tenacity to keep struggling to achieve wisdom. It is no use to look at others, whether in envy or in pride, for their
struggles are their own. One who seems wise at twenty may still be just that wise at sixty. One who seems wise
at sixty may become rigid and brittle by seventy. We can only judge ourselves as we struggle to find our own path
to wisdom.
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