The Heart of the Matter

Ordinary schools deal with information and reason—yet reasoning leads only to more reasoning, not to a way out. A true spiritual school is beyond information and reason; rather, it resembles this drawing by Leonardo of a figure pointing the way. It is our job to recognize its energy, to sense its source, and to decide whether to follow the direction it indicates.

Schools deliver a brutal revelation: As we are, we’re nothing but unconscious machines, imprisoned in the web of our own thoughts, emotions, reactions.

They also deliver a promise: There is a way out of prison, a way to connect with our souls and look out on reality.

The story of a student in a spiritual school is the story of Pinocchio, passing from puppet to child.

From our friend Sergio Antonio, A Question of Presence.

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Leonardo da Vinci, “Young Woman in a Landscape” or “The Pointing Lady,” 1518-19. Royal Collection Trust, London.