Story highlights
- There was a boy.
- He had a great desire to acquire all the knowledge in the world.
- He was waiting to find a suitable teacher to quench his thirst.
There was a boy. He had a great desire to acquire all the knowledge in the world. He was waiting to find a suitable teacher to quench his thirst. And no matter what… he set out to go to a great teacher and acquire wonderful knowledge. Whether the boy set out or not… an old man appeared at the end of his village. He immediately went to him and said, ‘I want to become a disciple of a great teacher. Can you tell me if you have such a teacher!’ He asked. ‘Oh, what a blessing! I will tell you the names of some people I know. Let’s see if you can benefit from their discipleship,’ he said, naming a few. 
Following the words of the old man, the boy set out in search of the respective gurus. But how strange it was! He did not get the knowledge he needed from anyone. His thirst for knowledge was not quenched. In this way, he traveled all over the country like a kite, searching for one after another. He did not get the right teaching anywhere. Not one, not two, not ten years passed like that. He was no longer a boy, but a young man! Finally, he limped towards his village in despair. As the young man stepped into the village, he saw the old man who had once been a troublemaker. But for some reason, when he saw the old man’s face, he thought that he was a great sage. As he approached him and talked to him… he felt that he was the guru he had been looking for all these years. ‘When I came to you ten years ago in search of a guru… why didn’t you accept me as your disciple! “Ten years of my life would not have been wasted in searching!” the young man said indignantly. The old man smiled at the young man’s words…. ‘Even though you saw me ten years ago, I still haven’t changed much. You have changed! You have traveled all over the world and seen all kinds of people. You have been able to acquire the valuable skill of being able to judge what kind of person he is. With that skill, you have now been able to recognize me. That is why these ten years cannot be wasted. It is not enough to have an interest in any subject. You must also acquire the skill to fulfill it. Only then will you be qualified to achieve your goal,’ he said, accepting the young man as his disciple.
