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In the landscape of the soul there is a desert, a wilderness, an emptiness, and all great singers must cross this desert to reach the beginning of their road. Jesus. Buddha. Moses. Mohammed. All wandered through the wasteland, speaking to demons, speaking to empty air, listening to the wind, before finding their dove, their bo tree, their stone tablets, before finding their true voice. I have hope for you exactly because I see you have entered this desert, following in the footsteps of those few who have been true teachers.

Ray Faraday Nelson

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Nelson lists four figures considered by many of life's wayfarers, myself included, as enduring teachers and fountains of wisdom. To this list one could surely add at least Confucius and Socrates. Fountains are like heroes. They inspire. They let their knowledge and wisdom flow to and through us. They have certainly been the genesis for many expositions and essays on these pages. Fountains ask us in subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways to reflect and build upon their journeys. We would do well to tread softly and reverently along their paths while in a like manner tending to our own. Here is a sampling of personal fountains, teachers, resources, and online literature:

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He who by reanimating the Old can gain knowledge of the New is fit to be a teacher.

Confucius

To understand truth one must have a very sharp, precise, clear mind; not a cunning mind, but a mind that is capable of looking without any distortion, a mind innocent and vulnerable. Only such a mind can see what truth is. Nor can a mind that is filled with knowledge perceive what truth is; only a mind that is completely capable of learning can do that. Learning is not the accumulation of knowledge. Learning is movement from moment to moment.

J. Krishnamurti

Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height. Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches. Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is like the roots going down into the womb of the earth. Both are needed, and the higher a tree goes, the deeper it goes, simultaneously. The bigger the tree, the bigger will be its roots. In fact, it is always in proportion. That's its balance.

Osho, Everyday Osho

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