The more they attained in the physical field, the more they lost all those things that are born of the nondoer state. The very first thing they lost was God. Nietzsche said a hundred years ago: "God is dead," and for the West, God was really dead. When they are filled with actions and deeds, all connection with Him is broken -- then He is as good as dead for them. And since God was almost lost to them, all prayers became hollow and superficial. Meditation was completely lost. There was no point in meditating. For if everything is to be attained by action, what is left to INaction? And meditation is inaction.

Therefore the occidental mind takes the Easterner to be lethargic and indolent. Nanak's father thought the same of Nanak, that he was lazy, indolent. What was he doing just sitting all day? The father had a business mind and this son posed a problem for him by doing no work and showing no inclination to follow any trade. Whenever he went to work he was thrown out. He did not study, because he would invariably get into an`argument with the teacher. For he would tell him, "The last word is already spoken. What more is there to know? And have you attained Him in spite of all your learning?" When the teacher had to reply in the negative, Nanak said, "Then I shall seek a way to know Him myself," and the teacher regretfully took him home, acknowledging his inability to teach him.

Kabir says: "All the world has learned books upon books, and never has even one become a learned man. He who learns the four letters of l-o-v-e, becomes a wise man."

Nanak set out to learn these four letters of love in order to attain knowledge. Why should he endure the business of all this knowledge which has such a different goal altogether?

Mulla Nasruddin was a school teacher. Every day for many years he rode his donkey to school. At last the attitude of learning caught hold of the ass too, and one day he turned to the rider on his back and asked, "Mulla, why do you go to school every day?"

The Mulla was quite taken aback. Was he hearing right? Did the donkey really speak? He had heard many donkeys speak, but never a four-legged one! However, if those others can talk why not this one? The Mulla thought, "It must be that all this going to school has had an effect on him and he has just begun to speak. It was my own fault bringing him to school every day."

"Why do you want to know?" asked the Mulla.

"I am curious, that's all. Why do you come to school every day?" said the donkey.

"I come to teach the children."

"Why?"

"So the children can learn."

"What happens by learning?"

"A person gains intelligence and wisdom."

"What use is intelligence?" persisted the ass.

"What use you say? It is because of my intelligence that I am riding you!" said the Mulla.

"Teach me also, Mulla. Give me intelligence!" said the donkey.

"Oh, no," said the Mulla, "I am not that foolish. Then you will be riding me!"

All that we learn in this world serves as a means of getting the better of one another. It is a plan for your conflicts in life. You will be able to fight better and win out if you have more degrees. The universities are a reflection of your aggression; armed with its weapons you can compete and exploit others more efficiently. You can harass them more systematically, and commit crimes lawfully. With the right rules and methods you can do effectively all that you otherwise could not do, and which you should not do. Education teaches dishonesty and deceit. As a result you may win out over others, but you will never be wise. Rather, people are becoming more and more unwise, ignorant. Our universities are not centers of learning, because no wisdom is contained there.

So Nanak's teacher himself took him home and acknowledged to his father that he was unable to teach him.

When Nanak reached the age of twelve, he was about to be initiated into the Hindu religion and receive the sacred thread. It was an important ceremony. Many people were invited and a band was arranged. When the priest had finished his incantations and was about to place the sacred thread on him, Nanak said, "Wait! What will happen by wearing this thread?"

The pundit said, "You will become a dwija," which is a member of the Hindu faith, literally a twice-born.

Nanak asked, "Will the old really die and the new be born? If that is so, I am ready." The pundit was concerned because he knew to the contrary, that nothing would happen, that it was only an empty ceremony. Nanak asked, "What if this thread were to break?"

"You can always buy a new one from the market and throw away the old," said the pundit.

"Then let this one go now," said Nanak. "Anything that breaks by itself and is sold in the marketplace for a trifling amount, how can it help me to find God? How can man's creation help to find God? For man's performances are always petty and inferior."

His father, Kalu Mehta, was convinced the boy was a total good-for-nothing. He had done his best to bring him round to doing something, but had failed. When there was no other way, there was a last resort that came in handy in the villages -- he was sent to graze the cattle. Nanak went quite happily to the pasture and was soon lost in meditation while the cattle destroyed the adjacent fields. The next day he had to be removed from this, too. His father was now doubly convinced that the boy could do nothing and would amount to nothing.

Now it is an interesting fact that those people who have done the most for the world are denied this world completely; those who are the just claimants of the other world are almost unable to do anything in this world. It is not that they are not capable, but their whole quality of being and doing is different. They become only a means, a medium through which many things can happen.

What would Nanak have attained by grazing cattle? Many people do. What would Nanak have attained by running a shop well? Many do, and yet the world remains as before. This person has removed himself from the world of action and is drowned in the world of glory.

Glory means: "Thou art the doer. What can I perform?" No sooner do you begin to feel your worthlessness, expressed as, "What can I do?" than your ego begins to fall away, drop by drop. The day you feel this in totality -- that you are unqualified, incapable, nothing happens because of you, you are helpless -- the doors of liberation open for you.