"I want to take away these shadows from you which are not authentic, which have been imposed on you by others. You are a victim. And I want to give you nothing but your own being, which you have already got but you have forgotten it. All that I can do is to help you remember it.

"I am reminded of a very famous parable….

"There was, in Japan, a thief who was known all over the country as the master thief because he had never been caught. And he never stole anything from anybody without warning him ahead of time. Even the emperors, the great warriors, the samurai – he would inform them, 'Tonight, be aware! I am coming.'

"And still he was never caught. In fact, a time came when people started feeling proud that the master thief had chosen them. It was a great credit, because the master thief was not going to choose somebody ordinary.

"The man was getting old. His son asked him, 'Your whole life you have been one of the most famous men. Everybody knows that you are the master thief, but nobody has been able to catch you red-handed. Now you are old and some day you will die. Won't you teach me your art?'

"The old man said, 'If it was an art I would have taught you already without your asking. It is neither a craft nor a skill nor an art – it is a knack. If you are willing, I am ready to give you a chance. Perhaps you can get hold of the knack.'

"The young man was enthusiastic and he said, 'I am absolutely ready.' But he was unaware of what was going to happen….

"That very night the father said, 'Then come and follow me.'

"The old man was almost beyond eighty. The young man was not more than thirty – healthy, strong. But out of fear and nervousness – it was not a cold night – he was shivering. But he was amazed that his father was going ahead of him so normally, so casually, like somebody going for a morning walk. And they were going to the king's palace, which is the most dangerous place to enter."