A Basket of Fresh Bread- By Rumi

"... But tell me, can you do the good work without a teacher?

Can you even know what it is without the presence
of a Master? Notice how the lowest livelihood
requires some instruction.
                         First comes knowledge,
then the doing of the job. And much later,
perhaps after you're dead, something grows
from what you've done.
                        Look for help and guidance
in whatever craft you're learning. Look for a generous
teacher, one who has absorbed the tradition he's in.

Look for pearls in oyster shells.
Learn technical skill from a craftsman.

Whenever you meet genuine spiritual teachers,
be gentle and polite and fair with them.
Ask them questions, and be eager
for answers. Never condescend.

If a master tanner wears an old, threadbare smock,
that doesn't diminish his mastery.

If a fine blacksmith works at the bellows
in a patched apron, it doesn't affect
how he bends the iron.
                       Strip away your pride,
and put on humble clothes...."

                                                   -Rumi