You should long for the perfection of yourself.This comes from a novel for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1946. The longer extract is:
The deity is within you, not in ideas and books.
Truth is lived, not taught.
" 'Oh, if only it were possible to find understanding,' Joseph exclaimed. 'If only there were dogma to believe in. Everything is contradictory, everything tangential; there are no certainties anywhere. Everything can be interpreted one way and then again interpreted in the opposite sense. The whole of world history can be explained as development and progress and can also be seen as nothing but decadence and meaninglessness. Isn't there any truth? Is there no real and valid doctrine?' The master had never heard him speak so fervently . He walked on in silence for a little, then said: 'There is truth, my boy. But the doctrine you desire, absolute, perfect dogma that alone provides wisdom, does not exist. Nor should you long for a perfect doctrine, my friend. Rather, you should long for the perfection of yourself. The deity is within you, not in ideas and books. Truth is lived, not taught.' "Hermann Hesse (1877-1962, poet, novelist, painter; from 'The Glass Bead Game', translated by Richard & Clara Winston, Penguin, 1976, p7).
Additional Thoughts
There are a number of themes in the above extract which we could develop. For now, we will take the idea "The deity is within you" which reflects the Christmas message of "Emmanuel", meaning "God is with us".
Here are some thoughts from different traditions:
"Heaven is hidden in the depth of the heart, that glorious place which is only found by those who renounce themselves" Mahanarayana Upanishad.
"When you seek God, seek him in your heart. He is not in Jerusalem, not in Mecca nor in the Hajj." Yunus Emre (Islamic Sufi, 1280-1330).
"The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed … for, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you." Gospel of Luke (17vv20/21).
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