Eknath Easwaran
Chip away what is not elephant
The sculptor studies the granite for a long time and does nothing. Then, slowly, an outline shows itself. An elephant is stirring in there. Only then does he start to work, clinging to that outline, chipping away every last bit of stone that is not elephant. What then remains will be, must be, elephant. We do not need to bring our real self into existence. It is already there. It has always been there, yearning to be out. Once we have become attentive to this true self, all we really need do is resolutely chip away whatever is not divine in ourselves. In meditation, the inspirational passage is the chisel, our concentration is the hammer, and our resolute will delivers the blows. Can you imagine a sculptor scurrying to pick up the slivers, hoarding them, ignoring the statue altogether?