A seeker came to Texas Buddha, “I know that you are a great teacher, please illumine me so that I may be enlightened as you are.”

“You cannot know if I am enlightened unless you, yourself, are already enlightened. If that is the case you do not need a teacher.”

Assuming that he was facing some kind of test, the seeker then said, “Above all else, I seek enlightenment.”

Feeling sorry for the young fellow, Texas Buddha answered, “We must never seek enlightenment, for unless we are already enlightened, our idea of enlightenment will surely be an illusion. It is like when we dream of awakening in the morning but are still sound asleep. We think we have driven to work, but wake up back in bed. It is the same way when we imagine an enlightened state.”

“But you are a great teacher. Can you not share some guidance for a lost soul?”

“You cannot even know that I am a great teacher.” After pausing to study the lad, Texas Buddha said, “I will give you three tests that will lead you forward. You will find these tests reliable whether I, myself, am a sage or a fool. The three tests are: Follow whatever opens your mind to new truths, whatever widens the horizons of your compassion, and whatever deepens your heart to beauty. Continue on that path and you will surely awaken.”