There are those who are like a lighted candle: they can light other candles, but the other candles must be of wax – if they are of steel, they cannot be lighted.
Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Related Material by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Compiled by Wahiduddin Richard Shelquist – wahiduddin.net
The Voice of God is speaking all the time, but no one listens; therefore God has manifested in human form, that the Voice might speak yet louder. But even then humanity does not listen. In the time of Christ the inspiration was there, the voice was there and the divine power; but how few were those who listened and understood! … Whenever the spirit of God has come forth in its true form, the world has been against it. Why has this been so? It is because we have two sides to our nature, one false and the other real; and before the true messengers can penetrate to the reality of our being, they first touch the false or unreal part, and that revolts. And in the case of those who do not revolt, even though the light reaches them their hearts are covered, and it only touches the cover. Such a one is attracted, yet doubts.
There are egos who are not willing and ready to accept all that attracts them. The more something attracts them, the more they rebel against it, suspecting it of being a temptation. Even if they see the reality of something that attracts them they consider the tendency of being attracted to be a weakness. There are egos who refuse to accept what their friend has accepted, and refuse to admire fully what that friend has admired. And even if they really wish to accept something that their friend has accepted, they will refuse to do so. For the tendency of that ego is to swim against the tide … building a fortified wall between the messenger and the souls who long for guidance. There are, however, those who are like lighted candles: they can light other candles and they can inspire others. But the other candles must be of wax; if they are of steel they cannot be lighted. The heart must be like wax; it must melt; if it is like steel, it cannot be illumined. …
A person who, alone, has seen something beautiful, who has heard something harmonious, who has tasted something delicious, who has smelt something fragrant, may have enjoyed it, but not completely. The complete joy is in sharing one’s joy with others. For the selfish ones who enjoy themselves and do not care for others, whether they enjoy things of the earth or things of heaven, their enjoyment is not complete. So it is only in this third stage that the following of the message is fulfilled, when a soul has heard and has pondered upon it, and has passed the same blessing on to others.
Commentary by Murshid S.A.M. (Sufi Ahmed Murad)
Samuel L. Lewis
Buzurg is one who can kindle the hearts of others even without speech; his or her personality alone may be able to accomplish this. Everyone is a potential Buzurg, which is to say, Bodhisattva — the essential nature of the Sufi Buzurg being the same as that of the Buddhist Bodhisattva. Such a one is an instrument of the Spirit of Guidance, the incarnate spirit of the Divine Master.
Buzurg can affect most everybody, but in two ways. Some are like the wax candle, that once the heart is kindled it is always kindled. It may require some effort to light it, but once the flame appears the rest is sure. In these there is the fire of love. But others are like the piece of iron or steel which is magnetized in the presence of some force but does not retain its magnetism. Often these souls appear brilliant, even highly inspired in the presence of Buzurg, but elsewhere and otherwise they are no different from ordinary people.
The really hard-hearted ones have as much fire, as much energy, even as much love as others, but their direction in life is wrong; they become attached to this wrong direction and in the end lose all hope and all permanent success.