The Beggar's Bowl

“Now there are different ways by which the ego can be crushed. Among the yogis, even today, there is a custom that when the chela comes to the guru his first lesson is to take the beggars bowl and go from house to house, bringing that which he gathers to the other chelas sitting there. The youngest chela brings the food that he has begged to the others, and he does not even beg for himself. In his heart he is already a monk who has taken up the bowl for others, for those who are meditating and learning the truth. Although the beggar's bowl is in his hand he may perhaps be greater than a king, for he is with out greed; he is crushing his ego; he is not thinking about what people will say when they see that he has taken up the beggar's bowl. “ -Hazrat Inayat Khan, 1882-1927.