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Whether a man stays within the household and secular society or whether he enters the monastic and ascetic one, his enlightenment is neither guaranteed by the second choice nor blocked by the first one. The god within him is his secret watcher, be he layman or hermit. He can defile or purify himself in either state, grasp the truth or miss the point whether active in the world (as most of us have to be) or enclosed in a religious order, ashram, or temple.

-- Notebooks Category 1: Overview of the Quest > Chapter 3 : Independent Path > # 220