How does the average seeker come to his particular teaching? He rarely makes, or has the time to make, a complete investigation of all the teachings offered. And even if he does, his judgement may be too poor or too inexperienced to be relied on. So the basis on which he selects the favoured teaching is the emotional reaction aroused, that is, the degree to which he personally likes or dislikes it. Or he joins a teacher who is either well-publicized in books and journals, easily accessible, and much talked about, or else one who does his own advertising, often exaggerated. This again is an insufficient basis for proper selection and immensely inferior to a careful analysis of sufficient data made by a cool impartial judgement. If the seeker makes any advance at all, it is really due to his own merits, which would have enabled him to make it anyway and with whatever method he adopted. Yet the credit goes to the teacher or the method, although they do not deserve it!
-- Notebooks Category 1: Overview of the Quest > Chapter 3 : Independent Path > # 309
