Reaching toward that inner flame is really an arduous path with many pitfalls. Moving in darkness, one stumbles; moving in darkness, one gets hit; moving in darkness, one falls and has to rise again.
You need constant encouragement, constant support, somebody to prevent you from running away and escaping. That’s the function of the master, to go on holding your hand, to go on telling you, “Don’t be afraid – the goal is not far away. It is just around the corner.” It is never around the corner, remember. But the master always says it is just around the corner. One day it is! But one has to wait for that day, one has to be patient.