To know a saint, one has to become a saint

Shuddhanandaa Bharmachari

(from "The Incredible Life of a Himalayan Yogi: The Times, Teachings and Life of Living Shiva: Baba Lokenath Brahmachari")

To attempt to reach saints of the highest calibre, we are like ants trying to climb to the moon. Yet reach we must, however great the distance, however impossible it may seem. The essence of Hindu philosophy is being and becoming. To know a saint, one has to become a saint. To see God, one has to become God. To know the Truth, one has to become One with the Truth. This is the difference between material and spiritual wisdom. In the material world, the knower and the object of knowledge always remain separate. In the realm of spirit, however, the knower, the object of knowledge, and knowledge itself all merge into one. Oneness is the ground of being of the spirit. It is the ultimate reality of spirit.