Suspicion - Thoughts on being deceived and deceiving

I found the below piece of wisdom from Anthony de Mello, which I received in my email this morning, to be worth thinking about.

QUOTE(SUSPICION -- Anthony de Mello)

To a traveler who asked how he could tell a true Master from a false one the Master said shortly, "If you are not yourself deceitful, you will not be deceived."

To his disciples the Master later said, "Why do seekers assume that they themselves are honest and all they need is a test to detect deceit in Masters?"

There are people in India, and probably elsewhere, who follow a practice to never say something that is not true. No white lies, no flattering, no maybe and perhaps, no nothing. The assumption is, that speaking only truth attracts also same. and much less is spoken, and probably thought.

QUOTE(Elpis @ Apr 28 2004, 11:58 AM)

I found the below piece of wisdom from Anthony de Mello, which I received in my email this morning, to be worth thinking about.

QUOTE(SUSPICION -- Anthony de Mello)

To a traveler who asked how he could tell a true Master from a false one the Master said shortly, "If you are not yourself deceitful, you will not be deceived."

To his disciples the Master later said, "Why do seekers assume that they themselves are honest and all they need is a test to detect deceit in Masters?"

Similar to how ACBVS said cheaters would be cheated. Hansadutta das prints in one of his crazy ritvik magazines that people want spiritual life at a discount.
And Bhaktisiddhanta says there is only a lack of disciples not a lack of gurus, so we should act in a way that Krishna will become attacted to us.