To reform one’s tendencies and character is indeed an uphill task. One may have studied all the text-books of spiritual practice, also read all the scriptures, and may even have lectured for hours on them; but one slips into error when confronted by temptation. Like the land that is parched, the heart may appear to be free from any crop of evil, but when the first showers fall, the seeds and roots underneath the soil change the parched land into a carpet of green. You may have the best of vegetables, you may have the most capable chef in the world, but if the copper vessel in which you prepare the soup is not tinned, the dish you cook will be highly poisonous. Similarly, you must ‘tin’ your heart with truth, right conduct, peace and divine love. Only then will it become a vessel fit to repeat holy names, practice meditation, observe religious vows, do ritualistic worship, and so on.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 13, 1965.