A man discovers the use of a particular substance in the world of nature, and demonstrates it to others, who then use that knowledge. There is no need to rediscover the use of that substance in each successive generation, since it is now the common inheritance of all. This law applies to all objects and scientific discoveries; the one who comes after, builds further on the given knowledge. But not so in the area of the subjective, the so-called interiority of man. There are no maps, no paths, no guidelines, nothing whatsoever. What held good for a Buddha or a Christ in his unique search for himself, does not hold good for you, since you are as unique as they were in their time. The path trodden by them is not yours. If it were so, and you were only a duplicate of any one of the ancient discoverers, there was no need for creation to bring you into existence.
Don't, therefore, model yourself on anyone whom you admire, since your trying to fit yourself into that straitjacket of your hero is futile. You will never become that, and even if you succeed to some extent, you will be a pale imitation or a caricature of that. So don't think of imitating or conforming to some pattern; in fact, don't think at all. Stop thinking, and start looking. You have as much of an opportunity to look at the unfolding life before you, as those gone by had at one time. You can look into yourself as well as they did. And any discovery that is to be made by looking and understanding is to be made anew, afresh, by you and you alone, with your own suffering and travail, and not by studying what the ancients said. Might be, that when you discover something relating to life, or the source of life, while causally looking into the leaves of an ancient text which contains the distilled experience of another like you, you come across corroborative evidence of your own experience. But that is after you have gained your own insight. Only then you will be happy to know that someone else knew what you now know through your own joy.
Through constant reading of the ancient texts, and repeating them endlessly, you gain nothing. It can only have a soporific effect, and will add to your present sleepy state, preventing your awakening altogether. So, set aside all ancient treatises, and start observing, both the so-called outside and inside. In fact this distinction is rather artificial and observation is the only reality.
Now, boldly take the next step of observing without the observer. You can do
this by just being aware. Awareness of everything, inside, outside, including
the reactions ot the erstwhile observer. Presently there is only awareness,
and no one who is aware. Now see what happens, whether you gain an insight which
frees you.