PORTALS OF PARADISE

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Myself. Knowing this, you see Me inside yourself, as well as in all beings. If

you practise this, you will realize all-pervasiveness, and thus attain oneness

with Me." XLIV There is an amusing little story, which tells us of a teacher

who becomes a seeker after God. He set out in search of the heaven world and,

after much wandering, arrived at its gates.

FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"> “Who are you?” asked

the gatekeeper. “A teacher,” was the answer.

mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">The gatekeeper said, “Wait, I shall go in and

report.” After a while, he returned and said to the teacher, “The Master

says, there is no place in the heaven world for teachers.” True it was, that

so many teachers were traders in words. They lived in a

world of vanity and were proud of their little learning, and loved to parade it.

How could there be a place in the heaven world for such as they? Sad at heart,

the teacher began to retract his steps to the earth. He was about to leave the

portals of paradise when he heard a Voice.

It said, “O Teacher, the dust of dead words clings to thee. Go and wash thyself

of this dust in the waters of silence.” The teacher spent some time in

silence. He entered, deeper and deeper, into the silence of the soul within

him. Once again, he heard a Voice, “A true teacher is a

friend. He is a friend of his brother teachers, a friend of his pupils, a friend

of all men and birds and animals. The true teacher is a friend of God’s

creation.” The teacher breathed out the aspiration, “May I be a friend of

all, a friend of men and birds and animals, a friend of all who suffer and are

in pain. May I be a friend of every tree and flower, every stone and stream.

May I be a friend of all God’s creation!” Even as he breathed out this

prayer, the portals of paradise were opened to him, and the angels welcomed

him, saying, “Blessed among mortals are you. Come in and behold the Master!”

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