Message for 2006

[Guest guest]

Overheard at

Sufimystic

 

 

Peter: " Go on "

 

Faristah: " At about the same time as I hooked up with Pir-o-Murshid 'Inayat

Khan, I was immersed in the readings and attunement of Sri

Ramakrishna. Your message, " go on " so reminds me of a famous teaching

Story from him that I hope you do not mind my posting here.

 

~~~~

 

 

A woodcutter lived in poverty. Often he had no food, no oil for his lamp, no

wood for his fire.

 

One day he met a wise old man in the woods. The woodcutter treated the

wise man with respect and the man responded with two words, " Go farther " .

 

In his mind and then in his heart, the woodcutter considered the words,

" Go farther " . But he was unable to comprehend them and, after several

days, he turned his mind to his regular worries and his hunger pangs.

 

Then one day, during his backbreaking toil on the edge of the forest,

he again remembered the words, " Go farther " . Inspired by these words,

he dared to venture deeper into the forest than he had ever gone before.

There, he found a grove of precious sandalwood trees.

 

From their fragrance and their fire he gained enough wealth to buy a

small house and barrels of oil for his lamp, and he knew he would

never be hungry again. He was happy.

 

Months later, he awoke in the night and said to himself, " The wise man

said nothing of sandalwood trees, did he? All he said was, ÔGo farther.Õ "

 

So the woodcutter rose and went into the woods, past the scrub trees

and past the sandalwood grove which meant so much to him. Then,

deep into the forest amidst some boulders, he found outcroppings of

silver.

 

Now rich beyond his dreams, he became an important man in the city.

He bought a large house Ñ some would call it a mansion Ñ and he

married well. Enjoying himself in his riches, he forgot the words, " Go

farther. "

 

Several years later, he awoke in the night. Once again he remembered,

" The wise man said nothing of sandalwood, or of silver, either. All he

told me was, ÔGo farther.Õ "

 

So the woodcutter rose and again went even deeper into the forest, past

the scrub wood, past the sandalwood, past his silver mine in the forest's outer

reaches, and into unknown territory. He approached an unnamed stream. Glancing

down, he found gold. Gold!

 

With this, he became rich, powerful, and considered very wise, but with

this worldly intoxication he again forgot the words, " Go farther " .

 

Years passed. Then again, one night, thanks to God, the woodcutter

sat bolt upright in bed. Wide-awake from sleep. He said to himself, " The wise

man said nothing of gold, either. He simply told me to, ÔGo farther'.

What did he really mean? "

 

The woodcutter ventured past the scrub wood, the sandalwood grove,

his secret silver mine, past his unmapped gold stream in the outermost

discovered territory, and discovered diamonds!

 

This story goes on forever.

 

 

Salaam. Namaste.