Guest guest Posted September 10, 1999 Report Share Posted September 10, 1999 " Ranganadhan NS " <nsranga Time for you to stop seeking outside..... Thu, 09 Sep 1999 10:07:21 PDT --------------------------- HARI OM -------------------------------- Courtesy : India Today's Spiritual Message for Sep'99 at there Web Site --------------------------- HARI OM -------------------------------- There is a famous Sufi story to illustrate this message. An emperor was coming out of the palace for his morning walk when he met a beggar whom he asked, " What do you want? " The beggar laughed and said, " You ask as if you can fulfill my desire. " The king was offended and said, " Of course I can. You just tell me what it is, " and the beggar said, " Think twice before you promise anything. " The beggar was no ordinary person--he was the king’s past life master who had promised to come and wake him in his next life. But the king had forgotten – as we all do – his past life. So he said, " I am the king and will fulfill anything that you desire. " So the beggar said, " A very simple desire – can you just fill my begging bowl with something – anything? " The emperor, relieved, said " Of course " , and asked his vizier to do the same. The vizier put some money in the bowl but it disappeared. And he kept pouring more and more but the bowl remained empty. It seemed the bowl was bottomless, as everything disappeared, and went out of existence. By evening, rumor went around and everybody gathered there as the king’s prestige was at stake. Finally the king lost everything admitted defeat and fell at the feet of the beggar. He said, " You win. But before you leave, please enlighten my curiosity. What is the begging bowl made of? " The beggar laughed and said, " It is made of the human mind, simply known as the human desire. " This understanding transformed the king's life instantly. Lets go into it deeply to understand this -- for example, you want a car you work like a mad man for it and you get it. First there is excitement, thrill, adventure and you get a kick, you are full of joy, as you have the car. But after a while it is meaningless, for you now desire a bigger car, then a yacht, a big house–-the list is endless. After the first thrill, it is all meaningless, as your mind has dematerialized it. Then inner emptiness comes, ready to eat you up, so you create another desire to fill up your void, and life in the outer world goes on--moving from one desire to another. So you remain a beggar. Life proves that the more you have in the outer world, the more empty you feel within. The day you understand that desire as such cannot give contentment, that is the turning point in your life. This is then the beginning of your inner journey – to your true home – and the end of emptiness of desires. Only when you come home, are your truly content and full of abundance, which can be shared, unlike desires which are selfish. --------------------------- HARI OM -------------------------------- -- ---------- Email: gomu Phone: +91 80 6634617 Webpages: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1863 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2973 ---------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 1999 Report Share Posted September 11, 1999 Thank you, Gokulmuthu, for the wonderful story. Edith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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