Parable Of The Man And His Dog

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Posted by: " LIGHT CANDLES INSTEAD OF CURSING DARKNESS "

lightcandles123

Tue May 20, 2008 8:20 pm (PDT)

 

Parable Of The Man And His Dog Parable Of The Man And His Dog

 

A man went out for a walk with his lovely dog. He was very proud of

the dog. It always went before him. This man had an umbrella in his

hand. To show the people around him that his pet-dog would do anything

for him, he made the dog carry the umbrella between its teeth. And it

proudly walked before him, with the middle of the umbrella firmly

caught in its teeth. Suddenly it began to rain. The man wanted to make

use of the umbrella. But the dog was a hundred yards ahead of him. He

ran towards it. The dog, not knowing why the master ran after it

unusually, was frightened and ran towards the house at top-speed. The

proud man was drenched to the skin, before be could reach the

house and recover the umbrella.

 

The Jiva, blinded by pride and ignorance, entrusts its spiritual

consciousness to the mind. For some time the mind seems to walk before

and lead the Jiva; and the consciousness is there firmly held by the

mind and the Jiva feels that it is safe. There is a heavy shower of

miseries of mundane life and temptations of sense-objects. The

dog-mind with the umbrella of spiritual consciousness had parted from

the Jiva and is separated by great distance.

 

If the umbrella of spiritual consciousness had not been entrusted to

the mind (which incidentally, could not make real use of it), the Jiva

could have protected itself from the rain of miseries and temptations.

Now, the faster he runs forward to get relief from miseries and

temptations, the farther this relief seems to recede.

 

Thus, O Man, commit not the folly of entrusting thy spiritual wealth

and welfare to the defective mind. It is most undependable. It will

desert you in the time of trials. Learn to trust in the Lord alone.

Make Him thy sole support.