KNOWLEDGE LIBERATES

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Posted by: " Aseem Kaistha " vkaisthaa2002 vkaisthaa2002

Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:49 pm (PDT)

 

KNOWLEDGE LIBERATES !!!

 

Buddha had arrived in a town and a poor cobbler named Sudas was

residing in that town. When Sudas got up that morning, he saw a

beautiful lotus flower in full bloom, unseasonal, in the lake behind

his hut. Sudas thought, " It is an unseasonal flower. If I take this

flower to the market, somebody will certainly buy it. " He immediately

plucked the flower and started off for the market, thinking, " I shall

really be blessed if I get one rupee today. " While he was on the road

he saw the chariot of a rich man passing by. Seeing the lotus, the

rich man stopped the chariot and asked Sudas at what price he would

sell. Sudas could not quote the price of one rupee but instead said it

was unseasonal and that the rich man might pay what he thought right.

The rich man said, " I am giving you five hundred gold coins, please

give it to me. "

 

While the rich man was saying this, the commander-in-chief of the king

pulled up on his horse, stopped and said, " I will purchase the flower

for ten times the price the rich man is offering. " Sudas thought,

" Have these people gone mad ...? " While he was saying this the chariot

of the king arrived and the king said, The flower is purchased by me,

for ten times the price agreed to by the commander. " Now Sudas was

totally surprised. He said, " I was not expecting even one rupee for

this flower and you people are ready to pay such a high price? What is

the reason? "

 

And the king said, " You are not aware? Buddha is arriving in the town

and we are going to receive him. I would like to offer this beautiful,

unseasonal flower at Buddha's feet! Who would not want to have such an

opportunity to offer a rare flower? "

 

Sudas immediately said, " In that case, there is no question of selling

this flower... I myself shall offer the flower to Buddha. "

 

The king, the rich man and the commander tried to persuade him to sell

the flower, saying, " Sudas, don't be mad! The poverty of your past and

future generations will be destroyed by selling this flower. "

 

Sudas said, " The poverty of all my lives is now destroyed ..... I

myself shall offer the flower. " And Sudas started walking towards the

end of the town, where Buddha was expected to enter.

 

All three of them informed Buddha of this most astonishing thing that

had happened, " Today the poorest cobbler of the town refused to sell

his lotus flower for any price. He wanted to offer it himself at your

feet. " Sudas came and offered the flower at Buddha' feet, and Buddha

asked him, " Oh mad Sudas, why didn't you sell the flower? It would

have made life comfortable for many of your future generations. "

 

Sudas politely replied, " My lord, money is not higher than love. The

soul cannot be sold for rupees. As long as it was just a flower, I

wanted to sell it. But the moment I thought of your feet, there was no

question of selling. I myself could offer it. Poor people too can

love, can respect, can trust. Poor people too have a soul. Please

accept this flower, my lord! "

 

Moral of the Story...

 

Friends, though Sudas was not literate, he was really learned,

educated. He did not know how to read and write, but still he was

learned. Whosoever is aware of the higher values in life and who can

give up lower values for higher ones, is really learned. Sudas had

rejected money for the sake of love.

 

Most of us reject love for money. Can such people be called learned

who are educated only to destroy higher values and embrace lower

values? Can such people be called educated who are always ready to

give up the supreme for the petty, who are ready to sell the soul for

the body, who have no higher value than money, for whom there is no

other journey in life than reaching a position of power and those in

whose life and mind the essential/meaningful receives less attention

than the non-essential/meaningless? Friends, can such learning

liberate? That is not education, that is only a means/ arrangement/

method to earn a livelihood in a better way. Education means a birth

of real and higher values in life. The more life moves towards higher

values, the more the bondages of lower values go on falling.

 

A journey to the heights, transcending oneself each moment, a journey

to loftier heights is real learning. Friends, such a knowledge

actually liberates.

 

Live consciously Friends!!!

 

Aseem Kaistha