The barber shop

[Guest guest]

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard

trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good

conversation and talked about many subjects. When they eventually

touched on the subject of God, the barber said, " I don't believe that

God exists. "

 

" Why do you say that? " asked the customer.

" Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God

doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick

people? Would there be abandoned children? "

 

" If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't

imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things. "

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he

didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the

customer left the shop.

 

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with

long, stringy hair and an untrimmed beard; he was looking dirty and

unkempt.

 

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and said

to the barber, " You know what? Barbers do not exist. "

" How can you say that? " asked the surprised barber.

" I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you! "

" No! " the customer exclaimed. " Barbers don't exist because if they

did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed

beards, like that man outside. "

 

" Ah, but barbers do exist! That's what happens when people do not

come to me. "

 

" Exactly! " affirmed the customer. " That's the point! God, too, does

exist! Because people do not look to God for help is why there's so

much pain and suffering in the world. "

Bhagavan Baba explains this whole problem as a simple lack of

awareness of who we truly are. He says:

 

" When anyone asks you, `Can you show me God?' You should reply `You

are God; that is why you are able to talk and act.' To know divinity,

you should know the sacredness within you. Keeping salt in your

mouth, you can not taste anything sweet. Only by rinsing your mouth

and getting rid of the salt can you taste sweetness. Worldly desires

are like salt. Discard them; then you can realise divinity. "

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan