Mulla Nasrudin stopped his wife from jumping off a bridge. "If you jump in," he pleaded, "I will have to jump in after you. It's awfully cold and while we are waiting for the ambulance we will both get pneumonia and die. NOW, PLEASE, BE A GOOD WIFE AND COME
COME AND HANG YOURSELF."
On
the occasion of 70th Birthday of Our Beloved Master Dept.
of Posts. Govt. of India launched a Special Day Cover at a
special function in the capital. 'Prem
Ki Madhushala' - a concert by Shubha Mudgal was also
held.
I will tell you one story. One man -- very rich, the richest
in his country -- became disturbed, became frustrated. He felt
that life was meaningless. He had everything that could be
purchased, but all that could be purchased proved meaningless.
Only something that could not be purchased could have real
meaning. He had everything he could purchase -- he could have
purchased the whole world -- but what to do now? He was
frustrated and deep discontent was within. So he gathered all
his valuables, ornaments, gold, jewels, everything, into a big
bag, and he started on a journey just to find a man who could
give him something valuable, a glimpse of happiness. Then be
would present his whole life's earnings to him. He went from
one teacher to another, traveled and traveled, but no one was
able to give him even a glimpse. And he was ready to give
everything -- his whole kingdom.
Then he reached a village and asked for Mulla Nasruddin, who
was a fakir living there. A village man told him, "Mulla
Nasruddin is just sitting outside the town, meditating under a
tree. You go there, and if he cannot give you a glimpse of
happiness then forget it. Then you can go to all the corners
of the world, but you will never get it. If this man cannot
give you a glimpse, then there is no possibility."
So the man was very excited. He came to Nasruddin who was
sitting under a tree. The sun was setting. The man said,
"I have come for this purpose. My whole life's earnings
are here in this bag, and I will give them to you if you can
give me a glimpse of happiness.
"Mulla Nasruddin listened. The evening was descending; it
was becoming dark. Without answering him, Mulla Nasruddin
snatched the bag from the rich man and ran away. Of course,
the rich man followed him crying, weeping and screaming. The
village streets were known to Mulla Nasruddin; they were not
known to the rich man as he was a stranger, so he couldn't
find him. From all over the village people from the whole
village started following them. Nasruddin was just running
round and round. The man was mad. He was crying, "I have
been robbed of all my life's riches. I am a poor man! I have
become a beggar!" He was weeping -- weeping like
anything.
Then Nasruddin reached the same tree, and he just put the bag
before the tree and went behind the tree to hide there. The
man came there, he fell on the bag, and started weeping in
happiness. Nasrudin looked from behind the tree and said,
"Are you happy, man? Have you had a little glimpse?
" The man said, "I am as happy as anyone can be on
this earth."
What happened? To have a peak, a valley is needed. To feel
happiness, unhappiness is needed. To know the divine, the
world is needed. The world is just a valley. The man was the
same, the bag was the same. Nothing new had happened, but now
he said that he was happy -- as happy as anyone can be on this
earth -- and just a few minutes before he was miserable.
Nothing had changed. The man was the same, the bag was the
same, the tree was the same. Nothing had changed, but the man
was now happy, dancing. The contrast had happened.
Consciousness becomes identified because through
identification the world is and through the world you can
regain yourself.
When Buddha attained he was asked, "What have you
achieved?" He said, "Nothing. On the contrary, I
have lost much. I have not attained anything because now I
know that whatsoever I have attained was always there; it was
my nature. It was never taken away from me, so I have not
achieved anything. I have achieved that which was already
there, which was already achieved. I have lost only my
ignorance."
Identification is ignorance. It is part of this great play --
this cosmic LEELA, this cosmic play -- that you will have to
lose yourself to find yourself again. This losing yourself is
just a way, and the only way, to regain yourself. If you have
lost too much already, you can regain. If you have not yet
lost yourself enough, you will have to lose more. And nothing
can be done before that; no help is possible before that.
Unless you are lost completely in the valley, in the darkness,
in the SANSARA, in the world, nothing can be done. Lose so
that you can gain. This looks paradoxical, but this is how the
world is, how the very process is.
On
the occasion of 70th Birthday of Our Beloved Master Dept.
of Posts. Govt. of India launched a Special Day Cover at a
special function in the capital. '
