Words from the Master

People ask me, “Swamiji, unless we compare, how will we know where we stand?”

You see: There are two kinds of comparison: constructive comparison and destructive comparison.

In constructive comparison, you see what others have and get an idea or some information about the things that you are not aware of. You increase your practical knowledge by seeing the things around you. You get an idea of how better things can be done.

In fact, this cannot even be called as comparison; it can be called as gaining knowledge or improving your practical awareness. Also, you don’t feel any jealousy or undesirable feelings when you see others having it. This is the most important thing about this.

The real comparison we are talking about is destructive comparison wherein, you see what others have and are unable to accept the fact that they have it. You are not able to bear to see them enjoying it, be it beauty, money, knowledge or status. It is then that you start wanting to possess that yourself and get into the cycle of borrowed desires. This is what leads to jealousy.

In the whole world, someone is sure to be better than you at whatever you do. 99.99% chances are that you’re not the world’s best engineer, the fastest runner or the most talented painter. Does that mean that you enjoy these things any less? Only when you think that you might be enjoying lesser than someone else, you start enjoying less! The moment the thought that ‘someone else might be enjoying more than you’ comes in, your whole flavor changes. You become uneasy and jealous.

You see, poverty itself doesn’t trouble us. The thought that we are poor troubles us. We might be leading a peaceful life as we are, but when the thought that we are poor enters us, we suffer. And how does this thought come? By seeing others and comparing. We feel this way because this thought directly hits our ego and we shrink - like a mango.

A small story:

There were two shops across the street to each other, selling the same kinds of things.
There was always a stiff competition between them.
The shopkeeper of one of the shops came out one day and put up a signboard outside his shop: Established in the year 1929.
The shopkeeper of the shop across the street was watching this from inside his shop.
The next day, he came out and put up a signboard in front of his shop: All fresh stock. No old goods.

(Laughter!)

If you are comparing yourself to others and reacting to it, it simply means that you don’t appreciate yourself enough. You are reacting simply out of the cerebral mind, not out of intelligence. Your cerebral mind stores all that it sees and becomes a ready reckoner for you to react in an illogical way. Whereas your inner intelligence sees things as they are and moves on.

When you don’t understand the potential you have been blessed with, when you have not discovered that you are enough unto yourself, you automatically don’t feel confident about the stuff inside you, and you start following others.

Buddha says: Nothing exists except in relationship. Suppose you were the only person on a new planet, will you call yourself tall or short? Ugly or beautiful? Rich or poor? Tell me! You can’t call yourself anything, am I right? You will simply be you! That’s all! Understand: This is the Truth even when you are on this planet.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.