Words from the Master

In India, there is a thrilling tradition wherein people ask about their future to a parrot!

On the pavements on the road, there will be a parrot in a cage with its owner beside it.
The people who go by will stop and pay the owner some money and faithfully ask for their future.
The owner will open out the cage and command the parrot to step out and pick a paper from a row of stacked papers.
The parrot will come out of the cage, pick a paper with its beak and hold it out to the owner.
The owner will read out what’s written on it. That is the prediction of the person’s future!

A man with 6 senses asks a parrot with 4 senses to predict his future! How is it possible? I tell you: Just leave all these foolish things and start falling in tune; catch the central chord that is gratitude and move in tune with Existence.

When you watch Masters, they appear to be so graceful, so miraculous and so divine. This is because, they move in tune with Existence. But you don’t understand their state, you see only their status. When you understand their state, you will understand that they have simply merged with Existence and that is why they appear so blissful all the time. This is the state that you have to try to achieve.

Instead, what do you say? “Oh! He is a Master; he is always in bliss. How will he know about my problems? I am struggling here for my bread and butter and he is asking me to be in gratitude all the time.”

I tell you: You only see the rose petals at the Master’s feet; you only see his status and think that he knows nothing about your day-to-day matters. Remember: The respect he commands is to his state not his status. You have no idea of the struggle that has gone behind achieving that state.

You talk of struggling for bread and butter. I tell you from my own experience: So many days of my wandering, I have gone without food. Of course, I never thought of it at that time as a shortcoming on the part of Existence. I was so fervently in search of the Truth that everything became meditation, including going without food.

You know, barring a few charity houses, and in Northern India where sannyasis are given great respect, people always shun sannyasis. Sannyasis are always eyed with suspicion. You think that they have come to steal your property. I tell you, never shun them. Why don’t you just give them a bowl of rice? That is enough for them. Never be miserly when it comes to giving people. Remember: If you are not willing to be a dhaani, that is a man who gives a small portion of his wealth, you will be a mahadhaani, one who leaves all his wealth and dies!

Anyhow, please understand that I am talking from my own experience. Even in the deepest of troubles and struggle, if you function with unwavering faith and gratitude, and use your inner intelligence in moving through them, you will see that you will emerge out of it successfully with only greater gratitude and intelligence!

Even if you lose something very precious, just feel grateful for having enjoyed it for a while, that’s all. When you become pure gratitude, you will not cry over anything lost. You will just enjoy it as long as it is there and then continue to feel grateful after it is gone also.

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