A beggar had been sitting on the railway platform for ages. Some passers-by put some coins in his begging bowl while many others simply passed by. Some days when he would get good alms, he would consider himself very lucky but even that happiness does not last long. The fear of next day would continue to agonize him. On many days he had to sleep on empty stomach. This had been going on for years.
One day a stranger passed by. Out of his routine habit, the beggar put the begging bowl forward before him. Stranger told him, “I don’t have anything to give you, but what is that you are sitting on? Oh, It’s just an old rusted box, I have been sitting on it since I could remember, replied the beggar. Have you ever opened it? Asked the stranger. What is the need, it is an useless box. Opening it will be a waste of time. Replied the beggar. Stranger again insisted- “open the box”. Very reluctantly, the beggar opened the box and was astonished to see what was inside! The box was full of pure gold and precious diamonds!
That’s the state of human beings. We look externally for some small gratifications such as accumulation of money & power, pleasure, name & fame etc. Also we tend to cling to thoughts & beliefs which provide us pseudo sense of security. These may contribute us some temporary relief but not for long. There remains always a sense of unfulfillment, dissatisfaction and fear inside us. Nothing seems to make us content. This is because the real wealth actually is inside us and when we get that, there is absolutely no need for outside bits and pieces to make us complete. We then tap the abundance of energy, creativity and ability to handle any external challenges. Ultimately a perennial peace always remains with us. Surprisingly, when we discover this internal wealth, outside affluence too embraces our lives in plenty. This is a big paradox- when we look for external things, they elude us but when we focus on inner abundance, outside wealth too comes in hordes.
But what is stopping us to discover that inner abundance? “Our mind”. we are not our mind and till we identify ourselves with our mind and thoughts, we cannot discover this awakening.
I have taken the above excerpt from legendary book by Eckhart Tolle “The Power of Now”. A truly life changing book that has definitely changed a few things in my life.
Manoj Pandey
CFP
