THE WISE-MAN'S RING







Pic.: Rohit Makhija

It is a human tendency: If my present life-situation is pleasant, I want it to last… Last long so that I can enjoy it more and more. On the other hand, if the present life-situation is unpleasant, I want it to go… pass as quickly as possible.

But, Eckhart Tolle says in his acclaimed book, ‘The Power of Now’, that our present life-situation - the situation in hand – is right there before us to provide us with the experience we need the most. He says:

“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful
for the evolution of your consciousness. 
How do you know this is the experience you need? 
Because, this is the experience you are having at this moment.

No matter how much I try to avoid the unpleasant experience of my present life-situation, the truth is, that, it ‘is’ there, right before me! Whether pleasant or unpleasant, when it is there, I have to accept it as a godsend… as something God wanted me to experience, right now, for my own spiritual evolution… Yes, the earlier the acceptance, the better for me…

All material things in this world perish, and every life-situation is only that – a ‘situation’, an episode… a temporary scene in the play called ‘Life’!

Eckhart Tolle, therefore, says:

 “Forget about your life-situation and pay attention to your life.
Your life situation exists in time... Your life is now. 
Your life situation is mind-stuff... Your life is real.”


There is this inspiring Sufi-fable…

Once, there was a mighty king who was unable to understand why he would experience such depression despite living in the lap of luxury. He was anxious and worried with this thought. Finally, he sought the help of a Wise-man in his kingdom.

“Please teach me,” the King pleaded before the Wise-man, “how I can beat my depression.”

The sagely man assured the King that he would come back in two days with a solution…

After two days, the Wise-man appeared before the King. “My Lord, I have created this ring specially for you,” he said, “It will solve your problem.”

The ring had this inscription: ‘THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS’. The King was intrigued and asked the meaning of those words…

The wise-man only urged the King to wear it and experience the wisdom on his own. He said, “My Lord, every time you are sad and every time you are happy, do not forget to remind yourself with these words.”

Thus, every time the King was wrought by sorrow, the King would remind himself, ‘This, too, shall pass'. This would instantly help me experience peace in his heart.  Similarly, every time he was ecstatic, the King would never forget to remind himself with the same message, ‘This, too, shall pass’… It would immediately help the King not to get blinded and carried away by ecstasy.


True. As Eckhart Tolle says, All our life-situations – happy ones or sad ones – exist only in ‘time… They are temporary… They ‘shall’ pass…

But, Life is eternal, timeless…
It is real… It is ‘NOW’!


GERALD D’CUNHA



Comments

Anonymous said…
The Power of Now is a classic. Thanks for sharing the insights. Karan Khitani
November 26, 2014 at 4:26 PM
Gerald D'Cunha said…
Yes Karan, in deed it is a classic. Thanx. Love
November 26, 2014 at 4:54 PM
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