however, wrung a confession from her. Her anger knew no bounds. Thankfully, she was kept from taking revenge, for the boy held his mother back and prevented her from retaliating. Serving both his mother and his aunt for the rest of his days, he showed, by his acts of kindness and mercy, how evil is overcome only with good.
The traveler thanked the old man for his stories and set off down the road. On the way he met an athlete and a leper talking together. “How did you get leprosy?” the athlete asked. “I have been told that it is because I lived in evil and immorality,” the leper replied. “You have kept yourself in good health and your body is strong. But in the end, your body and mine shall be the same – dust in the earth.”
The traveler continued on his way, thinking. He saw now that his longing for a life of comfort and ease was mere selfishness, and that only a life lived for others and for God would bring him true freedom. To live selfishly, he saw, is to flap like a bird that has escaped its cage, only to realize it is still tethered. The harder it struggles, the more entangled it becomes.
It has been well observed that though nations may differ from nations, communities from communities, and people from people, human nature is the same everywhere. As there is but one sun that warms and gives light to the earth, there is but one God who teaches us to love one another and care for each other.
It is not just the widows, orphans, the poor, and the needy that are unhappy. Kings in their kingdoms, the wealthy in the midst of their luxury, and the learned with their wisdom are also restless and unfulfilled. As with Noah’s dove, which found no place to rest in the world, so it is with us. As strangers and pilgrims on the earth, we can find no rest without the Master who said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
darshana • the divine presence
Seeker: Sadhu-ji, I am searching for inner peace, but the many religions and philosophies I have studied fill me only with doubts and questions. I am no longer even sure if God exists. Can you help me find spiritual truth?
Sadhu: Only the fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Such a thought says nothing about the existence or nonexistence of God, but only about the skeptic’s own spiritual blindness and inability to recognize God. Indeed, atheists deny the existence of God altogether, but they cannot prove their claim that God does not exist. Even if we assume for the sake of argument that they are correct, we would only further the cause of ignorance, not the cause of truth, because what could be a greater waste of time than to try and prove the nonexistence of something that doesn’t even exist? Time would be better spent on more worthwhile pursuits. Yet if God does exist, as all spiritually enlightened souls know, then it would be still greater foolishness to try and prove God’s nonexistence. Though many argue that the belief in God is a harmful superstition that must be eliminated for the sake of human progress, the opposite is the case. Uncounted spiritual blessings have enriched the lives of those who believe.
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