How the Musk Deer Got Fooled
A spiritual quest is not, as many would like to believe, a tangible experience. It is, instead, an act of freedom, a state of inner tranquillity. Remember the legend of the musk deer. One day the musk deer of the mountains sniffed a breath of musk perfume. He leaped from jungle to jungle in pursuit of the musk. The poor animal no longer ate, or drank or slept. He did not know where the scent of the musk came from, but he was impelled to pursue it through ravines, forests and hills. Finally, starving, harassed. exhausted and wandering about at random, he slipped from the top of the rock and fell mortally wounded The musk deer's last act before he died was to lick his breast. And his musk pouch, torn when he fell from the rock, poured out its perfume. He gasped and tried to breathe in the perfume, but it was too late. The perfume that the deer looked for externally, was, all the while, contained in itself. The deer allowed itself to get fooled into thinking that the truth was outside, neglected to look within. So don't seek the perfume of God outside yourself and perish in the jungle of life. Search your soul and look within. God will be there. The pastor of a mountain village said to a seeker: You will never get to heaven with your self-important airs, your moralistic reasoning, your stuffy virtues, your spiritual book-keeping and spiritual investments. But you can reach Heaven with the soul of a child. What is it that orientates a destiny? We need to share love and the gift of faith. We tend to distil all of life's experiences through the intellect. We must learn to distil life's experiences through the spirit. Reasoning and logic can get us to a point, but we have to go beyond to touch and experience the complexities of reality. It really depends on what we are seeking. In ancient times, there were many hermits living in the forests of the Vosges Mountains. One of them had a great reputation. Quite often, young men of the region asked him to take them in. But they all received the same negative answer. All except one privileged young man who revealed the reason for his good fortune. after his master's death When I was 18 years old, I requested the favour of dwelling close to him. When he asked me why, I answered: Because I want to learn how to pray. These words kindled a gleam in the old hermit's eyes who asked me: And why do you want to learn to pray? Because this is the loftiest knowledge, I said. I would like very much to take you in. but I can't, he answered. I returned to see him three years later. He received me with a father's affection, and again asked me: Why do you want to learn to pray? So I can become a saint Once again he refused. I went back to work in the fields. And yet the desire to pray haunted me more than ever from morning to night. Sometimes I would weep, when I thought of the man who lived up there in the mountain. in intimate friendship with his God. One Christmas eve, I suddenly got up. I was absolutely sure that this time he would accept me. When I arrived, he was praying and did not notice me. I waited a long time. Gradually, my impatience quietened down. When he turned around. he did not seem at all surprised by my presence. I began to speak, without giving him time to ask any questions. I want to learn how to pray because I want to find God. Then he opened his arms and welcomed me.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Janina Gomes and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Janina Gomes and Speaking Tree,Times of India
How the Musk Deer Got Fooled
A spiritual quest is not, as many would like to believe, a tangible experience. It is, instead, an act of freedom, a state of inner tranquillity. Remember the legend of the musk deer. One day the musk deer of the mountains sniffed a breath of musk perfume. He leaped from jungle to jungle in pursuit of the musk. The poor animal no longer ate, or drank or slept. He did not know where the scent of the musk came from, but he was impelled to pursue it through ravines, forests and hills. Finally, starving, harassed. exhausted and wandering about at random, he slipped from the top of the rock and fell mortally wounded The musk deer's last act before he died was to lick his breast. And his musk pouch, torn when he fell from the rock, poured out its perfume. He gasped and tried to breathe in the perfume, but it was too late. The perfume that the deer looked for externally, was, all the while, contained in itself. The deer allowed itself to get fooled into thinking that the truth was outside, neglected to look within. So don't seek the perfume of God outside yourself and perish in the jungle of life. Search your soul and look within. God will be there. The pastor of a mountain village said to a seeker: You will never get to heaven with your self-important airs, your moralistic reasoning, your stuffy virtues, your spiritual book-keeping and spiritual investments. But you can reach Heaven with the soul of a child. What is it that orientates a destiny? We need to share love and the gift of faith. We tend to distil all of life's experiences through the intellect. We must learn to distil life's experiences through the spirit. Reasoning and logic can get us to a point, but we have to go beyond to touch and experience the complexities of reality. It really depends on what we are seeking. In ancient times, there were many hermits living in the forests of the Vosges Mountains. One of them had a great reputation. Quite often, young men of the region asked him to take them in. But they all received the same negative answer. All except one privileged young man who revealed the reason for his good fortune. after his master's death When I was 18 years old, I requested the favour of dwelling close to him. When he asked me why, I answered: Because I want to learn how to pray. These words kindled a gleam in the old hermit's eyes who asked me: And why do you want to learn to pray? Because this is the loftiest knowledge, I said. I would like very much to take you in. but I can't, he answered. I returned to see him three years later. He received me with a father's affection, and again asked me: Why do you want to learn to pray? So I can become a saint Once again he refused. I went back to work in the fields. And yet the desire to pray haunted me more than ever from morning to night. Sometimes I would weep, when I thought of the man who lived up there in the mountain. in intimate friendship with his God. One Christmas eve, I suddenly got up. I was absolutely sure that this time he would accept me. When I arrived, he was praying and did not notice me. I waited a long time. Gradually, my impatience quietened down. When he turned around. he did not seem at all surprised by my presence. I began to speak, without giving him time to ask any questions. I want to learn how to pray because I want to find God. Then he opened his arms and welcomed me.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Janina Gomes and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Janina Gomes and Speaking Tree,Times of India