Story 146 - Rest and Unrest

In India some houses have many mirrors; in fact the walls and ceiling are covered with mirrors. Once a dog entered such a house, and on all sides of himself he saw hundreds of dogs. When he looked up, he saw them on the top of him, and thus being very much frightened he began to jump, and immediately all the hundreds of dogs began to jump also; then he barked and scampered about, and they too scampered and opened their mouths. He behaved in this way until he became so tired that he lay down and gave up the chase, gave up the body and the owner of the house came in and removed the remains of the dog. Now a handsome young prince entered this room and admired himself very much in all the mirrors, first he admired his hair, then his mouth and other features, then his dress, and so on. He was very happy with all these pictures and knew that these many hundred people were himself.

It is only when we know that there is only one Self and that all the shapes and forms we see under the various names are really our Self, then there is rest;

otherwise it is like the case of the dog. We are afraid: this one is going to deceive us; that one is going to harm us; the other one is going to take something from us, and there is a continual struggle against the forms which we imagine to be different; but once we realise the Truth and sit quietly as did the prince, we know that nothing can deceive the Self, for It is Immutable and Free. While we jump about as the dog did, we merely live on the surface; but when we realize the Self, we dive below the surface into the realms of Absolute Truth.

MORAL: Seeing and realizing the Self under all names and forms brings rest and peace, otherwise there is continual struggle and unrest.

Vol. 3 (21-22)