The Jewel

From our e-book “We are Here to Celebrate”

diamond

After practicing for many years, Ravi’s Guru called for him. Ravi had to travel for three days to reach his Guru but he was more excited than tired.

After prostrating to his Guru, Ravi asked reverently, “My beloved Guru, why have you summoned me?” The Guru held out a beautiful jewel the size of a tennis ball and responded softly, “I want you to have this. You must keep this but can never sell it or give it away. You must carry it everywhere you go. You can show it to anyone but beware of their intentions.”

Ravi accepted the gift and thanked his Guru profusely for his generosity. The jewel was beautiful. In fact, he never laid eyes on anything so beautiful. For months, he would secretly take out the jewel and admire it.

However, gradually, the fear of losing the jewel started to take hold of him. Everywhere he went, he was filled with fear and he had to think many times before he stepped out of the safety of his home. He could not sleep well because he was afraid of break-ins in the middle of the night. Any noise would startle him.

Eventually he could not take it anymore and he took the long journey to his Guru. “My beloved Guru, this jewel has become a burden. I am filled with fear and I cannot sleep. It is worth nothing to me. Please take it back”, Ravi blurted out upon reaching his Guru.

“My child, if it’s a burden to you, it would be a burden to me as well”, his Guru responded with love in his eyes. Ravi bowed his head in shame. The Guru smiled and instantly, the jewel vanished from Ravi’s hand. The lesson has been learnt. There is no longer any need for the jewel.

Most of our possessions are like the jewel. They are nice to look at and fill us with pride; but they are worthless. They are merely stones kept in the safe. We cling tightly to them; and the fear that comes with them. There is nothing wrong with this but it is important to remember that we are the creators of our experiences. We choose our experiences and all experiences will bring us closer to the Divine. Just remember that we have a choice.

Ravi learnt a beautiful lesson; that he already owns the most beautiful jewel – his inner peace. That is what Hakuin, a zen master, meant when he said that ‘all beings are from the very beginning Buddhas’. Someone once asked Osho how many of his disciples are enlightened. He responded, “all of them”; and he is telling the truth. The world is trying to help us see that on the day we were born, we already have all that we need to be happy. From that perspective, the world is a wonderful Guru.