MOMENT TO MOMENT
Swami Ramteerth has told a small story: a lover went away to a far land. He did not return. His beloved kept watching the road she became tired, waiting and waiting. He wrote letters, saying again and again, I am coming now, I am coming soon, this month, next month. Years began to pass and finally the beloved got upset. There is a limit to waiting. She travelled to the distant city where her beloved was. She inquired the way and arrived at his house. The door was open. It was evening, the sun had set.
She stopped at the door looking inside. For many days she had not seen her lover. He was sitting before her, but he was absorbed in deep concentration, he was writing something. He was so absorbed that the beloved felt to wait a little, not to interfere with him, who knows what threads of thought might be lost. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears were flowing from his eyes. He was writing something and kept right on writing. An hour passed, two hours passed.
Then he lifted his eyes and saw: he couldn’t believe it, he was shocked. He had been writing a letter to his beloved. He was writing a letter to this one who had sat two hours in front of him. And she was waiting for him to lift his eyes. He couldn’t believe it, he thought, ”It must be hallucination, it is an illusion, perhaps a sort of auto-hypnosis. I had such abundance of feeling for the beloved, perhaps that is why she is appearing like a dream. Is it not an illusion?” He rubbed his eyes.
His beloved began to laugh. She said, ”What are you thinking? Do you think I am a mirage?” He started trembling. He said, ”But how did you come? I was writing a letter to you. Mad one – why didn’t you stop me? You were in front of me while I was writing you a letter.”
Existence is here in front of us and we are praying to become one with it – Oh lord where art thou? Tears are pouring from our eyes but because of our wall of tears we don’t see what is in front of us. We are searching for it. We miss only because of our search.
She stopped at the door looking inside. For many days she had not seen her lover. He was sitting before her, but he was absorbed in deep concentration, he was writing something. He was so absorbed that the beloved felt to wait a little, not to interfere with him, who knows what threads of thought might be lost. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears were flowing from his eyes. He was writing something and kept right on writing. An hour passed, two hours passed.
Then he lifted his eyes and saw: he couldn’t believe it, he was shocked. He had been writing a letter to his beloved. He was writing a letter to this one who had sat two hours in front of him. And she was waiting for him to lift his eyes. He couldn’t believe it, he thought, ”It must be hallucination, it is an illusion, perhaps a sort of auto-hypnosis. I had such abundance of feeling for the beloved, perhaps that is why she is appearing like a dream. Is it not an illusion?” He rubbed his eyes.
His beloved began to laugh. She said, ”What are you thinking? Do you think I am a mirage?” He started trembling. He said, ”But how did you come? I was writing a letter to you. Mad one – why didn’t you stop me? You were in front of me while I was writing you a letter.”
Existence is here in front of us and we are praying to become one with it – Oh lord where art thou? Tears are pouring from our eyes but because of our wall of tears we don’t see what is in front of us. We are searching for it. We miss only because of our search.
