46. What are you worrying about?
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A young man went to an enlightened master and said, 'Master, I am very keen to renounce the world. However, I am very worried about what will happen to my family. They will not be able to bear my being away from them!'
The master listened to him with a
smile and said, 'Alright, I will teach
you a yogic secret that you can use to
cause temporary death. Let us first test
whether your family has the strength
to handle it!'
The disciple agreed. He went through the yogic process and temporarily appeared dead, though he could hear everything that was being said around him.
His family members started crying and shouting, 'Oh, why did you leave us and go away? How can we bear it?' Suddenly, the master walked in and saw the scene. He told them, 'I know the way to bring him back to life, but one of you has to be willing to die in his place. Which of you would like to volunteer?' The master asked each family member, one by one, but not one of them was willing to die for him, including his parents and wife. The disciple was shocked to hear each of them giving some reason or other why they couldn't do it. Finally they just said, 'It's ok. We will manage without him!'
All your greatest worries are like this! They are just your imagination about events that may never happen in your life. I tell you: 99% of your worries never come true, and the remaining 1% that do come true are good for you!
