We are All the Same
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A great sage lived in a hut
deep in the forest. One night he was
surprised to hear someone knock on
his door.
A poorly dressed man stood at the
door and asked the sage, “Can I stay
here tonight? I will leave tomorrow
morning.”
The sage said, “You are welcome. Please come and stay.”
The next morning the sage asked, “Who are you? Where are you from?”
"Please don't be frightened," answered the man, "I am a thief. Last night, I robbed the King's palace and escaped. I came to your hut. I am very happy that you took care of me and gave me food and shelter. I am leaving now, please bless me." And the thief left.
Hearing his story, the sage was very upset. He thought, "I have committed a big sin by giving a bed and food to a thief!"
The sage began to weep and wanted to wash away his great sin.
He prayed and prayed, "O God! Please forgive me! I don't know what I should do to remove this sin. I gave shelter and food to a thief for one full night. Please forgive me."
Suddenly he heard a voice from heaven. The voice was weeping too. The sage was surprised. He stopped crying and asked, "Who is this weeping?" From high above the voice said, "I am God weeping." "Why are you weeping?" asked the sage. God replied, "You took care of the thief for one day and you think that it is a big sin. I give food and shelter to him everyday! I give shelter to many others like him as well. Where will I go to wash my sins? That is why I am weeping!"
The sage realized then that
he thought he was better
than the thief and that is
why he cried.
He realised that because of
his ego, he felt he was
superior to the thief. He
had missed the
understanding that
everyone is the same in the
eyes of God. He realised
that only circumstances
and upbringing cause
people to behave in certain
ways. He begged for
forgiveness.
DID YOU KNOW ?
Master says, "The sun shines on all of creation without reservation. So too, Existence showers all of us abundantly without exception. In God's eyes there is no saint and no sinner." Stop judging people. Just do your best and leave the rest.
ACTIVITY CORNER
Are you ready to have some fun? Solve these riddles:
- What lives without a body, hears without ears, speaks without mouth, and lives in air?
- The more of these you take, the more of this you leave behind. What is it?
- What can you keep only after giving it away to some one?
- It is never more than a month old, but has been around for millions of years. Can you guess what this is?
- What becomes larger when you take away more?
Solutions on page 103