Kahlil Gibran: Chain of Bondage!

A beautiful story by Kahlil Gibran ….

Once a man visited Lebanon, but he was a total stranger there and didn’t even know the local  language.

He saw a big palatial building, many people moving in and out, so out of curiosity he entered there. It was a big hotel but he thought, the king had arranged for a party and had probably invited many distinguished guests just in his honor.

The moment he entered he was received with a great respect, was placed at a beautiful table and was served with a variety of delicious food, drinks and deserts. 

He thoroughly enjoyed and was very happy about everything. After finishing his food he started thanking them in his own language. But they could not understand his language and he could not understand their language. The bill was then put on his table, but he thought, they have certified his visit and were thanking him for accepting their invitation. So he put the bill in his pocket, thanked them again and started walking out….

The manager was quite disturbed and thought, “Either this man is insane or he is a rascal and trying to deceive us.” So the man was taken to the owner of the hotel, but the man thought, they have taken him to the prime minister of their country. He again started only thanking them. So, finally he was taken to the court.

When he entered the palatial building of the court, he thought that, it was the palace of the king and the king himself was going to receive him in person. 

Again he started bowing down and thanking in his own language. The magistrate was sure that, either man is mad or a perfect rascal. So, he was punished by the court. He was painted black and was forced to sit looking backwards on a donkey and a plaque was hung around his neck on which was written, 
                        

“This man has committed a crime of deception, everybody should be cautious about him.”

The donkey started moving all over the town just to make the whole town aware that this man was a criminal. A huge crowd was shouting and following him and he enjoyed their full attention. He was quite eager to go back and narrate to his countrymen how he was honored.

Then suddenly he saw a man in the crowd who belonged to his country. However, that man simply disappeared in the crowd, hiding his face, as he understood what was happening. But the man on the donkey thought, “This man is jealous of me, because they have not honored him.”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, we have a mind trained through many past lives. Even our perceptions emerge out of the past training and conditioning. We have a long chain of actions and every new action is born out of that chain. Every new action becomes a new link in that chain.

If we carefully see, all our anger, jealousy, hatred, etc. comes out of our past memories and not purely out of the present situation. If one can understand this difference, it will help one to become aware, a witness. That is what is meant by living moment-to-moment. The past chain should be put aside, so that, the consciousness will function directly without any influence of the past.

Friends, the action that is born out of the present is nonbinding, it can never be a new link in our bondage. Most of us are just a mechanical robot, functioning out of our past memories. The past, which is dead and the dead is so heavy that our life is crushed under it.

Have a Nice Day Friends!

Mrs. Sangeeta Hegde