Watching The Moon Through The Roof

Thursday, December 17, 2009, 17:29

A short soul stirring read.

Supreme contentment brings in the coolness of the moon, within one with burning desires.

Two fakirs returned home in Japan for the rainy season after eight months of travelling, singing God's name. When they reached the banks of the little lake where their modest hut stood, they found half the roof of the house blown down by the storm of the previous day.

The younger fakir, the disciple poured out his woes, “Look what God has done! After having sung His praise for a ll these months, we have to return back to an almost roofless house. This is how we are rewarded for singing His glories, while the rich sinners sleep blissfully in their mansions. This storm is also His!" After bringing out his rage, he turned to look at the older fakir. He was shocked to see him kneeling down, with folded hands, tears brimming his eyes and expressing his gratitude to God.

The older fakir said, “Oh God, is this not the expression of your compassion to hold half the roof which otherwise could have blown away by the storm? Your compassion knows no bounds!"

The fakirs then entered the house with a half roof. Through out the night the disciple tossed and turned, grumbling and worrying. He thus spent his night complaining.

The older fakir on the other hand slept soundly. When he woke up at four o'clock in the morning, he wrote down a song expressing his gratitude to God. He said in his song, “Oh Lord by the wonderful work of the storm, we can now see the silver moon through our half blown roof. How close is your sky and we shut it out with our roof. Your milky moon came and went many times and we remained beneath our roof unaware! Had we known earlier, we would not have put your storm to so much of trouble!

Osho says that a person who can sing like the older fakir even during trying circumstances is truly a contented man. Contentment cannot be whole for those who accept it out of helplessness. If only contentment can be found before one loses everything. In that case he will actually not lose anything.

A contented person can be robbed of everything but never of his supreme contentment!