This is a tale of Katasaritsagara, and is this tradition each and every story has an exemplary meaning, that serves to get to know ourselves better. This tale, "Actions and Destinations", will deal specifically with an element that I find very interesting to understand the law of karma. It is a very beautiful tale. It is said that there was, in a village in the interior of India, a sage, endowed with a very special gift, he was able to see the future. And this ability that he had made his life very difficult, because nobody left him alone. Everyone
wanted to know their future. Human being is endowed with this curiosity as if miracles would happen in the future without him doing anything in the present. So people ran after him all the time wanting to know the future, and he couldn't live in peace. Because of that, he'd always pack his things, enter in a forest, build a cabin, and soon the people would find out where he was. And then, there he was again, full of customers wanting to see the future. Then, he'd go deeper into the forest, until one day he was so deep in
the forest that people didn't find him anymore. - "Now I'm at peace!" And he lived happily there for a few years. Until one day two young men from the village ... ... very young, they didn't even know this story well, this sage was long gone, they barely remembered him ... One day these two young men went to hunt in the forest. When they were hunting, with that impetus of youth, they got inside the forest in such a way that they could not find their way back anymore, because it started to get dark and dangerous. They
had to spend the night in that place. And they thought:"What are we going to do?" "A closed forest, with wild animals ... "... let's try to find a place for us to take shelter. "Tomorrow morning, in the first ray of sunshine we'll find the way home easy." Then, they were walking, looking for a way out, and suddenly they see a little light, very thin, in the heart of the forest. And they say: "People! Our problem is solved!" Within India there is something that is universal, or at least it was, which is the duty of hospitality.
You knock on someone's door and that person will really welcome you, and well. This, for them, is part of the tradicional courtesy and a whole life ethic. So they knew that if they went there, they would have shelter for one night, and who knows, maybe something to eat. And then they go towards the little house. When they arrived, they saw a very humble house, a little hut. When they knocked on the door, for their surprise, they saw exactly that sage, that their village had been looking for a long time, but nobody knew his whereabouts. And
it was them who found his house! The sage opens the door, a little surprised, and the boys say:"Look, we got lost, couldn't you take us in tonight?" - "Okay! Welcome." He serves something for them to eat, and then they spend the night there. The other day, in the morning; they should come back home. "Are we going to miss an opportunity like this, to ask about our future for the wise man? "Ah, an opportunity like we can't miss, right? ..." ... shall we ask? " - "Let's go!". Then they ask: "Since we are here, "it wasn't
our will, we ended up here, "who knows, maybe it's our Dharma, the Law that brought us here? "Why don't you tell us our future?" Then the sage says: - "For the love of god, don't ask me for such a thing!" - "You know I don't like doing this!" - "But why don't you like it? How selfish!" "... it costs nothing!" He says:"Look, I don't like doing this because the future is not the way you think." "It has general lines, but it is not drawn in that fixed and rigid way that you think." "Things are not
like that!" - "Okay, we already understood everything!", They say, hearing only what they want to hear. "We understand, but tell us about our future!" And then the sage says "Okay, since you want to, I'll tell you." "You, young man, one year from now you will become a king." "A really powerful king." "And you" - the second young man, who was the same age as his friend - "In a year you will be dead." The two boys were both heavily impacted by the strong news, as you might agree. The first was from a very humble family,
and never imagined the possibility of becoming a king. The other, in the prime of his youth, did not imagine the possibility of dying so soon. And the two return under the impact of that news. They never doubted the sage, because he had already made several predictions and they were always right. So they take it as liquid and right. They both come home getting ready. One already making plans for his government, and the other already making plans to his last year of life. Approaching the village, they tell everyone one what happened there. Everyone is very amazed,
and they all believe. It was the wise man and his word was indisputable. From that day, the young man who would be king, starts to behave as if he was already. Then he begins to give orders: "When I am king, you will see what will happen to you!" "On the day that I am king, you will be expelled from my country! " And he gets arbitrary, arrogant, authoritarian; he totally changes his conduct. Vain, petulant, anyway, totally changes his conduct, and starts to behave like if he was already crowned. While the other, who would die in
a year from that day, starts to consider that each day of his life is one day less, in a very short term, and that, therefore, must be very well lived, with all conscience, in such a way that every act were carefully chosen by him. Every word, every gesture of generosity, in such a way that he, at the moment of his death, could be even with life, with a clear conscience. Then he starts to live an absolutely exemplary life. And time goes by... Months go by and nothing changes much. And months go by, in a way
that the months turn into a year. And a year goes by ... another month ... two more months ... three ... Was the wise man mistaken? Did he miss the date? Four more months ... and nothing happens ... They start to get impatient. It's not possible... "Could it be that, just in our case, this sage was mistaken? It is not possible!" "What a bad time to be mistaken!" "I think we should go back into the forest, look for that sage's hut, and ask, because maybe we misunderstood him, who knows?" Then the two go, trying to
find the wise man. When they enter the forest, and move away from the village, they find, surprisingly, under a tree, a bag, a large bag full of golden coins. They get scared by that and the first one says: "Look, you will see that it is already my fortune, my luck is already changing." "It is the way for me to become a king." Then he moves towards this bag of gold coins. The other stays away, because since he is going to die, what will he do with gold? It doesn't matter much to him. In the meanwhile,
a bandit comes. That gold had been stolen by thieves, and this thief advances in the direction of killing the first. And the second, who was a little far, notices that intention, throwing himself at the bandit. The two fight, and he manages to move away the bad guy, But takes a big cut on the arm. But without major consequences. Just a cut. They make a bandage and that's it. And they keep walking. The first loading his bag of gold. The second with his cut, wrapped in a bandage, until they were able to find the sage's house
again. What is not the unpleasant surprise of the sage to open the door and see the two there at the door again. "You two?! Why?" - "We came here because we wanted to to know if you were wrong." - "How was I wrong?" - "Of course you did, don't you remember us?" "We came here and you said that in a year I would be king and he would be dead." "And you said it a year and a half ago!" "Look, I only have this bag of gold, nothing else, and he is here, alive!" "You were
wrong." Then the sage replies, "No, I was not wrong." "You didn't hear me. I told you that the future is not rigid and inflexible the way you think. " "It is being built every moment." "You had good karma that guaranteed you the post of king, "but you became so arrogant, so petulant, so reckless, "that your good karma has been reduced to just that bag of gold. " "He had bad karma to die young, "but he became so prudent, so wise, so virtuous, that his bad karma was redeemed, attenuated, only to that wound that he has
on his shoulder." In fact, history is not something fixed and rigid as we imagine, but it is built every day. Every moment. And our future is to intertwine the acts of the past with the acts of the present. That is, it is being permanently built. This is a very interesting story so that we don't have this idea that there is something rigid and that we are prisoners. We are prisoners of our own choices. We are prisoners in our own way of perceiving life. That is, prisoners of our own limitations, that we created ourselves. And not
that there are laws that imprison us. The future is built, rebuilt, rectified, every moment. That was a very interesting history, particularly from India itself, which is the cradle of the concept of karma. For us to understand what karma is. This story is a complement of the previous one, because it’s not about karma, it’s about dharma, and talks about the absolute confidence that there is a Law of Life. Within the Indian tradition they say this in a very poetic way, that this Law of Life would be the arm of God extended over the universe, over creation.
And that arm of God, that law, never misses, It goes where it has to go, and gives man what corresponds to him in every moment. As a Westerner, Marco Aurélio, would say, nothing happens to men that is not proper of men. And the man gets wiser as his ability to trust and inexorably believe in this Law enhences. In one of those epics that we talked about at the beginning, which is Ramayana, Rama, who is the great avatar of Ramayana, is a great being. He is a prince among men. He is great exactly for this characteristic:
An unshakable, inexorable confidence in the Law of the universe, in Dharma. So, this story, "Everything happens for the best", tells the story of a prince. His father, the king, had an advisor, a very wise and very serene elder. And this elder had this maxim of life:"everything happens for the best; nothing happens by chance". And the prince grew up listening to that elder, that father's advisor, repeating that same jargon:"Everything happens for the best, nothing happens by chance." And he was already tired of it because he, a boy, daring, thought things were absolutely casual, and that it
was an attitude of conformity of that advisor, and that, therefore, that adviser had no wisdom at all. His father was being fooled. Well, one day his father dies, and he rises to power. Then he says:"Now I'm going to get rid of this boring advisor who doesn't know how to say anything other than that same dictum." "Defeatist and conformist that nothing happens by chance and that everything happens for the best." One day then he decides to go hunting, with some of his men, his gentlemen, and decides to take the sage along ... "Well, now the first
time he says that dictum, I'm going to get rid of him". "I really got tired of hearing that in my life." Then he takes the advisor with him. When they arrive in the middle of the forest, a very violent wind suddenly strikes. India's climate is known for monsoons, by the very rapid change in temperature, and suddenly a very strong wind that was not foreseen strikes, And that windstorm, suddenly, violently knocks down a branch, that hits the prince's forehead, dropping him from his horse and producing a very deep cut on his forehead. With no major consequences,
but it generates the cut. The prince, lying on the ground, a little stunned ... (everyone runs to help him). Gets up and says: "How absurd, how can such a thing happen to me?" "I got hurt vainly!" The wise man, advisor, comes up to him and says:"Don't worry, prince, everything happens for the best". "Nothing happens by chance." Then, after that fall he says:"That's enough ... "I got hurt, with a wound like that on my forehead, and this advisor comes to say that everything happens for the best! " "What's the good thing about having a cut like
that on my forehead?" "In ruining my hunt? Men, take this advisor, "dig a hole, tie him up and throw him in." "And leave it there for the jackals to eat." "I want to see if he'll think this is for the best!" And so it is done, he tells his man to tie up his advisor, they throw him into a hole, and leave. Some time later, he and his entourage get lost in the middle of the forest, and he hears voices and says: "Well, it must be my men!" When he goes towards those voices he meets
a group of bandits. And those bandits imprison him. It turns out that these bandits worshiped a certain type of divinity, That once a year they made a human sacrifice to that being, that deity. Then they say:"Great, you showed up at the right time, you will be our propitiatory victim". And they take the prince towards the altar of sacrifices. When they go to sacrifice him, they look at his forehead and say: "No, he is not suitable!". "To be a propitiatory victim to our God, you have to be whole, "You can't have a wound, and you have
a wound on your forehead. Go away." Then the prince remembers his advisor. And he was right. If it weren't for that wound I would have died now. Then he continues walking in search of his men, and soon he finds his entourage, And says:"Let's go find the advisor, because I was unfair to him. He was right. That wound actually saved my life." Then they get there at the well, after a long search, take the advisor out and the prince says says: "Look, I'm sorry, because I was really wrong with you. "That wound saved my life". "And
this well, did you come to any conclusions?" The advisor says:"Those bandits who tried to kill you passed through here too, and they just didn't kill me because I was inside the well.". That is, everything happens for the best. It is very similar to well known a story, that exists in the Zen tradition, of the boy who won the horse... , you must know this one, right? Do you know it? It's very similar. Speaking very briefly, this is a Sino-Japanese tradition, which we know through Zen. That says that a young man won a horse and the
neighbors ran to talk to his father, "How wonderful, your son won a horse". He says, "It can be good, it can be bad." The next day the boy fell off his horse and broke his leg. Then the neighbors:"What a disgrace, your son broke his leg!" He says, "It can be good, it can be bad." The next day the war broke out in China and all the young people were summoned, besides his son, because he had a broken leg. And there goes the story and never ends ... So it's exactly the same idea, the inexorable confidence
that Dharma always brings us what is best for our growth as human beings. Here they put a very concrete situation, which is a physical benefit. The benefit is not always physical. Sometimes it's psychological, sometimes it implies in an opportunity for inner life, for overcoming limits, although on the physical plane it is really painful. But deep down, everything has a purpose. All situations offer us an opportunity to climb to the next step of our conscience, an opportunity to grow. This is the meaning of this story. "Where we are truly." This is also a very interesting story.
It is said that there were two young people, who were great friends and that lived by the river, but each one in a margin. From time to time they would take their canoe, their boat, and they would meet, go hunting, as was typical of young people in that region. On one occasion, close to where they were, there was a temple, that was going to have a whole night of singing in honor of Shiva. But also, on the other side of the river, near there, there was a big party, where several courtesans would dance. There would
be a big dance. Both events were equally attractive to young people. One of them, who lived on one of the banks, took his canoe and crossed towards the other side, To go towards the temple, to participate in those prayers and songs in praise of Shiva. While the other, who lived on this side, came across the river to go towards the party. In the middle of the road they meet. Then one says to the other:"I'm glad I found you here now, "I was really going to look for you over there so you could go with me
to this singing "that will occupy the whole night, in honor of Shiva". And the other says:"But I was going to call you to the party! "There will be dancers, a lot of dance; the whole night will be a lot of fun, "a lot of the young people in the region are going there." Then the two get a little indecisive but decide to continue on their way. Each goes in the direction they had originally decided. They spend the whole night doing what they chose do, one at the temple, the other at the feast. Later that night
they decide to go home, taking their canoes and crossing the river back home. Halfway there - - in these Indian stories there is always a storm in the middle of the road, or a gale or something like this - In the middle of the road, a great storm suddenly falls. In the dark, they were paddling over the river, that was well known for them in a good weather, but not in a bad weather. That great storm agitates the waters of the river, causes a strong wind, And their ships get shipwrecked, resulting in their death. They
lose their lives there, in the middle of that river. Well, when their souls rise, already stripped of their bodies, towards the sky of Indra, which is where all souls are headed, there is a Gandarva at the door, waiting for them, and that directs, each one of them, to what is proper to him. Then he takes the first young man and says: "Look, you are worthy to enter Indra's sky." "Indra's gates of heaven await you." And to the second young man he says: "Look, you're going to Yama's hell, "you are destined to go to Yama's hell".
But curiously, contrary to what was expected, they call the young man who was at the party to the sky of Indra. While they send Yama to hell the one who was in the temple, singing songs to Shiva all night. Then the young people say:"Look, I'm sorry, angel, but I think you were wrong". "Take a look at that little notebook of yours." "It's wrong!" "I was in a temple and he was at the party." Even the other young man agreed:"It's true!". "I think it's pitiful to go to Yama's hell, but I think you were mistaken. "He
died singing sacred songs, and I at a party. It's a mistake." Then the Gandarva turns to them and says: "Look, for us it matters very little what men do". "What matters is what they feel, what they think and where is their conscience." "You were physically at a party." "But spent the whole night condemning yourself." - "How am I wasting my night in this vulgar place and in the company of these vulgar people?!" "How privileged is my friend who is now in the company of holy people, "making prayers to the divine." "How unhappy I am to
be here. What an opportunity I missed to dedicate my night to something worthwhile." While you, who were in the temple, spent the whole night thinking: "How boring! How am I wasting my youth, "listening to these boring, monotonous, repetitive songs! "I should actually be dancing and singing, "just like my friend, who must be having fun at this hour!". - "Where is your conscience is what gives the direction of where you are going, "and not where the bodies were, because the bodies not even yours are." So, it matters very little where they were or where the bodies
are right now, because in truth they don't belong to you. What gives the destiny of men is where their conscience is headed. This is also quite interesting, and it shows how much the Indian tradition is similar to the Tibetan tradition. In fact, we know that physically they very close. And these ideas are very close to the ones in Bardo Thodol, the Tibetan book of the dead, which says that after death, the so-called judgment of the disembodied conscience happens regarding your intentions, much more than for your actions. For what man is in tune with, much more
than for what he looks like. He says that man spends his whole life wanting to deceive himself and others showing things that have very little to do with what he really is. It is a judgment of intentions, of where man's conscience is transiting. The problem is whether the man himself could tell where his own conscience was. And therefore, what direction it tends to take and what it actually seeks. It shows that in reality man's merits are built regardless of his actions, and not because of them. The intention that rules the act determines its value more
than the act itself. The act can be perfect and have a selfish, materialistic, mechanical intention. This does not generate merit! This tale is very well known. Some of you have already had the opportunity to meet. I love to tell this story. I consider it as one of the best in Panchatantra. That is the tale of the 'King's dreams'. It is said that there was a sovereign, who once had a very enigmatic dream. He dreamed he was sitting in his throne room, On his richly adorned throne, full of rugs, and suddenly he sees in the throne
room, running everywhere, a fox. And that fox would go back and forth, hiding and appearing over and over again. And he gets very intrigued by this. What does that mean? A whole night dreaming of a fox. Then he calls for all the Gurus and fortune tellers in the kingdom. Each one comes with a more outlandish explanation. He says:"No, it's nothing like that!" None of you know the real meaning of my dream. Very distressed about wanting to understand that dream, he sends a proclamation throughout the whole kingdom. "The one who knows how to decipher my dream,
will win a bag of gold coins!" Well, there was a very poor woodcutter in that area, who lived a very miserable life, in a hut, falling apart, always experiencing great difficulty. When he sees that proclamation, he sits on a log and starts thinking to himself: "Wow, how good it would be if I knew the meaning of the king's dream." "It would really help me to begin a more dignified life." And in that, when he was thinking that, a bird appears, a beautiful colored bird. And it lands near him on a branch, and turns to him,
to his surprise, and asks: "Would you like to know the meaning of this king's dream?" And he says:"Hey, do you speak?" - "Not only do I speak, but I know the meaning. - "And if we can come to an agreement, I'll tell you what it is." - "Yeah? But what is the meaning then?" - "I'll tell you if you promise to share with me that bag of gold coins that you will win." - "Okay!" "Half a bag of gold coins is better than no bag of gold coins. You can tell me. We are agreed ".
"Well, that dream means - the fox running around - "means that the atmosphere of the kingdom is covered with treachery, "that the air of the kingdom is full of treachery. Warn the king to be aware, because betrayal hangs in the air. He must be careful not to be betrayed". Then the woodcutter, happy with the news, tells that explanation to the king. The king is delighted, because he was already suspicious. That's it! It matches the king's perception in a perfect way! That's the truth! Then he hands the bag of gold coins to the woodcutter, very happy,
and says goodbye to him. Then, the woodcutter starts to think: "A little bird ... did you see the size of that little bird? So small!" "He's almost the size of a gold coin. What is he going to do with that gold?" "Why does a bird need gold?" "I am the one who needs this gold, living such a miserable life. "With a bag of gold I do a lot more than with only half a bag of gold." "You know what? I'm not even going to go to that place that I arranged with the bird." "I'm leaving
and I'm going to take that bag of gold all to myself!" And so he does. Goes away with his bag of gold. Some time goes by ... ... the king has another dream. He dreams that he is sitting again, in the throne room, when he looks up he gets surprised, because hovering on the roof of his castle, there was a pointed and huge dagger. Hovering in the air. Hanging right over his head. He is startled by that and wakes up with a jump. Again, he asks people around him what is the meaning of his dream.
What does it mean? Nobody knows how to give a reasonable explanation, and he says: "Ah, you know what?" "Go straight to that woodcutter's house." "He's the best. He knows how to decipher dreams." There he sends his soldiers. Now, the woodcutter lived in a much more comfortable house, right? He had improved his life with all that gold. When they knock on his door, that bunch of soldiers, he gets surprised. "Look, the king had another dream." - "My God, what now?" - "Yeah, and he's waiting for you to decipher it." - "No, I can't go!" - "Look,
it is the king's will. Are you saying that you will not attend the king's will? "This results in death penalty. There is no escape, you answer or you die. "He is waiting for you." And then he thinks:"What now?" "Well, tell the king that I have to have a day to reflect on the dream, that tomorrow I will go there." - "That's ok!" Then the soldiers leave ... "What am I going to do?" Then he goes disconsolate to the forest, to the region where he had found the bird. He sits on that log and starts to
weep. Soon the bird comes. Then he says: "O my dear and good bird!" In the greatest of insincerities, isn't it? And the bird: "What happened? Did the king have another dream?" - "Yes, he had another dream. I'm sorry, I know I wasn't honest with you." - "Well, that's right. If I tell you this dream now, will you share this reward?" Because now there were two bags of gold. "Are you going to share with me?" - "Of course, rest assured that now I'm going to share the gold!" - "Well, that dagger means violence." "This dream represents
that the kingdom's atmosphere, the air, is permeated with violence." "Tell the king to beware because violence surrounds him everywhere." Then the woodcutter, more than happy, runs over to the palace and tells the king that. The king gets even happier, because now it revealed a life threat against him. He is glad with the explanation and hands the two bags of gold to the woodcutter. The woodcutter goes back with those two bags of gold and gets angry, And says: "You know what? This bird is taking advantage of me. " "How absurd, this little bird, he is making
a fool out of me, "'I'm the one who speaks to the king, who carries the gold, "he does nothing and keeps using me to profit at my expense." "You know what? I'm going to end this bird once and for all!" "Abused birdie!" "Abusing, using me." Then he goes to the point where he had scheduled to meet the bird, picks up a stone and hides in the back. When the bird arrives, and lands, He takes advantage of that moment and 'puft', throws the stone at the bird. But the bird is very smart, more than him, taking
off quickly and only grazing at the stone. And then the bird leaves. He goes very happy with his bags of gold to his house. But, it happened that, guess what ... The king had another dream. Of course, it couldn't be different, could it? This time, once again he was in the throne room. Sitting comfortably, rested on his throne. When he looks, a flock of lambs, white, entering inside the throne room, running everywhere. And jumping, back and forth. He looks at that ... "And now? What does it mean?" When he wakes up, he says: "Call no
one, and go straight to that guy’s house." "It is a waste of time, no one understands anything about dreams in this kingdom, just him." "Go get him." Well, when they knock at the woodcutter’s house, and he opens the door And sees those soldiers, he says:"Now I'm dead!". "I have no escape." "I will never convince this bird to help me." Then he gets a little disconsolate, not knowing what to do, and repeats the same thing, asking the guards to give him one day. What is he going to do? It’s a matter of life or death, so
he goes to the forest to talk to the little bird, "... who knows, he has mercy on me ..." Then he sits there on the log and starts to whimper, and to whine against fate. Soon the bird comes. And says, "What happened?" "Did the king have another dream?" - "Yes, and I'm really ashamed of what I did to you." "Now my life is at stake, and I wanted to know if you forgive me." The bird: "Okay, are you going to share the reward with me now?" - "Yes, you can be sure! Now I'm serious, now
I will share the reward with you. " - "Fine." "You go there, and tell the king, "that these little lambs who are running back and forth in your dream represent purity. " "That now the atmosphere of the kingdom is impregnated with purity." "And that therefore he can be very calm, he is not at risk. " "Now everything is very pure, he is safe. " Then the woodcutter runs there and tells the king. The king is very happy with the news, Because besides everything, now the news is good. He is much happier, and gives the woodcutter
three bags of gold. He is very delighted, and the woodcutter leaves. Only, now he is sincerely sorry. Halfway there he is thinking: "Wow, how dishonest I was with this bird." "He gave me everything I have." "And I cheated on him, I fooled him. Look what I did, oh, how absurd." "How ashamed I am of myself." Then he goes to the meeting point, with the bags of gold. As had been promised. The bird comes, He says, "Look, I'm sorry! I honestly want you to forgive me." "Here is what I owe you. I will still bring you
what I owed you from the other two times." "Please, forgive me. I really played a pitiful role." Then the bird turns to him and says: "No, you don't have to apologize to me." "I never expected you to do something other than what you did." "You are the fruit of the atmosphere of the kingdom." "In the first moment, the air of the kingdom was full of treachery. " "What did you do? You cheated on me. I expected nothing else. " "The second time the atmosphere of the kingdom was infused with violence. " "You, who is the
result of this atmosphere, were violent to me. " "It couldn't have been any different." "Now that there is purity in the air, you are pure." "Few men, in humanity, are able to be true to themselves, "regardless of the atmosphere around them." "And I never expected you to be one of those." "So leave and be happy, despite of all the gold you have." "I don't need gold." Well, this story almost doesn't need any explanation, because it says it all, speaks exactly of this idea of individuality that we work so much in our philosophy course. The man
who is a product of himself and not of the environment, who doesn't hear and execute unconsciously a command of what we call the collective unconscious. Who is not an executor of this mass culture of what everyone is, and what everyone does. The one who is able to be true to himself. As the bird says, these men are very rare. That they are faithful to their principles, to their values, regardless of what the atmosphere of the kingdom dictates. How rare these men are! And this tale shows how precious they are. More precious than any bag of
gold. And unfortunately, very difficult to find. So this is a tale that deals with the subject of individuality. And it’s important to imagine if we are the ones above the atmosphere of the kingdom. If we are able to be true to ourselves regardless of what the mass ... ... the place commands, independent of what the fashion imposes, independent of what the general expectation poses for us. That is the idea of individuality. "Ananda's question." This is an Indian story that is part of the Buddhist tradition. Siddharta Gautama is also an Indian. Although Buddhism today practically nonexistent
in India, but Siddharta Gautama was born in Kapilavastu, which is in India. He was an Indian prince. And this is a story that I find particularly beautiful. It is said that Buddha, after already enlightened, walks around the world, preaching his sermons, preaching his wisdom. And, from time to time, stopping, resting, gaining strength, to resume his walk. And a very small, select group of disciples accompanies him. They say that among them, one particularly was very faithful to him. His name was Ananda, and he had a particular devotion to the master. On one occasion, Ananda, serving Buddha,
around him, has a doubt and decides to express it to the master in a question. He says: "Master, "you are such a wise man, so detached, so full of virtues, "men are so steeped in ignorance, "suffer so much, "why don't you give this wisdom to men to relieve them of their suffering?" "Why don't you distribute your wisdom and free men from desires? " "Why don't you share all that wisdom that puts you above all the pain in the world?" "Why can't you give this to all humanity? " And then, Siddartha Gautama smiles, and stays silent.
The next day he comes to Ananda and says: "Ananda, near here there is a village, you know?" - "I know, I know where it is." - "Yeah, I want you to go there and do something for me." Well, he was very pleased to be able to attend his master, and says: "How can I help?" - "I want you to talk to all the parents of this village, "and ask them what they want most. "and then bring those answers to me." Then Ananda more than quickly leaves to that village. And he spends the whole day doing
what the master asked him to do, knocking from door to door, and asking the parents what they most wanted in life. And after doing this all day, with the sun going down, he gets to Buddha with the answers, with all the answers there already Compiled to be offered to his master. "So, Ananda, did you ask everyone?" - "I asked." "Around fifty family fathers, I knocked door to door and asked everyone." - "Well, of those fifty you interviewed, what were the answers?" - "Look, master, from fifty, thirty said that would like to have more material goods,
"that would allow them to have a more comfortable life, "a more comfortable home." "Of those twenty left, about ten said they would like to be healthier." "To be able to cure their health problems and their family's" "Of those other ten left over, five said that what they would most like, "what they wanted the most was to marry their children well." "And the five left said they would like to have a longer life." Then Buddha says, "Is it over?" - "Yes, the fifty answers are here." - "Well, how many said that would you like to have
wisdom? " - "Wisdom?" "No master, no one said they wanted to have that." - "Well, Ananda, how can I give to man wisdom, "if none of them wants to receive it?" "How do you want me to distribute wisdom for men if none of them "has the desire to conquer or to receive this gift that you want me to give?" That is, it is not enough to have a master prepared to give wisdom, but also there must be men whose heart is receptive. When most human beings doesn’t want wisdom, wisdom can extend around the world, And
even so it will still be a flower that won't be harvested by almost anyone, because men do not seek it. And as another master said on the other side of the world, Socrates, when asked if it was possible to force a non-philosopher to become a philosopher, what was his answer? "My mother was a midwife, and a good midwife, "but one thing she would never be able to achieve: "give birth to a woman who was not pregnant." You can't force to come to light something that is not gestated, that is not expected, that is not desired.
If men don't love wisdom, it is impossible to give it to them, for none of them will want to receive it. "Narada's doubt." This is a very beautiful story, and also very interesting. Narada is a sage, a richi, In India it is very common, - you know that the Indian tradition is very rich in gods - - it has a very rich pantheon - and in addition to these divine beings, there are demons, asuras, gandharvas, apsarasas, and a lot more beings. They have yet another category, that is related to these sages, these richis, Who are
not entirely human but they are also not entirely divine. And in that role, they connect one world to the other. They communicate, like a bridge, one world to the other. And this sage, playing his string instrument (on the slides), who is Narada, was one of those men. Narada, who is a character narrated in several Indian stories Was the most beloved disciple of Lord Narayana himself, the creator of the universe. He had the ability to move between heaven and earth. He went down, walked a lot among men, then ascended to the skies of Narayana, Which is
the highest of the heavens, and stood at the feet of Vixnu Narayana, bringing some of the fruits, of the news that he had collected on earth. On one occasion Narada had just done that, walked the four corners of the earth, and ascended to the highest of heavens, at the feet of Narayana. Then Narayana, when he sees his beloved son, his beloved sage coming, says: "Oh, my dear Narada!" "I'm glad that you came. "How I longed for your arrival, "and for you to tell me especially one thing: "how good it was to be in the company
of the wise men on earth." "Unfortunately there are not that many "but it is the greatest privilege that a man can enjoy, "to be in the company of a great sage, "the greatest happiness." Then Narada doesn't say anything, of course, out of respect for Lord Narayana, but he is in doubt. Is this really the greatest happiness that a man can enjoy? Being in the company of a sage? Isn't there anything bigger than that? And Narayana, as a divine being he was, sees this doubt in his disciple. "Didn't you understand, Narada, the why of what I
said? " - "Look, master, unfortunately, "my ignorance doesn't allow me "to understand the fullness of what you wanted to say." "I don't really understand why the greatest happiness of beings is to be in the company of the wise." - "Well, I'll answer this question, Narada, in a very practical way, "in the same practical way as I have taught you all things. "I will teach you through life and not through words." "I want you, now, to go down into the world again, "there, in the middle of the densest forest, "I want you to penetrate the heart
of the forest, "and find a big banyan tree, "a sacred tree." "At that moment, on the lowest branch of this tree, "there is a nest, "and in this nest, an egg that is being broken by a bird that has just been born." "I want you to go there, "close to this young bird, "and ask him: "Why is the greatest happiness of a being to be in the company of the wise? " Then Narada, obedient, immediately goes towards that forest and does what his master told him. He goes deep into the forest, finds the tree, finds
and the branch, exactly as Narayana had said. When he gets there the bird had come out of his egg shell He was still stretching his wings, still ... just getting to know how to move in the world. Then he asks the bird: - "Oh beautiful little bird, "I came here at the behest of the lord of the worlds, "to ask you why the greatest privilege of beings is to be in the company of the wise." Then the bird, still drying himself, suddenly opens his eyes, looks at Narada, stays a few seconds static and ... falls
dead on the ground. He falls and dies, with his paws up. And Narada, perplexed, does not understand what just happened. There, perplexed, as he was, he starts to take the path to heaven again, And goes to Narayana's presence. "Something didn't work out, sir." And Narayana, already knowing what had happened, says: "No, don't be sad, don't be like that." "You will have another opportunity. Look, you see right there there is a farm, "and the farmer who lives there is a faithful devotee of mine, "and from his little cow, there has just been born a first calf."
"It's coming to life yet. You go there now, take this opportunity, "and ask this little calf, "what I sent you to ask." There goes Narada. When he gets there, the farmer recognizes him - everyone knows him everywhere -. - "O sage, what a good omen, you arrive when my calf is born! " "Come and bless my cow's baby!" And then Narada goes. When he enters the corral, the calf had just been born. He was balancing himself, with trembling legs, and all fragile, and then he asks the question: - "Oh my beautiful and young animal, "I
came here at the behest of the lord of creation, "to ask you why the greatest privilege of beings is to be in the company of the wise." The animal opens his eyes, kind of unbalanced, looks at him and ... "poff" Automatically falls with his legs stiffed. And Narada then goes into a state of shock, and says: - "What is it? "Is this a game that Narayana is playing with me, is it test? What is it?" They both are perplexed. He, then, takes the path to Narayana's heaven again, without speaking a word, and gets there totally
suspicious and without understanding what was going on. Narayana says: "Don't discourage yourself, my sage!" "You will get the answer that the your heart yearns so much." "Don't be disappointed with what has happened." "You will have another opportunity." And Narada already afraid to know what would be the other opportunity. And, as he feared, the worst happened. Narayana said: - "can you see that kingdom?" - "Oh my God, a kingdom?!" - "Yeah, that kingdom, that castle." - "Yes, a castle, a palace." - "Yes. There is a king there who is very fair and very faithful to me."
"At this moment, his first child just came to life, "his firstborn, the prince." - "Oh my God, it will not end well!", said Narada. - "That's where you must go!". Narada didn't even want to look. "That's where you have to go, trust me!" "Go there and ask that young prince, exactly the same thing that I asked you to ask." Then there goes Narada, obeying Narayana. A little despondent, but he goes. When he gets there, the king recognizes him and welcomes him in celebration: "How wonderful! " "What brings you here?" "Did you know that i just
had my firstborn?" - "Yes!" -"Yeah!" "I would like you to give your blessings to my young son, the prince." -"Fine." And there he goes. When he gets there in the room, there was a baby crib, alongside the nannies, the mother, the queen, everyone. Then he asks: "Can I stay some minutes alone with the prince? " - "Of course, of course, I'll leave you, Narada, with the young prince." Then he approaches the prince, a beautiful newborn baby. He reaches for the prince and asks exactly the same old question: "Oh young infant, "from a noble family, from
a noble birth, answer me what Narayana tells me to ask you." "Why is the greatest privilege of beings to be in the presence of the wise? " Then the young prince looks at him and says: "Look Narada, why do you ask this question for me? " "I don't need to answer you with words. I am a living proof of what you are asking me." "I had just arrived in the world like a little bird, "I was still stretching my wings, "and when I opened my eyes for the first time "who do I see? "You, "who
is the most just and upright of men." "My soul suddenly had an upward impulse, "and because of that, I am reborn as a calf." "But once again, luck smiled at me. "When I started to balance myself, "and opened my eyes again, who appeared before me? "You, "the most beloved of the gods, the most perfect of men." "Once again your presence made my soul take an upward impulse." "And because of that, I am reborn here among men, "a prince among men." "For being in the presence of the wise." "Therefore I am a living proof of what
you say, Narada, "that the company of the wise is the greatest privilege that beings can enjoy." This is a beautiful, symbolic story, of course, there is no need to take it literally, Symbolic, of course, like all of them, that shows that wisdom is a privilege. And being in the company of wisdom, to love wisdom, is what we call philosophy. Seek to be in her presence is to seek making our soul always be pushed upwards. Because somehow, our soul will move. If we don't stand before wisdom it will be pulled by instincts, by desires, to earth.
To face wisdom is to allow our soul to always have an upward momentum. The greatest privilege of men is to stand before the light, to stand before the wise. Facing it's own destiny, because wisdom is the inexorable destiny of all humanity. So this is a story that shows us this Dharma of man, as a way of being in presence of wisdom. "The philosopher and the sage". This one is very well known. I've told it countless times and I think many of you may know this one by now. But it's worth Telling it one more time
because it helps us to distinguish these two categories, that have always been well known throughout human history: the one who loves and seeks wisdom, and the one who has already found it. It is said that there was a philosopher, a seeker of wisdom, who had two disciples, two young disciples, and that they were so good that one day he says: "Look, if you continue to seek knowledge in the way that you have done so far, "one day I will go up this mountain with you, "I will take you to the top, "and I'm going to
introduce you not to a philosopher like me, but to a complete sage, "a man who already has wisdom, who already found it in good measure. " Then the young disciples, facing an expectation like that, feel the highest motivation that a philosopher can feel. They begin to apply more firmly in the experience of their teachings. In the practice of those teachings. And they develop very quickly. Then one day their master says: "Okay, "You have reached a point in witch you are really deserve what I promised you." "Tomorrow morning." "Get there early." "Because we are going to
have a long walk. We'll go up the mountain." Of course, they didn't even slept that night, anxious, anguished. At dawn, the two of them were already on the road, towards the philosopher's house. Well, that was a rural region, near a village, and several people were already walking to that village to a fair that happened there, every day. And in that fair, a set of pastors were carrying their herds in their direction. Next to them, there was a young man, a teenager, carrying a herd with various animals, including a pig. And this pig had a wound
on his paw, and walked slower than the rest of the herd. The little shepherd was very impatient, because he had to be on the fair soon. And the pig was slowing everyone down. And then he would beat the pig with the stick. The pig, already wounded, suffered even more and walked even more slowly. And that situation had no solution! There were, among all of them, an elder, quite old, with his head completely white but with a very dignified posture. Then he asks the pastor: "Can I carry the pig?" The pastor is a little surprised with
that situation. "Yeah, carry the pig!" - "Hey, if you want, you can carry him." Then he bends down and puts the pig on his back. And then he goes. It was visible that he was making a great effort to carry the pig, but he does that with a lot of dignity. The two young disciples were watching all the scene. Then they see, the little shepherd, making fun of the old man and finding that attitude ridiculous. But looking into the pig's eyes, they see the pig free of his pain, but he has no gratitude, because gratitude
is common between pigs. That is, neither the young man is grateful, nor the pig is grateful (no one is grateful). And then they think: "But why did this elder do that?" "Is it because of the pig?" "Is it for the young man? Neither have any gratitude for him." And then they arrive at their master's house with that doubt. They tell him the story and ask why that man did what he did. Was it for the pig or was it for the shepherd? Then the philosopher stops, thinks a little, and says: "It wasn't for them, it
was for himself ". "Because as his conscience indicated to him that this was fair, "if he didn't do this, "every day of his life, when remembering that moment, he would be hurt." "He would remember that he should have done what was correct." So he didn't do it for the pig nor for the young man. He did it for the peace of his own conscience. For himself he did that. Then the young people found the answer very good, As in general were all lessons that their master taught them. It was more than enough to address their
concerns. And them they went on to climb the mountain. And spend several hours climbing that mountain, which was steep, when they get up there ... ... who was up there? Of course, the old man who carried the pig. It couldn't be any different. When they arrive, they find the old man and get really surprised, but they say nothing. They spend a very pleasant day in the company of the sage, learning things that they have never learned in their lives. Until the evening falls and it's time for them to return. It's a relatively long walk, and
they have to get down fast. Then the master calls them, to say goodbye to the sage, Then they think ... "Should we ask him about the pig episode?" They were not sure, but end up deciding: "Let's ask." Then the wise man:"Is there anything else I can do for you?" And they say: "Look, master, ... "since you are asking, "in fact we have a doubt. Today we were going up the mountain, "and a little herd came. Alongside it, there was bruised pig. "You took him, put on your back, and carried the pig ... "we already asked
our master, he already explained to us, the answer was satisfactory, "but since we are here we would like to hear your answer." "Why, after all, did you carry that pig? " "Was it because of the shepherd?" "Was it because of the pig?" "Was it because of your own conscience?" "Why did you do that?" Then the sage ... "In the morning?" - "Yes, in today's morning." -"Herd?" - "Yeah, herd." - "Pig?" - "Yes, a big pig, really fat." - "Yeah, I'm sorry, but "is the age, I no longer have the memory that I used to have,
"I don't remember this story about this pig." "I would like to give you an answer for you but look, "at my age it’s terrible, I don’t remember." "I'm sorry, I will owe you that answer." The young people: "Okay, fine, thanks." And they go away, but they are perplexed. How does someone carry a pig and forget? Amazing! And they descend quietly, a little puzzled. And their master, in a totally different posture, stay as if he was reflecting. Halfway down, the master starts to burst out laughing. They say: "Well, another crazy old man!" "The first carries a
pig and doesn't remember, the other laughs idly" ... "What is happening?" The master says: "I am laughing at myself, of my ignorance when answering you, "because I answered why I would carry the pig. "Why would I carry a pig? ... "... because if I didn't, my conscience would trouble me for my whole life." "So I would force myself to do what I understand as correct." "But he is a wise man." "He does not force himself to do what is correct." "He does it so naturally that his memory doesn't even register it." "It's like you asking
someone how many times he breathed today, "or how many times he blinked today, or how many times he drank water." "This is so natural in him "that memory doesn't even register it as a noteworthy fact." "I answered you why a philosopher would carry a pig." "A wise man carries a pig for what he is, "and this is so natural, "that he doesn't even remember it." I don't know if you notice what is implicit in this. If you look at the two situations from the outside, a philosopher or a sage, those who look superficially would not
be able to distinguish, because they are both carrying the pig. Now, if you look from the inside, the difference enormous. How does the philosopher carry the pig? - "Why did I have to meet this pig today? " "Why didn't I take another route?" "That miserable pig!" "But let me carry it, I have to carry the pig..." "But how can it be so obese?!" "What a horrible thing, and it stinks." "I will arrive with my clothes all stinky, but let me carry the pig." That is, there is a war inside. He's struggling with himself. But through
discipline he imposes the right conduct. And the wise man? He does it so naturally that for him There is no other possibility other than carrying the pig. So he is totally pacified, he has no doubts. For him it is so natural that memory doesn't even register. Now, how do you think you can transit from a philosopher condition to the condition of a wise person? Carrying the pig a thousand times through discipline! One day you will carry the pig naturally, in principle, for what it is. From exhausting practice of the virtues, by discipline, one day you
will be the virtues themselves, and there will be no other possibility in your life But to act according to the virtues. They will be incorporated and will be a part of your own being. This story clearly shows this two conditions: The virtues imposed by discipline, by an act of conscience and will and the virtues as an attribute of the being itself. One is transformation and the other is transmutation. It is the total change in the nature of being that the being becomes virtue itself. This story is interesting because it shows much of the perception that
Indians have of human evolution that man can always redeem himself, that there is always an opportunity. For them there is no condemnation nor eternal salvation. Men always have multiple opportunities. Valmiki is considered as one of the wisest beings in Indian tradition. He is the writer of Ramayana. He writes Ramayana, composes in verses Ramayana himself. But at the beginning of his story he was very different from this wise Valmiki that receives the task, from Brahma, to write the most sacred of books... which is Ramayana. Valmiki was, at the beginning of the story, a bandit, a killer
Like many that existed in the interior of India and must still exist today. He lived, with his knife, to attack unsuspecting travelers. He killed them, plundered them, and so he lived. And he was so dangerous, so skilled in the attacks he made, that in that road in which he used to stay, fewer and fewer travelers would dare to go there. Unless they were in very large groups, because he was already known and feared. And as people avoided going there, his life was getting more and more difficult. And one day, he was waiting a long time,
but no one passed, and he was already hungry. Suddenly he sees in the horizon appear an unsuspecting traveler. He says ... There is always an inattentive person, so the bandits live. There is always an unsuspecting one. "A man alone, I already won my day ". Then he puts himself in the position to lurk, to jump on the traveler. When the traveler passes the curve of the road, he jumps over him with his knife. And by doing that, when he hits the road, he gets exactly in the position that he had jumped, but his arm freezes.
And he stays paralyzed, with the knife in the air. And the traveler passes calmly, as if he was not seeing him, Quietly, calmly ... And he just stands there, not able to move. And because of that, he starts screaming for help. "Somebody help me!" Then the traveler stops and turns around calmly. "What is happening, my friend? Are you needing something?" "Hey, what will happen to me if I stay like this forever?" Then the traveler says: "And what would happen to me if you didn't stay like this forever?" Then he gets him out of that position.
What I didn't mention is that traveler was a sage. A wisdom master, who was passing by. He was a Rishi. And he was able to notice, in that bandit, a heart that had kindness and need for wisdom. And then he starts to transmit his teachings to Valmiki. A bandit. Valmiki learned about Dharma, about Karma, which are considered to be the most sacred of teachings, about the evolution of man, about the universe, the way it was created, about what is expected of man, about the virtues ... He transmitted a series of teachings started to transmute Valmiki's
soul. And he starts to feel the best in him sprouting, until he, one day, falls at his master's feet and asks: "But master, why do you waste time teaching me all this?" "If there is karma, mine must be the cruelest of all, "I am a bandit, a killer. There is no redemption for me." And then his master turns to him and says: "There is no human being "passed beyond redemption." "If you are willing to pay the price that karma demands of you to redeem all your mistakes, "and faithful to what I gave you, "one day
you will have purified all your karma." "And you will be ready to receive more teachings." "Now, you must know that sufferings will come, "adversity will come, "but you shall not rebel against them." "It is simply the karma giving back to you what you gave to him." "If you are able to stay sober, "true to my teachings in the midst of all suffering, "asking for rice and preaching all things you've already learned, "doing good wherever you go, "then, one day you will pay off your debt with karma." "That day I will be there." "I'm will meet
you again and we will continue with our learning." That possibility of meeting the master again and to continue to receive his teachings, gives Valmiki a new hope. A meaning to his life. Then he takes the bowl that the master gives him, and becomes a beggar monk. He goes from village to village begging for his rice, and preaching the teachings that the master had passed it on. And as expected, for him karma was the cruelest of all. In some places they beat him. In some places they give him no food and he goes through a cruel
hunger. In some places they tear his monk robes, and he has to face the cold. He was despised everywhere. And he starts to realize, with a lot of serenity, that everything was nothing but Karma's answer. He keeps going. Teaching what he knew, doing good, being an example. Over years and more years, suffering all sorts of pain and contempt and all suffering imaginable. Decades later, maybe more than a in single incarnation (most likely), he was walking, fulfilling what his master taught him, and one day, he realizes that he is exactly on that road where he used
to stay, assaulting, when he was a robber. When he realizes that, he gets surprised, because he did not get there intentionally. And so he remembers that very distant past. Immersed in his reflections, suddenly a young woman runs towards him, screaming for help, with her clothes all torn apart and with blood. And behind her? A highwayman. A young highwayman with a knife in his hand. And then, to help the young woman, he runs towards this bandit, and starts a fight with him. The bandit was young, but he was very experienced, for he had lived many years
in that life. He had a whole skill set that the bandit probably didn't have yet. Valmiki tries to take his knife, But suddenly, by an accident, that knife sticks in the bandit's chest. And the young man dies. And he is really surprised by that, as he sees the young man's body lied dead. He thinks about everything he had done so far to faithfully fulfill what his master had sent him to do. To preach the good, and to never cause more pain than he had already caused. Never cause more suffering than he had already caused. And
in that moment, without knowing exactly why, he had caused that man's death. He is perplexed by that, because that was not expected. His master hadn't told him anything about that. And then he takes the young man in his arms, and he is sure: "Well, my master has to explain this to me". And he starts to walk with that young man dead in his arms. And he goes deep into a forest, in that expectation: "Well, my master has to explain to me why this happened." As he penetrates the forest, he reaches a glade, and in this
glade there was a stone, and on that stone, calmly, his master was sitting, waiting for him as he imagined. And he approaches him, in that anguish, in that pain, and his master, serenely approaches him as if nothing was happening. And he says: "Oh, my good and young disciple, "So many years I waited, and you still so strong. "I was waiting for you to continue our teachings. "I'm glad you got to this point." "I waited for a long time, so that we could continue your learning." And then Valmiki says: "But master!" - "What happened, what happened?"
- "Don't you see ?! I killed a man!" Then the master smiles, turns to him and says: "It's true, you killed a man." And when he looks into his arms, he realizes that he was actually carrying himself. He had killed a lot of things. This represents the symbol of the second birth. He had been reborn purified. But now able to receive all the teachings of the master. This story is very beautiful because it shows that there is no eternal condemnation for men. There is always the possibility of redemption. Always! Man is a being endowed with
a wonderful power which is the Power of Will. This corrective Power of Will, that when applied to men, is able to transform the most awkward situations in the most beautiful souls. There are no hells for India nor eternal heavens. There is only the eternal possibility for men to build himself.
