PERADAH INDONESIA KOTA SEMARANG

Angels cannot follow the spiritual life because angels live in too much luxury. They have no suffering or pain. It is good that you have reasons to suffer because suffering brings you down and when you are down you can find the way to raise yourself. People need inspiration when they are down. When you have difficulties and things pull you down, suddenly something can inspire you and push you towards the spiritual life. Actually, suffering is a blessing; it is the door for you to find your soul.

A very wealthy businessman who was very successful at what he did was dissatisfied that he could not find the time to devote to spirituality. He went to see a saint to ask for his help. The saint inquired to find out what it was that he wanted. The man said, ‘I am always busy with work and work never finishes. I cannot find time to devote to growing spiritually’. He begged the saint to help finish his work. The saint agreed to help him and he brought a genie in front of him and said, ‘you always have to keep him busy otherwise if he has time on his hands he will kill you’. The man was happy that he was finally getting help. He gave the genie a task to perform and within minutes the genie was done. He appeared before the businessman and asked, ‘what shall I do now’? The man gave him another task. Again, within a few minutes the job was done and he appeared before him. The businessman was so happy that he was finishing the tasks so quickly. Once more, the genie demanded another task and again it was performed within minutes. This went on for a few days. He sent him overseas to complete jobs and in one week’s time all his work was finished. He thought to himself, ‘this is a miracle. All my requirements are completed but I do not have anything more to give him’.The genie stood before him demanding more work and the businessman had run out of things to do. He recalled the saint’s instructions but not knowing what to do next ran to him for help. The saint said, ‘I cannot help you; you know what you ought to do’.

The businessman was afraid for his life. He thought carefully and suddenly it occurred to him that there was a tall tree outside. He told the genie, ‘go out in the garden and there you will find a tall tree. Climb up the tree and when you reach the top come back down and just keep going up and coming down’. The businessman knew that he was saved.

The mind functions in this way. Just like the genie it always needs to be kept busy otherwise it will kill the person. The mind never stops; it generates thought after thought until it drives the person to madness. The mind is hell.Always keep the mind busy and by doing that you can bypass it. Once you bypass it, you are liberated from its claws. The mind has two aspects. One, it is a  great tool for learning and the other side of it is the hell it creates for you. Learning is a slow process and changes happen gradually. A person, himself or herself, is unable to see the transformation. Others can see it and recognize it but it is difficult for the person to  observe its effects.

Once there was a humble, lowly bush barren of leaves and full of thorns. It grew alongside beautiful and tall evergreen trees carrying hundreds of leaves on their branches. This little bush was very unhappy because no one noticed it or acknowledged it. Always, passers by would look and comment on the tall trees and how awesome they were. The bush became more and more depressed about its state of being. One day, an angel appeared in front of it. It knew that the bush was sad. It asked the bush to make a wish. The bush thought about it and decided that it wanted beautiful and shiny golden leaves that no one could miss. The angel decided to grant the bush its wish and covered it with exquisite  golden leaves that sparkled in the sunlight. Everyone that passed by it admired it and picked up a leaf until none was left.The bush became unhappy again and thought to itself it is not worth having such beautiful leaves. The angel appeared again and asked the bush to make another wish. The bush asked that it be covered with shiny glass leaves thinking that no one will bother to pick up glass leaves. Its wish was granted and the bush was happy. After a week a strong wind came and blew away the all the glass leaves off the branches. The bush was wounded from the sharp glass. The angel appeared again and asked the bush to make another wish. This time the bush said, ‘give me a lot of leaves’. The angel granted its wish and the bush became covered with numerous green leaves. It was happy for two days. The third day a shepherd came by with a herd of goats. The goats ate every single leaf and the bush became naked. It was very depressed. The angel returned for the fourth time and asked the bush to make one more wish. The bush replied, ‘just give me my barren branches and thorns. It is not worth having those exquisite golden leaves or shiny glass leaves or beautiful green leaves because I lost them anyway. I think I am satisfied to be a barren bush with thorns’.