Are we alert enough to learn…?

When one of the great Sufi Masters​ from​​ Baghdad​, Junaid​ Baghdadi​, was​ dying​. His chief disciple came close to him and asked, “Master, beloved​ Master, you are leaving us. One question has always been in our minds, ​ but we could never gather courage enough to ask you. Now that you​ are leaving, there will be no more opportunity to ask, so all the​ disciples have forced me to come to you and ask. Who was your Master? This has always been a great curiosity amongst your disciples because we have never heard you talk about your Master.”

Junaid opened his eyes and said, “It will be very difficult for me to​ answer because I have learned from almost everybody.

“The whole existence has been my Master. I have learned from every​ event that has happened in my life and I am grateful to all that has​ happened, because out of all that learning I have arrived. But I did​ not have any single Master. I was not so fortunate as you are,” Junaid said​ to them. “You have a Master.”

“I never had any Master; you are far more fortunate. I had to learn the​ hard way: from every experience, from every event, from every person I​ came across. But it has been an immensely rich journey.”

Junaid said, “Just to satisfy your curiosity I will give you three instances. 

“I was very thirsty and I was going towards the river carrying my​ begging bowl, the only possession I had. When I reached the river a​ dog rushed, jumped into the river and started drinking.

“I watched for a moment and threw away my begging bowl, because it was​ useless — a dog can do without it. I also jumped into the river, drank as much water as I wanted. My whole body was cool because I had​ jumped into the river, sat in the river for a few moments, thanked the​ dog, touched his feet with deep reverence, because he has taught me a​ lesson. 

“I had dropped everything, all possessions, but there was a​certain clinging to my begging bowl. It was a beautiful bowl, very​ beautifully carved, inlaid with gold.

“It was presented to me by a king and I was always aware that somebody​ may steal it. Even at night I used to put it under my head as a​ pillow so nobody can snatch it away. That was my last clinging — the​ dog helped. It was so clear: if a dog can manage without a begging​ bowl, I, a man, why can’t I manage? That dog was one of my Masters.

“Secondly,” he said, “I lost my way in a forest and by the time I​ reached the nearest village that I could find, it was midnight. Everybody was fast asleep. I wandered all over the village to​ see if I could find somebody awake to give me shelter for the night. I​ could only find a thief who was searching to find some house to enter.

“I asked the thief, ‘It seems only two persons are awake in the town, ​ you and I. Can you give me shelter for the night?’

The thief said, ‘I can see from your gown that you are a Sufi monk​ and I feel a little​embarrassed to take you to my home. I am perfectly willing, but I must​ tell you who I am. I am a thief. Would you like to be a guest of a​ thief?’

“For a moment I hesitated.”

The thief said, “Look, it is better I told you. You seem hesitant.”

The​ thief is willing, but the mystic seems to be hesitant to enter into​ the house of a thief, as if the mystic is weaker than the thief. 

“I am​ not afraid of you. In fact, I should be afraid of you — you may​ change me, you may transform my whole life! Inviting you means danger, but I am not afraid. You are welcome. Come to my home. Eat, drink, go​ to sleep and stay as long as you want, because I live alone and my​ earning is enough. I can manage for two persons. It will be really​beautiful to chit-chat with you of great things. But you seem to be​ hesitant.”

Junaid became aware that it was true. He asked to be excused. He​ touched the feet of the thief and said, “Yes, my rootedness in my​ own being is yet very weak. You are really a strong man and I would​ like to come to your home. I would like to stay a little longer, not just for this night. I want to be stronger myself!”

The thief said, “Come on!” 

He fed the Sufi, gave him something to​ drink, helped him to go to sleep and said, “Now I will go. I have​ to do my own thing. I will come early in the morning.”

Early in the​ morning the thief came back. Junaid asked, “Have you been successful?”

The thief said, “No, not today, but I will see tomorrow.”

This happened continuously for thirty days; every night the thief​ went and every morning he came back, but he was never sad, never​ frustrated, no sign of failure on his face, always happy, and he would​ say, “It doesn’t matter. ​I tried my best. I could not find anything today again, but tomorrow I​ will try. God willing, it can happen tomorrow if it has not​ happened today.”

After a month Junaid left and for years, he tried to realize the​ ultimate, but it was always a failure. But each time he decided to drop the whole project he was reminded of the thief, his smiling face and​ his saying “God willing, what has not happened today may happen​tomorrow.”

Finally, when he achieved the ultimate, Junaid said, “I remembered​ the thief as one of my greatest Masters. Without him I would not be​ what I am.”

“Thirdly,” he said, “I entered into a small village. A little boy​ was carrying a candle, a lit candle, obviously going to the small temple in the village to put the candle there for the night.” ​

Junaid asked, “Can you tell me from where the light comes? You​ have lighted the candle yourself so you must have seen. From where​ does the light come? What is the source of light?”

The boy laughed and he said, “Wait!” He blew out the candle in ​front of Junaid and said, “You have seen the light gone. Can you tell me where it has gone? If you can tell me where it has gone, I will tell​ you from where it has come, because it has gone to the same place. It​has returned to the source.”

Junaid said, “I had met great philosophers, but nobody had made​ such a beautiful statement: ‘It has gone to its very source’.”

Everything returns to its source finally.

“Secondly, the child made me aware of my own ignorance. I was​ trying to joke with the child, but the joke was on me. He showed me​ that asking foolish questions: ‘From where has the light come?’ is not​ intelligent. It comes from nowhere, from nothingness and goes back to​ nowhere, to nothingness.”

Junaid said, “I touched the feet of the child. The child was puzzled. He said, ‘Why are you touching my feet?’ I told him, ‘You are my​ Master — you have shown me something. You have given me a great​ lesson, a great insight.”

“Since that time,” Junaid said, “I have been meditating on ​nothingness and slowly I have entered into nothingness. Now the final moment has come when the candle will go out, the light​ will go out. I know where I am going — to the same source.

“I remember that child with gratefulness. I can still see him standing​ before me blowing out the candle.”

“Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can​ cross over to the other shore.” —​​​ Guru Nanak

“Let each man take the path according to his capacity, understanding ​and temperament. His true guru will meet him along that path.” —​​ Swami Sivananda Saraswati 

Guru tattva is a teaching principle, which can manifest any time, any where, in any form and by any method.

Be Alert