There was a master and a disciple, who regularly used to go for six months to the forest to practice penance, and after six months, they used to come back to the town, take some rest and again, go back to the forest to practice penance.
So, after one of those six months period, when they were coming back from the forest back to the town, from a distance, they could see the hut where they were supposed to stay. Half the hut, the roof had already been blown in the winds, and it was open. So now it’s very evident it’s going to be very cold inside.
So, the disciple who saw this in entire thing got very upset about it and said, “There seems to be no spiritual justice. For six months, we have been on penance and we did all the spiritual practices, and we are coming back, and our lives should become better if there is anything called spirituality and here half the roof is already blown in the wind and it’s going to be so cold inside.” And as he was complaining, just next to him, he saw the master had gone down on his knees in prayer and he prayed, “Lord your ways are your ways, my Lord.
Thank you so much. For six months, we were so focused on the penance, we never took bath, and we were so focused on this entire thing in that natural ventilation, I was thinking, how we will go back right now into a hut and feel so claustrophobic because everything will be closed.
Your mercy has no limit, my Lord. You had already created the wind and opened the roof for us so that there’ll be natural ventilation. Lord, your ways are your ways, my lord. Thank you so much for doing this.”
The disciple was a little upset with the master. Something is wrong and he’s feeling grateful for that. Is something gone wrong with the master doing the penance?
But any how when you think bad about your boss, you don’t tell that to your boss, your promotion will get affected. So, the disciple kept quiet. They went into the hut. Not difficult to complain. I’m going to make two statements if you can catch these two statements, the rest of the speech is not required.
A complaining mind is never peaceful.
The disciple was having a complaining mind so he could not sleep, he was twisting and turning, unable to sleep. A grateful heart is always peaceful. The master was full of gratitude, so he had peacefully gone to sleep. I repeat those two sentences, a complaining mind is never peaceful.
Any one of you sitting here, if you’re not peaceful in life, not because everything is going wrong in your life. Anything that is not up to your expectation, you’ve developed this habit of complaining.
You complain about everything. May month comes, you feel Chennai is hot. December comes, you feel Chennai is cold. Either way, you find a reason to complain. If it rains, you have a problem.
If it doesn’t rain, it has a problem. Roads are not good; you have a problem. They are laying roads, traffic jam gets created, you have a problem. Because we keep complaining, we are never peaceful and those of them who are peaceful, not that everything is going right for them in life.
They have somehow developed this beautiful habit in them to look for what is going right for them in life, and they feel grateful for whatever is going right for them in life. A complaining mind is never peaceful, and a grateful heart is always peaceful.
The master went to sleep, the disciple could not sleep. The winds had built the clouds, the clouds had turned into a downpour and it started pouring, and the roof is open. The disciple got so angry because the rain was falling inside.
He went outside the hut, and he was standing there angrily, and as he was standing there angrily, just next to him, he saw the master had gently raised his hands in the prayer and he was dancing there in the rain, saying, “Lord, your ways are your ways my Lord.
Thank you so much. Recognizing we have not taken bath for six months, you’ve brought this celestial showers to cleanse us. Thank you so much.” And he was dancing… The disciple got very upset about it. He went to the master and told the master, “Master there is a limit for everything in life and this is the limit. Everything is going wrong and you’re going on saying ‘Lord your ways are your ways, Lord your ways are your ways’. What is there for you to be grateful when everything is going wrong.”
Listen carefully. The master gently stopped the dance, turned towards the disciple and told the disciple, “Do you know one thing? I don’t even know if God exists or not.” Many masters, if they are true, they will tell you that. The master said, “Do you know one thing, I don’t even know if God exists or not. I don’t even know to whom I am praying, and I don’t even know if my prayers will ever be answered but one thing I know”, the master said, “My approach to life or feeling grateful for everything in life is keeping me happy in life. So that’s the right approach to life”.
The proof of right living is in the happiness it manifests. You don’t have to ask anybody in the world whether you’re living your life right or not. The proof of right living is in the happiness it manifests. The master said, “I don’t even know if God exists.
I don’t even know to whom I am praying. I don’t even know if my prayers will be answered. But one thing I know my approach of feeling grateful for everything in life is keeping me happy in life. So, it’s the right approach to life. Your approach of complaining for everything in life is making you miserable always. So that’s the wrong approach to life.”
Having said that, the master gently raised his hands. Gracefully began his dance again and said, “Lord, your ways are your ways, my Lord. By giving such disciples, you make me understand you much better. Thank you, my Lord. Lord, your ways are your ways.” and he continued to dance.
The disciple kept staring at the master for some time, and eventually realized he is right. Me complaining about everything in life is not giving me happiness. And him being grateful for everything in life is giving him happiness. So, the disciple also gently raised his hands in prayer.
He didn’t have the grace of the master but awkwardly started dancing. And he started saying, “Lord your ways are your ways, my Lord. By giving me such a master, you help even people like me to understand you much better. Thank you, my Lord. Lord, your ways are your ways.”
