August 12th

Indifference

For a true master,
Sitting on a throne
Is no different than
Sitting on dirt.

A true master is indifferent to the ways of society. Ambition, knowledge, and religion are equally uninteresting. Why? Because all these things are in the realm of human definition. The holy person transcends all identity. Therefore, wealth or poverty, good or bad, violence or peace makes no difference. Dichotomies are no longer valid to such a person.
Do you find this hard to believe? The degree that you find this difficult to accept indicates the degree to which you are shackled by dualism. True enlightenment comes from understanding the oneness of all reality. Such a realization leads to a perception that all things are truly equal. A master sees nutrition and disease as the same, life and death as the same, morality and immorality as the same. If you give the masters something to eat, they will eat. If they have nothing to eat, they forget that there ever was such an activity. There is no polarity in their lives.
We ordinary people cannot do this. We make distinctions, defend ourselves and our territories. We feel safe only inside declared boundaries. This is the way we define ourselves, but our identities are also our prisons. Only a master knows the meaning of liberation and has complete freedom.



Personal Interpretation

The true master is not imprisoned by duality. There is no distinction between wealth and poverty, health and disease, life and death. Dichotomy is not a word that exists in the vocabulary of the master. The degree to which we find ourselves disagreeing with these statements is an indication of the extent of our ignorance. Identity is a key determinant for many of us. If we don't have ourselves, what do we have? How do we comprehend the rest of the universe if it cannot be understood in relation to who we are? The truth of the matter is that we are one with all things and must strive to accept this reality. We will never find peace so long as we fight against this notion.