During a long journey a famous spiritual teacher arrived at a King's palace. As he walked across the broad courtyard through the doors none of the guards tried to stop him when he entered and made his way to where the King himself was sitting on his throne.
"What do you want?" asked the King, immediately recognizing the visitor.
"I would like a place to sleep in this inn,"
replied the teacher.
"But this is not an inn," said the King, "It is my palace."
"May I ask who owned this palace before you?"
"My father. He is dead."
"And who owned it before him?"
"My grandfather. He too is dead."
"And this place where people live for a short time and then move on - did I hear you say that it is not an inn?"
the end
♡
Another wonderful and wise story, so very beautifully illustrated by your hand. Thank you for this, Susan.
ReplyDeleteThank you for saying so, Marja-Leena ♡
DeleteVery good, indeed, susan.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and Bear hugs.
It is a good one, isn't it?
DeleteLife must be the one inn in which the lodger is possibly the major contributor to the cost of his/her stay. Your drawings of living creatures are very good indeed.
ReplyDeleteYes, and it appears to be growing more costly all the time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind compliment, Tom.
That lovely little story and your delightful water colour ?painting with so much intricate detail reminds me that it’s good to gain release from attachments to possessions and be more generous of what’s legally owned since that ownership only gives temporal custodianship.
ReplyDeleteWhat we found down under with the Marbo Native Title legislation was once the aborigines were given native title over land they never wanted to make any changes whatsoever. This is because it was more a matter of symbolic spiritual recognition, granting tile to those who were the original custodians of the land. The pastoralists afterwards formed lasting very deep bonds of friendship with their generous native title land owners. What a pity it took so long and so little has been done overall.
Meanwhile so far over 48 dwellings have been totally destroyed and possibly a number of missing people may have perished in the WA bushfires, but it could have been much worse without the very effective response.
This week’s heatwave is now descending on the south east and eastern states and extreme conditions are expected to last for a week, we are off to a temporary stay in the city for q few days to seek relief. This heatwave may break all previous records.
Best wishes
I'm very pleased to know you enjoyed the painting and the accompanying story, Lindsay. It's certainly true that far too many people seek ownership of that which is only on loan. Like the First Nations peoples of North America, and so many more who practice ancient wisdom traditions, the Aboriginal people of Australia have a much healthier relationship with the land. We can only hope that some day their perspective will be better respected by the majority of our leaders.
DeleteI'm very sorry about all I've read about the heatwave that's stricken your land. Some of the stories, like the mass die-offs, have been heartbreaking.
I trust you'll both find some relief from the heat and that the extremes end soon.
Best wishes
I always enjoy your splendid drawings. And yes, it's a pilgrimage. Better travel light...
ReplyDeleteIt's always so nice when you write me a note, Claude. A pilgrimage, indeed, and a school for our souls.
DeleteWe are just passing through.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
No building in the transit lounge.
DeleteInn-credible.
ReplyDeleteAnd naughtily giggling Sean adds: The King does obviously have lots of water in his right leg.
Well, I didn't want him looking too hale and hearty :)
DeleteHa!
DeleteAnd then the king, enraged at such impudence from a lowly commoner, promptly shoved the traveler in the dank, dark dungeon of despair, cackling with snotty glee.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the difference between Real and reality.
DeleteNot sure if there is any more room at the Inn of Life on Earth, but still they keep coming. We may need to build an extension.
ReplyDeleteI hate making generalizations, but it's been hard not to notice that, in the aggregate, people are very good at messing up the environment and making more people.
Deletemaybe it was more of a Bed & Breakfast?
ReplyDelete