ONE WHO WEEPS FOR NONE

Myths, legends and history reflect the lives of many great saints, seers and visionaries who renounced worldly pleasures, fled away into dense and deep forests, underwent hard penance and austerity and finally attained salvation as the reward of their meditation. But it should not be taken for granted that meditation and the penance are only means to attain salvation or eternal supernatural bliss.

Here is a myth which mentions the myth of a saint who went to heaven and discovered a heavy and heavenly truth.

As the cautionary tale goes, the saint was summoned to heaven after his death. His joy knew no bounds to find an angel with a garland ready to welcome him on the threshold. The angel took him into a big hall where he was made to sit on a throne of gold. After that another angel offered him a crown of gold which he wore and leaned back regally on the throne. With extreme delight, the saint thanked God for the glory bestowed on him.

But the next moment his face fell to find that seated by him were others, on even more splendid thrones studded with precious jewels of every hue, in dazzling contrast to his plain gold throne. When he demanded the reason for this difference from the angel, he received an answer that stunned him. The others were not saints but the lay people of the world. The saint pointed out that he had been perfect in all the rules of renunciation. Why, then, was he less distinguished than these ordinary people. At this angel smiled benevolently and replied that these simple folk were  the true saints for having lived a socially integrated life that involved sharing the sorrow and suffering of fellow beings.

True penance lay in being useful to others that the saint had forfeited by fleeing into the forest. He thought for none and wept or laughed for none, being wholly engrossed in his personal salvation, while the tears of those who wept for humanity had turned to celestial gems.

ONE WHO WEEPS FOR NONE

Myths, legends and history reflect the lives of many great saints, seers and visionaries who renounced worldly pleasures, fled away into dense and deep forests, underwent hard penance and austerity and finally attained salvation as the reward of their meditation. But it should not be taken for granted that meditation and the penance are only means to attain salvation or eternal supernatural bliss.

Here is a myth which mentions the myth of a saint who went to heaven and discovered a heavy and heavenly truth.

As the cautionary tale goes, the saint was summoned to heaven after his death. His joy knew no bounds to find an angel with a garland ready to welcome him on the threshold. The angel took him into a big hall where he was made to sit on a throne of gold. After that another angel offered him a crown of gold which he wore and leaned back regally on the throne. With extreme delight, the saint thanked God for the glory bestowed on him.

But the next moment his face fell to find that seated by him were others, on even more splendid thrones studded with precious jewels of every hue, in dazzling contrast to his plain gold throne. When he demanded the reason for this difference from the angel, he received an answer that stunned him. The others were not saints but the lay people of the world. The saint pointed out that he had been perfect in all the rules of renunciation. Why, then, was he less distinguished than these ordinary people. At this angel smiled benevolently and replied that these simple folk were  the true saints for having lived a socially integrated life that involved sharing the sorrow and suffering of fellow beings.

True penance lay in being useful to others that the saint had forfeited by fleeing into the forest. He thought for none and wept or laughed for none, being wholly engrossed in his personal salvation, while the tears of those who wept for humanity had turned to celestial gems.