The Hemp

Jai Sri Hari, and loads of love to my dear OS family. Over the last few days, I read some deeply painful posts where people courageously shared their life experiences. I wondered how to help everyone when I came across the following story. I am paraphrasing and editing it, but the original story is from Wise Tales from the East by Uri Kaplan. Swamiji recently shared a story from Uri’s book Wise Tales From The Jewish World. 

Two cloth merchants were returning from business travel. They both carried a heavy load of hemp on their shoulders. They hoped to process it to create beautiful cloth and then sell it to customers in exchange for some gold coins. The sun was setting when they saw a large bundle of hemp thread abandoned by the roadside.

The first merchant immediately put his load down and picked up the hemp thread. He looked expectantly at his friend, who stubbornly shook his head and clung to his load. They spent the night at a nearby inn and started again. The first friend had a slight swagger in his walk, while the second one labored under his load and shuffled after him. They continued till evening when they saw a large swath of hemp cloth by the side of the road. The first friend immediately abandoned the rope and picked up the cloth. He waited for his friend to do the same. However, the second friend clung even more tightly to his baggage. He said he had carried it far too long to abandon it now. They both slept under a tree and got up the next day to continue the final day of their journey. When they reached the outskirts of their village, they both settled down under a tree for some rest.

The first friend suddenly found an abandoned sack full of gold coins. He immediately dropped the cloth bag and stuffed his pockets with the gold. He looked over to his friend, sure that this time his friend would see the wisdom of abandoning the hemp and picking up the gold. His friend, however, clung even more tightly to his load of hemp. He had carried it too far and grown attached to it. Abandoning it now seemed like a betrayal. So off they both went—one with his bags full of gold. The other friend walked away with raw hemp that needed to be processed so that he could see the resulting rope and cloth for gold. 

This story is the journey of so many of us. We all have encountered pain and suffering in life. Some of us have experienced more than our fair share. We carry all that load as we make the journey of life. When you meet your guru, nature gives you a fantastic chance to transform yourself. Sadhana, meditation, and initiation are those pitstops where you can exchange the load you are carrying for more refined gifts such as cloth and gold. Then one day, you will be ready to drop even those gifts and be totally free. Many of us are so used to the feeling of pain that we feel afraid to drop it. The emptiness of silence can be scary, and sometimes we prefer the familiar ache of pain. 

So dear friends who feel abandoned, sometimes unloved, alone, and misunderstood, know that you have a Guru and Sri Hari who love you more than you can ever fathom. Growing up is painful, child abuse is horrific, divorce can shatter you, and all these things destroy your self-worth. Yet, like the first merchant, you can choose to drop the baggage, pick up your treasure, and walk away much lighter and happier. 

Here are a few books that helped me understand some of what I shared with you.

• In Search of Wisdom – Mattieu Ricard
• Destructive Emotions – Daniel Goleman
• Fear – Thich Nhat Hanh