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Main Index
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| | | Book Name: The Dhammapada - The Way of the Buddha, Vol 3 | Previous Next | |
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going on around, and if you see that something is against us or somebody is trying to steal the fruits, make a noise immediately and I will come out."
Mulla Nasruddin was very much tempted. The shopkeeper went in. Nasruddin sat in front of the shop and just started pretending he was falling asleep; with closed eyes he started dozing.
For a moment the poor fox thought, "What to do? Should I make a noise? But sleep is not an activity -- in fact it is just the opposite -- and the master has said that if some activity goes on around.... This is not activity: this man is falling asleep, and what can a man who is asleep do, what harm?" But the fox was not aware that Mulla was trying a Sufi strategy! By pretending to be falling asleep, by dozing with closed eyes, slowly slowly he managed to make the fox fall asleep. Then he stole the fruits.
When the master came back, the fruits were gone... and the fox was snoring! He shook the fox and asked, "What is the matter? Didn't I tell you if any activity happens you have to make a noise so that I can come? But I never heard any noise."
The fox said, "But there was no activity happening. Just one man came; he sat in front of the shop and started dozing. Now, sleep is not an activity, is it? Sleep is inactivity."
Simple logic! A poor fox and simple logic.
"Then what happened to you?" the owner asked.
The fox said, "That I don't know, what happened to me. But the more I watched the man dozing, somehow I started dozing myself and it was impossible to remain awake. I don't know when I fell asleep."
If a few people are dozing and you are sitting with them, you can see the point: the vibe of sleep reaches to you. And similar is the case... although a little difficult because sleep is downhill and awakening is uphill. It is a little harder task. But to be with a man who is awake, who is a buddha, is bound to make you alert -- just being with the master.
We are affected continuously by people around us. We may be absolutely oblivious of the fact that whatsoever we think has been given by others to us; whatsoever we feel, even that, too, has been given to us by others. The
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