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| | | Book Name: Zen - The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest | Previous Next | |
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to be with me to see it."
The gatekeeper laughed and he said, "I have been here ... for generations we have been the gatekeepers. Before me, my father and before him, his father ... as long as existence, our family has been on this gate. And everyone on this gate has given the same advice that I'm giving to you. You will be thankful for it. If you insist, I will allow -- but then don't be offended."
The emperor could not understand, but perhaps the gatekeeper knows more about things ... He went alone and was simply amazed at the gatekeeper's compassion. Because he could not find a small place anywhere on Mount Sumeru to make his signature. All over there were signatures and signatures and signatures.
The meaning is clear: "You are not the only one. Millions of emperors have passed before you."
He said to the gatekeeper, who was with him, "This is very humiliating. I used to think I would be the only emperor who is going to sign. And this whole mountain, miles and miles ... there is no space for a signature!"
The gatekeeper said, "Do one thing -- another advice that we have been giving since my ancestors. Here is the instrument. Remove somebody's name and put your name. And this is not new; this has been happening for centuries as far as I know, my father knew, my father's father knew. You have to remove somebody's name and create space for your signature."
The emperor said, "But that takes all the joy out of it. Somebody will come and remove my name."
The gatekeeper said, "That, of course, is going to happen. It is up to you."
This is the failure of success. Ultimate success brings ultimate failure. And this story may be not a fact; the Sumeru Mountain range does not exist anywhere, but all these three religions have accepted it for the simple reason to show you: Don't run after the ego. Your ego can take you at the most to the Sumeru Mountains; and then you will see you have wasted your whole life, just to remove somebody's name. What is the joy of being the greatest celebrity in the world?
One great philosopher, Rousseau, wrote in his autobiography that, "When I was not known to anybody, I was hankering
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