The Story Of Two Pots As Told By Swami Dayananda Saraswathi

Suppose this small pot has a human mind. Being smaller than the others, it has a very deep complex.

It comes to me and says, “I am very sad.”
I asked, “Why are you sad?”
“I don’t like myself.”
“Why don’t you like yourself?”
“Well, look at me. Everybody calls me ‘midget.’”
“Oh, you are a midget?”
“Yes, I am a midget.”
“Do you accept that?”
“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you enjoy being a midget? A midget can get in anywhere. Between two people, you can just scoot in without a problem. It’s wonderful. No ceiling will hit your head.” This is called positive thinking. Then I convinced the pot how advantageous it is to be a midget, and it was happy. “Thank you, I feel good!” The therapy session is over. Then it happened to see a larger pot. And the bigger pot said to it, “Midget! Why did you come here?” All positive thinking disappears for the small pot. “I am a midget!” Again he tells me, “I am sad. I don’t like myself.” I ask, “From where did you come?”
“From India.”

“Why did you come here?”
“I thought I could make it in America.”
“Then what did you do in America?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you not in America?”
“Yes, I am in America. In the Gurukulam, under the table. Around me are all these big fellows who go on teasing me. I have no respect.” Then I told this pot, “Hey, you are not from India.”
“Oh, from where? I have an Indian passport with a photo.”
“You are not from India.”
“Then from where?”
“You are from clay.”
“What?!”
“From clay.”
“From clay I came? No, from India I came.”
“No, you are from clay.”
“Oh, I came from a place called clay?”
“No. When I say you came from clay, I mean you came from clay, you are clay, and are sustained by clay.”
“I am sustained by clay?”

“Yes. The weight of you is the weight of clay.”
“Oh, I have a weight?”
“Yes, you have a weight. The weight of clay is your weight.”
“So that means I have no weight?”
“Yes, you have no weight.”
“My God! I thought I was a midget, weighing a few ounces, but you have taken away those ounces also! So I am a weightless pot?”
“In fact, you are not a pot.”
“I’m not a pot? What are you talking about? I don’t understand you.”
“You will understand better. Now, listen, what is this?”
“That’s a big pot, a very proud pot.”
“Where did it come from? From India?”
“No.”
“Oh, from clay?”
“Yes, it came from clay. Sustained by what?”
“By clay. Then you mean to say the weight of pot is the weight of clay?”
“Yes. It is the weight of clay.”
“So it’s not a big pot?”
“It is clay.”
“Oh, it has more clay and I have less clay!”

The complex doesn’t go. It is very difficult. My god, it is a job I have here to make this fellow understand.
“There are two clays. One clay is big, more clay, and I am less clay.”
“No. There are not two clays. There is only one clay.”
“There is only one clay?”
“Yes.”
“If I count clay, I cannot count two?”
“You cannot.”
“Why not? There’s clay there and clay here.”
“But both are clay.”
“Oh, that seems to be true. There is one clay. Then I’m clay?”
“Yes, you are clay.”
“I am clay and the other fellow, the big guy, is also clay? All are clay?”
“Yes, all are clay.”
“Then I won’t die?”
“You won’t die.”
“Really? I’m not a midget!!”

Then he came back to me the next day, and said, “I could understand it yesterday, but today, I feel bad.”
“You have to practice samadhi.”
“Oh, what is that?”
“You have to think, ‘I am clay.’”
“How?”
“I will teach you how to do that, and you keep doing it.”
“It looks very funny.”
“Why?”
“I am a little clay.”
“Yes.”
“So why should I think I am clay?”
“You need not.”
“But I don’t feel like I am clay.”
“Then you have to think.”
“Oh, that is what this meditation is about?”
“Yes.”

Note: This is by Swami Dayananda Saraswathi of Arsha Vidhya Gurukul.

Source: http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/forum/index.php?topic=3091.msg14082#new