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point of view of the "non-self” and then you gain the tranquillity which comes from detachment. You may then see yourself suffer, but will not feel the suffering.
You will have to try this out very often. In the beginning it will not be easy, but gradually you will reach the state of non-attachment. This is the state of the man who has the true vision. His mind is wellbalanced. He accepts prosperity and adversity with the same equanimity. With a serene smile he says: "No matter how high the waves, my boat is always ready, whether it meets the high tide of good fortune or the ebb tide of misfortune. There are bound to be
ups and downs in life, because that is the way of
the world."
Not everyone around us is fortunate enough to possess perfect knowledge. In fact, we are surrounded by ignorance. Very often, the most enlightened of men during their lifetime have been beyond the comprehension of those closest to them. The enlightened one feels with regret that their association with him is as casual as of travellers sojourning overnight at the same inn. If this isolation was the result of their having attained the state of non-attachment, it would be an altogether different matter, for then it would
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