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king was perplexed. “Sacrifice and me? I am enjoying such honour, property and happiness. I am continuously enjoying the prosperity of the material world. Where is my sacrifice? What is my sacrifice?”
Replied the sage, “What I said is true. Your sacrifice is greater than mine. Listen to the reason. Before me is the bliss of emancipation. Great bliss. The only bliss. For this great happiness I gave up a small house, my family and a little wealth. But you are a great one who has sacrificed the pleasure of the Lord and are caught in the web of small happiness. Now tell me who has left or renounced greater bliss, you or me? Tell me who has sacrificed more, you or I?”
The two paths are very clear. The first is to give up a lot for little and the second is to give up little for a lot.
Materialism, that is even today called the hopeful perspective, involves giving up more for little. To sacrifice lots and gain little.
The second path is that of peace where you give up little for lots. It is to leave little and set off on the road to peace to gain more.
The route to peace is not one of despair. The route to peace can never be the route of
Anekanta: The Third E
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