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What is possessiveness?
invitation of a simple and pure person."
How lofty and profound are the thoughts of this wealthy man! Today people lead their lives without having any clue about how to live. They neither know how to follow the ideals of life nor know how to make an honest living. The paradox is that we expound theories of how we can tread the narrow path of the after-world without even understanding how to walk on the broad road of this present life.
So, returning to my story, the poor man served some roțīs and mango pickle in an old, cracked brass plate to his guests. He served water in the same utensil he had used for cooking his meagre meal. The rich man enjoyed and relished his meal, but his cousin remained perplexed by the roțīs, plate and the water container. I put this question to you - was there any difference in the food placed before the two guests? Not at all. Nevertheless, one satisfied his hunger with joy and contentment, while the other expressed irritation and agitation and finally wound up not eating anything. Therefore, we have to conclude that he wanted to eat not because he was hungry, but to satisfy his desire and temptation.
What do these two people represent? While one represents contentment and equanimity, the other represents dissatisfaction and exhibitionism. For the cousin, just the food had no attraction, it had to be presented in an ostentatious manner. But the rich man was willing to look at life with wisdom and make a distinction between needs and desires. He could control his desires by his reflection and discrimination.
Take the example of a woman who needs a saree. Instead of simply buying one, if she makes a fuss that the saree should be an expensive one, it should be made of silk with gold embroidery on it, then is this saree a necessity or a desire to satiate her ego or her whim?
Once, I went to a house for receiving alms. After giving the gocharī, the man of the house requested me to see his guest room. The room was full of decorative items, so much so that there
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