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EVERWAKEFULNESS
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tions of length of course If it were not so what would freedom mean? If a regimentation of pace of progress were possible where would the dividing line lie between freedom and bondage ?
Revealing the secret the Lord said, 'Gautam I the course of these neo-initiates is not shorter They have progressed with a high pace They have snapped the thread of attachment as under promptly That delivered them at their destination so early
'You have still not cut that link Your attachment is wrapped round my physical frame You know how subtle and stubborn the links of affection are The black-bee that can pierce wood is imprisoned in the lotus Watch this ligament please and do so constantly The blessed moment will dawn upon you when nothing but light will emanate from your being You will be flooded with brightness Blessed be that moment of achievement and blessed be the doubly blessed subject'
The kind blessings of the Lord cheered up Gautam His chaste face was aglow with happiness His eyes were all brightness He was calm and contented, as if risen from a dream
What did the Lord mean when he exhorted Gautam to be alert ever and anon? Can an instant's lethargy be so dangerous that the Lord warned him thus? Can a moment's indolence devastate such momentous watchfulness? Thought Gautam~' must seek a final solution of this riddle'
Gautam submitted his confusion to the Lord Asked the Lord 'Have you seen a lamp ?' 'Yes, sire' 'What happens when it burns ?'
'The particles of dark turn into those of light The room is filled with light'
"How long does it stay lit?' 'So long as the lamp burns' 'What happens if the lamp is put out for a moment?
