Volume
Religious Gathekas
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#11 How the Wise Live in the World (1)
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Sincerity
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Religious Gathekas
#11 How the Wise Live in the World (1)
Sincerity
Neither of them, saint or master, comes to claim before the world, "Look at me, I am a saint," or, "I am a master," or, "I can do this," or, "I am such a virtuous person," or, "a good person." They keep themselves in humble guise, one like everybody in the world. It is not a claim, it is an action which proves the master. What do they care if the world acclaims them as a saint or as a master? What benefit is it to them? It is only a benefit to the one who is false, because he is glad to be something he is not.
He who is all does not wish that everybody should recognize him as such. A person with riches knows that he is rich; he need not put on fifty rings to tell everybody how rich he is. The one who puts on fifty rings is seldom rich. There is a beautiful simile known in India: the empty vessel makes the noise; when it is filled with water it makes no noise. In short, sincerity is the principal thing to attain in life. What little is gained sincerely and held unassumingly is worth much more than a greater gain void of sincerity, for it is a hill of sand, and the storm will come and blow it away.
Verily, truth is the treasure that every soul is seeking.
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