Bidding For Services
Every Wednesday evening had become known as the
‘Gentlemen’s Club’ at the Center for Spiritual Pursuits. Part of the
reason for this moniker was because most of the people who attended
such sessions were quite wealthy and from fairly aristocratic families.
However, as with many things, there was a history, of sorts,
leading to the Club’s formation. More specifically, the mystical guide
for the Center believed that since rich people -- some evidence to the
contrary notwithstanding -- are people too, therefore, he felt such
individuals ought to have an opportunity to be exposed to spiritual
teachings. In order to help these individuals feel comfortable with
their surroundings, the teacher had organized things so that mostly
individuals from well-to-do families would be in attendance on such
occasions, and, thus, over a period of time, this practice had
developed into, more or less, an unofficial institution known as the
‘Gentlemen’s Club’.
The way these meetings unfolded tended to vary from week to
week, but, usually, at some point during the evening, there would be
a period of discussion concerning the nature of the mystical path.
During such sessions, those who were interested often would ask
about how to solve certain difficulties of life because – some
prejudices to the contrary notwithstanding – rich people are not
immune to problems.
For instance, an individual might say to the spiritual guide: “I
am having a real tough time dealing with my son. He won’t listen to
me. What can I do?”
Of course, the advice dispensed by the guide would vary with the
question raised, but the general form of the teachings often would be
something like: “Well, Mr. Smith, you need to say such-and-such a
sacred chant 100,000 times, and, then, you should repeat such-and-
such a litany so many thousands of time. In addition, if you were to
fast on every Monday for the next three months, I think, God willing,
you will discover that this problem you are having with your son may
disappear.”
Now, some participants of the Gentleman’s Club sincerely tried
to put into practice whatever advice was given by the Center’s
spiritual guide. Many of these individuals often found that, by the
Grace of God, many of the difficulties with which they came to the
teacher would, in time, disappear, either completely or would become
greatly improved and, therefore, help bring about much more
manageable and enjoyable lives.
On the other hand, there also were some members of the Club
who, for whatever reason, were not really interested in following the
practices recommended by the teacher for dealing with some of life’s
problems. Nonetheless, these individuals found benefit, of one kind
or another, in attending the Wednesday meetings and, among other
things, liked listening to the stories which the guide usually recounted
during those occasions.
Since the teacher did not stop being a guide for all the people
who came to the Center just because the Gentleman’s Club was in
session, what frequently happened was the following. One of the
teacher’s assistants would appear in the entrance-way to the room
where the Club’s gatherings took place and wait for the guide to
notice her or him, and, then, once the assistant’s presence was
acknowledged, the assistant would say something like: “Sir, Mr.
Jones is here with a problem.”
The guide would give instructions to have the person in question
brought to the door. When that individual appeared, the teacher
would say something like: “Mr. Jones, go home, your problem is
solved.”
Sometimes, the assistant to the teacher might say to his or her
guide: “Sir, Mr. Jones is here and he just has something brief to say
to you,” and the teacher would assent to having Mr. Jones come to
the doorway at which time Mr. Jones might say: “I just wanted to
thank you for your help with my problem. By the Grace of God, it
got solved just the way you said it would.” And, then, Mr. Jones
would leave, and the activities of the Gentleman’s Club would
resume at whatever point they had been temporarily suspended.
Many of the people who were ushered to the room’s threshold at
these junctures were very poor. Naturally, such individuals were
most welcome throughout the other days of the week, but in order
not to exclude them from having access to the teacher on Wednesday
evenings, when the Gentleman’s Club was in session, the foregoing
process had been observed for as long as the Club had been in
existence.
One night, after the usual Wednesday meeting had been
completed, a member of the Club requested a private audience with
the teacher. This individual was one of those people who liked
spending time with the guide but who still was not ready to become
committed to the spiritual path.
The man opened the conversation with: “I’ve observed over the
years that there have been numerous instances in which you have
interrupted our Wednesday meetings, briefly from time to time, in
order to accommodate the needs of this or that person who had come
to the door seeking your assistance. I think what you do for these
people is wonderful, but I couldn’t help notice there may be a
difference in how you treat those individuals and how you treat the
members of the Wednesday evening sessions.
“I mean, when we have difficulties, you give certain chants,
litanies or practices for us to do, and, then, often times, by the Grace
of God our problems do disappear, but when those people show up,
you seem to just tell them that their problem is solved, and, they go
away. I may be missing something here, or it may be possible you
have assigned certain chants and so on to them, when we are not
around, but, if you will forgive me for saying so, there appears to be
a certain ... shall we say ... difference in how things are handled with
those people and the members of the Gentleman’s Club.
“Now, the reason why I’m bringing all of this up is that I am an
extremely busy man. My various companies keep me going seven
days a week, 18-20 hours a day, and I consider myself very fortunate
to be able to free up even a few hours of time for these Wednesday
meetings.
“The various practices which you give to us when we come to you
with our life problems tend to be very time-consuming. I would like
to be able to devote the time necessary to do these things, but,
unfortunately, under the present circumstances, this is just not
feasible – but, of course, I am hoping that in the foreseeable future
my situation, in this respect, may change, and, then, I will have the
time required to do the things you are advising us to do to help
people like me who encounter different kinds of difficulty.
“However, for the time being, I was wondering if, perhaps, I
might be able to pay whatever amount of money you feel is
appropriate as a sort of substitute for not having to do the practices.
I realize the people who come to the door on Wednesday night are
usually quite poor, and, maybe, as an act of charity you just help
them out, and I don’t really have a problem with that but since
money is not an issue with me, I am quite prepared to give thousands
of dollars in lieu of time – which for me is more precious than money
– if you would be willing to accept this proposal I am making. If you
wanted, you could distribute what I give to help out the poor – I
would be quite happy with that.”
The guide had been listening to the man, and when the latter had
finished outlining the suggestion, the teacher merely shook his head
and said: “Sir, I’m afraid you can’t afford the cost of such a service.”
The teacher’s words startled the man and the latter protested:
“You may not realize it, but I am one of the wealthiest men in the
country. Really, money is no object. Charge whatever price you like,
and, believe me, I can write you a check for that amount.”
The teacher merely repeated his former words. The guide
thanked the man for his proposal, apologized for not being able to
accommodate the idea, and suggested that if the man were in a
position to do so, then, whatever money the man cared to donate to
the poor would be a good thing and proceeded to terminate the
conversation.
Many years passed and as always happens with the passage of
time things simultaneously change and remain the same. With
respect to the rich man who had come to the spiritual guide with a
proposal of exchanging money for time, the tides of fortune had
turned to low ebb.
The economy had fallen apart and so had the man’s business
empire. He had lost almost everything including his family.
One thing led to another in his downward spiral, and, as a result,
he had taken to drinking. Eventually, he hit rock bottom and was as
miserable, depressed, and forlorn as a person could be.
Waking up one day in a shelter for the homeless, he felt deep
despair. In such a condition, he remembered the Spiritual Center and
how kind and charitable the teacher always had been with respect to
the poor and unfortunate, and, as a result, he decided to go there that
evening.
As the irony of fate would have it, it was Wednesday and the
Gentleman’s Club was in session. The man spoke with one of the
teacher’s assistant, requesting an audience with the guide.
The assistant came back a short while later and said: “The
teacher cannot see you right now, but if you will wait, he will try to
meet with you in an hour or so.” The assistant led the man to a room
on the third floor, asked him to take a seat, and be patient.
The man was disappointed. He had hoped he would be ushered
into the room, as had been done with all those other poor people he
had seen when he was a member in good standing with the
Gentleman’s Club, and that he would be told by the teacher: “Go
home, your problems are solved,” but such was not the case.
Instead, he had been kept waiting. Under the circumstances, it
was an added humiliation, but because his situation was desperate
and he felt as if there were nowhere else to turn, he waited in the
room to which he had been taken.
A little over an hour later, the door to the room opened and the
teacher entered. He smiled affably, approached the man and shook
his hand warmly, saying: “I’m terribly sorry for not coming sooner,
but there were a few things which delayed me.”
The guide sat down near the man and commented: “I have not
seen you for such a long time. What’s been going on?”
As soon as the question was asked, the man broke down and
cried. Over the next hour, amidst sporadic tears, the man told the
teacher all that had happened.”
The teacher listened with great empathy. When the man had
completed summarizing the last 10 years of his life, the teacher
gripped the man’s shoulder in affectionate commiseration and called
out for one of the Center’s assistants to come into the room.
When the assistant appeared, the teacher said: “Contact Mr.
Carson and tell him we have someone to occupy that position he has
been looking to fill,” and when the assistant had left, the teacher
returned his attention to the man in the room.
“I’ve taken the liberty of putting you forward for a job I have in
mind. If you like the position, naturally, you can keep it, and if there
is a problem, we’ll see what else we can find for you, but, in the mean
time, this job should help your situation out somewhat, and, then, we
can begin to take a look at some of your other difficulties.”
The teacher hesitated briefly and continued, by saying: “I didn’t
talk with you immediately when you came to the Center because the
Gentleman’s Club was in session, and I didn’t want to embarrass
you. I know you used to travel in the same social circles as those
people and showing up at the door in front of them might have been
very difficult for you.”
The teacher became quiet and reflective for a moment.
Eventually, he said, “Do you recall that conversation we once had,
years ago, when you were in position to offer money in exchange for
the time which, then, you didn’t have available to do the various
chants, and so on, that I used to recommend to the members of the
Gentleman’s Club whenever they had problems of one sort or
another?”
The man nodded his head in remembrance of that occasion, and
feeling that he knew where the teacher might be going with the
question, the man said, with a sheepish grin on his face: “Well, I
guess I’ve got the time to do those things now, don’t I?”
The teacher laughed and said: “Yes, perhaps so, but, actually, I
was thinking of another part of that conversation – the part when I
told you that you couldn’t afford the cost of the service which would
permit you to exchange money for time. That remark puzzled you
didn’t it?”
Thinking back, he man said: “Yes, quite frankly, it did.”
The teacher responded to the admission with: “At that time you
could afford the price of nearly everything, but, spiritually speaking,
you knew the cost of almost nothing. And, now, you can afford the
price of almost nothing, but you have a much better appreciation
concerning the spiritual cost of many facets of life. Son, the
important things of life are always about cost, never about price.
“The price of our services here at the Spiritual Center has always
been free. But, there is a cost associated with everything we offer --
both in the receiving, as well as in the giving. At the time of our
earlier conversation, you could not afford the cost of our services -
neither with respect to the practices which I recommended, nor,
especially, in relation to the help which used to be given to the people
who would show up at the door during the meetings of the
Gentleman’s Club. Now, you have experienced something of these
costs through the events of your life during the last decade, and,
consequently, I think you are ready to benefit from our help.”
The man embraced the teacher, crying with relief and deep
gratitude for the assistance he was receiving. When he managed to
compose himself a little, he noted: “There is one thing in relation to
what you just said that I’m not sure I understand.”
Upon noting the teacher’s indication to continue on, the man
said: “You spoke about there being a cost associated with the services
being offered here - both with respect to the receiving, as well as the
giving, of such services. I suppose, to some extent, I may have
garnered a little insight concerning what costs might be associated
with the receiving of spiritual services, but I don’t quite understand
what costs are associated with the giving of these services.
Presumably, you are not talking about the price of things necessary
to operate this center, are you?”
The guide shook his head, saying: “No, you’re right -- although
obviously there is a cost associated with the time, effort, and talent
which underwrites the ability of people to acquire money to, for
instance, donate toward the rent of this building. However, what I
had in mind was more a matter of the tremendous sacrifices which
many mystics of the past have had to make in order to ensure, by
God’s leave, that this spiritual tradition might be preserved and be
available to those people today who are interested in seeking to take
advantage of what the mystical path has to offer. The costs of their
sacrifices are incalculable, and very rarely ever properly appreciated
-- except, of course, by the One who inspires and helps them to cover
such costs.”
Horizons Menu
|
