Greatness versus peace

Before I left, one of my friends came to see me. I said to him, “God has given me a few things and God has made me great, but God has given you something which He has not given me.”

My friend asked, “What has He given me?”

I said, “Look at your eyes, look at your face, look at yourself. How peaceful you are! What am I doing? I have thousands of students here, there and everywhere, but I have only worries and anxieties. I am ready to give up all the name and fame that I have and all my disciples. Everything that I have in my possession I am ready to give up if God would give me just a fraction of the peace that you have.”

Then I said to him, “Which one do you want? Name and fame like me or peace?”

He said, “Name and fame I do not want.”

I said, “Do you not feel that you are leading a peaceful life?”

He said, “It is true. I know it and I feel it.”

I said, “I have got name and fame, everything, but I have not got peace.”

My friend looked at me so pathetically. He is of my age. He leads a very simple life. He has such peace inside him. I can see it in his face and in his eyes. I have name and fame; everything I have got. But peace I find only in my meditation. There I go beyond, beyond. In my outer, daily life, I have only worries and anxieties.