for out-of-town visitors.

Everyone was a friend of the friend

of the original donor of the duck.

Finally Nasruddin was exasperated.

One day there was a knock at the door and

a stranger appeared.

I am the friend of the friend of the friend of the man

who brought you the duck from the country, he said.

Come in, said Nasruddin.

They seated themselves at the table

and Nasruddin asked his wife to bring the soup.

When the guest tasted it

it seemed to be nothing more than warm water.

What sort of soup is this? he asked the Mulla.

That, said Nasruddin,

is the soup of the soup of the soup of the soup

of the duck.

281. Love.

Man is not a rational animal,

but only a rationalizing one;

and that is more dangerous than just being irrational.

Give me a shot of bourbon and a shot of water –

said the obviously heavy drinker to the bartender.

When the order was placed before him on the bar

the lush pulled a worm from his pocket

and dropped it into the glass of water.

After watching it swim around for a few seconds

the man drew the worm from the water

and dropped it into the whisky.

It wriggled briefly, then curled up and died.

You see that? said the lush to the bartender.

It proves that if you keep on drinking whisky

you will never have worms.

282. Love.

Life is a sermon;

existence preaches in its own way,

but always indirectly –

and that is the beauty of it.

The harmony in nature teaches,

without any intention,

the lesson of balance in life.

Look at a bird on the wing –

and effortlessly you will go into meditation.

Or listen to its song –

and for no reason your heart will move with it.

And when there is no effort on your part

the meditation goes deep and suddenly transforms you;

and when there is no motivation and you move –

the movement is in the divine.

283. Love.

I know your inner condition

more than you know it yourself

because now your inner is not my outer.

Things that are happening to you unconsciously

and even against your conscious will are good.

Welcome them and be grateful,

because nothing divine can happen to you with your will,

rather, your will is the only barrier.

Say wholeheartedly: Thy will be done!

And feel it

and live it.

Come home soon,

I am waiting for you,

and much is waiting to happen to you also.

I know you are skeptical.

That is not bad

but a good beginning to start with.

Wherever there is mind there is skepticism.

Mind is skepticism

and therefore conflict.

That is the way of the mind

and its nature.

Please do not fight with it

nor be identified with it.

These are the obvious alternatives,

but both are false,

and aspects of the same coin.

You will have to walk in between.

Come and be with me, and you will understand.

284. Dear Mukta.

Love.

Yes, you were related to Yoga Vivek in one of your past lives.

Now many things will be remembered by you soon

because the key is in your hands.

But do not think about them at all,

otherwise your imagination will get mixed up with the memories

and then it will be difficult to know

what is real and what is not.

So always be aware from now on

that you do not think about past lives:

let the memories come up by themselves.

No conscious effort on your part is needed;

on the contrary it will be a great hindrance.

Let the unconscious do the work,

you be just a witness,

and as the meditation goes deeper

many locked doors will be opened to you.

But always remember to wait for the mysteries to reveal themselves.