16 July 2026
Thursday
The charavakas (the materialists) argued that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. They said that the pleasure you now have should not be given up in the hope of something promised later on if this is given up. But, the happiness of renunciation can be enjoyed here and now, and is much more sustaining and inspiring than the happiness derived from grabbing and attachment. Besides, there is a certain joy in being the master of the senses, rather than in being their slave. Now, you are slaves of the coffee habit. Resolve not to cater to that attachment and stick to that resolution for three days continuously. You become the master, and the tongue is your slave. Coffee cannot hold sway over you any longer. If coffee is capable of conferring joy, all should get it equally from that beverage. But some prefer tea, and many find it distasteful. Some delight in taking it without sugar and others without milk. So, it is the mind that gives joy, not the coffee; it is not the object that caters to the senses. The secret is, discover the fountain of joy within; that is a never-failing, ever-full, ever-cool fountain, for it rises from God.
The charavakas (the materialists) argued that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. They said that the pleasure you now have should not be given up in the hope of something promised later on if this is given up. But, the happiness of renunciation can be enjoyed here and now, and is much more sustaining and inspiring than the happiness derived from grabbing and attachment. Besides, there is a certain joy in being the master of the senses, rather than in being their slave. Now, you are slaves of the coffee habit. Resolve not to cater to that attachment and stick to that resolution for three days continuously. You become the master, and the tongue is your slave. Coffee cannot hold sway over you any longer. If coffee is capable of conferring joy, all should get it equally from that beverage. But some prefer tea, and many find it distasteful. Some delight in taking it without sugar and others without milk. So, it is the mind that gives joy, not the coffee; it is not the object that caters to the senses. The secret is, discover the fountain of joy within; that is a never-failing, ever-full, ever-cool fountain, for it rises from God.