Sufi story: You have to know suffering; only then you know what happiness is.

A very rich man became frustrated with his riches.This rich man was really rich, and he became so frustrated with his riches that he left his palace in search of a wise man; because he was really cursed, really in suffering. He wanted to feel a little happier. He went from one wise man to another, but it was of no use. They talked much, but nobody could show him. And he insisted – he must have been a very empirical man – he insisted: “Show me happiness, then I will believe.” He must have had a scientific mind. He said, “You cannot befool me by talking. Show me happiness – where it is.Exactly if I see it, only then can I become your disciple.” Now it is rare to find a master who can show you. There are teachers, thousands and thousands, who can talk about happiness, and if you look at their faces you will see that they are in more suffering than you.

This rich man reached a village, and people told him, “Yes, we have a Sufi mystic. He may be of help. He is a little eccentric, so be a little aware of him. Be a little aware, hmm?…because nobody knows what he will do. But he is a rare phenomenon – you go to him.”

The rich man went; he tried to find him. He was not in the hut. People said that he had just gone towards the forest, so he went there. He was sitting under a huge tree, deep in meditation. The rich man stopped there, got down from his horse. And that man looked to be really in deep happiness, so silent, so calm. Even everything around him was still – the tree, the birds. It was very peaceful; evening was falling.

The rich man fell into his feet and said, “Sir, I would like to be happy. I have everything – except happiness.”

The Sufi opened his eye and said, “I will show you happiness. You show me your riches.”

Perfectly right. If you ask him to show happiness, you show your riches. He had thousands of diamonds in a bag on the horse’s back because he had provided for it. He was always thinking, “If there is somebody who has happiness, he will ask; and the price has to be paid. And there is nothing you can get in life without paying for it.” So he had brought them with him. Those diamonds were worth millions of rupees.

He gave the bag and said, “Look.”

Just in a split second, the mystic took the bag in his hand and ran away. The rich man could not believe for a second what had happened. When he gathered his mind he ran away screaming and crying – “I have been robbed!”

Of course, the mystic knew the way in the village, and he could run fast. And he was a fakir, a strong man, and the rich man had never in his life run after somebody. So, weeping, crying, suffering…and the whole village gathered, and people said, “We had told you before, ‘Don’t go; he’s eccentric. Nobody knows what he will do.’” And the whole village became excited. It was a real suffering for the rich man. His whole life’s earnings lost – and to no avail.

Running around the whole town, the mystic came back to the same tree where the horse was still standing. He put the bag near the horse, sat under the tree, closed his eyes, became silent. Came the rich man – running, breathing hard, perspiring, tears flowing – his whole life was at stake. Then he suddenly saw the bag near the horse; he took it to his heart, started dancing, became so happy….

The mystic opened his eyes and said, “Look! Have I not shown you what happiness is?”

In fact, the more money you have, the less is the value of the money. Value depends on poverty. One rupee in a poor man’s pocket has more value than the same rupee in a rich man’s pocket because the poor man can use it; the rich man cannot use it. The more money you have, the less is the value. A point comes of saturation when the money is of no value – whether you have it or not makes no difference; your life will continue the same. To be rich means to destroy the value of the money; then the money is valueless. You have the house that you wanted, you have cars that you wanted, you have everything that you wanted – now the money is nothing, just a figure. You can go on putting figures in your bank balance – of no use. Then suddenly hope is dead; and suddenly one realizes: “I have not achieved anything.