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Chapter 8 - Joy and Sorrow |
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a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow." |
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| And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises
was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else
can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your
being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup
that holds your wine the very cup that was burned
in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes
your spirit the very wood that was hollowed with
knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your
heart and you shall find it is only that which has
given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you
are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you
shall see that in truth you are weeping for that
which has been your delight. |
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| Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and
others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater." |
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| But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together
they come, and when one sits alone with you at your
board, remember that the other is asleep upon your
bed. |
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| Verily you are suspended like scales between your
sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are
you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper
lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs
must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall. |
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