There is a beautiful story: Bhavani Dayal, an Indian Holy man from South Africa, had come to travel in the Himalayas. He wrote in his book, that on one hot sunny day he was climbing a certain hill with his bag on his shoulder. This journey uphill was tiring, and he was perspiring. Feeling breathless, he suddenly saw ahead of him one young girl carrying her younger brother on her back and climbing the hill. She was also perspiring as her younger brother was a bit fat. Feeling sympathy towards her, he came close to her and said, My dear daughter, you need to take some rest, you are carrying so much burden on yourback!
Hearing this, the young girl became offended and infuriated. She said: Swami ji,mind your language, it is not a burden, it is my brother . You are carrying a bag, that is your burden. A few years later, Bhavani Dayal wrote in his book that this dialogue with the young girl in the Himalayas was an eye-opener for him. When there's love in our heart, doing something for our loved ones, is not a burden. And it is not that 4 letter word called Duty or morality that is often taught in the schools. It is a joy. Duty and responsibility, such words do smell of some kind of burden and martyrdom. When we do something for our loved ones or the friends, we start expecting that this act of ours should be duly acknowledged, otherwise we feel frustrated. Something done as duty makes us serious and causes frustration when it is not responded. Something done with love in our heart makes us lighthearted and playful, brings joy to us.And for this to happen, we need to rise in love, and not fall in love.
This means transformation of our being, transcending attachments and frustrations. Osho points out: A mother says to the child, I am your mother, you have to be responsible for me. A husband says, I am your husband, and I work hard for you. You have to be responsible for me. A father says to the son, Don't be irresponsible! Whenever you do something always think of me. This is not responsibility, you have corrupted a beautiful word. It has become ugly. Responsibility has become almost synonymous with duty. And duty is an ugly word. The enlightened master suggests us to rise in love: Love is another name for life, another name for existence, another name for god....Try to understand it. In that very understanding love starts changing: it starts going higher than lust. The more understanding grows, the higher love starts soaring. Love moves higher on the wings of understanding, on the wings of awareness, meditation.
