Once upon a time there was a dervish who believed that his task was to get close to people who do evil and instill spiritual thoughts in them so that they could find the righteous path. However, what this dervish did not know is that a teacher is not someone who just tells others to do this or that and does so from fixed principles. If the teacher does not know exactly what the internal situation of each of the students is, then he may experience for himself the opposite of what he desires.
However, this pious man once found a man who was obsessed with gambling and did not know how to get rid of this habit. The dervish settled down near the man's house. Each time he went to the gambling house, the dervish placed a stone in a gradually growing pile, thus marking each sin that this person accumulated as a visible reminder of evil.
Every time this man left the house, he felt guilty. Every time he walked back, he saw a new stone in the pile of the previous ones. Each time he added a new stone to the pile, the godly felt anger at the player and personal satisfaction (which he called "divinity") in having registered this sin.
This went on for twenty years. Every time the player saw a pious person, he said to himself: “If only I could understand kindness! How this saint works for my salvation! If only I could reform, let alone become like him, for he will surely take his place among the elect when the resurrection takes place!”
It so happened that as a result of a natural disaster, both of these people died at the same time. An angel flew to take the player's soul and softly said to him:
“You should follow me to heaven.”
- But how can this be? - said the sinful player. - I am a sinner and must go to hell. Perhaps you are looking for that godly man who sat opposite my house and tried to change me for two decades?
- Pious? - said the angel. - No, he was dragged to the lower spheres because he must now be roasted on a spit.
- What kind of justice is this? - the player shouted, forgetting about his position. - You must have mixed up the instructions!
“This is not so,” said the angel, “and I will explain to you.” The situation is as follows. The pious indulged himself for twenty years in a sense of superiority and importance. Now it’s his turn to restore balance. In reality, he was putting stones in the pile for himself, not for you.
- What about my reward? What do I deserve? - asked the player.
“You should be rewarded because every time you passed by a dervish, you thought first of kindness and then of the dervish.” It is kindness, not a person, that rewards you for your loyalty.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru