There lived a merchant in a town. He had lots of money, a big bungalow and servants. But still, he did not have peace of mind.
One day, someone told him that a sage lived in a nearby town. He could provide such an attainment to people that they could achieve their heart's desires.
The merchant went to the sage and pleaded, "sage, I don't have and scarcity in terms of money, but still I do not have peace of mind. Please do something to set my mind at peace."
The merchant went to the sage and pleaded, "sage, I don't have any scarcity in terms of money, but still I do not have peace of mind. Please do something to set my mind at peace."
The merchant thought that the sage would give him some amulet, or something else that would provide him peace but the sage did not do anything.
The next day, the sage made the merchant sit in the sun and went to sit comfortably in his tent's shade.
It was a summer noon. The merchant's condition became very bad. He got very angry but he kept quiet.
The second day, the sage said, " you will not get any food today."
The merchant grew mad with hunger and he didn't get a single grain of food in his mouth but he saw that the sage was relishing on various dishes.
The merchant was restless the whole night. He could not sleep for one second. He was thinking that the sage was very selfish.
One the third day, he woke up, packed all the things and got ready to go. Suddenly, the sage came, stood before him and asked politely, " what happened?"
The merchant replied, " I came here with high hopes but I was disappointed and had to bear such troubles that I never saw in my life. I am going."
The sage smiled and said, "I gave you a lot of things but you did not take anything."
The merchant was astonished and asked him," you did not give me anything."
The sage said, "Merchant, the first day, when I made you sit in the sun and sat in shade myself, I told you that my shade won't be of any use to you.
When I saw that you didn't understand my point, I kept you hungry and ate food myself. I meant to tell you that if I would eat food, it will not fill your stomach.
Merchant, remember that my meditation will not provide and peace of mind to you. You earned money yourself and you can gain peace of mind yourself."
The merchant realized the path to his destination. He expressed his gratitude to the sage and returned home.