Once upon a time there was a large kingdom governed by the greatest of kings. The king so loved his people that he made the realization of their deepest aspirations possible through his laws. The law of reciprocity was the supreme law of the land in which men received in abundance whatever emanated from them. To enforce this law, the king had a plethora of servants who went around the vast realm collecting the thoughts, words and deeds of every dweller. They tended them carefully until maturity and then distributed them accordingly at harvest. In this land, just as a plant springs from the seed so also did man’s circumstance spring from the seed of thought, word and deed.
Two strangers from a far-away land heard about the great king and journeyed to this land of love and prosperity. The first stranger was in awe of the wonder that surrounded him. It seemed to him as though everyone lived for the joy of the other, the greed and jealously so prevalent in his homeland was absent here. Gratitude so filled him that he subconsciously went down on his knees whispering words of thanks to the distant king. The king lived very far away in the capital and most people had never seen him, they only experienced his nature through his laws.
For the second stranger, however, the beauty and abundance of the land awakened greed within him. In a few months, he began running into difficulties; his house collapsed during a storm and his crops struggled to yield fruit. “What kind of horrible land is this…? I don’t have enough food. Where is the love of this king everyone talks about? Does he even exist?” He could not connect his thoughts of scarcity and greed to his unfavorable condition.
He thought of his fellow countryman who was always cheerful and decided to speak with him. “How come everything works in your favor in this country, what is your secret?” He laughed in reply, “Secret? There is no secret, I have simply come to realize that the greatest joy lies in the service of others because the more I help others, the greater is my joy.” The radiance in his face as he spoke these words did not escape the notice of the second stranger. He understood his friend completely and began a new life of service.
Slowly he too began experiencing help on every turn. He realized that he was the cause of his suffering for he reaped what he sowed. The king did not change and his law remains inviolable; the change in his circumstance was attributable solely to the change in his volition. He was glad for this recognition and gave thanks for it.