There
was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned
her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her
and gave her nothing but the best.
He
also loved the 3rd wife very much. He’s very proud of her and always wanted to
show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that
she might run away with some other men.
He
too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and
in fact is the merchant’s confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some
problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out
and tide him through difficult times.
Now,
the merchant’s 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions
in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household.
However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him
deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One
day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon.
He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have 4 wives with me.
But when I die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be!”
Thus,
he asked the 4th wife, “I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing
and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and
keep me company?” “No way!” replied the 4th wife and she walked away without
another word.
The
answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant’s heart. The sad merchant
then asked the 3rd wife, “I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that
I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No!” replied the 3rd wife.
“Life is so good over here! I’m going to remarry when you die!” The merchant’s
heart sank and turned cold.
He
then asked the 2nd wife, “I always turned to you for help and you’ve always
helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and
keep me company?” “I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!” replied the 2nd
wife. “At the very most, I can only send you to your grave.” The answer came
like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then
a voice called out: “I’ll leave with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you
go.” The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny,
almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said,
“I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!”
Actually,
we all have 4 wives in our lives
a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how
much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it’ll leave us when we
die.
b. Our 3rd wife? Our possessions, status and
wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends.
No matter how close they had been there for us when we’re alive, the furthest
they can stay by us is up to the grave.
d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often
neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.
Guess
what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps
it’s a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until
we’re on our deathbed to lament
