Page 100 - The Book of Rumi

The Tree of Eternal Life

learned man who had traveled the world over was heard telling a story
A about a tree in India whose fruit bestowed eternal life. The story was
brought to the attention of the king, who, like most people, desired to live
forever, and he instantly became obsessed with fi nding the tree. He ordered
one of his most trusted ministers to travel to India in search of the special
fruit and gave him ample funds to support his travels.
Upon arrival in India, the minister began his thorough search from the
southernmost point of the subcontinent to the remotest mountains in the
north. He traveled from town to town and from village to village, asking every
person he came across about the tree and its fruit. Most people laughed in his
face, taking him for an imbecile, while others just ignored him as they would
a madman. The minister spent many lonely days and nights in foreign places,
only rarely coming across a friendly face. If anyone did speak to him earnestly,
it was to convince him to give up his useless search, to tell him that he was
wasting his precious life. Some people would tease him and give him false
directions to an imaginary tree in some diffi cult location, making him go off
his trail and wasting more of his time. Mostly, though, people just laughed at
him and took him for a fool.
The devoted minister, however, did not give up, pressing on with his mis-
sion tirelessly. To ensure that he did not quit, the king regularly sent him suf-
fi cient funds to support him. Years passed, and the minister turned gray and
old, and he fi nally had to admit that he had failed. With tearful eyes, he began
his journey back home after years of absence and hardship.
On his way back, he decided to pay a visit to a learned shaykh whom he
had heard about, hoping to receive a blessing from him. However, the minute
his eyes met the shaykh’s, he burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably for quite
some time. Once he managed to take control of his senses, he confessed to the
holy man: “Great shaykh, I’ve lost my way! I haven’t achieved what I set out to
achieve all those years ago, and now I’m returning to my master shamefaced
and empty-handed. I beg of you to take pity on me and show me the right
path.”

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