On Neglect

It feels as though someone has revealed the secret of my silent conversations. Today, my effort to go to the rooftop was fruitless. The clouds, driven by the wind, covered the radiant face of the sun. I could not see the sun, and so I could not speak with him.

The ticking of the clock kept announcing that the sun was moving, yet I was surprised. The force of the wind and the thickness of the clouds had no effect on the sun at all. He continued on his path, untouched, uninfluenced.

As evening approached, the clouds seemed to bow in apology. Rain fell gently, the air became calm, and the sun quietly set. It was a serene and beautiful evening.

Later, someone said to me, “Neglect is the key to happiness.” Then he added, “Those who oppose you, those who harm you, simply distance yourself from them.”

At first this sounds right. But understand clearly—neglect does not mean creating distance. Distance is very easy to create. But when you create distance, you also create a center. And as long as there is a center—someone I am avoiding—true neglect does not happen.

Neglect is not running away. Neglect is remaining uncontaminated.

Whether someone insults you, whether someone harms you, whether someone condemns you, or spreads false rumors about you—neglect means that none of it enters you, none of it disturbs your inner clarity.

The sun does not move away from the clouds. He simply remains unaffected.

Meditation creates this state within you. It keeps you pure, uncontaminated, and untouched—just as the sun remains untouched by the passing clouds.