This is a beautiful story....

A king told his court that he wants the whole of wisdom condensed into
one sentence, and the sentence has to be as small as possible so that he can engrave it inside his
diamond ring. And he will look at it only in a situation when there is no way out.

It was a difficult task. But one of his ministers said – ”I will prepare it. Give me the ring. But don’t
look at it until every other possibility is finished and you are facing death – in the ultimate emergency,
because only then will you understand it.” The king was curious, but he had to give his word that he
would not look at it.

Soon the day came when the country was invaded, the king was defeated; he escaped into the
mountains to hide. He reached a point where there was the end of the mountain, and an abysmal
depth facing him. There was no way to go further, and back he could not go. He could hear the
enemy, the horses, approaching.

He waited for a few minutes. When he heard the steps of the horses so close that it was only
a question of a few seconds till he would be caught, he took off the diamond ring, looked – and
laughed in that silent place. The whole valley was full of his laughter, because what was written was
a very simple sentence. In his ring it was engraved: ”This too will pass.”

The whole wisdom he had asked for – and this is the essence of the whole of wisdom: This too will
pass.

And as it happened, the horses must have turned some other way, and he heard their steps going
farther and farther away.

He gathered his army again, won back his country, and there was great celebration all over the
capital because they had become again independent. He was garlanded, his chariot was full of
flowers, and people were throwing flowers in joy, and dancing and singing. At that moment he again
took off his diamond ring and read the sentence: This too will pass. And this moment became his
enlightenment.

Sadness comes, joy comes, and everything passes by.