Riches and Power...

Riches and power may vanish because they are outside ourselves; only that which
is within can we call our own.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Where is man's wealth? It is in his knowledge. If his wealth is only in the bank
and not in his knowledge he does not really possess it. It is in the bank. All
desirable and great things, values and titles, position and possession, where
are they? Outside? No, because outside is only that which one knows by the
knowledge one has within. Therefore the real possession is not without but
within. It is the self within, it is the heart which must be developed, the
heart which must be in its natural rhythm and at its proper pitch. When it is
tuned to its natural rhythm and pitch, then it can accomplish the purpose for
which it is made.

The claim to be kind and sympathetic is like a drop of water saying, 'I am
water,' but which, on seeing the ocean, realizes its nothingness. In the same
way, when man has looked on perfection, he realizes his shortcomings. It is then
that the veil is raised from before his eyes and his sight becomes keen. He then
asks himself, 'What can I do that I may awaken this love and sympathy in my
heart?' The Sufi begins by realizing that he is dead and blind, and he
understands that all goodness as well as all that is bad comes from within.
Riches and power may vanish because they are outside of us, but only that which
is within can we call our own. In order to awaken love and sympathy in our
hearts, sacrifices must be made. We must forget our own troubles in order to
sympathize with the troubles of others.