Once there was a great king and he came to a Sufi Mystic and he asked for something. He said, “I’m trying to conquer great lands. Could you give me a Talisman, or a saying, or a mantra or something that will help me?”
The Sufi Mystic looked at him and smiled, in the way that Sufi Mystics do, and took a ring off of his finger. He gave it to the king and he said there’s only one demand I have of you. You cannot open the ring and see what’s inside until all is lost, until literally nothing can be done for whatever situation you are in.”
The king thought, “Well… I mean how much help is that going to be?” But he took it anyway. He went and he had great battles and conquered many lands and then his fortunes turned bad. All his battles were lost and he was running by himself. He being chased by a whole army. He runs, and he runs, and he runs up a mountain and down a ravine. And he can hear the horses coming and he knows that all is lost. He suddenly remembers the ring. He looks down and opens the ring, and there was a saying inside. It said, “This too shall pass.”
He paused, and as he was pausing the entire army ran past the little hiding place that he was in and he was saved.
After that this mantra became his meditation. “This too shall pass.”
And he became a wise and compassionate leader because he realized this is the case for everyone else too not just for him.
This too shall pass.