Awareness

A king in Japan sends his son to a mystic, to a master, to learn awareness. The king was old. And he said to the son, “Put your total energy into it because unless you are aware, you are not going to succeed me. I will not give this kingdom to a man who is asleep and unconscious. My father has given it to me only when I attained awareness. 

“The same is going to happen to you. And the problem is even more complicated because I have only one son: if you do not attain to awareness, the kingdom is going into somebody else’s hands. You will be a beggar on the streets. So it is a question of life and death for you. Go to this man; he has been my master. Now he is very old, but I know that if anybody can teach you, he is the man. Tell him, `My father is sick, old, can die any day. Time is short, and I have to become fully aware before he dies; otherwise I lose the kingdom.”

The king’s son went to the old master in the mountains. He said to the master, “I have been sent by your disciple, the king.”

The master was very old, older than his father. He said, “I remember that man. He was really an authentic seeker. I hope you will prove to be of the same quality, of the same genius, of the same totality, of the same intensity.”

The young prince said, “I will do everything.”

The master said, “Then start cleaning in the commune. And remember one thing — that I will be hitting you at any time. You may be cleaning the floor and I may come from the back and hit you with my stick, so be alert.”

He said, “But I have come to learn about awareness….”

The master said, “This is how you will learn.”

One year passed. In the beginning he was getting so many hits every day, but slowly slowly he started becoming aware. After one year the master hit him from the back while he was deeply involved in talking with another inmate of the ashram. But the prince continued to talk, and still he caught hold of the stick before the stick could reach his body.

The master said, “That’s right. Now this is the end of the first lesson. The second lesson begins tonight.”

The prince said, “I used to think that this was all. This is only the first lesson? How many lessons are there?”

The old man said, “It depends on you. The second lesson is that now I will be hitting you while you are asleep, and you have to be alert in your sleep.”

He said, “My God. How can one be alert in sleep?”

The old man said, “Don’t be worried. Thousands of my disciples have passed through the test. Your father has passed through the test. It is not impossible. It is difficult, but it is a challenge.”

And from that night he was getting hit six times, eight times, twelve times in the night. Sleep was difficult. But within six months he started feeling inside himself a certain awareness. And one day when the master was just going to hit him, with closed eyes he said — “Don’t bother. You are too old. It hurts me; you are taking so much trouble. I am young, I can survive these hits.”

The master said, “You are blessed. You have passed the second lesson. But up to now I have been hitting with my wooden staff. The third lesson is that now I will start hitting, from tomorrow morning, with a real sword. Be alert! Just a moment of unconsciousness and you are finished.”

The prince thought, “Now it is becoming dangerous! A wooden stick was hard, difficult, but it was not going to kill me. A real sword….” He was a swordsman but he was not given any chance to protect himself; only awareness was going to be his protection.

An idea came to his mind: “This old man is really dangerous. Before he starts his third lesson, I would like to check whether he himself can pass the third test or not. If he is putting my life at risk, I cannot allow him to do it without checking whether he is worthy of it or not.” And these were only thoughts that he was thinking lying down in his bed; it was a cold morning.

And the master said, “Come out of your blanket, you idiot! Do you want to hit your own master with a sword? Feel ashamed! I can hear the footsteps of your thoughts… drop the idea.” He had heard. Nothing was said to him, nothing was done to him.

Thoughts are also things. Thoughts also, while moving, make sounds, and those who are fully alert can read your thoughts. Even before you have become aware of them, they can become aware of them.

The prince was really ashamed. He fell at the feet of the master and he said, “Just forgive me. I am really stupid.”

But because it was a question of a sword, a real sword, he became aware of everything around him, even his own breathing, his heartbeat. Just a small breeze passing through the leaves, a dead leaf moving in the wind, and he was aware. And the master tried a few times but found him always ready. He could not hit him with the sword because he could not find him unconscious, unalert. He was just alertness. It was a question of death — you cannot afford to be anything but alert.

In three days’ time the master could not find a single moment, a single loophole. And after the third day he called him and told him, “Now you can go and tell your father — and this is the letter from me — that the kingdom is yours.”

Awareness is a process of being more and more awake.

Osho – “The Osho Upanishad”
https://oshostories.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/footsteps-of-the-thoughts/

Goose is Out

Nansen is a rare man.

THE OFFICIAL, RIKO, ONCE ASKED NANSEN TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THE OLD PROBLEM OF THE GOOSE IN THE BOTTLE.

The problem is very ancient. It is a koan; it is given to a disciple, that he has to meditate on it. It is absurd; you cannot “solve” it. A koan is something which cannot be solved. Remember, it is not a puzzle. A puzzle has a clue; a koan has no clue. A koan is a puzzle without any clue. Not that more intelligence will solve it. 

“IF A MAN PUTS A GOSLING INTO A BOTTLE,” SAID RIKO, “AND FEEDS HIM UNTIL HE IS FULL GROWN, HOW CAN THE MAN GET THE GOOSE OUT WITHOUT KILLING IT OR BREAKING THE BOTTLE?”

The koan becomes impossible. The bottle has a small neck; the goose cannot come out from it. Either you have to break the bottle or you have to kill the goose. But  The goose has to come out whole and the bottle has to remain whole. Nothing has to be destroyed; no destruction allowed.

Now, how are you going to solve it? But meditating on it, meditating on it… one day it happens that you see the point. Not that you solve the problem, suddenly the problem is no more there.

NANSEN GAVE A GREAT CLAP WITH HIS HANDS AND SHOUTED, “RIKO!”

“YES, MASTER, “SAID THE OFFICIAL WITH A START.

“SEE, “SAID NANSEN, “THE GOOSE IS OUT!”

Now, it is tremendously beautiful. What he is saying is that the goose has never been in, the goose has always been out. What is he saying, the moment he said, “Riko!”? What happened? Those seven layers of ego disappeared and Riko became aware. The shout was so sudden, the sound was so unexpected. 

Those seven layers of the bottle are crossed.

“Yes, Master” — in that moment Riko was pure consciousness, without any layer. In that moment, Riko was not the body. In that moment, Riko was not the mind. In that moment, Riko was just awareness. In that moment, Riko was not the memory of the past. In that moment, Riko was not the future, the desire. In that moment, he was not in any comparison with anybody. In that moment, he was not a Buddhist or a Mohammedan or a Hindu. In that moment, he was not a Japanese or an Indian. He was without any content, without any conditioning. In that moment, he was not young, old. In that moment, he was not beautiful, ugly. In that moment, he was not stupid, intelligent. All layers disappeared. In that moment, he was just a flame of awareness.

That is the meaning when the Master says, “See, the goose is out — and I have not broken the bottle, I have not even touched the bottle.” The bottle means the ego, those seven layers. “I have not broken the bottle, it is there, and I have not killed the goose. And the goose is out.”

Osho, The First Principle.

https://oshostories.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/goose-is-out/

The Parable of the Twins

Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived in the same womb.

Weeks passed, and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy, "Isn't it great that we were conceived? Isn't it great to be alive?"

Together the twins explored their world. When they found their mother's cord that gave them life they sang for joy, "how great is our mother's love that she shares her own life with us."

As the weeks stretched into months the twins noticed how much each was changing.

"What does this mean?",  asked the one.

"It means that our stay in this world is drawing to an end", said the other one.

"But I don't want to go", said the one, "I want to stay here always"

"We have no choice", said the other, "but maybe there is life after birth!"

"But how can it be?" responded the one. "We will shed our life cord, and how is life possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others were here before us and none of them have returned to tell us that there is life after birth."

And so the one fell into deep despair saying, "If conception ends with birth, what is the purpose of life in the womb? It's meaningless! Maybe there is no mother at all."

"But there has to be", protested the other. "How else did we get here? How do we remain alive?"

"Have you ever seen our mother?", said the one. "Maybe she lives in our minds. Maybe we made her up because the idea made us feel good."

And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear and finally the moment of birth arrived.

When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes and cried, for what they saw exceeded their fondest dreams.

'Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on people what God has prepared for those who love Him.'

http://www.sconsig.com/inspirations/twins.htm

Svetaketu

Svetaketu, the son of great and wise man Uddalaka, was twelve years old, he was sent to a teacher with whom he studied until he was twenty-four. After learning all the Vedas, he returned home full of conceit in the belief that he was consummately well-educated, and very censorious.
Father saw his son's pride. "My dear son," he asked, "I wonder if you have learned the wisdom of the Veda. Can you hear what cannot be heard by the ear? Can you see what cannot be seen by the eyes? Do you know what cannot be known by the mind?"

"What do you mean, dear Father?" asked Svetaketu in surprise.
His father replied, "My son, when you know one lump of clay, you know all that is made of clay." 
"When you know one nugget of gold, you know all that is made of gold."

"I have not yet learned this teaching," said Shvetaketu humbly. "Please, Father, teach me."
"As you wish, my dear son" said the father

"In the beginning there was a unbounded ocean of consciousness, one without a second(Ekam evaadvitiyam). It thought to itself 'I am one - may I be many,' and created light. Light thought to itself, 'I am one - may I be many,' and created water. Water thought to itself, 'I am one- may I be many,' and created matter. So consciousness became light, water and matter and the three became many and it is the essence of all things. That thou art(tat tvam asi), Shvetaketu."

... And he said, "Bring me a fruit of banyan tree."
Shvetaketu went outside and picked a fig from banyan tree. "Here it is, Father." said Shvetaketu.
"Break it open." said his father. "Tell me, what do you see inside?"
"I see many seeds"
"Break one seed open." said his father. "Tell me what do you see."
"I see nothing at all." said Shvetaketu.
"My son, that 'nothing' is the subtle essence of all living things, which appears as nothing because you cannot perceive it, but the tree has grown, and of that you are created.

"Please, honored Sir, teach me more," said Shvetaketu.
"As you wish, my dear son", said his father. "Place this salt in a glass full of  water, and come to me in the morning."
Shvetaketu did this. 
Next morning the father said, "Bring me the salt you poured into the water."
The son looked for it, and said "The salt has disappeared, Father."
"Please take a sip from the top of the glass," his father said. "How does it taste?"
"Salty."
"Now pour out some and take a sip from the middle," said his father. "How does it taste?"
"Salty."
"Now pour out some and take a sip from the bottom. Tell me, how does it taste?"
"Salty," said Shvetaketu.

"Even though you couldn't see it, the salt was found in every drop of water. In the same way, pure consciousness is found in all beings. That subtle essence of the whole world, the Self of all that is, the ocean of pure consciousness - that is truth. That is the all-pervading Self. That thou art Shvetaketu."

...And then Shvetaketu understood the true teaching of the veda, and became a famous teacher in the court of King Janaka, Shvetaketu always remained humble, once he had realized the Self, the ocean of pure consciousness.
Source: Chandogya Upanishad

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=BcDlPTSbEoEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Nice Little Stories

Once, all villagers decided to pray for rain, on the day of prayer all the People gathered 
but only one boy came with an umbrella.
THAT'S FAITH!

?. ?. ?. ?. ?. ?

When you throw a baby in the air, 
she laughs because she knows you will catch her.
THAT'S TRUST!

?. ?. ?. ?. ?. ?

Every night we go to bed, without any assurance of being alive the next Morning but still we set the alarms to wake up.
THAT'S HOPE!

?. ?. ?. ?. ?. ?

We plan big things for tomorrow 
in spite of zero knowledge of the future. 
THAT'S CONFIDENCE!

?. ?. ?. ?. ?. ?

We see the world suffering. 
But still we get married?
THAT'S OVER CONFIDENCE!! ?

https://in.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/trainers_forum/conversations/messages/41148

Nothing Works

A certain lover of God was frail and sickly. His frailty kept him from meditating as deeply as he would have liked. When death came, as it must to all, an angel appeared before him and asked, “Is there anything you would like in your next life?” 

“Yes!” cried the devotee. “I would like to be reborn with a healthy, strong body.” 

“Is that all you want?” the angel asked. 

“Yes!” the devotee replied with certainty. 

In his next life, that prayer was granted. Alas! however, he was born poor, and never had the means of satisfying his robust appetite. When death came this time, the angel appeared and said, “I see you still have a desire.” 

“Yes!” cried the devotee. “In my next life I would like not only a healthy body, but also money with which to enjoy my good health.”

In his next life, accordingly, he was born to both health and wealth. But—he was lonely! This time, when death came, he asked for health, wealth, and someone with whom to share his good fortune.

Thus, in this new life he was given health, wealth, and a beautiful wife. But alas! she died after one year. He spent the rest of his life worshiping her gloves, her dress, her jewels. 

When death came this time, the angel asked, “What now?” 
“In my next life I want health, wealth, and a beautiful wife who lives a long life.” 

And in his succeeding life he got all that. This time, however, his wife lived too long. He tired of her, and at last went off with his beautiful young secretary, who cared only for his money. She took that, and ran off with her handsome young lover. 

This time, when death came and the devotee still looked unsatisfied, the angel came and demanded, “So what is it this time?” 

“Nothing! I want nothing! I see that, with every fulfillment, there is always a catch. I want only one fulfillment now: the joy of union with my Infinite Beloved. Then, even if I am sickly, poor, and bereft of human love, I will find complete and eternal fulfillment in God.” 

Courtesy: Ananda Sangha
https://in.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/trainers_forum/conversations/topics/42005

Tolerance

A temple was laid with beautiful marble tiles and with a huge marble statue of the god displayed in the middle of the Sanctum .Many came from all over the world just to admire this beautiful temple and offer  prayers.

One night, the marble tiles started talking to the Marble Statue

Marble tile: Marble statue, it’s just not fair, it’s just not fair! Why does everybody from all over the world come all the way here just to step on me while admiring you and worshiping you ? Not fair! Both of us came from Makarana in the same truck. Everybody is standing on me and praying to you .

Marble Statue: My dear friend, marble tile,  I agree with you that both of us came on the truck . We were actually from the same cave too !

Marble tile: Yeah! That’s why I feel it is even more unfair. We were born from the same cave and yet we receive different treatment now. Not fair!

Marble Statue: Then, do you still remember the day when the sculpture tried to work on you, but you resisted his tool?

Marble tile: Yes, of course I remember. I hate that guy! How could he use his tool on me, it hurt so badly.

Marble Statue: That’s right! He couldn't work on you at all as you resisted being worked on.

Marble tile: So???

Marble Statue: When he decided to give up on you and start working on me instead, I knew at once that I would be something different after his efforts. I did not resist his tool, instead I bore all the painful tools he used on me.  I took millions of blow on to myself , and now, have became a statue worthy of being worshipped .

Marble tile: Mmmmmmmmm…………

Moral of the story (through the Marble Statue): My friend, there is a price to everything in life. Since you decided to give up half way, you can’t blame anybody who steps on you now!

http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/importance-of-tolerance

Prince Hemachuda & Princess Hemalekha

Long ago there was a prince named Hemachuda, who married Hemalekha, the daughter of a sage. He discovered that this beautiful young woman was not interested in worldly pleasures.

When he asked her why, she explained, "The objects that are sources of pleasure cannot be enjoyed forever. No one can have everything he or she desires, and one who gets only a few of those things is not satisfied. In most cases, pleasure is contaminated by suffering. Further, the concept of pleasure is based on one's way of thinking about worldly objects. 

Lets us take the example of a beautiful woman. The woman is outside the man who perceives her, but the perceiver breing her image inside and evaluates her beauty. If he decides that she meets his standard of loveliness, he projects his conception of beauty onto her. And as he things about the attractiveness he has projected onto her, this idea is reinfornced. Consequently desire arises, he senses and mind become excited, he beings to experience pleasure. The cause of that excitement is the sense of beauty in his mind. Children who have not yet developed this sense, and yogis who have conquered it, are not aroused even though they see the same woman.

After listening to her elaborations on worthlessness of worldly objects, the prince too lost his interest in them and become dispassionate. Out of habit and hidden desires he was attracted to sense objects, but at the same time, remembering his wife's words, he was repelled. He was constantly upset. 

The learned princess realized that her husband had the potential for spiritual growth and lead him on the spiritual path. The first step was to explain that an untrained mind is the root cause of all miseries. 'Mind is like a monkey jumping incessantly," she told him. "In order to comprehend the truth, it is necessary to control its modifications and make it one-pointed, sharp, and inward. Thoughtful consideration enriched with faith and constructive reasoning is vichara. Try to understand the supreme goal with its help. Then make a sincere effort to achieve that goal. If you become skeptical because you do not seem to be making progress, you become your own enemy. But if you make an effort with full confidence, faith, and courage, you can never fail." 

The prince replied, "How does this follow the law of karma?" 

The princess explained "Law and order are created by Him* and applies only to those who are not fully surrendered to the divine force.

She immediately grants the highest reward of Self-realization to truly selfless devotees. She is an embodiment of infinite compassion, She repeals the law of karma and speedily guides seekers to the highest Self. And after attaining it, their karmic debts are paid. After that, if directed by the supreme divine force, Self-realized aspirants may come back to work in the world and honor the law of karma voluntarily" 

The princess went on to describe the nature of the immanent and transcendent forms of God. Inspired by her wisdom, the prince studied with learned masters and gained a clear, intellectual understanding of the truth. With the passage of time he was initiated by his wife and committed himself to the practice of meditation with complete faith and determination. 

Now he understood the meaning of inner joy, and compared to that, he found worldly pleasures tasteless. . But at this stage of his spiritual practice he was unable to live in the inner and outer worlds simultaneously.

One day Hemachuda asked his wife to elaborate on the nature of our own true Self. To his disappointment, she simply said, 'Whatever you feel to be yours is without any doubt different from you. So go into solitude, learn to discriminate, and whatever you find to be related to you, distinguish it from your Self and thus realize your true Self. For example, I am your wife; this automatically implies that I am not you. Renounce everything that is yours. The part of you that cannot be renounced is the Self. That you are."

The prince went into seclusion, sat down, and began to think one-pointedly. "Who am I?" he pondered. "This body is not the Self, because it is born and it changes every day. Therefore I cannot be my body. By the same token, I cannot be my prana, senses, mind, or intellect. But even though I do not know who I am and what I am, I feel that I am. I can know things through my mind, but how can I know myself? Let me control all my thought constructs. Then I might experience my pure Self." 

Having made this resolution, the prince emptied his mindfield which he had developed in his meditation practice. He was suddenly plunged into great darkness, he controlled his mind, transcended the darkness, and experienced a flash of infinite light. Then the light vanished. "Am I seeing the Self in different forms?" he wondered. "Let me control my mind again and see what is beyond." 
This time he slipped into a deep sleep that gradually shifted to the dream state. When he returned to normal awareness he asked himself, "Was all of this a dream? Now I am confused.Were the light and darkness also phases of a dream? What a tricky mind. Let me try once more."

 This time the prince crossed the sleeping state and was absorbed in a state of blissful awareness. But eventually his mind slipped back to the ordinary waking state. Then he wondered, "Was this bliss a mere dream, or the experience of truth? I've never experienced such a profound state of peace. There is no joy like it, but I cannot explain it. I was not unconscious, because I still remember it clearly. I know that I have experienced it, but it is still a mystery." 

The prince returned to his wife, told her of his experiences, and asked if what he had experienced was the Self or something else. The princess replied, "My lord, the effort you made to control the modifications of your mind was very helpful. Enlightened masters consider this to be the main means of Self-realization. 

'Suppose a man hides a piece of gold and then forgets where he hid it. When he stops thinking about other things and concentrates only on the gold, he will find it. He is able to concentrate on the gold because he already knows what it looks like. 

In the case of the Self, however, the search is more frustrating because people have completely forgotten that it is their own true nature. That is why they believe they have seen the Self after they have removed some of their thought constructs. An unfamiliar image suddenly arises, and they think 'This is Atman.' That is why they must get some concept of the Self through the revealed scriptures or from the enlightened sages. By so doing they won't mistake the projection of their own mind for the Self while they are in meditation. Enrich your understanding of the Self through self-study, discrimination, and contemplation. For direct realization, however, keep practicing."

So the prince undertook another intense spiritual practice and was finally established in the blissful state. The princess saw that her husband was no longer driven outward by his senses and mind, but drawn inward, and for some time she did not disturb him. Then one day, as she entered the room, the prince opened his eyes, but closed them again to re-enter that peaceful state. His wife caught his hands and asked, "What do you gain or lose by opening and closing your eyes? Do you not want to share your inner experiences?" 

The prince replied, "For the first time in my life I am at peace. All my life I have run after worldly pleasures, but found no peace. Please be kind to me: leave me alone. Why, after realizing this state, are you still entangled in the world? Why don't you stay in this state forever? Why dissipate yourself in the external world?" 

The wise princess answered with a smile, "My love, you still have not realized that supreme state of the Self. What you think you understand is like no understanding at all. The highest awareness can never be affected by opening or closing your eyes. It is not attained by action or inaction, by going somewhere or staying at home. How can it be supreme if it is attained by closing your eyes and lost by opening them? '

Unless the millions of knots of delusion are loosened, supreme bliss cannot be reached. Failing to recognize the Self or seeing a difference between the individual soul and God are some of these knots. Untie them. Transcend the duality of wanting and not wanting, liking and disliking, and finally, let that supreme awareness permeate your waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. There must be no wall between any of the aspects of life.

"Deflated, the prince continued his spiritual practice. Gradually he attained maturity in his realization and became firm in that consummate state. And after that he lived as a jivanmukta (a soul liberated in this lifetime) while enjoying worldly objects, ruling his subjects, amassing wealth, and administering the kingdom. 

Thus Dattatreya demonstrated to Parashurama that the company of the sages is the first step in sadhana and remains the guiding force throughout. Those who aspire to the ultimate should seek the fellowship of saints. The rest follows naturally and effortlessly. 

Hemachuda's father and brothers were amazed at the difference in him. He now went about administering the kingdom with tranquility and wisdom, and his relationship with his bride had changed from one of passionate infatuation to profound respect and deep sharing. When his relations asked Hemachuda how he had come to change so much, he taught them just as Hemalekha had taught him.

Now the ministers were impressed at the dramatic change in the royal family, who were suddenly showing a maturity and serenity completely uncharacteristic of them. 

And now the people of the kingdom could scarcely believe the transformation in their ministers, who were suddenly tempering their actions with spiritual insight. The people wanted to know how this had happened, and the ministers in turn taught them.

In the end, nothing at all changed: Hemachuda and Hemalekha still loved each other, the king still ruled, the ministers still ministered, the washer men still cleaned the laundry, the cooks still cooked. . . . But everything had changed: all the people went about their business with Self awareness and a profound mutual respect born from their new found recognition that the divine being they had discovered in themselves also existed in every other living thing. 

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gukW2iojhrQC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=a+long+ago+there+was+prince+named+hemachuda&source=bl&ots=yTe_lXILRv&sig=1xEJ-lnPOPKadTPRBjK5NXf_YTY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iL4BU8bgCoSV7AbWqYCQDg&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=a%20long%20ago%20there%20was%20prince%20named%20hemachuda&f=false

Nachiketa

There is an inspiring story in the Kath Upanishad about a little boy named Nachiketa. He was the son of Udalak rishi. Once Udalak organized a yagna to please the deities. It was customary in those days to donate cows to Brahmins at the end of the yagna. Udalak was a miser and he donated old and weak cows to the Brahmins. None of the cows yielded any milk. This disturbed Nachiketa. He asked his father about it, "Father, to whom would you give me in charity?" This made his father very angry, but he decided not to say anything. When Nachiketa repeated the question, Udalak lost his temper and said, "I give you to Yama." Yama is the king of Yamapuri-hell. Hearing this Nachiketa went to Yama's kingdom. It was his father's command. It would not be proper for him to disobey his father. 'I should fulfil his wish,' thought Nachiketa, even if it means leaving home.

However his father realized his mistake and tried to stop him but Nachiketa did not stop. He reached Yama's kingdom and was told by Yama's guards that he had gone out for three days. Nachiketa decided to wait at his doorstep till he returned . He waited for three days. No food, no water. Three fasts ! Yama returned on the fourth day and saw little Nachiketa at his doorstep. He felt pained for keeping a Brahmin waiting without welcoming him, without food and water. It was a sin not to welcome an atithi -guest at the doorstep. He scolded his wife Yami for not welcoming him. Both rushed around the house to serve Nachiketa. One went to fetch water. The other brought a mat for him to sit on. Yama still did not feel completely satisfied in serving him. So he told Nachiketa, " Dear child, I have offended you by keeping you waiting for three days. To wash my sin I request you to ask for three boons."

Nachiketa declared, 
"My first wish is, when I return home may my father welcome me lovingly. 
My second wish is to grant me the knowledge by which I can be worthy of living in the heavens. 
My third and last wish is to grant me Atmagnam -knowledge of the atma ." 
Yama granted the first two boons immediately and tried to convince Nachiketa to give up his third wish. He offered him gold, pearls, coins, horses elephants and even the happiness of Swarg -heaven instead. "No, I do not wish for anything else," replied Nachiketa firmly. Finally, Yama granted him the third boon too, and Nachiketa was enlightened with the knowledge of the atma .

Nachiketa inspires us to be kind to all creatures, to respect one's parents, to be strong willed to do something one has decided, even in the face of difficulties and obstacles and to seek for eternal happiness.

http://kids.baps.org/storytime/nachiketa.htm
Share your empowering thoughts on this story.

Honesty is the Best Policy

In ancient Persia, there was a king by the name of Bagadata. The king was getting old, and the lack of an heir, worried him a lot. He consulted with the queen and his ministers, and decided to appoint an honest child as the prince. For this purpose, he decided to test who is the most honest of them all. He proclaimed, ‘I will distribute seeds to all the children in the kingdom. The child, who grows the biggest plant within three months, will become prince or princess.’ 

Cyrus, a poor farmer’s son, was among those children who took the seed from the king. He planted it in a pot with great care and watered it regularly. In spite of this, the plant did not appear. He tried changing the soil, tried putting the plant in a different pot, but nothing worked. At last the day came when all the children had to go to king to show him the plant they had grown. They started walking to the palace, dressed in their best, holding beautiful plants in their hands. Only Cyrus stood sadly, watching them go by. His father had watched him working hard with the seed and felt sorry for him. ‘Why don’t you go to the king with the empty pot?’he suggested. ‘At least he will know you tried your best.’ 

So Cyrus joined the others outside the palace, holding his empty pot in his hand. Tears rolled down his cheeks hearing the laughter around him. Soon the king arrived and began his inspection. The pots held flowers of different shades, looked beautiful and healthy, but the king did not look happy. At the end of the line stood Cyrus, and when the king reached him, he stopped in surprise. 

‘Child, why have you come with an empty pot? Could you not grow anything?’ Cyrus looked down and said, ‘Forgive me, Your Highness. I tried my best, I gave it the best soil, watered it regularly, but the plant would not grow. I assure you, I tried my best.’ The king smiled at him and enveloped his arms around him. He announced, ‘Here is the crown prince! I had given everyone roasted seeds, which would never grow, just to see which child was the most honest one and would admit that he or she had not been able to grow anything. Only this boy told the truth, I am sure he will rule this kingdom one day with truth and honesty.’ 

Indeed that was what happened. Cyrus stayed with the king and learnt how to rule. Few years later when the king died, Cyrus came to the throne and ruled Persia justly for many years. He got the reward for being honest.

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http://www.write4fun.net/view-entry/192756

Monkey Consciousness

Tej Bahadur, a young businessman in India, want to save money and economize the business, he fantasized different ways of cutting costs like travel to abroad by becoming a sailor, by inventing new machines which traverses space in twinkling on a eye. One day he came to know that a man can levitate and walk on water, and is willing to teach this method to a worthy student.

He approached master and asked him to teach levitation.  The Master said gently,  “Son, every night, dim the light in your bedroom and lock the doors. Sitting erect on a straight chair facing east, with closed eyes mentally chant, ‘Om,’ the holy word of the cosmic vibration, for an hour. At the end of one month you will be able to race over the waters.”

Inwardly wondering about the extreme simplity of the lesson, Tej Bahadur thanked the Master and was about to return home when the Master called him back. “Son,” the Master said, “I forgot to tell you something about the technique of levitation. While you are concentrating and mentally chanting ‘Om,’ be sure not to think of a monkey.”

“That is simple,” said Tej Bahadur. “Of course I won’t think of a monkey.” After saluting the saint, he returned home.

Evening came fast and found Tej Bahadur closing the windows, pulling down the shades, and sitting in a straight chair in his bedroom to practice the technique of levitation. No sooner had he done so when, like a thunderbolt, the first thought to strike him was: “I must not think of a monkey.”

Two minutes passed and several times he warned himself inwardly, “I must not think of a monkey.” When ten minutes had passed, and he had thought of all the different kinds of monkeys in South America, India, Africa, Sumatra and still other places, he was furious.

Tej Bahadur willed himself to banish all thoughts of the monkeys, at the end of an hour he found himself thinking of nothing but monkeys. 

After concentrating for a month upon the forbidden monkeys, Tej Bahadur raced back to the Master and exclaimed loudly, “Master, take back your lesson on levitation. I don’t want to learn to walk on water. You have taught me to meditate upon monkeys, not how to levitate. You have developed and increased the monkey consciousness in me.”

The saint laughed merrily. Then, in a voice as soothing as the dew, he said, “Son, I tried to show you how untrained and slavish your mental state of concentration is. Unless you learn to make your mind obey you, you cannot achieve any success, not to speak of attaining the power of levitation, a difficult art.

“First learn mental control; then use that power to achieve small things. When you are able to do that, apply that power to bigger and bigger achievements until your inner power becomes developed enough for you to levitate, or to accomplish even greater spiritual miracles.

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http://www.anandaclaritymagazine.com/2005/03/yogananda-meditation-god-yoga/

Nothing Exists

Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.

Desiring to show his attainment, he said: “The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received.”

Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.

“If nothing exists,” inquired Dokuon, “where did this anger come from?”

http://www.myrkothum.com/the-10-very-best-zen-stories/

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The Blind Men and the Elephant

Several citizens ran into a hot argument about God and different religions, and each one could not agree to a common answer. So they came to the Lord Buddha to find out what exactly God looks like.

The Buddha asked his disciples to get a large magnificent elephant and four blind men. He then brought the four blind to the elephant and told them to find out what the elephant would “look” like.

The first blind men touched the elephant leg and reported that it “looked” like a pillar. The second blind man touched the elephant tummy and said that an elephant was a wall. The third blind man touched the elephant ear and said that it was a piece of cloth. The fourth blind man hold on to the tail and described the elephant as a piece of rope. And all of them ran into a hot argument about the “appearance” of an elephant.

The Buddha asked the citizens: “Each blind man had touched the elephant but each of them gives a different description of the animal. Which answer is right?”

http://www.myrkothum.com/the-10-very-best-zen-stories/

The Musk Deer

The musk deer is a small animal inhabiting central and eastern Asia. Near the navel of the male, there is a special gland which produces a delightful, odorous secretion known as musk, used extensively in perfumes. Though this secretion is designed primarily to attract the female deer, the male himself is also intoxicated by its aroma, but he can’t figure out where it’s coming from. 

He first experiences this intoxication as a fawn, feeding from his mother’s breast, so naturally he assumes that the sublime aroma is coming from his mother. He associates intoxication with maternal care.

Ten as a youngster gamboling through the meadows, he catches whiffs of the divine essence from time to time, when the wind is just right, and he decides that it’s connected somehow with play. 

As an adolescent, he watches his father posturing magnificently on the crest of a hill, and the yearling becomes intoxicated again, this time associating it with power and status. 

While munching meadow flowers or sipping sweet water, the growing deer catches occasional whiffs of the ambrosial scent and concludes that it is also connected with food and drink. 

As he matures, he finds intoxication in the company of female deer, and when he mates, the body-warmth of the sexual act increases the potency of his secretion and sex becomes synonymous with bliss.

He spends his days pursuing all the various activities he has learned to associate with the intoxicating scent he loves so much, but the problem is that none these activities guarantees him an experience of drunken bliss each time; it all depends on which way the wind is blowing. His desires become more and more fragmented, one moment he’s chasing after his food, and the next it’s sex, power or recreation. He runs this way and that, changing directions with the wind, until finally he collapses, exhausted, to the forest floor.

His weary head hangs down until his nose is at his navel, and then, just when he least expects it, he experiences the most powerful, uninterrupted dose of divine aroma that he has ever had. In that incredible instant, he realizes that what he has been seeking frantically in other things for his entire life, has been coming from his very own being all along.

http://www.mysticrebels.com/Quest.htm

Sharpen The Axe

Jo John, a woodcutter, worked for a company for five years but never got a raise. The company hired Bill and within a year he got a raise. This caused resentment in John and he went to his boss to talk about it. The boss said, "You are still cutting the same number of trees you were cutting five years ago. We are a result-oriented company and would be happy to give you a raise if your productivity goes up." 

John went back, started hitting harder and putting in longer hours but he still wasn't able to cut more trees. He went back to his boss and told him his dilemma. The boss told John to go talk to Bill. "Maybe there is something Bill knows that you and l don't." 

John asked Bill how he managed to cut more trees. Bill answered, "After every tree l cut, l take a break for two minutes and sharpen my axe. When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" This question hit home like a bullet and John got his answer. 

My question is, when was the last time you sharpened your axe? Past glory and education don't do it. We have to continuously sharpen the axe.

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You Can Win, Shiv Khera
http://sharadpokhrel.com.np/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/You-Can-Win-by-Shiv-Khera.pdf

Selective Listening

A medical doctor was invited as a guest speaker to address a group of alcoholics. He wanted to make a demonstration that would be powerful enough to make people realize that alcohol was injurious to their health. He had two containers, one with pure distilled water and one with pure alcohol. He put an earthworm into the distilled water and it swam beautifully and came up to the top. He put another earthworm into the alcohol and it disintegrated in front of everyone's eyes. He wanted to prove that this was what alcohol did to the insides of our body. He asked the group what the moral of the story was and one person from behind said, "If you drink alcohol you won't have worms in your stomach." Was that the message? Of course not. That was selective listening--we hear what we want to hear and not what is being said. 

Many of our blessings are hidden treasures--count your blessings and not your troubles.

- You can win, Shiv Khera
http://sharadpokhrel.com.np/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/You-Can-Win-by-Shiv-Khera.pdf Share your empowering thoughts on this article.

Abraham Lincoln

When he was 7 years old, his family was forced out of home on a legal dispute.
At 9, his mother died.
At 22, he lost his job as a clerk.
At 25, he was defeated in a legislature election.
At 27, he had nervous breakdown.
At 28, he lost his beloved.
At 30, he lost the election for the post of a speaker.
At 35, he lost the Congress election.
At 46, he lost the Senatorial elections- around the same time he lost his son.
At 47, he lost the Vice Presidential elections.
These failures could not shake his self-confidence!
At 52, he became the President of USA.
So, please do not allow the past to damage your self-confidence!
Therefore, Oh, Life Relax Please!

Yoga of Wisdom:
Self confidence is not the absence of fear; but the conquest of it.

Contemplation:
Fear is food for fools.

-Swami Sukhabodhananda, Oh, Life Relax Please!

http://www.pdf-archive.com/2012/08/16/oh-life-relax-please/oh-life-relax-please.pdf

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The Mustard Seed

During Buddha’s time, there lived a woman named Kisa Gotami. She married young and gave birth to a son. One day, the baby fell sick and died soon after. Kisa Gotami loved her son greatly and refused to believe that her son was dead. She carried the body of her son around her village, asking if there was anyone who can bring her son back to life.

The villagers all saw that the son was already dead and there was nothing that could be done. They advised her to accept his death and make arrangements for the funeral.

In great grief, she fell upon her knees and clutched her son’s body close to her body. She kept uttering for her son to wake up.

A village elder took pity on her and suggested to her to consult the Buddha.

“Kisa Gotami. We cannot help you. But you should go to the Buddha. Maybe he can bring your son back to life!”

Kisa Gotami was extremely excited upon hearing the elder’s words. She immediately went to the Buddha’s residence and pleaded for him to bring her son back to life.

“Kisa Gotami, I have a way to bring your son back to life.”

“My Lord, I will do anything to bring my son back”

“If that is the case, then I need you to find me something. Bring me a mustard seed but it must be taken from a house where no one residing in the house has ever lost a family member. Bring this seed back to me and your son will come back to life.”

Having great faith in the Buddha’s promise, Kisa Gotami went from house to house, trying to find the mustard seed.

At the first house, a young woman offered to give her some mustard seeds. But when Kisa Gotami asked if she had ever lost a family member to death, the young women said her grandmother died a few months ago.

Kisa Gotami thanked the young woman and explained why the mustard seeds did not fulfill the Buddha’s requirements.

She moved on to the 2nd house. A husband died a few years. The 3rd house lost an uncle and the 4th house lost an aunt. She kept moving from house to house but the answer was all the same – every house had lost a family member to death.

Kisa Gotami finally came to realise that there is no one in the world who had never lost a family member to death. She now understood that death is inevitable and a natural part of life.

Putting aside her grief, she buried her son in the forest. Shen then returned to the Buddha and became his follower.

http://buddhiststories.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/kisa-gotami-and-the-mustard-seed/

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Compassion

Compassion has nothing to do with your teachings. Compassion arises as an empathy, not as a sympathy. Compassion arises when you can see the other person as he is, and when you can see him so totally that you start feeling him. You start feeling in the same situation.

It happened: A few people were beating a fisherman. Ramakrishna was moving from one bank to another of the Ganges, near Dakshineshwar. On the other shore a few people were beating a man. Ramakrishna was in the middle of the stream. He started crying and weeping, and he started shouting, "Stop, don't beat me!" People who were sitting around him, his disciples, could not believe what was happening: "Who is beating you? Who can  beat him?" They said, "What are you saying, PARAMAHANSADEVA? Have you gone mad?" He said, "Look! They are beating me there on the other side." Then they looked; a few persons were beating a man, and Ramakrishna said, "Look at my back." He uncovered his back -- there were marks, blood was coming out. It was impossible to believe. They went, they rushed to the other shore, caught hold of the man who was beaten. They uncovered his back: exactly the same marks. 

This is empathy -- putting oneself into somebody else's place so totally that what is happening to him starts happening to you. Then compassion arises. But these states are all of no-mind.

Communication and communion....
Communication is of the mind: verbal, intellectual, conceptual. Communion is of nomind, of deep silence; a transfer of energy, non-verbal; a jump from one heart to another -- immediate, without any medium.
The Beloved Vol 1, Osho
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=_AIgjdA3TGcC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=%22Compassion+has+nothing+to+do+with+your+teachings.+Compassion+arises+as+an+empathy,+not+as+a+sympathy%22&source=bl&ots=gzdqPQ5lWT&sig=0XVlP6ziW5zmW95d-5CJygA47W4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nYb5U-faO8zJuASNjoCQBw&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA

Lunch with God

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. He gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever..

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=79618

Selfishness Vs Servanthood

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, ‘Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like. 

‘The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.’ 

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew, which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.’

‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. The greedy think only of themselves.’

My question for you today is, “Will you spend your year trying to serve yourself, or will you realize that true happiness, fulfillment, and success are found in giving your life away for the sake of others?” 
http://www.centrifugeleadership.com/?p=1242

The Search

In the city of Savatthi in Northern India, the Buddha had a large center where people would come to meditate and to listen to his Dhamma talks. Every evening one young man used to come to hear his discourses. For years he came to listen to the Buddha but never put any of the teachings into practice.

After a few years, one evening this man came a little early and found the Buddha alone. He approached the Buddha and said, "Reverend Sir, I have a question that keep rising in my mind, raising doubts."

"Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path of Dhamma; Have them clarified. What is your question?"

"Sir, for many years now I have been coming to your meditation center, and I have noticed that there are a large number of recluses around you, monks and nuns and still a larger number of lay people, both men and women. For years some of them have been coming to you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached the final stage; quite obviously they are fully liberated. I can also see that others have experienced some changes in their lives. They are better than they were before, although I cannot say that they are fully liberated. But, Sir, I also noticed that a large number of people, including myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse.  They have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better."

"Why should this be, Sir? People come to you, such a great man, fully enlightened, such a powerful, compassionate person. Why don't you use your power and compassion to liberate them all?"

The Buddha smiled and said,"Young man, where do you live? What is your native place"


"Sir, I live here in Savatthi, the capital of the state of Kosala."

"Yes, but your facial features show that you are not from this part of the country. Where are you from originally?"

"Sir, I am from the city of Rajagaha, the capital of the state of Magadha, I came and settled here in Savatthi a few years ago."

"And have you severed all connections with Rajagaha?"

"No, Sir, I still have relatives there. I have friends there. I have business there."

"Then certainly you must go from Savatthi to Rajagaha quite often?"

"Yes, Sir. Many times each year I visit Rajagaha and return to Savatthi."

"Having traveled and returned so many times on the path from here to Rajagaha, certainly you must know the path very well?"

"Oh yes, Sir, I know it perfectly. I might almost say that even if I was blindfolded I could find the path to Rajagaha, so many times have I walked it"

"And your friends, those who know you well, certainly they must know that you are from Rajagaha and have settled here? They must know that you often visit Rajagaha and return, and that you know the path from here to Rajagaha perfectly?"

"Oh, yes, sir. All those who are close to me know that I often go to Rajagaha and that I know the path perfectly." 

"Then it must happen that some of them come to you and ask you to explain to them the path from here to Rajagaha. Do you hide anything or do you explain the path to them clearly?"

"What is there to hide, Sir? I explain it to them as clearly as I can: you start walking towards the East and then head towards Banaras, and continue onward until you reach Gaya, and then Rajagaha. I explain it very plainly to them, Sir."

"And these people to whom you give such clear explanation, do all of them reach Rajagaha?" 

"How can that be, sir? Those who walk the entire path to it's end, only they will reach Rajagaha." 

"This is what I want to explain to you, young man. People keep coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path from here to Nibbana and so knows it perfectly. They come to me and ask,'What is the path to Nibbana, to liberation?' And what is there to hide? I explain to them clearly: This is the path.' If somebody just nods his head and says,'Well said,well said, a very good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but won't take the trouble to walk over it,' then how can such a person reach the final goal?"

"I do not carry anyone on my shoulder to take him to the final goal. NOBODY can carry anyone else on his shoulders to the final goal. At most, with love and compassion one can say,'Well, this is the path, and this is how I have walked on it. You also work, you also walk, and you will reach the final goal.'But each person has to walk himself to take every step on the path himself. He who has taken one step on the path is one step nearer the goal. He who has taken one hundred steps is a hundred steps nearer to the goal. He who has taken all the steps on the path has reached the final goal. You have to walk on the path yourself."

http://globalholisticmotivators.blogspot.in/2013/07/the-search-to-walk-on-path.html