Once Vyasa was about to cross the Jamuna, when the gopis also arrived there, wishing to go to the other side. But no ferry-boat was in sight. They said to Vyasa, 'Revered sir, what shall we do now?' 'Don't worry', said Vyasa. 'I will take you across. But I am very hungry. Have you anything for me to eat?' The gopis had plenty of milk, cream, and butter with them. Vyasa ate it all.
Then the gopis asked, 'Well, sir, what about crossing the river?' Vyasa stood on the bank of the Jamuna and said, 'O Jamuna, if I have not eaten anything today, then may your waters part so that we may all walk to the other side.' No sooner did the sage utter these words than the waters of the Jamuna parted. The gopis were speechless with wonder. 'He ate so much just now,' they said to themselves, 'and he says, "If I have not eaten anything . . ." ! ' Vyasa had the firm conviction that it was not himself, but the Narayana who dwelt in his heart, that had partaken of the food.
- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa
http://www.wearesentience.com/uploads/7/2/9/3/7293936/gospel_srk.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=218683848148268
After 21 years of Marriage, my Wife wanted me to take another Woman out to Dinner and a Movie.
She said I Love You but I know this other Woman loves you and would Love to spend some Time with You.
The other Woman that my Wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a Widow for 19 years, but the demands of my Work and my three Children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
That night I called to Invite her to go out for Dinner and a Movie.
'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked?
My Mother is the type of Woman who suspects that a Late Night Call or a Surprise Invitation is a sign of Bad News.
'I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,' I responded.
'Just the two of us.'
She thought about it for a moment, and then said,
'I would like that very much.'
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit Nervous.
When I arrived at her House, I noticed that she too seemed to be Nervous about our Date.
She waited in the Door with her Coat on.
She had Curled her Hair and was wearing the Dress that she had worn to Celebrate her last Wedding Anniversary.
She smiled from a face that was as Radiant as an Angel's.
'I told my Friends that I was going to go out with My Son, and they were impressed, '
She said, as she got into the Car.
'They can't wait to hear about our meeting'.
We went to a Restaurant that, although not Elegant, was very Nice and Cozy.
My Mother took my Arm as if She were the First Lady.
After we sat down, I had to read the Menu. Large Print.
Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me.
A Nostalgic Smile was on her Lips.
'It was I who used to have to Read the Menu when you were young,'
She said.
'Then it's Time that you Relax and let me Return the Favor,'
I responded.
During the Dinner, we had an Agreeable Conversation, nothing Extra-ordinary, but catching up on recent Events of each others Life.
We talked so much that we missed the Movie.
As we arrived at her House later,
She said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.'
I agreed.
'How was your Dinner Date?' asked My Wife when I got Home.
'Very Nice. Much more so than I could have Imagined,' I answered.
A few days later, my Mother died of a Massive Heart Attack.
It happened so suddenly that I didn't have Time to do anything for her.
Some time later, I received an Envelope with a Copy of a Restaurant Receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined.
An Attached Note Said:
'I paid this Bill in Advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there;
But nevertheless, I paid for Two Plates
One for You and the Other for Your Wife.
You will never know what that Night meant for Me.
I Love You, My Son.'
At that moment, I understood the Importance of saying in Time: 'I LOVE YOU!'
and to give our Loved Ones the Time that they Deserve.
Nothing in Life is more important than God and your Family.
Give them the Time they Deserve, because these Things cannot be Put Off till 'Some Other Time.'
Pass This Along To Everyone
With An Aging Parent,
To A Child,
To An Adult,
To Anyone With A Parent,
To an OLD FRIEND
To your Mate
And Most Importantly,
To Someone You Truly Love..
http://www.behappy-now.com/blog/category/losing%20a%20loved%20one
Some time ago, I read the life of a saint called, "The Sage of Sakori". It was very interesting, and because of one important incident, it will always stand out in my memory. The guru sometimes threw stones at his disciples, not playfully, but in anger. Those who, with devotion, picked up the stones and carried them home, found that they had golden nuggets. Those who left them lying on the ground missed the blessing.
I had read all the lives of saints that I could get, but found nothing similar in them. An outstanding and marvelous truth was taught by the incident. If the guru "throws a stone" - that is, assigns a duty or gives an order that is disagreeable and painful to the disciple - the attitude in which he receives it and performs it determines whether he shall receive the blessing or not. If he "picks it up and carries it home" - that is, receives it humbly and carries it out cheerfully - he will find he has a golden nugget. All depends upon his attitude
-God Alone, Sri Gyanmata
She is of God, and God is with her". - Paramahansa Yogananda
http://forum.yogananda.net/index.php?/topic/22140-spritual-dryness/
"'Come, brother,' my companion said. 'The master awaits you.'
"He led the way through the forest. The somber night was suddenly lit by a steady luminosity in the distance.
"'Can that be the sunrise?' I inquired. 'Surely the whole night has not passed?'
"'The hour is midnight.' My guide laughed softly. 'Yonder light is the glow of a golden palace, materialized here tonight by the peerless Babaji. In the dim past, you once expressed a desire to enjoy the beauties of a palace. Our master is now satisfying your wish, thus freeing you from the bonds of karma.'4 He added, 'The magnificent palace will be the scene of your initiation tonight into Kriya Yoga. All your brothers here join in a paean of welcome, rejoicing at the end of your long exile. Behold!'
"A vast palace of dazzling gold stood before us. Studded with countless jewels, and set amidst landscaped gardens, it presented a spectacle of unparalleled grandeur. Saints of angelic countenance were stationed by resplendent gates, half-reddened by the glitter of rubies. Diamonds, pearls, sapphires, and emeralds of great size and luster were imbedded in the decorative arches.
"I followed my companion into a spacious reception hall. The odor of incense and of roses wafted through the air; dim lamps shed a multicolored glow. Small groups of devotees, some fair, some dark-skinned, chanted musically, or sat in the meditative posture, immersed in an inner peace. A vibrant joy pervaded the atmosphere.
"'Feast your eyes; enjoy the artistic splendors of this palace, for it has been brought into being solely in your honor.' My guide smiled sympathetically as I uttered a few ejaculations of wonderment.
"'Brother,' I said, 'the beauty of this structure surpasses the bounds of human imagination. Please tell me the mystery of its origin.'
"'I will gladly enlighten you.' My companion's dark eyes sparkled with wisdom. 'In reality there is nothing inexplicable about this materialization. The whole cosmos is a materialized thought of the Creator. This heavy, earthly clod, floating in space, is a dream of God. He made all things out of His consciousness, even as man in his dream consciousness reproduces and vivifies a creation with its creatures.
"'God first created the earth as an idea. Then He quickened it; energy atoms came into being. He coordinated the atoms into this solid sphere. All its molecules are held together by the will of God. When He withdraws His will, the earth again will disintegrate into energy. Energy will dissolve into consciousness; the earth-idea will disappear from objectivity.
"'The substance of a dream is held in materialization by the subconscious thought of the dreamer. When that cohesive thought is withdrawn in wakefulness, the dream and its elements dissolve. A man closes his eyes and erects a dream-creation which, on awakening, he effortlessly dematerializes. He follows the divine archetypal pattern. Similarly, when he awakens in cosmic consciousness, he will effortlessly dematerialize the illusions of the cosmic dream.
"'Being one with the infinite all-accomplishing Will, Babaji can summon the elemental atoms to combine and manifest themselves in any form. This golden palace, instantaneously created, is real, even as this earth is real. Babaji created this palatial mansion out of his mind and is holding its atoms together by the power of his will, even as God created this earth and is maintaining it intact.' He added, 'When this structure has served its purpose, Babaji will dematerialize it.'
"As I remained silent in awe, my guide made a sweeping gesture. 'This shimmering palace, superbly embellished with jewels, has not been built by human effort or with laboriously mined gold and gems. It stands solidly, a monumental challenge to man. 5 Whoever realizes himself as a son of God, even as Babaji has done, can reach any goal by the infinite powers hidden within him. A common stone locks within itself the secret of stupendous atomic energy;6 even so, a mortal is yet a powerhouse of divinity.'
"The sage picked up from a near-by table a graceful vase whose handle was blazing with diamonds. 'Our great guru created this palace by solidifying myriads of free cosmic rays,' he went on. 'Touch this vase and its diamonds; they will satisfy all the tests of sensory experience.'
"I examined the vase, and passed my hand over the smooth room-walls, thick with glistening gold. Each of the jewels scattered lavishly about was worthy of a king's collection. Deep satisfaction spread over my mind. A submerged desire, hidden in my subconsciousness from lives now gone, seemed simultaneously gratified and extinguished.
"My stately companion led me through ornate arches and corridors into a series of chambers richly furnished in the style of an emperor's palace. We entered an immense hall. In the center stood a golden throne, encrusted with jewels shedding a dazzling medley of colors. There, in lotus posture, sat the supreme Babaji. I knelt on the shining floor at his feet.
"'Lahiri, are you still feasting on your dream desires for a golden palace?' My guru's eyes were twinkling like his own sapphires. 'Wake! All your earthly thirsts are about to be quenched forever.' He murmured some mystic words of blessing. 'My son, arise. Receive your initiation into the kingdom of God through Kriya Yoga.'
"Babaji stretched out his hand; a homa (sacrificial) fire appeared, surrounded by fruits and flowers. I received the liberating yogic technique before this flaming altar.
"The rites were completed in the early dawn. I felt no need for sleep in my ecstatic state, and wandered around the palace, filled on all sides with treasures and priceless objets d'art.Descending to the gorgeous gardens, I noticed, near-by, the same caves and barren mountain ledges which yesterday had boasted no adjacency to palace or flowered terrace.
"Reentering the palace, fabulously glistening in the cold Himalayan sunlight, I sought the presence of my master. He was still enthroned, surrounded by many quiet disciples.
"'Lahiri, you are hungry.' Babaji added, 'Close your eyes.'
"When I reopened them, the enchanting palace and its picturesque gardens had disappeared. My own body and the forms of Babaji and the cluster of chelas were all now seated on the bare ground at the exact site of the vanished palace, not far from the sunlit entrances of the rocky grottos. I recalled that my guide had remarked that the palace would be dematerialized, its captive atoms released into the thought-essence from which it had sprung. Although stunned, I looked trustingly at my guru. I knew not what to expect next on this day of miracles.
"'The purpose for which the palace was created has now been served,' Babaji explained. He lifted an earthen vessel from the ground. 'Put your hand there and receive whatever food you desire.'
"As soon as I touched the broad, empty bowl, it became heaped with hot butter-fried luchis, curry, and rare sweetmeats. I helped myself, observing that the vessel was ever-filled. At the end of my meal I looked around for water. My guru pointed to the bowl before me. Lo! the food had vanished; in its place was water, clear as from a mountain stream.
"'Few mortals know that the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of mundane fulfillments,' Babaji observed. 'The divine realm extends to the earthly, but the latter, being illusory, cannot include the essence of reality.'
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/chap34.php
The oldest book on the life of Rama is written by Valmik. Valmik was a robber, thief, murderer — everything that you can conceive of he had done. That was his only profession. Uneducated but a tremendously powerful man, just on the highway he would be waiting for people, and anybody who was caught had to give everything; otherwise he was finished. Valmik’s family was living in luxury — he was bringing so much every day.
One day it happened that one beautiful saint, Narda, who was always carrying his ektara — a simple musical instrument, with only one string, that had become his symbol — singing and playing on his ektara he was passing, and Valmik caught hold of him. But he was still singing and playing on his ektara.
Valmik said, “Are you mad or something? Can’t you see me, can’t you see my sword? Give me everything that you have!”
Narda said, “You have caught a beggar; I have only this ektara. And that too I am not going to give easily, because what will you do with this? But if you want it, I can give it to you. If you want my life I can give that too. But before I give you anything, I want to ask one question to you.”
Valmik said, “Question? What question?”
Narda said, “You go home, ask your wife: you have been killing people, robbing people — is she ready to share the responsibility of it.
Ask your father, your mother, your son, your daughter. Are they willing to share the responsibility of what you are doing?”
Valmik had never thought about such a thing; he was an uneducated man. He said, “I have never thought about it. They must share the responsibility. I am doing it for them.”
Narda said, “I will be here. Don’t be worried, you can just tie me to the tree so I cannot escape.” He was tied to the tree and Valmik rushed to his home and asked his wife. His wife said, “I have nothing to do with your responsibilities. It is your responsibility to feed your wife; how you do it I have no concern for.” And the same was the response of everybody.
Even the mother said, “It is your responsibility to take care of your old father and mother. Now how you are doing it — that you have to work out. We have not told you to kill people and rob people; you are doing it on your own. We are simply not responsible for any of your acts.”
Not a single man in his house was ready to share responsibility. He was shocked! He went back, untied Narda, touched his feet and said, “I have been my whole life a wrong person. Is there any possibility for me to get rid of all that I have done?”
Narda said, “There is no problem. You stop doing it, because the people you are doing it for are not even ready to take responsibility for it! And I will teach you my song. My song is very simple; I simply repeat the name of Rama. It is so simple, no education is needed. You sit under the tree and repeat, `Rama, Rama…’ as long as you can, and you will be transformed — because intrinsically your innermost core always remains pure. It is only the layers on it which can be dropped.”
After a few months Narda came back and he was surprised: Valmik was sitting there under the tree. Narda had been his whole life repeating the name of Rama, the Hindu God, but nothing like this had happened to him. Valmik was surrounded by an aura of light. Just going close to him you felt a tremendous silence, a great rejoicing.
Osho – “Beyond Psychology”
http://oshostories.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/no-one-to-take-responsibility/
Once there was a king who had presented his daughter, the princess, with a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. Some said a bird might have stolen it. The king then asked them all to search for it and put a reward for $50,000 for anyone who found it.
One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area. This river was completely polluted, filthy and smelly. As he was walking, the clerk saw a shimmering in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it so that he could get the $50,000 reward. He put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and grabbed at the necklace, but some how missed it and didn't catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again, this time he walked in the river and dirtied his pants in the filthy river and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling depressed.
Then again he saw the necklace, right there. This time he was determined to get it, no matter what. He decided to plunge into the river, although it was a disgusting thing to do as the river was polluted, and his whole body would become filthy. He plunged in, and searched everywhere for the necklace and yet he failed. This time he was really bewildered and came out feeling very depressed that he could not get the necklace that would get him $50,000.
Just then a saint who was walking by, saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn't want to share the secret with the saint, thinking the saint might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell the saint anything. But the saint could see this man was troubled and being compassionate, again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk mustered some courage and decided to put some faith in the saint. He told the saint about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing. The saint then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the filthy river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was dangling on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real necklace all this time.
Moral of the story: Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because it is a mere reflection of the TRUE happiness in the spiritual world.
We can never achieve the happiness we are looking for no matter how hard we endeavor in material life. Instead we should look upwards, toward God, who is the source of real happiness, and stop chasing after the reflection of this happiness in the material world. This spiritual happiness is the only thing that can satisfy us completely.
http://www.ezsoftech.com/stories/mis20.asp
The beauty is...
1) Even the dirty & filthy water( like mind) can mirror / reflect ( the truth) when it becomes still.
2) why do we usually& what makes us to search for reflection rather then source ?
3) how to search for internal guide (our true guiding self) instead of external swamijis/ guide.
Seek always the solution near the problem..or by the side of it.some times just opposite of it even though the right method is probe so that lump sum results will happen. (Probe + Lump sum Results = PROBLEMS) - Dr. Hari Kumar
There is a famous story. A prince took sannyas, was initiated by Mahavir. But he had lived almost always in comfort, in richness, and now life was very hard with Mahavir. He had to move naked, to sleep on hard floors with no clothes. It was difficult. The first night he started thinking of dropping out; this was not for him. There were so many mosquitoes -- as there have always been in India; they seem to be the constant enemies of meditators.
He could not meditate... so many mosquitoes... and he was naked and it was cold, and the place where he was sleeping was just in the middle, and hundreds of sannyasins were staying there. The whole night he could not sleep; people were coming and going. It was very crowded and he had never lived that way; that was not his way of life. So in the night he started feeling that the next morning he would leave.
It is said that in the middle of the night Mahavir came to him. He was surprised. He said, 'Why have you come?' Mahavir told him, 'I have been watching you. I know your difficulty. But this has happened before. This is in fact the third time. You have been initiated twice before in your other lives and every time you have left.' He said, 'What do you mean?'
And Mahavir told him to do a certain technique of meditation that he calls jati smaran -- the method to remember the past life. And he told him, 'You just do this the whole night. Sit in meditation and by the morning, whatsoever you decide....' He went into his past life. It seems very simple, it must have been. People must have been simple. He went into his past life so easily. And by the morning he came; he was full of new light.
He touched Mahavir's feet and he said, 'I have decided to stay. Enough is enough. I looked into.... Yes, you were right. How long can I go on repeating it again and again? It is insulting to take sannyas and leave it; it is below dignity. 'No, it is not good for a warrior like me to be afraid of mosquitoes, to be afraid of small inconveniences. But you were right. Twice also it has happened the same way.
I was initiated and the first night I became disturbed, and the next morning I left. And I was going to do it again. I am so grateful to you that you reminded me. Otherwise I would have committed the same thing again, thinking that I am doing this for the first time.' All the sannyasins of Buddha and Mahavir had to pass through jati smaran, through the memory of all the past lives.
Source: "The Discipline of Transcendence Volume 2" - Osho
http://sathyasaibaba.spiritualindia.org/forum/index.php/topic,1126.0.html
Two hermits were performing penance in a shrine. Naaradji passed that way. One of them asked Naaradji, “Where are you going?” Naaradji replied, “To meet God.” Again he asked, “Please ask him when I shall be emancipated.” Naaradji moved on. The second hermit asked the same question.
While coming back, Naaradji passed through the same way and said it to the first hermit, “You will be emancipated after three births.” On hearing this, the hermit was puzzled. He thought, “I have been performing penance for sixty thousand years. Even then, I shall have to wait for three more births.” He abandoned the penance and went back his village.
Naaradji came to second hermit and said, “You will be emancipated but you will have to wait for as many births as the number of leaves in the tree under which you are performing penance.” On hearing this, his heart was filled with joy. He said gladly, “I will be emancipated definitely after a certain period.”
The person who has cultivated the virtue of patience is sure to find his destination. Those who lack this virtue can never attain their goal.
http://sathyasaibaba.spiritualindia.org/forum/index.php/topic,2925.0.html
http://www.wearesentience.com/uploads/7/2/9/3/7293936/gospel_srk.pdf
