Consciousness In Upanishads Story-Osho

Osho discusses about the two aspects of consciousness as revealed through a metaphor or a story from the Upanishads. 

A short story in the Upanishads has it that two two birds were perched on a tree, one on the topmost branch, with eyes closed, immersed in silence, sans movement and the other on the lower branches of tree scampering from one branch to another , totally in the realm of restlessness. 

Growing tired of its restless attitude, hungry for this fruit and hankering for that flower, competing, quarreling and growing jealous, the bird looked up to see the other perched upon the highest branch, calm and composed. Drawn by its composure, the restless bird hops upwards, going closer to the other and ultimately becoming one with it. 

Osho says that we live in two dimensions. The tree represents the three of life and the birds, the two aspects of the same consciousness. The bird perched on the highest branch, calm and composed, represents the Supreme Self ( outer manifestation of the Master) . The bird on the lowest branch getting drawn to it marks the beginning of disciple-hood. On reaching the top and merging with the other denotes the restless mind merging with the self.

Osho says that when one grows tired of life's ups and downs owing to directing the vision outwards, suddenly by the pull of the Master's Grace starts looking inwards to suddenly find the repository of silence. Slowly the restless mind merges with the silent, unmoving Self to bask in eternal bliss. The essence (Consciousness) of the Upanishads is thus captured in this story.

http://www.boldsky.com/yoga-spirituality/anecdotes/2010/consciousness-in-upanishads-story-osho-221010.html

Governing The World

How can the world be governed? 

A Tao story reveals the truth. 

T'ien Ken in the course on his wandering on the Mount Yin, came to River Liao. There he met a nameless man to whom he put forth a question, “How would you carry on the governing of the world?' 

“Go away," said the man who happened to be a Tao saint. 

The Tao man further accused, “You are rude! Why do you ask me a question for which I am not prepared?" 

The nameless one proceeded, “I would just play the part of the 'Maker' of all things. When I am tired, I would climb over the bird called 'light' and fly beyond all the directions and go about wandering in the land of no where! Now what method do you have for governing the world that you ask me?" 

T'ien, however would not let go of the saint. He further pressed the saint with the same query. 

The Tao man replied, “Let your mind revel in pure simplicity, merge with the original space idly with indifference. Go with the natural flow of things and do not allow any personal or selfish motive to intervene. Do this, and the world will be governed !"

http://www.boldsky.com/yoga-spirituality/anecdotes/2010/short-tao-story-governing-world-230810.html

St.Francis Of Assisi's Death-Osho Story

Spontaneity is characteristic of an enlightened man. He lives in the moment, without succumbing to the claims of consistency, which, states his authenticity says Osho. A short story on St Francis of Assisi reveals the truth. 

Saint Francis of Assisi was singing as he lay on his death bed. People flocked at his window to get a glance of the saint. Brother Elias, a disciple and a member of the Franciscan order, came closer to Saint Francis and said, “Father there are a lot of people crowded at the window and there is nothing that we can do to refrain them from hearing you sing. It could pull down the esteem that they hold for you, though, you may have transcended the obligation to many who have regarded you as a Saint, forgetting yourself. Would it not be good to die more solemnly?" 

“Please excuse me dear Brother. I feel so much of joy over flowing in my heart that I cannot stop singing" 

Osho explains that Saint Francis in truth was not the individual. He was an enlightened being and songs broke forth from the blissful silence of His being. Further more he transcended his little self, the ego and hence was in tune with the moment with spontaneity. Whereas, his disciple was more concerned with people's criticism over St Francis and the order, which, shows that he was more concerned with what would actually become of him in future if people were to base their opinion on St Francis's way of dying. This clearly depicts the attitude of a person in whom the little self is dominant, as he cared for public opinion.

An enlightened person is not caught in any framework which is why he is spontaneous. Saint Francis was an enlightened soul. 

Osho says that a person reflects the life he led through the way he dies. St Francis simply died a joyful death which reflected a blissful life that he led.

http://www.boldsky.com/yoga-spirituality/anecdotes/2010/st-francis-of-assisi-death-osho-story-271010.html

Lao Tzu's spiritual enlightenment

Effort is required to become effortless. Lao Tzu, the Tao master's spiritual enlightenment reveals the truth. 

Lao Tzu once sat under a tree frustrated. He was frustrated for the fact that he had tried all that he could do but still not attained the whole. He had attained a lot, yet there was a lacking. He could not figure out what was missing.

It was autumn and as he sat frustrated under a tree, he saw a dry leaf fall slowly. The leaf was swayed by the wind. The leaf went along with wind in whatever direction it blew without the least struggle. Then when the wind stopped, the leaf slowly settled down on the earth peacefully. At that moment, something settled within Lao Tzu. 

Effortlessness settled in Lao Tzu.

http://www.boldsky.com/yoga-spirituality/anecdotes/2011/lao-tzu-spiritual-enlightenment-050811.html

Saint in two villages

Once there lived a saint who used to travel different villages, lived there for a fortnight and guided them to live their lives morally. With him, his few sincere disciples used to follow him.

While he was travelling to new villages, it just happened that he entered one of the village, where the moral values of people were very low. The criminals used to roam freely. The respect of women-hood was always in danger. However, the saint and his disciples took it as the wish of God and started living there. (As expected) The people of village started showing disrespect to the saint and his disciples, and some villagers even verbally abused them. But the saint remained calm and tried to purify the minds of the villagers with his speeches and poems. The efforts of saint did not show much improvement in the villagers' attitude and they always made fun of his speeches and mockery of his appearance. Few people even called him suspicious and thief and asked him to leave the village with his disciples. Meanwhile, one fortnight of their stay ended. The saint along-with his disciples got ready to move on to new villages. Before leaving, the saint in his final speech to villagers said, "May all the requirements of the villagers get fulfilled in this village itself. May God provide the villagers all the prosperity that they desire for. May not a single villager think of leaving the village even in the dreams."

Then while moving on, they entered a village where the people were very hospitable and greeted the saint and his disciples with all the traditions and customs. The people did a lot of service to the saint, attended his speeches and gave a lot of respect to the values that he used to teach. The saint in his one of the speech, told the villagers, "One should never get carried away with the illusions of this world. You should live the life like a lotus, which never gets malign, although it stays and grows in maligned and dirty water." The villagers promised the saint that they will follow his teachings in their lives. The fortnight of the stay of saint came to an end and then he asked his disciples to be ready to move on to new village. Now, before leaving, the saint gave his final speech to villagers, "May the requirements of the villagers never get fulfilled in this village. May God deprive the villagers the prosperity that they wish. May all the villagers forced to leave this village to earn their livelihood in the far flung different villages, towns and cities."

They then started travelling to some new location. One of the disciples of the saint got puzzled with the behavior of saint and asked him, "O great Saint, I never doubt your knowledge and wisdom. But I am feeling puzzled with the final speeches you made in the last two villages. The morally degraded villagers were blessed while morally and spiritually elevated villagers were cursed to disintegrate. Please guide me the reason for making such speeches." On hearing this, the saint smiled and replied, "My dear disciple, I have neither blessed the morally degraded people nor have I cursed the other village. In reality, I have blessed the humanity on both occasions. I did not see any improvement in the mindset of people in the first village. So I wished to God that may they remain in the same village and die in the same village, so that they never hurt any good people outside. For the second village, I wished that may God disintegrate the village, so that the villagers may reach every corner of the world and spread good morals everywhere."

http://spiritualstories4u.blogspot.in/2012/11/saint-in-two-villages.html

Miser inside a well

Once upon a time, there lived a very rich man in a village. He was also very greedy and miserly person. He always used to think of becoming wealthier. However he was good at heart. Whenever he met someone needing help (not financially though!!), he used to help the person.

On one day, while he was going somewhere, he heard a voice of a person calling for help. On further investigation, he saw that a man had fallen inside a well. Without thinking anything else, he extended his hand for pulling the man out of the well. But he was unable to reach anywhere near to man as the well was a bit too deep. He started to bend little downwards in order to reach the man. Still, he was unable to reach the man. He kept on bending further and further. While he was bending more and more, he lost balance and he too fell inside the well. By this time, a lot of people had gathered around the well. They all started trying to help both men. Somebody found a rope and threw it inside the well. People started shouting, "Give your hand, give your hand!!!!" The miser man thought that he can not give anything to anyone and he shouted back, "I won't give my hand." Now everyone got confused due to the miser's reactions.

Meanwhile, the second person came out of the well with the help of rope. He knew that the miser man was not a bad human, and he started thinking of saving the miser. During that time, a wise saint also came there on seeing such a big crowd. Seeing him, the man asked the saint, "Oh saint, please help us. There is this miser man, who while trying to help me, himself fell inside the well. Now he is not giving his hand for us to pull him out." The saint said, "You should not ask him to give his hand. He might be a good human being but he is also a miser. You should have used different words for communicating the same message." The man did not understand this and requested the saint to help him. The saint came near the well and looked inside. Then he threw the rope towards the miser and said, "Take this rope!!" The miser thought, 'This saint is very generously donating me a rope. If he is giving me the rope for free, I should take it.' He immediately grabbed the rope. People then pulled him out of the well and he was saved. Everyone praised the saint for using different words for communicating the same message to the miser for saving his life.

https://www.facebook.com/spiritualstories4u

The Honey of Ignorance

Once there lived a saint in Rampur village of India. He used to deliver speeches for the welfare of humanity on a regular basis. One man, named Duvidhalal, heard about the saint and decided to attend his speech. The next day, he started travelling to Rampur village. But, by the time he reached the venue, it was very late. The speech was over and saint had left for his home. Duvidhalal searched for the home of saint. On reaching there, he requested the guard to allow him to meet the saint. The guard was hesitant to allow him to enter. However, the saint came out and asked Duvidhalal the reason to meet him. Duvidhalal said, "Respected saint, I have heard that you deliver speeches for the sake of humanity. I came here to get benefited by your speech. I always feel doubtful and depressed in my life. Nothing seems to be alright. I always feel myself surrounded with darkness. What should I do?" The saint said, "I can understand your pains. If you wish, then come to attend my speech tomorrow evening. I will answer your question there. Remember, I will begin at 4 PM tomorrow and the program will be for an hour."

The next day, Duvidhalal came to the venue five minutes earlier. The saint came at scheduled time of 4 PM. He sat on his seat. Then, instead of speaking anything, the saint took the box of honey. Then to the very surprise of the audiences, he started rubbing honey all over his body. Some bees started getting attracted towards honey. Seeing the bees around, the saint took a stick and started trying to disperse the bees around. Then, he took some honey and again put it on his body. This kept on happening, and more and more bees kept on coming. All the people around were confused seeing the saint doing such a strange thing. Some people thought, 'He can not be a saint. He is a crazy person. Does not he know the bees are getting attracted due to honey and still he is rubbing the honey on his body!! No matter how hard he tries, the bees will keep on coming.' Some people thought, 'It is some sort of leela (divine play) of the saint. We can never understand his leela. We should only enjoy what he is doing.'

On seeing whatever the saint was doing, Duvidhalal's mind was filled with doubts. Finally, one hour passed and the saint left. Duvidhalal again reached near the home of saint, and started requesting the saint to meet him. The saint came out and asked him, "How was the day's event?" Duvidhalal replied, "But you did not say anything. You only kept on rubbing honey all over your body and when bees started coming, you tried to disperse them with a stick. How can you disperse those bees away from you when the honey was on your body. And not only this, you kept on rubbing more and more honey. One hour passed and you left. I could not understand anything."

The saint smiled hearing all this and said, "Dear Duvidhalal, you did not understand my message. Just like I came to deliver speech at a fixed time, everyone takes birth in this world at a specific time. Then they start rubbing the honey of ignorance soon after that. Then the bees of doubts, hatred, discrimination, anger, lust, false pride etc. come and start troubling the human beings. But the human being, instead of getting his life free of ignorance, takes the stick of arrogance and ego, and tries to disperse these bees away. All through their lifetimes, the human beings keep on rubbing the honey of ignorance and more bees keep on coming. Then the person does not even realize when the clock of life reads 5 PM and he/she leaves the world. Dear Duvidhalal, leave the honey of ignorance. It might give the illusion of sweetness to you, but it is the source of all your doubts. Attain the knowledge and be free of all doubts and enter the world of clarity."

http://spiritualstories4u.blogspot.in/2013/04/the-honey-of-ignorance.html

Fear Of Earthquakes – A Zen Approach

“It happened that a Zen master was invited as a guest. A few friends had gathered and they were eating and talking when suddenly there was an earthquake. The building that they were sitting in was a seven story building, and they were on the seventh story so life was in danger. Everybody tried to escape. The host, running by, looked to see what had happened to the master. He was there with not even a ripple of anxiety on his face. With closed eyes he was sitting on his chair as he had been sitting before.

The host felt a little guilty, he felt a little cowardly; it does not look good that a guest is sitting there and the host is running away. The others, the other twenty guests, had already gone down the stairs but he stopped himself although he was trembling with fear, and he sat down by the side of the master.

The earthquake came and went, the master opened the eyes and started his conversation which because of the earthquake he had had to stop. He continued again at exactly the same sentence – as if the earthquake had not happened at all.

The host was now in no mood to listen, he was in no mood to understand because his whole being was so troubled and he was so afraid. Even though the earthquake had gone, the fear was still there. He said: Now don’t say anything because I will not be able to grasp it, I’m not myself anymore. The earthquake has disturbed me too much. But there is one question I would like to ask. All other guests had escaped, I was also on the stairs, almost running, when suddenly I remembered you. Seeing you sitting here with closed eyes, sitting so undisturbed, so unperturbed, I felt a little cowardly – I am the host, I should not run. So I came back and I have been sitting by your side. I would like to ask one question. We all tried to escape. What happened to you? What do you say about the earthquake?

The master said:
I also escaped, but you escaped outwardly, I escaped inwardly.

Your escape is useless because wherever you are going there too is an earthquake, so it is meaningless, it makes no sense. You may reach the sixth story or the fifth or the fourth, but there too is an earthquake. I escaped to a point within me where no earthquake ever reaches, cannot reach. I entered my center.

This is what Lao Tzu says, hold firm to the basis of quietude. If you are passive by and by you will become aware of the center within you. You have carried it all along, it has always been there, only you don’t know it, you are not alert. Once you become alert about it the whole of life becomes different.

You can remain in the world and out of it because you are always in touch with your center.

You can move in an earthquake and be unperturbed because nothing touches you.

http://oshotimes.blog.osho.com/2011/03/earthquake-fear-zen-osho-quote/

An Egg

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”

“Yup,” I said.

“I… I died?”

“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”

“More or less,” I said.

“Are you god?” You asked.

“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”

“My kids… my wife,” you said.

“What about them?”

“Will they be all right?”

“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”

“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”

“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”

“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”

“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”

You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”

“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”

“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.

“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”

“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”

“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”

“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”

“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said.

“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”

“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”

“So what’s the point of it all?”

“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”

“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.

I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”

“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”

“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”

“Just me? What about everyone else?”

“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”

You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”

“All you. Different incarnations of you.”

“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

“I’m every human being who ever lived?”

“Or who will ever live, yes.”

“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”

“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.

“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.

“And you’re the millions he killed.”

“I’m Jesus?”

“And you’re everyone who followed him.”

You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

You thought for a long time.

“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”

“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”

“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”

“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”

“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”

“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”

And I sent you on your way.

http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html

90/10 Principle

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. 

We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react. 

Let's take an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens when the next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. 

Why did you have a bad day? 
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is "D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say," It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having. Notice the difference? Two different scenarios.

Both started the same.

Both ended different.

Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

http://debudeodhar.hubpages.com/hub/9010_Principles_of_Stephen_Covey

99 Club - Gold Coins

Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content. One day, he came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Kingdom, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant was so joyous. The King asked the servant, 'Why are you so happy?' The man replied, 'Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much -- just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies.'

The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the King's woes and the servant's story, the advisor said, 'Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club.' 'The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?' the King inquired.  The advisor replied, 'Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, let's place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep.'

Next day when the servant saw the bag, he picked it up and took it in. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... So many gold coins! He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. 'What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!' he wondered.  He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he would have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.  And from that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make  that 100th coin. He stopped singing while he worked.

Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his advisor's help, the advisor said, 'Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club...' He continued, 'The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never contented, because they're always yearning and striving for that extra one, telling themselves: 'Let me  get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life.'

We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing greed and desires. That's what joining The 99 Club is all about

http://www.dailytenminutes.com/2012/04/story-of-gold-coins-99-club.html

Elephant Mindset

One guy was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a rope tied to their legs. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well", trainer said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and at the age, its enough to hold them, as they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. they believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." He was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were. Their powerful and gigantic creature has limited its present abilities by the limitations of its past.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life holding onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? how many of us refuse to attempt something new and challenging because of our so called MINDSET?

your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt...

http://www.dailytenminutes.com/2012/06/story-elephant-mindset.html

The Powerful Vitamin F

Why do I have a variety of friends who are all so different in  character?  How can I get along with them all? I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part of me.
With one of them I am polite. I joke with another friend. I sit down and talk about serious matters with one. With another I laugh a lot. I listen to one friend's  problems. Then I listen to another one's advice for me.

My friends are all like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When completed, they form a treasure box. A treasure of friends! They are my friends who understand me better than myself, who support me through good days and bad days. We all pray together and for each other.

Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health. Dr. Oz calls them Vitamins F (for Friends) and counts the benefits of friends  as essential to our well being. Research shows that people in strong  social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes. If  you enjoy Vitamins F constantly you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your most intense moments it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%. I'm so happy that I have a stock of Vitamins F!

In summary, we should value our friends and keep in touch with them. We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together, and pray for each other in the tough moments. 

Thank you for being one of my Vitamins

http://www.dailytenminutes.com/2013/01/the-powerful-vitamin-f.html

Love People; Use Things Not Vise-versa

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 year old son picked stone ; scratched lines on the side of car.In anger, the man took the child's hand & hit many times. Not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.. When the child saw his father... with painful eyes, he asked..

"Dad when will my fingers grow back?" Man was so hurt and speechless. He went back to car and kicked it many times. Devastated by his own actions... sitting in front of the car, he looked at the scratches, child had written "I LOVE YOU DAD" 

Anger and love have no limits -  Things are to be used and people are to be loved,  but problem in today's world is that, People are used and things are loved.

http://www.dailytenminutes.com/2012/03/story-of-dad-and-son-love-people-use.html

The Carpenter

A highly skilled carpenter who had grown old was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed to this proposal but made sure that this will be his last project. Being in a mood to retire, the carpenter was not paying much attention to building this house. His heart was not in his work. He resorted to poor workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the job was done, the carpenter called his employer and showed him the house. The employer handed over some papers and the front door key to the carpenter and said "This is your house, my gift to you."

The carpenter was in a shock! What a shame! If he had only known that he was building his own house, he would have made it better than any other house that he ever built!

http://www.dailytenminutes.com/2012/05/story-carpenter.html

Life Is The Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and in life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups. 

Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and do not change the quality of Life. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee I have provided."

So, don't let the cups drive you … enjoy the coffee instead.

http://www.buddhapadipa.org/dhamma-corner/life-is-the-coffee/

Alexander - The Three Wishes

There is very instructive incident involving the life of Alexander, the great Greek king. 

Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence. 

He now longed to reach home to see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health would not permit Him to reach his distant homeland. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon; I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail." With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king's last wishes. 

"My first desire is that," said Alexander, "My physicians alone must carry my coffin." 
After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury. 
"The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute's rest and continued. "My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin." The people who had gathered there wondered at the king's strange wishes. But no one dare bring the question to their lips. Alexander's favourite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. "O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled, but tell us why do you make such strange wishes?" 

At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: 
 "I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted. 

The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth. 

And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world." 

With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last. . . .

http://www.dailytenminutes.com/2012/05/story-of-alexender-three-wishes.html

Paradise is in your mind story

Once a samurai came to Dzen Master Hakuin and asked: 

Where is a paradise? Where is a hell? And where are the gate of heaven and hell?

Samurai knew only two things: life and death. 
He did not have any philosophy, he just wanted to know where the gate to escape hell and go to heaven. And Hakuin answered so that the warrior could understand. 

Who are you? – Hakuin asked. 

I’m the leader of samurai – the warrior replied - and the Emperor pays a tribute to me.

Hakuin laughed and said:

Are you really the leader of samurais? You look like some poor raga-muffin! 

Samurai’s pride was hurt. 
He forgot why he had come for, whipped out his sword and was going to kill Hakuin . And Hakuin laughed again and said:

This is the gate of hell. With a sword, being in anger , with your ego you will open it.

Samurai realized that idea, calmed dawn and sheathed his sword. 
And Hakuin continued:

And here you open the gate of heaven.

Heaven and hell are in you. 
And the gates are in you. If you are not conscious, this is the gate of hell. 
If you are vigilant and conscious, this is the gate of heaven. 
But people continue to think that heaven and hell are somewhere outside. 
Heaven and hell are not after life, they are here and now. 
And the gates are always open. At any moment you make your choice between heaven and hell.

http://inspirationalstories.eu/inspirational_stories/paradise-is-in-your-mind-story.php

Triple-Filter Test

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. 
One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and 
filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. 
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"Well, no," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and…"

"All right," said Socrates. 
"So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. 
Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. 
Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"Umm, no, on the contrary…"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true. 
You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left—the filter of Usefulness. 
Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

http://www.thelivingtreasure.com/forum/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1681&title=short-inspiratiOnal-and-motivatiOnal-stories

Why do people in anger shout at each other?

A Hindu saint who was visiting the river Ganges to take a bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. 
Smiling, he turned to his disciples and asked, 'Why do people in anger shout at each other?' 

The disciples thought for a while, and then one of them said, 'Because when we lose our calm, we shout.' 

'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner,' asked the saint. 

The disciples gave more answers but none satisfied the saint. Finally he explained: 

'When two people are angry at each other, the distance between their hearts is larger. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance. 

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...' 

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? 
They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.' 

He looked at his disciples and said, 'So when you argue, do not let your hearts get distant. Do not say words that distance you from each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not be able to find the path to return.'

http://www.in5d.com/spiritual-enlightenment-stories.html

Does God exist?

Buddha was gathered together with his disciples one morning, when a man came up to him.

'Does God exist?' he asked.

'He does,' replied Buddha.

After lunch, another man came up to him.

'Does God exist?' he asked.

'No, he doesn't,' said Buddha.

Later that afternoon, a third man asked the same question: 'Does God exist?'

'That's for you to decide,' replied Buddha.

As soon as the man had gone, one of his disciples remarked angrily:

'But that's absurd, Master! How can you possibly give such different answers to the same question?'

'Because they are all different people, and each one of them will reach God by his own path. The first man will believe what I say. The second will do everything he can to prove me wrong. The third will only believe in what he is allowed to choose for himself.'

http://www.in5d.com/spiritual-enlightenment-stories.html

Float but never Fight

An old man slipped on a wet rock near the edge of a river rapids and fell in. As onlookers watched in horror, he was swept toward and then over a high waterfall.

There was great joy when he emerged bruised but otherwise unharmed downstream. "How did you manage to survive?" asked one man in the crowd that gathered round.

Said the old man, "Instead of trying to make the water accommodate me, I accommodated myself to it. Instead of fighting it, I relaxed into the swirl and allowed it to shape me. I worked with the force of the water instead of against it. That is how I survived."

http://www.in5d.com/spiritual-enlightenment-stories.html

Treasure is within

"All the teachers say that spiritual treasure is something one finds alone. So why are we all here together?" asked a disciple of the Sufi master Nasrudin. "You are all here together because a forest is always stronger than a lone tree," replied Nasrudin.

"The forest maintains the humidity in the air, it resists the hurricane, and it helps to make the soil fertile. But what makes a tree strong is its root, and the root of one plant cannot help another plant to grow. Working together towards the same end and allowing each one to grow in his own way, that is the path for those who wish to commune with God."

http://www.in5d.com/spiritual-enlightenment-stories.html

Destiny

During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."

He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads! The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny."

"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

http://www.spiritual-short-stories.com/spiritual-short-story-122-Destiny.html

The Lamp

In a village of one hundred houses a single light was burning. Then a neighbour came with his lamp to another’s home and lit a lamp; and in this same way the light was communicated from house to house and the brightness in the village was increased. Thus the light of religion may be diffused without diminishing the one who communicates it. Let the bliss of your witness be diffused. Divide it. 

http://isite.lps.org/rsalem/web/documents/B-ParablesoftheBuddha.pdf

Sandcastles

Some children were playing beside a river. They made castles of sand, and each child defended his castle and said, “This one is mine.” They kept their castles separate and would not allow any mistakes about which was whose. When the castles were all finished, one child kicked over someone else’s castle and completely destroyed it. The owner of the castle flew into a rage, pulled the other child’s hair, struck him with his fist and cried out, “He has spoiled my castle! Come all of you and help me to punish him as he deserves.” The others all came to his help. They beat the child with a stick and then kicked him as he lay on the ground…Then they went on playing with their sand castles, each saying, “This is mine; no one else may have it. Keep away! Don’t touch my castle!” But evening came; it was getting dark and they all thought they ought to be going home. No one now cared what became of his castle. One child stamped on his, another pushed his over with both hands. Then they turned away and went back, each to his home.

http://isite.lps.org/rsalem/web/documents/B-ParablesoftheBuddha.pdf

Janaka & Sukadeva

A story oft-related in India tells of the spiritual test given by the great saint, King Janaka, to his would-be disciple, Sukadeva. To test the young devotee before accepting him for spiritual training, Janaka required Sukadeva to tour the royal palace while carrying in the palm of his hand an oil lamp filled to the brim. The condition of passing the test was that sukadeva was to observe minutely (and subsequently report to the king) every item and detail in each palatial room, without spilling one drop of oil from the brimful lamp. The meaning of the test is that the spiritual aspirant must learn to keep his attention centered in Cod, not allowing his thoughts to wander from Him for a moment, lest the oil of divine communion be spilled, while at the same time he performs accurately to the last detail his duties in the world,

-Man's Eternal Quest, Paramahansa Yogananda
http://worldtracker.org/media/library/Metaphysics%20&%20Spirituality/Paramahansa%20Yogananda%20MAN'S%20ETERNAL%20QUEST.pdf

Where does God Sit?

Once there was a king who told one of his subjects that unless he could answer a certain question he would be hanged. The man said: "Tell me the question." The king then spoke as follows: "Where does God sit, and which way does He look—North, South, East, or West?" The man went home to think and told his servant that he would be killed unless he answered the king in a fortnight. The servant said to his master: "Let me go for you. I will answer the question." So the servant went to the king and said to him: "First, let me sit on your throne, because while I answer your question I am your master." The king surrendered his throne to the servant and then asked him: "Where does God sit, and which way does He look—North, South, East or West?" The servant on the throne made answer: "Bring me a cow." So a cow was brought. Then the servant said: "Where is the milk?" The king answered: "In the udder." "Nay, Sire," said the servant, "the milk is not only in the udder, but throughout the cow, for the milk is the essence of the cow."

Then the servant asked that a bowl of milk be brought; and when it was brought to him, said to the king: "Where is the butter?" The king said: "I see no butter." The servant answered: "The butter is throughout the milk. Just churn the milk and the butter will become separated from it. Thus, as the milk is all through the cow and the butter is throughout the milk, so is God everywhere." So did the wisdom of the servant save the life of his master, for the king received the correct answer to his question.

If you ask for yourself this same question, you will receive a like answer, for you must milk His Presence from all vast Nature, and you must churn Him from the diluted mind by power of inspiration.

God is not the monopoly of the Yogis or Swamis. He is in the heart and soul of every being. And when you open within yourself the secret temple in your heart, you shall read the book of life. Then, and then only, will you contact the living God. And then will you feel Him as the very essence of your being. Without this feeling in your heart, there will be no answer to your prayers.

http://www.mysticalportal.net/4-5.html

King's dream

A king fell asleep and dreamed that he was poor. He was crying out in his sleep for just a penny for some food. Finally, the queen woke him and said, "What is the matter with you? Your treasury is full of gold, and yet you are crying for a penny."

Then the king said, "Oh, how silly of me. I thought I was a beggar and was starving for lack of that penny."

Such is the delusion of every soul who is dreaming he is a mortal, subject to the nightmarish evils of all kinds of disease, suffering, troubles, heartbreaks. The only way to escape this nightmare is by becoming more attached to God and less attached to the dream images of this world. 

It is because you have put your attention on the wrong things that you suffer. If you give your heart to man, or drink, or greed, or drugs, you will suffer. Your heart will be broken. You must place your heart with God. The more you seek peace in Him, the more that peace will devour your worries and sufferings.

http://worldtracker.org/media/library/Metaphysics%20&%20Spirituality/Paramahansa%20Yogananda%20THE%20DIVINE%20ROMANCE.pdf