Start with yourself

 A Zen Story

One day one person climbed up a mountain where a hermit woman was meditating. She had taken refuge and was asked, “What are you doing here alone in such a solitude place?”

To which she replied:  “I have lots of work !”

“And how can you have so much work? I don't see anything around you here...?”

“I have to train two Hawks and two Eagles, assure two Rabbits, discipline one Snake , motivate a Donkey and tame a Lion .....”

“And, where have they gone that I don't see them?”

“I have them all inside here within me...!!

The Hawks stare on everything that is presented to me, good or bad, I have to work on them to see only good things. They are my Eyes.

The two Eagles with their claws hurt and destroy, I have to train them not to hurt. They are my hands.

Rabbits want to go where they want, at the same time they do not want to face difficult situations, I have to teach them to be calm even if there is suffering or stumbling.  They are my feet.

The Donkey is always tired, stubborn and does not want to carry the load each time I walk. That is my body!

The most difficult to tame is the "Snake."  Although it is locked in a strong cage with 32 bars , it is always ready to sting, bite and poison anyone nearby. I have to discipline it...  that's my tongue.

I also have One Lion. Oh, how proud, vain, he thinks that "he is the king." I have to tame him. And that's my EGO.

So you see, my friend, I have  lots of work."

Think & Reflect! We all may have the same. Lots to work on ourselves! So, Stop Criticising, Evaluating & Judging others!

Let’s First work on ourselves!

PEACE is a state of mind

Received in WhatsApp

Murugan, the proprietor of a coffee shop had been busy all day. Being Saturday, his shop was very crowded and the customers seemed unending.

He had been on his toes since morning. Towards the evening he felt a splitting headache surfacing.

As the clock ticked away, his headache worsened.

Unable to bear it, he stepped out of the shop leaving his staff to look after the sales.

He walked across the street to the Pharmacy to buy himself a painkiller to relieve his headache.

He swallowed the pill and felt relieved. He knew that in a few minutes he would feel better.

As he strolled out of the shop, he casually asked the salesgirl, "Where is Mr. Gopalan, the Chemist? He's not at the cash counter today!"

The girl replied, "Sir, Mr. Gopalan had a splitting headache and said he was going across to your coffee shop. He said a cup of hot coffee would relieve him of his headache."

The man's mouth went dry and he mumbled, "Oh! I see."

This is a typical case of looking outside ourselves for something that we have within us.

How strange, but true!

The Chemist relieves his headache by drinking coffee and the coffee shop owner finds relief in a pain-relieving pill!

Similarly, many of us travel across the lengths and breadths of the universe and also visit several shrines and ashrams to find peace. Eventually, we come to realize that real peace is within our own hearts.

PEACE is really a state of mind.🙏🏻

A Son teaches a lesson to all

A son took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner. 

His father, being very old and weak, while eating, dropped food on his shirt and pants. The mess that he made disgusted the other diners in the restaurant while his son remained calm.

After they were finished eating, the son, who was not embarrassed at all, quietly took him to the wash room, wiped off the food particles, removed the stains, combed his hair and fitted his glasses firmly, When they came out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grasp how someone could embarrass themselves publicly like that.

The son settled the bill and started to leave the eatery with his father.

At that time, an old man amongst the diners called out to the son and asked him, “Don’t you think you left something behind?”

The son replied, “No sir, I haven’t.”

The old man retorted, “Yes, you have! You have left a lesson for every son and hope for every father.”

The restaurant went silent.

It is said old age is another childhood. Parents take extreme care of their off springs, love them with all their heart and stand with them even when they start a family of their own. All one can do is to love them and take care of them in their second innings.   

What's in my cup?

Received in Social Media.

I love this analogy!

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.

Why did you spill the coffee?

"Well because someone bumped into me, of course!"

Wrong answer.

You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.

Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.

Whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out.

Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it, until you get rattled.

So we have to ask ourselves... “what's in my cup?"

When life gets tough, what spills over?

Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?

Or anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions?

You choose!

My thoughts: As I write this now in Sept 2020, the entire world is going through a strange phase for the past six months. A lot has been happening which we had never faced before and which we never thought in the wildest of our dreams. Covid is shaking us all making us spill what is inside us. What we carry within, is what we toss around when shaken. Today let's fill ourselves with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation; and kindness, gentleness and love for others.

Be the one to win the race

A Zen master was given a beautifully crafted crystal cup. It was a gift from a former student.

He was very grateful. Every day, he enjoyed drinking out of his glass. He would show it to visitors and tell them about the kindness of his student. 

But every morning, he held the cup in his hand for a few seconds and reminded himself: “This glass is already broken.”

One day, a clumsy visitor toppled the glass on its shelf. The cup fell down. When it hit the floor, it was smashed into thousands of tiny pieces.

The other visitors gasped in shock, but the Zen master remained calm. Looking at the mess in front of his feet, he said: “Ah. Yes. Let’s begin.”

He picked up a broom and started sweeping.

My thoughts: Happiness quotient of our life takes the shape of our emotions. When we accept the fact that we may not have certain things in our lives for some reasons beyond our control, we gain fifty percent of happiness. And when we accept the fact that one day or the other we may lose what we have as well, the balance fifty percent of happiness is achieved. 

When you are grateful for your possessions, you are second in the race for happiness. But when you accept that you may lose whatever you possess too any day, you are ahead of everyone in the race.

Be the one to win the race.

Rise above storm

Author unknown. Received in social media. If you are author of this, please contact.

I just had to share this because I really liked this analogy:

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.

The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet.

Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small space with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place.

If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.

It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, we are a lot like the buzzard, the bat and the bee.

We are struggling about with all our problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above us.

Rise above the problem for the solution.

This too shall pass.

Rise above the storm, find the sunshine and stay blessed forever.

My thoughts:At a time when the whole world is going through this crisis of Corona virus, let's find a silver lining in the dark clouds and discover the sun that shines brightly over there.

Control anger before it controls you

Received in WhatsApp message

When he was about to return to his country, King Alexander remembered that his people had asked him to bring to them an Indian yogi. They had heard a lot about yogis and were very desirous of seeing one, meeting him, hearing him speak and receiving his blessings. Alexander was told that the yogis dwelt in the forest.

In quest of a yogi he went to a forest. Sure enough, he found one sitting underneath a tree, in deep meditation. He waited patiently until the yogi opened his eyes. They shone with a strange, mystic light.

Reverentially, Alexander requested the yogi to accompany him to Greece, saying. “I will give you everything you need or ask for. But, pray, do come with me. My people would love to meet you!”

The yogi quietly answered, “I need nothing, I am happy where I am!”

This was the first time that anyone had turned down Alexander’s request. He could not control himself. He flew into a rage.

And unsheathing his sword, he thundered, “Do you know who is speaking to you? I am the great king Alexander. If you will not listen to me, I shall kill you – cut you into pieces!”

Unperturbed, the yogi answered. “You cannot kill me! You can only kill my body. And the body is but a garment I have worn. I am not the body. I am that which dwells within the body! I am not the deha. I am the dehin – the in dwelling one!”

The yogi continued, “You say you are a king. May I tell you, who you are? You are a slave of my slave!”

Stunned, Alexander asked. “How am I a slave of your slave?”

In a voice tender with compassion, the yogi explained, “I have mastered anger. Anger is my slave. See, how easily you gave way to anger. You are a slave of anger, and, therefore, a slave of my slave!” 

Anger is an emotion that is inherent in all human beings. It is believed to be a healthy emotion when used at the right place in the right manner. Only when it gets out of hand,  does anger become destructive. Its that uncontrolled anger that affects relationships, job and health. Learning to control anger is a challenge for many. Seeking professional help for anger issues help at times.

Dandelions in life

Traditional Sufi Story

A young man named Nasruddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wishing to eliminate the unwanted guests, Nasruddin consulted with gardeners near and far, but none of their solutions worked.

Finally, Nasruddin traveled to the palace of the sheikh to seek the wisdom of the royal gardener himself. 

But alas, Nasruddin had already tried all the methods the kind old man recommended to him for eradicating such troublesome weeds.

Silently they sat together for a good long time. 

At last, the royal gardener looked at Nasruddin and said, "Well, then, the only thing I can suggest is that you learn to love them."

We live in a society with the presence of both desirable and undesirable elements. These undesirable elements are like those Dandelions, a stubborn weed that never seems to leave your lawn or garden. Wisdom lies in embracing the fact that we need to coexist with them. The least we can do is to love them and accept them.

Never, Never, Never Be Late

A WhatsApp Forward

A Pastor was being honoured at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish.

The leading local legislator was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner.

However, he was late, so the Pastor decided to say his own few words while they waited.

He commenced. “Thank Goodness we have a wonderful sense of humour!”

“I got my first impression of this parish from the very first confession I ever heard here. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it.  He had stolen money from his parents; misappropriated his employer’s funds; had an affair with his boss’s wife; taken illegal drugs; was arrested several times.  I was appalled that one person could do so many awful things. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place.”

Just as the Pastor finished his talk, the legislator arrived full of apologies at being late.

He immediately began his speech. “I’ll never forget the first day our Priest arrived,” said the legislator. “In fact, I had the honour of being the first person to go to him for confession.”

Life literally abounds in comedy if you just look around you.

😄😅😜😜

 ....

Love & Respect your Parents

Author Unknown     

A frail old man lived with his son, his daughter-in-law, and his four-year-old grandson. His eyes were blurry, his hands trembled, and his step faltered.

The family would eat together every night at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, drooping to the floor. When he grasped his glass of milk, it often spilled clumsily at the tablecloth.

With this happening almost every night, the son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

"We must do something about father," said the son.

"I've had enough of his milk spilling, noisy eating and food on the floor," the daughter-in-law agreed.

So the couple set a small table at the corner.

There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in wooden bowls. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening, before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. 

He asked the child sweetly: "What are you making?" 

Just as sweetly, the boy replied, "Oh, I'm making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

These words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears streamed down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening, the husband took father's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days, grandfather ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk was spilled or the table cloth was soiled.

Parents are the most precious gift of God for humans. They play an important role in our mental, physical, social, financial and career development. We took our first steps by holding their fingers.  All parents keep their children’s happiness and needs above their own. We may feel that our parents need us, but the reality is, we need them and we will not be able to make it without them. They are the pillars of support in the mansion of our lives. Let us remind ourselves that only if we love & respect our parents, our kids will reciprocate the same feeling to us.