Rules for being human

When you were born, you didn't come with an owner's manual; these guidelines make life work better.

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's the only thing you
are sure to keep for the rest of your life.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called
"Life on Planet Earth". Every person or incident is the Universal Teacher.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation.
"Failures" are as much a part of the process as "success."

4. A lesson is repeated until learned. It is presented to you in various forms until
you learn it: then you can go on to the next lesson.

5. If you don't learn easy lessons, they get harder. External problems are a precise
reflection of your internal state. When you clear inner obstructions, your
outside world changes. Pain is how the universe gets your attention.

6. You will know you've learned a lesson when your actions change. Wisdom is
practice. A little of something is better than a lot of nothing.

7. "There" is no better than "here". When your "there" becomes a "here" you will
simply obtain another "there" that again looks better than "here."

8. Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another
unless it reflects something you love or hate in yourself.

9. Your life is up to you. Life provides the canvas; you do the painting. Take
charge of your life, or someone else will.

10.You always get what you want. Your subconscious rightfully determines what
energies, experiences, and people you attract; therefore, the only foolproof way
to know what you want is to see what you have. There are no victims, only
students.

11.There is no right or wrong, but there are consequences. Moralizing doesn't help.
Judgments only hold the patterns in place. Just do your best.

12.Your answers lie inside you. Children need guidance from others; as we mature,
we trust our hearts, where the Laws of Spirit are written. You know more than you
have heard or read or been told. All you need to do is to look, listen, and trust.

13.You will forget all this.

14.You can remember any time you wish.

The Tame Tiger

A religious teacher and his student were walking from one village to another, when they suddenly heard a roar behind them. Turning their gaze in the direction of the roar, they saw a big tiger following them.

The first thing the student wanted to do was to run away, but as he had been studying and practising self-discipline, he was able to halt himself, and waited to see what his teacher was going to do.
"What shall we do, Master?" asked the student.

The teacher looked at the student and answered calmly: "There are several choices. We can fill our minds with fear, so that we become unable to move and let the tiger do with us whatever pleases it."
"We can faint. We can run away, but then it will run after us. We can fight with it, but physically it is stronger than us."
"We can pray to God to save us. We can influence the tiger with the power of our mind, if our concentration is strong enough."
"We can send it love. We can also concentrate and meditate on our inner power and on the fact that we are one with the entire universe, including the tiger, and in this way influence its soul."
"What do you choose?"
"You are the Master. You tell me what to do. We haven't much time," responded the student.

The master turned his gaze fearlessly towards the tiger, emptied his mind from all thoughts, and entered a kind of trance.In his consciousness he embraced everything in the universe, including the tiger. The tiger became one with him in consciousness.

Meanwhile the student started to shiver with fear. The tiger was already quite close, ready to make a leap at them. He was amazed at how his teacher could stay so calm and detached in the face of danger.

After a while, the tiger lowered his head and tail and went away. The student asked his teacher in astonishment, "What did you do?"
"Nothing. I just cleared all thoughts from my mind and united myself in spirit with the tiger. We became united in peace on the spiritual level.The tiger sensed inner calmness, peace, and unity and felt no threat or need to express violence, and so walked away."

All things in the universe have a language. It is not they who must learn to speak, it is we.

The Two Headed Bird

There once lived a bird with two heads. Each of the head takes rest while the other stay awake and stay on guard. One of the head was very fond of sleeping, therefore it was often that the other head had to stay awake and on guard. When it is time for meal, the waking head would wake the sleepy head to eat together, then after eating, the sleepy head will continue to sleep again. The waking head also did not mind the situation.


One day the waking head says, "Hey, i am tired and want to sleep, so you will be the one on guard!" When the waking head was deep in his sleep, suddenly through the gust of wind, a fresh juicy fruit rolled down up from above towards the two-headed bird. Seeing that the waking head had slept very soundly, the sleepy head felt hestitation to wake him up, the sleeping head thought, even though if he eat the fruit alone, the waking head would also enjoy it.

Finally, the sleepy head had finished eating the fresh juicy fruit. Suddenly the waking head woke up from his sleep and, "Eeeekh! What food have you eaten? Why did the burp have good smell?" So the sleepy head replied, "A very juicy fruit. I hestitated disturbing your sleep, so i ate it alone." The waking head seemed irritated and said, "For such a tasty fruit, why did not you wake me up to enjoy it together? Fine, one day i shall revenge on this!"

Few weeks have passed, "Today you may rest, let me be on the guard!" said the waking head. Suddenly there came again another fruit blown by the wind towards the two-headed bird. But he was aware that the fruit was of a poisonous kind, an evil thought sparked in his mind, "I shall eat this fruit. Even if it kills, let us both die!" With heart full of hatred he consumed the poisonous fruit!

When we harm others, we are actually harming ourselves too, for in deeper reality, we are not separated and is one. Harming oneself also means harming others too!!

Cliff of the Lily

Once,somewhere near a deep isolated cliff, a very young lily flower sprouted out of the earth. But it was still very young at its age that it looked just like an ordinary weed. Regardless of so, the young sprout was confident that one day it will turn into a beautiful eye-captivating lily flower.

However, the weeds around it laugh at the lily. Even the birds and the insects advised the lily to stop dreaming itself becoming such a beautiful flower. They said, "Let's say that you can blossom out into a beautiful lily flower, but as you are located in this isolated cliff, nobody would come and admire your beauty." Upon hearing those, the lily just kept quiet at them. Instead it made the lily become more determined to make better use of the ground water and the sun ray to grow further.

Finally, in a morning of a spring, the lily had its first blossom growing. The lily flower was very happy that its effort was not in vain and it motivated the lily and it boosted its self-confidence. The lily said to itself, "I shall blossom into a beautiful lily flower. My duty as a flower is to blossom and to flower. Regardless of whether there will be people there to enjoy my existence or not, i must blossom and flower according to my true nature as a lily flower."

Day by day, time passed. Finally, the lily flower blossomed and from it spread a very fragrant smell. Now the beauty of its white flower can be seen perfectly. Since then, the weeds, birds and insects did not dare anymore to make fun of it.

The lily itself kept on growing and strengthening its roots and stalks that just in matter of several yaers the cliff was covered with a field of white lily flowers. The isolated cliff then had became a very beautiful lily garden. The place which was before quiet had become destinations of many people who came to see it. From the nearby towns and villages, people come to enjoy the sight of the beautiful lily flowers. Now, the people named the place, "Cliff of the Lily"....

The Gold Ring

The young man was climbing the hill, slowly a step at a time. His bowed head seemed to indicate that something was bothering him. Perhaps he was lonely, or discouraged. He was coming to seek guidance from the wise man that lived on the hill on the outskirts of town.

Entering the counselor’s house, the young man found him reading, deep in thought.
“Excuse me, sir,” he said hesitantly.
The old man lifted his eyes. Timidly, with a courteous bow and a voice of desperation, the young man said, “I have come seeing your help … sir.”

After a short pause, he continued, “I have dreams that I believe I can achieve, but no one thinks I have the ability to reach them. People see little value in me.”
The old man continued his reading. After a while, he said, “Before I can give you any counsel, I need your help. Are you willing?” Somewhat disappointed for having his own needs ignored, the young man nevertheless responded, “I will try, sir.”

The wise man stood up. Stretching himself a bit, he said, “I may need to pay a large debt in the future, for which I will need money. Here is my gold ring. Take it to the market and find out how much I can get for it, but don’t settle for anything less than five gold coins. There is my horse. Go!”

The young man held onto the ring tightly and upon reaching the market place, went from stall to stall, offering it in exchange for cash. The fruit seller ignored him. The clothes merchant told him that he was not interested. The farmer selling chickens continued to bargain with a customer and waved him away. Finally, the young man reached the pig seller’s stall. After examining the ring for a while in his dirty hand, he said with a covetous smirk, “Tell the owner that I man be willing to give him five bronze coins for this.”

“I fulfilled your assignment, sir,” said the young man upon his return. “No one in the market is willing to give five gold coins for your beautiful ring.”
“That’s fine,” responded the wise man. Now we know how little the market people value this ring. Go to the jeweler in town and show it to him.”

When the jeweler saw the gold ring, he quickly stood up and used a silk handkerchief to hold it carefully. Bring it under a lamp, he examined it in detail with a magnifying glass.“A masterpiece,” he said softly. “If the owner if the ring is in hurry, I will buy it for 10 gold coins myself. But if he gives me time to bring out all its beauty, I shall find a wealthy customer willing to pay at least 20 gold coins for it.”

The wise man listened attentively to the report the happy young man brought back and then told him, “Don’t let the ignorant tell you the value of something they know nothing about. Listen only to the appraisal of the skilled specialist, the one who can recognize the true value of a master artist’s work.” And with a smile, the wise man placed the golden ring back on his finger and waved the young man good-bye.

The Salt Puppet

Once upon a time there was a puppet made of salt who had traveled a long time through dry and desert places until one evening he came upon a sea which he had never before seen and didn't know what it was.

The puppet asked the sea: "What are you?"
"I am the sea" it replied.
"But" the puppet insisted "What is the sea".
"I am".
"I don't understand" said the puppet made of salt.
"I want very much to understand what I can do to know you!"
The sea replied "That's easy, touch me!"

The salt puppet timidly touched the sea with the tip of his toes. At that moment he realized that the sea began to make itself perceptible, but at the same time he noticed the tips of his toes had disappeared.
"What have you done to me?” he cried to the sea.
"You have given a little yourself to understand me" the sea replied.

Slowly the salt puppet began to walk into the sea with great solemnity as though he were about to perform the most important act of his life. The further he moved along, the more he dissolved but at the same time he had the impression that he knew more and more about the sea.

Again and again the puppet asked "What is the sea?" until the wave covered him completely. Finally, when he got completely dissolved and got one with the water, he exclaimed, "The sea is me "

A Priest & A Lad

There was once a lad who had been scholastic study abroad for a very long time before returning to his hometown. Upon his return, he asked his parents to find any teacher, or priest or anybody that would be capable of answering 3 of his questions.

At last, his parents found the man.
Lad: Who are you? And would you be able to answer my questions?
Priest: I am a servant of God and through His Will, I shall answer your questions
Lad: Are you sure? Even proffesors can't answer my questions
Priest: I shall do my best on answering them
Lad: I have 3 questions
1. If God exist, show him to me
2. What is it that is called Fate?
3. If Devil is created out of fire, then why is it that they are banished in hellish fire? It would not hurt them i suppose, since they are of the same element.
Has God ever think that far?

All of a sudden, the priest slapped the lad very hard.
Lad: Why are you angry at me?
Priest: I am not angry at all...that is my answer to three of your questions
Lad: I don't get it
Priest: How does the slap feel?
Lad: Of course it is painful
Priest: So you do believe that pain exist?
Lad: Yes
Priest: Show the pain to me
Lad: I can't
Priest: That is my answer to your first question. All of us can feel God presence without seeing him.
Priest: Did you dream of being slapped by me last night? Have you ever thought that you would get a slap from me today? That's what I call fate
Priest: What is the hand that I used to slap you made of?
Lad: Skin
Priest: What is your cheek made of?
Lad: Skin
Priest: But you feel pain don't you? Even if devils are made of fire and hell is of fire, if it is of God's desire, then Hell would be hell for devils.

The Toy Car

It was a merry afternoon at the hall. Oh, one could see that a toy-car race was being held, and the final round is a few minutes away. There were only four participants left and each of them proudly exhibit their own made toy-car. And so it was in fact that the rule of the game, the toy-car had to be one's own handmade.

Among the players, were one child whose toy-car wasn't in any way looking marvelous nor special in its look, though surprisingly he was one of the four boys who made it so far to the final round. Compared to his other players, his toy-car was the least magnificent and imperfect. Some of the audience doubted the toy-car capability to race against the other three.

Yes, it was true, the toy car looks pretty dull. With simple wood materials and few blinking lamps on its top, the toy car doesn't appear so interesting as compared to the other lavishly decorated toy-cars. Even so, the owner was less proud with his toy car, since it was original of his own creation.

Every kid got his car ready on the start line, and at the slightest signal from the jury, they pushed the toy-car as fast as they can. They pushed and pushed, ran and ran along with the car as fast as they could, and at the end, surprisingly, the kid with the least magnificent looking toy car got his toy car touching the finish line first among other players.

The champion was then asked by the organizer before receiving his award, "Hey champion kid, I saw you praying before the final round started, you must have prayed deeply to God that you may win this tournament, didn't you?" The champion was silent for a moment, then replied, "No sir, that was not what I prayed, I thought it was not fair to ask for God to help me defeating the other players. I only prayed that God help me not to cry if I lose." After a few moments of silence by the audience, the hall was then filled with applauses from the audience.

How often do we pray that our wish may be granted? But do we realize that sometimes our wishes are just the opposite of what the others may pray for? If God exist in the conventional sense, then does God side on one but not the other? For example, if we pray for a win that benefit us, at that same time, one party or more would be disadvantaged. Then would it be appropriate for us to be joyful of it while on the other hand the other person might be suffering and disappointed?

There are many things more important than just winning or losing. Wouldn't it be better for us if we pray for us to be accepting of whatever the results may be? Be it a defeat or a win, we can still choose to be happy.

Apple in the bag

 A teacher teaching Maths to seven-year-old student asked him, "If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"Within a few seconds the student replied confidently, "Four!"

  The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three). She was disappointed. "Maybe the child did not listen properly," she thought. She repeated, "My boy, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"

 The student had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated again on his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied, "Four…"

 The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that this student liked strawberries. She thought maybe he doesn't like apples and that is making him loose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?"

 Seeing the teacher happy, the boy calculated on his fingers again. There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile the student enquired, "Three?"

  The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?"

Promptly the student answered, "Four!"

 The teacher was aghast. "How my boy, how?" she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.In a voice that was low and hesitating young student replied, "Because I already have one apple in my bag."

 When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect. Don't think they are wrong. There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion.

The Red Hat

 Once there was a devotee lived in a village. He used to be immersed in devotion for God always. He had a routine of practising meditation, singing devotional songs and worshipping God every morning.

 There after he used to go to his shop to work. He used to close his shop at lunch time in the afternoon and did not open the shop after that. He used to devote rest of the time in feeding the saints, serving the poor, listening discourses of saints and in donating whatever he could for good of others. He used to be satisfied with whatever he earned from his business and used to devote his life for love of God. Such behaviour of his used to surprise others and they thought of him as a lunatic.

 People used to say: 'He is foolish. He spends all his earned money in donations. He opens his shop just for a few hours. He wastes the precious morning time meant for earning money in doing worship. He is mad.'

 Once the rishest businessman of the village called him over to his house. He had made a red colored hat. The rich man gave that hat to the devotee and said: ''This hat is for fools. I have not seen a person more foolish than you. So I'm giving this hat to you for wearing. If you find anybody more stupid than you, then you may give this hat to that person." Peacefully, the devotee took that hat and came back home.

 Once that rich man became very sick. The devotee went to meet him and asked about his health. The rich man said: 'Brother! I'm making preparations to go now.'

 The devotee asked: 'Where are you planning to go? Did you send somebody there to make preparations for your arrival or not? Are you taking your wife, son, money, car, bungalow etc or not?'

''Brother! Who can accompany me there? No body can go with me. I will have to go alone. I'll have to leave my family-relatives, money-bank balances, bunalows-vehicles here. Nothing can stay together other than Soul & God.''

After listening to the rich person's words the devotee giving the hat (which had been given to him by the rich man) to the rich man said: "You only wear this hat."

The rich person: "Why?"

 The devotee said: "You are more foolish than me. When you knew that every thing -bungalows, bank balances, family etc will stay here, none of your friends will accompany you, there is no true hope other than God, then why did you waste whole of your life in acquiring all these things? When one is rich and powerful then everybody flocks around for selfish reasons. But nobody comes to help at times of trouble. Even after knowing all this you developed attachment for things which will not stay forever, stayed away from God and did not collect anything for your future. Therefore in these circumstances who is more foolish than you? Now you cannot do anything. You yourself are observing that none of your loved ones is coming for help."

Scars of Life

 Some years ago, on a hot summer day, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole that was behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.

 He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. In the house, his mother was looking out the window. She saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.

 Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed, and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms, just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began a very incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim, and shot the alligator.

 Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. On his arms, there were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh, in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

 The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked the boy if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. Then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go."

 You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly, and have caused us deep regret.But, some wounds, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been right there, holding on to you.

We are all children of God. He wants to protect you, and provide for you in every way. But, sometimes, we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with perils and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That is when the tug-of-war begins.

If you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He will not ever let you go.

Motivate others

  Some years ago the following exchange was broadcast on a TV program.

 An interviewer was talking to production-line worker in a biscuit factory. The dialogue went like this:

Interviewer: How long have you worked here?

Production Lady: Since I left school - about 15 years.

Interviewer: What do you do?

Production Lady: I take packets of biscuits off the conveyor belt and put them into cardboard boxes.

Interviewer: Have you always done the same job?

Production Lady: Yes.

Interviewer: Do you enjoy it?

Production Lady: Oooh Yes, it's great, everyone is so nice and friendly, we have a good laugh.

Interviewer (with a hint of disbelief): Really? Don't you find it a bit boring?

Production Lady: Oh no, sometimes they change the biscuits...

Reminding you not to assume that what motivates you is what motivate others. It is also important to recognize that sources of happiness may vary widely between people

Your words & Your Dreams

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life.

What you speak about, you can bring about!
If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.
If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick.
If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.
If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke.
If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will
always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.
If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed.
If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in
you, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.
If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith , hope , love and action . Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.

Watch your THOUGHTS, they become WORDS.
Watch your WORDS, they become ACTIONS.
Watch your ACTIONS, they become HABITS.
Watch your HABITS, they become CHARACTER.
Watch your CHARACTER, for it becomes your DESTINY.
The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

Thought I would share this with you -
In the search for ME, I discovered TRUTH.
In the search for TRUTH, I discovered LOVE.
In the search for LOVE, I discovered GOD.
And in GOD, I have found EVERYTHING.

Watch how your circumstances and situations begin to change when you
change the way you speak.

"Life is like melted butter. . .once things cool down, it can be
reshaped!" Be blessed.

Power of Positive Talk

 A man was lost while driving through the countryside. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

 “Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” The man figured he had nothing to lose.

 The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!”

 And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, “Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?”

 The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.”

Self-confidence

 A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench , head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

 Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you,” he said. After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.” He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

  The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world! “I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the un-cashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

 With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again. Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the un- cashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared.

 But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man. “I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller. ” And she led the old man away by the arm.

 The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he’d been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

 Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around.It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Its You

  One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written: ‘Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym’.

 In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

 The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone thought: ‘Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!’.One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: ‘There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU. 

 You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.

 Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

‘The most important relationship you can have is the one you have with yourself’

 Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don’t be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality.It’s the way you face Life that makes the difference.

Lesson about Gratitude

 According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.

 After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

 Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"

 The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."!!!  

 We may understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a crushed paper painting or a clay figure, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.

 Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart!! Also, when we express our gratitude,we must never forget that the highest of appreciation is not to utter mere words, but to live by them.

 The essence of all beautiful art, all great art is gratitude! Gratitude is the sign of noble souls and the memory of it is stored in the heart and not the mind! The next time you receive any gifts from anyone, no matter however small it may be, remember the love behind and dont judge the gift with its appearance!

Have a deep sense of gratitude for whatever you receive in life in whatever form it may be.

The Stranger in The Garden

 Once upon a time there was a man who had a big garden. He had planted many fruit trees andcared for them till they bear fruits. Now he wanted to pick up the fruits and sell them to make money for his family.

 One fine day while picking fruits with his son, the man saw a stranger sitting on the branch of a tree and picking the fruits. This man become angry and shouted, “Hey you! What are you doing on my tree? Aren’t you ashamed of stealing fruits in the day time?”

 The stranger on the branch just looked at the gardener but didn’t reply, and continued picking the fruits. The gardener was very angry and shouted again, “For a whole year I have taken care of these trees, you have no right to take the fruits without my permission so come down at once!”

The stranger on the tree answered, “Why should I come down? This is the garden of God and I am the servant of God, so I have the right to pick these fruits and you should not interfere between the work of God and his servant.” The gardener was very surprised at this answer and thought of a plan.

 He called his son and said, “go bring a rope and get this man down from the tree.” His son brought the rope and the gardener ordered him to tie the stranger to the tree. The gardener then took a stick and started to beat the stranger. The stranger began to scream. “Why are you beating me? You have no right to do this.”

The gardener paid no attention and continued beating him. The stranger screamed, “Don’t you fear God, you are beating an innocent man? The gardener answered, “Why should I fear? This wood in my hand belongs to God and I am too the servant of God, so I have nothing to fear, and you shouldn’t interfere with the work of God and his servant.”

 The stranger hesitated and then spoke, “Wait don’t beat me, I am sorry for taking the fruits. This is your garden and I should seek your permission before taking the fruits. So, please forgive and set me free.”

 The gardener smiled and said, “Since you have now realized your mistake, I will forgive you but remember that God has given all his servants brains so every person’s deeds are in his own hands.” Then the gardener untied him and let him go free.

The Butter in The Milk

  The young daughter had gone to her village home for the first time from her city-dwelling. At night before retiring to bed, her mother opened a pot in which there was good cow's milk and poured a little buttermilk.

 The girl asked her mother: "Mother, that was butter milk; and why have you mixed it with Milk? The milk may be spoiled!"
"Child," answered the mother, "that is the way to prepare the milk in order that we might get butter out of it."
"But where is butter in it, mother?"
"It is in every drop of the milk, dear; but you can't see it now. I will show you in the morning."

 In the morning the daughter saw that what was liquid the night before had become solid overnight. Mother put a churning rod into it and started churning the curd vigorously. Butter began to float on the surface of the curd. Then she gathered it all up and presented it to the astonishment of the daughter.

 The mother explained: "The addition of the buttermilk curdles the milk. Milk is transformed into curd. Then you have to churn it. By this process the butter which was all-pervasively hidden in the milk is obtained. At first you were not able to see it; it was hidden. From where has it come now? From the milk only. Therefore you understand now that it was there all the time. It awaited the process of churning to reveal itself to your great joy."  The daughter, too, followed the same process and got the butter, for herself.

Similarly, a worldly man approaches a Mahatma and asks him: "O Sadhu, why have you renounced the world, and poured this new element into your life? Why don't you let the life take its natural course?"

The Sadhu replies: "Brother, I do so in order to realise God?"
"Where is God?"
"He is all-pervading."The worldly man does not see and is not convinced.

The Sadhu then explains how the inner personality which is fickle and outflowing should be made solid and firm. Then the churning rod of one-pointed concentration and meditation should be taken hold of, and this solid inner soul should be very well churned. Then God is realised. He is all-pervading, in every atom of creation. But He is not visible to the naked eye nor is He realisable by a man except through his inner mind.

The Painter

 
 Once upon a time there was a painter who had just completed his course under disciple hood of a great painter. This young artist decided to assess his skills of skills so he decided to give his best strokes on the canvass. He took 3 days and painted beautiful scenery.

 Suddenly an idea flashed in his mind and he decided to display it on a busy street-square of that small town he was resident of. He wanted people's opinion about his caliber and painting skills.

 He put his creation at a busy street-crossing. And just down below a board which read-"Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I'm new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes etc. Please put a cross wherever you see a mistake."

 While he came back in the evening to collect his painting he was completely shattered to see that whole canvass was filled with Xs (crosses) and some people had even written their comments on the painting.

 Disheartened and broken completely he ran to his master's place and burst into tears. Sobbing and crying inconsolably he told his master about what happened and showed the pathetic state of his creation which was filled with marks everywhere. Such was the state that colors were not visible, only things one could see were crosses and correction remarks.

 This young artist was breathing heavily and master heard him saying "I'm useless and if this is what I have learnt to paint I'm not worth becoming a painter. People have rejected me completely. I feel like dying"

 Master smiled and suggested "My Son, I will prove that you are a great artist and have learnt a flawless painting." Young disciple couldn't believe it and said "I have lost faith in me and I don't think I am good enough. Don't make false hopes..."

 "Do as I say without questioning it. It WILL work." Master interrupted him.

 "Just paint exactly similar painting once again for me and give it to me. Will you do that for your master?" Master instructed.

 Young artist reluctantly agreed and two days later early morning he presented a replica of his earlier painting to his master. Master took that gracefully and smiled.

"Come with me." master said.

 They reached the same street-square early morning and displayed the same painting exactly at the same place. Now master took out another board which read -"Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I'm new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes etc. I have put a box with colors and brushes just below. Please do a favor. If you see a mistake, kindly pick up the brush and correct it." Master and disciple walked back home.

 They both visited the place same evening. Young painter was surprised to see that actually there was not a single correction done so far. But master wasn't satisfied as yet and he told his disciple "May be one day was too little a time for people to come up with ideas and take out time out of their busy schedules to correct it so let us keep it here for one more day. Tomorrow is Sunday, so we can expect some corrections coming in."

 Next day again they visited and found painting remained untouched. They say the painting was kept there for a month for no correction came in!

 It is easier to criticize, but difficult to improve. If you want to help people improve their behavior it is worth investing your effort in learning how help people change their behaviors, attitudes and skills.

Yesterday's Food

 Once there was a very rich merchant, doing well in business. His wife died long ago. He had one married son. His daughter-in-law was very wise and expert in house hold works. He was very much proud of her. Once he was having lunch at his verandah when a monk came to his door asking for some food. The merchant didn't pay attention as he never used to give anything to such kind of people. The monk asked again and didn't get any reply. As he was asking third time, the daughter-in-law replied politely - "Dear babaji, go to next door. My father-in-law is himself having yesterday's food. He will not be able to give you anything."

 The monk understood and went ahead. But as the merchant heard these words spoken by the girl, he became very much angry with her. He was the richest person in the village. Why would he eat yesterday's food? The girl must have become insane - he thought. As he was very much proud of her wise ness, so his anger was even greater. How did it come he didn't realize this girl's insanity? He summoned panchaayat (village court) and girl's father that the girl was out of her mind and his son would break this marriage tie.

 As people gathered in panchaayat, he told the event and asked for justice which was to untie the marriage in his point of view. The girl's father was also present. He said-" I know my daughter is wise enough not to speak any meaningless words. But I am unable to understand its meaning. So I would request her to come and explain why she said so. It is not wise to give a decision without hearing her."

 The panchaayat agreed on it and the girl came to panchaayat. She said -" I know my father-in-law is the richest and most respected person in this village. What I wanted to say that he has done much good deeds in his previous lives that is why he got these wonderful blessings from GOD which he is enjoying now. In this way it is his yesterday's earned food. But he is not doing any good deeds in this life, but only earning money for himself. I love him very much and want him to enjoy these blessings forever. I wanted to tell him this truth that is why I said so. I knew he would be angry and would like to get an explanation, and then maybe I will be able to tell him."

 The merchant understood the real meaning of the words and felt very much ashamed to bring his wise daughter-in-law in court. He apologized and started doing some actual good deeds for others.

 It is general practice that people either enjoy their present blessings or they feel inferior while seeing others having more possessions in life. People always think why other has more wealth, why they are more intelligent. They forget that each and everything is our own earning. Whatever we earned, we are eating now. And whatever we are doing will come to us in future, be it material treasures or spiritual.

 In the same way people enjoy their current position. They laugh at others who don't have intellect, money and other thing. They enjoy even their spiritual status, but they forget that if they will not work at present, their current treasure would be slowly spent.

We should work for tomorrow while we are enjoying present.

You are wonderful

 The following true story captured our heart. It happened several years ago in the Paris opera house. A famous singer had been contracted to sing, and ticket sales were booming. In fact, the night of the concert found the house packed and every ticket sold.

 The feeling of anticipation and excitement was in the air as the house manager took the stage and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your enthusiastic support. I am afraid that due to illness, the man whom you've all come to hear will not be performing tonight. However, we have found a suitable substitute we hope will provide you with comparable entertainment."

 The crowd groaned in disappointment and failed to hear the announcer mention the stand-in's name. The environment turned from excitement to frustration.

 The stand-in performer gave the performance everything he had. When he had finished, there was nothing but an uncomfortable silence. No one applauded.

 Suddenly, from the balcony, a little boy stood up and shouted, "Daddy, I think you are wonderful!" The crowd broke into thunderous applause.

 We all need people in our Lives who are willing to stand up once in a while and say, "I think you are wonderful. "

Four Frogs

 
Four frogs sat upon a log that lay floating on the edge of a river. Suddenly the log was caught by the current and swept slowly down the stream. The frogs were delighted and absorbed, for never before had they sailed. At length the first frog spoke, and said, "This is indeed a most marvellous log. It moves as if alive. No such log was ever known before."

 Then the second frog spoke, and said, "Nay, my friend, the log is like other logs, and does not move. It is the river that is walking to the sea, and carries us and the log with it."

 And the third frog spoke, and said, "It is neither the log nor the river that moves. The moving is in our thinking. For without thought nothing moves." And the three frogs began to wrangle about what was really moving.

 The quarrel grew hotter and louder, but they could not agree.Then they turned to the fourth frog, who up to this time had been listening attentively but holding his peace, and they asked his opinion.

 And the fourth frog said, "Each of you is right, and none of you is wrong. The moving is in the log and the water and our thinking also." And the three frogs became very angry, for none of them was willing to admit that his was not the whole truth, and that the other two were not wholly wrong.

 Then a strange thing happened. The three frogs got together and pushed the fourth frog off the log into the river.

Story of A Lizard

 
 A story from Japan. In order to renovate the house, someone in breaks open the wall. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the 2 wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curiou, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built !!

What happened?The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years!In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling.

Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years. Without moving a single step--since its foot was nailed!

So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating.

Later, not knowing from where it came, appears another lizard, with food in its mouth. Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years...Imagine? it has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years, without giving up hope on its partner.

Think, will u do that to your partner? Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.

As information and communication technology advances, or access to information becomes faster and faster.

But what about the distance between human beings?

Story of a Squirrel

 A squirrel joined the service of the King of the Forest, the lion. He did whatever work was given him, quickly and well. The lion became fond of him. "I promise you a cartload of almonds as pension when you retire".

 The squirrel envied the other squirrels in the forest because of their carefree life. He longed to run up and down trees and leap from branch to branch like them. Yet in pride, he loved to move with courtly dignity and boasted about his royal career. He often kept proclaiming thus. "I cannot leave the king's side even if I wish."

 He consoled himself with the thought that at the end of his career, he would receive a cartload of almonds, a food that few squirrels got to taste in their lifetime. "They will envy me then," he would tell himself. The years passed. The squirrel became old and then it was time for him to retire.

 The king gave a grand banquet in his honour and at the end of it, presented him with a cartload of almonds as he had promised. The squirrel had waited so long for this day but when he saw the almonds, he was seized with sadness. He realised they were of no use to him now. He had lost all his teeth.

The Plan

 A pretty woman was serving a life sentence in prison. Angry and resentful about her situation, she had decided that she would rather die than to live another year in prison.

 Over the years she had become good friends with one of the prison caretakers. His job, among others, was to bury those prisoners who died in a graveyard just outside the prison walls. When a prisoner died, the caretaker rang a bell, which was heard by everyone. The caretaker then got the body and put it in a casket. Next, he entered his office to fill out the death certificate before returning to the casket to nail the lid shut. Finally, he put the casket on a wagon to take it to the graveyard and bury it.

 Knowing this routine, the woman devised an escape plan and shared it with the caretaker. The next time the bell rang, the woman would leave her cell and sneak into the dark room where the coffins were kept. She would slip into the coffin with the dead body while the caretaker was filling out the death certificate. When the care-taker returned, he would nail the lid shut and take the coffin outside the prison with the woman in the coffin along with the dead body. He would then bury the coffin. The woman knew there would be enough air for her to breathe until later in the evening when the caretaker would return to the graveyard under the cover of darkness, dig up the coffin, open it, and set her free.

 The caretaker was reluctant to go along with this plan, but since he and the woman had become good friends over the years, he agreed to do it.The woman waited several weeks before someone in the prison died. She was asleep in her cell when she heard the death bell ring.

 She got up and slowly walked down the hallway. She was nearly caught a couple of times. Her heart was beating fast. She opened the door to the darkened room where the coffins were kept. Quietly in the dark, she found the coffin that contained the dead body, carefully climbed into the coffin and pulled the lid shut to wait for the caretaker to come and nail the lid shut.

 Soon she heard footsteps and the pounding of the hammer and nails. Even though she was very uncomfortable in the coffin with the dead body, she knew that with each nail she was one step closer to freedom. The coffin was lifted onto the wagon and taken outside to the graveyard. She could feel the coffin being lowered into the ground. She didn't make a sound as the coffin hit the bottom of the grave with a thud.

 Finally she heard the dirt dropping onto the top of the wooden coffin, and she knew that it was only a matter of time until she would be free at last. After several minutes of absolute silence, she began to laugh. She was free! She was free! Feeling curious, she decided to light a match to find out the identity of the dead prisoner beside her.

To her horror, she discovered that she was lying next to the dead caretaker.

Many people believe they have life all figured out..... But sometimes it just doesn't turn out the way they planned it.

The Ego

There was once a learned scientist, who after a lot of practice and efforts developed a formula and learned the art of reproducing himself. He did it so perfectly that it was impossible to tell the reproduction from the original. One day while doing his research he realized that the Angel of Death was searching for him. In order to remain immortal, he reproduced a dozen copies of himself. The reproduction was so meticulous that all of them looked exactly like him.

 Now, when this Angel of Death came down, he was at a loss to know which of the thirteen before him was the original scientist, and confused, he left them all alone and returned back to heaven.But, not for long, for being an expert in human nature, the Angel came up with a clever idea. He said to the scientist addressing all thirteen of them, 'Sir, you must be a genius to have succeeded in making such a perfect reproductive formula of yourself. However, I have discovered a flaw in your work, just one tiny little flaw.' The scientist immediately jumped out and shouted, 'Impossible! Where is the flaw?' 'Right here!' said the Angel, as he picked up the scientist from among the reproductions and carried him off.

 The whole purpose of the scientist and his formula of reproduction failed as he could not control his pride and lost his life. While Knowledge and Skills take one to the top of the ladder and make one successful; the three letter word 'EGO' will pull one down immediately.
So, Let go - the Ego.

The Lock in Mind

 
Houdini was a master magician as well as a fabulous locksmith. He boasted that he could escape from any Jail cell in the World in less than an hour, provided he could go into the cell dressed in street clothes. Houdini became very famous.

A small town in the British Isles built a new Jail, which they were extremely proud of. They issued Houdini a challenge. "Come give us a try", they said. Houdini loved the publicity and the money attached with it, so he accepted.

The day of the challenge came. By the time Houdini arrived, excitement was at a fever pitch. Houdini rode triumphantly into the town and walked into the cell. He proudly walked into the cell and the Big Iron door was closed. Houdini took off his coat and went to work. Secreted in his belt was a flexible tough and durable ten-inch piece of steel, which he used to work on the lock. At the end of 15 minutes his confident expression had disappeared. At the end of 30 minutes he was looking confused. At the end of an hour he was drenched in perspiration.

After two hours...Houdini literally collapsed against the door - which opened...!

Yes, it had never been locked.........except in his mind..........where he viewed it was as firmly locked as if a thousand locksmiths had put their best efforts in making the lock for it. One little push and Houdini could have easily opened the door..........But he didn't.

Many times a little extra push is all you need to open your opportunity door. In the game of life you will discover, as you set your goals and unlock your mind, that the world will unlock its own treasures and rewards to you. Realistically, Most locked doors are in our minds.

Unlock your Mind...Think Great Thoughts...Do Great Things...

The Red Rose & The Cactus

 
 One beautiful spring day a red rose blossomed in a forest. Many kinds of trees and plants grew there. As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, "What a beautiful flower. I wish I was that lovely."

Another tree said, "Dear pine, do not be sad, we cannot have everything."

The rose turned its head and remarked, "It seems that I am the most beautiful plant in this forest."

 A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, "Why do you say that? In this forest there are many beautiful plants. You are just one of them." The red rose replied, "I see everyone looking at me and admiring me."

 Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, "Look at that ugly plant full of thorns!" The pine tree said, "Red rose, what kind of talk is this? Who can say what beauty is? You have thorns too."

The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, "I thought you had good taste! You do not know what beauty is at all. You can not compare my thorns to that of the cactus."

"What a proud flower", thought the trees.

The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move. As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things, like: This plant is useless? How sorry I am to be his neighbor."

 The cactus never got upset and he even tried to advise the rose, saying, "God did not create any form of life without a purpose."

 Spring passed, and the weather became very warm. Life became difficult in the forest, as the plants and animals needed water and no rain fell. The red rose began to wilt. One day the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away, refreshed.

This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. "Does it not hurt when they make holes?" asked the rose.

"Yes, but the cactus does not like to see any birds suffer," replied the pine.

The rose opened its eyes in wonder and said, "The cactus has water?"

"Yes you can also drink from it. The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help."

 The red rose felt too ashamed of its past words and behavior to ask for water from the cactus, but then it finally did ask the cactus for help. The cactus kindly agreed and the birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose's roots.

Thus the rose learned a lesson and never judged anyone by their appearance again.

From Candles to Soaps

 In 1879, Procter and Gamble's best seller was candles. But the company was in trouble. Thomas Edison had invented the light bulb, and it looked as if candles would become obsolete. Their fears became reality when the market for candles plummeted since they were now sold only forspecial occasions.

 The outlook appeared to be bleak for Procter and Gamble. However, at this time, it seemed that destiny played a dramatic part in pulling the struggling company from the clutches of bankruptcy.

 A forgetful employee at a small factory in Cincinnati forgot to turn off his machine when he went to lunch. The result? A frothing mass of lather filled with air bubbles. He almost threw the stuff away but instead decided to make it into soap. The soap floated. Thus, Ivory soap was born and became the mainstay of the Procter and Gamble Company.

 Why was soap that floats such a hot item at that time? In Cincinnati, during that period, some people bathed in the Ohio River. Floating soap would never sink and consequently never got lost. So, Ivory soap became a best seller in Ohio and eventually across the country also.

 Like Procter and Gamble, never give up when things go wrong or when seemingly unsurmountable problems arise. Creativity put to work can change a problem and turn it into a gold mine.

The Horse

 
A cosmic god had a horse. The horse was beautiful and also it had many good qualities. But it wanted to be more perfect in every way. It especially wanted to become beauty unparalleled.

One day the horse said to the cosmic god, "Oh Lord, you have given me beauty. You have given me other good qualities. I am so grateful to you. But how I wish you could make me more beautiful. I would be extremely, extremely grateful if you could make me more beautiful."

The cosmic god said, "I am more than ready to make you more beautiful. Tell me in what way you want to be changed." The horse said, "It seems to me that I am not well proportioned. My neck is too short. If you can make my neck a little longer, my upper body will be infinitely more beautiful. And if you can make my legs much longer and thinner, then I will look infinitely more beautiful in my lower body."

The cosmic god said, "Ok" Then immediately he made a camel appear in place of the horse. The horse was so disheartened that it started to cry, "Oh Lord, I wanted to become more beautiful. In what way is this kind of outer form more beautiful?"

The cosmic god said, "This is exactly what you asked for. You have become a camel." The horse cried, "Oh no, I do not want to become a camell I wish to remain a horse. As a horse, everybody appreciated my good qualities. Nobody will appreciate me as a camel."

The cosmic god said, "Never try to achieve or receive more than I have given you. If you want to lead a desire-life, then at every moment you will want more and more. But you have no idea what the outcome will be. If you cry for a longer neck and legs, this is what will happen. Each thing in my creation has its own good qualities. The camel is not as beautiful as you are, but it carries heavy loads and has a tremendous sense of responsibility.

Two Friends

Two friends were on the way. As they were moving across the nasty place filled with prostitutes, one of them had a desire to spend a night indulging himself in physical pleasure. The other one was given this idea to which he denied, and told his friend not do so.

They both parted, one going with a prostitute, the other with anger and resentment in his mind, decided to visit a temple and read a holy scripture. Along the way thoughts of comparison and how lowly his friend was dominated his mind.

The first one, as he moved with the prostitute began to have resentment on what he was doing. His mind was engrossed in how great his friend was, who decided to visit the temple and read a spiritual book. He was greatly started t miss that.

The other with the religious book in his hand and siting in the temple, was engrossed in the thought f his lowly friend.

An earthquake struck claiming many lives, both the friends included.The officers from heaven and hell were busy with their work. The first one was taken by the officers of heaven, and could see at distance his friend being ruthlessly driven by the officers from hell.

'There must be some mistake', he said, 'According to what we were doing I deserve to be there and that friend of mine deserves to be graciously led by you to the heaven.'
'We are following the orders, and there is no mistake,' the officer from the heaven said.

The first one demanded and explanation for what had happened in the heaven. 'Your mind was engrossed in how your great your friend was, and was on the temple and sacred text, while your friend's mind was dwelling in how lowly the other was filled with deep resentment.' came the answer.

'Thinking of others as low and self higher is the door to hell.' the voice continued.

The Silversmith

One lady proposed to visit a silversmith and begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "But Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?"

"Oh, yes madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure.

Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?"

"Why that is quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."

Favorite Piece

There was a couple who had celebrated their golden anniversary with a big party. Presents were exchanged, and congratulations were expressed before they got in their car and drove home.

When they got home the woman made her way into the kitchen. As was her custom, she brewed some tea, and took out a loaf of bread. She had baked one daily for years. She cut off the heel, warmed it, and buttered it for her husband before cutting another slice for herself. Then she served him the warm bread.

Now, this guy who had been married for fifty years loved his wife greatly, but the stress of the day had taken its toll. And he blew up.

He said, "Honey I love you. You know that. But quite frankly this is it. For more years than I can even count, you have baked bread for me every day. But you always give me the heel. You always pass off that crusty piece of bread, that heel on me. I have had it! I won't take it anymore!"

And this is true - she looked at him, blinked back the tears and said, "But honey, that's my favorite piece."

The Rose & The Thorn

"It always happens this way', the Sun told the Wind. "What does?" The Wind, as usual, was curious."Thorns and roses - they always co-exist." "But their outer self is in such irony to the inner self."The Sun gave the Wind a blank look.

Summarising the hint, the Wind chose to clarify further.

"Yesterday when I was blowing, I overheard the rose talking to itself…"

The Rose: "I don't know why the hell people smile when they see me. I look so pathetic. All my life I simply exist being a sharp and pointed thing, good for nothing except hurting people. Or maybe they feel better about themselves after seeing my silly and ugly existence!"


The Wind sighed and continued. "I overheard the thorn too..."

The Thorn:"I don't know why people are afraid of me. Some even ask their children to maintain a safe distance from me whereas I think I am one of the most beautiful things ever created. My petals, my design, my color, my softness, my aura, my romance...where else would they get such an austere mix? And yet...still, I thank God for the way he made me and no matter what others think or do to me, I would rather prefer to remain happy forever as in the end there are so few things in this world which are as beautiful as I am."

"So", this time the Sun sighed, "the rose is unhappy for it assumed itself - probably looking at the thorn all its life - to be just a thorn and thus ignored the happiness that it deserved all these years. While on the other hand the thorn assumed itself to be a rose and thus enjoyed happiness ever since."The Wind nodded.

"It always happens this way", the Sun said."What does?" asked the Wind.

"Happiness can definitely follow us wherever we go and whatever we do ... only if we know what we are and what actually we are looking at."

The King and the Sage

Once there was a king who was always fighting. One day he was badly wounded in a battle. A sage passed by and touched him, and the king was cured. He wanted to give the sage a reward for saving him, but the sage didn't want anything.

The king said, "I don't want to be indebted to you."The sage said, "In the future I'll ask for something. I don't need anything now, but one day I'll come."

Months passed and the sage was praying to God one day for peace, light and bliss, when a desire entered his mind. For the past few months his cow had not been producing milk. "She's old," he said. "I'll ask the king for a new cow."

He went to see the king and found him in a temple. He was praying for more wealth and more fame. The sage said to himself, "I won't ask him for a cow. He's a beggar like me." And he turned to leave.

The king stopped him and said, "Sage, you saved my life. Please tell me what you want. I'll give you anything."

The sage said, "I pray to God and meditate. He is all I need. I don't want to take anything from anyone in need. You told me you took an oath that you would not be indebted to anyone. I, too, have taken an oath. My oath is that if anyone is in need, then I won't take anything from that person. That's why I won't take anything from you. You're praying to God for material things. You're begging for God to give you wealth and fame. So how can I ask anything of you? God has shown me that everyone is a beggar. So if I need something, I'll get it from Him."

The Pawn

Once there was a pawn who wanted to be independent. He was sad, and chafed against his limitations. These rules are so unfair, said the little pawn. I can only move forward, and then only one space at a time, except for my first move.

Furthermore, complained the little pawn, I cannot attack an opponent directly in front of me, nor beside me, nor behind me. I can only attack at the front angle to the right or left. This is s-o unfair!

How the little pawn pined and longed to be a bishop or a knight. Sometimes, he even longed to be a rook. It was just so irritating to have to be linked to other pawns to have any strength. The little pawn wanted to be able to stand on his own and have an impact on the contest, instead of being a disposable, lowly pawn.

As the game progressed, the little pawn advanced and advanced. He helped his team by holding his spot. For, as lowly as he was, no other stronger piece in the opponent's team cared to be sacrificed for a mere pawn. Such strength! To be so lowly the enemy would not attack the little pawn for fear of its losses.

Finally, the little pawn was standing on the 7th rank. Suddenly, the chessmaster spoke to the little pawn: you will now bring victory for our team. For of ALL the pieces on the board, only the insignificant, lowly pawns have the potential to become the strongest of them all, a queen!

We are all like pawns: in the greater overall events of the world and history, we are insignificant. And, we all lean upon something. Some lean upon alcohol. Some lean upon material possessions. Some lean upon prozac.

But to become a victor in this life, the only true leaning post is Almighty God. The peace of God is found in fulfilling the created purpose of God for our lives: Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

The Echo of Life

A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls, hurts himself and screams, "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh! !!"

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh! !!"

Curious, he yells, "Who are you?"
He receives the answer, "Who are you?"

Angered at the response, he screams, "Coward!"
He receives the answer, "Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks, "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says, "My son, pay attention."

And then he screams to the mountain, "I admire you!"
The voice answers, "I admire you!"

Again the father screams, "You are a champion!"
The voice answers, "You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; life will give you back everything you have given to it.Your life is not a coincidence. It's a reflection of you!"

The Story of Two Teardrops

 
Two little teardrops were floating down the river of life. One drop said to the other, "I am the teardrop of a girl who loved a man and lost him." Who are you? "Well, I am the teardrop of the girl who won him."

Love is very strange. Love is unconditional commitment to an imperfect individual. You need it but when you love, it's like destining yourself for pain. You become addicted and dependent on the person. You become strong and at the same time, you open yourself up to being hurt.

Love can make you bear any kind of pain and any kind of sacrifice. It can also make you feel stupid and act stupidly. Sometimes when you love and end up giving so much of yourself, subconciously you only discover how much you've given when the person you love hurts you or has to say goodbye.

 Then you realize, an important part of yourself is already with that person. It goes away when he leaves and you are left with a sickening, empty feeling inside. Tears are bound to shed from your eyes no matter how you force yourself to keep them in. Most teardrops ever shed on this earth have been for love or lack of it. When tears dry, a silent loss sticks to your heart for a long, long time.

Well, that's what you get for caring so much about someone. But how can you regret it? To give yourself freely and lovingly is the most beautiful thing you can do. Loving makes you real. Loving also makes you cry.

An Elephant & A Fly

 A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest. He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

 The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said: "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more".

 This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly: "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?" The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

 The elephant stopped eating and said: "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."

 Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said: "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher,"The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind."

The Genghis Khan & His Hawk

 
 One morning Genghis Khan, the great king and warrior, rode out into the woods to have a day's sport. Many of his friends were with him. They rode out gayly, carrying their bows and arrows. Behind them came the servants with the hounds.

 It was a merry hunting party. The woods rang with their shouts and laughter. They expected to carry much game home in the evening. On the king's wrist sat his favorite hawk, for in those days hawks were trained to hunt. At a word from their masters they would fly high up into the air, and look around for prey. If they chanced to see a deer or a rabbit, they would swoop down upon it swift as any arrow. All day long Genghis Khan and his huntsmen rode through the woods. But they did not find as much game as they expected.

 Toward evening they started for home. The king had often ridden through the woods, and he knew all the paths. So while the rest of the party took the nearest way, he went by a longer road through a valley between two mountains.

The day had been warm, and the king was very thirsty. His pet hawk left his wrist and flown away. It would be sure to find its way home. The king rode slowly along. He had once seen a spring of clear water near this pathway. If he could only find it now! But the hot days of summer had dried up all the mountain brooks.

 At last, to his joy, he saw some water trickling down over the edge of a rock. He knew that there was a spring farther up. In the wet season, a swift stream of water always poured down here; but now it came only one drop at a time. The king leaped from his horse. He took a little silver cup from his hunting bag. He held it so as to catch the slowly falling drops. It took a long time to fill the cup; and the king was so thirsty that he could hardly wait. At last it was nearly full. He put the cup to his lips, and was about to drink.

 All at once there was a whirring sound in the air, and the cup was knocked from his hands. The water was all spilled upon the ground. The king looked up to see who had done this thing. It was his pet hawk. The hawk flew back and forth a few times, and then alighted among the rocks by the spring.

The king picked up the cup, and again held it to catch the trickling drops. This time he did not wait so long. When the cup was half full, he lifted it toward his mouth. But before it had touched his lips, the hawk swooped down again, and knocked it from his hands.And now the king began to grow angry. He tried again, and for the third time the hawk kept him from drinking.

The king was now very angry indeed. "How do you dare to act so?" he cried. "If I had you in my hands, I would wring your neck!" Then he filled his cup again. But before he tried to drink, he drew his sword. "Now, Sir Hawk," he said, "that is the last time." He had hardly spoken before the hawk swooped down and knocked the cup from his hand. But the king was looking for this. With a quick sweep of the sword he struck the bird as it passed.

The next moment the poor hawk lay bleeding and dying at its master's feet. "That is what you get for your pains," said Genghis Khan. But when he looked for his cup, he found that it had fallen between two rocks, where he could not reach it. "At any rate, I will have a drink from that spring," he said to himself.

 With that he began to climb the steep bank to the place from which the water trickled. It was hard work, and the higher he climbed, the thirstier he became. At last he reached the place. There indeed was a pool of water; but what was that lying in the pool, and almost filling it? It was a huge, dead snake of the most poisonous kind.

The king stopped. He forgot his thirst. He thought only of the poor dead bird lying on the ground below him. "The hawk saved my life!" he cried, "and how did I repay him? He was my best friend, and I have killed him."

He clambered down the bank. He took the bird up gently, and laid it in his hunting bag. Then he mounted his horse and rode swiftly home. He said to himself,

"I have learned a sad lesson today, and that is, never to do anything in anger."

Morality

"Morality may consist solely in the courage of making a choice. Wickedness is always easier than virtue, for it takes a short cut to everything. But over time you learn, you can't make wrong work."

"There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And your only reward is that it's easy. You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong."

"Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results."

"You can never lose anything that really belongs to you, and you can't keep that which belongs to someone else."

"You always experience the consequences of your own acts. If your acts are right, you'll get good consequences; if not, you'll suffer for it."

The Jack Fruit Tree

 A big jack-tree in a man's courtyard was laden with fruits. From the very bottom of the trunk up to the top most branch it was dotted with fruits.

 As though one possessed with an evil spirit, the man rushes out towards the fruit several times. He touches the jack-fruit, but the surface is uninviting. He abandons it in disgust.

 Far away from home he had seen one palm tree. Walking in the hot sun several miles, he stands near the tree. His craving had reached its zenith. The few small fruits that hung on the top of the tree tempt him.

 He rushes forward. He falls on the bush of prickly pears and gets injured by the thorns all over the body. Not discouraged by this he tries to climb the tree. The scales that cover the trunk are hard and knife-like. They hurt him. But he does not mind.

 As he climbs, a swarm of poisonous ants that sting like devils, sting him all over the body. He has somehow managed to reach the top; such is his mad passion for the little fruits. The fruits are surrounded by hundreds of bees. When he lays his hands upon them, the bees angrily sting him.

 In spite of this, he tries to grab the fruits. Then and there he drops more than half the catch. With the remainder, he tries to climb down. Several fruits drop off his hand before he reaches the ground. He sits himself down to enjoy the few fruits left with him.

 To his horror he discovers that the major portion of these little fruits is hard nut; and then even the skin has to be thrown away. There is little pulp in the fruit. In disgust he throws the fruits away.

  Instantly he comes back to his senses, and begins to suffer with agony. The pain of the thorns, the bites of the poisonous ants, the stings of the bees, and the cuts produced on his body by the sharp scales of the tree - these seem to torment him all at once.

 It is now past several days since he left home. With his tattered clothes and bleeding body, he runs home .... to find that his father had been waiting for him with the delicious jack-fruit.

 The young man stumbles into the house and falls at the father's feet. Without asking a question, the father gives him new clothes, pulls out the thorns from his body, dresses up the wounds, all the time feeding him with the honey-like jack-fruit. The young man's happiness is now complete. Peacefully he sleeps on his father's lap.

 Similarly, man ignores the fountain of Eternal Bliss that is within the core of his own heart. He is frightened away by the apparent initial difficulties to reach God. He does not care to cut open this rough exterior and enjoy the highest bliss. He is hungry. He runs away from home and from this tree that yields the best fruit. Here he falls into the thorny bush of dishonour; there he knocks against the rock of failure. Lured by illusory pleasure he succumbs to passion.

The Rich man & The Poor man

A weak and starving dervish once begged at the door of a rich man.'Away with you' said the wealthy man in proud anger, you will get nothing from me!'

How the dervish's heart bled at this. 'It's astonishing that such a man should be so severe', he said. 'It is obvious that he has had no experience of begging.'

'Is he gone?' shouted the rich man to his slave. 'If not, go and clear him from my door.' The slave came out and drove the dervish away.

The rich man behaved like that, because he was not truly grateful to the one who pervades all. Circumstances soon changed for the rich man. His fortunes altered dramatically and suddenly and he was ruined. He was not even left with an ass upon which he could carry his personal belongings - which was perhaps as well because he hadn't any.

Then he sat in a dusk, naked, with an empty purse at is feet. The slave was sold to another master. The new master who was also rich but there the similarity to his old master ended, for this one was old and generous to all, rich in goods and in heart. When he saw a poor man, he rejoiced at the opportunity to be generous. He was delighted t give as the poor man was to receive.

One night he herd a cry at the door. 'A morsel, please I beg, one morsel!' 'Slave', said the kind man, ' Take that tray from the table. Go and gladden the beggar's heart..'

The slave did as he was ordered. He returned with tears flooding down his cheeks. 'What is the matter?' the master asked. 'It is the beggar.' the slave cried. ' I have just recognized him. He was my old master.. He once owned vast property, silver and gold. But now, look at him, a destitute beggar.'

'Don't be distressed, my son', said the master.. 'You see here two examples of how in the course of time, no one is treated unfairly. You recognized your master. Do you not also recognise in me the starving dervish whom he once ordered to be thrown out into the street?'