Two brothers worked together on a farming field passed on from their parents. The one, the older brother, had married and have quite a big family. The younger brother was still single, and planned not to get married. When the harvesting season come, they always divide the harvest between them equally and fair. Always it has been like that.
On one day, the younger brother who was still single thought about it, "It is not fair if we divide the harvest equally. I am still single and my necessity is not that much". So, for the sake of his older brother, every night he would take a sack of his grain and secretly put it to his brother's granary, thinking that a sack a day might be enough to reduce his older brother's burden and his family.
While on that time, the married brother was also worried and concerned with his brother. He thought, "It is not fair if we always divide the harvest equally. I have a wife and children who will be able to take care of me later when i grow old. While my brother, he doesnt have anybody, nobody would care for him if he grow old and poor. He deserve to get more than me." Therefore, everynight, he too secretly move a sack of grain from his granary to his younger brother's granary, wishing that at least a sack a day would aid his brother, later in the coming future.
So it went on for years that they kept moving a sack of their grain to the other's while keeping it as secret between themselves, and the amount of grain sack in the granary seems to be unchanged. Until one night they meet each other when carrying out their daily secret plot.
At that time, they realized what has been going on, and cried hugging each other. They knew in silence, that there is a very deep love that has been nourishing their brotherhood.
Treasures becomes the glue of love, not the destroyer of love, that is how it is living in love and brotherhood.
Once there was an official who had done so many corruptions in his office, that the emperor sent an auditor to audit him. Realizing what was going to happen, the official asked help of a thief to steal for him the auditor’s official stamp that was in the auditor’s office.
The next day when the auditor was going to start his work, he found out that his stamp was missing. He was very sure that it had been stolen by the corrupt official. In response, the auditor pretended to be severely ill. Some of the officials came to visit him, a very common practice of that time.
When the corrupt official came to visit him, the auditor only talked light common matters. While they were conversing, somebody from the back corridor shouted, “Fire…! Fire…!” Hearing that, the auditor immediately took his stamp box and while being witnessed by several other important people present there, he presented it to the corrupt official and said, “Please go home and take care of this stamp box, as the stamp inside is very important.” The corrupt official left hurriedly.
Only when the corrupt official got out of the auditor’s residence, he realized that he had been trapped, but it was all too late.The next day, the auditor requested the corrupt official to return back his stamp box that was being stored by the corrupt official.
In such dilemmatic position, the corrupt official had no other choice but to return the stamp box together with the original stamp. If not, it would be seen that he made lost a government stamp.
Right after the stamp got back to the rightful owner, the auditor immediately stamped the documents he had made, including the letter of mutation of the corrupt official. Not long after, the corrupt official was removed from his office.
A big jack-tree in a man’s courtyard was laden with fruits. From the very bottom of the trunk up to the topmost 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 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 dishonor; there he knocks against the rock of failure. He falls in love with a woman. How many sacrifices of a care-free life, of freedom from worry and anxiety he has to make before he approaches her! Lured by illusory pleasure he succumbs to passion.
A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous temple. He had been given the job because he loved the flowers, shrubs, and trees. Next to the temple there was another smaller temple where there lived a very old religious master.
One day, when the priest was expecting some special guests, he took extra care in tending to the garden. He pulled the weeds, trimmed the shrubs, combed the moss, and spent a long time meticuluously raking up and carefully arranging all the dry autumn leaves.As he worked, the old master watched him with interest from across the wall that separated the temples.
When he had finished, the priest stood back to admire his work. "Isn't it beautiful?", he called out to the old master.
"Yes," replied the old man, "but there is something missing. Help me over this wall and i'll put it right for you."
After hesitating, the priest lifted the old fellow and set him down.Slowly, the master walked to the tree near the centre of the garden, grabbed it by the shrunk, and shook it. Leaves showered down all over the garden.
"There," said the old man, "you can put me back now."
Nature is more perfect than anything man can create. To make it more beautiful in our eyes is to disrupt its natural beauty and to make nature ugly.
Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them, "Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstances, in every place and in every time. Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra? "All wise men got puzzled by King's question. One answer for all question? Something that works everywhere, in every situation? In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them.
They went to the king and gave him something written on paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity.
Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he'll have to see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring. After a few days, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of the King's enemies. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to fled on his horse. The enemies were following him. His horse took him far away in the Jungle. He could hear many troops of horses following him and the noise was coming closer and closer.
Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished. and he could not return because it was a small road. The sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way. Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great. The message was - "This too will pass."
The King read it. Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes! it too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. However when those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm come on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him.
After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path. The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being thrown on the King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me". With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.
Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: "This too will pass "He became silent. His face went through a total change - from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness. If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher.
Everything passes by We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes. Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life.. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent? They all come and pass away.
Life just passes away. There were friends in the past. They have gone. There are friends today. They too will go. There will be new friends tomorrow. They too will go. There were enemies in the past. They have gone. There may be enemies in the present. They too will go. There will be new enemies tomorrow and. they too will go. There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away. Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged.
What is that unchangeable?
It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change .Experience it, understand it.
