The tidy garden

 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.

This too shall pass

 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.

How Gullible Are We

 
 Very is the answer, now I need a glass of something wet;A student at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair.

  He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide."

And for plenty of good reasons, since:
1. it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
2. it is a major component in acid rain
3. it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
4. accidental inhalation can kill you
5. it contributes to erosion
6. it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
7. it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients

He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical.
* Forty-three (43) said yes,
* Six (6) were undecided,
* Only one (1) knew that the chemical was water.
The title of his prize winning project was, "How Gullible Are We?"
He feels the conclusion is obvious.

Important things in Life

 Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so that he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy.

 Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

 The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which paid handsomely.

 Like a dream come true, Father could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.However, the family still did not get to see father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard, hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. In fact, to make himself a worthily candidate for the promotion, he enrolled for another course in the open university.

 Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

 Father’s hard work paid off and he was promoted. Jubilantly, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough, it would be nice for his family to be ablt to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a condominium.

 Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times before, Father resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see much of him. In fact, sometimes Father had to work on Sundays entertaining clients.

 Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

 As expected, Father’s hard work paid off again and he bought a condominium overlooking the beautiful coastal city. On the first Sunday evening at their new home, Father declared to his family that he decided not to take anymore courses or pursue any more promotions. From then on he was going to devote more time to his family.
Father did not wake up the next day.

The Dream Stealer

 There was once a young girl who was very fond of dancing. Her skill in dancing was extraordinary and surpassed her dancing friends that she often appeared as the champion in many competition held. She thought, with what she possess at that time, one day later when she grew up, she would want to be a world class dancer. She imagined herself dancing in Russia, China, America, Japan, being watched by thousands of people giving applause to her on salutation.

 One day, the city she resided in was visited by a dancing expert proffessional who came from abroad. This dancing expert was very fascinating, from his hands have been born out world class dancers. The young girl desired very much to dance and exhibit her prowess in front of the teacher, or even if possible, to be one of his pupil. Finally the opportunity came at last. The young girl managed to meet with the teacher behind the screen after his performance was over. The young girl asked "Sir, i really want to be a wold-class dancer. Can you give me a moment of your time, to judge my dancing skill? I want to know what you think of my dance." "Fine, dance then for 10 minutes", the expert responded.

 Not even 10 minutes have passed, the teacher stood up from his chair, and left the place without saying any word to the young girl. How broken heart the young girl was upon that. The girl immediately ran out, reaching her home, she cried and cried. She began hating herself. Afterall, the dance that she had been proud of all those years were nothing at all for the teacher. She then get hold of her dancing shoes and threw it in the garbage. Since then, she swore not ever to dance anymore.

 Several decades have passed, now the young girl have became a mother with three children. Her husband had passed away. And to feed her family, she had to work as waitress in a restaurant at the corner of a street.

 One day, there was a dance exhibition being held in the city. The same expert could be seen behind the young dancers behind the platform. The expert looked much older, with his hair whitening. The mother with her children went to see the dance show. After the show, the mother brought her three children into the back, looking for the teacher, and introduced him to her three children. The old teacher still recognize her, and so they converse with each other enjoyfully.

 The mother asked, "Sir, Istill have one thing that still bothers me. It was about me performing in front of you many many years ago. Was my perfomance that bad that you leave straight away?" "Oh yes, I remembered it. Frankly speaking, I never have ever seen in my life such beautiful dance that you showed me at that time. I was even sure that you would surely become a world-class dancer, but i was dumbfounded how you suddenly stopped from the world of dancing", answered the teacher.

 The young mother was extremely shocked hearing it. "This is not fair!", she exclaimed. "Your attitude had stolen all my dreams! If it was true that my dance was good, why did you just leave me that way when i had just only danced for several minutes? You should have praised me, not ignoring me like that. I am supposed to be a world-class dancer right now, not just a waitress!"

 The teacher answered calmly with his wisdom, "No...No, I think I have done what I thought was right. You don't need to drink a barrel of wine to know that the wine is good. The same goes with me. I didnt need to watch you for 10 minutes to prove that your dance was good. That night I was also very exhausted after the show. So I was thinking to leave you for a moment, to get you my name card, and hoped that you would contact me again the next day. But then you were not there anymore when I returned. And another thing that I have to remind you, that You should focus on your dreams not, on what I say or what I do or what the world say! Then applause? So you expected praise and applause? Ah, maybe at that time you were still growing, young lady. Praise is like a dobule edged sward. At some times it will motivate you, at other times it will weaken you. And the fact is that I had observed that most of the praise given to a growing child, will just make him/her feel satisfied of the current progress and hinders further growth. I even prefer to ignore you, as it supposedly can rocket your progress. Besides, praise is something that should come from myself, not something that you should ask for."

"You see, this was actually only a small matter. If only at that time you didnt ignore what happened and kept on dancing, you would have became a very great world-class dancer. You might felt hurt at that time, but it will dissipate quickly once you keep on practising again. But the hurt emerged from this regret today will never dissappear for the rest of your life......"

The Harmony

 Once, three monks gathered at an unattented lonely temples. "Why is this temple so unattended?", nobody knew who started the conversation, but then, "Must be because the monks do not have the sincerity in doing the prayers and rituals that the deities did not showed them their miraculous powers.", answered the first monk.
"Must be that the monks here are not hardworking enough that the temple was left unattended," explained second monk.
"Must be because of the monks living here do not respect one another that the followers grew few," added the third monk.

 Three of them argued...until that they decided to live in that temple to see who was the truest. The first monk do prayers, ceremonies, rituals sincerely, the second monk fixed and renovated the temple, and the third monk went preaching out to the public. Time passed and the temple became a very crowded well known temple.

"This all happened because of my sincerity in prayers that the deities decided to help and grant me miracles," said the first monk. "No, because of my hardwork working on the temple that it looked so magnificent and beautiful," replied the second monk. "Of course because of me who goes out teaching truths and preaching that our followers grow even larger everyday," the third monk explained.

 Day and night they kept arguing, and cared less of the temple condition. They did not realized that they began to neglect the temple's prosperity and was more concerned with their egoistic pride. Time passed again and the temple returned to its former condition, it was then as unattented as it once was before.

 The three monks left the temple, they realized and concluded that the temple was unattented not because of anything, but because there was lack of harmony within the people inside.

Painting on the wall

  There was a king who was a great admirer of art. He encouraged artists from all over his country and gave them valuable gifts. One day an artist came and said to the king, "Oh King! Give me a blank wall in your palace and let me paint a picture on it. It will be more beautiful than anything you have ever seen before. I promise you shall not be disappointed."

  Now,the king happened to be constructing a big hall at the rear end of the palace. So he said, "Alright you may work on one of the walls in the new hall." So the artist was given the job and he was very pleased indeed. Just then, another young man said, "Oh King! Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I too am an artist." The king said, "What would you like to make?" The man said, "My Lord, I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so,without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so that either of us can not seethe other."

  Now, that was a tall statement. Everyone in the king's court, including the king and the first artist were intrigued. But the king loved surprise sand he decided to give the young fellow a chance.

  The following day a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil, water etc. The second one would some with a cloth and a bucket of water every day. After a month the first artist told the king that his work was complete and he would like to show it to the king. The king sent for the second artist and asked him, "Young man, when would your work be ready? I am coming to see the first wall this evening." The man said, "My Lord, my wall is ready too!"

  The king went to see the first artist's wall. He was very, very impressed with the painting and gave a hefty sum as a reward to the artist. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up. Lo and behold! The same painting was to be seen on the opposite wall too! Amazing! But true! Each line, each minor detail was exactly as it was on the first wall. But this man had not been seeing what was going on, on the other side of the curtain. So how had he done it?

  The king wanted to know the secret. He gave a double reward to the fellow. Then he said, "Young man, I am indeed very happy with your work. But you must tell me; how did you do it?"
The lad said simply, "It's very easy! I just polished the wall every day!"It was a wall made of white marble! The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room, showed up in it!

  That is what it means to polish your self. For when we polish our hearts and souls we see God's reflection within. It is said that the world is a reflection of you. Whatever you are, the world will seem to be that too. If you are happy, the world will look to be happy. If you are sad; jealous; dejected; angry; restless ... that is what the world will seem to be to you!

Helpless Love

 Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.

 The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.

 Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realised it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope.

 Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?”
“No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.”

 A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”
Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”

 Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”

 When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.

 Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.

 On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”
Knowledge smiled, “Oh, that was Time.”
“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.

 Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”

“The important message is that when we are prosperous, we overlook love. When we feel important, we forget love. Even in happiness and sorrow we forget love. Only with time do we realize the importance of love. Why wait that long? Why not make love a part of your life today?”

The Real Poison

 
 After marrying with the man she loves dearly, a young beautiful woman lived together with her mother in law. In just short time, she realized that there were clashes and unfittings between them. The mother in law always managed to find flaws in almost everything that her daughter in law did. Debate and argues almost took place everyday. Unfortunately, the husband could not do much to improve the situation.

 The daugher in law had reached her patience limit. Day by day, revenge and anger poisoned her mind and thoughts. Thus, she went to his father's best friend who was a medicine man. She told him all about her sadness and grieved in tears. She desired him to prescribe a strong dose of poison so that she can revenge her mother in law. After a careful deep thought, the uncle smiled wisely, "I will give you the poisonous powder but you have to do it precisely as i instructed you to." The woman agreed and was willing to do anything to get her revenge.

"My dear, I wont let you use a quick reactive poison. People around you will be very suspicious of you with her sudden dying. Mix a little bit by bit into her meals. And do not forget, you have to cook the meal yourself. Just to make sure nobody will suspect you later on, you must treat your mother in law better in days to come. Treat her with love, respect and show your big heart by not arguing, just give in to her. Treat your mother in law as if she were your own mother."

 The woman went home, obeyed and just like what the uncle instructed. Everyday, she spoilt her mother in law by cooking all her favorite dishes and served her with all respect and compassion. Without realizing it, four months had passed, and a big change took place. Being treated with such respect and affection, the mother in law was touched and changed her behaviour towards her. Things turned around, she started to treat her daughter in law as her own one and loved her more and more each day.

 Seeing the changes in her mother in law, the daughter rushed to see the uncle, "Please uncle, give me the antidote to the poison that you gave me sometime ago. After doing what you told me, now my mother in law has treated me so well and full of love. I also start loving her. I dont want her to die from the poison that i gave her everyday."

 The uncle just smiled and answered, "My dear, don't worry. The powder that i gave you was not poison at all. It actually was tonic to enhance body strength instead." She was dumb founded.

"So the real poison actually is what dwells in your head, your attitudes towards your mother in law. And now all of those poisons have been wiped away by love and affection that you have showered her."

The best way to destroy an enemy is to befriend him/her...

The Concert

A mother brought her son, who was still in kindergarten to go see a concert. In that pretty big concert, the performers enthusiastically displayed their skills. Along the concert, the mother secretly observed how the son behave. She saw him watching the performance very seriously, not noisy at all, nor requesting to get home.

Moreover, his two innocent eyes keep watching the conductor leading the show. The mother thought in her head, probably her son would be a good conductor, even so young but showing so much interest watching the conductor.


After a long time, finally son broke the silence, "Mom, why is the uncle standing in front there with his small stick keep frightening that singing woman?"
"Which uncle, son?"
"The one who stood in the middle there is the conductor who instruct the performers how the concert should be carried out," the mother answered patiently.
"That one, look, that is the proof! That uncle is scarying that woman. He is holding that small stick then he wave it here and there, which cause that auntie over there keeps on screaming that her eyes almost pop out and her neck was strecthed far," The son explained very confidently.The mother grrr, how to explain huh?

Tolerate others' when they do not understand. Everyone possess their own world of knowledge and understanding. When trying to convey something, do it in loving way towards the other person. Do not force our own model of world into others. Instead, to convey it effectively, we would have to approach it from the other person's model of world

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."