Moving with the Existence!

Once there was a famous medicine man in Northern Canada who was said to have enormous powers. When he used to wave his blanket at the northern lights they used to change colours. Every time he waved his blanket, the northern lights would actually change colours.

One day, the man lost his blanket, but the northern lights changed the colour anyway and that ruined his reputation as a medicine man...!

Moral of the story .....

Friends, life is also like that. No matter what we do, life will happen the way it has to happen. Struggling with life is simply destructive. Effort is needed only in the accidental world, and even there too eventually it fails. It gives us hope, but eventually it fails.

In the inner world, no effort is needed. Once we start slipping within, we can suddenly see that, everything is happening as it should. Life looks perfect. There is no way to improve upon it. When the life is felt as perfect, with tremendous beatitude and glory, then in our innermost core of the being we suddenly feel that we are with God and God is with us. We are floating with the Whole, so the destiny of the Whole is our destiny as well. Wherever this existence is moving, we are also moving, with no personal goals.... and only then the celebration of life can initiate....!

Have a Nice Day Friends!

The Kitten & the Cadillac!

Mulla Nasrudin had once harnessed a kitten to his broken-down Cadillac.

The bystanders pointed out that, this was absurd and they also questioned him, how can the tiny kitten pull his Cadillac?

Mulla replied, "Yes I know, you all may think so! But I must tell you that, I have got a horsewhip for that kitten ...!"

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, most of us think that just by forcing anything can be made possible, just a horsewhip is needed and we have to do it a little harder.

According to most of us, we don’t succeed, because we are not working hard at it. Even after working hard if we still don’t succeed, then we think we are not putting all our energy into it.... Friends, this is generally the logic of the accidental world.

Only the essential man knows that, if one is stuck or unable to move further or unable to reach one’s goal, it is not because one is not putting more energy or enough force, but it is because one is not allowing the existence to intervene and make it happen.

Friends, in fact, nothing is needed to be done by us ...Only a deep trust and surrender is more than enough...!!

Have a Meaningful Day Friends!

Sunshine & Rains!

There was once a farmer who after a poor crop, complained, "If God would only let me control the weather, everything would be better, because apparently God does not know much about farming!"

God said to him, "Fine! For one year I will give you control of the weather. You may ask for whatever you wish for your farming and you will get it."

The farmer was very happy. Immediately he said, " I want sun," and there was sunshine around. Then he said, "Let there be rains now," and it started raining. Thus, for the whole year first there used to be sunshine and then it rained. The crop grew and grew, it was a pleasure to watch it. The crop had never been so big, so thick and so luscious green.

The farmer said proudly, "God can now understand how to control the weather”.

Soon it was time to harvest, so the farmer took his sickle to cut the wheat, but his heart sank when he saw that the stalks were practically empty. There were no grains in it.

Then God visited him and asked, "How is your crop? "

The man complained, "Poor, my Lord, very poor!"

“But didn't you control the weather? Didn't everything you wanted turn out as you wished?"

"Of course! That is the reason I am perplexed. I got the rain and the sunshine which I asked for, but there is no crop!"

Then the Lord asked, "But have you never asked for winds, storms, ice and snow, and everything that purifies the air and makes the roots hard and resistant? You asked only for rains and sunshine, not for bad weather? ....And that's the reason there is no crop!”

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, life is possible only through challenges. Life is possible only when we face both good and bad weather, both pleasure and pain, both winter and summer, day and night, both sadness and happiness, discomfort and comfort. Life moves between the two polarities. Moving between these two polarities we learn how to balance. Between these two wings we learn how to fly to the farthest star.

We choose only comfort and convenience and miss the real happiness in life. Friends, God never gives us anything cheap, because he knows that, without any effort, we may never be able to rejoice life.

Have a Great Day Friends!!

Fish Catching the Man!!

Once a man was sitting on the edge of the river for many hours with his fish-hook dipped  in the river. However he was unable to get a bite.

Finally, the combination of several bottles of beer and a hot sun caused him to nod off. He was completely unprepared when a live fish got hooked, tugged at his line and woke him up. He was caught completely off balance and before he could recover he found himself in the river.

A little boy was watching all this drama with a great interest. As the man struggled to get out of the water, the boy turned to his father and asked, "Dad, is that man catching the fish or is the fish catching that man ...?"

Moral of the Story .....

Friends, we have gone completely topsy-turvy. The fish is catching most of us and dragging us, we are not catching the fish. Wherever we see money, power, prestige, we are no more ourselves. 

Wherever we get respect, we are no more ourselves. Immediately we forget everything ... even the intrinsic values of our life, our happiness, joy and our delight.

We always choose something of the outside and then bargain with something of the inside. We lose the within and gain the without. But even if we get the whole world at our feet and lose ourselves, even if we conquer all the riches of the world but lose our own inner treasure, what are we going to do with it? This is going to be absolute misery.

Friends, one needs to learn that, one has to be alert and aware about one’s own inner intentions, motives, about one’s own inner destiny. One should never lose the sight of it, otherwise one will be constantly unhappy and miserable...!

Have a Great Day Friends!!

Paradox in Appearance!!

Rabindranath Tagore has written a small, beautiful poem ...”What have you got for me?” ...This poem consists of a small story ....

...A beggar was once wandering out for begging and suddenly he saw a golden chariot stop near him and a King got out of the chariot. The beggar was thrilled by the very possibility that he could get something big today. 

But to his everlasting chagrin, the King suddenly thrust out his hand and asked the beggar, "What have you got for me?"

Oh, Lord, torn with perplexity and indecision, the beggar offered the king a mere grain of wheat. The beggar was only accustomed to receiving and not to giving. So, he was perplexed, bewildered, confused. He must have hesitated. He must have searched his bag. He could have given more, but he gave only one grain of wheat, just because he could not say no. By the time he came to his senses the chariot was gone, and there were only clouds of dust on the road. The beggar kept on worrying the whole day, about that one grain of wheat given to the king. It was like a weeping wound....

In the night when the beggar returned home and checked all that he had begged in the whole day, he found a grain of gold in his collection. He, at once, understood his mistake and cried and wept. Now he wanted to give everything that he had, but it was too late....!

Moral of the Story ....

...If we hoard gold it becomes dust and if we share dust, even dust becomes gold ... This is the message delivered by this beautiful anecdote.

Friends, this is not just a parable, this is a true secret of life. Give and one gets million-fold. Share and in the very sharing one becomes richer. Go on accumulating and one becomes poorer. One cannot find a poorer man than a miser.

One may have much, but one can possess only that which one has given, shared. One can never possess that, which one has just accumulated. One can become a master of only that, which he has shared unconditionally!

Friends, it is a paradox only in appearance.

Have a Great Day Friends, Today & Every Day !!

Essential & Accidental!

Once a great sage was appointed prime minister to a king who was almost a beggar on the streets, but the news of his wisdom spread, rumours reached the palace. The king was tremendously impressed by the man and his insight, so he appointed him as his prime minister. The beggar came to the palace. The king requested him to drop his old robe and he was given a good bath; beautiful robes, ornaments, etc. were given to him, as befits a prime minister.

However, everybody was little intrigued by the fact that, in one of the rooms he had something like treasure locked. Every day he used to go there alone, unlock the room, but would never allow anybody inside. Then he used to lock the room from inside and would remain there for at least half an hour and then come out.

Suspicion spread ...What was happening in that room? Is there some secret? Even the king was quite interested. This practice went on for almost ten long years.

One day the king was too much disturbed and told him, "I would like to come with you in your private room. I have spent sleepless nights and I am continuously worried about what is there in your room!"

The prime minister said, "Sir, there is nothing. It is not worthy of your eyes, so please don’t be worried."

Now, the king became more suspicious and said, "There seems to be some danger! Let us go to that room!"

The prime minister requested again, "If you don't trust me then I will take you in, but then I will not be your prime-minister any more. Please take my resignation and then enter into the room. Otherwise, please trust me and never ask about that room!"

But now the king was even more suspicious and said, "Fine, you submit your resignation, but I have to check that room.”

With his entire court, the king entered. There was nothing, except the old robe hanging on a nail in that room. The room was completely empty.

The king asked, "Then why do you come here secretly?"

The prime minister replied, "Just to see this robe and to remind myself that once I was a beggar, and any day I will be a beggar again, so that, I don't get attached to these expensive clothes, my position, power and the riches!" 

Saying so, he quietly dropped the new dress, ornaments, etc. and put on his old robe. The king started requesting and begging, but the man said, "When there is no trust, there is no point in staying back. Now I must leave!"

He quietly left the palace the way he had entered it one day. His position, power, money, riches, meant nothing to him, it was just an accident....! 

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, we should be alert not to get too attached to the accidental. Everything is accidental except our consciousness, our awareness. Pain and pleasure, success and failure, fame and defamation, all are accidental. Only our witnessing consciousness is essential.

Nothing is going to be eternal. It has a beginning and it will have an end. We were happy even before it began and we will be happy when it has ended. If we can realize this principle, we can always judge what is accidental and what is essential. That which always remains is true and that which is momentary is untrue. Only with the essential the doors of sat-chit-anand, the truth, the consciousness and the bliss will open.

Friends, each one of us should remember this story every moment of our life and imbibe its impact. Only then it can become a transforming influence and can help us reach our centre....!

Have a Great Day Friends !

The Man of Salt!!

Friends, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to narrate a very significant story....

Once it happened that there was some important festival being celebrated on the sea beach. Thousands of people had gathered. Suddenly they all were engrossed in a question ...”Whether the sea is measurable, whether there is a bottom to it, and whether it is fathomable?”

There was a man in that crowd who was completely made of salt. He said, 'Don’t you worry! I will jump into the ocean and find out. How can one know unless one gets into it?'

So the man of salt jumped into the ocean. Hours passed, days passed, then months and even years passed. People waited and waited for long but the man of salt never returned, because the moment he jumped in to the ocean, he started melting and before he could reach the bottom he disappeared completely. Although he realized it, experienced it, he couldn't return. And the people on the beach never knew about it, so they continued discussing about him for a long time. They may have also arrived at some conclusions, because once it arrives at some conclusion, the mind feels at ease....

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, we are all like the man of ‘salt’ as far as the ‘ocean’ is concerned ....the ocean of life and death. We melt into this ocean, because we are born out of it, made by it, of it. Therefore, the mind is always afraid of going into the ocean, as it is bound to be dissolved. The mind always fights to remain on the bank, discussing, debating, arguing, creating false theories and wrong philosophies, which are based only on fear. Only a courageous man will take the jump and will never accept an answer without experiencing it, without realizing it himself.

Knowledge passed on by Krishna, Buddha, Mahaveera, Jesus and many others remains only an information for us. Such a knowledge will not give us wings, will not liberate us and will not set us free.

The true answer is incomprehensible for the human mind, because the part cannot comprehend the whole. The whole can be comprehended only by becoming the whole. One has to jump into the whole and disappear, be completely lost .... only then the truth can be realized...!

Have a Great Day Friends!!

Mind Games!

Mulla Nasruddin was once coming from a faraway journey in a small ship, and suddenly there was a thunder storm, lightening and rains. It appeared that there was no chance of survival.

Nasruddin was a rich man and had a beautiful marble palace in the town. Even the king was jealous of him and had offered him whatsoever amount of money Nasruddin wanted in exchange of the palace. But Nasruddin was insistent that he was not going to sell the palace to anybody at any price. But, now that his life was in danger he prayed to the God and said, “O God! I will sell my palace and donate the money to the poor, but please save my life!”

….It so happened that the moment he prayed, the storm started subsiding. Now, Nasruddin started having second thoughts, “Maybe the storm was going to subside anyway. I have unnecessarily risked my palace.”

But then again he was in for a big surprise. The storm started rising again and Nasruddin was quite scared. He prayed again, “O God! Please don’t be bothered about my thoughts …. I was only joking, but whatsoever I have promised you I will do. I will sell the palace and donate the money to the poor.”

….The storm subsided again. Although Nasruddin had second thoughts, he was afraid. So, anyhow he reached the shore and the next day he announced in the whole town that he was going to auction his palace. All the rich people, even the king, the prime minister, other ministers, everybody gathered, because all were interested in his palace. They were all surprised at his announcement.

People saw that, just in front of the palace Nasruddin had chained a cat, and he announced to the people, “Listen carefully! The price of the cat is fifty lakh rupees, and the price of my palace is only one rupee, but whoever buys the palace has to buy the cat. Both are for sale together.”

….People were surprised at this announcement, but the king purchased them both. Fifty lakh rupees were paid for the cat, one rupee for the palace.

Immediately, Nasruddin donated that one rupee to some beggars and prayed, “O God! Look, I have fulfilled my promise …!”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, we see people putting up their demands to the God or bargaining with the God about their health and wealth and wellfare. The bottom line of their prayer is, “You fulfill my desires and I will do something for you”. As if God is a trader!

When things are done out of greed, out of fear, we are unable to do them with our heart. We are cunning and keep finding ways. However, a true prayer is neither a bargain nor a business. It is an expression of gratefulness for all that is already given to us by the existence. Just as a flower blooms and spreads its fragrance, a content heart overflows with gratitude towards the existence. Friends, prayer is the fragrance of the fulfilled heart.

One should never be God-fearing, but should be God-loving!

Be Prayerful at Each Moment of Life!

Closer to the Center!

Once a botanist came across a valley in the Himalayas where beautiful flowers were blooming, but there was no approach road. It was very difficult to reach into the valley which was thousands of feet deep. The botanist had never heard about these flowers. He had studied about all flowers, but this was some new species, undiscovered. He was enchanted, intrigued, so he wanted to get those flowers. However, it looked but quite impossible to reach them, what to do?

In a desperate effort, the botanist took his little son, tied a rope under the child's arms, and dropped the child into the valley, but he was afraid, perspiring, trembling because something may go amiss. The child reached down and picked up a few flowers. The father shouted from the top of the mountain, "Are you okay, my son? Are you not afraid?"

The son laughed and said, "Why should I be afraid Papa, the rope is in my father's hands!"

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, the father may be afraid, but the child is never afraid. That's what a spiritual person feels, “The rope is in my Father's hands...!” Then suddenly, all anxiety disappears.

In the accidental world we need to struggle, but in the essential world we need simply to surrender. In the accidental world one has doubts, but in the essential world one has to simply trust and this trust is absence of doubt .... it is not against the doubt.

Friends, trust is an outcome, a by-product of complete surrender and when one comes closer to one's center, one starts trusting more and more....!

Have a Great Day Friends!

Arrival at Home!

Theodore Roosevelt, 26^th President of the U.S. was once returning from Africa and he received the most affectionate and exuberant welcome as his ship steamed into New York harbour. Bands were playing, soldiers, sailors and marines saluted him, pretty girls greeted him. Ships in the harbour sprayed water in a festive white arc, and the throngs of people shouted their welcome to him.

On the same ship, a mystic, a very old wise man, was also returning. A few old friends greeted him off in a corner, trying to be heard in the tumultuous noise. 

One of them said, "We are sorry we can't welcome you home as Theodore Roosevelt is being welcomed."

To which the mystic responded, as he pointed upward, "That's all right! ....I'm not home yet!"

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, this world is no home, it is only accidental, illusory .... just ripples on the surface, waves. Whatsoever we all are doing is nothing but making card houses or trying to sail paper boats and they are doomed to drown.

Only if we can realize this, we can become a little more alert about our sleepiness and then we can start moving more and more towards consciousness. When things are no longer important, except the consciousness, a new search, a new door opens. Then we don’t rush towards the without, but start slipping into the within. Friends, the kingdom of God is within.

Once we can drop identifying with the objects and things, suddenly we are no longer fighting ....it becomes pointless and we start moving with the river of existence....!!

Friends, arrival at home is indeed effortless....!!

Have a Great Day Friends!

Footprints !!

Once a Frenchman was crossing the desert with an Arab guide. The Frenchman noticed that, day after day, the Arab never failed to kneel down on the burning sand and call upon his God. 

At last, one evening the non-believer Frenchman asked the Arab, "How do you know that there is a God?"

The Arab guide fixed his eyes upon the scoffing Frenchman for a moment and then replied, "So, you want to know, how do I know there is a God? Tell me, how did I know that it is only a camel and not a man passed this way last night? Was it not by the print of its hoofs in this sand?" ....And then, pointing towards the sun whose last rays were fading over the horizon, he added, "That footprint is definitely not of man! Isn’t it ...?"

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, our so called ‘Self’ is a pseudo-self. It is a created, manufactured, home-made self. In fact, our real ‘Self’ remains hidden deep down in the mist and mystery.

The true ‘Self’ cannot be created by us, it cannot be man-made. The ‘Self’ which we have brought with us, how can it be created by us? To create the ‘Self’, first we have to be there. Therefore, the creator of this ‘Self’ is definitely hidden somewhere, in the unknown. We all have come here out of some mysterious life-source. The false self which we carry in our lives like a flag, is always very fragile, very weak, as it is man-made, so whatsoever we produce is always mortal.

Friends, one always needs to remember that, our false self is not ours because it is created by us and our real ‘Self’ is also not ours because it is still rooted in God. This understanding may liberate us...!

Have a Good Day Friends!!

Efforts & Coincidences!

Mulla Nasruddin was building a house, so he appointed a well known architect for this purpose. However, the architect was having a difficult time with Mulla.

“...Nasruddin, please can you give me some clarity, some idea," pleaded the architect, "regarding the type of house you want to build?"

"Well," replied the Mulla hesitantly, "all I know and want to insist is that, the type and design of the house must go with an antique doorknob my wife has bought the other day."

Moral of the Story ....

Mulla has only an antique doorknob and all he knows is that the house should be constructed & should go well with that doorknob!!

Friends, that's how most of us are living our lives. When a small effort of ours has succeeded in life, we catch hold of that antique doorknob and accordingly we try to build the whole house of our life. Thus we create trouble for ourselves.

Many a times the antique doorknob may not even have happened due to our own efforts. Things go on happening in our lives of their own accord; they don't generally happen only due to our efforts. Sometimes it is just a coincidence that they happen.

Friends, we all must realize that, all that is beautiful, true and good in our lives, has simply descended on us in the form of Grace....in spite of our efforts!!

Have a Meaningful Day Friends!

I am Not Lost!

Once a man driving his car on a lonely road suspected that he had missed the path and was probably moving in a wrong direction. 

Then he saw a beggar walking along the roadside, so he stopped the car and asked the beggar, "Does this road lead to Delhi?"

The beggar said, "I don't know."

So the man asked, "Does this road lead to Agra?"

The beggar said, "I don't know."

The man, who was already irritated, became more irritated, and said to the beggar in anger, "So, you don't know much!"

The beggar smiled at him and said, "But Sir, I am not lost ...!"

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, the question is not whether we know or not, the question is whether we are lost or not. When one is lost one needs a map, one needs some knowledge, one needs a book. But when one is not lost, what is the point of carrying a book or a map?

Friends, once we become aware that we are the goal ourselves, we cannot be lost. Books and maps cannot help, because we are the truth. We have to be deciphered, because if we are wrong all the books that we carry will go wrong. All maps that we carry will indicate only the wrong.

The beggar is not lost, because he is not going to Delhi or Agra or anywhere. Wherever he reaches, that is the goal. He is not lost because he is not searching for any particular direction; he is not lost because there is no desired goal. Wherever he is, he is at peace, at home. There is no desire, no motivation.

Friends, for such a person future has disappeared and the present moment is enough....!

Enjoy this Moment Friends !

What Exactly is Moving?

Four frogs were once sitting upon a log which was floating near the edge of the river. Suddenly the log was caught by the water current and was swept slowly down the stream. The frogs were delighted and absorbed, for had never sailed before.

The first frog said, "This is indeed a most marvellous log. It moves as if it is alive. No such log was ever known before!"

Then the second frog said, "No my friend, the log is just like the other logs, and it is not moving. It is the river, that is flowing to the sea and is carrying us and this log with it."

Now the third frog also opened his mouth and said, "It is neither the log nor the river that moves. The moving is in our thinking. For without thought nothing moves."

Thus the three frogs began to wrangle about what exactly was moving. The quarrel grew hotter and louder, but they could not agree. Then they turned to the fourth frog, who had been only listening attentively in silence and asked for his opinion.

The fourth frog quietly said, "Each of you is right, none of you is wrong. The moving is happening in the log, the water and also our thinking, but if you look still deeper you will understand that nothing has moved, because nothing can move and there is nowhere to move."

The three frogs were very angry, for none of them was willing to accept that his was not the whole truth and that the other two were not wholly wrong. They were also not ready to accept that they didn't know and this fourth foolish frog knows. It was against their egos. Then the strange thing happened ....the three frogs got together and pushed the fourth frog off the log into the river.

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, this is a very meaningful story. Most of us believe that we know and this very idea keeps our ignorance intact.

The first step towards understanding is to accept that we don't know and to realize and accept our ignorance, to accept in deep humility that we have been ignoring the truth.

When the truth knocks at our door, suddenly we become aware that until now we have been living with lies, have been untrue, all our knowing and dogmas were false. In presence of truth, suddenly our whole life is nullified, which is humiliating.

Friends, our whole past has been just a darkness, although it is too much for our ego to accept this fact. So, it is better to deny the truth, close the door and save our face. Power blinds the eyes, hence it is very difficult to see that we are ignorant, especially when we have money, respect and power....!

Have a Great Day Friends!