Escaping from the Self!

Two old Jewish men were sitting on a park bench.

“Well, what do you do now that you are retired?” asked one.

“I have a hobby … I raise pigeons,” replied the other.

“Pigeons? Where do you keep them? You live in a condominium!”

“I keep them in a closet.”

“In your closet? Don’t they shit on your shoes and on your clothes?”

“No,” said the man. “I keep them in a box.”

“In a box? How do they breathe?”

“Breathe? They don’t breathe,” said the man, “they are all dead.”

“Dead?” exclaimed the friend, shocked, “You keep dead pigeons?”

“What the hell, it is only a hobby!”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, if we watch carefully, all our hobbies are basically ways and means to keep escaping from ourselves.

One should learn to be utterly blissful with oneself. To be alone, to be without doing anything is such a profound experience that once we develop a taste for it, it surely helps us to drop all the stupid activities called hobbies. Friends, all our hobbies are basically pseudo occupations and when there is no real occupation, most of us get into pseudo occupations.

Rather than searching for hobbies, one should learn to use these opportunities. Whenever one has some time, when one is utterly unoccupied, one should remain with oneself without moving out of it and a great miracle starts happening!

Have a Meaningful Day Friends!

Shooting

Harry had married his elderly, ugly wife only for her money.

Of course, Harry found plenty of ways to spend it, like the present safari trek through the African jungle. 

Suddenly a huge alligator slipped out of the marshes, grabbed his wife between its teeth and started to pull her away. But, Harry did not move a muscle.

“Quick! Shoot it!! Shoot it!” screamed his unfortunate wife.

Harry shrugged, “I would love to, dear, but I haven’t any film in my camera….!”

Moral of the Story …

Friends, our mind has the tendency to hear what it wants to hear.

What we are hearing, may not be the actual fact. Most of the times we go on manipulating it in many ways. When something enters into our head, we do not listen to it directly. First, we mix it up with our own ideas, then we change it a little here and there. We drop a few things here and we also add a few things there which suit us.

…And, when it starts to suit us, we convince ourselves that, this was exactly was what was said by the other.

Have a Wonder filled Day Today & Everyday Friends!

Ancient story on Planning

Long time ago in ancient India, there existed a very peculiar village.  It was a very prosperous state and had everything in abundance. The peculiarity about it was the way they chose their king. 

One of the kingdom's priced possessions was a white elephant called "Airavat".

 Every 5 years Airavat was given the responsibility of choosing the king. So on the decided day after every 5 years Airavat would walk down the streets of the state with a crown in his trunk. Airavat would bless anyone on the street with the crown and that person would be declared king for next 5 years. 

But there was also a flip side, whoever becomes the king, after the tenure of his reign, was deserted and taken to the jungle across the large river. It was a dense forest and once he was thrown to the jungle there was no chance for him to survive. So whoever became the king would feel happy, but also sad, because he knew he would die after 5 years.

This was going on, until a very wise man, "Mansukh" became the king. He was very happy with the opportunity and did some phenomenal work during his reign. And then the destined day came, like every time guards walked in his room with ropes, to tie him up and take him away. But to everyone's surprise, Mansukh readily got up and asked the soldiers not to bother. 

Unlike every time, where the king would plead everyone to leave him, Mansukh was actually happy to go with the soldiers. He walked down the streets proudly and reached the boat, which was to carry him across the river. For the boatman also, it was utterly surprising. He expected the king to be carried forcibly by the guards, tied in rope in the most helpless condition, but here was Mansukh, who was walking down calmly, with a pleasant smile on his face.

When he got on the boat, the boatman could not resist, but ask him the secret of this calmness and happiness. What Mansukh told him really revealed his reason for the smile? He said that like every king he knew what is going to happen. So from the day one he started preparing for it. 

He said in the first year, he got the jungle cleaned and made it a habitable place. 

In the second year he invited the best of architects and got the best township constructed. 

In the third year, he invited scholars and other institutions to open universities. 

In the fourth year, he invited various traders and business people to start trade. 

In the fifth year he had lot of families and people moving in to this modern town and living happily. 

Mansukh explained to the boatman, here I was king only for 5 years but when you drop me on the other side, there would be people standing to welcome me and there I will be a king for life time

This is as simple as it can get. This all what you should have in mind, when you are planning for your retirement. 

So, to summarize here is what I learned from the story

· The inevitable is coming; there is no point in worrying about it

                 

Start early, any delay will have a big impact

 

via Paresh Mehta :bombaysalesagency@gmail.com

Story Fruit Salad !

A man was sitting in a compartment in a train. Across from him was sitting a priest who had a picnic basket beside him. The man had nothing else to do so he was just watching the priest.

After a while the priest opened the picnic basket and took out a small cloth which he placed carefully on his knees. Then he took out a glass bowl and placed it on the cloth. Then he took out a knife and an apple, peeled the apple, cut it up, put the pieces of apple in the bowl. Then he picked up the bowl, leaned over and tipped the apple out of the window. Then he took out a banana, peeled it, cut it up, put it in the bowl, and tipped it out of the window. The same with a pear and a little tin of cherries and a pineapple, and a pot of cream …. he tipped them all out of the window after carefully preparing them. Then he cleaned the bowl dusted off the cloth, and put them back in the picnic basket.

The man who had been watching the priest in amazement, finally asked, ”Excuse me, what are you doing?”

To which the priest replied coolly, “I am making fruit salad!”

”

But you are tipping it all out of the window,” said the surprised man.

”Yes,” said the priest, ”I hate fruit salad ….!”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, we go on carrying things that we hate and live in our own world of hatred. We constantly carry the “fruit salad” of hatred, jealousy, anger, hurts and upsets within us and keep playing with these past wounds so that, they remain fresh in our memory. We never allow them to heal. Our whole life thus depends on our past.

Unless we learn to live in the present, we will never be able to forget and forgive the past. For this, one needs to be aware, to be in the present and that is the only positive way to approach the existence.

Friends, awareness knows only the present. If we learn to live in the present moment, all the negativity, the past and the future simply disappear on its own and one starts experiencing the real freedom, the bliss. This experience helps one to become whole, healthy and healed.

….This well-being is the beginning of one’s transformation!

Have a Blissful Day, Today & Everyday Friends!

Buddhist story: Awareness

There was a great Buddhist master, Nagarjuna. Once a thief saw him and experienced his infinite grace, so the thief asked Nagarjuna, “Is there any possibility of my growth? I am a thief and I cannot leave my profession, so please don’t ask me to leave it. I will do whatsoever you ask me to do, but I cannot leave my profession. I have tried to stop it many times, but it never worked. Now, I have accepted my destiny.”

Nagarjuna said, “Why are you afraid? Who is going to talk about your being a thief?”

The thief said, “But whenever I have gone to any teacher or a priest, they always ask me first to stop stealing.”

Nagarjuna laughed and said, “Then you must have gone to thieves; otherwise, why should they be concerned?”

The thief said, “Then it is okay. You are the right master for me!”

Nagarjuna accepted him as his disciple and said, “Now you go and do whatsoever you like. Only one thing has to be followed…. Be aware! Break into houses, steal, do whatsoever you like, but do it with full awareness.”

The thief couldn’t understand that, he has already fallen into the trap. He bowed down and left.

After three weeks the thief returned saying, “Now, I am in problem. If I am aware, I just cannot steal and if I steal, my awareness disappears. I am in a fix.”

Nagarjuna said, “No more discussion about your being a thief and stealing. I am not concerned. Now you decide whether you want awareness or stealing.”

The thief said, “Now it is difficult. I have tasted the flavor of awareness and I am ready to leave anything for it.” The thief further said, “Last night, for the first time, I was able to break in to the king’s palace. But when I became aware, suddenly there was no motivation, no desire. The diamonds looked like ordinary stones. When I lost awareness again the treasure was there. This happened many times. But finally I realized that the whole treasure was not worth it…now I can never be a thief again…”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, once one has tasted awareness, nothing is worth it ….One has known the greatest bliss of life.

In awareness, many things simply drop; they become stupid, become foolish. There is no The motivation, no desire, the dreams have been dropped. The very awareness changes one’s acts. In awareness jealousy, hatred, anger, greed, all the negativities are simply dropped, simply disappear.

Without awareness, it is like groping in the dark, stumbling, falling….All the negativities are just like groping in the dark. One’s actions can never go wrong in presence of awareness…

Friends, hence our actions don’t matter, but our awareness, consciousness, mindfulness, is that which matters….!

Have a Blissful Day Friends!

Performance, not Position counts! A story.

A priest dies and is waiting in line at Heaven's gates.  Ahead of him is a guy, fashionably dressed, in dark sun glasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket & jeans. 

God asks the guy : "Who are you ? I must check if you qualify to enter the Kingdom of Heaven or not ? 

The guy replies: My name is Pandi, the tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw) driver from Chennai.

God checks his record, smiles & says to Pandi :  "Take this Silk robe & Gold scarf & enter the Kingdom of Heaven".

Now it is the priest's turn. He stands erect and speaks confidently : I am a Religious Guru's Assistant... Head Priest  of the...for the last 40 years. 

God checks his record & says to the Priest : "Take this cotton robe & enter the Kingdom of Heaven". 

'Just a minute,' says the surprised Priest. 'How come that foul-mouthed,  rash driving auto driver gets a Silk robe & a Gold scarf, but me, a Priest, who's spent a lifetime of preaching your Name & goodness has to make do with a Cotton robe ?

"Results my friend, results !," shrugs God. "While you preached, people SLEPT; but when he drove his auto, people really PRAYED." 

It's PERFORMANCE, and not POSITION,  that ultimately counts. 
To us the example may sound funny or the method just ridiculous, but it is equally true that efforts are purely judged by performance, not by anything else in this practical world.  Forget about your position and style; worry about efforts and performance will be there sooner or later. You can't build a reputation on who you are and what you are going to do. It's only the performance and performance people will look for, will talk about, will admire and reward. And, when people with good intentions produce good performance using good methods, they always feel good about themselves. They are more satisfied, happy and at peace. In all human affairs there are good or bad efforts and there are good or bad performance, nothing else matters. It is an immutable law that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises, positions are positions but only performance is reality. Performance stands out like a ton of diamonds.
Performance is your reality. Forget everything else. - Anonymous



From an email by Ravi Ghatole

Sufi story: Fish in the Golden Bowl!!

Friends, this is an ancient Sufi parable …

A king gave a present to a Sufi mystic. It was a golden bowl with a beautiful fish in it. The Sufi looked at the bowl and then at the fish. He felt very sorry for the fish, because the fish was imprisoned in that golden bowl.

So, the Sufi mystic went to the lake and liberated the fish in that lake. He was tremendously happy that at least now the fish can have the whole lake, the great freedom, the space that really belongs to the fish. Although the bowl was made of gold it was a confinement. Then he looked at the bowl and thought, what will he do with that bowl? So he threw the bowl also into the lake.

The next morning the Sufi mystic visited the lake to have a look at the fish and he was surprised, the fish was again in the bowl although the bowl was in the lake. The fish had again chosen the bowl. The bowl was in the lake, but the fish was not in the lake. The fish had entered into the bowl again. The fish had lived in that bowl for so long. The bowl was its home. The mystic thought it was a prison, but not the fish.

The fish must have been afraid of the sudden freedom….!

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, most of us talk about freedom, but when freedom comes in life we are scared, as freedom is unmanageable, uncontrollable. One cannot dominate freedom, because as compared to freedom, slavery is quite tiny. Compared to our freedom we are a nonentity, but since everybody wants to be somebody, even though one has to live in a prison, one is ready….

Our ego is the greatest barrier and the ego loves to exist only in a golden bowl. Ego cannot exist in a lake, as it is bound to melt, merge and disappear there.

Friends, for attaining to the truth one has to be free …to be a nobody.

Enjoy the Day Friends, today & everyday!

Its so Good!

ü  It's so good, when we surrender ourselves completely to life. ü  When we start flowing with it. It gives us immense confidence  & strength to face any situation & to stay calm in every circumstance. ü  It feels awesome when you welcome everything as it comes. ü  It feels good when you see everyone with equality, when you stop  judging everyone & just accept him/her as they are. ü  It feels good when you start thinking that there is a reason behind  everything, behind everyone's nature, whether good or bad, calm or aggressive. ü  It feels good when you always see the brighter side of life. ü  It feels good when you start thinking about your role in the universe. ü  It feels good when you are ready to take the responsibility of all  the deficiencies in your country, when you start feeling that if there  is something wrong, 'I'm also responsible for that, even if I've not  committed it but somewhere & somehow it belongs to me also'. ü  It feels good when you start feeling the rush of emotions when you see  a touching scene in a movie. ü  It feels good when you get to know that life has a much higher purpose  than what we feel. ü  It feels good when you realize that you want to pursue your passion,  not to show or please someone; but because it gives you satisfaction. ü  It feels good when you accept yourself as you are, foolish or intelligent,   whatever, when you think 'I am what I am & I belong to this universe'. ü  It feels awesome when ideas come into your mind while sitting in the  passport office & you take out your mobile & start writing them in the  notepad. :-D

By Medhavi Jain via Romi

It's Loving Your Fate ...

“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me.  At a certain moment  in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate.’   Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what  I need.”  It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an  opportunity, a challenge.  If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find  the strength is there.  Any disaster that you can survive is an  improvement in your character, your stature, and your life.   What a privilege!   This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance  to flow.  Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the  moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage  were the incidents that shaped the life you have now.  You’ll see that this is really true.   Nothing can happen to you that is not positive.   Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis,  it is not.   The crisis throws you back, and when you’re required  to exhibit strength, it comes.”                                                                        Joseph Campbell I’ve learned that when one of these quotes “says it all” I should simply go silent. So I will. With love and respect,

It's called Mindset!!

As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? So make an attempt to grow further.... Why shouldn't we try it again?

"YOUR ATTEMPT MAY FAIL, BUT NEVER FAIL TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT."

The Buddha, on Anger.

Via Waylon Lewis

The Buddha, on Anger.

“Not by hating hatred ceases
In this world of tooth and claw;
Love alone from hate releases —
This is the Eternal Law.”

~

Never indeed is hatred stilled by hatred; it will only be stilled by non-hatred — this is an eternal law.

~

Conquer anger by non-anger. Conquer evil by good. Conquer miserliness by liberality. Conquer a liar by truthfulness.

~

He has done that wrong, being subject to anger, should I too follow him, making my mind subject to anger? Is it not foolish to imitate him? He harboring his hatred destroys himself internally. Why should I, on his account, destroy my reputation?

~

Love this story:

The Reviler

Once while the Blessed One stayed near Rajagaha in the Veluvana Monastery at the Squirrels’ Feeding Place, there lived at Rajagha a Brahman of the Bharadvaja clan who was later called “the Reviler.” When he learned that one of his clan had gone forth from home life and had become a monk under the recluse Gotama, he was angry and displeased. And in that mood he went to see the Blessed One, and having arrived he reviled and abused him in rude and harsh speech.

Thus being spoken to, the Blessed One said: “How is it, Brahman: do you sometimes receive visits from friends, relatives or other guests?”

“Yes, Master Gotama, I sometimes have visitors.”

“When they come, do you offer to them various kinds of foods and a place for resting?”

“Yes, I sometimes do so.”

“But if, Brahman, your visitors do not accept what you offer, to whom does it then belong?”

“Well, Master Gotama, if they do not accept it, these things remain with us.”

“It is just so in this case, Brahman: you revile us who do not revile in return, you scold us who do not scold in return, you abuse us who do not abuse in return. So we do not accept it from you and hence it remains with you, it belongs to you, Brahman…”

[The Buddha finally said:]

“Whence should wrath rise for him who void of wrath,
Holds on the even tenor of his way,
Self-tamed, serene, by highest insight free?
“Worse of the two is he who, when reviled,
Reviles again. Who doth not when reviled,
Revile again, a two-fold victory wins.
Both of the other and himself he seeks
The good; for he the other’s angry mood
Doth understand and groweth calm and still.
He who of both is a physician, since
Himself he healeth and the other too —
Folk deem him a fool, they knowing not the Norm.”[1]— Abridged and freely rendered from Samyutta Nikaya, Brahmana Samyutta, No. 2. Verses translated by C. A. F. Rhys Davids, in “Kindred Sayings,” vol. I.

---

Incorrect source, offensive, or found a typo? Or do you want to write for Elephant?

Waylon Lewis, founder of elephant magazine, now elephantjournal.com & host ofWalk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis, is a 1st generation American Buddhist “Dharma Brat." Voted #1 in U.S. on twitter for #green two years running,Changemaker & Eco Ambassador by Treehugger, Green Hero by Discovery’s Planet Green, Best (!) Shameless Self-Promoter at Westword's Web Awards, Prominent Buddhist by Shambhala Sun, & 100 Most Influential People in Health & Fitness 2011 by "Greatist", Waylon is a mediocre climber, lazy yogi, 365-day bicycle commuter & best friend to Redford (his rescue hound). His aim: to bring the good news re: "the mindful life" beyond the choir & to all those who didn't know they gave a care. elephantjournal.com |facebook.com/elephantjournal | twitter.com/elephantjournal | facebook.com/waylonhlewis |twitter.com/waylonlewis | Google+ For more: publisherelephantjournalcom

The cost of Oxygen

Shocking! But, True!! 

  - In one day a human being breathes oxygen equivalent to three cylinders. 

- Each oxygen cylinder on an average costs INR 100, so in a day one uses Oxygen worth  INR  300/-  

- And for a full year it comes to  INR  109,500/-. 

- If we consider an average life span of 65 years; the cost of oxygen each human being uses, become a staggering sum of  around  INR  7,117,500/-. 

-it will cost 38 trillion dollar to create oxygen for 6months for all human beings on earth ''trees do it for free'' respect them n save them

- All this oxygen is derived free of cost from the surrounding trees. 
  
Very few people look at trees as a resource and there is rampant tree cutting going on everywhere which should stop.  

Please pass this to your friends and care for trees.

From an email sent by Ravi Ghatole

Osho : Accept the Suffering!

“…Suffering is there. It is a part of life and part of growth; nothing is bad in it. Suffering becomes evil only when it is simply destructive and not creative at all; suffering becomes bad only when you suffer and nothing is gained out of it. But I am telling you the divine can be gained through suffering; then it becomes creative. Darkness is beautiful when the dawn is coming out of it soon; darkness is dangerous if it is endless, leads to no dawn, simply continues and continues and you go on moving in a rut, in a vicious circle…

This is what is happening to you. Just to escape from one suffering you create another; then to escape from another, one more is created…. and this goes on and on and all those sufferings which you have not lived are waiting for you. You have escaped but you escape from one suffering to another, because a mind which was creating a suffering will keep on creating more. Thus, you keep escaping only from one suffering to another….but suffering will be there because your mind is the creative force for it.

…Accept the suffering and pass through it; don't try to escape. This is a totally different dimension to work on. If suffering is there, encounter it, go through it. Why create a facade, just accept it …move on…!”

Have a Great Day Friends!

Buddha on Belief

As the Buddha says: 

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. 

Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. 

Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. 

Do not believe anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. 

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. 

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

Amen.