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.

Kahlil Gibran: Chain of Bondage!

A beautiful story by Kahlil Gibran ….

Once a man visited Lebanon, but he was a total stranger there and didn’t even know the local  language.

He saw a big palatial building, many people moving in and out, so out of curiosity he entered there. It was a big hotel but he thought, the king had arranged for a party and had probably invited many distinguished guests just in his honor.

The moment he entered he was received with a great respect, was placed at a beautiful table and was served with a variety of delicious food, drinks and deserts. 

He thoroughly enjoyed and was very happy about everything. After finishing his food he started thanking them in his own language. But they could not understand his language and he could not understand their language. The bill was then put on his table, but he thought, they have certified his visit and were thanking him for accepting their invitation. So he put the bill in his pocket, thanked them again and started walking out….

The manager was quite disturbed and thought, “Either this man is insane or he is a rascal and trying to deceive us.” So the man was taken to the owner of the hotel, but the man thought, they have taken him to the prime minister of their country. He again started only thanking them. So, finally he was taken to the court.

When he entered the palatial building of the court, he thought that, it was the palace of the king and the king himself was going to receive him in person. 

Again he started bowing down and thanking in his own language. The magistrate was sure that, either man is mad or a perfect rascal. So, he was punished by the court. He was painted black and was forced to sit looking backwards on a donkey and a plaque was hung around his neck on which was written, 
                        

“This man has committed a crime of deception, everybody should be cautious about him.”

The donkey started moving all over the town just to make the whole town aware that this man was a criminal. A huge crowd was shouting and following him and he enjoyed their full attention. He was quite eager to go back and narrate to his countrymen how he was honored.

Then suddenly he saw a man in the crowd who belonged to his country. However, that man simply disappeared in the crowd, hiding his face, as he understood what was happening. But the man on the donkey thought, “This man is jealous of me, because they have not honored him.”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, we have a mind trained through many past lives. Even our perceptions emerge out of the past training and conditioning. We have a long chain of actions and every new action is born out of that chain. Every new action becomes a new link in that chain.

If we carefully see, all our anger, jealousy, hatred, etc. comes out of our past memories and not purely out of the present situation. If one can understand this difference, it will help one to become aware, a witness. That is what is meant by living moment-to-moment. The past chain should be put aside, so that, the consciousness will function directly without any influence of the past.

Friends, the action that is born out of the present is nonbinding, it can never be a new link in our bondage. Most of us are just a mechanical robot, functioning out of our past memories. The past, which is dead and the dead is so heavy that our life is crushed under it.

Have a Nice Day Friends!

Mrs. Sangeeta Hegde