A Scarecrow - By Kahlil Gibran

                                      

Friends, Kahlil Gibran a Lebanese-American poet has beautifully presented the following story ….

                                               

To protect their cultivated farms from animals and birds, once the farmers in a village created a scarecrow…a false human structure using two wooden sticks placed as a cross. Then they put on an old shirt and a round mud pot over it to look like its head. The white old shirt with two hands spread and the round big head, it looked as if some person was standing and watching over the fields. That was enough for the animals and birds to keep them away from the farm.

                                                

Gibran has written, he once asked the scarecrow, “I can understand the farmer whose intention is to keep the animals and birds away. I can also understand the poor animals who don't have any intelligence to see that you are only a scarecrow, a false structure. But, I am unable to understand you. In rains, in burning summer and in freezing winter you keep on standing here…for what?”
                                                         

It seems Gibran was amazed when the scarecrow replied, “…You will never know my joy…. Just scaring those animals and birds gives me such a great joy that, it is worth suffering rain, burning heat, freezing cold…anything! I know I am not real and there is nothing within me, but I don’t care. My only joy is to scare others…!’”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, would we like to be just like that scarecrow with nothing inside and even then scaring others, sometimes making others happy or sometimes even humiliating others?

Our struggle for freedom, bliss and truth is not with the outside world, but it is a fight with this scarecrow…which is our own mind!
                                                    

Is our life only for others? Will we ever look within? Will we ever check within to see if there is any master in the house? Friends, the master is indeed there but perhaps he is asleep but can be awakened. 
                                                  
And once the master is awakened within, one’s whole life can be painted with new colours, new fragrance, new music and new dance….! Only then one can be alive in the true sense, otherwise most of us are just vegetating.

Have a Blissful Day Friends!
Mrs. Sangeeta Hegde.

For All Parents and Children !

Conversation Between A Pencil & an Eraser .... Pencil: I'm sorry Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong to me! Pencil: I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I make a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself and then you get smaller and smaller each time. Eraser: That's true! But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though I know that, one day I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.  ******************************I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational & could relate it to Parents & Children relationship. Parents are like the eraser whereas children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way, they get hurt, and become smaller / older, and eventually pass on. Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.  All my life, I've been the pencil. And it pains me to see the eraser that is my parents getting smaller and smaller each day. For I know that one day, all that I'm left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have....!

Osho: Seeds of Wisdom on Real Life

A comfortable, convenient life is not a real life …the more comfortable, the less alive. The most comfortable life is in the grave.


If you are alive there is inconvenience. 
If you are alive there are challenges. 
If you are alive then every moment you have to face reality, encounter reality.


Every moment you have to be ready to change and to move.


Reality has no security and that is its beauty. Life has no security and that is its beauty. Because there is no security, there is adventure.


The future is unknown, nobody knows what is going to happen the next moment. That’s why there is challenge, growth, adventure.


If you miss adventure, you miss all. If your life is not that of an adventure, of a search into the unknown, then you are living in vain…!!

Ego - The Absence of Self-Knowledge!

Mulla Nasruddin was once going to attend a spiritual talk by a great saint and on his way he met with a famous politician. 

Seeing Mulla Nasruddin in orange, the politician was obviously surprised and also annoyed. 

So, he asked Nasruddin, "Mulla, what turned you on to this spiritual man?"

'The day I saw him for the first time, I knew that God exists," replied Mulla with his voice full of divinity.

The politician looked at Mulla from the corner of his eyes and asked, 

"Hmmm .... and what do you feel when you see me?"

Mulla politely replied, "....That the God can also make mistakes....!"

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, ego is expecting and hence always brings frustration. The non-egoistic person expects nothing, hence everything is fulfilling.

Ego is a beggar. Ego is just absence of self-knowledge. When the self is not, the ego is and when one is, the ego is no more there. Thus, an egoless person is not a non-entity, in fact, only the egoless person is an authentic individual.

Ego is a non-existential, imaginary barrier which makes us feel that we are separate from the existence. Once this barrier is dropped, understood, the separation disappears. Within and without becomes one, in and out becomes one….

Friends, knowingly or unknowingly this is the ultimate goal for all of us.

Have a Great Day Friends!

Monday Motivator # 03

From an email sent by Ravi Ghatole. Author unknown.

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.  We were driving in  the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right  in front of us. 

My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! 

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. 

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.  And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" 

This is  when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.  As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it  on  you.  Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? 


Here's the bet - You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.. Love the people who treat you right. Pray for  or forget about the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it. - Irving Berlin

Story of the Turtles..

A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!

For about six months they cleaned the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements.

Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home.

Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. Finally, he agreed to go on one condition … that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left….

Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years...six years... then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger.

He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich.

At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, 'See! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt…!'

Moral of the Story …

Most of us waste time waiting for the others to live up to our expectations.

Secondly, most of us are so concerned about what others are doing that, we do nothing ourselves.

Have a Blissful Day Friends!

Monday Motivator # 02

From an email:

Mom liked to make dinner with extra care. And I remember one night in particular when she had made it after a long, hard day at work. That evening, mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed. 

All dad did was reach for his biscuit, smiled at mom and asked me how my day was at school. 

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and ate every bite. 

When I got up from the table, I remember hearing mom apologize to dad for burning the biscuits. 

And I'll never forget what he said: Honey, I love burned biscuits. 

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. 

He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!" 

You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else.  What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others' faults - and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. Because in the end, you are the master of your own life, to be happy or unhappy, to be positive or negative. We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship or any other. Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own. So please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burnt one will do just fine...We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. We should value every relationship because when something is missing in your life, it usually turns out to be someone.

I'm imperfect like others. Money and Assets are not my real earnings. All that I've earned in my life are relationships and that's what matter to me. I can't afford to lose them at any cost. - Anonymous

Psychological Hell!

There used to live great monk who was never known to be sad. He was quite old but used to be always happy, always cheerful, always like a small child overflowing, bubbling with pure joy.

Once someone asked him, "What is the secret of your joy? We have never seen you sad in your life."

The old man laughed and said, "There no secret. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I ask myself, 'Where do I want to be today, in heaven or in hell?' And I always select to be in heaven! It is as simple as that ...!"

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, heaven and hell are not realities but only ways of living. There is no hell, no heaven, but still they exist ...and they exist within us. Unless our hell and heaven are taken away from us, liberation is impossible.

We can live with lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, jealousy and we are in hell, but that is only psychological and not geographical. But whenever we live with love, kindness, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, we are in heaven, that too is again psychological and not geographical. Therefore, absolute freedom from both heaven and hell means transcending one’s psychology. No fear, no greed, no mind... and suddenly one can enter into the world of eternity, into the world of Divinity.

Friends, it is really up to us to decide ... each moment ...whether to be in hell or in heaven....!

Be in Heaven My Friends, Today & Every Day!

Are we Conscious?

A man hit a priest on his face, because in the morning discourse the priest had said, "Jesus says, if somebody slaps you on one cheek, give him the other." So, the man wanted to try it with the priest and he really hit him hard on his cheek. However, the man was surprised to see that, the priest was really true to his words. He immediately turned his second cheek towards the man.

The man was also serious about his intention and he hit even harder on the other cheek of the priest. Next moment… the priest jumped on the man and started beating him so hard that the man cried out with pain saying, "What are you doing? You are a priest and just this morning you told us that, Jesus had said if somebody hits you on one cheek, give him the other."

The priest replied in a fury, "Yes! But Jesus stops there… Now I am free to do what I want to do. Jesus has not said anything beyond the second cheek…!"

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, that's what character is. It is only a shock absorber. Being humble, one will be able to protect oneself against the ego of others. The ego is very sensitive and it can be covered up with a blanket of humbleness. Humbleness helps, it gives one a kind of smoothness, but it does not transform the person.

One needs to get transformed from unconsciousness into consciousness, from darkness into light. One should live according to one’s own small light of awareness, according to one’s own consciousness and remain responsive to each moment. Most of us respond according to the ready-made answers and that cannot be the true response, it is only a reaction. The man of character reacts but the man of consciousness responds, takes the situation in, reflects the reality as it is and out of that reflection he acts.

Friends, character is always stagnant, like a dirty pond of water, but consciousness is a fresh river, constantly flowing. Character is painting the circumference, consciousness is transformation of the center.

Have a Blissful Day Friends!

Creators of Hell!

A great emperor once visited a Zen Master and asked him, "What is hell and what is heaven?"

The Zen Master looked at the Emperor and said "You idiot! Have you looked at your face in the mirror lately? I have never seen such a dirty-looking fellow before!"

The Emperor was enraged! He had not expected such a thing from such a great saint. The Emperor was so enraged that he pulled his sword out of its sheath. 

He was about to cut the head of the Master. 

Suddenly the Master said, "Wait! You are entering the hell. This is the gate to hell."

The way the Master said "Wait!" was so powerful that the Emperor's hand stopped midway, and he realized his mistake and threw the sword away. He fell at the feet of the Master.

The Master laughed and said, "Now, this is the way to heaven! You have already experienced both within a single moment. The distance is not far."

Moral of the Story ....

Friends, whenever we are surrendered to the existence, whenever we live in trust, love, prayer, joy and celebration, we are in heaven.

Hell is a state of mind when we live in plenty and yet live in poverty. When life is such a blessing and yet we live in sadness. When the flowers bloom but we don't bloom. When the stars shine, and we don't shine. When we see clouds in the sky floating in freedom, but we remain in bondage. When the cuckoo calls from a distant wood but we remain deaf. When the peacock dances with ecstasy but we remain closed.... This is hell!

Friends, we must keep reminding ourselves that, we are the creators of our own Heaven and Hell!

Have a Blissful Day, Today & Every Day Friends!

Spiritual Ego!

There were three different monasteries in the mountains. One day, three monks from each of the monasteries, met on the road by chance.

One of them said, “You have beautiful monasteries. But as far as our monastery is concerned, no one can compete with us in our austerity.”

Immediately, the second one declared, “We know your monastery and agree that its discipline is arduous and your austerity is great. But nobody can compete with us as far as learning is concerned. Our monastery is full of great scholars.”

Then both of them looked at the third monk. …And he said, “You are both right. One monastery is quite a perfectionist in its disciplines, austerities, while the second is certainly full of great scholars. But ….we always top in humbleness...!”

Moral of the Storey ….

Friends, can you see the contradiction? This can be termed as ‘Spiritual Ego’.

In fact, ego can exploit any direction of life …it can be financial, political, beauty or it can be physical strength. Ego is capable of exploiting anything. However, ‘Spiritual Ego’ should be simply impossible because spirituality can arise only when the ego dissolves. Either one is egoist or one is in the world of the spirit. One can’t be both together.

We often see people not only competing over their wealth, palaces, cars, etc. but even regarding the greatness of their Gurus. Friends, one should always remember that, Spirituality and Ego cannot have any co-existence.

Have a Blissful Day Friends!

Life is Beautiful!

Once a young man came to a revered teacher, who was seated under a tree near a beautiful lake, and asked for the solution for his unhappiness. After some minutes, the old master kindly instructed the visitor to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink a few mouthfuls.

"How does it taste?" the teacher asked. "Awful," said the apprentice after he had spat out the revolting liquid a few paces away.

The teacher chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the youngster swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man told him, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked him again, "How does it taste?"

"Good!" he replied.

"Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master.

"No," said the young man.

The Master sat besides the troubled youth, took his hands, and said, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. But the level of 'pain we taste' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake!”

Moral of the Story ….

Friends, can we all become a lake where we are able to broaden our outlook, so that, we stop looking only at ourselves and our own miseries. We should learn to look at life as a whole and also at many things without which we would not be what we are today ….our friends, family, colleagues, the nature around and much, much more.

When we are confronted with a problem, generally we tend to see only the problem and keep on ruminating over it endlessly which makes the situation only more tragic. We should learn to focus on better things, better situations in life. We should learn to look at all the blessings that God has filled our lives with, but we had never given a thought about them earlier…and life would be simply a paradise….!

Friends, Life is indeed sweet, beautiful, only we need to learn to expand and become a lake!

Monday Motivator # 01

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.

He asked his teacher, "Why most people's mind is restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said, "I will tell you a story."

An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. 

The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more.

This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"

The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

The elephant stopped eating and said, "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."

Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said, "I understand! The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind and the senses."

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "Any occurrence requiring undivided attention will be accompanied by a compelling distraction. The mind is powerful but restless; restless senses forcibly carry it away. Trying to control/restrain it is difficult but can be trained by practice of attention. By giving full attention to one thing at a time (to your intense noble interest, passion or curiosity), we can learn to direct our attention where we choose. And whatever we put our FULL attention to, will grow stronger in our life."

A person's accomplishments in life are the cumulative effect of her/his attention and corresponding efforts. One principle reason why people so often found themselves not so useful is that they divide and shift their attention among a multiplicity of trivial objects and pursuits. Life is denied by lack of attention and one learns something every day if she / he pays full attention to become more productive/useful. The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, magnificent world in itself inviting for infinite learning. There is no substitute to single-minded attention. To the mind that has attention at its fullest is Still to which the whole universe surrenders. Every moment deserves your full attention, for it will not pass your way again.  

Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.
- Greg Anderson

Through patience and repeated effort, the mind will become still in the Self. Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than Knowledge is meditation (i.e. to train, calm, or empty the mind by focusing on
a single object). But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace.
- Bhagavad Gita

From an email

I am Responsible!

Essence of Life ….

“…I am responsible for my life, for all my suffering, for my pain, for all that has happened to me and is happening to me …. I have chosen it this way. These are the seeds that I sowed and now I am reaping the crop …I am responsible for everything that is happening in my life!” … Once this insight settles in you and becomes a natural understanding in you, then everything else becomes simple in life. Then life starts taking a new turn, starts moving into a new dimension. That dimension is conversion, revolution, mutation, transformation… because once you know you are responsible, you also know that you can drop it any moment when you decide to do so. Nobody can prevent you from dropping it…!”  - By OSHO

Have a Wonderful Day Friends!