The Spider Thread

                                     

                                            

The Buddha was in a lotus-filled garden when he perceived a man named “Kandata” who was squirming in the depths of Hell. He had been a murderer, an arsonist, and thief. A lifetime of these causes had put him in hell. He was in the company of others like him.

                                      

The Buddha looked further into Kandata’s life and saw an incident where Kandata came upon a spider. He raised his foot to stomp on it. Suddenly, he reconsidered, thinking, "There is no doubt that this spider is also a living being and it is a shame to take its life for no reason."

              

In the end he spared the spider.

Knowing this, the Buddha took a spider thread and lowered it to into depths of Hell with the intention of saving Kandata.

Kandata reached for the thread and found it strong enough to hold his weight. Using all his strength he began lifting himself from Hell.

After some progress, he looked down and saw hundreds of others behind him climbing on the same spider thread.

He shouted back at them: “Get off! This is mine!” Just then, the thread broke and Kandata fell back into Hell.

- - - - - - -

Contemplation: Could it be that compassion, like prayer, is not a one time deal….

Robert Mann

Original story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Shared by Mrs. Komal Narang

Irena Sendler. Saving Lives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_SendlerAdd caption
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/sendler.asp



Shared by @alchemist

Ubuntu. I am because We are.

                      

An Anthropologist proposed one game to the kids of African tribal children.

He placed a basket of fruits near a tree.

And made them stand 100 mtrs away.

And announced that whoever reaches1st would get all the fruits in the basket.

When he said ready steady go..

Do you know what these small children did?

They all caught each other's hands and ran towards the tree together,
divided the fruits among them and ate the fruits and enjoyed it.

When the Anthropologist asked them why u did so?

They said 'Ubuntu'

meant
'How can 1 be happy when all the others are Sad'?

Ubuntu in their language means

 'I AM BCOZ,  WE ARE!'

let's all of us carry this attitude and spread happiness.  Have a pleasant day ahead!

                            

From a message shared by Sonali Lokhandwala. 

The Tree Test

A must read by Tyler Perry

I have this tree analogy when I think of people in my life, be it friends, family, acquaintances, employees, co-workers, whomever...They  are all placed inside what I call my tree test. It goes like this:

                                          

LEAF PEOPLE

Some people come into your life and they are like leaves on a tree. They are only there for a season. You can't depend on them or count on them because they are weak and only there to give you shade. Like leaves, they are there to take what they need and as soon as it gets cold or a wind blows in your life they are gone. You can't be angry at them, it's just who they are.

BRANCH PEOPLE

There are some people who come into your life and they are like branches on a tree. They are stronger than leaves, but you have to be careful with them. They will stick around through most seasons, but if you go through a storm or two in your life it's possible that you could lose them. Most times they break away when it's tough. Although they are stronger than leaves, you have to test them out before you run out there and put all your weight on them. In most cases they can't handle too much weight. But again, you can't be mad with them, it's just who they are.

ROOT PEOPLE

If you can find some people in your life who are like the roots of a tree then you have found something special. Like the roots of a tree, they are hard to find because they are not trying to be seen. Their only job is to hold you up and help you live a strong and healthy life. If you thrive, they are happy. They stay low key and don't let the world know that they are there. And if you go through an awful storm they will hold you up. Their job is to hold you up, come what may, and to nourish you, feed you and water you.

Just as a tree has many limbs and many leaves, there are few roots. Look at your own life. How many leaves, branches and roots do you have? What are you in other people's lives?

THANK GOD FOR THE ROOTS!

~ I fall, I rise. I make mistakes. I live, I learn. I've been hurt, but I'm alive. I'm human, I am not perfect, but I'm thankful. ~

Tyler Perry

Shared by Simmi Kapoor