A Lesson in Patience.

One day,the Buddha asked one of his disciples to get water for him to drink,from a pool nearby.When the disciple reached the pool he found that it's waters had been muddied by an elephant that had waded through.He was going to another source of water,when the Buddha called him back. The disciple explained that the water in the pool was muddy and that he was going to a stream further up.
      'No need,'commanded the Buddha.'The water from the pool will do'.The disciple went back to the pool and found that the mud had settled down and the water was now clear and sparkling.
       "Never do anything in haste,"advised the Buddha,when the disciple handed him the water."When you encounter turbulence, wait for things to settle down, like the mud in the pool.Cultivate Patience."

Interview with God.-----Unknown

"Come in,"God said."So,you would like to interview Me?"  "If you have the time,"I said. God smiled and said,"My time is eternity and is enough to do everything;What questions do you have in mind to ask me? "What surprises you most about mankind?God answered, That they get bored of being children,are in a rush to grow up,and then long to be children again.That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health;That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present,such that they live neither for the present nor the future;That they live as if they will never die,and they die as if they had never lived."           

                                                           

God's hands took mine and we were silent for a while and then i asked,As a parent,what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?"God replied with a smile. ---To learn that they cannot make anyone love them.What they can do is to let themselves be loved.....To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives......To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.All will be judged individually on their own merits,not as a group on a comparison basis......To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most,but is one who needs the least......To learn that it takes only a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love,and that it takes many years to heal them.......To learn to forgive by practising forgiveness....To learn that money can buy everything but happiness......To learn that there are persons who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings....To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different........To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them,and likes them anyway......To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others,but that they have to forgive themselves."                                                                                                                

I sat there for a while enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for His time and for all that He has done for my family.He replied,Anytime.I'm here24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me,and I'll answer.  

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO PRAY FOR -KARMAYOGI

On most occasions we know what exactly we want and what we wish to pray for. Occasionally we are in situations where this faculty deserts us. Spiritually ,it is a fine moment,as the meddling mind is rendered powerless to interfere,leaving the entire field free for the Spirit to act.The Divine Mother,who answers the invisible calls all the time,sometimes even stopping HER work,says that when man is in utter despair it is the best moment for him to call Her,as she can act readily and without the fetters of human interference. At these moments,devotees say,My prayers are usually answered,but somehow,this time they are not only answered at once but the results are abundant,"not knowing the freedom they chose to give the incoming Spirit.A lady govt. employee was approached by a co-worker for a loan of Rs5000.she explained that she had to return20,000 to another person but was short by 5000.This lady was quite willing to lend it, but she had no ready cash. She had no heart to refuse.She asked her friend to give her some time.                  

                                                                                                             

Having come home, the problem was not so simple as at the time of asking.Now several issues crowded in her mind so that she declared to herself 'I do not know what to pray for."Her mind went blank. She could not concentrate,but the issue did not constitute a weight on her mind anymore. Later in the day, the friend who needed the money approached her with a beaming face to say," I had a call from Karur Vyasa Bank to which i has applied for a loan of Rs 50,000. The loan was sanctioned."The devotee felt a complete relief on more than one account but never understood that her own perplexity had removed her mind's interference, enabling the Spirit to act largely on the whole of the issue.          

Note: many a times i too have faced such situations but by Gods grace or some higher power i was bailed out. 

The Saint and the Scorpion- Swami Chidananda(Discourse)

One day a sadhu went to the river to bathe.There he noticed a scorpion struggling in the water. Scorpions cannot swim and the sadhu knew that if he did not save the scorpion ,it would drown. Therefore,carefully picking up the scorpion,the monk rescued it from drowning and was just about to set it down gently on land when the scorpion stung his finger. In pain,the sadhu instinctively flung his hand and the scorpion went flying ,back into the river.as soon as the sadhu regained his composure ,he again lifted the scorpion out of the water.again the creature stung him. This drama went on for several minutes.A hunter was witness to all this.Finally, the hunter said to the sadhu,' Forgive me for my frankness,but it is clear that the scorpion is going to sting you ,each time you carry it to safety.Why don't you give up and just let it drown?'. The sadhu replied,"My dear child, the scorpion is not stinging me out of malice or evil intent.Just as it is the water's nature to make me wet,so it is the scorpion's nature to sting. He doesn't realise that i am carrying it to safety.That is a level of conscious comprehension greater than what his brain can achieve. But, just as it is the scorpion's nature to sting,so it is my nature to save. Just as he is not leaving his nature, why should i leave my nature?My dharma is to help any creature-human or animal. why should i let a small scorpion rob me of the divine nature which i have cultivated through years of sadhana?.'        

                                                      

In our lives we encounter people who harm us, plot against us,whose actions seem calculated to thwart the successful achievements of our goals. Sometimes these are obvious acts,such as a co-worker who continually steals our ideas or speaks badly of us to our boss.Sometimes these acts are subtle-betrayal or speaking negatively behind our back. Slowly we find our actions words and thoughts become driven by anger and pain.We find ourselves engaged in cunning thoughts of revenge. before we realise it, we are injuring ourselves by allowing negative emotions dominate us.They insulted us or plotted against us.But we injure ourselves gravely and deeply by allowing our hearts and minds to darken.                                                                                                                                                            

Our dharma is to be kind,pure,honest,caring,giving and sharing.Others due to ignorance,lack of understanding or due to the way in which their own karmic drama is un folding,may act with malice,deceit, selfishness and indifference.But we must not allow ourselves to be lowered by their ignorance,their habits or their greed. THE DARKNESS IN THEIR HEART SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PENETRATE INTO THE LIGHTNESS OF OUR HEARTS.         

A mothers special gift's - a short story by Amala Emmanuel

Autumn was slowly slipping into England enveloped in mist. Cold winds were blowing and the leaves were turning into autumn shades of yellow, orange, brown and rust. The hedgehogs and other winter sleepers were getting ready to hibernate. The resident birds braved the cold winds and chirped around. The swallows were collecting on the roof tops and telegraph posts to set off on their long journey to warmer lands. But there was sadness in one little swallow's family, because the smallest one had a broken wing, when he was attacked by the Tom-cat who was a bully in the neighbourhood. The mother swallow soothed the wounds with the warmth of her body, but the wing was permanently damaged. 

The mother was torn between staying with her baby and following the bird instinct of migration, but she knew she had to go. So she made a special soft lining for the nest and set it up in a safe place where it was easy to find food. "I shall leave you now darling, "she said." when you are hungry, slip into the wood-land and pick something to eat. There are plenty of autumn berries around. 

The baby bird was sad at parting but she pressed her face against her mother's warm chest and closed her eyes for that last bit of comfort. The mother then joined the flock as they set off to warm Africa. Their flight was long and dangerous, but they seemed to know which way to steer their path. Dark clouds were looming and winds were howling. The mother's heart was too heavy and she found it difficult to carry on. So she landed on the mast of a big ship in mid sea. The fierce wind seemed not to care as it charged across the seas, but stopped as it reached the bird, who was crying as any mother would when she is unable to help her baby." You seem upset Mrs. Bird, can I help you?" "How kind you are Mr. Wind. I thought that you are wild and merciless! Would you really help?"......Far away in the heart of a wood in England lives my baby with a broken wing. It must now be winter there where everything is cold and frozen. I don't know if my baby keeps warm or gets clear water to drink. My heart cries all the time and my tears are just shed into the sea. I'm torn between my migrating Bird instinct and my Mother instinct of worrying about my baby.

“I'll help you Mrs. Bird, I'm on my way to the British Isles. I'll stop at your baby's nest and carry your precious tears to her and tell her that you care." "Oh thank you, Mr. Wind. take my tears and bathe her wounds and strengthen her weak body. Take my feathers so that she will feel warm and close to me by the scent. Tell her I’ll be back soon but do warn her about that Big Bully Alley Cat who prowls at dusk. Most of all, tell my baby I love her."     

So the wind which was calm and gentle till then began to rush fiercely, laden with a Mother's tears and her feathers of love. He raced across seas and oceans towards a wooded forest in the heart of England. He had a mission to fulfill. He stopped as he reached the great old oak tree. The baby bird began to hide, afraid of the North wind. But when he got calm and conveyed the feathers, the baby knew that it was a friendly wind. She snuggled under the feathers with the familiar scent of the mother and kissed them. The warm teardrops which trickled into her beak, were a balm to her sad, cold body. Mr. Wind gave her the important message. "Tell my baby I   Love her." The little lame bird felt new life passing into her body. She was refreshed and warmed with the precious gifts, a mother's tears, a mothers prayer and a mother's love. She closed her eyes and for the first time since her mother left, dozed off to sleep peacefully, with the knowledge that her mother's spirit was always with her.

A father writes

A fresh academic year is round the corner.And this is the time when parents will begin their annual ritual of going to schools,colleges and polytechnics seeking admissions for their wards.It would be appropriate to reproduce here, a letter written by the late US President,Abraham Lincoln,to the headmaster of the school where his son studies.The letter speaks for all parents anywhere and gives expression to their aspirations for what they want the heads of teaching institutions to make of their sons and daughters.

THE LETTER :

'He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, and all men are not true.But teach him also that for every scoundrel,there is a hero;that for every selfish politician,there is a dedicated leader.Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend.It will take time,I know,but teach him if you can that a dollar earned is of far more value than five found.

Teach him to learn to lose and also to enjoy winning.Steer him away from envy.If you can,teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick.Teach him,if you can,the wonder of books,but also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mysteries of birds in the sky,bees in the sun and flowers on a green hillside.In school,teach him it is far more honourable to fail than to cheat.Teach him to have faith in his own ideas even if they are wrong.

Teach him to be gentle with gentle people.To be tough with the tough.Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting in the bandwagon..teach him to listen to all men..but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him,if you can how to laugh when he is sad..teach him there is no shame in tears,teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness...teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders,but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul.Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob.. and to stand and fight if he thinks he is right.

Treat him gently,but do not cuddle him,because only the test of fire makes fine steel.Let him have the courage to be impatient..let him have the patience to be brave.Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself,because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind.This is a big order,but see what you can do..He is such a fine little fellow,my son."