A story from Zen Buddhism

A story from Zen Buddhism

There was a robber who amassed a lot of ill-gotten wealth. One day, he went to a teacher who had great reputation of great character and asked, ``How can I obtain happiness? I have lots of wealth and five hundred thieves ready to obey me but somehow I still feel incomplete and empty.''

The teacher led him to the base of a hill, and pointing to three large stones, asked the robber to carry them and follow him up the hill. The robber could hardly move and said, ``I cannot follow you with this heavy burden.' So the teacher asked the robber to drop one stone. After going a little distance, the robber found it impossible to go up the hill with two heavy stones. The teacher asked him to drop one more and the same thing happened with the third one and the robber was able to easily follow the teacher to the top of the hill. The teacher said, ``Deviating from the path of righteousness does cause a heavy conscience. Just as you could not climb the hill with the burden of heavy stones, you cannot achieve happiness if you go through life carrying a heavy conscience.''

Think. Whenever we go against our values, our conscience gets burdened. Stress level goes up. Insecurity comes in. ignoring conscience long enough kills it eventually making it like dead weight like the rocks in the story. Life becomes a burden.

What goes around comes around...

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. 

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry. 

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fears can put in you. 

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.' 

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. 

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid. 

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk.. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. 

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.' 

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, and disappear in into the twilight. 

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home.. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan . 

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back.. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. 

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.' 

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills. 

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.... 

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.' 

There is an old saying 'What goes around comes around.' 

Pass it on if you can. 

Let this light shine. 

Promise Yourself.......

Tribute to Dr. Kurien

Lessons of Life

I feared being alone,
Until I learned to like Myself.

I feared failure,
Until I realized that I only Fail when I don't try .

I feared success,
Until I realized That I had to try In order to be happy With myself. 

I feared people's opinions,
Until I learned that People would have opinions About me anyway.  

I feared rejection,
Until I learned to Have faith in myself. 

I feared pain,
Until I learned that it's necessary For growth.

I feared the truth,
Until I saw the Ugliness in lies. 

I feared life,
Until I experienced Its beauty. 

I feared death,
Until I realized that it's Not an end, but a beginning .

I feared my destiny, 
Until I realized that I had the power to change My life. 

I feared hate,
Until I saw that it was nothing more than Ignorance. 

I feared love,
Until it touched my heart, making the darkness fade into endless sunny days. 

I feared ridicule,
Until I learned how to laugh at myself.

I feared growing old,
Until I realized that I gained wisdom every day. 

I feared the future,
Until I realized that Life just kept getting Better.

I feared the past,
Until I realized that It could no longer hurt me.

I feared the dark,
Until I saw the beauty of the starlight. 

I feared the light,

Until I learned that the Truth would give me Strength.  

I feared change, 

Until I saw that even the most beautiful butterfly had to undergo a metamorphosis before it could fly .

19 Horses - A Story

One rich man owned 19 horses when he died. In his last will and testament he had written that upon his death, half the horses he owned should go to his only son; one fourth to the village temple and one fifth to the faithful servant. The village elders could not stop scratching their heads. How can they give half of the 19 horses to the son? You cannot cut up a horse. They puzzled over this dilemma for more than two weeks and then decided to send for a wise man who was living in a neighbouring village.

The wise man came riding on his horse and asked the villagers if he can be of any help to them. The village elders told him about the rich man's last will and testament which stated that half of the (19) horses must be given to his only son, one fourth must go to the temple and one fifth to the faithful servant.

The wise man said he will immediately solve their problem without any delay whatsoever. He had the 19 horses placed in a row standing next to one another. Then he added his own horse as the 20th horse. Now he went about giving half of the 20 horses that is ten horses to the son. One fourth of 20- that is 5 horses were given to the temple committee. One fifth of twenty- that is 4 horses were given to the faithful servant. 10+5+4 made 19 horses. The remaining 20th horse was his own which he promptly mounted, spoke a few inspiring words, and rode back home.

The villagers were simply dumfounded, full of disbelief and filled with admiration. And the parting words of the wise man were inscribed in their hearts and minds which they greatly cherished and passed on to their succeeding generations till today.

The wise man said: In our daily lives, in our daily affairs, simply add God's name and then go about facing the day's happenings. Ever come across problems in life that are seemingly insurmountable? (Like the villagers, do we feel that such problems cannot be solved?).

The wise man continued: Add the God Principle in our daily lives and the problems will become lighter and eventually will disappear. In the manner of the ice which, with the addition of the heat principle will turn into water, and that will eventually evaporate as steam and disappear. And how do we add God's name in our daily lives? Through prayers, filled with true love and devotion with sincerity of purpose and dedication that only total faith can bring about. Meditation is a powerful means of directing the mind Godward.

But without true love and devotion entering into it, it remains like a boat without water. It is not difficult to push a boat that is floating in water, but extremely hard to drag the same boat on dry land.

In the same way, if our life's boat floats on the waters of true love and devotion, we can sail easily in it. The principle of love of God and devotion with total faith, (like water) makes easy the voyage of our lives. When the mind is pure and the heart full of simplicity and holiness, such a devotee becomes an instrument in the service of the Lord.

THINK BIG AND BECOME BIG

There is a parable about a poor man walking through the woods reflecting upon his many troubles. He stopped to rest against a tree, a magical tree that would instantly grant the wishes of anyone who came in contact with it. He realized he was thirsty and wished for a drink. Instantly a cup of cool water was in his hand. Shocked, he looked at the water, he decided it was safe and drank it. He then realized he was hungry and wished he had something to eat. A meal appeared before him. "My wishes are being granted," he thought in disbelief. "Well, then I wish for a beautiful home of my own," he said out loud. The home appeared in the meadow before him. A huge smile crossed his face as he wished for servants to take care of the house. When they appeared he realized he had somehow been blessed with an incredible power and he wished for a beautiful, loving, intelligent woman to share his good fortune. "Wait a minute, this is ridiculous," said the man to the woman. "I'm not this lucky. This can't happen to me." As he spoke...everything disappeared. He shook his head and said, "I knew it," then walked away thinking about his many troubles.

So "WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU BECOME" is the baseline of this story.

THINK BIG AND BECOME BIG