Every Minute Zen

Zen students are with their masters at least ten years before they presume to teach others. Nan-in was visited by Tenno, who, having passed his apprenticeship, had become a teacher. 
The day happened to be rainy, so Tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella. 
After greeting him Nan-in remarked: "I suppose you left your wooden clogs in the vestibule. I want to know if your umbrella is on the right or left side of the clogs." Tenno, confused, had no instant answer. He realized that he was unable to carry his Zen every minute. He became Nan-in's pupil, and he studied six more years to accomplish his every-minute Zen.

Interesting....Educative...Awesome....

Today I have decided to share with you some videos.
We watch these kind of videos on social media aplenty. But these small videos at one place will certainly entertain.

Do Watch and Let me know what you liked.

Do It Easy Way.....

Difficult Really .....

What a Sensitivity..... The child has lost his mother and some other lady is singing the song sung by his mother......

This really exemplifies the human spirit that fights adversity and fury of Nature.....

And for your love of Mathematics .......

Let Go

Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river. 
The current of the river swept silently over them all -- young and old, rich and poor, compassionate and cruel -- the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.
Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.
But one creature said at last, "I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom." 
The other creatures laughed and said, "Fool! Let go, and that current will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!" 
But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.
And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, "See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the Messiah, come to save us all!"
And the one carried in the current said, "I am no more Messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure." 
But they cried the more, "Savior!" all the while clinging to the rocks, and when they looked again he was gone, and they were left alone, and began making legends of a Savior. 

Clarify the Mind

Zen master Tetsuo was so famous for his brush painting that many people came to him just to study art.
He always used to tell prospective students, "You must remember the saying, 'If you want to avoid depending on society, don't let criticism and praise disturb your heart.' 
When you can cultivate your art without leaving any mundanity at all in your chest, then mind and technique will naturally mature, and you will eventually be able to arrive at the subtleties. This is the way out of darkness into light."

Once a distinguished Confucian scholar and statesman came to visit Tetsuo. Observing the Zen master executing a painting, the scholar noted that every move of the master's arm and brush was in conformity with classical principals of calligraphy. 
When he remarked upon this, the Zen master explained, "In terms of correctness of mind, calligraphy and painting are one. When I make a painting, if so much as one cane of bamboo or one leaf on a tree is even slightly off from the way the stroke should be, I tear the whole thing up and throw it away, then put aside my brush, sit quietly, and clarify mind. 

Glass and Lake

An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, he sent him for some salt.
When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.
 "How does it taste?" the master asked.
 "Bitter," spit the apprentice.
 The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. 
The two walked in silence to the nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake." 

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "How does it taste?"
 "Much fresher," remarked the apprentice.
 "Do you taste the salt?" asked the master.
 "No," said the young man. 
At this, the master sat beside the young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering, "The pain of life is pure salt, no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. 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." 

Invitation

Wealthy patrons invited Ikkyu to a banquet. Ikkyu arrived dressed in his beggar's robes. 
The host, not recognizing him, chased him away. 
Ikkyu went home, changed into his ceremonial robe of purple brocade, and returned. 
With great respect, he was received into the banquet room. 
There, he put his robe on the cushion, saying, "Evidently you invited the robe since you showed me away a little while ago," and left. 

What is Work ?

I read a book recently titled ' Great Ideas That will Keep You Stress-Free & Relaxed at Work' by Pratik P.Surana. A little longish title indeed.

He writes 5 Biggest Myths about Work :
Myth 1) Work leads to retirement
Myth 2) Do work you are Good at
Myth 3) Work is not something to be Enjoyed
Myth 4) Work is for only making Money
Myth 5) A resume is necessary and sufficient

Do you find any statement as a statement of fact rather than a myth? If yes, his advice : It is time to change what you are doing. 

He writes about these as myths. But what are your personal experiences vis-a-vis these statements? 

"O-nami,You are those Waves"

In the early days of the Meiji era there lived a well-known wrestler called O-nami, Great Waves.
O-nami was immensely strong and knew the art of wrestling. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public he was so bashful that his own pupils threw him.
O-nami felt he should go to a Zen master for help. Hakuju, a wandering teacher, was stopping in a little temple nearby, so O-nami went to see him and told him of his trouble. 
"Great Waves is your name," the teacher advised, "so stay in this temple tonight, Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing in all their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land." 
The teacher retired. O-nami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradually he turned more and more to the feeling of the waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea.
In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. He patted the wrestler's shoulder. "Now nothing can disturb you," he said. "You are those waves. You will sweep everything before you." 
The same day O-nami entered the wrestling contests and won. After that, no one in Japan was able to defeat him. 

Step Back

"You should step back and investigate. 
How do you step back? It is not a matter of sitting there ignoring everything, stiffly repressing the body and mind so that they are like earth and wood---that will never do any good. 
When you want to step back, if there are any sayings you do not understand, or stories you do not comprehend, they are then right before you. Step back and see for yourself why you do not understand." 

Nine Powerful Bruce Lee Quotes

Bruce Lee was a martial artist, film director, producer, screenwriter, philosopher and actor. Bruce Lee is widely considered to be one of the most influential martial artists of the last century. Up to this day he is considered as a legend and his philosophy continues to live through the martial art that he created Jeet Kune Do and through his writing.
I am sharing those quotes that I like.

What a Waste !!

A Zen master named Gisan asked a young student to bring him a pail of water to cool his bath. 
The student brought the water and, after cooling the bath, threw on to the ground the little that was left over. 
"You dunce!" the master scolded him. "Why didn't you give the rest of the water to the plants? What right have you to waste even one drop of water in this temple?" 
The young student attained Zen in that instant. He changed his name to Tekisui, which means a drop of water. 

Do you have the Power...?

A Chinese emperor known for his foul temper entered the bedroom of his soon-to-be-bride, who was one of the most beautiful women in all of China. She was being made to marry him against her will, as her parents were forcing her into it.
Little did the emperor know however that she had also been taught by wise sages as a child. She sat expressionless, staring at the wall.
"Hello, pretty," he said to her, but she didn't respond.
"I said hello to you, and you will respond when I address you, do you understand me??" he snarled. But still, she didn't reply.
Most people would have answered him by now, so despite himself he grew curious, and gruffly asked, "What is it you are thinking?"
Finally she answered him.
"Two things. One, that I do not wish to marry you because you are so callous
and mean-spirited. And the other thing, is that I was wondering if you have it within your power to have a certain something changed.
" "What?!" the emperor exclaimed with outrage. "You bitch! How dare you question my authority! ... But ... I admit I'm curious. Since I have it within my power to snap my fingers and whatever I command within my kingdom will be obeyed, what is it you are wondering if I could change?"
"Your attitude," she replied. And with that she got up and walked out of the room, leaving him in stunned silence

Warren Buffett's son preaches values as wealth

Probably only a few know that Warren Buffet has a son!!!! Well, I came to know only recently.............

Here is a write up from Reuters about a book written by Son of Warren Buffet :

Warren Buffett's son preaches values as wealth: Source : Reuters


The son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett has an old-world spiritual message for today's money-rich parents: teach your children values and do not give them everything they want.
Musician and now author Peter Buffett preaches the message in his new book "Life is What You Make it: Finding Your Own Path to Fulfillment". Recently released in the United States, it describes how he wound up a "normal, happy" person instead of a spoiled child to one of the world's richest people.
Buffett, 52, teaches the rewards of self-respect and pursuing one's own passions and accomplishments rather than buying into society's concepts of material wealth.
"I am my own person and I know what I have accomplished in my life," he said. "This isn't about wealth or fame or money or any of that stuff, it is actually about values and what you enjoy and finding something you love doing."
People who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth can fall victim to what Buffett said his father has called a "silver dagger in your back," which leads to a sense of entitlement and a lack of personal achievement.
"Entitlement is the worst thing ever and I see entitlement coming in many guises," he said. "Anybody who acts like they deserve something 'just because,', is a disaster."
But Buffett wasn't always this wise. His own family gave him USD 90,000 in stock when he was 19, a small sum from such immense financial wealth. After studying at Stanford University, he moved to San Francisco and lived in a studio apartment with just enough room for his musical instruments.
"I was really searching," he said, adding that he began his musical career by working for free writing music for a local television station.
"I was kind of lost, but trying to find myself. It was definitely this strange period where I didn't really know where I was going," he said.

LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE

As well his musical passions, the values taught to him growing up and a sense of a bigger picture in life stayed with him during those trying times, he said.
"I was not only not handed everything as a kid, I was shown that there are lots of other people out there with very different circumstances," he said.
Although many people he encounters assume that his father wanted him to go into finance, he said his father accepted his choice to become a musician beginning with commercials then his own albums and composing for television shows and films.
"It was encouraged for a moment when I was open to the idea," he said about pursuing finance. But he added that as he grew older, it became clear the financial world "was not speaking to my heart."
Along with the book, Buffett has embarked on a "Concert & Conversation" tour in which he plays the piano, talks about his life and warns against consumerist culture and damaging the environment.
He said he eventually inherited more money after his mother died in 2004, but by then he had learned his lessons. Now he works on giving back to the world -- another of his life philosophies -- which includes through working for his father's NoVo charitable foundation.
"Economic prosperity may come and go; that's just how it is," he writes in the book. "But values are the steady currency that earn us the all-important rewards."

A Dialogue With God in Prayer

(God's words are in blue:)

My Dear Father in Heaven. 

Yes? 

Don't interrupt me. I'm praying. 

But you called Me. 

Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying... My Dear Father in Heaven... 

There, you did it again. 

Did what? 

Called me. You said, "My Dear Father in Heaven." Here I am. What's on your mind.? 

But I didn't mean anything by it. I was just, You know, saying my prayers for the night. I always say my prayers. It makes me feel good, kind of like getting my duty done. 

Oh. All Right. Go on. 

I'm thankful for my many blessings... 

Hold it. How thankful? 

What? 

How thankful are you for your "Many blessings?" 

I'm... well... I don't know. How should I know? It's just part of the prayer. Everyone always said that I should express my thanks. 

Oh well. You're welcome. Go ahead... 

Go ahead? What go ahead?? 

With the prayer, son! 

Oh yeah. Let's see... bless the poor and the sick and the needy and the afflicted... 

Do you really mean that? 

Well, sure I mean it. 

What are you doing about it? 

Doing? Who, me? Nothing. I guess. I just think that it would be kind of nice if You got control of things down here like You have up there, so people don't have to suffer so. 

Have I got control of you? 

Well I go to church, I pay my tithing, I don't... 

That isn't what I asked you. What about your temper? You have a problem there, and your friends and family suffer. And then there's the way you spend your money... all on yourself. And how about the kinds of books you read? 

Stop picking on me. I'm just as good as some of the rest of those I see every Sunday at church. 

Excuse Me. I thought you were praying for me to bless the needy. If that is to happen, I'll have to have help from the ones who are praying for it... like you. 

All right. I guess that I have a few hangups, now that You mention it. I could probably mention some others. 

So could I.

Look, Father. I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than usual. Bless the missionaries to be led to the doors of the honest in heart. 

You mean people like Ralph? 

Ralph? 

Yes, the guy around the corner. 

That Ralph... but he smokes and drinks and never goes to church.

Have you ever looked in his heart lately? 

Of course not. How can...??? 

I have. I looked. And it's one of those honest hearts your were just praying about. 

O.K. then, get the missionaries over there. Do you think I like having a non-member for a neighbor? 

Aren't you supposed to be a missionary? I thought I made that pretty clear. 

Hey, wait a minute. What is this? Criticize "me" day? Here I am, doing my duty, keeping your commandments to pray. And all of a sudden you break in and start reminding me of all my problems. 

Well, you called Me. And here I am. Keep on praying. I'm interested in this next part. You haven't changed the order around have you? ... Go on... 

I don't want to go on .... 

Why not? 

I know what You'll say. 

Try Me and see. 

Please forgive me of all my sins... and help me to forgive others.

What about Bill? 

See. I knew it. I knew you'd bring him up. Listen Lord, he told lies about me, and I got fired. All my co-workers think I'm a first class creep, and I didn't do anything. I'm going to get even with him! 

But your prayers. What about your prayers?About forgiveness!!! 

I didn't mean it. 

Well, at least you're honest. I guess you enjoy carrying that load of bitterness around, don't you?

No, I don't. But I'll feel better as soon as I get even. 

Do you want to know a secret? 

What secret? 

You won't feel better. You'll feel worse. Listen to me. You forgive Bill and I'll forgive you. 

But Lord, I can't forgive Bill. 

Then I cannot forgive you. 

No matter what? 

No matter what. But you're not through with your prayer yet. Go on. 

Oh all right... please help me to control my feelings and not yield to temptations. 

Good. Good. I'll do just that. But you stop putting yourself in all those places where you can be tempted. 

What do you mean by that? 

Quit hanging around the magazine racks and spending so much time in front of the tube. Some of that stuff is going to get to you sooner or later. You'll find yourself involved in some terrible things before long... and don't use me for an escape hatch either. 

An escape hatch? I don't understand. 

Sure you do. You've done it lots of times -- you find yourself in a crisis situation, then you come running to me. "Lord, help me out of this mess and I promise I'll never do it again." It's amazing how the quality and intensity of your prayers improve when you are in trouble. Do you remember some of those bargains you tried to make with me? 

Well I don't think... Oh... yeah... like the time Mom's visiting teacher saw me coming out of that movie about... Oh brother... 

Do you remember your prayer. You may not but I do. "Oh God. Don't let her tell my mother where I've been. I promise I'll go to nothing but "G" rated movies from now on. She didn't tell your mother, but you didn't keep your promise. Did you? 

No Lord, I didn't. I'm sorry. 

So am I. Go ahead and finish your prayer. 

Wait a minute. I want to ask you a question. Do you always listen to my prayers? 

Every word. Every time. 

Then how come you never talked back to me before? 

How many chances have you given me? There's not enough time between your "Amens" and your head hitting the pillow for me to draw a breath. How am I supposed to give an answer? 

You could, if you really wanted to. 

No. I could if you really wanted Me to. Child, I always want to. 

Father, I am sorry. Will you forgive me? 

I already have. And thanks for letting me interrupt. I get lonely to talk to you sometimes. Good night. I love you son. 

Good night, and I love You too father. 

(Author : Unknown)

Thinking Out of Box

Many hundreds of years ago in a small town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant’s beautiful daughter so he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the merchant’s debt if he could marry the daughter. Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. 

The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag.If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender’s wife and her father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail. They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the merchant’s garden. 

As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick her pebble from the bag.

What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? 
Careful analysis would produce three possibilities: 
1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble. 
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a cheat. 
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment. 

The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. 

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. “Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an advantageous one. 

MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution, sometimes we have to think about them in a different way.

Wish

Many centuries ago, there was an old Native American who was called Dancing Bear, who belonged to a tribe now known as the Sioux. He had lived a life with much enjoyment of the little things, and as the years passed he began to feel pulled to go to a tall mountain that his tribe would pass by in their travels once a year. He found himself wondering what it would be like to climb to the top of that snow-capped mountain, and to be so very close to the golden sun, the vast sky and the moon. And so the next time his tribe traveled by the mountain, he told his family that he was going on a vision quest. 
When asked if they would be physically seeing him again, he said probably not -- that he felt ready to enter the spirit world, and they were accepting and respectful of it. And so he left on a cloudless morning when the sun had just peeked over the horizon, enjoying the solitude and the beauty of nature all around him. Sometimes he chanted softly, or said a prayer, or stopped to look at something.
That evening he came to the base of the mountain where he found a cluster of tall oak trees, and he sat below one as the stars shimmered overhead... and after enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of nighttime for a while, he quickly went to sleep. He dreamed of the sun and the moon becoming one. The next morning as the sun bathed him he started the arduous journey uphill, feeling the air get cooler and cooler, and was glad that he had wore his furs. Then he reached where the snow began, and the wind became extremely chilly. Though he began feeling very tired he was determined to reach the top, and so on and on he went. Finally he walked up a knee-deep snow-drift that was near the crest, when he stumbled, and rolled down the steep slope for quite some distance. When he finally reached the bottom where the slope evened off his body ached, he had snow down his furs, and could no longer feel his fingers or feet due to the numbing cold.
As he sat there catching his breath he watched two large wolves emerge from a nearby group of trees and cautiously approach him.

 His heart leaped and his instincts screamed at him to run, but instead he laughed and said, "So are you two the ones who are to deliver me to the spirit world? I am ready." And as he smiled and laughed the wolves sensed his lack of fear, and the friendly sound in his voice, and though they were very hungry and didn't completely understand why, they sensed that he was a friend. And so they walked close to him sniffing and then rubbed up against him, letting him pet their fur that had never before been petted by human hands. And again he laughed, as the sun overhead grew brighter and brighter until it was all-consuming. 

Ego & Love

The student approached the master and queried, "Master? When I was young, I desired for my family and loved ones to be proud of me. Were you ever the same way?"
"Yes," the master answered.
"Why did you desire this?" the student asked.
"So that they would feel they had more reason to love and accept me," said the master. "And the reason I desired this was so that I in turn would feel I had sufficient reason to love and accept myself. That was what was at the root of it. But then one day, I woke up and realized, 'What if I bypass all of that and learn to unconditionally love and accept myself, without requiring anyone else's love, acceptance or approval in order to feel good about myself? Then my happiness will no longer be dependent on outer circumstances, but will be as constant as my own heartbeat resounding strongly within my chest.' Thus began my quest for Self-realization."
"And you never desired them to be proud of you after that?" asked the student.
"My ego did, but I no longer completely identified myself with my ego as I had. And I no longer cared what others thought in the same way. I respected it, and honored it, but no longer gave it so much weight or paid so much attention to it," the master replied, smiling. "And never had I felt so free, as when I finally released myself in this way..."

MysTeRy

There was an ancient mysterious wall which stood at the edge of a village, and whenever anyone climbed the wall to look onto the other side, instead of coming back he or she smiled and would jump to the other side, never to return.

The inhabitants of the village became curious as to what could draw these people to the other side of the wall. After all, their village had all the necessities of living a comfortable life. They made an arrangement to where they would tie a person's feet, so that when he or she looked over and wished to jump, they could be pulled back. 
The next time someone tried to climb the wall to see what was on the other side, they chained her feet so that she could not go over. She looked on the other side and was delighted at what she saw, and smiled. Those standing below grew curious to question her and pulled her back, but to their great disappointment she had lost the power of speech.  

                 "Those who have Seen cannot say. 
                  That which has been Seen cannot be painted, cannot be reduced                             to words. 
                  But still each one has to give a try - and the world goes on                                       becoming more and more beautiful because of these                                       efforts." 
                                                                                                         Osho 

Die Every Moment

Nan-in was in search of a Zen Master when he was a seeker. He lived with his Master for many years, and then the Master said, ”Everything is okay. You have almost achieved.” But he said ”almost”, so Nan-in said, ”What do you mean?” The Master said, ”I will have to send you for a few days to another Master. That will do the last finishing touch.”

Nan-in was very much excited. He said, ”Send me immediately!” A letter was given to him, and he was so excited, he thought he was being sent to someone who was a greater Master than his own. But when he reached to the man, he was no one, just a keeper of an inn, a doorkeeper of an inn.
He felt very much disappointed and he thought,”This must be some sort of a joke. This man is going to be my last Master? He is going to give me the finishing touch?” But he had come, so he thought, ”It is better to be here for a few days, at least rest, then I will go back. It was a long journey.” So he said to the inn-keeper, ”My Master has given this letter.”
The innkeeper said, ”But I cannot read, so you can keep your letter; it is not needed. And you can be here.” Nan-in said, ”But I have been sent to learn something from you.”
The innkeeper said, ”I am just an innkeeper, I am not a Master, I am not a teacher. There must have been some misunderstanding. You may have come to a wrong person. I am just an innkeeper. I cannot teach; I don’t know anything. But when you have come, you can just watch me. That may be helpful. You rest and watch.”
But there was nothing to watch. In the morning he will open the door of the inn. Then guests will come and he will clean their things – the pots, the utensils and everything – and he will serve. And in the night again, when everybody has gone and the guests have gone to sleep to their beds, he will clean things again, pots, utensils, everything. And in the morning, again the same.
By the third day, Nan-in was bored. And he said ”There is nothing to watch. You go on cleaning utensils you go on doing ordinary work, so I must leave.” The doorkeeper laughed, but said nothing.
Nan-in came back, was very angry with his Master and said, ”Why? Why I was sent for such a long journey, tedious it was, and the man was just a doorkeeper? And he didn’t teach me anything, and he simply said, ’Watch,’ and there was nothing to watch.”
But the Master said, ”Still, you were there for three four days. Even if there was nothing to watch, you must have watched. What you were doing?” So he said, ”I was watching. In the night he will clean the utensils pots, put everything there, and in the morning he was again cleaning.”
The Master said, ”This, this is the teaching! This is for what you were sent! He had cleaned those pots in the night, but in the morning he was again cleaning those clean pots. What does it mean? Because even by the night, when nothing has happened, they have become unclean again, some dust has settled again. So you may be pure: now you are. You may be innocent, but every moment you have to continue cleaning. You may not do anything, still you become impure just by the passage of time. Moment to moment, just the passage, not doing anything, just sitting under a tree, you become unclean. And that uncleanliness is not because you were doing something bad or something wrong,it happens just through the passage of time. Dust collects. So you go on cleaning, and this is the last touch, because I feel you have become proud that you are pure, and now you are not worried of constant effort to clean.”
Moment to moment one has to die and be reborn again.

Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, Vol 1 72 Osho
CHAPTER 5. RIGHT AND WRONG KNOWLEDGE

Never Give Up ! Inspiring Story of Marvan Atapatu !!

It’s a story that Harsha Bhogle, India’s most loved cricket commentator, loves to tell, over and over again. Making his debut in Test cricket for Sri Lanka, Marvan scored a duck in his first innings. And again, in his second innings.

Back to the grind. Would the selectors ever give him another chance? They said he lacked big-match temperament. His technique wasn’t good enough at the highest level. Undaunted, Marvan kept trying.They dropped him. So he went back to the nets for more practice. More first-class cricket. More runs. Waiting for that elusive call. And after twenty-one months, he got a second chance. This time, he tried harder. His scores: 0 in the first innings, 1 in the second Dropped again, he went back to the grind. And scored tonnes of runs in first-class cricket. Runs that seemed inadequate to erase the painful memories of the Test failures. Well, seventeen months later, opportunity knocked yet again. Marvan got to bat in both innings of the Test. His scores: 0 and 0. Phew!

Three years later, he got another chance. This time, he made runs. He came good. And in an illustrious career thereafter, Marvan went on to score over 5000 runs for Sri Lanka. That included sixteen centuries and six double hundreds. And he went on to captain his country. All this despite taking over six years to score his second run in Test cricket. Wow! What a guy!

How many of us can handle failure as well as he did? Six years of trying, and failing. He must have been tempted to pursue another career. Change his sport perhaps. Play county cricket. Or, oh well, just give up. But he didn’t. And that made the difference.

We all hear stories of talented people who gave up before their potential was realized. People who changed jobs and careers when success seemed elusive.

The next time you are staring at possible failure or rejection, think of Marvan. And remember this: If you don’t give up, if you believe in yourself, if you stay the course, the run will eventually come. What more you could even become captain some day.

NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP !

ACT !

A little bear cub was confused about how to walk.
"What do I do first?" he asked his mother. "Do I start with my right foot or my left? Or both front feet and then my back feet? Or do I move both feet on one side and then both feet on the other?" 
His mother answered, "Just quit thinking and start walking."

You are what you are !!

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. 
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. 
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. 
The water bearer's heart went out to the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt sad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." 

Conversation in Womb

In a mother’s womb were two babies.

One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”

The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and  listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

 

from "Your Sacred Self" by Dr. Wayne Dyer.