To Calm a Disturbed Mind

 

Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days. While they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, "I am thirsty. Please get me some water from that lake there."

The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!"

So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in there is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink." After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake. 

This time too he found that the lake was muddy. He returned and informed Buddha about the same. After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back. The disciple reached the lake to find the lake absolutely clean and clear with pure water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, “See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be.... and the mud settled down on its own - and you got clear water. Your mind is also like that! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.

Don’t act or react when your mind is agitated. Give it some time to settle down before you do anything about the matter; and you will have no regrets later.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Warts and All

This story is told about Oliver Cromwell. He was sitting for an artist who was painting a full-length picture of him. When the painting was complete, Cromwell looked at it, and saw that the painter had gone out of his way to make Cromwell more handsome than he actually was. For example, Cromwell had warts on his face, but the painter had opted to omit these. 

Cromwell would not accept the finished product. He insisted that the painter do one more portrait, only this time, he was ordered to paint Cromwell with “warts and all.” 

Though we don’t like the “warts and all” part of us, they are as much part of us – good as well as not so good.  Seeing and accepting oneself as he/she is would ward of resentment for ourselves and would provide the healthy outlook to better oneself.

We could easily prefer the painter who can make us look better than we really are.

Indian Thoughts Archives

The Janitor

Bill Holbrook, the janitor at the wealthiest church in town, ordered some cleaning supplies from the hardware store. When they arrived, the driver asked Bill to sign for them.  Bill went into the pastor's office and asked the pastor to sign for them.  Puzzled, the pastor told Bill to sign for them.

"I can't," said Bill.  "I can't read or write."

"Well," replied the pastor, "I'm going to have to let you go, Bill. I'm sorry but we can't have a janitor that can't read or write."

Bill started walking home, wondering how he was going to tell his wife the bad news, when he reached for his pipe and found he had run out of tobacco.  He searched the neighbourhood looking for a tobacco shop but could find none. And then he got an idea.  When he got home, he told his wife he was going to open a tobacco shop.

The venture was so successful that Bill soon opened another, and then another until in ten years he was opening his one hundredth tobacco shop.  A feature writer from USA Today came to interview Bill on this great occasion.  When she had finished the interview she asked Bill if he'd like to read over her notes. 

"Yes, I would like to", said Bill "but I can't read or write." 

"My Gosh", said the young lady.  "You've accomplished so much.  Just imagine what you'd be if you could read and write!" 

"Yes," smiled Bill.  "I'd be the janitor in a church." 

When a person is determined and enterprising, nothing can block him, not even the apparent drawbacks.

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Preaching the Bible

A chaplain on a battlefield came across a young man who was lying in a shell hole, seriously wounded. “Would you like me to read you something from this book, the Bible?” he asked. “I’m so thirsty; I’d rather have a drink of water,” the soldier said. Hurrying away, the chaplain soon brought the water. Then the wounded man said, “could you put something under my head?”

The chaplain took off his overcoat, rolled it up, and gently placed it under the man’s head for a pillow. “Now,” said the suffering man, “if I just had something over me – I’m cold”. 

The chaplain immediately removed his jacket and put it over the wounded man to keep him warm. Then the soldier looked the chaplain straight in the eye and said, “if there’s anything in that book that makes a man do for another all that you have done for me, then please read it, because I’d love to hear it.”

Comment: If my actions don’t speak of Gospel values, be sure my words never will. What affects people most is often caught rather than taught. “Actions are irrefutable.”

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Give as you receive from God

A wealthy man pondered Jesus’ teaching on giving and he was deeply depressed by the whole thing. He prayed and prayed that he might be able to accept the teaching, but the more he prayed, the sadder he became. 

One day, when he was near despair, an angel came to comfort him. “Why are you so sad?” the angel asked him. 

“I am sad,” the man replied, “because of my master’s teaching on giving. Does it mean that I have to give again and again, and again, without any let up?”

“Oh no, not at all,” said the angel. “You have to give only as long as God gives to you. If God ever stops giving to you, then you won’t have to continue to give to others. God will continue to give to you – except in much greater abundance than you could ever give.” 

God gives me nothing just for myself. He doesn’t give me the gift of speech, for instance, to go around talking to myself.

What comes down from God must go sideways to others – otherwise it stops coming – like the spring in the well. This applies to love, forgiveness, compassion, etc.

How real is it?

One time a group of people came to Abraham Lincoln to discuss something that had been causing some trouble. 

Their arguments were not based on facts but on suppositions. After listening for a while, Lincoln asked, “How many legs would a sheep have, if you called its tail a leg?” 

“Five” was the reply.  

“No,” said Lincoln, “it wouldn’t; it would only have four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.” 

Our fears, likewise, many a time are based on suppositions and unrealistic assumptions rather than on facts.

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Do not be discouraged

A ten year old boy was working in a factory in Naples, before present laws on child labor were put in place. His mother was convinced that he had a good singing voice, and by working in the factory he could earn money to pay for music lessons. 

His first music teacher, however, told him he did not have what it takes to be a musician, and it would be a waste of time and money to pursue the idea any further. 

The boy’s mother, a poor peasant woman was not so easily put off. She encouraged her son, she told him that she believed he had talent, and she even went bare-footed, rather than buy shoes, so as to save money for his music lessons. 

Her trust and sacrifices bore fruit, and her son, Enrico Caruso, became one of the world’s greatest tenors ever. 

Keep going and don’t leave before the miracle happens! The miracle happens for those who show God that they are serious about what they are seeking.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Looking for the Bones

On a cold winter night a wandering ascetic asked for shelter in a temple. The poor man stood shivering there in the falling snow so the temple priest, reluctant though he was to let the man in, said. “Very well, you can stay but only for the night. This is a temple, not a hospice. In the morning you will have to go.”

At dead of night the priest heard a strange crackling sound. He rushed to the

temple and saw an incredible sight. There was the stranger warming himself at a fire he had lit in the temple. A wooden Buddha was missing. The priest asked,

“Where is the Buddha?”

The wanderer pointed to the fire, then said. “I thought this cold would kill me.”

The priest shouted, “Are you out of your mind? Do you know what you have done?

That was a Buddha statue. You have burnt the Buddha!”

The fire was slowly dying out. The ascetic gazed into it and began to poke it with his stick. “What are you doing now?” the priest yelled.

“I am searching for the bones of the Buddha whom you say I burnt.”

The priest later reported the incident to a Zen Master who said, “You must be a bad priest because you valued a dead Buddha over a living man. “

Measured with this yardstick many of us would be found to be ‘bad Christian,’ ‘bad Hindu,’ ‘bad Muslim,’ etc.

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One among you is the Messiah

The Guru meditating in his Himalayan cave opened his eyes to discover an unexpected visitor sitting there before him-the abbot of a well-known monastery. 

“What is it you seek?” asked the Guru.

The abbot recounted a tale of woe. At one time his monastery had been famous throughout the western world. Its cells were filled with young aspirants and its church resounded to the chant of its monks. But hard times had come on the monastery. People no longer flocked there to nourish their spirit, the stream of young aspirants had dried up, the Church was silent. There were only a handful of monks left and these went about their duties with heavy hearts.

Now this is what the abbot wanted to know: 

“Is it because of some sin of ours that the monastery has been reduced to this state?”

“Yes,” said the Guru, “a sin of ignorance.” “And what sin might that be?”

“One of your numbers is the Messiah in disguise and you are ignorant of this.” Having said that the Guru closed his eyes and returned to his meditation.

Throughout the arduous journey back to his monastery the abbot’s heart beat fast at the thought that the Messiah-but the Messiah himself-had returned to earth and was right there in the monastery. How is it he had failed to recognize him? And who could it be? Brother Cook? Brother Sacristan? Brother Treasurer? Brother Prior? No, not he; he had too many defects alas. But then the Guru had said he was in disguise. Could those defects be one of his disguises? Come to think of it, everyone in the monastery had defects. And one of them had to be the Messiah!

Back in the monastery he assembled the monks and told them what he had discovered. They looked at one another in disbelief. The Messiah? Here? Incredible! But he was supposed to be here in disguise. So, maybe. What if it were so-and-so? Or the other one over there? or....

One thing was certain: If the Messiah was there in disguise it was not likely that they would recognize him. So they took to treating everyone with respect and consideration. “You never know,” they said to themselves when they dealt with one another, “May be this is the one.”

The result of this was that the atmosphere in the monastery became vibrant with joy. Soon dozens of aspirants were seeking admission to the Order, and once again the Church re-echoed with the holy and joyful chant of monks who were aglow with the spirit of Love.

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Entirely Guilty

Frederick II, the 18th century king of Prussia, fancied himself an enlightened monarch, and in some respects he was. On one occasion he is supposed to have interested himself in conditions in the Berlin prison and was escorted through it so that he might speak to the prisoners. One after another, the prisoners fell to their knees before him, bewailing their lot and, predictably, protesting their total innocence of all charges that had been brought against them.

Only one prisoner remained silent, and finally Frederick's curiosity was aroused.

"You," he called. "You there."

The prisoner looked up. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Why are you here?"

"Armed robbery, Your Majesty."

"And are you guilty?"

"Entirely guilty, Your Majesty. I richly deserve my punishment."

At this Frederick rapped his cane sharply on the ground and said, "Warden, release this guilty wretch at once.  I will not have him here in jail where by example he will corrupt all the splendid innocent people who occupy it."

Indian Thoughts Archives

The Last Words of Steve Jobs

I have come to the pinnacle of success in business.In the eyes of others, my life has been the symbol of success. However, apart from work, I have little joy. Finally, my wealth is simply a fact to which I am accustomed.

At this time, lying on the hospital bed and remembering all my life, I realize that all the accolades and riches of which I was once so proud, have become insignificant with my imminent death.

In the dark, when I look at green lights, of the equipment for artificial respiration and feel the buzz of their mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of my approaching death looming over me.

Only now do I understand that once you accumulate enough money for the rest of your life, you have to pursue objectives that are not related to wealth.

It should be something more important: For example, stories of love, art, dreams of my childhood.

No, stop pursuing wealth, it can only make a person into a twisted being, just like me. God has made us one way, we can feel the love in the heart of each of us, and not illusions built by fame or money, like I made in my life, I cannot take them with me. I can only take with me the memories that were strengthened by love. This is the true wealth that will follow you; will accompany you, he will give strength and light to go ahead.

Love can travel thousands of miles and so life has no limits. Move to where you want to go. Strive to reach the goals you want to achieve. Everything is in your heart and in your hands.

What is the world's most expensive bed? It’s the hospital bed. If you have money, you can hire someone to drive your car, but you cannot hire someone to take your illness that is killing you. Material things lost can be found. But one thing you can never find when you lose: life.

Whatever stage of life where we are right now, at the end we will have to face the day when the curtain falls.

Please treasure your family love, love for your spouse, love your friends... Treat everyone well and stay friendly with your neighbours.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Meaning of Prayer

The Mogul Emperor, Akbar, was one day out hunting in the forest. When it was time for evening prayer he dismounted, spread his mat on the earth and knelt to pray in the manner of devout Muslims everywhere.

Now it was precisely at this time that a peasant woman, perturbed by the disappearance of her husband who had left home that morning and hadn’t returned, went rushing by, anxiously searching for her husband. In her preoccupation she did not notice the kneeling figure of the Emperor and tripped over him, then got up and without a word of apology rushed further into the forest.

Akbar was annoyed at this interruption but, being a good Muslim, he observed the rule of speaking to no one during the namaaz. Now just about the time that his prayer was over the woman returned, joyful in the company of her husband whom she had found. She was surprised and frightened to see the Emperor and his entourage there. Akbar gave vent to his anger against her and shouted, 

“Explain your disrespectful behaviour or you will be punished.”

The woman suddenly turned fearless, looked into the Emperor’s eyes and said, 

“Your Majesty, I was so absorbed in the thought of my husband that I did not even see you here, not even when, as you say, I stumbled over you. Now while you were at namaaz, you were to be absorbed in one who is infinitely more precious than my husband. And then how is it you noticed.

The Emperor was shamed into silence and later confided to his friends that a peasant woman, who was neither a scholar nor a Mullah, had taught him the meaning of prayer. 

Prayer is the line of communication between man and God. A distracted prayer would be much like a telephone conversation on a line full of static.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Drink from a Running Stream

There was a college student who worked in the college dining hall and who, on his way to work early in the morning, walked past the home of one of his professors.  Through a window he could see the light on and the professor at his desk, morning after morning.

At night the student stayed at the library until closing, and on his return trip again he would see the professor’s desk light on.  It seemed that he was always poring over his books and notes.

One day, after class, the professor was walking along the courtyard when the student approached him with several lecture questions to clarify.  Finally, the student asked, “Would you mind if I asked you a more personal question?”

“Of course not,” replied the professor.

So the student asked, “Well, every day I walk by your house and you are so intent at work.  What keeps you studying?  You never seem to stop.”

The professor answered, “Well, you see, I would rather have my students drink from a running stream than a stagnant pool.” 

By its very nature knowledge needs to be continually updated or it degenerates in to ignorance. It is comparable to “electricity”, which ceases to exist once the flow stops.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Quality Involves Waiting Patiently

James Garfield, who later became the twentieth president of the United States, was, at an earlier time, president of Hiram College in Ohio.  He was once approached by the father of a young student, seeking admission to the college.  The father criticised the length and the harshness of the required curriculum. “Can’t you simplify the course work? My son will never get through all this academic work. There should be a shorter route.”

Garfield replied, “I believe I can arrange such a plan. But it all depends upon what you want for your son. When God wants to make an oak tree, he takes a hundred years. And, when God wants to make a melon, he requires only two months.” 

“There is no substitute for hard work.” “Great success demands great sacrifice.” There is no shortcut.

Indian Thoughts Archives 

Life Requires a Rhythm

A professor of biology, studying the horseshoe crabs discovered something very interesting. Their metabolism has a measurable and adaptable rhythm. 

Horseshoe crabs live in shallow tidal pools along the Atlantic Ocean.  When the tide comes in, they feed.  When the tide is out, they rest.  As one might expect, their metabolic rates spike at the time of high tide, and they are quiet when the tide ebbs.  The metabolic rhythm remains constant even when the crabs are captured and placed in laboratory aquariums.

The professor doing this study moved from the East Coast to Chicago.  Naturally, he brought his experimental crustaceans with him.  Remarkably, he discovered that the rhythm of life for those horseshoe crabs adjusted to the move.  In a matter of a few days, their metabolic rates increased at the precise hour that the tide would reach Chicago, if Chicago had a tide!

Even crabs have enough sense to recognize that life requires a rhythm, a certain regularity, and when one’s circumstances change, one must adjust.  It is the rule of nature that everyone still needs a time for work and a time for rest.

Indian Thoughts Archives

GC81 020117 Be a platinum personality

The year 2016 is over. We are entering into a brand New Year 2017. It is time to look back into 2016 to find out for ourselves the value (worth) of our presence (life) in our home, in our neighbourhood, in our country and in the world, during the one long year. Can you make a list of all the positive contributions you have made in some of the above areas. If you cannot find a single one, your one year of life is insignificant. If you can find one item only, it is only an accident. If you can find two positive contributions, still it is only a coincidence. But if you can find three or more than three positive contributions, it is an attitude of yours. Then your positive contributions are a part of your character. You are a person of great value to this world. Do you want the coming year 2017 for you to be a platinum year in your life? Then start to contribute positively, consciously and regularly in your home, society, country or the world. Hope to see you, the great personality at the end of year 2017. 

The glorious year 2017 has bloomed up. We have evaluated ourselves by counting the positive contributions we have done during the past year. We found ourselves as great and worthy contributors to our family and society, the nation and the world. We are satisfied and happy about our achievements. But we want this 2017 to be a golden year in our life. For this, we will need to visualize a greater picture of ourselves as a target by the end of 2017. In other words, we have to set goals for ourselves in seven different areas such family relationships, social relationships, growth in Physical, intellectual, emotional, want to be in each of these areas. At the beginning of each month, keeping these goals in mind plan for activities that will lead us to our dreams for the year. At the beginning of each week, let us set goals for the week. Every morning just believe that we belong to platinum personality type. Let us go ahead consciously and really living the life as a platinum personality. By the end of the year, we will find that we had a golden year. 

(The writer Shri. Jose Paul, veteran mathematics teacher from Delhi, who is a long time friend of Indian Thoughts has sent this New Year message) 

The secret of Life

An eight-year old boy approached an old man sitting in a garden, looked up into his eyes, and said, 

“I understand you’re a very wise man.  I’d like to know the secret of life.”

The old man looked down at the youngster and replied, 

“I’ve thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words:

“The first is THINK. Think about the values by which you wish to live your life.”

“The second is BELIEVE. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you’ve done about the values by which you’re going to live your life.”

“The third is DREAM. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in yourself and the values by which you’re going to live your life.”

“The last is DARE. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in yourself and your values.”

And with that, Walt E. Disney said to the boy, “Think, Believe, Dream and Dare.”

The secret of life” is locked up in a safe with a four-step lock. The keys to that lock are: ‘Think,’ ‘Believe,’ ‘Dream’ and ‘Dare’. “Dream is not what you see in sleep, but what does not allow you to sleep.” (Abdul Kalam, Former President of India)

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Kindness is Stronger

Doctor Norman Vincent Peale recounts a story his father told him about a reporter he knew who covered William McKinley’s campaign for the presidency of the United States.  His newspaper was violently opposed to McKinley, and he was supposed to travel on the train with McKinley and send back negative stories at every opportunity.

At first he did – and McKinley know it. But one bitterly cold afternoon the reporter fell asleep, huddled on the green plush end of the unheated railroad car.  McKinley came by, stopped and spread his own overcoat over the man.

When the reporter awoke and found out what had occurred, he resigned from the paper.  He could no longer malign a man big enough to answer his criticisms with kindness.

- Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

It is said, ‘Be kind to unkind people - they need it the most’. According to Mark Twain, “Kindness is a language which even the deaf can hear and the blind can see”. We pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that we can do, or any kindness that we can show to any fellow creature, let us do it now; let us not defer or neglect it, for we shall not pass this way again.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Power of Questions

Isidore Robey, a famous physicist, came to the United States as a small child and grew up on New York City’s Lower East Side.  In an interview he once was asked how a poor immigrant boy was able to become one of the world’s leading physicists.

He replied, “I couldn’t help it.  It was because of my mother. She had a deep appreciation for the search for the truth.  And every single day when I came home from school, she would ask me, ‘Did you ask any good questions today?’”

 According to Arnold Edinburgh, “Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.”  Every new invention began as an answer to a question. So in themselves questions are important, and according to Voltaire, we should “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” It is true that “a fool can ask more questions than a thousand wise men can answer”; but that is altogether another matter.

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The Power of the Saw

Every Saturday morning seems to be the time to check out the latest fix-up list posted on the household refrigerator door, which usually leads to a trip to the local hardware store.  Once a do-it-yourselfer went into a hardware store and asked about a new saw for cutting firewood.  The salesman took a chain saw from the shelf and told him it was the newest model, with the latest in technology, guaranteed to cut ten cords of wood a day.  The customer thought that sounded great, so he bought it on the spot.

The next day the customer returned, looking somewhat exhausted.

“Something must be wrong with this saw,” he moaned.

“I worked as hard as I could and only managed to cut five cords of firewood.  I used to cut seven with my old saw.”

Confused, the salesman said, “Here, let me try it out back on some wood we keep there.”  They went to the woodpile, the salesman pulled the starter cord, and as the motor went Vvrrooomm, the customer jumped back shouting, “What is that noise?”

(The customer trying to saw wood without the electric power turned on to help him is very much like the believer who attempts to live his religious life without the daily Divine empowerment.

Story and Comment, curtsy – Kaimlet)

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