Explore All The Possibilities
A father and son, out for an evening walk, spotted a huge stone blocking their path. At once, the little boy tried to lift the stone, but it was far too heavy for him. His father standing close by asked him, “Have you used all your strength?” The boy promptly replied, “Yes.” The father then commented…
QUESTIONS
1. What was the father's comment?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. No, my son, you are not using all your strength. You have not asked me to help you out.2. Strength lies in exploring all possibilities to accomplish a task. This includes requesting someone to help you. No one can build an institution without getting the help of others. Only with others’ cooperation, great things can be accomplished.
Worship Through Dance
There was once a dervish (a member of a Muslim religious order), who worshipped Allah through his hard and rigorous dance sessions.
He would regularly travel many miles and perform his whirling dance in front of each mosque, before moving to another one.
That’s how he lived. People who watched him would very often give him food, water, and also shelter to spend the night. He was once asked why he worshipped God through dance.
“Because, to worship God means to kill the Self, and dancing has the passion and the life that kills the Self. When the Self dies, all the problems die with it.
Where the Self is not, love is, God is,” he said.
He would regularly travel many miles and perform his whirling dance in front of each mosque, before moving to another one.
That’s how he lived. People who watched him would very often give him food, water, and also shelter to spend the night. He was once asked why he worshipped God through dance.
“Because, to worship God means to kill the Self, and dancing has the passion and the life that kills the Self. When the Self dies, all the problems die with it.
Where the Self is not, love is, God is,” he said.
QUESTION
1. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWER
1. To worship God, one needs love in the heart and love comes only from selflessness and sacrifice.
Courage Wins The Heart
The Emperor of Russia, Peter the Great was blessed with a son after many years of prayers and waiting. Unfortunately, good luck didn’t last long and death took away his little one.
The death of the newborn son affected Peter the Great so much that he closed himself up in a room to starve himself to death.
He gave it to be understood that whoever dared to disturb him in his retirement would be sentenced to death. The senate assembled to discuss this urgent issue and Dologorouki, one of his ministers, volunteered to save the Czar from certain death.
He courageously went up to the Czar’s room and knocked on the door.
The death of the newborn son affected Peter the Great so much that he closed himself up in a room to starve himself to death.
He gave it to be understood that whoever dared to disturb him in his retirement would be sentenced to death. The senate assembled to discuss this urgent issue and Dologorouki, one of his ministers, volunteered to save the Czar from certain death.
He courageously went up to the Czar’s room and knocked on the door.
“Whoever you be, fly off or I will open the door and knock out your brains!” threatened the Czar’s terrible voice from within. Open I say, countered Dologorouki in a resolute tone.
After that, he said something to the Czar which made him come out and embrace him. He yielded to the counsel of his faithful courtier and resumed the rule of his country.
QUESTIONS
1. What did Dologorouki say to the Czar?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. He said It is the duty of the senate to come and ask you whom you wish to have named the emperor in your absence since you have resigned.
2. Dologorouki’s courage won the heart of the Emperor. Let me quote here, the words of Dr. Alexis Carrel: Nature has no pity for those who are lazy or feeble-minded. S
he favors those who are sober, alert, intelligent, and enthusiastic; most of all, those who have the courage to take risks and who possess the will to succeed.
She smiles on those who are ready to live hard and dangerously. Whoever refuses to take risks pays the penalty of loss of life in one form or another.”
he favors those who are sober, alert, intelligent, and enthusiastic; most of all, those who have the courage to take risks and who possess the will to succeed.
She smiles on those who are ready to live hard and dangerously. Whoever refuses to take risks pays the penalty of loss of life in one form or another.”
Spirituality In Productive Activity
The Master, while being gracious to all his disciples, could not conceal his preference for those who lived in the world — the married, the merchants and the farmers — over those who lived in the monastery. When he was finally confronted about this, he said something which explained everything.
QUESTIONS
1. What did the Master say?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. The Master said, Spirituality practiced in the state of activity is incomparably superior to that practiced in the state of withdrawal.
2. A person who, for his own liberation or Mukti sits in meditation for hours together, is not as productive to society, as the farmer who cultivates and produces grains for the people to consume.
This is why the priests and nuns of the Catholic community, embracing spirituality and renunciation, plunge into activity by way of establishing educational institutions, hospitals, and also rendering social service to the poor and downtrodden.
This is why the priests and nuns of the Catholic community, embracing spirituality and renunciation, plunge into activity by way of establishing educational institutions, hospitals, and also rendering social service to the poor and downtrodden.
Every Bit Of Knowledge Is Useful
There was an intelligent young man who studied physiognomy, spending six years of hard work on research.
On his way back home, after having completed his studies, he met a man who offered him his place to stay for the night.
The scholar’s first intuitive feeling of meeting the hospitable man was that he was wicked. But then, he changed his mind when the stranger showered all love and affection on him.
Ultimately, this man gave him a bill which was a hundred times more than what it should have been. T
o pay it off, the scholar
On his way back home, after having completed his studies, he met a man who offered him his place to stay for the night.
The scholar’s first intuitive feeling of meeting the hospitable man was that he was wicked. But then, he changed his mind when the stranger showered all love and affection on him.
Ultimately, this man gave him a bill which was a hundred times more than what it should have been. T
o pay it off, the scholar
had to give up everything he had. But in the end, he joyfully cried and thanked God.
QUESTIONS
1. Why did he thank God?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. The man thanked God because it was proved that his six years of studies had not been a waste of time and he had assessed the man correctly.
2. Knowledge is power. The more we learn, the better would be our capacity to tackle problems that we confront in life.
Pay Undivided Attention To Whatever You Do
There was once a farmer in Spain who had three sons and one daughter.
One day, the farmer became very ill and a passing traveler told his family that he could only be saved by the ‘water of life’. “Where do you get that?” said Alonzo, the eldest son.
“From a well on a mountaintop which is three days hard riding away from here,” said the stranger. And so, Alonzo set off. After three days of riding, he came to the mountain and met an old man. Alonzo asked him about the ‘water of life’. “
Well, you will get it from a well up there,
but let me give you some advice. As you climb, you will find many of the stones shout, jeer, and mock you. Don’t look at them or touch them.” That sounds easy, thought Alonzo, and went on.
He began climbing the mountain and immediately the stones began to jeer at him, mock him and call him names. He paid no attention until one stone, in particular, called Alonzo, a boaster and a bragger.
On hearing this, Alonzo was furious, perhaps because this insult was rather near the truth. Angrily, he turned towards the stone and immediately turned into stone himself. Two weeks later,
the second son Carlo set out to get the ‘water of life’ and to find his brother. He found the mountain and the old man and received exactly the same warning.
Soon, he was climbing up the mountain and ignored the cries of the stones, until suddenly, he felt he heard his brother’s voice and he too was turned into stone.
One day, the farmer became very ill and a passing traveler told his family that he could only be saved by the ‘water of life’. “Where do you get that?” said Alonzo, the eldest son.
“From a well on a mountaintop which is three days hard riding away from here,” said the stranger. And so, Alonzo set off. After three days of riding, he came to the mountain and met an old man. Alonzo asked him about the ‘water of life’. “
Well, you will get it from a well up there,
but let me give you some advice. As you climb, you will find many of the stones shout, jeer, and mock you. Don’t look at them or touch them.” That sounds easy, thought Alonzo, and went on.
He began climbing the mountain and immediately the stones began to jeer at him, mock him and call him names. He paid no attention until one stone, in particular, called Alonzo, a boaster and a bragger.
On hearing this, Alonzo was furious, perhaps because this insult was rather near the truth. Angrily, he turned towards the stone and immediately turned into stone himself. Two weeks later,
the second son Carlo set out to get the ‘water of life’ and to find his brother. He found the mountain and the old man and received exactly the same warning.
Soon, he was climbing up the mountain and ignored the cries of the stones, until suddenly, he felt he heard his brother’s voice and he too was turned into stone.
A week later, the third son, Alfredo was on the mountain. Having heard the old man’s warning, he was singing and whistling to drown the sounds of the stone’s voices.
Suddenly, he heard the song of a charming lady and his attention was diverted to the sweet voice and he turned to see the lady. The inevitable happened and he also turned into a stone.
The farmer was by now very weak and in the last desperate effort to save his life, Maria, his daughter set off to find the ‘water of life’.
When she heard the old man’s warning, she decided that her father’s life depended on her getting the water, so no matter what the stones shouted, she kept her eyes fixed on the well up ahead.
Eventually, she reached it and filled her goatskin full of the precious liquid. As she did, a drop fell on a stone nearby which immediately turned into a man.
When she heard the old man’s warning, she decided that her father’s life depended on her getting the water, so no matter what the stones shouted, she kept her eyes fixed on the well up ahead.
Eventually, she reached it and filled her goatskin full of the precious liquid. As she did, a drop fell on a stone nearby which immediately turned into a man.
At once, Maria felt she must help here too, so she went on sprinkling a drop each on all the stones there, and soon there was a large gathering of men and women including her three brothers.
Finally, she reached the bottom with just enough water for her father. With the whole crowd cheering and thanking her, Maria and her brothers arrived home and restored their father back to good health.
QUESTION
1. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWER
1. With total devotion and concentration, anything can be achieved.
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