Sacrifice and Salvation

From sacrifice to salvation

Sacrifice is in the very order of nature. if the seed didn’t sacrifice itself, it wouldn’t become a seedling. the bud dies so that the flower can bloom, and the flower dies to yield fruit. human
society too progresses only to the extent it is willing to sacrifice

“I understand what is sacrifice and all that – but why should I sacrifice?” asks a friend of mine cheekily, “I have no grandiose agendas of getting enlightened and all that.” Fair enough, one can live an ‘unenlightened’ life, but can one live without peace? Acquiring more and more worldly possessions leads to stress and insecurity while Tyaga shantirantaram – peace, eternal and ecstatic, follows sacrifice.
Alexander the Great, after vanquishing all the mighty kings of India, had a taste of this when he met a yogi sleeping peacefully under a tree. “I have never seen such peace in anyone before,” said the Emperor, “I have conquered the entire world, yet cannot enjoy a good night’s sleep. You, in your loin cloth, appear supremely peaceful. Please come with me to Greece. I will give whatever you wish – wealth, land and a palace to live.” The yogi laughed. “O Emperor,”he said, “I am able to sleep in peace precisely because I neither own nor covet any of the material possessions.” Alexander flew into a rage, “Do you know who you are talking to? I shall cut you
into pieces if you do not obey me!” The yogi told the Emperor gently, “You can only cut my body, but I am not the body. I am that which dwells within the body. You call yourself a mighty
conqueror? You are a slave of my slave!” “How is that?” asked the miffed warrior. “I have conquered anger, but you appear to have not. Anger is my slave, and you are a slave of my
slave,” said the yogi. One cannot become happy without sacrifice, one cannot become fearless without sacrifice, and one cannot attain God without sacrifice, says the Mahabharat. The Yogi in the above anecdote was peaceful, happy, fearless, and one with God, only because he had renounced both the tangible and the intangible both externally and internally. Adi Shankara’s Bhaja Govindam is a step-bystep manual on how sacrifice can lead to salvation. Says the great seer, Satsangatve nissangatvam – through good and noble associations, sacrifice the lower associations and move towards being alone; nissangatve nirmohatvam – abiding in yourself,
sacrifice desire and attachment; nirmohatve nischalatatvam – devoid of desire, sacrifice the
wavering mind and become steady; nischalatatve jeevanmuktihi – with this unwavering mind, you are now liberated from the vagaries of this life and also the cycle of births and deaths.
Be a living sacrifice, said Jesus to Peter. If we, humanity, would resolve do so by dying to our
former, limited selves and identifying ourselves with the whole of God’s creation, we would also
bloom like the flower and flow like the river as nature intended – utterly beautiful, unselfish,
unattached, carefree and in bliss!

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Do you throw your Garbage on Someone?

A couple of years ago, I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy you did.

So this was it: The “Law of the Garbage Truck.” I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people a work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, “I’m not going to do anymore.”

Well, now “I see Garbage Trucks.” I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

The mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what’s important.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.

What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here’s my bet. You’ll be happier. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don’t.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Watch What You Say ..........Drop A Pebble.

Drop a pebble in the water, just a splash, and it’s gone....
Drop a pebble in the water, just a splash, and it’s gone;
But there’s half a hundred ripples circling on and on and on, Spreading, spreading from the centre, flowing on out to sea. And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.

Drop a pebble in the water; in a minute you'll forget, But there’s little waves a-flowing and there’s ripples circling yet, And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You’ve disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.

Drop an unkind word, or be careless: in a minute it is gone; But there’s half a hundred ripples circling on and on and on, They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the centre as they go,
And there is no way to stop them, once you’ve started the flow.

Drop an unkind word, or be careless: in a minute you forget; But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet. And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you’ve stirred, And disturbed a life that was happy until you dropped that unkind word.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone; But there is half a hundred ripples circling on and on and on, Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave,
Till you wouldn’t believe the volume of the one kind word you gave.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you'll forget; But there’s gladness still a–swelling, and there’s joy circling yet. And you’ve rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard, Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Are You Clever Or Wise..........Cleverness and Wisdom

Zomo the rabbit, though not big or strong, was known to be very clever. Zomo decided it was time he was known for wisdom too, so he approached Sky God.

Sky God told him he would have to earn it by bringing him the scales of the Big Fish Of The Sea; the milk of the Fearsome Wild Bull-Cow; and the tooth of the Mighty Leopard.

Zomo confidently agreed. He began playing his drum so loud at the shore, that the drumbeats went down to the bottom of the sea. Big Fish, dancing to the irresistible rhythm, flipped right out of the water. Zomo drummed faster and faster; Big Fish danced faster and faster, so fast that its jingling scales fell right off. Embarrassed, it jumped back into the sea. Zomo grabbed the scales and ran.

Back in the forest, Zomo climbed a palm tree till Wild Bull-Cow showed up. He goaded Bull-Cow, telling it that it wasn't really big and strong, daring it to knock down the little palm tree. Enraged, it charged. However the palm tree was soft and its horns stuck in it, so Zomo slid down, turned his drum upside down filling it with milk before it got free.

Zomo then ran to the top of the hill where Mighty Leopard lived, sprinkled some fish scales and a few drops of milk on the path, and hid. Leopard came striding down and slipped, rolling down the hill, hitting a rock. Its tooth immediately popped out. Zomo caught it and hopped away to Sky God.

Sky God smiled. "You are clever enough," he said. "But not wise ... three things in this world are worth having: courage, good sense, and deep understanding of things and creatures," said Sky God. "Little rabbit, you have lots of courage, a bit of sense, but absolutely no understanding. So next time you see Fish, Cow or Leopard ... better run fast!"

Like Zomo, we imagine that cleverness can easily bring us to wisdom, or that they are sister states of being. Actually they are more like distant relatives.

Cleverness is satisfied with short-term gains; wisdom acts from a wider perspective. Wisdom is founded on confidence rather than arrogance; learning from experience, yet forever open to the power of new possibilities.

Most of us are good at being clever, and are encouraged to be so, appreciated for being so. Being clever has made us more powerful. We are technologically advanced. We can build organisations, cities, countries. We can also destroy them.

How does it make sense to say, "He is a wise man but he does foolish things."

Wisdom is not just thinking intelligently, but living intelligently. More than just being effective in daily life, it means we choose our values and basic priorities well and we live by them. It means we can fail, but learn from mistakes. It means we take responsibility for the intended as well as unintended consequences of our actions.

When cleverness does serve wisdom, knowledge, information and experience can be distilled in a meaningful way. Often cleverness, recognised in showy brilliance, involves resourceful manipulation of elements; wisdom deals with accepting reality, putting things in perspective, and acting accordingly. While cleverness is often context-dependent and compartmentalised, wisdom is timeless, free of any particular context. Cleverness mostly is purposive -- a means to something else, and is often for a narrower gain; wisdom, recognising the interrelatedness of everything, is always for the good of all.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Who Is Your Master?...........

When the great Sufi mystic, Hasan, was dying, somebody asked "Hasan, who was your master?"

He said, "I had thousands of masters. If I just relate their names it will take months, years and it is too late. But three masters I will certainly tell you about.

One was a thief. Once I got lost in the desert, and when I reached a village it was very late, everything was closed. But at last I found one man who was trying to make a hole in t he wall of a house. I asked him where I could stay and he said 'At this time of night it will be difficult, but you can say with me - if you can stay with a thief'

And the man was so beautiful. I stayed for one month! And each night he would say to me, 'Now I am going to my work. You rest, you pray.' When he came back I would ask 'Could you get anything?' He would say, 'Not tonight. But tomorrow I will try again, God willing.' He was never in a state of hopelessness, he was always happy.

When I was meditating and meditating for years on end and nothing was happening, many times the moment came when I was so desperate, so hopeless, that I thought to stop all this nonsense. And suddenly I would remember the thief who would say every night, 'God willing, tomorrow it is going to happen.'

And my second master was a dog. I was going to the river, thirsty and a dog came. He was also thirsty. He looked into the river, he saw another dog there -- his own image -- and became afraid. He would bard and run away, but his thirst was so much that he would come back. Finally, despite his fear, he just jumped into the water, and the image disappeared. And I knew that a message had come to me from God: one has to jump in spite of all fears.

And the third master was a small child. I entered a town and a child was carrying a lit candle. he was going to the mosque to put the candle there.

'Just joking,' I asked the boy, 'Have you lit the candle yourself?' He said, 'Yes sir.' And I asked, 'There was a moment when the candle was unlit, then there was a moment when the candle was lit. Can you show me the source from which the light came?'

And the boy laughed, blew out the candle, and said, 'Now you have seen the light going. Where has it gone? You will tell me!'

My ego was shattered, my whole knowledge was shattered. And that moment I felt my own stupidity. Since then I dropped all my knowledgeability.

It is true that I had no master. That does not mean that I was not a disciple -- I accepted the whole existence as my master. My Disciplehood was a greater involvement than yours is. I trusted the clouds, the trees. I trusted existence as such. I had no master because I had millions of masters I learned from every possible source. To be a disciple is a must on the path. What does it mean to be a disciple? It means to be able to learn. to be available to learn to be vulnerable to existence. With a master you start learning to learn.

The master is a swimming pool where you can learn how to swim. Once you have learned, all the oceans are yours."

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

A Lesson To Teach and Learn..........

Stories With a Lesson to Learn

Her name was Mrs. Thompson. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie.

Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row,slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs.Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath.And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs.Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume.

But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs.Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to," After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.

By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her"teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer -- the letter was signed,Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs.Thompson did.

And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other,and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs.Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference.I didn't really know how to teach until I met you."

Please remember that wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to touch and/or change a person's outlook.

Please try to do it in a positive way:
"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly"


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Let the flavour of meditation spread all over your life..

Drop the ego, howsoever bitter it is, howsoever painful it is, and you will be tremendously rewarded.

Meditation sharpens your brilliance. Ordinarily your sword is rusty. You have never cared about it, you have not even taken it out of its sheath. And it needs constant sharpening, otherwise it is not even useful in cutting vegetables’ And it has great work to do — it has to kill you! That’s what sannyas is all about: cutting your head-off with your own hands. It is real suicide. It is not of the body, it is the suicide of the ego — and the ego is very subtle and very cunning. Unless you are sharp enough it will go deceiving you. You throw it out from one door and it will enter from another. And it is so cunning that it can even come in the name of humbleness.

You can watch the so-called humble people and you can see their egos. They are egoistic about their humbleness, they are egoistic about their simplicity, egoistic about their saintliness, even egoistic about their egolessness. A man without ego is neither egoistic nor egoless. Both are dropped. He is simply there. To create that state is very great intelligence is needed. Mind is not enough, only meditation can help.

So concentrate on meditation. Make it a point that this is the topmost priority in your life, everything else is secondary. I don’t say anything else to my sannyasins, all that I want them to do is to become meditators, and everything else follows of its own accord. Freedom comes, bliss comes, peace comes, celebration comes, virtue comes, transformation comes, and ultimately the experience of god.

Become an image of meditation, become meditation. Walk in meditation, sit in meditation, eat in meditation, sleep in meditation. Let the flavour of meditation spread all over your life — breathe in, breathe out, but meditation continues.

Meditation simply means an awareness of all that is happening. That which is happening outside — that is the outermost circle of your life. Then that which is being done by your body — that is the second concentric circle, closer to you. Then the third concentric circle is that which is done by your mind. And then the fourth is that which is done by your feelings and emotions.

And within these four concentric circles is your centre, the fifth. If you become aware of all that is going on, sooner or later you will become centred at the centre and you will be able to see the whole panorama, the whole drama of the outer world, of physical activity, of psychological activity, of emotional activity. And when you are able to see all this you become free of it because immediately you come to know that you are the seer, you are not the doer. That is the greatest revolution in life, when this shift happens, that you are no more a doer but just a seer, a witness. Than one becomes an image of meditation — a Buddha, a Christ, a Zarathustra.

Meditation releases great creativity. It is an explosion; all your seeds start sprouting. For the first time you see how much potential you were carrying within yourself: a great garden with so many flowers, such beautiful bushes and trees and so many birds singing… a whole paradise! But we are not ordinarily aware of it. We are completely closed, we have not opened up; we are living like a capsule which has no opening, no windows.

Leibniz has the right word for it. He calls man a monad, a windowless house; no doors, no windows. Meditation throws open all the doors and all the windows. Suddenly you become aware of the vast sky, the stars, the moon, the sun, the wind, the rain, the rainbows, the clouds — the whole infinity of it, the whole spectrum of it. And the moment you become aware of it your heart starts singing and dancing.

That’s what I mean by a poet. I don’t literally mean a poet; not that one starts just composing poetry, but that one’s whole life becomes poetic. To whatsoever one does there is the golden touch of creativity. You touch dust and by your touch it is transformed into gold. Wherever you move it becomes a sacred place; wherever you sit it becomes a temple, a shrine of infinite beauty and grandeur. Whatsoever you do releases the imprisoned splendour within you. And this goes on happening; it is not something that happens once.

Meditation starts an explosion which is infinite, which goes on and on, unending; there is no end to it. There is a beginning in meditation but no end.




Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Empty Boat..........

Here's a Zen story in which a man is enjoying himself on a river at dusk. He sees another boat coming down the river toward him. When the Boat is far it seems so nice and motivating to him that someone else is also enjoying the river on a nice summer evening . But then he realizes that the boat is coming right towards him, faster and faster and is not stopping at all and would hit hima very soon . He starts yelling , "Hey, hey,anybody there watch out! For God's sake, slow down and turn the boat around!" But the boat just keeps on coming straight towards him faster and faster. By this time he's standing up in his boat, screaming and shaking his fist, and then the boat smashes right into his boat and topples him . He sees that it's an empty boat.

This is the similiar ro most of ours life situation as we also have lots of empty boats (troubles) out there and we keep on screaming (getting tensed Fighting arguing) and shaking our fists at them.

But Not knowing that these will stop on its own but not on screaming....
Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Ultimate Wonders Of The World .............

Junior high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At
the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven
Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the
most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.

The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.

May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.

Enjoy your gifts!

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Inner Voice always Listen to it.............

My day started just like all the other days for the past 15 years where I get up, make some coffee, shower, get dressed and leave for the train station at preciously 9:10 in the morning. to arrive at work by 10:50. While travelling on the train I would always choose a seat away from the crowd so I can read the newspaper in peace and no body distracts me . At work I am always being asked with questions from coworkers, distributors ,suppliers, telephone and then those long meetings so the last thing I need is some stranger to sit beside me and start talking.

I don’t know the reason why but for some reason only god knows and you will as well know eventually when I got on the train one day it was unusually full of passengers , something which was not usuall.With hesitation and great efforts I sat down in the only seat available beside a middle aged man that had his head down and seemed to be lost in his thoughts. I was glad and thanked GOD that he didn’t notice when I sat next to him as he just continued to look down towards the floor otherwise he may have just started talking .

Shortly after the train started for my 25 minute ride in the heart of the City I found myself wondering what this man was thinking about that he has not even put his head up to see who has sat next to him what could be so important ? I tried to forget about it and started to read my newspaper. However, for some strange reason this “inner voice” kept prompting and pushing me to start talking to this man. I tried to ignore the “inner voice” as there was no way I was starting a conversation with a complete stranger.

As guessed I eventually could not resist and came up with an excuse to ask him a question. When he raised his head and turned his eyes towards me I could see that he must have been really upset and sad as he had red eyes and had tears rolling down the side of his face despite his attempt to wipe them away. I can’t describe the sadness I felt seeing someone in so much pain.

We talked for some time and in the end he seemed to be feeling better. As we were leaving the train he thanked me profusely and gave me hug which i feel even till this day . I never did find out what was making his heart so heavy with pain but was glad I listened to the “inner voice” that day.

Sometime after few weeks I noticed an envelope on my desk after returning from lunch. It was not addressed to anyone and only had the word “Angel in Train” written on it. My receptionist attached a note saying a gentleman dropped it off saying he did not know my name but had described me well enough that the receptionist knew it was for me. When I read the note inside I was so touched and moved that i couldnt stop crying ;It was a letter from the same man I met on the train thanking me again for talking to him and saving his life that day.

Apparently he was going through a very rogh time and was so hurt that he had decided to end his life that day. In his letter he went on to disclose that he was a religious person and in desperation asked out to God that if He really cared about him he would send someone to prevent him from taking such a drastic step.
In his eyes I was that someone, that Angel sent by God. Angel In Train.....


I don’t know what that “inner voice” was that made me take a chance and talk to a stranger but I do know that it made a difference in someone’s life that day and made someone feel happier. So the next time you feel an urge to talk to a friend, relative, neighbor or even a complete stranger please remember the story. You just may make a difference in someone’s life when you listen to your "inner voice".


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Brotherhood...

Treasures becomes the glue of love, not the destroyer of love, that is how it is living in love and brotherhood.

Read The story of Brotherhood....

Two brothers worked together on a farming field passed on from their parents. The one, the older brother, had married and have quite a big family. The younger brother was still single, and planned not to get married. When the harvesting season come, they always divide the harvest between them equally and fair. Always it has been like that.


On one day, the younger brother who was still single thought about it, "It is not fair if we divide the harvest equally. I am still single and my necessity is not that much". So, for the sake of his older brother, every night he would take a sack of his grain and secretly put it to his brother's granary., thinking that a sack a day might be enough to reduce his older brother's burden and his family.
While on that time, the married brother was also worried and concerned with his brother. He thought, "It is not fair if we always divide the harvest equally. I have a wife and children who will be able to take care of me later when i grow old. While my brother, he doesnt have anybody, nobody would care for him if he grow old and poor. He deserve to get more than me." Therefore, everynight, he too, secretly move a sack of grain from his granary to his younger brother's granary, wishing that at least a sack a day would aid his brother, later in the coming future.
So it went on for years that they kept moving a sack of their grain to the other's while keeping it as secret between themselves, and the amount of grain sack in the granary seems to be unchanged. Until one night they meet each other when carrying out their daily secret plot.
At that time, they realized what has been going on, and cried hugging each other. They knew, in silence, that there is a very deep love that has been nourishing their brotherhood.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Five Ways To be Happy with Yousrself

1. Don't take others too seriously. Try to understand that no one is perfect. If you feel that someone is being overtly critical then be frank and point it out to that person.

2. Accept the fact that you are made a certain way. If you aren't happy with your weight or looks, try and improve on it. But don't put your self down.

3. Don't try to blend in with others. Just because all the people in your group are wearing saris for a wedding, you don't have to do the same. Wear what you are comfortable in. If you are comfortable in your skin, you will exude a certain confidence that will make you attractive to others.

4. Don't put up with any kind of bullying. Whether it's in your college, work or home, make sure that you put forth your point of view firmly. It's great to adjust, but not at the cost of changing yourself drastically.

5. If you are happy with yourself, then you will be sure of your thoughts and beliefs. You may not follow the herd mentality, but at the same time, you won't end up being different just for the heck of it.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Well Of Wisdom.....

There was a miserly man whose wife was very generous. But the wife did not have access to her husband's money. They had so much money that they could easily have helped their village. For months people suffered from drought and famine. Because of the drought there was not enough food and people were dying of starvation. The wife begged the husband to dig some wells so that at least their neighbors could have water. But the husband did not want to spend money to dig wells.

The wife said, "Who knows, by digging in the ground, perhaps even I can find water."

So she asked their one servant to help her dig a well at a particular place. The wife herself, a respectable lady, joined the servant in digging. Every day they dug, but they found no water. The husband laughed and laughed and said, "Yes, you can dig for a year and there will still be nothing. Only the well of your stupidity is getting deeper."

One day the servant had a clever idea. He said, "Mother, we are working hard, but your husband is being so unkind and cruel. Let us play a trick."

"What kind of trick?" the wife asked.

The servant said, "Every morning your husband comes to laugh at us. Let's put some oil on the ground where we are digging. When he sees the oil, he will get very excited. He will employ many workers and servants, thinking we have found oil here. They will dig and, who knows, perhaps there will be some water here."

The following day the husband came and saw the oil on the ground. He was excited and said to himself, "I want to take credit for discovering this oil." Then he said to his wife and servant, "Will you do me a favor today? Can you bring me something from the market? I'll give you anything you want if you do me this favor."

They went to the market to buy what he requested. The wife was totally innocent; she had forgotten about the oil trick. in the meantime, the husband brought 20 workers to continue digging at the same place so that he could take credit for discovering oil. They worked for a few hours and finally hit water.

The workers were thrilled to find water, but the owner of the house was disappointed. He said, "Who wants water? I wanted oil so I could sell it and become richer. How can I sell water? I can only give it to my neighbors."

The wife and the servant came back from the market and were delighted to see the water. The husband said to them, "How can it be? This morning I saw oil on the ground. I hired workers to dig for it. This morning there was oil, but now there's only water."

The wife said, "Money and power surrender to the well of wisdom."

"What are you talking about?" asked the husband.

"This is a result of our servant's wisdom. We tried so hard to find water but we failed. Then he had a brilliant idea. He knows how miserly you are. He knew that if you saw oil on the ground where we were digging, then you would start digging for oil. God wanted you to help the needy. God didn't want you to become richer by discovering oil."


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The ideal of Forgiveness..............

Once there was a great king named Vishwamitra. One day he learned that there was a saint in his kingdom whom everybody adored. The name of this saint was Vashishtha, and everyone gladly touched his feet. Now, although Vishwamitra was a very great king, nobody used to come and touch his feet. People were afraid of him, and they would tremble before him. But with Vashishtha it was different. People gladly touched Vashishtha's feet with deepest appreciation and admiration. So Vishwamitra was extremely jealous of Vashishtha. Vashishtha was a very great saint. After praying to God for many, many years, Vashishtha had realised God and could speak to God face to face. Vishwamitra knew that this was the reason why everybody was adoring Vashishtha instead of him, so he too started praying to God. He prayed to God for a couple of years very seriously, often fasting but still he did not realise God. Then he became impatient. He went to Vashishtha and said, "You have realised God, but I have not been able to. I wish you to tell the world that I have also realised God, like you."

Vashista replied, "How can I say that?" "You can say it," the king insisted. "If you tell people, everybody will believe you, because you yourself have realised God. You know who God is you speak to God. Tell everyone that I have realised God. Otherwise I shall kill your children!" Vashishtha said, "You can kill my children, but I cannot tell a lie." Vishwamitra was a most powerful king. One by one he had the hundred sons of Vashishtha killed. The hundred sons were very well educated, kind and spiritual. They had studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and other religious and sacred books. Nevertheless, the notorious king killed them all. Even after doing this Vishwamitra was not satisfied because Vashishtha still refused to announce that he had realised God. After a few months he thought, "This time he has to tell the world that I have realised God, or I shall kill him!" With this idea in his mind he went to Vashishtha's small cottage. Before knocking at the door he stood outside quietly listening to the conversation inside. Arundhati, one of Vashishtha's wives, was saying to her husband, "My lord, why don't you say that Vishwamitra has realised God? If you had said it I would still have all my children. They were such nice, kind, devoted children. They were all jewels. But just because you wouldn't say that he has realised God, he has killed all my children, and who knows what he will do next!" Vashishtha said, "How can you ask me to do that? I love him. He has not realised God. How can I tell people that he has realised God? I love him and that is why I cannot tell a lie." Even though Vishwamitra had killed the hundred sons of Vashishtha, the father could still say that he loved him! When Vishwamitra heard what Vashishtha said, he came running in and touched Vashishtha's feet, crying, "Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, my lord. I never knew that anyone on earth could love a person who had killed all his children." Vashishtha placed his hand on Vishwamitra's head and blessed him. He said, "Today you have realised God, because today you know what love is, what truth is. God is all forgiveness. I am forgiving you because the God in me is forgiving you. Today you have realised God." What do we learn from this story? We learn that the ideal of forgiveness is the supreme ideal. When we pray to God we see God's qualities: love and forgiveness. When we receive love and forgiveness from God we can behave like God towards other people. Vashishtha's hundred sons were killed, yet even then he loved Vishwamitra. Then, when Vishwamitra begged for forgiveness, Vashishtha gave it immediately, as well as giving him his inner Light, Joy and Power. Like Vashishtha, we always have to forgive people when they do wrong things. In this way we give them our Light, our Truth, our Joy. From this story we also learn the importance of associating with holy men. When we are in the company of a spiritual person, even for a second, what transformation takes place in our life! Our life is changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Chocolate Tears...........

Camilla Chomp was a very greedy, gluttonous little girl. She hardly had any friends because she thought it was much more fun to spend her time alone, eating cake and pudding. Her parents were worried, so they took all the sweet food in the house and hid it.

So Camilla left the house, desperately looking for something sweet to eat. On she went, until she ended up in a small abandoned hut full of old pots and glasses of all shapes and sizes. Out of all of them, the one that most caught Camilla's attention was a shiny little bottle made of gold-coloured glass. It seemed to be full of chocolate, and Camilla took a quick swig. It was delicious, but she felt a strange tickling sensation, so she read the label. "Glass Tears", it said, and in small print it explained: "Magically converts tears into chocolate."

Wow, was Camilla excited! She ran everywhere looking for someone who was crying, and she came upon a little girl who was weeping disconsolately. Sure enough, her tears were converted into chocolate, and as they ran down her cheeks, to her mouth, they sweetened her lips. That soon stopped her crying. Camilla and the girl spent a fun time together, tasting the delicious tears, and they parted as friends.

Something similar happened with a woman who had dropped some plates, and with an old man who couldn't find his walking stick. The appearance of Camilla and the chocolate tears cheered up those sad faces, helping them smile once again.

Soon Camilla realised that cheering people up was much more valuable even than chocolate. Her mad search for sweet food stopped, and her search became one for sad people who she could try to help.

And from those sweet encounters came a mountain of friends that filled her life with meaning and happiness.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

You sin I Forgive.......

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick.

Suddenly, my son Pranit spoke up from his relaxed position in the front seat: “Dad, I’m thinking of something.”

This announcement usually meant he had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that his seven-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“The rain,” he began, “is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away.”

After the chill bumps raced up my arms, I was able to respond.

“That’s really good, Pranit.”

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would my little boy take this revelation?

So I asked, “Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?”

Pranit didn’t hesitate one moment with his answer: “We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us.”

I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.



Thank You Pranit

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Nobody Can have a Perfect Day Everyday

When I was a little boy, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said: “Baby, I love burned biscuits.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired.. And besides – a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!”

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You know, life is full of imperfect things…… and imperfect people I’m not the best housekeeper or cook.

What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults – and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences – is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that’s my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn’t a deal-breaker!



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Happiness Isn't Everything........

The idea of happiness is a kind of ignorance. If your understanding is healthy, then you will never give too much importance to happiness; we do so because of our ignorance. Happiness is not the idea, purpose or aim of life; happiness is a consequence, a fruit.

Happiness is a subject of the senses; it is felt by the senses, it is an idea of the senses; it is information got from the senses. The scope of the senses is limited and the senses are completely unaware of the greatness of life. So if you are thinking for happiness or working for happiness you are just following your senses, you are indulging them. You are just living with your senses.

Understand the game of the senses, and then go beyond them. Discover that portion of life, that part of life that can give us something permanent, the highest knowledge of life, the highest clarity in life.

Nobody enters the path with full clarity, so even if you are ignorant or you lack the aspiration, somehow you will get connected. For instance you have a certain understanding of life and what you want. On the basis of what you know, your highest goal is to find happiness. As you undergo experiences in the course of life, your understanding grows wider and deeper. As your understanding develops you begin to see that happiness is not everything, that there is something beyond, that happiness comes and goes. You begin to think that perhaps satisfaction and being content is more important, no matter the kind of circumstances you are faced with. You could be content if you wished to be so.

Earlier your level of understanding prompted you to say: "How can I be content when I don't have this, or I don't have that?" Now your level of understanding has changed, and with that understanding you don't miss anything, you are fully content. So it is just that in the level of our understanding something happens; if the understanding is high then you will not give too much importance to happiness, or sadness. When you aspire for something higher you will give more importance to your clarity, to your higher understanding, you will live for that; you will not give importance to whether the path is long or not, you will not give importance to the path at all, you will give importance to the target, the target is higher, aspiration is higher.

When you climb a mountain with the aim of reaching the top you have clarity. You know that you have to reach the top. That clarity helps you. The path will be very difficult, and maybe you will not be happy on the way, but when you reach the top that will give you much more than happiness, it will give you contentment. If we are only looking for happiness then we will never be able to climb high, aim high, or aspire for anything that can help us to evolve further.

What we understand by happiness lies on the surface. When you live at a deeper level, you give importance to clarity of consciousness which gives you information on the purpose of your existence; it gives you purpose. Once this is clear, everything will come to you including contentment and balance.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes. -St. Clement of Alexandra

Resolutely Look Conditions In The Face

The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; the question is what he will do with the things he has. The moment a young man ceases to dream or to bemoan his lack of opportunities and resolutely looks his conditions in the face, and resolves to change them, he lays the corner-stone of a solid and honorable success.

- Hamilton Wright Mabie