STORY OF THE DAY

[SaiServant]

Jai Sai Ram!!
The story is simply fantastic Ramesh Bhai!!!Keep it up!!
Om Sai Ram!

Sunita Raina

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Success bound to happen if.......

Attitude determines the lifestyle of a person and it develops when perception is followed by projection. Positive and negative attitudes are acquired by an individual over a period of time and according to their development, human beings fall into three categories: There are those who imagine and project difficulties in any undertaking even before they start work and end up doing nothing. They are like the car which will not start unless given a push. The second kind are called Prarambh Shura. They are inspired initially, but give up for lack of perseverance. The third are those who become more and more inspired to execute a job, the more they face challenges and difficulties.

Even if you are successful, negativity in attitude can crop up at any time for unknown reasons.

Remember:

1.You alone are responsible for your attitude.  
2.As is your attitude, so are your perceptions.
3.As is your perception, so is your interaction with the world.
4.As is the interaction, so is the experience of life and,
5.As is the experience, so is the quality of life.
   
Student often say that, before and after an examination, "I remember everything but during the examination, I forget things”. This happens only because of the attitude problem. People who have negative attitude think and project only negative things and they develop it to such an extent that even a positive thinking person can become a victim of their presence. Such negative people can do nothing and they don’t allow anybody else to do anything.
   
Negative attitudes are the result of a weak personality at the physical, emotional and intellectual level. Physical strength can be gained by proper intake of food, and regular exercise. Some are obsessed with their figure. They torture their bodies. They get cranky and misunderstand anything their parents say. This is a negative attitude, the reason being that when you don’t eat properly you think about food. When you do this, the food has gone to your head. Good health helps us to come out of negativity.
   
Emotional stamina too is a must. Emotional strength is gained by discovering some altar in life — it could be God, your guru, an idea; surrender yourself at that altar with total involvement and faith. Put logic away because by logic, no problems are solved. By love alone all problems get dissolved.
   
When we apply our faculty of intellect and enquiry in doing a job successfully, it is vital to get things done not ‘because of all odds’ but ‘despite all odds’. Enquire into ‘how a thing is possible’. One must also remember that life is not about being successful, it is also the ability to go through both success and failure with grace. In success, we enjoy and from failure, we learn.
   
When we have mastered the art of learning from failures, it leads to success ultimately. This attitude towards failure is a positive one. When these three aspects of your personality are cultivated and developed systematically, you grow and develop Atma balam or inner strength. With inner strength, positivity becomes the foundation of our expression. The Mundaka Upanishad says that the Truth is not revealed to cowards. Success is not for weaklings. When you have physical strength, emotional beauty and intellectual capacity, your attitude becomes positive. With this positive attitude, you jump into the battle of life, and success is bound to happen.

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

A ray of hope and light

Once Wealth and Poverty approached a merchant and introduced themselves as Goddesses. The merchant offered his salutations to both of them and said: "May I know what brings you to my humble tenement?" The Goddess of Wealth said: "We want you to judge and tell us as to who is more beautiful between us two?"

The merchant was in a fix. He knew he was between the devil and the deep sea. If he were to declare wealth as more beautiful than poverty, poverty would curse him. If he were to declare poverty as more beautiful, than wealth, wealth would forsake him. However, he regained his composure and said: "I have great respect for you both. Would you please act according to my instructions? Then only I can judge properly." The Goddesses agreed. He said: "Mother wealth, would you please go to the entrance (gates) and walk into the house? Mother, poverty! Would you please walk from here towards the gates? I can have a good look at you both, from near and far." The two Goddesses did walk as the merchant wished them to. Then the merchant happily declared: "Mother wealth! You appear very beautiful when you enter the house. Mother poverty! You look very beautiful when you leave the house!" The Goddesses appreciated the wit and wisdom of the merchant. The Goddess of wealth happily stayed in his house while the Goddess of poverty cheerfully walked away.

Moral - When a serious problem confronts us, if we look within and think calmly, a ray of hope and light will beam forth and show us the way.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

May Baba Sai Bless U Enough!

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last Moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced.  Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said,

             "I love you and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom."

They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I sat.  Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied.  "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them".

Then turning toward me, s he shared the fo llowing, reciting it from memory.

         I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

         I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

         I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

         I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.  

        I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

         I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

        I wish you enough helloes to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away. They say it takes a minute to find a special person, An hour to appreciate them, A day to love them, And an entire life to forget them.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE!

To all my friends brothers and sisters and loved ones,

MAY BABA SAI BLESS YOU ENOUGH!

I WISH YOU ENOUGH TOO!

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

Wonderfully touching message Ramesh Bhai. Thank you for sharing it in the forum. I wish you and dear brothers and sisters enough too !!

Aum Sai Ram !
SAI SAI SAI SAI SAI
SAI SAI SAI SAI
SAI SAI

-Anju

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Still Further.....

There is a very old Sufi story: A man went to a Sufi fakir asking the secret of attaining God. The fakir proceeded to recount the following tale:

A woodcutter went every day to the forest to cut wood. Each day he would gather wood, carry it to town and sell it. Whatever he got would be barely enough to give him a meal. Sometimes he managed to buy a little food; at other times he went to sleep hungry.
 
A fakir who used to stay in the same jungle watched him every day. He was filled with pity for this miserable man who barely managed to keep alive.

One day he told him, "Every day for the last so many years I have been watching you. You are such a foolish fellow. Why don't you go still further into the jungle?" The wood-cutter asked, "How will that help?" The fakir replied, "Whoever went deeper within became wealthy. Go in, and you will find mines of copper."

The man went a little further and he found the copper mine. He began to sell copper. Once again he met the fakir who said, "Foolish fellow, go still further. There are mines of silver there." The man went and found the silver mines. He now began to sell silver and became very rich.

One day he met the fakir again who said to him, "Had you any sense you would have taken the hint by now. You have failed to understand. Go still further, you fool, for there are gold mines there!" The man penetrated deeper into the forest and found the gold, but he got totally involved in the gold.

He must have been a man like us, this woodcutter. Wherever we go we get involved. We don't think of getting up from where we sit. The fakir felt sorry for this man. One day he went to him again and said, "You really lack intelligence. So many times I goaded you to go onward to go still further, and you have not understood me. Now you are outwardly very rich, but within you are as miserable a wretch as before. Go still further, there are mines of diamonds." The man went further in.

Then, after some years, the fakir happened to meet him again. He rebuked him as before. Even though he was the owner of huge palaces and all that wealth could buy, the fakir was sorry for him. "You are as poor as ever within," said the fakir. "All this gold and silver and diamonds are on the outside. Go still further.

"Now where?" asked the man. "Why don't you leave me in peace? Why are you goading me on and on? Now what is left to be attained after getting these diamonds?"

The fakir replied, "Beyond that is my ashram and only I can give you the genuine diamonds. They are diamonds of meditation. Until now you sought the mines outside, now your search for the mines within must begin." And though the man had heard about the jewels within, he was not ready to seek them. Besides, he claimed that this talk was beyond him, so he begged to be allowed to stay where he was.

The fakir said, "As you wish. But remember, these mines within will not remain forever -- today I am, tomorrow I may not be. The mines you dig now will remain. They always were, they always will be."

The mines of meditation manifest rarely -- sometimes once in a thousand years. Sometimes some person discovers it and becomes an entrance to it. Such a person is the guru, and Nanak refers to his temple as gurudwara, guru's door -- a beautiful name for a temple. He who comes upon the mine of meditation during his lifetime becomes an opening for others, but he does not live forever.

And you? You are so blind that you go past the door and do not see it! Your eyes are fixed on the visible wealth and not the true wealth that is invisible.

Remember this maxim: Still further. Until you reach God you should hold it always to your heart. If you halt before that, you will wander.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

The Greatest Man Is Nobody....

It happened that Buddha renounced the kingdom. Then he went searching from one forest to another, from one ashram to another, from one master to another, walking. He had never walked before without shoes but now he was just a beggar. He was passing along the bank of a river, walking on the sand, and his footprints were left.

While resting in the shade of a tree an astrologer saw him. The astrologer was returning from Kashi, from the seat of learning. He had become proficient in astrology, had become perfect, and now that he had become a great doctor of astrology he was coming back to his home town to practice. He looked at the footprint on the wet sand and he became disturbed: These footprints could not belong to an ordinary man walking on the sand without shoes during such a hot summer, at noontime! These feet belong to a great emperor, a CHAKRAVARTIN.
 
A chakravartin is the emperor who rules the whole world. All the symbols were there showing that this man was a chakravartin, an emperor of the whole world of the six continents. And why should a chakravartin walk barefoot on the sand on such a hot summer afternoon? It was impossible!

The astrologer was carrying his most valuable books. He thought, "If this is possible I should throw these books in the river and forget astrology forever, because this is absurd.

It is very, very difficult to find a man who has the feet of a chakravartin. Once in millions of years a man becomes a chakravartin, and what is this chakravartin doing here?"
 
So he followed the footprints to their source and he looked at Buddha who was sitting resting under a tree with closed eyes, and he became more disturbed. This astrologer became absolutely disturbed because the face was also the face of a chakravartin. But the man looked like a beggar, with his begging bowl just there by his side, with torn clothes. But the face looked like that of a chakravartin, so what should he do?

He said, "I am very disturbed, put me at ease. There is only one question I have to ask. I have seen and studied your footprints. They should belong to a chakravartin, to a great emperor who rules over all the world, the whole earth is his kingdom -- and you are a beggar. So what should I do? Should I throw away all my astrology books? My twelve years of effort in Kashi have been wasted and those people there are fools.
 
I have wasted the most important part of my life, so put me at ease. Tell me, what should I do?"

Buddha said, "You need not worry. This will not happen again. You take your books, go to the town, start your practice and don't bother about me. I was born to be a chakravartin. These footprints carry my past."

All footprints carry your past -- the lines on your hand, your palm, carry your past. That is why astrology, palmistry, is always true about the past, never so true about the future, and absolutely untrue about a buddha, because one who throws off his whole past moves into the unknown -- you cannot predict his future.

Buddha said, "You will not come to such a troublesome man again. Don't you worry, this will not happen again, take it as an exception."

But the astrologer said, "A few more questions. I would like to know who you are: am I really seeing a dream? A chakravartin sitting like a beggar? Who are you? Are you an emperor in disguise?"

Buddha said, "No."

Then the astrologer asked, "But your face looks so beautiful, so calm, so filled with inner silence. Who are you? Are you an angel from paradise?"
 
Buddha said, "No."

The astrologer asked one more question, saying, "It seems impolite to ask, but you have created the desire and the urge. Are you a human being? If you are not an emperor, a chakravartin, if you are not a DEVA from paradise, are you a human being?"
 
And Buddha said, "No, I am nobody.

I don't belong to any form, to any name."

The astrologer said, "You have disturbed me even more now. What do you mean?"

This is what Buddha meant..I am Nobody.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Life and Death : The River, a Cow and a Butterfly

"Tell me mighty river! Are you changing or are you constant?" asked the butterfly. The river chortled as it sped along, over rocky pebbles and around mossy little hills. "Why, can't you see?" it replied. "Do I look still to you?"

"No, of course you are not still. You are always moving. But are you not the same river?" The butterfly asked a trifle hesitantly. "Yes, indeed I am the same river that has flowed down the mountains and through this forest for so many, many years!" said the river grandly. "But your waters are constantly flowing away... which part of you is the same?"

"No part of me is the same, my flighty friend!" answered the river, with a hearty laugh. "I keep losing water every time the sun shines and I keep gaining water every time the rain falls! I merge into the sea, and I began from a humble spring, I keep changing; in change, I am constant... I have neither a beginning nor an end..."

"What happens to the water that leaves you, river? Where does it go?" asked the butterfly, a trifle confused. "Oh, it goes up into the clouds, and then falls down as rain onto the ground, or into some other river or sea... every drop has gone on a long journey, you know, before it comes and joins me! And it will leave me sooner or later, to go on yet another journey."

"Why, that means all the oceans and clouds are in you!" squealed the butterfly, excitedly. "Yes", replied the river, "I appear to be limited to this stream, but I contain many worlds hidden inside me." Then a disturbing thought struck the butterfly. "Can water ever disappear into nothing, river?" it asked, curiously. "No, my friend, nothing in this world can ever become nothing. All that is will always be. It may change form, like the water turning into a cloud, then into rain and then the sea... but what is can never cease to be."

"I think I'm beginning to understand!" said the butterfly, excitedly. "Just as I changed form but remained the same insect, you, too, keep changing form but are still the same river!" "That's right,” said the river as it sped along, and so did the butterfly...

The swishy sound of grass being chewed woke up the butterfly from its gentle snooze. Who was this?

Dark gentle eyes looked down at the butterfly from a big white and brown face. "Moo! Moo-oo-ooo!" inquired the cow, loudly. "And what are you doing here?" "Oh, just resting in this soft grass. How are you this evening?" asked the butterfly, politely.

"Very well indeed. But it's been a few days since the cowherd gave me a bath, and I miss that... when the water flows over my back and falls down my sides, I feel like there is nothing for me to resist or push: I just let go completely, and enjoy the feel of the cool water splashing all over my body." The cow's eyes rolled over in delight, just at the mention of such a delightful experience...

"You have taught me the secret of living, dear cow!" said the butterfly, exultantly. "As you enjoy your bath, so must we all enjoy every moment of this precious existence! For there is a purpose behind every event, a direction in each change... all of which is dictated by a simple law that says energy can neither be created nor destroyed: only transformed. Energy is eternal."

As it sank back on the cool green grass, the butterfly knew that its time had come. It knew, too, that it would merely be transformed now, from one form of energy to another. What came next? It didn't matter.

[SaiServant]

Jai Sai Ram!!

Profound thoughts at their best!! Ramesh Bhai, thanks for summing up our existence in this short piece! Only change is constant. Yet, the spirit is unchanging! Eternal, timeless spirit changes garb only. Lord Krishna and Gautama Bhuddha wouldn't agree less. Thanks again for this beautiful story!

Om Sai Ram!!

Sunita Raina

[Ramesh Ramnani]

You Can be at Peace
               
My dear friends I love you so very much. As you watch your world in chaos understand that you can be at peace. As you watch the arguments and diversified opinions, know that in the long run there is only one mind, that allows for all perspectives, and that is MY mind. There is only one love seeking to be expressed, acknowledged, given, and received through all humanity and that is MY love. There is one heart beating within each soul and that is MY Heart.                        

So why does I allow for the chaos? Because you learn from it. With every war on your planet there is a yearning for peace. With every deception a desire arises for greater truth. With every angry moment, a resolve to change. And so dear ones whether it is your world that you witness in chaos or the stirrings of your own heart, know that there is a great truth arising from this stirring and that truth is love.                  

When you find yourself in times that challenge you instead of immediately assuming you did something wrong, make an assumption that you can create a more loving reality for yourself in spite of circumstances. When you watch the news and see people hurling accusations at each other, know that the more loving reality is a desire for truth to be examined and experienced at deeper levels. When you find yourself in anger, find the truth behind the anger... and with compassion act on that. You can't change the world. You can't change others. But you can indeed search within your own heart and find compassionate words or actions that can propel you towards a greater reality.                    

Don't judge yourselves dear ones. You are doing beautiful work bringing MY love and light to the surface upon your planet. Stay in joy when you find it. Don't feel guilty for allowing yourself good when others are in chaos. It is by filling your cup that you will create a desire to spill it, by giving to yourself what you require that you will find the authentic desire to share with others. It is by paying your bills first that you create abundance to share, by feeding your own families that they have a desire to assist those in need, and by choosing to be around uplifting situations and people that you find the strength of compassion to be around those who are not when you must.              

Gift yourselves with MY love first and you will remain steadfast beacons of light in a chaotic world that is truly birthing itself into a new and greater reality.                  

I love you so very much....

Yours truly...BABA SAI

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Your palace will become full again...If

There is a very famous sufi story about a great king who was dying. He had three sons and all were very wise and he was very worried about whom to choose to be his successor. They were all the same age so age could not be the deciding factor, and they were all beautiful, all healthy and all intelligent. It was almost impossible to decide so he asked a very old aged man, his old advisor, what to do. The old advisor said, 'I will do a sort of a test.'

He called all the three boys and gave to each a palace and a certain amount of money, a very small amount of money, and told them, 'With this amount of money you have to fill your palace completely; it should not be empty.' It was difficult. The palaces were very big and the money was only a very small amount.

The first young man thought and thought and brooded. It was impossible to fill that empty palace with such a small amount of money! He could not get any furniture; even curtains were not possible. Paintings, chandeliers, impossible; so what to do? He could only think of one thing -- that rubbish could be used with that amount of money.

So he filled the whole palace with rubbish, because the man had not said with what to fill it but just that it should be full. So he said, 'Perfectly logical.'

The second boy thought very much but could not find a way. Up to the last moment he thought and contemplated but it was impossible. He was not ready to fill it with rubbish and there was no other thing that could be purchased with that amount of money, so the palace remained empty.

The third boy purchased a few small earthen lamps, incense, a few flowers. He burned the incense and the whole palace was full of the perfume. And he burned those small earthen, very cheap lamps and the whole house was full of light. And when the king came to see all the three palaces, there was just a small garland for him and a few flowers, that was all.

They rejected the first house because the condition was fulfilled -- the man had filled his house -- but with rubbish. The second was a failure because the house was empty and full of darkness because the boy had not been able to decide what to do. The third was chosen as the successor because with such a small amount of money he managed to fill the house -- and not only to fill it; it was overfull, flowing. Light was going outside on the road and the perfume was going with the winds.
 
Your house right now is like the second boy's palace -- empty. It was like the first boy's palace before, but now the junk, the rubbish has been thrown out.

It is like the second man's house.
 
Wait! Just the fragrance of love and the light of meditation will do. Your palace will become full again, and full with something which is tremendously valuable -- and of course, it costs nothing.

So don't be worried. Things are going perfectly well. Just meditate more and love more. Emptiness is good!

One should retains what one should needs and forgets that which was useless.  When the past drops, of course future planning also stops because the future is nothing but the past projected.
 
So this is what I want to convey. This is what I want to happen to everybody. If it is happening, don't be worried. And one will feel empty because the junkyard is gone. You will feel empty. Now there is no need to fill it with anything. Remain in this emptiness. Just one thing -- be loving. That emptiness will start by and by being filled with something new. That will be love.

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

Story of Gajendra

The elephant Gajendra was thirsty and wanted to drink water from a river. It knew that the crocodile was in the river, but it thought that it was stronger and hence would not be pulled by the crocodile. Even as it started drinking the water, the crocodile caught hold of it and would not let it go and the elephant tried to use its might and pull itself away. After some time, when the pain was unbearable, it turned to the Lord and screamed for help and the Lord also saved it.

We are all like the elephant and we are so filled by our arrogance and ego that we think, everything is under our control in this world. The desire for all objects in this world is like the thirst of the elephant and we go towards all the worldly objects, thinking that this crocodile will not be able to catch hold of us. But when we start getting attached to our possessions, they pull us more and more and cause us immeasurable pain. We are pained because we want to possess all the things that we cannot have. We are in pain because we are afraid that somebody might take it away from us. We are in pain when they are finally taken away from us. So this crocodile of attachment to our possessions, that has kept us in its hold, causes us so much pain before and during the time we possess an object and even after it is taken away. To get rid of this crocodile, we need to turn ourselves to God and seek His divine help.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Cultivate and invite prosperity

Prosperity and wealth is not just an abundance of money but the health and time to enjoy it...

True prosperity includes peace of mind, contentment, the company of good friends and good books. To connect to energies of abundance and prosperity do the following:

Respect your physical body. Take care of hygiene. Do not give in to addictions which abuse your body — be it cigarettes, alcohol, anger or overwork.

Remind yourself everyday that your body is a devoted servant with you only in this lifetime.  Treat it well while you have it. Learn to relax the muscles by a technique called progressive muscle relaxation, where you first tense a body part and then relax, releasing the tension.

Do a self massage using long strokes on the limbs and rotatory movements on abdomen. (takes about 3-5 minutes)

Eat your meals with reverence. Pause a moment before you begin a meal.  Say a small prayer of gratitude. Eat calmly and quietly enjoying every morsel. Chew each morsel 30-40 times, savouring every bit.

When you wake up in the morning connect to earth energies by touching the ground and paying a silent homage to mother earth and receiving her blessings.

Try to tend to a garden, watering it and looking after plants. If that is not possible look after at least one potted plant.  Offer every guest or visitor to your house, water and something to eat, according to your situation and capacity. Put aside a small part of your earning for sharing with others Avoid unnecessary clutter and accumulation of acquisitions. Learn to let go. Violence at home drives away prosperity Sit in vajrasana, that is, folding your legs underneath you and sitting on your haunches. Keep your spine straight and close your eyes (as in figure). Focus on the breath at your nostrils. Now, visualize a shining red ruby sitting on the tip of your nose. Chant the akshar “lam” (sound for base chakra) feeling the vibrations at the base of your body Check your attitude. If you believe that money is the root of all evil, you will be blocking your abundance. Money fulfils desire .The selfish acquisition and hoarding of money is evil.

MAY BABA SAI BLESS YOU AND GRACE YOU WITH ABUNDANCE

[OmSaiRamNowOn]

Two Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes which God gave me to hold
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black, And all your joys in the gold."

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes
Both my joys and sorrows I stored
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before
With curiosity, I opened the black I wanted to find out why
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be."
He smiled a gentle smile at me."
"My child, they're all here with me."

I asked, "God, why give me the boxes,
Why the gold, and the black with the hole?"
"My child, the gold is for you to count your
blessings, The black is for you to let go."

[Ramesh Ramnani]

Knowing & Understanding: There’s A Difference

A man with eight PhDs — he was proud of his achievement — met a monk. The monk asked him, “Why have you been so foolish in life?” The man said: “But I have eight PhDs!” “I have understood you; it is foolish to spend the best part of life reading instead of enjoying the birds, stars and the moon”, said the monk. “You may have knowledge but not clarity; you may know a lot and yet understand nothing”.

What does one have to understand about life?

You have many centres: Intellectual centre, an emotional centre and a body centre. In each centre, there is a mechanical and magnetic part. The mechanical part acts like a machine while the magnetic part acts with ore awareness. You have to transform yourself. Your mechanical movements and thinking have to change. Your mechanical emotions like jealousy and hatred have to be overcome. You can do this by bringing in more awareness. Then a complete being will emerge. When you increase awareness, even poison can turn into medicine; and with no awareness, medicine can become poison.

Why are we so mechanical?

A king dreamt that he was a beggar. His guru, in his dreams, told him the truth that he was a king and not a beggar. Now was he to argue with his guru or just wake up? The question of “why” cannot be answered. When did time begin? You cannot answer such a question. Which came first, egg or hen? There is a logical fallacy in the very question. Realise that we are mechanical. Bring in more awareness and see the lifetransformation. Even inert objects have life. Treat any object with loving awareness and it will guide you mysteriously. Your intuition and purity have to increase to receive this message. When you bathe, lovingly talk to water.

In a relationship, is it not necessary to judge?

Keep yourself relaxed. Increase your awareness and love. Not to judge should not be a conclusion. Don’t make it a demand or compulsion. Let there be a choice. There is a difference between ‘should’ and ‘choice’. ‘Should’ creates stress; it limits you to only one option. Choose not to judge. It is not a demand but a wise choice.

The danger of judgment is that you stop seeing the object of judgment and you are more in your judgment. In life, you have to make judgments, but don’t be a victim of your judgments. Suppose a thief enters your house, you have to judge him but then, be open to the possibility that he could change. Suppose you meet him after 10 years, see if he has changed or not. Do you still judge from the memory that he has been a thief? If you do not have this awareness, you will not see the change in a person even if he has changed.

What should one be really aware of?

Negative emotions poison. Like avoiding poisonous food, avoid negative emotions. Don’t identify with them. Don’t participate in them. Choose to create a new will, not be driven by negative emotions. They deplete your energy. They keep you asleep. They are harmful and heavy. They make your life complicated. For example somebody’s success should not be your failure. We define our failure by somebody’s success. We feel jealous seeing someone successful. Jealousy is a great poison.

Compete with your potential. Even if you compete with others, enjoy it. See beauty all around. Do not define your success and failure by someone’s success and failure.