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Author Topic: STORY OF THE DAY  (Read 136886 times)

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Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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Re: STORY OF THE DAY
« Reply #45 on: June 28, 2005, 11:02:23 PM »
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  • JUST WAKE UP!

    There is another story about Lin Chi, a Japanese Zen master. He had a disciple to whom he had given the traditional Zen koan to meditate -- "Meditate on the sound of one hand clapping." Now this is absurd. One hand cannot clap, and one hand cannot make any sound. Without clapping there is no possibility of any sound. "Meditate on it and when you have found the sound of one hand clapping, come and report."

    The young monk went out into the garden, sat under a tree, tried in many ways to think what could be the sound of one hand clapping.

    Suddenly, he heard a cuckoo in the bamboo grove and he said, "This must be it!" He rushed and told the master, "I have found it. It is the cuckoo in the bamboo grove."

    The master hit him hard on the face and said, "Don't be foolish; next time be a little more intelligent. Go and meditate again!"

    Every day he would come, and by and by it became such a situation; sometimes he would come... the wind passing through the pine trees creates a certain sound, perhaps that is the.... Or sometimes the water running down creating sounds, perhaps that is it.... Or sometimes the lightning in the clouds. Slowly, slowly it became a routine thing. The master would not even ask; as he entered he would slap him, and tell him, "Go back and meditate."

    But the monk said, "I have not even told you...."

    The master said, "I know what it will be. You just go. Meditate more!"

    He said to many other monks, "This seems to be too much. First he used to at least hear my answer; now he assumes that the answer is going to be wrong!"

    But one day he did not come. Two days passed, and seven days passed.... The master went to the tree where he used to sit and meditate, and the monk was sitting there, utterly silent.
    His master shook him and told him, "So at last you have heard it. This is the sound of one hand clapping, this silence.... But why did you not come to report?"

    He said, "I forgot everything; the silence was so sweet, so blissful.

    I am grateful to you that you never listened to my answers, and you went on giving me hard hits. Your compassion is beyond the grasp of ordinary people."

    So, don't be bothered and don't be concerned about others. You have to wake up. And waking up is such a simple thing -- just the way you wake up in the morning. Have you ever observed... do you do some gymnastics, some exercises, some chanting? You simply wake up! The night is over and you open your eyes and jump out of the bed.

    Spiritual awakening is not different from that. Once you understand that you are spiritually asleep.... and that is the problem. People don't think they are spiritually asleep, that's why they go on sleeping. Once you understand you are spiritually asleep, then waking is a very simple matter.

    The hardest thing is to accept that deep in your being there is a sleep, an unconsciousness. Whatever meditations are being done are just to shake you, to bring you to a point where the sleeping consciousness cannot sleep anymore; it has to wake up. It is only a question of simple understanding: You can wake up right now! This silence is enough.
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline san2004

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #46 on: June 29, 2005, 12:55:06 AM »
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  • OM Sai Ram Ramesh Ji,
    Thanks for guiding us with such advice. You are right we cannot like things also without Babas wish.I must thank HIM for that.
    Jai Sai Ram,
    Sanjiv
     

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #47 on: June 30, 2005, 07:26:00 AM »
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  • He knows, I know, and we know

    Kabir and Farid met once -- two enlightened Masters. For two days, forty-eight hours, they sat in silence together. Nobody uttered a single word. Nothing was said, nothing was heard. They hugged each other, they kissed each other, they laughed, and then they departed.
    The disciples were very much frustrated, disciples of both, because they had come in thousands to see the great meeting of two self-realized persons, and nothing happened! What can you expect? When two zeros meet, what can happen? It becomes one zero! Two zeros are not two zeros. As they come closer it becomes one zero.

    So when they departed, the disciples of Kabir asked him, "What happened to you? You go on talking to us and torturing us every day, but for forty-eight hours suddenly you went crazy or something? And we were waiting and waiting for something to be said!"

    Kabir said to them, "I can talk to you because language is the only way you can understand, but this man Farid can understand silence. I need not say a single word. If I speak I will only prove that I am ignorant."

    The disciples of Farid asked him, "What happened to you?" Farid has sung such beautiful songs. "What happened to you? You could have at least sung one of your beautiful songs, but you didn't utter a single word! And about what were you laughing? -- because not even one joke was told!"

    Farid said, "We were laughing at you -- that so many fools are waiting as if something is going to happen, but nothing is going to happen! The moment I saw him, the moment he saw me, everything was clear.

    He knows, I know, and we know the same thing! So what is the point of saying?"
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #48 on: June 30, 2005, 10:58:12 PM »
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  • Periphery you are always a Beggar, and at the center you are always an Emperor - Part-I

    I am reminded of a great follower of Buddha, Nagarjuna. He lived naked. Perhaps Nagarjuna is the greatest logician that has walked on the earth. Aristotle is no comparison to him, neither is Shankara; Nagarjuna's argumentation is the most refined. But he used to live naked -- a beautiful man -- and even kings and queens were disciples to him. In a certain capital the queen was his disciple. She asked him, "You will have to give me a favor. I want to take away your begging bowl."

    He said, "That is not a problem. You can have it."

    She said, "That is only half of it. I have prepared a begging bowl for you. This one you give to me; it will be a present, the most precious to me in the whole world.

    And I have made a begging bowl which you cannot reject, you have to accept it."
     
    He said, "I have not seen it either."

    She said, "Seeing or not seeing is not the question. First, give me the promise that you will not reject it."

    So he said, "Okay, I will not reject it."

    She brought out the bowl, and it was made of solid gold, studded with diamonds. Nagarjuna said, "You don't understand the situation. Whether I reject it or not, I will not be able to keep it even for a few hours. A naked man carrying a begging bowl made of solid gold, studded with great diamonds -- do you think I will be able to keep it? But I have promised, so I will accept it."

    A thief was watching the whole transaction. He followed Nagarjuna. He knew that this fellow lives outside the city in a dilapidated temple, and every afternoon after he has taken his food, he goes to sleep. This is a very good time to take this begging bowl away. Anyway, somebody is going to take it away....

    So he went and he was hiding behind a wall by the side of a window watching that somebody else does not enter inside. Nagarjuna made his place to sleep and he had complete awareness that somebody had been following him.

    "Why keep him unnecessarily waiting? Anyway I am going to sleep and he will take the begging bowl. It is better to give it him. Why make him a thief?" So he threw the begging bowl outside the window where the thief was sitting.
     
    The thief could not believe it. This is really a strange man. A strange desire arose in the thief that it would be good to have a little time to sit at this man's feet, so he asked from the window, "Can I come in?"

    Nagarjuna said, "What do you think I have thrown the begging bowl for? -- to bring you in. Come in. That was just an invitation."

    The thief could not understand, but was very much impressed by the man.

    Nagarjuna said, "I did not want to make you a thief, that's why I have thrown the begging bowl. Now you can have it."

                                             Contd...Part-II
    « Last Edit: July 01, 2005, 09:23:35 AM by Ramesh Ramnani »
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #49 on: July 01, 2005, 09:21:48 AM »
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  • Periphery you are always a Beggar, and at the center you are always an Emperor - Part-II

    The thief said, "It is so precious; you are a man of great mastery over yourself. I also hope one day I will not be a thief but a master like you."

    Nagarjuna said, "Why postpone it? It is a very simple secret. You can become a master."
    He said, "You don't understand. I am a thief, I am a born thief. I cannot resist the temptation."

    Nagarjuna said, "It does not matter at all. You can remain a thief. I will give you a small meditation: whatever you do, even if you go to steal in the palace, just be a witness of what you are doing. I don't want you not to be a thief; do whatever you want to do, but do it with full awareness. Just be a witness."

    He said, "This seems to be simple. I have been going to many saints. They say, `First you drop stealing, otherwise you cannot be religious.'

    You are the first man who is not asking me to drop stealing."

    Nagarjuna said, "Those saints that you have met are not saints. No saint will ask you to drop stealing. Why? Do it perfectly well. Just remain a witness."
     
    The thief could not understand the strategy. After the third or fourth day he came back to Nagarjuna and said, "You are very clever. In these four days there have been so many opportunities to steal, but as I go to steal, to take something, immediately my hand relaxes. The moment I witness myself stealing it seems to be so embarrassing that I pull my hand back. For four days I have not been able to steal anything."

    Nagarjuna said, "Now it is your problem; I have nothing to do with it. You can choose. You can choose witnessing, or you can choose stealing."

    The man said, "Only in these four days have I been able to feel my own dignity. I cannot drop witnessing. I am coming with you."

    What witnessing does is again throw you back to your center. At the center you are a buddha. On the periphery, who you are does not matter. Once you start living at the center, slowly, slowly your circumference will start changing its colors. It will become as pure as you are at the center. It will become as compassionate as you are at the center. It will take all the fragrance of the center in all your activities.

    The authentic religion does not preach morality.

    Morality comes on its own accord. The authentic religion teaches you to be centered in yourself. Then everything that is good follows, and what is bad simply does not arise. It is not a question of choice; choicelessly you are good. It is not that you are being good; you cannot be otherwise.

    This is the miracle of Zen.

    Zen simply means witnessing.
     
    Once you have learned to be at the center, you will know that on the periphery you are always a beggar, and at the center you are always an emperor. And who wants to be a beggar?

    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #50 on: July 02, 2005, 02:19:05 AM »
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  • It is such a difficult world ....

    There is an ancient parable in India about a very rich man, very successful; he was so rich that even the king had to borrow money from him. He had everything that was possible, but he was always very sad and miserable, always a long face.
     
    A young man used to come every day to give him massage, who was always happy. He had nothing to be happy about -- and that was the problem for the rich man. The poor fellow got one rupee per day. In those days, a rupee was really a rupee. The word `rupee' means `gold'. One rupee was enough for one day, to live happily. That poor man was not poor -- he was living so joyously, and playing on his flute in the middle of the night.

    The rich man was worried because this fellow had nothing except one rupee every day. "Why is he always so happy, so smiling, so laughing, playing on his flute, singing, dancing?" The poor man lived close by, in a small room that the rich man had provided for him.
     
    The rich man asked his friend, who was as rich as he was, "What could be the reason for this poor fellow's being so happy?"

    His friend said, "I will give you the answer." And that night, suddenly, the poor fellow woke up. Somebody had thrown a bag from the roof containing ninety-nine rupees. That was the last day of his happiness. Now he started to think, "How can I save some money and make it at least a hundred?" He had never bothered -- one rupee per day was enough to live as richly as he wanted. But now he had more than he could use for the day; he had to save. When it became one hundred, the desire jumped up, flared up. If he went on collecting, soon he would have two hundred, three hundred, four hundred.

    And as more and more money started accumulating, he became more and more miserable, continuously thinking of money. The song disappeared, the dance disappeared; the flute was heard no more.

    One day when the rich man was being massaged, he asked him, "What has happened to you? You don't look happy any more. Has some calamity happened?"

    He said, "Yes, a calamity has happened. Somebody threw ninety-nine rupees into my house, and since that day I have not slept well, because the desire to have more and more has been aroused."

    Once you have the desire for more of anything, life is misery. It may be knowledge, it may be money, it may be power; you may start desiring anything, but you will become more and more sad. It is such a difficult world ....
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #51 on: July 03, 2005, 01:36:59 AM »
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  • MUSTARD SEEDS

    It is not accidental that Jesus' followers go on talking about Jesus' miracles. What are those miracles? First, they are physiological: a blind man is given eyes, an ill person is healed; or miracles like Jesus' turning stones into bread. Just think! These miracles say something. Jesus does not turn stones into sermons, but into bread; Jesus does not turn stones into music, but into bread; and he turns water into wine. Now we don't have any miracles like that around Buddha. There are miracles, but they are totally different -- the hierarchy. Buddha's miracles are so different that you will be surprised.

    A woman goes to Buddha: her child is dead and she is crying and she is weeping, and she is a widow and she will never have another child, and the only child is dead, and that was all her love and all her attention.

    She goes crying and weeping to Buddha. If she had gone to Christ then the miracle would have been that Christ would touch and bring the dead back, as he brought Lazarus back. What did Buddha do? Buddha smiled and said to her, "You go into the town and just find a few mustard seeds from a house where nobody has ever died." And the woman rushed into the town, and she went to each house. And wherever she went they said, "We can give you as many mustard seeds as you want, but the condition will not be fulfilled because so many people have died in our house. And woman, don't be mad! Buddha has played a trick on you. You will not find a single house on the whole earth."

    But she hoped, "Maybe... who knows? There may be some house that has not known death." And she went around and around the whole day. By the evening a great understanding had dawned on her: "Death is part of life; it happens. It is not something personal, it is not something like a personal calamity that has happened to me."With that understanding she went to Buddha.

    He asked, "Where are the mustard seeds?" And she smiled... and she said, "You did it!" She fell at his feet and said, "Initiate me. I would like to know that which never dies. I don't ask for my child back, because even if he is given he will die again. So what is the point? Teach me something so that I can know inside myself that which never dies."

    People want something higher. Jesus will not be relevant anymore, only Buddha can be relevant. Jesus' miracles will seem very small because science can do those miracles. Buddha's miracle will seem very very great because science cannot do it.
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #52 on: July 03, 2005, 09:39:19 PM »
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  • Death is of the ego. If the ego exists, death exists.

    I HAVE heard one beautiful story. Once there was a great sculptor, a painter, a great artist. His art was so perfect that when he would make a statue of a man, it was difficult to say who is the man and who is the statue. It was so lifelike, so alive, so similar. An astrologer told him that his death is approaching, he is going to die soon. Of course, he became very much afraid and frightened, and as every man wants to avoid death, he also wanted to avoid. He thought about it, meditated, and he found a clue. He made his own statues, eleven in number, and when Death knocked on his door and the Angel of Death entered, he stood hidden among his own eleven statues. He stopped his breathing.

    The Angel of Death was puzzled, could not believe his own eyes.
       
    It had never happened; it was so irregular. God has never been known to create two persons alike; he always creates the unique. He has never believed in any routine. He is not like an assembly line. He is absolutely against carbons; he creates only originals. What has happened? Twelve persons in all, absolutely alike? Now, whom to take away? Only one has to be taken away. Death, the Angel of Death, could not decide. Puzzled, worried, nervous, he went back. He asked God, "What have you done? There are twelve persons exactly alike, and I am only supposed to bring one. How should I choose?"

    God laughed. He called the Angel of Death close to him, and he uttered in his ears the formula, the clue how to find the real from the unreal. He gave him a mantra and told him, "Just go, and utter it in that room where that artist is hiding himself among his own statues."

    The Angel of Death asked, "How is it going to work?"

    God said, "Don't be worried. Just go and try."

    The Angel of Death came, not yet believing how it is going to work, but when God had said, he had to do it. He came in the room, looked around, and not addressing anybody in particular, he said, "Sir, everything is perfect except one thing. You have done well, but you have missed at one point. One error is there."
     
    The man completely forgot that he is hiding. He jumped; he said, "What error?"

    And Death laughed.

    And Death said, "You are caught. This is the only error: you cannot forget yourself. Come on, follow me."

    Death is of the ego. If the ego exists, death exists. The moment the ego disappears, death disappears. You are not going to die, remember; but if you think that you are, you are going to die. If you think that you are a being, then you are going to die. This false entity of the ego is going to die, but if you think of yourself in terms of nonbeing, in terms of non-ego, then there is no death -- already you have become deathless. You have always been deathless; now you have recognized the fact.

    The artist was caught because he could not disappear into nonbeing.
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Devki

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #53 on: July 04, 2005, 07:28:13 AM »
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  • SAI RAM RAMESHJI

    Just beautiful. I am blessed. I just read today only 5 stories. These are very very educative. Just superb. Once again to confess that I am blessed to be in this Blessed Forum of our Sai.

    OM SAI

    JAI SAI RAM
     

    Offline Shammi

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #54 on: July 05, 2005, 01:23:26 AM »
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  • Sairam Ramesh ji

    Just beautiful -these are food for the mind and soul

    Excellent meanings hidden in these stories


    Bow to Sri Sai - Raksha Karo Deva !!!

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #55 on: July 05, 2005, 11:03:10 AM »
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  • The Biggest Stones...

    Once an old teacher was called to give a training lesson on “efficient time-planning” to a group of fifteen managers from important companies. The course was one of five sessions for this training day, and the teacher had just one hour with his students.

    He stood in front of the elite group (all armed with pen and paper, ready to take note of whatever the wise man said), looked at them one by one and then said: “Now we will do an experiment”. From under the table that stood between him and the class, the old teacher took out a large glass container that could hold over eight pints, and placed it gently in front of him. Then he took out a dozen or so pebbles, about the size of tennis balls, and one by one he placed them in the jar. When he had filled it up to the top and it was impossible to add any more stones, he looked at his students and asked them: “Is this jar full?” “Yes, it is,” they all replied.

    He thought for a second or two and then continued, “Really?” He bent down and pulled out another container, this time full of gravel.

    He carefully poured the gravel over the pebbles and then shook the jar gently. The gravel filtered through the pebbles, down to the bottom of the jar. The old man looked at his audience and asked again, “Is this jar full?” This time the students started to grasp what he was telling them.

    One of them answered: “Probably not!”

    “Good” the old man said. He bent down again and this time he pulled out a bucket of sand. He gently poured it into the jar. The sand filled in all the spaces between the pebbles and the gravel. Once again he asked, "Is this jar full?” This time his students didn’t hesitate in answering, “No, it isn’t!”

    “Good” the old teacher added. As his students expected by now, he took the jug of water that was on the table and filled the jar up to the brim.

    The old man looked at his group and asked, “What great truth is demonstrated by this experiment?” One of the bolder students thought it over and replied, “It shows that even if you think your diary is completely full, you can still add in more things to do, more appointments, more meetings…”

    “No,” the old man answered. “That’s not it. The great truth that this experiment shows us is this: if you don’t put the biggest stones in the jar first, then you will not be able to fit all the others in after.”

    There was silence as each of them absorbed the importance of this affirmation. Then the old teacher said: “Which are the biggest stones in your life? Your health? Your family? Your friends? Making your dreams come true? Doing the things you enjoy? Learning? Defending a cause? Relaxing? Taking time out? Or something completely different? What we must remember is the importance of putting the biggest stones into our lives first, otherwise we may never succeed in… having a life. If we give priority to the little things - gravel and sand - we will fill our lives with meaningless drivel, and we won’t have enough time dedicate to the important things in life.

    “So don’t forget to ask yourselves the question ‘Which are the biggest stones in my life?’ And then put them into your jar first.” With a friendly wave, the old teacher greeted his class and shuffled out of the room.
     
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Ramesh Ramnani

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #56 on: July 06, 2005, 09:53:26 AM »
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  • Clean your Consciousness of Fear

    Because of fear you miss many things. Because of fear we cannot love, or even if we love it is always half-hearted, it is always so-so. It is always up to a certain extent and not beyond that. We always come to a point beyond which we are afraid, so we are stuck there. We cannot move deep in friendship because of fear. We cannot do prayer because of fear.

    There are people who go on saying that people do prayer because of fear. That's true; many people pray because of fear. But there is an even greater truth than that and it is that many people don't go the whole way in prayer because of fear. They may start in fear but then they don't go very far. They just remain on the formal, the cliche level. They say some formal prayer to God but they really are not moved, thrilled by it. It is not an ecstasy. They are not mad with it. They don't go headlong. They move very cautiously -- and all caution is based on fear.

    Be conscious but never be cautious. The distinction is very subtle. Consciousness is not rooted in fear.

    Caution is rooted in fear. One is cautious so that one may never go wrong, but then one cannot go very far. The very fear will not allow you to investigate new lifestyles, new channelisations of energy, new directions, new lands; it will not allow you. You will always tread on the same path again and again, shuttling backwards and forwards, shuttling backwards and forwards. One becomes like a goods train.

    Consciousness simply says, 'Be conscious of whatsoever you are doing, wherever you are going. Just remain alert so you can enjoy it to the very last drop.' So nothing is missed, you are alert.

    Fear is one of the most basic problems to be faced, encountered, and if you feel it is less, make it even lesser. It is like the weeds in the garden. One has to go on continuously pulling them. up and throwing them away, otherwise they tend to overrun the whole garden. If you allow the weeds, sooner or later roses will disappear, flowers will disappear and there will be weeds all over the garden.

    One has to go on continuously pulling them up. Only then can the garden remain beautiful. When all the roots are uprooted, then there is no problem. You can relax. This is the whole effort, the 'sadhana', the very inner discipline, the work. So, fear seems to be your chief characteristic.

    If you can clean your consciousness of fear you have come to the right path. Then the real journey of celebration starts.
    अपना साँई प्यारा साँई सबसे न्यारा अपना साँई - रमेश रमनानी

    Offline Shammi

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #57 on: July 07, 2005, 10:28:00 AM »
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  • Big Feet and Big Heart

    It was an unseasonably hot day. Everybody it seemed, was looking for some kind of relief, so an ice cream store was a natural place to stop.

    A little girl, clutching her money tightly, entered the store. Before she could say a word, the store clerk sharply told her to get outside and read the sign on the door, and stay out until she put on some shoes. She left slowly, and a big man followed her out of the store.

    He watched as she stood in front of the store and read the sign: 'No Bare Feet'. Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she turned and started to walked away. Just then the big man called to her. Sitting down on the curb, he took off his size-12 shoes, and set them in front of the girl saying, "Here, you won't be able to walk in these, but if you sort of slide along, you can get your ice cream cone."

    Then he lifted the little girl up and set her feet into the shoes. "Take your time," he said, "I get tired of moving them around, and it'll feel good to just sit here and eat my ice cream." The shining eyes of the little girl could not be missed as she shuffled up to the counter and ordered her ice cream cone.

    He was a big man, all right. Big belly, big shoes, but most of all, he had a big heart.

     



    Bow to Sri Sai - Raksha Karo Deva !!!
    Bow to Sri Sai - Raksha Karo Deva !!!

    Offline Shammi

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    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #58 on: July 07, 2005, 10:33:21 AM »
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    One evening a young woman went alone to walk barefoot by the ocean after the sun had set. She stopped in her path and turned so she could see the footsteps she had left in the sand. But they had already been washed away by the waves. When she turned to continue her walk, she was startled by the presence of an old woman wrapped in a blanket who out of nowhere appeared sitting by a fire, slowly paging through the leaves of a leather covered book.

    She walked up to the woman and asked. "Where did you come from? I didn't see you here a moment ago. And how did you start this fire so quickly?"

    Her questions went unanswered but were instead met with a reply in a serene voice, "Sit with me, child. I have something to show you."

    As the young woman sat down beside the fire, the mysterious stranger handed her the book. She curiously turned the pages one by one and was amazed to discover they contained the story of her whole life from the early days of childhood to the present. She then came to the page telling of her encounter with the old woman by the fire during her walk on the beach, but upon turning to the next page, she found it empty. She frantically began to turn the rest of the pages in the book only to find that they, too, were all empty. In bewilderment, she looked to the old woman and pleaded with her to explain.

    "Does this mean my life ends this night?"

    "No, my child. It means tonight your life begins."

    At that moment the old woman took the book into her own hands and began to tear out each of the pages with words, throwing them one by one into the fire until all that was left were blank pages.

    She handed the book of empty pages to the young woman.

    "You see," she said, "just as the waves washed away your footsteps in the sand, your past is forever gone, never to return. The only moment you ever truly possess is here and now. Each new moment is the beginning of the rest of your life and is to be lived to the fullest, for you will not have a chance to live that moment a second time. Most important of all, each new day brings an opportunity to love--one that may never come to you again.

    "As for your future, you are free to shape it as you wish, for it has not yet been written."

    Then, as mysteriously as she had appeared, the old woman stood to walk away and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

     



    Bow to Sri Sai - Raksha Karo Deva !!!
    Bow to Sri Sai - Raksha Karo Deva !!!

    Offline Shammi

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      • Sai Baba
    Re: STORY OF THE DAY
    « Reply #59 on: July 07, 2005, 10:35:27 AM »
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  • Eyes of Love

    EYES OF LOVE
    ============

    A grandmother and a little girl whose face was sprinkled with bright red freckles spent the day at the zoo. The children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws. "You've got so many freckles, there's no place to paint!" a boy in the line cried. Embarrassed, the little girl dropped her head. Her grandmother knelt down next to her. "I love your freckles," she said. "Not me," the girl replied. "Well, when I was a little girl I always wanted freckles" she said, tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful!" The girl looked up. "Really?" "Of course," said the grandmother. "Why, just name me one thing that's prettier than freckles." The little girl peered into the old woman's smiling face. "Wrinkles," she answered softly.  


    Bow to Sri Sai - Raksha Karo Deva !!!
    Bow to Sri Sai - Raksha Karo Deva !!!

     


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