PEACE OF MIND

                   Once, Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days. while they were travelling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciple, I am thirsty. Do get me some water from that lake there. The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water and right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake.

As the result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink ! So he came back and told Buddha, the water is very muddy. I don't think it is a fit to drink.

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely clean water in it. The mud settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had.
So, he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha. Buddha looked up at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said,

See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be.... and the mud settled down on its own and you got clean water. Your mind is also like that, when it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't want to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.

Having 'Peace of Mind' is not a strenuous job, it is an effortless process.

A TURN ON THE SCREW

                      There was a industrialist whose production line inexplicably breaks down, costing him millions per day. He finally tracks down an expert who takes out a screwdriver, turns one screw, and then - as the factory cranks back to life. The expert presents a bill for Rs.10,000. 

Affronted, the factory owner demands an itemised version. The expert is happy to oblige:
For turning a screw: Rs.1, 
For knowing which screw to turn: Rs.9,999.

THE FENCE

                         There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 32 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested to pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one." You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. But, It won't matter how many times you say I am Sorry, the wound is still there.

Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

"Words are Powerful, Use it Wisely"

THE HEDGEHOGS

                           It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The hedgehogs, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves ; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So, they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the earth.Wisely they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others and by this way, they survived.

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

POUND OF BUTTER

                         There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court. 

The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, Your Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale. The judge asked. Then how do you weight the Butter ? The farmer replied, Your Honor long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him.

Everyday when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and gave him the same weigh in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker.

"We get, What we give".

MEANINGLESS GOALS

                        A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to come around. As soon as one came it would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it.

One day, a neighbor saw the activity of the farmer's dog and when to the farmer and asked, Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car ? The farmer looked deep into the eyes of the neighbor and replied, 

That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if ever caught one.

Many people in life behave like that dog pursuing meaningless goals. 

"Life is hard by the yard, but by the inch, it's cinch."

                                                                       - Gean Gordon.

LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED

                          About a hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The news paper had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock. Am I here or there ? when he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people had said about him.

The obituary read, Dynamite King dies. And also He was the merchant of death. The man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words merchant of death, he asked himself a question, Is this how I am going to be remembered ? He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. 

From that day on, he started working toward peace. His name was "ALFRED NOBLE". and he is remembered today by the great 'NOBLE PRIZE'.

Just as Alfred Noble got in touch with his feelings and redefined his values, we should step back and do the same. How would you like to be remembered ? will you be spoken well of ? will you be remembered with love and respect ? will you be missed ?

RIGHT IDEA IN A WRONG SITUATION

               

                         An old man lived alone in Minnesta. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation.

Dear son,
                   I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant our garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden because your mother always loved planting time.     I am just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

                                                                                                                             With love,

                                                                                                                                  Dad.

Shortly, the old man received this telegram: 
          " For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!

At 4a.m the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what had happened, and asked him what to do next.

His son's reply was :
         "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad. It's the best I could do for you, from here"

No matter where we are or how we are, if we decide to do something deep from our heart,
"We can do it"

A WOODCUTTER

                          
                         Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees. "Congratulations", the boss said. " Go on that way!"
Very motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. "I must be losing my Strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

"When was the last time you sharpened your axe ?" the boss asked. "Sharpen ? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees...."

REFLECTION :- 
                                 In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever. But, less happy that ever. Why is that ? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay ' Sharp' ?

Yes Of course, 

There is nothing wrong with activity and hard work we do. If we don't take time to sharpen the 'axe', We will become dull and lose our effectiveness.

WHERE IS OUR HAPPINESS ?

                          Once, a group of 50 people was attending a seminar. Suddenly, the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each person a balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now, these people let in that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name on it, within five minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding into each other, pushing around others, and there was utter chaos. At the end of five minutes no one could find their own balloon.

Now, each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within few minutes, everyone had their own balloon. The speaker began -- exactly this is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness.

"And this is the purpose of Human Life"