Post good anecdotes and stories you find here


Destroying your neighbour
Malba Tahan illustrates the dangers of the word:
A woman claimed again and again that her neighbour was a thief, and, in the end, the young man was arrested. Days later, he was discovered to be innocent; the boy was released, and the woman was sent to court.
'Words never hurt anyone,' she told the judge.
'I see,' replied the judge. 'Today, when you go home, write down on a sheet of paper all the bad things you said about that young man; then tear the paper up and scatter the pieces along the road. Come back tomorrow to hear the sentence.'
The woman obeyed and returned the following day.
'You will be forgiven if you can produce all the pieces of paper that you scattered yesterday. Otherwise, you will be sentenced to one year in prison,' declared the judge.
'But that's impossible! The wind has scattered them!'
'Precisely! Just as a simple remark can be scattered by the wind and thus destroy a man's reputation; and, by then, it's too late to repair the damage done.'
And he sent the woman to prison.

Difficult times
A man was selling oranges in the street. He was illiterate and so never read the newspapers. He merely put out a few signs along the road and spent the day proclaiming the excellence of his merchandise.
Everyone bought from him, and the man prospered. He invested the money he earned in more signs and went on to sell more fruit. Business was booming when he had a visit from his son, who had been educated and had studied in the big city.
'Brazil is in desperate straits, Pa. The economy's in a terrible state!'
Worried, the man reduced the number of signs and started re-selling inferior goods because they were cheaper. Sales plummeted.
'My son's right,' he thought. 'These are indeed difficult times.'

The instruction manual
After buying a new machine for peeling vegetables, a woman carefully read the instruction manual, but still could not get the machine to work. In the end, she had to give up, leaving the various machine parts scattered about the table.
She went to the market and returned to find that the maid had put the machine together.
'How did you manage that?' she asked in some surprise.
'Well, since I don't know how to read, I had to use my head,' came the reply.

Certainty, Choice and Doubt
Buddha was seated among his disciples one morning when a man approached the gathering.
-"Does God exist?" he asked.
-"Yes, God exists," Buddha answered.
After lunch, another man appeared.
-"Does God exist?" he asked.
-"No, God does not exist," Buddha answered.
Late in the day, a third man asked Buddha the same question, and Buddha's response was:
"You must decide for yourself."
"Master, this is absurd," said one of his disciples. "How can you give three different answers to the same question?"
"Because they were different persons," answered the Enlightened One. "And each person approaches God in his own way: some with certainty, some with denial and some with doubt."

ON NON-VIOLENT STRUGGLE
It is worth reading, from time to time, new writings by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the creator of the martial art known as Aikido. Collected by his disciples, these writings show that while confrontation is part of human nature it can, nevertheless, be used to reconcile yourself with your neighbour and with the world. Here are some of his teachings (condensed and adapted):
Learning from the wise
Look at the world about you, see all the work that has been done, listen to what your elders try to teach you, and use all of this as if it were your inheritance. For the truth is there before your eyes, and anything - a man, a river, a plant - can be your teacher. See how the water flows freely over the rocks and try to be like that water. Every morning, put on the clothes of the sky and the earth, wash yourself in the energy of love, and let yourself be cradled in the heart of Mother Nature.
The inner voice comes from outside
Your heart holds many fertile seeds which are merely waiting for the light in order to germinate. Allow the light to enter your soul: let yourself be guided by the flow of life about you, try to imitate the qualities of the growing things around you. Be always green like the pine tree, flexible like bamboo, beautiful as the lotus and elegant as the lily.
Be yourself, don't try to be your neighbour
Calm your spirit and seek again the fountain from which everything comes, and which removes all trace of malice or selfishness. If you are overly concerned about uncovering good and bad in your neighbour, you will forget about your own soul and it will become exhausted and defeated by the energy you expend on judging others. Life is a manifestation of love, and a warrior must always be more focused on promoting peace than on provoking war.
Develop your talents and your virtues
Those who seek to improve themselves should never be in thrall to theories or words; they should try to act impeccably, using four essential virtues: courage, wisdom, love and friendship. There are various paths to follow in order to do this, just as there are various tracks that lead up to the peak of a mountain, except that this peak is called love, and a true warrior must be sure that he understands that word fully whenever he has to make a decision. To do this, train hard, but be guided by your intuition, because love always allows us to choose the best path.
The path of the warrior
The sacred sword, sharp and shining, always attacks evil at its roots. If that sword were made of iron, it would be full of impurities and would break at the first blow: however, it was forged and hammered into shape by the hand of the Blacksmith, who transformed it into steel, and that steely quality is also in the man or woman who wields the sword. Every blow from the past is also a way of learning a lesson and avoiding traps in the future.
The true path is based on the four virtues, and if you restrict it to its purely physical manifestation - the body - you will only impoverish it, because the body has its limitations. The soul, however, is as large as the universe and can understand everything that love teaches us.
The true warrior always goes armed with three things: the radiant sword of the peace-bringer, the bright mirror of wisdom and friendship, and the precious jewel of Divine light. That Divine light is not in heaven or on earth, it is inside each one of us.

What do you want to be your epitaph?" So I said, "Paulo Coelho died while he was alive." The person said "Why this epitaph? Everybody dies when he or she is alive." I said, "No, this is not true." The same pattern repeating and over again, you are not alive anymore. To die alive is to take risks. To pay your price. To do something that sometimes scares you but you should do because you may like or you may not like. I don't believe suicide is an option —- but we have to die several times in this life, in order to understand it. "To die", in this sense, is to get rid of the old values, and to move for a place that we don't know, that we don't feel secure, but at least that give us joy.

Think it over. The earth is borrowed. We dont own it. Still we act like we do.

Ten Signs of the Superior Person

By Tibetan Master Milarepa

1. To have little pride and envy is the sign of the superior person.

2. To have few desires and satisfaction with simple things is the sign
of the superior person.

3. To be lacking in hypocrisy and deceit is the sign of the superior person.

4. To regulate one's conduct in accordance with the law of cause and effect
as carefully as one would guard the pupils of one's eyes is the sign
of the superior person.

5. To be faithful in one's engagement and obligations is the sign of the
superior person.

6. To be able to keep alive friendships while regarding all beings with
impartiality is the sign of the superior person.

7. To look with pity and without anger upon those who live evilly is the
sign of the superior person.

8. To allow others the victory, taking on the defeat, is the sign of the
superior person.

9. To differ from the multitude in every thought and deed is the sign of
the superior person.

10. To observe faithfully and without pride one's spiritual vows is the sign
of the superior person.

:bump:

Biblical teachings converted to various new age thinking. Christ taught these things well before anyone else.

Biblical teachings converted to various new age thinking. Christ taught these things well before anyone else.

Buddha was before christ. Actually some people believe that christ is actually just an ordinary buddhist, maybe even below

What do you want to be your epitaph?" So I said, "Paulo Coelho died while he was alive." The person said "Why this epitaph? Everybody dies when he or she is alive." I said, "No, this is not true." The same pattern repeating and over again, you are not alive anymore. To die alive is to take risks. To pay your price. To do something that sometimes scares you but you should do because you may like or you may not like. I don't believe suicide is an option —- but we have to die several times in this life, in order to understand it. "To die", in this sense, is to get rid of the old values, and to move for a place that we don't know, that we don't feel secure, but at least that give us joy.

+1

I got this email passed onto me the other week and its not a bad one..



4 lessons about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.



During my second month of college, our professor
gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions until I read
the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

" A bsolutely, " said the professor. "In your careers,
you will meet many people. A ll are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older A frican A merican
woman was standing on the side of an A labama highway
trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had
broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally
unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man
took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a
giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached.

It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
the other night. The rain drenched not only my
clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God
bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others"

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - A lways remember those
who serve.

In the days when an ice cream! sundae cost much less,
a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in
front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired

By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.

" Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
the table and walked away The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had
to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.



In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
Stone to the side of the road. A fter much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. A fter the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve
our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save
her." A s the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed
next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing
the color returning to her cheek. Then his face
grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister all of his blood in order to save her.