The Holy Shadow.- /a sufi story

NothingThis is from an e-mail from 'The World United Org. 



There once lived a saint so good that the angels came from heaven to see how a man could be so godly.


 This saint went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware  of it. His day could be summed up by two words -- he gave, he forgave --


yet these words never passed his lips. They were expressed in his ready smile, his kindness, forbearance, and charity. 

The angels said to God, "Lord, grant him the gift of miracles." 

God replied, "Ask what it is that he wishes." 


They said to the saint, "Would you like the touch of your hands to heal the 


sick?" 
No," answered the saint. "I would rather God do that." 

"Would you like to convert guilty souls and bring back wandering hearts to the right path?"

"No, that is the angels' mission. It is not for me to convert." 

"Would you like to become a model of patience, attracting men by the luster of your virtues, and thus glorifying God?"

"No," replied the saint. "If men should be attracted to me, they would become estranged from God." 

"What is it that you desire, then?" asked the angels. 
"What can I wish for?" asked the saint smiling. "That God gives me his 


grace; with that would I not have everything?" 

The angels said, "You must ask for a miracle, or one will be forced upon you."

Very well," said the saint. "That I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it." 

The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the 


every time the saint's shadow fell behind him or to either


side, so that he could not see it, it would have the power to cure disease,soothe pain, and comfort sorrow. 

When the saint walked along, his shadow, thrown on the ground on either side or behind him, made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried-up brooks, fresh color to pale children,and joy to unhappy men and women. 

The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware of it. 


The people,respecting his humility, followed him silently, never speaking to him about his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name, and called him "The Holy Shadow". 

This is the ultimate: one has to become the holy shadow, just a shadow of God. This is the greatest revolution that can happen to a human being: the transfer of the center. You are no longer your own center; God becomes your center. You live like his shadow. You are not powerful, because you don't have any center to be powerful. 

You are not virtuous; you don't have any center to be virtuous. You are not even religious; you don't have any center to be religious. 

You are simply not, a tremendous emptiness, with no barriers and blocks, 


so the divine can flow through you unhindered, uninterpreted, untouched -


- so the divine can flow through you as he is, not as you would like him to be. He does not pass through your center -- there is none. The center is lost. 

Finally you have to sacrifice your center so you cannot think in terms of the ego  again, you cannot utter "I," to annihilate yourself utterly, to erase from utterly... Nothing belongs to you; on the contrary, you belong to God, you become a Holy shadow.

Free at last from what ???

 

On a windy spring day, I observed young people flying kites and enjoying themselves. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting and dancing in the cool atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check. 

Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind. 

As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, "Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!" They soared beautifully even as they fought the imposed restriction of the string. 

Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. "Free at last" it seemed to say. "Free to fly with the wind." 

Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. 

"Free at last" became free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction. 

How much like kites we sometimes are. The Lord gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. 

Let us each rise to the great heights God has in store for us, recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve. 

As Swami says, 

“Discipline is essential for the success of every endeavour of man in whatever field, whether it be economic, social, educational, or merely material and worldly. It is even more essential for success in spiritual effort.” 

Source: Moolyasudha, October 2005

Ego And Desire

this is a nice article sent by a friend so i thought of sharing 



An Emperor was coming out of his palace for his morning walk
 
when he met a beggar.- 


He asked the beggar, "-What do you want?" 

The beggar laughed and said, 

"You are asking me as though you can fulfill my desire!"
 
The king said, "Of course- I can fulfill your desire. 

What is it? Just tell me."- 

And the beggar said -"Think twice before you promise anything." 

The beggar was no ordinary beggar. 

The beggar said-, "It is a very simple desire
. 
You see this begging bowl-? Can you fill it with something?" 

The emperor said, "Of course!-" He called one of his vaziers and told


him,"Fill this man’s begging bowl with money." 


The vazier went and got some money and poured it into the bowl, 

and the money disappeared.- And he poured more and more,

and the moment he would pour it, it would disappear. 

And the begging bowl- remained always empty! 

The whole palace gathered. By and by the rumor went 

throughout the whole capital, and a huge crowd gathered. 

The prestige of the emperor was at stake. 

He said to his vaziers, -"If the whole kingdom is lost, 

I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar." 

Diamonds and -pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were becoming

empty.


The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. 

Everything that was put into it --everything! --immediately 

disappeared. 

Finally it was night, and the people were standing there in utter 

silence. 

The king dropped at the feet of the beggar and admitted his defeat

He said, "You are victorious, but tell me one thing before you leave,
 
just fulfill my curiosity. What is the begging bowl made of?" 

The beggar laughed and said, "-It is human mind.
 
It is simple made up of human various desires….!" 

The mind never stops desiring for more and more. 

The human mind moves from one- desire to another desire…... !

And when one desire is achieved, the mind wants another desire. 

Your mind is full of ego.
 
You could not accept that you could be defeated by a begger. 

The day one's mind is free of ego -, one becomes humble . 

And humbleness removes desires. 


I wanted to teach you that the day you 

are free from your ego and desires, 

it will be the turning point in your life. 

Moral ; 

I want peace. 

" I " is = ego

and


want is = desire. 

When you remove " I " and "want " 

you get peace.

God's Grace or the King's Grace

 
King Sundaravadanan ruled over the Kingdom of Kannapuri. He was great in all respects except that he never believed in God. One night, he was traveling through his city in disguise. He heard two beggars beseeching loudly. One was invoking Lord Rama's grace and the other was invoking the King's grace. 
The King was intrigued and had both the beggars brought to the court. His minister asked the question, "Yesterday, you both were begging. One of you invoked Rama's grace and other the King’s grace. Now what does that mean?" 

The one who invoked Rama's grace replied, "Sir, this whole world is protected by the Lord Rama. He is the one who gives wealth and riches to everyone." 
The minister now spoke to the other beggar. He replied, "Sir, God is invisible but the King is the visible God. If he so desires, he can make anyone rich." 

That night, the King argued with the minister that the one who called on the King was the cleverer man. The minister, however, disagreed. He said, "However a man may try to help, if the receiver does not have God's grace it will never reach him." The King decided to put "King's grace" and "Rama's grace" to the test. The next day a King's order was announced. "On Rama Navami Day the King will distribute presents to everyone. All can come and receive the presents." 

Accordingly people gathered. The two beggars were also present. The King gave out a new piece of cloth and a pumpkin to everyone. When the "King’s grace" beggar's turn came up, the King recognized him and whispered something in the minister's ears. The minister went in and brought a pumpkin. The pumpkin and the cloth were given to the beggar. 

After sometime, the King and his minister went around the city in disguise. They noticed the "Kings' grace" beggar still begging the same way. The King summoned the beggar to the court the next day and asked him, "Are you still a beggar despite my presents?" 

The beggar replied, "King! I sold the pumpkin in the market for two silver coins. How can I become rich with that?” The King replied, "You are a fool. That pumpkin contained precious jewels and pearls. If you had only cut open the pumpkin you would have become rich." 

After sometime when the King was on his rounds he noticed a rich man in a palanquin. The minister recognized him as "Rama's grace" beggar. This man was also summoned to court. The King asked, "Aren't you the beggar who used to beg in the streets? How did you become so rich?" 

This man replied, "King! By the grace of Rama, I was to feed the Brahmins on a particular day to bring peace to my dead father. All I could purchase was a pumpkin. But, to my surprise, when I cut open the pumpkin, I found jewels! By the grace of Rama I became rich." 

The King understood that one truly required God's grace to prosper in this world. The power of faith is amazing. Swami says, “The man of faith need not worry about who will take care of him if he devotes all his time to thoughts of the divine.” Let’s surrender every moment to the divine and live in the faith of His constant presence and confidence of His loving care. 

( from an e mail received from Heart2Heart Team)

)

God, is that you ?

God, is that you !

 
A young man once went to an evening Bible study class. In the course of the meeting, the pastor spoke at length about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man could not help but wonder, “Does God still speak to people?” 

Now that was an interesting proposition. And when the young man went out with his friends for coffee and snacks after the Study, they discussed the pastor’s message. Some of his friends even shared amazing experiences of how God had guided them at different stages in their lives. 

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home, full of wonder whether God might speak to him. Was it possible? Sitting in his car, he began to pray, “God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.” He said this prayer earnestly and repeated it over and over… 

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. 

He stopped his car and said out loud, “God is that You?” No response. 

“Weird,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and resumed his journey homewards. Hardly had he driven a few yards than the thought ‘Buy a gallon of milk’ filled his mind once more. This time, the thought was overpowering. 

“Okay, God, in case that is You, I will buy the milk.” It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. So the young man stopped his car, purchased a one-gallon can of milk and started off towards home. 

As he passed by a street, the seventh in a row of streets, he felt the urge, 'Turn down that street.' 

”This is crazy,” he thought, and drove on past the intersection. 

But then again, he felt the compelling impulse to turn down Seventh Street. 

“Okay, God, I will,” he said aloud, half-jokingly. 

At the next intersection, he veered his car, back to Seventh Street. 

He drove past several blocks when, suddenly, he felt that he should stop. So the young man pulled his car up to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-urbanized area of the town. It wasn't the best of neighbourhoods, but it wasn't the worst of them either. The shops were closed, and in most of the houses, the lights had been put out for the day. 

Again, he sensed a voice that said, “Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.” The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked as if the inmates of the house were either out, or were already asleep. 

The young man started to open the door of the car, but slumped back in his seat. 

”Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad at me, and I will look stupid.” But the feeling to deliver the can of milk would not go away. 

”Okay God,” the young man said finally, “If this is You, I will go to that house and hand over this can of milk. If You want me to look like a dingbat, it is Your wish. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something. But if they don't answer right away, I’m outta here.” 

He walked across the street and rang the doorbell. He could hear the shuffling of feet within. A man bellowed from inside, “Who is it? What do you want?” Sensing the unfriendliness in the voice, the young man turned around to leave, but the door had opened. 

A man was standing there in a rumpled t-shirt and jeans. He looked like he had just got out of bed, and not too happy to have some stranger standing at his doorstep. “What is it?” the man asked testily. 

The young man thrust out the can of milk, “Here, I brought this for you.” The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway calling out, “Hey honey, look at this!” 

Immediately, a woman came out, carrying the milk and a baby. The little one was crying. The man followed his wife out to where the young man stood. Tears streaming down his face, the man began half-speaking and half-crying, “We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk even for our baby. We were just calling out to Him and asking God to show us a way.” 

The lady of the house continued, her voice choked with gratitude, “I asked Him to send an angel with some milk. Are you an angel?” 

The young man reached into his wallet, pulled out all the money he had with him, and put in the man's hand. Then, he turned and walked back toward his car, tears streaming down his face. 

He knew that God still answers prayers. And he knew that obeying God’s voice had the most beautiful results – beyond all imagination. 

Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do. If we pay heed to His call, we can actually hear His voice clearer than ever. 

God is always speaking to us. But to listen to Him clearly, we need to shut out the sounds of the world, put our egos aside and make ourselves pure of heart. For, as Swami ji puts it – 

“It is in the depths of silence that the voice of God can be heard.” 

This is just one instance of inner guidance by the Lord. There are, of course, many thousands of such prayers which are simultaneously fulfilled, all over the world every day. These touch our hearts, heal our bodies and connect us within to the Omnipresent One. 

All we have to do is to fill our hearts with love and keep a prayer always on our lips; His voice will resound within louder than anything else in this world. We can then truly become His angels and our lives will revolve in harmony. 

~~~from Heart2Heart Team~~~ 

Like Father like Sun (Son)

 

Some of us are born to be extroverts and make friends with any Tom, Dick or Harry that comes our way. Such people can talk to any person and smile at strangers with ease. That's the way Vineet's father was. But Vineet seemed to be poles apart from his Dad. He was fifteen years old and yet had no friends. He spent his holidays in front of his best friend: the computer. There were no phone calls from friends. There were no outings or movies. School work seemed to be such a bore. He just wanted to be by himself... always. 

Time and again, father pushed his son to get out of his shell. Father would ask Vineet to meet his own friends and discuss 'work' with them. But Vineet would barely get past opening his mouth. 

At school, Vineet would talk to his friends only when it was unavoidable. He was a little more expressive at school than at home. 

One evening his father said, "Son, did you go to the gym, to talk to the instructor?" "No, Dad," came the careless reply; Vineet was busy racing cars on the computer. His lack of attention towards Dad was as usual a cause of tension and annoyance. Every evening when father returned home from work, he would ask Vineet, "So son, how many hours did you study today"? There would be an endless lecture on the do's and don'ts of life, on time management, on priorities in life, on future plans, etc. 

But instead of understanding that father was genuinely concerned about his son's future, the boy would get irritated at what he felt was 'a daily lecture.' When Dad would start, he would think, 'here he goes again...’ and promptly shut his ears. 

Days and months went by. The same scene was enacted every evening. But the boy was as non-serious about his work or his personality development as ever. He was a couch potato housing an extremely intelligent brain! 

One day the father met a wise man. He discussed the attitude of his son with him. The wise man smiled. He said, "Have you ever observed the Sun?" 

"Yes, of course," said the father not quite understanding what the wise man was referring to. "The Sun, when it rises, gives its light from an angle. At noon time, it's right overhead. Soon it starts its descent. When the sun is overhead, your shadow is the shortest. As the sun moves away and gives light from a distance the shadows become longer. The sun does not stay overhead for a long period of time. Most of the time, it's shining on you, from afar." 

"That's true," said the father, with a puzzled look on his face. The wise man went on to clarify. "You too need to be like the Sun. Don't boss over your son. Don't stand on his head, so much that he feels suffocated by the heat. Watch him from a distance. Give him your protection and warmth from a distance. Whenever he looks up, he should see that you are watching him and shining your love upon him. 

If you tower over him, his shadow shall be short. If you keep a distance, you shall see his shadow growing longer. Give him the space he needs, don't suffocate him. Let him think with his own mind. Don't think on his behalf." 

Give the warmth of your presence to your children; don't give them so much heat that they sizzle and burn out. 

Yes, perhaps too many of us are bossing over our kids. We are crippling their ability to think. We influence their thinking before they get an opportunity to think. 

It's a good idea to emulate the Sun. If a father could emulate 'Like father, like SUN', eventually he may end up having a son he is proud of and shall be happy to say, 'Like father, like SON!' 

Did you ever hear of a hot hug? No! But warm hugs from Dad's are very comforting! 

~~~Heart2Heart~~~

Learning from Lincoln

 
Abraham Lincoln became the 16 th President of the United States in 1861. He was well known all over the country as a kind hearted gentle man and as a lover of truth and justice. Even as a child Abraham Lincoln liked to help and serve people in need. Before he became President, Lincoln spent twenty years as an unsuccessful Illinois lawyer - at least he was unsuccessful in financial terms. But he was very rich in the way he led his life. For example, Lincoln didn't like to charge people much who were as poor as he was. 

For example, an old woman in dire poverty, the widow of a Revolutionary soldier, was charged $200 for getting her $400 pension. Lincoln sued the pension agent and won the case for the old woman. He didn't charge her for his services and, in fact, paid her hotel bill and gave her money to buy a ticket home! He was known at times to convince his clients to settle their issue out of court, saving them a lot of money, and earning nothing for himself. 

He and his associate once prevented a con man from gaining possession of a tract of land owned by a mentally ill girl. The case took fifteen minutes. Lincoln's associate came to divide up their fee, but Lincoln reprimanded him. His associate argued that the girl's brother had agreed on the fee ahead of time, and he was completely satisfied. "That may be," said Lincoln , "but that money comes out of the pocket of a poor, mentally-challenged girl; and I would rather starve than swindle her in this manner. You return half the money at least, or I'll not take a cent of it as my share." 

Before he became a lawyer, Lincoln managed a country store. Late one night, when he counted his cash, he found that he had taken a few extra cents from a customer. He closed the store, and walked a long distance to return the money to the customer. 

At another time, he discovered that there had been a weight on the scales when he weighed out a package of tea for a woman the night before, thus giving her too little for her money. He weighed out what was due, and carried it to her, much to the surprise of the woman. 

Lincoln had compassion for all living creatures. Once, while riding through the country with some other lawyers, Lincoln saw two young birds that the wind had blown out of their nest. He stopped to put them back in their nest. "I could not have slept unless I had restored those little birds to their mother," he said. 

Once when he was president, he went out with his friends for his daily walk. While returning home, he saw behind him a horse with a saddle and no rider. Lincoln asked his friends if anyone knew whose horse it was and why it was roaming about in this strange condition. The friends suspected that the horse belonged to a person they knew. "He is a drunkard," they said, "and he must have fallen down somewhere on the road." 

Lincoln suggested that they might all go back and search for him. "Why should we?" asked the friends. "It is getting dark. Let us hurry along. We are already late. Let the drunkard learn a lesson." They started moving on, but Lincoln did not join them. He turned to go back, saying "I feel the man needs help. He might have fallen and even gotten badly injured." 

As his friends walked away, Lincoln went back along the road and looked for the unfortunate man. After walking some distance, he saw the drunken man lying unconscious on the roadside. Lincoln helped him up with some difficulty and brought him home. Everyone in Lincoln 's home were angry with him for bringing in a drunken man. But Lincoln did not mind their harsh words. He calmly told them, "Look, he may be drunk, but he is a human being like us. It is our duty to help him." Lincoln took the drunken man to the bathroom and put him under the shower of water. When he regained full consciousness, Lincoln served him food. Then he was allowed to go home. 

Lincoln believed that service done with love to man is service to God. He was unhappy to see slavery. He therefore fought to end slavery. Many people afterwards said, "God in heaven and Lincoln on earth - we have only these two to look after us." 

April 15 is the death anniversary day of this great soul; as we remember him on this day let us also get inspired by his life and instil self-confidence and compassion in our lives. 

~~~Heart2Heart Team~~~

Sharpen your Axe

 

A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. 

"That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree." 

The young man stepped forward, and skillfully felled a great tree. 

Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start from Monday." 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday rolled by and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your pay cheque on the way out today." 

Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." 

"Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. 

Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last place today." 

"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!" 

The foreman, sensing the young man's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening you axe?" 

The young man replied, "No sir, I've been working too hard to take time for that!" 

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to "sharpen the axe." 
In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp? 

There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn't want us to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like taking time to pray, to read and study Scripture, or to listen to 'the still small voice of God.' We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don't take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. 

~~Heart2Heart Team~~

Picture in a Wallet

A ticket collector on a train found an old worn out wallet in a compartment full of many people. He looked inside to find the name of its owner. There was no clue. It had some money and a small picture of Lord Krishna. He held it up and asked, 'Who is the owner of this wallet?'

In response, an old man approached and said, “That is my wallet, please give it to me.” The ticket collector then told him: “You'll have to prove that it is yours. Only then I can hand it over to you.” The old man, who had no teeth, smiled, and said, “It has a picture of Krishna in it.”

“That is no proof; anyone can have a picture of Krishna in his wallet. What is so special about that? Why is your picture not in there?” Obviously, the ticket collector was not an easy person to deal with.

The old man took a deep breath and said, "Let me tell you why my picture is not there. My father gave this wallet to me when I was in school. He used to give me a small sum of pocket money. I loved my parents and I kept their picture in it.

Later on, I replaced their picture with mine as it was an excellent color picture of a handsome looking teenager.

Some years later, I got married. My wife was very beautiful and I loved her a lot. I replaced my picture in the wallet with that of hers. I spent hours gazing at her pretty face.

When my first child was born, my life started a new chapter. I shortened my working hours to play with my baby. I went late to work and returned home early too. Obviously, my son's picture occupied the prized position in my wallet."

The old man's eyes brimmed with tears as he continued, "My parents passed away many years ago. Last year my wife too left her mortal coil. My son is very busy with his beautiful family. He has no time for me. All that I had close to my heart is out of my reach now.

So, after all the disappointments, I have put this picture of Lord Krishna, my favorite form of God, in my wallet. It is only now that I have realized that He is the eternal companion. He will never leave me. Alas! If only I had realized this before. If only I had loved the Lord all those years, with the same intensity as I had loved my family, I would not have been so lonely today!"

The ticket collector quietly gave the wallet to the old man. When the train stopped at the next station, he directly went to the book stall at the platform and frantically started looking for a picture of his favorite form of God for his wallet!

Innumerable are the occasions when Bhagavan Baba has told us that our one and only true friend is God – He will never forsake us. He will always be with us no matter what. He alone is permanent and will never lift His compassionate gaze from us.

In a Guru Poornima discourse a few years ago, Swami said,

“Try to reduce your attachment to the world to the minimum extent possible. Be happy and make others happy. Do not hurt anybody. Consider difficulties as passing clouds. You have developed family relationships and there are bound to be some worries. But do not be perturbed by them. When you look at the vast sky, you find many clouds. Likewise, in the sky of your heart there are clouds of attachment. They just come and go. Do not worry about them… Develop equanimity and strive to attain Divinity”.

~~~ from Heart2Heart Team~~~~

Life Explained

A large pleasure cruiser docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist got off, and walked along the harbour, ambling up to a middle-aged local fisherman, wizened by many hours sitting under the sun. After a few moments, he complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican in a relaxed and pleasant voice.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the straight forward American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American, who seemed like he was coming around to making a point, asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and help my wife around the house. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican, laconically.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one, and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants, and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise,” he said, filled with enthusiasm.

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards?"

"Well, my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican, looking out to sea.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, and spend your evenings enjoying your friends' company."

The American had a self-satisfied grin on his face, as he was rather smug that he had been able to explain his way of thinking so convincingly to this simple man – and yes he seemed to understand!

The Mexican chuckled and looking him straight in the eye said slowly but emphatically, “Well, that’s what I’m doing now, my friend!”

The visitor stopped for a second. He realised he had met his match in this simple man who was actually quite a few steps ahead of him. But, of course, he did not want to show this and simply forced a smile and backed away mumbling some need to get back to his boat.

And the wry Mexican fisherman – well, he just kept on chuckling – wouldn’t you!

Swami ji has been telling us the same message. He exhorts us to aspire for one thing alone – and that is the Supreme Inner Peace that only God can give us. A life based around the pursuit of money, possessions and physical comforts will never grant us any contentment. That, he explains, only leads to ‘pieces’.

It is in contentment that peace and happiness are present. Who is the richest man? The man with contentment. And who is the poorest man? He who has many desires.

Let us have a limit on our desires and make our joy limitless.

~~~Heart2Heart Team~~~

The loyal wife

 

There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real 
miser when it came to his money. 

Just before he died, he said to his wife, 'When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me.'

And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.

Well, he died . . .
He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, 'Wait, just a minute!'

She had a box with her, she came over with the box and put it in the casket..

Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away.

Her friend said, 'I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband.'

The loyal wife replied 'Listen, I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him.'

'You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him !!! ?'

'I sure did' said the wife. 'I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a cheque. If he can cash it, he can spend it.'
Moral of the story: Women are cleverer than Men .......

The Loretto Chapel Staircase Miracle

There are many storied of what faith in God can do.....Such stories are found all over the world, no matter what the religion.....Here is something interesting that was sent to me......have a look, it is amazing

. 

A Band of Gold

 
A school boy went to see his teacher to talk about a problem that was troubling him. 

"Everyone says I am good for nothing," he complained. "No one believes that I will ever achieve everything. They think I am stupid and lazy. How can I become a better person? What do I have to do for people to appreciate me?"

Without looking at him, the teacher answered, "I'm very sorry, lad, but at the moment I have a problem of my own that is occupying my mind, so I can't help you." He paused and then continued, "But perhaps if you first help me to solve my own problem I could look at how to help you with yours."
"Of course, Sir," said the boy. But inside he felt let down and small.

The teacher took a gold ring off his little finger and held it up saying, "Take your horse and go to the market. There you must sell this ring for me as I need the money to repay a debt. Obviously you must get the best price you can, but whatever you do, don't accept less than one gold coin for it. Go, and come back with the money as fast as you can."

The boy took the ring and left. When he arrived at the market, he started to show it to the stallholders. They seemed very interested and were keen to know how much the young boy wanted for it. But when he started to talk about a gold coin, some of them fell about laughing while others just walked off without a backwards glance.

Only one old man was kind enough to explain to him that a gold coin was far too much to ask for an old ring. Trying to help the young boy, he offered him a bronze coin for it, and then a silver coin. But following the instructions of his teacher not to let it go for less than one gold coin, the boy refused all offers.

After having approached every stallholder and passer-by in the market without success, feeling extremely downhearted at his failure, he got back on his horse and returned to his teacher. How he wished that he had a gold coin himself that he could use to buy the ring, thus freeing the teacher of debt so that he in turn could help him with his own problem!

He went up to his teacher and said, "I'm sorry, Sir, but I have failed to achieve what you asked of me. I could have got two or three silver coins for it, but I believe that we can't mislead anyone about the value of this ring."

"What you say is very important," replied the professor with a smile. "First of all we have to find out the real value of this ring. Get back on your horse and take it to the jeweller. Who else can know its value better than he? But whatever he offers you for it, don't sell it to him. Come back to me with my ring."

The boy went to find the jeweller and held out the ring to him for him to examine. The jeweller scrutinised it through his magnifying glass, weighed it, and said, "Tell your teacher that if he wants to sell it today I can only give him 58 gold coins for it."

"58 gold coins!" exclaimed the boy.
"Yes. And in a while I might be able to give him 70, but if it's an urgent sale…"

The boy ran back to his teacher in a state of excitement to relate what had happened.

"Sit down," said the teacher. After having listened to the child's story, he said, "You are like this band of gold; a unique jewel of immense value. But it takes a specialist to recognise your true worth. Did you think just anybody would be able to realise your value?" So saying, he put his ring back on his finger.

Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, ... and those you love, ... today, and everyday! 

~~from Heart2Heart Team~~