One Life Many Masters

One of the great Sufi Masters, Junnaid, was dying. His chief disciple came close to him and asked softly, ″Master, you are leaving us. One question has always been in our minds.  Who was your Master? This has been a great curiosity among all your disciples because we have never heard you talk about your Master. But we could never gather the courage to ask you."

Junnaid opened his eyes and said, ″It will be very difficult for me to answer because I have learned from almost everybody. The whole existence has been my Master. I have learned from every event that has happened in my life. And I am grateful to all that has happened, because out of all that learning I have arrived.″

Junnaid said, ″Just to satisfy your curiosity I will give you three instances...

One:

I was very thirsty and I was going towards the river carrying my begging bowl, the only possession I had. When I reached the river a dog rushed, jumped into the river, started drinking.

I watched the dog for a moment and threw away my begging bowl. Because I saw it is useless. A dog could do without it. I also jumped into the river, drank as much water as I wanted. My whole body was cool because I had jumped into the river. I sat in the river for a few moments, thanked the dog, touched his feet with deep reverence because he had taught me a lesson.

I had dropped everything, all possessions, but there was a certain clinging to my begging bowl. It was a beautiful bowl, very beautifully carved, and I was always aware that somebody might steal it. Even in the night I used to put it under my head as a pillow so nobody could snatch it away. That was my last clinging. The dog helped. It was so clear: if a dog can manage without a begging bowl... I am a man, why can′t I manage? That dog was one of my Masters.

Two:

I lost my way in a forest and by the time I reached the nearest village that I could find, it was midnight. Everybody was fast asleep. I wandered all over the town to see if I could find somebody awake to give me shelter for the night, until finally I found one man. I asked him, ′It seems only two persons are awake in the town, you and I. Can you give me shelter for the night?′

The man said, ′I can see from your gown that you are a Sufi monk....′″

(The word Sufi comes from suf; suf means wool, a woolen garment. The Sufis have used the woolen garment for centuries; hence they are called Sufis because of their garment.)

The man said, ″I can see you are a Sufi and I feel a little embarrassed to take you to my home. I am perfectly willing, but I must tell you who I am. I am a thief. Would you like to be a guest of a thief?″

For a moment Junnaid hesitated. The thief said, ″Look, it is better I told you. You seem hesitant. The thief is willing but the mystic seems to be hesitant to enter into the house of a thief, as if the mystic is weaker than the thief. In fact, I should be afraid of you--you may change me, you may transform my whole life! Inviting you means danger, but I am not afraid. You are welcome. Come to my home. Eat, drink, go to sleep, and stay as long as you want, because I live alone and my earning is enough. I can manage for two persons. And it will be really beautiful to chit-chat with you of great things. But you seem to be hesitant.″

Junnaid became aware that it was true. He asked to be forgiven. He touched the feet of the thief and he said, ″Yes, my rootedness in my own being is yet very weak. You are really a strong man and I would like to come to your home. And I would like to stay a little longer, not only for this night. I want to be stronger myself!″

The thief said, ″Come on!″ He fed the Sufi, gave him something to drink, helped him to prepare for sleep and he said, ″Now I will go. I have to do my own thing. I will come back early in the morning.″ Early in the morning the thief came back. Junnaid asked, ″Have you been successful?″

The thief said, ″No, not today, but I will see tomorrow.″

And this happened continuously, for thirty days: every night the thief went out, and every morning he came back empty-handed. But he was never sad, never frustrated--no sign of failure on his face, always happy --and he would say, ″It doesn′t matter. I tried my best. I could not find anything today again, but tomorrow I will try. And, God willing, it can happen tomorrow if it has not happened today.″

After one month Junnaid left, and for years he tried to realize the ultimate, and it was always a failure. But each time he decided to drop the whole project he remembered the thief, his smiling face and his saying ″God willing, what has not happened today may happen tomorrow.″

Junnaid said, ″I remembered the thief as one of my greatest Masters. Without him I would not be what I am.

Three:

I entered a small village. A little boy was carrying a lit candle, obviously going to the small temple of the town to put the candle there for the night.″

And Junnaid asked, ″Can you tell me from where the light comes? You have lighted the candle yourself so you must have seen. What is the source of light?″

The boy laughed and he said, ″Wait!″ And he blew out the candle in front of Junnaid. And he said, ″You have seen the light go. Can you tell me where it has gone? If you can tell me where it has gone I will tell you from where it has come, because it has gone to the same place. It has returned to the source.″

Junnaid said, ″I had met great philosophers but nobody had made such a beautiful statement: ′It has gone to its very source.′
Everything returns to its source finally. Moreover, the child made me aware of my own ignorance. I was trying to joke with the child, but the joke was on me. He showed me that asking foolish questions: 'From where has the light come?′--is not intelligent. It comes from nowhere, from nothingness--and it goes back to nowhere, to nothingness.″

Junnaid said, ″I touched the feet of the child. The child was puzzled. He said, ′Why you are touching my feet?′ And I told him, ′You are my Master--you have shown me something. You have given me a great lesson, a great insight.′

″Since that time,″ Junnaid said, ″I have been meditating on nothingness and slowly, slowly I have entered into nothingness. And now the final moment has come when the candle will go out, the light will go out. And I know where I am going--to the same source.

I remember that child with gratefulness. I can still see him standing before me now, blowing out the candle.

No situation is without a lesson, no situation at all. All situations are pregnant with meaning and intelligence. But we have to discover them. They may not always be on the surface.

When we see life itself as our master, these lessons become more accessible.



Happy Teachers Day....
Learn from everyone.... :)

Learn From Others

Shyam &  Tushar joined a company together, a few months after their Graduation from University.

After a few years of work, their Manager promoted Shyam to a position of Senior Sales Manager, but Tushar remained in his entry level Junior Sales Officer position. Tushar developed a sense of jealousy & disgruntlement, but continued working anyway!

One day, Tushar felt that he could not work with Shyam, anymore. He wrote his resignation letter, but before he submitted it to the Manager, he complained that  Management did not value hard working staff, but only promoted only the favored!

The Manager knew that Shyam worked with sincerity & was dedicated to his assignments for the years he had spent at the Company; even worked harder than Tushar & therefore he deserved the promotion. So in order to help Tushar realise this, the Manager gave Tushar a task.

“Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”

Tushar returned & said, "Yes there is someone!"

The Manager asked, "How much do they cost per kg?" Tushar drove back to town to ask & then returned to inform the Manager;  "they are Rs.13.50 per kg!"

The Manager told Tus,har "I will give Shyam the same assignment that I gave you. Pay close attention to his response!"

So the Manager said to Shyam in the presence of Tushar; “Go & find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”

Shyam went to find out & on his return he said: "Manager ji, there is only one person selling water melons in the whole town. The cost is Rs. 49 per piece & Rs. 32,50 for a half melon. He sells them at Rs. 13.50 per kg when sliced. He has in his stock 93 melons, each one weighing about 7 kg. He has a farm & can supply us with melons for the next 4 months at 102 melons per day at Rs. 27.00 per melon; this includes delivery!

The melons appear fresh & red with good quality & they taste better than the ones we sold last year! He has his own slicing machine & is willing to slice for us free of charge! We need to strike a deal with him before 10 am tomorrow & we will be sure of improving on last year's profits in melons by Rs. 223 000! This will contribute positively to our overall performance as it will add a minimum of 3.78% to our current overall sales performance! I have put this information down in writing & is available on spread sheet. Pls let me know if you need any more info, as I can send it to you in fifteen minutes!"

Tushar was very impressed & realized the difference between himself & Shyam! He decided not to resign but to learn from Shyam!

As we begin this fresh year, let this story help us keep in mind the importance of going an extra mile in all our endeavors!

You won't be rewarded for doing what you're meant to do, you already get a salary for that! You will definitely be rewarded for going an extra mile; performing beyond expectations!

To be successful in real life situations you must be smart, observant, proactive & willing to do more, be positive, learn to live with back stabbers,  think more, a more holistic perspective & go beyond the call of duty!

Angry Boss!!!

The Boss was retiring. Everyone had tears in their eyes on the day of his farewell. One of the employees said, “Sir, there is one thing we want to learn from you. You worked here for so many years. What to speak about scolding your subordinates, we have never seen you even shouting at them. We have scolded our subordinates on pressure of work or for other reasons. We want to know about the seed of your patience.”
The Boss said, “Then listen to this incident of my childhood. My father was working as a lower level employee in an office. He was a very nice person. He was respected very much in our family. It happened one day. I was studying in the 4th standard. I had gone to the office of my father for some reason. I saw that my father was not on his seat. I waited outside. After some time, the door of the Boss opened. My father came out of the door. I saw the fair face of my father had turned red. He went straight to a corner and stood there looking outside through a window there. He had not seen me. I went to him and called him slowly. He was taken by surprise and turned back to look at me. I saw stream of tears flowing down his eyes. He was slightly disturbed seeing me. He did not find time to wipe out his tears. Can my father cry anytime? He was the strongest man in the world for me. It was out of my imagination that someone could hurt him. I ran straight to the room of the Boss. Father was calling me from behind. But, listening to nothing, I went inside and asked the Boss, “Why did you make my father cry?” The Boss was also surprised.

Thereafter, my father tried to make me understand. But, that day I had decided to take revenge on the Boss. I decided that day that I will study well and become a Boss one day, but I will not make my subordinates cry anytime. Because, they are not only the employees of my office, they are also respected and dear father or brother or somebody of their families and their surroundings. People say it is not possible to control others without scolding them. I say, what for love is there then?”

I Will Improve

Little Aditya, was in tears. He is an 8 year old boy. His Mom was shouting at him, as he has not completed his math homework, even after an hour. Aditya's parents are Ruchi, and Rishi. Both are working in MNC's. Ruchi took a career break of 5 years, to take care of Aditya. Now, she had joined her office again from a junior level, whereas all her friends have moved to the senior level. When Rishi, entered the home, Aditya was in tears, Ruchi was shouting at him. “What is 8 * 6, Adi, come on, I taught you tables twice yesterday, still you are unable to remember. What am I supposed to do? You remember all cartoon stories, but not one simple tables”.
Aditya tried to remember a lot, he couldn't remember anything, and he thought it may be 48, but he was scared to tell his mom, what if it is wrong, she will get upset. He thought to himself, “Mom, I will Improve”. He didn’t know how. He wanted to, he wanted to see his mother happy.
When, he was in the younger classes, He used to win, many prizes in different competitions. He and his mother were very happy. As he grew up, suddenly he felt he was pushed in a complex world, he couldn't grasp many things, and his fellow students could do. He went to meet doctors and counselors, his mother thought he was sick. He was not sure whether he was sick or not. May be he has a poor memory like his mom and teachers say. He was not able to make a decision. Tonight, his father has come early from the office. He was happy. He will rescue him.
Soon as his father, freshened up, he gave a hug to Aditya. To Aadi’s relief, he said with a huge smile, “Go and play”. He was happy, but he looked at his mother with wide eyes, and said slowly,” Dad, I didn’t complete my homework!” His father, replied, “I will do it, don’t worry.” Aadi, again gave a bear hug and ran outside to play with his friends. Ruchi was upset. She retorted angrily,”Will you go and write his exams too?”
After Aditya left, Rishi, hugged Ruchi, “Why are you so tensed dear. He will pick up, don't worry”. Ruchi was upset,” Do you think you love him more than, me, what is the point you want to prove? You never attend the Parent Teachers Meeting, I have to listen from teachers, and I need to face the other parents. You just don't need to face anything”.
Rishi kept quiet, “Ruchi, do you think, by shouting at him, things would improve. You thought, he may have some learning disabilities, but the psychologist proved there is nothing like that. All children are not same”.Ruchi replied back, “But I am spending so much time with him. I am always teaching him, each and everything, still what do you expect me to do?”
Rishi, smiled and said,” I expect you, not to expect anything from him. Don’t expect him to learn things faster, don’t expect him to be like you.” Ruchi retorted back angrily,” I am not expecting him to get first prize in everything like me, but at least he shouldn’t be so dull. Now he is 3 rd std and he is not sure about 5*5=25, how his life will be. All his friends, will reach a good position in life, what his life will become? I am so scared. Rishi, I put in so much hard work on him, still why he is not getting marks?”
Rishi kept quiet. Ruchi, always wanted the best. She was always best in whatever she did, the fact she didn't understand is Aadi is the best child. He is very friendly with everyone, always tries to help others.He was hoping, Ruchi will find her answer soon.
After few days,his paternal aunt, Durga Bua, came to visit them. Her son has settled in US. She occasionally visits India,to visit her relatives. After many years, she has come to visit them. Ruchi loves Durga Bua, everyone loves her for her soft words and naive nature. She was playing with Aadi and commented to Ruchi, “Aadi is a very good boy”. For which Ruchi, replied in a dull voice.” Hmmmm”.she sensed something wrong, but didn’t ask anything.
After Aadi left, she asked, “what happened Ruchi?”. Ruchi shared her worries with her aunt. She listened everything carefully. She went to the small garden which Ruchi maintains in her balcony, and said,” I observe you have a beautiful garden. How do you maintain them? Ruchi replied happily,” I take personal care, bua”. Her aunt said, “Why is this aloe Vera plant, shorter than others, is it a new plant, or you are not watering them properly?” Ruchi whispered, “No, aunt, I have planted it a year back. I take care of them properly, few plants grow faster and few takes time”.
Then, aunt asked, “What do you do then? Do you tell the shorter plant, daily, grow up, look at the other plants, otherwise your life would be of no use or you nurture them slowly that it takes time in growing and you still love them”.

Ruchi felt something snap in her. She looked at her aunt, with tears in her eyes.
Durga Bua, said,” There are 7 types of learning skills for a child, few learn by looking, few by hearing, few by explaining, few understand things by doing activities, and few learn by practically doing the same things again and again. A mother or teacher should try to teach a child, all the 7 methods, and then understand the child’s best learning language and teach accordingly. You can’t think. Your child is dull. Each and every child is unique and special. Can’t you see Aadi is trying everything to make you happy? He loves you so much. If you nurture him now, it is good for both of you. If he accepts, he is dull and turns to be a loser, what will you do?”
Ruchi shuddered by the thought,” Understand your child and help him to understand things. I know you are very busy and Rishi doesn’t help you. Still I am sure, once you are clear and support, Aadi, Rishi will try his level best to help you. Just try. It is always too soon to quit with your child.”
Ruchi kept quiet, deep in her thoughts. Durga bua knew, she will find a different family, when she visits them again.

Lesson to Learn

That freaking last over was a neat set of  life lessons. Here is how:

Bangladesh needs 11 runs in last over. Over a billion people are on edge with their asses on cusp of dis pair or joy.

1.  Pandya goes for 2  fours in first 3 balls. At this point game is over for India. But Pandya still keeps his head to ball some what sensibly for last 3 balls.

  Life Lesson 1- It is never lost until you lose it. Even if defeat is  staring at your face.


2 . Mushfiqur hits second four in last over and punches in air. Just 2 runs needed  in 3 balls. So they have won he thinks. The Bangla dugout stands clapping. Wrong assumption.

Life Lesson 2- Never  count your chickens until they are hatched. Really hatched.


3. Two runs needed in last ball. A billion people watching are trembling with nerves. Dhoni remains  cool showing no emotion. In the melee of last ball when billion
minds have raced to confusion, he has sense to not throw the ball and run the batsman out. He knows he has won , yet he doesn't jump into air or punches his fist.

Life Lesson 3- Equanimity and dispassion is key to master one's mind.  No excessive joy in good time and no excessive sorrow in unfavorable times is how one should live.

4. One freak hit and  Bangladesh could have won. One run in last over and it could have been a tie. Anything was possible like a random chance at toss of dice.

Life Lesson 4: There is an overall seeming randomness in life. In end you lose some and you win some by an unknown roll of dice.

Be positive. Learn form each and every situations...