Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

The Necklace Of Princess



Once there was a king who had presented his daughter, the princess, with a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. Some said a bird might have stolen it. The king then asked them all to search for it and put a reward for $50,000 for anyone who found it.


One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area. This river was completely polluted, filthy and smelly. As he was walking, the clerk saw a shimmering in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it so that he could get the $50,000 reward. He put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and grabbed at the necklace, but some how missed it and didn't catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again, this time he walked in the river and dirtied his pants in the filthy river and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling depressed.


Then again he saw the necklace, right there. This time he was determined to get it, no matter what. He decided to plunge into the river, although it was a disgusting thing to do as the river was polluted, and his whole body would become filthy. He plunged in, and searched everywhere for the necklace and yet he failed. This time he was really bewildered and came out feeling very depressed that he could not get the necklace that would get him $50,000.


Just then a saint who was walking by, saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn't want to share the secret with the saint, thinking the saint might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell the saint anything. But the saint could see this man was troubled and being compassionate, again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk mustered some courage and decided to put some faith in the saint. He told the saint about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing. The saint then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the filthy river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was dangling on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real necklace all this time.



Moral of the story:

Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because it is a mere reflection of the TRUE happiness in the spiritual world.


We can never achieve the happiness we are looking for no matter how hard we endeavor in material life. Instead we should look upwards, toward God, who is the source of real happiness, and stop chasing after the reflection of this happiness in the material world. This spiritual happiness is the only thing that can satisfy us completely.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Painting On The Wall

There was a king who was a great admirer of art.
 One day an artist came and said to the king, “Oh King! Give me a wall in your palace and let me paint a picture on it.”

The artist was given the job.
Just then, another young man said, “Oh King! Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I too am an artist.”
The king said, “What would you like to make?”
 The man said, “My Lord, I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so, without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so that either of us cannot see the other.”

Everyone in the king’s court, including the king was intrigued.
He decided to give the young fellow a chance.
The following day a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work.
 The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil, water etc.
The second one worked with some cloth and a bucket of water.
After a month the first artist told the king that his work was complete.
The king sent for the second artist and asked him, “Young man, when would your work be ready? I am coming to see the first wall this evening.”
The man said, “My Lord, my wall is ready too!”

The king went to see the first artist’s wall.
He was very, very impressed with the painting and gave a hefty sum as a reward to the artist.
He then asked for the curtain to be opened up.
Lo and behold!


The same painting was to be seen on the opposite wall too! Amazing! But true!
 Each line, each minor detail was exactly as it was on the first wall.
But this man had not been seeing what was going on, on the other side of the curtain.
So how had he done it?

The king wanted to know the secret.
He gave a double reward to the fellow.

Then he said, “Young man, I am indeed very happy with your work. But you must tell me; how did you do it?”

The lad said simply, “It’s very easy!
I just polished the wall every day till it shone like a mirror!” It was a wall made of white marble!
The reflection of the painting across the room, showed up in it!

That is what it means to polish yourself.
 World is a reflection of you. Whatever you are, the world will seem to be that too.
 If you are happy, the world will look to be happy.
If you are sad; jealous; angry; restless... That is what the world will seem to be to you!

Have a day of reflection...😀🙏👍🏻🌺