Self Satisfaction

A German once visited a temple under
construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God...

Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby...
Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you
need two statues of the same idol?"
"No," said the sculptor
without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage..."

The gentleman
examined the idol and found no apparent damage...

"Where is the damage?" he asked.
"There is a scratch on the backside of ear of the idol." said the sculptor, still
busy with his work....

"Where are you going to install the idol?"

The sculptor replied that it would be
installed on a
pillar twenty feet high...

"If the idol is that far who is going to know that there is a scratch on the backside of ear?"
the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said,

"I will know it..."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not....

"Excellence" is a
drive from inside, not outside....

Excellence is not for
someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.

Don't Climb a Mountain with an Intention that the World Should See You,
Climb the Mountain with the Intention to See the World

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.... :)

Marathon of Life

Lata Bhagwan Kare, a 66 year old woman, is a resident of an small village in Buldhana district in Maharashtra.

She lived with her three daughters and husband. She and her husband worked very hard throughout their lives and got their daughter married. All their life's savings were spent on the marriage.

After daughter’s marriage, Lata tai and her husband started working as daily wage workers in the nearby farms, they used to make enough to survive.

One day her husband felt uneasy and was diagnosed with some serious infection.

With no money in hand, Lata tai couldn’t understand what to do. She took him to the nearby government hospital, doctors recommended her to take him to the hospital in Baramati as a few tests had to be conducted.

Lata tai was in tears, she cursed her own misery. She couldn't see her husband dying in her arms. She felt helpless and sorrowful.

As a last resort, she begged her neighbours, relatives and every possible person she could and gathered a small amount and left for Baramati for the further tests of her husband.

Doctor moved her husband to the check-up zone. She discreetly sat outside the room with the teary eyes, praying god to save the only relative in her life.

Fate had some other story written for them. Doctor advised further costly tests and medications, which were going to cost them a fortune. Lata tai's world collapsed as she has nowhere to go, and no money to treat her husband. Her world was shattered, her heart ached, overwhelmed by emotions, she cried with helplessness.

The wife and husband came out of the hospital heavy-heartedly, stopped by nearby samosawala, had two samosas.

The samosas were served on a piece of newspaper. Her eyes stopped on the bold Marathi headline in the newspaper; her eyes lit, heart skipped.

The headline was about the ‘Baramati Marathon and it's prize money'.

Next day, Baramati Marathon was about to commence, everyone geared up in their sports shoes, cozy shorts and tracks, sweat absorbing tees.

And here she comes, the 66 year old Lata Bhagwan Kare, wearing torn saree (lugda), bare footed, tears in her eyes. She argued with the organizers, as they weren't ready to let her participate in the marathon.

She pleaded, she begged, she convinced them to permit her to participate.

Marathon started, she hitched her saree just above her ankles, she ran like a wizard, like a 16 year old teen.

She didn't think of anything else, she could just see nothing but her husband's agony and the prize money.

She didn't care about the hard hitting road and pebbles hurting her feet. Her feet bled, but she ran and ran.

Crowd cheered her, streets of Baramati clapped for her. People were flabbergasted, they saluted her and applauded her.

Finally she won the Marathon and got the prize money. It meant a lot to her as she can now save her husband.

She collected the winning amount and made sure her husband received the proper medication.

This is love, this is devotion. She didn't blink in the most trying circumstances, she never thought about how she is going to win the marathon, or how is she going to run barefooted. Her only motive was to save her husband.

Salutes to Lata Bhagwan Kare, for her courage and fortitude. In the world full of excuses, she just proved to be an extreme exception.

Google her name to watch her clips on YouTube on how she won the marathon.

Finding a New Spring

Once upon a time a certain tradesman was leading a caravan to another country to sell his goods. Along the way they came to the edge of a severe hot-sand desert. They asked about, and found that during the day time the sun heats up the fine sand until it's as hot as charcoal, so no one can walk on it - not even bullocks or camels! So the caravan leader hired a desert guide, one who could follow the stars, so they could travel only at night when the sand cools down. They began the dangerous night time journey across the desert.
A couple of nights later, after eating their evening meal, and waiting for the sand to cool, they started out again. Later that night the desert guide, who was driving the first cart, saw from the stars that they were getting close to the other side of the desert. He had also overeaten, so that when he relaxed, he dozed off to sleep. Then the bullocks who, of course, couldn't tell directions by reading the stars, gradually turned to the side and went in a big wide circle until they ended up at the same place they had started from!

By then it was morning, and the people realized they were back at the same spot they'd camped at the day before. They lost heart and began to cry about their condition. Since the desert crossing was supposed to be over by now, they had no more water and were afraid they would die of thirst. They even began to blame the caravan leader and the desert guide - "We can do nothing without water!", they complained.

Then the tradesman thought to himself, "If I lose courage now, in the middle of this disastrous situation, my leadership has no meaning. If I fall to weeping and regretting this misfortune, and do nothing, all these goods and bullocks and even the lives of the people, including myself, may be lost. I must be energetic and face the situation!" So he began walking back and forth, trying to think out a plan to save them all.

Remaining alert, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small clump of grass. He thought, "Without water, no plant could live in this desert." So he called over the most energetic of his fellow travelers and asked them to dig up the ground on that very spot. They dug and dug, and after a while they got down to a large stone. Seeing it they stopped, and began to blame the leader again, saying "This effort is useless. We're just wasting our time!" But the tradesman replied, "No no, my friends, if we give up the effort we will all be ruined and our poor animals will die - let us be encouraged!"

As he said this, he got down into the hole, put his ear to the stone, and heard the sound of flowing water. Immediately, he called over a boy who had been digging and said, "If you give up, we will all perish - so take this heavy hammer and strike the rock."

The boy lifted the hammer over his head and hit the rock as hard as he could - and he himself was the most surprised when the rock split in two and a mighty flow of water gushed out from under it! Suddenly, all the people were overjoyed. They drank and bathed and washed the animals and cooked their food and ate.

Before they left, they raised a high banner so that other travelers could see it from afar and come to the new spring in the middle of the hot-sand desert. Then they continued on safely to the end of their journey.

Moral: Don't give up too easily - keep on trying until you reach the goal.

Willingness To Listen

Viktor Frankl, one of the great psychiatrists of the twentieth century, survived the death camps of Nazi Germany. His little book, Man’s Search for Meaning, is one of those life-changing books that everyone should read.

Frankl once told the story of a woman who called him in the middle of the night to calmly inform him she was about to commit suicide. Frankl kept her on the phone and talked her through her depression, giving her reason after reason to carry on living. Finally she promised she would not take her life, and she kept her word.

When they later met, Frankl asked which reason had persuaded her to live?
"None of them", she told him.
What then influenced her to go on living, he pressed?

Her answer was simple, it was Frankl’s willingness to listen to her in the middle of the night.

A world in which there was someone ready to listen to another's pain seemed to her a world in which it was worthwhile to live.

Often, it is not the brilliant argument that makes the difference. Sometimes the small act of listening is the greatest gift we can give.

Listen to Everyone.

Power of Vision

This is a real life story of engineer John Roebling building the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, USA back in 1870. The bridge was completed in 1883, after 13 years.

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to talk or walk.

“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase wild visions.”

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built.

In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task.

As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

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!