Sunday, May 31, 2009

"This too will pass."

Everything in life is temporary…Darkness of the night or brightness of the day.

Even sunrise is temporary… And so is sunset.If things are going good enjoy it… It won't last forever

And if things are going bad Don’t worry because it won't last forever either.

Everything just passes by…

There is nothing permanent in this world. Nothing is real. Everything is an illusion. Everything changes except the law of change. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.

The Buddha himself said once: -

When faced with all the ups and downs of life,

Still the mind remains unshaken,

Not lamenting, not generating defilement, always feeling secure,

This is the greatest happiness.

All of us would do well to remember this lesson and apply it so as to lead a happy life.

Recently I got this story"This Too Will Pass "in my Inbox.. I enjoyed while reading this story.. so here is the story for all of my friends here.. hope you will like it and ponder over it ..

Read this thought provoking story :-

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them," Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and in every time. Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra?"

All wise men got puzzled by King's question. One answer for all question? Something that works everywhere, in every situation? In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appeal to all of them. They went to king and gave him something written on paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he'll have to see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

After a few days, the neighbors attack the Kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of King's enemies. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to fled on his horse. The enemies were following him. His horse took him far away in Jungle. He could hear many troops of horses were following him and the noise was coming closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing in the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished…and he could not return because it was a small road…From back the sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great.

The message was - “This too will pass."

The King read it. Again read it. Suddenly something strike in his mind- Yes ! it too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. However when those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. Calm come on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forget about those following him. After a few minute he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regain his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being thrown on King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me.: With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: "This too will pass"

He became silent. His face went through a total change -from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness.

If this too is going to pass, it is not yours.

The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours.

You are just a watcher. Everything passes by

We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life come and go. Happiness come and go. Sorrow come and go.

After read this story. Just think over the sentence, " This too will pass." Pondering over your own life will make you realize the true meaning of this sentence. Everything passes yet your real identity remains the same. That real you is your true self. just sit silently and evaluate your own life. This too will pass. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent ? They all come and pass away. Life just passes away. You are just a witness of change. Experience it, understand

There were friends, in past. They all have gone.

There are friends today. They too will go.

There will be new friends tomorrow. They too will go.

There were enemies in past. They have gone.

There may be enemy in present. They too will go.

There will be new enemies tomorrow and......they too will go.

There is nothing permanent in this world. Everything changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks , all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.If we take the time to think - the world that we know is impermanent Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time.. In fact we ourselves are impermanent. We are not the same persons that we were 20 years back. All the cells in our body, our appearance, our personality, our feelings and emotions, our problems all have changed. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged. What is that unchangeable ? It is nothing but your true self.

"Take no pride in your possession, in the people at your command, in the youthfulness that you have. Time loots away all these in a moment. Leaving aside all these, after knowing their illusory nature, realize the state of Brahman and enter into it." – ADI SHANKARACHARYA

Friday, May 8, 2009

Go with the Flow…

On someday, a lot happens...on others, nothing does. But regardless of whether something is happening or not, there is one thing that never stops- MY MIND. It keeps going on, and on, and on...life is what we take it to be......sometimes good n sometimes bad...hoping something good will happen ..someday,,, Silent suffering is what I'm going through...Harder than I thought it would be...The harsh reality is unpalatable...Tears find no escape...Hope is like the setting sun...Life devoid of the hues of joy...Invisible I have become !"Keeping the Faith" Tossed around amidst tides of loneliness... Struggling to maintain the curve of my smile….

Some people can bear it all(or most of it at least) with a smile .It’s all well to crib and rant about what went wrong, but if things go wrong, deep down all know that they had been wrong somewhere. Just that most of us do not want to accept that fact. We never realize how much we tend to move away from life in the day-to-day struggle to survive and make ends meet. Frustration and lack of faith make one helpless and pushes them towards what they never intended to or never wanted to be. Realizing that we can’t control other people is one of life’s biggest challenges. It’s especially difficult when we KNOW they are making the wrong decision. We must remember, it’s their life, to make their own mistakes, to learn their own lessons. something I try to practice…especially when I find myself upset, anxious, fearful, nervous, or any negative feeling….as they are all either tied to the past or future that hasn’t happened….nothing to do with the present moment. . Frustration and lack of faith make one helpless and pushes them towards what they never intended to or never wanted to be. Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us.

The simple solution I learn to go with the flow. Not the best way to handle things, is it? And yet if we are honest, most of us have problems like this, with things that disrupt how we like things, with people who change what we are used to, with life when it doesn’t go the way we want it to go with the flow.What is going with the flow? It’s rolling with the punches. It’s accepting change without getting angry or frustrated. It’s taking what life gives you, rather than trying to mold life to be exactly as you want it to be. When you just don’t know what is going on and lay back to see what’s going to happen... You just go with the flow. I don’t think everyone sees “going with the flow” as the same thing, but personally I believe it is nearly impossible to be happy in life if you do not move with its natural rhythms.

Previously I hope that the one of Only Dead Fish Go with the Flow…But later I learnt" survivability depends upon adaptability. Life’s problems can be summed up in four words: "Go with the flow."I heard A Taoist story -an old man who by accident fell into the speeding waters of a river that lead to a dangerous waterfall. The people who witnessed the mishap feared for his life. But miraculously to the wonderment of all, the man emerged alive and unscathed, downstream at the bottom of the falls.

The astounded crowd asked the old man as to how he survived such an accident. The old wise man said "I accommodated myself to the water and not the water to me. Without giving a thought, I let myself to be shaped by the currents. Plunging into the swirl, I emerged alive with the swirl. He said This is how I survived.

We can compare our life to surfing... Yes Life...”It’s like surfing. It is Exciting, unpredictable, dangerous, yet challenging activity. "You can’t organize the ocean. Waves just happen. You ride with them where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one. Sure, you’re always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get,. But mostly you just take "them the way they come. I always believe ''Man proposes, God disposes''. Whether we like it or not - WE HAVE TO GO WITH THE FLOW- we do not have a choice. Go with the flow is the principle to follow ,ride on the wave be it happy or sad .Life swings all the time , a smile on face and hope in hard makes life a success. Sometimes we cannot stop what is happening around as and when we cannot control that also, we feel sad and bad about it.... No matter how much structure we create in our lives, no matter how many good habits we build, there will always be things that we cannot control but we have to...go with the flow….