Your life does not change when your boss changes [ Story]

The employees of a large company in India , returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said: “yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away.We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.”

At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be.The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects.Everyone wondered: “who is this person who was hindering my progress? well, at least he’s no longer here!”

One by one the employees got closer to the coffin and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood over the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin:

Everyone who looked inside it could see himself. And there was also a sign next to the mirror that said: “there is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is you”..

You are the only person who can revolutionize your life.

You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success.

You are the only person who can help yourself.

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes.

Your life changes when you change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life. The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself.

Love , Wealth and Success [ Story ]

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. Then she said, "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked. "No," she said. "He's out." "Then we cannot come in," they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. So, he said, "Go tell
them I'm home, and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in. "We do not go into a house together," they replied. "Why is that?" she wanted to know. One of the old men explained. "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and pointing to another one he said, "This man is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now, go and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was over-joyed. "How nice!" he said. "Since that's the case, let us invite in Wealth. Let him come in and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "Why don't we invite Success?" But, their daughter was listening from the corner of the room. She jumped in with her own suggestion. "Wouldn't it be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

The wife agreed. "Then, let us heed our daughter's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love in to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. Then the other two also got up and  followed him.

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, "I only invited in Love, as you directed. Why are you all coming in?" The old men replied together, "If you had invited only Wealth or Success, the other two of us would have stayed. However, since you invited Love... wherever He goes, we go with him... because wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"

Living in unity

There was a student who after many years of meditation, rituals and temple visits asked the master, “Master, I have been following your lessons for years, practice consistently and stick to all the rules of life you have imposed. Maybe something has changed in me, but it didn’t bring me enlightenment. Are all the things you prescribe really necessary to attain enlightenment?”

The master replied, “Most among us find something in it to hold on to and that is good, but if you put it like that, really necessary for enlightenment, no they are not.”

“But then, what is it, master, please tell me,” the student asked.
“One day of not judging should be enough to be taken up into unity completely,” the master replied.

Only one day! That doesn’t seem too difficult. One day making no distinction at all between what is and that which I want. Not in words, not in thought and not in emotion. Just try.

There is a famous but forgotten poem from ancient China.
It is attributed to Sengtsan and it is called: Hsin hsin ming. Meaning more or less: “Presence of mind”

The first stanzas go as follows :

The perfect path is not hard
For those who don’t know preferences.
Everything is completely and plainly revealed
To those who are free from love and hatred.

Don’t get entangled in the multitude of things
No more turn Emptiness into a place of security.
Find peace in the unity of existence
And every distinction disappears automatically.

Whoever tries to find peace
By stopping movement
Will unabatedly remain a source of restlessness.
As long as you choose one part of the opposites the experience of the whole will never fall to you.

Whoever is awake does not become prey to dreams
when the awareness doesn’t cause a difference, the thousand and one things appear as they are:
one and single essence.Whoever knows the mystery of this unique identity,
Is freed from all confusion.

Whoever witnesses unity in its diversity with equanimity,
And the diversity in its unity,
Returns to the original place
Where he or she lives from time immemorial.

In this “not two” all comes together.
All that is is welcome and embraced.
So the wise see the world
Wherever they live.

The Hsin hsin ming was probably written in the early 7th century of our era. 1400 years ago – but how relevant to our time!

The fool became the king’s teacher

There once was a fool who set off for the palace of the king. Along the way, people pointed and

laughed at him. They called sarcastically:

- What would a fool like you do at the king’s palace?

- Well, I shall be the king’s teacher.

The fool replied with certainty. But his answer only made the people laugh more. When the fool arrived at the palace, the king thought he could quickly deal with the fool and have some fun at his expense. The monarch asked in a strict tone:

- How dare you come and disturb the king?

- I am here to become your teacher.The fool said confidently. The king doubled over with laughter:

- What would a fool like you be able to teach me?
- You see, said the fool, you are asking me a question straight away.

It turned dreadfully quiet in the throne room and all the royal household staff held their breath. The king too was taken aback, but then he replied:

- I have to admit that your reaction was clever, but you didn’t answer my question.

- Only a fool has an answer to everything, king.

- But…, spluttered the king flabbergasted, what would my subjects think if their king would have a fool as his teacher?

- Better a fool as teacher than a fool as king, came back the answer.

The king was rather taken aback by the fool’s answers, but still tried to salvage the situation with a clever question.

- But if I take a fool as teacher, does that not make me a fool?

- Only a fool will always say of himself that he is not a fool, king.

And that is how the fool became the king’s teacher.

Story of a Real Life Heroin - Neerja Bhanot

Neerja Bhanot was the senior flight purser on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73, hijacked by four heavily armed terrorists after it landed at Karachi at 5 am from Mumbai. PA 73 was en route to Frankfurt and onward to New York City. Neerja alerted the cockpit crew about the hijack and, as the plane was on the tarmac, the three-member cockpit crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer were able to flee from the aircraft. Neerja, being the most senior cabin crew member on board, took charge. 

The hijackers were part of the Palestinian Abu Nidal terrorist organization and were backed by Libya. They immediately shot dead a passenger who identified himself to the terrorists as being an American. The terrorists then instructed Neerja to get the passports collected of all the passengers, so that they could identify the Americans. Neerja, and the other attendants under her charge, hid the passports of the 40 Americans on board.

After 17 hours, the hijackers opened fire and set off explosives. Neerja opened the emergency door and helped a number of passengers escape. She did not herself escape, and became a martyr while shielding 3 children from a hail of bullets. Neerja was recognised internationally as “the heroine of the hijack” and is the youngest recipient of the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest civilian award for bravery.

A square called Neerja Bhanot Chowk is named after her in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar (East) suburb by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, which was inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan in the early 90′s.

Awards:

1. Flight Safety Foundation Heroism Award, U.S.A.
2. Ashoka Chakra Award, India
3. Tamgha-e-Insaaniyat (Awarded for showing incredibly human kindness), Pakistan
4. Justice for Crimes Award, United States Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia
5. Special Courage award, US Govt.
6. Indian Civil Aviation Ministry’s Award
   

Yes, You Can [ Story ]

What if at age 46 you were burned beyond recognition in a terrible motorcycle accident, and then four years later were paralyzed from the waist down in an airplane crash? Then, can you imagine yourself becoming a millionaire, a respected public speaker, a happy newlywed and a successful business person? Can you see yourself going white water rafting? Sky diving? Running for political office?

W. Mitchell has done all these things and more after two horrible accidents left his face a quilt of multicolored skin grafts, his hands fingerless and his legs thin and motionless in a wheelchair. The 16 surgeries Mitchell endured after the motorcycle accident burned more than 65 percent of his body, left him unable to pick up a fork, dial a telephone or go to the bathroom without help. But Mitchell, a former Marine, never believed he was defeated. "I am in charge of my own spaceship," he said. "It's my up, my down. I could choose to see this situation as a setback or a starting point." Six months later he was piloting a plane again.

Mitchell bought himself a Victorian home in Colorado, some real estate, a plane and a bar. Later he teamed up with two friends and co-founded a wood-burning stove company that grew to be Vermont's second largest private employer.

Then four years after the motorcycle accident, the plane Mitchell was piloting crashed back onto the runway during takeoff, crushing Mitchell's 12 thoracic vertebra and permanently paralyzing him from the waist down. "I wondered what the hell was happening to me. What did I do to deserve this?"

Undaunted, Mitchell worked day and night to regain as much independence as possible. He was elected Mayor of Crested Butte, Colorado, to save the town from mineral mining that would ruin its beauty and environment. Mitchell later ran for Congress, turning his odd appearance into an asset with slogans such as, "Not just another pretty face."

Despite his initially shocking looks and physical challenges, Mitchell began white water rafting, he fell in love and married, earned a master's degree in public administration and continued flying, environmental activism and public speaking.


Mitchell's unshakable Positive Mental Attitude has earned him appearances on the "Today Show" and "Good Morning America" as well as feature articles in Parade, Time, The New York Times and other
publications.

"Before I was paralyzed, there were 10,000 things I could do," Mitchell says. "Now there are 9,000. 1 can either dwell on the 1,000 I lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left. I tell people that I have had two big bumps in my life. If I have chosen not to use them as an excuse to quit, then maybe some of the experiences you are having which are pulling you back can be put into a new perspective. You can step back, take a wider view and have a chance to say, "Maybe that isn't such a big deal after all."

Remember: "It's not what happens to you, it's what you do about it."


Source: Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen

The Most important Body Part

My mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct Answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us humans, so I said, "My ears, Mommy."

She said, "No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon."

Several years passed before she asked me again.
Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.

So this time I told her, "Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes."

She looked at me and told me,
"You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because
there are many people who are blind."

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years,
Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was,
"No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child."

Then one year, my father died. Everybody was sad and crying..
My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to my father.

She asked me, "Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?"

I was shocked when she asked me this now.

I always thought this was a game between her and me.
She saw the shock on my face and told me,
This question is very important.
For every answer you gave me in the past, I told you that you were wrong.

But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.

She looked down at me and threw her head to my shoulder and hugged me. With her eyes in tears, she said,
"My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder."

I asked, "Is it because it holds up my head?"

She replied, "No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."

Become Useless [ Story ]

Lao Tzu is passing through a forest, and the forest is being cut. Thousands of carpenters are cutting the trees. Then he comes near a big tree — a very big tree, one thousand bullock carts can rest underneath it — and it is so green and beautiful. He sends his disciples to enquire of the carpenters why this tree has not been cut yet.

 
And they say ‘It is useless. You cannot make anything out of it: furniture cannot be made, it cannot be used as fuel — it gives too much smoke. It is of no use. that’s why we have not cut it.’

And Lao Tzu says to his disciples ‘Learn from this tree. Become as useless as this tree then nobody will cut you.’

Uselessness has great value.

He says: Look, and watch this tree. Learn something from this tree. This tree is great. Look, all the trees are gone. They were useful, hence they are gone. Some tree was very straight, that’s why It is gone. It must have been very egoistic, straight, proud of being somebody — it is gone. This tree is not straight, not a single branch is straight. It is not proud at all. hence it exists.

Lao Tzu says his disciples: If you want to live long, become useless. But remember, his meaning of the word ‘useless’ is; don’t become a commodity, don’t become a thing. If you become a thing you will be sold and purchased in the market, and you will become a slave. If you are not a thing, who can purchase you and who can sell you?

Remain God’s creation. Don’t become a human commodity and nobody will be able to use you. And if nobody is able to use you, you will have a beautiful life of your own, independent, free, joyful. If nobody can use you, nobody can reduce you to a means. You will never be insulted, because in this life there is no greater insult than to become a means: somebody or other is going to use you — your body, your mind, your being.

Lao Tzu says: Become a nonentity so that nobody looks at you and you can live YOUR LIFE as YOU want to live it. Nobody comes to interfere with you. Story-by-OSHO

Do necessary corrections in your personality [ Moral Story]

Long time ago very cruel king name Jack was ruling the city of Rome. All citizens were fearful because of his cruelty. jack has a dog named Tom, which he used to love more than anything, one fateful morning Tom died. Jack organized last rituals for dog; entire city came to cremation ground. Jack was very happy to see that people love him so much and he felt he is the most popular king in the world.

After few days Jack died, but no one came for his funerals.

Moral -- Improve yourself !!

Respect is something you have to earn, you cannot force it on others to respect you. There is a thin line between Fear and Respect, every one of us should understand it and do necessary corrections in our personalities.

I will guide and you will walk accordingly.

Once a forest caught fire. A blind man and a lame man were crossing the forest. The blind man could not see, but he was able to walk; he had strong legs. It was dangerous to proceed. Fortunately the fire had not spread where they were standing. The lame man was unable to walk but could see the fire approaching. Those two must have been wise people, though ordinarily such people are not. How can you expect the blind to be wise when those with eyes are not? How can the lame be wise when people with legs are not? But those two were and they came to an understanding. The lame man said, ”If we wish to save our lives there is only one way. Let me sit on your shoulders. We will use my eyes and your legs. I will guide and you will walk accordingly.” Hence they saved their lives.

 

The life journey is also a kind of deep understanding between the body and the soul. It is a journey of the blind and the lame. The soul has the experience – it experiences – but there is no happening; happenings take place in the body, but it does not experience. All experiences are felt by the soul; and all happenings take place in the body, but the body does not experience them. Hence all this trouble!

That day also some trouble must have arisen, but Aesop, who wrote this story of the blind and the lame, has made no mention of it. It was necessary for the two men to hurry, so when the blind man ran fast and the lame man looked quickly, it is possible that the blind man felt, ”I can see,” and the lame man felt, ”I am running.”

This is exactly what happens with us. It is this happening that has to be broken. Both should be clearly distinguished. Both should be separated, otherwise our wires are crossed. All happenings take place in the body, and the soul experiences them. You will begin to grasp the sutra of vidya when you separate these two. Then your journey towards the immortal will begin.

Let us now start our journey towards the immortal

Change yourself into a better person first

A crow was flying. A cuckoo asked him, ”Uncle, where are you going?”

He said, ”I am going to the East. Now I’m not going to live here. The people here are bad. No one here welcomes my song, my singing. I am going to the East. I have heard that people in the East are very good.”

The cuckoo said, ”I have to tell you one thing, whether you go to the East or to the West, wherever you go as long as your throat remains as it is, you will experience difficulty everywhere. Transform your throat. Nothing will happen by going East and West. The people in the East are the same.”

Story-by-OSHO

Inspiring Quotes -- inspiringy.blogspot.com

Yes God Answers our Prayers !!

Dr.Stephen, a well-known doctor, was once on his way to an important medical conference in another city where-in he was going to be granted an award for medical research he had recently done.

He was very excited to attend the conference and was desperate to reach as soon as possible. He had worked long and hard on his research and felt his efforts deserved the award he was about to obtain.

However, two hours after the plane took off, the pilot announced that there was a problem with the plane and that they were going to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport. Afraid that he wouldn't make it in time for the conference, Dr. Stephen immediately went to the help desk as soon as the plane landed and explained to the woman at the desk that he was expected to be at a very important conference and that he needed to know the immediate next flight to his destination.She told him that there was nothing she could do to help him as there wouldn't be another flight to his destination for another ten hours; but suggested he rent a car and drive down to the city as it was only four hours away.

Having no other choice, he agreed to the idea despite his hatred for driving long distances. Dr. Stephen rented a car and started his journey. However, soon after he left, the weather suddenly changed and a heavy storm began. The pouring rain made it very difficult for him to see and he missed a turn he was supposed to take.

After two hours of driving, he was convinced he was lost. Driving in the heavy rain on a deserted road, feeling hungry and tired, he frantically began to look for any sign of civilization. After some time, he finally came across a small tattered house. Desperate, he got out of the car and knocked on the door. An old woman opened the door for him. He explained his situation and asked if he could use her telephone. She told him that she didn't have a phone or electricity but that he was welcome to come in for some food and something warm to drink as he had completely lost his way and that it would take him some time to get back on the right road.

Hungry, wet and exhausted, the doctor accepted her kind offer and walked in. The woman told him to help himself to some food and hot tea on the table and then excused herself to finish her prayers. Sitting on the table sipping his tea, the doctor watched the woman in the dim light of candles as she prayed next to what appeared to be a small baby crib.

Every time she finished a prayer, she would start another one. Feeling that the woman might be in need of help, the doctor seized the opportunity to speak as soon as she finished her prayers and told her that he hoped god would answer her prayers. He then said that he noticed that she had been making a lot of prayers and asked if there was something she needed that he could get for her or help her with. The woman smiled and said that god had answered all her prayers except one. She said she didn't know why god hadn't answered this specific prayer yet but perhaps it was because of her weak faith.

The doctor asked if she didn't mind telling him what she needed. Nodding her head in approval, she said that the child in the crib was her grandson. She said that the child had a very rare type of cancer and that all the doctors she had seen were unable to treat him. She also said that she had been told that there was a doctor who specialized in the type of cancer her grandson had, but there was no way for her to get to this doctor as he lived very far from her; so she has been spending her days and nights praying to god to help her find a way to get to Dr. Stephen - the doctor who could treat her grandson.

Upon hearing her words, tears began to flow down the doctor's cheeks and He said: god is great, there was malfunction in the plane, a thunderstorm hit, and I lost my way; and all of this happened because God did not just answer your prayer by helping you find a way to get to Dr. Stephen, but He brought Dr. Stephen to your house. I am Dr. Stephen. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Three important steps:

1. Ask
2. Believe
3. Receive

  Thanks to the author of this story.

Remember to greet when you meet someone

This story is about a person working with a freezer plant. It was almost the day end. Everyone had packed up to check out.

A technical snag developed the plant and he went to check. By the time he finished it was late. The doors were sealed and the lights were off. Trapped inside the ice plant whole night without air and light, an icy grave was almost sure for him.

Hours passed thus. Suddenly he found someone opening the door.

Was it a miracle?

The security guard entered there with a torch light and helped him to come out.

On the way back the person asked the security guard, “How did you know that I am inside?” “Who informed you?” the guard said, “None sir; this unit has about 50 people. But you are the only one who says Hello to me in the morning and bye in the evening. You had reported in morning. But did not go out. That made me suspicious.”

Never did the person know that a small gesture of greeting someone would prove to be a lifesaver for him.

So do us.

Remember to greet when you meet someone, of course with a warm smile. We don’t know; that may work a miracle in your life too.

Just be insane

A journalist came to visit Gurdjieff. He came for an interview. Gurdjieff was drinking tea. He sat the journalist down next to him. Then Gurdjieff said to a disciple sitting nearby, what day is it today?

 
The disciple said, today is Sunday.

Gurdjieff banged his fist hard on the table and said, how can it be Sunday? Yesterday was Saturday.

When the journalist heard this he was shocked out of his wits – what kind of man is this? He got so angry he banged the table with his fist saying how can it be Sunday? Who are you trying to befool? Who do you think you are? Yesterday was only Saturday, and today is Sunday?

The journalist stood up. He said, good-by, I’ll be going now.

When he left he looked quite ridiculous. Gurdjieff laughed. The disciples too were very happy. They said, you were outrageous! He said, what’s the use wasting time with this idiot?

Until a true seeker comes, be a complete idiot, as if you can’t speak, a deaf-mute. Mad, be a madman, so that people don’t start to ask you on their own – why ask that madman?

Just be insane if you see that some muddled, stinking, superfluous person etc... just be insane. He will go on his own and will never come back again. -- Story-by-OSHO

Do you recognize yourself?

The ancient parable in the East is that a lioness was jumping from one hillock to another hillock and just in the middle she gave birth to a kid. The kid fell down on the road where a big crowd of sheep was passing. Naturally he mixed with the sheep, lived with the sheep, behaved like a sheep. He had no idea, not even in his dreams, that he is a lion. How could he have? All around him were sheep and more sheep. He had never roared like a lion; a sheep does not roar. He had never been alone like a lion; a sheep is never alone. She is always in the crowd – the crowd is cozy, secure, safe. If you see sheep walking, they walk so close together that they are almost stumbling on each other. They are so afraid to be alone.

But the lion started growing up. It was a strange phenomenon. He was identified mentally with being a sheep, but biology does not go according to your identification; nature is not going to follow you. He became a beautiful young lion, but because things happened so slowly the sheep also became accustomed to the lion while the lion was becoming accustomed to the sheep. The sheep thought he is a little crazy, naturally. He’s not behaving – a little cuckoo – and he goes on growing. It is not supposed to be so. And pretending to be a lion... but he is not a lion. They have seen him from his very birth, they have brought him up, they have given their milk to him. And he was a nonvegetarian by nature – no lion is vegetarian, but this lion was vegetarian because sheep are vegetarian. He used to eat grass with great joy.

They accepted this little difference, that he is a little big and looks like a lion. A very wise sheep said, ”It is just a freak of nature. Once in a while it happens.” And he himself also accepted that it is true. His color is different, his body is different – he must be a freak, abnormal. But the idea that he is a lion was impossible! He was surrounded by all those sheep, and sheep psychoanalysts gave him explanations: ”You are just a freak of nature. Don’t be worried. We are here to take care of you.”

But one day an old lion passed and saw this young lion far above the crowd of sheep. He could not believe his eyes! He had never seen such a thing nor had he ever heard in the history of the whole past that a lion was in the middle of a crowd of sheep and no sheep was afraid. And the lion was walking exactly like the sheep, grazing on grass.

The old lion could not believe his eyes. He forgot he was going to catch a sheep for his breakfast. He completely forgot the breakfast. It was something so strange that he tried to catch the young lion. But he was old, and the young lion was young – he ran away. Although he believed that he was a sheep, when there was danger the identification was forgotten. He ran like a lion, and the old lion had great difficulty in catching him. But finally the old lion got hold of him and he was crying and weeping and saying, ”Just forgive me, I am a poor sheep.” The old lion said, ”You idiot! You simply stop and come with me to the pond.”

Just nearby there was a pond. He took the young lion there. The young lion was not going willingly. He went reluctantly – but what can you do against a lion if you are only a sheep? He may kill you if you don’t follow him, so he went with him. The pond was silent, with no ripples, almost like a mirror.

And the old lion said to the young, ”Just look. Look at my face and look at your face. Look at my body and look at your body in the water.”

In a second there came a great roar! All the hills echoed it. The sheep disappeared; he was a totally different being – he recognized himself. The identification with sheep was not a reality, it was just a mental concept. Now he had seen the reality. And the old lion said, ”Now I don’t have to say anything. You have understood.”

The young lion could feel strange energy he had never felt... as if it had been dormant. He could feel tremendous power, and he had always been a weak, humble sheep. All that humbleness, all that weakness, simply evaporated.

This is an ancient parable about the master and the disciple. The function of the master is only to bring the disciple to see who he is and that what he goes on believing is not true. OSHO

Greatest Archer

One man declared to the emperor of China, ”Now you have to announce it and recognize me as the greatest archer in China. I am ready for any challenge.” And he was absolutely perfect, one hundred percent successful.
 

 But the king said, ”Have you heard about an old archer who lives deep in the mountains?”

He said, ”I have heard about him, but I am ready to contest.”

The king laughed. He said, ”You should go and meet that old man. If he recognizes you, I will recognize you, because I don’t know archery.... But he is a great archer, perhaps the greatest, so you should go. Bring his recognition, and my recognition is available. But without asking him I cannot do it. It is not a question of a challenge.”

So the man had to travel to the high mountains, where he found a very old man whose back was bent, who could not stand straight. He asked, ”Are you the archer?”

The man said, ”I used to be. But perhaps half a century has passed, and when I became a perfect archer, according to my master, I had to throw away my bows and arrows. You think you are a perfect master; have you come for recognition?” The king had sent information to him that he was sending somebody.

The man said, ”Yes.”

The old man said, ”Then why are you carrying the bow and the arrows?”

The man said, ”Strange... That’s what my mastery is.”

The old man laughed. He brought him out of his small cottage to a mountain cliff. The old man was so old, maybe one hundred and forty years old, and the cliff went so deep underneath, thousands of feet into the valley. If you just missed a single step or trembled or hesitated, you were gone. The old man walked to the very edge of the cliff, half his feet hanging off the cliff, half his feet on the cliff.

The young man could not believe his eyes. The old man said, ”Now you also come. There is enough space here for one more!” The young man tried just two steps and sat down, trembling, seeing the situation.

The old man laughed and he said, ”What kind of archer are you? How many birds can you kill with a single arrow?”

The young man said, ”Of course one bird.”

The old man said, ”You have to learn under a Zen master. It is a sheer wastage of one arrow, just one bird. My master never allowed anybody the certificate unless he was able with one arrow to bring down the whole flock.”

The young man said, ”How many can you bring down?”

He said, ”You say the number.”

Just then a flock of birds flew over. The old man just looked, and seven birds fell down.

The young man said, ”My God!”

The old man said, ”When you can look with totality, your very eyes become arrows. But you are a novice; you could not come to the edge of the cliff. If you are trembling inside, then your archery cannot be perfect. You may manage to hit the targets, but that is not the point. The point is that you have an untrembling total presence. Then your total presence becomes as sharp as any arrow.

The master said, ”You go back and learn from this point. The target is not the target; you are the target. Become total – and if I am alive, I will visit you after five years to see whether I can give you the recognition. Or if I am gone, my son will come after five years. He is as great an adept as I am, and you will be able to recognize him, because whatever I can do with my eyes, he can also do.”

After five years the old man came. These five years the archer tried his best to be total, and he succeeded. The old man asked, ”Where are your bows and arrows?”

He said, ”It must be two years by now, but it seems like centuries have passed and I have not seen the arrows and the bow. Now I can do what you were able to do.”

The old man did not ask for a test, he simply gave the recognition. He said, ”I can see in your eyes the unwavering totality. I can see in your body the spontaneous relaxedness. You can go to the king and tell him that the old man gives the recognition, and just for your recognition I have come down from the hills.”

Zen brings a new valuation into everything. It is not a life-renouncing religion, it is a life-transforming religion. It transforms everything, it negates nothing. But one thing has to be remembered: unconditionality, totality, spontaneity – strange values and they are the authentic values that will give you the alchemy to change your being.

This a beautiful anecdote, and Kyozan is saying, ”WHEN ONE WINS, ONE WINS UNCONDITIONALLY.” There was no desire to win, one was simply playful, enjoying the very art and enjoying the meditativeness and spontaneity. Now whatever happens, that is not the concern.

Ofcourse when two persons will be fighting, one will be defeated, one will be victorious. What does it matter who is victorious and who is defeated? All that matters is whether both are at the same degree of concentration, at the same degree of unconditionality. Whoever is higher in unconditionality – he may be the defeated one, but according to Zen he is at a higher point of consciousness, and that is real victory. The formal victory is another thing. - Story-by-OSHO

How to manage cunning and shrewd people?

Once upon a time there was a cunning fox that always looked for ways to cheat the fellow animals of the forest. One day the fox saw some cocks sitting on a tree and she thought of a trick.

 

She said, “Look friends, few days ago some senior animals of this forest held a meeting and decided that none of us would harm any fellow inhabitant. Therefore, you don’t need to be afraid of me anymore. Why don’t you come down and enjoy these grapes with me?” The cocks were wise and understood the fox’s intentions. As a result, they kept themselves perched on the highest branch of the tree. In the meantime 2 bloodhounds came running towards the tree and surprised the fox. The fox panicked on seeing the bloodhounds and started running for her life. It was the turn of the cocks now to poke the fox, they said, “Why are you running now?” The fox replied, “It might be possible that these bloodhounds are not aware of the recent resolution.”

Moral of the story

It is always advisable to maintain a distance from the cunning and shrewd people and not let your wisdom get dented by their malicious manipulations.

The four Agreements

The four Agreements

Be aware of clever people

One day the tortoise met the elephant, who trumpeted, “Out of my way, you weakling – I might step on you!”. The tortoise was not afraid and stayed where he was, so the elephant stepped on him, but could not crush him.

“Do not boast Mr. Elephant, I am as strong as you are!” said the tortoise, but the elephant just laughed. So the tortoise asked him to come to his hill the next morning.

The next day, before sunrise, the tortoise ran down the hill to the river where he met the hippopotamus, who was just on his way back to the water after his nocturnal feeding.

“Mr Hippo! Shall we have a tug-of-war? I bet I’m as strong as you are!” said the tortoise.

The Hippo laughed at this ridiculous idea, but agreed. The tortoise produced a long rope and told the hippo to hold it in his mouth until the tortoise shouted “Hey!”.

Then the tortoise ran back up the hill where he found the elephant, who was getting impatient. He gave the elephant the other end of the rope and said, “When I say ‘hey!’ pull, and you’ll see which of us is the strongest.”

Then he ran halfway back down the hill, to a place where he couldn’t be seen, and shouted “HEY!”. The elephant and the hippopotamus pulled and pulled, but neither could budge the other – they were of equal strength.

They both agreed that the tortoise was as strong as they were.

Be aware of clever people, they would steal/utilize your powers/efforts by giving you the impression of being weak. Learn to demonstrate your skills and power in the right way by not getting deceived by clever people.