Interesting/Inspirational Stories, Proverb and Saying

Choices

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our
thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the
world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws
the cart.

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our
thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the
world.
Speak and act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.

-Dhammapada, The Sayings of the Buddha

The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.

In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch timing.

No fight: no blame.

-Tao Te Ching

An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, he sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

"How does it taste?" the master asked.

"Bitter," spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "How does it taste?"

"Much fresher," remarked the apprentice.

"Do you taste the salt?" asked the master.

"No," said the young man.

At this, the master sat beside the young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering, "The pain of life is pure salt, no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things... Stop being a glass. Become a lake."

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[ Last edited by lyhmsia on 11-3-2005 at 09:54 PM ]

Water heats gradually
and boils suddenly.




We cannot force the natural course of events; everything happens in its 'right' time. The process is gradual, and hence may appear slow to us as we are often too impatient with expectations, but the change takes place within an instant.

Similarly, awakening can not be forced,  but may be encouraged; just like a seed which sprouts naturally when the right conditions prevail.

The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut only to find there was nothing in it to steal.

The Zen Master returned and found him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered, but he took the clothes and ran away.

The Master sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, " I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

SLOW DOWN


Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round,
or listened to rain  
slapping the ground?

Ever followed
a butterfly's erratic flight,
or gazed at the sun
fading into the night?

You better slow down,
don't  dance so fast,
time is short,
the music won't last.

Do you run through each day
on the fly,
When you ask "How are you?",
do  you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed,
with  the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You better slow  down,
don't dance so fast,
time is short,  
the music won't last.

Ever told your child,
we'll do it tomorrow,
and in your haste
not see  his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
let a good friendship die,
'cause you never  had time
to call and say "hi"?

You better slow down,
don't dance so  fast,
time is short,
the music won't last.

When you run so fast
to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun
of getting  there.
When you worry and hurry
through your day,
it's like an unopened  gift
thrown away.

Life is not a race,
so take it slower,
hear the music
before the song is over.

LET GO

The following is a very meaningful story which is called "Let Go", and written by Dr. Billy Graham.

A little child was playing one day with a very valuable vase. He put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father too, tried his best, but all in vain. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, "Now, my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull."  

To their astonishment the little fellow said, "O no, father. I couldn't put my fingers out like that, because if I did I would drop my penny."  

Smile, if you will--but thousands of us are like that little boy, so busy holding on to the world's worthless penny that we cannot accept liberation.

I beg you to drop the trifle in your heart.

Surrender! Let go!

DESIRE

An emperor was coming out of his palace for his morning walk when he met a beggar. He asked the beggar, "What do you want?"

The beggar laughed and said, "You are asking me as though you can fulfill my desire!"

The king was offended. He said, "Of course I can fulfill your desire. What is it? Just tell me."

And the beggar said, "Think twice before you promise anything."

The beggar was no ordinary beggar, he was the emporers past life master. He had promised in that life, "I will come and try to wake you in your next life. This life you have missed but I will come again." But the king had forgotten completely -- who remembers past lives? So he insisted, "I will fulfill anything you ask. I am a very powerful emperor, what can you possibly desire that I can not give to you?"

The beggar said, "It is a very simple desire. You see this begging bowl? Can you fill it with something?"

The emperor said, "Of course!" He called one of his viziers and told him, "Fill this mans begging bowl with money." The vizier went and got some money and poured it into the bowl, and it disappeared. And he poured more and more, and the moment he would pour it, it would disappear. And the beggging bowl remained always empty.

The whole palace gathered. By and by the rumor went throughout the whole capital, and a huge crowd gathered. The prestige of the emperor was at stake. He said to his viziers, "If the whole kingdom is lost, I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar."

Diamons and pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were becoming empty.The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. Everything that was put into it -- everything! -- immediately disappeared, went out of existence. Finally it was the evening, and the people were standing there in utter silence. The king dropped at the fet of the beggar and admitted his defeat. he said, "Just tell me one thing. You are victorious - but before you leave, just fulfill my curiousity. What is the beging bowl made of?"

The beggar laughed and said, "It is made up of the human mind. There is no secret. It is simple made up of human desire."

This understanding transforms life. Go into one desire -- what is the mechanism of it? First there is a great excitement, great thrill, adventure. you feel a great kick. Somehting is going to happen, you are on the verge of it. And then you have the car, you have the yacht, you have the house, you have the woman, and suddenly all is meaningless again.

What happens? Your mind has dematerialised it. The car is standing in the drive, but there is no excitement anymore. The excitement was only in getting it. You became so drunk with the desire thah you forgot your inner nothingness. Now the desire is fulfilled, the car in the drive, the woman in your bed, the money in your bank account - again excitement disappears. Again the emptiness is there, ready to eat you up. Again you have to create another desire to escape this yawning abyss.

That's how one moves from one desire to another desire. That's how one remains a beggar. Your whole life proves it again and again -- every desire frustrates. And when the goal is achieved, you will need another desire.

The day you understand that desire as such is going to fail comes the turning point in your life.

The other journey is inwards. move inwards, come back home.

There once was a mouse who liked his country house until his cousin came for a visit.

"In the city where I live," his cousin said, "we dine on cheese and fish and bread. Each night my dinner is brought to me. I eat whatever I choose. While you, country cousin, work your paws to the bone for humble crumbs in this humble home. I'm used to finery. To each his own, I see!"

Upon hearing this, the country mouse looked again at his plain brown house. Suddenly he wasn't satisfied anymore. "Why should I hunt and scrape for food to store?" he said. "Cousin, I'm coming to the city with you!"

Off they went into the fine town house of the plump and prosperous city mouse.

"Shhh! The people are in the parlor," the city mouse said. "Let's sneak into the kitchen for some cheese and bread."

The city mouse gave his wide-eyed country cousin a grand tour of the leftover food on the table. "It's the easy life," the city mouse said, and he smiled as he bit into a piece of bread.

Just as they were both about to bite into a chunk of cheddar cheese, In came the CAT!

"Run! Run!" said the city mouse. "The cat's in the house!"

Just as the country mouse scampered for his life out of the window, he said, "Cousin, I'm going back to the country! You never told me that a CAT lives here! Thank you, but I'll take my humble crumbs in comfort over all of your finery with fear!"

"The difference between gossip and news depends on whether you hear it or tell it."

If you have foresight, you're blesses. If you have insight, you're a thousand times blessed.

The Stone Mind

Hogen, a Chinese Zen teacher, lived alone in a small temple in
the country. One day four traveling monks appeared and asked
if they might make a fire in his yard to warm themselves.
While they were building the fire, Hogen heard them arguing
about subjectivity and objectivity. He joined them and said:
"There is a big stone. Do you consider it to be inside or outside
your mind?"
One of the monks replied: "From the Buddhist viewpoint
everything is an objectification of mind, so I would say that the
stone is inside my mind."
"Your head must feel very heavy," observed Hogen, "if you are
carrying around a stone like that in your mind."

My Opinion:

Have you ever become upset whenever things don抰 work as you expected?? Because each of us experience or perceive life differently, we defined unpleasant moment differently. Also, our reaction toward problems also varies. Hence, it抯 our minds that create what we see.


p/s: The story can also be interpret differently. Adm - Would you care to share your thoughts about this story? Also, I would certainly hope others can share their thoughts too.

Atomic_Omnikid

Nice Threads and Nice Stories also....

Shoun and His Mother
Shoun became a teacher of Soto Zen. When he was still a student his father passed away, leaving him to care for his old mother.

Whenever Shoun went to a meditation hall he always took his mother with him. Since she accompanied him, when he visited monasteries he could not live with the monks. So he would built a little house and care for her there. He would copy sutras, Buddhist verses, and in this manner receive a few coins for food.

When Shoun bought fish for his mother, the people would scoff at him, fo a monk is not supposed to eat fish. But Shoun did not mind. His mother, however, was hurt to see others laugh at her son. Finally she told Shoun: "I think I will become a nun. I can be vegetarian too." She did, and they studied together.

Shoun was fond of music and was a master of the harp, which his mother also played. On full-moon nights they used to play together. One night a young lagy passed by their house and heard music. Deeply touched, she invited Shoun to visit her the next evening and play. He accepted the invitation. A few days later he met the young lady on the street and thanked her for her hospitality. Others laughed at him. He had visited the house of a woman of the streets.

One day Shoun left for a distant temple to deliver a lecture. A few months afterwards he returned home to find his mother dead. Friends had not known where to reach him, so the funeral ws in progress.

Shoun walked up and hit the coffin with his staff. "Mother, your son has returned," he said.

"I am glad to see you have returned, son," he answered for his mother.

"Yes, I am glad too," Shoun responded. Then he announced to the people about him: "The funeral ceremony is over. You may bury the body."

When Shoun was old he knew his end was approaching. He asked his disciples to gather around him in the morning, telling them he was going to pass on at noon. Burning incense before the picture of his mother and his old teacher, he wrote a poem:

For fifty-six years I lived as best I could,
Making my way in this world.
Now the rain has ended, the clouds are clearing,
The blue sky has a full moon.


His disciples gathered around him, reciting sutra, and Shoun passed on during the invocation.

We love to criticize other people character or attitude. Maybe we should make we ourselve follow the dharma and the precept before criticizing others.

We can see things from different angle:

[ Last edited by lyhmsia on 3-4-2005 at 12:10 AM ]

The Short Stick

Shuzan held out a short stick and said, "If you call this a short stick, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short stick, you ignore the fact. Now what do you wish to call this?"

Manjusri Enters the Gate

One day as Manjusri stood outside the gate, the Buddha called to him, "Manjusri, Manjusri, why do you not enter?" Manjusri replied, "I do not see myself as outside. Why enter?"

I might have posted this already. (excuse me if I re-post some of them)

A farmer requested a Tendai priest to recite sutras for his wife,
who had died. After the recitation was over the farmer asked:
"Do you think my wife will gain merit from this?"

"Not only your wife, but all sentient beings will benefit from the
recitation of sutras," answered the priest.

"If you say all sentient beings will benefit," said the farmer, "my
wife may be very weak and others will take advantage of her,
getting the benefit she should have. So please recite sutras just
for her."

The priest explained that it was the desire of a Buddhist to offer
blessings and wish merit for every living being.

"That is a fine teaching," concluded the farmer, "but please make
one exception. I have a neighbor who is rough and mean to me.
Just exclude him from all those sentient beings."

In modern times a great deal of nonsense is talked about masters and disciples, and about the inheritance of a master's teaching by favorite pupils, entitling them to pass the truth on to their adherents. Of course Zen should be imparted in this way, from heart to heart, and in the past it was really accomplished. Silence and humility reigned rather than profession and assertion. The one who received such a teaching kept the matter hidden even after twenty years. Not until another discovered through his own need that a real master was at hand was it learned that the teching had been imparted, and even then the occasion arose quite naturally and the teaching made its way in its own right. Under no circumstance did the teacher even claim "I am the successor of So-and-so." Such a claim would prove quite the contrary.

The Zen master Mu-nan had only one successor. His name was Shoju. After Shoju had completed his study of Zen, Mu-nan called him into his room. "I am getting old," he said, "and as far as I know, Shoju, you are the only one who will carry on this teaching. Here is a book. It has been passed down from master to master for seven generations. I have also added many points according to my understanding. The book is very valuable, and I am giving it to you to represent your successorhip."

"If the book is such an important thing, you had better keep it," Shoju replied. "I received your Zen without writing and am satisfied with it as it is."
"I know that," said Mu-nan. "Even so, this work has been carried from master to master for seven generations, so you may keep it as a symbol of having received the teaching. Here."

They happened to be talking before a brazier. The instant Shoju felt the book in his hands he thrust it into the flaming coals. He had no lust for possessions. Mu-nan, who never had been angry before, yelled: "What are you doing!" Shoju shouted back: "What are you saying!"


Opinion
1.Attachement
2.Don't burn any scriptures. In Buddhism you're not allowed to burn any Buddhist scripture unless you've fully understand the Dharma (Unless you're a Boddhisattva, Buddha, Zen master)

A little bear cub was confused about how to walk. "What do I do first?" he asked his mother. "Do I start with my right foot or my left? Or both front feet and then my back feet? Or do I move both feet on one side and then both feet on the other?"

His mother answered, "Just quit thinking and start walking."

One of Master Cheng Yen's first encounters with the sad plight in east Taiwan was when she noticed a pool of blood in the foyer of a local hospital. Upon inquiring, she was told that a poor and critically ill aborigine woman had been suffering a miscarriage and was turned away because she did not have the money to pay the deposit fee required by the hospital before surgery. Four individuals from the woman's mountain village had carried her on foot for nearly four hours to receive urgent care. The small group had no other options but to turn around. The woman had died on the journey home.

To Master Cheng Yen, there was nothing more heartbreaking or disturbing than this moment of society showing a lack of compassion for its own. After her father's death, she had come to realize that a meaningful life is determined by how we spend our days. She had realized early on that while Buddhism was a religion of peace, it must not be disconnected from the greater society. The only significant thing we can do is to be kind to others along the path of life. And since we do not know how long our path is, every moment is precious to create lasting good impacts on society.

This memory remained with Master Cheng Yen, and she established the Tzu Chi Foundation, known then as the Tzu Chi Merits Society, to begin raising the money necessary to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. In promising to relieve all beings of their afflictions, one must bring their compassion forth with devotion and the thought -- If I don't do it, who will? At the end of Tzu Chi's first year, enough money was raised to keep one person from being turned away from the hospital. This was the spark that lit the flame of "compassion in action" and became the achievement of actual deeds that address the problems of society. "Without action, great mercy means nothing."

Opinion
I think we as atheist, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc should understand this statement - "Without action, great mercy means nothing."

KING YAMA'S DECISION - a Buddhist folk story



One day, two hell residents (call them A and B respectively) were summoned before King Yama (the Lord of Hell in Buddhism).


"You two had finished serving your sentences here in Hell and are now eligible for parole and to be rebirth as human beings on earth," said King Yama. "But remember, if both of you follow the Buddha's teaching, to do all the good deeds and avoid doing the bad deeds, you do not have to come back here."


"Thank you for your instructions", replied both Hell Residents.


"Now, before you go, I have two life styles for you to choose from when you go back to earth." said King Yama. "The first one is a life style that someone will always give you money while you are on earth. The second one is a life style that you will always give away money through out you life. . Now, you are welcome to make you pick"


"Of course, I want to choose the first one", said resident A, thinking that it is a good choice, "I like people to give me money all the time."


"Well, since resident A had chosen the first life style, than I will choose the second one, that is, I will always give away money to someone else." said resident B.



"OK, I will arrange resident A to be born to a very poor family, and resident B to be born to a very rich family as a multi-billionaire right from birth. You both can go now."



"What!? Why do I have to born to a very poor family?" Resident A protested to King Yama. "And he will be born with a silver spoon in his month?"



Replied King Yama, "Sorry. You want someone to give you money all the time, and poor people on welfare are just that. He wants to give away money all his life, and the only possible way to do it is to be a rich multi-billionaire."

THE EAGLE AND THE DOVE - a story from the Buddhist Sutra

In a previous life, Siddhartha Gautama was a King in a small country that was located somewhere in present day Tibet. And he was very well known among the ancient civilization for his love and compassion towards other sentient beings. So one day, Sakra Devendra, the King of Gods (Note: 1), decided to test him to see if he was indeed the future Buddha.

Sakra turned himself into a dove and one of his gods into an eagle. The eagle was in a hunting mood and chased the frightened dove who flied right into the King's palace. The dove cried out: "Your majesty, please save my life, because I am going to be eaten by a hungry eagle."

On hearing this, the compassionate King tried to chase the eagle away. But the eagle also cried out: "Your Majesty, please save my life and let me eat the dove, otherwise I will be starved to death."

"Why don't you eat something else rather than a dove?", asked the King.

"Look, your Majesty", replied the eagle, "God created me so that I have to eat meet. I had no other choice."

The King now faced a dilemma: how could he save both animals? Without hesitation, he ordered his soldiers: "Cut some flesh from my body and feed it to the eagle". Of course his soldiers were horrified to hear this. But they did obey the order and cut some flesh from the King's own body to feed the eagle. Miraculously, when the soldiers carried out the order, the King did not feel any pain at all, nor were there any blood spilling out. (Some Buddhist texts give a slight differently story. It was said that the eagle asked for some flesh equal to the weight of the dove. The soldiers put the dove on one side of a scale and the King's flesh on the other side. They continued cut out the King's flesh to feed the eagle until the scales were balanced. Then the King fainted).

The Heavenly Emperor was convinced that the King was indeed the future Buddha. He and his god immediately reappeared as themselves and restored the King to his original health.

Note 1: Sakra is the leader of Trayastrimsa Heavens (33 Heavens), where all the gods live. In many Asian cultures, he is also known by other titles such as Emperor Sakra, Heavenly Emperor, Emperor on High, etc., and sometimes Taoists say that he is also Jade Emperor.