Here we collect 30 inspiring, somewhat funny but always meaningful stories, for various occasions (in English)
Focus on meaning:
- who am I? - what is the purpose of life?
- we are eternal souls on a remarkable journey
- how can I be happy?
- the secret of happiness is expressing one's full potential and making others happy
- other examples of right attitude:
- The man who went to heaven (right attitude: making others happy is a great way to find happiness yourself)
- Maybe (right attitude: don't cling to expectations)
- A Message from Mrs. Leonard (right attitude: care for, support each other - you are not your body)
- The travelling monks at the river (right attitude: practice a belief, rather than rigidly believe in one's practice)
- Two seeds (right attitude: seize the day)
- The stonecutter
(right attitude: be happy with who you are; everyone has a role to play
- steenkapper, rijke handelaar, koning, zon, wolk, wind, steen...)
- Two wolves (wisdom: je bent pure potentie en kiest zelf wat je in de wereld brengt)
- The chef cook and his daughter (right attitude: laat je niet ontmoedigen - ga ervoor!)
- Is your jar full? (right attitude: laat je niet ontmoedigen - je kan meer aan dan je denkt - maar vergeet niet van het leven te genieten)
- Giving blood (mensen, en vooral kinderen, zijn goed)
- The obstacle on our path (right attitude: elk obstakel vormt een groei-opportuniteit)
- Pickup in the rain (right attitude: help een mens in nood - ongeacht de huidskleur)
- The sleepless saint (right attitude: volg goede raad, ook al begrijp je'm niet altijd)
- Angel sprinkles (right attitude: geef mensen hoop - een positief gevoel, en de wereld verandert in positieve zin)
- The moth that fell in love with a star (right attitude: geef mensen hoop - een positief gevoel, en de wereld verandert in positieve zin)
- The king and the flowers (right attitude: honesty pays)
- The king and the peace contest (wisdom: echte vrede zit in je hart)
- The genie in the lamp (right attitude: park your mind with mantra meditation and enjoy)
- According to a hindu legend (wisdom: geluk en vrede zitten in je hart)
1.
The man who went to Heaven and who was able to compare
A man died and because he had been a good person, he went to Heaven, where Saint Peter greeted him at the door.
Welcome!
he said. You can enter Heaven right away, but, because you lived such a
good life, you can also go and check out Hell first, if you like.
The
man was rather curious and said - well, why not - and he went down all
the stairs to reach the door of Hell, which opened before him.
Behind
the door, he saw many people sitting around tables with delicious food!
But they were all very sad, and suffering, because instead of hands
they had long knives and forks as arm extensions and they did not manage
to put any of this great food in their mouths.
The man went back up to Heaven and said to Saint Peter: Wow, am I glad that I can go to Heaven. That is really some punishment.
Welcome to Heaven, Saint Peter said, as he let the man in.
What did he see there? He saw many people sitting around tables with delicious food, just like in Hell!
And just like in Hell, they also had these long fork and knive extensions on their arms!
But
in Heaven, the people weren't crying or cursing, because they were
sticking the food in each other's mouths! "Try this", they laughed. "And
this!", and they had lots of fun in the process.
Lesson:
Happiness comes from making other people happy. Don't be selfish but
care for other people, and you will be taken care of as well.
2. Maybe. A Chinese story, kind of a Taoistic story about a philosophic farmer.
One day, the farmer's horse ran away, and all the neighbors gathered in the evening and said ‘that’s too bad.’
He said ‘maybe.’
Next day, the horse came back and brought with it seven wild horses. ‘Wow!’ they said, ‘Aren’t you lucky!’
He said ‘maybe.’
The
next day, his son grappled with one of these wild horses and tried to
break it in, and he got thrown and broke his leg. And all the neighbors
said ‘oh, that’s too bad that your son broke his leg.’
He said,
‘maybe.’ The next day, the conscription officers came around, gathering
young men for the army, and they rejected his son because he had a
broken leg. And the visitors all came around and said ‘Isn’t that great!
Your son got out.’
He said, ‘maybe.’
Lesson: you never really know in which direction progress lies. Life unfolds not always as we expect it to.
3. A Message from Mrs. Leonard By Mary Ann Bird
I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a
cleft palate, and when I started to go to school, my classmates-who were
constantly teasing- made it clear to me how I must look to others: a
little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and
hollow and somewhat garbled speech. I couldn't even blow up a balloon
without holding my nose, and when I bent to drink from a fountain, the
water spilled out of my nose.
When my schoolmates asked, "What
happened to your lip?" I'd tell them that I'd fallen as a baby and cut
it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have
suffered an accident than to have been born different. By the age of
seven I was convinced that no one outside my own family could ever love
me. Or even like me.
And then I entered the second grade, and
Mrs. Leonard's class. I never knew what her first name was -- just Mrs.
Leonard. She was round and pretty and fragrant, with chubby arms and
shining brown hair and warm dark eyes that smiled even on the rare
occasions when her mouth didn't. Everyone adored her. But no one came to
love her more than I did. And for a special reason.
The time
came for the annual "hearing tests" given at our school. I was barely
able to hear anything out of one ear, and was not about to reveal yet
another problem that would single me out as different. And so I cheated.
I had learned to watch other children and raised my hand when they did
during group testing. The "whisper test" however, required a different
kind of deception: Each child would go to the door of the classroom,
turn sideways, close one ear with a finger, and the teacher would
whisper something from her desk, which the child would repeat. Then the
same thing was done for the other ear. I had discovered in kindergarten
that nobody checked to see how tightly the untested ear was being
covered, so I merely pretended to block mine.
As usual, I was
last, but all through the testing I wondered what Mrs. Leonard might say
to me. I knew from previous years that she whispered things like "The
sky is blue" or "Do you have new shoes?"
My turn came up. I
turned my bad ear to her plugging up the other solidly with my finger,
then gently backed my finger out enough to be able to hear. I waited and
then the words that God had surely put into her mouth, seven words that
changed my life forever.
Mrs. Leonard, the pretty, fragrant teacher I adored, said softly, "I wish you were my little girl."
Lesson: Love heals. A small expression of love goes a very long ways.
4. The travelling monks at the river Two
traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of
the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks
hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders,
transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank.
She thanked him and departed.
As the monks continued on their
way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence,
he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any
contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and
carried her!"
"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."
Lesson: The practice of one's belief is more important than rigid adherence to a belief in one's practice.
5.
Two seeds Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile soil.
The first seed said, "I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into
the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth's crust
above me ... I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce
the arrival of spring ... I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my
face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!"
And so she grew...
The second seed said, "Hmmmm. If I send my roots into the ground below,
I don't know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way
through the hard soil above me I may damage my delicate sprouts ... what
if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to
open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is
much better for me to wait until it is safe."
And so she waited...
A yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.
Lesson: Seize the day!
6.
The stonecutter There was once a stonecutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.
One day, he passed a wealthy merchant's house and through the open
gateway saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful
that merchant must be!" thought the stonecutter. He became very envious,
and wished that he could be like the merchant. Then he would no longer
have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.
To his great
surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and
power than he had ever dreamed of, envied and detested by those less
wealthy than himself. But soon a high official passed by, carried in a
sedan chair, accompanied by attendants, and escorted by soldiers beating
gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the
procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I
could be a high official!"
Then he became the high official,
carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by
the people all around, who had to bow down before him as he passed. It
was a hot summer day, and the official felt very uncomfortable in the
sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the
sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought.
"I wish that I could be the sun!"
Then he became the sun,
shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the
farmers and labourers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the
earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How
powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a
cloud!"
Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and
villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being
pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. "How
powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses,
uprooting trees, hated and feared by all below him. But after a while,
he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how
forcefully he blew against it -- a huge, towering stone. "How powerful
that stone is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a stone!"
Then he became the stone, more powerful than anything else on earth. But
as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel
into the solid rock and felt himself being changed. "What could be more
powerful than I, the stone?" he thought. He looked down and saw far
below him the figure of a stonecutter.
(Benjamin Hoff from The Tao Of Pooh)
Lesson:
We don't know the extent of our own personal power. And, sometimes,
the most insignificant seeming people among us are those most able to
effect great change.
7.
Two wolves A Cherokee elder sitting with his grandchildren told them, "In every
life there is a terrible fight - a fight between two wolves.
One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment,
and deceit.
The other is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence,
generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion."
A child asked,
"Grandfather, which wolf will win?" The elder looked him in the eye.
"The one you feed."
Lesson: Development of good character depends on everyday choices one makes.
8.
The chef cook and his daughter
A daughter complained to her father about life and how things were so
hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted
to give up. She was tired of struggling. It seemed that as soon as one
problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with
water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In
one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he
placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a
word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he
was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished
the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and
placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a
bowl. Turning to her he asked. "What do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and
noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its
rich aroma.
She said, "What's the point?"
He explained that each of the items had faced the same adversity -
boiling water - but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong and hard. But after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid
interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became
hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Do you become weak, like a carrot, hard on the
inside, like an egg, or do you change the circumstances, like the coffee beans?"
Lesson: There are different ways to react to hardship. Don't be weak or suppress things - change circumstances from within.
9. Is your jar full?
A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then
asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was
full. They agreed it was.
The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of
course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded with an unanimous "Yes."
The Professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the Professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your
health, your friends, your favorite passions - things that if everything
else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first", he continued, "there is no room
for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all
your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the
things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are
critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get
medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There
will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of
the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand."
When he had finished, there was a profound silence. Then one of the
students raised her hand and with a puzzled expression, inquired what the
beer represented.
The Professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no
matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
beers."
Lesson:
When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a
day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar......and the beer.10. Giving blood
Many
years ago, when I worked as a transfusion volunteer at Stanford
Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liza who was suffering
from a disease and needed blood from her five-year-old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the
antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the
situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be
willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a
moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it
will save Liza." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color
returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile
faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice,
"Will I start to die right away?"
Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give her all his blood.
Lesson: True brother love exists.
11. The obstacle on our path
In
ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he
hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and
simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping
the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone
out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.
On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and
tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his
load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the
boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from
the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the
boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others
never understand.
Lesson: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.
12. Pickup in the Rain One
night, at 11:30 pm, an older African-American woman was standing on
the side of a Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm.
Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking
wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man
stopped to help her-generally unheard of in those conflict-filled
1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her
into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down
his address, thanked him and drove away. Seven days went by and a
knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant combination
console color TV and stereo record player were delivered to his home. A
special note was attached. The note read:
Dear Mr.
James: Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other
night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but my spirits. Then you
came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for
helping me and unselfishly serving others.
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
Lesson: Be good for everyone.
13. The sleepless saint
Seven
years ago, I visited the place called Dharansala, home of the Dalai
Lama. The hillside town is seven thousand feet up the Himalayan
Mountains. This town attracts many seekers. "The Traveler’s Hotline"
assured us that the person to see was this legendary 24-hour lama. A
Buddhist monk who had gone without sleep for several years, he had
achieved this remarkable feat by the simple technique of meditating
instead of taking his "beauty sleep." "He must be a wise person,"
I thought as I set off for a 5-hour trek to a remote monastery
where their 24-hour man resided. I figured that since he had so much
time on his hands, maybe he would grant me an audience. Six hours
later, I was ushered into a Spartan cell, where sat the man who had not
dreamt in years. I was astounded by the Buddha-like tranquility he
seemed to emanate. I felt humbled in the presence of this sublime
being.
The friendly English-speaking monk, who had found him
for me, whispered, "Make your offering, maybe Lama give your
blessing."
I decided I’d make a dash for wisdom and ask a
question, instead of a blessing. The monk whispered into Mr. Tylenol
Nightmare’s ear, "What question would you like to ask?"
"How do I best progress spiritually?"
More
whisperings in a dark, exotic language...My translator friend
announced, "Lama say, don’t leave on Saturday." The 24-hour lama
nodded in my direction and then carried on beaming.
I was
furious! A 5-hour trek, a rucksack full of goodies to take as
offerings – and now a 5-hour walk back down a treacherous Himalayan
trail. I was in a reflective mood: maybe I’d expected too much. What
did I want from him? Instant enlightenment? Some wisdom would’ve
been nice, but "Don’t leave on Saturday"?! Maybe this was some kind
of Zen Buddhist paradox within this mundane phase that contained
some great gem of wisdom, but dammit! He was a Tibetan Buddhist!!
On
Sunday morning, waiting at the coach station for the bus that would
take an arduous, 10-hour journey down the vast mountain, my traveling
companion stormed up to me and furiously exclaimed, "Bloody great! A
3-hour delay! I just chatted with that policeman over there...he
reckons Saturday’s coach had crashed with 14 people dead...The
road’s blocked with rescue vehicles...Good thing we didn’t leave
yesterday, like we wanted."
I was in a state of shock. My
mind raced back to the beaming Buddha. I was filled with wonderment
and joy. He had given me the perfect answer to my question. Had I
left Saturday, there would have been no more spiritual progression.
The mundane answer to my oh-so-important question was stunning in its
magnificence.
Lesson: What is necessary for spiritual progress is perhaps not what you think
Angel sprinkles
Hi
I wanted to share this angel story with you.
I
had put a package of the angel sprinkles (the small gold colored
foil angels) in my purse after one of the Psychic Fairs. The package
was opened and the angels fell out into my purse. When I discovered
what had happened, I put the loose angels into my coin purse. (a
little change purse - inside my purse.)
On the way home, I
was at the store paying for something and change was required. I dug
in, got the change, gave it to the sales person. I did not realize
that there were also angels stuck in with the money!
Well she said: "Oh angels for me! Thank you! Come back and see me anytime!"
This
happened to me several times that day, with almost the same
reaction at different places, with different people. So now I keep the
angels in there and always dispense them with the change.
This
little practice has led to some interesting conversations - for
instance, when I did go back to the same store that the lady received
the first angels. She told me how much she treasured them and kept
them by her bed. She said she gave one to her daughter too.
She
then told me about her personal healing experience. She said: "I
don't usually tell people this but, I was paralyzed as a child. I could
not walk or talk. My grandparents were very devout and my
grandfather told me that if I really believed in God and Holy Mother
Mary that I would be healed. He said that God was inside me and if
my faith was strong enough I would be well.
Well, I believed him, he was my grandfather.
I started praying, I really believed. Within a year I was totally healed!
I am so grateful to God for this healing!"
I
then gave her some more angel sprinkles, and again she acted like I
had given her a million dollars! She also told me that the first time
she saw me that she thought that I was an angel! (blush.....) She
said that she could feel the energy and it made her turn around and
look at me. I told her that if she felt anything through me - that
it was God; I was only the instrument.
What a lovely experience!
I
plan on always keeping the little gold angels in my change purse
and dispensing them everywhere. When I do, I don't say anything, I just
give them with the change.
Rev. Mary
Lesson: always keep room for a little magic in your relationships
The Moth Who Fell in Love with A Star.
There once was a moth that fell in love with a star.
All
his friends and relatives mocked him, told him he was being
unrealistic, and urged him to focus his efforts on some local, possible,
attainable goal: a streetlamp, a porchlight, a candle or a lantern.
Even a chandelier, if he must.
But our Moth was in love with His Star, and he would not give up.
So
while all his pals, his parents, his sisters and brothers and cousins
and aunts, soon burned themselves out around the local, ready-made
luminaries, and wound up as charred bits of ash on the sidewalks, the
porches, the floors and tables of the town, our Moth enjoyed a long and
happy and healthy life in endless pursuit of his limitless Star.
Lesson: to 'reach for the stars' - having an ambitious goal - can actually keep you safe and sane.
The king and the flowers
A
king had a wonderful talent for growing flowers and was looking for
someone to succeed him. He decided he would let the flowers decide so he
gave everyone a little seed. The one who would produce the most
beautiful flower from the seed would be the next king.
A girl called
Serena was overwhelmed by the beauty and determined to grow the most
beautiful flower. She planted it in a nice pot, took great care for it,
but nothing would grow.
The next year she saw everyone gathering at
the palace with pots full of beautiful flowers. She was disappointed but
also went to the meeting with her empty pot. The king inspected all the
flower pots and then stopped at hers. Why is your pot empty, he asked.
Your highness, I did everything to make it grow, but I have failed, she
answered.
No, you didn't, he replied. You see, the seeds I've given
out were all roasted, so nothing could come out of them. I have no idea
where all these flowers come from. But you have been honest and by being
so, have deserved to be my heir. You will our queen.
Lesson: it pays to be honest
The kind and the peace contest
There
once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the
best picture of peace. Many artists tried and submitted their work. The
king looked at all the pictures. There were only two he really liked,
and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake,
perfectly mirroring the peaceful, towering mountains all around it.
Overhead was blue sky with fluffy, white clouds. It was the favorite of
all who saw it. Truly, they thought, it was the perfect picture of
peace.
The other picture had mountains, too, but these were rugged
and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which
lightening played. Down the side of one mountain tumbled a foaming
waterfall. A less peaceful picture would be difficult to imagine. But
when the king looked closely, he saw beside the waterfall a tiny bush
growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her
nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother
bird on her nest in perfect peace.
Which picture would you have selected? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?
“Because,”
explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there
is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of
all these things and still be calm in your heart. This is the real
meaning of peace.”
Lesson: real peace is in your heart
18. Mind the genie in the lamp
There once was a very poor man, who woke up hungry with only 1 rupee left in his pocket.
He decides to go to the market and see if his rupee can buy him some left over fruit.
At the market he meets a fancy clothed man behind a table with a beautiful oil lamp on it, and a sign that reads "1 rupee".
The poor man can't believe his eyes, and asks the man what the catch is.
It's true, the lamp only costs 1 rupee, the man says.
And he explains that in the lamp there lives a genie, who fulfills all your desires.
"Then why do you sell it?", the poor man wants to know.
"Well,
the genie is always active and rather impatient", it is explained. "And
if you don't pay attention to him, he'll start taking things away
again".
"Well OK", the poor man says. "Since I don't have much to lose I will buy it from you".
When he arrives back home, he rubs the lamp and the genie appears. "How can I serve you, master?", he asks.
"Prepare me a meal worthy of a king", the poor man commands.
Within a second the genie serves an opulous meal with 87 courses.
The poor man is delighted, but when he wants to start eating, the genie asks again - "And how can I serve you master?"
Keeping
in mind that the genie can also take away all the goodies, the poor man
commands: "Build me a beautiful castle, suitable for a maharadja!"
Only
a few seconds pass by, and the man now finds himself in a beautiful
palace. He likes to explore it, but there comes the genie again, asking
"How can I serve you, master?"
Every wish is immediately fulfilled, and when ignored, the genie takes away everything.
The poor man is annoyed and goes to the village sage, where he explains his problem.
After
a silent conversation, the poor man steps to the genie and says:
'Genie, build me a large pole and stick it in the ground".
The genie immediately builds a pole and sticks it in the ground.
"Now genie, I want you to climb up and down the pole, over and over again".
The genie starts climbing right away.
And now the man has time to eat his meal, explore his palace and do other things.
When he and the sage go to see what the genie is doing, they see that he has fallen asleep next to the pole.
"And so it is with the thinking genie of every man", explains the sage.
"It is restless in its desire to satisfy every desire, and fragments our being.
The pole is a tool called a 'mantra'.
By repeating it over and over again, our restless mind is kept busy until it gets so bored that it falls asleep.
And this way our true self can enjoy the world."
Lesson: you are more than your mind - don't worry and enjoy your self
19. According to an old Hindu legend...
..there
was once a time when all human beings were gods, but they so abused
their divinity that Brahma, the chief god, decided to take it away from
them and hide it where it could never be found.
Where to hide
their divinity was the question. So Brahma called a council of the gods
to help him decide. "Let's bury it deep in the earth," said the gods.
But Brahma answered, "No, that will not do because humans will dig into
the earth and find it." Then the gods said, "Let's sink it in the
deepest ocean." But Brahma said, "No, not there, for they will learn to
dive into the ocean and will find it." Then the gods said, "Let's take
it to the top of the highest mountain and hide it there." But once again
Brahma replied, "No, that will not do either, because they will
eventually climb every mountain and once again take up their divinity."
Then the gods gave up and said, "We do not know where to hide it,
because it seems that there is no place on earth or in the sea that
human beings will not eventually reach."
Brahma thought for a
long time and then said, "Here is what we will do. We will hide their
divinity deep in the center of their own being, for humans will never
think to look for it there."
All the gods agreed that this was
the perfect hiding place, and the deed was done. And since that time
humans have been going up and down the earth, digging, diving, climbing,
and exploring--searching for something already within themselves.
lesson: don't be distracted by worldly kicks - find truth and happiness in your self
Almost every way we make electricity today, except for the emerging renewables and nuclear, puts out CO2. And so, what we're going to have to do at a global scale, is create a new system. And so, we need energy miracles. 
Rich
in history and beauty, Mussoorie has given birth to many institutions that are
known virtually all over the country. Since 1959, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National
Academy of Administration has been training and molding batch after batch of
raw probationers into the country's finest bureaucrats, foreign service officers,
and police officers. the Academy, situated at Charleville, continues to train
officers for the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service.
A fire broke out in the Academy some years ago and destroyed, among other buildings
and papers, its precious library rated amongst the best in the country. While
many of the books destroyed in the fire are difficult to replace, a new beginning
has already been made by acquiring a fine collection of books. 
Mussoorie
is a hill station which has pleasant climate around the year. It is a very cool
place with greenery at its full bloom during September to November. The best
seasons to visit Mussoorie is between April to June and again during September
to November. When the plains of North India experience heat waves, Mussoorie
provides a welcome break. September - November is spring time here. During this
season Himalayas are clearly visible. It is better to avoid monsoons as the
roads to Mussoorie are in bad shape. Same thing applies for the winter when
roads are blocked due to snowfall