Archived_Member16
SPNer
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Life As A Jewel
One afternoon Guru Nanak and his company were resting on the banks of the Ganges at Patna. Mardana was idly inspecting a stone he had picked up along the road, thinking of the vast throngs who had come to hear the Guru. "Master," said Mardana, "you teach a way for every person to find liberation. But many of those who listen still seem to spend much of their time in conflict, and in seeking out excitement and other idle pursuits. Why do they waste away their lives so?"
"Most people don't recognize its value," replied the Guru, "although human life is the dearest treasure on this earth."
"Surly everyone can see the value of life," said Mardana.
"No," said Nanak. "Each man places his own value on things according to what he thinks. A different man with different knowledge will place a different value. That stone you found in the dirt will make a good example. Take it to the marketplace and see what you can get for it."
Puzzled, Mardana took the stone to the marketplace and at a stall that sold sweets asked what the vendor would trade for it. The man laughed. "Go away, you're wasting my time."
He next tried a produce seller. "I have paying customers to wait on," said the grocer. "I'll give you an onion for it just to get you out of here."
Mardana tried several more shops with no better response. Finally he came to the shop of Salis Raj, the jeweler. Salis Raj's eyes opened wide when he saw the stone. "I'm sorry," he said, "I don't have enough money to buy your gem. But I will give you a hundred rupees if you will let me look at it a while longer."
Mardana hurried back to the Guru to tell him what had happened.
"See," said Guru Nanak, "how when we are ignorant we mistake a valuable gem for a worthless stone. If someone had told you its value before you knew what it was, you would have thought they were crazy. Such a jewel is human life, and whatever you've traded for it, that is what is yours."
www.Spiritual-Short-Stories.com Spiritual
**********************************************************
Divine VirtuesIt is the divine qualities that make man a gentle or a noble man and enable a person to become great.
Cheerfulness stands high among these. As a flower spreads its freshness and fragrance all round in the atmosphere, a smile on man's face cheer up the spirit of others who come in his sphere. Thus, a cheerful man does silent service to others.
Tolerance and patience too are sterling qualities. They give to man's mind the strength of steel. Like the seat-cushions or the buffer springs, they work as shock-absorbers in life. One who has these can withstand great hardships and bumps.
Sweetness of language and temper is another great virtue. One who discerns only the good qualities of others, is a man of great merit. As a bee collects sweetness from flowers, so does a man who has an eye for others' merits, gather good points, and he himself also becomes a store of sweetness like a honey-comb.
Humility is another high quality. One who thinks himself to be a humble man, is considered by others to be a great man or a saint. A king, wearing a crown rules over his kingdom only, but a man having humility, though without a crown, is a king in his own right; his kingdom knows not the barriers of territory or time, for he rules over the hearts of men of all ages.
Fearlessness saves man from worries and suspicion that cause pain, as much as a person being hanged on the gallows feels. Thus, he lives a carefree life as against a coward who, as the saying goes, dies many times before death.
Contentment is of very great merit. A man who is contented is richer than the wealthiest man in the world, for he is not riding the wild horse of unfulfilled wishes. He considers God's knowledge as so many gems being showered on him by God, and looks upon his righteous actions and his yoga as the great treasure.
Self-confidence is undeniably a very great task. It is this that enables man to consider a mountain as a molehill whereas one who lacks in this quality looks upon a molehill as a mountain.
Straightforwardness enables man to fit better in society. People do not have to be afraid of his intrigues or his tricks. On the other hand, a crooked man is like that nail or a peg which has many bends.
Again, service to others and the spirit of sacrifice are qualities that make a man truly great and happy.
These and many other divine virtues come naturally to anyone who practices meditation as he/she establishes a link with God who is the perennial source of these.
source: email from friend
Life As A Jewel
One afternoon Guru Nanak and his company were resting on the banks of the Ganges at Patna. Mardana was idly inspecting a stone he had picked up along the road, thinking of the vast throngs who had come to hear the Guru. "Master," said Mardana, "you teach a way for every person to find liberation. But many of those who listen still seem to spend much of their time in conflict, and in seeking out excitement and other idle pursuits. Why do they waste away their lives so?"
"Most people don't recognize its value," replied the Guru, "although human life is the dearest treasure on this earth."
"Surly everyone can see the value of life," said Mardana.
"No," said Nanak. "Each man places his own value on things according to what he thinks. A different man with different knowledge will place a different value. That stone you found in the dirt will make a good example. Take it to the marketplace and see what you can get for it."
Puzzled, Mardana took the stone to the marketplace and at a stall that sold sweets asked what the vendor would trade for it. The man laughed. "Go away, you're wasting my time."
He next tried a produce seller. "I have paying customers to wait on," said the grocer. "I'll give you an onion for it just to get you out of here."
Mardana tried several more shops with no better response. Finally he came to the shop of Salis Raj, the jeweler. Salis Raj's eyes opened wide when he saw the stone. "I'm sorry," he said, "I don't have enough money to buy your gem. But I will give you a hundred rupees if you will let me look at it a while longer."
Mardana hurried back to the Guru to tell him what had happened.
"See," said Guru Nanak, "how when we are ignorant we mistake a valuable gem for a worthless stone. If someone had told you its value before you knew what it was, you would have thought they were crazy. Such a jewel is human life, and whatever you've traded for it, that is what is yours."
www.Spiritual-Short-Stories.com Spiritual
**********************************************************
Divine VirtuesIt is the divine qualities that make man a gentle or a noble man and enable a person to become great.
Cheerfulness stands high among these. As a flower spreads its freshness and fragrance all round in the atmosphere, a smile on man's face cheer up the spirit of others who come in his sphere. Thus, a cheerful man does silent service to others.
Tolerance and patience too are sterling qualities. They give to man's mind the strength of steel. Like the seat-cushions or the buffer springs, they work as shock-absorbers in life. One who has these can withstand great hardships and bumps.
Sweetness of language and temper is another great virtue. One who discerns only the good qualities of others, is a man of great merit. As a bee collects sweetness from flowers, so does a man who has an eye for others' merits, gather good points, and he himself also becomes a store of sweetness like a honey-comb.
Humility is another high quality. One who thinks himself to be a humble man, is considered by others to be a great man or a saint. A king, wearing a crown rules over his kingdom only, but a man having humility, though without a crown, is a king in his own right; his kingdom knows not the barriers of territory or time, for he rules over the hearts of men of all ages.
Fearlessness saves man from worries and suspicion that cause pain, as much as a person being hanged on the gallows feels. Thus, he lives a carefree life as against a coward who, as the saying goes, dies many times before death.
Contentment is of very great merit. A man who is contented is richer than the wealthiest man in the world, for he is not riding the wild horse of unfulfilled wishes. He considers God's knowledge as so many gems being showered on him by God, and looks upon his righteous actions and his yoga as the great treasure.
Self-confidence is undeniably a very great task. It is this that enables man to consider a mountain as a molehill whereas one who lacks in this quality looks upon a molehill as a mountain.
Straightforwardness enables man to fit better in society. People do not have to be afraid of his intrigues or his tricks. On the other hand, a crooked man is like that nail or a peg which has many bends.
Again, service to others and the spirit of sacrifice are qualities that make a man truly great and happy.
These and many other divine virtues come naturally to anyone who practices meditation as he/she establishes a link with God who is the perennial source of these.
source: email from friend
