The Flower Beautiful or a Problem........

Th Grand Master and the Guardian shared the administration of a Zen monastery. One day, the Guardian died and a replacement had to be found.


The Grand Master gathered together all the disciples in order to decide who would have the honour of working at his side.


‘I am going to set you a problem,’ said the Grand Master. ‘And the first one to solve that problem will be the new Guardian of the temple.’


Once this briefest of speeches was over, he placed a small stool in the middle of the room. On it stood a priceless porcelain vase containing a red rose.


‘There is the problem,’ said the Grand Master.


The disciples looked in some perplexity at what was there before them: the rare, sophisticated designs on the porcelain vase and the elegance of the flower. What did it represent? What should they do? What did this enigma mean?


After a few moments, one of the disciples got to his feet and looked at the master and at his fellow students. Then he walked resolutely over to the vase and threw it to the ground, shattering it.


‘You are the new Guardian,’ the Grand Master said to the student.


And as soon as the student had returned to his place, he explained.


‘I made myself perfectly clear. I said that there was a problem to be solved. Now it does not matter how beautiful or fascinating a problem might be, it has to be eliminated.


A problem is a problem. It could be a very rare porcelain vase, a delightful love affair that no longer makes any sense, or a course of action that we should abandon, but which we insist on continuing because it brings us comfort.


There is only one way to deal with a problem: attack it head on. At such moments, one cannot feel pity, nor be diverted by the fascination inherent in any conflict.’



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

How can I pull out My Well?

There once lived in a small country, a clever but poor young man. A weaver by trade, he not only did a good job of weaving but his intelligent mind solved problems for many.

By and by the king heard of him. He employed the young man. Within a short time the king was pleased by his intelligence and raised him to the post of Diwan or chief of his ministers. With great care, the young man did his job and the kingdom prospered.

The king was extremely pleased with the Diwan. But others were restless. They did not like to see a poor weaver as a Diwan. Amongst them was a chieftain of a neighbouring district of the kingdom. He was rich and hoped to get the job of a Diwan. When news reached him that the post had been filled by a poor weaver, he wasted no time. He picked up his precious gems and rode off to the king's palace.

The king was happy indeed to receive the beautiful jewels which the chieftain presented to him.

The chieftain said, "Sire, yours is a rich kingdom and your fame has spread far and wide. What will people say when they hear that you have chosen a poor weaver as your Diwan? They will laugh at you and that is a thing we will not allow. The wisest thing for you to do will be to remove this man from the post."

"But how can I do that?" asked the king. "My Diwan is an intelligent man and does his work to my satisfaction. How can I send him away?"

The chieftain thought. There was complete silence in the big room. Then a smile spread on the man's face.

He said, "Sire, you say that he is intelligent. Then test his intelligence and see whether he is really fit for the high post. Call for him and say, 'Get me a glass of bullock's milk by evening or you will lose your job.'"

The king was surprised by the strange request. Bullock's milk! He'd never heard of such a thing before!

He immediately called for the Diwan and gave the orders. Of course, he secretly hoped that the young man would succeed, for he liked him and did not want to lose him.

As for the Diwan, he felt as though he had already lost the job. Though he was rather proud of his intelligence and could solve the most difficult problem, he was unable to see how he could bring something which did not exist. He returned home and spent the whole day in deep thought.

In the evening, he called his sister, and giving her a silver glass and plate, he said, "Cover the glass with the plate and go to the king's court. There is a message you are to deliver to him."

The girl set off for the palace. When she was brought before the king, he asked, "Why are you here? Why hasn't your brother come as I had commanded him?"

"Sire, please excuse him. He gave birth to a son this afternoon and hence he couldn't come," said the girl with head bowed.

"Silly girl," shouted the king, "whoever heard of a man giving birth to a child?"

Without raising her head, pat came the reply, "Whoever heard of a bullock giving milk?"

The question put the king to shame and he said, "Go home, girl, go home. Send the Diwan to work tomorrow."

The chieftain came the next day, sure that the weaver had lost his job, for how could he have got bullock's milk? When the king told him what had happened, the chieftain said, "The weaver has passed the first test. Here is another. Tell him that since he is a weaver by trade, he should weave for you a kurta or a long coat of spider's web within a fortnight. If he is unable to deliver it by that time, he will lose his job."

The king once again did as he was told. The idea of wearing a kurta of spider's web was indeed a new one. He called the Diwan and gave the orders. The Diwan smiled.

For a few days he did not appear at the palace. There was no sign of him anywhere. The king was sure that he was busy weaving the kurta and felt very pleased. He thanked the chieftain for his grand idea and even rewarded him well.

On the sixth day, the Diwan arrived with a small glass in his hand.

He said, "Sire, will you please ask your men to set fire to the lake in your garden! I wish to collect some of the water's ash as only with the help of this can I weave a kurta of spider's web."

"B-u-t...," stammered the king at the strange request, "whoever heard of water catching fire and of water's ash?"

The weaver bowed low and asked, "Whoever heard of a kurta made of spider's web?"

"What you say is true," said the king. "I have never myself heard of such a kurta though I would have loved to wear one. There is no need to carry out this order. Go and do your work."

Once again the chieftain returned to find that the Diwan was still there. He said to the king, "Sire, the weaver is fit for the job if he passes this last and most difficult test. Tell him that he must uproot the well that is in his courtyard and put it in the market-place next to the old banyan tree. This he must do in a day's time or give up his job."

"Now, that is a good piece of advice. There isn't any well in the market-place."

The Diwan was called. The strange order didn't seem to bother him at all. He went home and soon returned with a big fat rope.

"Why have you come to court with that fat rope?" asked the king.

"Sire, I have tied one end of the rope to my well. Let me tie the other end to your well. I would further request you to command your well to lift my well from my courtyard and put it in the market-place. I tried to lift it but it is too heavy for me."

"But what a silly request!" exclaimed the king. "How can I command my well to pull out your well?"

"Then how can I pull out my well?"

The king did not know what to say. After a moment's silence, he said, "You have won. Thrice I tested your intelligence and thrice you won. You shall remain my Diwan, no matter what people say."

He then called the chieftain and said, "You are no longer in my employ. Leave my kingdom and try your fortune elsewhere."

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Rebuilding the World

A father was trying to read the newspaper, but his little son kept pestering him. Finally, the father grew tired of this and, tearing a page from the newspaper – one that bore a map of the world – he cut it into several pieces and handed them to his son.

‘Right, now you’ve got something to do. I’ve given you a map of the world and I want to see if you can put it back together correctly.’

He resumed his reading, knowing that the task would keep the child occupied for the rest of the day. However, a quarter of an hour later, the boy returned with the map.

‘Has your mother been teaching you geography?’ asked his father in astonishment.

‘I don’t even know what that is,’ replied the boy. ‘But there was a photo of a man on the other side of the page, so I put the man back together and found I’d put the world back together too.’


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Invisible Mom

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible - The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more. Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.

I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?'

I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?'

I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know... I just did. And kids should share it with their moms, too!

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Blindfold

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of passage?

His dad takes him into the forest, blindfolded …and leaves him….alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night…and not take off the blindfold until the ray of sun shines through it. He is all by himself. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night..he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience. Each lad must come into his own manhood.

The boy was terrified… could hear all kinds of noise…Beasts were all around him. Maybe even some human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and earth… And it shook his stump. But he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man.

Finally, after a horrific night..the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father..sitting on the stump next to him…at watch… the entire night.

We are never alone. Even when we do not know it, our Father is protecting us…He is sitting on the stump beside us. All we have to do is reach out to Him.



Read more at We are never alone

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Happy Monk Joys of the Spiritual Life

The Happy Monk Joys of the Spiritual Life
Once upon a time, there was a high class rich man. As he became older, he realized that the suffering of old age was about the same for rich and poor alike. So he gave up his wealth and class position, and went into the forest to live as a poor monk. He practised meditation, and developed his mind. He freed himself from unwholesome thoughts, and became contented and happy. His peacefulness and friendliness gradually drew 500 followers to his side.

At that time, long ago, most monks usually looked pretty serious. But there was one monk who, even though he was quite dignified, always wore at least a little smile. No matter what happened,
he never lost this glimmer of inner happiness.

And on happy occasions, he had the broadest smile, and the warmest laughter of all.

Sometimes monks, as well as others, would ask him why he was so happy that he always wore a smile. He chuckled and said, “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me! And if you thought I spoke a
lie, it would be a dishonour to my master.” The wise old master knew the source of the happiness that could not be wiped from his face. He made this happiest monk his number one assistant.

One year, after the rainy season, the old monk and his 500 followers went to the city. The king permitted them to live in his pleasure garden for the springtime.

This king was a good man, who took his responsibilities as ruler seriously. He tried to protect the people from danger, and increase their prosperity and welfare. He always had to worry about neighbouring kings, some of whom wore unfriendly and threatening. He often had to make peace between his own rival ministers of state.

Sometimes his wives fought for his attention, and for the advancement of their sons. Occasionally, a dissatisfied subject even threatened the life of the king himself! And of course, he had to worry constantly about the finances of the kingdom.

In fact, he had so much to worry about, that he never had time to be happy!

As summer approached, he learned that the monks were preparing to return to the forest. Considering the health and welfare of the old leader, the king went to him and said, “Your reverence, you are now very old and weak. What good does it do to go back to the forest? You can send your followers back, while you remain here.”

The chief monk then called his number one assistant to him and said, “You are now to be the leader of the other monks while you all live in the forest. As I am too old and weak. I will remain
here as offered by the king.” So the 500 returned to the forest and the old one remained.

The number one assistant continued practising meditation in the forest. He gained so much wisdom and peace that he became even happier than before. He missed the master, and wanted to share his happiness with him. So he returned to the city for a visit.

When he arrived, he sat on a rug at the feet of the old monk. They didn’t speak very much, but every so often the number one assistant would say, “What happiness! Oh what happiness!” Then the king came to visit. He paid his respects to the chief monk. However, the one from the forest just kept saying, “What happiness! Oh what happiness!” He did not even stop to greet the king and show proper respect. This disturbed him, and he thought, “With all my worries, as busy as I
am looking after the kingdom, I take time out for a visit and this monk does not respect me enough to even recognize me. “How insulting!” He said to the senior of the two monks, “Venerable sir, this monk must be stupid from overeating. That must be why he is so full of happiness. Does he lie around here so lazy all the time?”

The head monk replied, “Oh king, have patience and I will tell you the source of his happiness.
Not many know it. He was once a king, just as rich and mighty as you! Then he was ordained a monk and gave up his kingly life. Now he thinks his old happiness was nothing compared to his present joy!”

“He used to be surrounded by armed men, who guarded and protected him. Now, sitting alone in the forest with nothing to fear, he has no need for armed guards. He has given up the burden of worrying about wealth that has to be protected. Instead, free of the worry of wealth and the fear of power, his wisdom protects himself and others. He advances in meditation to such inner peace, that he cannot keep from saying, ‘What happiness! Oh what happiness!”

The king understood at once. Hearing the story of the happy monk made him feel at peace. He stayed for a while and received advice from both of them. Then he honoured them, and returned
to the palace. Later the happy monk, who once had been a king, paid his respects to his master and returned to the lovely forest. The old chief monk lived out the remainder of his life, died, and was reborn in a high heaven world.

The moral is: Unattached to wealth and power, happiness increases.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Letter to Grandfather

Often, during my morning walks in the park, I can see a man in his 80s walking with his grandchild. The sight reminds me of my grandfather, who used to walk me in the same park when I was a child. An ideal grandpa, his presence made my childhood beautiful.

Like any other child, I used to love listening to stories. And my constant refrain was for one 'that never ended'. Finally, one day he told me the story of a bird which picks up a grain of wheat a day from a granary in a village, adding that it would take years for the stock to finish and till then, the story would continue. That was the end of my persistence!

He had kept the child within him alive and every Saturday, when we visited the Hanuman temple, he would cajole me to have a plate at the panipuri stall. If I refused, he would tease me, "Oh, don't behave like an old lady!" At 86, when his health started to fail, I would go alone to the temple and, passing by, could see visions of both of us laughing over plates of panipuri.

He believed in doing his bit towards social work, which invited a fair amount of admiration, as well as criticism. Disturbed at the wagging tongues, I asked him once how he remained calm. He replied, "In every field, there are critics and admirers. But, if you are true to yourself, you needn't bother about these things."

He knew how to deal with children. While he never liked pets in the house, I loved puppies and when I was four years old, brought an abandoned pup back from the basketball ground. The next day, I fed him in our garden and left for school. When I returned, the pup was no longer there. When I asked grandpa, instead of scolding me, he simply answered that, "his father came to take him away".

He was extremely particular about his exercise and daily schedule. He woke up early and went for his walk at 5:30 am, following the same route and returning at exactly the same time everyday. The routine was kept up even in the monsoons, when he took an umbrella along for company. Often, I went along too on these walks, where he kept me involved by quizzing me on spellings, capitals of places, riddles, etc.

Once I reached second standard, I began writing a letter to grandpa every year on his birthday. He would read my letters with a smile. When I was in tenth standard, I gave him a gift, but he said he would prefer to receive a letter like each year. So, I continued. He, however, never commented and I sometimes wondered what he thought of my letter.

He died at the age of 87. When he left us, dad decided to open an old suitcase, which belonged to grandpa and occupied a pride of place on his table. Along with important documents, in the safest pouch, dad found an envelope. He opened it and called me to take a look. When I looked inside, I found all the letters I had ever written to grandpa kept in sequence and well-maintained. There wasn't a single fold on the pages and even the first letter, which was 15 years old, was intact.

Tears welled up in my eyes. For a long time, I was overwhelmed. Thanks, grandpa, for giving me memories I will cherish all my life.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Whatnot Tree

The Whatnot Tree (Prudence)
Once upon a time there was a caravan leader. He went from country to country selling various goods. His caravans usually had at least 500 bullock carts.

On one of these trips his path led through a very thick forest. Before entering it,he called together all the members of the caravan. He warned them, “My friends, when you go through this forest be careful to avoid the poisonous trees, poisonous fruits, poisonous leaves, poisonous flowers and even poisonous honeycombs.

“Therefore, whatever you have not eaten before — whether a fruit, leaf, flower or anything else — must not be eaten without asking me first.” They all said respectfully, “Yes, sir.”

There was a village in the forest. Just outside the village stood a tree called a “whatnot tree”. Its trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits look very similar to a mango tree. Even the colour, shape, smell and taste are almost exactly the same as a mango tree. But unlike a mango, the whatnot fruit is a deadly poison!

Some went ahead of the caravan and came upon the whatnot tree. They were all hungry, and the whatnot fruits looked like delicious ripe mangoes. Some started eating the fruits mmediately, without thinking at all. They devoured them before anyone could say a word.

Others remembered the leader’s warning, but they thought this was just a different variety of mango tree. They thought they were lucky to find ripe mangoes right next to a village. So they decided to eat some of the fruits before they were all gone.

There were also some who were wiser than the rest. They decided it would be safer to obey the warning of the caravan leader. Although they didn’t know it, he just happened to be the enlightenment Being.

When the leader arrived at the tree, the ones who had been careful and not eaten asked, “Sir, what is this tree? Is it safe to eat these fruits?”

After investigating thoughtfully he replied, “No, no. This may look like a mango tree, but it isn’t. It is a poisonous whatnot tree. Don’t even touch it!”

The ones who had already eaten the whatnot fruit were terrified. The caravan leader told them to make themselves vomit as soon as possible. They did this, and then were given four sweet foods to eat — raisins, cane sugar paste, sweet yogurt and bee’s honey. In this way their taste buds were refreshed after throwing up the poisonous whatnot fruit.

Unfortunately, the greediest and most foolish ones could not be saved. They were the ones who had started eating the poisonous fruits immediately, without thinking at all. It was too late for them. The poison had already started doing its work, and it killed them.

In the past, when caravans had come to the whatnot tree, the people had eaten its poisonous fruits and died in their sleep during the night. The next morning the local villagers had come to the campsite. They had grabbed the dead bodies by the legs, dragged them to a secret hiding place, and buried them. Then they had taken for themselves all the merchandise and bullock carts of the caravan.

They expected to do the same thing this time. At dawn the next morning the villagers ran towards the whatnot tree. They said to each other, “The bullocks will be mine!” “I want the carts and wagons!” “I will take the loads of merchandise!”

But when they got to the whatnot tree they saw that most of the people in the caravan were alive and well. In surprise, they asked them, “How did you know this was not a mango tree?” They answered, “We did not know, but our leader had warned us ahead of time, and when he saw it he knew.”

Then the villagers asked the caravan leader, “Oh wise one, how did you know this was not a mango tree?”

He replied, “I knew it for two reasons. First, this tree is easy to climb. And second, it is right next to a village. If the fruits on such a tree remain unpicked, they cannot be safe to eat!”

Everyone was amazed that such lifesaving wisdom was based on such simple common sense. The caravan continued on its way safely.

The moral is: The wise are led by common sense; fools follow only hunger

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The King and the Peasant

A king and his courtiers set out on a winter hunting expedition, and strayed far from inhabited places. When night fell, the king spied the house of a peasant and declared, "We shall take shelter there tonight."

His vizier objected, stating that it was unworthy of the great dignity of the king to take refuge in a peasant's house; would it not be better to set up camp where they were?

The peasant overheard this discussion; nonetheless he prepared a meal and offered it to the king, kissed the ground at his feet, and said to him, "Your greatness will not be lessened; rather, it is my dignity that will increase."

The king was pleased with these words, moved into the man's house for the night, and honored him well the next morning. As the king departed, the peasant walked a few paces with him and said:

"The Sultan lost no power or splendor By accepting a peasant's hospitality.
This peasant's head was illumined When you overshadowed it with your greatness."



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

A Gang of Drunkards

A Gang of Drunkards [Sobriety]
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king, the Enlightenment Being was born in a wealthy family. He became the richest man in Benares.

There also happened to be a gang of drunkards who roamed the streets. All they ever thought about was finding ways to get alcohol, the drug they thought they couldn’t live without.

One day, when they had run out of money as usual, they came up with a scheme to rob the richest man in Benares. But they didn’t realise that he was the reborn Bodhisatta, so he wouldn’t be so easy to fool!

They decided to make a “Mickey Finn”, which is a drink of liquor with a sleeping drug secretly added to it. Their plan was to get the rich man to drink the Mickey Finn. Then when he fell asleep they would rob all his money, jewellery, and even the rich clothes he wore. So they set up a temporary little roadside bar.

They put their last remaining liquor into a bottle, and mixed in some strong sleeping pills.
Later the rich man came by on his way to the palace. One of the alcoholics called out to him, “Honourable sir, why not start your day right — by having a drink with us? And the first one is on the house!” Then he poured a glass of the dishonest liquor.

But the Enlightenment Being did not drink any form of alcohol. Nevertheless, he wondered why these drunkards were being so generous with their favourite drug. It just wasn’t like them. He realised it must be some kind of trick. So he decided to teach them a lesson.

He said, “It would be an insult to appear before the king in a drunken state, or with even the slightest smell of liquor on my breath. But please be so kind as to wait for me here. I’ll see you again when I return from the palace.”

The drunkards were disappointed. They would not be able to drink again as soon as they wanted. But they decided to be patient and wait.

Later that day the rich man came back to the little roadside bar. The alcoholics were getting desperate for a drink. They called him over and said, “Honourable sir, why not celebrate your visit to the king? Have a drink of this fine liquor.

Remember, the first one is free!” But the rich man just kept looking at the liquor bottle and glass. He said, “I don’t trust you. That bottle and glass of liquor are exactly as they were this morning. If it were as good as you say it is, you would have tasted some yourselves by now.

In fact, you couldn’t help but drink it all! I’m no fool. You must have added another drug to the alcohol.” The richest man in Benares went on his way, and the gang of drunkards went back to their plotting and scheming.

The moral is: Keep sober — and keep your common sense.
Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The dervish and the king

A dervish was once sitting alone, meditating in a patch of desert.

A king with his retinue passed by. The dervish neither lifted his head nor paid any attention. The king was furious and said: "These dervishes in their patched cloaks are no better than animals!"
His minister approached the dervish, "The great ruler of all the world passed by and you did not stand and bow: why were you so rude?"

The dervish replied: "Tell your king to expect those people to bow who hope for some reward from him. Tell him that rulers are there to protect their people, not just to exact obeisance from
them. The ruler is the watchman of the poor, though he has greater wealth and glory. The sheep are not made for the shepherd, rather the shepherd is there to serve the sheep.

"When the irresistible decrees of Fate are issued, neither king nor slave remain.
Open up the tomb and search these dusty bones: can you tell which was the rich man or which was the pauper?"

The ruler was struck by the words of the dervish. He said: "Ask me a favour!" The dervish replied: "I would ask you to never disturb me again."

The king begged: "Give me a word of advice!" The dervish replied: "Now that wealth is in your hands, realise before it is too late, that this wealth and this power pass from hand to hand."

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The King With One Gray Hair

The King With One Gray Hair [Ordination]
A very very long time ago, there were people who lived much longer than they do today. They lived many thousand years. At that time, the enlightenment Being was born as a baby named
Makhadeva.

He lived 84,000 years as a child and crown prince. At the time of our story, he had been a young king for 80,000 years.

One day, Makhadeva told the royal barber, “If you see any gray hair on my head, you must tell me immediately!” Of course, the barber promised to do so.

Another 4,000 years passed, until Makhadeva had been a young king for 84,000 years.

Then one day, while he was cutting the king’s hair, the royal barber saw just one little gray hair on all the king’s head. So he said, “Oh my lord, I see one gray hair on your head.” The king said, “If this be so, pull it out and put it in my hand.” The barber got his golden tweezers, plucked out the single little gray hair, and put it in the king’s hand.

At that time, the king still had at least another 84,000 years left to live as an old king! Looking at the one gray hair in his hand, he became very afraid of dying. He felt like death was closing in on him, as if he were trapped in a burning house. He was so afraid, that the sweat rolled down his back, and he shuddered.
King Makhadeva thought, “Oh foolish king, you have wasted all this long life and now you are near death. You have made no attempt to destroy your greed and envy, to live without hating,
and to get rid of your ignorance by learning the truth and becoming wise.”

As he thought this, his body burned and the sweat kept rolling down. Then he decided once and for all, “It is time to give up the kingship, be ordained as a monk, and practice meditation!”
Thinking so, he granted the income of a whole town to the barber. It amounted to one hundred thousand per year. Then the king called his oldest son to him and said, “My son, I have seen a gray hair. I have become old. I have enjoyed the worldly pleasures of great wealth and power. When I die, I want to be reborn in a heaven world, to enjoy the pleasures of the gods. So I will be ordained as a monk. You must now take the responsibility of ruling the country. I will live the life of a monk in the forest.”

Hearing of this, the royal ministers and the rest of the court rushed to the king and said, “Our lord, why do you suddenly want to be ordained?”

The king held up the gray hair in his hand
and said, “My ministers and subjects, I have realized that this gray hair shows that the three stages of life – youth, middle age and old age – are coming to an end. This first gray hair was the messenger of death sitting on my head. Gray hairs are like angels sent by the god of death. Therefore, this very day is the time for me to be ordained.” The people wept at the news of his departure.

King Makhadeva gave up his royal life, went into the forest, and was ordained as a monk. There he practised what holy men call the ‘Four Heavenly States of Mind’.

First is loving-kindness, tender affection for all.

Second is feeling sympathy and pity for all those who suffer.

Third is feeling happiness for all those who are joyful.

And the fourth state is balance and calm, even in the face of difficulties or troubles.

After 84,000 years of great effort meditating and practising these states as a humble forest monk, the Bodhisatta died. He was reborn in a high heaven world, to live a life a million years
long!

The moral is: Even a long life is too short to waste.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The One-hundredth Prince

The One-hundredth Prince [Obedience to a Wise Teacher]
Once upon a time, there was a king who had one hundred sons. The youngest, the onehundredth, was Prince Gamani. He was very energetic, patient and kind.

All the princes were sent to be taught by teachers. Prince Gamani, even though he was the one-hundredth in line to the throne, was lucky enough to have the best teacher. He had the most learning and was the wisest of them of all. He was like a father to Prince Gamani, who liked, respected and obeyed him.
In those days, it was the custom to send each educated prince to a different province.

There he was to develop the country and help the people. When Prince Gamani was old enough for this assignment, he went to his teacher and asked which province he should request. He said, “Do not select any province. Instead, tell your father the king that if he sends you, his one-hundredth son, out to a province, there will be no son remaining to serve him in his home city.” Prince Gamani obeyed his teacher, and pleased his father with his kindness and loyalty.

Then the prince went again to his teacher and asked, “How best can I serve my father and the people, here in the capital city?” The wise teacher replied, “Ask the king to let you be the one to collect fees and taxes, and distribute benefits to the people. If he agrees, then carry out your duties honestly and fairly, with energy and kindness.”

Again the prince followed his teacher’s advice. Trusting his one-hundredth son, the king was glad to assign these functions to him. When he went out to perform the difficult task of collecting fees and taxes, the young prince was always gentle,
fair and lawful. When he distributed food to the hungry, and other necessary things to the needy, he was always generous, kind and sympathetic.

Before long, the one-hundredth prince gained the respect and affection of all. Eventually, the king came to be on his deathbed. His ministers asked him who should be the next king. He said that all his one hundred sons had a right to succeed him. It should be left up to the citizens.

After he died, all the citizens agreed to make the one-hundredth prince their next ruler.

Because of his goodness, they crowned him King Gamani the Righteous. When the ninety-nine older brothers heard what had happened, they thought they had been insulted. Filled with envy and rage, they prepared for war. They sent a message to King Gamani, which said, “We are all your elders. Neighbour countries will laugh at us if we are ruled by the one-hundredth prince. Either you give up the kingdom or we will take it by war!”

After he received this message, King Gamani took it with him to his wise old teacher, and asked his advice.
It just so happened that this honourable gentle teacher was the reborn Enlightenment Being. He said, “Tell them you refuse to wage war against your brothers. Tell them you will not help them kill innocent people you have come to know and love. Tell them that, instead, you are dividing the king’s wealth among all one hundred princes.

Then send each one his portion.” Again the king obeyed his teacher. Meanwhile the ninety-nine older princes had brought their ninety-nine small armies to surround the royal capital. When they received the king’s message and their small portions of the royal treasure, they held a meeting. They decided that each portion was so small it was almost meaningless. Therefore, they would not accept them.
But then they realized that, in the same way, if they fought with King Gamani and then with each other, the kingdom itself would be divided into small worthless portions. Each small piece of the once-great kingdom would be weak in the face of any unfriendly country. So they sent back their portions of the royal treasure as offerings of peace, and accepted the rule of King Gamani.

The king was pleased, and invited his brothers to the palace to celebrate the peace and unity of the kingdom. He entertained them in the most perfect ways – with generosity, pleasant conversation, providing instruction for their benefit, and treating all with even-handed courtesy. In this way the king and the ninety-nine princes became closer as friends than they had been as brothers. They were strong in their support of each other. This was known in all the surrounding countries, so no one threatened the kingdom or its people. After a few months, the ninety-nine brothers returned to their provinces.

King Gamani the Righteous invited his wise old teacher to live in the palace. He honoured him with great wealth and many gifts. He held a celebration for his respected teacher, saying to the full court, “I, who was the one-hundredth prince, among one hundred worthy princes, owe all my success to the wise advice of my generous and understanding teacher. Likewise, all who follow their wise teachers’ advice will earn prosperity and happiness. Even the unity and strength of the kingdom, we owe to my beloved teacher.”

The kingdom prospered under the remainder of the generous and just rule of King Gamani the Righteous.

The moral is: One is rewarded a hundred-fold for following the advice of a wise teacher.

Lovely Messages For Lovely People Just Like You........

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Little Prince No-father The Power of Truth

Little Prince No-father [The Power of Truth]
Once upon a time, the King of Benares went on a picnic in the forest. The beautiful flowers and trees and fruits made him very happy. As he was enjoying their beauty, he slowly went deeper and deeper into the forest. Before long, he became separated from his companions and realized
that he was all alone.

Then he heard the sweet voice of a young woman. She was singing as she collected firewood.
To keep from being afraid of being alone in the forest, the king followed the sound of the
lovely voice. When he finally came upon the singer of the songs, he saw that she was a beautiful
fair young woman, & immediately fell in love with her. They became very friendly, and the king
became the father of the firewood woman’s child.

Later, he explained how he had gotten lost in the forest, and convinced her that he was indeed
the King of Benares. She gave him directions for getting back to his palace. The king gave her his
valuable signet ring, and said, “If you give birth to a baby girl, sell this ring and use the money to bring her up well. If our child turns out to be a baby boy, bring him to me along with this ring for
recognition.” So saying, he departed for Benares.

In the fullness of time, the firewood woman gave birth to a cute little baby boy. Being a simple
shy woman, she was afraid to take him to the fancy court in Benares, but she saved the king’s
signet ring.

In a few years, the baby grew into a little boy. When he played with the other children in the
village, they teased him and mistreated him, and even started fights with him. It was because his mother was not married that the other children picked on him. They yelled at him, “No-father!
No-father! Your name should be No-father!”
Of course this made the little boy feel ashamed and hurt and sad. He often ran home crying
to his mother. One day, he told her how the other children called him, “No-father! No-father!
Your name should be No-father!” Then his mother said, “Don’t be ashamed, my son. You are not just an ordinary little boy. Your father is the King of Benares!”

The little boy was very surprised. He asked his mother, “Do you have any proof of this?” So she told him about his father giving her the signet ring, and that if the baby was a boy she should
bring him to Benares, along with the ring as proof.

The little boy said, “Let’s go then.” Because of what happened, she agreed, and the next day hey
set out for Benares. When they arrived at the king’s palace, the gate keeper told the king the firewood woman and her little son wanted to see him. They went into the royal assembly hall, which was filled with the king’s ministers and advisers. The woman reminded the king of their time together in the forest. Finally she said, “Your majesty, here is your son.”

The king was ashamed in front of all the ladies and gentlemen of his court. So, even though he knew the woman spoke the truth, he said, “He is not my son!” Then the lovely young mother showed the signet ring as proof. Again the king was ashamed and denied the truth, saying, “It is
not my ring!”

Then the poor woman thought to herself, “I have no witness and no evidence to prove what I say. I have only my faith in the power of truth.” So she said to the king, “If I throw this little boy up into the air, if he truly is your son, may he remain in the air without falling. If he is not your on, may he fall to the floor and die!”

Suddenly, she grabbed the boy by his foot and threw him up into the air. Lo and behold, the boy sat in the cross-legged position, suspended in mid-air, without falling. Everyone was astonished,
to say the least! Remaining in the air, the little boy spoke to the mighty king. “My lord, I am indeed a son born to you. You take care of many people who are not related to you. You even maintain countless elephants, horses and other animals. And yet, you do not think of looking after and raising me, your own son. Please do take care of me and my mother.”

Hearing this, the king’s pride was overcome. He was humbled by the truth of the little boy’s powerful words. He held out his arms and said, “Come to me my son, and I will take good care of you.”
Amazed by such a wonder, all the others in the court put out their arms. They too asked the floating little boy to come to them. But he went directly from mid-air into his father’s arms. With his son seated on his lap, the king announced that he would be the crown prince, and his mother
would be the number one queen.
In this way, the king and all his court learned the power of truth. Benares became known as a place of honest justice. In time the king died. The grown up crown prince wanted to show the people that all deserve respect, regard less of birth. So he had himself crowned under the official name, “King No-father!” He went on to rule the kingdom in a generous and righteous way.

The moral is: The truth is always stronger than a lie.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Price Maker Story About Foolishness

The Price Maker [Foolishness]
Long ago and far away, their was a king who ruled in Benares, in northern India. One of his ministers was called the Royal Price Maker, and he was a very honest man. His job was to set
a fair price for anything the king wanted to buy or sell.

On some occasions, the king did not like his price making. He did not get as big a profit as he wanted. He did not want to pay so much when he bought, or sell for what he thought was not enough. So he decided to change the price maker.

One day he saw a nice looking young man and he thought, “This fellow will be good for my price making position.” So he dismissed his former honest price maker, and appointed this man to
be the new one. The man thought, “I must make the king happy by buying at very low prices and selling at very high prices.” So he made the prices ridiculous, without caring at all what anything was worth. This gained the greedy king a lot of money, and made him very happy. Meanwhile, all the others who dealt with the new price maker, including the king’s other ministers and ordinary people, became very unhappy.

Then one day a horse merchant arrived in Benares with 500 horses to sell. There were stallions,
mares and colts. The king invited the merchant to the palace, and called upon his Royal Price Maker to set a price for all 500 horses.
Thinking only of pleasing the king, he said, “The entire herd of horses is worth one cup of rice.” So the king ordered that one cup of rice be paid to the horse dealer, and all the horses were taken to the royal stables.

Of course the merchant was very upset, but he could do nothing at the moment. Later he heard
about the former price maker, who had a reputation for being very fair and honest. So he approached him and told him what had happened.

He wanted to hear his opinion, in order to get a proper price from the king. The former price maker said, “If you do as I say, the king will be convinced of the true value of the horses. Go back to the price maker and satisfy him with a valuable gift. Ask him to tell the value of one cup of rice, in the presence of the king. If he agrees, come and tell me. I will go with you to the king.”
Following this advice, the merchant went to the price maker and gave him a valuable gift. The
gift made him very happy, so that he saw the value of pleasing the horse dealer. Then the merchant said to him, “I was very happy with your previous evaluation. Can you please convince the king of the value of one cup of rice?” The foolish price maker said, ‘Why not? I will explain the worth of one cup of rice, even the presence of the king.”

So the price maker thought the horse dealer was satisfied with his cup of rice. He arranged for
another meeting with the king, as the merchant was departing for his own country. The merchant reported back to the old price maker, and they went together to see the king.
All the king’s ministers and his full court were in the royal meeting hall. The horse merchant
said to the king, “My lord, I understand that in this your country, my whole herd of 500 horses
is worth one cup of rice. Before I leave for home, I want to know the value of one cup of rice in
your country.” The king turned to his loyal price maker and said, “What is the value of one cup of rice?”
The foolish price maker, in order to please the king, had previously priced the herd of horses
at one cup of rice. Now, after receiving a bribe from the horse dealer, he wanted to please him
too. So he replied to the king, in his most dignified manner, “Your worship, one cup of rice is
worth the city of Benares, including even your own harem, as well as all the suburbs of the city.

In other words, it is worth the whole kingdom of Benares!”
On hearing this, the royal ministers and wise men in the assembly hall started to roar with
laughter, slapping their sides with their hands.
When they calmed down a little, they said, “Earlier we heard that the kingdom was priceless. Now we hear that all Benares, with its palaces and mansions, is worth only a cup of rice! The decision of the Royal Price Maker is so strange! Where did your highness find such a man? He is
good only for pleasing a king such as you, not for making fair prices for a merchant who sells his
horses from country to country.”
Hearing the laughter of his whole court, and the words of his ministers and advisers, the king was ashamed. So he brought back his former price maker to his official position. He agreed to a
new fair price for the herd of horses, as set by the honest price maker. Having learned a lesson, the king and his kingdom lived justly and prospered.

The moral is: A fool in high office can bring shame even to a king.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

More Blessed To Give Than Receive

A young man, a student in one of the university, was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the students' friend, for his kindness towards the students.

As they went along, they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by, and who had nearly finished his day's work.

The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them."

"My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him."

The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by.

The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin.

Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.

His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom the timely bounty, from some unknown hand, would save from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with tears. "Now," said the professor, "are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?"

The young man replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of those words, which I never understood before: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Golden Plate Greed and Honesty

The Golden Plate [Greed and Honesty]
Once upon a time in a place called Seri, there were two salesmen of pots and pans and hand-made trinkets. They agreed to divide the town between them. They also said that after one had gone through his area, it was all right for the other to try and sell where the first had already been.

One day, while one of them was coming down a street, a poor little girl saw him and asked her grandmother to buy her a bracelet. The old grandmother replied, “How can we poor people buy bracelets?” The little girl said, “Since we don’t have any money, we can give our black sooty old plate.” The old woman agreed to give it a try, so she invited the dealer inside.

The salesman saw that these people were very poor and innocent, so he didn’t want to waste his time with them. Even though the old woman pleaded with him, he said he had no bracelet that she could afford to buy. Then she asked, “We have an old plate that is useless to us, can we trade it for a bracelet?” The man took it and, while examining it, happened to scratch the bottom of it. To his surprise, he saw that underneath the black soot, it was a golden plate! But he didn’t let on
that he had noticed it. Instead he decided to deceive these poor people so he could get the plate
for next to nothing. He said, “This is not worth even one bracelet there’s no value in this, I don’t
want it!” He left, thinking he would return later when they would accept even less for the plate.
Meanwhile the other salesman, after finishing in his part of town, followed after the first as they had agreed. He ended up at the same house. Again the poor little girl begged her grandmother
to trade the old plate for a bracelet. The woman saw that this was a nice tender looking merchant and thought, “He’s a good man, not like the rough-talking first salesman.” So she invited him in and offered to trade the same black sooty old plate for one bracelet. When he examined it, he too saw that it was pure gold under the grime. He said to the old woman, “All my goods and all my money together are not worth as much as this rich golden plate!”
Of course the woman was shocked at this discovery, but now she knew that he was indeed a good and honest fellow. So she said she would be glad to accept whatever he could trade for it. The salesman said, “I’ll give you all my pots and pans and trinkets, plus all my money, if you will let me keep just eight coins and my balancing scale, with its cover to put the golden plate in.” They made the trade. He went down to the river, where he paid the eight coins to the ferry man to take him across.
By then the greedy salesman had returned, already adding up huge imaginary profits in his head. When he met the little girl and her grandmother again, he said he had changed his mind
and was willing to offer a few cents, but not one of his bracelets, for the useless black sooty old
plate. The old woman then calmly told him of the trade she had just made with the honest salesman, and said, “Sir, you lied to us.” The greedy salesman was not ashamed of his lies, but he was saddened as he thought, “I’ve lost the golden plate that must be worth a hundred thousand.” So he asked the woman, “Which way did he go?” She told him the direction. He left all
his things right there at her door and ran down to the river, thinking, “He robbed me! He robbed
me! He won’t make a fool out of me!”
From the riverside he saw the honest salesman still crossing over on the ferry boat. He shouted to the ferry man, “Come back!” But the good merchant told him to keep on going to the other side, and that’s what he did.
Seeing that he could do nothing, the greedy salesman exploded with rage. He jumped up and down, beating his chest. He became so filled with hatred towards the honest man, who had won the golden plate, that he made himself cough up blood. He had a heart attack and died on the spot!

The moral is: “Honesty is the best policy.”

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Finding A New Spring

Finding A New Spring [Perseverance]
Once upon a time a certain tradesman was leading a caravan to another country to sell his goods. Along the way they came to the edge of a severe hot-sand desert. They asked about, and found that during the day time the sun heats up the fine sand until it’s as hot as charcoal, so no one can walk on it – not even bullocks or camels!
So the caravan leader hired a desert guide, one who could follow the stars, so they could travel
only at night when the sand cools down. They began the dangerous night time journey across the desert.

A couple nights later, after eating their evening meal, and waiting for the sand to cool, they arted out again. Later that night the desert guide, who was driving the first cart, saw from the stars
that they were getting close to the other side of the desert. He had also overeaten, so that when he relaxed, he dozed off to sleep. Then the bullocks who, of course, couldn’t tell directions by reading the stars, gradually turned to the side and went in a big wide circle until they ended up at the same place they had started from!

By then it was morning, and the people realized they were back at the same spot they’d camped at the day before. They lost heart and began to cry about their condition. Since the desert
crossing was supposed to be over by now, they had no more water and were afraid they would die of thirst. They even began to blame the caravan leader and the desert guide – “We can do nothing without water!”, they complained.

Then the tradesman thought to himself, “If I lose courage now, in the middle of this disastrous
situation, my leadership has no meaning. If I fall to weeping and regretting this misfortune, and
do nothing, all these goods and bullocks and even the lives of the people, including myself, may be lost. I must be energetic and face the situation!” So he began walking back and forth, trying to think out a plan to save them all.
Remaining alert, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small clump of grass. He thought, Without water, no plant could live in this desert.” So he called over the most energetic of his fellow travellers and asked them to dig up the ground on that very spot. They dug and dug, and after a while they got down to a large stone. Seeing it they stopped, and began to blame the ader again, saying “This effort is useless. We’re just wasting our time!” But the tradesman replied, “No no, my friends, if we give up the effort we will all be ruined and our poor animals will die –
let us be encouraged!”
As he said this, he got down into the hole, put his ear to the stone, and heard the sound of flowing water. Immediately, he called over a boy who had been digging and said, “If you give up, we will all perish – so take this heavy hammer and strike the rock.”
The boy lifted the hammer over his head and hit the rock as hard as he could – and he himself
was the most surprised when the rock spilt in two and a mighty flow of water gushed out from
under it! Suddenly, all the people were overjoyed. They drank and bathed and washed the animals and cooked their food and ate.
Before they left, they raised a high banner so that other travellers could see it from afar and come to the new spring in the middle of the hotsand desert. Then they continued on safely to the end of their journey.

The moral is: Don’t give up too easily – keep on trying until you reach the goal.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You