From the same site dhamma T Intan I've picked this really inspiring stories to reflect upon.
A wise old man
A wealthy man requested an old scholar to wean his son away from his bad habits.
The scholar took the youth for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly, he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there. The youth held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The youth pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all.
"Now pull out that one," said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out.
"Now take this one out," said the old man, indicating a guava tree. The youth grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge.
"I – It's impossible," said the boy, panting with the effort.
"So it is with bad habits," said the sage. "When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted."
The session with the old man changed the boy's life.
A Lesson from Disabled People
Once, a visitor was being shown around a leper colony in India. The colony was built to provide a shelter for those people who were poor and had various physical disabilities. At noon a gong (a metal disk that produces a sound when hit with a hammer) sounded to gather the inhabitants for the midday meal. People came from all parts of the compound to the dining hall. Suddenly, everyone started laughing at seeing two young men, one riding on the other's back, pretending to be a horse and a rider. They were having lots of fun. As the visitor watched, he was told that the man who carried his friend was blind, and the man being carried was lame (who couldn't walk). The one who couldn't see used his feet; the one who couldn't walk used his eyes. Together they helped each other and reached their destination.
THE CARPENTER
The Burden Of Hatred
This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry. The Zen master then smiled and said, "THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism."
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
The Burden Of Hatred
A school teacher once asked her students to bring some potatoes in a plastic bag to school. Each potato would be given a name of the person whom that child hated. The number of potatoes would be equal to the number of persons the child hated.
On a chosen day the children brought their potatoes with the names of the people they hated labeled on the potatoes. Some had two, some had three and some had even more than five potatoes. The teacher said the children had to carry these potatoes with them everywhere they went for a week. As the days passed, the children started to complain about the bad smell that started coming from these potatoes. Some students who had many potatoes complained that it was very heavy to carry them all around. After one week all the potatoes were discarded.
On a chosen day the children brought their potatoes with the names of the people they hated labeled on the potatoes. Some had two, some had three and some had even more than five potatoes. The teacher said the children had to carry these potatoes with them everywhere they went for a week. As the days passed, the children started to complain about the bad smell that started coming from these potatoes. Some students who had many potatoes complained that it was very heavy to carry them all around. After one week all the potatoes were discarded.
The teacher asked, “How did you feel in this one week?” The children said they felt terrible about the bad smell and weight of
the potatoes.
Then the teacher said, “This situation is very similar to what you carry in your heart when you don’t like some people. This hatred makes your heart unhealthy and you carry that hatred in your heart everywhere you go. If you cannot bear the smell of spoiled potatoes for a week, imagine the impact of this hatred in your heart that you carry throughout life.”
Then the teacher said, “This situation is very similar to what you carry in your heart when you don’t like some people. This hatred makes your heart unhealthy and you carry that hatred in your heart everywhere you go. If you cannot bear the smell of spoiled potatoes for a week, imagine the impact of this hatred in your heart that you carry throughout life.”
Egotism
The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a national hero for his success as both a statesman and military leader. But despite his fame, power, and wealth, he considered himself a humble and devout Buddhist. Often he visited his favorite Zen master to study under him, and they seemed to get along very well. The fact that he was prime minister apparently had no effect on their relationship, which seemed to be simply one of a revered master and respectful student.
One day, during his usual visit, the Prime Minister asked the master, "Your Reverence, what is egotism according to Buddhism?" The master's face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, "What kind of stupid question is that!?"This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry. The Zen master then smiled and said, "THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism."
A Little Mouse Story
A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain?
He was aghast to discover that it was a mouse trap. Retreating to the farmyard the mouse proclaimed the warning:
"There is a mouse trap in the house, a mouse trap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse then told the pig, "There is a mouse trap in the house.”
"I am very sorry Mr. Mouse," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow. She said, "You say, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap? I am NOT in grave danger. You are! It’s your business.
So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mouse trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.
The farmer killed the chicken to make chicken soup for the wife.
His wife's sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to visit. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig to prepare lunch.
The farmer's wife did not get well. A few days later she passed away.
So many people came for her funeral. The farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.
A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain?
He was aghast to discover that it was a mouse trap. Retreating to the farmyard the mouse proclaimed the warning:
"There is a mouse trap in the house, a mouse trap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse then told the pig, "There is a mouse trap in the house.”
"I am very sorry Mr. Mouse," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow. She said, "You say, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap? I am NOT in grave danger. You are! It’s your business.
So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mouse trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.
The farmer killed the chicken to make chicken soup for the wife.
His wife's sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to visit. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig to prepare lunch.
The farmer's wife did not get well. A few days later she passed away.
So many people came for her funeral. The farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.
A Choice
A Spiritual Story by Unknown Author
A Spiritual Story by Unknown Author
A beggar asked Ibrahim ibn Al Adham for charity.
Ibrahim told him: "I'll give you better than that; come with me."
Ibrahim accompanied the beggar to see a merchant, and asked him to find a job for the beggar. As Ibrahim was well trusted, the merchant didn't hesitate to give some merchandises to the beggar and asked him to travel and sell them in another city.
A few days later, Ibrahim found the beggar still in a miserable condition; surprised, he asked him about the matter.
The beggar informed him: "While traveling, I found a blind eagle in the desert, and I was very curious how it got food though it was blind; I observed it for some time, and, to my big surprise, another eagle came by and fed it. Thus, I said to myself: Ah, WHOEVER took care of that blind eagle in this desert will also take care of me! I returned to the city and gave the merchant back his goods."
Ibrahim, after reflection, asked him:
"But tell me, why did you choose to be the blind eagle, not the other one, who could fly, chase, and take care of others?"
“The Ring”
Story by Unknown Author
One morning, the boy Solomon saw the goldsmith who worked for King David's Palace walk out of the palace very desperate and sad.
Salomon asked the goldsmith with curiosity, what made him feel so sad and desperate.
The goldsmith answered, “I have to provide a solution to a problem to the King within seven days. If not I will be taken out of my job. I am really confused because there is no solution for what the King has asked.”
“What is the problem the King posed to you?” Solomon was curious.
The goldsmith told Solomon, “I need to make a gold ring for the king with an inscription on it. The inscription should help the king not to be very happy and forget the divine truth at his happy moments. At the same time the inscription on it should help him not to lose his heart when he is facing failures and desperations.”
Immediately Solomon told the goldsmith that he should inscribe the following on the ring :
“What is the problem the King posed to you?” Solomon was curious.
The goldsmith told Solomon, “I need to make a gold ring for the king with an inscription on it. The inscription should help the king not to be very happy and forget the divine truth at his happy moments. At the same time the inscription on it should help him not to lose his heart when he is facing failures and desperations.”
Immediately Solomon told the goldsmith that he should inscribe the following on the ring :
“This too shall pass”
Forgetting The Main Thing ...
"This bird doesn't talk," she told the owner.
"Does he have a mirror in his cage?" he asked. "Parrots love mirrors. They see their reflection and start a conversation."
The woman bought a mirror and left.
The next day she returned; the bird still wasn't talking.
"How about a ladder? Parrots love ladders. A happy parrot is a talkative parrot."
The woman bought a ladder and left.
But the next day, she was back. "Does your parrot have a swing? No? Well, that's the problem. Once he starts swinging, he'll talk up a storm."
The woman reluctantly bought a swing and left.
When she walked into the store the next day, her countenance had changed.
"The parrot died," she said.
The pet store owner was shocked. "I'm so sorry. Tell me, did he ever say a word?" he asked.
"Yes, right before he died," the woman replied. "In a weak voice, he asked me, 'Don't they sell any food at that pet store?'"
Do Something!
A man distraught by all the pain and suffering he saw all around him broke down and banged his fists into the dirt.His head turns upward and he yells at his God.
"Look at this mess. Look at all this pain and suffering. Look at all this killing and hate. God. Oh God! WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING!!"
And his God spoke to him and said "I did. I sent you."
Eight Earthly Winds
There was a well-known scholar who practiced Buddhism and befriended a Chan Master. Thinking that he had made great stride in his cultivation, he wrote a poem and asked his attendant to deliver it to the Master who lived across the river. The Master opened the letter and read the short poem aloud:
"Unmoved by the eight worldly winds, *
Serenely I sit on the purplish gold terrace."
A smile broke up on the lips of the Master. Picking up an ink brush, he scribbled the word "fart" across the letter and asked that it be delivered back to the scholar.
The scholar was upset and went across the river right away to reprimand the Master for being rude. The Master laughed as he said, "You said you are no longer moved by the eight worldly winds and yet with just one 'fart', you ran across the river like a rat!"
* 'Eight worldly winds' refers to "Gain and loss, honor and disgrace, praise and blame, happiness and pain."
"Unmoved by the eight worldly winds, *
Serenely I sit on the purplish gold terrace."
A smile broke up on the lips of the Master. Picking up an ink brush, he scribbled the word "fart" across the letter and asked that it be delivered back to the scholar.
The scholar was upset and went across the river right away to reprimand the Master for being rude. The Master laughed as he said, "You said you are no longer moved by the eight worldly winds and yet with just one 'fart', you ran across the river like a rat!"
* 'Eight worldly winds' refers to "Gain and loss, honor and disgrace, praise and blame, happiness and pain."
The Secret of Heaven and Hell
The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, hislegs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation, he sat. Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior.
"Old man! Teach me about heaven and hell!"
At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second.
"You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are so unkempt.You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"
The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high above his head. His face turned to crimson and the veins on his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.
"That is hell,"
"That is hell,"
said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent.
In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement,awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.
"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."
In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement,awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.
"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."
Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., 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 the 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 was 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
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
Donkey in the Well
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Yours too…
Finally he decided since the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. So, the farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels, and began to shovel dirt into the well.
All the other farm animals were very upset about this, because the donkey was their friend. But they discovered there was nothing they could do to help him. At first, when the donkey realized what was happening, he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw.
With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off, and take a step up on the dirt as it piled up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well, and trotted off!
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