“My meditation is horrible! I feel distracted, my body itches and I want to run away. I cannot sit still. My mind keeps chattering. I keep thinking of all the work I have to do!” complained the young monk to his teacher. “It will pass” the teacher said matter of factly” A week later the young monk returned “My meditation is wonderful I feel so calm and centred. Everything makes sense. i feel so connected with one and all. My body aches have gone. I feel eternity” “It will pass” the teacher said matter of factly.
He will spit on your table, scrape the chair backward
And head for the door.
Before you look at the mess he’s left behind, please walk him to the door and thank him for coming
and do ask him if you could sample
one of his desserts.
He will mumble something about not knowing how to cook, or
not having the time, or not finding the recipe. He may even look you
in the eye and tell you he can’t make desserts. And how his Father told him he couldn’t do a darn thing.
And that’s when you catch a glimpse of a young boy who was never praised, or approved, or accepted or encouraged. The harsh critiques he gives others freely and shamelessly are nothing compared to his self critiques. And the voices he heard as a child – he heard them so much he began to believe them, and eventually spew them on others.
For a second he looks at the door knob before stepping out and asks you how he can start making desserts.
You tell him to start by approving of himself.
Chances are he’ll slam the door on you grumbling to himself about incompetent cooks who waste his precious money.
A man who had recently opened a shop had a large notice overhead which read FRESH FISH SOLD HERE. Along came a friend and said, “Why have you got ‘HERE’ on the board?” So he cut out the word ‘HERE’. Then another friend came along and said, “‘SOLD’? Of course it is sold. You are not giving it away, are you?” So out came the word ‘SOLD’.
A third came along and said, “‘FRESH FISH’? It has to be fresh. Who will buy stale fish from you? Cut out the word FRESH.”
The shopkeeper obliged. Now only the word ‘FISH’ remained on the board when a fourth man arrived and said, “‘FISH’? Fancy having that up! You can smell it a mile away.” The shopkeeper erased this last word on the board.
A fifth man arrived and said, “What’s the idea of hanging a blank board over the shop?” The shopkeeper removed the board.
A sixth man came on the scene and said, “You have opened such a big shop. Can’t you hang a board on it with a notice saying, ‘FRESH FISH SOLD HERE?’”
Now if you go on listening to people you will become more and more confused; that’s how you have become confused. Your confusion is this: that you have been listening to many kinds of people and they are all giving different advice. And I am not saying that they are not well-wishers; they are well-wishers, but not very conscious well-wishers, otherwise they would not give you advice. They would give you an insight, not advice. They would not tell you what to do and what not to do. They would help you to become more aware so that you can see yourself what has to be done and what has not to be done.
A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me something more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.
One day a young Buddhist on his journey home came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier.
Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yells over to the teacher, “Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river”?
The teacher ponders for a moment looks up and down the river and yells back, “My son, you are on the other side”.
Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and learning, artwork by Raja Ravi Varma
During one of his travels, Kalidasa felt very thirsty and looked around for water. He saw a woman drawing water from a well. He went up to her and asked her for water. She agreed to give him water, but asked him, “Who are you? Introduce yourself.”
Now Kalidasa thought that an ordinary village woman was not worthy of knowing who Kalidasa was. So he said, “I am a traveller.” But his lady replied, “In this world there are only 2 travellers – the Sun and the Moon. Both Rise and Set every day and keep travelling perpetually.”
Then Kalidasa said, “Alright then, I am a guest.” The lady promptly replied, “In this world there are only 2 guests – Youth and Wealth … both are temporary and hence can only be called as guests.”
Intrigued Kalidasa said, “I am a Tolerant person (sahansheel vyakti).” Now the lady replied, “In this world only 2 truly know the meaning of Tolerance – Bhoomi (Earth) and Tree. How much ever you stamp the earth or throw stones at the tree (for the fruits), both continue to nurture us.”
Now Kalidasa was completely perplexed. He said, “Fine. I am a stubborn person (hatavaadi).” The lady smiled and said, “There are only 2 truly stubborn personalities – our nails and our hair. We keep cutting them non-stop, but they continue to grow.”
Kalidasa had been patient so far, but now in anger he said, “I am a fool”. Now the lady gave a wide smile and said, “There are only 2 kinds of fools in this world – a King who rules without having any capability or knowledge & a Minister who is a sycophant to such a King and lavishes praises on such a useless king.”
Kalidasa realised that he had been outsmarted. He fell at the feet of the lady and when he touched her feet and then got up, whom did he see? Mata Saraswati – the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom. She said, “Kalidasa, you are wise. But only if you know yourself do you become a Manushya (human being). A person without any awareness of self has not reached the pinnacle of being a Human.
Note: The Guru who recounted this story in His Pravachan said, “Children should become a Manushya & know themselves. More than teaching them how to earn more money and become rich, parents should teach them to become aware of themselves and become better Human beings .”
Tonight she contemplated jumping off the 18th floor. She stood out on the foggy night and stared down the misty floors leading to nothingness.
A chill ran up her spine.
She remembered the image of the man on TV who stood on the ledge while someone stuck his head out of the window and talked. Something that man said made the suicidal man change his mind and walk towards the window.
How she wished she could be rescued tonight.
She walked indoors.
The man she loved was not ready for marriage and had blocked her on social media, her heart was now broken into an unrecognisable mess. Her mobile phone was her salvation. She scrolled mindlessly, seeking connection, a reason to live.
After many calls to many cold and bland souls, she heard a voice tell her “child you are no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here.“
The fog lifted. Someone cared. The tears of gratitude eased the pain, healing her.
Outside Cajole was smiling and congratulating the new Partner in the law firm.
Inside she burned
The new partner was her junior. 2 years and 6 months to be exact. And this five foot nothing was so good at her game she gobbled up anyone else’s chances of rising up the ranks. Cajole dug her nails into her fists. Her french manicure blunted out the pain.
Seething with anger, her eyes became smouldering rocks.
A silent explosion took place.
In the middle of the office party celebrating the youngest and newest partner, no-one noticed the pile of ashes in the corner that were once Cajole. One person did say there was a bitter smell in the air.
As the sun went down she began to feel a little lost. The forest seemed denser, quieter with a deep underlying hum in the air. And the path was anything but smooth. She approached a small ditch surrounded by mossy rocks and algae – so very very slippery.
“Whoops”
“I got you”
A warm hand clasped her arm firmly. But it was too dark now to tell who it was. He felt safe. So safe she didn’t feel like rising from the pile of musty leaves, she was hoping he’d just pick her up.
And he did.
In his even warmer arms, he carried her across the forest in most delicious loving silence she could ever imagine. When they reached the road he put her down and she thanked him. They laughed a little and melted each other’s souls with their gazes. They knew they’d never feel this way with anyone else. And she knew she’d found her King.
One of the most loving men in the Tarot deck is the King of Cups, balanced, generous and with the gift of making a woman feel special and safe. If a King of Cups is significant in your life right now how about a Love Reading or Report to find out more about him and you. Get in touch with me at mita.bhan@gmail.com for details
You must be logged in to post a comment.