Two sides of the coin

             Hate has 4 letters
             so does Love.............
             
             Enemies has 7 letters
             so does Friends........
             
             Lying has 5
             so does Truth....................
             
             Negative has 8
             so does Positive.......
             
             Under has 5
             so does Above....................
             
             Cry has 3 letters
             so does Joy..........
             
             Anger has 5 letters
             so does Happy.......
             
             Right has 5 letters
             so does Wrong.......
             
             Are they by Coincidence ?
             
             Or is Life a Double edged Sword ?

             Two sides of the coin ... Choose the BETTER ONE !

A Man Must Constantly Exceed His Level..

This inspiring story is about Bruce Lee, a Master of legendary martial art.

“Bruce had me run up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile [Note: when running on his own in 1968, Lee would get his time down to six-and-a half minutes per mile.]

So this morning he said to me “We’re going to go five.” I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a hell of a lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.” He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.”

I said “Okay, hell, I’ll go for it.” So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out. I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, I can’t go any more and so I say to him, “Bruce if I run anymore,” –and we’re still running-” if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.”

He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles.

Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, “Why did you say that?”

He said, “Because you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”
Knowing is not enough we must apply...
Willing is not enough, we must do…

A great life lesson

A wise man sat in the audience and cracked a joke.
Everybody laughed like crazy.
After a moment, he cracked the same joke again.
This time, less people laughed.
He cracked the same joke again and again.
When there is no laughter in the crowd,
he smiled and said
You can't laugh at the same joke again and again
but why do you keep crying over the same thing over and over again?

Are you still carrying?

Two monks were making a pilgrimage to venerate the relics of a great Saint. During the course of their journey, they came to a river where they met a beautiful young woman -- an apparently worldly creature, dressed in expensive finery and with her hair done up in the latest fashion. She was afraid of the current and afraid of ruining her lovely clothing, so asked the brothers if they might carry her across the river. 

The younger and more exacting of the brothers was offended at the very idea and turned away with an attitude of disgust. The older brother didn't hesitate, and quickly picked the woman up on his shoulders, carried her across the river, and set her down on the other side. She thanked him and went on her way, and the brother waded back through the waters. 

The monks resumed their walk, the older one in perfect equanimity and enjoying the beautiful countryside, while the younger one grew more and more brooding and distracted, so much so that he could keep his silence no longer and suddenly burst out, "Brother, we are taught to avoid contact with women, and there you were, not just touching a woman, but carrying her on your shoulders!" 

The older monk looked at the younger with a loving, pitiful smile and said, "Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river; you are still carrying her."

How many of us are still carrying so many thoughts along with us? Human beings can either entertain thoughts or discard them, but many still hold onto it. Like other monk in the story, how many worries, negative thoughts, low energy, and pre-conditioned thoughts we carry within us?

Losing Sleep

Once there was a King, in a far far away land. He was strong and mighty. He had an army of thousands of soldiers. His soldiers were his greatest strength. He won all wars he had ever fought in his lifetime. Some people said that he won because he was the most disciplined leader, some said that he had the charisma to inspire his men, some thought it was because it was in his fate and one section thought because he honored his word.

However, lately the king had started to face some problems in his sleep routine. He couldn't sleep well at night. Something disturbed him. He complained to his Royal Priest that he was losing all battles in his dreams. His priest was extremely knowledgeable & clever, He realized soon that King was unable to sleep as he wasn’t concentrating on what he had instead was obsessed with thinking of new battles to conquer newer pastures.

Understanding the key issue the Priest suggested a remedy to the King, He asked the King to do the following task at 4 am tomorrow. King was asked to keep his eyes fixed at a target 10 meters away from him, while walking a muddy path. The King was anxious to know how this would help achieve a peaceful sleep and kept tossing in the bed all night. At sharp 4 am, royal guards knocked at the King's door to see the King ready for the activity. He came down to his central kingdom ground. It was summer then so the morning sun was just about to rise. The sky was glowing in beautiful orange hues. The priest asked the king to start. The King started walking the muddy path, while reminding himself that he had to keep his eyes glued to the target or else he would have to do this all over again tomorrow at 4 am. The initial few steps that the King took were with a lot of caution but gradually his confidence got built and he started walking the path a little faster. The King couldn't help thinking about the time when he would reach the target. He was so engrossed in thinking about the future that he didn't realize that his right foot got stuck in a puddle. Now, for a minute, he looked at his stuck feet, which now was fully immersed in the mud and figured out how he would get out from this mess. He gently shoved off the slimy mud in excess to continue walking. But, soon he realized that his target was nowhere in sight. He looked at the Priest inquisitively but the Priest looked as calm as ever. He then realized that because he didn't do the exercise as instructed, the Priest would have him do it again tomorrow morning 4 am.

He couldn't sleep again that night. His failure to keep sight of his target was worrying him. The king had never lost before. It was a huge blow for him. However, he was even more determined now to not lose focus on the target. He was waiting for the dawn to break. The Royal guards were waiting outside the door at 4 am. The King quickly moved out of the royal door to rush his way to the royal ground where the priest was already waiting for him. The King bowed to the Priest in respect before starting; the Priest gave a gentle smile. The King began walking once again, with his eyes affix at the target. This time he was more cautious of every step that he took. He walked slow but never lost sight of the target. But he was constantly reminded of his failure yesterday and at every step, was apprehensive that he would eventually get stuck again in the same puddle. He was worried, so he paced down drastically when he approached that puddle. He walked a little to the left to avoid that puddle, looking straight at the target. His right leg was just about to slip in the puddle but because he was slow, he managed to maintain his balance. He was relieved yet nervous. He marched ahead as he was in a hurry to finish his task. After three quick steps, he tripped over a small stone and fell over his face on the ground. All his guards rushed towards him to help him. He got up with their help but he knew that the target would not be there as he was unsuccessful once again to keep his eyes on the target at all times.

The King was dejected and hurt. He summoned the Priest to his royal chamber in the evening. The King asked why he couldn't do this simple task, when he had won so many difficult battles before. The Priest smiled and told him that the answer to his question was there in his mind. The King was perplexed, he didn't know what the Priest wanted to convey. The Priest smiled and then said " King you have won many battles in the field because you didn't allow your mind to wander. Today, you are fighting a war with your own mind.". The King requested the Priest to explain why he couldn't focus his mind on the target. The Priest explained both the instances. He said, "My dear King, when you were walking the path for the first time, your mind was only fixed at the target. You didn't realize that there would be hurdles in your path, which is why you were pacing your steps on an unknown path. Your mind was wandering in the future; you were busy thinking about how you would get some good sleep after this simple activity. You were not alert about your present surroundings." The King nodded in approval but asked the Priest why he lost the second time. He told the Priest that he was not thinking about the future then. The Priest answered- “Yes, you are right. In the second time that you undertook this activity, you were not thinking of the future. But, you were thinking of your previous experience. You were worried about what happened to you last time should not happen to you again. You kept dwelling on your past and in nervousness did not anticipate the stone in the path, which is why you tripped." The King understood what the Priest wanted to teach him and bent before him in honor. The Priest had given the King the answer to his questions. That night, before sleeping, the King wrote a page in his Diary.

The King wrote-

       Keeping your eyes on the target at all times is important but what is most important is to live in the present.

       Problems are bound to come but don't let one bad experience ruin your confidence in yourself

       Walking slow enables you to keep your balance in life

       Never take for granted what is going to come ahead

       Worrying about the past or the future doesn't let me sleep !

That night, the King slept peacefully. He realized that he must not waste time worrying about the past or the future. It is only this moment which is the most precious to him.

Not many of us realize how simple life is. We invest so much time thinking about either the future or the past that we forget what life has to offer us right here and right now.

Gift of Existence

There lived a Sadhu who regularly used to give discourses. One day at the end of the discourse he was talking of being grateful to existence. “Operate from a space of gratitude, This will allow us to expand.”, a beggar was sitting in a corner and listening to the discourse, he came up to the Sadhu and said, “Maharaj, your talk was great. But one thing I am not able to do. You said to be grateful to the existence because it has always showered benediction on you. Sorry! But, existence has not given me anything. I am struggling even for one Roti”.

The Sadhu said, “I agree with you, I will give you rupees two lacks, right here, will you be grateful?”, The beggar was thrilled, “But I want something in return from you'', said the Sadhu. “I do not have anything, what can I give you? If I had something I would definitely give you.”, said the beggar. “I won't ask you anything that you do not have”', said the Sadhu. The agreement was made.

The Sadhu said, “I will make arrangements for the two lacks; you please give me both your eyes.” The beggar was astonished, “What will I do with these two lacks without my eyes! I don't agree to the deal” he said. “I prefer my two eyes to the two lacks”. The Sadhu said, “But you said you don't have anything and were cursing existence.”

What is the lesson - Two eyes he had, two hands, two legs, … and more… He is already a multi-millionaire. But all these gifts we do not see. For the beggar, money was what he wanted until he realized what he had with him was invaluable and he didn’t use that to make a living, instead he chose to be a beggar.

That we can see now is such a great gift of existence - We can hear. We can walk. All are great gifts. If you say you are unhappy, it is ridiculous. In fact we should dance and celebrate that existence has given us so many gifts. We are normally focused on what is missing in life. The moment you start operating from what you don't have, whatever you have also goes into darkness.

I wish you enough

Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, “I love you, and I wish you enough.”
The daughter replied, “Dad, our life together has been more than enough.. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough too, Dad.”

They hugged and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?”

“Yes, I have”, I replied. “Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?”
“I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,” he said.
“When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough.’ May I ask what that means?”

He began to smile. “That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone...” He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more.. “When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them..” Then he turning towards me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye..

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE......

I WISH YOU ENOUGH