Fault Finding

The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan. Four of them, who were very close friends, promised one another to observe seven days of silence.

One the first day all were silent. Their meditation had begun auspiciously, but when night fell and the oil lamps were growing dim, one of the pupils could not help exclaiming to a servant, "Fix those lamps!"

The second pupil was surprised to hear the first one talk. "We are not supposed to say a word," he remarked.

"You two are stupid. Why did you talk?" asked the third.

"I am the only one who has not talked," announced the fourth pupil.


How often do we find fault in others?

What holds you from using this instinct to find and rectify some of your own faults?


~Taken from "How full is your cup?: 64 stories that can transform the way you look at life" by J M Sampath~

Mahan - the Great

Along the bottom of the river Ganges lives a village of creatures whose way of life was to cling tightly to the rocks on the river bed, and to resist the current of the river. One of them, 'Siddharth the adventurous', got tired of clinging. The monotony wearied him. He decided to place his trust in the current and allow it to take him where it would. His parents and friends cautioned him about the current, "It will smash you against the rocks and kill you." But Siddharth did not heed them and let go. Immediately he stumbled and was tossed against the hard rocks, which strengthened Siddharth's resolve not to cling again.

In time, the current lifted him free from the bottom and he got bruised and hurt no more. The clinging creatures saw him and marvelled at him, hailing him as 'Mahan - the Great'. Siddharth swaying in the current said, "I am no greater than any one of you. Dare to let go and the river will lift you free and you will discover your true worth." The creatures, still clinging, cried, "Mahan!" Siddharth flowed past, leaving the creatures to cling and make legends of a Mahan.


What are some of the things you are clinging to?

What holds you from letting go?


~Taken from "How full is your cup?: 64 stories that can transform the way you look at life" by J M Sampath~

The Lost Key

A neighbour found Nasruddin on his hands and knees near a lamp post, searching for something. The neighbour asked, "What are you searching for?"

"My key."

Now, both men got on their knees to search. After a while the neighbour asked, "Where did you lose it?"

"At home."

"Good Lord! Then why are you searching here?"

"Because it is bright here!"


Do you end up searching for solutions where it is convenient, rather than where you actually need to look for them?

How serious are you about solving your problems?


~Taken from "How full is your cup?: 64 stories that can transform the way you look at life" by J M Sampath~

Winning

A farmer whose corn always took the first prize at the State Fair, had the habit of sharing his best corn seeds with all the farmers in the neighbourhood. When asked why, he said, "It is really a matter of self-interest. The wind picks up the pollen and carries it from field to field, so if my neighbours grow inferior corn, the cross pollination brings down the quality of my own corn. So I am concerned that they plant only the very best."


What does it mean to win with everyone involved being happy?

What does it take to give and still not lose?

How sure are you of your own self?


~Taken from "How full is your cup?: 64 stories that can transform the way you look at life" by J M Sampath~