in his arms and left her on the other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery. The younger monk accompanied him.
In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, “Bhante! As monks, we cannot touch a woman?”
The elder monk answered, “Touch for what?”
Then the younger monk explained, “Bhante! You lifted that woman on the roadside. Was it good to carry a woman in arms across the road?”
The elder monk smiled at him and said, “You are right but I left her on the other side of the road, while you are still carrying her.”
Soul Searching
It is better to get rid of sensuous, unrighteous, unwholesome and impure feelings than to carry the load in mind.
19. Drum Beating
There was once a small boy who banged a drum all day and loved every moment of it. He would not be quiet, no matter what anyone else said or did. Six so-called Sufis were called in by the neighbours and asked to do something about the child.
The first so-called Sufi told the boy that he would, if he continued to make so much noise, perforate his eardrums. This reasoning was too advanced for the child, who was neither a scientist nor a scholar.
The second told him that drum beating was a sacred activity and should be carried out only on special occasions. It was of no avail because the child neither knew sacred occasions nor was interested in them.
The third so-called Sufi offered the neighbours plugs for their ears. They did not hear the drum now but they were unable to hear even the important messages.
The fourth gave the boy a book. But the boy had no interest in books.
The fifth gave some books to the neighbours that described a method of controlling anger through biofeedback. They could control their anger but the sound of drum disturbred their concentration.
The sixth and the last so-called Sufi gave the boy meditation exercises to make him placid and explained that all reality was imagination. The boy could not comprehend its meaning.
Eventually, a real Sufi came along. He looked at the situation, handed the boy a hammer and chisel, and said, “I wonder what is inside the drum?”
The boy was curious too. He took the hammer and chisel and broke open the drum. After that there was no drum beating.
Soul Searching
The mindset that we possess does not help us. It leads us to mediocre reality. Accept that reality is full of suffering and pain.
20. Blind Man with a Lantern
Long ago, in Japan, a blind man started towards his friend’s house. It was not very far but he blind men took a long time to reach there. He was welcomed by the family members of his friend and offered luncheon. After an hour or so, his friend returned. They talked for many hours.
During that time in Japan, bamboo-and-paper lanterns were used with candles inside. The blind man, while returning during night, was offered such a lantern to carry home with him.
“I do not need a lantern,” he said. “Darkness or light is all the same to me. A lantern will be a problem and a burden.”
“I know you do not need a lantern to find your way,” his friend replied, “but if you don’t have one, someone else may run into you. He may hit you hard and you may fall down and get injured. So, you must take it.”
The blind man started off with the lantern and before he had walked very far someone ran squarely into him.
“Look out where you are going!” he exclaimed to the stranger. “Can’t you see this lantern?”
“Your candle has burnt out, brother,” replied the stranger. “Don’t you know?”
There was no reply.
Soul Searching
The mind receives the signals of light, movement, sound and silence. Synchronise the mind with physical movement to make up for other deficiencies. With glowing inner light, no outer aid will be needed.
21. Winners or Losers
Once, the Gods announced a race for all the animals. Besides many consolation boons, the winner was to get the desired boon. The tithi, pala and sthān (the date, month and time) were fixed and all animals were asked to practice and participate. The demigods and gandharvas were appointed as volunteers to keep watch on everything.
The animals not only started to practice but they also began to discuss what they would ask as boon, as each animal wanted to be the winner.
The smaller animals were in a predicament. How would they compete against the larger animals with longer legs and higher pace. Each animal thought of at least one advantage over the others. But they could come up with several disadvantages, as they thought of all the other animals with different physique and power.
The frogs found themselves to be the most miserable as they could only jump and the problem was the distance and time. They were neither in a position to take longer jumps repeatedly for longer duration nor cover longer distances all alone. They held a meeting every day for a week. On the last day, their coach declared that the frogs will definitely win the race and the boon they for would ask for would be high sound. Everyone agreed on the boon though they did not believe in his declaration of a guaranteed win. Yet, the coach was given ample power and free hand.
In place of one participant, the coach selected 150 participants of similar size, weight and appearance. He trained them apart as in a relay race. The one ahead was to remain at the side of the road. The frog coming from behind was to jump towards the next one and from there on the next one was to start jumping.
On the scheduled time, date and place, the race began. It was a unique race never thought or heard of. All the vacant spaces along the sides of the straight track were filled up by large number of animals as spectators.
The frogs synchronised their jumps and participated so well that they won the race. At the award ceremony, the boon so desired was asked and revealed as higher speaking sound. The chief guest said, “Ok.” But a gandharva soon reached at the spot and stopped him. He had caught the frogs playing the trick. He informed everyone how the frogs had cheated the other animals. The chief guest said that he had already accepted their demand and it was too late to reverse the boon. No sooner a God suggested that he was empowered for additions and subtractions. He then got an idea and made changes in his announcement: “OK, you will get higher sound but since you hid at different places and were in the race and out of it also, so you will live on the land and in the water and your sound will increase only during the rainy season. During other seasons, you will remain hidden away from others.
On hearing the announcement, frogs could not decide whether they were winners or losers.
Soul Searching
Life is always a competition: a race or a test. Both truthfulness and deception are ways to win but apparent winners are often seen to be great losers and apparent losers have come out as winners. Strange are the ways and results. The accumulated happiness and desired boon at the finish, the end of life count not the lead in the half way mark. The soul stirs at unseen grief and unsaid pain.
It pays to be ‘one’ and ‘united’ and ‘fair’.
22. Skill and Control
After winning several archery contests, the young and boastful champion challenged a Zen Master who was renowned for his skill as an archer. The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull’s eye on his first try, and then split that arrow with his second shot.
“There,” he said to the old man, “see if you can match that!”
Undisturbed, the Master did not draw his bow, but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up to the mountain. Curious about the old fellow’s intentions, the champion followed him high to the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log. Calmly stepping on and walking up to the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous temporary bridge, the old Master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow and ar
row, and shot a clean, direct hit.
“Now it is your turn,” he said as he gracefully stepped back on to the safe ground.
Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless water body and beckoning abyss, the young man could not dare to step out on to the shaking log. He had no desire to shoot at a target.
“You have much skill with your bow,” the Master said, knowing his challenger’s predicament, “but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot.”
Soul Searching
Control over hand and target can be achieved with some control over mind but complete control over mind is required for balance and balanced growth.
23. Three Dolls
A sage presented a prince with a set of three small dolls. The prince was not amused.
“Am I a girl that you give me dolls?” he asked.
“This is a gift for a future king,” said the sage. “If you look carefully, you’ll see a hole in the ear of each doll.”
“So what?”
The sage handed him a piece of string.
“Pass it through each doll,” he said.
Intrigued, the prince picked up the first doll and put the string into the ear.
It came out from the other ear.
“This is one type of person,” said the man. “Whatever you tell him, comes out from the other ear. He doesn’t retain anything.”
The prince put the string into the second doll. It came out from the mouth.
“This is the second type of person,” said the sage. “Whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else.”
The prince picked up the third doll and repeated the process. The string did not reappear from anywhere else.
“This is the third type of person,” said the sage. “Whatever you tell him is locked up within him. It never comes out.”
“Who is the best type of person?” asked the prince.
The man handed him a fourth doll, in answer.
When the prince put the string into the doll, it came out from the other ear.
“Do it again,” said the sage.
The prince repeated the process. This time the string came out from the mouth. When he put the string a third time, it did not come out at all.
“This is the best type of person,” said the sage. “To be trustworthy, a man must know when not to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak out.”
Soul Searching
The balance in feeling, thinking, doing or in anything is the best thing. The only thing difficult is to know the balancing point of both matter and spirit.
25. Who are You?
A man meditate for years and got the power to visit heaven. He went there and knocked at the door.
A voice asked, “Who is there?”
He answered, “I.”
The door did not open. He returned disillusioned and in agony. His failure burned within him. He purified self and meditated for another year and again went to heaven, knocked at the door.
The same voice asked the same question again, “Who are you?”
To that question, this time he replied, “Thou.”
In spirituality, there is no space for two I’s – one of the individual, the other of the God. It is complete surrender of ego and ‘I’-ness.
And at once, the door opened and he was admitted inside.
Soul Searching
Sarva Dharmāāna Pratyajet Māmekam Sharanam Vraja: teaches complete surrender which can be attained in the state of quantum meditation when the mind stops. There is no individual, no mind and no word.
28. Overstuffed and Overflowing
A University Professor went to meet a Zen Master. The Zen Master welcomed the Professor and gave him a seat. The Professor introduced himself. While doing so, he used some adjectives that clearly smelt of his ego. Then he casually mentioned the cause behind his visit. He wished to learn Zen philosophy and practice Zen Meditation.
Someone brought tea for them. The Zen Master had heard all but said nothing till now. He pulled the tray closer and started preparing tea. He started pouring tea into the visitor’s cup. The cup was full to the brim yet the master kept on pouring tea into the cup. The tea started overflowing.
The Professor watched with amazement. But he could not control himself. He impatiently said, “O Master! The cup is overstuffed and overflowing. It will not take more.”
“You are also like the cup – overstuffed and overflowing. You too can’t absorb any more,” the Master said patiently.
The Professor said nothing but kept looking at the Zen Master.
Soul Searching
First empty the self from the preconceived ideas. Get rid of your prejudices to understand the nature of things, beings and the Universe.
29. Filling Sieve with Water
A sage had given a discourse on creative thinking. Afterwards his disciples approached him and asked him to set them a problem that required them to think creatively. The sage gave them a sieve and asked them to fill it with water at the sea, nearby. They were gone for a long time. Finally, he went down to the beach to see what they were doing, and found them seated morosely around the sieve.
They scrambled to their feet when they saw him.
“You’ve set us an impossible task, sir,” said the oldest of the disciples. “It’s just not possible to fill a sieve with water.”
“Are you sure?” asked the sage, picking up the sieve. “Sometimes it helps to step back and view the problem from a different angle.”
He waded into the water and threw the sieve far out into the sea. It sank.
“There!” said the sage. “It’s full of water now.”
Soul Searching
Emptying the mind by throwing out the rubbish and all negative thinking or filling up the mind with positive spiritual ideas and aspirations needs an effort out of the ordinary.
30. Sinner vs Virtuous
A woman was brought before the Christ followed by a large crowd. Her hands were tied behind. Her head was bent low. She was charged with illicit relations and the crowd was asking for her to be beheaded.
“There is no doubt that the woman is a sinner. She is not denying the charge. So, you can do whatever you like. All the persons are allowed to hit her with five stones each.” Christ said without any expression of emotion, compassion or kindness.
The woman shuddered. She had the hope that Christ, the Saviour, will save her but he had announced the severest punishment. The people were ready with stones in hands.
She heard the loud sound of Christ, “But the first stone is to be hit by the person who is completely pious; who has never committed a sin in life. If a sinner hits her first, then he will get the same punishment.”
The hands raised high, came down. The woman looked towards Christ with tearful eyes. But he himself was looking towards the crowd and continuously encouraged them to hit the woman hard, “She is a sinner. She must be punished but only by the pious and the virtuous.”
The crowd started receding. After some time, only the woman and Christ remained there. He went to the lady, untied her hands and said, “You are free. You can go anywhere you like. God is merciful. He forgives his children. Pray God to
forgive you.”
Soul Searching
Equality is a spiritual concept, for all of us are spiritually equal. But we need to be careful to port this concept on to the material plane of dispensing justice.
31. Medicine after Death
There was a very devotee lady who was the daughter of religious parents. She was married to a business tycoon. His husband knew nothing but money. She always advised him to devote some time for charitable deeds and in worshipping the God. Every time he replied, “What is the hurry? There is a lot of time.”
Once, he fell ill. The wife was looking after him. The doctor gave him medicines. The wi
fe kept the medicine on one side. The husband waited for it. Then asked, “Give me the medicine.”
She replied, “What is the hurry? There is a lot of time.”
He was angry, “Will I take the medicine after death?”
She said confidently, “Will you worship after death? Who knows when will the death strike?”
He looked at the determined face of his wife. Then he smiled. From the next day, he started worshipping and doing charity.
Soul Searching
We have no control over the past and the future is unknown. It is the present when we are alive and energetic. Whatever we have to do can be done in the present, either now or never.
33. Anger
A king was fond of birds. In his personal garden he had thousands of different birds but a partridge was his favourite. It played with the king. It would sit on his shoulders and accompany the king almost everywhere.
Once, he went for hunting. His horse galloped faster and he went ahead of his hunting group. In the forest, the king lost his way. He was thirsty. He searched for water. From the joint of stones he saw water falling drop by drop. He made a bowl of leaves and placed under it. After some time, it filled up but when the king picked it up for drinking, the partridge hit it hard, and the water fell. The thirsty king became angry.
He again placed the leafy bowl and again it filled up in a few minutes. But when the king picked it up for drinking, the partridge again hit it hard and the water fell down. The angry king caught the bird and twisted its neck so hard that the bird died.
Just out of curiosity, he looked up. There was a dead snake at the joint of the stones.
“Oh! The bird tried to save me from the poisonous water and
I killed it foolishly.” The king repented but a little too late.
Soul Searching
He is a fool who fails to control his anger. He gets its punishment and repents later like the king who killed the bird:
Krodho utapattau hi krodhasya phalam guhyāti moodha dhih;
50 Soul Stirring Stories Page 3