There is no higher God than Truth

A man who is truthful and sincere to his soul and to the world around him is the most powerful being in the world. There are people who have considered truth as a penance and lived their whole life around that principle .Mahatma Gandhi,the Indian freedom fighter is one of them .His autobiography "My experiments with truth'  clearly shows that he has lived his whole life on this principle, no wonder he was able to influence so many people and all the masses of India  followed him.

This is a story said by him in one of his interviews to a journalist.This particular journalist argued with him that it is impossible to speak truth in practical Life. Gandhi disagreed with him and said its not hard to speak truth even in difficult situations and said the following story to the journalist.

The story was about a monk who was meditating in the forest.It so happened that, One day a hunter was chasing a deer .The deer trying to run away from the hunter came and went  into a bush in front of the monk to hide while the monk was seeing it do so .The hunter who was following the deer came up to the monk and asked him If he saw the deer coming that way ?. The journalist smiled and said,"This is what I am talking about,tell me sir what should the monk do if he sticks to being truthful and say that the deer is in the bush he will be responsible for its death.If he says he did not see it ,he will be lying .

Gandhi smiled and said ,The monk answered the hunter " My eyes saw the deer ,but my mouth refuses to  tell you ."Saying thus Gandhi said it is not necessary that you should answer every question asked to you in life,when you do not want to say the truth and if you think that by saying the truth you will be doing harm to somebody,you need not lie rather you can just remain silent and not answer.

There is no higher God than Truth 
The truth of who you are is much more beautiful and valuable than any deception you could construct. The more honest you are with yourself and with others, the more you’ll tap into the real and lasting value in your life.
~ Ralph Marston

The Two Little Birds: story of Truth

Human beings from the beginning of his existence  had to believe firmly that this human life is a transitory phase. Otherwise this life starting with birth and ending with death had no other meaning or purpose for him if he did not believe that there is a level of existence higher than his own existence.He believed that that state is permanent and eternal and this in different faiths have been stated as reaching heaven,attaining nirvana, moksha,liberation whatever it is.

There is a very beautiful illustration of two birds ,first told centuries ago and being told again and again after that ,explains the journey of an individual towards truth.

There were two birds on a tree on 2 different branches,one higher and one lower.The bird on the higher branch was very peaceful and calm and was in absolute bliss. The bird on the lower branch was very restless and always busy eating fruits from the branch, worrying  for food ,survival, sometimes happy ,sometimes in sorrow  .

Once in a while it would look upon the bird on the higher branch and would wonder how that bird was so blissful and makes an attempt to find out why it was so happy ,fly one branch higher ,to reach the bird on the highest branch , but when it reaches the higher branch it gets busy again eating  the fruits of that branch until it eats a sour fruit , gets restless again and looks upon the higher bird again make another step towards the bird until finally the bird reaches the highest branch and to its surprise finds out that it has merged into the bird there and becomes blissful like the bird there.This story has a very deep inner meaning of human existence and its journey towards the truth(God)The lower bird is compared to our present level of existence at the human level ,we are always busy with this life that we don't tend to look for some higher meaning or truth for this life until we have a bad sour experience ,its then we want to look towards some higher truth or meaning.

Whatever the truth represented by the higher bird is, it helps and gives hope to human beings that there is something permanent beyond death.

Problems

Don't worry if you have problems! Which is easy to say until you are
in the midst of a really big one, I know. But the only people I am
aware of who don't have troubles are gathered in little neighborhoods.
Most communities have at least one. We call them cemeteries.

If you're breathing, you have difficulties. It's the way of life. And
believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be good for you!
Let me explain.

Maybe you have seen the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1,800
miles from New Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take
visitors to view the reef. On one tour, the guide was asked an
interesting question. "I notice that the lagoon side of the reef looks
pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful," a
traveler observed. "Why is this?"

The guide gave an interesting answer: "The coral around the lagoon
side is in still water, with no challenge for its survival. It dies
early. The coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind,
waves, storms - surges of power. It has to fight for survival every
day of its life. As it is challenged and tested it changes and adapts.
It grows healthy. It grows strong. And it reproduces." Then he added
this telling note: "That's the way it is with every living organism."

That's how it is with people. Challenged and tested, we come alive!
Like coral pounded by the sea, we grow. Physical demands can cause us
to grow stronger. Mental and emotional stress can produce tough-
mindedness and resiliency. Spiritual testing can produce strength of
character and faithfulness.

So, you have problems - no problem! Just tell yourself, "There I grow
again!"

KILL YOUR EGO

If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.
Deepak Chopra
There was once a scientist. After a lot of practice & efforts, he-developed a formula & learned the art of reproducing himself. He did-it so perfectly that it was impossible to tell the reproduction from the original.

One day while doing his research, he realized that the Angel of Death was searching for him. In order to remain alive he reproduced a dozen copies of himself. The reproduction was so similar that all of them looked exactly like him.

Now when this Angel of Death came down, he was at a loss to know which of the thirteen before him was the original scientist, & confused, he left them all alone & returned back to heaven.

But, not for long, for being an expert in human nature, the Angel came up with a clever idea. He said to the scientist addressing all thirteen of them, "Sir, you must be a genius to have succeeded in making such perfect reproduction formula of yourself. However, I have discovered a flaw in your work, just one tiny little flaw."

The scientist immediately jumped out & shouted,

"Impossible! where is the flaw?"

"Right here" said the Angel, as he picked up the scientist from among the reproductions & carried him off.

The whole purpose of the scientist & his formula of reproduction failed as he could not control his pride, so he lost his life.

So when man's Knowledge & Skills takes him to the top of the ladder &makes him successful, however the three letter word "EGO" can pull him down to earth immediately at its double speed.

So don't allow Ego to kill yourself,

Instead; KILL YOUR EGO..!!! 

The elephant and 4 blind men: GAUTHAM BUDDHA’S CONCEPT OF TRUTH (GOD) –Part 2

So Buddha explained to the 4 persons from different faiths that most of us are like those 4 people understanding God in our own ways and thinking that our version of faith is the right one.

He continued questioning the 1st person what is the nature of God according to his faith and what does his faith ask him to do? He replied that His God is all compassionate, infinite, all pervading, loving and so forth. Then he said his faith demands him to be truthful, nonviolent, loving towards your neighbors, charitable and so forth. The 2^nd,3^rd and the 4 person described more or less the same qualities for their Gods to  and more or less the same things that they followed. Hearing to all of them Buddha smiled and said’ When all your faiths demands you to be ethical ,moral ,loving and nonviolent and if you are following it ,there is no conflict between your faiths .Hearing Buddha say this all the 4 people realize their mistake and bowed the great teacher and left satisfied.

The Great teacher Buddha has never commented upon God for him it was not important, what was important was an ethical moral nonviolent principled life through which he said one could get liberated from this cycle of life and death and attain Nirvana which according to him was the absolute truth.

The Blind men and the Elephant (Buddha Truth parable)-Part 1

This is a story about what is Truth?
Long Long ago there was a great saint and enlightened person by name Buddha.this is the story which was famous as his parable and has been repeated plenty times throughout the eastern and European worlds to explain the nature of Truth.
There were 4 persons who belonged to 4 different faiths. They were always arguing and fighting among themselves.All of them heard that Buddha the learned one was passing by their village.So all of them went up to him and asked him which of their faith is true.The Great Buddha said before he tell them ,which version of faith is the truth he wanted them to hear this story :
There were once 4 blind men who were passing through a forest and stumbled upon an elephant.One of the Blind man hold the trunk of the elephant and then said" Elephant is like a pillar .The other hold on to the tusk of the elephant and said elephant is like a long sharp sword. The other blind man hold on to the legs of the elephant and said elephant is like a huge wall. The other one hold on to the tail of the elephant and said that elephant is like a rope.All of them started fighting among themselves that their version of elephant is truth,when finally a person who could actually see and was not blind passed through the forest and saw all of 4 blind men fighting among themselves and enquired why they were doing so ?
 when he heard what they said he laughed and said all of them were true and elephant was all of that.All the blind men thought that because this man could see he was making fun of them .
Buddha saying the above story said most of us are like those blind people who only experience the truth(God) in our own way and describe it in our own way like those blind people and think only our version of truth is the right one but in truth all of us are just explaining only one aspect of the whole truth .The aim of all human life is to realize Truth (like that the man who could see the elephant ) and understand that different faiths are just describing only different aspects of the same truth (God) .He then said the most important truth which according to me forms the center of all Buddha's teaching and Life
(To be contd..)

Three Trees:God is thinking of something better

Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they
wanted to become when they grew up.

The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: "I want to hold
treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones.
I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!"

The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on it's
way to the ocean. "I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying
powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world!"

The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and
women worked in a busy town. "I don't want to leave the mountain top at all.
I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they'll raise
their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the
world."

Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall.
One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain.

The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is
beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the first
tree fell. "Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold
wonderful treasure!" The first tree said.

The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is
strong. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the second
tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. "I
shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!"

Pray For Obstacle

While we all pray for each other that one should not come across any
obstacle in life, I have a different view after reading the following:

We MUST come across obstacles and need to pray for each other to overcome
obstacles (with some pain) and progress.

One night recently my daughter was showing me an aquarium full of tadpoles.
She had purchased a whole bag
full of them for her children to watch grow from tadpoles into frogs.

I noticed that there was a big rock in the aquarium. When I asked her why
she put a rock right in the middle of the tadpoles' environment, she told me
an interesting story. I can hardly believe that I have lived all these years
without having heard it. It is so good and "life-essence saturated."

She said that she was instructed by the Pet Store Salesman to be sure to
"put a big rock right in the middle of the aquarium." He explained that "the
tadpoles must have this obstacle to give them the incentive to climb up and
thus split their little wiggly tails so that their legs can begin to
develop. If they have no rock or obstacle to climb up on, they will never
turn into frogs. They cannot learn how to hop by just swimming around in
water. They must have something causing resistance to give them the
incentive to leap forward.

The Holy Shadow

There once lived a saint so good that the angels came from heaven to see how a man could be so godly. This saint went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware of it. His day could be summed up by two words -- he gave, he forgave -- yet these words never passed his lips. They were expressed in his ready smile, his kindness, forbearance, and charity.

The angels said to God, "Lord, grant him the gift of miracles."
God replied, "Ask what it is that he wishes."

They said to the saint, "Would you like the touch of your hands to heal the sick?"
"No," answered the saint. "I would rather God do that."

"Would you like to convert guilty souls and bring back wandering hearts to the right path?"
"No, that is the angels' mission. It is not for me to convert."

"Would you like to become a model of patience, attracting men by the luster of your virtues, and thus glorifying God?"

"No," replied the saint. "If men should be attracted to me, they would become estranged from God." "What is it that you desire, then?" asked the angels.

"What can I wish for?" asked the saint smiling. "That God gives me his grace; with that would I not have everything?"

The angels said, "You must ask for a miracle, or one will be forced upon you." "Very well," said the saint. "That I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it."

The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the following plan: every time the saint's shadow fell behind him or to either side, so that he could not see it, it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow.

When the saint walked along, his shadow, thrown on the ground on either side or behind him, made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried-up brooks, fresh color to pale children, and joy to unhappy men and women.

Ratan Tata not even a billionaire!

*Why ratan tata's name is not on the billionaires list.......?

Here is a Real Story of Ratan Tata:


So many people around the world want to know that "What is the Net Worth of
Ratan Tata"?

TATA Group is running 96 businesses and out of which 28 Companies are
publically listed on the various stock exchanges.
Tata Group is world's top 50 Group according to Market capitalization and
Reputation.

Have you ever thought why Ratan tata's name is not in the list of
billionaire' s club? why Ratan Tata is not a billionaire on the Forbes
magazine list of billionaire people of the world?

The reason is that, TATA Group's 96 companies are held by its main Company
"TATA Sons" and the main owner of this TATA Sons is not Ratan Tata but
various charitable organizations developed and run by TATA Group.

Out of which JRD TATA Trust & Sir Ratan Tata Trust are the main. 65%
ownership of TATA Sons which is the key holding company of the other 96 TATA
Group Company is held by various charitable organizations.

So this 65% ownership ownership of Tatasons Limited is not reflected on
Ratan Tata's personal Financial Statement but on the various charitable
organizations. and this is the reason why Ratan Tata is not in the list of
Billionaire club.

No Regrets

By Steve Goodier*

At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sport of canoe racing was added to
the list of international competitions. The favorite team in the four-man
canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young
man by the name of Bill Havens.

As the time for the Olympics neared, it became clear that Bill's wife would
give birth to their first child about the time that the U.S. team would be
competing in the Paris games. In 1924 there were no jet airliners from Paris
to the United States, only slow ocean going ships. And so Bill found himself
in a dilemma. Should he go to Paris and risk not being at his wife's side
when their baby was born? Or should he withdraw from the team and remain
with his family?

Bill's wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, competing in the
Olympics was the culmination of a life long dream. But Bill felt conflicted
and, after much soul searching, decided to withdraw from the competition and
remain home, where he could support his wife when the child arrived. He
considered being at her side his highest priority, even higher than going to
Paris to fulfill his dream.

As it turned out, the United States four-man canoe team won the gold medal
in Paris. And Bill's wife was late in giving birth to their child. She was
so late, in fact, that Bill could have competed in the event and returned
home in time to be with her when she gave birth.

People said, "What a shame." But Bill said he had no regrets. For the rest
of his life, he believed he had made the better decision.

Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody figures that
out. And he acted on what he believed was best. Not everybody has the
strength of character to say no to something he or she truly wants in order
to say yes to something that truly matters. But for Bill, it was the only
way to peace; the only way to no regrets.