Parables and Meaningful Stories

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To remember who you are

A woman in a coma was dying. She suddenly had a feeling that she was taken up to heaven and stood before the Judgement Seat.
- Who are you? a Voice said to her.
- I’m the wife of the mayor. she replied.
- I did not ask you whose wife you are, but who you are.
- I’m the mother of four children.
- I did not ask whose mother you are, but who you are.
- I’m a schoolteacher.
- I did not ask you what your profession is but who you are.
And so it went. No matter what she replied, she did not seem to give a satisfactory answer to the question, “Who are you?"
- I’m a Christian.
- I did not ask what your religion is, but who you are.
- I’m the one who went to church every day and always helped the poor and needy.
- I did not ask you what you did, but who you are.
She evidently failed the examination for she was sent back to earth. When she recovered from her illness she determined to find out who she is. And so, her whole life has changed.

Your duty is to be. Not to be somebody, not to be nobody; not to be this or to do that; just to be.

You have mind, you have knowledge

With the help of a MANUAL OF INSTRUCTIONS a woman tried for hours to assemble a complicated new appliance she had recently bought. She finally gave up and left the pieces all over the kitchen table.
When she got back several hours later, she found the machine put together by the housemaid and functioning perfectly.
- How did you do that? she exclaimed.
- Well, ma'am, when you don’t know how to read you’re forced to use your mind.

Give what you want God to give you

A farmer, whose corn always took the first prize at the State Fair, had the habit of sharing his best corn seed 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. That is why I am concerned that they plant only the very best.

Between dream and I-reality, I AM

In ancient India there was a king, called Janaka, who was also a sage. One day Janaka was taking a nap on his flower-strewn bed with his servants fanning him and his soldiers standing guard outside his door. As he dozed off he had a dream in which a neighbouring king defeated him in battle and took him prisoner.
Janaka woke with a start to find himself lying on his flower-stream bed with his servants fanning him and his soldiers on guard.
Once again he dozed off and had the same dream. And once again he woke up to find himself safe and comfortable in his palace.
Now Janaka began to be disturbed by a thought: While he was asleep the world of his dreams had seemed so real. Now that he was awake the world of the senses seemed real. Which of these two worlds is the real one, he wanted to know.
None of the philosopher, scholars and seers he consulted could give him an answer.
And for many years he searched in vain till one day a man called Ashtavakra knocked at the door of the palace. Now Ashtavakra means entirely deformed or crooked and he got that name because that is exactly what he had been from birth.
At first the king was not disposed to take this man seriously.
- How can a misshapen man like you be the carrier of a wisdom denied to my seers and scholars? he asked.
- Right from my childhood, all avenues have been closed to me-so I avidly pursued the path of wisdom; was Ashtavakra’s reply.
- Speak, then, said the king.
So this is what Ashtavakra said:
- O king, neither the waking state nor the dream state is real. When you are awake, the world of dreams does not exist and when you dream the world of the senses does not exist. Therefore, neither is real.
- If both the waking and the dream states are unreal, then what is real? asked the king. - There is a state beyond these two. Discover that, it alone is real.

The truth is right in front of us

The Master often said that the truth is right in front of us, and why we do not see it is our lack of perspective.
He once went on a trip to the mountains, with one of his disciples. Halfway, the disciple looked around to the bushes and complained:
- Where is that beautiful view about you talk so often?
Master smiled.
- You are staying right in the middle of it, as you'll realize when we reach the top.

Relax yourself and have faith

The Master told to a disciple full of ardor:
- Someday, you will understand that you already have what you are looking.
- Then way I do not understand this?
- Because you're trying to understand.
- That means you do not have to make any effort?
- If you will relax and will give the process the necessary time, it will reveal itself.

The difference between Heaven and Hell

Two friends were went to the cottage of a wise to ask him about the difference between Hell and Heaven.
- Old man, tell us: what´s the difference between Hell and Heaven?
The wise man answered:
- I see a mountain of freshly cooked rice, which is still emitting steam. Around there are a lot of men and women who are very hungry. The sticks they are using to eat are longer than their arms. So when they take the rice they can´t get to their mouths. Anxiety and frustration are growing.
Later, the wise man continued:
- I see too another mountain of freshly cooked rice, still giving off steam. Around there are a lot of happy people who smile with satisfaction. Their sticks, too, are longer than their arms, but they have decided to feed each other.

Giving and Receiving

Mulla Nasruddin and the King arrive in a foreign city.
- Mulla, said the king, let's disguise and walk through the city to see how the people think and how they react.
Said and done. The King soon realized that people do not know him and did not react in any way in his presence, but most people smiled at Mulla. In the end he said:
- Mulla, you told me that you've never been in this city, but it seems like you know a lot of people here.
- Why your majesty?
- Because I've seen many people who smile at you.
- The explanation is very simple majesty. You see, I was the one who first smiled.

God's Name

Talking about spirituality, the teacher says:
- The name of God is not the word that I write or talk, nor the meaning of a thought that we give to that word; God's Name is the Truth itself, indicated by that feeling sincerely felt in our Soul.
If God's name is Joy, it is not the word "joy", nor any meaning given by thinking; It is that living itself. More honestly we can say it like that, and the teacher laughed.
Got home, Mari tells his parents:
- Today I learned the name of God.
- What is it? asks his parents.
In response, Mari begins to laugh.

It’s good having our prayers answered at the right time.

In ancient India much store was set by the Vedic rites which were said to be so scientific in their application that when the sages prayed for rain there was never any drought. It is thus that a man set himself to pray, according to these rites, to the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, begging her to make him rich.
He prayed to no effect for ten long years, after which period of time, he suddenly saw the illusory nature of wealth and adopted the life of a renunciate in the Himalayas.
He was sitting in meditation one day when he opened his eyes and saw before him an extraordinarily beautiful woman, all bright and shining as if she were made of gold.
- Who are you and what are you doing here? he asked.
- I am the goddess Lakshmi to whom you recited hymns for twelve years, said the woman. I have appeared to grant you your desire.
- Ah, my dear goddess, exclaimed the man. I have since attained the bliss of meditation and lost my desire for wealth. You come too late. Tell me, why did you delay so long in coming?
- To tell you the truth, said the goddess. Given the nature of those rites you so faithfully performed you had fully earned the wealth. But, in my love for you and my desire for your welfare, I held it back.

If you had the choice, which would you choose: the granting of your petition or the grace to be peaceful whether it is granted or not?

There is a story of a monk living in the Egyptian desert who was so tormented by temptation that he could bear it no longer. So he decided to abandon his cell and go somewhere else.
As he was putting on his sandals to carry out his resolve he saw another monk not far from where he stood who was also putting his sandals on.
- Who are you? he asked the stranger.
- I am your self. Was the reply. If it is on my account that you are leaving this place, I would have you know that no matter where you go I shall go with you.

Both what you run away from - and what you yearn for-is within you.