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from a special friend of the heart… RAMA…
******
Despair
..
Dread
of loss ..
Fear
of death ..
So
much pain ..
A
wreath of thorns ..
Around
the heart ..
An
anguished cry ..
Struggles
for release ..
Lips
part ..
No
sound ..
So
many years of conditioning ..
So
many silent screams ..
Deep
inside ..
Storm
rages on ..
Reduces
The
carefully built ..
False
citadel ..
Of
peace ..
To
rubble ..
Shatters
the very depth ..
Of
Being ..
Reawakens
the age old quest ..
‘
Who Am I’
******
Once
upon a time long ago, God decided to give a special gift to human beings, for
they were very dear to Him.
He decided to make a dwelling place in each human heart where he would live forever. In this special place God’s children would know Him as he truly is and be one with Him. Here they would be happy and filled with peace. It was surely the most precious gift ever given.
But God thought, “What is a gift without beautiful wrappings?” So he veiled his wonderful gift with a most enchanting and attractive covering called Maya. Just a glimpse of this paper was enough to make the human race aware of their freedom of choice, aware of their individual uniqueness, aware of their senses so that they could touch and be touched by the world around them.
This wrapping was laced with clear mountain streams, beautiful green valleys, life-long friendships and wonderful romances. It bore the fragrance of exotic fruits, deep secret forests and delicate flowers. It was so magnificent that it almost had the appearance of life itself.
Truly, any wrapping less magnificent wouldn’t have done justice to God’s precious gift.
So with great joy He carefully folded and secured the paper of Maya around each gift and gave one to each of His children. Needless to say, they were all very pleased with the gifts - they cherished and loved them. To receive a gift is wonderful, but to receive one from God is more than that – it is divine!
But …. The story does not end here. You see the human race was so excited to get such beautifully wrapped presents that they didn’t think to look inside. In fact they didn’t know there was anything except the enchanting wrappings. For a long time they just sat and gazed at it.
God smiled and waited. But everyone still sat looking at their presents and feeling the paper. A few people would raise their heads to thank God and then quickly look down at them again. Most of them were so engrossed that they didn’t even realize anyone else was around – nor did they care!
God gave those who thanked Him a little nudge, “Please look inside,”He said, “there’s much more.” But they didn’t understand what He was saying. “Look inside? Inside at what?”
God chuckled, “Here let me show you,” and He very gently tore at a few people’s presents. When they saw the rips they were broken hearted. They cried and wailed. In between sobs and sniffles they said things to God like, “You Meany! You ruined my whole life.” And: “You are supposed to be kind and loving! Why did you rip my gift.”
The sound of the wailing was almost deafening. And it all seemed sort of silly to God. Here they were crying over the wrapping paper. How could they expect to find the true gift without removing the wrapping? Still, God felt great compassion; they were so young and inexperienced. He knew the crying would stop when they discovered the true gifts. But how long would that take?
After a while God noticed a small child who wasn’t crying like everyone else. “You don’t seem so upset; why not?”
"Well," she answered, “I don’t understand why you ripped my package; but I figure You gave it to me; so You must know what You are doing.”
God smiled. “I’ll show you the real gift.” He picked up her package and gently tore it open. it was painful for the child to see her beautiful wrapping fall to the floor, but when she looked up, a smile came to her face, and her eyes filled with a warm golden glow. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks and she tried to thank God for the inner gift.
And upon looking down upon herself she saw that she had been transformed from a little child to a radiant woman - a mature being who shone with the pure light of love. Her light was so bright that it made a few humans look up from their Maya-covered gifts. When they saw her, they knew that something miraculous had taken place. Some couldn’t understand how she could be so happy without the wrapping papers. Others called out, “Please teach us what You know”
She looked at them and smiled, “I am no different from you. I have merely uncovered the gift we all have.”
A small group gathered around her. “How can we find this gift? Must we travel far?”
“No,” she said, “You don’t need to. Just don’t be afraid when troubles beset you and your life seems to be falling apart -This is just the outer layer falling away- don’t cling to or try to wrap the tattered remains around you. Instead give yourself over to God so that He may hasten the unwrapping of your gift. For once the paper is gone you will see that place where we are all joined with God.”
******
A sadhu sat meditating under a bushy tree...
A frightened
man came running to him and said: “Please, holy one, I am going to hide in
the tree above you. Don’t tell the robbers pursuing me where I am, as they are
after my gold and my life.” The sadhu replied: “I cannot speak untruth but
I can remain silent.”But the man warned him: “If you remain quiet, they
may try and force the truth out of you. Just tell the robbers that I fled in
other direction. That will save both your life and mine.”
The sadhu remained stoically silent as the terrified man scrambled to conceal himself within the dense foliage of the tree. The robbers appeared and demanded to know the whereabouts of the man.The sadhu replied, “I wont tell you.” But when the robbers threatened to kill him, he reminded himself that the scriptures, in addition to prescribing untruths, enjoin man to protect his life from destruction. He therefore pointed his finger towards the upper part of the tree. The robbers dragged down the hopeless victim, relieved him of his packet of gold, stabbed him to death and went their way.
When the time came for the sadhu to leave his body, after many years of scrupulous regard for the scriptural ordinances, he eagerly anticipated entering the heavenly realms. The apparently taintless sadhu was stopped, however, by the king of death, who told him: “Dear sadhu, no doubt you are very holy. But you have committed a terrible error of judgement, in punishment of which the gates of heaven are closed to you”
The sadhu protested: “I have committed no sin. I have always pursued the path of truth!”
“Excuse me for contradicting you dear one,” said Yama, the God of death,‘ but why didn’t you point your finger in the wrong direction when the innocent man sought your protection from the robbers? Which was the greater sin – to misstate a fact, or to permit an innocent man being hacked to pieces because of your action?’
The sadhu belatedly understood the difference between truth and mere facts, and that truth implies real ultimate benefit to self and others.
******
A little bunch of wildflowers lived sheltered in the
crevices of an old city wall. Winds and storms failed to disturb them since they
were well protected by the high walls and crevices. For the same reason the suns
rays could not burn them nor could the rains ruin them.
There was a rosebush in the neighborhood of this bunch of wild-flowers. The presence of the gorgeous roses made the wild-flowers feel inferior and ashamed of their own existence. So one fine morning the wild-flowers prayed to God, “so long we have lived as faceless wild-flowers; now please turn us into roses.”
God said in answer, “Why get into unnecessary troubles? The life of a rose is very hard. When there is a storm, it shakes it to its roots . And when it blooms, there is already someone to pluck it. You live a well-protected life. Don’t forsake it”
But the flowers insisted, “We have long lived a sheltered life; we now want to live dangerously. Please make us roses for twenty four hours.”
Other wild-flowers pleaded, “Don’t be crazy. We have heard that a few of our ancestors had to suffer terribly because of this very craze to become a rose . Our racial experience says that we are ok as we are, we should not try to be roses.”
But the little plant again said, “I want to gossip with the stars; I want to fight with the storms; I want to bathe in the rains; I am determined to become a rose.”
At long last God yielded and one fine morning the little bunch of wild-flowers became a rose. And immediately it’s saga of trials and tribulations began. Storms came and shook it’s roots. Rains came and it was drowned in water. The midday sun burned it’s petals and made it suffer immeasurably. At all times it was exposed to dangers from all sides . Once again the elderly wild-flowers gathered around the newborn rose and said, “We had told you so. Don’t you see how secure you were in your old life? Granted it had it’s problems, but they were old and familiar problems, and we were used to them. It was okay. Do you see what a mess you have made of your life?”
To this the new rose said, "You are fools. I say that it’s far better to be a rose for just twenty four hours and live dangerously than to live in life-long security as little wild-flowers protected by a high wall. It was great to breathe with the storms and fight with the winds. I was in contact with the sun and had a dialogue with the stars. I have achieved my soul and am fulfilled. I lived fully and am going to die fully. As far as you are concerned you live a life of living death.”
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