Interesting/Inspirational Stories, Proverb and Saying

You Don't Owe Me Anything

You know, he almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of
the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed
help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His
Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the
smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the
last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe, he
looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing
out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was the chill which
only fear can put in you. He said, "I'm here to help you ma'am. Why
don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is
Bryan."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad
enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the
jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change
the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was
tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to
talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only
just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her
aid. Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. She asked him how much
she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She had
already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he
not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about the money. This was not a
job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were
plenty who had given him a hand in the past... He had lived his whole
life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He
told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she
saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance
that they needed, and Bryan added " ...and think of me". He waited
until she started her car and drove off.
It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed
for home, disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road
the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take
home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas
pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The cash register was
like the telephone of an out of work actor-it didn't ring much.
Her waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair.
She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole
day couldn't erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight
months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her
attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be
so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, and the waitress went to get change
for her hundred dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door. She
was gone by the time the waitress came back. She wondered where the
lady could be, then she noticed something written on the napkin under
which was four $100 bills. There were tears in her eyes when she read
what the lady wrote. It said: "You don't owe me anything, I have been
there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If
you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this
chain of love end with you." Well, there were tables to clear, sugar
bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through
another day.
That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was
thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the
lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby
due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her
husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft
kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all right; I
love you, Bryan."

Have you been helping others?

The Secret of Heaven and Hell

The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his
legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep
meditation, he sat. Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh
and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Teach me about
heaven and hell!"

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible
response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the
faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as
the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more
agitated with each passing second. "You wish to know the secrets of
heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are so unkempt.
You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is
uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and
neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You
would ask me of heaven and hell?"

The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high
above his head. His face turned to crimson and the veins on his neck
stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from
its shoulders.

"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its
descent.

In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement,
awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk
his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in
mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."

It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness ~Confucius

The difference between gossip and news depends on whether you hear it or tell it.

Scottish Proverb: What may be, may not be.

William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), American clergyman: "How the 'I' pervades all things!"

"The purpose of a fishtrap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten.
The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten.
The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten.
Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to."
-Chuang-Tsu

A little bear cub was confused about how to walk. "What do I do first?" he asked his mother. "Do I start with my right foot or my left? Or both front feet and then my back feet? Or do I move both feet on one side and then both feet on the other?"

His mother answered, "Just quit thinking and start walking."

If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?
                           

The Inn

A famous spiritual teacher came to the front door of the King's palace. None of the guards tried to stop him as he entered and made his way to where the King himself was sitting on his throne.

"What do you want?" asked the King, immediately recognizing the visitor.

"I would like a place to sleep in this inn," replied the teacher.

"But this is not an inn," said the King, "It is my palace."

"May I ask who owned this palace before you?"

"My father. He is dead."

"And who owned it before him?"

"My grandfather. He too is dead."

"And this place where people live for a short time and then move on - did I hear you say that it is NOT an inn?"

The old man on the mountain

One day a child goes to his mother and asks her, "Ma, who is that old man sitting on the mountain? " Mother answers, "Don't call him an old man, for he is Lord Buddha, who knows the answer to every question in this universe." "Really, he knows answers to all questions?" asks the child. "Yes my dear" replies the mother. The child goes to the mountain where Buddha is meditating, catches a butterfly in from the garden, and cupping the butterfly gently in his hands, he aproaches Buddha. Keeping his hand behind his back, he asks Buddha? " Is the thing in my hand alive or dead?" The child thinks that if Buddha answers that the thing is alive, he will crush the butterfly in his hand and show the dead butterfly proving Buddha wrong. And if Buddha answers that the thing is dead, he will open his gently cupped hand, allowing the butterfly to fly away showing that the butterfly was alive and again proving Buddha wrong. Thus Buddha did not know the answer to all questions. " Is the thing in my hand alive or dead?" repeats the eager child. The Buddha opens his eyes, nods his head and replies, "My dear son, the answer lies in your hands!"

My Own Opinion:
You've know what need to be done.

Knowledge is not free from ignorance

All our superficial knowledge based on our sense is ignorance, and true knowledgeis only obtained by shedding all this until we think without using sense ideas.
~A French Scholar~

[ Last edited by lyhmsia on 10-12-2004 at 12:36 PM ]

The blessing

A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation. Sengai obtained a large piece of paper and wrote, "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."

The rich man became angry . "I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke as this?"

"No joke is intended, explained Sengai. "If before you yourself die your son should die , " this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity."

TWO KINDS OF FOOLS

Those who abuse their intelect are called intellectual fools and those who develop emotional kindness are called kind-hearted fools.

EVIL DOERS ARE IGNORANT

Many people perform evil because of ignorance rather than wickedness by nature. As such, they need guidance rather than punishment.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), English poet and author:
I have seen gross intolerance shown in support of tolerance.

My opinion.
Look at us.

It will pass
A student went to his meditation teacher and said, "My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I'm constantly falling asleep. It's just horrible!"
"It will pass," the teacher said matter-of-factly.
A week later, the student came back to his teacher. "My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It's just wonderful!'
"It will pass," the teacher replied matter-of-factly.

Egotism
The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a national hero for his success as both a statesman and military leader. But despite his fame, power, and wealth, he considered himself a humble and devout Buddhist. Often he visited his favorite Zen master to study under him, and they seemed to get along very well. The fact that he was prime minister apparently had no effect on their relationship, which seemed to be simply one of a revered master and respectful student. One day, during his usual visit, the Prime Minister asked the master, "Your Reverence, what is egotism according to Buddhism?" The master's face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, "What kind of stupid question is that!?" This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry. The Zen master then smiled and said, "THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism."

Full awareness
After ten years of apprenticeship, Tenno achieved the rank of Zen teacher. One rainy day, he went to visit the famous master Nan-in. When he walked in, the master greeted him with a question, "Did you leave your wooden clogs and umbrella on the porch?"
"Yes," Tenno replied.
"Tell me," the master continued, "did you place your umbrella to the left of your shoes, or to the right?"
Tenno did not know the answer, and realized that he had not yet attained full awareness. So he became Nan-in's apprentice and studied under him for ten more years.

Moving mind
Two men were arguing about a flag flapping in the wind. "It's the wind that is really moving," stated the first one. "No, it is the flag that is moving," contended the second. A Zen master, who happened to be walking by, overheard the debate and interrupted them. "Neither the flag nor the wind is moving," he said, "It is MIND that moves."