Paid in full

[Lesson - Imported]

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible ?” and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought, perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that Graduation Day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.

He began to search his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible.

It had a tag with the dealer’s name -- the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words ..”Paid in full”.

What is the moral of the story ?
How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?
Think!!!

Triple Filter Test

[Story - Imported]

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied, "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
'Triple filter?" asked the acquaintance.

"That's right," Socrates continued, "Before you talk to me about Diogenes let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth.

Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it."

"All right," said Socrates, "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued, "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness.

Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?"

The man was bewildered and ashamed.
This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

It is easier to criticize

[Lesson - Imported]

Once upon a time there was a painter who had just completed his course under disciple hood of a great painter. This young artist decided to assess his skills. He decided to give his best strokes on the canvass. He took 3 days and painted beautiful scenery.

He wanted people's opinion about his caliber and painting skills.

He put his creation at a busy street-crossing. And just down below a board which read - "Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I'm new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes etc. Please put a cross wherever you see a mistake."

While he came back in the evening to collect his painting he was completely shattered to see that whole canvass was filled with Xs (crosses) and some people had even written their comments on the painting.

Disheartened and broken completely he ran to his master's place and burst into tears. Sobbing and crying he told his master about what happened and showed the pathetic state of his creation which was filled with crosses and correction remarks.

This young artist was breathing heavily and master heard him saying "I'm useless and if this is what I have learnt to paint I'm not worth becoming a painter. People have rejected me completely. I feel like dying"

Master smiled and suggested "My Son, I will prove that you are a great artist and have learnt a flawless painting." Young disciple couldn't believe it and said "I have lost faith in me and I don't think I am good enough. Don't make false hopes.. "

"Do as I say without questioning it. It WILL work." Master interrupted him.

Young artist reluctantly agreed and two days later early morning he presented a replica of his earlier painting to his master. Master took that gracefully and smiled.

"Come with me." master said.

They reached the same street-square early morning and displayed the same painting exactly at the same place. Now master took out another board which read -"Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I'm new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes etc. I have put a box with colors and brushes just below. Please do a favor. If you see a mistake, kindly pick up the brush and correct it." Master and disciple walked back home.

They both visited the place same evening. Young painter was surprised to see that actually there was not a single correction done so far. Next day again they visited and found painting remained untouched. They say the painting was kept there for a month for no correction came in!

It is easier to criticize, but difficult to improve. If you want to help people improve their behavior it is worth investing your effort in learning how to help people change their behaviors, attitudes and skills. Also, always remember not to get carried away or judge yourself by someone else’s criticism and feel depressed. Take criticism in your stride; consider that which are genuine and implement those which you think is the best to improve you as a person!!

Embroidery of our life

[Lesson - Imported]

There was a little boy, whose mother used to embroider a great deal. He would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed him that she was embroidering. As from the underside he watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, he complained to her that it sure looked messy from where he sat.

She would smile at him, look down and gently say, "Son, you go about your playing for a while, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side."

He would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from his view. A few minutes would pass and then he would hear mother's voice say, "Son, come and sit on my knee." This he did, only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or a sunset. He could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so messy.

Then mother would say to him, "My son, from underneath it did look messy and jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a pre-drawn plan on the top. It was a design. I was only following it. Now look at it from my side and you will see what I was doing."

Many times through the years whenever he looked up to his Heavenly Father and said, "Father, what are You doing?" it seemed that the Lord answered, "I am embroidering your life." He would think, "It looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can't they all be bright?" The Lord seemed to reply , "My child, you go about your business of doing My business, and one day I will bring you back to me and put you on My knee and you will see the plan from My side."

Srila Prabhupada instructs:

"The whole world is moving according to the plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is a specific plan being carried out in this material world. What is this plan? This cosmic manifestation is a chance for the conditioned souls to go back to Godhead, back to home. As long as they have the domineering mentality which makes them try to lord it over material nature, they are conditioned. But anyone who can understand the plan of the Supreme Lord and cultivate Krishna consciousness is most intelligent."

"One who is experienced and is favored by the Lord can understand that everything is being done according to the Lord's supreme plan. There is no harm in having different propensities in life because every human being is proportionately independent to chalk out the plan of his life by different occupations, but one should make it a point in his life to know perfectly well that he is not independent absolutely. One is certainly under the control of the Supreme Lord and under different agencies. Knowing this, one should make it a point that by his work and the result of his labor he serves the Supreme Lord."

"The plans of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are understood by His mercy. One should follow such plans and be victorious in the struggle for existence. Although sometimes plans appear contradictory, there is a definite plan behind all action. The best course is to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead wholeheartedly, and, being protected by Him, remain peaceful."

"We should follow the path of devotional service and not be dissatisfied with the happiness and distress He has given. People in the material modes of passion and ignorance generally cannot understand the plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with its 8,400,000 forms of life, but the human form affords one the special privilege to understand this plan, engage in devotional service and elevate oneself to the highest position of perfection by following the Lord's instructions."

Spend Half Day in a Graveyard

[Lesson - Imported]
A physician gave some rather whimsical advice to a patient, an aggressive, go-getter type of businessman. Excitedly the businessman told the doctor what an enormous amount of work he had to do and that he had to get it done right away or else things will fall apart.

“I take my brief case home every night and it’s packed with work,” he said with nervous inflection.

“Why do you take work home with you at night?” the doctor asked quietly.

“I have to get it done,” he fumed.

“Can’t someone else do it, or help you with it?” asked the doctor.

“No,” the man snapped. “I am the only one who can do it. It must be done just right, and I alone can do it as it must be done, and it has to be done quickly. Everything depends upon me.”

“If I write a prescription, will you follow it?” asked the doctor.

This, believe it or not was the prescription. His patient was to take off half-day a week and spend that half-day in cemetery.

In astonishment the patient demanded, “Why should I spend a half-day in a cemetery?”

“Because,” answered the doctor, “I want you to wander around and look at the gravestones of men who are there permanently. I want you to meditate on the fact that many of them are there because they thought even as you do, that the whole world rested on their shoulders. Meditate on the fact that when you get there permanently the world will go on just the same &, as important as you are, others will be able to do the work you are now doing.”

The patient got the idea. He stopped fuming & fretting. He got peaceful and developed a more competent organization & his business is in better condition.

The Journey Home Book Video

The Journey Home Book Video

The Kingdom of the Blind

[Lesson - Imported]

Once upon a time there flourished a civilization, cut-off from the rest of the world by mountains. But as providence would have it, an epidemic diseasepurged the entire population in to hereditary blindness. Generations passed, and a new way of life evolved to cope with this challenge posed by material nature. Life went on without an event until a traveler lost his way in to this 'Kingdom of the blind'.

From amusement to amazement to sympathy - the traveler and the residents were swept by the same sequence of emotions. The traveler was amused at the sight of a completely blind civilization, then amazed at the evolved lifestyle before being submerged in sympathy- these people were missing so much of the variety of life! The residents were equally amused at the
arrival of an alien who 'felt' exactly like them. They were amazed when he spoke of the world beyond the valley. But when he spoke of things like 'seeing', they were sympathetic and considered the man crazy. 'Vision' had become a concept of the fairy tales, a mythological phenomenon!

Just as 'vision' was a mythology in the valley, many scriptural concepts seem to be mythological to the people of this world- beings with supernatural features and powers, ages wherein people had extraordinarily long durations of life, lands of talking animals etc. They find these subject matters difficult to understand. The Mahäbhärata therefore says,
acintyäù khalu ye bhävä na täàs tarkeëa yojayet. (Mahäbhärata, Bhéñma-parva 5.22) 'How can that which is beyond the imagination or sensory speculation of mundane creatures be approached simply by logic?'

Our logic often fails when we apply it to areas we have no experience in. For example, when a student of Newtonian mechanics tries to solve a problem in the sub-atomic domain, which consists of very small particles, he will find his logic failing repeatedly. Newtonian mechanics can deal only with big objects, whereas one needs Quantum mechanics to deal with subatomic
particles. But he gains faith in the validity of the latter when formulae of quantum mechanics are applied to big objects; the results match with that obtained using Newtonian mechanics.

Similarly we can gain faith in the scriptures when they deal with subject matters within our experience and then on the basis of that faith, we can 'see the invisible'. The Vedas, which were compiled five thousand years ago, provide us with information's which are relatively recent scientific discoveries- Description of the development of the human embryo within the womb, Earth consists of seven continents, Earth is round in shape, fire bacteria etc.

Besides, the Vedas even deals with the dynamics of our life within this world- eating habits, working habits, living habits, work environment etc. One can practically experience a more peaceful and happier life when these principles are taken in to consideration. Therefore unless one takes steps to understand the subject matter of the scriptures by practical application,
one misses so much of the 'variety of life' due to spiritual blindness.