Awareness & Compassion

A short story worth emulating

One day, a young boy came into the monastery and asked the Chief Monk, to give him some work and also food.

The Chief Monk asked him: What have you read ? What work can you do ? What do you know ?

The boy replied: I have not read in school. I have no proficiency in any work excepting some stray jobs like washing food plates,
cleaning up the cottage etc., I do not know anything else.

The Chief Monk asked: Are you sure you do not know anything else ?

The young boy replied: Oh, yes, Sir, now I remember. I can play good Chess

The Chief Monk said: Oh that's good. Now I shall test you in your game. He asked another monk to come with chess board and coins and asked a table to be placed so that the game could start.

Before start of the game, the Chief Monk said: Now see, I have a sword on my hand. If any one is defeated, his nose will be severed

The boy became nervous. However, without any other way to go, he agreed.

The game started. Initially, the boy made some mistakes in moves. His position on the board became almost hopeless.

He then concentrated completely on the game and improved the position to a winning level.

Then he looked at the monk sitting opposite and playing. He was not quite nervous but obviously disturbed a little.

The boy then thought, "I am a useless fellow in life. Nothing will change the world if I lose the game and lose my nose.

But this monk, is well read person, doing meditation and is sure to attain Buddha Hood Why should he lose?

So the young boy deliberately made a wrong move, so that the monk sitting opposite could take advantage and win the game !

The Chief Monk suddenly flashed his sword on the table. All the coins flew into different directions.

He then said: The game is over. Oh boy you are *IN*. You will be with us in the monastery hereafter.

The boy did not understand.

The Chief Monk explained: "I did not ask you to play chess to find out your caliber in the game. But I was looking for two essential qualities that are necessary for Self realization.

One is *MAHA PRAJNA- The Great Awareness.* I found that in you. When your game became positionally bad, you put your entire concentration and attention on the game and improved your game. This is Maha Prajna.

The second is *MAHA KARUNA - The Great Compassion.* I found that also in you. When your opponent was about to lose the game, you looked at him with great compassion and deliberately made a wrong mistake so that he could win. This is Maha Karuna.

These two qualities are adequate to do sadhana and make the life *Meaningful*.
*YOU ARE IN.*

*Life isn’t about winning or losing; there is nothing to win and nothing to lose.*

*You can at best enjoy or suffer your limited time called Life but enjoyment or suffering is also only a figment of your imagination.*

*Going beyond enjoyment, suffering, winning or losing is the path that few choose to walk.*

Win or Lose ... Have a great day

"UP" HOW IT IS USED IN DIFFERENT FORMS

I'm sure you will enjoy this. One word in the English language that could be a noun, verb, adj, adv, prep is *UP*.Read until the end... you'll laugh.
This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is *'UP'*. It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].
It's easy to understand *UP*, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake *UP*?
At a meeting, why does a topic come *UP*? Why do we speak *UP*, and why are the officers *UP* for election (if there is a tie, it is a toss *UP*) and why is it *UP* to the secretary to write *UP* a report? We call *UP*our friends, brighten *UP* a room, polish *UP* the silver, warm *UP* the leftovers and clean *UP* the kitchen. We lock *UP* the house and fix *UP* the old car.
At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir *UP* trouble, line UP for tickets, work *UP* an appetite, and think *UP* excuses.
To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed *UP* is special.
And this *UP* is confusing: A drain must be opened *UP* because it is blocked *UP*.
We open *UP* a store in the morning but we close it *UP* at night. We seem to be pretty mixed *UP* about *UP*!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of *UP*, look *UP* the word *UP* in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes *UP* almost 1/4 of the page and can add *UP* to about thirty definitions.
If you are *UP* to it, you might try building *UP* a list of the many ways *UP* is used. It will take *UP* a lot of your time, but if you don't give *UP*, you may wind *UP* with ( *UP* to) a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding *UP*. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing *UP*. When it rains, it soaks *UP* the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry *UP*. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it *UP*, for now...... my time is *UP*!
So, did this whole thing, crack you *UP*?
Send this on to everyone you look *UP* in your address book... or not... it's *UP* to you.
Now I'll shut *UP*...

DIFFERENT NAMES OF MONEY

Quite interesting ....
Never thought 
Money is defined with different names!!!
In temple or church, it's *Donation*.
In school, it's *Fees*.
In marriage, it's *Dowry*.
In divorce, it's *Alimony*.
You owe someone, it's *Debt*.
You pay the government, it's *Tax*.
In court, it's *Fine*.
For retired civil servants, it's *Pension*.
From employer to workers, it's *Salary*.
From Master to subordinates, it's *Wages*.
Given to children, it's *Allowance*.
You borrow from bank, it's *Loan*.
You offer after a good service, it's *Tips*.
To kidnappers, it's *Ransom*.
Illegally received in the name of service, it's *Bribe*.
Finally the question is, "when a husband gives money to his wife,what do we call it???
*ANSWER*:
Money given to your wife is called *DUTY*, and every man has to do his duty
because wives are not *DUTY FREE

THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE

*Discover the 90/10 Principle*
*It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations)*
_What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you_
_90% of life is decided by how you react_
_What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us_
_We cannot stop the car from breaking down_
_The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off_
_A driver may cut us off in traffic_
_We have no control over this 10%_
_The other 90% is different_
_You determine the other 90%_
*How? ……….By your reaction*
_You cannot control a red light but you can control your reaction_
_Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react_
*Let's use an example*
_You are eating breakfast with your family_
_Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt_
_You have no control over what just happened_
_What happens next will be determined by how you react_
_You curse_
_You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over_
_She breaks down in tears_
_After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table._
_A short verbal battle follows_
_You storm upstairs and change your shirt_
_Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and could not get ready for school_
_She misses the bus_
_Your spouse must leave immediately for work_
_You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school_
_Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit_
_After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school_
_Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye_
_After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase_
_Your day has started terrible_
_As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse_
_You look forward to coming home_
_When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter_
*Why?*
_Because of how you reacted in the morning_
*Why did you have a bad day*
A) *Did the coffee cause it*
B) *Did your daughter cause it*
C) *Did the policeman cause it*
D) *Did you cause it*
_The answer is “D"_
_You had no control over what happened with the coffee_
_How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day_
*Here is what could have and should have happened*
_Coffee splashes over you_
_Your daughter is about to cry_
_You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time"_
_Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs_
_After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus_
_She turns and waves_
_You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff_
_Your boss comments on how good the day you are having_
*Notice the difference*
_Two different scenarios_
_Both started the same_
_Both ended different_
*Why?*
*Because of how you REACTED*
_You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens_
_The other 90% was determined by your reaction_
*Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle*
_If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge_
_Let the attack roll off like water on glass_
_You don't have to let the negative comment affect you_
_React properly and it will not ruin your day_
_A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend or dear one /being fired/getting stressed out etc_
_How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic_
_Do you lose your temper?_
_Pound on the steering wheel?_
_Do you curse?_
_Does your blood pressure skyrocket?_
_Do you try and bump them?_
_WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work?_
*Why let the cars ruin your drive?*
_Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it_
*You are told you lost your job*
_Why lose sleep and get irritated?_
*It will work out*
_Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job_
_The plane is late; 
it is going to mangle your schedule for the day_
_Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant?_
_She has no control over what is going on_
_Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger_
*Why get stressed out?*
_It will just make things worse_
*Now you know the 90-10 principle*
_Apply it and you will be amazed at the results_
*You will lose nothing if you try it*
*The 90-10 principle is incredible*
_Very few know and apply this principle._
*The result?*
_Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache_
Can we try to understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

WOULD YOU SELL YOUR DREAM FOR AN AUDI A6?”

A friend of mine was preparing for the IAS exam. He belonged to a highly rich and influential family, who saw their son’s IAS preparation as a waste of time. His father wanted him to join family business as soon as possible.

But, this guy was made of something else. He was one of those people who are committed to their dreams, no matter what. He wanted to be an IAS officer, period. No one was going to stand in his way.

He made his resolve clear to his father. His father was displeased. He retaliated by cutting of all his finances.

So, what does this guy do? Does he give up on his dream?

No.

He had had some money saved from a few development projects he had done during his college days. He packed his bags, took out the money, and came to Delhi. Imagine, a boy who was brought up like a prince in a royal environment, giving up all his comforts and renting a dingy room in the dark underbelly of Mukherjee Nagar!

If you think that you know the moral of this story by now, you’re utterly mistaken.

Our story is just starting.

Our guy was determined, but so was his father. He started enticing his son with various “offers”.

First, he told his son that he is ready to double his monthly pocket money (which was already considerable before the finances were cut off), if he’d just come back home.

Then he blackmailed him in the name of his mother (who by the way, was in silent support of her son.)

Then he offered him a position in his own company. (No work and a huge salary!)

This kept going on for months. The guy would reject one offer after another, his resolve always standing strong.

Then one day, out of the blue, I receive a Whatsapp message from him. It said -

“I want you to meet for one last time. Tomorrow, I’m going back home.”

“What happened?” I asked

“My dad just an offered me Audi A6, no strings attached. He just wants me to come home. It’s not a bad deal. I’ll miss the coaching but I try to prepare from home.”

That’s it folks. I didn’t reply to him after that. But the entire conversation reminded me of something my father had told me way back when I was a kid -

“Son, there is a saying that goes like this. Whether you achieve something or not depends on one and only one factor - how badly you want it. But that is completely wrong. The truth is - Whether you achieve something or not depends on one, and only one factor - what you are willing to ‘settle for’ instead.”

So, you just saw that dream that is going to change your life! And you’ve resolved to not give up on it, no matter what. That’s great. But resolves are easy to keep when there are no counter-offers on the table. Wait till the deals start coming in. Till the easy-ways-out start showing up. That’s when you’ll be tested. And the bitter truth of this world is that everything is for sale, even dreams. It is just a question of what you are willing to sell it for, and what you are willing to ‘settle for’ instead. And the funny thing is, you would be blissfully unaware of the fact that even your dream is for sale, until somebody comes along and offers the right price.

So, I ask you, the reader -

“Would you sell your dream for an Audi A6?”

Source: Quora

ANAGRAMS

English is an interesting language, u may find it little funny but surely interesting!!!
Here is a list of word pairs, called ANAGRAMS. The interesting part is they are formed by the same set of alphabets but convey a mutually contradictory or sometimes complementary meaning. Here are a dozen of them.
1. Teach Cheat
Some people teach, some cheat and remaining teach to cheat.
2. Listen. Silent
Be silent and listen.
3. Admirer. Married
Status before and after marriage.
4.Fast. Fats
Either fast or add fats as you feast.
5. Marital. Martial
A misplaced 'I' turns marital relationship into martial one.
6. Creative. Reactive
You can never be creative if you are reactive.
7. Sweat. Waste
If you dont sweat as a youth you will waste your entire life, so sweat or waste.
8. Bedroom. Boredom
Always keep boredom out of your bedroom because that is the place where you spent half of your life and mostly in your own company.
9. Vote. Veto
One veto and a million votes undone.
10. Exist. Exits
We exist between our entries and exits.
11. Stain. Saint
Hard to find a saint without a stain.
12. Split. Spilt
Dont cry over split milk. Make paneer. Dont cry over spilt milk either. Feed the cat.

ACRONYMS AND OTHER ONYMS

Acronyms and Other “Onyms”
=====================
How many words can you think of that end in -onym? Antonym and synonym are two. Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Synonyms are words that mean the same thing. The ending, or suffix, comes from the Greek word onyma, which means “name.” Words that end in -onym are names for a type of word.
Acronym
A word or name formed by combining the first letters or groups of letters from a phrase. For example, SCUBA comes from self-contained under-water breathing apparatus.
Aptronym
A name that's especially suited to the profession of its owner. For example, Sally Ride, the astronaut.
Capitonym
A word that takes on a new meaning when capitalized. For example, polish (pol-ish), Polish (Polish).
Charactonym
The name of a literary character that especially suits his or her personality. For example, Charles Dickens's Scrooge is a miser.
Eponym
A real or mythical person from whose name a place, a thing, or an event is taken. The earl of Sandwich, for example, the first person to ask for meat between two slices of bread, is the eponym of the modern sandwich.
Heteronym
Two or more words with identical spelling but different meaning and pronunciation. There are so many bows. How about bow and arrow? Bow of a boat?
Homonym
Words that sound alike (and are sometimes spelled alike) but name different things. For example, die (to stop living) and dye (color).
Pseudonym
From the Greek pseud (false) and onym (name), a false name or pen name, used by an author. Mark Twain is a pseudonym for Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
Toponym
A place name or word that began as the name of a place, such as hamburger (from Hamburg, Germany) and afghan (a soft blanket from Afghanistan).

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN YOU ARE ALONE

This is from Dr. Geetha Krishnaswamy, Please give your 2min and read this:-

• 1 Let’s say it’s 7.25pm and you’re going home (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job.
• 2 You’re really tired, upset and frustrated.
• 3 Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to drag out into your arm and up in to your jaw. You are only about five km from the hospital nearest your home.
•  Unfortunately you don’t know if you’ll be able to make it that far.
•  You have been trained in CPR, but the guy who taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.
• HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE?
• Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only
• about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.
• However, these victims can help themselves by coughing
• repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.
• A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two
• seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until
• the heart is felt to be beating normally again.
• 8 Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing
• movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.
• 9 Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!
• 10 A cardiologist says If everyone who gets this mail
• kindly sends it to 10 people, you can bet that we’ll save at least one life.
• 11 Rather than sending jokes, please..contribute by forwarding this mail which can save a person’s life….
• 12 If this message comes around you ……more than once…..please don’t get irritated……U need to be happy that you have many friends who care about you & being reminded of how to tackle….Heart attacks….AGAIN…
• From: 

DR.N Siva
(Senior Cardiologist)
Copy and paste...u might save lives

EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS

Back in the days when Germany was divided, a huge wall separated East and West Berlin. One day, some people in East Berlin took a truck load of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin side.
The people of West Berlin could have done the same thing, but they didn't. Instead they took a truck load of canned goods, bread, milk and other provisions, and neatly stacked it on the East Berlin side.
On top of this stack they placed the sign:
*“EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS"*
How very true! You can only give what you have.
My dear friend, what do you have inside of you? Is it hate or love? Violence or peace? Death or life?
What have you acquired over the years? Is it capacity to build or capacity to destroy?
Is it ability to make money or steal money? Is it ingenuity to develop good things that will benefit mankind or ability to bomb those good things that others have labored to build?ñ
"EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS"
Think about it!

THE BOSS AND SUBORDINATES

The Boss was retiring. Everyone had tears in their eyes on the day of his farewell. One of the employees said, “Sir, there is one thing we want to learn from you. You worked here for so many years. What to speak about scolding your subordinates, we have never seen you even shouting at them. We have scolded our subordinates on pressure of work or for other reasons. We want to know about the seed of your patience.”

The Boss said, “Then listen to this incident of my childhood. My father was working as a lower level employee in an office. He was a very nice person. He was respected very much in our family. It happened one day. I was studying in the 4th standard. I had gone to the office of my father for some reason. I saw that my father was not on his seat. I waited outside. After some time, the door of the Boss opened. My father came out of the door. I saw the fair face of my father had turned red. He went straight to a corner and stood there looking outside through a window there. He had not seen me. I went to him and called him slowly. He was taken by surprise and turned back to look at me. I saw stream of tears flowing down his eyes. He was slightly disturbed seeing me. He did not find time to wipe out his tears. Can my father cry anytime? He was the strongest man in the world for me. It was out of my imagination that someone could hurt him. I ran straight to the room of the Boss. Father was calling me from behind. But, listening to nothing, I went inside and asked the Boss, “Why did you make my father cry?” The Boss was also surprised.

Thereafter, my father tried to make me understand. But, that day I had decided to take revenge on the Boss. I decided that day that I will study well and become a Boss one day, but I will not make my subordinates cry anytime. Because, they are not only the employees of my office, they are also respected and dear father or brother or somebody of their families and their surroundings. People say it is not be possible to control others without scolding them. I say, what for love is there then?”

KSREEDEVI

SOME TIME IT HAPPENS

 An engineer in a car manufacturing company designs a world class car. The owner is impressed with the outcome and praised him a lot. 

While trying to bring out the car from the manufacturing area to the office they realised that the car is few inches taller than the entrance. 

The engineer felt bad that he didn't noticed this one before creating the car. 

The owner was amazed on how to take it outside of the manufacturing area. 

The painter said that they can bring out the car and there will be few scratches on top of the car that he will do the tinkering later on. 

The engineer said that they can break the entrance and after taking the car out, they can cement it. 

The owner was not convinced with any ideas and felt like it is a bad sign to break or scratch.

The watchman was watching all these drama and slowly approached the owner. 

He wanted to give an idea if they have no problem. They thought what this guy would tell them that the experts could not give.

Watchman said that the car is only few inches taller than the entrance so if they release the air in the tyre, the height of the car will be adjusted and can be easily taken out. 

Everyone there clapped their hands for him.

Don't encounter problems from the expert point of view. 

There is always a layman point that will attract the masses...👍

SHARED BY KSREEDEVI

EFFECT AND AFFECT

Effect and Affect

Two words commonly confused by English speakers are 'Effect' and 'affect'. ‘Affect’ is used as a verb and means ‘to have an influence on’ and ‘Effect’ is used as a noun and means ‘the result’.

AFFECT

The dropped catch did not affect the result of the game.

The heavy rainfall affected the grains kept in the old warehouse.

Did the noise affect your sleep?

EFFECT

The effect of the tsunami was devastating.

The side effect of the cough syrup was drowsiness.

Did the noise have an effect on your sleep?

Effect is also used in the expressions ‘in effect’, ‘take effect’ and ‘come into effect.’

‘In effect’ means to ‘In fact’ or ‘In reality’

His silence was in effect an acceptance of the crime.

‘Take effect’ means ‘to produce an action’

The medicine will take effect in an hour.

‘Come into effect’ means ‘to come into existence’

The news laws come into effect next month.