Skip to main content

Half Full or Half Empty?


Half Full or Half Empty?

Much of life today is based on depreciation and denigration of public leaders, groups, governments, religions, corporations and even family members. This is negative living, always pointing out faults in no uncertain terms and ignoring the virtues. A Hawaiian civic leader lamented to us recently that people are cruel in their complaints. "It's OK to criticize," she said, "but they should be kindly when doing so!"

A story I was told decades ago relates. A guru was sitting with two disciples under a sprawling banyan tree in India. The older student inquired, "Guruji, how long must I wait until I realize God?" The teacher responded, "Enlightenment is not something that can be predicted, but since you have asked," he leaned over and spoke in the right ear, "It will be twenty more lives." "Oh, no!" the youth cried in dismay, "I don't know if I can wait that long!" The other follower, naturally curious, asked of his own future. The guru whispered, "Liberation will come after you live as many lives as this banyan has leaves!" Hearing this, the seeker jumped to his feet and began to dance. Why? He was suddenly overcome by the assurance that he would ultimately be liberated. Ecstatic with appreciation, he transcended the mind and attained his liberation that very moment.

The first student was on the path of depreciation. For him the pot was half empty. The second followed the path of appreciation and was immersed in thankfulness. For him the pot was half full. "Some people complain because God put thorns on roses. Others praise Him for putting roses among the thorns."

Appreciation is a beautiful, soulful quality available to everyone in every circumstance--being thankful for life's little treasures, grateful for the opportunity to begin the day where you are, appreciating the perfect place your karma and God's grace have brought you to. Appreciation is life-giving. Depreciation without appreciation is heartlessly destructive. Yet, it is the all-too-common way of our times. When something is done that is good, helpful or loving, it is often overlooked, treated as something expected. No acknowledgement is shown, no gratitude expressed. But if a shortcoming is seen, everyone is swift to point it out!

The Vedas, the Tirukural and our many other holy texts indicate a better way. The wise ones knew that all people possess freedom of choice and the willpower to use it. Today that freedom is usually used, unwisely, to downgrade others, as well as oneself. Ignorance seems to be almost as all-pervasive as God. We find it everywhere and within every situation. It does not have to be this way.

Gratitude is a quality of the soul. It does not depend on how much we possess. Its opposite, ingratitude, is a quality of the external ego. When we abide in soul consciousness, we give thanks for whatever we have, no matter how little or how much. When in ego consciousness, we are never grateful or satisfied, no matter how much we have.




Daksh Educational Services




www.himalayanacademy.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Be Happy

Look in the mirror. You have created your face through your many thoughts that have accumulated through this lifetime. Ask yourself, "Am I happy, or am I looking for others to make me happy?" Allow yourself to be kind; allow yourself to express the qualities, the beautiful qualities, of your soul. Your happiness then will come from within yourself, along with a deep contentment and inner peace and joy. Only a moment of thinking kindly about someone, and making a plan that will enable you to help your fellow man, even just a little bit, will awaken from your soul that deep, inner satisfaction, that depth of security you are really seeking. On the other hand, if you allow your mind to dwell in the realm of critical thinking, in the realm of gossiping, without the thought of helping others, you will feel insecure, unhappy. Nothing that could happen will bring you an inner satisfaction. You will be constantly desirous of acquiring, and that which you do acquire will not be sa...
Post a Comment
Read more

About Handwriting Olympiad

The Handwriting Olympiad (HWO) is a written competition which is conducted annually for students who wish to participate on an national level and get awarded for their good handwriting skills.  The Handwriting Olympiad is being conducted since the year 2010.This is the only Olympiad where every participant stands to win. Be it in the form of awards or a corrective advice.    Follow us on Youtube :   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnZi ... Our prime objective being to help the students overcome all the flaws in their handwriting by providing individualized corrective advice to all the participants of the competition. It is life time benefit for every participant.    Follow us on Google+ :  https://plus.google.com/1102254431303 ... We certainly appreciate the efforts from parents, teachers and schools that let their students participate in the handwriting Olympiad and en-cash the opportunity to benefit from the expert advises.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Robotic Learning

A human teacher would know the student's state of mind and special gifts or needs, and society would guide him. While teaching English, French, German or any of the fourteen major languages of India, all the teacher's good qualities go into the student, enriching and blessing him, along with the experience the teacher has gained through the years. When the magic happens, a certain amount "rubs off," and a life is transformed. This is real education. This is training through sampradaya--people to people, heart to heart, mind to mind, soul to soul. This is how it used to be and how it still can be. In a student-teacher relationship, the novice must deal directly with a human, talk to a human, be with a human, and love or hate this human, as the case may be, depending on the student's evolution or spiritual development, not to mention that teacher's own personal qualities. But school classes, from the lower grades to the highest are tending to dispense wit...
Post a Comment
Read more