真理在哪裏？

今天收到朋友的電郵，分享她在www.spiritual-short-stories.com看到的一則小故事，有意思。

靜心是通向找到真理的途徑，我贊成。

 A great master was sitting on the seashore, on the beach, and a man who was seeking for truth came to him, touched his feet and asked, "If I am not disturbing you, I would like to do anything you suggest which can help me to find the truth."

The master simply closed his eyes and remained silent. The man shook his head. He said in his own mind, "This man seems to be crazy. I am asking him a question and he is closing his eyes." He shook the man and said, "What about my question?"

The master said, "I answered it. Just sit silently... don't do　anything, and the grass grows by itself. You need not bother about it—everything will happen. You just sit silently, enjoy silence."

The man said, "Can you give it a name—because people will be asking me, "What are you doing?"

So he wrote on the sand with his finger: meditation.

The man said, "This is too short an answer. Be a little more elaborate."

The master wrote in big letters: MEDITATION.

The man said, "But these are simply big letters. You are writing the same thing."

The old master said, "If I say more than that, then it will be wrong. If you can understand, then just do what I have told you and you will know."

讓思想平靜下來

Whatsapp 常常都會收到朋友分享的好故事，好文章，很棒！

    

 

每天的靜心，對我來説，非常重要，讓自己的思想平靜下來，哪怕一天只是15-30分鐘，也受益良多。 

Worth reading.....
Once there was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the farm. It was not an ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching the hay for a long while;he gave up and call the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that, the person who found it, would be rewarded. Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not.? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.” So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand..! The farmer was happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed...! The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

MESSAGE : A Peaceful mind can think better than a Worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of Silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps u to set your life the way u expect it to be..!

MORAL :The soul always knows what to do to heal itself.. The challenge is to silence the mind…

四個老婆

釋迦牟尼佛在一次法會上，講了一個故事。據說有一富翁，討了四個老婆：第一個老婆勤奮儉樸，默默勞動，這位富翁根本忘記有這個老婆的存在；第二個老婆很會 料理家務瑣事；第三個老婆美艷動人；第四個老婆聰明伶俐。有一日富翁病危，知自己死期將至，希望四個老婆肯陪伴自己，就把自己的想法告訴她們。第四個老婆 說：我不陪你！第三個老婆說：我才不跟你去！第二個老婆說：盡管我是你的老婆，可是我怕寂寞，我不陪你！第一個老婆說：既然我是你的老婆，無論你到那裡我 都跟著你。以上這個譬喻，富翁其實是你自己；第四個老婆是你的肉體，死後將與你分離；第三個老婆是你的財產，生時帶不來，死時帶不去；第二個老婆是指你的 妻子，活時兩人相依為命，死後則各自飛；第一個老婆是指本具的自性，即「佛之知見」。

故事轉載來源  

There was a man with four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most and took a great care of her and gave her the best. He also loved his third wife and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, he was always had a fear that she might runaway with some other man. He loved his second wife too. Whenever he faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always help him out. He did not love his first wife though she loved him deeply, was very loyal to him and took great care of him. One day the man fell very ill and knew that he is going to die soon. He told himself, "I have four wives with me. I will take one of them along with me when I die to keep company in my death." Thus, he asked the fourth wife to die along with him and keep company. "No way!" she replied and walked away without another word. He asked his third wife.She said "Life is so good over here. I'm going to remarry when you die". He then asked his second wife. She said "I'm Sorry. I can't help you this time around. At the most I can only accompany you til your grave." By now his heart sank and turned cold. Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." the man looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the man said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have four wives in our lives.
a. The fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when w die.
b. The third wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they go to others.
c. the second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
d. the first wife is the our soul, neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and pleasure. It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go.

 

圖片來源

等待本身就是一种蜕变

之前看的這則故事是英文版本的，今天卻看到了華語版本的，非常有意思，也非常喜歡。共勉之~



佛陀曾在一次出游时经过一片森林。那天天气很热，日正当中，他口渴了，所以对他的弟子阿南达讲，“我们刚才经过了一条小溪。你回去帮我取点水来。”

阿南达去了，但那条小溪很小，而且马车又刚经过。溪水被搅得的很浑浊。沉在河底的烂泥都浮上来了，水已经不能喝了。于是阿南达想：我得两手空空的回去了。他回去对佛陀讲：“溪水完全浊掉了，根本不能喝。请让我往前走，我知道几里外有一条河，我回去那里取水。”

佛陀说：“不！你回刚刚的那条小溪去。”佛陀这么说，阿南达只好照做，但他有点不情愿。他知道那些水是没办法喝的，根本不需要浪费时间，但他的口也很渴。佛陀这么说，他不得不去。然而他返回那条小溪后又折回来。他说：“你为什么这么坚持呢？那条溪里的水不能喝。”

佛陀说：“你再去一次，。”佛陀这么说，阿南达只得遵从。

当他第三次来到那条小溪时，溪水就像过去一样清澈。泥沙都流走了，枯叶不见了，水又再度变得清澈纯净。阿南达笑了，他把水瓶装满，跳着舞回去。他跪在佛陀脚下说：“您的教诲真是太不可思议了。您教了我重要的一课——世事无常，只是需要一点耐心而已。”

这是佛陀最基本的教诲：没有什么是永恒的，每件事都转瞬即逝，所以为什么要烦恼呢？回到原来那条溪流去。现在一切应该都改变了。没有什么是一样的。只要有一定耐心。再去一次，一次再一次。只是几个片刻，叶子就不见了，污泥就沉淀了，溪水再度清澈纯净。

阿南达第二次回来的时候，也问过佛陀：“你坚持要我去，我能不能做些什么，让溪水清澈一点呢？”

佛陀说：“什么都不用做，否则你只会让它更浑浊。还有，别踏进溪里。在岸上等着就好。要是你踏进溪里会弄得更糟。溪水自己会流动，让它自己流动就好了。”

没有什么是永恒的，世事无常。在所有的事物中看到这种暂时性，不要急，不要试图做些什么。只要等待！全然无为的等待。如果你能够等，蜕变就在那里。等待本身就是一种蜕变。

 故事轉載來源 

 Once Buddha was traveling with a few of his followers.
While they were passing a lake, Buddha told one of his disciples, "I am thirsty. Do get me some water from the lake."

The disciple walked up to the lake.
At that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake.
As a result, the water became very muddy and turbid.

The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink?"

So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in there is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink."

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back
to the lake.

The disciple went back, and found that the water was still muddy.

He returned and informed Buddha about the same.

After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back.

This time, the disciple found the mud had settled down, and the water was clean and clear.

So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said,
" See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be, and the mud settled down on its own, and you have clear water."

Your mind is like that too ! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own.

You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down.
It will happen. It is effortless."

Having 'Peace of Mind' is not a strenuous job, it is an effortless process so keep your mind cool and have a great life ahead...

 

The Starfish Story 一則海星的故事

引用証嚴法師的靜思法語：為善當及時，為善不能等，行孝不能等。

莫以小善而不爲，別小看自己的力量，你的改變，就是改變世界的開始。加油！！！

 A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. 

- adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley

Link from: 

Story of Rabia 拉比亞的小寓言

I always say seek and you will miss, don't seek -- and find, because the very effort to seek means that you have taken it for granted that it is not with you already. From the very beginning your search is doomed. One day, seeking, searching, accumulating knowledge, the fact will strike home that you are a fool, that it would have been better before going into the vast world to seek, to have looked inside.

Again a small parable of Rabia Al. Adawia. One evening, the sun was setting and the neighbourhood found her searching for something on the street -- an old woman, everybody loved her; of course everybody thought her a little crazy, but she was a beautiful person -- so they all rushed to help her and they asked, What has been lost? What are you searching for? She said: My needle. I was doing some needlework and I have lost my needle. Help me! You are so kind! So they all engaged in the search.

Then one man, seeing the fact that the street was so big and the needle was such a small tiny thing and that unless they exactly knew where it had been dropped it would be almost impossible to find it, came to Rabia and said: Tell us exactly the spot. Rabia said: Don't ask that because in fact I have not lost it outside my house, I lost it inside.

They all stopped searching and said: Crazy woman! Then why are you searching here outside in the street when you have lost it inside the house?

Rabia said: THERE is much darkness. Here is a little light, how can you seek when there is darkness? And you know I am poor, not even a lamp with me. How can you seek when there is darkness? So I am seeking here because still a little sunlight is left, and still something can be done to search.

The people started laughing. They said: You are really crazy! We know that in darkness it is difficult to search, but then the only way is to borrow a lamp from somebody and search for it there.

Rabia said: I never thought you people were so wise. Then why do you always SEEK outside? I was just following your ways. If you are so understanding why don't you borrow a lamp from me and search inside? I know there is darkness...

This parable is meaningful. You search outside: there is a reason -- because inside everything is so dark. You close your eyes and there is dark night, you cannot see anything; even if something is seen it is nothing but a part of the outside reflected in the inner lake -- thoughts floating which you have gathered in the marketplace, faces coming and going, but they belong to the outside world. Just reflections of the outside, and vast darkness One becomes afraid. Then one thinks it is better to seek outside, there at least there is light.

But that is not the point. Where have you lost your truth? Where have you lost your being? Where have you lost your God? Where have you lost your happiness, your bliss? Better it will be before you go to the infinite maze of the outside world, better it will be to first look within. If you cannot find there then it is all right -- you go and search outside. But that has never happened. Whoever has looked within has always found -- because it is already there -- only a look is needed, a conversion, a returning of consciousness. Just a deep look.

Source - Osho Book ""Tao : The Three Treasures, Vol3"

我一直都說：找尋，你將會錯過；不要找尋，你就會找到，因為那個想要去找尋的努力意味著你理所當然地認為它並不是已經跟你在一起。打從一開始，你的找尋就註定會失敗。

在找尋、追尋、和累積知識的當中，有一天，那個事實將會很明顯地呈現出來——你是一個傻瓜。如果在你進入廣大的世界去找尋之前你能夠向內看，那一定會更好。

又 有一個關於拉比亞的小寓言。有一天傍晚，太陽已經西下，鄰居發現她在街上找東西。拉比 亞是一個年老的女人，每一個人都愛她，當然，每一個人都認為她有一點瘋狂，但她是一個很美的人，因此他們都趕去幫她的忙，他們問說：到底丟掉了什麼？你在 找什麼？她說：我的一根針。我正在做一些針線活，但是我把針給弄丟了，請你們行行好，幫我找！所以他們都開始去找針。

然後有一個人，他看到那個事實說街上那麼大，而針是那麼小的一樣東西，除非他們很準確地知道它掉在哪裡，否則幾乎不可能找到。他問拉比亞說：請你告訴我們丟針的準確位置。拉比亞說：不要那樣問，事實上我並不是在自家外面丟掉它的，我是在裏面丟掉它的。

他 們都停止找尋，然後說：你這個瘋女人！既然你那根針是掉在家裏，你為什麼要在外面街上 找尋？拉比亞說：家裏很暗，而外面還有一些光線，你在暗暗的地方要怎麼找？你們都知道我很窮，我甚至連一盞燈都沒有，當黑暗的時候，你要怎麼找？所以我才 會在這裏找，因為這裏還有一些陽光，所以還可以想辦法找。

那些人開始笑，他們說：你真的是瘋了！我們都知道在黑暗中很難 尋找，但是這樣的話唯一的 方式就是向別人借一盞燈而在家裏找。拉比亞說：我從來沒有想到你們這些人都那麼聰明，那麼為什麼你們一直要在外面找？我只是在遵循你們的方式，如果你們那 麼有瞭解，為什麼你們不從我這裏借一盞燈去內在找尋？我知道那裏是黑暗的……

這個寓言很有意義。你在外面找尋，那是有原 因的，因為在內在每一樣東西都是那麼地黑暗。 你閉起你的眼睛，那麼那就是黑暗的夜晚，你什麼東西都看不到，即使有什麼東西被看到，那也只不過是外在的一部份反映在內在的湖裏，有一些思想在飄浮，那是 你從市場上搜集過來的，有很多張臉來了又去，但是它們屬於外在世界。只是外界的反映和廣大的黑暗，一個人會變得害怕，然後一個人就會想說最好到外面去找 尋，至少在那裏有光。

但那並不是要點。你是在那裏丟掉你的真理的？你是在那裏丟掉你的本性的？你是在那裏丟掉 你的神的？你是在那裏丟掉你的快樂和你的喜樂的？最好在你進入外在世界的無限迷宮之前先看看內在，如果你在那裏無法找到，那麼沒有問題，你就去外面找，但 是那樣的事從來沒有發生過。那些向內看的人永遠都會找到，因為它已經在那裏，只需要去看，只需要一個轉變，一個意識的回頭，只要一個很深的看。