Before God

An old man sold toys in the Baghdad market. Knowing that his sight was not quite perfect, his customers sometimes paid him with fake money.

 

The old man discovered the ruse, but did not say anything. In his prayers he asked God to forgive those who cheated him. “Perhaps they’re short of money and want to buy presents for their children,” he said to himself.

 

Time passed by and the old man died. Standing before the gates of Heaven, he prayed once more: "Lord!", he said. "I am a sinner. I did many wrong things, I am no better than the false coins I was paid. Forgive me!"

 

At that moment the gates swung open and a Voice was heard: "Forgive what? How can I judge someone who all through his life never once passed judgment on others?"

- By Paulo Coelho

- Image Source: http://annaleiza.wordpress.com/2010/06/26/archetype-wise-old-man/ 

God Is Like A Space

In the Upanishads, there is a beautiful story. A young boy of eight years asks his father, ‘Father, what is God like?’ So, the father takes the boy by the hand outside the home, and asks, ‘What was there in this place before the building was built?’ 

The boy says, ‘Empty space.’

The father asks, ‘And where does this building stand?’

The boy answers, ‘In the space.’ 

‘And when the building is demolished, what will be here?’ 

The boy says, ‘Space'. 

The father says ‘So, space is something which is always there, right?’ The boy says, ‘Yes.’ 

The father then says, ‘That is what God is like.’ God is like the space in which everything comes, in which everything stays, into which everything dissolves. That can never be destroyed. And it is always there.'

The Three Blocks of Stone

A wizard who was strolling with his three sisters when the most famous warrior of the region came up to him.

“I want to marry one of these beautiful girls”, he said.

“If one of them gets married, the others are going to think they are ugly. I am looking for a tribe whose warriors can have three wives”, answered the wizard as he walked away.

And for many years he travelled all over the Australian continent but never managed to find such a tribe.

“At least one of us could have been happy”, said one of the sisters when they were already old and weary from so much wandering.

“I was wrong”, answered the wizard, “But now it’s too late.”

And he turned the three sisters into blocks of stone.

Visitors to the Blue Mountains National Park near Sydney can see them and understand that the happiness of one does not mean the sadness of others.

~An Australian legend

Fate

Once upon a time there was a Guru with many disciples. Everyday he overheard them talking amongst themselves, complaining about their lot in life, moaning about this or that misfortune. One day, the Guru called all his disciples together at a big assembly: “Tomorrow, I want all of you to meet me back here, and bring with you your fate, because I’m going to take it from you and give you a new fate.” 

At the early morning the next day, all the disciples appeared before the Guru. “Now,” announced the Guru, “I want you to lay down your burdens (fate) here before me.” 

With smiles on their faces, the disciples did as they were told.  There was a huge pile of fate in front of the Guru.

“Okay, good,” said the Guru. “Now, I want each of you to come forward, have a look at those piles of fate and choose any one of them. You have the freedom to choose anyone's fate." 

All day long the disciples searched for the best fate. After looking at all the fate, at the end of the day, all the disciples went back home choosing the same fate that  they came with in the morning.