Good living is in balancing the extremes...

I don't have to start this story as "Long long ago, so long ago, No body knows how long ago..." because you can assume that this piece of story happening everyday in a similar measure to us and all the people we know. Yet this highlights a very important perspective in life.

Once there was a farmer who had a horse (safely assume that this story has happened in China / Japan). One night as he was winding up his day, he took his horse to the barn and did not secure the lock of the barn.

Next day he finds his horse is missing or escaped his barn. Obviously he too had neighbors as we do and one of the neighbors walked in to offer his condolences. "What a misfortune, that you have lost your horse!"

The farmer did not answer and was silent. But smiled to himself.

Few days later his horse returned back and to everyone's surprise another horse followed his horse and now the farmer had 2 horses. Here comes his neighbor saying "What a fortune, you have 2 horses now!"

The farmer did not answer and was silent. But smiled to himself.

The horses were growing old and the farmer was hoping to get a Colt (horse calf) from these 2 horses (Oh! i thought it was unnecessary to mention that one was a Stallion (male horse) and other was a mare (female horse). Remember there is no need for article 377 and then for it to be repealed in the animal kingdom :)).

Coming back to the story, there was no sign of the colt arrival hence our neighbor arrived saying "What a misfortune that you are not getting a colt from these 2 horses!"

The farmer again did not answer and was silent. But smiled to himself.

After few months the mare delivered a beautiful Colt and everyone was happy. The neighbor walked in happily giggling "What a fortune now you have 3 horses! May this tribe swell and grow!"

The farmer again did not answer and was silent. But smiled to himself.

As the Colt grew up, the farmer's son wanted to train and was very attached to this colt. One day the farmer's son fell down and broke his leg while training the Colt. Here came our neighbor saying "What a misfortune this new horse has beget us!"

The farmer again did not answer and was silent. But smiled to himself.

As the farmer's son was healing his wounds the country went for a war. They drafted all able and young people for the war. Because the farmer's son was injured they did not draft him. Here came our neighbor saying "What a fortune this Colt has brought for you. It saved your son!"

The farmer again did not answer and was silent. But smiled to himself.

Lets stop the story here. This is one of the popular Tao / Zen stories and am sure some of you would have read or heard this. As i read this:

1. I thought the farmer is not just a farmer but should be termed as a monk / wise man / least a normal human being who has lost his speaking ability. :)

2. Good and Bad are in the perspectives and are relatives - Nothing is absolute here.

3. "Good" follows "bad" and vice versa - Yin cannot exist without Yang and Yang without Yin. Remember "Joy is pain camouflaged, Success is failure camouflaged".

4. A lot many of us have read / heard this story but have not realized that there is huge difference between reading and understanding a concept and a larger gap between understanding a moral and living it.

5. If any one of you is thinking if this story has actually happened or if this farmer exists / ever existed in this world, I am sorry to say that you are too analytical and judgmental in life and probably you are losing out a lot in life which you have not realized.

6. I often keep telling this "You are not as good as people say when you succeed and not as bad as people say when you lose"...

For me the moral is simple. As one wise man said "Good living is in balancing the extremes..." Its the balance which we need to strive for and as we are striving for it, enjoy the ups and downs of life!.

Happy Reading!

May the festival of lights help you light the light within!

All

Priya joins me in wishing you and your family a very happy, funfilled and prosperous Diwali.

"May a thousand suns make your life brighter
May a thousand moons make your life healthier
May a thousand smiles make your life lighter
May a thousand sweets make your life sweeter
May a thousand prayers make your life peaceful
May a thousand sparkles make your life Joyful
May the day today problems make you stronger
May the day today journey make you wiser
May the festival of lights on this autmn night
May help you find the might within!
May the festival of lights on this autmn night
May help you light a light within!"

Happy Diwali!

Vacation Snaps - Sep 2009

Place: Nagarahole - Tiger Reserve forest

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Tusker Charging our jeep...

It was Nagarahole on Sep 27th, 2009 and we (I, Aishu (my daughter) and a newly married couple (Coz the jeep for jungle safari was shared with the resort inmates) were returning from Jungle Safari. The driver took a small deviation at about 6pm in the evening to explore if we can see some wild animals.

At about 20 ft we saw a 8 feet tusker standing calmly right on the road and hence we could not drive further. The width of the road was just 8-10 feet making it difficult for a quick U turn. The driver suddenly decided to honk loudly and roar the vehicle in neutral to ward the tusker off.

The Tusker got turned on. It started charging our jeep. I was almost hanging outside the jeep trying to record this. When the driver took reverse at very high speed i lost my balance and by the time you can see i regaining some balance the tusker was at 10 feet.

Fortunately it decided to back off and get back into the forest after 15 minutes of hide and seek in the bushes. It gives me jitters every time i see this. Many were asking me to share this and hence it is here....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE6IL6N8X5U

Generally elephants roam around as herds and mostly as you are focusing on the one that is charging your vehicle, the other one comes and takes you from your left or right. Fortunately this did not happen.

Also this guy was standing in the bushes for almost 10-15 minutes for us to move forward. We also waited for about 15 minutes and drove ahead after we were sure that it moved out. That was fun!

Happy reading!

Herbal Support to Prevent and Help Cure Swine Flu

I read this very interesting piece of Swine flu care from a website and thought of sharing it here. The author of this piece is an authority in the field of therapeutic alternate medicine and a TaiChi grand master from China... The second suggestions sounds pretty simple.

The following herbal preparations can be taken to support the prevention and cure of Swine Flu:

I. Combine the following:
1. 30 grams of white radish
2. 15 grams of the white part of scallion 15g;
3. 3 grams of Coriander
Add 1 liter (just over 4 cups) of water and bring to a boil. Wait until it has cooled to drink.

II. Combine the following:
1. 3 grams shredded Ginger
2. 3 grams Mint
3. 3 grams red date (without the seed)
Add 200-300ml boiling water, cover and let steep about 5-10 minutes, then drink.

These two preparations can help prevent flu and can also be used to help cure the flu. They can be drunk daily or every other day as a preventative during flu season or more frequently if you have the flu already.

Happy reading!

Few gems from Taoism...

Expressions of Taoism were ever fascinating and has had a profound impact on me. The following piece is from Yang Hsiung (53 B.C. to 18 A.D.) talking about Tai Hsuan (Great Mystery). Reading this piece from China along with the Sufi stories from Middle east & Siddhar poems from India in Tamil gives a feeling that the tribes shared a common root but has adapted the same concept according to their region, language and culture. I enjoyed the following which explains what the business of life is, then , links this to the profound principle / primordial truth and then gives the framework / outline for the profound principle. Hope you too would enjoy this...

• To see and understand is wisdom.
• To look and love is humanity.
• To determine and decide is courage.
• To control things universally and to use them for all is impartiality.
• To be able to match all things is penetration.
• To have or not to have the proper circumstance is destiny.
• The way by which all things emerge from vacuity is the Way.
• To follow the principles of the world without altering them and to attain one's end is virtue.
• To attend to life, to be in society, and to love universally is humanity.
• To follow order and to evaluate what is proper is righteousness.
• To get hold of the Way, virtue, humanity, and righteousness and put them into application is called the business of life.
• To make clear the achievement of nature and throw light on all things is called yang.
• To be hidden, without form, deep and unfathomable, is called yin.
• Yang knows yang but does not know yin. Yin knows yin but does not know yang.
• The Profound Principle alone knows both yin and yang, both going and stopping, and both darkness and light.

• The Supremely Profound Principal deeply permeates all species of things but its physical form cannot be seen.
• It takes nourishment from emptiness and nothingness and derives its life from Nature. It penetrates the past and present and originates the various species.
• It operates yin and yang and starts the material force in motion. As yin and yang unite, all things are complete on Heaven and on Earth.
• The sky and sun rotate and the weak and strong interact. They return to their original position and thus the beginning and end are determined.
• Life and death succeed each other and thus the nature and the destiny are made clear.
• Looking up, we see the form of the heavens. Looking down, we see the condition of the earth.
• We examine our nature and understand our destiny.
• We trace our beginning and see our end. ... Therefore the Profound Principle is the perfection of utility.

Happy Reading!