Sincerity

In sincerity alone lies the certitude of victory

 

Sincerity means more than mere honesty. It means that you mean what you say, feel what you profess, are earnest in your will.

 

Because sincerity is so rare a virtue in the world, one must bow down before it  with respect when one meets it. 

[Sri Aurobindo and the Holy Mother]

Practicing humility – Do not try to prove yourself to others

Practice humility – Do not try to prove yourself to others

Humility and inner peace go hand in hand. The less compelled you are to try to prove yourself to others, the easier it is to feel peaceful inside.

Proving yourself is a dangerous trap. It takes an enormous amount of energy to be continually pointing out your accomplishments, bragging, or trying to convince others of your worth as a human being. Pride and arrogance actually dilutes the positive feelings you receive from an accomplishment or something you are proud of. To make matters worse, the more you try to prove yourself, the more others will avoid you, talk behind your back about your insecure need to boast, and perhaps even dislike you.

Ironically, however, the less you care about seeking approval, the more approval you seem to get. People are drawn to those with a quiet, inner confidence, people who don't need to make themselves look good, be "right" all the time, or steal the glory.

Most people love a person who doesn't need to show-off, a person who shares from his or her heart and not from his or her ego.

Hear with an open mind

Hear with an open mind

Nan-in, a Japanese master received a university professor who came to inquire about the Absolute Truth.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the Absolute Truth unless you first empty your cup?"

Hence it’s very important when we hear or take association from seniors; we go with an empty cup and hear with an open mind, keeping aside our own opinions and speculations.

ubuntu

    "A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed."
                             Archbishop Desmond Tutu

We get back what we give

We get back what we give

A little boy got angry with his mother and shouted at her, "I hate you, I hate you." Because of fear of reprimand, he ran out of the house. He went up to the valley and shouted, "I hate you, I hate you," and the echo returned, "I hate you, I hate you."

Having never heard an echo before, he was scared, and ran to his mother for protection. He said there was a bad boy in the valley who shouted "I hate you, I hate you"

The mother understood and she asked her son to go back and shout, "I love you, I love you". The little boy went and shouted, "I love you, I love you," and back came the echo.

That taught the little boy a lesson: Our life is like an echo. We get back what we give.

The last 3 wishes of Alexander the Great

There is very instructive incident involving the life of Alexander,
the great Greek king. Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was
returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death
bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his
conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of
no consequence.

He now longed to reach home to see his mother’s face and bid her his
last adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health
would not permit him to reach his distant homeland. So, the mighty
conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his
last. He called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world
soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail.” With
tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their
king’s last wishes.

“My first desire is that,” said Alexander, “My physicians alone must
carry my coffin.” After a pause, he continued, “Secondly, I desire
that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to
the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I
have collected in my treasury.

“The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute’s rest
and continued. “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept
dangling out of my coffin.”The people who had gathered there wondered
at the king’s strange wishes. But no one dare bring the question to
their lips.

Alexander’s favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his
heart. “O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled.
But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?”

At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: “I would like the world
to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians
to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can
really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from
the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.

The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way
to the graveyard is to tell People that not even a fraction of gold
will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take
anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time
to chase wealth.

And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the
coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world
and empty handed I go out of this world.”

Alexander’s last words: “Bury my body, do not build any monument,
keep my hands outside so that the world knows the person who won the
world had nothing in his hands when dying“.

With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer
him and breathed his last.

Stop blaming others

Stop blaming others

Blaming has become extremely common in our culture. On a personal level, it has led us to believe that we are never completely responsible for our own actions, problems, or happiness. When we are in the habit of blaming others, we will blame others for our anger, frustration, depression, stress, and unhappiness.

In terms of personal happiness, you cannot be peaceful while at the same time blaming others. Surely there are times when other people and/or circumstances contribute to our problems, but it is we who must rise to the occasion and take responsibility for our own happiness.

As an experiment, notice what happens when you stop blaming others for anything and everything in your life. This doesn't mean you don't hold people accountable for their actions, but that you hold yourself accountable for your own happiness and for your reactions to other people and the circumstances around you.

Blaming others takes an enormous amount of mental energy. It's a "drag-me-down" mind-set that creates stress and disease. Blaming makes you feel powerless over your own life because your happiness is dependent on the actions and behavior of others, which you can't control.

When you stop blaming others, you will regain your sense of personal power. You will see yourself as a choice maker. You will know that when you are upset, you are playing a key role in the creation of your own feelings. This means that you can also play a key role in creating new, more positive feelings. Life is easier to manage when you stop blaming others.