The emperor of China during the Yuan dynasty wanted to have his picture painted. “I’m not satisfied with my portraits done thus far,” he said to a large gathering of artists. “Paint me a picture with the minutest detail, my spitting image.” The king sat down every day for two hours while the finest painters observed […]

Guru‘s teaching is a mirror of words wherein we can see ourselves clearly.   A Master “takes away” only those things which we don’t have but we think we have. And he goes on “giving” us things, which we already have but have forgotten completely. He who robs us of possessions is a thief and he […]

Once a man took his donkeys to sell in the market. On the way he had to stay overnight in an inn. So, he decided to tie his donkeys to a nearby tree and rest for the night in the inn. To his dismay he discovered that he had one rope short which would leave […]

For making soap, oil is required. But to clean oil, soap is required. This is the irony of life.   In a theatre when drama plays, we opt for front seats. When film is screened, we opt for rear seats. Our position in life is only relative – Not absolute.   Only two entities have […]

A lady asked the local preacher to come and pray with her father. When the preacher arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The preacher assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you […]

As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped; confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a rope tied to their front leg – no chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did […]

  More than 35 years ago, a teenager named Jadav Molai Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in northern India, near the river island Majuli in Assam to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site where […]

“I am responsible only for what I say, not for what you understand…or misunderstand.”   “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”   “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. Remember, mob is mad.”   “Should you find yourself the […]

  “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”   Young man, be aware of these four good-hearted friends: the helper, the friend who endures in good times and bad, the mentor, and the […]

Some words can lock us up – words of hate, of desperation, of sadness and regret. These words can trap us, scare us from daring to live our lives the way we really want to lead them. Sometimes they were said by a parent, sometimes a friend or a loved one, and sometimes by someone […]