God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how. – Henry Ward Beecher

Following is an excerpt from the book ‘Life’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things That Matter by Hal Urban’. Author Hal Urban has shared a question his student had asked him and his reply to the same.

Q: If God is so good and so powerful, how come god allows us all this suffering? Why didn’t he make us so that we can be happy and healthy all the time?

A: If God created us that way, we would be nothing more than puppets. He would be pulling the strings and we would have absolutely no power of our own. It’s true, we wouldn’t have to experience pain and hardship. But without them we would also never know the real triumphs and joys of life. There would be no reason to find a meaning or purpose for ourselves. We would be nothing more than mindless, programmed robots. God did a lot better than that. He created us instead with a free will. He gave us life and then he gave us the freedom to decide for ourselves what we will do with it. He gave us the power to choose our own way.

Why Is There Pain And Suffering? – Hal Urban’s Story is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

Be The Change You Want To See In This World – Mahatma Gandhi

During 1930′s, a young boy had become obsessed with eating sugar. His mother was very upset with this. But no matter how much she scolded him and tried to break his habit, he continued to satisfy his sweet tooth. Totally frustrated, she decided to take her son to see his idol – Mahatma Gandhi; perhaps her son would listen to him.

She walked miles, for hours under scorching sun to finally reach Gandhi’s ashram. There, she shared with Gandhi her predicament. -
“Bapu, my son eats too much sugar. It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhi listened to the woman carefully, thought for a while and replied,
“Please come back after two weeks. I will talk to your son.”

The woman looked perplexed and wondered why had he not asked the boy to stop eating sugar right away. She took the boy by the hand and went home.

Two weeks later they revisited Gandhi. Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said,
“Boy, you should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health.”

The boy nodded and promised he would not continue this habit any longer. The boy’s mother was puzzled. She turned to Gandhi and asked,
“Bapu, Why didn’t you tell him that two weeks ago when I brought him here to see you?”

Gandhi smiled,
“Mother, two weeks ago I was eating a lot of sugar myself.”

Books On Gandhi:

Breaking Someone’s Sugar Habit – Gandhi’s Story is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

Su Shi (1036-1101), also known as Su Dongpo was an avid student of Buddhist teachings. He was quick-witted and humorous; as a Zen Buddhism follower he was very serious and self-disciplined. He often discussed buddhism with his good friend, Zen Master Foyin. The two lived across the river from one another.

Following is an interesting and famous story about him and Zen Master Foyin.

One day, Su Dongpo felt inspired and wrote the following poem:

I bow my head to the heaven within heaven
Hairline rays illuminating the universe
The eight winds cannot move me
Sitting still upon the purple golden lotus

The “eight winds” in the poem referred to praise, ridicule, honor, disgrace, gain, loss, pleasure and misery – interpersonal forces of the material world that drive and influence the hearts of men. Su Dongpo was saying that he has attained a higher level of spirituality, where these forces no longer affect him.

Impressed by himself, Su Dongpo sent a servant to hand-carry this poem to Foyin. He was sure that his friend would be equally impressed. When Foyin read the poem, he immediately saw that it was both a tribute to the Buddha and a declaration of spiritual refinement. Smiling, the Zen Master wrote “fart” on the manuscript and had it returned to Su Dongpo.

Su Dongpo was expecting compliments and a seal of approval. When he saw “fart” written on the manuscript, he was shocked . He burst into anger: “How dare he insult me like this? Why that lousy old monk! He’s got a lot of explaining to do!”

Full of indignation, he rushed out of his house and ordered a boat to ferry him to the other shore as quickly as possible. He wanted to find Foyin and demand an apology. However, Foyin’s door closed. On the door was a piece of paper, for Su Dongpo. The paper had following two lines:

The eight winds cannot move me
One fart blows me across the river

This stopped Su Dongpo cold. Foyin had anticipated this hot-headed visit. Su Dongpo’s anger suddenly drained away as he understood his friend’s meaning. If he really was a man of spiritual refinement,
completely unaffected by the eight winds, then how could he be so easily provoked?

With a few strokes of the pen and minimal effort, Foyin showed that Su Dongpo was in fact not as spiritually advanced as he claimed to be. Ashamed but wiser, Su Dongpo departed quietly.

This event proved to be a turning point in Su Dongpo’s spiritual development. From that point on, he became a man of humility, and not merely someone who boasted of possessing the virtue.

How Fart Can Make You Grow Spiritually – Su Dongpo’s Story is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

“What Lies Behind Us And What Lies Ahead Of Us Are Tiny Matters Compared To What Lies Within Us.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

In response to Unlock Your Mind – A Story From Houdini’s Life, Nivas of Life of Excellence mailed me an empowering story. Thank you Nivas, for sharing the story and allowing me to share it with all of you.

There’s an old Hindu story about where god hid the secret to mankind’s greatest gift – a super power. It goes something like this …

There was a time when a huge imbalance in power had been created – between god, asura (enemy of god) and mankind. God feared that due to rapid growth in mankind, they may overtake them and gain the super power. Lord Bramha assembled the minor gods to discuss where should they hide the super power so that man wouldn’t find it.

“What about in the earth?” they said. “No,” said the Brahma, “they’ll dig it up.”
“What about the ocean depths?” they suggested. “Or the jungles. Or the mountains. Or the skies.”
“No,” said Brahma. “Sooner or later man will explore every region of the world and the universe.”

After much discussion, the gods turned to Brahma in despair. Brahma then decided and said. “This is what we’ll do. We’ll put it in the one place man will never think of looking.” Everyone agreed to the idea and hid the super power. Ages have gone by since then and Bramha is still found to be right. Man is still searching for the super power everywhere except that place …

The place where God hid that super power is “Within Man Himself”.

Do you have an empowering quote, story or poem to share; one which speaks about the power within each of us ? I would love to hear from you.

Are You Looking For Super Power ? is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the great illusionist of yesteryear – Harry Houdini. Houdini was a master magician as well as a fabulous locksmith. Houdini was probably the most famous escape artist in the world. I read an interesting incident from his life this week. I’m not sure if the story I’m about to share with you is part of his legend or part of his history, but it surely is fascinating.

Houdini was very confident in his talents. He claimed that he could escape from any Jail cell in the World in less than an hour, provided he could go into the cell dressed in street clothes. And every time he was given this challenge, he accepted and did just as he promised. He was left alone in a locked cell and in a few short minutes he would miraculously escape.

But one time things didn’t go as Houdini planned…

A small town in the British Isles built a new jail cell and they were proud of it. “Come give us a try,” they said to Houdini, and he agreed.

He walked into the prison cell bristling with confidence. After all, he had done this hundreds of times before. Houdini hid inside his belt a special lock pick he had designed. Once the jail cell was closed, Houdini took off his coat, and set to work with his lock pick. But he discovered that something was unusual about this particular lock.

For 30 minutes he worked and got nowhere. And his confident expression disappeared.

An hour passed, and still he had not been able to open the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. He tried all the tricks of his trade but nothing worked.

After two hours and totally exhausted, Houdini literally collapsed against the door. The door swung open and he discovered it it had not been locked in the first place! It was locked only to him in his mind.

Unlock Your Mind – A story from Houdini’s Life is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

Koan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement in the history and lore of Zen Buddhism. “A Cup Of Tea” is a well known Koan from “101 Zen Stories” – a 1919 compilation of Zen koans including 19th and early 20th century anecdotes, and Collection of Stone and Sand, written in the 13th century by Japanese Zen master Muju.

A Cup Of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. 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 Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

Books On Koan:

Is Your Cup Empty? – A Zen Koan is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

Following is an excerpt from the book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi‘ by Paramahansa Yogananda – an incredible story about how Sri Yukteshwar cured himself overnight and gained 50 pounds. Sri Yukteswar (Yogananda’s Guru) shares this story with Yogananda about how when he was younger he learned about the power of the mind and the power of thoughts to manifest reality from his Guru Lahiri Mahasaya.

This story is worth sharing as it shows amazing capabilities of human mind. It shows that with power of mind and power of thoughts, we can create any reality we desire. I was amazed and in awe of our mind and thoughts as I read this.

“’Sir’,” I said, ‘I have been very sick and have lost many pounds.’

“’I see Yukteswar, you made yourself unwell and now you think you are thin.’

“This reply was far from the one I had expected; my guru however, added encouragingly:

“’Let me see; I am sure you ought to feel better tomorrow.’

“My receptive mind accepted his words as a hint that he was secretly me. The next morning I sought him out and exclaimed exultingly, ‘Sir, I feel much better today.’

“’Indeed! Today you invigorate yourself.’

“’No, Master,’ I protested. ‘It is you who have helped me; this is the first time in weeks I have had any energy.’

“’Oh, yes! Your malady has been quite serious. Your body is frail yet; who can say how it will be tomorrow?’

“The thought of a possible return of my weakness brought me a shudder of cold fear. The following morning I could hardly drag myself to Lahiri Mahasaya’s home.

“’Sir, I am ailing again.’

“My guru’s glance was quizzical. ‘So! Once more you indispose yourself.’

“My patience was exhausted. ‘Gurudeva,’ I said, ‘I realize now that day by day you have been ridiculing me. I don’t understand why you disbelieve my truthful reports.’

“‘Really, it has been your thoughts that have made you feel alternately weak and strong.’ My guru looked at me affectionately. ‘You have seen how your health has exactly followed your subconscious expectations. Thought is a force, even as electricity or gravitation. The human mind is a spark of the almighty consciousness of God. I could show you that whatever your powerful mind believes very intensely would instantly come to pass.‘

“Knowing that Lahiri Mahasaya never spoke idly, I addressed him with great awe and gratitude.: ‘Master, if I think that I am well and that I have regained my former weight, shall those things come to pass?’

“’It is so, even at this moment.’ My guru spoke gravely, his gaze concentrated on my eyes.

“I instantly felt an increase not only of strength but of weight. Lahiri Mahasaya retreated into silence. After a few hours at his feet, I returned to my mother’s house, where I stayed during my visits to Banaras.

“My son! What is the matter? Are you swelling with dropsy?” Mother could hardly believe her eyes. My body was now as full and robust as it had been before my illness.

“I weighed myself and found that in one day I had gained fifty pounds; they have remained permanently.”

A story shared by Sri Yukteswar is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

I came across this short but excellent conversational piece while reading ‘Happy For No Reason’ by Marci Shimoff. Enjoy …

Two Tibetan Monks meet each other a few years after being released from prison, where they had been tortured by their jailers.
“Have you forgiven them?” asks the first
“I will never forgive them! Never!” replies the second
“Well,” says the first monk, “I guess they still have you in prison, don’t they?”

A Conversation Between Two Tibetan Monks is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

I came across this short but excellent conversational piece this weekend while reading ‘Happy For No Reason’ by Marci Shimoff. Enjoy …

One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth and compassion. ”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.

A conversation between a Cherokee elder and his grandson is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.

Arjuna of Mahabharata (An Indian epic) is well known as a skilled archer. It is said that once Arjuna focusses on a target, he always hits it.

Following is an inspiring scene from Mahabharata showing Arjuna’s razor sharp focus:

Drona Archarya was the greatest teacher in Archery who ever lived. Following him as a group of students were Arjuna, Ashwathama, Yudhistar and many others. Among these Arjuna excelled in archery. One day other students openly criticized Drona for favouritism towards Arjuna, telling him they too were not less skillful in archery.

“Tomorrow, there will be an archery competition to find out the best archer,” Drona replied. The next day Drona hung a wooden bird on a tree far from them. “See that wooden bird perched on the tree ahead of us? Aim at its eye,” he said.

He calls the first student – Yudhistar. Yudhistar plucked an arrow from the quiver, placed it on the bow, and pulled the string. “What do you see?” Drona asked. “I see the sun, the clouds, the trees,” Yudhistar replied as he released the string. The arrow shot forward and landed yards away from the tree.

Another student – Ashwathama took his position. He plucked an arrow from his quiver, placed it on the bow, and pulled the string. “What do you see?” Drona asked. “I see the bird, its legs, the twigs on the branch in which the bird sits, the small mango behind the bird, the leaves surrounding the bird, a small worm on the branch that approaches the bird.” The surrounding crowd is amazed. Other students could barely see the bird and nobody else had the eyesight to spot so many small details that Ashwathama so casually spotted. As he released the string, the arrow shot forward and landed near the roots of the tree. Similarly the rest tried but none succeed.

Finally it was Arjuna’s turn. He plucked an arrow from his quiver, placed it on the bow, and pulled the string. Following is the conversation between Drona and Arjuna emphasizing on how focussed Arjuna was:

Drona: “What do you see?”
Arjuna: “I see the eye of the bird”
Drona: “Do you see the tree?”
Arjuna: “No”
Drona: “Do you see the branch?”
Arjuna: “No”
Drona: “Do you see the bird?”
Arjuna: “No”
Drona: “Then what else do you see, Arjuna?”
Arjuna: “Nothing. I see only the round black eye of the bird”

As Arjuna released the string, the arrow shot forward with a swoosh. It pierced the center of the eye of the wooden bird.

Do you have arjuna-eyed focus? How does one get focus like Arjuna? I would love to hear from you.

Do you have Arjuna-like focus? is a post from: Avani-Mehta.com Download & Share: The Fabulous Motivators E-Book.