The Illusion of Reflection

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 1:52 pm

Once there was a king who had presented his daughter, the princess, with a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. Some said a bird may have stolen it. The king then asked them all to search for it and put a reward for $50,000 for anyone who found it.

One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area. This river was completely polluted and filthy and smelly.As he was walking , the clerk saw a shimmering in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it so that he could get the $50,000 reward. He put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and grabbed at the necklace, but some how missed it and didn't catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again, this time he walked in the river and dirtied his pants in the filthy river and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling depressed.

Then again he saw the necklace, right there. This time he was determined to get it, no matter what. He decided to plunge into the river, although it was a disgusting thing to do as the river was polluted, and his whole body would become fillthy. He plunged in, and searched everywhere for the necklace and yet he failed. This time he was really bewildered and came out feeling very depressed that he could not get the necklace that would get him $50,000.

Just then a saint who was walking by, saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn't want to share the secret with the saint, thinking the saint might take the necklace for himself,so he refused to tell the saint anything. But the saint could see this man was troubled and being compassionate, again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk mustered some courage and decided to put some faith in the saint. He told the saint about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it , but kept failing. The saint then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the filthy river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was dangling on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real necklace all this time.

Moral of the story:

Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because it is a mere reflection of the TRUE happiness in the spiritual world.

We can never achieve the happiness we are looking for no matter how hard we endeavour in material life. Instead we should look upwards, toward God, who is the source of real happiness, and stop chasing after the reflection of this happiness in the material world. This spritual happiness is the only thing that can satisfy us completely.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 1:56 pm

Excellent story....so true....but alas too often we forget and need to be reminded!.

kmaherali · Post by **kmaherali** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 6:56 pm

Worldly desires are like sunbeams in a dark room. They seem solid until you try to grasp one.

- Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 3:39 pm

Good Story, thanks for sharing.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 6:12 am

I seek refuge in Allah from knowledge that brings no wisdom, from a heart that lacks kindness, from desires that bring discontent, and from supplications that go unanswered.

-The Prophet Muhammad, as reported by Abu Hurairah

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 8:40 am

A man was lying sick. His friends asked him: "What would you most desire?" The sick man answered, "My greatest desire is to desire something."

-Sadi: Gulistan 3
From 366 Readings From Islam,

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 7:29 am

The point is to love God even as the mother loves her child, the chaste wife her husband, and the worldly man his wealth. Join together these three forces of love, these three powers of attraction, and direct them all to God. Then you will certainly see him.

-Ramakrishna
From "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics," © 2001 by Andrew Harvey.

kmaherali · Post by **kmaherali** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:28 am

Love your true Self,
Which is naturally happy
And peaceful and bright!

Awaken to your own nature,
And all delusion melts like a dream.

-Ashtavakra Gita 18:1
From The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita, by Thomas Byrom, 1990

***
Sakka asked: "What is the cause of self-interest?"

The Buddha answered: "It is perception of the world as one's object."

"How does one overcome this perception of the world as apart from oneself?"

"By acting for the increase of goodness and happiness. It is in this way that the world ceases to be one's object."

-Digha Nikaya
From "Buddha Speaks," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000.

***

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:32 am

People shed a whole jug of tears for wife and children. They swim in tears for money. But who weeps for God? Cry to Him with a real cry.

-Ramakrishna
From "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics", © 2001

***
"I, without grasping, will pass beyond sorrow,
And I will attain nirvana," one says.
Whoever grasps like this
Has great grasping.

-Nagarjuna; Mulamadhyamaka-Karika
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt.

kmaherali · Post by **kmaherali** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:33 am

The pleasures of this world are delightful
from a distance before the actual test.
From a distance they appear to be refreshing water,
but when you approach them, you find they are a mirage.
The world’s bait is visible, but the trap is hidden:
at first sight, the world’s favors seem sweet.

-Mathnawi [VI, 316-317; 321]
From "Jewels of Remembrance," by Rumi

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 7:01 am

The key, during both life and death, is to recognize illusions as illusions, projections as projections, and fantasies as fantasies. In this way we become free.

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, Introduction to Tantra
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations
***

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 8:19 am

Material shape is not yours,
nor are feeling, perception,
the constructions or consciousness.
These are not yours. Put them away.

-Buddha
From Sayings of the Buddha: Reflections for Every Day, by William Wray, 2004.
***
The basic purpose of human existence is acquisition of knowledge of God; there is no relationship more true than this spiritual affiliation. All other types of relationships are but derivative and dependent upon that spiritual connection, and in themselves nothing to boast of.

-Lahiji: Mafatih 573
From The Wisdom of Sufism, compiled by Leonard Lewisohn. (c) 2001.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 8:33 am

This one is construed as a joke, but it is quite instructive and appropriately fits the theme of this illusory existence.

Bill Gates Meets His Programmer

Bill Gates suddenly dies and finds himself face to face with God. God stands over him and says, "Well Bill, I'm really confused on this one. It's a tough decision. I'm not sure whether to send you to Heaven or Hell. After all, you helped society enormously by putting a computer in almost every home in America, yet you also created that ghastly Windows '95 among other indiscretions. I believe I'll do something I've never done before; I'll let you decide where you want to go."

Bill pushed up his glasses, looked up at God and replied, "Could you briefly explain the difference between the two?" Looking slightly puzzled, God said, "Better yet, why don't I let you visit both places briefly, then you can make your decision. Which do you choose to see first, Heaven or Hell?"

Bill played with his pocket protector for a moment, then looked back at God and said, "I think I'll try Hell first." So, with a flash of lightning and a cloud of smoke, Bill Gates went to Hell.

When he materialized in Hell, Bill looked around. It was beautiful and clean, a bit warm, with sandy beaches and tall mountains, clear skies, pristine water, and beautiful women frolicking about. A smile came across Bill's face as he took in a deep breath of the clean air. "This is great," he thought, "if this is Hell, I can't wait to see heaven."

Within seconds of his thought, another flash of lightning and a cloud of smoke appeared, and Bill was off to Heaven. Heaven was a place high above the clouds, where angels were drifting about playing their harps and singing in a beautiful chorus. It was a very nice place, Bill thought, but not as enticing as Hell.

Bill looked up, yelled for God, told him his decision and was sent to Hell for eternity.

Time passed, and God decided to check on the late billionaire to see how he was progressing in Hell. When he got there, he found Bill Gates shackled to a wall in a dark cave amid bone thin men and tongues of fire, being burned and tortured by demons.

"So, how is everything going?" God asked.

Bill responded with a cracking voice filled with anguish and disappointment, "This is awful! It's nothing like the Hell I visited the first time!! I can't believe this is happening! What happened to the other place...with the beaches and the mountains and the beautiful women?"

"That was the demo," replied God.