When You Know The Truth- Author Unknown

When You Know The Truth

The train has started moving. It is packed with people of all ages, mostly working men and women and young college guys and gals. Near the window, sat an old man with his 30-year-old son.

As the train moves, the son is overwhelmed with joy because he is thrilled by the scenery outside.

"See dad, the scenery of green trees moving away is very beautiful."

This behavior from the thirty-year-old son made the other people on the train feel strange about him. Everyone started murmuring something or other about this son.

"This guy seems to be a crack," newly married Anup whispered to his wife.

Suddenly it started raining. Raindrops fell on the travelers through the opened window. The thirty-year-old, filled with joy said, " See dad, how beautiful the rain is..."

Anup's wife became irritated with the raindrops, as they were dropping on her new suit and spoiling it.

"Anup, can't you see it's raining? You. Old man. If your son is not feeling well, get him to a mental asylum soon and don't disturb the public henceforth."

The old man hesitated first and then in a low tone replied, "We are on the way back from hospital. My son was discharged this morning. He was blind at birth. Only last week he regained his vision. Rain and nature are new to his eyes. Please forgive us for the inconvenience caused."

Rabi'a and the Scholar

A leading scholar of Basra visited Rabi`a al-Adawiyya while she was ill. Sitting beside her pillow, the scholar spoke about how terrible the world was.

In reply, Rabi`a told him:

"You love the world very dearly. If you did not love the world, you would not mention it so much. It is always the purchaser who first disparages what he wants to buy. If you were done with the world, you would not mention it either for good or evil. As it is, you keep mentioning it because, as the proverb says, whoever loves a thing mentions it frequently."

[Adapted from the "Memorial of the Saints" by Fariduddin Attar, in the abridged translation called "Muslim Saints and Mystics" by A. J. Arberry, p. 50.]

Zen story -Obedience

The master Bankei's talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras nor indulged in scholastic dissertations. Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners.

His large audiences angered a priest of the Nichiren sect because the adherents had left to hear about Zen. The self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to debate with Bankei.

"Hey, Zen teacher!" he called out. "Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a man like myself does not respect you. Can you make me obey you?"

"Come up beside me and I will show you," said Bankei.

Proudly the priest pushed his way through the crowd to the teacher.

Bankei smiled. "Come over to my left side."

The priest obeyed.

"No," said Bankei, "we may talk better if you are on the right side. Step over here."

The priest proudly stepped over to the right

"You see," observed Bankei, "you are obeying me and I think you are a very gentle person. Now sit down and listen."

Through The Window

A young couple moved into a new neighborhood

The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside

"That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap"

Her husband looked on, but remained silent

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up this morning and cleaned our windows."

Moral- You see only what is inside your heart..