YOGA STORIES
A STORY OF SELF SACRAFICE
After the battle of Kurukshetra the five Pandavas brothers performed a great sacrafice and made very large gifts to the poor. All the people expressed amazement at the greatness and richness of the sacrafice and said that such a sacrifice the world had never seen before. But after the ceremony there came a little mongoose, half of whose body was golden and the other half brown; and he began to roll on the ground of the sacrificial hall. He said to those around: "You are all liars! This was no sacrifice." "What!" they exclaimed. "You say this was no sacrifice! Do you not know how money and jewels were poured out to the poor and everyone became rich and happy? This was the most wonderful sacrifice any man ever performed." But the mongoose said: "There was once a little village, and in it there dwelt a poor brahmin with his wife, his son, and his son’s wife. They were very poor and lived on small gifts made to them for preaching and teaching. There came in that land a three years’ famine, and the poor brahmin suffered more than ever. At last, when the family had starved for days, the father brought home one morning a little barley flour, which he had been fortunate enough to obtain, and he divided it into four parts, one for each member of the family. They prepared it for their meal, and just as they were about to eat there was a knock at the door. The father opened it and there stood a guest." (Now in India a guest is a sacred person. He is like god for the time being and must be treated a such.) So the poor brahmin said, "Come in,sir. You are welcome." He set before the guest his own portion of the food, which the guest quickly ate and said, "Oh sir, you have almost killed me. I have been starving for ten days, and this little bit has increased my hunger." Then the wife said to her husband, "Give him my share." But the husband said, "Not so." The wife, however, insisted, saying, "Here is a poor man, and it is our duty as householders to see that he is fed, and it is my duty as a wife to give him my portion, seeing that you have no more to offer him." Then she gave her share to the guest, who, after eating it said he was still burning with hunger. So the son said: "Take my portion also. It is the duty of a son to help his father to forfill his obligations." The guest ate that but remained still unsatisfied, so the son’s wife gave her portion also. That was sufficient, and the guest departed, blessing them. "That night those four people died of starvation. A few grains of that flour had fallen on the floor, and when I rooled my body on them, half of it became golden as you can see. Since then I have been traveling all over the world, hoping to find another sacrifice like that. But nowhere have I found one not even here has the other half of my body been turned into gold. That is why I say this was no sacrifice."
THE POT AND SPACE / GHATAKASHA NYAYA
The space inside a pot is unaffected by the pot. Although the vessel appears to separate the space "inside" from the "outside", this is only an illusion. When the pot is broken, what was "inside" and what was "outside" are seen to be the same and they have undergone no change at all. In the same way, the individual self may seem to be limited by the mind and body, but in reality, it is one with the supreme.
WATER OFF THE LOTUS LEAF / PADMAPATRA NYAYA
When the rainbrops land on the lotus leaf, they roll of gently and fall into the water without wetting the leaf. The leaf is completely unaffected by the rain. So also, the results off this world have no ultimate effect on Brahman, or the Absolute. A cimema sreen offers a similar analogy. Despite the play of light and shadow upon it, it remains unchanged and unaffected.
THE CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD
Svetaketu returned home to his father proud of his recent education. His father seeing this questioned him: "Have your teachers explained to you that knowledge by which all else is known? That knowledge whereby what is not heard is heard, what is not seen is seen. What is not thought is thought?" "What is this knowledge father?" "Just as by knowing a lump of clay all that is clay can be known, since any differences are only words, and the reality is clay. The same with gold, iron or any other element, any differences are only words and the reality is the element. So it is with this knowledge." "Tell me more father." "Bring me a fruit from the banyan tree. Now break it open. What do you see?" "Very small seeds" "Break one of them open. What do you see?" "Nothing." "My son, from the very essence of the seed which you cannot see comes this vast banyan tree. Believe me my son, an invisible and subtle essence is the spirit of the whole universe. That is reality. That is Atman (soul). You are it." "Tell me more father." "Place this lump of salt in this water, and come back tomorrow morning." When Svetaketu returned the following morning his father said to him, "give me the lump of salt you put into the water last night." "I cannot father. It has disolved." "Now taste the water." "It is salty", said Svetaketu. Said his father, "In the same way as salt was disolved in the water an invisible and subtle essence prevades the whole universe. That is spirit. That is reality. That is truth, and you are it."
THE SNAKE AND THE ROPE / RAJJUSARPA NYAYA
One evening, as he was walking an unlit road, a man stepped on a piece of rope that was lying on the ground. In the semi-darkness, he mistook the rope for a snake and, imagining that he had been bitten, he sreamed in fear. A frind came returning with a torch. In the light, the man saw his error and his fears vanished. When the mind is deluded by Maya (veils of illusion), the world appears to be real. It is only when the light of meditation shines that we truly perceive the reality.
THE LION AND THE SHEEP
A lioness is search of prey came upon a flock of sheep, and as she jumped at one of them, she gave birth to a cub and died on the spot. The young lion was brought up in the flock, ate grass, and bleated like a sheep, it never knew it was a lion. One day another lion came across this flock and was astonished to see in it a huge lion eating grass and bleating like a sheep. At the sight of him the flock fleed and the lion-sheep with them. But the lion watched his opportunity and one day found the lion-sheep asleep. He woke him up and said, "You are a lion." The other said, "No," and began to bleat like a sheep. But the stranger-lion took him to a lake and asked him to look in the water at his own image and see if it did not resemble him, the stranger-lion. He looked and acknowledged that it did. Then the stranger-lion began to roar and asked him to do the same. The lion-sheep tried his voice and was soon roaring as loudly as the other. He was a sheep no longer. We are lions in sheep’s clothing of habit. We are hypnotised into weakness by our surroundings, and believe our consciousness is limited to our body. Yoga is a process of dehypnotism which enables us to remember our divine nature.
THE SUN AND REFLECTIONS / SURYA BIMBA NYAYA
Although the sun may be reflected in an infinite number of vessels, ponds, and lakes there is still only one Sun. Despite the many reflections of Brahman, there is but one Reality. It is only Maya, the illusory power of the Universe, that causes it to appear as many.
THE MOON IN THE LAKE
Our true Self is a reflection of Brahman like the Moon’s reflection in a lake. Unless we still the waters of the lake our image of Brahman will appear distorted.
THE BULL AND THE MOSQUITO
A mosquito sat long on the horn of a certain bull. Then his conscience troulbled him and he said: "Mr. Bull, I have been sitting here a long time. Perhaps I annoy you. I am sorry. I will go away." But the bull replied: "Oh no, not at all! Bring your whole family and live on my horn. What can you do to me?" Neither seek nor avoid. Take what comes. It is liberty to be affected by nothing. Be unattached!
A FROG IN A WELL
A frog lived in a well. It had lived there a long time. It was born there and brought up there. It spent its days cleaning the water of worms and bacteria. One day another frog that lived in the sea fell into the well. "Where are you from?"- "I am from the sea"- "The sea! How big is that, is it is big as my well?"- "My friend, how can you compare the sea with your little well." The frog of the well became very upset with this conversation, "well then, nothing can be as big as my well-out with you!!" The problem is we all think the world to be our own little well.
THE SPARROW AND GARUDA
A sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean. The sparrow left the nest to gather some food, and the ocean carried away the eggs on its waves. When the sparrow returned she was very upset to she her eggs gone and asked the ocean to return them. The mighty ocean, full of pride, did not even consider her appeal. The sparrow became more upset and decided to dry up the ocean untill her eggs were returned. She began to peck out the water in her small beak, others around watched and laughed at her impossible task. But the sparrow ignored them and day and night continued pecking the water from the ocean. The news of her activity spread throughout the land, and reached Garuda, the gigantic bird that carried Lord Vishnu. Garuda was respected throughout the land for having similar powers to Lord Vishnu, the preserver or the universe. Garuda became compassionate towards the plight of his small sister bird and flew across the land to see her. Garuda was very pleased by the determination of the small sparrow and promised to help. Garuda at once commanded the ocean to return the eggs lest he himself take up the work of the sparrow. The ocean, knowing of the great powers of Garuda, became frightened by this and immediately returned the eggs. Thus the sparrow became very happy by the grace of Garuda. Success in Yoga may appear difficult. However one who follows Truth with great determination will surely get help from the Lord For God helps those who help themselves.
SERMON AT BENARES / BUDDHA
To you devout monks gathered here I say I have seen an old path, an old road, traversed by the supremely enlightened ones that have gone before. Along that road I have already gone. Along it I have fully known old age and death. I have also known the path leading to the end of old age and death. And I have seen Four Truths. These are the truths about suffering. The first is the truth of suffering. The second is the truth that suffering can be ended. The third is that there is a definite way to end it. The forth is the way itself; and that is the Noble Eightfold Path. And what is that Noble Eightfold Path? It is Right Views, Right Aim, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Endeavour, Right Mindfulness and Right Concerntration. This Noble Eightfold Path O monks is the selfsame path that has been trod by those great ones who have gone before. Tread you it also.
THE FIVE IDIOTS
Five idiots were seen walking through a village carrying a boat above their heads. The boat was so heavy they were struggling to even stand but they continued to carry it. The idiots were stopped by one of the village elders who asked them why they were carrying such a large boat when the only strech of water was in the direction they had come from. One of the idiots, still holding the boat, replied: "We were camped on the other side of the river when one of our group heard the growls of wild beasts. We all feared for our lives as we had no means to cross the river to saftey. Well, we were suddenly blessed to find this boat and got in it just as the wild beasts approached. Had we not found it we surely would have all died a horridle death, so we shall carry this boat around with us wherever we go in gratitude of it having saved us." The idiots struggled through the village nearly dying from the weight of the boat. Many things appear in our lifetimes which often help us. Yet when things have served their purpose it is unwise to de attached to them forever. If you want to achieve realisation it is only possible when excess baggage has been cast of. Find what is necessary to live, use things if they aid you but remain detached. Otherwise you will be weighed down and struggle through life.
One Short Note.
Kakua was the first Japenese to study Zen in China, and while he was there he accepted the true teaching. When he was in China he did not travel. He lived in a remote part of the mountain and meditated constantly. Whenever people found him and asked him to preach, he would say a few words and then move to another part of the mountain where he could be found less easily. When Kakua returned to Japan, the emperor heard about him and asked him to come to court to preach Zen for the edification of himself and his subjects. Kakua stood before the emporer in silence. He then produced a flute from the folds of his robes, blew one short note, bowed politely, and dissapeared. No one ever knew what became of him.