Finding The Miracles In Life's Struggles
Posts tagged loveneverending
Short Stories of Enlightenment
03 months
The original text of this article was in Chinese, and the author is unknown.
During an enemy attack, a soldier found a cave to take cover in. The enemy was trying to chase him so he went into the cave, praying that they wouldn’t see him there. All of a sudden, he felt a spider bite him. He was about to kill the spider, but he felt merciful and let the spider go. The spider climbed over to the opening of the cave and started to spin the web over the entrance. The enemy came up to the cave and saw that the web was untouched, so they figured nobody was in the cave. Thus, the soldier’s life was saved.
Enlightenment: Sometimes, when we help others we end up helping ourselves as well.
A father lost his pocket watch and searched everywhere for it. But, try as he might, he couldn’t find it after many hours. After he had left the room, his son came in and found it right away. His father asked, “How did you discover it?” He replied, “I just sat there quietly until I could hear the tick-tock, tick-tock of the clock.”
The image is from Gentleman’s Gazette(The Pocket Watch Primer)
Enlightenment: Sometimes, if we are too busy and anxious trying to find something we want, we fail. But if we quiet down, we not only get what we want, but we also hear our inner voice.
There was a traveler who stopped by a temple and saw a monk. He asked him, “Before you became an enlightened monk, what do you do?” The monk replied, “I chop wood, carry water, and cook.” The traveler said, “What about after you became a monk? What do you do now?” The monk said, “I chop wood, carry water, and cook.” The traveler asked, “So there is no difference?” The old monk said, “Before becoming a monk, when I chop wood, I would worry about carrying water. When I carried the water, I would worry about cooking. When I was cooking, I would worry about chopping wood. But after becoming a monk, when I chop the wood, I just chop the wood. When I carry the water, I just carry the water. When I cook, I just cook.”
The image from ANTHONY ZOLEZZI | Chopping Wood
Enlightenment: We must live in the present; the “Dao” is very simple. We just need to use our common sense to understand it.
If you hold a 25-pound child, you won’t feel tired because you love him. But if 25 pounds of stone has replaced this child, I’m sure you will tire much more quickly.
The image is from How to Hold a Baby | Infant Care
Enlightenment: If a person doesn’t like what they are doing, no matter how talented or smart they are, they cannot fully develop their potential. But if they like what they do, then you will be surprised to see how much their ability has increased. A lot of times, if we don’t achieve something, it is not because we are not capable. It may not be in our favor or our interest.
During the Second World War, a Jewish family was being prosecuted. The family’s two sons went out to seek help. The older son looked for someone who helped him before while, the younger one went to look for someone he had helped before. In the end, the older son was rescued, but the younger son was betrayed.
Enlightenment: Whoever loves you will continue to help you willingly. But whomever you love will not necessary always do the same.
A robin was flying to the east when he met a dove. They rested on a tree, and the dove asked the robin where he was going. He replied, “I don’t want to leave. But the residents of this neighborhood said that my song is ugly.” The dove said, “Don’t try so hard. If you can never change your voice, wherever you go, you will not be welcome .”
The image is from American Robin, Identification
Enlightenment: We cannot change our environment, only ourselves.
A donkey fell into a dry well. People tried to save him, but it was impossible, so they decided to bury the donkey there. At first, the donkey cried sadly when he felt the soil on his back, after a while; he fell silent. Then the donkey started to shake off the dirt when it hit his back and stomped it under his foot. Gradually, the soil under his feet made him move higher and higher. With the increased height, he was able to jump out of the well, to everyone’s surprise.
Enlightenment: When life throws challenges at us, we have a choice. We can cry, complain, and idle. Or we can take action by shaking off the dirt that is thrown on us and move upward.
The Angel Who Lost Wings
011 months
Once upon a time, there was a couple that had been so in love that they wanted to share that love with a small bundle of joy. So, they tried their best to have a baby and, to their delight, succeeded. But after the baby was born, they realized he wasn’t developing as quickly as he should have. When he was taken for tests a few years later, it was discovered that he had autism.
Upon this realization, the father started coming home later and later, leaving the mother alone with the child all day. One day, he came home drunk, alcohol on his breath, and suggested to his wife having another baby. Not long after, she discovered she was pregnant but worried about this kid having autism as well, considered abortion.
When she found out she was having twins, she knew abortion was out of the question. Soon after she gave birth, the couple discovered they had two healthy, normal baby girls. They had forbidden their autistic son from playing with the girls, as they were worried he might harm them. But one day, the wife noticed him playing with the girls, reaching out for the older one’s hand. Enraged, she scolded him and slapped him, going so far to ask the housekeeper to take him to the other room away from the girls. After she had calmed down and she went to the twins. She was shocked to find the cookie held by her older twin was her boy’s favorite. She realized that her boy was only trying to share his cookies with his sisters. The mother burst into tears shamefully.
Despite how their mother wanted them to treat him, the girls still carried a deep love for their brother. They would teach him how to read and write at home, even in spite of him being bullied at school. One day the older twin couldn’t take it anymore and stand up to the bullies. She yelled, “He’s an angel! He may have lost his wings, but he’s still an angel nonetheless, every bit as sweet and pure. He’s not used to this human world, but he’s still the best brother.”
Reading this Chinese story on the Internet, I can’t help shedding tears, and it reminded me of the song- An angel by Declan Galbraith. In the song, he talks about wishing he were an angel, and he had a pair of wings. I think we are all angels, maybe, sometimes we are not perfect -we lose our wings but we are still angels.
I wish I had your pair of wings
Had them last night in my dreams
I was chasing butterflies
Till the sunrise broke my eyes
Tonight the sky has glued my eyes
Cause what they see’s an angel hive
I’ve got to touch that magic sky
And greet the angels in their hive
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
And all the sweet honey from above
Pour it all over me sweet love
And while you’re flying around my head
Your honey kisses keep me fed
I wish I had a pair of wings
Just like last night in my dreams
I was lost in paradise
I wish I’d never opened my eyes
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
But there’s danger in the air
Tryin’ so hard to be unfair
Danger’s in the air
Tryin’ so hard to give us a scare
But we’re not afraid
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
I wish I were you
I wish I were you
Prayer
012 months
by Alice Lin
in My Life Story
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My friends often ask me how I pray. I don’t remember where I got the idea or how I started my technique, but I use nine bells on a wooden tray I found in my house and a candle with the flame inside the glass. Before I pray, I bow to heaven and earth, and then the sun and moon, and then to my parents. After I bow, I sit there and close my eyes. Before I pray, I ask for peace and blessings. I ask God to help the problems we encounter. As time goes on, I feel the divinity knows what we want and what we need. We do not need to ask for our sake. Gradually, I pray for the goodness of the people in this world.
Recently, I have been quiet. I have enjoyed that peace and quietness. Every time I have this communion with God, the birds always sing. After the prayer, I always ring the bells. At first, I could not understand why someone suggested using bells. The divinity did not need us to awaken it. But I thought it might awaken the people of the world. The people reside in the north, the south, the east, and the west. Yes, the people from all four corners of the world. And then, one day, the Voice told me, “The bells awaken the souls of the people. The human beings in the flesh separate themselves by race, religion, gender, country and every other kind of boundary. But their souls do not discriminate. That’s why you only need to pray for their souls.”
I heard this a few months ago, and it still rings true. More violence has happened in this world because of these distinctions by color, race, religion, country, etc. With this all happening now, I do my part in praying for everyone. In ringing the bell, maybe, just perhaps, the soul of the people will be awakened, and we will no longer have all this separation. We can live in harmony in this precious world.
Wisdom – Third Time’s Not the Charm
012 months
by Alice Lin
in My Life Story
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You may be puzzled by the title. There is a Chinese saying that we should not repeat our mistakes more than two times. If we do, then we will suffer the consequence as a result. While I was meditating one day, I was hoping to gain the wisdom to make fewer mistakes and improve my life. As we walk on this path, our ignorance and foolishness end up prevailing, and we make bad judgments. Consequently, our lives become miserable. We either encounter loss or heartache from repeating mistakes that we made earlier.
How I lost my hotel, how I was trapped by the mafia, how I was tricked time and time again: I kept suffering all the consequences of repeating my mistakes, losing all of my money and wasting my time. As I think about wisdom, I was reminded of a Russian expression: The wise man learns from someone else’s mistakes, the smart man learns from his own, and the stupid one never learns. I like to think that we learn a lot, not only from our mistakes but also from our experiences as well.
The other day, I found out that the stock company did not perform my stock transaction as I requested. I went to the company every year, but this year as I called to ask for the information, they started to tell me that I did not do it the year before. I was frantic, but I understood that this wasn’t the time to blame anyone. I knew very well that I went in personally every year to take care of anything. Things like this happen for a reason. I remembered the old Chinese saying about not repeating a mistake a third time. So I went in the next morning to try to deal with it. This time, I made a point of talking to the representative and expressing my frustration. He took time to help me through all the details. He had me sign the necessary papers and assured me that he would call me in a few days to ensure everything was done accordingly.
As I walked back to my car, I couldn’t help crying. I didn’t catch this mistake until the second time. I thanked the divinity for reminding me not to repeat my mistakes. How can we prevent this in our lives? We have to take action. I cried because all my life, I made many mistakes. I did not learn from my mistakes and corrected them. I thought I was smart. But then I realized I was a fool. I knew I needed to transform myself from a fool to a smart person. Then and there I told myself that I would go beyond that to become wise.
Recently, my friend told me about her story. She made a friend who was a pen pal. A couple of months later, that friend asked for help. He encountered a medical bill for his son he was unable to pay off. Out of love, she took care of this bill for a man she never met. Then, he asked for help again because he needed medical treatment this time. He was out of the country and could not access his bank account. This friend of mine, who was so giving and generous, stepped in to help once more. She thought everything was a done deal and that she could get her money back. Then, all of a sudden, he sent an SOS. He needed extra funds to travel back to his home. As I heard this, I kept meditating on it. I kept getting the feeling that this mistake should not be repeated. The third time is not the charm.
As I look at my experiences now and look at my friend’s experience, I see how we both suffered financially and emotionally. We had faced a tremendous loss. I hope that from now on, I will be able to make fewer mistakes and avoid unnecessary loss, not just regarding money, but also regarding emotional and psychological stress. That is why we always look to the elderly for advice because their life long experiences make them wiser. I hope I don’t have to get old to become wise, and from now on, I hope to learn from my experiences and watch out for others. Maybe I will become a wise person soon.
Take a Break
01 year
by Alice Lin
in My Life Story
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“Be renewed my children, for I am the everlasting God of mercy, and I will make every wrong right for you. That is my gift to you for your praise and worship for me.”
My youngest daughter and I recently traveled to San Francisco to visit my older daughter, who had just moved there from Hawaii. She was waiting to move into their newly purchased house. While waiting, they rented an apartment. Because there was not enough room to accommodate us, my daughter’s friend was gracious enough to offer their house for us to stay in.
The house was situated on a high hill, where you could see all the woods. It was such a serene scene; you felt as though you could touch the sky. My daughter’s friend offered me her daughter’s room. It was very comfortable; I was surprised to find the pattern of the comforter to be the design I picked for my blog’s background recently. I took that picture from the Los Angeles Airport a few years ago after a trip. I felt like somehow connected with that room.
The second night we were there, I had a very vivid dream. I dreamt that I was driving a car. All of a sudden, I did not have a brake. I knew that I would be in trouble without one, so I tried all means to stop the car. First, I attempted to hit the curb and use friction to stop the vehicle. That didn’t work, so I tried to crash into a pole. It didn’t work.
I was puzzled about why I was driving a car without a brake. I didn’t even know what kind of car I was driving. All of a sudden, I found myself driving into someone’s living room. A family was sitting there chatting. As I moved my eye to the front, I saw a big window, looked out, and saw the sea. I knew I was doomed. My car would just crash through the window and sink in the ocean. That would be the end of me.
Before I could picture the scene after we sank in the ocean, the car was put in reverse. I was out of danger in no time. I could not understand what happened. First, it was very odd to drive a car without a brake. Secondly, the emotion I felt when trying to stop was overwhelming. A voice inside kept screaming at me to brake. Lastly, even though I told myself I was doomed, I did not have that fear. As a mysterious force pulled me out of this situation, I thought it was natural.
I woke up. As I was eating my breakfast at my friend’s house, I suddenly understood why I had this dream. A couple of days before I came here, I had a prayer session with my friend Annette. She told me what she heard from the Voice – “Be renewed my children, for I am the everlasting God of mercy, and I will make every wrong right for you. That is my gift to you for your praise and worship for me.” Yes, he makes a wrong right for me. The divine comes from nowhere and he fixed it in an instant moment.
What a blessing that we can hear the Voice from time to time. Not only does it reassure us, but it has also awakened me and reminded me to take a break. For so many years, I kept charging forward and forward. Sometimes, during our journey, we all need to rest, to pause and to stop. We need to clear our minds and then we can amend our mistakes along the way to improve our lives.
