A Gift Not Accepted

Buddha

One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. “You have no right teaching others,” he shouted. “You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake.”

Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man “Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom the gift belongs?”

The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.”

The Buddha smiled and said, “That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.”

“If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy.”

The young man listened closely to these wise words of the Buddha. “You are right, o Enlightened One, “he said. ”Please teach me the path of love. I wish to become your follower.”

The Buddha answered kindly, “Of course. I teach anyone who truly wants to learn. Come with me.”

This story came to us via e-mail. The source of this story has not been verified and we have no idea of the historical authencity of this story. We nevertheless feel that this story offers a useful lesson and are hence posting it. Please let us know your thoughts on it and pass it on if you find it useful.

For another Buddha story click here.

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Many shallow wells or one deep one?

Francie Steinzeig

Francie Steinzeig

I practiced yoga for the first time in my twenties and dabbled now and then throughout the years. About 19 years ago, I began my yoga journey in earnest.

One of my yoga teachers once told me that with yoga, one could dig many shallow holes or dig a deep well. Through the years I’ve practiced many different styles but found my yoga home with Breath Yoga, a flowing practice that quiets my active mind and body.

Ketna Shah has been my teacher for the last several years. She skillfully sequences asanas and ends our practice with pranayama. I always feel better emotionally, physically, and spiritually after my practice. I am grateful to have found a warm and supportive yoga community that enriches my life in so many ways.

Do you have a yoga story to share? If so please send it to us! For more such stories please click on the “stories” tab or click here.

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Was there a choice?

Cowboy

A Baptist Preacher was seated next to a cowboy on a flight to Texas. After the plane took off the cowboy asked for a whiskey and soda, which was brought and placed before him. The flight attendant then asked the preacher if he would like a drink.

Appalled, the preacher replied, “I’d rather be tied up and taken advantage of by women of ill-repute than let liquor touch my lips.”

The cowboy then handed his drink back to the attendant and said, “Me too, I didn’t know we had a choice.”

For more such jokes click on the “Stress-busters” tab or click here.

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Who packed your parachute?

picture of skyiver

Captain Charlie Plumb flew combat missions over Vietnam. On his 75th mission, with only 5 days before he was to return home, Plumb was shot down and he ejected into enemy territory. He was captured, tortured, and imprisoned for the next 6 years. He survived the ordeal and now maintains a web-site and is a motivational speaker.

Recently he narrated a story to his audience. He was sitting in a restaurant and was approached by a stranger. “You’re Captain Plumb!” The stranger exclaimed. “You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down and parachuted into enemy hands,” the stranger continued.

“All this is true. But how do you know?” Plumb asked.

“I packed your parachute!” replied the stranger. Plumb was speechless when he heard that. He staggered to his feet and held out a very grateful hand of thanks.

Plumb could not sleep that night. He kept wondering, “How many times I must have passed him on that aircraft carrier and not even wished him good morning. After all he was a lowly seaman and I was a fighter pilot!”

Plumb could not help thinking about the many hours the sailor must have spent alone in the bowels of the ship on a long wooden table laboriously hand packing hundreds of parachutes. And that he was alive today because of the diligence and sincerity of this man’s effort.

Plumb then looks to the audience and asks, “Who is packing your parachute?”

“I survived thanks to not only the guy who packed my physical parachute. I survived also because somebody packed my emotional parachute, my spiritual parachute, my health and wellness parachute, and so on.”

“We must take time and acknowledge all the people who pack our parachutes! For those who we do not even know, the only recourse is to pass the favor forward and make sure that we in turn pack somebody else’s parachute!”

To see Charlie Plumb in action watch this video.

While we are on the topic of Parachutes, you may like the following stress-buster joke.

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Happiness is possible without getting high!

Addiction
The following is a poem written by a participant of Y12SR Intensive workshop. The Y12SR program is designed for anyone dealing with their own addictive behavior or affected by this behavior in others.

For more details on the Y12SR program click here. The husband and wife team of Nikki Meyers and Nate Rush have developed this program in 2004. This program has been featured in the NY Times and The Yoga Journal and has helped transform many lives.


As recovery weekend comes to an end
I feel like I’m now surrounded by friends
I’ve learned a lot and my body is sore
And to be honest it leaves me wanting more

I thought we were different but we are really the same
Because everyone of us is dealing with some pain
That I don’t want to deal with acknowledge or feel
But with a little help I can actually heal

That I don’t have to go on living a lie
Or slowly watching my life pass by
Or hoping or wishing that I would die
And happiness is possible without getting high

Yoga and recovery are two things I didn’t think I could do
And I thank Nate and Nikki for teaching me something new
And although it leaves me wondering what happens next
I feel more prepared to give it my best

So as we separate and go through the journey of life
I feel more confident that I can live right
I will remember all of you and the time we have shared
And I realize that somebody in this world really cares

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