Monthly Archives: January 2011

“Humility gives you a teachable spirit that makes everything easier.”
– Seth Barnes (http://www.sethbarnes.com/?filename=the-importance-of-humility)

Kabir – The couplet
???? ????? ?? ???, ????? ?? ?? ??? |
???? ??????? ?? ????????, ??? ??? ?? ??? ||

transliterated:
Sabse laghuta hi bhala, laghuta se sab hoye |
Jaise dwitiya ka chandrama, shashi lahai sab koye ||

Translation:
The humble person is better than the rest, all can relate better to the humble one|
Just as the new moon on the day after no-moon day, is loved by all more than even the full moon!!

My understanding:

Humility is the core strength in every one of us that allows us to become all that we can be. Humility teaches us that all are equal, that any individual does not posses all.

To quote Hugh Prather (“Notes to myself on becoming a person”), ‘Once I realize that I know no more than the next man, does this wisdom make me any the wiser?’

I am but a grain of sand in the beach that is humanity. My knowledge is limited – for the more I know, the more I realize how much more there is to learn. My wealth in this world is also limited – if one person had all the wealth, and no one else had anything, then the wealth would be worthless since the others would find other things to trade with ?

My real worth comes from my acceptance of my being limited, and my willingness to always stay open to learning. From there springs the true wealth of realization. This realization is what makes life worth living.

“Have you ever noticed how refreshingly fun it is to be around positive thinking people who seem to naturally maintain a positive attitude? No matter how bad the circumstances, negativity never even enters their minds, let alone crosses their lips to form negative, faithless words!”
– Positive Attitude Tips – by Karen Wolf
about.com – http://christianity.about.com/od/practicaltools/a/positivethinkin.htm

Kabir – The couplet
????? ???? ???? ??, ???? ?? ?? ????? |
???? ??? ????? ???, ?? ??? ???? ????? ||

transliterated:
Chandan jaisa sadhu hai, sarp hi sab sansar |
Taake ang lipta rahe, man mein nahi vikar ||

Translation:
The realized person is like the sandal tree, the rest of the world a snake |
Though the snake wraps itself around the tree, the tree loses not its scent or become poisonous ||

My understanding:

Today, more than ever before in history, the temptation to take the easy path, the quick pickings, the short-cut, the quick cheat, is all around us. Google is full of tips on the quick win.

However, this is where the innate goodness of man and our desire to do things the right way wins, even now. While I will not say I have never taken shortcuts (I have, very often), I always stop short of doing that which is wrong – at least by my definition. That little voice, our conscience, is the sandal tree in the couplet above.

The snake is my desire, my ambition, my jealousy. The snake is always with me – but so is my conscience. And I am happy to say that the conscience is alive, well and healthy!

Every time we take that extra miniscule moment to listen to , pay attention to that voice in our head that we know is the conscience, the sandal tree keeps growing and flowering. Water it, feed it, and watch life prosper!