What Are Friends For

What are Friends for and why we do group work ?

My Old Parents are Getting Divorce ...

An elderly man in Mumbai calls his son in New York and says,
'I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce; 35 years of marriage... and that much misery is enough!'
'Dad, what are you talking about?' the son screams.
'We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,' the old man says.
'We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!'
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
'Like heck they're getting divorced,' she shouts, 'I'll take care of this.'
She calls Mumbai immediately, and screams at the old man, 'You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then , don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR??' and she hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife.. 'Okay', he says, 'It's all set. They're both coming for our anniversary and paying their own airfare!!'

MORAL:
No man / woman is busy in this world all 365 days.
The sky is not going to fall down if you take few days LEAVE and meet your dear ones.
OFFICE WORK IS NOT EVERYTHING IN LIFE and MONEY MAKING IS NOT EVERYTHING IN LIFE.

7 Types of Wives

One day after a meal, as the Buddha was giving a discourse, much shouting and yelling was heard in the house as Sujata was again scolding the servants. The Enlightened One interrupted his discourse and asked Anathapindika what kind of a commotion this was, that sounded like the noisy shouts of fisher folk. The householder answered that it was his own daughter-in-law, who did not behave properly towards her husband or his parents, who did not give alms, who was faithless and unbelieving, and who was forever causing conflict.
Then an unusual thing happened: the Buddha asked that she be called. When she appeared before him, he asked her which of the seven types of wives she wanted to be. She replied that she did not understand the meaning of this, and asked for more explanation. So the Enlightened One described the seven kinds of wives to her in verse:
1. Who, with mind corrupted, is unfeelingLoves other men but her husband despises,He who with wealth has gained herShe even seeks to kill — a Slayer is such a wife.
2. Whatever her husband gets for her by trade,By skilled profession or a farmer's work,She tries to filch a little just for herself.Such a wife may well be called a Thief.
3. The slothful glutton, bent on idling,A woman rude and fierce with coarse speech,He who supports her, she dominates.Such a wife a Tyrant must be called.
4. She who always for her husband caresWith sympathy, like a mother for her son,Who carefully guards his stored-up wealth,Such a wife may Motherly be called.
5. She who holds her husband in the same regardAs younger sister holds the elder born,Who humbly serves her husband's every wish,As Sisterly is such a wife known.
6. She whom her husband's sight will always please,Like friends who see each other after long a time,Who nobly bred and virtuous, devoted to her husband,A Friend is she as well as wife.
7. From anger free, afraid of punishment,Who bears with her husband with patient heart,And without grudge obeys his every wish,A Handmaid is she and a wife.
Who is called a Slayer, a Tyrant, or a Thief,Who is rude, unvirtuous, and disrespectful,Such kinds of wives will on their deathTo hellish worlds of misery depart.
But wives like Mother, Sister, Friend and Handmaid,Firm in virtue, imbued with long termed self-control,Such kinds of wives will on their deathTo happy destinies depart.
"These, Sujata, are the seven kinds of wives a man may have," said the Blessed One, "and which of them are you?"
Deeply moved, Sujata replied that from then on she would strive to be a handmaid to her husband. The words of the Enlightened One had shown her how to conduct herself as a wife. Later she became a faithful disciple of the Buddha, to whom she was ever grateful for her salvation. (AN 7:59)

Reference: The Siddhattha Gotama Buddha Sasana Network (Facebook)

Buddha Explained and Asked Which Kind of Horses are you ?d

In one of the Agama Scriptures, there is the following passage:

The Buddha once told his monks that there were four kinds of horses. The first, upon seeing the shadow of the riding crop, is startled and forthwith follows the wish of its rider. The second, startled when the crop touches its hair, forthwith follows the wish of its rider. The third is startled after the crop touches its flesh. The fourth is awakened

only after the touch of the riding crop is felt in its bones.

The first horse is like the person who hears about the death of someone in a distant monastic community and forthwith feels aversion for things of the world. The next horse is like the person who hears of the death of someone within their own monastic community and then feels aversion for things of the world.

The third horse is like the person who hears of the death of someone near and dear to them and then feels aversion for things of the world. The fourth horse is like the

person whose own body experiences sickness and suffering, and only then feels aversion for things of the world.

REFRENCE

Little Buddha Part (1-)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7


Part 8


Part 9


Part 10


Part 11


Part 12


Part 13


A Very Good Film About Buddha Ever ...

Science Study On Meditation!!!

Meditation sharpens our attention so that we notice details we might otherwise have missed, according to a new study, one among a number of recent studies that reveal that, yes, Buddhists have been right all along.
The article, published in LiveScience, says:
In recent years, scientists have found meditation affects brain functions. For instance, research into Tibetan monks trained in focusing their attention on a single object or thought revealed they could concentrate on one image significantly longer than normal when shown two different images at each eye. Another study of people who on average meditated 40 minutes daily found that areas of their brains linked with attention and sensory processing became thicker."One of the fundamental mysteries that is now becoming better understood as we go along but which is still a breakthrough area of research is neuroplasticity, the idea that we can literally change our brains through mental training," Davidson told LiveScience. "Certain kinds of mental characteristics such as attention or certain emotions such as happiness can best be regarded as skills that can be trained."
Indeed, meditation has recently been a hot topic, and research suggests it does more than just increase our mental acuity.
Science writer Sharon Begley recently published a book (The Mind and the Brain) about brain plasticity in which meditation was featured prominently. (You can also read an excerpt from her book in a recent article of hers in Time.) In it, she discusses how Davidson's research challenges the long-held hypothesis that a person's happiness set-point is unmovable. Davidson (with the help of the Dalai Lama) recruited Buddhist Monks--who had spent more than 10,000 hours meditating--for tests in which they meditated under fMRI scans. The scans showed "dramatic changes in the parts of the brain associated with happiness" as compared to the scans from a group of students who had recently undergone a crash course in meditation.
Who knows what else science will reveal about meditation--I am reviewing a book for the upcoming issue of Scientific American Mind that suggests science will soon have a lot more to say about meditation's power to heal and improve our lives.
But many people have proof enough already, I suppose.

Reference

My Mom Had Only One Eye!!!

A Touching Story............

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... She was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students and teachers to support the family.

There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, 'EEEE, your mom only has one eye!'

I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted her that day and said, ' If you're only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don't you just die?'

My mom did not respond... I didn't even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings.

I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study.

Then, I got married.. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts. Then one day, my Mother came to visit me. She hadn't seen me in years and she didn't even meet her grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, 'How dare you come to my house and scare my children!' GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!'

And to this, my mother quietly answered, 'Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,' and she disappeared out of sight.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.

My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

'My dearest son,

I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I came to your house and scared your children.

I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.

You see........when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine.

I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With all my love to you,

Your mother.