C.R.I.- E.V.H. n°4 February 2006

Part 2

If someone want to translate the French texts he or she will be welcome.

Concentration, Contemplation and Meditation.

Concentration is something very common. Anybody who is serious about what he is doing necessarily concentrates a lot. You, for example, would totally concentrate on the target before shooting a penalty. Well, that is concentration.
Concentration is an activity of the brain or the lower Mind. With some practice, anyone can easily learn to concentrate. In fact, concentration is a must for all students.

After concentration comes contemplation. This is a higher activity of the Mind. Let us say a teacher has taught a lesson about plants. Later when the student is revising the lesson, he could contemplate and wonder: “How can the plant grow up without a father and mother? Or, are there an invisible father and an invisible mother? When I feel hungry I ask my mother for food. Which mother gives food and water to the plant? Why has God made the plant so different? Incidentally, why has God created plants?” That is contemplation.

Coming now to Meditation, in simple terms it means filling the Mind with God. When you contemplate, you start thinking of higher things. Going back to the case of the plant, Meditation means thinking, “God, how beautiful are the plants and the trees! “

Another example. You go to your garden to pluck a rose for God. When you pluck the flower, you must concentrate; otherwise you would get hurt by the thorns. Once you have plucked the flower, you hold it in your hands and admire its beauty and freshness. That is contemplation. You then say, “God, this flower I am offering to You.” That is Meditation.

Le peuple le plus heureux

L’homme le plus heureux est celui qui constamment va de l’avant et fait ce qu’il y a de mieux pour lui.

Le bonheur et la vertu se complètent l’un l’autre.

Les meilleurs ne sont pas seulement les plus heureux mais les plus heureux sont habituellement les meilleurs dans l’art de vivre une vie réussie.

Dieu est le plusgrand et le meilleur en vous.

  Exprimez plus l’Amour Divin, la lumière, la vérité et la beauté et vous deviendrez les personnes les plus heureuses du monde d’aujourd’hui.

A Prayer for YOU

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. 

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food.
The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.
The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing. Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your companion on the sland?”

”My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “is prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”

”You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”
”Tell me,’” the first man asked the voice, ”hat did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone……. but those of another praying for us.

With obedience come blessings. What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself.

My prayer for you today is that all your prayers are answered

Happiness is a conscious internal experience which is an effect of the extinction of all mental and physical desires. The lesser the desires, the greater is the happiness.

I’ve learned…

**I’ve learned that the best classroom in the worlds at the feet o an elderly person.

**I’ve Iearned that having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

** I've learned that you should never say no to a gift from a child.

**I’ve learned that I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.

** I’ve learned that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

**I’ve learned that sometimes all a person need is a hand to hold and a and a heart to understand.

**I’ve learned that we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

** I’ve learned that it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

**I’ve learned that under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and love.

**I’ve learned that the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

**I’ve learned that love, not time, heals all wounds.

**I’ve learned that you can make someone’s day bright by simply sending them a little note.

** I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by how he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree light.

**I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

**I’ve learned that making a "living" Is not the same thing as making a “Iife".

**I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

**I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People need and love human touches:holding hands, a warm hug or juste friendly pat on the back.

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

  Life is an experience meant to train the individual for a higher, deeper and more expanded state of existence through the experience of the results of one's actions. The aim of life is the attainment of complete perfection by merging in the Absolute.

Like kites we sometimes are

One windy spring day, I observed young peoplehaving fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicoloured creations of varying shapes and sizes filled theskies like beautiful birds darting and dancing in theheady atmosphere above the earth. As the strongwinds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.

Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook andpulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tai, kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind.As the kites struggled and trembledagainst the string, they seemed to say, "Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!"

They soared beautifully even as they fought the imposed restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose."Free at last" it seemed to say.Free to fly with the wind."

Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush.

"Free at last free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction.

How much like kites we sometimes are?

The Lord gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment and (pardon the pun) never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground. Let us each rise to the great heights our Heavenly Father has in store for us, recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve.

See God in every one, even in persons whom you regard as your enemies. Practice this broad, all-embracing Love.

Les béatitudes modernes

Bienheureux  ceux qui savent rire d'eux-mêmes, ils n'ont pas fini de s'amuser.

Bienheureux ceux qui savent distinguer une montagne d'une taupinière, ils éviteront bien des faux pas.

Bienheureux ceux qui savent se taire et écouter, ils en apprendront des choses nouvelles.

Bienheureux ceux qui sont assez intelligents pour ne pas se prendre au sérieux, ils seront appréciés de leur entourage.

Bienheureux ceux qui sont attentifs à l'appel des autres sans toutefois se croire indispensables, ils seront semeurs de joie.

Bienheureux êtes-vous, si vous savez regarder sérieusement les petites choses et paisiblement les choses sérieuses, vous irez loin dans la vie.

Bienheureux êtes-vous, si vous savez admirer un sourire et oublier une grimace, votre route sera ensoleillée.

Heureux êtes-vous, si vous êtes capables de toujours interpréter avec bienveillance les attitudes d'autrui, même si les apparences sont contraires, vous passerez pour des naïfs, mais la charité a  ce prix.

Bienheureux ceux qui pensent avant d'agir, et prient avant de penser, ils éviteront bien des bêtises.
Heureux êtes-vous, si vous savez vous taire et sourire, même lorsqu'on vous coupe la parole ou qu'on vous marche sur le pied, la foi commence à pénétrer dans votre cœur.

Bienheureux surtout, si vous savez reconnaître Dieu en tous ceux que vous rencontrez, vous avez trouvé la Vraie Lumière et la Véritable Sagesse.

A Box Full of Kisses

Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it is not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They are all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden box filled with Unconditional Love and kisses from our children, family, friends and GOD. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

 Love others for the God that is enshrined in them, that speaks and acts through them.

Samson, Moses, Noah and Jesus

A Young boy had just got his driving permit.

He asked his father, who was a rabbi, if they could discuss his use of the family car.
His father look him into his study and laid: "I'll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your Bible a little, get your hair cut and then we'll talk about it."

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss his use of the car.
They again went into the father's study where the father said: "Son, I've been very proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you've studied the Bible diligently, but you didn't get your hair cut."

The young man waited a moment and then replied: "You know Dad, I've been thinking about that. You know Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair."

The rabbi laid: "Yes, and everywhere they went, they walked."

Légende hindoue:

Une vieille légende hindoue raconte ... qu'il fut un temps où tous les hommes étaient des dieux.

Hélas, ils abusèrent tellement de leur pouvoir divin que Brahmâ, le maître des dieux, décida de leur ôter leur divinité et de la cacher à un endroit où il leur serait impossible de la retrouver. Le grand problème fut donc de lui trouver une cachette sûre. Les dieux mineurs, convoqués en conseil pour résoudre ce problème, proposèrent ceci : " Enterrons la divinité de l'homme dans la terre. " Mais Brahmâ répondit : " Non, cela ne suffit pas, car l'homme creusera et la retrouvera.

Alors les dieux proposèrent : " Dans ce cas, jetons-la dans le plus profond des océans. "
Mais Brahmâ répondit : " Non, car tôt ou tard, l'homme explorera les profondeurs de tous les océans et je suis sûr qu'un jour, il la trouvera et la remontera à la surface. "

Alors les dieux mineurs conclurent : " Nous ne savons pas où la cacher car il ne semble exister sur terre ou dans la mer aucun endroit que l'homme ne puisse atteindre un jour. "
Enfin Brahmâ hocha la tête et dit : " Je sais ce que nous ferons de la divinité de l'homme. Nous la cacherons au plus profond de lui-même, car c'est là le seul endroit où Il ne pensera jamais à la chercher. "

Depuis ce temps-la, conclut la légende, l'homme fait le tour de la terre, explore, escalade, plonge et creuse en vain, à la recherche de quelque chose qui se trouve en lui.

 One must follow the dictum, "Hands in the society and head in the forest". That is to say, whatever be the activities you are preoccupied with in society, you must be steadfast in holding on to the spiritual ideals.

Playing marbles with the NAME OF GOD

There was once a boy, who picked up a precious gem, bright and round, and used it for playing marbles on the road, with his comrades.

A merchant dealing in precious stones chance to pass along that road, and his discerning eye fell on the gem. 

He approached the boy, took him aside and offered to pay him fifty rupees in exchange.
If the boy could know the value of fifty rupees he would have known the value of the gem! 
He went to his mother and told her that a stranger had tempted him with fifty rupees in return for the marble he played with.  She was surprised that it was so costly and she said, “Do not go at the compound with it: play in the garden with your friend”.  When the value was revealed, limits were set.

The merchant had no sleep that night, he was planning to secure the gem from those simple folk, so that he could sell it at a huge profit to some millionaire or maharaja, He discovered the house of the boy and moved up and down that road hoping to boy.  When he saw the boy play with it, as it was as cheap as a marble, his heart was wrung in agony. 

The boy threw it on the floor; his mother emerged just at the moment from the inner apartments and it struck her foot and fell under the bush. 

He spoke to the boy asking for the gem in exchange for a hundred rupees, and again for five hundred rupees!  The son ran into the house in tears, complaining about the stranger who would not let him alone. 

The mother came out into the garden and begged the merchant to go away.

The merchant grasped the chance; he told them other that he was ready to give a thousand rupees on the spot, if the marble was placed in his hand! 

On hearing this, she forbade the child to play with it outside the house; he could play only within the room. 
The merchants could not be shooed off like that; he appeared the next day in front off the house; he held out ten thousand rupees as his offer for the marble. 

The mother refused to part with it but kept it now in an iron safe, under lock and key! 
When the merchant came the next day with fifty thousand rupees she took it to a bank and deposited it in their safety vaults. 

You are also playing marbles with the “name of God”unaware of its value.  Once you realize its worth, you will keep it in your heart of hearts as the most precious treasure. 
Know that the name is the key to success in your search for consolation, confidence, courage, illumination and liberation.

A child’s angel

Once upon a time, a child was ready to be born. So he asked God, "How am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God answered, "Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The Child asked, "Here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy.

God answered, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy."

The Child asked, "How will I learn?" "I don't know the language that men talk?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to live."

The Child asked, "What am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God smiled, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

The Child pleaded, "Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life. "

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the child in a hurry asked softly: "Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name?"

Your angel's name is of no importance, you will simply call your angel, "Mom."