Moskowitz met Finklestein on the street one day and said, "Finkelstein, have I got a bargain for you! An elephant! A whole living elephant for just one hundred dollars."
Finklestein said, "Are you crazy? What do I want with an elephant?"
"It's a beautiful elephant," continues Moskowitz, "all grey, ten feet tall, complete with a trunk."
"But I have nothing to feed it on," cried Finkelstein. "I live in a three-room apartment. I have no place to put it in."
But Moskowitz went on: "Two beautiful tusks, maybe two feet long. It is a magnificent beast. They don't make them like that anymore."
"Moskowitz," said Finkelstein, almost screaming, "I have a three-room walk-up apartment on the fifth floor. Where will I keep an elephant?"
"You are a hard man, Finkelstein," said Moskowitz. "I will tell you what, I will throw in a second whole elephant for only $50 extra."
Finkelstein smiled and said, "Now you are talking!"
Life, the way we are living, is about how smart we are in outwitting the other person. Never mind it ain't make a difference to our life or our outlook towards life. It gives that momentary massage to the ego. And we get a mighty kick out of it. If only we realise that a greater and grander thrill can be had from elsewhere, especially dancing, we wouldn't want to impress the other person. Isn't it? Ask any dancer and he will vouch for it. Because in dance, or cycling, or running for that matter, you have a feeling that your body is melting and that you are just a pillar of energy. The lightness gives an ultrahigh that can't be equated with anything else in the world. That is why great sages all over the world, especially the Sufis have been advocating dance as a form of meditation.
To take a detour from the usual running and biking, I danced away the whole morning. And what a wonderful relief it was. I occasionally dance away my blues and there is nothing like a solid one hour dance. The Shamans claim that dancing you fall into ecstasy. The more you dance, they say, the more on gets merged with the godliness. And as I occasionally dance away to glory in the middle of the night, I can say with pride that I have reached such ecstatic heights.
In the evening I went on a regular bike ride inside city on my way back home. The heat and the pollution, however, are playing havoc and I've been sweating profusely getting drenched in the sweat by the time I reach home. But what to do I love it.
My mission
To jog-bicycle around the world, climb the mountains, swim the seas and soar the skies. Since they are not remotely possible, I settled for a daily dose of spiritual triathlon -- jogging, cycling and meditation -- necessarily in that order. My idea of a spiritual triathlon is 10 miles of jogging and 10 miles of cycling followed by an hour of meditation. I sincerely feel that not less than a spiritual marathon can tame the mind and mould it the way you want it to. So go ahead and have fun taking a dekko at my spiritual athleticism. But don't forget to drop in a word or two on how you feel about my blog and my way of life. Your advice is always valuable to go that extra length to the Garden of Eden
Food for cycling thought
A Zen Teacher saw five of his students return from the market, riding their bicycles. When they had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?"
The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the student, saying, "You are a smart boy. When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over, as I do."
The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path." The teacher commended the student, "Your eyes are open and you see the world."
The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant, nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."
The fourth student answered, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all beings." The teacher was pleased and said, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."
The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle." The teacher went and sat at the feet of the fifth student, and said, "I am your disciple."
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