A man, who had three girlfriends, was in a quandary which one to marry. So he decides to give each one $5,000 and see how each of them spends it.
The first one goes out and gets a total makeover with the money. She gets new clothes, a new hairdo, manicure, pedicure, the works.
She tells the man, "I spent the money so I could look pretty for you because I love you so much."
The second one went out and bought new golf clubs, a CD player, a television, and a stereo and gives them to the man.
She says, "I bought these gifts for you with the money because I love you so much."
The third one takes the $5,000 and invests it in the stock market, doubles her investment, returns the $5,000 to the man and reinvests the rest.
She says, "I am investing the rest of the money for our future because I love you so much."
The man thought long and hard about how each of the women spent the money, and decided to marry the one with the biggest tits.
You cannot win in life unless you live it consciously -- with full of awareness. The confusion is going to hound you however rich or powerful you might be. Ironically, the richer you are, the crazier your life becomes. Because you have tied yourself in complex knots of power, prestige, honour, and the like and estranged yourself from the simple things in life that offer you the best happiness. So much so that you mull over even simple things like eating your breakfast or taking a shower as your mind is constantly involved in thinking about the 'bigger' things in life -- like the stock market, how you dress for the corporate boardroom meeting, or what present to take to your boss's wife on her birthday to impress her and the like.
What a waste of life. Cycling and meditation are two things that pull you out of the complex society's demands and put you on the pedestal to your personal glory. And the reason is simple. Whether it is cycling or meditation or zen, for the first time you get time for yourself -- to brood over your life -- far far away from the madness of society.
Unfortunately, for the last one week I was so involved in my 14-hour-a-day work shifts that I could not go on a long ride. Neither could I go for jogging. But the least I could do was dynamic meditation and made the most of it, even if it was only for half-an-hour. That explains why I didn't update my blog too. This is going to continue for another two weeks, but I intend to go on long rides once every two days at least. For the moment, I've been using my bike as usual to go to office -- 6 miles one way and making the most use of it going speed biking in the traffic. It gives its own thrill and the joyride after a day's work is really refreshing.
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."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Did you get my e-mail?
Post a Comment