Boy’s Weakness www.mondaymantras.com Monday ※ Health: Papaya Health Benefits ..............5 ※ Main: All about Website ...............2 & 3 ※ Inspirational: Boy’s Weakness ...............1 WORKING TOWARDS MAKING MONDAY’S MORE EXCITING INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING Mantras ※ Spiritual: The Element of Earth - Sadhguru ...............4 A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his leſt arm in a devastang car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japa- nese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, aſter three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,”(Teacher in Japanese) the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?” “This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but af- ter some me, his opponent became impa- ent and charged; the boy deſtly used his one move to win the match. Sll amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This me, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a me-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. “No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him connue.” Soon aſter the match resumed, his opponent made a cri- cal mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. “Sensei, how did I win the tour- nament with only one move?” “You won for two reasons,” the sensei an- swered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your leſt arm.” The boy’s biggest weakness had become his biggest strength. Moral: Somemes we feel that we have cer- tain weaknesses and we blame God, the cir- cumstances or ourselves for it but we never know that our weaknesses can become our strengths one day. Each of us is special and important, so never think you have any weak- ness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the best out of it!” Source: hp://www.moralsto- ries.org/boys-weakness/ | ⁜ 18 | ⁜ Jul | ⁜ 2016 |
Transcript
Boy’s Weakness www.mondaymantras.com
Monday ※ Health: Papaya Health Benefits ..............5
※ Main: All about Website ...............2 & 3
※ Inspirational: Boy’s Weakness ...............1
WORKING TOWARDS MAKING MONDAY’S MOREEXCITING INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING Mantras
※ Spiritual: The Element of Earth - Sadhguru ...............4
A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.
The boy began lessons with an old Japa-nese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,”(Teacher in Japanese) the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?” “This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but af-ter some time, his opponent became impa-tient and charged; the boy deftly used his
one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. “No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.” Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a criti-cal mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament.
He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.
“Sensei, how did I win the tour-nament with only one move?”
“You won for two reasons,” the sensei an-swered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”
The boy’s biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
Moral: Sometimes we feel that we have cer-tain weaknesses and we blame God, the cir-cumstances or ourselves for it but we never know that our weaknesses can become our strengths one day. Each of us is special and important, so never think you have any weak-ness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the best out of it!”
Source: http://www.moralsto-r i e s . o r g / b o y s - w e a k n e s s /
In yogic terms, when we say “earth,” we not only refer to the planet but also to the most fundamental element in the making of our physical selves and of everything for that matter. Our physical self is essentially a com-bination of Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Akasha. Earth is the most basic and stable of the five elements. When it comes to the energy sys-tem and chakras, the Earth element is associ-ated with the Muladhara. It is the basis that all the other elements build on, and of our phys-icality. Though the element of Earth is part of physical matter around us too, it is best we start to perceive and understand it from the basis of our lives, because most people only really experience their own body and mind. Knowing and experiencing the element of Earth from within is part of the yogic process.
Whenever you eat food, you swallow a part of the earth. Essentially, we take in a part of the planet to sustain the body. Consequent-ly, how we treat the planet is how we treat our own bodies. Conversely, in a way, how we treat the body is how we treat the planet. It is all the more important to look at what role the element of Earth plays in our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. If the element of Earth does not cooperate, you are not getting anywhere. If the body does not cooperate, whatever aspirations you may have, you do not get very far. Unless you are completely detached from the physical, it will determine just about everything in your life.
How to establish a connection with the earth? All creatures have set levels of perception – they experience life in a certain way. Animals are very connected to the earth because they do not have the intellect and awareness that human beings have. When it comes to hu-mans, their psychological space dominates over their existential presence. In a way, an earthworm experientially knows the connec-tion to the earth, but it cannot conscious-ly realize it. If you pull it out of the earth, it wants to go straight back into the earth. If you pull a fish out of the water, it wants to go straight back into the water. This is not only essential for survival but also just because of the familiarity of habitat. In that sense, they know the connection. But they are not capable of being aware of it when they are in the earth or the water, respectively.
Most human beings are in the same state. Na-ture has evolved us to a different level of in-telligence and awareness, but we are refusing to accept the promotion. Obviously, you can-
not live without Air, Water, or Earth. If some-one tries to take any one of them away from you, you will desperately want to get it back. In that sense, you know the connection as an earthworm or a fish knows it. It is time you know it as only human beings are capable of knowing it. There are ways and methods to do that – unless you are too engaged in a world of your own. Most people are living in their own world, which means they are living in a psychological space, not really on the earth. They get down to the earth only when they get buried or cremated. Their psychological space is much more important to them than the reality in which they exist. In other words, their own thoughts and emotions are work-ing against them, because their intelligence has not been trained to be used in such a way that it enhances the way they experience life.
The whole focus of modern education and cultures is on how to use and exploit our physical environment – every creature and every substance. Nothing is being offered to enhance the way we experience life using our intellectual dominance and awareness. We have learnt to use everything around us, but wellbeing has not happened. If you try to enhance your physical situations, only those are getting enhanced, not you and your experience of life. When you breathe, there is not a certain quantity of air that is yours or mine. Without a constant exchange with your surroundings, you cannot live. An earthworm knows this. But most human be-ings do not even have that level of aware-ness. Our intelligence and awareness have turned against us because we have not both-ered to create a stable enough basis for our-selves. This is why the Earth element is so important, and that your Muladhara is stable.
A simple way to connect with the earth and stabilize the Muladhara is to walk barefoot. The time between pradosham, which is al-ways two days before a new moon day, and new moon is particularly conducive for this experience. On these days, the moon’s grav-ity creates a certain level of inertia, and your body and its energies are much more con-nected with the earth than on other days, be-cause it is pulling you in that direction. By con-trast, on full moon days, it is pulling you up, in the opposite direction. That is why there are different yogic practices for full moon days, new moon days, Shivaratri, and pradosham.
If not every day, at least for these three days from pradosham to Amavasya or new moon
day – if not outside, at least in the house – see if you can walk barefoot and sit on the floor, particularly cross-legged. Both bring a deep energy connection and create the ex-perience of being a part of the earth. Lying down will not give you that kind of conscious experience. One thing is we know what kind of meditation will happen when you lie down. Apart from that, how the energies function when you lie down does not support a con-scious experience. There are various other practices in this culture to connect to the earth experientially. On certain days of the year, people eat a little bit of earth, gener-ally from a termite hill or the like, to expe-rience this connection. A practice to bring the elements into your experience on a dai-ly basis is the Bhuta Shuddhi that we teach.
It would be best if you can be conscious of ev-ery breath you take. When you breathe air, be conscious that you are breathing a certain as-pect of this planet. When you eat something, be conscious that you are eating a part of this planet. When you drink water, be conscious that you are drinking a part of this planet. You should intellectually understand and be con-scious of the connection, but that alone will not bring an experiential connection. A true experiential connection means that you expe-rience the earth as much a part of you as you ex-perience your little finger as a part of yourself.
Walk barefoot, sit cross-legged on the ground, do the Bhuta Shuddhi practice. Whether you eat, breathe, or drink some-thing, be aware that you are taking in a part of this planet. Whatever you do – make it as conscious as possible. It will make a world of difference in how you experience life.
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