Rewards of patience
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Once upon a time, three monkeys found a mango in a forest. They wanted to share it.
They discussed how they would do that. The mango was actually quite small and not enough for them to each have much. "Someone smarter than us will know how to divide it equally," said one monkey.
"Yes, we need an outsider to do this job," said another monkey.
"I agree with both of you.
We should ask somebody to help us,"
said the third monkey.
And so they went to a man nearby and asked him, “Sir, will you help us share this fruit?” The man replied, “Sure I can. How can I help you?” The monkeys asked, “Can you help us carve three equal pieces from this mango? We want to share this mango equally among us.”
The man was wise. He told them, “There is a way to get plenty of mangoes now and forever.” The monkeys asked, “Is that so? Can you tell us how to do that?” The man replied, “This fruit is small. If you want to divide it into three equal shares, each of you will hardly get anything. So, instead of sharing this little fruit among the three of you, plant it in the ground.” “How will that help us?” asked the monkeys. The man replied, “If you plant it, water it regularly and care for it, the seed will become a big tree and you can have many more mangoes.”
The monkeys thought
it was a splendid idea
and they agreed.
The monkeys buried the mango in the ground. Weeks passed. The fruit had not sprouted. The monkeys started to argue again. They came back to the same man and said, "You told us to bury the mango seed. We did but nothing has grown from it," they complained.
The man asked what they had done with the fruit. "Exactly as you said," they replied. The man said, "Still, please tell me what each one of you did." The first monkey said, "I watered it regularly." The second monkey said, "I gave it the proper amount of manure." The third one added, "I watched it carefully. In fact, everyday I pulled it out to check if it had sprouted."
We go towards meditation in a similar manner. We should approach meditation with a sincere and relaxed attitude. Impatience will only lead to frustration. Do not expect to experience God during the first session! This will not work. Trust yourself and keep walking joyfully along the path. With time you will enjoy the fruits of your effort and bliss will flower in you!
DID YOU KNOW ?
The Master works in silent ways. Transformation comes from within our being. It is a secret that only Master knows. Waiting patiently is a sign of faith and trust in the Master and in the Divine.
REFLECTION CORNER
While you are being patient, you can feel sad or happy. Did you know writing about those emotions could help you to feel happy? Try this : write about things that make you happy:
Draw Your Happy Face
Draw Your Sad Face