Enlightenment - what is that?

A beggar had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you are sitting on?" "Nothing," replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember." "Ever looked inside?" asked the stranger. "No," said the beggar. "What's the point? There's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.

I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and who is telling you to look inside. Not inside any box, as in the parable, but somewhere even closer: inside yourself.

"But I am not a beggar," I can hear you say.

Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant joy of Being and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great material wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security, or love, while they have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.

The word enlightenment conjures up the idea of some super-human accomplishment, and the ego likes to keep it that way, but it is simply your natural state of felt oneness with Being. It is a state of connectedness with something immeasurable and indestructible, something that, almost paradoxically, is essentially you and yet is much greater than you. It is finding your true nature beyond name and form. The inability to feel this connectedness gives rise to the illusion of separation, from yourself and from the world around you. You then perceive yourself, consciously or unconsciously, as an isolated fragment. Fear arises, and conflict within and without becomes the norm.

I love the Buddha's simple definition of enlightenment as "the end of suffering." There is nothing superhuman in that, is there? Of course, as a definition, it is incomplete. It only tells you what enlightenment is not: no suffering. But what's left when there is no more suffering? The Buddha is silent on that, and his silence implies that you'll have to find out for yourself. He uses a negative definition so that the mind cannot make it into something to believe in or into a superhuman accomplishment, a goal that is impossible for you to attain. Despite this precaution, the majority of Buddhists still believe that enlightenment is for the Buddha, not for them, at least not in this lifetime.

-- The Power of Now

Elevator Story ......

There is a classic case in which the tenants of a large office building complained about the increasingly poor elevator service. A consulting firm specializing in elevator-related problems was employed to deal with the situation. It first established that average waiting time for elevators was too long. It then evaluated the possibilities of adding elevators, replacing existing elevators with faster ones, and introducing computer controls to improve utilization of elevators. For various reasons, none of these turned out to be satisfactory. The engineers declared the problem to be unsolvable.

When exposed to the problem, a young psychologist employed in the building's personnel department made a simple suggestion that dissolved the problem. Unlike the engineers who saw the service as too slow, he saw the problem as one deriving from the boredom of those waiting for an elevator. So he decided they should be given something to do. He suggested putting mirrors in the elevator lobbies to occupy those waiting by enabling them to look at themselves and others without appearing to do so. The mirrors were put up and complaints stopped. In fact, some of the previously complaining tenants congratulated management on improvement of the elevator service.

--Re-creating the Corporation..

Onsite Opportunity

SOME LOGICIAL THOUGHTS and STATEMENTS

1.Whenever you find the key to success, someone changes the lock.
2.To Err is human, but to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.
3.The road to success??.. Is always under construction.
4.Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.
5.In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you have ability to repay
back.
6.All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening.
7.Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear.
8.Everyone has a scheme of getting rich?.. Which never works.
9.If at first you don't succeed?. Destroy all evidence that you ever tried.
10.You can never determine which side of the bread to butter. If it falls down, it will always land on the buttered side.
11.Anything dropped on the floor will roll over to the most inaccessible corner.
12. 42.7% of all statistics is made on the spot.
13.As soon as you mention something?? If it is good, it is taken?. If it is bad, it happens.
14.He who has the gold, makes the rules ---- Murphy's golden rule.
15.If you come early, the bus is late. If you come late?? The bus is still late.
16.Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate.
17.When in a queue, the other line always moves faster and the person in front of you will always have the most complex of transactions.
18.If you have paper, you don't have a pen. If you have a pen, you don't have paper. If you have both, no one calls.
19.Especially for engg. Students : If you have bunked the class, the professor has taken attendance.
20.You will pick up maximum wrong numbers when on roaming.
21.The door bell or your mobile will always ring when you are in the bathroom.
22.After a long wait for bus no.20, two 20 number buses will always pull in together and the bus which you get in will be crowded than the other.
23.If your exam is tomorrow, there will be a power cut tonight.
24.Irrespective of the direction of the wind, the smoke from the cigarette will always tend to go to the non-smoker
25.Before borrowing money from a friend, decide whether you need more.
26.There are three sides to every argument: your side, my side and the right side.
27.An expert is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.
28.Many things can be preserved in alcohol. Dignity is not one of them.
29.Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.
30.When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.
31.Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
32.Well done is better than well said .
33.Everyone makes mistakes. The trick is to make them when nobody is looking.
34.Where there is a WILL, there is a WAY, Where there is MONEY, there are many WAYS.
35.Where there is MONEY, there are many FRIENDS and RELATIVES.
36.Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

From my Friend..

The Law of Success.....

-A Definite Chief Aim
-Self Confidence
-The Habit of Saving
-Initiative and Leadership
-Imagination
-Enthusiasm
-Self-Control
-Habit of Doing more Than Paid For
-Pleasing Personality
-Accurate Thought
-Concentration
-Co-operation
-Failure
-Tolerance

NO MAN HAS A CHANCE TO ENJOY PERMANENT SUCCESS UNTIL HE BEGINS TO LOOK IN A MIRROR FOR THE REAL CAUSE OF ALL HIS MISTAKES.
- Napoleon Hill.