When a triumphant general returned to Rome, he would ride through the street while the crowd cheered on both sides. Yet he always had an attendant sitting in the carriage to whisper in his ear, “Respice post te! Hominem te esse memento! Memento mori!” (“Look behind you! Remember you are only a man! Remember you – Read More –
A Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. That night he was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be interrogated, tortured, and executed. Then the words of his Zen master came to him, “Tomorrow is not real. It is an illusion. The only reality is – Read More –
One day Chuang Tzu and a friend were walking by a pond. “Look at the fish swimming about,” said Chuang Tzu, “They are really enjoying themselves.” “You are not a fish,” replied the friend, “So you cannot truly know that they are enjoying themselves.” “You are not me,” said Chuang Tzu. “So how do you – Read More –
Junaid was going through the market-place of the town with his disciples. And it was his way to take any situation and use it. A man was dragging his cow by a rope, and Junaid said, “Wait” to the man, and told his disciples “Surround this man and the cow. I am going to teach – Read More –
I woke up today to an email from a dear friend with a link to my website as a part of her signature…Omg! And earlier this week, my sister told me a out her enthusiastic referrals of my site to others…Wow! My mother has taken to quoting and referencing bits from my site when we – Read More –
Ubuntu (South African Philosophy: “I Am Because We Are”) embodies the spirit of human kindness…of looking after one another. In the words of (the great) Nelson Mandela, “Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves, the question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you – Read More –
There was a famous sage called Sadat who lived high up in the Himalayan Mountains, far away from humanity. He choose a simple life and spent most of his time meditating. People from all over the globe would travel for days on end to meet him and ask for his advice. Once such a group – Read More –