Destiny

During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided
to attack even though his army was greatly
outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his
men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle,
they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with
the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I
shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall
win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal
itself."

He threw the coin into the air and all watched
intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were
so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they
vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious.
After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the
general, "No one can change destiny."

"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the
lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

submitted by our member Justin 
 

Non-Harming,-- Ahimsa

A friend came back after several years in Nepal and India in 1973 and said of himself, "If I can't do anything useful, at least I would like to do as little harm as possible."

I guess you can bring back all sorts of communicable things from distant parts if you're not careful.  I was infected with the idea of ahimsa right then and there in my living room, and I have never forgotten the moment it happened. I had heard it before. The attitude of non-harming lies at the heart of yoga practice and of the Hippocratic Oath. It was the underlying principle of Gandhi's revolution  and of his personal meditation

practice.  But there was something about he sincerity with which my friend made his comment,  coupled with the incongruity of the person I thought I knew saying it, that impressed me.  It stuck me as a good way to relate to the world and to oneself.  Why not try to live so as to cause as little damage and suffering as possible?   If we lived that way, we wouldn't have the insane levels of violence that dominate our lives and our thinking today. And we would be more generous toward ourselves as well, on the

meditation cushion and off it.  

Like any other view, non-harming may be a terrific principle, but it's the living of it that counts. You can start practicing ahimsa's gentleness on yourself and in your life with others in any moment.

Do you sometimes find that you are hard on yourself and put yourself down?  Remember ahimsa in that moment.  See it and let it go.  

Do you talk about others behind their backs?  Ahimsa. Do you push yourself beyond your limits with no regard for your body and your well being?  Ahimsa. Do you cause other people pain or grief?  Ahimsa.  It is easy to relate with ahimsa to someone who doesn't threaten you. The test is in how you will relate to a person or situation when you do feel threatened. The willingness to harm or hurt comes ultimately out of fear.

 Non-harming requires that you see your own fears and that you understand them and own them.  Owning them means taking responsibility for them.  Taking responsibility means not letting fear completely dictate your vision or your view.  Only mindful-ness of our own clinging and rejecting, and a willingness to grapple with these mind states, however painful the encounter, can free us from the circle of suffering.  Without a daily  embodiment in practice, lofty ideals tend to succumb to self-interest.

------Jon Kabat-Zinn Wherever You Go There You Are