दान की उचित मनोदृष्टि

रहीम एक बहुत बड़े दानवीर थे। उनकी ये एक खास बात थी कि जब वो दान देने के लिए हाथ आगे बढ़ाते तो अपनी नज़रें नीचे झुका लेते थे। ये बात सभी को अजीब लगती थी कि ये रहीम कैसे दानवीर हैं। ये दान भी देते हैं और इन्हें शर्म भी आती है।

ये बात जब तुलसीदासजी तक पहुँची तो उन्होंने रहीम को चार पंक्तियाँ लिख भेजीं जिसमें लिखा था –

ऐसी देनी देन जु, कित सीखे हो सेन।

ज्यों ज्यों कर ऊँचौ करौ, त्यों त्यों नीचे नैन।।

इसका मतलब था कि रहीम तुम ऐसा दान देना कहाँ से सीखे हो? जैसे जैसे तुम्हारे हाथ ऊपर उठते हैं वैसे वैसे तुम्हारी नज़रें तुम्हारे नैन नीचे क्यूँ झुक जाते हैं?

रहीम ने इसके बदले में जो जवाब दिया वो जवाब इतना गजब का था कि जिसने भी सुना वो रहीम का कायल हो गया। इतना प्यारा जवाब आज तक किसी ने किसी को नहीं दिया। रहीम ने जवाब में लिखा –

देनहार कोई और है, भेजत जो दिन रैन।

लोग भरम हम पर करैं, तासौं नीचे नैन।।

मतलब, देने वाला तो कोई और है वो मालिक है वो परमात्मा है वो दिन रात भेज रहा है। परन्तु लोग ये समझते हैं कि मैं दे रहा हूँ रहीम दे रहा है। ये सोच कर मुझे शर्म आ जाती है और मेरी आँखें नीचे झुक जाती हैं।

A Zen Tale of Right and Wrong

The Pupil Who Would Be Cast Out: 

A Zen Tale of Right and Wrong

“In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.” ~ John O’Donohue

 

In Ancient Japan there lived a great Master Bankei, who was known across the land for his teachings. Whenever he held his meditation retreats, students from all across the country came to attend.

During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was promptly reported to Bankei with the request that the culprit be expelled. Bankei, however, ignored the case.

A few days passed, and when the same student was caught in a similar act, Bankei again disregarded the matter. This caused a lot of upset among the other students, angering them and prompting them to draw up a petition requesting the dismissal of the thief. If not adhered to, it stated, they would all leave the retreat.

Bankei read the petition and called everyone before him.

“You are wise, my brothers,” he said. “All of you who wrote this petition know what is proper. You are very clear on what is right, and what is not right. Yet this poor brother, who drove you to create and issue me this ultimatum, and who you would see cast out the doors of this retreat, does not. Who will teach him if not I?”

There was a prolonged moment of silence, during which Bankei examined closely the eyes of each of his students. They stirred uncomfortably, yet remained without speaking.

Finally, he continued. “You may all go somewhere else to study if you wish. I am going to keep him here, even if all the rest of you leave.”

Suddenly the pupil in question burst into tears, weeping uncontrollably. Slowly, a great understanding began to fall upon the rest of the students. It was clear that the tears being shed were of a genuine and cleansing nature. There was no mistaking it. All desire to steal, they knew, had vanished from their brother.

~ A Wisdom Pills Rendition of a Traditional Zen Tale.

Be There for Someone Who Need You

The on-duty nurse took the anxious young Army Major to the bedside. 

"Your son is here," she said softly, to the old man lying there on the bed.

She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened. 

Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Major standing outside the oxygen tent. 

He reached out his hand. 

The Major wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse, observing the touching moments, brought a chair so that the Major could sit beside the bed.

"Thank you Ma'am!" a polite acknowledgement followed. 

All through the night, the young Major sat there in the poorly lit ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the officer move away and rest awhile. 

He graciously refused.

Whenever the nurse came into the ward, he was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.  

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Major released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse.

While she did what she had to do, he waited...

Finally, she returned &  started to offer words of sympathy, but the Major interrupted her

.

.

.

.

.

"Who was that man?" he asked. 

The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered. 

"No, he wasn't," the Major replied. "I never saw him before in my life."

"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"

"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here!"

The nurse listened on, confused. 

"When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."  

"So then what was the purpose of your visit here, at the hospital, Sir?",  the nurse queried of him.

"I came here tonight to find a Mr. Vikram Salaria. His son was Killed in J&K last night, and I was sent to inform him."

'But the man whose hand you kept holding whole night was Mr. Vikram Salaria!'

They stood in complete silence. There couldn't be anything more assuring for a dying man than his son's hand!

The next time someone needs you ... just be there! & Just stay!!! 

WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE...

WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE...

Thanks to Dr. Anshu Asri for sharing this thought and anecdote.