If one person tells a lie-hundred repeat it as true

A rabbit slept under a coconut tree. A big coconut fell on the ground and exploded with a bang!

Hearing the sound the rabbit woke up, jumped and cried “The earth is breaking up”! “the earth is breaking up”!

He ran fast and another rabbit joined him. Soon hundreds of rabbits were running and crying ,”The earth is breaking up.”

A deer heard their cries and followed them, soon a pig, a buffalo, an ox and a tiger , an elephant joined them too. A lion king heard their cries and thought, the earth is not breaking up. There is some mistake. He ran in front of them and roared-“Stop! Who says the earth is breaking up”.

The elephant said, “the Tiger said.”

The Tiger said, “The ox said.”

The ox said, “the buffalo said.”

The buffalo said, “the pig said.”

All nodded and pointed to first rabbit and then said, “Is it true the earth is breaking up”? asked the lion.

Yes, great lion, said the rabbit. I woke up from the sleep and heard the sound of earth breaking up!

The lion said, “Let us go to that place and see for ourselves if it is true”!

Soon they ran to the coconut tree. When the lion saw the broken coconut , he said to the rabbit, “You silly rabbit” the sound of breaking coconut does not mean the earth is breaking up!

They ran to the other animal to explain the mistake.

Moral: When one person tells a lie, one hundred repeat it as true.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Arabian Nights

Sham S. Misri

Hundreds of years ago professional story tellers in India and the Middle East made up the stories now known as ‘Arabian nights.’ Later on, groups of these stories were put together. One group was translated from Arabic to French by Antonie Galland in early 1700’s. His, ‘A Thousand and One Nights, introduced these Oriental tales to the Western world.

All the collections have one thing in common. A heroine, Scheherazade, tells different stories. She recites the tales for a very good reason: She must save her life.

The heroine was married to Sultan Shahriyar, who had killed his first wife when she was unfaithful to him and then all his later wives in revenge against women. Scheherazade did not want to suffer the same fate. On her wedding night she began to tell her husband a story and stopped just before she reached the end. The Sultan allowed her to live another day in order to hear the end of her tale. The next night she finished the story and began another one even more fascinating than the first. Again she stopped before the ending, gaining another day of life.

And so it went, for a thousand and one nights. Finally the Sultan realized that Scheherazade was a good and faithful wife, and the couple lived happily ever after.

One story from Arabian Nights is :

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

(A story for children)

Sham S. Misri

Once a magician poses as a long lost uncle to the innocent Aladdin. The two leave the city and arrive at a secret place, where the magician burns a fire, throws powder on it, and says some magic words. The earth trembles, and opens, revealing a flat stone with a brass ring over it. With the help of more magic words, the stone is moved and steps appear.

“Go down” said the magician. “At the foot of the steps you will find an open door leading into three large halls. Fold up your gown and go through them without touchkng anything, or you would die instantaneously. The halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you come to a place in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour out the oil it contains and bring it to me.”

The magician drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Aladdin, bidding him prosper.

Aladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered some fruits of the trees and, having got the lamp, arrived at the mouth of the cave.

The magician cried out in great hurry, “Make hurry and give me the lamp.” This Aladdin refused to do until he was out of the cave. The magician flew into a terrible passion, and throwing some more powder on the fire, he said something, and the stone rolled back into the place.

The magician left Persia for ever, which simply showed that he was no uncle of Aladdin, but a cunning wizard who had read in his magic books about a wonderful lamp which would make him the most powerful man in the world.

Though the wizard alone knew where to find it, he could only receive it from the hand of another. The wizard had picked out the foolish Aladdin for this purpose, planning to get the lamp and kill him afterwards.

For two days Aaladdin remained in the dark, crying, nostalgic and lamenting. Atlast he clapped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring, which the magician had forgotten to take from him. Instantly an enormous and frightful genii rose out of the earth, saying, “what do you want from me? I am the slave of the ring and would obey you in all things.

Aladdin fearlessly replied, “Carry me out from this place.” There upon the earth opened and he found himself outside. As soon as his eyes could tolerate the light he went home, but fainted on the treshhold. When he came home he told his mother what had passed, and showed her the lamp and the fruits he had gathered in the garden. The fruits that he had gathered were in reality precious stones.

He then asked his mother for some food.

“Alas, child,” she said, “I have nothing in the house but I have spun a little cotton, go and sell it.”

Aladdin was upset. He told his mother to keep her cotton, for he would sell the lamp instead.

As the lamp was very dirty she began to rub it, so that it might fetch a good price. As she rubbed the lamp a genie appeared. Aladdin's mother was afraid, but the genie said, “Order me and I will get anything for you.”

She fainted away, but Aladdin quickly snatched the lamp and said boldly, “Fetch me something to eat!”

Immediately the genie returned with a golden bowl, and six silver plates containing rich yummy and delicious dishes. Aladdin and his mother relished. There after the genie was their slave. Aladdin then ordered to make beautiful house and that way they became very rich.

Taking Refuge of The Great

Here is a story for children:

Taking Refuge of The Great

Once, lost in a dense jungle, a lonely goat, hungry and frightened, sat shivering beside a lion’s pugmark. Pugmark is the footprint of an animal on the ground. To the wolf and all the wild animals who threatened to kill her, she declared that this footprint was her protector. Unaware of what or who a lion is , the little goat’s faith felt his power when all other animals fled at the sight of pugmark. Finally, the lion arrived. Pleased by her faith in his footprint, he promised to protect her. He summoned an elephant and ordered him to seat the goat on his back and carry her home with great honor and respect  while she merrily chewed on soft green leaves.

The moral of this story is : By taking refuge of the Great, even the meek and weak attain greatness.

Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights
Sham S. Misri

Hundreds of years ago professional story tellers in India and the Middle East made up the stories now known as Arabian nights. Later on, groups of these stories were put together. One group was translated from Arabic to French by Antonie Galland in early 1700’s. His, ‘A Thousand and One Nights, introduced these Oriental tales to the Western world.

All the collections have one thing in common. A heroine, Scheherazade, tells different stories. She recites the tales for a very good reason: She must save her life.

The heroine was married to Sultan Shahriyar, who had killed his first wife when she was unfaithful to him and then all his later wives in revenge against women. Scheherazade did not want to suffer the same fate. On her wedding night she began to tell her husband a story and stopped just before she reached the end. The Sultan allowed her to live another day in order to hear the end of her tale. The next night she finished the story and began another one even more fascinating than the first. Again she stopped before the ending, gaining another day of life.

And so it went, for a thousand and one nights. Finally the Sultan realized that Scheherazade was a good and faithful wife, and the couple lived happily ever after.
One story from Arabian Nights is :

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Sham S. Misri

Once a magician poses as a long lost uncle to the innocent Aladdin. The two leave the city and arrive at a secret place, where the magician burns a fire, throws power on it, and says some magic words. The earth trembles, and opens, revealing a flat stone with a brass ring over it. With the help of more magic words, the stone is moved and steps appear.

“Go down” said the magician. “At the foot of the steps you will find an open door leading into three large halls. Fold up your gown and go through them without touchkng anything, or you would die instantaneously. The halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you come to a place in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour out the oil it contains and bring it to me.”

The magician drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Aladdin, bidding him prosper.

Aladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered some fruits of the trees and, having got the lamp,  arrived at the mouth of the cave.

The magician cried out in great hurry, “Make hurry and give me the lamp.” This Aladdin refused to do until he was out of the cave. The magician flew into a terrible passion, and throwing some more powder on the fire, he said something, and the stone rolled back into the place.

The magician left Persia for ever, which simply showed that he was no uncle of Aladdin, but a cunning wizard who had read in his magic books about a wonderful lamp which would make him the most powerful man in the world.

Though the wizard alone knew where to find it, he could only receive it from the hand of another. The wizard had picked out the foolish Aladdin for this purpose, planning to get the lamp and kill him afterwards.

For two days Aaladdin remained in the dark, crying, nostalgic and lamenting. Atlast he clapped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring, which the magician had forgotten to take from him. Instantly an enormous and frightful genii rose out of the earth, saying, “what do you want from me?  I am the slave of the ring and would obey you in all things.

Aladdin fearlessly replied, “Carry me out  from this place.” There upon the earth opened and he found himself outside. As soon as his eyes could tolerate the light he went home, but fainted on the treshhold. When he came home he told his mother what had passed, and showed her the lamp and the fruits he had gathered in the garden. The fruits that he had gathered were in reality precious stones.

He then asked his mother for some food.

“ Alas, child,” she said, “I have nothing in the house but I have spun a little cotton, go and sell it.”

Aladdin was upset. He told his mother to keep her cotton, for he would sell the lamp instead.

As the lamp was very dirty she began to rub it, so that it might fetch a good price. As she rubbed the lamp a genie appeared. Aladdin's mother was afraid, but the genie said, “Order me and I will get anything for you.”

She fainted away, but Aladdin quickly snatched the lamp and said boldly, “Fetch me something to eat!”

Immediately the genie returned with a golden bowl, and six silver plates containing rich yummy and delicious dishes. Aladdin and his mother relished. There after the genie was their slave. Aladdin then ordered to make beautiful house and that way they became very rich.

Shunya (Nothingness)-void

Shunya (Nothingness)-void

Sham S. Misri

Lal Ded was a great Yogi, a true Shaiva follower. In her wanderings, through the space she observed big black holes and deep fissures. She cautions all the spiritual saints daring to undertake such an adventure, to travel through the space that they must avoid dangerous routes and move ahead with care. The black holes are objects in the space, which are so dense and gravitationally strong that neither matter nor light can escape them. However, energy is released, as matter plunges into the hole’s deep gravity well.

Loob maarun sahaz vyatsaarun, Dro'g zaanun kalpan traav;

Nishi chuy tay duur mo gaarun, Shuunyas shuunyaah miilith gav.

In the above vakh she says: “Realization is rare indeed; seek not afar; it is near, by you. First slay Desire, and then still the mind, giving up vain imaginings; then meditate on the Self within, And lo! The void merges in the Void. Lalleshwari had attained the highest goals of spirituality. She says that concentration on the Lord’s name and meditating on one’s real self is the key to get rid of the worldly desire. She had a clear imagination that achieving the status of being one with the Lord was not so hard for everyone who wanted to reach there. The main hurdle in the achievement of spiritual goals is one’s own incapacity. Lalleshwari has a clear message for a simple devotee ---- your Lord is nearer to you than everything else! Never imagine Him to be far from away! Just keep under control the fiery body emotions. There is no need to seek Him anywhere else. He is there inside your loving heart. The individual soul is an essential part of the supreme. Once it achieves the essential realization of self, it takes a swift flight to meet the Lord and become one with Him. Atma becomes one with Paramatma. Shunya merges with the absolute. Human being loses its personal identity and becomes one with the Lord. All duality between the ordinary soul and the supreme soul is finished. Lalleshwari had attained this experience and there was nothing further unattainable for her.

“Shuniya” or a “zero point”  is where the mind become still and you become the observer. This way you are not the ripple of the waves, but stillness in the depths of the ocean. Shuniya is a deep, meditative state of consciousness where the 'separate' self-identity softens into stillness. This state of being is so pure and clear that it is often referred to as a state of 'zero'. In Shuniya, the greater aspect of 'Self', or the 'higher self', is available and the experience of oneness is realized. The characteristics of Shuniya are inbuilt. The features of shuniya are graceful, soulful, neutral, sensual, accepting, and allowing. There is no judgment, expectation, opinion, pushing, or intellectualism. It is a pure form of love. In this state of consciousness, the Infinite is in charge and what happens is limitless.

The Masters of Kundalini Yoga, say that the highest state of consciousness is called ’Shuniya’, where the ego is brought to complete stillness. A power exists there. We do not hassle or try to act. With folded hands of devotion, Infinity acts for us. In that state of “zero,” if we can focus our mental projection on a clear intention, which acknowledges our higher self and the Creator within us, it will be so.

There is no miracle. The mind is infinite when it concentrates the magnetic energy of the psyche. There are only two things: energy and matter. Any composition, permutation of any energy into matter and matter into energy, can be caused by a disciplined mental concentration. That mental concentration is in you, it is not outside.

Gurus precheome sassi latey, Yas nu kenh vanan tas kyah naav.

Pritschaan pritschaan thachis tu loosis,Kenh nas nishi  kyaahtaam draav.

In the above vaakh, Lalla says I requested my spiritual guide, a thousand times, with consciousness: "He that is nameless, how that nameless is named?” Since the curiosity to know is a worship of higher order, it implies a belief in the existence of higher power, without which there could be no worship. It was by gradual process of thought that Lal Ded wanted to become conscious of a new force, for establishing the identity of the Lord. As her soul was in anguish she asked and asked till she became tired, mute and silent. Lo! The nameless non-existent and invisible became the source of her realization. This is the beginning of her awakening in spiritual bliss that paved way to enter into the realm of ecstasy, and, that resulted in the realization of ‘something evolved out of nothing.’ It was all puzzling but great and wonderful. The Guru directed her in seeing that Nameless within self.

The vakh clearly state that when Lal Ded asked her master (Guru) a thousand times what the name of the nameless was and when she had exhausted enquiring repeatedly, she suddenly got awakened to the truth of her enquiry. The truth that was revealed to her was that the ultimate goal of man was only to be one with the universal void (Shunya). The truest truth of the universal Lord is His nothingness. The truth of the total realization of man is getting lost in this sea of nothingness and becoming an indivisible part of the whole.

Again, in another vakh:

Shunyuk maidaan kodum paanas, Mye lalli, roozum na bodh na hosh;

Vezuyi sapnis paanay  paanas, Adu kami hilli pholli lalli pamposh!

Here Lalla says: “I travelled far beyond in the space, leaving behind me reason and sense. Then, came upon the secret of the Self; All on a sudden, I experienced a feeling of strange delight. I suddenly lost the entire intelligence, in the bliss of ecstasy. I started realizing my own true spirit rising to the heights of spiritual kindness.”

Lalla says: “I travelled alone extensively the higher reaches of my Lord’s influence. The sights and scenes were so enchanting that I lost my conscience. But soon I was awakened to the delicate secrets of my inner self. Thus I Lalla with such a humble background was escorted into the crowning glory of celestial emancipation.”

Shunya is a broader concept of the Supreme Lord. It is not anyway comparable to nothingness in its ordinary sense, because, it holds in its purview the whole cosmos as an influence of the Lord. Lalleshwari was a highly awakened soul who had achieved all the goals of divinity. In the ecstasy of her achievement she says she toured the extensive fields of Shunya, the Lord’s influence during her celestial journey so much so that she lost all the consciousness of her body sensations but soon upon gaining the awakening of her real self she gained the greatest satisfaction. The achievement is beautifully compared by Lalleshwari to the lovely blossom of a lotus field on the muddy surface of wet lowland which indicates her down to earth background and her subsequent achievement high up into the skies.

Shuniya is not some fancy mysterious yogic term. Through meditation, we can train our minds to respond with a steady consciousness instead of reacting from fluctuating emotions. Through meditation we can reach that still point where we merge with the Infinite and create our own extensive reality. Miracles are developed in the soil of Shuniya.

What are the “beetle” and the “blue” in: Beetle kill blue pine?

Sham S. Misri

When the mountain pine beetle attacks a pine tree it’s got an assistant, an accomplice in the blue stain fungus travelling with the beetle inside what silviculturists call “ a special structure in the beetle’s mouthparts.”

That’s how the fungus gets from tree to tree. What does the fungus do for the beetle in this classic example of symbiosis?

When a pine tree is attacked it produces a protective resin. The fungus works to stop that, allowing the beetle to wreak havoc and lay eggs. The fungus also serves the beetle by creating resin free environment for eggs and larvae. If that is not enough, adults and larvae use the fungus as a food source.

Source: Forest Business Network.

The Three Companions

Sham S. Misri

Every year cholera visited a very big city . Her companions were always Death and Fear. One year it so happened that Fear came before Death and Cholera, and the gate-Keeper, who did not Know her, let her go into the city.

When the other two appeared before the gate of the city, the watch man called angrily, “So! You come again to bring sorrow and misery, do you? And how many victims are you going to take this time, cursed Cholera?’’

“Don’t carry on so,’’ Cholera said. “ l won’t take more than five hundred.”

“And you, dreadful Death,” the gate -keeper cried, turning to her, “How many people are you going to take out of city to your kingdom?”

“Oh I’ll take whatever cholera gives me,” Death answered quietly.

“Well,” the gate-keeper muttered, “go in. But watch out, Cholera. “Don’t take more than five hundred victims. You’ve promised? And you, Death, don’t you dare to take more than what Cholera gives you!”

“Gate- keeper,” they said together, “you can rely on our word.” And side by side they passed through the open gate into the city.

Three long weeks they remained there and then they called to the gate- keeper to open the gates again.

“Hum,” the gate – keeper muttered,” how many victims do you take, Cholera?”

“I did my best not to go beyond the promised number,” Cholera answered. “And so l am taking not more than four hundred and ninety.”

“Now, that sounds as if you’re telling the truth,” the gate – keeper said.

He turned towards Death. “And you Death, how many are you taking with you?”

“Oh, I’m taking more than a thousand with me,” Death answered at once.

The gate- keeper was horrified. “How can that be ?” he cried in astonishment. “Cholera herself said she’s taking only four hundred and ninety !”

“Yes,” Death answered, “that’s what Cholera is taking. But most of those who died were taken by Fear, who came unnoticed through your gate. One day you’ll know, old man, that our sister Fear does more harm and causes more deaths than cholera!”