Nagarjuna and his begging bowl

Nagarjuna, a respected fakir, was loved by genuine seekers. One day, a queen invited him to her palace and requested his begging bowl. He gave it to her, and in return, she gifted him a golden bowl adorned with diamonds, saying he deserved something precious. Nagarjuna accepted it without hesitation, showing his indifference to material wealth.

As he left the palace, a thief saw the valuable bowl and followed Nagarjuna to steal it. Knowing the thief's intentions, Nagarjuna threw the bowl outside, prompting the thief to enter and express his amazement and shame. The thief's encounter with Nagarjuna's generosity and wisdom led him to realize the futility of his life as a thief. He asked Nagarjuna how long it would take to achieve enlightenment, to which Nagarjuna responded that it could happen immediately, likening it to lighting a candle in the dark.

Nagarjuna shared a meditation practice with the thief, who devotedly followed it. The thief imagined desires as unreal horns on his head, and over time, he saw these horns grow, symbolizing the burden of desires. When Nagarjuna returned after twelve years, he explained that just as the imagined horns were unreal, so were worldly desires and possessions. Realizing this, the thief attained enlightenment and became known as Guru Naga Bodhi, Nagarjuna's successor.

The story illustrates the transformative power of generosity, wisdom, and meditation. Nagarjuna's teachings emphasize that enlightenment can be achieved by seeing through the illusions of desires and realizing the true nature of reality. The thief's journey from darkness to light symbolizes the potential for anyone to attain spiritual awakening through sincere effort and guidance.

 

Test of Men

The Puruaka-pariksha, the "Test of Men," was a sincere affair in the kingdom, where the guts and virtue of individuals were examined. Among the participants stood a thief, chained, and left to his fate, for in those times, theft was met with severe consequences. Yet, this thief bore a secret that would soon undo and unravel the very fabric of the king's desires.

As the proceedings unfolded, the thief stepped forward, his voice carrying the weight of fear and cunning. The thief claimed to possess the knowledge of a miraculous tree, one that bore golden fruits. The king, his eyes luminous, and shining with greed, saw in this claim an opportunity to satisfy his limitless desire for wealth.

With eagerness, the king summoned the thief, hoping to grasp the mysterious secret that promised boundless riches. The thief, knowing that his life hung by the slender thread of his deception, started on a plan crafted with meticulous precision.

He led the king to a barren plot of land, where he proclaimed the miracle would unfold. But then, with an ironic and sarcastic smile playing upon his lips, the thief confessed that he was but a thief, skilled in the art of taking, not giving. He admitted that the soil would not yield to his touch, for his hands were tainted with the stain of his misdeeds.

In a stroke of cunning insight, the thief proposed a solution that would unravel the true essence of the test. He declared that only a man of unblemished integrity, one who had never succumbed to the allure of thievery, could sow the seeds of gold. But such a man, he asserted, was a rarity in a kingdom where even the king himself had indulged in acts of dishonesty.

Thus, the thief's revelation laid bare the moral weakness that had passed through the kingdom, exposing the falseness that lingered beneath the mask of authority. In a moment of deep realization, the king saw the folly of his own greed and the injustice of condemning a man for a crime that echoed within the very halls of his palace.

With a heavy heart and a new humility, the king extended mercy to the thief, recognizing in him a messenger of truth amidst a sea of deceit. And so, the thief, once condemned to the gallows, found salvation in the revelation of a truth far greater than the lure of gold.

As the Puruaka-pariksha concluded, the kingdom stood controlled on the face of transformation, guided by the wisdom collected from the unlikeliest sources. This thief dared to challenge the foundations of power and privilege. And at that moment, amidst the whispers of improvement and reconciliation, a new chapter in the annals of the kingdom was written, one where justice strengthened the sword of judgment and mercy illuminated the path to improvement.

 

Adolf Hake

 Adolf Hake having been rejected by art school (he had wanted to become an artist), he lost self-esteem and his whole mind became destructive. His whole sense of self became based on a very negative ego. Because of this innate problem that he developed; he became destructive in the world. Because something negative happened in his consciousness, he also manifested great negativity in the world. This affected millions upon millions of people, putting the world into a war which was unmatched in its destructiveness and evil.