| Tales of Wisdom |
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| Teachings for Daily Life, Compiled by Sacidevi dasi and Others |
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 The Test of Three
In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"
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The Power of Reading Sacred Scripture
An old farmer lived on his farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning he got up early, sat at the kitchen table, and read His Bhagavad-gita. His grandson wanted to be just like his grandfather, so tried to emulate him in every way he could.
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Devotional Empathy
One who is Krishna conscious is a perfect yogi; he is aware of everyone’s happiness and distress by dint of his own personal experience. A devotee of the Lord always looks to the welfare of all living entities, and in this way he is actually the friend of everyone.
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Washing and Vedanta
The vice-chancellor of Benares Hindu University, a very famous man of his time named Madan Mohan Malaviya, went to the Gaudiya Math with some intricate, philosophical questions to present to Sarasvati Thakura, who said: "I won’t answer you, but you should ask the devotees who are washing the arati paraphernalia."
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How Much Should We Want Krishna
A young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. When they met, Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river.
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Getting out of Misery
One day a farmer´s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided that the animal was old and that the well needed to be covered up anyway...
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Change Your Perspective
Dr. John Gray tells the story about how his father was robbed by a hitchhiker and left in the trunk of his car. In the heat of the day, his father was unable to get out of the trunk and ultimately died of heat stroke.
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Never Forget Krishna
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap in its shade.... He loved the tree, and the tree loved to play with him.
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Lord Jagannatha and the Proud Devotee: A True Story
In 1727 Dhananjay Mehta, a wealthy man from Hyderabad in South India, came to Jagannatha Puri along with his family. Personally, he had no faith in Jagannatha and was proud of his wealth. While in Puri he decided to challenge this strange image made of wood.
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Lessons from a Butterfly
A man found a butterfly cocoon and decided to save it. One day a small opening appeared, and the man sat and watched for several hours as the butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole.
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The Cracked Water Pot
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on one end of the pole he carried across the back of his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
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The Woodcutter and the Axe
Once upon a time a strong woodcutter asked a timber merchant for a job. The timber merchant was happy to oblige. The pay was good and so were the work conditions. Therefore the woodcutter was determined to do his best.
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Two Wolves
"I, too, at times, have felt great hatred toward those who have taken much from me while feeling no sorrow for what they have done. But hate wears you down and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die."
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Shipwrecked Prayers
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men aboard were able to swim to a nearby small, deserted island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no recourse but to pray to God.
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Legend of Emperor Akbar
Once, Emperor Akbar was sitting in a mosque, reading the Koran. He posted his guards before the mosque because he wanted absolute peace. At some point during his reading he glanced out the window and saw a young woman running desperately back and forth.
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David and Goliath
We all know the story of David and Goliath. There once was a giant who was bullying and harassing the village children. One day, a seventeen-year-old shepherd boy came to visit his brothers...
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The Cricket!
A Native American and his friend were walking through Times Square in midtown New York during lunch hour. The streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening.
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What It means to Be Poor
One day, a father of a wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country to show him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what most would consider a very poor family.
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Sustained, Concentrated Effort
After taking advice from an elderly neighbor a man began to dig a well in his field. After much effort he had gone down about twenty feet. Then another villager passed by. "What are you doing?" the villager asked incredulously. "Why on earth are you digging there? You´re digging in the wrong place."
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Good and Evil Have Just Rewards
It’s hard to imagine what we might think about if we were to suddenly face death, but that thought determines our fate. There is a Buddhist story in this vein. Once there was a man named Gan Daduo who committed all manner of crimes.
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Be Careful What You Say
A group of frogs was hopping contentedly through the woods, going about its froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions.
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Smash Him Completely
Once there was a man who liked to eat mangoes. One day he decided to get the sweetest mango—the one from the very top of the tree. (Mangoes that are exposed to the sun are the sweetest.) So the man climbed to the top.
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