Today's Thought: Begging for Krishna's Mercy

My dearest Lord Krishna, by the mercy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, my most beloved spiritual master, and his followers I have been engaged in Your service. It is not easy to engage oneself purely in devotional service while living in a world which is 100% dedicated to material sense gratification. Nor is it easy to spread a movement of pure bhakti in such a world. Therefore feeling myself powerless in such a situation all I can do is fall down at Your lotus feet and beg for Your mercy that I may always be engaged in pure devotional service in all times, places, and circumstances, and that I may be successful in spreading this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. I know, my dear Lord, that without Your mercy these will be impossible to accomplish. Therefore, kindly do not deny me Your mercy. Please shower Your rain of mercy constantly upon me.

Gone to the Unseen - Poem by Rumi

At last you have departed and gone to the Unseen.
What marvelous route did you take from this world?

Beating your wings and feathers,
you broke free from this cage.
Rising up to the sky
you attained the world of the soul.
You were a prized falcon trapped by an Old Woman.
Then you heard the drummer's call
and flew beyond space and time.

As a lovesick nightingale, you flew among the owls.
Then came the scent of the rosegarden
and you flew off to meet the Rose.

The wine of this fleeting world
caused your head to ache.
Finally you joined the tavern of Eternity.
Like an arrow, you sped from the bow
and went straight for the bull's eye of bliss.

This phantom world gave you false signs
But you turned from the illusion
and journeyed to the land of truth.

You are now the Sun -
what need have you for a crown?
You have vanished from this world -
what need have you to tie your robe?

I've heard that you can barely see your soul.
But why look at all? -
yours is now the Soul of Souls!

O heart, what a wonderful bird you are.
Seeking divine heights,
Flapping your wings,
you smashed the pointed spears of your enemy.

The flowers flee from Autumn, but not you -
You are the fearless rose
that grows amidst the freezing wind.

Pouring down like the rain of heaven
you fell upon the rooftop of this world.
Then you ran in every direction
and escaped through the drain spout . . .

Now the words are over
and the pain they bring is gone.
Now you have gone to rest
in the arms of the Beloved.

What Will Matter

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.

So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built,

not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched,

empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,

but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

by Michael Josephson

Possessing Love

The greatest mistake in Love is trying to possess it.
It will spill out of hand just like water.

Love will retrieve from you if you demand, if you expect.
Love is meant to be free; you cannot change its nature.

If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.
Give, but don’t expect. Advise, but don’t order.
Ask, but never demand.

Paulo Coelho - Love Cures

Famed author Paulo Coelho reminds us that we must remain open to love to truly feel it's healing power

There are times when we would long to be able to help someone whom we love very much, but we can do nothing. Circumstances will not allow us to approach them, or the person is closed off to any gesture of solidarity and support.

Then all we are left with is love. At such times, when we can do nothing else, we can still love – without expecting any reward or change or gratitude.

If we do this, the energy of love will begin to transform the universe about us. Wherever this energy appears, it always achieves its ends. 'Time does not transform man. Will power does not transform man. Love transforms,' says Henry Drummond.

I read in the newspaper about a little girl in Brasília who was brutally beaten by her parents. As a result, she lost all physical movement as well as the ability to speak. Once admitted to hospital, she was cared for by a nurse who said to her every day: 'I love you.' Although the doctors assured her that the child could not hear and that all her efforts were in vain, the nurse continued to say: 'Don't forget, I love you.'

Three weeks later, the child recovered the power of movement. Four weeks later, she could talk again and smile. The nurse never gave any interviews, and the newspaper did not publish her name, but let me set this down here, so that we never forget: love cures.

Love transforms and love cures, but, sometimes, love builds deadly traps and can end up destroying a person who had resolved to give him or herself completely. What is this complex feeling which, deep down, is the only reason we continue to live, struggle and improve?

It would be irresponsible of me to attempt to define it, because I, along with every other human being, can only feel it. Thousands of books have been written on the subject, plays have been put on, films produced, poems composed, sculptures carved out of wood or marble, and yet, all any artist can convey is the idea of a feeling, not the feeling itself. But, I have learned that this feeling is present in the small things, and manifests itself in the most insignificant of our actions; it is necessary, therefore, to keep love always in mind, regardless of whether or not we take action.

Picking up the phone and saying the affectionate words we have been postponing. Opening the door to someone who needs our help. Accepting a job. Leaving a job. Taking a decision that we were putting off for later. Asking forgiveness for a mistake we made and which keeps niggling at us. Demanding a right that is ours. Opening an account at the local florist's, which is a far more important shop than the jeweller's. Putting music on really loud when the person you love is far away, and turning the volume down when he or she is near. Knowing when to say 'yes' and 'no', because love works with all our energies. Discovering a sport that can be played by two. Not following any recipe, not even those contained in this paragraph – because love requires creativity.

And when none of this is possible, when all that remains is loneliness, then remember this story that a reader once sent to me:

A rose dreamed day and night about bees, but no bee ever landed on her petals.

The flower, however, continued to dream: during the long nights, she imagined a heaven full of bees who flew down to bestow fond kisses on her. By doing this, she was able to last until the next day, when she opened again to the light of the sun.

One night, the moon, who knew of the rose's loneliness, asked:

'Aren't you tired of waiting?'

'Possibly, but I have to keep trying.'

'Why?'

'Because if I don't remain open, I will simply fade away.'

At times, when loneliness seems to crush all beauty, the only way to resist is to remain open.

Do Less

Do Less Thinking, and pay more attention to your heart.

Do Less Acquiring, and pay more attention to what you already have.

Do Less Complaining, and pay more attention to giving.

Do Less Controlling, and pay more attention to letting go.

Do Less Criticizing, and pay more attention to complementing.

Do Less Arguing, and pay more attention to forgiveness.

Do Less Running Around, and pay more attention to stillness.

Do Less Talking, and pay more attention to silence.

The FINAL Analysis

People are often unreasonable, illogical,
and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone
could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the FINAL analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

written by Dr. Kent M. Keith