Great idea for a thread. I'm excerpting a story. It concerns a group of "hijara" (trans women or intersex). "Perfect Master" is a sadguru (vedanta) or qutub (sufism). They have realized God. One message is that anyone no matter what can become perfect. A second message at the end is that people should be very careful about such figures.
In India there are tribes of [hijaras]. They are men, but they have long hair and they dress themselves in women's garments, in saris, skirts, bangles, and necklaces and so on. And they have the gait and characteristics of women, so if you saw one, you would think it was a woman you were seeing.
... their position in society is very low. They are outcasts. No community will accept them; they are looked down upon....
...
(Meher) Baba told us that in such a community in the city of Lucknow, there was a Perfect Master. In order to uphold this utterly rejected section of humanity, it was ordained that one from that tribe should become a Perfect Master. And so it was. One of this tribe became Perfect and so, naturally, all of his disciples were also of the tribe. ...
One day as they were walking through the streets they saw a crowd approaching them from the other direction. It was a group of wrestlers returning from a title fight, surrounded by the fans. Now, wrestling in India is very popular. And in that group was the winner of the match, the champion, so there was a large crowd following him. When the champion saw the small group of the despised hijaras walking towards them, he started to ridicule them. He was full of his victory and very arrogant, and the knowledge that he was surrounded by hundreds of people only inflated his sense of self-worth, so he began sneering at the hijaras and making fun of them.
As they passed by, the wrestler pointed to their leader, who was calmly walking at the head of the group, and remarked, "Look at him! He thinks he is someone great. Just see the way he is walking as though he were the leader of all, although we all know he is only a hijara."
The Perfect Master did not say anything but continued to walk by. When the group had passed, he turned back to the wrestler, who was still standing there pointing at him. "Yes, you have pointed me out already," the Master called to the champion. "But I have passed now, so why don't you put your finger down?"
But the champion was unable to lower his arm. He continued to stand there pointing, but no matter how he tried he could not move his arm. The Perfect Master called out to him, "You are so strong, yet you do not have even enough strength to lower your arm."
Great idea for a thread. I'm excerpting a story. It concerns a group of "hijara" (trans women or intersex). "Perfect Master" is a sadguru (vedanta) or qutub (sufism). They have realized God. One message is that anyone no matter what can become perfect. A second message at the end is that people should be very careful about such figures.
In India there are tribes of [hijaras]. They are men, but they have long hair and they dress themselves in women's garments, in saris, skirts, bangles, and necklaces and so on. And they have the gait and characteristics of women, so if you saw one, you would think it was a woman you were seeing.
... their position in society is very low. They are outcasts. No community will accept them; they are looked down upon....
...
(Meher) Baba told us that in such a community in the city of Lucknow, there was a Perfect Master. In order to uphold this utterly rejected section of humanity, it was ordained that one from that tribe should become a Perfect Master. And so it was. One of this tribe became Perfect and so, naturally, all of his disciples were also of the tribe. ...
One day as they were walking through the streets they saw a crowd approaching them from the other direction. It was a group of wrestlers returning from a title fight, surrounded by the fans. Now, wrestling in India is very popular. And in that group was the winner of the match, the champion, so there was a large crowd following him. When the champion saw the small group of the despised hijaras walking towards them, he started to ridicule them. He was full of his victory and very arrogant, and the knowledge that he was surrounded by hundreds of people only inflated his sense of self-worth, so he began sneering at the hijaras and making fun of them.
As they passed by, the wrestler pointed to their leader, who was calmly walking at the head of the group, and remarked, "Look at him! He thinks he is someone great. Just see the way he is walking as though he were the leader of all, although we all know he is only a hijara."
The Perfect Master did not say anything but continued to walk by. When the group had passed, he turned back to the wrestler, who was still standing there pointing at him. "Yes, you have pointed me out already," the Master called to the champion. "But I have passed now, so why don't you put your finger down?"
But the champion was unable to lower his arm. He continued to stand there pointing, but no matter how he tried he could not move his arm. The Perfect Master called out to him, "You are so strong, yet you do not have even enough strength to lower your arm."
I think I heard a version that had a similar theme, but the 'false bride' actually ended up becoming a woman so 'she' could birth the child, and then the new family was happy(though the relatives that had put them up to it were humiliated). Can't remember where I read it, though.
This last bit here:
This is a story that Baba Himself told us, and one of the main reasons for His doing so was to remind us to treat the friends of God with respect. Of course, we do not know if this one or that one is a friend of God. It is just that others say so. But because we do not know, and yet people say of these ones that they are great, Baba told us to just salute them from a distance. Have no ill feelings towards them, Baba told us, but do not go too close. To go close is to get involved — favorably or unfavorably.
There's a quote by Tukaram, considered a great Saint by some: “There are many hypocritical saints with long matted hair and their bodies besmeared with ashes. Tukaram says: “Let their dead conscience be burnt; it is no sin to thrash them!”
Thank you for this wonderful thread where we can inspire and uplift one another. For some reason my keyboard got stuck on bold so I had to delete the post and refresh the page. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
The Blank Piece of Paper
There was once an old man who lived in Persia. He had never gone to school and lived a very simple life. His heart was good and pure and full of love. More than anything else in the world, he longed to see Baha’u’llah. One day he could bear it no longer and set out on the long, hard journey to Akka. He travelled along dusty roads, across dry deserts, over seas, and eventually arrived at the house of Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah was very pleased to see him. He opened His arms out wide and warmly welcomed him. The old man stayed for many days and Baha’u’llah showered him with love and kindness. Everybody missed him when he left to return to Persia. Some time passed by.
One day, one of the believers brought a pile of letters that had been sent to Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah knew that one of the letters was from that dear old man who had arrived safely back in Persia. He told His secretary that He wished to read that letter before He read the others.
The secretary hunted through the pile of letters and opened up the envelope. Inside was just a plain white piece of paper! Nothing at all was written on it!
But Baha’u’llah was very pleased. He said that when a person’s heart is pure, there is no need for words. He knew what the old man wanted to say even though he had not written anything. Then Baha’u’llah wrote him a loving letter in reply, and answered all of his questions.
Thank you for this wonderful thread where we can inspire and uplift one another. For some reason my keyboard got stuck on bold so I had to delete the post and refresh the page. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
The Blank Piece of Paper
There was once an old man who lived in Persia. He had never gone to school and lived a very simple life. His heart was good and pure and full of love. More than anything else in the world, he longed to see Baha’u’llah. One day he could bear it no longer and set out on the long, hard journey to Akka. He travelled along dusty roads, across dry deserts, over seas, and eventually arrived at the house of Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah was very pleased to see him. He opened His arms out wide and warmly welcomed him. The old man stayed for many days and Baha’u’llah showered him with love and kindness. Everybody missed him when he left to return to Persia. Some time passed by.
One day, one of the believers brought a pile of letters that had been sent to Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah knew that one of the letters was from that dear old man who had arrived safely back in Persia. He told His secretary that He wished to read that letter before He read the others.
The secretary hunted through the pile of letters and opened up the envelope. Inside was just a plain white piece of paper! Nothing at all was written on it!
But Baha’u’llah was very pleased. He said that when a person’s heart is pure, there is no need for words. He knew what the old man wanted to say even though he had not written anything. Then Baha’u’llah wrote him a loving letter in reply, and answered all of his questions.
Great idea for a thread. I'm excerpting a story. It concerns a group of "hijara" (trans women or intersex). "Perfect Master" is a sadguru (vedanta) or qutub (sufism). They have realized God. One message is that anyone no matter what can become perfect. A second message at the end is that people should be very careful about such figures.
In India there are tribes of [hijaras]. They are men, but they have long hair and they dress themselves in women's garments, in saris, skirts, bangles, and necklaces and so on. And they have the gait and characteristics of women, so if you saw one, you would think it was a woman you were seeing.
... their position in society is very low. They are outcasts. No community will accept them; they are looked down upon....
...
(Meher) Baba told us that in such a community in the city of Lucknow, there was a Perfect Master. In order to uphold this utterly rejected section of humanity, it was ordained that one from that tribe should become a Perfect Master. And so it was. One of this tribe became Perfect and so, naturally, all of his disciples were also of the tribe. ...
One day as they were walking through the streets they saw a crowd approaching them from the other direction. It was a group of wrestlers returning from a title fight, surrounded by the fans. Now, wrestling in India is very popular. And in that group was the winner of the match, the champion, so there was a large crowd following him. When the champion saw the small group of the despised hijaras walking towards them, he started to ridicule them. He was full of his victory and very arrogant, and the knowledge that he was surrounded by hundreds of people only inflated his sense of self-worth, so he began sneering at the hijaras and making fun of them.
As they passed by, the wrestler pointed to their leader, who was calmly walking at the head of the group, and remarked, "Look at him! He thinks he is someone great. Just see the way he is walking as though he were the leader of all, although we all know he is only a hijara."
The Perfect Master did not say anything but continued to walk by. When the group had passed, he turned back to the wrestler, who was still standing there pointing at him. "Yes, you have pointed me out already," the Master called to the champion. "But I have passed now, so why don't you put your finger down?"
But the champion was unable to lower his arm. He continued to stand there pointing, but no matter how he tried he could not move his arm. The Perfect Master called out to him, "You are so strong, yet you do not have even enough strength to lower your arm."
The man is so strong yet howcome he isn't strong enough to overcome his own prejudice? Is it because of his own insecurity that he has to bring others down to prop himself up? Is it because he has his own desires towards the Hijaras that he has to focus on them? Why doesn't he just leave them be if they arent interfering with them?
It makes me think of a lot of social media and bigoted circles where the selling point is pointing out other people who they dont like *** being the problem in the world. Yet they themselves show bigotry whereas those they oppose just mind their own business. We must really ask what do we get out of expressing bigoted views.
An Ekadashi occurs about every two weeks, and each has its own story. This is the story of this particular Ekadashi:
Story of Saphala Ekadasi
Legend has it that Lumbaka, one of the four sons of a famous king, was always questioning the authority of Lord Vishnu. Due to this attitude, he was exiled. Lumbaka continued with his behavior and started plundering the wealth of poor villagers and made his home under a banyan tree. He started eating killing animals and ate the raw meat.
Once on Saphala Ekadashi day he fell very ill and as a result, he kept a fast the whole day and stayed awake during the night and thus unknowingly he undertook the Safala Ekadasi Vrat. Next morning he felt good and realized that all this was due to the blessing of Lord Vishnu. He realized his mistake and returned to his father and lived a happy life.
There's a story along that line. Of course the important point is that only one who is perfected knows. And of course, finding such a figure is no mean feat.
There was a man who was a great murderer. In his life, he murdered 99 people. One day he felt very depressed and sick of it all. So he went to a Perfect Master, and frankly and openly confessed before him all his crimes, adding that he was feeling most dejected and wanted to end it all. The Master told him to go sit by the side of a certain road and think of him. The murderer did so.
One day, while he was sitting there thinking of the Master, a rider came by, stopped before him and told him to move aside. The man refused, and the rider started lashing him with his whip. Reverting back to his old ways, the man [pulled the rider from his horse] stabbed and killed him.
And at that very moment the man realized God!
You see, the rider was carrying on his person a message from one king to another ordering the death of 100 spies. By saving the exact number of lives that he had murdered, his good and bad sanskaras balanced. The man, of course, did not know all this, and was only thus saved by the Perfect Master, because the Master knew. Therefore, if you obey implicitly and unquestioningly, you win, because whereas your conception is limited, the Master knows all, and gives you just what is best for you.
Just for kicks, as a non-member of various religions I'll pick some things that speak to me. From Judaism various writing of the Kaballah speak to me. This one has an obvious moral that I try to keep in the back of my mind. It's a bit long so I'll hide part:
Elijah the Prophet in Minsk
A chassid went to the Baal Shem Tov in Mezhibuzh and said, “Rebbe, I want to see Elijah the Prophet.”
“It’s simple,” said the Baal Shem. “I’ll tell you what to do. Get two boxes and fill one with food and the other with children’s clothes. Then, before Rosh Hashanah, travel to Minsk. On the outskirts of town, right before where the forest begins, is a dilapidated house. Find that house, but don’t knock on the door immediately; stand there for a while and listen. Then, shortly before candle-lighting time at sunset, knock on the door and ask for hospitality.”
The chassid went home and told his wife he would be away for the holiday. “How can you leave your family?” she said. “The children want their father to take them to the synagogue!” He told her, “I have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Elijah the Prophet!” Finally, she agreed that it was something that he could not pass up.
So he went and did as the Baal Shem Tov told him. He filled the parcels with food and clothing and went to Minsk, where he found the broken-down house at the edge of town. He arrived shortly before evening and stood in front of the door, listening. Inside, he heard children crying, “Mommy, we’re hungry. And it’s Yom Tov and we don’t even have decent clothes to wear!” He heard the mother answer, “Children, trust in G‑d. He’ll send Elijah the Prophet to bring you everything you need!”
Then the chassid knocked on the door. When the woman opened it, he asked if he could stay with them for the holiday. “How can I welcome you when I don’t have any food in the house?” she said. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I have enough food for all of us.” He came in, opened the box, gave the children the food, and they ate. Then he opened the other box and the children all took clothes for themselves: this one a shirt, that one a jacket, the other one a hat. He was there for two days, waiting to see Elijah the Prophet. He did not even sleep. How could he sleep? How often do you get a chance to see Elijah the Prophet? But he saw no one.
So he returned to the Baal Shem Tov and said, “Master, I did not see Elijah the Prophet!” “Did you do everything I told you?” asked the Baal Shem Tov. “I did!” he said. “And you didn’t see him?” “No, Rebbe.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, Rebbe! I didn’t see him!” “Then you’ll have to return for Yom Kippur,” said the Baal Shem Tov. “Go back before Yom Kippur, with a box of food, to the same house. Again, be sure to arrive an hour before sunset, and don’t knock immediately. Wait for a while and just stand in front of the door, listening.”
The chassid went back to his wife and told her he would be away for Yom Kippur. “How can you leave your children again?” she asked. “But the Baal Shem Tov says I’ll be able to see Elijah the Prophet, like one of the great tzaddikim!” he said, “How can I not go?” His wife agreed that it was worth going away for two or three days if he could see Elijah the Prophet.
So he went back to Minsk before Yom Kippur. This time, he went earlier and stood in front of the door, listening. Inside he heard children crying, “Mommy, we’re hungry! We haven’t eaten the whole day! How can we fast for Yom Kippur?” “Children!” said the mother. “Do you remember you were crying before Rosh Hashanah that you had no food or clothes? And I told you, ‘Trust in G‑d! He’ll send Elijah the Prophet, who’ll bring you food and clothing and everything else you need!’ Wasn’t I right? Didn’t Elijah come and bring you food and clothing? He stayed with us for two days! Now you’re crying again that you’re hungry. I promise you that Elijah will come now, too, and bring you food!”
Then the chassid understood what his master, the Baal Shem Tov, had meant. And he knocked on the door.
Just for kicks, as a non-member of various religions I'll pick some things that speak to me. From Judaism various writing of the Kaballah speak to me. This one has an obvious moral that I try to keep in the back of my mind. It's a bit long so I'll hide part:
Elijah the Prophet in Minsk
A chassid went to the Baal Shem Tov in Mezhibuzh and said, “Rebbe, I want to see Elijah the Prophet.”
“It’s simple,” said the Baal Shem. “I’ll tell you what to do. Get two boxes and fill one with food and the other with children’s clothes. Then, before Rosh Hashanah, travel to Minsk. On the outskirts of town, right before where the forest begins, is a dilapidated house. Find that house, but don’t knock on the door immediately; stand there for a while and listen. Then, shortly before candle-lighting time at sunset, knock on the door and ask for hospitality.”
The chassid went home and told his wife he would be away for the holiday. “How can you leave your family?” she said. “The children want their father to take them to the synagogue!” He told her, “I have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Elijah the Prophet!” Finally, she agreed that it was something that he could not pass up.
So he went and did as the Baal Shem Tov told him. He filled the parcels with food and clothing and went to Minsk, where he found the broken-down house at the edge of town. He arrived shortly before evening and stood in front of the door, listening. Inside, he heard children crying, “Mommy, we’re hungry. And it’s Yom Tov and we don’t even have decent clothes to wear!” He heard the mother answer, “Children, trust in G‑d. He’ll send Elijah the Prophet to bring you everything you need!”
Then the chassid knocked on the door. When the woman opened it, he asked if he could stay with them for the holiday. “How can I welcome you when I don’t have any food in the house?” she said. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I have enough food for all of us.” He came in, opened the box, gave the children the food, and they ate. Then he opened the other box and the children all took clothes for themselves: this one a shirt, that one a jacket, the other one a hat. He was there for two days, waiting to see Elijah the Prophet. He did not even sleep. How could he sleep? How often do you get a chance to see Elijah the Prophet? But he saw no one.
So he returned to the Baal Shem Tov and said, “Master, I did not see Elijah the Prophet!” “Did you do everything I told you?” asked the Baal Shem Tov. “I did!” he said. “And you didn’t see him?” “No, Rebbe.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, Rebbe! I didn’t see him!” “Then you’ll have to return for Yom Kippur,” said the Baal Shem Tov. “Go back before Yom Kippur, with a box of food, to the same house. Again, be sure to arrive an hour before sunset, and don’t knock immediately. Wait for a while and just stand in front of the door, listening.”
The chassid went back to his wife and told her he would be away for Yom Kippur. “How can you leave your children again?” she asked. “But the Baal Shem Tov says I’ll be able to see Elijah the Prophet, like one of the great tzaddikim!” he said, “How can I not go?” His wife agreed that it was worth going away for two or three days if he could see Elijah the Prophet.
So he went back to Minsk before Yom Kippur. This time, he went earlier and stood in front of the door, listening. Inside he heard children crying, “Mommy, we’re hungry! We haven’t eaten the whole day! How can we fast for Yom Kippur?” “Children!” said the mother. “Do you remember you were crying before Rosh Hashanah that you had no food or clothes? And I told you, ‘Trust in G‑d! He’ll send Elijah the Prophet, who’ll bring you food and clothing and everything else you need!’ Wasn’t I right? Didn’t Elijah come and bring you food and clothing? He stayed with us for two days! Now you’re crying again that you’re hungry. I promise you that Elijah will come now, too, and bring you food!”
Then the chassid understood what his master, the Baal Shem Tov, had meant. And he knocked on the door.
Just george, great thread but did you mean it to be one for evengelism, to promote various avataras, babas and messengers of Allah?
I think I will leave the thread to you people, but before leaving, I may say that I liked the Elijah story.
Such stories have moral and ethical values but once anyone claim them to be true, the person is probably lying.
One that I find to be meaningful is Psalm 35. It speaks of a righteous servant who is falsely accused, describing it as being hated without a cause. He calls upon his master to argue his cause against those who strive against him, to fight against those who fight against him. It ends with a call for justice, to to bring shame and confusion upon his adversaries and joy to those who favour his cause.
What is unique about this Psalm is that is connects both to verses from John which identify Yeshua (Jesus) and to a chapter from Isaiah which is regarded by Christianity as being Messianic.
For Christianity, the difference between the teachings and what people do is made clear in these two excerpts from Brother Sun, Sister Moon. I call it the difference between churchianity and Christianity. And we see it where ritual is performed without meaning. We see the former in the news among those who worship Trump, amass wealth and power and use their position for sexual gratification. The life of St. Francis stands in contrast.
Of course it's not duplicating St. Francis life but for Christians striving to align their lives with the essence of the teachings.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
