Let us start with one story --
At the time of BUDDHA, there lived an
old beggar woman. She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making
offerings to BUDDHA, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be
able to do the same. So she went out begging, but at the end of a whole day all
she had was one small coin. She took it to the oil-merchant to try to buy some
oil. He told her that she could not possibly
buy anything with so little. But when he heard that she wanted it to make an
offering to BUDDHA, he took pity on her and gave her the oil she wanted. She
took it to the monastery, where she lit a lamp. She placed it before BUDHHA
--“I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering I want
to express my Gratitude for everything that YOU have given to me in this life.”
That night the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when BUDDHA’s disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect all the lamps. When he saw that one was still alight, full of oil and with a new wick, he thought, “There’s no reason why this lamp should still be burning in the day time,” and he tried to blow it out. But it kept on burning. He tried to snuff it out with his fingers, but it stayed alight. He tried to smother it with his robe, but still it burned on. The BUDDHA had been watching all along, and said, “Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You cannot even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all ocean over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and the lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp has been offered with genuine Gratitude in heart. The light of genuine Gratitude can’t be extinguished so easily.
MASTER keeps telling us in HIS satsangs... that one only need to say Shukar Hai Shukar Hai ( Thank YOU , Thank YOU ) with every breath. And if we spend a life time saying Thanks with every breath, it still wont ever be enough to thank our Benevolent FATHER.
That night the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when BUDDHA’s disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect all the lamps. When he saw that one was still alight, full of oil and with a new wick, he thought, “There’s no reason why this lamp should still be burning in the day time,” and he tried to blow it out. But it kept on burning. He tried to snuff it out with his fingers, but it stayed alight. He tried to smother it with his robe, but still it burned on. The BUDDHA had been watching all along, and said, “Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You cannot even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all ocean over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and the lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp has been offered with genuine Gratitude in heart. The light of genuine Gratitude can’t be extinguished so easily.
MASTER keeps telling us in HIS satsangs... that one only need to say Shukar Hai Shukar Hai ( Thank YOU , Thank YOU ) with every breath. And if we spend a life time saying Thanks with every breath, it still wont ever be enough to thank our Benevolent FATHER.
Meister Eckhart once said -
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is "thank you," it will be enough.
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is "thank you," it will be enough.
In fact we do have strongest reason to Thank HIM in our every breath. As we go through many of PERFECT MASTERS sayings we will realize that this Human body is because of HIS grace. In this body meeting A PERFECT MASTER is HIS grace. Having met HIM, when we receive HIS invitation to be with HIM forever ... is HIS biggest grace. None of these things we can acquire through our own efforts. And this invitation is a surety -- that we will one day understand the reality of this illusion. We will one day on our own want to leave this illusion of joy plus sorrows. And we will one day holding HIS hand finally leave it all behind....
What more can anyone hope or wish for ? That is enough reason to be thankful for.... Isn't it ?
HOW MANY OF US OFFER SUCH
GRATITUDE TO LORD WHO HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING. THAT OLD WOMAN, POOR THAT SHE
WAS, HAD LOT’S TO COMPLAIN. SHOULD SHE CHOOSE TO DO. YET SHE OFFERED HER
GRATITUDE. FOR ALL THAT LORD HAS BESTOWED ON HER. AND WE WHO REALLY HAVE SO
MUCH, CHOOSE TO ONLY COMPLAIN.
THINK OVER THIS. IT IS SAID—WHEN DISCIPLE’S
HEART IS FULL OF GENUINE GRATITUDE , MASTER CAN WORK FASTER ON THAT RECEPTIVE
HEART.
And this is what we will talk about in our next part about GRATITUDE ...
For today let's just think about the depth of debt that we owe HIM ... And about how to ever be able to Thank HIM enough ----
