Tag: faith
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From Having to Being
What is something you feel concerned or preoccupied about these days?A work goal, finances, health, relationships? How do you imagine you will feel once you achieve it?And then what will you do? As we sit with these questions, here is an account of a conversation with one of the most powerful kings in history —…
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Habits that are hard to break | Ajamila
There are habits that can be changed with effort, and there are habits that seem to take hold of us. We may know they harm us, yet still return to them. Some patterns become so strong that they begin to shape the direction of our lives. At such times, despair can quietly arise: I have…
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The Key That Opens the Door
Do you sometimes feel torn between doing what feels deeply right, and doing what seems necessary to meet the demands of work, family, or society? Are you able to make regular space for your spiritual growth? Do you often hear the inner or outer refrain: This is not the time. You can do this later…
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The Complaint that Changed Everything
Inconveniences and setbacks are a part of everyday life.Can you recall a few things you complained about in the last 24 hours? It could be a coworker who didn’t deliver as expected,a family member who didn’t cooperate,or even your health or the environment. The following story about a complaint made by Bhagat Trilochan’s wife carries…
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Beyond our efforts – The Half-baked bricks
Here is a story about a brick maker who went through a similar cycle. The story ends with an insight that offers hope in difficult circumstances. The brick maker Bhai Buddhu was a brick maker living in what was then Lahore, in undivided India. He had been struggling for some time. A devout Sikh of…
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The Inheritance | A Father’s Advice
Sometimes life feels like a struggle. Circumstances may not seem in our favor. Relationship knots seem hard to unravel. The support we look for doesn’t arrive. And we begin to wonder whether we have the strength to keep going. Thich Nhat Hanh shares a story about a rich man’s son that offers us some insights…
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This Too Is a Blessing
What do you do when your efforts do not materialize into results?Or when life suddenly places you in difficult circumstances? In such moments, the mind easily fills with worry, frustration, or disappointment. We ask: Why did this happen to me? Yet wisdom traditions often remind us that life’s gifts often come in unexpected wrappings. Here…
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When You Face Injustice — Holding Your Center
What do you do when you try to live by the rules of being a good human being — and then encounter someone who has no such concern?When you face harm, manipulation, cheating, or injustice. The person before you may have far greater strength, wealth, or power. Does it make you wonder whether such acts…
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When We Feel Overwhelmed by Our Troubles – Socrates at the Beach
What do you do when you are faced with a problem that feels too big for you? It could be something at work, at home, or something within your own mind or body. At such times, we may feel as though life is asking more of us than we can hold. A short story attributed…