A great festival was to be held in a village and each villager was asked to contribute by pouring a bottle of wine into a giant barrel.
One of the villagers had this thought: “If I pour a bottle of water in that giant
barrel, no one will notice the difference.”
But it didn’t occur to him that everyone else in the village might have the same thought. When the banquet began and the barrel was tapped, what came out was pure
water.
Renounce Possession
After reading the story, who felt that our focus is never to give but to receive. We talk about giving but when we get a chance we always resist giving. Unless we learn to give we will not find Abundance in our life.
Universe can give you only when you are Empty. If you are full and your vessel is full, the Universe also cannot give you anything.
Look in your life from a very small incidence if you have morsal in your hand till the time it will not go into your mouth you will not be able to take another even if in front of you the plate is full.
Our thinking not about the growth. Giving means growth. Person who can give he/she will grow. Foundation of growth is in Giving. Also remember that giving doesn’t mean you have to fulfill others expectations. Giving only means you are capable of sharing without any expectations. It’s your joy which you are sharing with others while giving something to them in any form.
Learn to share and see how things changes in your life. Spirituality is not in scripture but in how we live. Learn to give and share.
Sharing is the most precious religious experience. Sharing is good.
In Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, dana – that is giving or sharing – is an important part of one’s religious practice. Dana is a Sanskrit and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity and is an ancient practice in Indian traditions. Dana is mentioned in ancient texts as paropkara, meaning benevolent deed. The word bhiksha is more associated with Buddhism and means alms. The Isa Upanishad points out that true happiness and peace lies in detachment, not by renouncing wealth but rather by renouncing our sense of possession.
Sharing is not about virtue or greed of the other world, a special place in heaven. It is about being happy here-now. A hoarder is never a happy man. He goes on hoarding but he cannot relax; he cannot give. He goes on hoarding; whatsoever he gets, he never enjoys it, because even in enjoying one has to share because all enjoyment is a sort of sharing.
Joy is always a sharing. It does not exist alone. One can never be happy alone. Happiness is a relationship. It is togetherness. In fact, even those people who have moved to the mountains and have lived alone, they also have shared with existence, the stars and the mountains and the birds and the trees, they were not alone.
Learning from story Bottle Of Wine: Renounce Possession
Experience Learning
We Always Have What We Need
When we renounce attachment we are never without what we need. Renouncing attachment to friends, we have friends; renouncing attachment to a comfortable environment, we have a comfortable environment. Without making any effort from our own side, when we need something or someone, it just naturally happens, due to the power of practicing Dharma.
As the desires of this life cause all the misery of this and future lives, we must not seek fulfillment of our desires. When we try to fulfill our desires we are not happy. We become unsure of the direction of our life, and wrong speech, wrong mind and wrong actions all surface at once.
Therefore, we must turn away from our many desires. When we are able to do this, we establish the beginning of happiness and pleasure. The best sign of happiness in this and all future lives is not desiring or accumulating anything at all.
When we do not desire gain, we have the greatest gain.
When we do not desire reputation, we have the best reputation.
When we do not desire fame, we have the greatest fame.
When we do not desire companions, we have the best companions.
When you do not seek to receive materials, that is the best receiving.
We often have this question – In order to be detached, does one have to renounce everything? We often imagine that a person who is detached will be indifferent to those around him and dislike everything that reminds him of what he has renounced.
This is not true. Detachment is only possible for those who remain unaffected or undisturbed by every situation in life. Only the person who is able to maintain equipoise and balance in the face of success and failure, love and hatred, pain and pleasure, is truly detached. With attachment arises dependence on the object of your attachment, and with dependence comes slavery — you are then controlled by your attachments. If the object of your attachment is out of your reach, you become miserable and hanker after it. Then again, if you manage to own it, you are in constant fear of losing it.
Thereby, your freedom of expression, behavioural patterns and outlook on life become limited. With attachment arises the idea of possession, the sense of ownership — my house, my car, my family, my wealth. With each new possession, your ego is reinforced, until finally your possessions begin to dominate and control your life. Detachment, on the other hand, is the ability to remain unaffected in the face of trials and tribulations. Although detachment is a spontaneous inner development, karma sannyasins can implement it in their lives by first developing attachment. It is only after you have developed a universal attachment to everything around you that you will begin to experience inner detachment.
Tags: Inner Operation Renounce Possession