624. Om guhyayai namah: I bow down to Amma who is to be known in secret.
A beautiful story by Amma:
One evening at 5pm or so, a duck walked into a bar and asked the bartender if he had grapes. The bartender replied in the negative. The next day at around the same time, the duck walked in again and asked the bartender if he had grapes. A trifle irritated, the bartender replied in the negative once again. The third day, at the same time, the duck walked in and asked the bartender yet again, if he had grapes. This time the bartender lost it. Angry, he told the duck that the next time he asked for grapes, he'd nail the duck's webbed feet to the floor of the bar. The fourth day, once again, the duck walked in. This time, he had a different question.
Did the bartender have nails?
No, said the bartender.
"In which case," replied the duck, "do you have grapes?"
It's a funny story but Amma said that this story reveals the nature of the mind. When it gets hooked on negativity, it will find a way to always fall back on the negative pattern. Amma once again dwelled on the strong linkage between self confidence and faith. Keeping ourselves in the negative space is the equivalent of mistaking a rope for a snake or a snake for a rope or even a cow for an elephant in the night. In the darkness of negativity, we are unable to see clearly. We have to move away from this negative dark space to the positive brightly lit space of faith and belief. In that space, everything will stay crystal clear and we will have correct perspective of everything around us.
I think just as there is a warning associated with touching a live wire or playing with fire, so also should there be a warning about negativity. Nothing can get us down like negativity and nothing else can conquer everything like positivity. Here's hoping and praying that Amma will always give us the grace to enjoy positivity and faith in our lives. We need Your guidance and help in this, Dear Amma!
Om Amriteswariye namah!
One evening at 5pm or so, a duck walked into a bar and asked the bartender if he had grapes. The bartender replied in the negative. The next day at around the same time, the duck walked in again and asked the bartender if he had grapes. A trifle irritated, the bartender replied in the negative once again. The third day, at the same time, the duck walked in and asked the bartender yet again, if he had grapes. This time the bartender lost it. Angry, he told the duck that the next time he asked for grapes, he'd nail the duck's webbed feet to the floor of the bar. The fourth day, once again, the duck walked in. This time, he had a different question.
Did the bartender have nails?
No, said the bartender.
"In which case," replied the duck, "do you have grapes?"
It's a funny story but Amma said that this story reveals the nature of the mind. When it gets hooked on negativity, it will find a way to always fall back on the negative pattern. Amma once again dwelled on the strong linkage between self confidence and faith. Keeping ourselves in the negative space is the equivalent of mistaking a rope for a snake or a snake for a rope or even a cow for an elephant in the night. In the darkness of negativity, we are unable to see clearly. We have to move away from this negative dark space to the positive brightly lit space of faith and belief. In that space, everything will stay crystal clear and we will have correct perspective of everything around us.
I think just as there is a warning associated with touching a live wire or playing with fire, so also should there be a warning about negativity. Nothing can get us down like negativity and nothing else can conquer everything like positivity. Here's hoping and praying that Amma will always give us the grace to enjoy positivity and faith in our lives. We need Your guidance and help in this, Dear Amma!
Om Amriteswariye namah!
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