The Spiritual Values
Values are the guiding principles in our life. The qualities like Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love, Patience and Non-Violence are the major spiritual values. These spiritual values are also human values and are the fundamental roots of a healthy, happy and successful life. Showing good behaviour is another important value. In our daily life we must practice discipline, honesty,etc which is called Good conduct. Practicing good conduct makes us healthy and happy. We should treat others as we would want to be treated. We should be loving human being who recognizes all other human being as their own family. And honouring and abiding by real ant true spiritual values will ultimately enable us to be humble, gentle, peaceful and faithful. Now lets read a story about having no patience.
The summer was very hot. Water was scarce. A thirsty crow searched for water everywhere. At last he found a little water in a tall pitcher made of clay. He could not reach to the water to drink. he was worried. Then he remembered the story of the Wise Crow who gathered small pebbles and dropped them Patiently into the water in the pot. He worked hard and this raised water level up ant he drank the water easily. But this crow was not patient enough to collect a lot of pebbles. He did not have patience to follow Wise Crow. So he lifted a big piece of rock with great effort and dropped it into the pot. But the pot broke with loud noise. All the water lost around mud. The crow remained thirsty and flew away in shame.
This story tells us what happens when we have no patience. Patience is the ability to endure or tolerate difficult circumtances without becoming annoyed or upset. It is showing forbearance when under strain or when faced with difficulties and failures. Some people cannot tolerate doing the same thing for a long period of time like the crow. They quickly get upset and complain aganist their difficulty. If they fail once or twice, they give up the job saying it too difficult or impossivle. These all activities show impatience. Impatience and laziness lead to trouble.
Once while Lord Buddha were walking with his discipline Ananda, he felt thirsty and sat under a tree. he asked Ananda to bring water from a nearby stream. When Ananda reached the stream, the water was muddy because it was disturbed by bullock. Ananda returned without water and told Buddha about it. He pleaded that he will bring water from the sea. But Buddha wanted to drink the water from the stream and Ananda went to the stream again. The water was still mubby. Ananda returned without water and told buddha that he was ready to go sea. But Buddha again sent him to the stream. This time the water was clear because the dirt was settled at the bottom. Ananda happily brought the water and gave it to Buddha to drink. Then Buddha preached Ananda,"Patience is an essential virtue. Patience is a key to success. It is an essential spiritual value too. We should practice patience.'' Ananda learnt an important lesson that day.
Every material in the market has a value. In the same way, human beings do have some value. But the value of human being cannnot be calculated in terms of money. The value of humans being lies in the qualities inherent in them . These qualities are called spiritual values.
Patience is an important spiritual value. A patient person neither gets too much excited at their success nor gets highly depressed at their failure.They knows that success and failures are like sun and moon. The keeps on working with hope and faith despite the hardship of their hard work.
Like patience there are different other essential values like: Truth, Peace, Honesty, Contentment, Love etc. Practice of these values removes both physical and mental problems of and peace begins to reign everywhere. This makes human life purposeful and happy.
END