Category: Stories

Stories I have heard or read from here and there. If you have nice stories you want to share please write me!

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She will open the door for me

It’s been said, on the first day of their marriage, wife and husband decided and agreed not to open the door for anyone!
On that day first, husband’s parents came to see them, they were behind the door.

Husband and the wife looked at each other, husband wanted to open the door, but since they had an agreement he did not open the door, so his parents left.

After a while the same day, wife’s parents came, wife and the husband looked at each other and even though they had an agreement, wife with tears on her eyes whispered, I can’t do this to my parents, and she opened the door.

Husband did not say anything, years passed and they had 4 boys and the fifth child was a girl.
The father, planned a very big party for the new born baby girl, and he invited everyone over.
Later that night his wife asked him what was the reason for such a big celebration for this baby while we did not
do it for the others!
The Husband simply replied, because she is the one who will open the door for me!

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Meet Roger, the man who lives in the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol


I was traveling from the US to Europe and I had a layover in Amsterdam. In the men’s room, I met an interesting character called Roger. Roger, in his mid forties, was neat and dressed like a backpack traveler. He started a conversation with me, talking about random stuff. At one point, out of the blue he mentions that he lives in the airport. I was not sure what he meant but he explained that he literally lives in the airport. I asked him if he showers, sleeps and gets his basic needs met in the airport and he said yes. In fact, he uses the handicap toilet to wash himself at nights then he goes to sleep in the airport pretending to be an early morning passenger. In the morning, he also uses to toilets to get himself ready and then leaves the airport for the day.

What an interesting encounter. I had no idea that some people, out of necessity do that. I have walked in the streets of popular European cities and I have met many homeless people. Panhandling and sleeping on the street is a second nature to them unfortunately. Roger at least, gets a warm place and washes himself instead of sleeping out in the freezing cold in the winter.

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The frugal business man and the sailor

One time, a frugal business man was almost drowning when the cruise ship started sinking. A young sailor throws himself in the water and saves the men. After they arrived to the shore, the frugal business man reached out to his pocket to give the sailor a reward for saving his life. The business man handed him 10$ and said “Thank you”. All the people around the business man, witnessing the situation got disgusted at how cheap the business man and how feeble is the payback for the sailor who saved his life. The sailor then calms the people down and tells them: “He knows more than any of us how much his life is worth”.

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A universal grace prayer

Back in 2007, I went to India to do Dyan Yatra (a spiritual trek/pilgrimage to the foothills of the Himalayas to visit ancient temples). We were a group of 120 people traveling in 4 buses containing 30 people each. We would drive to the foothills of a mountain range, then hike up around 8 to 10 km to reach a small village and the temple we wanted to visit. We would sleep in the village and hike back down the next day and resume our pilgrimage.

One day, we got stuck in a village because of a landslide blocking the road. We stayed an extra day in the village and this is when I befriended an Indian who’s both a homeopathic doctor and a Yogi. I had an extensive chat with him and he ended up teaching me a few handy spiritual practices. One of the things that I still remember and practice to this day was the prayer he taught me to say before eating. It is akin to the Christians’ grace prayer that is recited before food is consumed.

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I love two things: Prayers and Stories. Anyway, his version of the prayer goes something like this:

Oh my creator and God, thank you for this food. May this food nourish my body, may it be converted into blood and energy that I can use to help and serve others.

This is a very short prayer and is almost devoid of any religious affiliations. It is not a Christian prayer, it is not a Muslim prayer and it surely not a Buddhist or Hindu prayer. It is a simple remembrance that we are grateful for the grace we have in our life and how we intended to return this grace by serving others.

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The prince and the tiger

One day, a prince and his servant were walking in the jungle. Suddenly, a ferocious tiger leapt out of no where and tried to attack them. The servant, out of fear, quickly climbed a nearby tree and took refuge and refused to stay and help his master. The prince, on the other hand, faced the tiger with so much courage and finally killed the tiger.

The prince then calls down his servant and asked him: “Why did you not come down and help me? Come down, I will kill you myself!”

The servant: “I saw a Lion fighting a tiger and it is well known, when those two are fighting, dogs should not get involved”.

The prince then smiled at his reply and spared his life.

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Catching up after a long time

Two friends, Tom and Mark reunite after a long time. They started chatting and catching up.

  • Tom: So Mark, what’s up with you after this long time?
  • Mark: Oh, since then I got married
  • Tom: So that must be good news
  • Mark: No, not really. The wife turned out to be very evil and made my life miserable
  • Tom: Oh, that’s not good
  • Mark: Well, no worries here. We got divorced and she paid me lots of money during the divorce
  • Tom: So, that is of most convenience then
  • Mark: Oh yeah, with all the money, I decided to get into the cattle business, but unfortunately they all died in an accident
  • Tom: What luck!
  • Mark: Luckily, I could sell their pelts for good money
  • Tom: So for selling the pelts, at least you recovered your losses
  • Mark: Yes indeed and with the money I bought a new house
  • Tom: What a turn of events. That sucks!
  • Mark: No not really. The wife was still in the house when it burned.
  • …

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Story: Do you have an email account?

Once upon a time, a man was looking for a job. He reads about an office boy position in Microsoft Corporation. He applies and soon enough he lands an interview.
The interviewer starts asking the man some questions and then notices that the man forgot to fill in his email address.

  • The interviewer: “Oh, it seems you forgot to type in your email address”
  • The man: “No I did not forget. Actually, I don’t have an email account”
  • The interviewer: “You don’t have an email? Well sorry, you cannot work for Microsoft in that case”

Continue reading “Story: Do you have an email account?”

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The Iceberg Illusion of Success

I found this picture on the internet and I really loved it and as usual, I would like to use it as a launching pad for today’s article.

I still remember my self when I was young, between the ages of 14 to 23, I used to envy people of my age or slightly older who seemed to have achieved the success that I want for myself.

If I saw another guy with a fancy car, I would immediately justify that by telling myself that he must have rich parents.

If I see a smart guy from a good university, I would say to myself that his parents could afford to educate him in such a prestigious university and then I would say to myself: only if I had the means, then I would have been more successful.

If I saw a guy with a hot looking girl, I would say to myself: “He must have money because that’s why the girl is hanging out with him. I don’t have a car or the money to take her out and give her a nice time”.

Back then, I could not afford to buy all the material possessions that I wanted. I remember when my peers used to have a Game Boy or a Sega Mega drive. They used to come to school and play with those game consoles and it made me feel sad and unhappy because I don’t have one myself. Often times, I would think about my parents with a bit of childish resentment. I had the sense of entitlement because I was immature.

Back then, I could not afford to take vacations or travel wherever I wanted. I was living in a continuous state of perceived lack, holding my happiness hostage to external situations. For a big part of my childhood and adulthood, It felt that my self worth really depends on how others perceive me, how much I have, what car I have, what cloth I wear, what kind of a girl friend I had. Continue reading “The Iceberg Illusion of Success”

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Five Ancient Lessons of the pencil

When Sri Gurudeva Srila Prabhupada ki jaya was walking today he felt his mind reach out over the blue sea to an island shimmering in the distance. When his mind returned it brought a story with it – a story of spiritual instruction. Strange are the ways of inspiration.

Sri Gurudeva Srila Prabhupada writes:

Continue reading “Five Ancient Lessons of the pencil”

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3 nights and 1200 miles later – Road trip from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA

Two weeks ago, I started my road trip from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA. It was my first very long road trip in the US. At first, I was just going to punch-in my destination into my GPS and drive along whatever route it suggests. However, after talking to friends who already took a similar road trip, they advised me to research taking the scenic route instead of the plain and dull I-5 highway. I became intrigued about the scenic route and my research indicated that it would be a longer but much more enjoyable trip.

What follows is my short story where I share my adventure and some tips I learned along the way. Since this is my first road trip from Seattle to San Diego along the Pacific coast and with little to no experience driving along the coast, I am hoping that this article proves to be useful for others who also are looking to embark on a similar experience. Continue reading “3 nights and 1200 miles later – Road trip from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA”

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The difference between hell and heaven is a mindset

the sacrifice of one An old teaching tale goes like this: A young man wanted to know the difference between Heaven and Hell.

The sage led him to two rooms with observation portals, one labeled Heaven and one Hell.

Looking in at Hell he saw a banquet table filled with luscious food but the people at the table were emaciated and distressed. Their spoons had long handles to reach the food, but the handles were too long to bring the food to their mouths.

Then he looked in on Heaven. Same table full of luscious food. Same long spoons. But the people were healthy and happy and using their long-handled spoons to feed one another.

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The Zen master Shichiri Kojun and the thief

One evening, Zen master Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras when a thief entered his house with a sharp sword, demanding “money or life”.
Without any fear, Shichiri said: “Don’t disturb me! Help yourself with the money, it’s in that drawer” and he resumed his recitation.

The thief was startled by this unexpected reaction, but he proceeded with his business anyway.
While he was helping himself with the money, the master stopped and called, “Don’t take all of it. Leave some for me to pay my taxes tomorrow”.
The thief left some money behind and prepared to leave. Just before he left, the master suddenly shouted at him, “You took my money and you didn’t even thank me?! That’s not polite!”. Continue reading “The Zen master Shichiri Kojun and the thief”

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Metta Prayer and other quotes of wisdom – In the memory of Mr. S.N. Goenka

I learned about Mr. S. N. Goenka when I wanted to learn the Vipassana Meditation technique. His teaching method and the meditation technique was the best I learned in my life.

About S. N. Goenka

Some background about Mr. S. N. Goenka, from the Dhamma website:

s.n goenkaAlthough Indian by descent, Mr. Goenka was born and raised in Myanmar (Burma). While living there, he had the good fortune to come into contact with Sayagyi U Ba Khin and to learn the technique of Vipassana from him. After receiving training from his teacher for 14 years, Mr. Goenka settled in India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. In a country still sharply divided by differences of caste and religion, the courses offered by Mr. Goenka soon attracted thousands of people from every part of society. In addition, many people from countries around the world came to join courses in Vipassana meditation.

Over a period of almost 45 years, Mr. Goenka and the teachers appointed by him taught hundreds of thousands of people in courses in India and other countries, East and West. Today, meditation centers established under his guidance are operating in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Australasia.

The technique taught by S.N. Goenka goes back two and a half millennia to the Buddha. The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma – the way to liberation – which is universal. In the same tradition, Mr. Goenka’s approach is totally non-sectarian. For this reason, his teaching has had a profound appeal to people of all backgrounds, of every religion and no religion, and from every part of the world.

Mr Goenka, died on 29 September 2013 (aged 89) in Mumbai, India. Continue reading “Metta Prayer and other quotes of wisdom – In the memory of Mr. S.N. Goenka”

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This too shall pass

This is a nice story about the impermanent nature of things in life. I first heard it during my first Vipassana Meditation retreat.

Here’s is the story by Nikhil Gangoli as found on the 1stholistic website:

oldman-with-ringA rich old man died leaving two sons. They decided to separate dividing all the properties between themselves – fifty fifty. After all the matters related to property were settled the two brothers came across a small packet carefully hidden by the father. The packet contained two rings – one was an expensive diamond ring and the other was an ordinary silver ring costing only a few rupees.

Seeing the diamond ring the elder brother developed greed and desired the ring for himself. He explained to the younger brother – This packet is obviously a family heirloom and not part of the joint family property. Our father evidently desired the diamond ring to be passed on from generation to generation and stay within the family. Being the elder brother I will take the diamond ring. You had better take the silver one.

The younger brother smiled and agreed.

The younger brother was curious as to why the father had preserved the silver ring, which had very little value. He took out the ring and examined it. One the ring was written the words – “This too will pass”. The younger brother said – “Oh this was the motto of my father – This too will pass. He replaced the ring on his finger.

Time passed. Both brothers went through the ups and downs of life. The elder brother used to get highly delighted when spring came and he was prosperous. He lost his balance and developed greed and attachment. When the good phase went away and winter approached he became highly anxious. He needed to medication and sleeping pills to be able to sleep. When that did not help he completely lost his balance. He needed visits to the psychiatrist and electric shock treatments. This was the brother with the diamond ring.

The younger brother when spring came, enjoyed it but remembered his father’s motto – This too will change. He did not get attached to his circumstances but enjoyed them while they lasted. When spring passed he said to himself – It was inevitably going to pass and now it has done so. So what? Similarly when winter approached and circumstances became bad he did not become agitated but remembered – This too will pass. Thus he was able to preserve his sense of balance through all the ups and downs of life and lived his life happily.

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No Avocado for you! Come back one year!

no avocado for you

I was in Vancouver, BC during a short weekend visit to discover and explore the city. The sun usually sets around 4:30PM this time of year.

I arrived Saturday and I checked in into my hotel room at 4PM, grabbed my umbrella and started walking around.

I wanted to walk in downtown and see much of the streets, the people and various attractions.

I tell you, the city looked vibrant and full of young people. There were lots of Asians as well. For a second I forgot I was in Canada (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

So, basically for me, the biggest “attraction” or the highlight of my exploration on Saturday night was the sheer amount of homeless people asking for money and lying on the streets.

Continue reading “No Avocado for you! Come back one year!”

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The Wise Bedouin and his 50 children

One evening, I had the privilege to meet and dine with Yasser Akkaoui the managing director and editor in chief of the Executive Business Magazine.

During our dinner, I asked him:

Yasser, so with all the companies you run, responsibilities and family, how do you manage your time?

Yasser replied:

Let me answer you with a story I heard once. This is how I manage my business.

What follows is the story as shared by Yasser:

flower separator

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bedouin/images-videos
Image courtesy of Britannica online encyclopedia

Once upon a time, in a small village in the desert, a wise Bedouin was living there and was known to have fathered 50 children.

His words of wisdom made him famous throughout the other villages and even his wisdom and reputation spread to tourists that were visiting other villages.

One Western reporter was intrigued by the stories he heard about him, so he decide to visit his village and ask him a difficult question and experience his wisdom firsthand. It was not easy for the reporter to come up with such a question, but after days of reflection, he thought he figured a hard question he could ask the Bedouin.

Continue reading “The Wise Bedouin and his 50 children”

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Where are the coins? How are they disappearing?

This is a story from my childhood, a rather funny story that I want to share with you:

street-fighter-arcadeBack when I was around 8 to 9 years old, I found a small amusement center where they had a few arcade games, and a couple billiard table.

These places were frequented by what my parents would call: “Thugs, impolite, and people with bad influence”. They did not want me to go to this place because as far as they know this place could be dangerous for a young schoolboy.

Of course, I was afraid too of bad influence but the arcade games are irresistible.

To prevent me from going, my parents will not give me money or they would ask me how I am spending my time and money.

In a sense, after school I should be back home and any other activity should be close by and my parents should know where I am at all time.

As a young kid, I had to find an excuse, a legitimate excuse to justify the time when I am able to sneak out, go to that place and play.

The other problem was that I needed money so I can go there and play!

One day, I was going through my dad’s drawer and I found a bag full of quarters. “Jackpot!”, I said to myself.

This bag had so many coins that no way my dad kept a count of them. I figured if I take a few each day, go play for one hour or so, then no one would notice.

What was my excuse regarding where I would be spending my time? I would tell my parents I have to go to the library and study with a friend. The library was just across the street from that arcade place, a perfect excuse. My friend too, wanted to play with me, so we both had good excuses.

Each time I would go with my school buddy, we would cover each other’s lies and backs. We would make sure no one saw us coming in or out from the arcade place. After all, in a small town, everybody knows everybody.

This charade went on for a while: I would steal a few coins, make excuses and go play Street Fighter, Contra and all those old arcade games that still gives me nostalgia when I think about them!

After a while, the bag of quarters eventually ran out. It took a while for my dad to notice, but when he did, he asked me: “Where did all the coins disappear?”

I was afraid but I had to tell the truth. My dad was not happy about it but he knew that if I had my own video game console then I won’t be spending money outside or go to that place at all.

Two weeks later, my dad returns home with a Nintendo NES System!

I stopped going to the Arcade games place and started playing at home. This started a new phase in my life where I become addicted to video games. I became so good at playing that my friends would lend me a game just so that they sit next to me and watch me play it from beginning to end in a matter of hours.

Continue reading “Where are the coins? How are they disappearing?”