The Woodcutter

A sunny day a woodcutter took his grandson into the forest for his first experience in selecting and cutting oak trees. These they would later sell to the boat builders. As they walked along, the woodcutter explained that the purpose of each tree is contained in its natural shape: some are straight for planks, some have the proper curves for the ribs of a boat, and some are tall for masts. The woodcutter told his grandson that by paying attention to the details of each tree, and with experience in recognizing these characteristics, someday he too might become the woodcutter of the forest.

A little way into the forest, the grandson saw an old oak tree that had never been cut. The boy asked his grandfather if he could cut it down because it was useless for boat building - there were no straight limbs, the trunk was, short and gnarled, and the curves were going the wrong way. "We could cut it down for firewood," the grandson said. "At least then it will be of some use to us." The woodcutter replied that for now they should be about their work cutting the proper trees for the boat builders; maybe later they could return to the old oak tree.

After a few hours of cutting the huge trees, the grandson grew tired and asked if they could stop for a rest in some cool shade. The woodcutter took his grandson over to the old oak tree, where they rested against its trunk in the cool shade beneath its twisted limbs. After they had rested a while, the woodcutter explained to his grandson the necessity of attentive awareness and recognition of everything in the forest and in the world. Some things are readily apparent, like the tall, straight trees; other things are less apparent, requiring closer attention, like recognition of the proper curves in the limbs. And some things might initially appear to have no purpose at all, like the gnarled old oak tree.

The woodcutter stated, "You must learn to pay careful attention every day so you can recognize and discover the purpose God has for everything in creation. For it is this old oak tree, which you so quickly deemed useless except for firewood, that now allows us to rest against its trunk amidst the coolness of its shade.

"Remember, grandson, not everything is as it first appears. Be patient, pay attention, recognize, and discover."

The Split Milk

This is a story about a famous scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?

He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor—a veritable sea of milk!

When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"

Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk.

His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!

This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't work," we usually learn something valuable from it.

Patna University Invites Applications for PG Programs

Patna University, Patna invites applications for admission to Master of Arts (M.A), Master of Science (M.Sc) and Master of Commerce (M.Com) programs for the commencing session 2013.

Eligibility     

For the complete detail about the program, eligibility criteria and application procedure follow this link.  

Website- http://www.patnauniversity.ac.in/AdmissionNotice180613.html

 

Important Dates-

 

Last date for submission of application form: Monday, July 15, 2013.

IFTM University Invites Applications for Ph.D Program

Institute of Foreign Trade and Management (IFTM), Moradabad invites applications for admission to two years Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) program in Biotechnology, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Management for the academic year 2013-14.

Eligibility     

For the complete detail about the program, eligibility criteria and application procedure follow this link.  

Website-http://www.iftmuniversity.ac.in/iftmu/pages/download/news/PhD_Notification_2013-14.pdf

 

Important Dates-

• Last date for submission of application form: Thursday, July 25, 2013.
• Date of entrance examination: Sunday, August 04, 2013.

Resend of God Bless

A man woke up early in order to have his morning devotion (prayer) in the lords house (church).He got dressed set on his way to the church.

On his way to the church, the man fell and his clothes got dirty.  He got Up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes, and was, again, on his way to the lords house. On his way to the church,  he fell again and at the same spot! He, again, got up, brushed himself off and headed home.  At home he, once again, changed his Clothes and was on his way to the church.On his way to the church, he met a man holding a lamp. He asked the man of his identity and the man replied 'I saw you fall twice on your way to the church, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way.

The first man thanked him profusely and the two were on their way to the church. Once at the church, the first  Man asked the man with the lamp to come in and pray with him. The second Man refused. The first man asked him a couple more times and, again, the answer was the same.  The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray.


The man  Replied, 'I am Satan'. The man was shocked at this reply. Satan went On to explain, 'I saw you on your way to the Church and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on your way to the church, God forgave all  of your sins. I made you fall a Second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather, you went back on your way to Church.

Because of that, God forgave all the sins of the people of your Household. I was afraid if I made you fall one more  time, then God will  Forgive the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that you reached the Church  safely.'

 So do not let Satan benefit from his actions. Do not put off the good You intended to do as you never know how much reward you might Receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good. For your righteousness can save your family and nation at large.                    

  Do this  and

The Golden Buddha

This is a story about a Buddha statue.This statue of Buddha of clay reached almost three meters in height. During generations it had been considered sacred by the inhabitants of the place.

One day, due to the growth of the city, they decided to translate it to a more appropriate site. This delicate task was assigned to a recognized monk, who, after planning carefully, started his mission. His luck was so bad that, when moving the statue, this one slipped and fell, cracking in various parts.

 Regretful, the monk and his team decided to spend the night meditating over the alternatives. They were long, dark and rainy hours. The monk, instead of despairing, focused in finding a way out. Suddenly, when observing the cracked sculpture, he realized that the light of his candle reflected through the cracks of the statue. He thought that they were drops of rain. He drew near the crack and observed that behind the clay there was something, but he was not sure what.

 He consulted his colleagues and decided to take a risk that looked like a madness. He asked for a hammer and started to break the clay, discovering that below it was hidden the Buddha of solid gold of almost three meters of height. During centuries this beautiful treasure had been covered by ordinary clay. Historians found proofs that demonstrated that, at one time, the town was going to be attacked by bandits. The residents, to protect their treasure, covered it with clay to make it look common and ordinary. The town was attacked and sacked, but the Buddha was ignored by the bandits. Afterwards, the survivors thought that was better to continue hiding it behind the clay.

 Over time, people started to think that the Golden Buddha was a legend or an invention of the old ones.Until, finally, all forgot the true treasure because they thought that something so beautiful could not be true.

 Our treasures are our capacity to give, enjoy, give thanks, laugh, forgive, dream big, go over trivial and value in oneself and in others what is really important.

Risk to see your life through the clay and you will realize that you are a treasure of riches.

Nasreddin's Garden

A man named Nasreddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wishing to eliminate the unwanted guests, Nasreddin consulted with gardeners near and far, but none of their solutions worked.

Finally, Nasreddin traveled to the palace of the sheik to seek the wisdom of the royal gardener himself. But alas, Nasreddin had already tried all the methods the kind old man recommended to him for eradicating such troublesome weeds.

Silently they sat together for a good long time. At last, the royal gardener looked at Nasreddin and said, "Well, then, the only thing I can suggest is that you learn to love them."