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Mark Van Buren
More books by Mark Van Buren…
“I once heard a story about a king who, in trying to teach one of his servants humility, told him to find a ring that when worn was able to make the happy sad and the unhappy glad. Knowing no such a ring existed, he set the servant off, giving him six months to seek it. The servant searched all over the land to no avail. The night before the six months expired, he met a wise man in a village and asked, "Do you know of a ring when worn can make the happy sad and the unhappy glad?" The wise man silently nodded his head and engraved a few words on a ring. The following day the king summoned the servant and asked if he had found the ring. While everyone in the room, including the king, was getting ready to laugh and humiliate him, the servant handed him the ring. The cheerful mood of the king changed as he read the words engraved on it: This Too Shall Pass”
― A Fool's Guide to Actual Happiness
― A Fool's Guide to Actual Happiness
“There's an old zen story of an aged Chinese farmer whose horse escaped through a break in its fence. The neighbors of the farmer heard the news and told him how this was bad luck, for he wouldn't have a horse to help him during the planting season. The farmer replied, "Well, who knows? Who can say?" A couple of days later, the horse returned with two wild horses, and this time when the neighbors heard about this, they told him he had great fortune. Again, the farmer replied, "Who can say?" The next day, the farmer's son was trying to tame one of the wild horses and fell off, breaking his leg. The neighbors heard about this and again told the farmer how this was such bad luck. As always, the farmer responded with, "Who can say?" That same day the king's army rode into town and took the eldest son of every family to be sent to war. Only the farmer's son remained because of his broken leg. Good fortune? Bad fortune? Who can say?”
― A Fool's Guide to Actual Happiness
― A Fool's Guide to Actual Happiness
“Imagine every thought you think, every word you speak, and every action you take as little seeds in a big garden, Your whole life you have been continually planting seeds, experiencing the fruits of these seeds, and planting more seeds in reaction of what has grown. Each seed will grow, and eventually the fruit of our actions must be faced. Take a moment and reflect on your life up to this point. What kinds of seeds have you been planting? What type of garden will you be expecting?”
― A Fool's Guide to Actual Happiness
― A Fool's Guide to Actual Happiness
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