Daily Meditation: Friday, October 25, 2013

Vigilance - can save our life

10/25/2013

Try convincing people it is of the greatest importance to be vigilant, to pay attention… They try to develop all kinds of other faculties, but not often attention. And yet, in so many cases, it is attention more than intelligence that allows them to be successful, and how many accidents are caused by not paying attention! In India, there is the story of a man who had been sentenced to death and was begging to be allowed to live. The judge said, ‘All right, you will be given another chance. You see this cup full of water? If you can walk all round the town without spilling a drop, your life will be saved. If not, your head will be cut off.’ The man went off with the cup filled to the brim, and when he came back he hadn’t lost a single drop! The judge asked him, ‘So, what did you see in the town? What did you hear?’ He had seen nothing and heard nothing; all his attention had been focused on the cup. That’s attention. And even if you do not find yourself in the same situation as this condemned man, it can save your life.