A pod of whales was lying like long reclining buddhas on the sea. My sister and I put our ears to the bottom of the boat so we could listen to their songs.
We turned to grandfather and asked "what do their songs mean?"
"The whales do not sing because they have an answer" he said "They sing because they have a song"

A Buddhist Prayer
Evoking the presence of the great compassion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion - towards ourselves and towards all living beings.
Let us pray that all living beings realise that they are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.

Albert Einstein
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
We are human beings. God has given us a body. The body should be healthy and strong. God has given a mind - the mind should be peaceful and loving. God has given a family where we should live with love and cooperation. God has also given the opportunity to grow. So how to grow simultaneously with sound health, good mind, peaceful, loving relationship and at the same time spiritually with joy, happiness, calmness and love? We have to change our lifestyle a little to accommodate everything. We are what we do. We are what we think, we have to change our activities, lifestyle and thinking patterns a little. Not change radically and become a swami, where we live we can live better. Every tomorrow can be a better tomorrow. We should try for that.

During the time of Buddha there was a criminal who lived in a forest. He was fierce and was a terror to the people of the nearby villages, as he vowed to kill 1000 people and make a rosary with their thumbs. Buddha was warned not go into that forest. Buddha who was fearless in his love for God went that way. The criminal was sitting under a tree and when he saw Buddha walk by, drew his sword and asked him to stay still. Buddha smiled and said, "I am still .You are the one who is restless." The man was surprised that some one dared to talk to him thus. He said, "How can you say that. You are walking and I am sitting down". Buddha smiled and said, "I am moving but my mind is still. You are sitting but very restless". This criminal had never heard a voice so peaceful and full of love. The power of that love transformed him completely and approaching Buddha with great remorse for all the sins he committed, he begged him to accept him as a disciple follower. Buddha accepted him as a follower. The next day Buddha said, "If you want to follow me, you have to live in a certain way. You have to beg for food each day, as we live by begging. Be prepared to accept all situations without reacting". When the criminal went begging he had to face many insults as he was begging at the doors of families who lost their dear ones because of his crimes. He bore them all without reacting and was truly repentant. As he was coming back with the empty bowl, Buddha met him on the way and said, "You have learnt how to be still. Come, we will share the food that I brought". We should know how to be still.

"Wisdom comes from seeing your self clearly.

Compassion comes from seeing your self in others."