*The views expressed in the blog are those of the author.

There are multitudinous stories that motivate us and teach us life lessons.

Keeping the same motivation and life lessons in mind, I would like to share a beautiful story of Gautam Buddha- a teacher, philosopher and spiritual leader – the founder of Buddhism.

The story goes like this:

Gautam Buddha used to address people under a peepaltree, and a beggar used to watch all this the whole day. The beggar noticed that the people who went with their problems for solutions with a sad and depressed mood came out looking happy and satisfied.

One day he approached Buddha, bowed with reverence and expressed his desire to know-” Why some people are rich and why some are poor?” He wanted to know why he was poor, and God had not bestowed upon him a prosperous life. Buddha was listening to him very patiently and replied,

“You are poor because you have never given anything to anyone.” Hearing these words, the beggar said, “Lord, I am so poor. I do not have anything to give. I feed on alms received by some of the kind people of this kingdom.”

Buddha smiled and said, “God has given you such a beautiful smile with which you can make others smile. You can use your mouth to speak kind words and inspire others. God has given you two little eyes through which you can see this beautiful world and look with kindness to others. You can utilise your hands to help others. One who has these four things can never be poor. It is your ignorance. Remove this illusion from your mind, and poverty will disappear from your life.” Hearing this, beggar’s face brightened up and he started following all his teachings in his life.

We should also start thinking and analysing what God has gifted us with rather than cursing and comparing with others. We should always be thankful to God for all the good and the bad things that come our way because we learn from our bad times, our mistakes and problems.

Whenever you feel sad, read this story which will not only inspire you with hopes but also make your life happy and fruitful.

By Nandini Sharma
TGT English

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