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THE ART OF POSITIVE THINKING
O King! My Mother's name is Adversity. Your mother, all know, is called Prosperity. Both are sisters. Being the son of your mother's sister Aren't I your brother? Do you recognize me now?
The king said, "Yes! I know thee now."
Adversity and prosperity, poverty and wealth, misery and joy are real sisters - both live together. It may be said that the right and the left sides of the body symbolize these two: prosperity abides on this side and adversity on the other. The right side belongs to the goddess of wealth, the left to the spectre of misery and want.
There are only two ways, wherever you might roam in this world - the right and the left. Even in the field of religion we have people traversing two paths — the rightists and the leftists. The Tantrists may be called leftists, while the followers of other religions are often termed rightists. Likewise in the field of politics. Our bodies, thoughts and emotions are no strangers to these two paths--the right and the left. The two paths, in fact, run together: the path of prosperity and that of adversity: the path of positive and construc tive thinking and that of negative destructive thinking. The latter is very much crowded. It is the most frequented path-a busy thoroughfare. On the other hand, the positive and constructive path lies almost deserted. It is a wide path, but not much frequented. Never crowded. Rarely is a traveller seen traversing it. It is for ever vacant. When we sit in meditation, we try to impart some order to the left and make an attempt to cross over to the right. And as we do so, we are confronted by unruly crowds on the left, who often get out of bounds and violate the sanctity of the right.
Had not the ascetic involved himself with the security of the golden sword, his meditation would have continued undisturbed, the path to salvation would never have been obstructed.
Many a temptation crosses the mind during meditation. If the meditator allows himself to be tempted, his meditation fails; all his effort goes waste.
A good many tales are told about ancient sages. It is said that many temptations assailed them. Some yielded to these while others withstood them and remained unaffected. Yama, the God of Death, offered many temptations to Nachiketa.
“Nachiketa", said the Lord of Death, "Give up your resolve to know the Truth. Don't be obstinate. I'm ready to give you anything
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