The Zen Mastert Tao was instructing a group of students.
He stopped and gave each person a pebble and a pencil. He asked each one to write his/her name on it using the pencil. Then he collected together all the pebbles and put them in a basket.
Then each one was asked to search in the bucket for the pebble which had their name written on it, but they only have 5 minutes.
Everyone was frantically searching for their name, digging in the basket, pushing there way through, almost climbing over each other, the basket was so small that when more than five people had a hand in the basket at the same time they even got stuck, it was utter chaos.
At the end of the 5 minutes, no one could find their own pebble.
Now each one was asked to randomly collect a pebble from the basket and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within 5 minutes everyone had their own pebble back.
The Zen Master began: This is exactly happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is. Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness, you will get your own happiness.
And this is one of the true secret's of human life.
When unhappiness is there, just watch it.
Don’t be afraid?
Just accept it.
It is a natural experience.
Once you stop clinging to life, real life becomes available to you.
Once you accept death, this life disappears, but another dimension opens.
Remember the whole emphasis here is that there are no opposites, there are only complementaries.
If you care to much you become nervous.
If you are nervous you will become tense.
Remember the more intense is your crying, the more will be the intensity of your laughter.
Just remain present to the moment.
When you are full of sadness so be sad.
When you feel like crying, cry.
When you feel like laughing, laugh just move with the moment.
But understand it and then it drops, not that you drop it; it drops of its own accord, then you have a tremendous release of energy, the same energy which was becoming violent, aggressive, fighting, anger, this and that, is now released.
Now the same energy is available to celebrate, to dance, to laugh, to enjoy and to be happy.
So you just start from where you are and happiness like a dogs tail always follows.