Sow the Seeds of Goodness

credits thegirlinthecafe.com

Have you ever stared blankly at all the self-help books available on the shelves of a book store? Or noticed the numerous audio programs available to help with any problem? How about all the books on religion? Psychic healing or wellness?

We live in a day when there are virtually unlimited resources to teach us how to obtain a better life.

We could spend eons of lifetimes trying to absorb all the knowledge that is available to help us have a better life.

In my previous trip to Borders, I realized that there were countless self-help books on the shelves. Similarly, religious books on positive living plus psychic healing and wellness were visible in huge portions.
That left me thinking about paying for help when self-help remedies are easily available to oneself if only we care to take care of our mind, body and soul.Not to discount any of the amazing ideas, beliefs, programs, and techniques available, there is one absolutely, positively, 100% guaranteed way to improve our lives. It is free and anyone, anywhere can do it.

And... we all know it.

We have heard it since we were children. It is a law of the universe that can't be denied.

It is,

"As you sow, so shall ye reap"

Put another way... if we want to improve our lives, we ought to sow more seeds of goodness. If you want to be happier, sow more seeds of happiness. Simple, I know. But powerful and true. (though I may still be challenged on this topic by those emo-druids!)

While we are just beginning to understand (whilst fumbling) the workings of our universe, this law of the harvest does seem to be true.

What you give out, you get back...... The wonderful law of Karma!

To put this in application...

Our life is a reflection of the seeds we have sown or the actions and behaviors in which we have engaged.
If you want a better, more fulfilling, happier life, sow more seeds that bring happiness and fulfillment.
If you want your children to improve their behavior, sow more seeds of good parenting.
If you want your relationship to be healthier, sow more healthy relationship seeds.
If you want people to be more friendly, sow more friendly seeds.

People can't see your mind, what people see is a manifestation of your attitude in your actions of body and speech.

~ Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

I think we get the picture by now ;)

But as the dumpling festival is soon approaching,  I can't help but to think of the process of seperating and discarding the bad glutinuous rice seeds from the good ones. Similarly in life, we ought to do away with the negativities that invade, obstruct our sense of wellbeing and that cause us hardship.

Now of course some seeds take longer to germinate than others, and not every seed is going to all of a sudden burst forth into a huge plant or tree, still, we could still  reap the rewards of our seeds via the "feel good factor" by the end of the day. And it will be only the beginning, cumulatively inject us with more joy as we slowly reap the harvest of goodness.

What kind of seeds can we plant?

How about a bunch of smile seeds? Nah, I think we should go all the way and wager heavily on laughter seeds. A phone call to a loved one? Maybe words of gratitude to the Nepalese waiter? How about some words of kindness to our loved-ones? Or a bit of gentle thoughts to the ones who have been unkind to us?

I bet we could easily sow a hundred seeds in one day if we put our minds to it. I planted a seed of hope when I visited my ailing uncle this morning. The appreciative smile and his immediate response to want to get well not only improved his outlook towards life, but also the hopes of those loved-ones around him who were worried for his stubbornness to which had been the main factor to his deteriorating health.

Whatever needs improving in our lives, we just need to find some good seeds to sow and we will be surprised at how quickly our life starts improving!

Go sow a bagful of seeds today, or better yet, make it two! ^_^




"Walk on a trail of loving kindness
Walk on a path of compassion
And all else around you will be beautiful."
Every Blessing