The Spiritual Master and the Scorpion
A spiritual master was walking along a riverbank when he noticed a scorpion struggling in the water, fighting to stay afloat. Moved by compassion, he reached down and gently lifted it, intending to place it safely on dry land.
As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him.
Startled by the sharp pain, the master instinctively dropped it and the scorpion fell back into the water.
Without hesitation, the master reached down again to save it. Again, the scorpion stung him. Again, he dropped it.
A third time, he tried. Though stung once more, he managed to carry the scorpion to the shore and set it safely on dry ground.
His disciples, who had witnessed the whole scene, rushed to him and treated his swollen hand. Once the pain had subsided, one of them asked:
“Master, why did you keep trying to save it? You knew it would sting you. What was the point?”
The master replied calmly:
“It is the scorpion’s nature to sting. It does not know that I wish to help it. Acting from instinct, it does what it was created to do.”
He paused, then continued:
“But why should I change my nature because of the scorpion’s nature? Do not allow another’s harmful action to make you abandon your compassion. The scorpion acts according to its nature. I act according to mine.”
The Lion’s Breath
There was a lion who’s partner told him that his breath smelled. Offended and angry, he stormed away and decided to ask the opinion of others.
He first approached a sheep and said, “Tell me truthfully, does my breath smell?” The sheep, being honest, replied, “Yes, it does.” Enraged by the answer, the lion killed the sheep.
Later, he met a wolf. The wolf had already heard what happened to the sheep and was afraid. When the lion asked him the same question, the wolf quickly answered, “No, not at all.” The lion recognized the lie and, angered again, killed the wolf as well.
Finally, the lion came across a fox. When asked whether the lion’s breath smelled, the fox began coughing and said, “Your Majesty, I have a cold. I cannot smell anything, so I cannot answer you honestly either way.” The lion, finding no offense in this response, allowed the fox to go free.
The story highlights an important lesson about discernment. Not everyone who asks for advice is prepared to receive it. Speaking truth requires wisdom not only about what is said, but when, how, and to whom it is spoken. The moral reminds us to be thoughtful and vigilant when offering our own advice, understanding the character and intentions of those who seek it.
Three Affirmations to Close the Day at Peace
Before you go to sleep each night, take a quiet moment to say these words slowly and intentionally. Let them settle in your mind as you prepare for rest:
1. Gratitude for What Was — Even What I Didn’t Understand
“Thank you God, for everything. For what I did, what I didn’t do, what I understood and what I didn’t understand. Thank you for the delays, the closed doors, the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts,’ and the setbacks. There was wisdom in them, even when I couldn’t see it. With Your assistance and guidance, I trust I will understand in time.”
Why this matters: This reframes frustration into trust. Instead of going to sleep replaying rejection or confusion, you acknowledge that not knowing doesn’t mean failure. It softens resistance. And resistance is what keeps the mind spinning at night.
2. Release What I Cannot Control
“God, please help me release what I cannot control. Every fear. Every weight. Every ‘what if.’ Help me to lay down what I carried today, and to be at peace.”
Why this matters: During the day, we tighten up especially over things outside our control. At night, if we don’t consciously release them, we carry them straight into our sleep.
3. Invitation for Peace and Healing
“I call upon You for peace tonight. Stillness through the night. As my body sleeps and heals, assist me in deep healing so I may wake in peace.”
Why this matters: Sleep is already a biological healing state. When you intentionally align with that, you move from anxious sleep to restorative sleep. You’re not just collapsing into bed, you’re entering stillness to promote healing.
Why Self-Realisation Is the Foundation of True Spiritual Growth
One of the most important things for anyone who sees themselves as a spiritual seeker is self-realisation. I know it sounds difficult, and I know how it goes.
When people are given a technique, they get enthusiastic at first, and then after a while it fades. But with self-realisation, a real spiritual seeker cannot treat it lightly or come back to it only when it suits them.
You can do all the retreats, all the gatherings, your prayer, your spiritual practices, but none of that deals with the real issue inside you unless you do self-realisation. Ritual alone doesn’t change you.
Look around. Look at religious people, spiritual people, even countries that say, “We believe in God.” But when you look at behaviour, sometimes you really doubt the humanity. So let’s look at ourselves, after all these prayers, how much have we actually changed?
Until we become human, we cannot really become spiritual. And the only way to become human is through proper self-realization.
Without it, people do everything outwardly but may become narrow-minded, fanatical, or harsh with others. That’s because they never looked inside. And then we start assuming we are spiritual when actually nothing much has shifted.
With self-realisation, you start chipping away at things you didn’t even know you had; jealousy, insecurity, fear, lack of confidence, attraction to negativity. And at the same time, you may discover qualities that you never recognized. This is not emotional work, this is real work at the level of the soul. Coming to retreats and doing practices is good, it creates positive energy, but without self-realization that energy can even boost the ego and give a false sense of safety.
When that work is done properly, the heart becomes clean. Otherwise, the light cannot shine, and a rusty mirror won’t reflect it.
I Am Love
Mullah Nasreddin was known as a wise man, so one day four people came to him with a problem.
The first person explained his view. Nasreddin listened and said, “That’s true.”
The second person spoke next, saying the exact opposite of the first. Nasreddin nodded and said, “That’s true.”
The third person disagreed with them both and presented a different opinion. Nasreddin said again, “That’s true.”
Then a fourth person came and argued against all three. Nasreddin listened carefully and said, “That’s true.”
Someone in the audience became angry and said, “They can’t all be right. How can you say everyone is telling the truth?”
Nasreddin replied, “Each person is speaking from their own angle. Each one has part of the truth. I can see that because I am not in love with myself. I am love. When I am not focused on myself, I can understand others. When you see with love, you can recognize the truth in everyone—even when they disagree.”
The Life Of Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian writer, and his books go very deep into human nature. They are not light stories. They deal with things like doubt, guilt, suffering, and the reasons people act the way they do.
He did not start out as a writer straight away. He was interested in literature, but he went to Saint Petersburg, one of the biggest cities in Russia, and studied engineering for the army. He did that because it was a stable and respected path. But he did not enjoy it. Writing was what he really wanted to do. So he began spending time with people who liked discussing ideas and questioning society. They were asking why there was so much injustice and inequality in people’s lives. At that time, Russia was ruled by Tsar Nicholas I, and even reading certain books or gathering to talk about ideas was not allowed. Just discussing and questioning things could get you into serious trouble.
Eventually, Dostoevsky and his friends were arrested. They were accused of political crimes and sentenced to death. They spent months in prison waiting for execution. One day they were taken out, lined up, and the execution process began. When it was almost Dostoevsky’s turn, the order was suddenly stopped. The Tsar had changed the sentence. Instead of being executed, they were sent to Siberia.
Siberia was extremely harsh. Dostoevsky spent years there among criminals, murderers, and thieves. He himself was not a criminal. His only crime was questioning the system and thinking differently. He was sick for much of that time and lived under very difficult conditions.
But during those years, he closely observed the people around him. He watched how they thought, how they justified their actions, how they dealt with guilt, fear, and suffering. This experience gave him a deep understanding of human psychology.
Later, this showed up in his writing. One of his most famous books, Crime and Punishment, reflects much of what he saw and understood during his imprisonment. It explores why people commit crimes, how they live with their conscience, and how suffering affects the human mind.
After finishing his sentence, he returned to his city and continued writing. The reason I am talking about him is not just because he was a great writer, but because of what his life shows us. Dostoevsky shows that a person can be full of doubt and still be searching for truth. Someone can go through failure, hardship, and suffering and still grow from it. Many of the questions he raised about human nature still do not have clear answers, even today.
Sometimes when life feels difficult or unfair, there is something to learn from it. Patience and endurance can slowly change a person. Real growth usually does not come from comfort. It comes from struggle and questioning.
Happiness
Most of us are constantly trying to move to ‘a higher level’ in life. More comfort, more money, more possessions, more job satisfaction—there’s always something ahead that we believe will finally make us happy. We tell ourselves, if I get this, I’ll be happy; if I achieve that, I’ll be happy.
But this way of thinking is wrong. If I’m not happy already, I’m unlikely to truly reach those things in a meaningful way. And even if I do reach them, they never seem to be enough—there’s always something else that I need, in order to be happy. That’s because you haven’t got the concept of what life is really about.
Whether life is about struggle, achievement, or success, none of it works without happiness coming first. And I don’t mean superficial happiness, the kind that depends on external things, but a deeper, more grounded happiness. The kind of happiness Rumi talks about when he says, “I am joy, I am joy. I don’t want to hear your complaints. Don’t disturb my world and my vibration with your negativity.” That happiness comes from within himself.
Think of it like driving from point A to point B, I can’t reach my destination without fuel; I need to get the fuel first in order to start my journey. In life, that fuel is happiness. Without it, I won’t get far. I need to be inwardly happy and content. And even if the journey doesn’t end where I expected, if I’ve been happy along the way, I can take the outcome as experience rather than failure. I won’t lose sleep over it.
My happiness shouldn’t depend on what I achieve. Instead, what I achieve depends on my happiness. That shift in perspective changes everything—and it’s something we need to reflect on.
Nothing Changes Until We Change
Life has a hard way of teaching us the truth, and it tries to teach us repeatedly until we realise it. Nothing changes until we change.
Your life is not a reflection of your hopes. It is a reflection of your habits. When you look back honestly, you begin to see that most people are not deeply invested in your struggle. They might listen politely. They might nod. But in the end, people judge results, not effort. They see outcomes, not sleepless nights. That’s just reality.
And if we are honest, the biggest enemy we face is not failure. It is our own mind. The mind destroys more dreams than failure ever could. Anxiety. Indecision. Overthinking. All of it quietly convinces us to wait, to hesitate, to play small. Dreams do not die loudly. They fade while we are thinking about them.
But the slowest and most dangerous killer of all is comfort. Comfort destroys potential. Silently. It pretends to be safety. It feels warm and familiar, and it whispers that this is enough. Many people believe being comfortable means being secure, but comfort often means you have stopped growing. You feel safe, but you are not moving. And a life that does not move slowly shrinks.
We must remember this. We are responsible for our own lives. No one else. Not our parents. Not our circumstances. Not the past. Responsibility is power. The moment you take ownership, you take control.
Excuses feel protective, but they only protect our limitations. They never protect our future. Every excuse builds a wall around what we think we cannot do. And futures do not grow behind walls.
If you want a different life, you need different habits. Different decisions. Different standards for yourself. Change does not start when the world changes. It starts when you do.
And that choice is always yours.
Do Not Fall In Love With The World
A son once told his father that he had fallen in love with a girl whom he wanted to marry and asked him to go and speak to her family. The father agreed and went to see the girl.
When the father met her, he fell in love with her himself. When he returned home, he told his son that the girl was more suitable for him than for the son. This led to an argument between them, and the family became divided and unhappy.
Not knowing how to resolve the situation, they decided to visit a wise man in their community, known for giving fair advice. They explained the problem and asked him to judge who should marry the girl. When the wise man met her, he also fell in love with her and said that she was more suitable for him than for either the father or the son.
Angry and confused, they decided to take the matter to someone with more authority. They went to the vizier, a high official close to the king. The vizier saw the girl, and also fell in love with her, saying she should marry him instead.
Finally, they went to the king himself. When the king saw the girl, he too fell in love and wanted to marry her, and said she was more suitable for him than for anyone else.
At this point, the girl spoke. She suggested a test. She said she would run, and whoever caught her could marry her. She began to run, and all of them ran after her. While chasing her, they fell into a deep pit and could not get out.
Standing above them, the girl told them that her name was World. She explained that they were always chasing her, thinking they could possess her, but instead they only harmed themselves by doing so.
This story shows how people at every level of life can become attached to worldly desires. Age, wisdom, and power do not protect anyone from being tempted. Each person believed he deserved the girl more than the others, just as people often believe they deserve wealth, status, or pleasure.
The lesson is not that the world should be completely rejected, but that becoming overly attached to it distracts us from finding our true being. When people spend their lives chasing worldly things, they often never reach true satisfaction and may lose peace and balance along the way.
The story reminds us to be careful about how much importance we give to worldly desires and not to let them control our lives.
How To Attain Knowledge
Another important topic I want to touch on is the difference between information, experience and knowledge. I have spoken about this many times, but it remains a major misunderstanding. Many people believe that hearing something, reading something, or attending a class automatically means they have become experienced. In reality, they have only collected information.
A simple example is cooking. You can watch a recipe online, read all the ingredients, and understand the steps. But until you cook the dish repeatedly, adjust it to your taste, and learn through experience, you have not truly gained the knowledge. Information only becomes knowledge through experience.
The same applies to spirituality. Listening to talks, reading books, or going on retreats gives us information. Knowledge comes only when we experience. Sometimes retreats and retrievals can give us experience, as there is focused practice, but even then, we must be careful not to delude ourselves into thinking that we have gained spiritual experience and, hence having knowledge. By working on ourselves and gaining experience, we are ultimately striving to gain knowledge.