Parables of Rama
by Swami Rama Tirtha | 102,836 words
Stories in English used by Swami Rama to illustrate the highest teaching of Vedanta. The most difficult and intricate problems of philosophy and abstract truths, which may very well tax the brains of the most intellectual, are thus made not only simple and easy to understand but also brought home to us in a concrete form in such an interesting and ...
Two boys met each other in the street. They were friends. One of them urged his fellow to go with him to a church, and there hear a sermon, or say some music, or something. The other pleaded play. Now, what was the use of wasting time in going to church and hearing a monotonous sermon? They had better play. They did not come to an agreement, so one went to the church and the other went out seeking play. But when the boy who went to church found himself face to face with the preacher, he could not understand, or enjoy the sermon at all, he repented of his having gone to the church. Then he began to think of the play-ground. He began to think of the boy who was being joined by his friends at play. Two long hours he spent in the church, but all the time his mind was in the play-ground. Now, the boy who went to the play-ground did not find congenial company, did not find any other boy who might come and play with him. He found himself alone, and he felt very lonely. He thought of the church, and then he thought within himself that it was too late to go to the church. He remained in the play ground, but his mind was all the time in the church, he was all the while in the church. After two hours, those two boys met each other again in the streets. One said he was sorry for not going to church, and the other said he was sorry for not going to the play-ground.
This is what is happening everywhere with men. If your mind or attention is not occupied with what you have got in your hands, then you are not working; there you are idling away your time. In some work our mind is thoroughly occupied, while doing some other work, our mind is half occupied. In work where your mind is half occupied, you are doing half work; the other half of your attention you might utilize; and when your attention is entirely idle, you might utilize your full attention. Your minds are not where your bodies are. By utilizing your mind's attention you may increase your lives. You can do more work in one day than you could do by not utilizing the unengaged attention.
MORAL: Half hearted action is incomplete work. It produces unsatisfactory results and wastes time.