When A Mistake Is Not A Mistake

Weekly Knowledge #140 Singapur 12 Feb 1998 Singapur

Blessed are those who don't see a mistake as a mistake....!!! But it is hard not to see your own mistake. Outwardly you may justify yourself or prove your innocence to someone else, but a mistake pricks a conscience. Do not justify yourself. Instead, feel the prick of the mistake. That very pinch will take you out of the mistake. A mistake means something that brings misery to you in the long run. So why would someone knowingly commit a mistake? While pointing out a mistake to someone, do you consider him as separate from you and go on pointing out his error or do you make him feel a part of you? When you point out a mistake to someone, does it make him more stressed, or does it create more awareness in that person? Often you do not point out someone's mistake when it is required. Not pointing out a mistake -- with due consideration to time and place -- is also a mistake. When you make a new mistake, it is not a mistake; you have learned a valuable lesson. But when you keep doing the same mistake over and over, it is a BIG mistake. A mistake simply means you have missed taking a lesson that has come your way. Do not lament over your mistake. Just take the lesson from it. You will not be judged by your mistakes, but by your virtues. Mistakes are of the earth. Virtues are of the Divine. Wise is the one who learns from other's mistakes. Less wise is the one who learns from his own mistakes. The fool keeps making the same mistakes again and again and never learns from them.

NEWS FLASH: In Bali, we went to the ancient temple of Besaki. Here, as in the old days, there is only the empty seat of the Deity, which signifies the divine beyond form. The Indonesian Director of Religious Affairs and a member of the Ministry of Education welcomed Sri Sri at the opening of our Jakarta Ashram. In an inaugural speech, they said they believed Sri Sri's visit would influence the economic crisis in Indonesia. The very next day, the Indonesian currency (Rupiah) was 30% stronger. The devotees from Jakarta have adopted an orphanage in Puncak, which they visit regularly. The director of the orphanage said that while other people bring money, clothes and toys, our group had supplied the missing nutrient the children needed the most : love! The children each received a package of school supplies and goodies. We all laughed, sang and danced as the director cried tears of gratitude. The entourage moved to Singapore where more than 1,000 people welcomed Sri Sri at the packed SLF Auditorium. The evening commenced with a traditional Chinese lion dance; later Sri Sri gave practical points on "Awakening the Beauty Within You."