Here is your Tuesday STORY on: SELF DEVELOPMENT: We are all sometimes afraid to admit that our self development is totally down to us as an individual. Any guidance we get is ultimately asking us the question, “Do we want to take action?” If we take no action, there is no self development! There is a belief that if we are given something free, we don’t value it. But if we pay, it has value. I for example was given two concert tickets before Christmas and found the effort to go to the concert was enormous. Yet had I chose to buy the tickets I would have been eager to attend. Self development is no different! If you go to the gym for a year with an aim to shape your body, your tolerance increases. If you are presented with a box of chocolates, you become happy to except one, rather than binge on eight or nine. The value increases when you pay, not necessarily in money but effort too! The story today and subsequent quote is not about payment, but about being bound. If you get everything for free, it is easy not to improve; you haven’t spent anything so it doesn’t matter! You don’t need to spend big, spending on a book once a month would do fine… THE TUNNEL Zenkai, the son of a samurai, journeyed to Edo and there became a retainer of a high official. This high official treated his wife like a slave and she looked frightened at each encounter with her husband. Zenkai fell in love with the official's wife and was discovered. Then in self-defence, he slew the official. This event caused Zenkai to run away with the wife. Both of them later became thieves. But the woman was so greedy that Zenkai grew disgusted. Finally, leaving her, he journeyed far away to the province of Buzen, where he became a wandering mendicant. To atone for his past, Zenkai resolved to accomplish some good deed in his lifetime. Knowing of a dangerous road over the cliff that had caused the death and injury of many persons, he resolved to cut a tunnel through the mountains there. Begging food in the daytime, Zenkai worked at night digging his tunnel. When thirty years had gone by, the tunnel was 2, 280 feet long, 20 feet high and 30 feet wide. Two years before the work was completed, the son of the official he had slain, who was a skilful swordsman, found Zenkai out and came to kill him in revenge. "I will give you my life willingly, " said Zenkai. "Only let me finish this work. On the day it is completed, then you may kill me." So the son awaited the day. Several months passed and Zenkai kept on digging. The son grew tired of doing nothing and began to help with the digging. After he had helped for more than a year, he came to admire Zenkai's strong will and character. At last the tunnel was completed and the people could use it and travel in safety. "Now cut off my head, " said Zenkai. "My work is done." "How can I cut off my own teacher's head?" asked the younger man with tears in his eyes. (A Zen Story) QUOTE: "People are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound." (James Allen).