Hsuan- tsang is the most famous of a number of Chinese travelers who came to India almost 2,000 years ago, to learn about the Buddha’s teachings.

 The year was AD 630. The country was China.

 A twenty-eight –year –old Buddhist monk, named Hsuan-tsang, set out on a pilgrimage to India. He wished to visit the land of Buddha, and to study Buddhism under the great Indian teachers of Nalanda.

 But in China, there was a law that no one should leave the country. People who tried to leave were caught and punished.

 Hiding by day and travelling at night, Hsuan- tsang and two companions reached a border town. They asked travelers and merchants about the Western route to India.

 `The river Hu- lu lies to the north,’ people said. `It cannot be crossed in a boat, because its water flows at great speed. It must be crossed where it is very narrow.

 Beyond the river, there are five watch- towers, with guards in them. The guards have bows and arrows. They shoot at anyone trying to cross. Between the towers is land with no water, and beyond them lays the desert.’

 When Hsuan –tsang’s two companions heard this, they decided to turn back; and he went on alone.

On the way, he met an old man who was riding a thin red horse. The old man offered his horse to him. `My horse knows the way well,’ said the man `Take him.’

 Now Hsuan –tsang remembered seeing just such a horse in a dream-a skinny old red horse, which was, however, strong. He changed his horse with the old man’s.

 He reached the river, and saw a place where it was only ten feet across. Cutting long strips of wood from the trees growing nearby, he made a bridge, and led his horse across the river.

 Coming to the first watch- tower, he hid himself, waiting for the night. But he began to feel hot and thirty. His water –bag was empty. There was a water-hole close to the tower. Crouching low he ran towards it.

 He dark some water, and then dipped his bag into the water and waited for it to fill. Suddenly, an arrow whistled past him. A moment later, there was another arrow. He had been discovered! Hsuan –tsang cried out in a loud voice, `I am a monk from the capital. Do not shoot me!’ in a twinkling, soldiers surrounded him. They marched him off to the commander of the post.

 So you are the monk going to India!’ said the commander. `I have heard about you.’

 Hsuan- tsang was surprised, for the commander’s voice was kin. The commander pleaded with Hsuan –tsang to go back, but Hsuan –tsang did not agree. He then gave Hsuan- tsang food and water, and a letter for his cousin, who was the commander of the next watch-tower.

 The cousin told Hsuan –tsang t keep away from the fifth watch-tower, where the guards were cruel. `From the fourth tower, go to the spring of the wild Horses.’

 Hsuan- tsang’s way now lay across a desert called the River of Sand. Alone, with no landmarks to follow, he lost his way. He could not find the spring! His horse stamped its foot and jerked its neck, and his water-bag slipped and fell to the ground. He jumped down, but too late- the water seeped into the sand.

 He thought of turning back. But then he remembered a dream he had before starting the journey. In his dream, a divine mountain rose from a great sea; the waves were high and wild.

 In his dream, he walked into the waves, and steps appeared at his feet. With the help of these he got to the holy mountain, and then a great lifted him to the top!

 Hsuan- tsang said to him, `it is better to die in the attempt to go the West, than to live by returning to the East.’

 He travelled for four nights and five days without water. On the fifth night, asleep on the warm sand, he had a dream. He saw a divine being standing near him, who said, `why are you still sleeping and not pressing on with all your strength?’

 Hsuan –tsang awoke. His horse also found the strength to get onto its legs again. When they had gone about three miles, the animal suddenly turned in another direction, and carried Hsuan –tsang to several acres of green grass. This was the spring he had been looking for!

 Two days later, Hsuan- tsang came of the desert and reached the kingdom of Hami.

 From Hami, Hsuan –tsang went to Turfan, a larger and richer kingdom to the west. The king of Turfan gave him an escort of thirty horses and twenty-four servants, and gold and silver for the expenses of his journey. He also gave him letters to be presented at the twenty –four countries on the way.

 Soon, the desert was left behind. But now, snowy mountains lay ahead. The ice and snow lay in great piles which did not, neither in summer nor in winter. Of Hsuan –tsang’s party, fourteen men starved or were frozen to death.

 

But finally, the travelers reached Kabul, and then Kashmir. They were now in India!

 

Hsuan- tsang stayed in India for thirteen years. He returned to China in AD 645, more than fifteen years after he had set off on his pilgrimage. He had become a very famous monk by then. The emperor of China not only did not punish him, but received him with great honor. He was put in charge of a large group of monks, with whose help he translated the many valuable books he had brought from India.

 

Hsuan- tsang died in AD 664, honored and remembered in many lands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long ago, a scientist went to a rainy island to conduct some experiments. In doing so, he employed the services of the native tribal. He gifted the tribal raincoats to protect them from rains. The illiterate and ignorant tribal did not know what raincoats were used for. They preserved the raincoats when it started raining, and proudly put them on and flaunted them when the weather was clear.

 These tribal did not know how to use the gift provide to them. But many a time it happens that people know how to make use of gifts but they use them; or rather misuse them in wrong ways. This is also called abuse.

 The dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel in order to break rocks, dig tunnels, and oil wells and reduce the physical exertion of the workers. Noble became very famous for this wonderful discovery. But soon people started misusing it in wars, causing death and destruction all over.

 One morning when noble opened the newspaper, he was horrified to read his name in the obituary column. By mistake, the newspaper had reported the death of the wrong person. Nevertheless, Noble regained his composure and continued to read. He wanted to find out what people had said about him.

 To his shock, he read `The king of dynamite is dead,’ `The merchant of death is no more.’ noble felt very quality that this is how he was going to be remembered. He was also pained that his gift was being misused, because he had actually invented it to help mankind.

 Nobel had earned a lot of money by selling dynamite. When he died in 1896, he left behind 90, 00, 000 dollars, along with a will indicating that the interest on this money should be given as prizes to persons for their outstanding contributions to physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, peace and economics. This prize is the famous Noble Prize.

 Atomic energy is another gift, which can be used to do wonders for mankind. It can be used to generate electricity, cure dieses like cancer, etc. but by using it to make atom bombs, this blessing is being turned into a curse.

 *We must make the right use of gifts.

Ramesh and his parents are at the railway station. They are waiting for the arrival of their train to Hyderabad.  Ramesh is very excited because he is going to his uncle’s house to spend his summer vacation.  When the train arrives, all of them get into it.  Ramesh- father, I like this journey very much. Father- then you should thank the person who invented the locomotive.  Ramesh- oh! How great! Who is that, dear father? Father- in 1802, Richard Trevithick, a British engineer, made the first locomotive. Later on, George Stephenson, the `Father of British Railway,’ improved this locomotive which became popular. Today, Japan, Germany and France have the fastest trains that run at speeds of more than 400 kilometers an hour. Ramesh: - very interesting. Father, please tell me about some inventions. Father- do you know? We can also fly in the sky like birds even if we do not have winged. How can we do that? Ramesh: - in an aero plane. Father: - yes, very good. In 1903, two American brothers, Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, built the first aero plane called flyer-I. The first aircraft flown by the Wright brothers is displayed at the National Air and space Museum in Washington, USA. Ramesh- how wonderful! Father- aero planes land and take off at the air port. A pilot flies the airplane. An aero plane is the fastest means of transport by air. Ramesh: -- father, I love cars very much. Please tell me about them Father: -- sure, my dear son. Karl Benz, a German engineer, built the petrol –driven car in 1885. As a result of people’s interest in his invention, Benz set up the world’s first motor car factory the same year. Later on, Henry Ford realized the need for a cheap, reliable car. He became one of the world’s richest men after he built his `Model T’ or `Tin Lizzie’.  Ramesh- very interesting! Father- now you know that we can travel on land in the air. Do you know that we can also travel in water? Ramesh- yes, father. We can travel on water in a ship. Father- do you know who built the first ship? It was built in ancient Egypt in about 3500 BC. Wait, my cell phone is ringing. We should thank Alexander Graham Bell because we are all able to get important and urgent messages in seconds.  Ramesh- who is he? Father- Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. Now, there are many kinds of telephones like land phone, cell, video phone etc. ok., now it is getting dark. Let us switch on the light.  Ramesh- yes father. But who invented this bulb? Father- Thomas Alva Edison, an electric bulb. Oh, it is time for songs on radio. Shall we listen to some music, Ramesh? Ramesh: - OK father.  Father- you know, the radio was invented by an Italian, Guglielmo Marconi, in the year 1896. As we cannot take a television everywhere out with us, we can at least keep a radio for entertainment.  Ramesh- but, father, we can watch programs on television. In that way television is most useful, right. Father- that’s true. Do you know who invented the television? The television was invented by John Logie Baird in the year 1926.  Now, I shall tell you about the most interesting means of telecommunication –the computer.  Ramesh- OK., father. Father- the computer was invented by Charles Babbage. He is known as the `Father of computer’. OK. It’s time for us to sleep. Tomorrow, early in the morning, we will be reaching Hyderabad. Good night. Ramesh: - good night, father.    

*Wise people grab the first opportunity to achieve their aim. But people who are successful do not wait for an opportunity. They create opportunities for themselves to achieve their goal.

 It is normal for man to wait for opportunities to knock at his door. Do not miss any opportunities, wise people say. There are opportunities for studying well and coming up in life. There are many opportunities for landing a plum job. There are opportunities for making lots of money. Opportunities are unlimited. Seize them to add value to your life.

 But there are many who are not so lucky. There are no opportunities to knock at their door. They have no one to hold their hand and lead. They find themselves left alone to their fate.

 Once, someone asked Alexander the great if he would take the next city if he had an opportunity to do so. The emperor was quick to reply. `I do not wait for opportunities. I create opportunities.’

 You should wait for an opportunity to come and knock at your door. You should create opportunities for yourselves. Whenever a need arises, without waiting for an opportunity to come to you, you should create opportunities for yourself.

 There are many great men and women who have risen from a poor background. Abraham Lincoln had neither wealth nor a godfather to take him to heights. Yet he created opportunities for himself and rose to become president of the United States. Marie Curie had to discontinue her studies to take care of her parents and siblings. She created opportunities for herself to become a great scientist.

 John Bunyan, one of the world’s greatest writers, wrote ``Pilgrims’ Progress’’, a masterpiece in English literature. He wrote it while he was in prison. He did not wait to get out of prison to write the book, he had to face many problems in the process. His jailors refused to give him paper to write. They tried to disturb him in whichever way possible. He sat on the base floor and wrote on scraps of paper used as cork for milk bottles.

 John Bunyan created opportunities for him self by using leisure time and scraps of paper, anyone else in his place would have cursed his fate and idled away his time. But John Bunyan created on opportunity for himself and made full use of it. And the end result was a masterpiece!

 There are plenty of opportunities to do what you want. It is for you to grab them and make full use of them. Often things do not happen the way you want. The opportunities that come your way may not be the ones you are looking for. If you go on waiting for a right opportunity, you may never get what you want. Instead use the available opportunities to achieve you aim.

 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so says a proverb. Use every opportunity that comes your way. If there is no opportunity, create one to work wonders. Your opportunity lies in your ability to make the best of the circumstances in which you find yourself. Your success depends primarily on your personality and your initiative

 

.