THE STORY IS TOLD ABOUT A WOMAN ZEN MASTER named Sono who taught

one very

simple method of enlightenment. She advised everyone who came to

her to

adopt an affirmation to be said many times a day, under all

conditions. The

affirmation was, "Thank you for everything. I have no complaint

whatsoever."

Many people from all arenas of life came to Sono for healing.

Some were in

physical pain; others were emotionally distraught; others had

financial

troubles; some were seeking soul liberation. No matter what

their distress

or what question they asked her, her response was the same:

"Thank you for

everything. I have no complaint whatsoever." Some people went

away

disappointed; others grew angry; others tried to argue with her.

Yet some

people took her suggestion to heart and began to practice it.

Tradition

tells that everyone who practiced Sono's mantra found peace and

healing.

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.

My friend Susan, an attractive woman in her late 30's, came to

one of my

seminars after I had not seen her for a number of years. She

informed the

group that a year earlier she had been diagnosed with a brain

disorder that

required immediate surgery. The surgery was done, a steel plate

was inserted

in her head, and her doctor keeps her under close observation.

Susan

reported that now she lives from day to day. Privately I Susan

that I was

sorry she had gone through this whole ordeal. "Oh, don't be

sorry," she told

me emphatically. "I'm not sorry at all. This was one of the best

things that

has ever happened to me. It really got me to appreciate my life

and

relationships. I married a wonderful guy and we are thinking

about having

children. I wouldn't trade the experience if I could." Thank you

for

everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you simply

dropped your

complaints? It's a radical proposal, since most of us have been

trained to

question, analyze, and criticize everything we see. But then we

end up

questioning, analyzing, and criticizing ourselves. Then we miss

out on joy,

the only true measure of success.

The ecstatic mystic poet Hafiz proclaimed, "All a sane man can

ever think

about is giving love." One evening I received a phone call from

my friend

Cliff, a Jewish guy from Brooklyn who discovered A Course in

Miracles and

became a world-class love exuder. Cliff just went around finding

good and

beauty in everyone he met. On the phone, Cliff told me, "I just

called to

tell you how much I love and appreciate you."

"Well, thank you Cliff," I answered, delighted. "I really

appreciate that .

.. . What prompted you to call me at this moment?"

"My knee was hurting me, and I knew that the only way I could

feel better

would be to give more love. So I began to think of the people in

my life who

I care about, and you came to mind."

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.

As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving, many of us will be

getting

together with our families. Perhaps family issues may come to

the fore and

we might be tempted to fall into a pattern of rehashing old

resentments and

arguments. Wouldn't it be fabulous if, as we sat with our

relatives, we held

in mind, "Thank you for everything. I have no complaint

whatsoever." Imagine

what this Thanksgiving would be like if we decided that no

matter how much

Mom complained about Dad; how much Dad bugged us about getting a

real job;

or how unspiritual our ex is, we chose to be an unstoppable

appreciation

machine and found the good in our loved ones. Indeed this would

be a

triumphant Thanksgiving to remember!

Yes, I know, there is a voice inside you objecting, "But if I

did not

complain, people would walk all over me and selfish opportunists

would

genetically manipulate my food and terrorists would keep

crashing airplanes

into buildings and . . . and. . .

Got it. Now if you went to Sono, her response would be, "Thank

you for

everything. I have no complaint whatsoever."

I am simply suggesting that we practice the mantra for an entire

Thanksgiving day. And then maybe one day a week. Then we might

start to feel

so good and our lives will become so effective that we want to

turn every

day into Thanksgiving.

In my book Handle with Prayer I state that the highest form of

prayer is

gratitude. Instead of asking God for stuff, start thanking God

for stuff,

and you will find that God has already given you everything you

could want

or need, including the adventure of discovering more riches

every day. Life

is a big treasure hunt. Eventually we grow weary of seeking

treasures

outside ourselves, and we begin to look within. There we

discover that the

gold we sought, we already are. The beauty we overlooked because

we were

focusing on what was missing, still lives and awaits us like an

anxious

lover.

As T.S. Eliot nobly noted, The end of all our exploring will be

to arrive

where we started and know the place for the first time.

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever. Have a

great

Thanksgiving.

(Autor unknown. I just got it like that. Thanks you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever. Adrachin)