We’ve all heard the saying, “think outside of your box.” The saying has become synonymous with creative thinking and being innovative. Obviously, this quality often proves beneficial to people trying to push themselves. This short story is one of the best examples of thinking outside of the box, which can be downright amazing.It begins in a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago. A small business owner found himself in a large amount of debt to a money loan-shark who was old and unattractive.The shark-loan was interested in the business owner’s daughter.

Black And White Pebbles.

If the daughter chose the white pebble, the debt would be also wiped, but the daughter would not have to marry the loan-shark. The latter being the desirable outcome for both daughter and businessman.As the loan-shark picked up the two pebbles, the daughter noticed that he had picked up two black stones, in an attempt to guarantee his plan.The daughter then had three choices:1) Refuse altogether to pick any pebble from the bag.2)Expose the two black pebbles and loan-shark for cheating.3)Pick a pebble, which would determine her horrid fate.

The daughter, thinking outside of the box, drew out a pebble and decided to drop the stones “accidentally” on the ground into the midst of the other pebbles. She then told the loan-shark that it didn’t matter, as they would all be able to decipher which pebble she picked, by looking at the pebbled left in the other bag.The loan-shark did not want to be exposed and played along with the fact that the daughter had picked a white pebble. The debt was wiped, and the daughter didn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Of course, this meant that he offered the businessman a deal: he would eliminate the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.This proposal was not desirable for either the daughter nor the businessman and was met with disgust.However, it came with a twist. The loan-shark would place two pebbles into a bag, one would be white, and one would be black. The daughter would then be told to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble.If the daughter picked the black pebble, the debt would be wiped, but the loan shark would marry her.

The takeaway of the story: "Moral"Use your creative thinking. You can always overcome a tough situation, by stepping outside of the box which it is confined to. You may think you have limited options, but there are creative ways to get around it.

The Buddhist monk Upagupta, who preached and taught meditative practices in Northwest India over two thousand years ago, is venerated today by the laity in parts of Burma, Thailand, and Laos as a protective figure endowed with magical powers. In this monumental work John Strong offers a systematic presentation of the Indian and Southeast Asian legends and rituals surrounding this popular saint. Once considered by Buddhist authorities as only marginally important, Upagupta emerges here as a central, ubiquitous figure within the Buddhist world. The author demonstrates the remarkable continuity among traditions focused on Upagupta in ancient Sarvastivadin Sanskrit materials, key Pali texts, medieval Thai and Burmese texts, and contemporary oral traditions and religious rituals in Southeast Asia. In so doing he reflects the orientation of popular Sanskrit Hinayana Buddhism, which allows for new perspectives on such classic questions as the nature of enlightenment, the role of asceticism, the problem of evil, the worship of the Buddha image, the veneration of saints, master-disciple relationships, the treatment of heterodoxy, and the relation of myth and ritual. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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The Buddhist monk Upagupta, who preached and taught meditative practices in Northwest India over two thousand years ago, is venerated today by the laity in parts of Burma, Thailand, and Laos as a protective figure endowed with magical powers. In this monumental work John Strong offers a systematic presentation of the Indian and Southeast Asian legends and rituals surrounding this popular saint. Once considered by Buddhist authorities as only marginally important, Upagupta emerges here as a central, ubiquitous figure within the Buddhist world. The author demonstrates the remarkable continuity among traditions focused on Upagupta in ancient Sarvastivadin Sanskrit materials, key Pali texts, medieval Thai and Burmese texts, and contemporary oral traditions and religious rituals in Southeast Asia. In so doing he reflects the orientation of popular Sanskrit Hinayana Buddhism, which allows for new perspectives on such classic questions as the nature of enlightenment, the role of asceticism, the problem of evil, the worship of the Buddha image, the veneration of saints, master-disciple relationships, the treatment of heterodoxy, and the relation of myth and ritual. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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