Behind the curtain of your intellect and emotions is your self-image or ego. The ego is not your real self; it is the image of yourself that you have slowly built over time. It is the mask behind which you hide, but not the real you. It is a fraud, who lives in fear. It wants approval. It needs control. And it follows you wherever you go.
There is a beautiful poem by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, who is speaking to God: "I came out alone on my way to my tryst. But who is this that follows me in the silent dark? I move aside to avoid his presence, but I escape him not. He makes the dust rise from the earth with his swagger; he adds his loud voice to every word that I utter. He is my own little self, my Lord; he knows no shame. But I am ashamed to come to this door in his company."
The ego is the prison you have built around yourself, and now it holds you captive within its walls. How do you know this has happened? You have to know that any time you feel discomfort in your body, your ego, which is e-g-o or edginggod-out, is overshadowing your inner self. Fear, doubt, worry, and concern are some of the energies associated with your ego. So what do you do? The best way to dissipate these energies is to feel your body. Just feel the localised sensations in your body, and keep feeling them until they begin to dissipate. And how do you break free from captivity? You break free by choosing to identify with your inner self, the real you.
You break free from the prison of conditioning when you feel neither beneath anyone nor superior to anyone, when you shed the need to control other people, when you create space for others to be who they are and for your real self to be what it is. You break free when you no longer defend your point of view, when you no longer use stereotypes or harbour extreme likes or dislikes toward people you hardly know. You break free when you refuse to follow the impulses of anger and fear, when you act from humility rather than belligerence, when you tread gently rather than with a swagger, when your speech is nurturing rather than scathing, when you choose to express only your love.
By Deepak Chopra
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The mystery of life & death
We all live in the shadow of the fear of death, we believe that life and death are opposed to each other. This feeling causes us to miss life and we miss death as well. When we are born, death is born with us.
Every day changes into night, and every night changes into day. The present elapses into the past and the future dawns upon the present. This cannot happen without the element of death. This process of change is death. If you want to die peacefully, live totally, completely. Death is the crowning glory of life lived intensely and fully. But our life is wasted in searching for the meaning of life.
The meaning of life is in life itself. No philosophy, no scripture, no cause can give meaning to life. You have to seek your own meaning and nobody except you can come upon it. It is your life and it is only accessible to you. Only in living will the mystery be revealed to you. Once you know what life is you will know what death is.
Death is also a part of the same process. Ordinarily we think death comes at the end, that it is against life; we think death is the enemy, but death is not the enemy. If you think of death as the enemy it simply shows that you have not been able to know what life is. Death and life are two polarities of the same energy, of the same phenomenon - the tide and the ebb, the day and the night, the summer and the winter. They are not separate and not opposites, not contraries; they are complementary.
Death is not the end of life; in fact, it is a completion of one life, the finale. A man who has understood what his life is, allows death to happen; he welcomes it. He dies each moment and each moment he is resurrected. Each moment he dies and is born again."
Amrit Sadhna
Every day changes into night, and every night changes into day. The present elapses into the past and the future dawns upon the present. This cannot happen without the element of death. This process of change is death. If you want to die peacefully, live totally, completely. Death is the crowning glory of life lived intensely and fully. But our life is wasted in searching for the meaning of life.
The meaning of life is in life itself. No philosophy, no scripture, no cause can give meaning to life. You have to seek your own meaning and nobody except you can come upon it. It is your life and it is only accessible to you. Only in living will the mystery be revealed to you. Once you know what life is you will know what death is.
Death is also a part of the same process. Ordinarily we think death comes at the end, that it is against life; we think death is the enemy, but death is not the enemy. If you think of death as the enemy it simply shows that you have not been able to know what life is. Death and life are two polarities of the same energy, of the same phenomenon - the tide and the ebb, the day and the night, the summer and the winter. They are not separate and not opposites, not contraries; they are complementary.
Death is not the end of life; in fact, it is a completion of one life, the finale. A man who has understood what his life is, allows death to happen; he welcomes it. He dies each moment and each moment he is resurrected. Each moment he dies and is born again."
Amrit Sadhna
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Spiritual solace in dance
If you ask me whether a person who wears luxurious Gucci or sports sensuous Cavalli can be deeply spiritual, I would say, why not?' And while I agree that greed, materialism and bonding with the Divine cannot run completely parallel, I would still maintain, that a person can be sexy, glamorous and yet, intensely spiritual.
The bottom line, however, lies in the level of obsession. If anyone wants to wear designer wear and look glamorous at the cost of something or someone, then it could turn ugly. Otherwise, I can say that some of the most high-flying people I know are very spiritual and do huge acts of charity that no one else even gets to hear about. As for me, however, I'm not personally comfortable about being overly materialistic. I believe that 'true spirituality' is about being able to share. In my life, I know for a fact, that a superior force has guided me all through. Even when I plan something to the last detail, I've found that it happens only the way it is supposed to happen. This, I believe, has a lot to do with my karmic cycle. Even when I made elaborate plans and thought that life was going to be hunky-dory, there was a complete turn of events. Much later, I realised that this was meant to be. It was almost like an external voice saying, 'I run the show'.
When I decided to call it a day in my marriage, I found myself going through one of the most traumatic phases of my life. I was barely 30 and didn't know how to face the world. I would often wonder what I was going to do. I was not trained for anything except for dance and I had moved away from professional dance almost entirely during my marriage.
The turning point for me came in 1986, when an important dance performance was held in Hyderabad, called National Integration Through Performing Arts, which was about music and dance. My guru Kalyanasundaram chose me to represent bharatnatyam. I wasn't sure I could handle that performance, as I was so stressed.
I remember sitting down, closing my eyes and thinking of the supreme power. I said, 'If there is a power that people say exists, then guide me and tell me what to do'. At once, I felt that something or someone told me to go back to dance and I know I have never looked back since. Even today, I can say that dance is where I find spiritual solace. I've also realised when one door closes, another one always opens. The puranas also indicate the success of good over evil. Whatever you do will come back to you and life always takes full circle. Sometimes, it seems like the other person is getting away with it, but he or she will be paying for certain deeds in a way we cannot see or understand. The universe throws back to you what you give it, whether positive or negative.
To me, spirituality is about introspection; spirituality is an inner voice telling me right from the wrong. Spirituality is about understanding the need of others. I don't consciously make the effort to listen to the small voice within me, but that doesn't mean that I don't hear it. I do go to temples, churches, prayer rooms and dargahs. There can never be a formula for happiness. It is a very relative term: what may make me happy may not be the same for someone else. Man is so greedy that when he gets what he thought would make him happy, he does not stop there. His happiness quotient changes. But for me, happiness is when I do things for others and see that satisfaction on their faces. We can't put our life on pause and go on a pursuit of happiness. We just need to look within us, as happiness may be dormant in our bad phases. It just needs a catalyst for it to blossom.
(Vani Ganapathy is a well-known classical dancer)
The bottom line, however, lies in the level of obsession. If anyone wants to wear designer wear and look glamorous at the cost of something or someone, then it could turn ugly. Otherwise, I can say that some of the most high-flying people I know are very spiritual and do huge acts of charity that no one else even gets to hear about. As for me, however, I'm not personally comfortable about being overly materialistic. I believe that 'true spirituality' is about being able to share. In my life, I know for a fact, that a superior force has guided me all through. Even when I plan something to the last detail, I've found that it happens only the way it is supposed to happen. This, I believe, has a lot to do with my karmic cycle. Even when I made elaborate plans and thought that life was going to be hunky-dory, there was a complete turn of events. Much later, I realised that this was meant to be. It was almost like an external voice saying, 'I run the show'.
When I decided to call it a day in my marriage, I found myself going through one of the most traumatic phases of my life. I was barely 30 and didn't know how to face the world. I would often wonder what I was going to do. I was not trained for anything except for dance and I had moved away from professional dance almost entirely during my marriage.
The turning point for me came in 1986, when an important dance performance was held in Hyderabad, called National Integration Through Performing Arts, which was about music and dance. My guru Kalyanasundaram chose me to represent bharatnatyam. I wasn't sure I could handle that performance, as I was so stressed.
I remember sitting down, closing my eyes and thinking of the supreme power. I said, 'If there is a power that people say exists, then guide me and tell me what to do'. At once, I felt that something or someone told me to go back to dance and I know I have never looked back since. Even today, I can say that dance is where I find spiritual solace. I've also realised when one door closes, another one always opens. The puranas also indicate the success of good over evil. Whatever you do will come back to you and life always takes full circle. Sometimes, it seems like the other person is getting away with it, but he or she will be paying for certain deeds in a way we cannot see or understand. The universe throws back to you what you give it, whether positive or negative.
To me, spirituality is about introspection; spirituality is an inner voice telling me right from the wrong. Spirituality is about understanding the need of others. I don't consciously make the effort to listen to the small voice within me, but that doesn't mean that I don't hear it. I do go to temples, churches, prayer rooms and dargahs. There can never be a formula for happiness. It is a very relative term: what may make me happy may not be the same for someone else. Man is so greedy that when he gets what he thought would make him happy, he does not stop there. His happiness quotient changes. But for me, happiness is when I do things for others and see that satisfaction on their faces. We can't put our life on pause and go on a pursuit of happiness. We just need to look within us, as happiness may be dormant in our bad phases. It just needs a catalyst for it to blossom.
(Vani Ganapathy is a well-known classical dancer)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tackling the enemy within
Osho narrates a Sufi parable:
A man was very worried because every night someone would enter his garden and destroy all the plants. He did everything that could be done to protect it. He posted guards all along the boundary, but never was anybody seen entering the garden at night. Yet, every morning, the garden would be trashed. The man did everything he could but nothing helped.
He then went to a Sufi master, in the hope that the master would be able to see things he and the guards could not. The master closed his eyes and said, "Do one thing. Fix the alarm on your clock for two o'clock in the night." The man said, "How is this going to help? My guards are continuously watching and patrolling around the house." The master said, "There is no need to argue. Just do what I say. Fix the alarm for two o'clock. Then come the next day and tell me what happened."
The man was unconvinced but he tried it. Two o'clock, when the alarm went off, he was awake. He was standing in his own garden, wreaking havoc on his plants. He was a somnambulist—a sleepwalker! In some way or the other, we all are somnambulists. We sow our seeds of misdeeds in the deep night of unconsciousness, and then we wonder why our lives are so miserable. We love others and soon we see that we are doing something else in the name of love. It isn't difficult to see if we use a little intelligence and a little awareness.
Osho says:
You love somebody, and then you start possessing him. Tares are entering your relationship. You love, and then you become jealous. Now weeds are growing. You love, and for trivial things you get angry. You love meaningless, petty things. Thus hate arises. Now the wheat is getting mixed with tares. When you love you feel happy. Every love starts with deep happiness, a celebration, and every love ends in deep sadness. The other day I was reading The Hollow Men, a poem by T S Eliot. The poem ends with these lines: "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper." Well, this is how everything ends. Your love, your meditation, your virtue. Not with a bang, but a whimper. But it need not be this way. If we wake up, we become alert. We need to shake ourselves up.
Osho gives us a method of mindfulness: Remain a watcher, remain a witness. Remember that. Remind yourself continuously. Sadness has come. It has happened to you; it is not you. The moment you remember this, suddenly you will see a distance arising between you and the sadness. It does not affect you any longer. When you lose awareness, it affects you; when you gain awareness, there is a distance. The more your awareness rises, the more the distance increases. A moment comes when you are so far away from your sadness that it is as if it's not there at all.
The same has to be done with happiness also. It will be difficult, because one wants to cling to happiness. But if you want to cling to happiness, you are sowing the seeds of unhappiness. That's how this parable is of tremendous significance. The master himself-in his sleep, in his unawareness-came to the field, the wheat field and sowed the seeds of weeds. In deep sleep! He was a somnambulist. In the morning he started asking, "Who has done this?"
You have been doing things to yourself. In the morning, when you wake up, you ask, "Who has done this?" And you start searching for the enemy. The enemy is within, the enemy is just your unconsciousness.
SWAMI CHAITANYA KEERTI
A man was very worried because every night someone would enter his garden and destroy all the plants. He did everything that could be done to protect it. He posted guards all along the boundary, but never was anybody seen entering the garden at night. Yet, every morning, the garden would be trashed. The man did everything he could but nothing helped.
He then went to a Sufi master, in the hope that the master would be able to see things he and the guards could not. The master closed his eyes and said, "Do one thing. Fix the alarm on your clock for two o'clock in the night." The man said, "How is this going to help? My guards are continuously watching and patrolling around the house." The master said, "There is no need to argue. Just do what I say. Fix the alarm for two o'clock. Then come the next day and tell me what happened."
The man was unconvinced but he tried it. Two o'clock, when the alarm went off, he was awake. He was standing in his own garden, wreaking havoc on his plants. He was a somnambulist—a sleepwalker! In some way or the other, we all are somnambulists. We sow our seeds of misdeeds in the deep night of unconsciousness, and then we wonder why our lives are so miserable. We love others and soon we see that we are doing something else in the name of love. It isn't difficult to see if we use a little intelligence and a little awareness.
Osho says:
You love somebody, and then you start possessing him. Tares are entering your relationship. You love, and then you become jealous. Now weeds are growing. You love, and for trivial things you get angry. You love meaningless, petty things. Thus hate arises. Now the wheat is getting mixed with tares. When you love you feel happy. Every love starts with deep happiness, a celebration, and every love ends in deep sadness. The other day I was reading The Hollow Men, a poem by T S Eliot. The poem ends with these lines: "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper." Well, this is how everything ends. Your love, your meditation, your virtue. Not with a bang, but a whimper. But it need not be this way. If we wake up, we become alert. We need to shake ourselves up.
Osho gives us a method of mindfulness: Remain a watcher, remain a witness. Remember that. Remind yourself continuously. Sadness has come. It has happened to you; it is not you. The moment you remember this, suddenly you will see a distance arising between you and the sadness. It does not affect you any longer. When you lose awareness, it affects you; when you gain awareness, there is a distance. The more your awareness rises, the more the distance increases. A moment comes when you are so far away from your sadness that it is as if it's not there at all.
The same has to be done with happiness also. It will be difficult, because one wants to cling to happiness. But if you want to cling to happiness, you are sowing the seeds of unhappiness. That's how this parable is of tremendous significance. The master himself-in his sleep, in his unawareness-came to the field, the wheat field and sowed the seeds of weeds. In deep sleep! He was a somnambulist. In the morning he started asking, "Who has done this?"
You have been doing things to yourself. In the morning, when you wake up, you ask, "Who has done this?" And you start searching for the enemy. The enemy is within, the enemy is just your unconsciousness.
SWAMI CHAITANYA KEERTI
Express your spiritual gifts
What does it mean to be comfortable in your own skin? It's about expressing yourself in a way you feel is the most appropriate.
When we think about expressing ourselves, we automatically think of the superficial ways. The way we dress. The way we wear our hair. The car we drive. If you wear jeans and a T-shirt one day and a business suit the next, what is it expressing about you? Is it that you are sophisticated one day and unsophisticated the next? Actually, your outer appearance expresses very little about who you truly are.
Instead, when we talk about expression, we should look at what's harder to change about ourselves. Our habits. The words we use. How we treat people. And, most importantly, how we express our spiritual gifts.
Ah, spiritual gifts. That elusive term. It's also known as your calling. But how do you express those properly? We could each have similar gifts, but decide to express them differently. For example, let's say that three women are trying to figure out the best way to express their calling of teaching. One woman might become a high school teacher. Another might teach English in a foreign country. While another woman might home school her own children. Who is expressing their spiritual gifts properly? All of them.
It is a personal decision.
You might say that the first two women are career women. Some women might look down on the woman who chose to be a stay-athome mom. But is this fair? Does that mean that the way she is expressing her spiritual gifts is any less fulfilling or any less valid? No, not at all. The concern about others judging us is often what stops us from getting comfortable in our own skin. What if our family doesn't like what we're doing? What if our friends think the path we're taking is weird?
Too many of us are embarrassed about what others will think of our spiritual journey. We end up sabotaging our own happiness. We are missing out on the great opportunities that will open up once we get comfortable in our own skin.
As you begin reflecting on your spiritual gifts it's great to keep track of your progress. You can do this throughout the day or at the end of the day. You could add your thoughts to a journal or record them on a microcassette recorder.
Here are three questions to ask yourself to begin the process of getting comfortable in your own skin: First: "Have i taken the time to identify my spiritual gifts?" Get in touch with those inklings, those glimpses of what your calling might be. For example: topics that you are continually drawn to, but you aren't sure why; what you do in your spare time that makes the day more enjoyable ; things that you do that make it easy to lose track of time when you're doing them.
Second: "How am i expressing my spiritual gifts?" Remember that there are many ways to express who you really are. You might try one way for a while and find that it isn't a good fit. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to make changes at a pace that is appropriate for you. Expression of your gifts is so personal. No one has the right to tell you that you are doing it right or wrong.
Third: "Am i genuinely happy with my personal and professional life right now, in this moment?" Are you just postponing your happiness until you accomplish your goals? Maybe you're even envious of what others have accomplished in their lives.
Happiness isn't in the accomplishment. It's in the journey. If your goal in life is to become rich, you might be so focused on your current financial state that you are missing out on the lessons to be learned in the journey.
If you are striving to express your spiritual gifts, life will seem almost effortless. You will meet the right people and find the right opportunities. That is where you will find your happiness.
I started out by mentioning the superficial ways we can express ourselves. What's so interesting is that when you are expressing your spiritual gifts, people will notice a change in your appearance.
They will start mentioning how much happier you look or that you look younger. They'll notice something different about you, but they won't be able to put their finger on it. You truly will be comfortable in your own skin - inside and out.
Leila Johnson
When we think about expressing ourselves, we automatically think of the superficial ways. The way we dress. The way we wear our hair. The car we drive. If you wear jeans and a T-shirt one day and a business suit the next, what is it expressing about you? Is it that you are sophisticated one day and unsophisticated the next? Actually, your outer appearance expresses very little about who you truly are.
Instead, when we talk about expression, we should look at what's harder to change about ourselves. Our habits. The words we use. How we treat people. And, most importantly, how we express our spiritual gifts.
Ah, spiritual gifts. That elusive term. It's also known as your calling. But how do you express those properly? We could each have similar gifts, but decide to express them differently. For example, let's say that three women are trying to figure out the best way to express their calling of teaching. One woman might become a high school teacher. Another might teach English in a foreign country. While another woman might home school her own children. Who is expressing their spiritual gifts properly? All of them.
It is a personal decision.
You might say that the first two women are career women. Some women might look down on the woman who chose to be a stay-athome mom. But is this fair? Does that mean that the way she is expressing her spiritual gifts is any less fulfilling or any less valid? No, not at all. The concern about others judging us is often what stops us from getting comfortable in our own skin. What if our family doesn't like what we're doing? What if our friends think the path we're taking is weird?
Too many of us are embarrassed about what others will think of our spiritual journey. We end up sabotaging our own happiness. We are missing out on the great opportunities that will open up once we get comfortable in our own skin.
As you begin reflecting on your spiritual gifts it's great to keep track of your progress. You can do this throughout the day or at the end of the day. You could add your thoughts to a journal or record them on a microcassette recorder.
Here are three questions to ask yourself to begin the process of getting comfortable in your own skin: First: "Have i taken the time to identify my spiritual gifts?" Get in touch with those inklings, those glimpses of what your calling might be. For example: topics that you are continually drawn to, but you aren't sure why; what you do in your spare time that makes the day more enjoyable ; things that you do that make it easy to lose track of time when you're doing them.
Second: "How am i expressing my spiritual gifts?" Remember that there are many ways to express who you really are. You might try one way for a while and find that it isn't a good fit. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to make changes at a pace that is appropriate for you. Expression of your gifts is so personal. No one has the right to tell you that you are doing it right or wrong.
Third: "Am i genuinely happy with my personal and professional life right now, in this moment?" Are you just postponing your happiness until you accomplish your goals? Maybe you're even envious of what others have accomplished in their lives.
Happiness isn't in the accomplishment. It's in the journey. If your goal in life is to become rich, you might be so focused on your current financial state that you are missing out on the lessons to be learned in the journey.
If you are striving to express your spiritual gifts, life will seem almost effortless. You will meet the right people and find the right opportunities. That is where you will find your happiness.
I started out by mentioning the superficial ways we can express ourselves. What's so interesting is that when you are expressing your spiritual gifts, people will notice a change in your appearance.
They will start mentioning how much happier you look or that you look younger. They'll notice something different about you, but they won't be able to put their finger on it. You truly will be comfortable in your own skin - inside and out.
Leila Johnson
It's all in your mind
How would you feel and act right now if you had everything you wanted? Well, let's just pause for a moment and visualise this: right now, see yourself acting as if you did have everything you wanted. See yourself acting in that way; capture the feeling of completeness and satisfaction that you would have. Luxuriate in that thought... What a wonderful feeling that is, and it is possible!
But let's first ask ourselves how do we manifest prosperity? It is a fact that prosperity begins in mind. First as an idea, and then it comes into form. Thoughts are things and your thoughts create your reality. This, then, is absolutely true and in exact correlation with having enormous wealth and prosperity in your life. You can only have things that are in harmony with your thoughts. The great spiritual truth in regard to our wealth and prosperity is that God is the source and substance of your supply and people are merely channels! Well, it's true on this human plane that it is people who hire us for our jobs, give us our paychecks, our bonuses and the like, but it is God that is the one true source.
When you are aware of this wonderful spiritual truth and incorporate that into your consciousness, you will begin to stop holding onto people, jobs and things so tenaciously and fearfully because they actually represent only one of many, many channels available to us. Stop giving your power away to these people and things and affirm, "This or something better." Ease up. When we meditate and pray for more wealth and abundance in our lives, we don't necessarily know where it's going to come from and we don't need to know.
To get more prosperity in your life you should affirm that you are prosperous. For those of you who are not familiar with affirmations or why they are important to your success, just think of them as positive statements that we can use to change our mind, belief system, attitudes and actions and therefore get the results we want.
A fabulous affirmation for prosperity would be: "By day and by night, i am being prospered in all my ways!" Another great affirmation is, "I am now, in the process of attracting greater abundance, prosperity and success into my life in everything i am undertaking!"
Each one of us has the gift of free will or the freedom to think whatever thoughts we choose to concentrate on most throughout each day. Ask yourself right now what thoughts are you concentrating on right now? Are you thinking about prosperity and success in your life or are you thinking about lack and limitation? Your environment and your feelings will let you know exactly what you are thinking because they are an exact replica of your thoughts and beliefs. It's true that no one can think of prosperity all day long and we are all in agreement there.
As Emerson said, "A man is what he thinks about all day long." Your primary thoughts, the ones you concentrate on most, will be what you will see in the people you attract to you as well as in your life circumstances. One of the most popular sayings is 'change your thoughts and change your life,' but, of course, Rome wasn't built in a day! It will take time to replace your habitual thoughts that are negative to more positive ones, but you can do it!
Domenic Polifrone once said if we wanted a new car that we needed to go down to the showroom and test drive it. He said it didn't matter if we didn't have one penny in the bank. Just go down to that showroom, get behind the wheel of that car and test drive it! Get a few brochures to keep. See and feel yourself driving and owning this beautiful, new car. Get into the consciousness of "i am prosperity and i am in the process of buying and owning this beautiful, new car!" Try it. This experiment works! Your mind is one of your most prized possessions. It has been said that you are the architect of your life.
Ask yourself right now what kind of life are you building for yourself ? A magnificent life or a limited life? Everything that has been available to everyone is also available to you. There is a wonderful quote which underscores this fact. He said, "No one is superior to what you might become!"
Start knowing that the potentiality of one is the potentiality of all. If anybody has wealth you can have wealth; if anybody has a beautiful home, you can have a beautiful home. Life is a state of consciousness. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Change your consciousness and change your world.
Jane Abram
But let's first ask ourselves how do we manifest prosperity? It is a fact that prosperity begins in mind. First as an idea, and then it comes into form. Thoughts are things and your thoughts create your reality. This, then, is absolutely true and in exact correlation with having enormous wealth and prosperity in your life. You can only have things that are in harmony with your thoughts. The great spiritual truth in regard to our wealth and prosperity is that God is the source and substance of your supply and people are merely channels! Well, it's true on this human plane that it is people who hire us for our jobs, give us our paychecks, our bonuses and the like, but it is God that is the one true source.
When you are aware of this wonderful spiritual truth and incorporate that into your consciousness, you will begin to stop holding onto people, jobs and things so tenaciously and fearfully because they actually represent only one of many, many channels available to us. Stop giving your power away to these people and things and affirm, "This or something better." Ease up. When we meditate and pray for more wealth and abundance in our lives, we don't necessarily know where it's going to come from and we don't need to know.
To get more prosperity in your life you should affirm that you are prosperous. For those of you who are not familiar with affirmations or why they are important to your success, just think of them as positive statements that we can use to change our mind, belief system, attitudes and actions and therefore get the results we want.
A fabulous affirmation for prosperity would be: "By day and by night, i am being prospered in all my ways!" Another great affirmation is, "I am now, in the process of attracting greater abundance, prosperity and success into my life in everything i am undertaking!"
Each one of us has the gift of free will or the freedom to think whatever thoughts we choose to concentrate on most throughout each day. Ask yourself right now what thoughts are you concentrating on right now? Are you thinking about prosperity and success in your life or are you thinking about lack and limitation? Your environment and your feelings will let you know exactly what you are thinking because they are an exact replica of your thoughts and beliefs. It's true that no one can think of prosperity all day long and we are all in agreement there.
As Emerson said, "A man is what he thinks about all day long." Your primary thoughts, the ones you concentrate on most, will be what you will see in the people you attract to you as well as in your life circumstances. One of the most popular sayings is 'change your thoughts and change your life,' but, of course, Rome wasn't built in a day! It will take time to replace your habitual thoughts that are negative to more positive ones, but you can do it!
Domenic Polifrone once said if we wanted a new car that we needed to go down to the showroom and test drive it. He said it didn't matter if we didn't have one penny in the bank. Just go down to that showroom, get behind the wheel of that car and test drive it! Get a few brochures to keep. See and feel yourself driving and owning this beautiful, new car. Get into the consciousness of "i am prosperity and i am in the process of buying and owning this beautiful, new car!" Try it. This experiment works! Your mind is one of your most prized possessions. It has been said that you are the architect of your life.
Ask yourself right now what kind of life are you building for yourself ? A magnificent life or a limited life? Everything that has been available to everyone is also available to you. There is a wonderful quote which underscores this fact. He said, "No one is superior to what you might become!"
Start knowing that the potentiality of one is the potentiality of all. If anybody has wealth you can have wealth; if anybody has a beautiful home, you can have a beautiful home. Life is a state of consciousness. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Change your consciousness and change your world.
Jane Abram
Stop seeking, you will find your God!
All around us, we come across people who are running towards God. Or who they think God is!
They spend so much time and effort in seeking God in all kinds of places. Often, after they believe they have found Him in one place of worship, they will again begin their search in some other new place. They become professional seekers. Even those who deny God, the atheists, are seekers. They too are seeking their own version of God!
In reality, seekers do not ever truly find God. This is because in the inner world, the logic is very different. The process of seeking is not the same as in the material world, where things exist in separate physical forms. In the spiritual realm, God is not at the end of a journey, He is not the achievement — He is just in the Awareness.
God is already in each one of us, only we have lost the sensitivity to know His presence! When God is all around us, and inside us — it means that we cannot run towards Him, for in which direction shall we choose to run? He is everywhere! This is the Awareness we need to have to reach God.
This is in fact true of all goals. Goals are not reached by frantically running towards them. That makes us tense and creates barriers in the quest.
The path should be the quest, not the destination. If we move towards the destination without expectations, if we work towards goals with no attachments to failure or success, we will find that we become far more productive. We would then work with no stress at all, completely focused on the journey, the process, and the present.
To work in the present in our daily life we need to trust life itself; we need to trust existence or God. This abiding trust in existence is actually the path to God. But we spoil this path by judging all events against goals set by our minds. When we sincerely make efforts, immersing ourselves in trust, whatever happens will be good for us. This is what I mean by saying that you actually achieve your goals when you stop running towards them.
PARAMAHAMSA SRI NITHYANANDA
They spend so much time and effort in seeking God in all kinds of places. Often, after they believe they have found Him in one place of worship, they will again begin their search in some other new place. They become professional seekers. Even those who deny God, the atheists, are seekers. They too are seeking their own version of God!
In reality, seekers do not ever truly find God. This is because in the inner world, the logic is very different. The process of seeking is not the same as in the material world, where things exist in separate physical forms. In the spiritual realm, God is not at the end of a journey, He is not the achievement — He is just in the Awareness.
God is already in each one of us, only we have lost the sensitivity to know His presence! When God is all around us, and inside us — it means that we cannot run towards Him, for in which direction shall we choose to run? He is everywhere! This is the Awareness we need to have to reach God.
This is in fact true of all goals. Goals are not reached by frantically running towards them. That makes us tense and creates barriers in the quest.
The path should be the quest, not the destination. If we move towards the destination without expectations, if we work towards goals with no attachments to failure or success, we will find that we become far more productive. We would then work with no stress at all, completely focused on the journey, the process, and the present.
To work in the present in our daily life we need to trust life itself; we need to trust existence or God. This abiding trust in existence is actually the path to God. But we spoil this path by judging all events against goals set by our minds. When we sincerely make efforts, immersing ourselves in trust, whatever happens will be good for us. This is what I mean by saying that you actually achieve your goals when you stop running towards them.
PARAMAHAMSA SRI NITHYANANDA
Spirituality is a letting go
Firstly, spiritualism is not the right term for spirituality. As traditionally used, it refers to mediums, psychics, spirits, contact with the dead and everything that has to do with the spooky world of the occult. Spirituality, on the other hand, is an understanding of consciousness that allows you to experience everything in its contextual and relational nature. It is to have a religious experience without being religious. It is to experience your non-local self, your transpersonal self.
Since the infinite being is infinite by definition, it expresses itself through maximum diversity. To a spiritual person, nothing human is foreign. In other words, the measure of your enlightenment is the degree to which you are comfortable with contradiction, paradox, and ambiguity. The nature of reality is that nothing can be put on pause. Change is the only change. There is nothing to pursue in a constantly evolving universe. Spirituality is a letting go, in which you join the ecstatic evolutionary impulse of the universe, as it expresses itself through creativity.
Morality is the domain of hypocrites and self-righteous morality is just jealousy with a halo. It has nothing to do with spirituality.
I listen to my inner silence in waking, dreaming and sleeping. By and large, religious institutions are quarrelsome, divisive, and sometimes idiotic in their behaviour. The moment of truth is a moment of self referred consciousness, where one is independent of the good and bad opinions of others, and therefore immune to criticism and flattery. I am not here yet. I feel amulets and bracelets and photographs of God are cover-ups for insecurity, and so are Roberto Cavalli designs, innerwear with pictures of gods. They are a particular "brand" of god, and have nothing to do with infinite awareness. To be identified with any brand, whether marketed by a temple or a designer, is to dis-empower yourself and lose your authenticity.
Deepak Chopra
Since the infinite being is infinite by definition, it expresses itself through maximum diversity. To a spiritual person, nothing human is foreign. In other words, the measure of your enlightenment is the degree to which you are comfortable with contradiction, paradox, and ambiguity. The nature of reality is that nothing can be put on pause. Change is the only change. There is nothing to pursue in a constantly evolving universe. Spirituality is a letting go, in which you join the ecstatic evolutionary impulse of the universe, as it expresses itself through creativity.
Morality is the domain of hypocrites and self-righteous morality is just jealousy with a halo. It has nothing to do with spirituality.
I listen to my inner silence in waking, dreaming and sleeping. By and large, religious institutions are quarrelsome, divisive, and sometimes idiotic in their behaviour. The moment of truth is a moment of self referred consciousness, where one is independent of the good and bad opinions of others, and therefore immune to criticism and flattery. I am not here yet. I feel amulets and bracelets and photographs of God are cover-ups for insecurity, and so are Roberto Cavalli designs, innerwear with pictures of gods. They are a particular "brand" of god, and have nothing to do with infinite awareness. To be identified with any brand, whether marketed by a temple or a designer, is to dis-empower yourself and lose your authenticity.
Deepak Chopra
Surrender to God
Total surrender to the Almighty is the highest form of bhakti. It stands for accepting every situation as a gift or prasad from God. It means living every moment to perfection by using all your mental, physical and spiritual potential to the maximum.
Spirituality means doing things in the right spirit and with complete faith. No situation is frivolous or insignificant because it always contains a hidden message. There are no flaws in the Divine's design, this is what we all must be aware of just like one dev-doot, or angel, did when he was banished from the heaven to lead a life as a cobbler to make him realize the consequence of questioning the wisdom of the Almighty.
This angel had become so evolved spiritually that he was just one step away from becoming one with the Supreme. Pointing to a young woman on Earth, God asked him to take away her soul as it was time for her to die. When the angel reached the woman's house, he witnessed a heart-rending scene. Dressed in rags, the woman was cradling a three-month-old baby in her arms and was trying to pacify her two other children, aged two and four, who were crying with hunger. All looked malnourished and pale. There was not a morsel in the house. The woman had lost her husband, their sole breadwinner, a few months ago. With three little children to take care, she was unable to make ends meet. Now she was running high fever and was wondering what was to become of her and her children.
The sight of the poor family living in such trying circumstances brought tears to the angel's eyes. He could not be so unkind and deprive the helpless kids of their only living parent! His compassion and benevolence got the better of him so he decided to return to the Heaven empty handed. His disobedience earned him the Almighty's displeasure.
Since every act of the divine is guided by divine love and benevolence, God decided to make him realize his folly of interfering with the Supreme Law or design by banishing him to Earth for a lifetime as a cobbler. The only way he could return and be with the Almighty once again was by laughing at his plight three times.
Thus the angel was born on Earth into a family of cobblers. He grew up beating smelly hides into smooth leather to make footwear. One day as he sat making footwear, the irony of it all dawned on him and he laughed at his situation -- once a Dev-dhoot, God's chosen one, was now on Earth working with animal skins, making footwear for mortals.
Any way, instead of whining, the Dev-dhoot accepted his situation and continued leading his life in total surrender to the Almighty, giving his whole being to what ever work that came in front of him, whether it was beating leather into shape or making footwear. Soon he became so good at his work that his masters and customers started praising his work. And one day he was asked to make shoes for none other than the king himself!
The angel put his mind, heart and soul into his work and before he could realize, he had created the most beautiful pair of chappals ever. But his masters were livid with him for being so careless, wasting raw material and time on a pair of chappals instead of the shoes that the king's men had ordered.
Soon they arrived but much to everybody's surprise, the king's men asked for a pair of chappals instead of shoes. The king had just died and they wanted chappals to the fit the corpse before it could be cremated. It was a ritual in those days that the body of the king was adorned with chappals rather than shoes on his final journey. The dev-doot was speechless. Nothing seemed frivolous or meaningless in the Almighty's scheme of things, he thought and laughed to himself the second time.
As days passed by, the angel became increasingly well known for his fabulous footwear. One day, a rich elderly lady escorting three pretty girls came to his shop to place a huge order for fancy footwear for the girls as they were all of marriageable age. When the angel asked her whether the girls were her daughters, the lady shook her head and replied that she was a rich businessman's wife but could never have any children. But one day her neighbours told her about three helpless orphans who had lost their parents. She felt the Almighty had answered her prayers and she adopted the three kids. The lady was in fact talking about the same children whose mother the Almighty had once ordered him to take away! Marveling at the Divine's design, the angel laughed to himself the third time. It was all about surrender and accepting every situation as a gift from God, to be lived through with all our potential. He had been banished to Earth in the first place because he had failed to do so, but later he got the opportunities to laugh his way out of this human life because of his surrender. His life's mission was now complete. He was ready to leave for his heavenly abode where the Almighty was waiting for him with open arms. He knew it well that now he would be with the Supreme forever. He had learnt the ultimate message meant for all humans on Earth that the only way to cut our Karma Cycle, the cause of birth and death, for total liberation and merging with the Supreme is to perform every given act, whether in thought, word or deed, as an offering to the Lord in total surrender, without doubting or questioning the purpose behind it.
This is true realisation. This is the essence of life.
Meena Om
Spirituality means doing things in the right spirit and with complete faith. No situation is frivolous or insignificant because it always contains a hidden message. There are no flaws in the Divine's design, this is what we all must be aware of just like one dev-doot, or angel, did when he was banished from the heaven to lead a life as a cobbler to make him realize the consequence of questioning the wisdom of the Almighty.
This angel had become so evolved spiritually that he was just one step away from becoming one with the Supreme. Pointing to a young woman on Earth, God asked him to take away her soul as it was time for her to die. When the angel reached the woman's house, he witnessed a heart-rending scene. Dressed in rags, the woman was cradling a three-month-old baby in her arms and was trying to pacify her two other children, aged two and four, who were crying with hunger. All looked malnourished and pale. There was not a morsel in the house. The woman had lost her husband, their sole breadwinner, a few months ago. With three little children to take care, she was unable to make ends meet. Now she was running high fever and was wondering what was to become of her and her children.
The sight of the poor family living in such trying circumstances brought tears to the angel's eyes. He could not be so unkind and deprive the helpless kids of their only living parent! His compassion and benevolence got the better of him so he decided to return to the Heaven empty handed. His disobedience earned him the Almighty's displeasure.
Since every act of the divine is guided by divine love and benevolence, God decided to make him realize his folly of interfering with the Supreme Law or design by banishing him to Earth for a lifetime as a cobbler. The only way he could return and be with the Almighty once again was by laughing at his plight three times.
Thus the angel was born on Earth into a family of cobblers. He grew up beating smelly hides into smooth leather to make footwear. One day as he sat making footwear, the irony of it all dawned on him and he laughed at his situation -- once a Dev-dhoot, God's chosen one, was now on Earth working with animal skins, making footwear for mortals.
Any way, instead of whining, the Dev-dhoot accepted his situation and continued leading his life in total surrender to the Almighty, giving his whole being to what ever work that came in front of him, whether it was beating leather into shape or making footwear. Soon he became so good at his work that his masters and customers started praising his work. And one day he was asked to make shoes for none other than the king himself!
The angel put his mind, heart and soul into his work and before he could realize, he had created the most beautiful pair of chappals ever. But his masters were livid with him for being so careless, wasting raw material and time on a pair of chappals instead of the shoes that the king's men had ordered.
Soon they arrived but much to everybody's surprise, the king's men asked for a pair of chappals instead of shoes. The king had just died and they wanted chappals to the fit the corpse before it could be cremated. It was a ritual in those days that the body of the king was adorned with chappals rather than shoes on his final journey. The dev-doot was speechless. Nothing seemed frivolous or meaningless in the Almighty's scheme of things, he thought and laughed to himself the second time.
As days passed by, the angel became increasingly well known for his fabulous footwear. One day, a rich elderly lady escorting three pretty girls came to his shop to place a huge order for fancy footwear for the girls as they were all of marriageable age. When the angel asked her whether the girls were her daughters, the lady shook her head and replied that she was a rich businessman's wife but could never have any children. But one day her neighbours told her about three helpless orphans who had lost their parents. She felt the Almighty had answered her prayers and she adopted the three kids. The lady was in fact talking about the same children whose mother the Almighty had once ordered him to take away! Marveling at the Divine's design, the angel laughed to himself the third time. It was all about surrender and accepting every situation as a gift from God, to be lived through with all our potential. He had been banished to Earth in the first place because he had failed to do so, but later he got the opportunities to laugh his way out of this human life because of his surrender. His life's mission was now complete. He was ready to leave for his heavenly abode where the Almighty was waiting for him with open arms. He knew it well that now he would be with the Supreme forever. He had learnt the ultimate message meant for all humans on Earth that the only way to cut our Karma Cycle, the cause of birth and death, for total liberation and merging with the Supreme is to perform every given act, whether in thought, word or deed, as an offering to the Lord in total surrender, without doubting or questioning the purpose behind it.
This is true realisation. This is the essence of life.
Meena Om
Sense and Spirituality
Being spiritual or not spiritual isn't an option. You were born spiritual and everything you do is spiritual. So what is the deal with trying to be spiritual, trying to find your path of enlightenment? I believe we are programmed to believe we are not spiritual unless we have a religious belief. For centuries believers in organised religion have been trying to recruit non believers and convert them to their faith.
The bottom line for them is it's simply good business and nothing else. Long before there were institutions of worship, there were millions of people who were very aware of their own spirituality and they understood the connection between themselves, others and their environment.
Although many of us are not aware of our spirituality it doesn't mean we are not spiritual. It is spirit which moves the body, that knows it's alive and its connection to the environment. Awareness of this is what most people are lacking. The benefits of knowing ones true nature or spiritual connection are many.
If you lived in a dry land and everyday was a great effort to find and gather water, would it not benefit you to know that by digging below your feet you would find all the water you could use?
If you were homeless and you spent your days sitting on the same corner begging for food, would it not benefit you to know that there is a free soup kitchen only two blocks away?
If you were in the market for a new car and your local dealer did not have what you were looking for, would it not benefit you to know that in the next town, they have the exact model you're looking for?
Knowledge is power; the awareness of one's own spiritual nature is power. The most amazing thing is we do not have to do anything or look anywhere to be spiritual.
We simply have to know we are already there. The benefits of this knowledge are infinite opportunity to experience anything we desire. Would this knowledge serve you to know you can have abundance, good relationships, love, or anything you desire simply by knowing that you can?
The knowledge of your own spirituality can open doors to places you never thought were possible. The big difference between believing and knowing is in knowing you already have it, you are already experiencing it.
In believing or having faith that you will have a thing, it is something that may occur in the future. In knowing you are the spiritual one who will create what you wish to experience, you have access to immediate delivery and it is not incumbent upon the whims of someone or something else.
The greatest secret to the benefits of spiritual awareness is the power that it holds.
Thinking, believing, trusting or having faith that you are spiritual does not take you there-it is the awareness of being spiritual which makes it so.
It's within the acceptance of being this power that you are able to use it. Humanity knew this a very long time ago, but gave up the responsibility for it because it feared its own imagination and the awesome limitlessness of its capabilities. Power is non-power unless it's used. The responsibility for this power was too much for primitive man. Instinctively man still knows his connection to this power that never went away. He chose a life of limited power and a lifetime of trying to find it. Man generally fears to think too big. He is still very primitive in his thinking and his concerns are with himself and his little empire.
There are other places, other realms yet to be discovered that will require him to be more powerful. Until he is ready to claim back his spirituality and power he will never leave this earth.
The good news is that you can have it all now through complete acceptance of what you truly are. Spirituality is worthless until you know its value and place in your own awareness.
As you read this, you would have a greater understanding of why you do not have complete authority over your life or have limited power.
You would know why things do not always work out the way you want them to that you have accepted less because you are not ready to accept what is already yours.
Roy E Klienwachter
The bottom line for them is it's simply good business and nothing else. Long before there were institutions of worship, there were millions of people who were very aware of their own spirituality and they understood the connection between themselves, others and their environment.
Although many of us are not aware of our spirituality it doesn't mean we are not spiritual. It is spirit which moves the body, that knows it's alive and its connection to the environment. Awareness of this is what most people are lacking. The benefits of knowing ones true nature or spiritual connection are many.
If you lived in a dry land and everyday was a great effort to find and gather water, would it not benefit you to know that by digging below your feet you would find all the water you could use?
If you were homeless and you spent your days sitting on the same corner begging for food, would it not benefit you to know that there is a free soup kitchen only two blocks away?
If you were in the market for a new car and your local dealer did not have what you were looking for, would it not benefit you to know that in the next town, they have the exact model you're looking for?
Knowledge is power; the awareness of one's own spiritual nature is power. The most amazing thing is we do not have to do anything or look anywhere to be spiritual.
We simply have to know we are already there. The benefits of this knowledge are infinite opportunity to experience anything we desire. Would this knowledge serve you to know you can have abundance, good relationships, love, or anything you desire simply by knowing that you can?
The knowledge of your own spirituality can open doors to places you never thought were possible. The big difference between believing and knowing is in knowing you already have it, you are already experiencing it.
In believing or having faith that you will have a thing, it is something that may occur in the future. In knowing you are the spiritual one who will create what you wish to experience, you have access to immediate delivery and it is not incumbent upon the whims of someone or something else.
The greatest secret to the benefits of spiritual awareness is the power that it holds.
Thinking, believing, trusting or having faith that you are spiritual does not take you there-it is the awareness of being spiritual which makes it so.
It's within the acceptance of being this power that you are able to use it. Humanity knew this a very long time ago, but gave up the responsibility for it because it feared its own imagination and the awesome limitlessness of its capabilities. Power is non-power unless it's used. The responsibility for this power was too much for primitive man. Instinctively man still knows his connection to this power that never went away. He chose a life of limited power and a lifetime of trying to find it. Man generally fears to think too big. He is still very primitive in his thinking and his concerns are with himself and his little empire.
There are other places, other realms yet to be discovered that will require him to be more powerful. Until he is ready to claim back his spirituality and power he will never leave this earth.
The good news is that you can have it all now through complete acceptance of what you truly are. Spirituality is worthless until you know its value and place in your own awareness.
As you read this, you would have a greater understanding of why you do not have complete authority over your life or have limited power.
You would know why things do not always work out the way you want them to that you have accepted less because you are not ready to accept what is already yours.
Roy E Klienwachter
For a healthy mind & body
According to ayurveda and yoga, both mind and the body are made up of five elements, the Panchabhutas of earth (prithvi), water (jal), fire (agni or tej), air (vayu) and ether or space (akash). While the body is made up of the heavier elements of earth and water (the kapha type), it functions through the lighter elements of fire (pitta or fire type) and air (vata or vital energy type). The pitta, fire or heat of the body controls all digestive processes and the vata, air or vital energy lends its spark to the nervous system. The mind, one of subtlest parts of our being is composed of air and ether, the lightest elements.
In substance our minds resemble ether formless and all pervading and in motion, it resembles air-penetrating, constantly in flux. Just as the right type of food and right amount of food is necessary for a healthy digestive system, the right type of thoughts and the right amount of thoughts are essential for a healthy mind.
Therefore, the simple formula for a healthy mind is allowing only positive thoughts to come, having just enough thoughts in the mind, and finally, being without any thoughts for at least some time, that is, meditating. Meditation is not only extremely conducive to mental well being and peace; it is also the first step towards self transformation and spirituality.
Posture:
Sit erect in a comfortable position preferably on the floor. The important factor is keeping the spine absolutely straight.
Environment:
Sit in a well ventilated place that is quiet and receives natural light. Set up a meditating room with soothing music and aroma in order to infuse the atmosphere with spiritual energy.
Time:
Meditate at the same time daily, twice a day for best results. Beginners are recommended to meditate for about half an hour daily.
Attitude & Technique:
Be a receptive observer while meditating. Try to observe the mind, the breath or the immediate physical environment without thinking anything in particular, watching the mind slowly empty itself out.
In substance our minds resemble ether formless and all pervading and in motion, it resembles air-penetrating, constantly in flux. Just as the right type of food and right amount of food is necessary for a healthy digestive system, the right type of thoughts and the right amount of thoughts are essential for a healthy mind.
Therefore, the simple formula for a healthy mind is allowing only positive thoughts to come, having just enough thoughts in the mind, and finally, being without any thoughts for at least some time, that is, meditating. Meditation is not only extremely conducive to mental well being and peace; it is also the first step towards self transformation and spirituality.
Posture:
Sit erect in a comfortable position preferably on the floor. The important factor is keeping the spine absolutely straight.
Environment:
Sit in a well ventilated place that is quiet and receives natural light. Set up a meditating room with soothing music and aroma in order to infuse the atmosphere with spiritual energy.
Time:
Meditate at the same time daily, twice a day for best results. Beginners are recommended to meditate for about half an hour daily.
Attitude & Technique:
Be a receptive observer while meditating. Try to observe the mind, the breath or the immediate physical environment without thinking anything in particular, watching the mind slowly empty itself out.
Letting go of the past
Our lives are weighed down with past memories and expectations from the future. How can we let go of all that clutter and live life spontaneously? We feel burdened not because of our present but because of the past hanging around our neck like a heavy stone.
Osho gives some useful tips for separating psychological memories from the factual ones. It is good to remember that mere facts never burden us. The memory of our name or phone number is not a burden but a psychological memory of an insult or even a felicitation can become a hang up.
Interestingly, many of us tend to forget facts but we tend to remember and dwell upon psychological memories.
Osho points out, "Memory has technical uses. You have to know how to drive, you have to know where your home is, and you have to recognise your wife and your children. But those are not psychological hang-ups. Factual memory is useful. It enhances life, facilitates it. But if you come home and you look at your wife and think of all your past experiences with her then that is a psychological hang-up. If she was angry with you in the recent past, then that memory can cloud your eyes. If she was nasty or sad, then it too can colour your perception. Psychological impressions change your way of looking and perceiving her as she is standing in front of you at this moment. You are no longer looking at her but at someone who doesn't exist. You are looking at a ghost, not at your wife. And she may also be looking at you in the same way. Drop the past each moment. Just as you clean your house, clean your inner house of the past. All psychological memories have to be dropped. Just keep factual things and your mind will be very clean and clear."
Soon you will find that there is a new light in your life - the light of here-now, the Present.
Amrit Sadhana
Osho gives some useful tips for separating psychological memories from the factual ones. It is good to remember that mere facts never burden us. The memory of our name or phone number is not a burden but a psychological memory of an insult or even a felicitation can become a hang up.
Interestingly, many of us tend to forget facts but we tend to remember and dwell upon psychological memories.
Osho points out, "Memory has technical uses. You have to know how to drive, you have to know where your home is, and you have to recognise your wife and your children. But those are not psychological hang-ups. Factual memory is useful. It enhances life, facilitates it. But if you come home and you look at your wife and think of all your past experiences with her then that is a psychological hang-up. If she was angry with you in the recent past, then that memory can cloud your eyes. If she was nasty or sad, then it too can colour your perception. Psychological impressions change your way of looking and perceiving her as she is standing in front of you at this moment. You are no longer looking at her but at someone who doesn't exist. You are looking at a ghost, not at your wife. And she may also be looking at you in the same way. Drop the past each moment. Just as you clean your house, clean your inner house of the past. All psychological memories have to be dropped. Just keep factual things and your mind will be very clean and clear."
Soon you will find that there is a new light in your life - the light of here-now, the Present.
Amrit Sadhana
Monday, October 15, 2007
Detach your service from expectation
The karma yogi avoids the chaotic activity of selfish desires; he also avoids the apparent inaction of total non-wanting. He leads a life of selfless service, in which there is not the slightest alloy of any personal motive and which furthers the release of divinity in all phases of life.
Service, even when it is utterly selfless, ought to be guided by spiritual understanding; for selfless service, when unintelligently handled, often creates chaos and complications. It could even be the opposite of the desired effect.
The real danger in service lies more in the possibility of your rendering it from a false motive than in making a mistake about the spiritual demands of the situation. If you render service in order to oblige a person and if you feel proud of doing it, you are not only doing spiritual harm to the recipient of your service but also to yourself.
The consciousness that 'I am obliging someone' is the first to occur during the process of serving; but it can be annulled by the contrary thought, 'I am obliged by being given this opportunity of serving'. This latter thought facilitates the attitude of detachment and secures freedom from the bondage of good actions. Service based upon comprehensive understanding is not only selfless and adjusted to the spiritual demands of the recipient but is rendered with complete detachment. Such service takes the aspirant to the goal most rapidly.
For most people the idea of service is inextricably bound with securing certain definite results in the objective world. For them service consists of removal of human suffering or illiteracy or other difficulties and handicaps that thwart the flourishing of individual or social life. This is the type of service rendered by aspirants, politicians, social reformers and other good people. Though this type of service is of immense spiritual importance, it is in its very nature unending. Therefore, as long as the idea of service is tied to the idea of results, it is inevitably fraught with a sense of incompleteness.
There can be no realisation of Infinity through the pursuit of a never-ending series of consequences. On the other hand, service that comes after truth realisation is spontaneous expression of spiritual understanding of the true nature of the Self. And though it also brings about important results in the objective world, it is in no way complicated by any longing for them.
The sun shines and the rain falls. In the same way the God-realised person also lives a life of self-offering because of the basic structure of divine life that is at the heart of Reality and not because he longs to achieve anything. His life is not a reaching out towards something with the hope of some kind of attainment. He is already established in the fullness of the realisation of the Infinite. The overflow of the God-realised being is a blessing to life in other forms and actually brings about their uplift from the material as well as spiritual point of view. There is a vast gulf between service before truth realisation and service after realising it.
byAvatar Meher
Service, even when it is utterly selfless, ought to be guided by spiritual understanding; for selfless service, when unintelligently handled, often creates chaos and complications. It could even be the opposite of the desired effect.
The real danger in service lies more in the possibility of your rendering it from a false motive than in making a mistake about the spiritual demands of the situation. If you render service in order to oblige a person and if you feel proud of doing it, you are not only doing spiritual harm to the recipient of your service but also to yourself.
The consciousness that 'I am obliging someone' is the first to occur during the process of serving; but it can be annulled by the contrary thought, 'I am obliged by being given this opportunity of serving'. This latter thought facilitates the attitude of detachment and secures freedom from the bondage of good actions. Service based upon comprehensive understanding is not only selfless and adjusted to the spiritual demands of the recipient but is rendered with complete detachment. Such service takes the aspirant to the goal most rapidly.
For most people the idea of service is inextricably bound with securing certain definite results in the objective world. For them service consists of removal of human suffering or illiteracy or other difficulties and handicaps that thwart the flourishing of individual or social life. This is the type of service rendered by aspirants, politicians, social reformers and other good people. Though this type of service is of immense spiritual importance, it is in its very nature unending. Therefore, as long as the idea of service is tied to the idea of results, it is inevitably fraught with a sense of incompleteness.
There can be no realisation of Infinity through the pursuit of a never-ending series of consequences. On the other hand, service that comes after truth realisation is spontaneous expression of spiritual understanding of the true nature of the Self. And though it also brings about important results in the objective world, it is in no way complicated by any longing for them.
The sun shines and the rain falls. In the same way the God-realised person also lives a life of self-offering because of the basic structure of divine life that is at the heart of Reality and not because he longs to achieve anything. His life is not a reaching out towards something with the hope of some kind of attainment. He is already established in the fullness of the realisation of the Infinite. The overflow of the God-realised being is a blessing to life in other forms and actually brings about their uplift from the material as well as spiritual point of view. There is a vast gulf between service before truth realisation and service after realising it.
byAvatar Meher
Use your power of making choices
The human body-mind is part of a conscious thinking field of intelligence. In every second of our existence, the body-mind exchanges energy and information with the universe and this happens on a subconscious level. The average person thinks about sixty thousand thoughts a day. This is not surprising. But it's a little disconcerting that 95% of the thoughts we have today are the same ones we had yesterday. Every day we subconsciously create the same energy patterns that give rise to the same physical expressions of the body.
Imagine that you could change the bricks of a building once a year, but through force of habit or because you didn't know any better, you were stuck with the notion that there was only one way to create the building. So you'd put the bricks in the same places year after year and you'd get the same kind of building. So if you have the notion that the body is supposed to weaken, age, or become ill with the passing of time, this notion is translated into those energy patterns.
Every interpretation we make in every moment has an effect on the energy patterns of our body. And we can change our interpretations because we made them in the first place. We have the power to make choices. But most people are victims of societal thinking; they are under the hypnosis of social conditioning. Our senses take in less than one billionth of the stimuli available to us, and our social conditioning reinforces what we think is possible. We have to wake up and go beyond social conditioning to a deeper level. How can we do this? By witnessing the whole process and becoming conscious of it. Then we realise that there are choices.
Imagine your nervous system is the hardware, and all the chemical changes that occur in your body are the software. The software changes according to your thoughts, feelings, interpretations, and desires. But there is a programmer. Who is the programmer? The programmer is the inner self, the silent witness, the ever-present awareness that witnesses everything. And when you get in touch with the silent witness, this gives you the ability to rewrite the program.
by Deepak Chopra
Imagine that you could change the bricks of a building once a year, but through force of habit or because you didn't know any better, you were stuck with the notion that there was only one way to create the building. So you'd put the bricks in the same places year after year and you'd get the same kind of building. So if you have the notion that the body is supposed to weaken, age, or become ill with the passing of time, this notion is translated into those energy patterns.
Every interpretation we make in every moment has an effect on the energy patterns of our body. And we can change our interpretations because we made them in the first place. We have the power to make choices. But most people are victims of societal thinking; they are under the hypnosis of social conditioning. Our senses take in less than one billionth of the stimuli available to us, and our social conditioning reinforces what we think is possible. We have to wake up and go beyond social conditioning to a deeper level. How can we do this? By witnessing the whole process and becoming conscious of it. Then we realise that there are choices.
Imagine your nervous system is the hardware, and all the chemical changes that occur in your body are the software. The software changes according to your thoughts, feelings, interpretations, and desires. But there is a programmer. Who is the programmer? The programmer is the inner self, the silent witness, the ever-present awareness that witnesses everything. And when you get in touch with the silent witness, this gives you the ability to rewrite the program.
by Deepak Chopra
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Turning inward in prayer
Prayer is an instinctive turning towards a force which we consider greater than ourselves. By understanding that this force emanates from within us it is possible to use prayer as a tool to unlock our limitless potential.
We usually pray in times of agony, threat and need, in times of salvation when pain or the prospect of pain drives us to prayer. Desire is an inherent part of our lives; aspirations and desires spur us to prayer.
Sometimes people pray to express gratitude for fulfilment of desire or well being.
When praying for fulfilment of desires, it is important to turn inward and honestly ask yourself whether you truly want what you are praying for or whether it is a creation of circumstance or impulse. It’s also worthwhile to ponder over whether the fulfilment of your prayer will only affect your life or whether it also encompasses the happiness of others, especially your kin. Deep wisdom, compassion and patience are required to honestly include family and the world at large in your desire.
After you have done this, silence and clear the mind and turn over your prayer to your own deeper consciousness. This part of your consciousness is not bound by the limits of your body; it is present in every other particle of the universe. When the frequency of a person’s consciousness matches with the cosmic consciousness then he/she naturally attracts people and conditions which lead to the fulfilment of the prayer.
Prayer is not just turning inward; it is also being open and receptive to clues and responses from the universe. What we may consider chance is the universes way of responding to our prayer.
Prayer needs to be backed by integral action. If you pray for one thing, but take actions to the contrary, only confusion will reign. Still if your prayers go unanswered then it does not mean that they have gone unheeded. It could simply be that the time is not right or that better or different things are in store for you in the future.
sharda
We usually pray in times of agony, threat and need, in times of salvation when pain or the prospect of pain drives us to prayer. Desire is an inherent part of our lives; aspirations and desires spur us to prayer.
Sometimes people pray to express gratitude for fulfilment of desire or well being.
When praying for fulfilment of desires, it is important to turn inward and honestly ask yourself whether you truly want what you are praying for or whether it is a creation of circumstance or impulse. It’s also worthwhile to ponder over whether the fulfilment of your prayer will only affect your life or whether it also encompasses the happiness of others, especially your kin. Deep wisdom, compassion and patience are required to honestly include family and the world at large in your desire.
After you have done this, silence and clear the mind and turn over your prayer to your own deeper consciousness. This part of your consciousness is not bound by the limits of your body; it is present in every other particle of the universe. When the frequency of a person’s consciousness matches with the cosmic consciousness then he/she naturally attracts people and conditions which lead to the fulfilment of the prayer.
Prayer is not just turning inward; it is also being open and receptive to clues and responses from the universe. What we may consider chance is the universes way of responding to our prayer.
Prayer needs to be backed by integral action. If you pray for one thing, but take actions to the contrary, only confusion will reign. Still if your prayers go unanswered then it does not mean that they have gone unheeded. It could simply be that the time is not right or that better or different things are in store for you in the future.
sharda
The art of doing nothing
Today's world is full of fury and noise. In this action packed lifestyle people are not only occupied, they are always preoccupied. More and more options mean that everyone is always engaged in some or the other activity. The effect of all this whirlwind activity has a negative impact on a person's physical and mental health. Spaces of emptiness are essential for the well being of the body and mind. Just as the body needs rest, the mind needs rest too, physically and mentally as well. When you sit silently, is your mind silent or does it run more speedily? With most people the mind does not cease its activity even when sitting silently. Zen monks are experts at stilling the mind. In this Zen meditation Osho explains 'Zazen' which means sitting silently doing nothing. "Zazen is a deep unoccupiedness - not doing anything outwardly, not doing anything inwardly. It is not even meditation because when you meditate you are making some sort of effort; you are trying to do something: chanting a mantra, remembering the divine, or even remembering yourself. But these efforts create ripples, these efforts create vibrations and your sitting becomes corrupted. Then your sitting is not innocent. Zazen means to sit, and just sit, nothing else. There is no doing on the part of the body, no doing on the part of the mind. It's a state of non-doing. That does not mean that you are fast asleep, because sleep is an activity. It does not mean that you are dead, because if you are dead you cannot just sit. Zazen simply means that you are tremendously alive, intensely alive, a fire of being, but not moving anywhere - a reservoir of energy in a deep awaiting. You are just waiting for something to happen, not even expecting, because expectation will again create a ripple of thought and the mind will start functioning. Everything is suspended. You breathe, and that's all that you do. But that is not a doing, because breathing goes on its own accord. You have not to do anything but just sit silently."
Amrit Sadhana
Amrit Sadhana
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Forget your past
No matter what you have been through, you can always get up and make changes, says Dawn Fields.
Just think about this for a moment: How many times have you done something in your past that you were not too happy about? It could be anything. Let’s say that you are an addicted person. You may be addicted to drugs, or alcohol or the wrong type of man. Perhaps you are addicted to stressful jobs that bring you little pay. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances may be. Hey, it doesn’t even have to be that harsh. Perhaps you have tried to start your own business or create something in your life where you could make a living doing something you are passionate about and it failed, so you gave up. It doesn’t really matter. But every time you turn around, you are falling victim to the same thing over and over again.
Hey, it happens. We all fall down. But the good thing about it is we get up. Just because you fell down doesn’t mean you have to stay down. Get up! Why are you still sitting there? We all make mistakes. But the great part about it is that God allows us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and move forward. Just because you fall down today, doesn’t mean that tomorrow you must remain down.
Ever slipped out in public and actually fell down? Jumped up real quick, didn’t you? The next thing you did was looked around and prayed that nobody saw you. Just as quickly as you bounced up from a real fall, you can bounce back from a figurative fall. One thing that I have noticed from speaking with a lot of people is that they understand that we fall down but never understood that we get up too.
No matter what the circumstances are in your life that might have tripped you up, no matter what you have been through, no matter what happened in your past, you can always get up and make changes, right now, that will forever banish or make obsolete, the bad things that caused you to fall in the past.
Don’t get me wrong...I hear some very legitimate sounding excuses as to why people feel that their life will forever be the way that it presently may be. I hear things like “I was molested when I was young.” “My mother abandoned me when I was two years old and left me because she was out chasing the pipe.” “I have an addiction. How can I possibly get a job that pays more than minimum wage.” “I don’t have an education. How can I ever expect to get a good job?”
Past should be a reference point, not a residence >>
Stop living in the past! We all fall down. But remember, “A Saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.” Your past should be a reference point, not a residence. But so many of us continuously live in the past. We went out and bought a welcome mat and promptly placed it at the door of our past. We can’t break away from it. We wear it as some sort of badge of honour because we simply won’t let it go.
Just because you made a mistake or circumstances led you to do something that you now regret, doesn’t mean that for the rest of your life you will have to beat yourself up because of it. Doesn’t matter if you made two mistakes or three. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if you made over a million mistakes in your life. What matters is today, right now.
You know the mistakes that you’ve made because you have that mistake as a reference point now and for the rest of your life. You weren’t born for sorrow. You weren’t born to be a doormat for others to wipe their feet on. You weren’t born to be used up and then disregarded. You were born to glorify God and live a happy and abundant life. And if you aren’t living that way, it’s simply because at some point, you fell down. But now is the time to get up and start living the life that you were born to live. And that is a life of purpose. That’s a life of happiness and abundance.
Now, you ask, “How do I get out of the past and get up?” Well, I would like to say, “it’s simple.” But that wouldn’t be the truth. There’s nothing simple about it. It’s a daily process that you must work on. You have to be committed to making changes in your life. You have to believe that God has a purpose for you. You will have to work on you. You will have to realise that what happened yesterday, is gone. You can never get that time back and, therefore, there is nothing you can do about it.
But right in front of you is another minute or another hour or another day, week, month, year. Those things haven’t happened yet, so you can start to orchestrate your present so that your future will be more to your liking.
Start by telling yourself, “My past has no bearing on who I am now. And, therefore, is not important. I am here to glorify God. I am God’s child and, therefore, worthy of greatness.” If you take this simple phrase and say it to yourself all day long, you will soon start to notice changes in your life. All of a sudden, without even thinking about it, you will start to pack your old baggage from the past and move them to a closet that you will lock and throw away the key.
Just think about this for a moment: How many times have you done something in your past that you were not too happy about? It could be anything. Let’s say that you are an addicted person. You may be addicted to drugs, or alcohol or the wrong type of man. Perhaps you are addicted to stressful jobs that bring you little pay. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances may be. Hey, it doesn’t even have to be that harsh. Perhaps you have tried to start your own business or create something in your life where you could make a living doing something you are passionate about and it failed, so you gave up. It doesn’t really matter. But every time you turn around, you are falling victim to the same thing over and over again.
Hey, it happens. We all fall down. But the good thing about it is we get up. Just because you fell down doesn’t mean you have to stay down. Get up! Why are you still sitting there? We all make mistakes. But the great part about it is that God allows us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and move forward. Just because you fall down today, doesn’t mean that tomorrow you must remain down.
Ever slipped out in public and actually fell down? Jumped up real quick, didn’t you? The next thing you did was looked around and prayed that nobody saw you. Just as quickly as you bounced up from a real fall, you can bounce back from a figurative fall. One thing that I have noticed from speaking with a lot of people is that they understand that we fall down but never understood that we get up too.
No matter what the circumstances are in your life that might have tripped you up, no matter what you have been through, no matter what happened in your past, you can always get up and make changes, right now, that will forever banish or make obsolete, the bad things that caused you to fall in the past.
Don’t get me wrong...I hear some very legitimate sounding excuses as to why people feel that their life will forever be the way that it presently may be. I hear things like “I was molested when I was young.” “My mother abandoned me when I was two years old and left me because she was out chasing the pipe.” “I have an addiction. How can I possibly get a job that pays more than minimum wage.” “I don’t have an education. How can I ever expect to get a good job?”
Past should be a reference point, not a residence >>
Stop living in the past! We all fall down. But remember, “A Saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.” Your past should be a reference point, not a residence. But so many of us continuously live in the past. We went out and bought a welcome mat and promptly placed it at the door of our past. We can’t break away from it. We wear it as some sort of badge of honour because we simply won’t let it go.
Just because you made a mistake or circumstances led you to do something that you now regret, doesn’t mean that for the rest of your life you will have to beat yourself up because of it. Doesn’t matter if you made two mistakes or three. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if you made over a million mistakes in your life. What matters is today, right now.
You know the mistakes that you’ve made because you have that mistake as a reference point now and for the rest of your life. You weren’t born for sorrow. You weren’t born to be a doormat for others to wipe their feet on. You weren’t born to be used up and then disregarded. You were born to glorify God and live a happy and abundant life. And if you aren’t living that way, it’s simply because at some point, you fell down. But now is the time to get up and start living the life that you were born to live. And that is a life of purpose. That’s a life of happiness and abundance.
Now, you ask, “How do I get out of the past and get up?” Well, I would like to say, “it’s simple.” But that wouldn’t be the truth. There’s nothing simple about it. It’s a daily process that you must work on. You have to be committed to making changes in your life. You have to believe that God has a purpose for you. You will have to work on you. You will have to realise that what happened yesterday, is gone. You can never get that time back and, therefore, there is nothing you can do about it.
But right in front of you is another minute or another hour or another day, week, month, year. Those things haven’t happened yet, so you can start to orchestrate your present so that your future will be more to your liking.
Start by telling yourself, “My past has no bearing on who I am now. And, therefore, is not important. I am here to glorify God. I am God’s child and, therefore, worthy of greatness.” If you take this simple phrase and say it to yourself all day long, you will soon start to notice changes in your life. All of a sudden, without even thinking about it, you will start to pack your old baggage from the past and move them to a closet that you will lock and throw away the key.
Break Free
Next time you feel like your life is collapsing around you, take a step back and welcome the changes, says Karen Hall Foster.
Whenever you think you are going through the most difficult time of your life, stop and think. This may be just the experience you need to snap you out of your complacency and breathe life back into your soulless existence, break an ongoing cycle of failure or somehow be the catalyst which pushes you towards a brighter future.
In hindsight the worst situations either make or break us as individuals. However, in the long run it always seems to lean towards the former of the two — it not only makes us stronger people but also makes us far more compassionate. Next time you feel like your life is collapsing around you, ask yourself why and then take a step back and welcome the changes that have been put in place to save your sorry excuse for a life. And you will then understand that only real insight is born out of trauma.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb — “May you live in interesting times.” This is supposedly seen as an extremely wicked curse, when actually it represents the complete opposite.The idea is that as humans we all naturally resonate to a humdrum life of routine habits, which pacify our soul or sole existence.
Deep within us all, there is a desire to feel alive again, buzzing with premature anticipation that one day we will be able to touch the part of us that has somehow been pushed to the background. Unfortunately although at first these magnificent temptations seem too good to be true and almost impossible to resist, most times they are tests sent to us in disguise to wake us up from our pointless, monotonous and unpurposeful slumber. As we walk through life with our eyes wide shut.
Whilst the experiences in themselves reveal the true value of the test at hand fairly quickly, the side effects can send our stress levels soaring higher than a bird in flight; thrusting us into a rude awakening, as our feathers are scorched by the suns beautiful yet hypnotic rays of warmth and colour.
Opening up a new chapter can often mean closing a previous one, and sometimes this feels as if we have just opened up Pandora’s box. It hurts, it always does and it always will. Most times during these periods it is found that we are completely unequipped to cope. Due to this we dig deep down to the core of our being in which to bring forth some of our rawest instinct and courage, in order to adapt, if we are not to be ripped apart.
Life has a peculiar way of making people shed their skin >> Life has a peculiar way of making people shed their skin, even when all appears to seem quite contented. By continually living a life that is always warm and fuzzy, we become dull, lifeless and unsympathetic to the sorrows of others and certainly detached from them. It is in this state of unconsciousness that we dissolve our purpose for living; to the point that we simply end up not caring anymore — after all life is good to us and when was it exactly when we just stopped caring?
My attitude towards change, whether bad, but more specifically when it is good, is that it disturbs our present comfort zone. This then creates anxiety because it represents having to face up to times of complete uncertainty. I often wonder where the thoughts originally come from when we have them and as to the real reason why.
These are selfmotivated desires that urge us strongly to follow these feelings through because they are too strong to ignore. The other type of situations that are out of our control are such things as health issues and family problems. All examples have probably been set in place to make us ask ourselves if we are really happy with our lives, or just clinging onto a delusional safety net.
So with all this in mind it is usually through those things that seem to be negative by comparison, where we are really able to find true contentment, inspirations, hidden talents and new found skills and abilities — even if it means having to start all over again from scratch.
By breaking free from the chains we have wrapped around us so tightly, we indeed experience far more interesting times for which, in turn makes us far more interesting people. It is during these supposedly absolute dire catastrophe’s, that we not only learn to survive our trips to hell and back, but find out who we really are in the process. And that we never really needed to reach out to the warmth of the sun’s rays for it was locked up inside us all along.
Ok, so we need a little friction to upset the apple cart occasionally, if we are going to question anything at all in life. If you can see past all the blood, sweat and tears you will realise that you have changed in some way, sometimes for the worse but most times for the better. Every time you learn the hard way you really move one step forward towards evolution.
Whenever you think you are going through the most difficult time of your life, stop and think. This may be just the experience you need to snap you out of your complacency and breathe life back into your soulless existence, break an ongoing cycle of failure or somehow be the catalyst which pushes you towards a brighter future.
In hindsight the worst situations either make or break us as individuals. However, in the long run it always seems to lean towards the former of the two — it not only makes us stronger people but also makes us far more compassionate. Next time you feel like your life is collapsing around you, ask yourself why and then take a step back and welcome the changes that have been put in place to save your sorry excuse for a life. And you will then understand that only real insight is born out of trauma.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb — “May you live in interesting times.” This is supposedly seen as an extremely wicked curse, when actually it represents the complete opposite.The idea is that as humans we all naturally resonate to a humdrum life of routine habits, which pacify our soul or sole existence.
Deep within us all, there is a desire to feel alive again, buzzing with premature anticipation that one day we will be able to touch the part of us that has somehow been pushed to the background. Unfortunately although at first these magnificent temptations seem too good to be true and almost impossible to resist, most times they are tests sent to us in disguise to wake us up from our pointless, monotonous and unpurposeful slumber. As we walk through life with our eyes wide shut.
Whilst the experiences in themselves reveal the true value of the test at hand fairly quickly, the side effects can send our stress levels soaring higher than a bird in flight; thrusting us into a rude awakening, as our feathers are scorched by the suns beautiful yet hypnotic rays of warmth and colour.
Opening up a new chapter can often mean closing a previous one, and sometimes this feels as if we have just opened up Pandora’s box. It hurts, it always does and it always will. Most times during these periods it is found that we are completely unequipped to cope. Due to this we dig deep down to the core of our being in which to bring forth some of our rawest instinct and courage, in order to adapt, if we are not to be ripped apart.
Life has a peculiar way of making people shed their skin >> Life has a peculiar way of making people shed their skin, even when all appears to seem quite contented. By continually living a life that is always warm and fuzzy, we become dull, lifeless and unsympathetic to the sorrows of others and certainly detached from them. It is in this state of unconsciousness that we dissolve our purpose for living; to the point that we simply end up not caring anymore — after all life is good to us and when was it exactly when we just stopped caring?
My attitude towards change, whether bad, but more specifically when it is good, is that it disturbs our present comfort zone. This then creates anxiety because it represents having to face up to times of complete uncertainty. I often wonder where the thoughts originally come from when we have them and as to the real reason why.
These are selfmotivated desires that urge us strongly to follow these feelings through because they are too strong to ignore. The other type of situations that are out of our control are such things as health issues and family problems. All examples have probably been set in place to make us ask ourselves if we are really happy with our lives, or just clinging onto a delusional safety net.
So with all this in mind it is usually through those things that seem to be negative by comparison, where we are really able to find true contentment, inspirations, hidden talents and new found skills and abilities — even if it means having to start all over again from scratch.
By breaking free from the chains we have wrapped around us so tightly, we indeed experience far more interesting times for which, in turn makes us far more interesting people. It is during these supposedly absolute dire catastrophe’s, that we not only learn to survive our trips to hell and back, but find out who we really are in the process. And that we never really needed to reach out to the warmth of the sun’s rays for it was locked up inside us all along.
Ok, so we need a little friction to upset the apple cart occasionally, if we are going to question anything at all in life. If you can see past all the blood, sweat and tears you will realise that you have changed in some way, sometimes for the worse but most times for the better. Every time you learn the hard way you really move one step forward towards evolution.
Forgiving is all about moving on in life
Forgiveness is described as the first of the 10 virtues of righteousness. The recently observed 10-day Jain festival of Paryushan Parva celebrates these virtues and concludes by exhorting all to ask each other's forgiveness for any offending action.
In Buddhism, the quality of karuna or compassion and kindness includes the ability and willingness to forgive. The Qur'an enjoins followers of Islam to "Be foremost in seeking forgiveness" (51:1). Jesus spoke from the Cross: "Father, forgive them (executioners), for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
By forgiving one another, strained relationships can be healed. The act of forgiveness can soothe away emotional pain. It sets one on the spiritual path.
Forbearance is a pre-requisite for forgiveness. It implies overcoming anger through practice of tolerance even in the most adverse situations. It is a positive emotion and a conscious act of will. It helps us to overcome resentment; it decreases feeling of hurt and insult; it also enables us to forget other's weaknesses, shortcomings and faults. It not only enhances interpersonal relationships but also leads to improved understanding of self and others
Forgiveness heralds the beginning of enlightenment, peace and happiness >>
Forgiveness is an attribute of a calm and peaceful mind and heralds the beginning of enlightenment, peace and happiness. There is no rest or repose of mind for those who brood over slights, injuries and wrongs. Hatred and violence multiplied in retaliation creates a spiral of destruction.
An eye for an eye leaves the world blind, as Mahatma Gandhi said. Revenge, which is the opposite of forgiveness, is a virus that eats into the very vitals of the mind, and poisons one's entire being, physical and spiritual.
Resentment is a mental fever which burns up the wholesome energies of the mind, and "taking offence" is a form of moral sickness which saps the healthy flow of kindliness and goodwill. Forgiveness is beneficial at both personal and social levels.
While the importance of practising forgiveness has been extolled for centuries, it is only recently that research studies have demonstrated its important health benefits and forgiveness is being increasingly used as a stress management tool for reducing anger and depression as well as for enhancing hopefulness and self-efficacy.
People with a forgiving nature are said to have lower blood pressure than those who are less forgiving. That hostility and anger, or resentment and bitterness have been linked with poor health, hypertension and heart problems, is proved in a study, largest ever, conducted by Stanford Forgiveness Project.
The forgiveness training, the study revealed, resulted in a 70 per cent decrease in feeling of hurt, 13 per cent reduction in long-term experience of anger, 27 per cent reduction in physical symptoms of stress backache, dizziness, headache and 15 per cent decrease in emotional experience of stress.
The chief beneficiary of forgiveness is the one who forgives. Forgiveness is sound ethics that safeguards our mental and physical health and spiritual well-being. Those who try to get even with their enemies discover to their dismay that they hurt themselves more in the process. Of course, one has to suffer the consequences of one's actions. Yet, to forgive and forget is to create positive energy; it helps bring about a climate of peace.
The writer is president, Jain Mission, New Delhi.
In Buddhism, the quality of karuna or compassion and kindness includes the ability and willingness to forgive. The Qur'an enjoins followers of Islam to "Be foremost in seeking forgiveness" (51:1). Jesus spoke from the Cross: "Father, forgive them (executioners), for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
By forgiving one another, strained relationships can be healed. The act of forgiveness can soothe away emotional pain. It sets one on the spiritual path.
Forbearance is a pre-requisite for forgiveness. It implies overcoming anger through practice of tolerance even in the most adverse situations. It is a positive emotion and a conscious act of will. It helps us to overcome resentment; it decreases feeling of hurt and insult; it also enables us to forget other's weaknesses, shortcomings and faults. It not only enhances interpersonal relationships but also leads to improved understanding of self and others
Forgiveness heralds the beginning of enlightenment, peace and happiness >>
Forgiveness is an attribute of a calm and peaceful mind and heralds the beginning of enlightenment, peace and happiness. There is no rest or repose of mind for those who brood over slights, injuries and wrongs. Hatred and violence multiplied in retaliation creates a spiral of destruction.
An eye for an eye leaves the world blind, as Mahatma Gandhi said. Revenge, which is the opposite of forgiveness, is a virus that eats into the very vitals of the mind, and poisons one's entire being, physical and spiritual.
Resentment is a mental fever which burns up the wholesome energies of the mind, and "taking offence" is a form of moral sickness which saps the healthy flow of kindliness and goodwill. Forgiveness is beneficial at both personal and social levels.
While the importance of practising forgiveness has been extolled for centuries, it is only recently that research studies have demonstrated its important health benefits and forgiveness is being increasingly used as a stress management tool for reducing anger and depression as well as for enhancing hopefulness and self-efficacy.
People with a forgiving nature are said to have lower blood pressure than those who are less forgiving. That hostility and anger, or resentment and bitterness have been linked with poor health, hypertension and heart problems, is proved in a study, largest ever, conducted by Stanford Forgiveness Project.
The forgiveness training, the study revealed, resulted in a 70 per cent decrease in feeling of hurt, 13 per cent reduction in long-term experience of anger, 27 per cent reduction in physical symptoms of stress backache, dizziness, headache and 15 per cent decrease in emotional experience of stress.
The chief beneficiary of forgiveness is the one who forgives. Forgiveness is sound ethics that safeguards our mental and physical health and spiritual well-being. Those who try to get even with their enemies discover to their dismay that they hurt themselves more in the process. Of course, one has to suffer the consequences of one's actions. Yet, to forgive and forget is to create positive energy; it helps bring about a climate of peace.
The writer is president, Jain Mission, New Delhi.
Faith
Faith, like love, is an elusive reality. Most of the people I know “believe in God.” They are also pretty great lovers; they “love a lot”. I don’t know whether it is my type of mind or whether I am haunted by the ghost of Socrates, but I want to know: What is love? What is faith?
When the essence of love and faith is distilled, does it consist in having certain feelings? What happens to love and faith when there are no feelings? In everyone’s life there are days when there are no warm feelings, and when God seems like a dim and distant reality, a word on the lips but no more. Can faith and love come and go?
something in me wants to be a Socratic gadfly, wants to rip the guts out of words like “love” and “faith,” to find out what is really inside. Many people are not like me. They can read the poetry and sing and songs of love without the slightest need or desire to attempt a definition. They can say, “Of course I believe in God!” without torturing themselves by any further probing. But I am a gadfly. I can’t say “I love you” without knowing what it means to love.
I can’t tell God I believe in him unless I know what it means to believe. If faith really offers man a reason to live and reason to die, I mean, if I am going to gamble my life and death on the option of faith, I had better know what it means, where it comes from and where it will lead me. I had better make sure it has a solid anatomy....
Well, what is faith?
Faith, whether it is faith in another human being or in God, means taking something on the word of another. It implies a new knowledge that can be had only by “taking someone else’s word for it.” If you explain a problem in mathematics to me, and I understand the explanation, I don’t have to take your word that the answer is correct. I can verify it for myself. I don’t have to invest any faith in you. However, if you tell me that you love me and that you will try to make me happy, there is no way you can prove this, and there is no way I can verify it for myself. I must believe in you and your word to me. In the case of faith in God it is the same. God gives me his word or revelation. If I accept it, if I judge that he has really spoken to me, promising to love me and offering me a reason to live and a reason to die, if I accept him and his message of life, I have in that moment become a believer.
When the essence of love and faith is distilled, does it consist in having certain feelings? What happens to love and faith when there are no feelings? In everyone’s life there are days when there are no warm feelings, and when God seems like a dim and distant reality, a word on the lips but no more. Can faith and love come and go?
something in me wants to be a Socratic gadfly, wants to rip the guts out of words like “love” and “faith,” to find out what is really inside. Many people are not like me. They can read the poetry and sing and songs of love without the slightest need or desire to attempt a definition. They can say, “Of course I believe in God!” without torturing themselves by any further probing. But I am a gadfly. I can’t say “I love you” without knowing what it means to love.
I can’t tell God I believe in him unless I know what it means to believe. If faith really offers man a reason to live and reason to die, I mean, if I am going to gamble my life and death on the option of faith, I had better know what it means, where it comes from and where it will lead me. I had better make sure it has a solid anatomy....
Well, what is faith?
Faith, whether it is faith in another human being or in God, means taking something on the word of another. It implies a new knowledge that can be had only by “taking someone else’s word for it.” If you explain a problem in mathematics to me, and I understand the explanation, I don’t have to take your word that the answer is correct. I can verify it for myself. I don’t have to invest any faith in you. However, if you tell me that you love me and that you will try to make me happy, there is no way you can prove this, and there is no way I can verify it for myself. I must believe in you and your word to me. In the case of faith in God it is the same. God gives me his word or revelation. If I accept it, if I judge that he has really spoken to me, promising to love me and offering me a reason to live and a reason to die, if I accept him and his message of life, I have in that moment become a believer.
How Things Get Perfected Through Imperfection byG S TRIPATHI
Swami Vivekananda would often say that nobody was perfect since we are all less or more imperfect. Perfection is a standard that all of us aspire for.
In trying to achieve the 'impossible', in striving to be perfect, we become less imperfect. Perfection is always an assumption. So is the case with purity. It is difficult to find somebody who has shown cent per cent purity in thought and action, unsullied and perfect.
So we need to come to terms with the fact that being imperfect or impure is the reality of nature. That we are imperfect by nature can be useful too, depending on the nature and degree of imperfection and how it is handled.
Despite physical and mental imperfections, some people rose to great heights. Stephen Hawking acquired imperfection of body, by disease, but he is one of the greatest mathematicians today. Helen Keller made others respect disability. Scientists such as Einstein and Edison had imperfections in terms of learning disabilities at early stages of life. Franklin Roosevelt, despite his bodily imperfections, rose to become one of the greatest presidents of the USA.
Parallels in science >>
There are some parallels in science as to how imperfections in materials have given rise to new technology and knowledge.
Of all kinds of solids, semiconductors constitute a very useful lot in the sense that these, more than any other type of solid, have contributed to modern electronics technology. Silicon is a popular semi-conductor. When silicon is doped with impurities like arsenic or boron, it becomes an impure semiconductor with more electrons or more holes respectively.
Holes in electronics are treated as positively charged electrons. In the former case the semiconductor becomes n-type and in the latter, p-type. A junction of n-p-n or p-n-p semiconductors shows transistor action, the discovery of which has given birth to electronics technology.
Alumina doped with impurities like chromium shows laser - light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation - action, which is another technological milestone. Ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials show a pheno-menon called hysteresis that is used for making these materials as memory devices in computers and audio recording.
Ferromagnetic materials are characterised by a parallel magnetic order below some characteristic temperature, while ferroelectrics have similarly-ordered electrical moments. Dislocations, which are one type of imperfections, are responsible for the hysteresis in these materials.
Alloys are another kind of impure materials, which are more useful than the constituent pure materials. Qualities, which appear to be detrimental at first sight, sometimes turn out to be important in reality.
Just as we succeed through failures, things get perfected through imperfections. Living beings evolved through imperfections. Efforts in the right direction can decrease the level of imperfection. Social order sets in passing through several stages of imperfections.
While perfection is an unachievable end point, imperfection is the means with strong signatures of reality. Imperfection, which is considered as a negative aspect, could be converted into strength and made useful, as illustrated selectively, in both real life and matter.
Perfection does not necessarily mean strength and stability; impurities often contribute to sturdy development of both mental and physical attributes - so let's make the most of imperfections.
In trying to achieve the 'impossible', in striving to be perfect, we become less imperfect. Perfection is always an assumption. So is the case with purity. It is difficult to find somebody who has shown cent per cent purity in thought and action, unsullied and perfect.
So we need to come to terms with the fact that being imperfect or impure is the reality of nature. That we are imperfect by nature can be useful too, depending on the nature and degree of imperfection and how it is handled.
Despite physical and mental imperfections, some people rose to great heights. Stephen Hawking acquired imperfection of body, by disease, but he is one of the greatest mathematicians today. Helen Keller made others respect disability. Scientists such as Einstein and Edison had imperfections in terms of learning disabilities at early stages of life. Franklin Roosevelt, despite his bodily imperfections, rose to become one of the greatest presidents of the USA.
Parallels in science >>
There are some parallels in science as to how imperfections in materials have given rise to new technology and knowledge.
Of all kinds of solids, semiconductors constitute a very useful lot in the sense that these, more than any other type of solid, have contributed to modern electronics technology. Silicon is a popular semi-conductor. When silicon is doped with impurities like arsenic or boron, it becomes an impure semiconductor with more electrons or more holes respectively.
Holes in electronics are treated as positively charged electrons. In the former case the semiconductor becomes n-type and in the latter, p-type. A junction of n-p-n or p-n-p semiconductors shows transistor action, the discovery of which has given birth to electronics technology.
Alumina doped with impurities like chromium shows laser - light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation - action, which is another technological milestone. Ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials show a pheno-menon called hysteresis that is used for making these materials as memory devices in computers and audio recording.
Ferromagnetic materials are characterised by a parallel magnetic order below some characteristic temperature, while ferroelectrics have similarly-ordered electrical moments. Dislocations, which are one type of imperfections, are responsible for the hysteresis in these materials.
Alloys are another kind of impure materials, which are more useful than the constituent pure materials. Qualities, which appear to be detrimental at first sight, sometimes turn out to be important in reality.
Just as we succeed through failures, things get perfected through imperfections. Living beings evolved through imperfections. Efforts in the right direction can decrease the level of imperfection. Social order sets in passing through several stages of imperfections.
While perfection is an unachievable end point, imperfection is the means with strong signatures of reality. Imperfection, which is considered as a negative aspect, could be converted into strength and made useful, as illustrated selectively, in both real life and matter.
Perfection does not necessarily mean strength and stability; impurities often contribute to sturdy development of both mental and physical attributes - so let's make the most of imperfections.
Karma & predestination are not contradictory
The law of karma is postulated as follows: "As you sow, so shall you reap". The 'reaping' is implied across several lifespans and not necessarily during the one in which 'sowing' is done. You are the architect of your future. Clearly, this law is a call for right action in order to ensure a bright future. The theory of predestination, on the other hand, states that the future is predetermined. The question arises: Why then should we struggle to carry out right action? We might as well relax and enjoy life. On the face of it, it seems the two notions of karma and predestination are contradictory, insofar as their implication towards calling for right action is concerned. But is this really so? Person A is told that if he takes Action 1, he shall be rewarded; but if he takes the comparatively easy alternative, Action 2, then punishment awaits him. Clearly, these conditions should motivate Person A to take Action 1. Now we introduce Person B, a close acquaintance of Person A. In fact, he knows the psyche of Person A so well that he can precisely predict his choice in the given scenario. Person B writes down on a piece of paper what action Person A is expected to take and folds it up. Sure enough, Person A takes just that action and is consequently rewarded/punished accordingly. At this juncture, Person A opens the paper and lo and behold! He finds his pre-ordained future action revealed to him. In the above example, can we say that the motivation associated with the reward for right action (Action 1) for Person A was in any way reduced just because Person B could predict his action in advance? There appears to be no rational basis for coming to such a conclusion. Extrapolate the example to the theories of karma and predestination. Person A represents human beings while Person B, God, credited with being omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient.
Omniscience should logically imply >>
Omniscience should logically imply knowledge of the future, since God is believed to transcend time. But proponents of 'free will' would object to this interpretation. Let us then grant to God full knowledge of at least the present. Specifically, that He knows completely the psyche of each human being as also every set of circumstance that exists in the present moment. And therefore he can predict with absolute certainty what action each individual will take at any point in time. Now assume the law of karma to be in operation. Since God, being omniscient, knows what man will sow at any instant and the law of karma rigidly ties what is sowed to what is reaped, it follows that God knows what will be reaped by man in the future, even before the sowing is done. God, then, is in a position to record the future with absolute certainty. Man's future is, thus, predetermined. So there is no inherent contradiction between the theories of karma and predestination. Predestination appears to so strongly support the cause of easy-going people because it is often overlooked that, while the future may be predetermined, it is known only to God, since God alone knows the psyche of man fully, better than man himself, which in fact gives rise to the notion of 'free will', seen from the point of view of man. The only thing man knows is that the law of karma is in operation. Against this backdrop, every rational individual would be motivated to carry out right action, notwithstanding an assumption of predestination.
Omniscience should logically imply >>
Omniscience should logically imply knowledge of the future, since God is believed to transcend time. But proponents of 'free will' would object to this interpretation. Let us then grant to God full knowledge of at least the present. Specifically, that He knows completely the psyche of each human being as also every set of circumstance that exists in the present moment. And therefore he can predict with absolute certainty what action each individual will take at any point in time. Now assume the law of karma to be in operation. Since God, being omniscient, knows what man will sow at any instant and the law of karma rigidly ties what is sowed to what is reaped, it follows that God knows what will be reaped by man in the future, even before the sowing is done. God, then, is in a position to record the future with absolute certainty. Man's future is, thus, predetermined. So there is no inherent contradiction between the theories of karma and predestination. Predestination appears to so strongly support the cause of easy-going people because it is often overlooked that, while the future may be predetermined, it is known only to God, since God alone knows the psyche of man fully, better than man himself, which in fact gives rise to the notion of 'free will', seen from the point of view of man. The only thing man knows is that the law of karma is in operation. Against this backdrop, every rational individual would be motivated to carry out right action, notwithstanding an assumption of predestination.
The choice is yours: Chaos or cosmos by Swami Sukhabodhananda
Raghunath was a wealthy man. He was rich materially and spiritually. One night he was robbed. His close friend visited him and expressed his sympathy. Raghunath said, "They have robbed me of my material wealth but not my real wealth. They have robbed me of my perishable wealth but not my imperishable wealth". Real wealth is love, devotion and purity. With these, one will experience life differently. God gives us problems to humble us and not to tumble us. When bad things happen to good people they become better, not bitter. Raghunath further elaborated to his friend, "All the wealth that I had was a loan from the Lord. I was only a trustee. Nothing is mine; everything is His. He has the right to take it whenever he wants". The power of detachment is a great wealth. The power of devotion is an asset. Why don't we work for such wealth? This is because the mind has not been purified. With impure mind one craves for impure things. With pure mind one is committed for pure things. Mantras help us to purify the mind. Yoga uplifts. Wealth and power without pure mind is like providing a knife to a mad man. He can even kill himself. The object of yoga is to free you of psychological mess. The condition of your mind really determines the quality of your life. To a good body, everyone says 'yes'. But to a good mind, people say 'no'. This ignorance is adversely affecting the quality of life. Our mind has the capacity to imagine. This can be good or bad. Our imagination projects a reality. This projected reality appears to be the only reality. This projected reality is superimposed on the external reality. The internal projected reality is superimposed on the external reality. Now the external reality is not seen and only the projected reality is seen. It is in this confusion that one lives and suffers.
An individual expects his partner to be...>>
An individual expects his partner to be like this or that. This is a projected reality. But the fact is that the object reality is different. The husband is disappointed with his wife or vice versa, not for what she is but for what she should be. External reality does not fit into his subjective reality. Many suffer from this. So all this happens in a world that is within us, our mind. Mantras chanted with devotion and understanding purify the mind. If we leave un-checked this imaginary processes, they become mechanical. A negative system is created. These negative systems in turn take over our lives. We lose control. You will become more unconscious and suffer from this mechanical process. For example, if one goes on seeing unpleasant things in life, it becomes a habit. Then a negative system is created. Then one will helplessly see the negative. The system will start justifying why one is doing what one is doing. The system will try to protect itself. The system gets into a survival mode. Then you will not live in the cosmos but in chaos. Yoga is a wonderful science to dismantle this negative system and create a great inner order. When the inner world of our mind is orderly then we will see the external order as being more orderly.
www.swamisukhabodhananda.org
An individual expects his partner to be...>>
An individual expects his partner to be like this or that. This is a projected reality. But the fact is that the object reality is different. The husband is disappointed with his wife or vice versa, not for what she is but for what she should be. External reality does not fit into his subjective reality. Many suffer from this. So all this happens in a world that is within us, our mind. Mantras chanted with devotion and understanding purify the mind. If we leave un-checked this imaginary processes, they become mechanical. A negative system is created. These negative systems in turn take over our lives. We lose control. You will become more unconscious and suffer from this mechanical process. For example, if one goes on seeing unpleasant things in life, it becomes a habit. Then a negative system is created. Then one will helplessly see the negative. The system will start justifying why one is doing what one is doing. The system will try to protect itself. The system gets into a survival mode. Then you will not live in the cosmos but in chaos. Yoga is a wonderful science to dismantle this negative system and create a great inner order. When the inner world of our mind is orderly then we will see the external order as being more orderly.
www.swamisukhabodhananda.org
Stop Fooling Around With Your Life - Swami Sukhabodhananda
How can I know my mind? An alert mind is not a problem; an unaware mind is. The mind projects the future to be fulfilling but misses the beauty of the present. If you are rich, you want to be richer; if you are strong, you want to be stronger; if you are beautiful, you want to be more beautiful. Such a mind does not make you live life but leave life. Such a mind creates false prayers. You make a ritual out of prayer and pretend to pray. Such prayer becomes an empty gesture. Why am I so greedy? There is a visible world and there is an invisible world. There is a visible self and an invisible self. The visible world is a world of diversity and the invisible world is a world of oneness. If we live on the periphery we will feel incomplete but completeness is one’s nature. This incompleteness wants us to be a complete person. But the only track it knows is greed, wanting more. The enlightened masters give us not a dogma but a device to reach this state of completeness. We should stop fooling around with life. Just thinking to be happy is not enough; just thinking to be wise is not enough. It is a luxury to think but it is wisdom to live. Ask yourself: Are you concerned with reality or fantasy? There are two ways to know reality. If you want to know objective reality, then science is the way out. If you want to know subjective reality, turn to spirituality. Why does one worry in life ? Worry has become a habit for many. An inner energy that is not creative goes around in circles of worry. A creative person is one who, when he encounters a problem, is focused on the solution and is not a victim to the problem. Convert the problem into a springboard for possibilities. A doctor does not cure illness but allows the healing process within to surface by giving it the right condition. So, too, the true healer exists within you. But you have to create the right condition. By looking at the mountain you can’t climb the mountain, you should will yourself to climb the mountain. Optimise this will for you to be above worry. What should one do to be successful in life? Ultimately what you need is self-confidence, mental toughness, commitment to excel and the ability to use the power of imagination. What do you mean by self-confidence? There are three pillars of self-confidence: Feeling good, taking responsibility and developing skills. There are both healthy ways and unhealthy ways of feeling good. You should develop the discipline to feel good in a healthy way. The quality of one’s life is the quality of one’s consistent feeling. There are techniques that are taught how to hold and maintain consistent feelings of empowerment within you. How does one acquire clarity? Clarity is acquired not by knowledge but by knowing. It is not a belief system; it is intelligence operating in the domain of freedom. The true meaning of renunciation is not renouncing the world but renouncing bondage. When bondage is renounced there is freedom, the most important thing. In freedom lies intelligence. It is not just discipline but true freedom. Freedom is not something devoid of order; it is a flowering of order.
Mystery of Life by Pranav Khullar
A basic question - whether there is a meaning and purpose to our existence — arises in, and perhaps bothers, the mind of every individual, whether the doubt is articulated or not, as he gets through his everyday life. Scholars and philosophers, since long, have mulled over questions regarding our existence. Is our existence a random event in evolution or is there a greater principle in life with meaning and purpose? This inquiry served as catalyst for the history of ideas, the philosophical and scientific quests, a trigger for some of the greatest spiritual odysseys. “...These indestructible questions... cannot be kept simmering on a back burner for long. They will thunder loudly in the emptiness within you, in moments of personal crisis or when you’ve lost your social moorings”, wrote T Z Lavine. Is there an all-encompassing Over-mind or Absolute Spirit, in which all concepts are unified? Is reality a complex totality of rational concepts? Hegel’s dialectical method of reasoning allowed him to view the world from a teleological perspective. On the other hand, is an understanding of the structures of ‘consciousness’, as Husserlian phenomenology would have it, enough to gain insights into the mystery of the mind of man? Is there no meaning at all, as Sartre pointed out? Are we condemned to be free to live out our lives? The Upanishads say, “neti, neti” — not this, not this — is that something beyond our intellectual grasp; is it only what lies in the stillness beyond the working of the mind, the Sat-chit-ananda or Existenceconsciousness-bliss of Vedantic thought?
Stillness beyond >>
Swami Sivananda pointed out that real yoga is to discipline the vikshepa or tossing of the mind which will enable one to experience the stillness beyond through meditation. This existence could be maya or illusion, as Sankara’s Advaita and Nagarjuna’s Shunyavada would have us believe; a vivarata, an unreal appearance only. Or, could there be a meaning to this phenomenal world? Suffering, whether personal or otherwise, is at times a catalyst to go beyond surface realities and attempt to understand the purpose of life. Viktor Frankl, out of his personal experiences as a Holocaust survivor, wrote that “ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather, must recognise that it is he who is asked... each man is questioned by life; to life he can only respond by being responsible”. He goes on to say that one can try and discover a meaning in life by doing a deed, experiencing a value or by suffering. For, hasn’t it been said that the road less travelled is the spiritual path, right next to the regular highway of life? By the very nature of its questioning and search, life is a difficult and arduous path. Prince Siddhartha took off on this path to search for meaning and purpose, which he found in the Buddha state of mind. There are no universal answers, but each time the question is asked, it throws up a different answer, unique to each individual. It is this enquiry, “Athato Brahmn Jignasa” — now, therefore, the enquiry into Brahmn — from the first sutra of the Brahmn sutras, which is essential to be asked, for the search to start for a deeper and more enduring value. The philosophic quest is a call to that enquiry, and the answers may be as varied as nature itself.
Stillness beyond >>
Swami Sivananda pointed out that real yoga is to discipline the vikshepa or tossing of the mind which will enable one to experience the stillness beyond through meditation. This existence could be maya or illusion, as Sankara’s Advaita and Nagarjuna’s Shunyavada would have us believe; a vivarata, an unreal appearance only. Or, could there be a meaning to this phenomenal world? Suffering, whether personal or otherwise, is at times a catalyst to go beyond surface realities and attempt to understand the purpose of life. Viktor Frankl, out of his personal experiences as a Holocaust survivor, wrote that “ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather, must recognise that it is he who is asked... each man is questioned by life; to life he can only respond by being responsible”. He goes on to say that one can try and discover a meaning in life by doing a deed, experiencing a value or by suffering. For, hasn’t it been said that the road less travelled is the spiritual path, right next to the regular highway of life? By the very nature of its questioning and search, life is a difficult and arduous path. Prince Siddhartha took off on this path to search for meaning and purpose, which he found in the Buddha state of mind. There are no universal answers, but each time the question is asked, it throws up a different answer, unique to each individual. It is this enquiry, “Athato Brahmn Jignasa” — now, therefore, the enquiry into Brahmn — from the first sutra of the Brahmn sutras, which is essential to be asked, for the search to start for a deeper and more enduring value. The philosophic quest is a call to that enquiry, and the answers may be as varied as nature itself.
Time to let go
We should evaluate the value of things we currently have and determine if they still mean anything to us, says Joan Marques.It is so easy to fall into the trap of taking things seriously: Too seriously. We hold on to partners, possessions, careers, and lifestyles, long after they have lost their meaning to us. This tendency to hold on may stem from a deep insecurity in most people. The reasoning may be, in many instances, “I know what I have, but I am not sure what I’ll get.”
And yet, how happy do these considerations and conservatisms make us? When we make up the inner-balance, which side of the scale tips? And what do we see when we take a critical look around us? Are the ones who release their constrictions not the more relaxed ones?
Think of them: The colleagues who chose for a career-change instead of dragging themselves to an undesirable workplace everyday, while you are still stuck there; the friends who got a divorce instead of undergoing emotional abuse any longer, while you are still scraping your self-esteem off the floor everyday; the acquaintances that exchanged their expensive home for an easy apartment in a simpler living area when times got rough, while you’re still struggling to pay the bills every month?
Letting go, whether psychological or physiological, is an art that only develops through thorough examination of ourselves, and the society we live in. It requires critical thinking and the development of an own insight, independent from indoctrination. It also requires seeing things in a perspective that starts with freeing ourselves from the burden of guilt and devotion to the status quo, which so many of the institutions we attend teach us, and ends with releasing all factors that disturb our inner-connection, which is the connection we have with ourselves.
If we know that life is limited and that it will end sooner or later; why do we, then, cling to anything at all, especially if there are signs that either our interest towards those things has diminished, or the interest of those things towards us? Is imprisonment, whether physical or mental, not the most humiliating of all states? So why, then, do so many of us settle for it?
The answer...>>
The answer, as indicated before, probably boils down to cultural and societal indoctrination: expectations that we feel we have to live up to, just because we were taught to do so: Marriages should last forever because they are sacred; jobs should be cherished because they are so scarce; status symbols (houses, cars, expensive outfits) should be maintained because they make such a good impression: that’s indoctrination, and we can only start enjoying life if we see through this trick, and free ourselves from it.
For what is so sacred about a marriage that only drags you down emotionally? And what is so precious about a job that you dread? And what is so impressive about status symbols that force you into having three jobs and no time to yourself at all?
Once we concur on these insights, we can start our strategy towards freeing ourselves from indoctrination. How? There are three ways we can do that. Firstly by scrutinizing our real emotions towards everything we possess and everyone we have a relationship with. If there are signs of discontent from either side, we should reconsider the relationship. Secondly, respecting the institutions we attend (workplaces, schools, clubs), but regularly questioning ourselves as to whether these institutions still fulfill a need within us and serve our purposes. If not, we should reconsider the relationship.
And lastly, doing at least one different thing at least once a year, depending on the intensity, complexity, and costliness of our choice. For doing different things, travelling to new places; going for a new, daring production line; trying a new style of dressing; visiting a new restaurant, will enlarge our horizons and enrich our spirits: we will meet new people, see new things and discover new ways of living, and we will realise that the ways we learned were not the only ones, and not necessarily the best.
What do the three above mentioned ways of freeing ourselves from indoctrination have in common? Right! They all represent an awakening. And being awake means, being aware. And being aware means, freeing ourselves from pressure and silly influences. And the only way to free ourselves from pressure and silly influences is to learn to think for ourselves. And the only way we will learn to think for ourselves is when we expose ourselves to new things and ways; critically evaluate the sense of the things we currently do; and determine whether they still mean anything to us.
It is this determination of what still means something to us and what not, that will eventually guide us towards leading a life that is less pressured and controlled by all and everything but ourselves. It is this determination, too, that will guide us towards the formulation of what really matters to us at this moment and what not.
And yet, how happy do these considerations and conservatisms make us? When we make up the inner-balance, which side of the scale tips? And what do we see when we take a critical look around us? Are the ones who release their constrictions not the more relaxed ones?
Think of them: The colleagues who chose for a career-change instead of dragging themselves to an undesirable workplace everyday, while you are still stuck there; the friends who got a divorce instead of undergoing emotional abuse any longer, while you are still scraping your self-esteem off the floor everyday; the acquaintances that exchanged their expensive home for an easy apartment in a simpler living area when times got rough, while you’re still struggling to pay the bills every month?
Letting go, whether psychological or physiological, is an art that only develops through thorough examination of ourselves, and the society we live in. It requires critical thinking and the development of an own insight, independent from indoctrination. It also requires seeing things in a perspective that starts with freeing ourselves from the burden of guilt and devotion to the status quo, which so many of the institutions we attend teach us, and ends with releasing all factors that disturb our inner-connection, which is the connection we have with ourselves.
If we know that life is limited and that it will end sooner or later; why do we, then, cling to anything at all, especially if there are signs that either our interest towards those things has diminished, or the interest of those things towards us? Is imprisonment, whether physical or mental, not the most humiliating of all states? So why, then, do so many of us settle for it?
The answer...>>
The answer, as indicated before, probably boils down to cultural and societal indoctrination: expectations that we feel we have to live up to, just because we were taught to do so: Marriages should last forever because they are sacred; jobs should be cherished because they are so scarce; status symbols (houses, cars, expensive outfits) should be maintained because they make such a good impression: that’s indoctrination, and we can only start enjoying life if we see through this trick, and free ourselves from it.
For what is so sacred about a marriage that only drags you down emotionally? And what is so precious about a job that you dread? And what is so impressive about status symbols that force you into having three jobs and no time to yourself at all?
Once we concur on these insights, we can start our strategy towards freeing ourselves from indoctrination. How? There are three ways we can do that. Firstly by scrutinizing our real emotions towards everything we possess and everyone we have a relationship with. If there are signs of discontent from either side, we should reconsider the relationship. Secondly, respecting the institutions we attend (workplaces, schools, clubs), but regularly questioning ourselves as to whether these institutions still fulfill a need within us and serve our purposes. If not, we should reconsider the relationship.
And lastly, doing at least one different thing at least once a year, depending on the intensity, complexity, and costliness of our choice. For doing different things, travelling to new places; going for a new, daring production line; trying a new style of dressing; visiting a new restaurant, will enlarge our horizons and enrich our spirits: we will meet new people, see new things and discover new ways of living, and we will realise that the ways we learned were not the only ones, and not necessarily the best.
What do the three above mentioned ways of freeing ourselves from indoctrination have in common? Right! They all represent an awakening. And being awake means, being aware. And being aware means, freeing ourselves from pressure and silly influences. And the only way to free ourselves from pressure and silly influences is to learn to think for ourselves. And the only way we will learn to think for ourselves is when we expose ourselves to new things and ways; critically evaluate the sense of the things we currently do; and determine whether they still mean anything to us.
It is this determination of what still means something to us and what not, that will eventually guide us towards leading a life that is less pressured and controlled by all and everything but ourselves. It is this determination, too, that will guide us towards the formulation of what really matters to us at this moment and what not.
Go with the flow
The secret to moving on is to simply keep moving - one thought, one step, and one day at a time, says Suzanne Zoglio
Whether life hands you a bucket of stuff that you are anxious to get rid of, or you find yourself sitting on life’s sidelines but longing for something more, the dilemma is the same. How do we get the push we need to move on?
It is that old approach of avoidance that keeps us stuck. Our hearts say, “Go,” but our feet won’t move. Our friends say, “Move” and we dig in our heels. One foot firmly placed in what we know; the other poised to take us to what we truly desire. It all seems so sim ple, intellectually. We want something different, so why don’t we just move forward with all the gusto we can muster? I have seen two primary roadblocks to moving on: resistance and fear.
“Resistance,” you’re probably thinking, “what planet is she from? You bet I am resistant. Who wants to lose a mate, get fired, and get diagnosed with hypertension?” Or perhaps you find yourself in some other equally uncomfortable place. So what has resistance got to do with moving on or drowning in misfortune?
Imagine you are standing by the ocean’s edge. For balance, you dig your heels into the sand. But each new wave just knocks you down. Finally, the undertow drags you out to sea. If you try swimming back against the tide, you will exhaust yourself and drown. If you do as water safety experts tell us — swim parallel to shore until the powerful current subsides — you will likely survive. Therein lies the first secret to moving on...don’t waste energy resisting what is beyond your control.
It is impossible to move in two directions at the same time >>
It is impossible to move in two directions at the same time. As long as you fight against what you don’t want, you will make no progress towards what you desire.So, consider this. The next time you experience a loss, face real disappointment, or have a streak of bad luck, by all means kick and scream and whine and weep...for a while. You hate the fact that this or that happened.
You expected things to go along as they had before. It is okay to ask, “Why me?” or “Why cannot my life just be the way it was?” “Why has it changed?” For a while. Then it is time to shift gears and start accepting what is.
You may be feeling that your situation is unfair, but in reality, it just is. So instead of railing against it, try to embrace any good that might be hidden in it. Have you learned something? Did someone else benefit? Have you received love and concern? Has it strengthened your faith? Once you have mourned your loss, and acknowledged any good, shift your focus to what you want next. If you are sick, how do you want to feel? If you are sad, what change would make you happy?
If you are angry, what would open your heart again? Facing forward, squaring your shoulders to the future, envision all that your soul desires. Allow yourself to dream again...of how you want to feel, who you want to share your life with, where you want to live, what you want to contribute, and when you want to move on. Then, you will just have to get your feet to follow your heart. I mentioned that the second common roadblock to moving on to what is best for you next is fear...fear of failure, fear of success, fear of not being loved, fear of not being enough.Fear of the unknown — anything outside of our comfort zone — is universally human. It is exquisitely normal to be afraid. But, it need not be immobilising. For the courage to walk with your fears in the direction of your dreams, you might have to change your mind or your thoughts.
Change all thoughts to empowering ones. Ask not “Why me?” Ask, “What can I do to reach my goals?” Change any mindset of “I can’t” to a mindset of “I can if I”. Just as when you climbed the high diving board as a child, gave a first speech in college, got married, decided to be a parent, or interviewed for a dream job, you will find the strength to face this and any future challenges.
Change any overly independent thoughts such as “I will handle this alone” to “I have many sources of help, if I simply ask.” Shift any catastrophising thoughts such as “This is THE worst thing that could happen to me” to “I have handled other challenges in my life, and I am sure I will survive this one. I will face all the problems that come my way. ”
The secret to moving on is to simply keep moving...one thought, one step, and one day at a time.
Whether life hands you a bucket of stuff that you are anxious to get rid of, or you find yourself sitting on life’s sidelines but longing for something more, the dilemma is the same. How do we get the push we need to move on?
It is that old approach of avoidance that keeps us stuck. Our hearts say, “Go,” but our feet won’t move. Our friends say, “Move” and we dig in our heels. One foot firmly placed in what we know; the other poised to take us to what we truly desire. It all seems so sim ple, intellectually. We want something different, so why don’t we just move forward with all the gusto we can muster? I have seen two primary roadblocks to moving on: resistance and fear.
“Resistance,” you’re probably thinking, “what planet is she from? You bet I am resistant. Who wants to lose a mate, get fired, and get diagnosed with hypertension?” Or perhaps you find yourself in some other equally uncomfortable place. So what has resistance got to do with moving on or drowning in misfortune?
Imagine you are standing by the ocean’s edge. For balance, you dig your heels into the sand. But each new wave just knocks you down. Finally, the undertow drags you out to sea. If you try swimming back against the tide, you will exhaust yourself and drown. If you do as water safety experts tell us — swim parallel to shore until the powerful current subsides — you will likely survive. Therein lies the first secret to moving on...don’t waste energy resisting what is beyond your control.
It is impossible to move in two directions at the same time >>
It is impossible to move in two directions at the same time. As long as you fight against what you don’t want, you will make no progress towards what you desire.So, consider this. The next time you experience a loss, face real disappointment, or have a streak of bad luck, by all means kick and scream and whine and weep...for a while. You hate the fact that this or that happened.
You expected things to go along as they had before. It is okay to ask, “Why me?” or “Why cannot my life just be the way it was?” “Why has it changed?” For a while. Then it is time to shift gears and start accepting what is.
You may be feeling that your situation is unfair, but in reality, it just is. So instead of railing against it, try to embrace any good that might be hidden in it. Have you learned something? Did someone else benefit? Have you received love and concern? Has it strengthened your faith? Once you have mourned your loss, and acknowledged any good, shift your focus to what you want next. If you are sick, how do you want to feel? If you are sad, what change would make you happy?
If you are angry, what would open your heart again? Facing forward, squaring your shoulders to the future, envision all that your soul desires. Allow yourself to dream again...of how you want to feel, who you want to share your life with, where you want to live, what you want to contribute, and when you want to move on. Then, you will just have to get your feet to follow your heart. I mentioned that the second common roadblock to moving on to what is best for you next is fear...fear of failure, fear of success, fear of not being loved, fear of not being enough.Fear of the unknown — anything outside of our comfort zone — is universally human. It is exquisitely normal to be afraid. But, it need not be immobilising. For the courage to walk with your fears in the direction of your dreams, you might have to change your mind or your thoughts.
Change all thoughts to empowering ones. Ask not “Why me?” Ask, “What can I do to reach my goals?” Change any mindset of “I can’t” to a mindset of “I can if I”. Just as when you climbed the high diving board as a child, gave a first speech in college, got married, decided to be a parent, or interviewed for a dream job, you will find the strength to face this and any future challenges.
Change any overly independent thoughts such as “I will handle this alone” to “I have many sources of help, if I simply ask.” Shift any catastrophising thoughts such as “This is THE worst thing that could happen to me” to “I have handled other challenges in my life, and I am sure I will survive this one. I will face all the problems that come my way. ”
The secret to moving on is to simply keep moving...one thought, one step, and one day at a time.
Life is a journey
Start to face the truth and take note that every moment is an opportunity to create a new reality, says Lynn Claridge
If you are looking for enlightenment, you may ask yourself where do I begin? There is only one place you can start your journey of enlightenment, and that is your life’s journey.
A place you could start is where you are right now. Let’s start with the knowledge that you already know the answers you are seeking, you are simply pretending that you do not know or that you have forgotten. First you must start to understand the apparent paradox that you are alone on your journey, and yet you are at one with everything and everyone else in the universe. You need to acknowledge that you are a divine being, a part of all that is.
Know that all that has gone in your life before this moment has brought you to where you are right now, that there is a purpose for everything that happens. Rejoice in every obstacle you are faced with in your lifetime, and that it is both a gift and an opportunity. This has certainly enabled you to grow.
Remember that the only thing that stands between you and fulfilment of your heart’s desires is your own fears. Start to face the truth and take note that every moment is an opportunity to create a new reality, NOW, and in every moment of your life. Base this on the unlimited possibilities of what can be, not on your fears of what has happened in your past.
Start to understand that your successes and your happiness is limited, only by what you believe is possible. The range of possibilities are only restricted by limited human understanding. Trust the universe, it will show you the answers when you are open to receive them.
Now perhaps some of these ideas are new to you, perhaps you want to reject them as nonsense or as impossible, that is your right. You don’t have to accept anything in life or what I say. You have your own free will to reject or accept that there might be something in these ideas, even if it is not clear, right now, what or how or why.
As you continue your journey of enlightenment and self-discovery you may find some things that made no sense at the time, might then begin to seem possible and perhaps even probable. What is important is that you apply yourself with an open mind and an open heart. Rejecting everything that is out of your hands just because it does not make sense will not lead to spiritual understanding.
Everyone’s path is different >>
Everyone’s path is different, so do not assume that what works for someone else will necessarily work for you, or vice versa.
You need to find for yourself those things that work for you and those that do not. You will also find the speed of your journey and the timing of events in everyone’s lives will vary. It’s important not to give yourself a hard time just because events are not happening as quickly as you would like or that your experiences are different from someone else’s.
Spiritual awakening is about understanding your higher consciousness. It means letting go of old beliefs and fears, releasing old ways of being, and doing and thinking in ways in which you feel comfortable. It means accepting responsibility for your life and accepting the power you have. This means not placing your power over others but using that power on yourself.
The mind can be a barrier to spiritual enlightenment. You should experience your life, not contemplate it. You need to look deep within yourself to find those things that are keeping you in the past. You will need to face up to your fears before you can let go and move on.
It will certainly get uncomfortable at times but remember there is no growth without risk and enlightenment can not work without growth, love, trust, understanding and compassion. You are perfect just the way you are although if you wish to grow in love and light you need to be prepared to place yourself into situations that will take you to the limits and you may feel uncomfortable.The fact is that they are only uncomfortable to you, no one else. There may be times when you need to face up to some unpleasant truths. You have nothing to gain by trying to deceive yourself or others. When you take the easy options it will not lead to growth and enlightenment. So are you ready to take the risk and to take yourself on?
There are no teachers; you are your own teacher. Just as you would learn from a teacher you learn from yourself. The two go hand in hand, just as the only way you can receive is for you to give, the only way to be loved is to give love back, and the only way to be forgiven is for you to forgive.
The most important thing to remember is to love, respect, and honour and forgive ourselves as well as others. This is a journey so enjoy the travelling and don’t forget to smell the roses on the way.
If you are looking for enlightenment, you may ask yourself where do I begin? There is only one place you can start your journey of enlightenment, and that is your life’s journey.
A place you could start is where you are right now. Let’s start with the knowledge that you already know the answers you are seeking, you are simply pretending that you do not know or that you have forgotten. First you must start to understand the apparent paradox that you are alone on your journey, and yet you are at one with everything and everyone else in the universe. You need to acknowledge that you are a divine being, a part of all that is.
Know that all that has gone in your life before this moment has brought you to where you are right now, that there is a purpose for everything that happens. Rejoice in every obstacle you are faced with in your lifetime, and that it is both a gift and an opportunity. This has certainly enabled you to grow.
Remember that the only thing that stands between you and fulfilment of your heart’s desires is your own fears. Start to face the truth and take note that every moment is an opportunity to create a new reality, NOW, and in every moment of your life. Base this on the unlimited possibilities of what can be, not on your fears of what has happened in your past.
Start to understand that your successes and your happiness is limited, only by what you believe is possible. The range of possibilities are only restricted by limited human understanding. Trust the universe, it will show you the answers when you are open to receive them.
Now perhaps some of these ideas are new to you, perhaps you want to reject them as nonsense or as impossible, that is your right. You don’t have to accept anything in life or what I say. You have your own free will to reject or accept that there might be something in these ideas, even if it is not clear, right now, what or how or why.
As you continue your journey of enlightenment and self-discovery you may find some things that made no sense at the time, might then begin to seem possible and perhaps even probable. What is important is that you apply yourself with an open mind and an open heart. Rejecting everything that is out of your hands just because it does not make sense will not lead to spiritual understanding.
Everyone’s path is different >>
Everyone’s path is different, so do not assume that what works for someone else will necessarily work for you, or vice versa.
You need to find for yourself those things that work for you and those that do not. You will also find the speed of your journey and the timing of events in everyone’s lives will vary. It’s important not to give yourself a hard time just because events are not happening as quickly as you would like or that your experiences are different from someone else’s.
Spiritual awakening is about understanding your higher consciousness. It means letting go of old beliefs and fears, releasing old ways of being, and doing and thinking in ways in which you feel comfortable. It means accepting responsibility for your life and accepting the power you have. This means not placing your power over others but using that power on yourself.
The mind can be a barrier to spiritual enlightenment. You should experience your life, not contemplate it. You need to look deep within yourself to find those things that are keeping you in the past. You will need to face up to your fears before you can let go and move on.
It will certainly get uncomfortable at times but remember there is no growth without risk and enlightenment can not work without growth, love, trust, understanding and compassion. You are perfect just the way you are although if you wish to grow in love and light you need to be prepared to place yourself into situations that will take you to the limits and you may feel uncomfortable.The fact is that they are only uncomfortable to you, no one else. There may be times when you need to face up to some unpleasant truths. You have nothing to gain by trying to deceive yourself or others. When you take the easy options it will not lead to growth and enlightenment. So are you ready to take the risk and to take yourself on?
There are no teachers; you are your own teacher. Just as you would learn from a teacher you learn from yourself. The two go hand in hand, just as the only way you can receive is for you to give, the only way to be loved is to give love back, and the only way to be forgiven is for you to forgive.
The most important thing to remember is to love, respect, and honour and forgive ourselves as well as others. This is a journey so enjoy the travelling and don’t forget to smell the roses on the way.
It Is Faith That Keeps Us All Going
One morning, a college student, on reaching the library, didn’t know where to leave her bag since the entire rack was full. On the security guard’s suggestion, she left it on the counter, like many others. When she returned an hour later, her bag wasn’t there. Mercifully the mobile wasn’t inside, only Rs 350 and many bits of paper, with random jottings. This was the first such incident. The system ran on faith; until one person shattered it.
The next day, I was at a temple in Banaswadi, near Bangalore. There was a designated place to leave footwear, but not helmets, which are now compulsory. I was wary of leaving it unattended. So, I carried it into the temple.
A security guard, with a disarming smile, stretched out his hands, and offered to keep the helmet safely. His body language infused a lot of faith in me. I involuntarily handed it over to him, but he didn’t give me a receipt. Just as I was about to enter the temple’s inner premises, the previous day’s incident of a girl losing her bag came to my mind. What if I would be the first one to lose something in the temple, and that too my helmet?
No, I won’t take a chance. I turned around. I tore off a piece of paper from the pocket notepad I carry. Splitting it into two pieces, I wrote my name on both. I showed the security guard the tags I had just created. He looked amazed. He obviously wasn’t getting a hang of what I was up to. ‘‘Just to make sure that no one else by mistake picks up my helmet’’, I explained as I tucked one tag under the visor of the helmet and put the other tag into my pocket.
“There’s no need for all this...”, he said. The warmth of the smile - that he sported a couple of minutes back when he offered to keep my helmet safely - was missing. God, did I indicate that I didn’t have faith in him? Am I distrusting someone who is genuinely helpful? Within seconds, did I convert a trusting person into a suspicious one? How would I have felt if the world didn’t have trust in me?
No. I got to be realistic. I drew on my resources of body language and I told him gently in the friendliest tone, ‘‘Just in case; lot of helmets here...’’ He had a reassuring smile.
Yet, I couldn’t still help asking myself: What if I still lost my helmet? What if the guard would have only shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘‘I told you there’s no use keeping all these tags’’. I left those thoughts aside as I moved into the temple. When I brought my palms together in prayer, I realised there were more pressing things in life than a helmet - with or without a tag.
When I came back, the helmet was there, but not that security guard. As I picked it up and began walking away, I saw him. With the same disarming smile, he raised his open palms upwards, indicating all was well, not just the helmet, by the Grace of God.
Life is about relationships - matrimonial, parental, sibling, fraternal, friendly and even the one with strangers. It’s faith that sustains a relationship, it fuels our daily lives. Faith need not be spiritual. William Adam, the British businessman navigator, said, “Faith is a continuation of reason’’. Henry Bailey, a British author of medical detective short stories, said, ‘‘Faith is a higher faculty than reason”.
St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, said, “Faith is to believe in what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe”. It’s the faith that we have in one another that makes our lives comfortable.
The next day, I was at a temple in Banaswadi, near Bangalore. There was a designated place to leave footwear, but not helmets, which are now compulsory. I was wary of leaving it unattended. So, I carried it into the temple.
A security guard, with a disarming smile, stretched out his hands, and offered to keep the helmet safely. His body language infused a lot of faith in me. I involuntarily handed it over to him, but he didn’t give me a receipt. Just as I was about to enter the temple’s inner premises, the previous day’s incident of a girl losing her bag came to my mind. What if I would be the first one to lose something in the temple, and that too my helmet?
No, I won’t take a chance. I turned around. I tore off a piece of paper from the pocket notepad I carry. Splitting it into two pieces, I wrote my name on both. I showed the security guard the tags I had just created. He looked amazed. He obviously wasn’t getting a hang of what I was up to. ‘‘Just to make sure that no one else by mistake picks up my helmet’’, I explained as I tucked one tag under the visor of the helmet and put the other tag into my pocket.
“There’s no need for all this...”, he said. The warmth of the smile - that he sported a couple of minutes back when he offered to keep my helmet safely - was missing. God, did I indicate that I didn’t have faith in him? Am I distrusting someone who is genuinely helpful? Within seconds, did I convert a trusting person into a suspicious one? How would I have felt if the world didn’t have trust in me?
No. I got to be realistic. I drew on my resources of body language and I told him gently in the friendliest tone, ‘‘Just in case; lot of helmets here...’’ He had a reassuring smile.
Yet, I couldn’t still help asking myself: What if I still lost my helmet? What if the guard would have only shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘‘I told you there’s no use keeping all these tags’’. I left those thoughts aside as I moved into the temple. When I brought my palms together in prayer, I realised there were more pressing things in life than a helmet - with or without a tag.
When I came back, the helmet was there, but not that security guard. As I picked it up and began walking away, I saw him. With the same disarming smile, he raised his open palms upwards, indicating all was well, not just the helmet, by the Grace of God.
Life is about relationships - matrimonial, parental, sibling, fraternal, friendly and even the one with strangers. It’s faith that sustains a relationship, it fuels our daily lives. Faith need not be spiritual. William Adam, the British businessman navigator, said, “Faith is a continuation of reason’’. Henry Bailey, a British author of medical detective short stories, said, ‘‘Faith is a higher faculty than reason”.
St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, said, “Faith is to believe in what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe”. It’s the faith that we have in one another that makes our lives comfortable.
Mindfulness with Present is Nishkama Karma by Sudip Talukdar
The 25-year-old, riding a cycle back home from office well past midnight, halted abruptly near the gates of his residence. He had discerned a break in the patchwork of light falling faintly on the grassy strip, filtering through the shrubs. A snake slithered inches from the front tyre of his bicycle. Instantly, the cyclist froze, becoming motionless, for fear of distracting the reptile, which he suspected to be a viper, until it disappeared into the undergrowth seconds later.
What made the youth so poised and confident, amid such sudden and unsettling danger? It is the quality of mindfulness, or existing in the present, which helped him size-up the situation instantaneously and possibly avert a mishap or tragedy. Yet how many of us really heed the present, our precious inheritance.
We are either too preoccupied with the burden of past failures and misdemeanours or engaged in day dreaming about our future. Both are futile exercises in the sense that one cannot be undone, while the other is unknown, unless we take care of our todays. The past-future construct, so deeply embedded in human psyche, lies at the root of our fractured, stress-ridden life.
The modern man, constantly nagged by unfulfilled longings, real or imaginary grievances, is unable to concentrate on basic tasks that require his undivided attention. Take for instance, eating. He is unable to digest what he gulps down disinterestedly,not only missing out on vital nutrients and the energy they provide, but also complaining of gastric complications later.
Contrast this with the mindfulness of a simple peasant who, seated on a platform bench patiently awaiting his train, relishes every bite of his frugal meal as if he were partaking of a royal repast. His posture and unhurried movements reflect the poise and contentment of the one truly merged in present consciousness.
Mindfulness implies complete absorption >>
Similarly, motorists will perform better and avoid mishaps, rash driving and road rage if they stay focused. They might be tempted by sights and sounds along the way or stare at whatever catches their fancy, slowing down involuntarily, oblivious of the traffic around them. Being out of sync with the present ebb and flow invites its own penalties. Somebody is likely to hit them from behind, igniting mutual recriminations.
Mindfulness implies complete absorption in whatever one is doing, with supreme unconcern for results. It is the nishkama karma of Krishna, the million dollar mantra that unlocks the doors to self-empowerment, harmony and success, by synchronising individual efforts with the rhythm of the here and now.
Even a mundane activity like walking becomes a joyous affirmation of the present. No more false or missed steps, tripping or falling into the ditch or manhole, but well directed strides sure of where they are headed. Think of the boost to productivity, performance and teamwork at the workplace where mindfulness is ingrained.
Likewise, every lesson at school and college would unfold a chapter of self-discovery and learning. Mindfulness is highly valued in military life. The commander ordered a trainee sniper to leave after he slipped during a momentary spell of drowsiness in a manoeuvre. He could not brook the innocuous act of inattentiveness because that would have imperilled a real operation, blowing away months of meticulous preparations to overcome the enemy.
It has been rightly said that the past is history, the future is a mystery, only the present is a gift. Indeed the source of all that
What made the youth so poised and confident, amid such sudden and unsettling danger? It is the quality of mindfulness, or existing in the present, which helped him size-up the situation instantaneously and possibly avert a mishap or tragedy. Yet how many of us really heed the present, our precious inheritance.
We are either too preoccupied with the burden of past failures and misdemeanours or engaged in day dreaming about our future. Both are futile exercises in the sense that one cannot be undone, while the other is unknown, unless we take care of our todays. The past-future construct, so deeply embedded in human psyche, lies at the root of our fractured, stress-ridden life.
The modern man, constantly nagged by unfulfilled longings, real or imaginary grievances, is unable to concentrate on basic tasks that require his undivided attention. Take for instance, eating. He is unable to digest what he gulps down disinterestedly,not only missing out on vital nutrients and the energy they provide, but also complaining of gastric complications later.
Contrast this with the mindfulness of a simple peasant who, seated on a platform bench patiently awaiting his train, relishes every bite of his frugal meal as if he were partaking of a royal repast. His posture and unhurried movements reflect the poise and contentment of the one truly merged in present consciousness.
Mindfulness implies complete absorption >>
Similarly, motorists will perform better and avoid mishaps, rash driving and road rage if they stay focused. They might be tempted by sights and sounds along the way or stare at whatever catches their fancy, slowing down involuntarily, oblivious of the traffic around them. Being out of sync with the present ebb and flow invites its own penalties. Somebody is likely to hit them from behind, igniting mutual recriminations.
Mindfulness implies complete absorption in whatever one is doing, with supreme unconcern for results. It is the nishkama karma of Krishna, the million dollar mantra that unlocks the doors to self-empowerment, harmony and success, by synchronising individual efforts with the rhythm of the here and now.
Even a mundane activity like walking becomes a joyous affirmation of the present. No more false or missed steps, tripping or falling into the ditch or manhole, but well directed strides sure of where they are headed. Think of the boost to productivity, performance and teamwork at the workplace where mindfulness is ingrained.
Likewise, every lesson at school and college would unfold a chapter of self-discovery and learning. Mindfulness is highly valued in military life. The commander ordered a trainee sniper to leave after he slipped during a momentary spell of drowsiness in a manoeuvre. He could not brook the innocuous act of inattentiveness because that would have imperilled a real operation, blowing away months of meticulous preparations to overcome the enemy.
It has been rightly said that the past is history, the future is a mystery, only the present is a gift. Indeed the source of all that
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