Please pay attention

Jul 30, 2010, 12.00am IST
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL.

We have needed to 'originate' the Slow Food Movement to counter the life-attitude connected with fast-food culture; only then do we feel we can get to something that we once had, but lost! What we had lost is the attention that goes into creating and savouring a nourishing meal.

While previous years were all about multitasking, we now hear and read people asking us to please "uni-task", coining an odd-sounding term to remind us to pay attention, even enjoy, each thing we do. It would be funny it if weren't so sad. Nicolas Malebranche, a 17th century philosopher said, "Attention is the natural prayer of the soul." If that is true, most of us have forgotten how to really pray.

Thich Nhat Hanh in The Miracle of Mindfulness , writes about how he and a friend once sat under a tree sharing a tangerine. The friend began to talk about plans for the future, becoming so immersed in it that he literally forgot about what he was doing in the present. Popping a section of tangerine in his mouth, before he had begun chewing, he lifted another slice to his mouth again. The teacher gently suggested, "You ought to eat the tangerine section you've already taken," startling him into realising what he was doing. "...as if he hadn't been eating the tangerine at all... If he had been eating anything, he was 'eating' his future plans."

Educators speak of the shrinking attention span of young people today, but few schools teach children the gift of savouring the moment. There are some parents who say that the capacity for attention is theirs to claim.

There is another aspect to attention: attention to others around us.

Psychotherapist Pierro Ferrucci refers to attention as a precious gift. People who are suffering may need advice, diagnoses, interpretations and interventions, but still more do they need sincere and complete attention. He points out that attention, being completely available, may well be the most coveted gift: "We silently hope that someone will want to do that for us... Attention is a type of friendliness and the lack thereof is the worst kind of rudeness. Attention is the means that allows us to let friendliness flow. Anyone who can't give others attention, will never be friendly. Attention gives energy, while the lack of attention takes it away."

From yet another angle, we learn that what we give attention to grows. Even when it does not actually grow, it certainly seems to, because we tend to see little else.
Often people I meet in therapy mistakenly think they must only focus on what's wrong. Sure, things could be wrong; even very wrong. But is that all that's happening in one's life? When they make a list also about what's going right, they are shocked at how long or how rich it actually is! Life is a mix of what we label good or bad not to mention that there is often good in the bad and also, on closer look, some bad perhaps in the good.
We need to learn to pay attention to our entire life, not just parts of it. Focusing only on problems is draining, exhausting. Knowing there is already some good shifts us out of a 'poor me' place and pumps us with energy to work on what we need to work on.
The writer is a Mumbai-based personal growth coach and workshop leader. weave@vsnl.net

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Be aware, embrace life

Jul 11, 2010, 12.00am IST
Acharya Mahaprajna.

The whole world is one; it's a synthesis. Life is possible only through cooperation. All species and sub-species, all that exists, is the result of synthesis, of integration. Disintegration means decay. The order of the universe would get disturbed with division and discord.

The science of environment underlines the importance of union for survival, of the desirability of not interfering with natural processes, of not upsetting nature's equilibrium, so that there is no confusion.

Greed and exploitation of natural resources has led to pollution, including that of the earth's atmosphere. The protective layer that scientists call the ozone layer surrounding earth shields us from the ill effects of direct radiation from the sun. The erosion of this protective cover could mean the end of life, if nothing is done to reverse the erosion.

It is therefore essential that we cultivate a constructive approach towards the environment. For the evolution of constructive thinking, it is necessary to purify our consciousness. As it is, our consciousness is battling impurities; it is so identified with things and ideas. It must rid itself of all identification, so as to be capable of fitting in with the other and with society. Violence, untruth, and sense of possession and domination characterising our consciousness now needs to be got rid of. Our consciousness must be cleansed of these impurities; otherwise our approach will continue to be negative and destructive. The first step towards achieving this goal is to transform our outlook from the materialistic to the holistic. By becoming more aware.

This is not an impossible goal; it can be done if an individual can learn to be sober, simple and tolerant; and become more a witness who is aware.

A negative attitude is caused by our materialistic approach that has made us too attached to material things. The moment we attain to the boundless depths of meditation and see things for what they are, we would be able to assess and understand the true value of material objects, and would never aspire to gain domination over them. We would then realise the essential humanity of the other and see the other as being a part of us. Otherwise, every situation will seem problematic; problems keep multiplying without any possibility of a solution. In such a scenario, even religion becomes a problem.

The only way out of this vicious cycle is to become less rigid in our thinking and in the way we feel and act. Get rid of stereotypical conduct that makes us live a life of dejection. We need to be mindful and compassionate.

There are two kinds of insensitivity: Confused vision and thoughtless conduct. A mediator must clearly understand that the first priority is to chastise attitudes by getting rid of ignorance. This would require experimentation and experience. Learn to experience truth. Practice meditation. Mere accumulation of information and even knowledge is not enough. Theory without practice is of little use. But practice combined with theory yields valuable results.
Know the value of the present moment. Gain insight by being a witness, by becoming more aware. May we benefit from this discovery! Whatever hard work we have put in, whatever experience we have acquired, let us capitalize on that and use it to make life worth living. May our hearts be filled with an intense longing for liberation so that we may progress undeterred on the path of awareness and oneness. That is the way to freedom from problems. Therein lies our salvation.
(As told to Lalit Garg)

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Wheel of existence

Jul 13, 2010, 12.00am IST

Pythagoras's is the first experiment in creating a synthesis. Twenty-five centuries have passed since then and nobody has tried it again. Nobody else before had done it, and nobody else has done it afterwards either. It needs a mind that is both scientific and mystic. It is rare.

There have been great mystics like the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Zarathustra. And there have been great scientists like Newton, Edison, Einstein. But to find a man who is at home with both worlds is difficult. Pythagoras is a class unto himself.

The synthesis was needed then as it is needed today because the world is again at the same point. The world moves in a wheel motion. Samsara in Sanskrit means 'the world', it also means the wheel. The wheel is big: one circle is completed in 25 centuries.

Twenty-five centuries before Pythagoras, Atlantis came to an end because of man's own scientific growth. Without wisdom, scientific growth is dangerous. It is like putting a sword in the hands of a child. Now 25 centuries have passed since Pythagoras. Again there is chaos. The wheel has come to the same point.

Uprooted, life loses meaning as values disappear. A great darkness descends. There's no sense of direction. One simply feels accidental. There seems to be neither purpose nor significance in life that seems to be all chance. It seems existence does not care for you; that there is no life after death and whatsoever you do is futile, routine and mechanical. Everything seems pointless.

Chaotic times can either be a great curse, as it happened in Atlantis, or can prove to be a quantum leap in human growth. It depends on how we use them. It is only in such great times of chaos that great stars are born.

Pythagoras was not alone. In Greece, Pythagoras and Heraclitus were born, just as in India, we had the Buddha, Mahavira and others. In China, there were Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Confucius, Mencius, and Lieh Tzu. In Iran there was Zarathustra. In the Brahmin tradition, there have been many great Upanishadic seers. All these great masters were born at a certain stage in human history, 25 centuries ago.


Now we are again in great chaos, and man's fate will depend on what we do. Either we will destroy ourselves like the civilisation that destroyed itself in Atlantis; we will be drowned in our own knowledge; in our own science or, there is a possibility that we can take a quantum leap.

Ordinary people, the majority, live in unconsciousness; so they can't see even a few steps ahead. If we can create a great momentum for meditation, for the inward journey, for tranquillity, stillness and love, humanity will be born anew. A new man will be born. And once you miss these times, then for 25 centuries again you will remain the same. Only a few people will achieve enlightenment. Here and there, once in a while, a person will become alert and aware and divine. The greater part of humanity goes on living in hell.

I feel a deep spiritual affinity with Pythagoras. I am also bringing you a synthesis of East and West, of science and religion, of intellect and intuition, of male and female mind, of the head and heart, of right and left. I am also trying in every possible way to create a great harmony, because only that harmony can save and bring new life.

(Talk: Osho; excerpt from Philosophia Perennis, courtesy: Osho International Foundation. www.osho.com )

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Buddha, sangha and dharma

Jul 13, 2010, 12.00am IST
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

On the spiritual path there are three factors: Buddha, the master or the presence of the enlightened, sangha, the commune or group, and dharma, your true nature. Life blossoms naturally when there is a balance between the three.

The Buddha is a doorway, and the doorway needs to be more charming than what lies beyond so that people come to the doorway. If you are out in the street and there is rain and thunder, or scorching weather, you feel the need for a shelter. You look and find a doorway. Have you noticed that then, the doorway is more inviting and joyful than anything else in the world?


Similarly, the closer you get to the master, the more charm, newness and love you feel. Nothing in the world could give that much peace, joy and pleasure. It's like depth without a bottom. This is a sign that you have come to the master.
Once you enter the door, you see the world from there, from the eyes of the master. Then in any situation you will think: How would the master handle this? See the world from the eyes of the master and the world looks so much more beautiful as a place filled with love, joy, cooperation and compassion.
Looking through the doorway there is no fear. From inside your home, you can look at the storm and the bright sun too; yet you can be relaxed as you are in the shelter. Such a sense of security, fullness and joy comes. That is the purpose of having a master.


Sangha is charming from a distance, but the closer you get, it pushes all your buttons and brings out all the unwanted things from within you. If you think a group is good it means you are not yet completely with the group. When you are totally part of that group, you will find that some bickering will come up. But you are the one who makes the group so if you are good, your group will also be good.

Sangha has a reverse nature to Buddha. Buddha makes your mind one-pointed; sangha, because it is of so many people, can scatter your mind, fragment it. Once you are used to a sangha, it loses its charm. This is the nature of sangha. Still, it is very supportive. If it were repulsive all the time, then nobody would be part of sangha.


Buddha uplifts with Grace, love and knowledge, Buddha pulls you up from above, and sangha pushes you up from below.
Dharma is to be in the middle. Avoiding extremes is your nature to be in balance, to smile from the depth of your heart, to accept entire existence totally as it is. Often you crave for Buddha and are averse to sangha, and you try to change; but by changing sangha or Buddha, you are not going to change.


The main purpose is to come to the centre deep within you, which means to find your dharma. A sense of deep acceptance for this moment, for every moment, is dharma. All problems and negativity are generated from our mind.


The world is not bad; we make our world ugly or beautiful. So when you are in your dharma, your nature, you will blame neither the world nor the Divine.
Dharma is that which puts you in the middle and makes you comfortable with the world. It allows you to contribute to the world, be at ease with the Divine, to feel part of the Divine.

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Try to be a witness

Jul 19, 2010, 12.00am IST
TALK: OSHO.

See the dictionary under the letter 'h' - only there will you always find happiness.


In life things are very mixed up. Like day and night, life and death, you have happiness and unhappiness. Life is rich because of polar opposites.
The very idea that one would like to be happy forever is stupid, and the idea will only create unhappiness. You will become more and more miserable in your greed for elusive eternal happiness.


Then who is the happy person? The happy person is not one who is always happy. The happy person is one who is happy even when there is unhappiness. Try to understand it. The happy person is one who understands life and accepts its polarities. He knows success is possible only because failure is also possible. So when failure comes he accepts it.


I remember one incident of my childhood. A great wrestler had come to my town. Everybody was interested in wrestling, so the whole town had gathered. I have seen many people and many wrestlers in my life but he was really rare. He had something of Zen in him.


For 10 days the wrestling continued, and every day he defeated a famous wrestler. Finally, he was declared the winner. That day he went around and touched the feet of all the 10 persons who he had defeated.

Everybody was puzzled about why he did it. I was a small child, I went to him and asked him, "Why did you do that? This is strange."


He said, "It is only because of them that I am victorious. If they had not allowed themselves to be defeated, I would not be victorious. So I owe it to them. My victory depends on their defeat, so really I feel greatly thankful to them. There was only one possibility: either I was to be defeated or they were to be defeated. And they are good people, they accepted defeat."


This is a very Sufi or Zen idea. Things are interdependent: failure-success, happiness-unhappiness, summer-winter, youth-old age, beauty-ugliness - they exist together.


Then what should the attitude be? When happiness comes, enjoy happiness; when unhappiness comes, enjoy unhappiness. When there is happiness, dance with it; when there is unhappiness, cry with it. That's what I mean when I say 'enjoy'. If you can accept unhappiness as smoothly as you welcome happiness, you will transcend both. In that very acceptance is transcendence. Then unhappiness and happiness will not make much difference to you, you will remain the same. When there is sadness you will have a taste of it; and when there is joy you will have a taste of it. And sometimes bitter things also taste beautiful.


And sadness has something of depth in it which no happiness can ever have. Happiness has something shallow. Laughter always looks shallow, tears always look deep. If you want to be happy always you will become a superficial person. Sometimes it is good to fall into dismal depths of sadness. Both are good. And one should be total in both. Whatsoever happens, go totally into it. When crying, become the crying, and when dancing, become the dance. Then the ultimate happens to you. By and by you forget the distinction between what happiness is and what unhappiness is. You enjoy both! So by and by the distinction disappears. And when the distinction has disappeared, there arises something which is eternally there, which remains always there. That is witnessing.
Excerpted from Sufis The People of the Path, Vol 1 . Courtesy: Osho International Foundation. www.osho.com

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Good health comes first

Jul 21, 2010, 12.00am IST
Satya Narayan Sahu.
The recently concluded FIFA World Cup football in South Africa caused worldwide excitement. Indians were overtaken by the passion of the game even though India was not participating in the event.

It is easy to get infected with the spirit of the game in a globalised world with its vast media networks that enable people to watch the game even at odd hours. Often such infectious spirit drives us to indulge ourselves on the material plane and remain immersed in superficial aspects of life. Drinking beer and watching football in Germany might have temporarily taken its people away from the humdrum business of life and made them feel elated for some time. But every sphere of life, including the sphere of sports and games, must explore the infinite dimensions which impact human existence and about which we are not adequately aware.

When Swami Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 after his historic trip to America where he addressed the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893, he delivered a series of lectures. In one of them he linked the attainment of spirituality to football. He said to the youth: "You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Bhagavad Gita". Good health is the first step to strive for perfection. It involves overcoming weakness and acquiring confidence and spiritual dignity. It means cultivating self-esteem.

Scripture-reading is not sufficient if we are driven by frailties and temptations. Exercise is the key to achieve higher and finer objectives. Vivekananda was giving precedence to the individual's right to quality health which can provide access to many other wonderful realms. He said that Indians remained lazy because they were deprived of strength and energy. He explained our inability to work in terms of our physical weakness. He even painfully noted that the root cause of selfishness and disunity among Indians was our weakness manifested in fragile body and spirit. He earnestly pleaded for measures to strengthen our physical and mental health.


A scholar saint of worldwide fame, he advocated that health considerations must precede the quest for religion. "Our young men must be strong, religion will come afterwards. "You will understand the Upanishads better and the glory of the Atman when your body stands firm upon your feet, and you feel yourselves as men," he said.


Passion for football must promote good health and purity of mind. The pursuit of sports and games will truly help us realise the essence of life which often gets overwhelmed by existential compulsions and loses its meaning and significance. Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, a close associate of M K Gandhi had said that mere excellence in the field of football and cricket will not make a nation. He meant that nation-building involves building of character and cultivation of values. When Swami Vivekananda linked spirituality with football he was stressing as much on the ability to play that game as the capacity to realise divinity, a far more exalted goal than that of mere nation-building. What is required is the balanced blending of physical and spiritual dimensions. It is indeed a coincidence that on the sesquicentennial year of Swami Vivekananda's birth the World Cup was held in South Africa.

The author is Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The views expressed in the article are personal

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Food for creative thought

Jul 23, 2010, 12.00am IST

All of us at many points in our lives have experienced a beautiful Aha moment, when we felt very good within while doing something new or something that was innovative. Text by Brahmakumaris.


We smile to ourselves, perhaps even congratulate ourselves when we experience that wow factor and we say: "Wow! I could do this... how awesome is that!" We become as happy as a child filled with joy at learning to walk for the first time or ride a bicycle for the first time ever.
The more interesting thing is that these acts might not always be big ones; they could be as simple as doing a presentation in a new way, solving a complicated problem with a simple idea, making a few changes in the way one's home is organised, bringing home new flowerpots to make one's living space feel special, or even making your own favourite songs list or planning ways to pleasantly surprise friends and relatives.

One of our innate urges is to be creative, and do new things to make changes and bring freshness into our lives. If we like this creative process so much, why are we not able to do it at all time? To understand this, let's see the process that is a source of these aha moments. Observing babies and little children, we can easily see that they are naturally curious and creative.
As we grow older, we find that every moment that we spend in our life, we are involved in a beautiful process, a process that continuously makes us creative. Sure, we do have our dull moments, even destructive moments, depending on the choices we make. It is a process that we can't seem to escape from or stop and it is responsible for everything surrounding our lives. That's because it is part of our thought process that plays a major role in the way we live our lives.

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Mind: Good servant, bad master

Jul 24, 2010, 12.00am IST

The mind is the reason behind a person's bondage or salvation. Pious and benevolent resolves and actions purify the mind, remove all faults and lead to final salvation, says Lilashahji in a discourse.

The same mind, when it becomes impure by impious resolves and actions, promotes insentience and binds one to bondage of this world.


Take your mind to task everyday! Constantly counsel your mind. "O restless mind! Now be quiet and steady. Why do you disturb me by wandering all the time? Time and again you run after sense pleasures and worldly relations, seeking company in relationships but don't you know that they are short-lived? You have been forced to abandon them in all of your previous lives and will have to abandon them in this life as well. So immerse yourself in meditation of your True Self that is always with you, that is Bliss Supreme."
The mind is deceptive. Never trust it. Keep a constant watch to see whether the mind is following your commands. Keep a vigil on its activities at all times. You have to always be ready to discipline the mind with the stick of insightful discrimination, ready to take preventive action and restrain the mind from engaging in any act of transgression against established principles and time-tested social norms.
Never allow the mind free rein because it is an incredible treasure house of tremendous powers. It is such a fast horse as can easily and quickly simply gallop towards its goal if only given good direction by keeping it in control. Without restraint, it is most likely to go berserk and throw you into a pile of thorny bushes. Always keep a tight vigil on the mind. Do not give it free time at all; otherwise it will suck you into undesirable activity. As the saying goes, 'An idle mind is a devil's workshop'. Therefore, always keep the mind engaged in some worthwhile pursuit, something that requires application of the mind.


Ruminate on the Self, study the scriptures, listen to the discourses of the wise and those with positive knowledge and engage yourself in chanting the name of the Supreme Being. Never allow the mind to run free. And when it strays, as it frequently will, prod it and rein it back. Just as a large animal can be controlled with a goad, the mind will also come under your complete control with constant monitoring and discipline. The mind has no sovereign power of its own; you yourself have created it. It is your own child whom you have spoilt with excessive pampering. Insightful restraint is the key to keep a loved one from straying. A sapling must be protected until it grows and turns into a tree. Similarly, your constant vigil is required to protect the mind from going berserk.


Towards accomplishing this, the following experiment could prove instructive: Lie down flat on a blanket. Leave the body loose and relaxed. Keep yourself completely calm. Forget the whole world and when you'll think with a tranquil mind, you will see that all events of happiness and sorrow are the results of your own past deeds; and friends or foes are only instrumental in bringing to you what is your due. When you are awake, the world exists; and when you are asleep, it ceases to exist. In effect, the world is unreal; it's like a dream. This is the Truth and this is ultimate reality.


As the mind comes to realise the Truth, it will become calm and silent. A silent and serene mind is always pure.
Lilashahji is Asaram Bapu's guru. www.ashram.org

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Guru is a circuit breaker

Aug 6, 2010, 12.00am IST
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

A city without streets, a king without treasure, a merchant without business and a life without a guru are all considered the same. Why the emphasis on guru? Why do you need a guru?


Life sometimes seems very complicated. There is pleasure, pain, happiness, suffering, generosity, greed, passion and dispassion. When our life is full of such opposing values, our mind sometimes becomes unable to handle these complications and just breaks down.


It is then that you need wisdom to guide you through troubled times. Guru is that wisdom. You might have noticed you give great advice when you are not involved in a situation but the same is not true when you are in trouble. This is because wisdom dawns when you are out of the mess. Guru is one who is out of the mess. He watches the chaos, amidst the chaos.

Guru is like a circuit breaker. When you cannot handle life, your guru comes and saves so that you remain sane and balanced. If there is a compelling desire that bothers you, your guru is there to offer solace. You offer all your desires and pain to your guru. Having a guru means being able to relax and smile all the time, walk with confidence, be fearless and have a vision. That is wisdom.

Guru is a tattva -- an element, a quality inside you. It is not limited to a body or form. Guru comes in your life in spite of your refusing or being rebellious. The guru principle is so vital in life. There is an element of the guru in every human being. That wisdom in each has to be invoked, awakened. When this element is awakened, misery in life disappears. In our consciousness, wisdom comes to life when guru tattva comes to life. When we have no desires of our own, then the guru tattva dawns in our life. Wake up and see that our life is changing every moment and feel grateful for whatever you have received.


Guru Purnima is to review your growth. This review will give you encouragement. If you think you haven't grown enough on the spiritual path in the past few years, then you have not utilised the knowledge. If you feel you are stuck somewhere, then the realisation that you are stuck is also growth.
That is why we celebrate Guru Purnima. It is the day when the devotee arises in full gratitude and feels grateful for the great knowledge he has received from the Master. It is time to review how much knowledge you have ingrained in your life and how you are growing in knowledge. This may bring about a realisation for scope of improvement, which in turn will bring humility in you. Be grateful for the way this knowledge has transformed you. Just think how you could have been without this. Gratitude and humility together make bloom a genuine prayer inside you.


On Guru Purnima, remember all gurus of the past. When your life is full, you get a feeling of gratitude then you start with the guru and end up adoring everything in life. On Guru Purnima the devotee wakes up in full gratitude. The devotee becomes like an ocean moving in itself. Guru Purnima is a time to celebrate and rise in devotion and gratitude.

www.artofliving.org

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When you walk alone

Jul 25, 2010, 12.00am IST
Radha Kumar.

When large scale copying of ideas and lifestyles is the norm, it is unusual for one to embark on an unexplored path out of conviction.


On uncharted territory every decision taken is a unique one as it has no precedence; so it's a challenge. To do so requires tremendous courage, conviction and faith in one's own capability. Taking a known path is safer, as one would know what to expect or what turn events might take. When you walk alone, there is the danger of giving in to self-doubt or feeling vulnerable at being ridiculed for having taken a "brave decision." Some might call it arrogance.

When frustration sets in it is important to replay situations that propelled us to take the unbeaten path. When in conflict, go and relive the decision. That would help clarify your purpose and motivation. When that is sorted, out, the next step is to analyse the present situation. You would perhaps conclude that conflicts in the mind arise when there is a gap between what was expected and what is currently occurring. It is when these conflicts occur that depressing doubts begin. Stress, anxiety and other psychosomatic problems begin to emerge causing health problems.

What is the way out? Gautama Buddha's Second Noble Truth -- Patticasamuppada or Dukkha samuddaya -- focuses on 12 parameters. These interconnecting links help to deal with challenging situations that might confuse and confound. Buddha's process of deduction provides a logical perspective.

We doubt because the sense object contact inevitably brings forth various emotions, according to Buddha. But the turmoil that occurs inevitably is because we identify our emotions with what is occurring around so completely that all rational thinking is lost. Clinging to emotions that arise due to occurrences should be avoided.

Buddha's aim was to provide a logical solution which manifested in the four Arya Satyas. Because of its innate simplicity Buddha's teachings attract the common man and help him to overcome self doubt and dissatisfaction. In order to apply his practical notion to our day-to-day life we would have to comprehend the following: Firstly, nothing is permanent, so accept where we are now and not cling to the effects that are thrown our way. We should be pragmatic and clinically study why we are in a state of turmoil or take it one notch higher and introspect to see if we are really in a state of dissatisfaction. On dispassionate analysis we will see that every situation that we are in is because of the way or the manner in which we have handled or perceived the occurrences around us.

Walking alone is not a problem but to stay on course, understand and face challenges therein is the true test. It would help then to look at achievers who have reached the pinnacle of excellence in their respective fields. Are they not people like you and me who have broken the set stereotype and gone beyond the paradigm? Have they not set an example that is beyond the ordinary? The difference is that, though they walked alone, they did so with conviction, confidence and commitment like the Paccheka Buddha of early Buddhist philosophy who was an individual in pursuit of a way out of the daily trammels of living, but charting his own course.

(The writer teaches ancient Indian culture at St Xaviers College, Mumbai.)

radhakkiyer@yahoo.com

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It's about divine grace

Jul 26, 2010, 12.00am IST
Yogi Ashwini.

Yoga is based on laws of nature. In nature for every aspect there exists an equal and opposite aspect.

Darkness is nothing but absence of light. Similarly, silence is absence of sound. It is only duality in nature, the coexistence of positive and negative that gives meaning to the existence of the whole. Ancient scriptures speak of the male energy Shiva, the doer, and a female energy, Shakti or force. Creation derives its energy from Shakti and without her Shiva is mere form. The same applies to all aspects of Creation. At the same time, Shakti without Shiva is just pure energy, which needs a vehicle to carry out desires. The complete evolution is therefore Ardhanareshwara, is the sacred union of Shiva and Parvati.

Vedic rishis saw the union between a man and woman not as gratification of lust or sensual desire but as a sacred union for the purpose of procreation. Vedic rishis set yogic techniques and sanatan kriya, which when followed can enable safe procreation. Parents often wish to decide everything about their child even before conception. They wish to fulfill their unfulfilled dreams through their children but these dreams cannot be fructified without Divine Grace. However, there are certain basic guidelines that can be followed for children of a particular pravriti.


In a day, energy patterns keep changing. Similarly, day-to-day patterns also keep changing. Every object of creation, all lokas or dimensions of existence and yugas or dimensions of time, as per revelation of ancient yogis, exist as energy forms. Movements of the earth changes the dimension of time, it lies tilted on its axis, when the axis tilts, yugas change as when it moves on the axis, the seasons change. Every movement from one dimension to the other brings about a change or transformation as every day comes with its unique energy patterns.


To better understand energy changes that occur daily we must first understand the concept of sandhya, that is, when one energy transforms to another. Vedic philosophy describes four types of sandhyas that occur on any given day. The first, brahma sandhya occurs an hour before and after sunrise. Positive forces are at their peak. Since this period is the best time for communion with higher energies, trying to conceive during these periods is encouraged as being conducive to good health and happiness.


As the day progresses, energies transform, positive energies go down while negative energy starts to rise, leading to the tantrik sandhya till the positive and negative forces are equal in strength. This sandhya is said to aid material gain, and a child conceived during this time is believed to be strong in the material aspect. At sunset energies change, giving rise to the third sandhya when negative energies are at their peak. However, practices like the sanatan kriya are done during this time to protect the child from the negative energies in the environment. The last and fourth sandhya occurs at midnight, when negative energies are going down and positive energies are going up. Interaction with the spirit world is very easy during this time. Children conceived during this time are believed to be level headed and with potentiality to interact with the world of ether.

However, at the end of it all if your child has Divine Grace, no matter the time or day of birth, there is nothing the child will not be able to achieve.

http://www.dhyanfoundation.com

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The selfless and the selfish

Jul 30, 2010, 12.00am IST
NEERA KASHYAP.

For any human change, evolution or transformation to take place, elements of awareness and purity are required. They act as springboards for transcending our innate tendencies. In their absence, the good in us is overpowered by evil, leading to self-destruction. A story by Manoj Das talks about what happens when a village community becomes greedy. Even greed, it seems, is sustainable so long as purity co-exists, but once it exits, there is no hope.

In the courtyard of each household kin a village is the sacred yajnakund where the ancient fire rite is earnestly performed. One day a Brahmin discovers a piece of gold in his kund. His wife informs him that a bull had entered their courtyard while she was sweeping it. Since she was chewing a betel-leaf and it became imperative to shout off the bull, she spat into the kund so she could frighten away the intruder. The Brahmin is outraged at the pollution of a sacred site but his hands are already rubbing the piece of gold which shines brighter with the rub! He protests but his wife snatches the gold from him with a laugh, spitting another mouthful into the kund! The next day she appears before him in a silk sari and the promise of a pair of silk dhotis for him. Soon their humble hut gives way to a fine building, a large number of cows and servants.

The neighbours are envious. The wife who spat into the kund shares her secret with a young woman: "Who is endowed with my merit? I spit and there grows gold!" Soon the young woman too is bedecked in a silk sari and jewellery. The secret spreads and soon, gold emerges in every yajnakund - in all except one.
A village teacher remains true to his swadharma of using the yajnakund only for worship. His wife implores him to allow her to spit betel-leaf into the kund but he resists. Unable to live in poverty in the midst of such opulence, she suggests they move to their daughter's serene hamlet at the edge of a forest. He reluctantly agrees despite knowing it would prove disastrous. As they walk away they hear a commotion behind them. The village goes up in flames, each house torched by the fire of quarrel and division. Says the teacher tearfully: "This is the catastrophe I foresaw. Wealth earned without toil bred hatred. So long as even one yajnakund remained pure, order prevailed. But with our departure, the village lost all right to peace."
The yajnakund symbolises divine presence and selfless service. By polluting it we give in to greed, compromise morals and adulate material prosperity. The original strength of simplicity and piety inspired by service to the divine is eroded so insidiously by materialism that a single spark is enough to destroy this weak superstructure. If purity and awareness are undermined or neglected, not only is the macrocosm of community destroyed but the microcosm of the individual psyche is destroyed as well.


Says Kabir in the Guru Granth Sahib: Kabir, pleasant is the saint's humble hut, but the village of the wicked is a burning oven – May that palace be set on fire where Hari's Name is not invoked!

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Vocation as vacation

Jul 31, 2010, 12.00am IST
Jaya Row.

Why do most of us find life boring, even depressing? The robotic patterns of waking up every morning, rushing to work and going through the motions at work can be mind-numbing. What is lacking is inspiration.

To be inspired you need to expand your mind. Think beyond yourself. Have a vision beyond your individual needs and aspirations and encompass global well-being. This vision must translate into a goal that is pursued with relentless focus, deep devotion and hard work. Then you will be so fulfilled at work that you will no longer need a weekend. The annual vacation will become redundant as your vocation becomes a source of joy and excitement.


When you do not have a higher ideal, your thoughts gravitate to just your well-being. You become obsessed with yourself and fail to see anything beyond the next meal, the next fun thing to do, and the next movie to watch! Every other person becomes a competitor. You feel insecure. You imagine everyone else is out to get you. All your energies get wasted trying to protect yourself from imaginary enemies. Cut off from reality, you sink into an abyss of self-pity, self-obsession and, finally, self-destruction.


On the other hand, the moment you think beyond yourself you feel energised, enthusiastic, exhilarated. A higher ideal unlocks your potential, releases energy and gives happiness. All selfish people are unhappy. Selflessness is the key to happiness.


The world does not need extraordinarily talented people. It does not need highly skilled people. It has plenty of super-intelligent people. We need ordinary people with extraordinary motivation. M K Gandhi was an ordinary man with amazing motivation to establish truth and justice. The Wright Brothers were ordinary people with a dream of flying.


You can also achieve exceptional results if you are inspired with a higher ideal. Replacing 'inspiration' with 'information' has led to knowledge being viewed as drudgery rather than as pleasure. Education has degenerated to data being transmitted from teacher to the taught without igniting the minds of the young with a higher purpose.


So inspiration is not a luxury that only a few may indulge in. It is vital to human existence. You may find a powerful emotional inspiration and dedicate your life to a departed soul. Or you may be committed to an intellectual ideal – the environment, social justice, education. The highest inspiration is the spiritual goal. Like the athlete in the movie, 'Chariots of Fire' said – "God made me to run, and I will run for God!" Once you are motivated with the Divine, the Spirit functions through you. You overcome all obstacles.


How many of us wake up inspired, looking forward to a day of service? Who among us finds exhilaration in contributing to society, adding value to others? Life changes magically from boredom to excitement when you are inspired to serve. You redefine norms and achieve the impossible, paving the way to outstanding success. You find happiness at work, not in escaping from it. Most importantly, you evolve spiritually and attain Godhood.
Inspiration gives ordinary people the courage and hope to make life better for themselves and for future generations. Find inspiration and life will transform into an exciting adventure of self-discovery.

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Minimum qualification

Aug 1, 2010, 12.00am IST

Shri Shri Anandamurti.

As the sphere of knowledge increases, many secrets of the world do not remain secret. Yoga is one such. By dint of practising yoga one comes in contact with the causal factors of many secrets.
The great Yogi Sadaìshiva systematised different branches of yoga. His spouse, Paìrvati, was also a yogini; and for the welfare of humankind Shiva and Paìrvati created a practice. The questions placed before Shiva by Paìrvati and the answers given by Shiva collectively form the shaìstras.


Many important questions were placed before Shiva. These questions were known as nigama, and the answers were known as aìgama. The collective name of aìgama and nigama is Tantra. Once Paìrvati asked Shiva, "O Lord, for many duties, many posts, there are prescribed minimu m qualifications; what is the minimum qualification for attaining salvation?" Shiva said that the minimum qualification for salvation is nothing but a human body and a human mind. That is enough. Shiva said: "For attainment of salvation one should know oneself, and by knowing oneself one attains salvation."
What is Self-realisation? The human mind has three types of movements. The first is extro-internal projection, that is, an external object moving towards the inner side of existence. The second type is intro-external. The sentiment comes from the inner side and is expressed in the physical world. And the third one is movement of mind towards Spirit. "To know" means subjectivisation of external objectivity. When the external object becomes one with the objective portion of the mind, it is called knowledge.


What is Self-knowledge or Self-realisation? In this case the mind knows the spirit, that is, movement of mind is towards spirit. Now, how can the mind know the spirit when the Supreme Spirit, P arama Purusìa is the Omniscient Entity, the only Omniscient Entity?


The Supreme Entity, Parama Purusìa, is Omniscient. He not only sees what you do, He also sees what you think, what you are contemplating, what the thought-waves of your mind are. He i s Omniscient, and you are His object. He sees what you do. He is the subject, and you are the object. Then how can the mind know Him? That is, how can the mind be the subject and He the object? He sees your mind; how can your mind see Him? How can your mind accept Him as the object and your mind remain the subject?
What is the secret? It is that whatever you are doing, whatever you are thinking, you should always remember that that action of yours, your thoughts, is being witnessed by Him. If you remember this, He remains the subject and you remain the object. But wh at happens? Because you are always thinking of Parama Purusìa, indirectly He also becomes the object; although actually He is the subject and you are the object, because He is the all-witnessing faculty.


Shiva said that the minimum qualification is a human mind and a human body, and with the help of this human mind and human body one may attain salvation. One may come in His contact; because it is only the human mind that can think that Parama Purusìa is witnessing all activities and one's thoughts. Wh en one is established in this stance, it is said that one has attained salvation.

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A mantra that cheers

Aug 19, 2010, 12.00am IST
LILASHAHJI.
Is there anyone among us who does not wish to be happy? That's unlikely. However, happiness and sorrow do not drop from the skies. Your thoughts are the cause of happiness and sorrow. Even if you are in a happy state, and a sad thought enters your mind, you suddenly feel unhappy, isn't it?

If you want to be ever cheerful, remember the following mantra: "Even this shall pass." Let this be inscribed indelibly in your heart. With the practice of this mantra you can remain alert in the event of both pleasure and pain and stop yourself from getting engrossed in them. Then, you can establish yourself in the supreme bliss equanimity.

Pairs of opposites such as pleasure and pain, honour and insult, joy and sorrow affect the body. They will come and go in greater or lesser degree so long as the body exists. Do not be overwhelmed by them. You are the absolute Self, imperishable Atman while pleasures and pains are fleeting. How can they ever affect you? They have no existence of their own. In fact, they appear on the ground of your existence. You are distinct from them. Hence witness them, withstand them, and let them pass away. Be ever blissful and peaceful.

There is no object that brings pleasure or pain. They are creations of your mind, your thoughts and feelings. With the help of these thoughts be absorbed in your own eternal Being, the Truth absolute and be always peaceful.
You are the Supreme Bliss, Brahmn personified. It is your Self that dwells in all. The happiness that appears in the world is in fact just a glimpse of Self-bliss. It is your inner bliss but because of your ignorance, you think it is obtained from external objects of sense pleasures. Just as the sun's reflection in water is not the real sun but is merely an illusory appearance thereof, so also is the pleasure experienced through sense-enjoyments – it is not real bliss. It is illusion, not real.

Supreme Brahmn alone is existence, consciousness and bliss absolute. It is the One absolute reality which appears as existence, consciousness and bliss in different beings. But one who has a pure heart beholds the Lord as the One, non-dual Reality. A person prayed to Swami Ramatirtha, "Swamiji! Bless me that i become king of the world." Swami Ramatirtha asked him, "What will you do if you become so?" The man replied, "I will be pleased and happy."

Swami Ramatirtha said, "Suppose you become a king, you will still come across many miseries in your life since the things through which you seek pleasure are themselves transient. They never remain with anybody forever, then how will they stay with you? Better than that, if you renounce the desire for seeking pleasure from transient things you will attain supreme bliss right now. That would be greater than the happiness you can derive from your dream kingdom."

The mind becomes peaceful when it overcomes desires; then you can experience imperishable bliss. True peace lies only in the renunciation of desires.

A content person alone can remain happy. Even a millionaire is bankrupt without contentment. A content person is the wealthiest of all. He alone attains peace. Appreciate the present. Overcome greed and be content with what you have. Give thanks to God. Then you could help others achieve bliss.

http://www.ashram.org/

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A dualistic interpretation

Aug 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
Pranav Khullar.

Implicit in bhakti or devotion is surrender to a personal deity. Herein lies the metaphysical doctrine of tattvavada, a uniquely dualistic interpretation of the nature of reality as advocated by Madhvacharya.


Madhva's philosophy of making a distinction between the Absolute and individual soul also known as the dvaita school of Vedanta, proposes bhakti as an imperative, as the only means of merging with the Self. This dualistic metaphysics is the basis of the theistic-Vaishnavite schools of thought
Madhva's concept of Five Distinctions is his elaboration of the dualistic vision of reality. The Panch Bheda doctrine provides the logical and empirical basis for philosophy of realism , tattvavada, by looking at the difference between one jiva or individual being-soul and another, the difference between Ishwara the Creator and jiva , the difference between jiva and jada or inanimate , between Ishwara and jada, and between jada and jada By formulating an uncompromising dualism at all levels , especially the rigid separation of Creator and individual soul, Madhva not only lays down the pristine purity principle of God , but also goes on to emphasise bhakti as the only means to bridge the gulf between the Absolute and empirical world.


While Sankara's advaita sees the external world as maya or illusion, vyavaharika or a sort of temporary reality, and Ramanuja's vishishtadvaita views the outer phenomena and objects as a projection-spark of the Absolute, Madhva focuses on difference as the only genuine pramana or experience of every being -- everything and everyone is different, our experiential life recognises only that , as is borne out by pratyaksha or our sense perception. Madhva says other realities are also not created by the Creator, but exist simultaneously with the Self. This kind of bipolar consciousness, where the knower and the object of knowledge remain distinct, lays the foundation for his theistic view of life as well.


Madhva asserts that jnana or knowledge is not capable of giving liberation, as the empirical world and its bondages are willed by Brahmn, whom Madhva identifies with Vishnu. In contrast to the Knowledge Principle of Shankara, Madhva says that moksha is possible only through Grace, the Grace of the Creator, whose is the only independent tattva or reality in the dvaita system. All other beings are termed dependant realities, not created but co-existing with Vishnu the Creator, and will continue to coexist in their distinction, even after realisation.


Madhva contends that sublimation of the world is not only impossible, but not required since the time-space framework model is all there is; even God as Vishnu loves it the way it is. According to Madhva knowledge of the Self experienced intuitively by the sakshi or witnes, the energy of atman, does not imply the illusory character of the physical world as Sankara held. The realisation of God as the Prime Mover, on the contrary, further establishes the yathartha or factual character of the world we live in.
The notion of bimba-pratibimbavada -- source as Vishnu and reflection as all dependant beings -- puts Madhva's dvaita school of thought as the philosophical fountainhead of later Vaishnavite bhakti traditions. For, bhakti, according to Madhvacharya, is one of the greatest spiritual values for the average person.

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The saint and the scorpion

Aug 30, 2010, 12.00am IST
SWAMI CHIDANANDA.

One day a sadhu went to the river to bathe. There he noticed a scorpion struggling in the water. Scorpions cannot swim and the sadhu knew that if he did not save the scorpion, it would drown...


Therefore, carefully picking up the scorpion, the monk rescued it from drowning and was just about to set it down gently on land when the scorpion stung his finger. In pain, the sadhu instinctively flung his hand and the scorpion went flying, back into the river. As soon as the sadhu regained his composure from the sting, he again lifted the scorpion out of the water. Again, before he could set the scorpion safely on land, the creature stung him. This drama went on for several minutes as the sadhu continued to try to save the life of the drowning scorpion and the scorpion continued to sting his saviour's hand before reaching the freedom of the riverbank.


A hunter watched as the saint carefully and gingerly lifted the creature out of the water, only to fling it back in as he convulsed in pain from each fresh sting. Finally, the hunter said to the sadhu, "Forgive me for my frankness, but it is clear that the scorpion is simply going to continue to sting you each and every time you try to carry it to safety. Why don't you give up and just let it drown?"

The sadhu replied: "My dear child, the scorpion is not stinging me out of malice or evil intent. Just as it is the water's nature to make me wet, so it is the scorpion's nature to sting. He doesn't realise that I am carrying him to safety. That is a level of conscious comprehension greater than what his brain can achieve. But, just as it is the scorpion's nature to sting, so it is my nature to save. Just as he is not leaving his nature, why should I leave my nature? My dharma is to help any creature of any kind – human or animal. Why should I let a small scorpion rob me of the divine nature which I have cultivated through years of sadhana?"


In our lives we encounter people who harm us, insult us, plot against us, whose actions seem calculated to thwart the successful achievement of our goals. Sometimes these are obvious acts, such as a co-worker who continually steals our ideas or speaks badly of us to our boss. Sometimes these acts are subtle – a friend, relative or colleague who unexpectedly betrays us or who we find has been surreptitiously speaking negatively about us behind our back.


Slowly we find that our own actions, words and thoughts become driven by anger and pain. We find ourselves engaged in cunning thoughts of revenge. Before we realise it, we are injuring ourselves by allowing negative emotions dominate us. They insulted us or plotted against us or sabotaged a well-deserved achievement at work. But we injure ourselves more deeply and more gravely by allowing our hearts and minds to darken.


Our dharma is to be kind, pure, honest, giving, sharing and caring. Others, due to ignorance, lack of understanding or due to the way in which their own karmic drama is unfolding, may act with malice, deceit, selfishness and indifference. But we must not let their actions or their ignorance deprive us of fulfilling our dharma. We must not allow ourselves to be lowered by their ignorance, their habits or their greed. The darkness in their heart should not be allowed to penetrate into the lightness of our hearts.

Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh

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Destroy your mind

Aug 30, 2010, 12.00am IST
LILASHAHJI.

Destroy your mind. Only then you can know Vedanta.


Vidyaranya Swami says, " Mind verily is the root of the tree of samsara with thousands of sprouts, branches and leaves. To suppress sankalpas -- thoughts and imagination -- it is essential to devitalise the mind by forceful effort and destroy it. By doing so, the tree of samsara will wither away."


Vasishtha says, "An unrestrained mind alone is the cause of degeneration while a controlled mind causes progress." Restraint of mind is the only means to control it to uproot disquietude and agitation. The mind is like a poisonous snake sitting with its hood raised in the forest of the heart. It is filled with the deadly poisons of resolves and counter-resolves. I pay my obeisance to the one who has overcome the poisonous snake that resides in the mind and liberate the mind so that it becomes free of vices. Once rid of the poison, the mind is as perfect as a full moon." The mind of an enlightened one gets destroyed while that of an ignorant one is boound and fettered, unable to experience freedom. Unless the mind is controlled through steadfast practice towards realising the Supreme Truth, it keeps wavering, flitting about without direction.


When the mind is not restrained, it develops a penchant for power and influence. The root cause of this is the feeling of imperfection in oneself. With the eradication of the sense of identification with the body, one becomes free from attachment to it, which in turn leads to the complete eradication of the sense of 'mine-ness' regarding relations of the body and the objects related to it.


How can desires stay in the mind of one who has been freed from ego and the sense of 'i-ness' and 'mine-ness' regarding the objects of samsara? His desires are destroyed like the lotus that withers in autumn. He whose desires have been eradicated is liberated. It is only those who have cultivated ways of reining in the mind and using it at will who can be counted as being wise and fortunate.


The mind is the seed of the forest of samsara. One who has destroyed this seed has nothing to fear anymore. Just as a lion roams fearlessly even in the midst of various ferocious animals in the forest, so also does he move about blissfully, free from pairs of opposites, and fearless even in the midst of obstacles, troubles, pleasures, pains, honour and dishonour.


Every one us us wants to lead a happy, blissful and peaceful life forever but unless we learn to control the mind, happiness and peace would be impossible to achieve. It is is not enough to merely listen to discourses and read scriptures for hours on end. One needs to practice what one has heard sages say. By doing what one wishes to do without a thought to whether actions are commensurate with the requirements that take one on the right path, how can one become liberated?


The one who completely assimilates the knowledge imparted by saints and scriptures, attains liberation. He becomes the master of not only his mind but of the three worlds as well.


Hence control the mind by means of the techniques imparted by great saints. If you overcome your mind, you have overcome the world because the mind alone is the root cause of all that one experiences in the world. It is only when the mind attains the state of no-mind-ness (amani bhava) that one becomes happy, blissful and altruistic in life.

www.ashram.org

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Consciousness as guide

Aug 19, 2010, 12.00am IST
SWAMI BRAHMDEV.

There are infinite levels of consciousness; all is consciousness. This play is infinite; the Divine is infinite; the levels are infinite. God is infinite so everything is infinite. We cannot say that there are ten levels, twenty levels: it's infinite.

That's the idea. Life is a journey to the infinite. You can never say that you have already reached it, that this is the end. It is always a beginning.

Time means the distance between two things. Most of the time we are in the past and when we are in the past, we create a distance. So if we want to go out from the time, we must get free of the past. Or maybe we are in the future, and then again we create a distance between the future and ourselves. We wait for the future and we don't live now, in the present.

Time is now, but we create a distance: we are either in the past, or in the future. If we want to get free from time, we must get free from past and future. We have to be always in the present, with the present time in our hands.

If we become servile, we lose our freedom with our way of thinking. If we don't hold on to anything, we are free. If we learn to leave, we will be free.

We hold on and then we say we are not free. Learn to leave fast, never possess, get free from past and future: time will be with you and you will be fully free.

It would be easier to do so by realising the value of life, of existence. We don't know the importance of our lives, and that's why we waste the present moment.

We are always absent from life. We are in the past or future, with memories of the past and fears of the future. This is normal human life, the way of living: always absent from the present.

The power, the joy of the present is so strong, so beautiful and big, that you will not miss your memories. Why do you invoke memories? Because you miss something and when you miss something, you open the album. The power of now, of the present is so great and full that you won't miss anything.

When we live in the present our capacities grow more. Generally, we have memory of the past to enable us to remember the past. When we live in the present we do not need to rely on memory.

The ultimate aim of nature's process of making the human consciousness grow is to give us the realisation, to increase our consciousness. That's the only object of life. All the rest are processes or experiments with or without love, with or without suffering. All the tools of nature are working to make humanity more conscious.

Spirituality means to live with that consciousness. Everything is moving and changing but we are witnesses watching the play, not disturbing it, not interfering, just enjoying.


The Self is a big word. Bring your Self to the front seat so you can direct your own movements. That's why Sri Aurobindo said: "To grow your consciousness, grow your awareness, your understanding, your knowledge. If you exist with consciousness, with good understanding, with knowledge, you are able to give direction to your movements. Then, you can tell your mind where to go.


But now you have no control: if the mind wants this, you go there."
Life is movement and the movement needs a guide. Consciousness is the guide
As told to Sudhamahi Regunathan. Swami's email: aurovalley@gmail.com

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Say, enough is enough

Aug 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
HOMAYUN TABA.

It is no longer `cool' to use the word 'contentment' for the simple reason that currently, the constantly heard or read words are aspiration, acquisition, more, and growth. It's time, therefore to revisit the meaning of contentment.

True contentment does not ask us to end aspiration or advancement, but asks us to appreciate and enjoy what we've got before we can focus on getting more. Many, after getting something for which they hankered after, immediately begin a new search for something different; the process never seems to end. At times we even forget why we needed something or someone. Discontent can become an addiction. "Being human," says philosopher Husserl, "is a characteristic of a being who faces the question: After satisfaction, what?"

Things, people and situations do diminish in charm or utility; you often feel the need for change. It is perhaps not practical to say: "I am content with my typewriter and have no desire for a computer."

However there seems to be a tendency to be dissatisfied with whatever one has, from possessions and relationships, to one's city or country. Is the grass really greener on the other side? Unlikely. An untested belief is that the grass is greener on the other side.

There are two dynamics operating here. The locus can be internal; the person in general is restless, unhappy and dissatisfied. Or it is triggered by external factors; one's discontent is caused by what one sees, desires, or is tempted by.

Contentment was regarded as a sadhana, a spiritual observance, its focus being the mobilisation of one's own mechanism of resistance to acquiring, intended to help one arrive at a state of needlessness. This is not easy even for sages.

It is helpful to see contentment as a state of being that brings with it a certain measure of wakefulness. This creates a sense of comfort with whatever one has at the moment -- and is a cure for dwelling on what one lacks.

Contentment carries a component of thankfulness. When you go to a pharmacy and realise that there are many medicines you can do without, you feel grateful for your state of health.

Contentment may be described as a place between boredom and greed, between the burdensome and need for the novel. In Sanskrit, contentment is referred to as santosh and better translated as fulfillment, distinguished from ashutosh - one who gets satisfied easily but perhaps also temporarily.

Contentment looks into the essentials, requiring a certain eye that takes time to develop. I would go a step ahead and say it is an art.

In this age of quantity and variety, how else could one find protection against the virus of discontent? Masters across cultures have invited us to observe the beautiful effects of contentment, an invaluable asset that helps us find a positive orientation in life.

Everyone cannot be a mahatma; we could at least try to find contentment in whatever way we can. "To know you have enough is to be rich," offered Lao-Tzu; and so say the Taoists, Thoreau, Zen masters, and Sufis.

Contentment offers us a method, a particular angle of viewing certain kinds of truths that are better approached and achieved by this path. Contentment does not mean closing your eyes and ears to reality, or shunning the new; it focuses on being discerning, so that we become 'open-eyed perceivers'.
Where do we draw the line and say 'enough is enough' so that we can achieve balance between what we can acquire and what we can use, big or small? The wisdom of life as always, consists in the elimination of non-essentials.

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Bani, the ultimate guru

Aug 6, 2010, 12.00am IST
KULBIR KAUR.

Bani, the Divine Truth, is the voice of God and is the manifestation of the Formless Lord

Once Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and his companion Bhai Mardana went to a village. In that village lived a thug in the garb of a holy man. Sajjan thug had built a mosque for Muslims and a temple for Hindus. He would serve travellers well by offering them food and shelter. But once it was night, he would kill them, taking possession of all their things.
Sajjan thug welcomed Guru Nanak and Mardana and took care of all their needs. He waited patiently for nightfall so that once they fell asleep he could carry out his usual criminal operation. However, the thug found that Mardana was playing on a Rabab and Guru Nanak was singing a hymn, a sacred Bani. The melody was beautiful. Mesmerised by the sight of the two men engrossed in devotion, and overwhelmed by the lyrical offering, the thug was now beginning to feel liberated. He fell at the Guru's feet, asking for forgiveness. After that, Sajjan not only devoted his entire life to reciting the Holy Name but also turned his house into a dharamshala, a haven for pilgrims, thus becoming a true Sajjan. Such is the impact of Bani or the Divine Word.

Bani or Gurbani refers to sacred compositions of gurus and devotees that have been compiled as the sacred Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Bani, the Divine Truth, is the voice of God and is the manifestation of the Formless Lord, says Guru Amar Das: "Hail, Hail, the Word of the Guru;/ Which is the Formless Lord Himself;/ There is none other, nothing else;/ To be reckoned equal to it." Recitation of Bani or even listening to it with devotion brings about the possibility of enlightenment. Bani, in the form of Shabad, arranged in 31 ragas, is poetry of love and devotion and the source of ultimate happiness.

Bani is also the spiritual and ethical guide. 'Sarang ki Var', Bani of Guru Ram Das, addresses the question: "What is the purpose of life?" Life is ridden with conflict - conflict between good and evil, worldly attachment and the pleasure of knowing the Supreme Being. But what are the causes leading to the conflict?

The root cause of conflict is haumai or man's ego that can bring only suffering. Man takes pride in his achievements but in reality it is the Lord, the Creator of the whole Universe who controls and determines each action. To understand the Hukam, His command, remembering His Name removes haumai and brings humility.


When you surrender to His Will, all doubts are removed and one gets answers to all the questions beyond human comprehension and control. The significance of Hukam or the Divine Order, is well expressed in the first Bani of the Guru Granth Sahib. The Japuji Sahib says: "All come within the Hukam, none beyond its authority. They who comprehend the Hukam, O Nanak, Renounce their self-centred pride." To surrender to His Hukam is the only way to realise the Truth.
The central theme of Bani is Nam simran, that is, the repetition of the Name of the Formless Lord which is Shabad, the Divine Truth. Shabad combined with classical music, Shabad-kirtan, creates a serene and a heavenly atmosphere, taking the devotee to the higher realm, allowing him to merge slowly in the Truth. Recitation of Bani or Shabad in the form of kirtan is an essential part of every Sikh's life. And why not, when Bani is the Ultimate Guru, both spiritual as well as moral.

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A Parisian model's view

Aug 7, 2010, 12.00am IST
ANJALI MENDES.

To learn something new everyday is a gift. You realise this only if your mind is open to the world and to life. It could be as simple as learning a new word and its meaning; something that enriches your life in even a small way, for every little bit of learning helps you become just that wee bit wiser.


You might like to think you're smart and wise - but the truth is, it is only with the little experiences in life that you realise that life is a gift; it has something new to offer every single day. Suddenly, you could discover a new flower, tree or painting; you try to understand what it is - all this adds to one's mental and physical enrichment because the physical is beholding something beautiful and your mind is trying to assimilate what it means.


There are some who remain totally unaffected by what they see or hear. You have to open not just your eyes but your mind, too, for that is what will help widen your perspective, making you a better person. Looking at life as an inexhaustible source of discovery has not only helped me relate to other human beings; it has made me more sensitive to all other forms of life and, indeed, to life itself. Those who never change their mind think they know it all. Unfortunately, the world is full of people who are blasé.


I am writing this from Udaipur; I'm in Rajasthan after 25 years. (I set up home in Paris in 1971 and have lived there since.) Earlier, my mind was not open enough to receive the beauty, to get the full import of our heritage. Once I retired from fulltime work, the first thing I decided to do was to see Rajasthan again.


As a house model for Pierre Cardin, way back in the 1970s, and later, as the business representative of the House of Cardin, I learnt that discipline and punctuality, and respect for people were crucial to advancement, both in terms of career and self-development. I began to realise I had, not only the body, I had brains as well. You get that special aura by being in tune with both body and mind. As I evolved, I realised that twinning of mind and body was not only a spiritually elevating experience; it was turning out to be beneficial for everyday living as well.
I'm a Catholic, but I have a Ganesha idol sitting in my little crypt. Along with Christian thought, I have also absorbed a lot of Hindu thought and culture. I feel happy about this eclectic mix, that I can retain my roots while being open to other systems of knowledge and belief. I feel fulfilled. One side of me would criticise the other side; I found I had a built-in system of checks and balances. I've been through great pain and sorrow in my personal life - I've touched rock bottom. Yet, like a phoenix, I rose from the cold ashes instead of turning cantankerous and bitter. And for this, I give thanks to the exposure and experiences I've had both in India and France - in the course of my career and travels, meeting people, exchanging ideas - that have helped me to absorb and learn, to share and spread happiness, transcending geography, culture and relationships.

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Cloud comp and reincarnation

Aug 8, 2010, 12.00am IST
ANIL K RAJVANSHI.

There are several theories of reincarnation but none describe what passes from body to body when it happens. Cloud computing might help.

In cloud computing, most of the information for personal usage is stored in cyberspace and accessed on demand with a user ID and password. Similarly, it is possible that most of the deep memories of an individual, both good and bad, exist in knowledge space (KS) and can be accessed by an avatar.

KS is where concentrated thoughts and strong emotions are stored as memories. A powerful emotion or deep thought is a stable structure and hence can stay for a long time as memory in KS that is just like a virtual server of cyberspace.

It is possible that what gets transferred during the time of death is only the user name and password. If somebody wishes and has the ability then he can access those memories from KS. This is the basis of reincarnation.


Since memories can be accessed from KS, an individual also has the ability to change them. This could be the basis of Patanjali's idea. He says that with yoga and sanyam a yogi develops powers so that past birth sanskars can be modified or destroyed to achieve liberation. If the soul reincarnates into an animal body then those memories remain dormant till one can again find a human body and change them.

Energy-wise the transfer of only user name and password from one body to another makes more sense since a "switch" is easier to transfer than memories of a whole lifetime. Besides, it allows us to shed the baggage of old memories so new life starts with a clean slate.


Cloud memories in KS may have subtle effect on the actions of the person possessing them. This may be the basis why almost all religions have stressed on doing good so that past actions do not come back to haunt you. It seems memories are cumulative, that is, they accumulate through various births. However, not all memories exist in KS; only deeply emotional ones do.

Since the user name and password are important parts of reincarnation this could be the basis of ancient tradition of child-naming ceremony practised in almost all religions where the birth name is given based on the child's horoscope.

How can we access our memories of past births? Only a yogi with practice of sanyam might have the ability to know about their own or others' past births. Sri Ramakrishna came to know of the reincarnation of Swami Vivekananda by touching him on his chest.

Similarly, Swami Vivekananda once described how by touching the hand of a disciple he saw the disciple's past memories as though written in black and white with sky as the blackboard. With his knowledge and yogic powers Vivekananda could access the disciple's memories – much like one can access data in cloud computing.

There have been reports of several children who are known to have recollected their past births. As they grow older, personality and identity development obliterate the ability to access past-birth memory.

Just as we create a profile on social networking site by putting down our thoughts and experiences, we create a profile in knowledge space. The more powerful someone's mind is, the bigger is his signature in the KS.

The writer is director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Phaltan.

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Working with values

Aug 25, 2010, 12.00am IST
Janina Gomes.

Professional life flowers best in situations where collaboration and partnership with others is the norm and where there is mutual trust and understanding.

However, when employees are driven to deliver results on the basis of unhealthy comparisons, there is trouble. When the Bhagavad Gita speaks of the need for action and remaining detached from the fruits of one's action, it is saying what our elders often repeat to us: To work with detachment.

Sometimes, hierarchy can help smooth the flow of development. An atmosphere of mutual trust and give and take can ensure that participation is democratic. There are spiritual models of functioning based on hierarchy that do promote spiritual growth. There are, however, also holistic models that are more flexible and that ensure a two-way flow, where every aspect of our lives – physical, psychological, emotional and social – is integrated.

This model requires participants to have spiritual and emotional maturity. A head honcho would combine intellectual prowess with compassion and kindness and enforce discipline without stepping on toes. The strengths of each individual would be tapped and together a family of employees is created, anchored to eternal values.

A value-driven organisation has a different mindset. The open way of functioning ensures that each individual is valued for what he can contribute. No unfavourable comparisons are made. If at all, comparison is only meant to create a higher benchmark and so is aspirational.

Too much emphasis on academia and brilliance and on rewarding results has sometimes given rise to lopsided priorities. What often get rewarded is superficial success, and not long-term commitment and loyalty to the organisation or mission.


The business world is changing. Management practices are now increasingly including a spiritual perspective. There is so much more listening than talking. There is a greater sense of cooperation and collaboration in a spiritually empowered marketplace.

Although the younger generation is much more market savvy than the previous generation, they do require spiritual inputs to cater holistically to changing environments and values. The words love, acceptance and transformation are back in circulation in the workplace, thereby giving less room for authoritarianism.

New Age spiritual teachers are faced with the task of conveying in contemporary easy-to-understand terms the priceless messages contained in sacred texts of yore that explain eternal values, so important for right thinking and living, whether at home or at the workplace. There is an effort to find what unites rather than divides. The quest for eternal values like love, peace, joy and fulfillment are being given fresh lease of life.


In the pursuit of holistic development of employer and employee, a professional worker is required to be not just excellent in his job but also display evolved qualities that make him less militant and more cooperative, less of a complainer and more of a doer. The more the employee is engaged in service of others, the less he tends to focus on selfish motivations and ends that might sometimes egg him to veer off the straight path. And service thus rendered with a positive and wholehearted approach can only add to common benefit.

Definitely, there is a place for professional excellence in your working life. But that has to include also spiritual progress that will get reflected in the quality of work you do as well as in the manner in which you relate to others in the workplace and outside.

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Intellect and intelligence

Aug 11, 2010, 12.00am IST
Swami Parthasarathy.

We spend a lot of time acquiring intelligence at the expense of developing intellect.

Intelligence is built by gaining information, knowledge from external agencies, from schools and universities, teachers and textbooks. The intellect is developed through your individual effort by exercising the faculty of questioning, thinking and reasoning. Not accepting anything that does not admit logic or reason. Know the difference between the two. And that any amount of intelligence gained cannot per se build your intellect.


The intelligence acquired from external agencies is much like data fed into a computer. Consider, a computer charged with a complete knowledge of fire extinguishers, firefighting and fire escapes. All the knowledge stored in its memory cannot help the computer act on its own. If the room catches fire, it cannot escape. It will go up in flames. Likewise, all the knowledge you acquire is of no use to you without an intellect.

You need a powerful intellect to put the knowledge, intelligence gained, to practical use in life. That explains why among millions of doctors graduating from medical schools only a few have discovered life-saving drugs and surgeries, finding cures and remedies. So too, millions of engineers have passed out of engineering schools but only few design something unusual like the Panama Canal or Eurotunnel. It is their intellect that renders their performance outstanding. Besides hindering success and progress, intelligence without intellect could destroy peace and happiness in the world.

Not realising the importance of the intellect in life people make no attempt to develop their own. Instead, they merely indulge in acquiring intelligence through surface reading of others' periodicals and publications. Few go into the depth of any literature. Education has lost its meaning and purpose. For generations human beings have turned into intelligent robots and are traversing through life without awareness, much less enquiring into the meaning and purpose of life. Herbert Spencer, a profound thinker and writer, was a rare luminary. Someone asked him if he was a voracious reader. He said: "No sir, if I were as big a reader as others, I would have been as big an ignoramus as they."

The world today is in a state of chaos due to the perversion in human development − all intelligence and no intellect. That explains why even highly educated businesspersons, professionals and scholars become alcoholics, are short tempered and succumb to worry and anxiety. It is the mind that craves alcohol. It is the mind that loses its temper. Again, it is the mind that constantly harbours worry of the past and anxiety for the future. When the intellect remains undeveloped and weak, it is unable to control the vagaries of the mind. The frail intellect looks on helplessly as the mind devastates the person. In such a condition the business, profession and even family relationship run into shambles. On the contrary those having developed a powerful intellect, with or without academic distinction, can hold the mind under perfect control and direct action to spell success and peace in life.

The educational systems the world over must be held responsible for the debacle of the intellect. It is their primary responsibility to strike an equable balance between acquiring intelligence and developing the intellect. Only by maintaining this essential equation can governments be run, businesses conducted, professions practised and families live in peace and prosperity.

(Abstract from Governing Business and Relationships by Swami Parthasarathy.)

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Gone in less than 60 seconds

Aug 11, 2010, 12.00am IST
P V VAIDYANATHAN.

Most of us have been told: "Be aware. Increase your awareness. Awareness is such an important thing. If you are unaware, you will miss life. Only total awareness will bring you peace and happiness, and will help you get rid of sorrow, misery, unhappiness, anxiety, and stress."


We are able to spot unawareness in others easily. We frequently say "He is so unaware. It's obvious what he needs to do, but he just can't see the point. If only he were more aware, life would be so easy for him and others." And though this sort of awareness about our environment and its components -- people, their reactions and emotions, the weather, external events, one's abundance or lack of assets and relationships are important, what is more crucial is internal or Self-awareness.


To be aware, one needs to be conscious or mindful of all things external and internal. The biggest deterrent to awareness is our own mind. We spend a large portion of our lives inside our minds. Give yourself five or ten minutes to observe where you are. Try and see how long you are living in reality. You will soon realise that within a few seconds, you are already gone from your present location into the deep recess of your mind, into memory, into the past or future, into emotions, and into dramas that are being played in the theatre of mind.
To become aware is not easy. That is why the Buddha said "If you can watch your breath for 60 minutes, without a moment's distraction, you are already enlightened". For most of us, six or 60 seconds seems impossible, what to say of 60 minutes?


Awareness begins by sitting quietly in one place and watching one's thoughts. On an average, it has been said that about 60,000 thoughts arise in the human mind every day. So there is very limited space or time for many things that we need to do. As we watch our thoughts without getting attached to them or getting involved with them, thoughts tend to lose steam and disappear. It is attachment to thoughts that gives them energy to sustain and grow.

As we detach ourselves from our thoughts, the number of thoughts that keep coming also become less. And when the number of thoughts gets reduced at the production stage itself, then there is space and time for us to focus on the external and internal environment, and to become aware of those around us, and above all, to become more aware of ourselves. Certainly, all this requires tremendous effort and will.


Once we become aware of ourselves, our journey of Self-discovery, for Truth, for God and for bliss starts. Till such time, we are only living in our minds, believing everything the mind tells us, following up on every small and big thought that hits us, arguing, rationalising, justifying, imploring, hoping, wishing, worrying, agonising, celebrating, while life is passing by, in the real world, and we are not connected to it. We are far removed from it.

Start with a three or five minute awareness exercise today, and see where it leads you. And see how difficult it is, and see why awareness is such a difficult thing, not because of someone or something outside us, but because of our own selves.

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Wrestling with God

Aug 13, 2010, 12.00am IST
Janina Gomes.

Before we seek God, it is He who has already sought us.

Jacob, in the Bible, wrestled with God in his dream, whilst asleep under a tree. His experience is really a universal one, though it may manifest in many different forms.


Wrestling with God always and inevitably has a positive outcome. We become freer from within. We begin to see a meaning in conflicts and confrontation. When up against a wall, be sure God will meet us in the very impasse we are in. He confronts us, not in the inhuman way some people do, but with deference to our independence and respect for our deepest longings and desires.

Confrontation in real life is unavoidable. Confrontation if handled badly can lead to conflict. Conflict arises from difference and the inability of people to integrate this diversity. Conflict hampers full development because very often it is rooted in the past as unfinished business. A history of non-acceptance, of claims and counterclaims, of greed, jealousy, of disrupted social interactions, sometimes ending in violence and war can all make conflicts difficult to resolve and lead to an emotional overload.


Generations of people pass on the same hatreds from the past. They have been and continue to be at loggerheads. Acrimony and bad taste, attacks and counter-attacks. We are familiar with it all. On the other hand negotiated settlements require wisdom, detachment, statesmanship, a certain give and take, exploration of the unfamiliar and breaking of new ground.

In every situation that presents itself, we find that we encounter some powerful force that we cannot explain. The process of avoidance, denial and withdrawal are all ways in which we wrestle with the divine.

In our active consciousness, we question, look for firm answers and delay our responses. God extends a hand of invitation to us, best captured in Michael Angelo's painting on creation, in the Sistine chapel, depicting God the Father reaching out a hand to touch a human being to life.

Often we find in life, we want one thing and just another happens. All the best laid plans of mice and men come to naught. That creates a feeling of defeat and despondency. But, all the while, the shadow of God hovers and has been hovering over us in all situations both good and bad. A long extended period of wrestling with God's ways and His plans may finally lead us to accept that with God, what we must really do as created beings is to surrender our whole life to Him.

Once we have this framework in our lives, the rest becomes easier. Don't wait till the evening of your life to come to terms with yourself and God. If you are resisting and are enmeshed in the day-to-day pettiness that can ruin our lives, begin now. God, the very force you were wrestling with has already found you before you actively sought Him.

If we allow the grace of God to flow unimpeded in us, we will find that goodness flows naturally from us, like the river. Others will find refuge and solace in us and we will become messengers of God without great effort.

Time will be on our side. Nature will support and help us. We will walk confidently into the future. The God we evaded will flood our lives with His grace. And after a while we will find that there is no need to wrestle any more. God will be our all in all. Was that not the reason why we were born?

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