Time to celebrate, it's Christmas

Dec 25, 2009, 12.00am IST
M P K Kutty.

Christmas is a time for celebration. It is also a time when we are infused with a kind, forgiving and charitable spirit that enables us all to have a good time.

In the midst of all the festive celebrations, exchange of gifts and merrymaking, the purpose of the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger in Bethlehem might get forgotten. It was not the intention of Christ to launch one more religion, but to empower people to live the abundant life mindfully.

All was not well with the world when Jesus was born on earth. On going through the Sermon on the Mount delivered by Jesus, it becomes clear how far removed we were from holistic living. Life was by no means free of deceit.

Three factors cloud the life of an individual, According to the Bible these are: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Sin is implicit in all these and the so-called fall of man is a result of the Original Sin and this distanced him from God. It is the contention of the faith that Christ came to reconcile man with God. His death on the Cross on behalf of all of us accomplished this purpose to some extent. Christ’s birth, death and resurrection were part of a plan for the transformation of man so that he could be liberated so as to live to his full potential.

Jesus presented to people a set of values that seemed to be in contradiction with the standards followed in the world. In the words of Malcolm Muggeridge: “It was the poor, not the rich who were blessed, the weak, not the strong who were to be esteemed; the pure in heart, not the sophisticated and the worldly, who understood what life was about. Righteousness, not power, money or sensual pleasure, should be man’s pursuit. We should love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them that use us, and in order that we may be worthy members of a human family whose Father is in Heaven.”

Man’s body, the Bible points out, is the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in him. When a person accepts Christ, this Spirit comes to work within and takes over his life. This opens up immense possibilities. The man who is led by the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Truth becomes filled with His love and power.

Thus empowered, the faithful find it possible to love unconditionally. This tallied with the deepest yearning of the human heart to love and be loved. St John emphasises that whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Christmas is a celebration of life. A historian wrote: “Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered millions more than Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon. He shed more light on things human and divine than all the philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of the school, He spoke words of such wisdom such as were never spoken before and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator and poet. Without writing a single line, He has set pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussion, and works of art, learned volumes, and sweet songs of praise. Born in a manger, and crucified as a malefactor, He came to control the destinies of many.”

Christmas, therefore is more than just a time to eat cakes and exchange gifts; it is also a time to reflect on how we need to uphold the standards of the One who came to give us the abundant life.

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The purpose and utility of identity

Dec 19, 2009, 12.00am IST
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

The universe is a multilayered existence; there are many levels: there are the molecular, the atomic and the subatomic levels. So also the human consciousness: though one, yet, it is many.


An eight-year-old child in India was always given the Brahma Gyan first, before any other knowledge. The first upadesha or formal advice given during the Upanayanam or holy thread ceremony is called Brahmopadesha, where the highest identity of oneself is revealed as a secret. In this ceremony, the guru, father and mother whisper in the ear of the child: "You are THAT!" And then all the varnashrama dharmas, or lesser identities are taught and the duties are promulgated.

The lesser identity is essential to perform limited duties that include those as student, son or daughter, husband or wife, father or mother, professional or citizen. Lesser identities strengthen the 'karta' or doer and enable him to complete the karma. Another utility of lesser identity is to move one from tamoguna to rajoguna and that is how Krishna reminds Arjuna of his being a warrior and his warrior dharma, again and again after educating him in the Sankhya yoga, the highest knowledge of atma-gyan. He tells him about his kshatriya dharma and what people will say if he doesn't do his duty, something that is irrelevant to a Brahmagyani.

So, to come out of tamoguna, rajoguna is essential. And while moving from rajoguna to satoguna, all identities get dropped. That's why Buddha said the world is all sorrow and misery; so take sanyas. His teachings were simple, plain, convincing, logical and so could be understood far and wide, whereas Krishna's are complicated, confusing and contradictory and so they remained confined to India. Krishna also says "Anityam Asukham Loka". The universe is anitya, asukha (transient, devoid of happiness) ^ he doesn't say it is dukham ^ and further he says "Imam Prapya" ^ Achieving this, "Bhajaswamam" ^ merge into Me. (Gita, Ch. 9)

In the Vedantic tradition, there are two paths: One is that of negation "neti neti", which the Buddhists have adopted. The other is simply moving beyond negation. That is the path of Taitriya Upanishads, also called the varunya. The varun was given introduction ... food is Brahmn, then told Prana Brahmn, without negating the previous. Then as the higher planes of manobrahma, vigyan-brahma and anandam-brahma are introduced, the previous identities are naturally superseded; no negation is used in this.


You don't need to negate being a householder to be a good citizen of your country and you don't need to negate being a good citizen in order to be a world citizen; they all fall in place. The lower identities simply get absorbed and enriched as well. This is incomprehensible for a linear-thinking Occident.

The dharmashastras and Brahmagyanis have all along been guiding when there is a conflict between the dharmas of different identities like between a grihastha-dharma or that of a householder and raja-dharma or that of a citizen. While identities are useful for performing the karmas, their futility is obvious in the field of knowledge or gyana. Like the membrane around the seed, which stays till the seed sprouts, identity will remain till the Brahmagyan is attained ^ they help one to complete their karmas.

In the Gita, Krishna cleverly adopts both these methods, to bring both vairagya (to get out of sorrow) and to perform the duty, which Arjuna had to. "Na budhi-bhedam ... karma sanghinam."

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To adapt and innovate is to survive and evolve

Dec 29, 2009, 12.00am IST
DEEPAK RANADE.

Belief in prefixed programmes or destiny provides us with back-end logic to arbitrarily occurring events. It absolves us of our contribution to failure or with having to deal with ‘effort to outcome’ incongruence.


Our evolution as humans has transported us from the jungles to the moon. It bears testimony to the human ability to analyse, strategise, adapt and progress. A belief in the preordained would be a discredit to evolution. It would discount phenomenal human endeavour which has always shone through the darkest clouds of despondence.

Has free will given us the power of adaptation? Adaptation is a dynamic process that delves into the deepest recesses of creativity. Overcoming adversity is what stimulates growth and development.


Failure lures the weak mind to succumb to fatalism and so one finds it convenient to give in to passive submission. Free will, if exercised, can empower. It provides us with the freedom to spread our wings; to endeavour to soar in the vast skies of achievement. To experience, to grow, to create. The indomitability of the human spirit has nurtured evolution and helped us overcome our limitations.

Facing situations squarely requires a realistic appraisal of the problem and assessing the entire spectrum of available options diligently. Assigning cosmic design or any form of inevitability to events would be defeatist. Evolution of the human brain has provided us with the power of intelligence and discrimination.

We can prevail over our hormones, instincts and beliefs. Free will is also a double-edged weapon that can breed fear and doubt. The flower never needed anyone to predict its ability to blossom. The hatchling is oblivious to any speculation of its taking flight.

The deterministic nature of a system does not make it predictable. This is what the chaos theory propounds. The `butterfly effect’ -- a very small variation in the initial starting conditions having a tremendous impact on the final outcome – makes any predictive pattern far less reliable. The butterfly effect makes a triviality such as which side one got off the bed cascade incomprehensibly to events far beyond the scope of any predictive system.

All predictive models are based on statistical analysis, and at best can quantify the probability of an event occurring. The quantum theory also predicts that any conceivable outcome, even of walking through a wall, has a probability of occurring. Till that event actually happens, the wave function of every conceivable event abounds. In the medical profession, too, statistics are at best deterministic. They give a general trend and are ineffective from a predictive standpoint in an individual case.

The desire to know and enforce specific outcomes stems from the ego. It assumes the ability to control the environment. Free will gives the freedom to alter and manipulate inputs. It does not empower us with any control over the outcomes. Having no knowledge of or control over the outcome is a pre-condition to expression of free will.


A prefixed scheme or destiny would render free will meaningless. All actions would be mere formality that has to precede the inevitable and foregone outcome. An act becomes meaningless only in retrospect once the outcome is known. Prospectively all action is meaningful.


Certainty shackles and stifles spontaneity. Uncertainty truly liberates. A limitless potential to unfold in limitless ways. It conceives the improbable. Achievements are preceded by dreams which thrive only in the realm of improbability and uncertainty.

The inability to control or predict outcomes makes free will thrive. Unpredictability emphasises the importance of action. It underlines the beauty of the journey rather than obsession about the destination.

The writer is a consultant neurosurgeon. Email: deepakranade@hotmail.com.

Blog: www.neuroconsciousness.blogspot.com

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A New Year and more of prosperity and peace

Dec 1, 2009, 12.00am IST
SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR.

Each New Year, we wish others happiness and prosperity. What really is the sign of prosperity? There are several - a smile, contentment, freedom, the willingness to share, fearlessness and the trust and confidence that you will get what you need in life.


Welcome the New Year with a genuine smile. As you flip the calendar, keep flipping your mind as well. Don’t fill your future dates with past events. Learn and unlearn from the past, and move on.

You want to be free of greed, hatred, jealousy and all such imperfections. Understand that negative emotions are due to the past. Do not let the past affect your life in the present. If you cannot forgive the past, then your future will be miserable. This New Year make up with someone with whom you are not on good terms. Start life afresh.


In the New Year, wish peace and prosperity for all. Do selfless service. Live your life well. Realise that your priority is to check violence in the world, free of domestic and societal violence. Make a resolution to do more good, help people in need and bring solace to those suffering.

Whenever you are useful to people, merit will never be lost. Any good gesture or action of yours will always come back to you. Today you have the whole world for a family. That’s what you need to feel, that everybody is part of your own family. Take responsibility. Then there is no suffering.

The spiritual dimension of life brings a great sense of belongingness, responsibility, compassion and caring for the whole world, for all life. In its truest form spirituality helps us overcome narrow boundaries of caste, creed, religion and nationality and give you a broader awareness of life everywhere.

Open your eyes and see how much you have been given. Focus on what you have rather than what you don’t have. The more grateful you are, the more will be given to you. Conversely, the more you complain, the more will be taken away from you. This is what Jesus Christ meant when he said, “Those who have will be given more; those who don’t give, and even what they have will be taken away from them.”

With gratitude, reach out and help those who are less endowed. You will get much contentment when you serve selflessly. Then you realise that your problems aren’t so big after all. The biggest reason for mental depression is the constant refrain of the mind that says, “What about me?” This is a sign of lack of prosperity.

Become free like a bird. Open your wings and learn to fly. This is something you have to experience within yourself. If you think you are in bondage, you will remain bound here. Be free. When will you experience freedom? After you die? Become free right now. Sit down and become contented. Spend some time in meditation and satsang. This not only calms your mind, your inner self becomes strong enough to deal with challenges.

When the mind relaxes, the intellect becomes sharp. When the mind is loaded with ambitions and feverish desires, then the intellect loses its keenness. When intellect and observation are not sharp, life does not express itself fully. Ideas don’t flow properly and abilities diminish day by day. With this understanding, you step out of your narrow confines and that will solve many of the problems in your life. When you are centred, there is happiness always. With this calmness, talents arise naturally. Intuition comes, beauty comes, peace comes; Love springs up. Prosperity comes.

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Boxing Day: Gift With Love

Dec 26, 2009, 12.00am IST
VITHAL C NADKARNI.

If you believe the cartoons, on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, the bills and IOUs supposedly come in to roost – not necessarily via the chimney – after all that merry splurging and shopping.


According to another send-up, Reindeer and Santa square off against one another in a boxing ring on this day! That could explain why some folks in South Africa have quietly renamed the public holiday as the Day of Goodwill.


Jokes apart, Boxing Day is for giving gifts to grown-ups. It’s somewhat similar to distributing baksheesh during Diwali to those who have stood and served you throughout the year. It’s not as widespread as Christmas because it only started in England under Queen Victoria’s reign. This may be the reason why Boxing Day celebrations are largely confined to Commonwealth countries.
Also known as St Stephen’s Day, it was an occasion for the upper class to give gifts of cash, or other goods, in wooden boxes to those from the lower classes: the misanthropic Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol fit the former, and his family-loving factotum, Bob Cratchit, the latter.

Boxing Day thus enables you to get off the hedonist “I-me-mine” treadmill. It offers a shift away from what C S Lewis, creator of the Narnia Chronicles, called the ‘Need-love’ mode to a ‘Gift-love’ one. Of course we are busy in life seeking the things we need and love, but it is often not just for ourselves, but for the nearest and dearest who depend on us. “These points write Stephen J Post in Why Good Things Happen to Good People. “This thesis is old, but it can be forgotten, so it bears repeating from time to time.”
Sincerity is the key to mindful giving and its best, is supposed to be anonymous. The original St Nicholas had a reputation for secret gift giving such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. He thus became the model for Santa Claus whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas.


Boxing Day also supposedly came from the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over Christmas season. The clergy distributed the contents amongst the poor, the day after Christmas. “We cannot grasp Gift-love like a coin, but this warmth and concern for another is more real and meaningful than anything we can possess,” explains Post. “When we cultivate sincere Gift-love through day-to-day practice, we inadvertently discover the great paradox that underlies fuller human flourishing – in the giving of self lies the surprising discovery of a happier and healthier self. This paradox underlies most spiritual and moral wisdom.”
The Bhakti traditions of India and spiritual beliefs around the world have celebrated this paradox of ‘giving leading to growth’. More recently, a survey of 30,000 American households found that those who gave to charity were 43 per cent more likely to say they were ‘‘very happy’’ about their lives than those who did not give.


“The survey doesn’t show whether giving made people happy, or happy people were more likely to give,” says Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer. “But the anecdotal evidence is strong – many people find that when they begin to give, they free themselves from the acquisitive treadmill and find new meaning and fulfilment in their lives.”

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Identifying with the life of Christ Stephen Isaac

Dec 24, 2009, 12.00am IST

For me Jesus is one of the most important spiritual masters, and his life and teachings are instructive.


In my later years, when reading the Bible, I found that the Old Testament clashed with the New, where the subject of survival was concerned. The Old Testament says, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” whereas the New Testament says, “If your enemy strikes you on one cheek, offer him your other cheek.”

So who is this man who single handedly came to have a big impact on our lives. We know almost nothing of him till he is baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan at the age of 30. That he grew up with good parents is evident in St.Luke’s Bible chapter that says: “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the Grace of God was upon him” In St. Mark, we are told: “And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness ... And he was there in the wilderness 40 days, tempted by Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him”.


This happens after the baptism. So why was Jesus tempted by Satan for 40 days? Why was a man, that we believe to be the son of God on Earth in human form, struggling so hard to come to terms with the path he was destined to walk?


For 30 years he went through the same joys and sorrows, sickness and healing, doubts and worries that any average human being goes through in a lifetime. God did not send him as a super hero, totally immune to the weaknesses that we are susceptible to. Jesus had to overcome these weaknesses to cross the line, to become to one of the greatest masters to have ever lived. And to make that decision it took him 40 days when he fasted and prayed, and meditated.
And Jesus took the decision, even though he realised that it would bring unimaginable pain and sorrow to his personal self.

Till the end, there must have been many occasions when he would have preferred to give up. Before he was arrested by the Romans, he had prayed three times: “Father all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt”. Here was a man filled with the fear of what lay ahead. But once arrested, the fear vanishes to be replaced by a calm of immense proportions, despite which for one last time he falters, when he is on the cross and cries out: “My God, my God, why Hast Though forsaken me?”


None of his apostles had a clue as to what was happening, even though he had warned them of what lay ahead. Peter even tried to dissuade him from talking about his death. They all vanished when he was arrested, though Peter hung around, vehemently denying that he knew Jesus when confronted by a temple maid. And the compassionate and enlightened Jesus forgave them because he understood their fears; he was able to relate to their fears.

I can relate to this Jesus who healed, taught and fed thousands of people, asking nothing in return except that they follow the path of Truth. Jesus was the Son of God, just as you and I are the children of God, and we are all called upon to make the same decision he made, to follow and spread the message of Truth.

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Seeking an appointment with the divine

Dec 23, 2009, 12.00am IST
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL.

During the time of the Roman Empire, the Jews, and later the early Christians punctuated the workday with fixed-hour prayers that followed the flow of Roman commercial life.


Forum bells rang at the start of the workday at six each morning, the mid-morning break at nine, the noon break at twelve, the re-commencing of trade at three, and rang out to signal close of business at six.


With the addition of evening prayers and dawn prayers, the structure of seven times of fixed-hour prayer was established in a form very close to that which many Christians still use today.
Various Christian traditions have a “Book of Hours”, known as Liturgy of the Hours, Daily Office or Divine Office – ‘office’ from the Latin for work, service or duty – in which prescribed prayers for specific times are laid out. Though this was initially done by individuals and groups, over time, because of the discipline and commitment required, for a long time this was thought best left to those in monastic communities or religious orders.


Though it seems daunting for a lay person today, several men and women have made this “Praying the Hours” a part of their personal practice. Gently yet purposefully easing away from the obligations of home or work, they pause at fixed times to mindfully connect with the Divine. Whispered, chanted, or prayed silently within, a river of words flows from our souls to God.


The timed intervals call us to prayer when we're ready – and especially when we're not! Prayer time does not interrupt a day; it gives it meaning and substance. In fact, Martin Luther said that he had so much work to do for God that he could never get it done unless he prayed three hours a day.


A Book of Hours takes many forms, not just the ‘prescribed’ traditional, strictly scriptural readings. A modern rendition, The Little Book of Hours, teaches how you can "pray the hours" in the midst of a busy life. It tells us, "Prayer is first and foremost about our relationship with God and our relationship with one another in the Body of Christ ... Prayer, then, is not so much an exercise of piety as it is an exchange of love."


They could be related to as Seven Sacred Pauses, also the title of the book by Macrina Wiederkehr, which shows it is possible to connect with these meaningful timings, without specific texts or going to a particular place for prayer. Each hour has its unique mood and special grace, which you can touch wherever you are, honouring each gifted day.


The Night Watch, a pre-dawn prayer – vigilance, trust. At dawn, The Awakening Hour – praise, joy and light. The Blessing Hour, midmorning – spirit, breath, blessing. The Hour of Illumination at noon – commitment, passion, peace. Late afternoon, The Wisdom Hour – impermanence, wisdom, aging. The Twilight Hour, at dusk – slowing down, praise, gratitude. The hour before sleep, The Great Silence – forgiveness, strength, surrenders.

There is yet another fixed-hour tradition that is probably more easily adhered to. Very simply put, it means commitment to these four prayer times – dawn, day, dusk, and dark.


Whichever regimen of prayer we choose to follow, praying the hours enjoins us to stop, let go of concerns and preoccupations for a while, and focus on the sacred at regular intervals throughout the day. Every day becomes holy, woven together by our small and regular appointments with God.

The writer is a Mumbai-based consultant, personal growth coach and workshop leader. Email: weave@vsnl.net

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Resonance of the East in Christ's teachings

Dec 21, 2009, 12.00am IST
Swami Kriyananda.

Does the concept of samadhi or union with God, agree with the teachings of Jesus Christ?



Most Christians get no hint in churches that the Bible promises them anything like cosmic consciousness. The best they hope for is eternity in Heaven, in a body similar to the one they now inhabit.


No one, however, has a 'corner' on Christ's teachings. God's revelation through Jesus Christ is common property, for it is truth itself, and it belongs to no church. Many times progress occurs in our understanding when one civilisation is exposed to the insights of another's. Religion, today, stands at the threshold of such an opportunity. Teachings from the East have already had a strong impact in America. It has reminded people in there of dormant traditions in their own faith. For example, the practice of meditation, which was once a part of Christian practice, is now being revived under the influence of teachers from India.

A visitor once asked Paramhansa Yogananda, "You call your temples 'churches of all religions'. Why, then, do you place special emphasis on Christianity?" "It was the wish of Babaji, Yogananda's guru, that i do so," he replied. "He asked me to interpret the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, or Hindu Bible, and to show that the teachings of both are basically the same. It was with this mission that i was sent to the West."


By his example as much as by his teachings, Paramhansa Yogananda turned agnostics into deeply believing Christians. His mission, indeed, was not to convert anyone to Hinduism, but to revitalise the Christianity of Christians. He taught, as he himself put it, "the original Christianity of Christ".

What, then, of our original question? What do the Christian saints say about their experiences of oneness with God? Christian mystic Meister Eckhart said of souls that are merged in God, "By grace they are 'God with God'." "I, who am infinite," wrote St Catherine of Sienna, "seek infinite works that is, an infinite perfection of love." St Bernard wrote, " So it will inevitably happen that in saints every human affection will then, in some ineffable manner, melt away from self and be entirely transfused into the will of God."

St Simeon felt that a man who has attained the final degree of perfection is dead and yet not dead, but infinitely more alive in God... He is inactive and at rest, as one who has come to the end of all action of his own. He is without thought, since he has become one with Him who is above all thought. Of St Simeon's experience of samadhi, his disciple Nicetas Stathos wrote that once, while offering up a pure prayer to God to be drawn into intimate converse with Him, he had a vision: Behold, the atmosphere began to shine through his soul... Quite outside himself, as he gazed with his whole soul at this light that had appeared to him, it increased bit by bit...and he felt himself taken, with his whole body, away from the things of earth.

Do not these observations suggest persuasively, the state of oneness with God, which is known to Indian yogis as samadhi? It would be instructive for Christians to meditate on Jesus's parable of the mustard seed, which he likened to the Kingdom of Heaven. The mustard seed, he said, though tiny, grows eventually to become a tree, "so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches" (Matthew 13:32). Even so, the soul in communion with the Lord expands to embrace the infinity of consciousness that is God.

Adapted from the writer's The New Path: My Life With Paramhansa Yogananda, Ananda Sangha. Contact: 9899267698.

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Direct your actions for the common good

Dec 21, 2009, 12.00am IST
GIRISH DESHPANDE.

On many occasions we may have a feeling to perform a virtuous or meritorious act to instil ‘the feel good’ factor. This is a noble thing to do and one can increase the benefits arising from such actions by being mindful of a few things.
Often when actions of such nature are performed they may arise out of a feeling of guilt, of pride in doing good deeds, or to fuel ambitions in this life. While such feelings will bring no benefit at all, those that arise out of a pure mind, uncontrived, unconditioned and unconceptualised, the merits of such actions can be magnified.


Actions by themselves have no direction of their own; they have no capacity to bring merit unless the action is dedicated from an arising from the source, towards a particular person or people and the goal of directing the dedication.


One day, the residents of a town invited the Buddha to a meal. Soon after they left, 500 pretas – those born in the hungry ghost realm – arrived and requested him to dedicate to them the merit of the alms the people would offer to the Buddha. On asking the reason, the pretas said they were the parents of these residents and were reborn as pretas due to their miserly behaviour. The Buddha agreed on the condition that they accompany him. On seeing them the people were horrified. On the Buddha’s explanation and reassurance to them they calmed down. The Buddha made a request for dedicating their sources of merit to the pretas. The people agreed unanimously.


The Buddha said: “May all the merit of this offering/ Go to these pretas/ May they be rid of their ugly bodies/ And obtain the happiness of higher worlds!” No sooner than he uttered these words, all the pretas died and the Buddha explained to the people that they were reborn in higher worlds.
“Therefore, bear in mind that all actions ought to be from a pure mind and so arising, be dedicated to bring benefit to those they are intended towards for any small reason. Be it the family’s well-being, parents’ good health, for the peace of the dead or to bring enlightenment for all sentient beings. Whatever is your meritorious action, small or big, if it is dedicated without conceptualisation – pure in intention and motivation – it will bring benefit to the people you have in mind. If not, it is like having wholesome food mixed with poison! Also bear in mind that all actions are illusory, by nature empty and magical. Therefore, have no attachment towards them. Only then that dedication would be non-toxic.”


Jetsun Mila, Tibet’s yogi and poet, says: “Between the hermit meditating in the mountain/ And the donor who provides his sustenance/ There is a link that will lead them to enlightenment together/ Dedication of (pure) merit is the very heart of that link.” Not just this. The benefits go further as Chagme Rinpoche says: “When we hear about (unconceptualised) good done by others, if we cast out all negative thoughts of jealousy and really rejoice in the depth of our hearts, it is said that the merit we gain will be equal to theirs.”


Such is the nature of genuine feeling towards pure actions. Therefore, let raise the bodhichitta – mind of enlightenment – within yourself. Do meritworthy actions with purity. Dedicate the act to the end in view. Bear in mind that all of it is empty by nature, illusory and dream-like. And revel in the goodness done by others. You will then experience bliss within.

The writer is a practising Nyingma Buddhist.

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Of fallen trees and the cycle of life

Dec 16, 2009, 12.00am IST
ARUNA JETHWANI.

The cyclone hit the coast. The wind went wild. It whirled and whistled and then struck trees with all its might. Three huge trees outside the compound came crashing down. We panicked. Seeing the roots upside down and the heavy trunks flat on the ground, my helpmate Ujwalla’s began to fill up. Was she going to cry? “What happened,” I asked her.


“So what if they are trees. They breathe like us. They are dead, all three of them.” There was no denying the fact that the trees were indeed dead. But there was no way to tell her that whatever had happened was for the best. After wiping her tears, she asked: “Why has nature been so unkind to them?” Nature has its own guarded secrets.


I had noticed the incline of the trees and the branches that were bending towards the earth, a few days ago. I had even told her on an earlier occasion, “The trees are taking too much energy from the earth.” I had read that trees bending too low were not benign to earth. ‘So what?’ said Ujwala. “They screen the sun, and give shade to shepherds who roam around with their flock of sheep. The children come to play. And it was a home to an owl, who visited every night.”


I said: “They had sucked enough energy from the earth. Nature had to intervene and put them to sleep. Nature has its own way of dealing with situations. Nature is kind, it is also just.”


I continued, to make Ujwala feel better: “Nature could not bear the suffering of the Earth. Moreover the people who came to play on the ground had also created a lot of negative energy. You had seen how rough the boxers were with those trees? Sport, when played as competition, is not always healthy,” I explained.


Ujwalla frowned visibly. In her innocence she said: “The trees were not healthy, because we had not nurtured them well, we should have watered them when the summer elongated and the monsoon was delayed.” That was partly true. The delayed monsoon had weakened their roots.


To get Ujwalla out of her guilt feeling and her bereavement, we offered a prayer, a requiem saying: “Thank you God for giving us joy of the trees for two decades. May their roots be washed by the rain and purified. May the tree spirit float free in peace. May their seeds sprout again.”


The prayer seemed to have little effect on Ujwalla. The torrent of rain continued and she began to shiver: “It is not right, why should the trees be uprooted? And a prayer without the ritual of burning incense is an insult to the trees.” “OK, go out in this lashing rain and do the ‘ agarbatti ’ ritual.” IF by doing so she would get a sense of closure, so be it.


The next morning, the sky was clear. The rain had stopped. Ujwalla carried twelve agarbatti sticks to the open ground that was littered with hundreds of branches of fallen trees. She lit the agarbatti near the open roots of trees and offered her own prayers. Little girls had gathered around. They were picking up twigs and making them into bundles to carry home. I called out to a little girl in a torn sari. “I am collecting wood for fuel. We had no fire in the hearth for many days.” The joy on her face was revealing. “Light the incense and celebrate,” I hollered to Ujwalla. “Nature has been merciful to all these hungry kids!” I think Ujwalla understood. The cycle continues.

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Mistakes and mystics: survival and beyond discourse

Dec 15, 2009, 12.00am IST
SADHGURU.

There are only two kinds of people in the world – mystics and mistakes. If you are seeing life just the way it is, you are a mystic in the world’s eyes. If there are big errors in your perception, you are a mistake considering yourself to be normal.


This may sound insensitive, but if you genuinely want to know, the sooner you do away with all the nonsense in you, the better it is.
If your perception is changing at different times of your life, clearly what you did yesterday or how you saw life yesterday was a mistake. What you are doing now seems to be the right thing to you, but this can change anytime. What you do today may seem like a mistake tomorrow, and what you do tomorrow will might seem to be the right thing. So, there is a mistake in the way we perceive life. When this gets corrected, people think you are a mystic because you are beginning to perceive life in a way that you cannot fit in logic; it is way beyond logic. Logic is just a small part of your life – you can never fit life into it. You can fit logic into your life but never life into logic.


If your experience of life transcends the limitations of sense perception, you are known as a mystic. You experience life in a way that others do not know; you make things happen in a way that they cannot understand, so they call you a mystic – they are admitting that they are mistakes.

There is nothing wrong in being a mistake, but not realising the mistake is the biggest mistake. When you were in the womb, you had eyes, but could not see. You had ears, but probably could not hear – else you would know how it was inside.

At birth, your sense organs naturally opened up for survival. For anything that is beyond survival to open up, it needs striving. As a baby, if you were left all alone in a forest and if something edible arrived in front of you, would you stuff it into your ears? No, you would know where to put it. But would you know how to read, write, to speak a language? That takes some striving. Today, language comes easily to you because of striving.


What is beyond survival does not open up for you unless you strive. All religions and spiritual traditions started off as just this striving. Over time, however, transmitting it through generations things get ritualised and the context is somehow lost. Every religion started off as human striving to know, to experience, to create well-being. If you think you are absolutely right on everything, you become fanatical. If you know that you are a mistake, then you are a potential mystic.


When the survival process is constantly getting more complicated, there is not much room for many to strive to know the truth, to know the basic nature of our own existence. In the last century, in our excitement over achievers who accomplished things that were not possible earlier, we have gone berserk.


Technology is not only about gadgetry but about arranging our lives in a way that the survival process is handled effortlessly and there is time and space to explore other aspects and dimensions – which would not be possible if we were fully occupied with survival. Now for the most part, survival is so organised.


Therefore, invest time and resources to build infrastructure for deeper exploration of yourself. That is where ultimate well-being is, and ultimate liberation.

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Your body is a microcosm of the world outside

Dec 7, 2009, 12.00am IST
DAVID VENNELLS.

The human body is an intricate web of interconnected physiological systems, all interdependent. If one area is damaged or put under stress this can cause problems in other areas. The body is like a microcosm of the planet... When one part of this delicate natural machine is disturbed, it sends ripples of stress through the whole...



Healing depends on balance. If our external and internal lifestyles are balanced then, assuming we have the potential to get well, all the conditions necessary for healing are in place. How to establish external balance? We should develop a good diet, drink plenty of water, get enough rest and sleep, have regular exercise within our capacity and we need to have an enjoyable job or purpose in life or learn to enjoy it. Also it helps to live in a clean and healthy environment. We also need supportive and healthy relationships and should avoid substance abuse...

We have a subtle body too, made of energy - life force energy that runs through subtle pathways or meridians and centres of energy, known as chakras. A skilful healer can help the body to heal by stimulating and unblocking the meridians so our natural energies flow freely, bringing mental, emotional and eventually physical balance and well-being. This is the way most natural healing therapies work...

Our body, nervous system, mind and internal energies are so intimately connected that a particular therapy may work on several of these areas at the same time to bring balance and healing to the whole. Even the therapies that work only on the mind like counselling and psychotherapy can have a positive influence on the physical body through this chain of close connections...

Life force energy is the subtle foundation of all life, a sort of 'cosmic soup' that supports, nourishes and sustains the cycle of birth, life and death. Physical matter is made up of differing frequencies of energy. Solid objects are made up of energy vibrating at a very low or slow frequency. Less solid objects like water, air and subtle life force energy are vibrating incredibly fast.


Universal life force energy is regarded as the source of all life. The life force in plants, trees, animals, humans, planets, stars and universes comes from this one source. We need to make contact with the source if we want to maintain or recreate good physical, mental and spiritual health. When we are in touch with this energy through prayer, meditation, walking or receiving healing we feel less 'separate' and increasingly 'whole' within ourselves and within the 'whole' of creation. We experience a sense of unity, we become more aware of our place or role in the great scheme of things and at the same time we feel supported, safe, open and confident in our ability to be all that we are. These spiritual or personal experiences are the 'essence' of healing...

There are many conditions required for health like good diet, regular light exercise, social and environmental circumstances, mental attitude etc. However, there are times when good health is not easily restored or maintained even when all the obvious conditions are present. Then we need to look for deeper causes and solutions...

Happiness or fulfilment is just a state of mind - it comes from within so it is impossible to find lasting peace of mind in only the external world. Sometimes illness could be a blessing in disguise because it can help to start us on that inner journey towards wholeness and ultimate healing...
Excerpts from The Path To Good Health and Inner Peace.

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Three beads of my rosary

Dec 5, 2009, 11.00am IST
Sadhu T L Vaswani.

I received a rosary of beads from a child one day. Touching a few beads, i gave them each a name: I called the first bead, Love. The bead whispered, “Give love, get loved.” There is the story of a seeker who wept openly at the mere sight of a hill, a mountain, a flower, or a river.


One day someone asked him: “Why do you cry?” He replied: “Looking at these icons of nature I hear a voice which says, ‘Do not be thankless! You have forgotten the Creator of the Universe. The voice rattles my soul and so I weep’.” That call is for every one of us. Do not be ungrateful, for the Universe is beautiful and we are lucky to be part of it.

Love binds us with silken threads. We get bonded; we get linked with persons we love. Love unites. Loving the Supreme, you are united with Him for you will feel God’s presence within you and around you. When you love God, you will learn to love others, and your life will be built on the foundation of love.
A 31-year-old man was trying to climb a steep hill. He kept falling. Each time he picked himself up and tried, again and again. Undaunted, he continued to climb. He slipped down seven times, before finally reaching the hilltop, On reaching the top, he picked up the wounded man lying there and carried him to a hospital, and got him treated.


People asked him, “How much have you suffered for this man! You put your life in danger! Suppose you had fallen down and died? Why did you have to do this? Do you know this man?”


The young man explained: “This man is no relative of mine, neither is he a friend. He is an acquaintance whom I met at a satsang . For the sake of my guru, I began to love him. It is for the love of my guru that I suffered. It is for this love that I put my life in danger.”
I called the second bead Humility. It says: “Give up pride.” Just as eating food and drinking water are necessary for living, it is necessary to practice humility. One has to pay a price for giving up ego. And that price is, to be in fellowship with the devotees of the Lord, and to receive their blessings. How foolish it is to say, “I did this, I did that!” This ‘ego-intoxication’ must go! For what am ‘I’ but a flickering candle that at the dawn will die!


The third bead is Shanti. It says: “Don’t be angry. Keep your cool.” Anger is harmful. One mother got angry because her child was troubling her while she was working. She admonished the child, but the child continued to play mischief. The enraged mother picked up the child and threw him down. Every heedless act is sinful, but there is much more irrationality in anger.


Whenever you become angry, recite a mantra like “ Hare Ram, Hare Krishna ” 10 times. If your anger is beyond control, recite the mantra 100 times. That ought to cool you down. With love, humility and a peaceful disposition, your path can only become more pleasant and less difficult.

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The essence of Karate is energy and action

Dec 4, 2009, 12.00am IST
Tadashi Nakamura.

Zen master Taisen Deshimaru said, “Only two things matter, energy and action.” The practice of zazen, seated meditation, can free you from your limitations and help you realise your original natures. In a tangible way, it energises you, by helping to regulate the nervous system, increasing your vital capacity and the efficiency of oxygen exchange.


However, if you were to withdraw from the frenetic chaos of life to one of monastic life is this not delusion also? It would be, if there were no action.
Zazen creates energy. It connects you to your inner energy. Karate trains you in applying that energy to action. Action and movement is part of life but in karate, you experience them with the energy of Zen.
When you leave the dojo and go back into the marketplace of life, you take your practice and give it to others. Karate means “empty hand”. An empty hand clings to nothing. It does not hold on to preconceptions, prejudice, or the status quo. An empty hand can be of service to others. As you move about in your daily life, you are practising moving Zen, total involvement and absorption in the present moment.


When you watch a karate master do a kata, you are riveted by the beauty and power of the movements. They do not have to be explained, and they do not appear to be learned, but seem to come from within. If this experience were possible only in the dojo, then karate would be of limited value.
However, it is possible for students to have the same experience in their everyday lives, as a teacher giving a lecture; a stockbroker working in the chaos of the trading floor; a nurse in the charged atmosphere of a hospital. Karate Zen helps you to get in touch with your “original self” and to take that “big self” and put it to work to alleviate the suffering of others.
A true karate-ka takes the physical skills; discipline and power of concentration developed at the dojo and applies them to work, family and social life. In this way, karate is integrated into the fabric of our lives; it is not something separate. The way of karate is the way of everyday life.


Karate is an efficient form of physical conditioning that can be practised by any one. It develops aerobic fitness by raising the heart rate into the training zone and keeping it there for significant intervals. Strength is developed progressively through exercises using the body’s own weight.
Emphasis is also placed on developing and maintaining flexibility through progressive stretching of major muscle groups. In the Seido system, every student is asked to give 100 per cent to training, recognising the individual’s own capacities and limitations.


Training is done only under the supervision of certified black belt instructors.


Karate is an efficient form of self-defence. Students learn basic kicks, punches and blocks that develop self-confidence. Beyond that they learn specific combinations of techniques that are applied in specific situations. Seido students are also taught to develop an inner awareness for avoiding potentially threatening situations.

Finally, the study of karate develops discipline and concentration, skills that are useful for people in all walks of life. Students usually notice subtle changes in the way they do their work or in the way they study. In time and with practice, these benefits flow almost automatically, without conscious effort.

The writer, a grandmaster, is founder, Seido style of karate.

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Good times, bad times: what’s the difference?

Dec 29, 2009, 12.00am IST
MURALI A RAGHAVAN.

It is human nature to get disenchanted with the world when we see around us much violence, crime and degradation of values. It makes us worry over what is in store for future generations.
However, the present time is as good or as bad as any other time and the state of the world and society could not be some thing other than what it is now.

Even during periods that are perceived to be better than ours, our predecessors have poured out their anguish at the declining moral and ethical standards then prevalent. Seers and social reformers have been on a mission since ages to combat negative forces and reform society. Was human society ever better than it is now? Socrates was poisoned. Christ was crucified. Caesar was betrayed. Deceit, treachery and court intrigues fill the pages of history.

Unalloyed happiness is impossible because the world cannot exist except as an amalgam of the good and bad. Negativity cannot survive by itself. It needs the support of some good alongside to survive. The Kauravas thrived because of Bhishma, Dronacharya and Karna. Once these eminent men departed, the Kauravas had to go. Likewise, Vibhishana’s pious nature was a counterpoint to that of Ravana’s. Vibhishana crossed over to Rama’s side, Ravana’s defeat and death were foretold. Such was the case with Prahlad and his father Hiranyakashipu. The demon king tried to eliminate his pious son who, indeed, was his life-supporting system and the king paid the price for it.


On the flip side, pure good also cannot survive all by itself. Pure good would sublimate and merge with the Supreme Force without trace. We might ask: How did saintly souls like Christ, Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, Tukaram, Guru Nanak and others lead a pure life? How can we associate them with any form of negativity? The reason for their living through the appointed time is twofold. First, their own past karma kept them grounded here. Second, although they did not commit any sin, the sins got stuck to them. It is people like us who prostrated before them, sought their blessings and deposited our sins at their feet. Is it not said that Jesus bore the cross for the sake of the sinners?
Strangely, Kaliyug is the favourite whipping boy. Let us examine the truthfulness of this, in the light of divine avatars on earth. The Supreme incarnated nine times in all and His tenth incarnation is expected in present Kaliyug , to root out suffering and re-establish Dharma. What does it mean? In the three earlier yugs comprising, Satyug , Dwapara Yug and Treta Yug He had to descend nine times and it means there were greater evil then than in this age when He is slated to appear only once.


Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita : “Whenever adharma surpasses the limit He will incarnate on earth.” That He has not done so yet implies that the evil, which we fret about, has not transcended limits.


Krishna’s statement could allude to the evil within each of us and when it transcends the limit He will incarnate within us to purge, cleanse and establish dharma within us. Did He not make a highway robber into Maharshi Valmiki, did He not transform the miser into Purandara Das and did not Kartikeya possess the flesh-hungry youngster into a poet-saint Arunagirinathar?


The collective goodness of mankind seeks a medium to express itself and manifests as godliness in few individuals whom we worship as saints and prophets. Likewise the collective evil within all of us seeks to find an expression and manifests in a few individuals whom we call as demons. There is enough goodness outside of us and we need only to focus our attention on the canvas instead of the picture.

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Look to Arunachala for a divine experience

Dec 1, 2009, 12.00am IST
Shri Nimishananda.

While Mount Kailash is regarded as is the divine abode of Shiva, the Arunachala Hill at Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, is regarded as Shiva Himself. That is why it impels more than 15 lakh pilgrims to walk barefoot on the 14 km path around it every full moon night.


The Shiva Purana says that Shiva manifested here as a Tejoling or subtle column of the blazing light of knowledge. In the Satya Yuga , the first epoch of Creation, Arunachala was brilliant gold. In the Treta Yuga , Arunachala took on the mellow hue of Panchaloha. In the Dwapara Yuga , it had the lustre of burnished copper. In Kali Yuga , Arunachala appears like a rocky hill with bristles and thorns, but its incredible power remains undiminished. Hence Giri Pradikshina or circumambulation of the Hill is considered auspicious.

The Shiva Purana describes Shiva as the source of power because He contains the energy of the whole cosmos, and yet remains unmoving and stable, with no trace of negative energy. Shiva is static, potential energy and Shakti is dynamic, creative energy. The cosmic dance of Shiva and Shakti creates, sustains and dissolves the Universe. However, while Divinity in the formless state, nirakaar, can be experienced by enlightened seekers, many find this intriguing. So, Arunachala, the subtle column of light being still and as eternal knowledge, froze into a static form in order to become more palpable.


The Bharani Deepam or lamp is lit on its summit every year during the Kartik month, when the Bharani star is ascendant. The blaze, a manifestation of His knowledge, burns brightly on the austere, majestic Hill. It is said that those who obtain a darshan of the Bharani Deepam will receive Shiva’s grace in the form of total awareness of the Self. He blesses each seeker saying – “Let karma and thoughts of this being be dissolved and let the radiance of soul be unveiled.” The flame represents our own atma jyothi, the effulgence of soul.

How does Arunachala unveil the light of your soul? Normally the mind conceals the soul with thoughts and traps you in time and space. The constantly chattering mind prevents you from experiencing the sound of silence and bliss of soul. Arunachala splits the mind, segregates thoughts and burns them in the fire of knowledge. So, when you enter the vibrant aura of Arunachala which pulsates with serenity and tranquility, thoughts disappear, revealing the effulgence of soul. “Aruna” means dawning of light and “achala” means unmoving or still.


Each one of us experiences a pull towards Divinity sometime in life. The pull becomes a propulsion, a constant motion that generates a divine vibration which makes us aware of our Soul. This is the call of Arunachala. The Shiva Purana says we can go to Arunachala only when we get this call. Sages assure us that when we circumambulate the Hill with complete surrender, Arunachala dissolves the ego by burning our thoughts one by one, as thoughts form a base for ego. The process liberates us from the cycle of birth and death. The glowing beacon of Jnana or knowledge activates our souls and liberates us from the shackles of time and space forever by making us aware of the limitations of body and senses.

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Education should liberate you from the past

Dec 10, 2009, 12.00am IST
OSHO.

Education is a process of liberation, but it has not been actualised anywhere in the world.


Liberation means liberating the mind from the past, from theologies and political ideologies, liberating the mind in such a way that when a student comes out of education he is just a clean pure seeker with no prejudice.


That beautiful sentence at the gates of the universities in India, `ya vidya sa vimuktaye’ -- `education is that which liberates’ --, shows how man can be unaware. Liberation becomes impossible when the university itself has a certain prejudice, a certain programme to put into the minds of the students. So first dissolve Hindu, Muslim, Jaina, Catholic -- these names, from the universities. Secondly: India... has more than one hundred universities, which is meaningless... The result is that the standard of education goes on falling. When you have so many universities you cannot get the best as professors...

Just because somebody has a university degree does not mean that he becomes automatically capable of teaching. Teaching is a totally different art. Passing an examination is one thing; to teach, you need to be articulate, you need to have a vast range of knowledge. I mean not only the textbooks that you have read in the university, you have to be constantly in touch with the growing knowledge.

Thirty years ago somebody passed his master's degree or became a Ph D and for 30 years he has not bothered about what has happened in his subject. In 30 years human knowledge has increased more than has been possible in the past even 3,000 years. Now a professor who is unaware of these 30 years of development is absolutely incapable.


Should politicians become vice-chancellors? Retired politicians, those who have been defeated in the elections, need some place of respect. The vice-chancellorship has become a refuge. So make it a law that no politician can become a vice-chancellor.

Universities should be teaching also the latest discoveries, the latest literature, the latest poetry, and the latest in everything. The universities should be sensitive enough: each year there are new novels, new music, new dances, that should become part of the curriculum. Universities have to remain always up to date.


Speaking is an art, and a professor should be an artist. His words should not be simply words; they should carry some poetry in them, some music in them. Each professor and each student should learn a simple meditation method. He can choose one. There are 112 meditation methods; the simplest is vipassana. It is uncomplicated. Make vipassana part of the curriculum; unless a person passes in vipassana he cannot get his degree.

Then it will be real education. Then it will be a liberating factor, because vipassana will liberate you totally from your religions, from your races, from your countries. It will make you an individual. You will not be anymore a member of a mob. You will have your own integrity, your own centeredness, and your own roots.

Meditation is an absolute necessity for humanity to survive. All other subjects should be taught, but no other subject is so important as meditation. But no university is teaching it. If all the graduates from the university come out with a meditative mind, they will change the whole structure and fabric of society.

These are my simple suggestions, absolutely practical; there is nothing utopian about them.

Excerpt from `Death to Deathlessness’. Courtesy: Osho International Foundation.
Website: http://www.osho.com/

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Transform the world, start from within

Dec 17, 2009, 12.00am IST
DISCOURSE: SADHGURU.


In every human being, there is an aspiration to become better, more loving and more concerned about one another and the planet. But people are trying to work towards it from the wrong end. People are trying to be loving, they are trying to be good.
When you look at yourself, if you are happy and joyful, naturally you are a very loving, generous, wonderful human being. This is true for everybody. On the other hand, when you are in a state of unhappiness, frustration or any other sense of unpleasantness within yourself, you may be nasty. There is no point trying to be loving, trying to be pleasant to somebody else. When you are feeling pleasant, you are naturally pleasant to everyone around you. The fundamental thing that human beings have to work towards is to make themselves truly joyful and blissful. Trying to produce good human beings has never really worked. When people are joyful, they are all wonderful human beings. Joy is the best insurance against all evil.


People will always find ways to subvert values, morality and ethics. But when you are very joyful, when you are very pleasant within yourself, you are naturally nice to everyone around you. So, my whole work is to make human beings truly blissful.

Spirituality does not mean going away from life. Spirituality means becoming alive in the fullest possible way so you are not just alive on the surface, you are alive to the core. If you look at how full of life and joyful you were when you were five years of age and how alive and joyful you are today, has the level gone up or gone down? For most people, it has gone down. It need not be so. With age, physical agility may go down but the level of joy and sense of being alive need not go down. If your level of joy and aliveness is going down, it is as if you are committing suicide in instalments. This happens because you only focus on certain aspects of life, but without including every aspect, you cannot live a full life.


Unfortunately, most of the time, belief systems are passing off as spirituality. The moment you believe something, if you believe "this is it", you are bringing a certain degree of rigidity into the very life process that you are. This is not spirituality.

The spiritual process is always a quest, a seeking; that is why when you say, "I'm on a spiritual path," you say "I'm a seeker." When you say "I'm religious," you say "I'm a believer." There is a significant difference, because believing means you have assumed something that you do not know; seeking means you have realised that you do not know, which brings an enormous amount of flexibility. Whenever you say, "I do not know something," you are flexible. Whenever you think, "I know it," you become rigid. This rigidity is not just in attitude; it percolates into every aspect of your life. This rigidity is also the cause of an enormous amount of suffering in the world.

How human beings are, that is how the society will be. So, creating human beings who are flexible and willing to look at everything rather than being stuck in their ideas and opinions definitely makes for a different kind of society. And the very energy that such human beings carry will influence everything around them.
Discourse: Sadhguru

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