The Power of Peace

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The power of peace is greater than the power of violence. Peaceful methods are far more effective than violent methods. Constructive goals can be achieved only through peaceful means, while violent ways lead to destruction and ruin. 

I would like to give an example from recent Indian history. The freedom struggle of India started in 1857 and the leaders of that period wanted to achieve freedom by violent methods. This trend continued up to 1919, but the target was not achieved. 

Then Mahatma Gandhi entered the freedom struggle in 1919. After studying the situation, he decided to reverse the course of action. He declared that they would continue their freedom struggle, but it would be by a strictly peaceful method. He declared that where previous leaders had been using "bombs" of violence to protest against British rule, they would now use the "bomb" of peace to achieve the same goal. 

This declaration by Mahatma Gandhi changed the whole scenario; it paralysed the entire machinery of the British Empire. Puzzled by this announcement, one British collector sent a telegraphic message to his secretariat, worded as follows: "Wire instruction how to kill a tiger non-violently." 

The violent method gives your opponents justification for violent retaliation, but if you adopt peaceful methods, the other party has no grounds for using force against you. This was the logic of Gandhian peace methods, and very soon India became free. 

This formula of peace is of a general nature, that is, it is applicable at both individual and national levels. Adopt a peaceful course of action, and you will be guaranteed success. 

The violent method is a highly risky affair. That it will entail losses is almost certain, while its benefits are indeed doubtful. But in the case of the peaceful method, which entails no risk, success is guaranteed. 

Why is the peaceful method so effective? The reason is that the peaceful method hits the conscience of a man. And when the conscience is hit, the person concerned has no option but to surrender to you. 

The violent method activates the other party's ego. When one's ego is involved, the result is a breakdown. Violence inevitably breeds violence. So, violence only aggravates the problem. It cannot solve any problem either for the individual or for the community, country and world. 

The peaceful method is the method of nature. This is an immutable rule. Thanks to nature invariably treading the path of peace, we see that in nature everywhere there is perfection. Nature may be involved in disparate kinds of activities, but this creates no problems. And, undoubtedly, the reason is that it is steadfastly peaceful in its line of action. 

A peaceful method saves you from wasting your time and energy. Remaining peaceful helps to normalise the situation and so is constructive. Moreover, violence only breeds hatred and intolerance, while peace fosters love and compassion. Peace is the greatest social good, for it inculcates positivity among people. Where there is peace there can be developmental activities. But without a peaceful atmosphere, there can be no progress whatsoever. 

The stars, the planets, and all other aspects of nature are active day and night, but they never stray from the path of peace. Peace is the culture of nature; peace is the law of the universe. Rivers flow carrying the message of peace, the wind blowing day and night conveys this message. 

www.cpsglobal.org 

Courtesy: The Speaking Tree / Times of India

Conquering fear

By Archana B A

Today’s world is engulfed with the Fear Factor. The too ambitious younger generation with ample opportunities and uncertainties is leaping towards an unknown destination.

The constant changing personal and professional scenario is causing this fear to spread its tentacles to every nook and corner of our lives. The solution to overcome this fear is knowledge or awareness about the situation and our capability to overcome the fear. It is rather very unfortunate that the so called knowledge lies chained in the high-tech strata of society in the form of big volumes of books, abbreviated management and engineering degrees. So is this the real knowledge? people who are capable enough in financial terms or numerical caliber get access to pursue this knowledge which lies hidden in this system. That is the acquired knowledge, where one has to follow the footsteps of the author or the creator of the course material which just reflects his point of view, where as the real knowledge and skill which runs through generations is far more above these types of conventional academic knowledge; which fails when put to test. For instance, the skill to solve a real life situation comes with the exposure to real life situations and not according to the hypothesis of the books, projects and case studies done by someone.

Liberalization of education can be achieved by getting real life exposure to solve real life problems which is what is the need of the time. The contemporary education system is just trodding the footsteps of someone else’s experience and reflecting it in our perception which is then examined by someone else in their own view point. This is just like child’s mock play. The real intelligence and creativity of the individual is never given a chance to be expressed. The unconventional form of knowledge like the information collection and broadcasting of a fussy neighbour woman is always mocked at as being too gossiping or talkative, but her hidden talent of collecting information and reaching it to the target group is done more quickly and efficiently than our mass media sometimes. Then the best way to exploit her potential is by giving her more indebt training and knowledge to become a CID personnel or informant to the police department, even though she may not possess the formal educational prerequisite. Similarly a roadside mechanic urchin may deal with automobile spares and repairs more efficiently and quickly than a mechanical engineer because he has got the flair for the profession, because he depends on his profession for his livelihood and so he adores it, when we love the little things we do we enjoy doing them and excel in it. An old grandparent may tell small bedtime stories to her grandchildren and imbibe good moral values without even knowing that she is building up a future generation of morally responsible citizen, for that she has not undergone any teacher’s training or such. A simple housewife who has never seen any other world except her four walls and has never dealt with financial markets; knows better than any financial analyst when it comes to financial management of her household expenses and bargaining with the small purchases she makes in her day to day life. For that she does not undergo any Management degree. On the contrary, it looks ridiculous that in spite of  the so called talented pool of prestigious degree holders, marketing and financial professionals could not handle the great economic recession that swayed the world economy in recent times and are working head along heal to set it right.

What is really astonishing is that life is simple but is made complicated by us, resulting in needless competitions, ambitions which only results in endless health hazards. The only way out is liberalization of knowledge which has been imprisoned in the huge volumes of words that are the slaves of books. Let us liberate ourselves, thus liberating our knowledge like a free flowing river. Let it flow through the wild jungle of human mind and in the process get carried away with it all the unsung talents of unknown minds and lead us to the destiny of fearlessness. 

Detachment

By Archana B A

The most complicated exercise in one’s life is the process of detachment. That also colludes with one’s space or independence. Detachment is derived from the word ‘Attachment”, when you are attached to something then it leads to detachment in due course.

 Life today is far flung into vast entity, be it virtual or physical. Anyone can access any other through various medium be it virtual or physical. So one is constantly exposed to different situations and ideas and thus builds up his or her own personality. The moment strings get attached to a relationship; be it mother-children, siblings, friends, spouse or in any form of relationship, the traces of possessiveness and taking to granted attitude starts to creep into the growing relationships, resulting in conflicts and bitter memories. 

To escape from this tangle the easy way out is detachment, giving space to oneself and to the people we are connected with. To stop expecting and learn begining to accept. To change the person or change yourself accordingly, all to make life more livable and bearable to oneself and to others. 

This seems rather a western concept to be laisser-faire (the economic activities are determined by free enterprise and are not controlled by the State) in our approach to relationships, not to mention the carefree attitude, but instead bind the relationships on mutual trust, humility, respect and let go attitude. Then may be we can see the unwanted social conflicts drop down to minimum.

The beast and the beauty

By Mukul Sharma

Do animals have mystical moments, that fleeting ineffable sense of a cosmic connect? Despite the fact that this may sound laughable to some, who may perhaps not be up to speed with what scientists studying animal behaviour have been documenting for decades, a case can still be made for it. 

For instance, research suggests that spiritual experiences originate deep within primitive areas of the human brain which, incidentally , also happen to be areas shared by a lot of other animals with a similar brain structure. How can we absolutely rule out that the functions of those same areas are not shared by them too? 

A study in the journal Neurology has shown that out-of-body experiences in humans are likely caused by the brain's arousal system which regulates different states of consciousness. If we disrupt the region where vision, sense of motion, spatial orientation and awareness of body position come together, then out-ofbody experiences can be caused literally by the flip of a switch. 

Obviously, there’s no reason to believe it’s any different for a dog, cat or primate’s brain, considering it’s already been seen that when specific parts of the limbic system — which in humans give rise to feelings of altered states of consciousness — are removed from animal brains, drugs like LSD have no effect. 

Yet, in spite of the circumstantial evidence, it’s still true we’ll never know if animals actually undergo such experiences for the simple reason that they don’t have the necessary language skills to communicate it. But isn’t that the same situation humans face when they apparently experience a mystical moment? 

All they can tell us later is that there are no words to describe it. So if language can’t be used as a tool to communicate it, how do we know what kind of subjective experience they had? Or if they had any at all? 

Besides, what makes us so exalted that we should be the only ones around with which the cosmos connects? In their recent book Wild Justice, animal ethologist Marc Bekoff and philosopher Jessica Pierce document a suite of animal behaviour that can only be defined as being indicative of morality. 

These include cooperation — as in altruism, reciprocity and trust; empathy — as in compassion , grief and consolation; and justice — as in sharing, fair play and forgiveness. If an animal can be a moral agency, what stops it from being a spiritual being too?

Courtesy: The Economic Times

Of passion and compassion

OSHO

We know what passion is hence it is not very difficult to understand what compassion may be. Passion means a state of biological fever – it is hot. You are almost possessed by biological, unconscious energies. You are no longer your own master, you are just a slave. 

Compassion means you have transcended biology and physiology. You are no more a slave, you are master. Now you function consciously. You are not driven, pulled and pushed by unconscious forces; you can decide what you want to do with your energies. You are totally free. Then the same energy that becomes passion is transformed into compassion. 

Passion is lust, compassion is love. Passion is desire, compassion is desirelessness. Passion is greed, compassion is sharing. Passion wants to use the other as a means, compassion respects the other as an end unto himself or herself. Passion keeps you tethered to earth, to mud and you never become a lotus. Compassion makes you a lotus. You start rising above the muddy world of desires, greed and anger. Compassion is a transformation of your energies. 

Ordinarily you are scattered, fragmentary. Some energy is being absorbed by your anger, some by your greed, by your lust, and so on. You are left hollow, empty. 

All your energy keeps on going down the drain. When all these energies are no longer being wasted they start filling your inner lake, your inner being. You become full. A great delight arises in you. When you start overflowing you have become a Buddha and you have come upon an inexhaustible source. 

Compassion is a key word, but you will understand it only if you go deep into meditation. Meditation is the key to transform passion into compassion. You will have to become more conscious. Right now you are unconscious. 

We live like robots... The more like a robot you are, the better you function, the better the society feels with you – because it is a society of robots. To be awakened, alert, conscious is dangerous. It is a society of blind people; to have eyes is to invite danger. 

But without creating consciousness you will never be able to know the beauty, the blessing that existence has bestowed upon you. You will never know the great opportunity that has been given to you to grow, to become. You can be sunlit peaks and you are just dark holes! 

Socrates says, "If you know that you don't know, that is a great beginning. Then it is possible for you to know." To be aware that "I am ignorant" creates the possibility of seeking, searching in your own interiority for the truth – for your truth. 

Compassion is the ultimate transformation of passion. You are in passion, but you go on thinking that you are right as you are. You go on defending yourself. And anything that disturbs your comfortable, mechanical life, you go against... 

When you come to me you don't come to be awakened, you come to me so that you can dream beautiful, sweet dreams. That is your purpose in coming; that is not my purpose in being here. Once you are here you are caught. Then, slowly, slowly i start taking your dreams away. Then, slowly, slowly i go on destroying your illusions. Once your illusions are dropped, your dreams shattered, a great awakening is waiting you for you – a great awakening which makes you a Buddha. And compassionate. 

Excerpt from Walking in Zen Sitting in Zen. 

Courtesy: The Speaking Tree / TOI

Quest for happiness

Vanita Srivastava

A young graduate from a US university was once asked what was more important --- job satisfaction or salary package. He went for job satisfaction because if the job does not make you happy, then what use would the money be. Money cannot buy happiness. So he joined an NGO, which worked for the uplift of street children. First seven months, he enjoyed working with them because this lifted him internally.

But soon he realised that money was more important. Unlike his other friends, he did not have a plush house, or a fancy car. So he said good-bye to the world of social service and moved on to the corporate world.

A cushy job and a handsome salary packet helped him buy a fancy car and a plush home. He had all the gadgets one could fathom, all the luxuries one could imagine. He savoured all the comforts, his friends envied him and his social circle widened.

But again a year down the line, the same dissatisfaction crept. I have everything in this world. I can go on a world tour, buy anything that I feel like — but then I am still not happy. And so he quit his job and went to a lepers' home, where he started working for their rehabilitation. He started eating with them, sleeping with them.

Many in the society, even his family members, would pass caustic remarks: " Why had you gone to the US to study, if you had to ultimately do this. This does not require any degree and investment of money."

Most of us are like this youngster, hopping from one ground to the other in search of happiness. We have coined our own definitions for happiness. Why can't we be happy when we see a handicapped child, smile away his sufferings? Why can't we rejoice when we see a butterfly sip nectar from a flower? Why can't we be happy to see an army of ants make a living for themselves?

We have a lot to learn from them. Just think.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times

Three-in-one Philosophy

By Ashok Vohra

Aurobindo's philosophy is called practical philosophy because its goal is both material prosperity and spiritual perfection of an individual. Integral Yoga is the name given to his technique for achieving perfection. It is called Integral Yoga because it does not aim at self-perfection alone at the cost of complete neglect of others. It is based on the principle that true individuality is not exclusive but inclusive. 

Aurobindo recognises that an individual cannot either advance materially or evolve spiritually in complete isolation. According to him society is needed at least "as a field of relations which afford to the individual his occasion for growing towards a greater perfection". Society, though imperfectly, provides the conditions for human evolution from the present imperfect state to the distant perfect state, from mind to super-mind. 

Aurobindo in The Human Cycle states that there are three echelons of human existence. These are: the individual, community, and humankind in general. He argues that the 'ideal law of social development' should aim at harmonious growth of each of these. They have their own definite destinies, distinctive modes of self-consciousness, truths, their own laws of existence, needs, and laws of growth. 

Though all the three are autonomous, they are also interdependent. Like Plato, Aurobindo held that there is a parallelism between individual and community as one cannot be without the other. Moreover, the individual for Aurobindo is not merely an aggregate of 'body, mind, ethical ideals and aesthetic emotions' but more than all these put together. He is essentially spiritual Self. The individual and humankind are interrelated. The individual 'is not himself, but in solidarity with all of his kind'. He has 'to live in humanity' and humanity is manifested 'in the individual'. So, individual, community, and humanity are really one integral organic whole. 

However, Aurobindo argues that even in the most evolved state, the conceptual distinction between the three must be retained 'for the purpose of mass-differentiation and the concentration and combinations of varying tendencies in the total human aggregate'. What is common to them is continuous evolution. Each evolves towards perfection according to its own true nature and dharma. 

Aurobindo argues that the evolution from within is far superior to external development. He says, "As free development of individuals from within is the best condition for growth and perfection of community, so free development of community or nation from within is the best condition for growth and perfection of mankind". 

Aurobindo's focus is on the eternal hope that human existence is full of possibilities. It is the conviction that 'man is what he can be' and that man has an unavoidable inherent tendency towards 'self exceeding', or 'self surpassing' the goals set by him in the past. 

Since the evolutionary process advocated by Aurobindo aims at a comprehensive change and not at the emergence of something new, it is laboriously slow. It is able to bring about a comprehensive change because of an element of 'involution'. This process of evolution-involution operates at three levels. Only after the lower stratum becomes sufficiently complex, the higher form emerges. Even after its emergence the higher form does not reject the lower but transforms it radically. The newer and the higher form, in turn, expands itself and is ready to evolve into a still higher emergent form. The process goes on till consciousness becomes self-consciousness and mind becomes super-mind. The super-mind, thus, integrates in itself all lower forms of consciousness. 

The writer teaches philosophy at Delhi University.

Courtesy: Speaking Tree  - The Times of India 

It happened one night

Veena Mithare 

   A few weeks back, around 10 pm, I was driving back home from Bangalore’s Chowdiah Memorial Hall. After about a 2 km drive on quiet, peaceful roads, I came in front of the Windsor Manor bridge. This has a small underpass, called the magic box. Now I wasn’t sure if this magic box would lead me on my way to MG Road, from where I could take myself safely to my abode at Bannergatta Road. Wondering what to do, I paused at the entrance of the magic box. 
    When, out of nowhere, in the midst of the quiet, lonely night, a young auto driver in his mid-20s, came and stopped besides me and said, “Hogi Madam" (Go, madam) in a very kind voice. Guess he thought that I was scared to go under the very small underpass. I smiled to myself. Anyway, I asked him, if this was the route to MG Road, to which he replied in an affirmative and said, “Come, follow me!” Since I didn’t know the route much, I just trailed behind him and followed him as he took all the lefts and the rights, when at one point I spotted a road sign saying “Cunningham Road”. “Wow! I know this road!” I reflected. And simultaneously, I wondered, “Why am I following this guy? What if he leads me to some Godforsaken place?” With this newfound self-confidence and fear of being abducted, I decided to follow this guy no more. So when he took the turn at Ali 
Aksar Street, I moved on. I went up the “God knows what” street. I asked for a few directions, went left and a few rights. And after some circling around, I ended up in the Ali Aksar Street. This time I proceeded along the road. 
    I had forgotten the auto driver by now. And I was sure that he had forgotten me too and would have proceeded with whatever he was doing. 
    I came out of Ali Aksar Road and reached the Infantry Road, all of which were familiar territory to me now. From there, I proceeded in the direction of the Chinnaswamy Stadium cross. I 
    paused now, since the traffic signal asked me to do so. Absentmindedly, I looked around, when to my surprise, I saw this young auto driver patiently waiting for me on one corner of the road. 
    The moment he spotted me, he walked up to me and asked, “Ma’m, can you find your way now?” Slightly embarrassed and dazed, I gave him a grateful smile and said, “Yes, and thank you!” He smiled back and went on his own way with a fulfilled smile on his face. 
At that point, it struck me like a bolt — “It’s only when you lose faith, do you lose the way. It’s only when ‘I’ comes in the way of your judgment, do you actually fail to judge.” 


Courtesy: TimesLife

Born in the rain

An unexpected joy can make the most regular day extraordinary. 

Something like that happened to me on a rainy night, several years ago, when I was posted as an intern at a government hospital in Chennai. 

Having just completed my MBBS, I was posted in the gynaecology department. I arrived on duty at 7 pm and was immediately summoned to assist a caesarean section operation. Later, I came down to the labour ward and watched as the resident on duty conducted two difficult deliveries almost effortlessly. 

In a couple of hours, I went up to the interns’ room to catch up on sleep, remembering to switch on my pager. I was sound asleep when it beeped loudly. I jumped up and rubbing my eyes, glanced at my watch - it was past midnight. I quickly put on my coat and rushed down to the labour ward. The night nurse was on the verandah, and signalled me to join her. 

It was raining heavily and amidst the thunder and lightning, I could barely make out the silhouette of an auto-rickshaw parked near the gate. Then we saw the auto driver shouting and waving at us. Quickly, I grabbed an umbrella and rushed into the pouring rain. I peered into the auto and with the help of my torch, could see a woman lying on the backseat, howling in pain and terror. She was obviously in the last stages of labour. 

I turned to the auto driver and asked, “Where is her family? Is there no one accompanying her? I need someone to sign a consent form before we take her in.” The driver replied, “Doctor, I don’t think she has a family. I picked her up from near the red light area, she may be a sex worker. She would have died on the roadside if left alone, so I brought her here.” 

I was shocked, but when I looked again, I could see the baby’s head emerging. The nurse came running with a delivery tray and said, “Be careful, doctor, this woman might be HIV positive.” We looked at each other - both of us, in our hurry, had forgotten to wear gloves! 

The woman was not in any position to be moved. We realised that we had to deliver the baby in the auto itself. I leaned inside, caught hold of the tiny baby, and pulled it out. The nurse quickly wrapped the baby in towels. We were both drenched by now. I picked a pair of scissors and cut the umbilical cord, and tied off both ends. 

I was left carrying the small, wailing bundle in my arms. I turned back to see the auto driver standing at the gate. He was soaking wet, but smiling and wiping his tears. Suddenly, I realised that tears were streaming down my face, diluted by the raindrops. 

I knew that this pure joy was the biggest reward I would ever get in my chosen profession! 

courtesy: timesofindia.com

A PARISIAN MODEL'S VIEW

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 blase.

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.

India's first international fashion model, Anjali Mendes, 64, passed away on June 17 at Provence, France. This article was first published in TOI's ‘Citizen to Cosmozen' column on January 31, 2005.

Courtesy TOI / 21.06.2010

Decondition your mind

By MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN

Conditioning is an integral part of life, discovered the American psychologist Broadus J Watson, after researching the subject at great length. Every human being is born in an environment, so everyone is subject to environmental conditioning. There is no exception whatsoever. So, every one of us is conditioned one way or other.

Professor Watson’s finding is perhaps relevant. We do lead conditioned lives. But there is more to the finding than is apparent. It is half of the truth. He elaborated on the law of conditioning, but said nothing about the law of deconditioning. According to his research, everyone is bound to live a conditioned life. It is everyone’s fate and no one can escape from it.

It’s an unnatural statement. It is a fact that everyone is subject to conditioning but it is also a fact that every form of conditioning can be reversed. Conditioning is a phenomenon of thinking; so it can be changed by counter-thinking. Thinking and counter-thinking are both well within the capacity of the mind.

The modern computer is a small mechanical model of man’s mind. Everyone knows that a computer can delete anything that you want it to delete. If you feed something into the computer, and then you want to delete it; this can be done, simply by striking a small key. Man’s mind is an inconceivably large model of the computer. If a small mind can delete an item without failure, it is inconceivable that a bigger model cannot do the same.

The deconditioning of mind also has a small touch-button. This touch-button is a simple phrase of just three words: “I was wrong.” Say with complete sincerity: “I was wrong” and you can delete any type of conditioning in a second.

Watson himself is proof that environmental conditioning can be reversed in the later period of one’s life. As a matter of fact, Watson first deconditioned himself, consciously or unconsciously, and only then was he able to discover the phenomenon of conditioning. So, if this deconditioning was possible for him, why should it not be possible for others?

Deconditioning is the only way to intellectual development. It is accepted that education is an important tool for personality development. At the same time, one must try to decondition one’s mind; otherwise one cannot receive the fruits of education.

I know a member of a minority community who was obsessed with the concept of discrimination. He said that unless there is reservation for members of minority groups, he would not be able to find a good job in this country. I said: “No, at present you are thinking in terms of discrimination, but please try to understand the matter in terms of excellence.” I reminded him: “There is always room at the top.” If you were an average student, then you might face some kind of discrimination, not only here but elsewhere, too. But if you made the effort to do well, then you would certainly get the job you desired. There is a limit to discrimination and you could cross that limit only with dedication and hard work.

The student took my advice and thought again. He increased his efforts and the result was miraculous. He got good marks and eventually achieved what he wanted to; he got a good job here.

Those who look only at external factors invariably underestimate their own capacity. But those who discover themselves become free of this obsession and can meet all challenges. Decondition your conditioning and you will instantly emerge a new person – even better than what you were in the past.

http://www.cpsglobal.org/

Become what you think

VITHAL C NADKARNI 

    GEORGE Bernard Shaw said the world has two kinds of people. First category are those who blame their circumstances for what they are. Second are folks who get on in this world, people who don't believe in circumstances. If these fellows get into circumstances they don't like, they get out of ‘em and begin to look for the circumstances they want. If they can't find them they make the circumstances of their choice. 
    In hindsight, this seems pretty self-evident. But everyone who has fought with circumstances and wrestled to them to kneel to his or her knees tends to believe that they are the first to have stumbled upon the well-concealed secret — that we can become what we think about. Conversely, the person who wobbles along without a goal, without a clue about mastering the thoughts of anxiety and fear assailing his senses, how does he fare? If he thinks of nothing, does he reap nothing? How does it work? How does the quality of our thinking have such a powerful effect on our lives? 
    Sages have used the allegory of the seed to explain the phenomenon. “Sweet is the fruit of pure seed,” says the mystic poet Sri Jnandev. So by corollary if one plants impure seeds or thoughts, impure are the tangles of thought-forests that will spring from the loam of their mind. So in practical terms, the mystic master is comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant. 
    So? Be grateful for even small mercies. Try to keep away from toxic thoughts. For there is a growing body of evidence to show that people who regularly experience grateful thoughts or deliberately cultivate positive attitudes reap numerous benefits. Such individuals have closer and more life-giving relationships with those they love, and have fewer bouts of depression, writes psychologist John Buri in How to love your wife. They also heal faster when they are sick or hurt and tend to live longer and healthier. 
    What's more, they repeatedly experience success in school, sports and work that exceeds their natural abilities. One can harness all this through the Buddhist practice of Metta, also called meditation on loving-kindness to calm down a distraught mind that serves as an antidote to anger. Try it the next time your boss shouts or when the significant other fumes at you. Home Shanti.

cosmic uplink / ET

The Bargain

As age progressed I understood the real meaning of the word ‘BARGAIN’. It is human nature to bargain; whether it is the seller or buyer we all bargain for our own profit. But  sometimes it creeps into real life situations. Bargaining has more connotations: adjustment, compromise, let go, forgive and so on.

Life has taught me more for my age. To take situations as it comes and sometimes as I want. I started pondering the plight of that Archana, when she was shunned by all known relatives on this earth - father, mother, husband, in-laws, friends and so on. The real life situation was worse which was yet to come. . .


My husband was always on a go - as he was working for a bank which never let him stay in a fixed place and kept transferring him. As the age old saying goes.. “Husband’s house is the real house for a married woman”. That saying seemed to have been followed by my relatives and me too. The result was that I was following him like a shadow with my children to wherever his bank transferred him. Only to lose my precious daughter to death due to unsophisticated medical facilities and poor living conditions.


Then I realized the real aim of my life. To lead life ‘independent’. The term independent is rather too vague. It is not the opposite of slavery, but it is more of being independent in one’s thoughts, actions and decision making which determines one’s maturity of mind. Today I am thankful for all my betraying relationships and hard times which has made me stand alone to face this life in any given conditions.  

But there were good and bad times in my kitty of memory. Some days were stormy with troubles and I was sure to compensate with rosy days in form of outing with kids, treating them with delicacies and so on. In the midst of all this my health sometimes gave a skip and I had to undergo treatments to pull back to life. My achievements stood in the form of my children doing well in studies, winning trophies in various competitions, supporting and understanding me and my neighbours, boss, and acquaints patting and acknowledging me on my single achievement. That has made me boost my confidence and encourage me to hit the life with all vigor and vengeance.  

Time is the only master - the maker and taker of life’s bounties. Today I am proud of my situation which has given me a part time job, a small house to live in, some assets to insure me and my children’s secure future and above all the unending support of friends and well wishers which keeps the engine of life still going.

Contributed by Ms. B A Archana

 

FIND THE SOURCE OF EGO

By Sheodan

Ramana Maharishi of Arunachalam said that one should search for selfidentity by asking: “Who am I?” In meditation one should ask this question and with gradual evolution find calmness and peace.

The question really means, what is the source or origin of ego? To find the answers you need to be free of attitude. Give up the bhavana that you are the body related to name, profession, region, language and other such acquired identities. There is no need to have an attitude about your real nature. It exists as it always has. It is

real. Some ask that does not the enquiry “who am I?’’ turn out, in the end, to be an empty question?

Self-enquiry is not done in vain. It is more than the repetition of a mantra. If the enquiry were a mere mental exercise, it would not be of much value. The very purpose of self-enquiry is to focus the entire mind at its source. It is not one eye searching for another eye. Neither is self-enquiry an empty formula, for it involves an intense activity of the entire mind to keep it steadily poised in pure self-awareness. Until one realises that state of pure being, the enquiry should continue. By gradual evolution in this state, it is possible for one to get permanently established in the state of selfawareness. The state of self-awareness is termed as sat-chit-anand or total bliss.

Be what you are. Lose your ego. You cannot run away from yourself. Maharishi said, reject all other thoughts and persist with the enquiry “who am I?” As per Maharishi’s formula, if you keep raising the enquiry “who am I?” many thought waves will get to disappear with the enquiry.

Self-enquiry leads to knowledge of Self. One is aware of the Self even though the Self is not objectified. When you say you do not know the Self, it means absence of related knowledge because we are so accustomed to relative knowledge that we always look for same. Because of this the goal of Self- realisation appears to be distant.

Feel yourself dismantling the false i that is ego and establish yourself in the real i and the answer to the query of “Who am I?” becomes evident. To gauge progress on the journey of Self-realisation see the degree of absence of thoughts. Self-realisation itself

does not admit to progress. The obstacles are thoughts. Progress is measured by the degree of removal of these obstacles.

With self-enquiry you go to the source of these thoughts and this enquiry removes that source of thought. This process will remove all doubts and finally peace will prevail. This way we will be able to say that Self-realisation is that which is peace. All that we need to do is to keep quiet.

Peace is our real nature. By realising the Self you can easily call yourself divine. Ahambrahmnsmi or “I am Brahmn” can be felt in word and spirit. Those who realise the Self are called saints. The journey is not difficult; it is achievable. Just meditate on the question: “Who am I?” and you will eventually find the answer.

Courtesy: The Speaking Tree/ Times of India

Learn to give

A street child’s spontaneous gesture teaches Mohini Jaisinghani a thing or two about the act of charity

PHILANTHROPY is a word often used for effect by business czars and socialites. From boardrooms to kitty parties, conversations are liberally sprinkled with it. But my best lesson in ‘philanthropy’ arrived disguised in the simplest of forms — a little street child down the road.

One day, driving down the Chirag Dilli BRT corridor, I was waiting for the signal to turn green, when a little child selling bright red dahlias walked up to me. His dazzling smile intact, he prompted me to buy some flowers. I gently refused, but he wouldn’t budge. Finally, I told him I didn’t need them and drove into a lane nearby. He followed me through into it and as I parked there to get some snacks packed, waiting for the parcel to arrive, there he came again, this time, a friend in tow!

Softened by their warm smiles, I cheerily took out my phone camera and clicked a picture of them together and showed it to them. They seemed happy. And then, instinctively, he started plucking a beautiful dahlia from one of his flower bunches to give to me … just like that! No negotiations, no bargaining, nothing! I insisted and told him not to do it since he could sell it to someone else but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He handed me the flower and walked off. The flower remained there in my car for a good 3-4 days as a sweet memory.

I would have probably forgotten about this incident had I not bumped into the same kid again a few days later, this time selling a bunch of red roses. He recognised me, smiled and came running to sell me the flowers at least this time. Now, like every regular on the BRT stretch used to insistent hawkers at every traffic junction, I have also learnt the art of saying no to things I don’t need. That day too, after the initial request to buy and the ensuing happy chatter, he promptly took out a bunch of roses and gave them to me, with no expectations whatsoever and no guarantees if I would ever land up buying from him in the future. He gave a gift of love… simply, beautifully, merrily!

It set me thinking and I realised that giving has nothing to do with what or how much we have. It is surely not a matter of possessing money or material things. It’s about the willingness to share whatever we have with an open heart. We don’t need millions to be generous. We could have nothing and yet be the epitome of generosity, just the way this child was! If we don’t have the money, we could just lend a helping hand. We could give people our time, a patient hearing or just affectionate care. If we have nothing at all, we could just give them a smile that makes their day. As Kahlil Gibran soulfully wrote, “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

Courtesy: STOI / Life

Living with Totality

By OSHO

One morning in a garden, a strange event happened. There were small grass flowers that had grown, well protected by the protruding stones of a stone wall. Sheltered by the wall, those flowers never knew storms nor the light of the sun. They were living a sheltered life, not knowing the rains, nor the stars that twinkled in the night, but they were very safe, there was no danger for them.

One of the grass flowers lost his head and one day peeped out. He saw a roseflower rising upwards towards the sky. A desire arose in that grass flower, "Can I not be a roseflower? Cannot I rise upwards?" In the night he prayed to God to make him a roseflower. God told him that he should not be mad, that he was so well-protected, that the roseflower blossoms in the morning and withers in the evening and falls, whereas when he blossoms he lives on for weeks on end, he does not wither easily.

The grass flower replied, "That I understood. We stay blossoming because we don't really blossom in the first place. And the grass flower is not so juicy from the very beginning, so we don't wither away easily. No, I want to blossom like a roseflower, I want to have velvety petals like the roseflower. I do not want to live under the shadow of this stone wall, I want to rise up in the open sky -- even for a moment, but I want to rise."

The grass flower was adamant. The neighboring grass flowers also tried to persuade it, saying, "Have you gone mad? Such a thing has never been done in our family and tradition. This is an old custom, we just live here, buried in the stones. Even our forefathers never thought of going out in the open sky, nor did their forefathers. It is not written in our scriptures. What madness! It seems you have gone crazy! You are spoiled by the company of others. Remain within your limits. It is dangerous to step out of this place. You will die. Don't you see how much trouble roseflowers have to endure? The day before there was a storm and all the roseflowers were lying flat on the ground. One day when it was raining, all the rose petals were found weeping. If there are high-speed winds, the rosebush gets shaken to its very roots. We remain safe and happy.

The grass flower, however, did not agree. It said, "No, even for a day, but I want to be a roseflower." And when one does not agree, what can God do? God can do something only when one agrees. If you don't agree, he is helpless. So in the morning the grass flower became the roseflower. Soon the sun rose, the clouds gathered in the sky, and a strong wind began to blow. All those grass flowers began to shout at the new roseflower from below: "Oh you crazy flower! Now you will die! For a moment's happiness you lost your permanent comfort. Just for a moment, just to be a roseflower, you gave up your safety!"

Soon after, thundering rains came with very strong winds. The thin stems of the roseflower started moving this way and that, and the rose petals began to fall. Even the leaves fell off. After some time the roots of the rosebush, wet and weak, became uprooted and it fell over. While it was dying, a grass flower bent down and said, "You fool! Now have you come to your senses or not? For the sake of a moment's experience under the sky, how much didn't you suffer!"

The dying roseflower replied, "Friends, what I have known during these few moments, I never knew during a long life under the shadow of the stones. Rising for a moment towards the sky, struggling against the storm... maybe for a moment, but to stand facing the sun under an open sky! That struggle with the storm with my delicate branches! A few moments of blossoming -- but really blossoming! The joy I experienced, the juice I felt -- I am full of gratitude to God! And shame on you that you will never know what life is and what it means to struggle and live during a storm! You will live behind your safety wall and die there. Your life is unlived."

Sublimate Service To Seva

Discourse: Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Self-aggrandisement, competition or ostentation are motives that pollute the sacred spiritual practice of service. One who wishes to do spiritual service needs to overcome ego, exhibitionism and favouritism.

Before embarking on a service project, ask yourself, is your heart full of selfless love, humility and compassion? In your head do you have an intelligent understanding and knowledge of the problem and its solution? Are your hands eager to offer the healing touch? And can you gladly spare and share time, energy and skill to help others in dire need?

These qualities take root and grow only when the idea of the ‘Reality of Unity’ is implanted in our consciousness. Think of it this way. All living beings are cells in the body of God. Their origin, continued existence, and progress are all in, by and for God. The individual is a unit in this unity. There are no other aliens. When one is ill, all suffer. When one is happy, all are partners of that happiness. Faith in this truth is the fundamental equipment the sevak or volunteer must acquire.

In order to deserve the sacred name Seva, the activity must be freed from all attachment to the individual self and based on firm faith in the Divine resident in every being. Seva has to be considered as worshipping the form that God has assumed to give volunteers the chance of worship.

When a hungry nara or man is served a hearty meal, what is being done is Narayana Seva – serving the Supreme Lord, for nara is only ‘a form and a name’ projected by maya or human ignorance. Do not allow your service activities to turn into shops which concentrate on window dressing, in order to attract attention and patronage. Before attempting to advise people who are less fortunate than you are, you must endeavour to advise yourself; before venturing to reform them, reform yourself. Avoid boasting before them about your superiority; it will hurt them and keep them away. Do not indulge in lectures. Action alone can inspire action. Example alone can instruct. Tall talk is a barren exercise.

An illiterate person need not be an ignorant person. He might be well aware of the ideals propounded by scriptures, saints and sages perhaps through oral tradition. Today, we are confronted everywhere with statistics parading quantities and reports in glowing terms. Do not bother about adding to the number or achieving a target; value quality, not quantity. Genuine and intensive devoted service offered in a few places is more fruitful than superficial service offered to a large number.

Life cannot continue for long without others serving you, and you serving others. Master-servant, ruler-ruled, guru-disciple, employeremployee, parents-children, all these are bound by mutual service. Every one is a sevak or servant.

Remember that the body, with its sensesmind-brain complex has been gifted to you to be used for helping the helpless. Seva is the highest path of devotion which wins the Grace of God. It promotes mental purity, diminishes egoism and enables one to experience, through sympathetic understanding, the unity of mankind.

Courtesy: Times of India 

Benefits of mindfulness

By Kaldan Doma

Profound changes have been happening around us and more often than not we have to adapt to new ways of listening, leading and responding to things—both at our workspace and home. This leaves us stressed, anxious and depressed. People suffer from lack of sleep, have improper eating habits, quick temper, make bad decision and undergo crises and fear. All or few of these points can make a person ineffective and can make one sick in their body and mind. Unfortunately, not much time or encouragement is given in cultivating skills and practices that will counteract our over-stressed lifestyle.

But it is essential that we consciously engage in a process to overcome these inevitable challenges we encounter everyday in our lives. First and foremost, we need to transform our approach towards managing ourselves. It is important that we inculcate new behaviour patterns in our everyday life and over time, cultivating on creating silence within ourselves in body, mind and spirit. This can be achieved by ‘mindfulness’.

Mindfulness is often described as a meditation practice, but actually it is a way of life. Mindfulness is not simple or perfect, rather it’s something you need to practice again and again. It is paying attention on purpose, being non-judgmental, being present, living in the moment and being aware.

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to and seeing clearly whatever is happening in our lives. This can make us perform more skillfully, communicate better, be open and, most of all, have balance in every sense. Rather than reacting to our thoughts and emotions, we develop the capacity to become consciously aware of them. Our capacity to listen deeply, to make decisions, to effectively handle stress and to apply them to the challenges we face every day improves by becoming mindful.

This is the most basic mediation if you want to learn how to meditate. Through the practice of mindfulness, you can learn to develop calmness, clarity and getting a deeper understanding in facing all your life experiences, growing and deepening your own strength and wisdom.

Mindfulness training helps to create powerful positive relationships. We are able to find opportunities in challenges and creating ways to overcome obstacles. We are able to motivate ourselves and others by focusing on all possibilities and become aware of oneself and the surroundings. We learn how to handle over-charged emotional situations and maintain balance at work and home. Other benefits are improving concentration, having fewer somatic illnesses, increasing confidence, having clear sense of direction, becoming a responsible leader, reducing stress, enriching your experience of everyday living by being fully present in the moment, reduce or overcome addictive or self-destructive behaviour patterns and developing a strong daily meditation practice. It will improve and balance your life, sharpen your instincts, whip your decision-making into shape and improve your personal life. This can take companies and organisations into a new direction in today’s global economy due to happier people and peaceful work environments.

The writer specialises in mind training, Tibetan yoga

courtesy: The Financial Express