7 SECRETS

To a Great Life

A great life doesn't happen by accident. A great life is the result of allocating your time, energy, thoughts, and hard work towards what you want your life to be. Stop setting yourself up for stress and failure, and start setting up your life to support success and ease. A great life is the result of using the 24/7 you get in a
creative and thoughtful way, instead of just what comes next. Customize these "secrets" to fit your own needs and style, and start creating your own great life today.

1. S-Simplify

A great life is the result of simplifying your life. People often misinterpret what simplify means. It's not a way to remove work from your life. When you focus on simplifying your life, you free up time and energy for the work that you enjoy and the purpose for which you are. In order to create a great life, you will have to make room for it in yours first.

2. E-Effort

A great life is the result of your best effort. Creating a great life requires that you make some adjustments. It may mean re-evaluating how you spend your time, or choosing to spend your money in a different way. It may mean looking for ways to spend your energy that coincide with your definition of a great life. Life will
reward your best effort.

3. C-Create Priorities

A great life is the result of creating priorities. It's easy to spend your days just responding to the next thing that gets your attention, instead of intentionally using the time, energy, and money you have in a way that's important to you. Focus on removing the obstacles that get in the way of you making sure you are
honoring your priorities.

4. R-Reserves

A great life is the result of having reserves -- reserves of things, time, space, energy, money. Having reserves means that you have a lot more than you need - not 6 months living expenses, but 5 years worth; not 15 minutes of free time, but 1 day. Reserves are important because they reduce the fear of consequences, and allow you to make decisions based on what you really want, instead of what
the fear decides.

5. E-Eliminate Distractions

A great life is the result of eliminating distractions. Up to 75% of your mental energy can be tied up in things that are draining and distracting you. Eliminating distractions can be a difficult concept to many people because they haven't really considered that there is another way to live. Find ways to free up your mental energy from the nagging distractions for the things that are really important to
you.

6. T-Thoughts

A great life is the result of controlling your thoughts so that you accept and allow for the possibility that it can actually happen to you. Your belief in the outcome will directly dictate how successful you are. Motivated people have specific goals and look for ways to achieve them. Believing there is a solution to the same old problems you encounter year after year is vitally important to creating a
life that you love. Whatever you think and believe, you create. Listen to what you're telling yourself, and adjust that voice if you need to.

7. S-Start

A great life is the result of starting. There's the old saying that everyone's familiar with: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." In order to even move from the couch to the refrigerator, you have to start. There's no better time to start creating a better life than today. Don't wait for a raise, or until the Kids get older, or the weather is better. Today, right now, is the right day to start to take a step in the direction of your heart's desires. It's what you do TODAY that will make a difference in your life tomorrow.

Secrets of Love

The first secret: The power of love.

Love begins with our thoughts. We become what we think. Loving thoughts create loving experiences and loving relationships. Affirmations can change our beliefs and thoughts about ourselves and others. If we want to love someone, we need to consider their needs and desires. Thinking about your ideal partner will help recognize him or her when you meet.

The second secret: The power of respect.

You cannot love anyone or anything unless you first respect them. The first person you need to respect is yourself. To begin to gain self-respect ask yourself, "What do I respect about myself? " To gain respect for others, even those you may dislike, ask yourself, "What do I respect about them?"

The third secret: The power of giving.

If you want to receive love, all you have to do is give it! The more love you give, the more you will receive. To love is to give of yourself, freely and unconditionally. Practice random acts of kindness. The secret formula of a happy, lifelong relationship is to always focus on what you can give instead of you can take.

The fourth secret: The power of friendship.

To find true love you must first find a true friend. To love someone completely you must love them for who they are not what they look like. Friendship is the soil through which love's seeds grow. If you want to bring love into a relationship, you must first bring friendship.

The fifth secret: The power of touch.

Touch is one of the most powerful expressions of love, breaking down barriers and bonding relationships. Touch changes our physical and emotional states and makes us more receptive to love.

The sixth secret: The power of letting go.

If you love something, let it be free. Even in a loving relationship, people need their space. If we want to learn to love, we must first learn to forgive and let go of past hurts and grievances. Love means letting go of our fears, prejudices, egos and conditions.

The Seventh Secret: The Power of Communication

To love someone is to communicate with them. Let the people you love know; that you love and appreciate them. Never be afraid to say, "I love you." Never let an opportunity pass to praise and acknowledge someone. Always leave someone you love with a loving word ... it could be the last time you see them.

The eighth secret: the power of commitment.

If you want to have love in abundance, you must be committed to it. Commitment is the true test of love. If you want to have loving relationships, you must be committed to loving relationships. When you are committed to someone or something, quitting is never an option. Commitment distinguishes a fragile relationship from a strong, loving one.

The ninth secret: the power of passion.

Passion ignites love and keeps it alive. Lasting passion does not come through physical attraction alone. It comes from deep commitment, enthusiasm, interest and excitement. The essence of love and happiness are the same, all we need to do is to live each day with passion.

The tenth secret: the power of trust.

You cannot love someone completely unless you trust them completely. Act as if your relationship with the person you love will never end. Trust is essential in all loving relationships. Trust yourself, trust others and trust the world. It is the foundation for LOVE.

'Material ' gains and 'Spiritual ' wisdom

We are at once torn as under in opposite directions, not only in terms of material and spiritual, but also when worshiping and praying. Each time when we read Shivapuranam or Lalitha sahasranamam or for that matter about Lord Krishna or any other spiritual text, we are immediately taken up by each of them, despite "knowing" that there exists but one Brahman and nothing beyond that. However, such concepts are but theories, and the question remains how to implement such concepts. There lies our dilemma. It is like pacifying the other confronted with a problem, but if it remains your own, you are melancholic.

In this world today it is really difficult to choose between 'material ' gains and 'spiritual ' wisdom. But there is another thing called "detachment”. It is a known fact that we come into this world empty handed. Our hands are fisted at the time of birth and there is nothing in them except a few lines which are called Bhagya ki rekha. Throughout one's life one keeps running after things supposedly written in these lines of faith. It is generally seen that the material wealth one leaves behind may last a few generations but the spiritual wisdom that one acquires in this life and leaves behind him/ her keeps spreading over many centuries and even more.

The best combination of gains in one's lifetime can be to first to acquire ‘knowledge’, then use this knowledge to acquire material gains and fame and finally to detach oneself completely from these material gains and acquire 'spiritual' knowledge and wisdom. Finally one has to go out of this world empty handed leaving behind all the material gains and spiritual wisdom. One may get dissipated soon and the other may expand for the benefit of the humanity for eras to come. The legends of Gautama Buddha, Sant Guru Nanak, Kabir, and many more are still doing the rounds in the world whereas the empires of Kings and emperors have just been reduced to pages of history.

If we try to find happiness in outer world then we will never be truly happy. Everyone is restless, everyone is unhappy. And the reason being human beings have not understood the source of happiness. If you do not have peace within, you will never be happy. Make yourself happy in the external world, and you will be happy within. Make yourself happy within, and you will reflect that happiness outside

Know yourself

William Shakespeare once said "The more we know about our SELF, the more we will be able to enjoy and appreciate life".

With my limited knowledge of your understanding about your knowledge of your SELF and your relationship with the creator, let me share with you in simple general understanding of how I see me, my SELF and my creator and its connection with Life.

To me SELF is made of 3 dimensions:-

1. BODY - Biological Dimension Of You.
2. MIND - Mental and INtellectual Dimension
3. SOUL - Source Of Universal Light
4.GOD - Universal Light of Almighty Cosmic Energy that Generates, Operates and Destroys.
5.LIFE - Love Invited For Ever

We are a spiritual being made from the source of universal light living in a physical body with a God given mind to live life with joy.

There is no black board in the sky, on which God has written our purpose, our mission in life. Our purpose is what we say it is. Our mission is the mission what we give ourselves. Our life will be what we create it as, and no one will stand in judgment of it, now or ever. Let us fill the blackboard of our life with whatever we WANT. If we have filled it in with the baggage from the past, wipe it clean. We have a clean slate and we can start over – right here, right now. Find our joy and live it!!!!!

Think and do which brings you joy, happiness, freedom and laughter. “If aren’t fun don’t do it.” If you do not know it, ASK, “what is my joy?” as you find it and commit yourself to it, to joy, law of attraction will pour an avalanche of joyful things, people, circumstances, events and opportunities into your life, all because you are radiating JOY.

Be HAPPY now, feel good now. Let us use our full mental and emotional potential. We can do anything, achieve anything.

The more we use the power of our subconscious within us, the more we will draw it to us, and reach a point where we won’t need to practice it anymore, because we will be the power, the perfection, the wisdom, the intelligence, the love, and the JOY

YOUR SOUL IS THE CREATOR’S MASTER PIECE

All great discoveries and inventions and revolutions of the world have been instigated by people who were powered by their soul rather than the mind, or materialistic considerations. That is why these were path breaking in nature and are eternal- be it Penicillin, or the Law of Gravity, or the invention of the light bulb- material benefits did not even occur to their creators- their only motivation was to CREATE something and pursue their passion triggered by their soul, which incidentally went on to become the basis of innovations in the present civilization. But for Archimedes, the best of Yachts would not be gracing the oceans of the world.

All these happened because these people tapped their astha shaktis by divine providence. We haven't seen any of that momentous kind of leadership in any field in recent times, and that is because the present society operates through the mind and has kept the soul away from it all. What motivates our leaders is materialistic gains, and not welfare of society, or even personal creative satisfaction. This has led to the present deterioration in times.

I personally wish I had known the right approach to leading my life and career much earlier. Somehow these messages were lost to the world all this while; nobody told me earlier that I should use my soul power in all aspects of my life.

When people ignore their conscience, the innocence in them is lost, that means their minds and hearts are closed forever to God. With your eye of conscience, your 8 shaktis, you will make other souls understand the power of their eye of conscience and place them there with knowledge and power. Then their eye of conscience makes them view beyond logic, reasoning and analyzing dimensions making them highly conscious of their True Path, Real Goal and giving them hope and confidence for the morrow. It sanctifies their speech with Purity and consecrates love and simplicity in their hearts.

With these 8 shaktis, as a powerful leader, you automatically release the ocean of your great vibrations, the Maha Spanda as a Tsunami to wash away to eternity other people’s negative vibrations and ignorance.

You Infuse Spiritual living and teach people to make the best use of their heart through divine feelings, and expand their mind from narrow-mindedness to broadmindedness and make them to understand and realize that their powerful soul is the unseen hand working constantly beyond their intellect to balance their body, mind and intellect to make their life extraordinary, meaningful and peaceful.”

You will give them confidence and show them the path of true success. You will guide them that “To find true success, never impress or please anybody. Just follow the path of Truth, touching base with the soul through sadhana, and Principled living, the whole world will follow you and look up to you. In fact your Soul will reflect you as a Mahatma- Great Leader”.

As a powerful leader, you give them the experience of grit, determination and confidence in many a turbulent times through your key decision making process. Your decision making process hits the bulls eye both in the materialistic realm and the spiritual realm within no time. You pilot people to the divine port of calmness and confidence through their state of turbulence.


You as a powerful leader unleashing the Power of Free Will which is beyond any physical dimensions, show more care and compassion to all the souls naturally gravitating towards YOU will bring in the Perfect Universal Master from within you.

Happiness is everyone’s responsibility

Happiness is a gift, not a commodity. We all have a choice to make every moment, through our senses, our thoughts and our actions. We can choose what we want to see, hear, touch, taste and smell, think, feel and do. Most of the time, we are responsible for our decisions—for our happiness and unhappiness. We can decide how we want to feel even in the worst possible situations.

To a jealous mind, an innocent smile is proof of adultery; a prisoner can choose to keep the flame of freedom alive and maintain a cheerful disposition. Events or people around us are not under our control. But our reactions, our responses to them are. Respond with love and peace. The ecology and geography of your inner mind space is in your hands. Study how to deal with each of your five senses to be happy. Focus on happiness, not the lack of it. Focusing on our unhappiness only helps to provide more power and attention to the negative person, event or object that causes it. Focus on cultivating happy people and avoid toxic people. Build protective walls against toxic events that threaten your tranquility. Happiness is everyone’s responsibility

Happiness is living with a sense of fulfillment and peace. It is a belief in the fundamental goodness of people, in the value of compassion, a policy of kindness, and a sense of unity among all living beings. ‘Happy’ is a word derived from ‘happ’ meaning luck or chance.

All beings seek happiness and act to avoid pain. Everyone is looking for something better. We can train the mind to be happy—it is an achievable goal. Most psychiatrists see people in distress and conclude that the most one can hope for is the transformation of despair into common unhappiness.

The Indian tradition shows us that positive radiant happiness is our birthright. Happiness quotient (HQ) is a concept that rates approximately, the measure of happiness each person has achieved in his life.

Whatever the external circumstances may be, the individual is responsible for his inner state. Events are not under our control, but our perceptions and reactions to them are. I believe that it is possible to realise one’s full potential for happiness by training the mind, body and soul to dwell in that state.

What must be done?

Is it really so difficult to do what must be done? It’s not difficult at all, when you stop fighting against it. One little step will get you started, and once you’re started, you become interested and invested. Once you’re started, momentum begins to give you a push that becomes stronger with each effort.

Instead of putting off what you know must be done, what if you could somehow get yourself to be positively enthusiastic about it? You absolutely can, because you can choose how you wish to feel about anything.

It is indeed a privilege to be able to make good and useful things happen. It is a blessing to be in the position to undertake effective effort.

The genuine satisfaction in your life comes when you know you’re making a difference. And whatever it is in your world that must be done, is your opportunity to make that difference.

Go beyond intending, go beyond planning, go beyond wishing, and go beyond saying you need to get it done. Dive in, go to work, make something happen and be the positive, dynamic difference that makes you feel so wonderfully alive.

Why are we not able to progress quickly?

The reason why people do not progress quickly is that they are loaded with a pile of external opinions and thoughts.

If you go for a walk in the morning and someone asks you where you are going, you reply cheerfully that you are taking a walk. How cheerful your face looks!

At 10 or 11 am, if you are going the same route and someone asks you the same question, you answer dispiritedly: "I am going to office." You no longer exude cheer. Why? Because your mind is full of all kinds of ideas – "I have to do this, I have to do that..." – you are burdened with the sense of doer ship. This is not the way. Go to the office or your shop, but plan your day in such a way as if you were a prince at play. You should take all your duties as if they are acts of amusement.

You may think, "If I take my work like pastime, my business will suffer." You're wrong. If you free yourself from anxiety and stress, you will work better. Why should you worry? You have seen the events of the past, you are seeing the present and you will also see what will come to pass in the future. At the most, you will die, and die you must some day or the other. Don't be afraid of death; don't try to save yourself from death, and don't try to escape it either. Invite and welcome troubles with a challenging and playful curiosity. Then they will lose their severity.

Many people are in perpetual fear of being insulted. Insult is far better than the fear of insult. Death is preferable to the fear of death. Criticism is better than the fear of criticism. Fear fans the fire of distressing thoughts; it diminishes your energy. So live life free of fear, worry and stress.

Physical Fitness for Happy and Joyful Life

Your body is a car given to you by God to go places, if you let it collapse in to a junk, then you have a problem. Most people look after their cars better than their own body. But don’t forget that just like your car, your body needs regular checkups too. Make sure all small aches and pains are taken care of. Do something to maintain your health, learn to breathe properly, exercise regularly, walking, and yoga. It is important to follow a healthy schedule. Everyone should learn to meditate; it takes you to a quiet place in your mind. To build a healthy mind, it is necessary to learn to breathe properly, or some form of pranayama. Be connected to whatever is your conception of a higher power; be in touch with that everyday, it will always take care of you.

When you are tired, get some good sleep and rest. If you are feeling lonely, try to go out and meet friends who make you happy. If you are on a treadmill and tired, don’t go overboard. Take regular physical breaks through the day. Switch off for 15 minutes for 3-4 times in a day. Don’t let the body burn out. It is also very important to get at least 7-8 hrs of sleep, it can add years to your life.

As far as weight is concerned, don’t get obsessed with your weight. One should not have unrealistic expectations. At 50, you cannot expect to look like you did in your 20s. Do not get swayed by media and film stars. Learn to accept and love yourself. Consult your doctor for your appropriate weight. Don’t starve yourself, eat a balanced diet which contains all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. We need to put high quality fuel into our body to let it function without breakdown. Avoid junk food which causes indigestion and other health related problems.

‘Physical fitness’ is of utmost importance as it is the starting point for wellness of the mind and spirit. Take care of yourself as no one else can do it for you. Sushruta Samhita, the ancient Indian work by the physician Sushruta, describes perfect health as a state where all body parts function, at their optimal level and wherein the body, mind and spirit are in perfect balance and in a state of bliss.

Health is not a state but a continuous adjustment to the changing demands of life and the environment. Positive health implies perfect functioning of body and mind in a given society. All the ancients believed that no attempt should be made to cure the body without treating the soul. The concept of optimum health has been termed ‘wellness’. It is a sense of all-round wellbeing.

In order to treat or prevent disease, it is essential to look into our emotional, mental and psychological environment, as our thoughts and emotions directly contribute to our wellbeing or otherwise. Meditation can contribute enormously to an individual’s psychological and physiological wellbeing.

'Material ' gains and 'Spiritual ' wisdom

We are at once torn as under in opposite directions, not only in terms of material and spiritual, but also when worshiping and praying. Each time when we read Shivapuranam or Lalitha sahasranamam or for that matter about Lord Krishna or any other spiritual text, we are immediately taken up by each of them, despite "knowing" that there exists but one Brahman and nothing beyond that. However, such concepts are but theories, and the question remains how to implement such concepts. There lies our dilemma. It is like pacifying the other confronted with a problem, but if it remains your own, you are melancholic.

In this world today it is really difficult to choose between 'material ' gains and 'spiritual ' wisdom. But there is another thing called "detachment”. It is a known fact that we come into this world empty handed. Our hands are fisted at the time of birth and there is nothing in them except a few lines which are called Bhagya ki rekha. Throughout one's life one keeps running after things supposedly written in these lines of faith. It is generally seen that the material wealth one leaves behind may last a few generations but the spiritual wisdom that one acquires in this life and leaves behind him/ her keeps spreading over many centuries and even more.

The best combination of gains in one's lifetime can be to first to acquire ‘knowledge’, then use this knowledge to acquire material gains and fame and finally to detach oneself completely from these material gains and acquire 'spiritual' knowledge and wisdom. Finally one has to go out of this world empty handed leaving behind all the material gains and spiritual wisdom. One may get dissipated soon and the other may expand for the benefit of the humanity for eras to come. The legends of Gautama Buddha, Sant Guru Nanak, Kabir, and many more are still doing the rounds in the world whereas the empires of Kings and emperors have just been reduced to pages of history.

If we try to find happiness in outer world then we will never be truly happy. Everyone is restless, everyone is unhappy. And the reason being human beings have not understood the source of happiness. If you do not have peace within, you will never be happy. Make yourself happy in the external world, and you will be happy within. Make yourself happy within, and you will reflect that happiness outside

Why we don’t find love these days……..

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.

Why is that we are always look out for true love?
Can’t we just look for only, simple Love?
If look generally we can find love all around but what we look for is true love like:-

Radha & Krishna
Heer & Ranjha
Laila & Majnu
Sassi & Punnu and many more……..

But here one thing has to be understood that these were the stories only. Why stories only? Has anyone seen them? Is there any one story only out these all stories that can be proved to be true? If you do a survey you will come around all the different kind of version of these love stories.

Firstly, we should understand that stories are told just to make us understand the meaning of MORAL which is only of few words or can say just to make us understand the meaning of the phrase for which the stories are told.

So, as we human are short memory types we constantly have to keep our self reminding about that what is wrong and what is right, what is truth and what is mirage. So, our forefathers invented the system of the story telling and every country, state, town, village, country sides, region, religion, tradition and even a simple house hold peoples have there own version of the stories of all kind so that we can briefly understand the meaning of the moral of the story.

So, friends the moral of my story about LOVE is that stop looking for Love and Be ready to feel it when it comes around, Be ready not to miss the moment in which you will feel yes this what I was looking for and go ahead and take your chance. Wake up your intuition power and your sixth sense by MEDITATION and feel love all the time and in what is around you.

The true meaning of Love in the real world is GIVE AND TAKE.
It’s just simple give love and get love.

The Almighty has made all the things and humans of different kind, of different color and with different beauty. Each and every thing and person has its own beauty, we just have to find that in him. As it is well said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, smile always and find for that beauty in the person in front of you which he has. The person who is ignorant, he/she is ignorant but that does not mean he/she is bad. No one is bad in this world all things and humans are made by Lord then how can they be bad, yes they can be called ignorant but not bad. Look for the inner beauty of the person because that is only truth outer beauty is just a MIRAGE; it will melt as the time passes by.

Youthful beauty fades with time, but, with cultivation, inner beauty grows richer.

And also it is well said:-

Pyar ko Pyar hi rahney do koi naam na do

Let the love be love only don’t give it a name……

Why do Good People Suffer?

“Why do good people suffer or why do bad things happen to good people?” This question seems to be very common these days. It seems as though good people get the brunt of all suffering, while evil-doers enjoy life. But if we observe closely, we see that everyone undergoes suffering in some form. Keeping this in mind, our question becomes meaningless. Just because a person is good does not mean there would be no suffering in his/her life.

But what do we mean by ‘good’? In Sanskrit, ‘sadhu’ is the word used for a good person. Sadhu comes from the word ‘saadh’, meaning ‘to accomplish’. If we work for ourselves and achieve great things, there is nothing laudable about it, but if we help others to achieve their goals, then it is an accomplishment. If someone is good to you and you reciprocate, that is common courtesy. But if someone is harming you, and despite that you continue to wish that person well without expecting anything in return, it is real goodness. A sadhu bathing in the river saw a drowning insect. He saved it from drowning and was stung in return. Again, the insect fell back into the river and the sadhu pulled it out of the water and placed it under a shady tree. On seeing this, a person asked the sadhu, “Why did you do that?” He replied, “The insect did not give up its nature, so why should I?”

How can we achieve this goodness in our lives? To reach any target, we must first have a goal. Similarly, for achieving goodness, we must have a standard of goodness which is known to us, because only then can we rise up to the required levels. As long as we see differences in the world around us, true goodness will not manifest. This can be achieved only when we become aware of our oneness with others. An example will illustrate this point better. Every organ of my body is part of one whole. If the finger goes into the eye, there is instant forgiveness, because of the complete identification with the finger.

Now that we know what is good, let us see what suffering is. Objective suffering befalls all people, good or bad. Situations leading to suffering could have their roots in past actions. Objectively, the existence of pain or any other physical handicap cannot be denied, but the degree of sorrow this leads to is entirely subjective. Riches or positions of power do not guarantee happiness. People become miserable over small matters. If a person claims that he is good and is suffering, while the dishonest person is flourishing, we can be very sure that the person is not good. For a good man, the real suffering is to do something against his convictions. Suppose a pure vegetarian is faced with a situation of remaining hungry or eating beef, the chances are that the former option would be more acceptable.

All our spiritual practices cannot eliminate suffering, but they protect the mind and make suffering acceptable, just as on a rainy day, we cannot stop the rain, but can protect ourselves from getting wet with an umbrella. Bhagavan Krishna says, “A good person never suffers.” By some logic we feel that suffering and enjoyment is related to past actions. If we observe at the subtle level, we find immediate results of our actions. The moment a good thought enters our mind, we feel elation, and similarly a wicked thought causes agitation.

Real suffering is when we lose our goodness. Compromising with goodness is the greatest suffering. Even though superficially it may appear that evil doers are flourishing, it should not be an excuse to compromise. The problem arises when one does not have an ideal or when one is not able to live up to one’s ideal. But the greatest problem is when one believes that the ideal is not worth living up to and has lost its utility. Remember, a good man will stand by his convictions, because “If you do not stand for something, you will fall for everything.”

Challenges

There isn’t a single person in the world that hasn’t had to struggle with something or overcome difficulties at some point in life. We all face challenges and adversity.

At this very moment you may be facing one, whether they’re related to money, health, children, family or carriers. It is all part of being alive.

Recognise that obstacles are just part of your journey. Don’t let them stop you and never give up. Instead, think of them as milestones that once passed will bring you closer to your goals.

Remember that with every challenges passed, you are a little stronger, a little wiser and more prepared for the rest of your journey.

Meaning of peace

In ancient times, there lived a good king who was obsessed with the desire to find the real meaning of peace. “What exactly is peace? Where and how can we find it? And when we get it, what should we do with it?” he asked everyone he met. Courtiers and advisors from his kingdom were challenged to answer his questions, and he even offered a bag of gold as a reward.

Many tried, but none could give him a satisfactory answer about what peace really is, how to find it, and what to do with it. At last someone suggested that the king ought to consult a well known sage, a wise woman who lived deep inside the forest.

"She is an old woman and known to be very wise; people from all over seek her advice," the king was told, "… so if anyone can answer your questions, she can."

The king called for the old woman and posed the eternal question. Without a word, she went into the kitchen and brought back single grain of wheat to the king. "In this,” she declared, gently placing placed the grain of wheat in the king's outstretched palm, “you will find the answer to all these questions."

The king, puzzled but unwilling to admit his ignorance, locked the precious grain in a beautiful little gold box and placed the box in his strong safe. Each morning on waking, the king would unlock the safe, open the golden box and look at the grain, as if to find the answers to his questions as the wise woman had assured him. But he found nothing.

Many weeks later the king sent for the old woman again and hesitantly admitted how he went through the same ritual every day. "Since you gave me this grain, I have been looking for an answer every single morning, but I find absolutely nothing."

The sage gently explained: "It is really quite simple. Just as this grain contains nourishment for the body, peace holds nourishment for the soul.”

“But,” she added, “There is more.” Gently she went on to explain: “If you keep this grain locked up in a golden box, however precious and exquisite, it will eventually perish without providing any nourishment and without multiplying. However, if it is allowed to interact with the elements - light, water, air, and soil - it will flourish, multiply and soon you will have a whole field of wheat which will nourish not only you but so many others.

This is the meaning of peace. It must be shared to nourish your soul and the souls of others; it must multiply and spread by interacting with all people."

Why Can’t we enjoy?

While human craving to make life more comfortable by way of scientific inventions and discoveries is in sync with our instincts to realise the real evolutionary potential in nature, still, there are many things which have become anachronistic with the passage of time and ought to cease to exist at the earliest possible.

Different cultures, languages, religions, mores, rituals and societies developed in isolation with each other in different geographical locations.

People lived separately from each other in different parts of the world without knowing that there exist other societies similar to them, as we exist in this universe in the sublime belief that we might be the only living planet in the cosmos. Because of this segregated development of different human communities, we developed different languages to communicate with each other, different religions and cultures to regulate our social life and different states to promise a safe and secure life. May be that is how destiny willed it.

Variety adds colour to our life and makes it more interesting. But how can we justify the insular feelings stemming from these parochial creations? Today, we may not be interested in jingoistic patriotism or linguistic chauvinism, but we are swayed by the politics informing these notions. Why can’t we just enjoy life as human beings without being encumbered by the restrictions or the simulated notions of communalism or nationalism? Why can’t we decide to live anywhere, go anywhere and do anything as long as we don’t impinge or hurt the sovereignty of another? This is more so when we know only too well that our life on earth is transitory and ephemeral.

We should never forget the eternal truth that human existence is ephemeral and transient. All the worldly possessions, we keep fighting about are finally left behind in this mortal world only. The only thing that survives us and lives forever is our good deeds. What matters most in life is not what we do for ourselves, but what we do for others. By doing good to others, we do good to ourselves. We remember great men because of what they have done for others and for society and not for what they did for themselves and their families.

What is life?

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. An embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.


The Bank Account of Life. Imagine there is a bank that credits our account each morning with Rs. 86,400/- It carries over no balance from day to day. Every “Evening” deletes whatever part of the balance we failed to use during the day. What we do? Draw out every paisa, of course! Each of us has such a “Bank”. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits us with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this we have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for us. Each night it burns the remaining of the day. If we fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is ours. There is no going back. There is no Drawing against the tomorrow. We must live in the present on to-day’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it in the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most pf to-day.

To realize the value of One YEAR………… ask the student who failed in his class.
To realize the value of One MONTH…ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of One WEEK……..Ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of One HOUR….ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of One MINUTE…ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of One SECOND…ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND…ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

We should treasure every moment that we have. And Treasure it more because we shared it with someone special, special enough to spend our time. And remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is History. Tomorrow is mystery and to-day is a gift. That is why it is called …………the Present.

This is worth reading ….and must Understand

A woman baked bread for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passer-by.

She kept the extra bread on the Window-sill, for whosoever would take it away. Everyday a hunch-back came and took away the bread, Instead of expressing gratitude; he muttered the following words as he went way:

“The evil you do remain with you: The good you do, comes back to you!”

This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunch-back came, picked up the bread and uttered the words: “The evil you do, remains with you: the good you do comes back to you!”

The woman felt irritated. “Not a word of gratitude,” she said to herself…

“Everyday this hunch-back utters this jingle! What does he mean?

One day, out of desperation, she decided to do away with him. “I shall get rid of this hunch-back,” she said, and what did she do? She added poison to the bread she prepared for him! As she was about to place it on the window sill, her hands trembled. “What is this I am doing?” she said.

Immediately she threw the bread into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window-sill.

As usual, the hunch-back came, picked up the bread and muttered the words:

“The evil you do remain with you: The good you do, comes back to you!”

The hunch-back proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman. Everyday, as the woman placed the bread on the indow-sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news for him. She prayed for his safe return.

That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, “Mom, It’s a miracle I’m here. While I was but a mile away, I was so hungry that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunch-back passed by. I begged of him for a small part of his food, and he was kind enough to give me whole bread. “As he gave it to me, he said. “This is what I eat everyday; today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!”

As mother heard those words, her face turned pale and red. She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned bread that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life!

It was then that she realised the significance of the words: “The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!”

Do good and; Don’t ever stop doing good, even if it’s not appreciated at that time.

Love and Time

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love.

One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost sunk, love decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, “Richness can you take me with you?”

Richness answered, “No, I can’t. there is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. “Vanity, please help me! “ “I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat.” Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked. “Sadness, let me go with you.”

“Oh…..Love, I am so sad that I need to be myself!.”
Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.
“It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed,
Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going.
When they arrived at dry land, The elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,

Love asked knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?”
“It was Time, “Knowledge answered.
“Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?
“Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is.”

Take care of your parents....

A simple man tells how his booking an air ticket for his father, his first flight, brought emotions and made him realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents.

My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same.

In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Flight.

The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air.

The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.

As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him.

When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me.

But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life.

As a child how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for football, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have satisfied to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes?

Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us?

Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young, it is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.

Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments.

Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care need to be given to our parents and elders.

Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes.

Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too.

Take care of your parents.

Hastinapur in Argentina

The hallmark of Hinduism is its tolerance towards other religions and religious thoughts and scriptures and Hinduism is a way of life and it is this unique feature of it which has seen it through centuries of invasions by ruthless rulers from abroad who not only looted and plundered the country’s wealth but forcibly converted the local population to their own religion; when the British ruled over the country for three centuries, they also introduced their own religion by way of educating the downtrodden of the country.

The religion Hinduism still is the dominant religion in the country. The Vedantic thoughts of Hinduism has attracted millions of non-Hindus as the teachings are open to any believer, irrespective of caste, creed and religion and vegetarianism which is encouraged by most Hindus is after all scientifically a very healthy food habit.

It is therefore heartening to hear that Hindu philosophy, yoga and meditation has made a deep impact on Argentina and the temple that is described above and its activities speak for themselves the noble intentions of the people behind the building and organisation of this holy place.

Hinduism believes in universal brotherhood and living in mutual trust, love and integrity.

Let us go to 50 km from Buenos Aires (in Argentina) Hastinapur created for Hindu Gods. Hastinapur has a total area of 12 acres. Its population consists of a dozen Indian gods and an equal number of Argentinean people. Some of the gods reside in authentic temples filled with the scent of Indian agarbattis while others stay outdoors, enjoying the fragrance of the flowers in the garden.

Some are sitting or standing on pedestals and others hang on the sides of walls and pillars. The gods who have their own temples include Ganesha, Krishna, Surya, Narayana and Shiva. Since it is Hastinapur, there is a temple for the Pandavas, too. The only sound comes from the hundreds of birds nesting in the trees. Then there is the soft music of devotees singing bhajans.

Not Looking For Favors

The dozen Argentineans who live there look after the gods and the place. During weekends, the people here number over one hundred. Visitors don’t come here seeking favors from the gods. They come in search of wisdom.

This is why Hastinapur is called ciudad de la sabiduria, the city of wisdom. Sculptures of Saraswati, the goddess of learning, can be seen all over the place. Argentineans come here to learn philosophy, read in the library, practice yoga and meditation and sing bhajans. The food served here is vegetarian or vegan.

Hastinapur has no God men. The names of those who run the place are not publicised. They have their professions as company managers, engineers or professors. They volunteer their time and talent for the foundation.

Nor is Hastinapur the work of some overenthusiastic drum-beating, die-hard devotee of a particular god or guru. Hastinapur respects all religions and beliefs. The 10 temples include one for Buddha, Virgin Mary and Greek goddess Demeter; there is also something called Temple of All Faiths. Their library has books of all religions and schools of thought.

Follow Your Own Path

Hastinapur does not prescribe wisdom doses. It simply helps people to seek, find and pursue their own path to wisdom. The organisers give classes in yoga, meditation, philosophy, devotional singing and sacred drama, hold workshops, seminars and retreats. They also provide community service. They celebrate festivals such as Ganesh Chathurthi and Baisakhi. Their next project is to broadcast through radio. There are no priests here and no money is collected.

Hastinapur has a post-graduate course in yoga which takes three years to complete. The classes are held on weekends only. There are 2,500 students studying yoga and philosophy in the Hastinapur centers. The students are being taught by 100 teachers on philosophy and 120 teachers on yoga.

Hastinapur Foundation has published a number of books on Indian philosophy and translated the Bhagavad Gita, Bhakti Sutras, Upanishads, Srimad Bhagavatam and Yoga Sutras. Their latest publication is Mahabharatha in Spanish. Hastinapura Foundation was established by Ada Albrecht in 1981. She introduced Indian philosophy to the Argentinean people. She has authored a number of books such as The Saints And Teachings Of India and The Teachings Of The Monks From Himalayas.

Indian Spirituality Is Popular

Gustavo Canzobre, her student, is now the director of the Hastinapur College of professors. He was 17 years old when he became interested in Indian wisdom. During the third Festival of India organised by the embassy in Buenos Aires in November 2010, he gave a talk on the temple architecture of South India. He will give a talk on Indian philosophy in the forthcoming fourth Festival of India in December 2011.

Expand your mind

Get attached to a wider circle of people – community, nation, humanity. Work for loka sangraha, for the welfare of the world. As you get attached to the higher you get detached from the lower.

True love is born and your relationships become free from the endless strife that prevails now. In order to fill the haunting sense of emptiness in your life you depend on people for your happiness. Thus the starting point is faulty. Only when you are happy within can you establish meaningful relationships with others. It is absurd to depend on others to fill the void. Vedanta says you are paripurna – totally fulfilled you do not need anyone to make you happy. Gain knowledge of your fulfilled state. Love others for what they are, the good as well as the bad.

Understand that people behave according to their nature. Do you hate a lion for its ferocity or a deer for its timidity? You love both creatures equally because you understand their nature and accept them for what they are. What prevents you from accepting people as they are? Why do you complain when a partner gets angry or a child is timid? Look at others as part of yourself and you will focus on their best qualities. You will see opponents as partners, competitors as comrades. You will celebrate others’ victory as if it were your own.

Thus your happiness multiplies a billion times! Today you are happy only when good things happen to you in the end love turns God ward. You worship God in all beings. Vedanta says there is only one. If you see separateness, it is your delusion. Just as one ray of light refracts into seven different colours, you see distinctions and demarcations because you view the world through the prism of your body, mind and intellect. You see maximum separateness when you identify with your body. See the world through your mind and your circle of love expands to include your family. As you know Star has FIVE ends. Squares have FOUR ends, Triangle has THREE ends, Lines have TWO ends, and Life has ONE end. But Friendship has no END.

Control your attention, and you control your mind

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.

He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said:

"I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more".

This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly:
"Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"

The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

The elephant stopped eating and said:
"My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."

Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said:

"I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind".

A Butterfly Lesson

One day a small opening appeared on the cocoon; a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then, it seems to stop making any progress.

It appeared as if it has gotten as far as it could and it could not go any further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly; he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon,

The butterfly then emerged easily.

But, it had a withered body; it was tiny and shriveled wings.

The Man continued to watch because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand, to be able to support the butterfly’s body, and become firm.

Neither happened! In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and his goodwill did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening, were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Never been able to fly.

Why are we unhappy?

People say, “I am unhappy. I am suffering.” But Vedanta asks, ‘What is the weight of sorrow? Does the sorrow weigh 50 gm, 200gm, 500 gm, or 1 kg? Has anyone measured the mass of sorrow? What is the color of sorrow? What is the form of unhappiness? What is the force of sorrow?’ It has no force of its own. Nobody has seen sorrow having any mass, color, form or power. God has no sorrow to give to us. We don’t want unhappiness. Still, we are suffering. God has not created sorrow nor has nature done so. Does the mother create sorrow for her child? No! Why then do children become unhappy? It is due to lack of understanding. Going to school is for the benefit of children but they are unhappy being sent to school; only due to lack of good sense. Bathing is good for health; soap washes the dirt away but children cry when mother bathes them. Unhappiness has no mass, color, form or force, other than lack of good sense.

There are two types of Creation. One is the Creation of God. There is no sorrow in it. The other is our (mental) creation. We create it due to our foolishness. Diamonds, pearls, rubies are created by God. But one becomes unhappy thinking, ‘He has diamonds, pearls and rubies. I don’t have.” But the one who has them will also die leaving the gems and jewels behind. If you will have them you too will have to depart leaving them behind. Right now, you should thank God almighty for giving food and shelter. What if you have the stones and what if you don’t? The one who possesses them feels proud, “I have diamonds, pearls and rubies.” He is ensnared by egotism and you are ensnared by foolish envious thinking.

The diamonds created by God do not cause pain to anybody nor do they give joy to anybody. God has created diverse forms, colors and events for your joy, your knowledge, and enhancing your divine love. After birth you came in your mother’s lap. Neither your mother nor father nor grandfather made the milk. Mother ate rotis and vegetables but God made milk for you in mother’s body before your birth. You suckled it as and when you wished and then turned your face away. It is not considered to be defiled; it needs neither boiling nor storing in a refrigerator. Had it been too sweet, it would have caused hyperglycemia; had it been tasteless, you would not have liked it. Had it been too hot, it would have burnt your tongue; had it been too cold, it would have aggravated Vata. Neither much cold nor much hot, neither much sweet nor tasteless. The excellent and healthful drink! Was it made by any insentient machine or Supreme Consciousness? Was it made by any enemy or Supreme benefactor? No, it was made by the Supreme Lord, the supreme well-wisher and friend of all; and it was made out of compassion with great care and attention.

When God brings favorable circumstances in life, it is to encourage us. And when, at times, He brings adversities in our life, it is to caution against becoming haughty. He gives illness to teach us not to be unrestrained in diet. He gives us health to serve mankind and to engage ourselves in devotional practices or to know Him. So tell me whether God causes pain to us or elevates us; God is our well wisher or enemy? He is our well-wisher not enemy. God wants our progress, He is our well-wisher, and we also want to progress for our good yet why the sorrow?

Lesson Ten - Teaching and sharing the lessons learned

We must now share what we have learned with others. After the age of sixty three we become enlightened teachers. We now tell others, “You are that” (Tat Tvam Asi.) A Guru is one who tells others, “You are that Divinity”. From sixty three onwards we learn to share with others the lessons that we have learned. This lesson of sharing with all continues till the very end.

All these lessons must be learnt within our lifetime. Nature continues teaching us without being concerned about our age. People often get stuck on lesson one itself. They may be grownup individuals but behave like children! They learn the lesson of selfishness and live in a world of their own. They are not aware of the presence of other beings. Even while living with the family they remain oblivious to others and derive their identity from self importance. When we learn the lesson of accepting others, we begin respecting and valuing things from a universal perspective. We do not litter roads and public places because we understand that these belong to all. The motto, ‘Live and let live’ becomes important.

With lesson three, we respect the emotions and differences that exist between genders. Respect for the uniqueness of each comes to the fore and there is no encroachment on the other’s feelings and rights. There is no suppression of the spouse’s individuality. There is recognition of the partner’s right to independent growth and for his or her own independent understanding of life.

Lesson four enables us to bond with the family unit, of growing together with love and regard for one another. Many do not go beyond this lesson. They limit themselves to their families and remain unaware of the world outside.

Lesson five pertains to developing an awareness of the presence of other living beings, animals, birds, plants, continents as well as world issues of global warming, ecology, environmental and social problems. Here one has to expand one’s vision and develop an understanding of not only the world but the entire cosmos. With a heightened sense of awareness and expanded vision comes a sense of identification that ‘we are all one’.

Lesson six is of ‘we’ and ‘ours’, of compassion and universal love. Contemplation reveals the mystic presence of Divinity when we go beyond the world of mere sensory perceptions.

Spirituality and mysticism are components of lesson seven. Dispassion or vairagya is lesson eight. When this lesson is well learnt we experience the Self. With renunciation of concepts of ‘I’ and ‘my’ we come to recognize the Divinity within and become enlightened. Thereafter, for the rest of our lives we live as enlightened teachers, imparting the Knowledge and Experience to humanity.

This is the syllabi of human existence. If we learn these in one lifetime, we attain liberation. If we fail to learn them, we take birth again to begin from where we left off. This is the natural process of evolution.

(Concluded)

Lesson Nine - Self Realization and Enlightenment

Between the ages of fifty six to sixty three, when we are firmly established in vairagya we come to realize and recognize that the one I considered God is not different from my real Self. He is I, ‘Soham’. This is the time of Self Realization or Enlightenment. We understand that the God whom we were seeking everywhere is in fact ‘my own Self’. In these seven years, through vairagya and intense contemplation we become aware of the fact that we are neither the body, nor the mind nor intellect, but we are the one Indivisible Supreme Reality - chidanandarupaha Sivoham Sivoham.

(To be Contd....)

Lesson Eight - Dispassion and vairagya

Number eight is the lesson of vairagya i.e. dispassion or Saturn. When we come to appreciate that everything belongs to that power called God, we become more detached from external stimuli. The notion of things belonging to us seems childish/immature and ridiculous. (If it were so, then we should be able to carry all that we possess with us after we die!) These false notions of ‘I’ and ‘my’ are dropped. We realize that everything belongs to that Supreme Reality and that it alone expresses as this world. All that is seen changes and that Reality alone is the changeless substratum. We become detached from all that changes. We gain total vairagya or dispassion from all that is asat or unreal. From forty nine to fifty six is the age of sanyas.

(To be Contd.....)

Lesson Seven - Contemplation and mysticism ‘All is that’

As we proceed from forty two onwards, questions arise in our minds about ‘we’ and ‘ours’. “Is there more to life than just us and what we have?” People become introspective and wonder whether there is more to existence than meets the eye. Until now, we had the feeling of being in control of our lives, but as we progress in years we encounter old age, death and an inability to control events. We begin to question the possibility of something else being in control of our lives. “Who are we? Are we alone in this world?” We are not what we seem to be and the world is not what it appears to be. Such persons between the ages of forty two to forty nine, perhaps for the first time in their lives, come to accept the presence of God. They become conscious of the presence of a spiritual power, a Reality or Divinity that lies beyond the domain of scientific analysis. This is the commencement of our spiritual journey. We come to sincerely accept and recognize the power of a Reality that is beyond the realm of the senses and emotional and intellectual perceptions. This opens the path of mysticism and the person becomes a mystic. Prior to this, such people could have been religious and ritualistic performing rituals for their own or their family’s well being.

A higher level of spiritual growth implies a deep and subtle understanding that the world really belongs to ‘That’. There is a supreme power, call it God or Truth or ‘That’ and everything belongs to that power. We learn the lesson of ‘That’ factor or Tat. During these years we become more aware of this factor. We realize that we are not what we imagined ourselves to be and the world is not what we thought it was. We have reached lesson seven which is a mystical number. There is a strange mystery to everything.

Number one pertains to something new. Number two is the awareness of someone else, three is awareness of the other gender, four is building the four walls of your house, five is the exploration of newer worlds, six is the number of unconditional love and seven is the number of mysticism.

(To be Contd....)

Lesson Six - Universal identification and love ‘We’ and ‘ours’

This lesson spans the years thirty five to forty two. Here we come to realize the vastness of the world. Not only do we acknowledge the presence of others in this world but we also come to identify with the vast variety of life forms that exist on the planet. A feeling that we all belong to Mother Earth arises. The lesson being of ‘we’ and ‘ours’, there is the feeling of togetherness that we all belong to earth and the earth belongs to us. This is the stage of identification with the entire creation, of universal love and compassion. ‘We’ denotes all beings, human, bird and animal and ‘ours’ denotes the universe. At this level a person becomes a lover of the world. It is a state of unconditional love for and towards all. One learns the lesson of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – seeing the whole world as one large family.

(To be Contd....)

Lesson five - Exploration and travel ‘They and theirs’

Lessons learnt have to be transcended. Once a child passes the fifth grade, it has to progress to the next class. It cannot say, “No, no I want to stay on here. I like my teacher very much!” In much the same way, keeping in mind the lessons learned we too must move to the next level of learning.

So far we have learned the lessons of ‘I’ and ‘my’, ‘you’ and ‘yours’, of ‘us and ‘ours’. From twenty eight to thirty five, people explore the world. They want to know what the world is all about. Interest in things pertaining to society, the nation and other countries develops. This is the time of travel and exploration. One travels within one’s own country learning about its diversity as well as to other countries, learning about their cultures and traditions too.

Lesson five is recognising/realising that families other than “mine” also exist in this world. This is the stage of an explorer and an adventurer out on an exploration trip! At a physical level, this is actually going out and visiting places and meeting new people. At a mental level, it is reading books and expanding one’s horizons of knowledge. Such people are no longer bound to their families. They do not remain mere householders in the sense of holding on to their households. They move out into society and the world at large. At this stage we realize the existence of ‘they’ and ‘theirs’. We understand that there are others in this world and some things belong to them.

(To be Contd....)

Lesson four - Family growth and acquisitions ‘Us’ and ‘ours’

Familiarity with the opposite gender brings a feeling of possessiveness. Between the ages of twenty one to twenty eight one gets married and experiences a sense of belonging to another. In the beginning, we know we exist and have a host of possessions that include other people. Now the reverse happens. We realize that we could also be a possession of another. ‘Somebody else belongs to me’ and ‘I also belong to someone’ and ‘something belongs to us’ are the threads of the husband-wife-children relationship that bind the family together. There is an experience of oneness with another being which is a wonderful experience in itself. Later this guides and aids in the realization of the Ultimate Truth.

These years are spent in profession or job enhancement, house building and rearing of children. We learn the invaluable lesson of somebody belonging to us. ‘This is my wife, my husband, my children.’ This lesson, if felt and deeply understood, enables one to identify with the world in a more humane manner. We are able to understand the value of other families, other peoples’ wealth and properties. We begin to see things from another perspective. This applies not only to human beings. Appreciation of the lives of animals and birds also permeates our understanding. We realize that just as we have families, so do animals and birds and others in the natural kingdom. We become sensitive to the presence of other beings. This fourth stage spans the years when people are beginning their careers, seeking stability in their jobs, getting married, nurturing desires to build a house, buy a car and get their children into the best schools. The emphasis is on us, our families consisting of spouses, children, grand parents, relatives, education of children, house, and other personal assets and possessions.

(To be Contd....)

Lesson three - Gender and personality awareness

Lesson three begins at fourteen. This is when we discover the gender and personalities of others. From fourteen to twenty one years, there is an exploration of the other species, one from Mars (men) the other from Venus (women). There is an attraction towards and an attention to the opposite gender. Boys discover the presence of girls and their thoughts are riveted in that direction. Girls, though being aware of their own personality and identity, are also aware of boys. Even Adi Sancaracarya says, “balastavat, kridasaktaha, tarunastavat tarunisaktaha“.

As long as we are children we are happy playing with other children. But as adolescents, we become aware of the opposite gender. During these teenage years children live in a dream world. Their parents often do not understand them, occasionally giving rise to unnecessary rifts and discord. Here, the lesson of accepting the other gender is learnt. Those who fail to learn this do not respect or value their spouses. As a result, they face problems in their married lives. It is important to understand and accept the differences and specialties of the opposite gender. This empowers them to revere and regard the other.

(To be Contd.....)

Lesson two - ‘You’ and ‘yours’

After the age of seven we discover the presence of others around us. We become aware of our siblings and the other children at school. We come to realise that these ‘others’ also have their own identities. We recognize that our parents and siblings, though belonging to us, have their own identities. We learn that some of our toys are also shared by our siblings. In other words, we learn to cognize and accept the presence of others in our lives. Some people, however, don’t learn this important lesson thus remaining egoistic and selfish all their lives.

From birth to seven are the selfish years. Thereafter, we learn of the existence of others. We recognize that other beings exist. Also, we come to understand that certain things belong to them too. These are the years where friendships are developed with girls and boys. The gender difference has not yet entered into our awareness. Just as the concepts of ‘I’ and ‘my’ were present, now ‘you’ and ‘yours’ become apparent. ‘Aham’ and ‘mama’ is the first lesson and ‘tvam’ and ‘tava’ is the second one. Sant Tulsidas says in Ramcharitra Manas “mai aru mor tor tain maya” this is the beginning of maya.

Animals understand this lesson and depict it through their territorial instincts. Even youngsters exhibit this trait of possessiveness towards their belongings. They say, “This is my room”, “This is my dress, or toy or poster”! Parents further encourage this behaviour by making them aware that certain objects belong to them and others to their sibling. This lesson is relevant at this stage of life. Later, it helps in accepting the presence of other beings. It is best learnt during one’s childhood years at school from seven to fourteen years.

(tobe contd.....)

Lesson one - ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘mine’

The first lesson begins from the time of birth itself. From a state of being a ‘nobody’ (where our past lives are neither remembered nor known), from the primordial egg we hatch to take birth. Birth takes place in much the same way that noise emerges from silence and the number one comes after zero.

Then miraculously we experience the sense of ‘I’, a strange experience of being. At birth, the first lesson is to become aware of the mystery of this ‘I’. This experience of ‘I’ begins from our early childhood and continues till the end. Till age seven the child thinks that everything revolves around it. It is the centre of attraction. Children feel important knowing the world serenades to their tune.

The lesson here is to understand the significance of one’s own being. It is a great mystery and there is tremendous joy in self discovery. The child first becomes aware of its body, then its personality. It starts understanding how to walk, talk, climb, jump and dance. It exults in self-discovery, “I can walk! I can sing! I can dance! Look at me”!

The twin concepts of ‘I’ (aham) and ‘my’ (mama) become apparent. “This is my mother and my father. These are my toys, and this is my house, my cat!” We discover our sense of being. We believe we are the most important people in the world and imagine that the immediate world is meant for our enjoyment. Though we experience the presence of others, we assume they cater to us only. Either they belong to us or we don’t notice them. Everything known to us belongs to us. We know nothing about anything else. “Whatever doesn’t belong to me like my neighbors or what lies at the periphery of my world means nothing to me.” In this way everything rotates around the sense of ‘I’.

(to be Continued)

(Also read more about "I" in blog "The I-DEA-of I" dated 01-07-2009)

Ten Lessons of Life

Life is a great teacher.

Life is a great teacher. Life continues to teach through the various experiences as we grow. From early childhood till we depart from this world, there are some lessons that naturally come into our lives and if they are not learnt well, the class is repeated. Like in school, where one has to learn a particular syllabus and if it is not learnt properly, one is specially coached and if one still doesn’t do well then one has to repeat the year. Similarly in life, lessons that are not learnt well are repeated again and again. This is evolution or natural growth.

The human body consists of 60 trillion cells and each cell has knowledge of the entire body. Every moment many cells die and new ones are born. Once a cell dies all its information is transferred to the new one. Even at this moment, our cells are dying and new ones are taking birth. After every seven years the entire body renews itself. The body we had seven years ago is no longer the one we have at present. Every seven years there is a complete overhaul and the body is as though reborn. A similar thing happens to our minds. If we observe our lives carefully, we will find a transformation taking place roughly every seven years, give and take a few years. We notice a definite paradigm shift taking place in the personality. These are lessons that Life teaches us. We can either go with the flow and learn them effortlessly and naturally or learn them in a more proactive, conscious sort of way.

(to be continued...)

The paradox of our time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. An embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

The difference between Ego and Self-respect

Wisdom is to know the difference between ego and self-respect, and to become more aware towards these. When the ego is satisfied there is happiness, and when hurt, pain and irritation are experienced. But self-respect is beyond respect and disrespect. On being satisfied or hurt, under any circumstance, it inspires for karma. To satisfy the ego (ahankaar) people might indulge in manipulations, become calculative and avoid working hard towards growth, whereas self-respect (swabhiman) always propels one to work harder for self-satisfaction. Just like Shri Krishn inspired Arjun to fight for self-respect and self-duty.

A self-respecting human understands well the importance of self-respect and his duty towards it. He knows its value, whether it is his own, of others or of his Nation or even the Earth.

The absoluteness (poornta) of a truthful (karma) action is in negating imperfection and falsehood, and to challenge it. For anyone who does so, the Supreme himself becomes his charioteer.

Himmat-e-marda, maddat-e-khuda
God helps those who help themselves.

Knowing the difference between self-respect and ego, if personal action is not decided accordingly, then acquired knowledge gets converted to ignorance, stagnates, becoming merely for exhibition.

It is important to know how according to the time-requirement a particular course of action (karma) needs to be decided and how with all your mental and physical capacities it should be performed and concluded. Whosoever has perfected the Sudarshan chakra of truth, he/she will be inspired to work according to the time requirement. Many people know about time but the courage and pledge to safe guard self-respect for rightful action/duty (karma) at the right time, as done by Rani of Jhansi and Bhagat Singh is missing.

A true Karm yogi will defend self-respect with all his might – may it be body, mind, soul or resources. The symbol of Maa Bharati’s glorious self-respect and its crowning glory are the white pure high peaks of the Himalayas. Working for this is true-endeavour (karmmathta). The absoluteness (poornta) of life is not it a long life but how human dharm (manav dharm) is conducted.

Why the unhappiness? The reason is that we don't accept God's will.

We want God to fulfill our wishes. You see Palaces, Mansions and Gardens in a movie. But if the viewer wants to keep on viewing a scene forever! No, the scene will go and others - of roads, thieves, dacoit, good people, dancers, and lovers - will come. All these are ever-changing scenes of the cinema. If somebody wants to keep a particular scene stationary or to prevent some scene one does not like, it is not possible. If somebody wants a particular scene to go away, it is not possible. You cannot keep any scene stationary or prevent any scene or change a scene at your will. This is only a film for your amusement, entertainment or education.

Likewise, God has made Shastras; He has prescribed paths of Jnana, Bhakti and Karma. God wants our well-being. If we view films, deceive others or do other unworthy things like drinking, gambling, slandering, are not we ourselves sowing the seeds of misery?

So sorrow is formless, weightless and colorless. Unhappiness is the other name for foolishness; it is the lack of good sense, of insistence.

Somebody dies. His death does not make you unhappy or sad. It is the feeling of ‘he is my relative…’ that makes you sad. Birth of a person does not give happiness by itself. It is the belief ‘a son or daughter is born to me’ that gives you joy. We take the body as ‘I’ and the things and persons related to the body as ‘mine’. But if we take the Self, the Supreme Self from where the ‘I’ arises as ‘mine’ and the world as a dream and conduct ourselves in the world judiciously, there is happiness and bliss all the way. ‘These are my diamonds. These are my pearls. This is my house…’ They were possessed by someone else in the past and will be possessed by some other person in the future. The land which you believe to be yours belonged to somebody else before it became yours. And when you die or may be before that its ownership will pass on to somebody else. So do these things actually belong to me? No. You may believe them to be yours superficially, but know within that all this is but a dream and the One Who ‘knows’ it i.e. God alone is mine. He is mine who does not leave my company even after death. This realization leads to perennial bliss.

So, God did not create sorrow! Neither was it created by nature, brother! Attachment-aversion, ignorance, egoism are the causes of sorrow. Ignorance will be removed by the knowledge of essence; attachment-aversion will be eliminated by worshipping the Lord, by meditation. That’s all, your love for Lord is accomplished and attainment of the Supreme bliss is done.

God did not create unhappiness and you too don’t want it. Unhappiness is the second name for foolishness and it can be eliminated with the help of satsang, for satsang awakens discrimination.

‘Wisdom dawns not without association with the saints and such communion cannot be easily enjoyed without the grace of Lord Rama.’
(Sri Ramacharitamanasa Bala-Kanda: 2.4)

One gets human birth with the simplest grace of God. One gets faith and a Guru with special grace of God. With more divine grace one gets initiated into Guru Mantra and love for the Lord is kindled in one’s heart. Divine love will lead sooner or later to the divine Knowledge also.

Your Self is eternal and immortal.

‘The individual soul is a part of God, immortal, conscious, untainted by illusion and by nature perfectly blissful.’
(Sri Ramacharitamanasa Uttar Kanda: 116.1)

You are blissful by your very nature but these visitors – worries, passions and beliefs etc. – make you unhappy. You do not want sorrow; and it is not created by God or Maya or nature. Unhappiness is on account of ignorance. Don’t intensify your pains and sorrows thinking yourself to be miserable or suffering. ‘The mind is afflicted with unhappiness; the body is afflicted with the pain; I am the Immortal son of God, the Knower of all.’ – Thus Self-enquiry can eliminate your pains and sorrows.