Work is what you make of it

Work is what you make of it

Work and mentally renounce the fruits achieved thereafter. Don't let the shadow of personal prejudice affect how you perceive work. This is the essence of karma yoga कर्म योग. The wise work for common benefit whereas the ignorant work only for themselves or their near and dear ones.

A farmer has control over how he works in his fields, but not over the harvest. Krishna कृष्ण tells Arjuna अर्जुन: "Yoga योग is karmasu kausalam कर्मसु कौशलम, doing work skillfully in the first attempt."

Work is external but our attitude to it is internal. A certain attitude may make us feel work is miserable while another kind of attitude makes it pleasant. By cultivating the right attitude, we will become spiritual. That is meditation. Once in a village several people were engaged in construction of a temple A wandering sage passing by wants to know what is happening there, so he asks a person cutting stone: "What are you doing?" The laborer replies with frustration: "Don't you see that I am cutting stone? It's a hard stone. Look at my hands! They have become red. Work is hell. And to make matters worse, you ask me what I am doing. How I wish I were not doing this!" The sage asks: "I see you are cutting stone, but let me know what is coming up here?" The stonecutter replies that he has no idea; it does not concern him. He is disinterested.

The sage next goes to another man and asks him the same question: "What are you doing?" The man replies: "I'm cutting stone here; that's my job. For eight hours of work I get paid Rs 100. I have a wife and children to take care of. I'm doing my duty." The sage asks him: "Do you know what is coming up here?" He says: "Yes, they say they're making a temple. How does it matter to me, whether what is being constructed is a temple or a jail, as long as I get paid?"

Then the sage goes to a third worker who is also cutting stone and poses the same question. The man replies: "We are building a temple. There is no temple here; every year at festivals we have to trek to the temple in the next village. You know, every time I hit the stone I hear wonderful music. The temple work has put the sleepy village in a festive mood." The sage asks: "How long do you have to work on this project?" The man says the timeline is not his concern for as soon as he wakes up in the morning, he gets ready for work and begins cutting stone. He tells the sage that he spends the entire day here, taking a break between mealtimes. "When I go home in the night and sleep, in my dream I think of this construction and feel grateful that I enjoy the work I do. I am truly blessed," he said.

Three men doing the same work have three different attitudes. The first person thinks it is hell, the second looks upon his work as his duty. However, the third worker thinks what he is able to do is a blessing.

If the work itself had the qualities inherently, good or bad, then, these three men might have felt the same. But in reality, it's not the work itself that is good or bad. It is not the work that disturbs us but something that's subtler; it's the attitude we have towards work.

This is what Spirituality is ...

A very special-common man

Mr. Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 years service, he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about ten lakh rupees to the needy.

He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, United Nations Organization adjudged him as one of the Outstanding People of the 20th Century.

An American organization honoured him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs 30 cores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual. Moved by his passion to help others, Indian movie Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as his father.

He still stays as a bachelor and dedicates his entire life for serving the society.

Happiness- सुख एक उत्तेज़ना है

Happiness- सुख एक उत्तेज़ना है 

हम खाते-पीते हैं, जागते-सोते हैं और सांस लेते हैं । हमारी अपनी पाँचों कर्मेन्द्रियाँ अपने-अपने ढंग से काम करती रहती हैं । जब तक इन सभी में ताल मेल बना रहता है, हमें सुख की अनुभूति होती रहती है । जैसे ही इनमे कोई बाधा आयी, वैसे ही हम दुःख का अनुभव करते हैं , आँखें चली गयी तो पूरी दुनिया में हमारे लिए अन्धेरा छा गया । बहरा होते ही हम दुनिया से कट जाते हैं और यदि स्पर्श की संवेदना ही गायब हो जाए तो फिर जीना कोई जीना नहीं रह जाता । जब तक ये कर्मेन्द्रियाँ ठीक से काम करती हैं, तब तक हमें इनकी कीमत पता नहीं चलती । लेकिन जैसे ही इनमे से कोई अशक्त होती है , हमें इनकी कीमत का ज्ञान हो जाता है ।

तो क्या इसके आधार पर हम यह मानकर कोई गलत नहीं करेंगे कि हमारे सुख का आधार मुख्यतः हमारी कर्मेन्द्रियाँ ही हैं ? यदि हमें भौतिक जगत का ज्ञान इन्हीं के जरिये हो रहा है तो स्वाभाविक है कि ये ही हमारे सुख का आधार है । लेकिन यहाँ गौर करने की बात यह है कि केवल भौतिक सुख ही सबसे बड़ा सुख है या एकमात्र सुख है ?

ज्यादातर मामलों में ऐसा ही है । लेकिन मैंने पाया कि दूसरों को औसा लगता है स्वयं को नहीं । और हम स्वयं भी दूसरों के बारे ठीक वैसा ही सोचते हैं, जैसा की दूसरे हमारे बारे में सोचते हैं । भौतिक सुविधाओं से संपन्न व्यक्ति हमे हमेशा सुखी दिखाई पड़ता है, सच्चाई का पता तब चलता है, जब हम स्वयं को  भौतिक रूप से संपन्न बना लेते हैं । लेकिन जब तक पता चलता है, तब तक काफी देर हो जाती है । सब कुछ छोड़-छाड़कर कमंडल लेकर हरिद्वार -ऋषिकेश चले जाना इसका हल नहीं है । यह तो एक प्रकार की चरम प्रतिक्रिया हुयी । कहाँ तो इतना कुछ और कहाँ कुछ भी नहीं । हरिद्वार -ऋषिकेश भी उन्हें सुख-शान्ति नहीं दे सकता, क्योंकि जो दे सकता था, उसे तो वे छोड़ आये हैं । 

बात बहुत साफ़ है कि सुख की खोज एक प्रकार से उत्तेज़ना की खोज है । सुख अपने आप में एक उत्तेज़ना है । कोई उत्तेज़ना शराब के प्याले में पाटा है तप कोई अपने आप को पूरी तरह कामों में डूबा देने से । कोई यह उत्तेज़ना लूटने में पाता  है, तो कोई यह उत्तेज़ना अपने आप को उता देने में । चूंकि उत्तेज़ना हमारे शरीर और मष्तिष्क की एक अस्वभाविक स्थिति है, इसलिए वह लम्बे समय तक नहीं रह सकती है ।  समुन्द्र में रोज़ ज्वार-भाटे आते हैं । कभी-कभी आते हैं । यह समुन्द्र की उत्तेज़ना है । सोडे की बोतल खोलते ही तेज़ी से झाग तो निकलता है, लेकिन निकलता नहीं रहता । सुख भी ठीक इसी तरह मौजूद नहीं रहता । तो क्या फिर क्या  स्थायी सुख जैसी कोई बात नहीं रहती ? तो क्या आदमी लम्बे समय तक सुख के साथ अपना रिश्ता नहीं निभा सकता ? निभा सकता है, लेकिन भौतिकता के साथ नहीं निभा सकता है, लेकिन उत्तेज़ना के साथ नहीं ।

यदि हम सुख को एक अनुभूति मान लें तो उसके साथ लम्बी और अंतहीन यात्रा की जा सकती है । और सच तो यही है की सुख मूलतः अनुभूति ही है । हम बाहरी चीजों को देखते हैं । उनका उपयोग करते हैं । उस समय जो सुख हमें मिलता है वह एक प्रकार की उत्तेज़ना होती है । बाद में हम दूसरी चीजों के उपभोग में लग जाते हैं । ये चीजें फिर से उत्तेज़ना पैदा करती हैं । लम्बे समय तक यही क्रम चलता रहता है । लेकिन एक समय ऐसा आता है, जब नयी चीजों के लिए गुंजाईश नहीं रह जाती । तो अब क्या करेंगे ? अब कुछ करने की ज़रूरत नहीं है , अब वह समय आ गया है, ज़ब हमें अनुभूति का आनंद लेना है । हमनें अब तक जो कुछ भी किया है, उनके छोटे-छोटे टुकड़ों को अपनी याददाश्त के  खजाने से निकालने लगिये । याद कीजिये । कल्पना कीजिये उन सुखों की और मानसिक स्तर पर जीना शुरू कर दीजिये उन पलों को । आप देखेंगे कि किस प्रकार ये अनुभूतियाँ आपके सफ़र में आपकी साथी होंगी ।

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now.

If not now, when?

Our life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to our self and decide to be happy anyway.

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, and a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life".

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.

So, 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

So stop waiting until we finish school, until we go back to school, until we lose some money, until you gain some money, until we have kids, until our kids leave the house, until we start work, until we retire, until we get a girlfriend, until we get married, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until we get a new car or home, until home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until we are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until we've had a drink, until we die, until we are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Work like we don't need money, Love like we've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching.

Happiness / Pleasure of the world are always attractive in the beginning, but their consequences are terrible and hard to endure, like the temporary pleasure derived by scratching an itch but the sensation turning painful and intolerable a little later. The mind of the man even as the horse with blinkers takes its route straight, should be restrained and made to develop an aversion to worldly objects and not stray into evil paths.

Emperors have left this world but their pious deeds in the form of tanks, roads, shelter, homes, and temples. Even man who upholds religious traditions cannot easily get rid of the powerful forces of desire and attachment.

It is a well known fact that happiness is vital for good health. Corroborating this theory, a study conducted proves that adults who are happy, but are suffering from a heart disease, have a 20% more chance of living longer. Thoughts and emotions are controlled by hormones in the brain. Just as electricity moves from pole to pole, in the brain, impulses have to jump from cell to cell. The intervening space between nerve cells is controlled by neurons chemicals or neuron hormones. Any alteration in this will produce change in behaviour, thought and emotions. Genetically, people have a certain concentration of neuron-hormones and depending on that; people will be happy or sad. The experience is further modified by external circumstances.

The study revealed that though a constant state of happiness isn’t necessary, avoiding emotional lows is vital for a long life. This is because happy people are less likely to suffer from psychometric problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Different states of mind are associated with the release of different chemicals and hormones in various parts of the body. Happiness and pleasure are associated with the release of dopamine in the brain. Sadness is associated with the release of steroid hormones, which are circulated through the bloodstream to different parts of the body. This is why states of mind can affect the health and physiology of the entire body. However, happiness is also associated with other positive chemical and hormonal changes and same holds good for sadness.

The ever-expanding field of positive psychology emphasises human strengths rather than weaknesses as a way of life. People who are positive and happy have a higher immunological cell count and can combat diseases better. The new IT culture and changing life styles are creating great stress, which in turn affect happiness.

One needs to remember that happiness does not mean an absence of difficulties, and not a continuous state either as it has been noticed that people go through mood changes. Anti depressants can reduce unhappiness but cannot artificially keep you happy all the time. Use of substances like alcohol and drugs usually work on the prevailing mood of the person and amplifies it. To be really happy, a person needs to accept that good things and bad things are a part of life. They must not be too reactive whenever something bad happens.

These drugs are usually addictive and can have damaging short-and long-term consequences on a person’s physical and mental health, and on his social and occupational performance.