Why You Are Alive and Can Never Die:

Is it just a one-in-gazillion chance that you happen to be alive, now, on top of all time? Or is there a more rational scientific reason? Grade-school math tells us the probability of being on top of infinity is zero. If space and time are tools of the mind, then how can there be a time without consciousness?

The question “Does time exist?” makes people wonder about engaging in such idle speculation. A typical response might be, “The clock ticks. We age and die. Time is the only thing we can be certain of.”

Equally inconsonant is whether space exists. “Obviously space exists,” one might answer, “because we live in it. We move through it, drive through it. Miles, kilometres are all units we use to measure it.”

Time and space in the concrete sense are easy to think about. Find yourself short of either—late for work, standing in a bus Stop—and the constraints of time and space are apparent: “It's crowded and I'm going to miss my meeting.”

Time and space are integral to every moment of our existence. But the idea of them being tools of our mind—our source of comprehension—is an abstraction. To place yourself as the creator of time and space, as (biocentrism) asks you to do, rather than the subject of it, goes against every bit of common sense. It takes a radical shift of perspective to realize they're life-created, because the implications are so startling.

If time is an illusion, can consciousness ever truly be extinguished? The fear of death is a universal concern, yet once we abandon the random, physical-centred cosmos and start to see things bio centrically, the verisimilitude of a finite life loosens its grip. The contemplation of time and the discoveries of modern science suggest that the mind is the ultimate reality, paramount and limitless.

“The influences of the senses,” “have in most men overpowered the mind to the degree that the walls of space and time have come to look solid, real and insurmountable; and to speak with levity of these limits in the world is the sign of insanity.”

I remember the day I first realized this. From around the corner came the trolley car, scattering sparks above it. There was a grind of metal wheels, the tinkle of a few coins. With a jolt, the gigantic electric machine was on its way to my past, back, block by block through the decades, through the metropolitan limits of Delhi, till it came to my place where I lived Ambala, for me the universe began. I hoped I might find a set of initials scratched into a tree, or perhaps an old, half-rusted toy, which I might put away in a corner as evidence of my own immortality.

But when I reached that place I found that the tractors had been there and left. The city, it seemed, had reclaimed some acres of slum; the old house I lived in, and the houses next door where my friends played, and all the yards and trees of the years I grew up in—all those things were gone. And though they had been swept from the world, in my mind they still stood, vivid and heliographing in the sun, superimposed on the current setting. I picked my way through the litter and the remains of some unidentifiable structure.

That spring day—which some of my colleagues spent in the laboratory, and others in contemplation of black holes and equations—I sat in a vacant city lot agonizing over the perverse nature of time. Not that I had never seen the fall of a leaf, nor a kind face grow old; but here, perchance, I might come across some hidden passageway that would take me beyond the nature I knew, to some eternal reality behind the flux of things.

What sort of time is that which separates us from our past, and yet gives continuity to the thread of consciousness? Even a cat, when mortally ill, keeps its eyes focused on the ever-changing kaleidoscope of the here-and-now. There's no thought of death. However, we humans believe in death because we're told we'll die. Also because we strictly associate ourselves with the body, and we know bodies die.

Physics tells us that energy is never lost, and that our brains—and hence the feeling of life—operates by electrical energy, and this energy simply can't vanish. The bio centric view of the timeless, space less world allows for no true death in any real sense. Immortality resides outside of time altogether.

Eastern religions have argued for millennia that birth and death are equally illusory. Since consciousness transcends the body—“external” is a distinction of language alone—we're left with consciousness as the bedrock of existence.

Death has always meant only one thing: an end with no reprieve. If we're just our body, then we must die. But if we're our consciousness, the sense of experience, then we can't die for the simple reason that consciousness is expressed in manifold fashion and is ultimately unconfined.

As I sat in the vacant lot that spring afternoon, I found myself thinking there's a better way to understand nature than science has so far. We need to pay closer attention to the processes of knowledge and perception. Scientists propound with much ado the connection of appearances in experience, but don't see the connection of things in themselves, how they stand in community with others. They think they can say where individuality begins and ends, whether the mind is absolutely destroyed with the body. Yet, when death approaches, even they try to look beyond it.

But who knows that space and time aren't forms of intuition, and that there are other “knows” if we but knew our mind?

What is Fear?

Fear is a World Disease. Fear has spread around the world at the speed of a hurricane. Who is spreading this disease of fear? Humanity is. Why? It is because humanity has basic fears instilled into them when they are children, and now these fears have grown out of all proportion.

Let's look at what we fear. Parents tell their children not to speak to strangers in case they are abducted. So children learn from an early age that the world is not a safe place! 'Do not stray from home, or someone will take you away'.

We fear illness, cancer and aids. We are told 'Don't eat this and don't eat that. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, if you don't you increase your risk of disease and cancer!' This fear about our diets is promoted weekly in the news.

We are sold insurance policies, medical insurance, home insurance, accident insurance, life insurance, all 'just in case something happens.' This reinforces our fears and securities, so we try harder to guard against them. Again, the idea that the world is not a safe place is being reinforced. Fear of lack, fear of not being abundant, fear of not having enough is all promoted and played upon. So we work harder, forfeit family life and mothers go out to work leaving their children to be brought up by strangers. All of this because we fear we do not have enough.

Fear of what other people think about us, is very high on our list of insecurities. We judge other people and other people judge us! We even live our lives doing what other people want us to do rather than being true to ourselves, because we are afraid of being judged by them.

Throughout our history, governments, monarchs and religion have all controlled the people by instilling fear. Why? Fearful people can be swayed, persuaded to do what commonsense tells them not to. Fear has been programmed into our psyches. For lifetime after lifetime we have been steeped in fear. The stress and anxiety of all these fears compromises our health physically and mentally.

The sad fact is that the more we fear, the more we draw our fears to us. We are very powerful beings; we manifest our beliefs, thus creating our reality. The more we fear, the more we draw it into our lives and disaster strikes. Stop for a moment and think about what you really fear. Are they actually your fears or are they someone else's? Are they government based or media based? Are they the Truth? What do you really think? Sharpen your awareness so that you can stand back and take a look at what is going on around you. Look at your life and how you live it. Do you need to be in so much fear?

On an individual level, we can stop this disease. We can clear it, let go of it and not 'buy into it'. If we set the intention that we will not be swayed by fear and that we always wish to see the higher truth behind a matter. If we just use our common sense, then it will be the beginning of curing fear - the world disease.

The Time I Thought I Was Going To Die

“There was a time when we were not: this gives us no concern – why then should it trouble us that a time will come when we shall cease to be?”

A couple of years ago, I was flying home late one night after spending all week in Indore for a business trip. I would fly for these trips to Indore about once every 1-2 months so they were very familiar and routine for me. Pretty much nothing interesting ever happened, which in my opinion is a great thing when it comes to travelling.

On the flight that one fateful night, I notice that the airplane started going downwards very fast… faster than I’ve ever experienced before. My ears almost never pop when I fly, but that night my ears were popping every minute for several minutes in a row.

I looked around, and nobody else seemed to be concerned. (At least nobody outwardly showed concern) But there was this question in my mind, and a feeling in my gut… “Are we going to be okay?” Right after that thought crossed my mind, the airplane started experiencing major turbulence. Enough that even though I don’t get airsick, my stomach was starting to feel very uneasy.

Between the rapid drop and the turbulence, I was having trouble writing my review, and I wasn’t feeling particularly safe in that moment. I thought to myself…

“I wonder if I’m going to die?”

In that instant, I realized that if in fact I was going to die, my preference was not to be typing something on the computer that wouldn’t even reach the people it was written for (i.e. you). So I paused for a moment, looked out the window and saw the beautiful moon and just focused my attention on being calm and present.

It was a delightful feeling, and I felt strangely at peace despite the unusual circumstances of my flight. Well, until…

Another massive turbulent streak brought me back to my mind… “Am I going to die?” I tried to tune into my intuition, but I wasn’t able to hear it. That’s both good and bad because although I wish I were able to hear my intuition all the time—and in this case so I could have an answer to my perilous question – in my experience my intuition usually only tells me when there’s something REALLY big to be concerned about.

And since it wasn’t shouting at me, “Danger Will Robinson! Danger!” I concluded that we all would probably be alright. I turned my attention to the moon again, enjoyed the calm serenity, and within a few moments the pilot announced we would be landing shortly.

I’d like to say I felt relieved, but I didn’t. For me, landing was just another part of this experience called “life,” whether that experience lasts longer, or had ended last night. Either way, I realized I was grateful simply to be alive and experiencing this wondrous mystery.

I’m not entirely sure why I shared all that with you. Perhaps there’s a question in my mind that asks, “How can I connect with others more deeply? How can I inspire, encourage, enlighten, and ultimately empower others?”

And perhaps this blog post was one way in which I can answer those two questions. My very real airplane story isn’t really about me, although I was the main character. I sense it’s really about all of us and how we choose to respond to adversity, challenge, and those things which threaten our ideas about life and the way we live.

Although you may view this post in the perspective of sombreness, as the topic of death often does, we still have a choice how we receive these messages about death.

I am reminded of a quote from a very enjoyable movie called The Last of His Tribe that is based on a true story. The following words were spoken by Ishi, a Native American who helped bring wisdom to the west:

“If you do not sing for your dead, how will they be able to find the trail to their ancestors?”

That’s a very good question, regardless of whether we believe in an afterlife. That question gets to the heart of the matter in a very direct way—when given the choice between sorrow and joy, what would we rather choose?

When my Father died of old age in 2006, I spoke at his eulogy. I spoke of how it was for such a pious man in his 101’s, and with 60 members of children and grand children. I also spoke about the joy he brought to all of our lives with his will power, and how those joyful memories can bring smiles to our faces during that time of painful emotional upheaval. The time taken between his death and the ashes of his body tool only FOUR hours, so smoothly occurred as pre-planned by him.

And when I finished my eulogy, I looked out among the sea of more than 100 people who cared about My father deeply, and what I saw touched me deeply. With tears in their eyes, people were smiling.

In the likeness of Ishi, those in attendance rose beyond their sorrow and found a way to sing… to help Michael find the trail to his ancestors.

Wonder of Math and Love of God



The Beauty of Mathematics and the Love of God!

The math part is good, but the end is even better.



Beauty of Mathematics! !!!!!!

1 x 8 + 1= 9
12 x 8 + 2= 98
123 x 8 + 3= 987
1234 x 8 + 4= 9876
12345 x 8 + 5= 98765
123456 x 8 + 6= 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7= 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8= 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9= 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Mind Boggling...

Now, take a look at this.....

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to

GIVE OVER 100%...

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals100%in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K

8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E

11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E

1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

The Purpose of Life-2

Past Life wanting to know, who I was in my past life

Before we tread into the domain of Past Life... we need to understand the present and the future carefully. Before indulging in our Past Life we also need to know the purpose of life journey as a whole.

Starting from the beginning... in the chronological order as the evolution took place... we shall find that we started the journey as an Amoeba (single cell formation)... this was the first manifestation which occurred in the life of every Human Being.

Travelling further into the Past Life we find the evolutionary tendencies existing within every living being prompted this single cell formation to multiply into two cell formation and finally multi-cell organisms. (All these form the core of Past Life of every Human Being).

With passage of time... the multi-cell organism evolved into an insect, then into plant life, an animal and finally as a Human Being. It takes an average of about 7.3 million manifestations before every journey culminates into the level of a Human Being. A long journey of about 80 earthly million years!

This is by no standard a small journey by our Soul / Atman existing within every living being. Here while talking of Past Life we also need to understand that the journey is being undertaken by the Soul within every living being and our body... the manifest from is but the outer covering for every Soul / Atman which is necessitated for our soul / Atman cannot remove the dross from within on its own. It requires a body for this purpose.

Our Soul / Atman never desires to look back into the Past Life... then why is it so that the manifest body... the form of a Human Being strongly desires to look back into the Past Life. Knowing very well that it is not possible to retrace our steps and walk into our Past Life... still the desire within most human beings to look back into the Past Life is very strong.

Why is it so... why do we not get out of the clutches of the remembrances of our Past Life (if any) for ever? Is it by any means possible to look back into the Past Life... no, it is not within the means of an average Human Being to look back into the Past Life but some astrologers and people with Tantric powers can look back into our Past Life. But to what avail!

Trying to look back into the Past Life carries no meaning... what we were in our Past Life, what is our relationship with our Past Life, maybe after knowing some incidents of the Past Life we may be able to change our future life... is the hope of many, why?

Why do we fail to understand that such a phenomenon of reflecting back into the Past Life is not permitted by God ? Had it been so... every Human Being, rather every living being would have remembered all the events of past lives... but the truth is absolutely adverse? We do not carry even faint memories of our Past Life the moment we step into the present life.

Remember for a moment that if you come to know that the best friend of yours in this life was the cause of your death in the immediate Past Life... would you be able to carry the same relationship as you are doing it now? Maybe... never!Also if you come to know that you were born into the house of your present parents to avenge your death in one of your past lives... then what would be your fate in this life? Would you continue to give the same respect to your parents... or maybe you go a step further and become the cause of death of your parents in this life!

The total crux of the Past Life is relegated by the power of karma. It is karma and karma alone which plays a very vital role from one manifestation to another. The complete residual balance of our acts and omissions in a particular life is carried forward to the next life only through the process of karma. As we perform so shall we get... nothing more or less!

Whatever was the result of our earlier manifestation lead us to the next manifestation. If the balance of karma resulted in our being born in the house of a cobbler... then, by no means it was possible that we would have been born in the house of a king. Yet, if we desire so in present life then we need to perform the Karma accordingly in present life and only if the balance of karma in present life at the end of life permits our being born in the house of a king in next manifestation... it shall be so and none can change our destiny!

On the contrary... if the Karma (the actions performed by us in totality) performed by us in present life demands our being born in the house of a farmer in the next life than it shall hold good... come whatever may! None can change the destiny of any being except the being himself. Even God Almighty who always acts as on onlooker (Dhrishta as we call it in Hinduism) never interferes in the working of his.

The balance of karma from one life to another gets passed on to the next life through the complex process of chromosomes which get activated during the union of the parents. The child thus born carries the balance karma of all the previous lives one has lived. It is simply like the balance of accounts in a balance sheet which get carried forward from one year to another.

Soul / Atman having a light of 16 Sun lights, but the light is covered by the Karma (As kavatch) these karma covered carried forward with the soul / Atma.

If we are talking of the year 2004 then we are only concerned with the closing balance of the year 2003 for the closing balance of the year 2002 was already incorporated in the balance sheet of the year 2003.

We also must remember that the present phase of life is a part of the total journey of 84 Lakh Yoni manifestations which can occur in the life of a Soul (Atman as in Hinduism). It is at the end of the journey that the Soul liberates for ever from the cycle of birth and death... and subsequently the Human Being is said to gain salvation / moksha in Hinduism.

The journey for the Soul from the first manifestation as an amoeba to the last manifestation as a Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed... is spread over a maximum of 84 Lakh Yoni manifestations. It is purely dependent upon every Human Being when one desires to curtail the journey and achieve the state of Salvation Moksha.

We also need to remember that contrary to the standard practices in account books... some events of past lives do not fructify in that particular manifestation or the next. It is possible that the karma enacted upon in a particular manifestation may fructify four manifestations later and this is the cause of all agony existing on Earth. Why so?

While deliberating on the subject of Past Life... we need to remember that on the spiritual plane... whatever phase of life we are passing through is not dependent upon the balance of karma of the earlier lives and the karma performed by us in present life alone. It is also possible that a certain karma performed by us in one of our previous lives may all of a sudden fructify and spoil the game (known as Prarabdha Karma in Hinduism). The vice versa may also happen.

Explaining the theory of Past Life further... we need to understand that we sometimes find that many people who continue to flout the set patterns of the society by carrying out a horde of sins yet continue to enjoy privileges which should not be available to them. Explaining this further... such a phenomenon is only possible for these people have in their store... a huge asset of pious deeds performed in Past Life.

It is only when the accumulated balance of the pious deeds gets nullified in present life shall these people face the wrath of the society. Never before! To the contrary we also find good people carrying out pious deeds in present life and yet continue to suffer. It is only because they have a good negative balance of karma from the Past Life in their hold and unless this negative balance (from the Past Life) is nullified by the pious deeds of the present life... such people can never enjoy happiness.

Trying to understand the complex process of the Past Life is not difficult, yet trying to get back into the Past Life carries no meaning for if we are suffering in present life... we need to carry out pious deeds and accumulate Punya Karma (positive balance of karma) in present life without heeding to the Past Life in any way. There is no other way to come out of the negative Past Life.

Life has been made like that by God Almighty. None can challenge his authority. Why brood over the Past Life and spoil the present life. If we are to get out of the ills faced by us in present life and which resulted because of the Past Life... the only way out is never thinking of the Past Life and concentrating on the affairs of the present life in order to accumulate more and more of Punya Karma (positive karma) in our favour.

This is the only way out of our Past Life! Why spoil the future by indulging in acts (trying to regress into the Past Life) detrimental to our leading a happy life in next manifestation. We need to live a life of concentration... our every effort leading to earning Punya Karma (a positive balance of karma) in our favour... the only way to leading a healthier and fruitful life! (It is time we stopped thinking what was I in a Past Life).

Positive Thoughts
Like Champagne, Make Your Life Sparkle

Stuff happens. What happens is neither good nor bad. It merely is. But we, in our attempt to understand everything, stick labels on things. We call things big or small, hot or cold, smooth or rough. These descriptive words can help, but where we go astray is when we label things as `good' or `bad.' These two words (and other negative and positive words) do not describe reality; they merely describe how we FEEL at the moment.

For instance, as I write this, it is raining and the sky is grey. Suppose a friend calls from another city and asks me what the weather is like. If I were to answer, "The weather is lousy," that does not describe what is happening outside (the weather), but what is happening inside (my feelings). We cannot master life until we master how we describe it, for the words we use determine how we feel. Does it make sense to describe a rainy day as `lousy'? Why would I want to feel bad?

Suppose I had answered my friend's question differently. If I had stuck to the facts and said, "It is raining and the sky is grey," then I would have been detached from the events (rain and grey sky) and free to go on enjoying life. The way we see things is not based on reality but, on a choice we make. Why not choose to see things pragmatically. That is, pick a viewpoint that works for you, empowers you. Why spend time choosing a viewpoint that works against you and prevents you from getting the most out of life?

Suppose you lived at the foot of a mountain. Would you see the mountain as a glorious opportunity for adventure by conquering it and yourself? Or would you see it as requiring too much effort to scale and just an inconvenient barrier? "An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered."

A mountain is whatever we say it is, inconvenience or adventure. So it is with life. The choice of how we look at it is a switch that fills our lives with light or darkness. Why is it that many people still don't realize that it is THEIR FINGER that is on the switch? I choose to see life as a magnificent adventure, not a struggle that I have to put up with. As a result, I have known and continue to experience many adventures.

Today, many of us work with computers. Although I love computers, every now and then something goes wrong, such as misplacing a file. But when something goes amiss, it is not because the computer doesn't like me or life is unfair, but because I did something wrong. I try to learn from my mistake and avoid making similar errors again. I'm sure you behave in the same way.

Yet, when it comes to managing the greatest computer of all (our brain and mind), many act differently. When they get bad results, rather than trying to learn from what they did incorrectly, they search for scapegoats. Instead of seeking solutions they search for excuses.

Many computer users are familiar with the term GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out), which simply means that the results we get are only as good as the input. The same is true for the computer that controls my life (my brain and mind). If I put garbage in my mind (negative thoughts), the output will be garbage (an unhappy life).

It is essential that we clearly understand the relationship between our thoughts and the life we experience. If I insist on dwelling on negative thoughts, I will feel negative, which will lead to negative behaviour, which in turn will bring about negative results. Of course, when I choose to focus on the positive, the opposite happens. In a word, what I choose to think about acts as a switch that either opens the blinds, flooding my life with light, or closes the blinds, shutting out the light.

Since we have a choice, doesn't it make sense to look at life as an exciting adventure? Many have already done so, and here are two examples:

1. "Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle."

2. "What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for."

Before we can make the right choices, we have to be aware of our choices.

"All men and women are born, live, suffer and die; what distinguishes us one from another is our dreams, whether they are dreams about worldly or unworldly things and what we do to make them come about... We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, WE DO CHOOSE HOW WE LIVE."

Thus far I have been emphasizing the power of choice for good reason, but in all fairness, not everyone is equally free to make the right choices. You and I will choose to cross the street when the light is green and choose to wait when the light is red. But what if you are blind? Well, depressed people are blind. They cannot see the joy, wonder, and glory that surround them. Not because they are lazy or stupid, but because they suffer from a mental disorder. So, if you know some very negative people, try not to judge them harshly and wish them well.

Adventure is the champagne of life. Like champagne, make your life sparkle. But what of those who have not yet discovered that life is an adventure? What can they do to bring themselves closer to this empowering point of view? Developing the curiosity, courage, and commitment of a child would help.

Children are filled with insatiable curiosity. Each step they take is a step into the unknown. What will they discover next? What will they encounter around the corner? They lead the life of an adventurer and explorer. They don't understand the meaning of `boring.' You were once that child and you have the right to reclaim that inquisitive spirit.

It's not hard to do so. Start by shifting your attention away from that empty, banal chatter that clutters your mind and focus on what is happening around you now. What do you hear? Can you tune in on something enchanting or fascinating? Be curious. Search for it. Find it.

Do the same with your other senses. For instance, how many of the surrounding odours, aromas, or fragrances can you identify? How many of them were you ignoring or overlooking? Let's try the other senses. What about touch? Can you feel the warmth or coolness of your environment? Where do you feel it most?

How about taste? Lick your lips. How do they taste? Why do they taste that way? Is it because of something you ate or drank or because of the environment (the rain or a sea breeze)? Look around you. What do you see that is interesting or different? These exercises help to draw us out of the fantasy world of our imagination and replant us in reality. How can we enjoy life if we are unaware of its presence?

Also, be curious about your own mind. Explore it. Rather than ignoring the chatter of your mind, observe it. What are you usually thinking about? Are your thoughts helpful or harmful? If harmful, what thoughts should you replace them with?

Because every step a child takes is a step into the unknown, it takes great courage to continue on its journey of discovery. Courage is the second trait of a child that we need to reclaim. For without it, our journey may come to an abrupt halt.

"When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and you take the first step into the darkness of the unknown. You must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon or you will be taught to fly."

Here are two more lessons about courage:

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

As young children explore their world, they may slip, stumble, or stagger, but if they fall, they simply pick themselves up and go on again. This is the third characteristic of children that we need to reclaim, commitment. Those who are committed, never give up. Their mindset doesn't allow it. To them, there is no such thing as failure, only lessons to be learned. Of course, we are free to ignore our lessons and drop out of life's school, but at what price?

"It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers.

"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Within you is a bud waiting to blossom. It is a little child with curiosity, courage, and commitment, that is eager to participate in the adventure we call life. Are you willing to embrace that child, take it by the hand, and join it on its remarkable journey?

Sufferings in Life

Every human being has this privilege right from birth! Whenever things go wrong in life... every human being is privileged with the power of discrimination that distinguishes us from animals. Exercising this power of discrimination human beings can jump back in life with ease as compared to lower forms of life like animals, plants and insects.

Sufferings are part of destiny in life! In absence of sufferings... life becomes monotonous and dull! We always do not succeed in life... we have our part of failures! Success and sufferings are two sides of the same coin. An optimist perceives glass half full where as for a pessimist... the glass is half empty! Situation remaining the same... it is only the difference in perception that makes one suffer or

We must never get disheartened from failures in life! Life is not a destination... it is a journey! Every human being faces ones quota of failures and success. All is writ large in our destiny! For a human being to gain success in life... we need to have a burning desire... a passion indulging in which one loses track of time! Something we deeply enjoy from our heart... the dream goal of our life! A goal in life in which we can be number one!

We fail in life... perhaps our preparation was not up to mark! Every success demands its own quota of trials and errors! It is only in our failures we find the seed of success! Most people who succeeded in life had their part of failures. It is wrongly believed by many that achieving success is the forte of a chosen few privileged by God! Every human being who is willing to travel the path of honesty, hard-work, patience, persistence and perseverance succeeds in life!

We are simply not limited by the chances in life! In a sojourn of 70 to 80 years of earthly abode... there is no dearth of time! Still, why wait for the inevitable... why not make our best efforts now! We always need to remember... we have only one life to live! Many human beings leave things to chance. In the domain of God the doctrine of karma rules the roost! As we sow so shall we get... nothing less for more! Who knows what we shall be in the next manifestation!

While travelling the spiritual path... Prophet Mohammed once became so disheartened... he hid himself in a cave and closed the opening of the cave to die within! At the opportune moment he observed a spider wanting to climb up to the roof. It made many attempts but failed. Prophet Mohammed counted and finally observed that after about hundred attempts... the spider succeeded in reaching the top. Prophet Mohammed realized it was only an insect!

Purpose of life-1

Is there a purpose of life? What does it mean when men of wisdom say there is always a purpose in life? If there is life's purpose then why do most people while away their life without ever finding a purpose in life? What use living a purpose driven life without a defined purpose?

The answer to all the above queries on finding a purpose in life is the most crucial part of life for a human being. The purpose driven life is meant to be lived by living forms which have not yet evolved to the level of human beings. Why?

Simply because they are devoid of discriminatory powers to choose a goal in life! The insects, the plants and animals always live a purpose driven life. They simply have no goal in life. They are as they are. They simply have their existence and have to abide by the rules of evolution.

Only when the living form reaches the level of a human being does one realize that human life is the highest manifest stage in the cosmic system. The moment a human being realizes that life has a purpose... one seeks the purpose of his life. Without a goal in life, Life seems to be incomplete!

As the child grows... one comes to learn that every human being has the potential of becoming a man god like Vardhman Mahavira, Mahatma Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed. Is that the crux of life! Is gaining salvation the end purpose of life!

If that be so... are we required to have a purpose in life linked to salvation as the present goal of life or is it that we can postpone travelling the spiritual path for the next manifestation.
The goal and the purpose of life for every human being are gaining enlightenment and finally salvation in the end. That may or may not be the purpose of life in the present manifestation. The purpose of life in the present phase can be best known by hearing the sweet small voice of our soul / atman within our heart.

The purpose of life in every manifestation is driven by our soul / atman within. It is our soul / atman that has taken the body and not vice versa. The purpose of life is indirectly dictated by our soul atman within. If our deeds of the present life are not in consonance with the directives of our soul / atman within... then heartburning, tensions and stresses become part of daily life.

Whatever act provides us complete relief... doing which we find extreme pleasure... something that we enjoy doing must form our goal of life. It is this goal of life pursuing which the purpose of our present life would be fulfilled.

It is surprising that almost above 95% people living on Earth, pass their life without ever having a purpose in life. It is almost like taking the routine path. If we are to ever curtail our cosmic journey... we need to find the purpose of our present manifestation. And this goal of life shall be prompted to us by our soul / atman within.

By being truthful in life we can always hear the sweet small inner voice coming from our heart. This voice of our soul / atman within always guides us on the right path. Knowing the exact purpose of this life... half the life's journey is complete.

FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) had a fixed purpose in life and that made him one of the most successful presidents USA ever had in spite of his severe handicaps. (FDR lost both of his legs).
Madame Curie spent her entire life searching for radium in pitchblende. She was successful in the end but her success was written all over her body. Her body had dismally decayed by the powerful rays of radioactivity which led to her death. She knew what the outcome would be. Her purpose of life was helping the mankind. She had a very noble purpose in life. She succeeded finally!

Bill Gates... the architect of the Microsoft Corporation and the developer of famous Windows program also had a fixed purpose in life. His teachers found him academically weak! Fearing he would bring a bad name to the institution... they turned him out of the so called place of wisdom!

Destiny willed otherwise! Bill Gates pursued a goal of life dear to his heart. He fiddled with typewriters and gadgets which ultimately led him to develop computer skills which are unparalleled in the history of mankind. His famous Windows program now runs almost every computer in the world.

Every success in life demands a neatly defined purpose of life. And this purpose of life must be fixed in the earlier stages of life. Most people keep on postponing fixing the purpose of their life. And when comes the time to depart... they only drop a tear or two in anguish. For none knows what our next manifestation would be!

Life as a human being must be lived to the hilt. That decision is to be made by us alone. Our parents, teachers and well wishers can only act as guides in the journey of life. The purpose of our life is to be fixed by us alone. We just cannot leave things to chance. The time for that may never come.

Everything in the cosmos is justly ordered. If Stephen Hawking in his book, "a brief history of time" has expressed that the system of God is disordered at some stage... he is mysteriously wrong. This poor scientist fails to recognize that spirituality starts from the point where science ends. To measure spirituality from the yardstick of science has never been possible and shall never be.

Realizing the absolute truth that everything in the cosmos is justly ordered... why not bring order to our life. We definitely must fix a goal in life and never let ourselves fall into the rut of purpose driven life.