Friday 30 December 2016

Year End Musings

Year End Musings :

Today is the last day of the year, end of a calendar year. Tomorrow is the beginning of a calendar year. One year ends and another begins. Do you actually pin point today as the end of the year or tomorrow as the beginning of the year? There is no beginning and there is no end. Its a continuum . We have calibrated for our convenience . Each day is new one , a rebirth. When we sleep in the night , and wake up the next morning , if all our senses are working, including the consciousness , we know we are alive otherwise we don't know. That knowing that we are alive , after we wake up is in itself a new birth. Everyday we temporarily die when we go to sleep and reborn when we wake up, until the consciousness , permanently leaves the being. Live everyday, between death and birth.
In that living , give a thought , Who is living?
Birth is not the beginning and Death is not the end . Its continuum Wherever birth is there, Death is there in its shadow. Wherever Death is there, Birth is there in its shadow. They are inseparable, like day and night. We (our consciousness or life force or aatma, whatever you call it) have been before birth, hence its not the beginning. We will be after death also, hence, its not the end. Consciousness comes into the being through birth and goes through death. Perhaps birth is a door, and death too! Perhaps they are the same door, just the direction is different. When we enter this door we read the word push, and when we go out the same door, from the other side, only the word changes: pull.
But the real thing is: Who is to push and who is to pull?
Who is it who knows of birth and death and who is it who experiences birth and death?
Again: who is it who does not know where we come from and where we go ?
It is the same being. Awakened it knows, asleep it does not know.
Who is it who suddenly realizes where he comes from and where he goes to?
Have a wonderful and Awakening Year.

Wednesday 28 December 2016

Idleness


IDLENESS

“Every man is, or hopes to be, an Idler.”  -- Dr. Samuel Johnson
Idling is the "act of doing nothing"
And doing nothing is not Laziness by any means. It’s a choice and way of life. For some reason deciding to do nothing is seen as negative and something only lazy people do. There are some very subtle differences between the two words Lazy and Idle , which means we can’t use them completely interchangeably. For example, “lazy” will always have a negative connotation; it will give us a very negative idea of the person it’s being used to describe. So lazy is always seen as a very bad thing. 

However, idle can be used in other contexts, still to mean something or someone doesn’t work, but without the negative judgement
.
Doing nothing does not mean, literally doing nothing. The idler does not ‘work’ for benefits(monetary or otherwise) and you will not see him in the rat race for position, power, money etc.,

*Recent research suggests that, though our instinct is for idleness, people will pick upon the flimsiest excuse to keep busy. Moreover, people feel happier for being busy, even if their busyness is imposed upon them. In their paper, Idleness aversion and the need for justifiable busyness (2010), Hsee and colleagues surmise that many purported goals that people pursue may be little more than justifications for keeping busy.
This, I believe, is a manifestation of the manic defence: the tendency, when presented with uncomfortable thoughts or feelings, to distract the conscious mind either with a flurry of activity or with the opposite thoughts or feelings. 'To do nothing at all,' said Oscar Wilde, 'is the most difficult thing in the world, the most difficult and the most intellectual.'*

Have you ever given a thought, what people did before the advent of this ‘Work’ culture of 9-5?

After the advent of Industrial revolution in the west, work has become the byword for ‘living’. Our society values work, productivity and ‘doing’ and not ‘Living’. Not being engaged in some type of activity is seen as negative and unproductive. Consider the inherent danger in non-stop productivity. It can separate you from yourself. If you don’t work , you have no Identity. If you are always doing, when do you get a chance to just be? And in the present world, work is everything, including your Identity. You run the risk of seeing your identity only in terms of what you do, and not in terms of what you are. Work is not an enemy, it only becomes the enemy when we allow work to take over our lives and our sense of self. When we ask  the question “who are you?” and we reply ” I am an accountant, lawyer, policeman, CEO…”, it is a sign that our self worth and our identity is based on the economic value of the job we do! Doing nothing will give you a chance to reconnect with your inner self*.

Idleness, is a  movement to stop all movement. An invitation to fully be in the present moment. A moment to simply embrace life as it is. As such, being idle can become a part of the broader celebration of life
Doing absolutely nothing costs absolutely nothing.
 In Allan Watts words :
Nothing is easier than to give up the world, because one is incompetent in the affairs of the world. There is no wisdom in scorning riches simply because one is unable to obtain them, nor in despising the pleasures of senses, because one has not the means of fulfilling them. If the desire for these things exists, and if that desire is thwarted by circumstances, to add self deception to frustration, is to exchange a lesser hell for a greater. No hell is worse than that in which one lives without knowing it. For the desire which is scorned for no other reason than it cannot be satisfied is the greatest of man’s enemies.

*from Psychology Today by  Dr.Neel Burton 

Friday 16 December 2016

Who or What is the 'I' in in my being?

Who or what  is the ‘I’ in my being 
( an humble attempt to knowing ‘I’)
All our crucial internal physical process in our body like  -- blood circulation, digestion, heart beat, cell functions and divisions, our physical growth from birth, hunger, thirst, etc. etc., -- functions without any consent from ‘ME’. Do these functions take instructions from ‘ME’? A BIG NO! when the body is hungry, or it feels that to pee, the body sends signals to Brain and ‘I’ act according to its direction. Most of the times ‘I’ act or react to the body and its senses. From the time “I” got conceived in my mother’s womb, it (All internal body functions) works  completely like an automatic mechanism. Then , what is the function of “I” in this body ? Who is this ‘I” at all, in this whole scenario? Whether the “I” is in the body or outside of it?  I don’t know. ‘I’ know , ‘I’ exist only through the  senses. When my senses don’t function, I do not exist, like when I sleep or unconscious. Sense’s by itself does not mean anything , they need the ‘Mind’ to receive the data it sees or receives,  to comprehend. So, if one has functional senses and don’t have a mind, then also it seems one does not exist. Its funny, isn’t it. So , in all ‘Mind’ is the key . And, Mind is related to brain. Most people do not find any difference between the two words ‘mind’ and ‘brain’. Most scientists and thinkers believe that the brain and the mind are one and cannot be separated. Most of the time these two words are used interchangeably. While brain is considered to be a physical thing, mind is not. It is believed that the minds place is brain, but no one has proved that yet.
So, coming back to the query of “I”. ‘I’ am not the physical body, then! Physical body is there , only , to manifest the “I” or whatever it is.
So, is the ‘Mind’ is what we call ‘I’? Let me think. THINK? Who is thinking? Big question ? Normally, people say, ‘thinking’ happens in ‘Mind’. It is generally agreed that mind is that which enables a being to have subjective awareness and intentionality towards their environment, to perceive and respond to stimuli it receives from sense organs and to have consciousness, including thinking and feeling etc., So, whatever, my ‘thinking’ , ‘expreiences’ etc.,  is the result of all the stimuli , my sense organs receives and processed by the Mind, since , may be from my birth or even earlier from inside my mother’s womb! *The mind is an instrument of thinking and sensing on various levels. Mind is called the ‘inner instrument’ or antahkarana  in Sanskrit, related to the body which is our outer instrument. The mind is looked upon as the sixth sense after the five bodily senses and is regarded as an organ, not our true being or the basis of our sense of self. The mind is a product of time and outer experiences, which leave their characteristic marks upon it. So, Mind cannot be the ‘I’, since it appears only  in relation to senses.
But, sometimes , it is ‘observed’ that there is some ‘entity’(inside or outside, no idea)  which seems to ‘see’ or ‘observing’ what I am thinking or doing without any involvement, as if some cc camera is recording all the activity without any action or reaction to what it is recording. Is it the ‘I’ that I am searching?  I Think, some people call it ‘Consciousness’!
*Yoga regards consciousness, called Chit as something other than the mind or Chitta . Chit is pure consciousness unmodified by any mental activity. Chit is awareness of what is called the Purusha, the inner Being, for which the mind is but a tool of perception and expression.
Then, the question is --- Is there no such thing as ‘I’ in my being? Only pure consciousness and the physical body is simply  acting as a vehicle?
 (Conclusion: think, Still long way to go, before the mystery is revealed)

*italics -- taken from Yoga sutras.

Thursday 17 November 2016

Corruption

Corruption:
I think this is the one word or topic , almost everyone's is discussing or on one's thoughts, after the demonetisation declaration by GOI.
Everyone, says and talks that ,Politicians are Corrupt, Govt.officials are corrupt, Society at large is corrupt. But, conveniently forget  what one is doing or try to curb this menace. Pointing the fingers on others is easy. I know most of us are not corrupt and work sincerely to the best of our abilities. But, then how does it grow. Corruption does not rise without ones express involvement, either as giver or taker. How many of the people , who take a high stand on corruption has not wet the hand of officials to get their work done? Society is a reflection of the same people , who make the society they live in. So, what does that mean? Most of the people are corrupt in one way or the other. Change can be brought by individual actions. And each individual action collectively becomes a collective change. Whatever change we want in the society, has to come from the Individual first,  society comes later. It cannot be brought from the above I.e., Govt or PM or CM or Minister or Mayor etc. Ofcourse, govt has to bring in the changes for easy compliance of taxes etc., Unless there is collective will , whatever the steps govt. take or plan will be successful only upto the level of sincere  participation of its targeted people. Blaming everything and everyone for the ills of the society is best time pass for most of the people. It does not work. Be the change , in whatever way , whichever way , however little / small it may be (as small as stopping at red light even Police is not present) to the one of  biggest source of Black money - real estate registrations ( Registering for the full value or price for which it is bought and not for a lower amount)

Wednesday 21 September 2016

Nature vs Humans

                       Nature vs Humans


The Nature of a Rose plant is to produce or give Rose flowers, and it is same with all flowering plants, I.e., to give respective flowers according to its nature. And , similarly, with all fruit trees. And, different animals, birds etc , each have its own nature , specific to its species. And , now, coming to HUMANS , What is the true Nature of Human beings? What are we here for , on this earth? All other living beings , except humans, live at peace with themselves, except, may be killing for its food for its survival. They live as part of the Nature. Human beings, with the so called 'thinking' 'Intelligent' being among all other living beings on this planet, are using their Intelligence, to destroy Nature , of which they are part and also destroy each other! Instead being a part of the Nature, we started, behaving as the Masters of the Nature and treat the rest of the Nature as 'Slaves'. Most of time, we spend our lives accumulating material wealth, which is created by exploiting Nature and polluting it , further. The so called development of modern man is directly proportional to the destruction of our Natural Habitat. So, is destruction is the primary nature of human nature? If not, what is the True Nature of Humans?

Thursday 25 August 2016

Bhagavad Gita 2.16

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सत: |
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्वदर्शिभि: || 2.16||
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sata
ubhayorapi d
iho nta stvanayos tattva-darśhibhi
(Excerpts from Universal message of Bhgavad Gita by Swami Ranganathananda of Ramakrishna Math.)
Asat and sat , these words were used. The word asat means the unreal. So the sloka says, na asato vidyte bhavo , ‘the unreal never is’ ; similarly , nabhavo vidyate satah  ‘the word “non-existent” cannot be applied to what is real’. The sat is the real; it can never be the non-existent.
Our thinkers , when they studied the world, found two aspects of the world: one is changeable aspect and another an unchangeable aspect. Everything in this world is changeable; every second it is changing. Change is the characteristic of this external and much of the internal world. And anything that changes, moment to moment, Vedanta calls it unreal. That is how we use the word unreal; it exists, but it is unreal. It appears, but it is unreal. The nature of this manifested universe, a universe which one experiences with five senses, is that, it is constantly changing, and therefore unreal. Whatever changes is unreal. Then where is the reality? Vedanta says, yes, there is changeless reality beyond the sensory level, you come to the world of reality, which is unchanging, infinite, eternal.
But man feels there is a unity where all this change is really centered. Just like all the changes of pictures in a film, making for the unity of the film. That is due to the curtain behind the film. That makes the unity. Similarly, we search for the unity behind the multiplicity in the universe. The first truth is change, and we see that whatever changes is unreal.
Then what is real? That which exists in the past, present and future, that is called real. Is there such a real? Yes says Vedanta, and that search is the search of philosophy everywhere in the world.
So we use the word sat for that infinite imperishable reality; asat for this perishable universe. The belief that this sensory world alone is true, is called materialism and that materialism is a strong philosophy today. An astro-physict , Millikan, has said “ to me a philosophy of materialism is the height of un-intelligence”. Matter is just a symbol. Nobody has seen matter. We are seeing , from the Indian point of view, one infinite reality, which appears as matter in the world outside, and as the Self within us. There is one reality in this world, and we call it Brahman or Atman, of the nature of pure consciousness.
So, Sri Krishna says here, ubhayorapi diho nta stvanayos tattva-darśhibhiḥ. This anta , ‘this conclusion’ , nirnaya, has been arrived by whom? Tattvadarsibhih by those who have realized the tattvam.  Tattvam also is a scientifically precise word of Sanskrit. Tasya bhavah tattvam – the nature of a particular thing is called tattvam . Not what it appears to be. Just like the earth is flat, is not tattvam but matam, opinion. Our senses tell us the earth is flat., but what is tattvam. It is round, the earth is globe. That is tattvam. Those who know the tattvam of things, by scientific investigation, they have come to this conclusion; that this sat, reality, is always, is. and what is asat, that which doesn’t exist , has no reality. So the sages , who have discriminated and investigated this subject, have come to this conclusion -- There is one reality in this world, and we call it Brahman or Atman, of the nature of pure consciousness. This is tattva; not what appears, not what is pleasing; these are called beliefs and dogmas. Have plenty of them, but tattvam is different.
What is tattvam of a thing? Suppose I have an opinion. I can hold on to an opinion; but , it must be based on truth. It must be a true opinion. Then only it gets the status of a tattvam. Otherwise, it is called matam. The word opinion in English is called matam in Sanskrit. Tad-asmakam matam , ‘it is our opinion’ or ‘it is my religion’. It is not the truth, I have not investigated it. But when you investigate and find it to be true, then that opinion becomes true opinion. It can stand challenge. So ordinarily, our religions in the world are always a plural. They are matams. What pleases me, what attracts me, what is relevant to my needs, that is called matam. I choose to be a Vaishnava, a Saiva, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, all these constitutes matam. That is one aspect of it. The second aspect is: if you scientifically investigate, what is all this matam? Is there a truth behind all this? That discovery will lead you to tattvam of religion. When  tattvam is discovered, there will be no conflict in religions. Scientific truths do not conflict; only dogmas conflict. We know that all these are forms of the same single reality. There will be no conflict thereafter. Harmony and peace alone can come. And respect for each other: your opinion I respect, you also respect my opinion. You take some food, I respect it. I take some food, you respect that also. Don’t say that my food alone is food, your food is poison. That is what we have done in the name of religion, mistaking it to be tattvam . Tattvam is quite different. Any food you may take – that is matam . but see that you take so many calories, so much of nourishment needed for health; that is tattvam.
So, you can see in religion as well as in food the distinction between matam and tatvam . only when you investigate, you will come to this truth. In our country today, when more people begin to question, why so many religion? What is the truth about all of them? Every religion says I am true; yes you are true. But you can’t take a copyright of all truth. Others also say they are true. When such questions come, very impartial objective investigation is needed, and that is what our ancient and modern sages did, and raised matam to the level of tattvam. And tattvam is one. Tattvam can never be plural. Matam can be plural. So, matams are but different expressions of that one tattvam. That is how our Indian sages discovered that wonderful unity behind the diversity of religions, established harmony and peace, with so little of intolerance in the name of religion on the soil of India.
But that tattvam is spoken in differently in language and style by different people. What are these? Some call It Brahman , some call It Paramatma, the supreme Self, and some call It Bhagwan, the all-loving God.
In this way, this investigation of matam and tattvam has done immense good to the country. And today, we have to  inaugurate that kind of investigation, to find harmony behind these diverse manifestations.

(Excerpts from Universal message of Bhgavad Gita by Swami Ranganathananda of Ramakrishna Math.)

Wednesday 24 August 2016

Random thoughts on Janmashtami

Random thoughts on Janmashtami (Sri  Krishna’s Birthday)

I think , its not simply not enough to be simply ritualistic on such as these occasions. What we do on such day’s, mostly, do some Pooja, go to temples, offer prasads, fire agarnbathi’s, break coconuts, eat and be satisfied that , we have pleased the Lord and Lord will shower His blessings on us. By evening we forget , and do what we were doing all the while as usual. There wont be any change in the life style or thinking etc., Same mundane things, worries, jealousies, hatred, etc., Nothing is changed and will be changed.

We  should take this opportunitiy of Krishn’a Birthday(Janmashtami) to reflect on what he has said , esp.  what we call “Bhagavad Gita” .  I find it very Unfortunate and a bit amusing, to hear Bhagavad Gita, rendered by late Ghantasala, ONLY on someone Death. Is it really meant only for the ‘Dead” or for the people who are in mourning?

Actually , Bhagavad Gita is a Comprehensive philosophy of life and work.

Here I share some of the words Swami Ranganathananda, of Ramakrishna Math, spoke on Bhagavad Gita.

 The Bhagavad Gita was and is read as a pious act and for a little peace of Mind. We never realized that - this is a book of intense practicality, that this is the greatest book of practical Vedanta, capable of helping in to create a Society of fully developed human beings. We never understood the practical application of Gita teachings. If we had done so, we would not have had the thousand years of foreign invasions, Internal caste conflicts, feaudal oppressions and mass poverty. We never took Gita seriously. But, now, we have to.

The Gita is philosophy that will train people’s mind and hearts to build a new welfare society, based on human dignitiy, freedom and equality. But the tragedy is, we have, converted it into a mere Book of Piety.

The Gita is compared to the Milk taken out of cow, meaning Vedas, by Sri Krishna, the Milkman. What is the Milk for? It is not meant for Worship, but it is meant to be drank for nourishment. Then alone can one get strength. But all these hundreds of years, we took that glass of Milk, worshipped it with flowers and saluted it, but never drank it. That is why, we are feeble, physically, mentally and socially. Start drinking this Milk and assimilate it. That will help us to develop character, strength, work efficiency and spirit of service and to forge a new national destiny.

(Unquote)

Saturday 13 August 2016

Relationships


Now if we examine our life, our relationship with another, we shall see that it is a process of isolation. We are really not concerned with another; though we talk a great deal about it, actually we are not concerned. We are related to someone only so long as that relationship gratifies us, so long as it gives us a refuge, so long as it satisfies us. But the moment there is a disturbance in the relationship which produces discomfort in ourselves, we discard that relationship. In other words, there is relationship only so long as we are gratified. This may sound harsh, but if you really examine your life very closely you will see it is a fact; and to avoid a fact is to live in ignorance, which can never produce right relationship. If we look into our lives and observe relationship, we see it is a process of building resistance against another, a wall over which we look and observe the other; but we always retain the wall and remain behind it, whether it be a psychological wall, a material wall, an economic wall or a national wall.
 So long as we live in isolation, behind a wall, there is no relationship with another; and we live enclosed because it is much more gratifying, we think it is much more secure. The world is so disruptive, there is so much sorrow, so much pain, war, destruction, misery, that we want to escape and live within the walls of security of our own psychological being. So, relationship with most of us is actually a process of isolation, and obviously such relationship builds a society which is also isolating. That is exactly what is happening throughout the world: you remain in your isolation and stretch your hand over the wall, calling it nationalism, brotherhood or what you will, but actually sovereign governments, armies, continue. Still clinging to your own limitations, you think you can create world unity, world peace - which is impossible. So long as you have a frontier, whether national, economic, religious or social, it is an obvious fact that there cannot be peace in the world.
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
From 'The First And Last Freedom', ch. 14

Wednesday 3 August 2016

How different species differ in intelligence

How Different Species differ from each other in their Intelligence


When I saw the above photo of the Birds and its nest for its babies, My mind/thoughts went into a spiral. How come only this bird species are capable of building such beautiful nests and others not. Different birds build nests of different sizes and shapes, specific to their breeds.

That's the beauty of Nature. Only, that specific breed of birds can build such a nest. No other bird builds this type of nest. How? No one teaches it. May be the technique of building such a nest exists, in the consciousness of those birds, only and  Its passed on through successive generations, only through these birds, but not to others.

This led me into thinking.

It is said that the flow of “Consciousness” is the essence of all sentient and non sentient beings whatever their body is. Then, when the flow of consciousness is same in all beings, how different beings , have different levels of Intelligence. How those birds differ from each species and with other animals, including Humans?  This is What, my take,  after doing some research and thinking,  on this subject.

All beings, be it birds, animals, etc., have brains, but not as evolved as Humans. I think, that’s where , the secret of different levels of Intelligence, lies , in different beings.

In different studies, pertaining to Brain, it was found that --- It is not the size of the Brain, that determines the Intelligence of a species/animal etc., But , it is the -- Ratio of the Brain size to the entire Body weight of the a species. For example: Humans have a Ratio of 1 : 50. Most other Mammals have a Ratio of 1 to 180.
For , Birds , it is 1 to 220.

And , Intelligence, also has to do with the different components of the Brain. Humans have the largest ‘Cerebral Cortex” of all Mammals, relative to the size of their Brains. This area , homes for the Cerebral Hemispheres, which, are responsible for Higher functions like, Memory, Communication, thinking etc.,
Birds, Fish, Reptiles, etc., have smaller Cerebral Cortex, relative to the size of their Brains. This explains the low level of Intelligence, in these species.

Studies show that , ‘the Cortex’ is the seat of Higher Brain functions, the bit of the brain we see with, hear with. In particular, one of the main functions is – association/cognition  – bringing sensory information together with information on Internal states and motivation to enable flexible and context dependent decisions to be taken, rather than simple reflexive action in response to Isolated stimuli. Most of the Birds and animals act with simple reflexive action to external stimuli, because of smaller Cerebral Cortices in them.

From the above, it can be summarized, that the level of Intelligence in different beings/species , is directly proportional to the Cerebral Cortex to the brain and in turn , to the size of the brain to the Body weight of the species.

Also, it can be assumed that the ‘Cerebral Cortex’ is the recipient of the ‘Consciousness’ in all beings. This explains, the different levels of Intelligence in different beings, even though the flow of consciousness is same in all beings, based on the relative sizes of Cerebral cortex, in the brain of different beings.

I think, this can be explained with a simple analogy --- comparing  Electricity to Consciousness and Cerebral cortex/Brain to Wattage in bulbs. More wattage more bright light, even though the flow of electricity is same to all Bulbs.  More of the Cerebral Cortex/Brain more Intelligence.


As Humans, Where we differ from Other is not in Consciousness itself, but in the picture we paint in our individual thinking minds and to which we choose to become attached. This is our sense of separation - the beliefs about ourselves which are the source of our limitations.

Friday 29 July 2016

Paying Tributes

Paying Tributes 

We routinely observe in Social Media like Face Book, whatsapp etc., that on Birth & Death Anniversaries of great personalities like, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Abdul Kalam etc.,to name a few,  many postings highlighting their qualities, quotes, life styles they have adopted, the principles they have followed in their life time, etc., etc., Their would be number of likes for such posts & sharing & re-sharing of those posts.
We also, find the statues of our yester year leaders in every nook and corner of our cities, towns , villages.
Its great remembering them on their Birthday’s & Death Anniversaries of our great Men & Women, but how many of us truly follow the path or at least try to walk the path , they have shown. Most of us, just show lip service , not real service. We have become experts in giving “Expert Comments” on every subject on earth, but lacks the will to walk the path!
What are the  tribute’s , we pay to the great leaders ---- Garlanding their photo’s or statues, talk at lengths about their life and achievements , leave the place & forget all about it and routinely , & do exactly the opposite of what they have stood for all their life time.
Is this all  the “Tribute” or “Respects” we pay to the personalities , we pledge to “love” & “follow” , whenever their Birthday’s or Death Anniversaries are celebrated?
THINK!
It’s high time,  we  stop such festivities , because , I feel it’s an insult , to all of them, we are indulging routinely .
The real tribute, if anyone pays, to the personalities we celebrate , is --- when we walk the path they have shown, in our lives, on a daily basis. Or at least make an attempt, in doing so. 

Thursday 21 April 2016

Life


LIFE

What is the Life we are living?
 Have we ever paused enough to think about it?
Have we lost the ability to see the Magic of Life?

As I see, Everyone is caught up in routine, and everyone’s mind is preoccupied with , What’s the next thing they have TO DO. And everyone is caught up with doing that, and by doing that, they have all forgotten , how to be in the ‘Moment’. Life exists in this moment only. Everything else is Past or Future.
I think, We are taking Life & its problems , far too seriously, and forgotten to Live.
As I see around me, Most of the people neglect everything else – including Love, relationships, inherent Talents, creativity, Individuality, etc., for the sake of ‘MONEY’ & amassing “Material” worth & Imagine how much time people spend their Life , working in jobs, ‘merely’ to ‘earn’ and ‘spend’.
What is life, other than the span you got between “Birth” & “Death”. When you compare this span with that of the ‘Universe’ , it doesn’t even counts. Then why the hell all these running for achieving ‘something’ and wanting to ‘Become’ . When you take time to observe the rest of the Nature, around you , that we are part off, I could see the absurdity of , we , humans, striving to become something and acquire/possess and live as if , we live to eternity. I get bemused seeing people, even in their late ages also, be passionate of acquiring material wealth and spend sleepless nights over it. It pains , when people fight over issues like ‘Religion’, caste, color, boundaries ,etc., Why can’t we just ‘LIVE’ as other living beings that exists on earth. Does the ‘Intelligence’ of majority of humans is ‘used’ for destructing the planet , we are fortunate to be born in?
I realized , very late into my life (at the age of 51-52 years) that, I really am not bogged down with all the mundane , problems & issues , (for most they are VERY IMPORTANT) like Money, Work, worrying about Future, acquiring wealth by proper & by any means ,God, Materialism etc.,
The only measure of success (and success is defined by not needing to continue the cycle of birth and rebirth) is to live your life in LOVE; to ENJOY and create JOY; to be COMPASSIONATE towards yourself and others; And to access the INDOMITABLE strength within yourself and therefore providing an example for others.
So, how do we do live our life like that?
Simple… just free your MIND and open your HEART… let go of all belief systems, constructs and ideologies… and what remains?
When “Death” holds no “Horror” to you , there isn’t much else left or much to be afraid off. Does it!
Enjoy the small moments in our lives, spend time with loved ones, remove all masks we wear from the time we go out of our homes and be true to yourself. Take time to care for your Health, rather than Wealth. Smile often, which is the most natural thing that we all are born with. Meditate. Listen whatever your heart says rather than to your Mind.

Life is difficult for those who choose the complexities of their mind, live in fear, and believe in a hostile environment.
Life is easy for those who choose the simplicity of their hearts, live in love for themselves, and believe in a friendly universe.

Saturday 16 April 2016

Become Completely Crazy

You Must Become Completely Crazy

One day a visitor came to the Providence Zen Center and
asked Seung Sahn Soen-sa, "If I study Zen, will I attain enlightenment?"

Soen-sa said, "Why do you want to attain enlightenment?"
The visitor said, "I'm upset by all sorts of things. I don't feel free."

Soen-sa said, "Why don't you feel free?"
"I guess I have too many attachments."

"Why don't you cut through these attachments?"
"They all seem very real."

Soen-sa said, "No one knows when he will die. It could be next year, or next week, or in the next five minutes. So put it all down, now, at this very moment. Keep your mind as if you were already dead. Then all your attachments will disappear, and it won't matter whether you study Zen or not. Right now you think, 'I am alive, I am strong.' So you have many desires, many attachments. Only think, 'I am dead.' A dead man has no desires."

The visitor said, "How can I be alive and dead?"
Soen-sa said, "Dead is not dead. We have eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. But the Heart Sutra says that in emptiness there are no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. Without my six senses I have no hindrance. It is very easy. So if I am already dead, seeing is not seeing, hearing is not hearing. It is like passing in front of a restaurant, smelling the good smells, and passing on. It is not my house, so I don't touch."

The visitor said, "How can I practice being dead?"
Soen-sa said, "Only keep the great question, 'What am I?' Now let me ask you, what are you?"
"I'm one."
"Where does one come from?"
"From God. God is one."
"God? Do you understand God?"
"No."
"You say 'one,' you say 'God.' This is wrong. If you make one, it is one. If you make God, it is God. All this is thinking. Without thinking, what are you?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" Soen-sa hit him and said, "This is pain. Can 'nothing' feel pain?"
The visitor smiled.

Soen-sa said, "Before thinking, your mind was like a sheet of white paper.
Then you wrote down 'one,' and  God,' and 'nothing,' and so on and so forth.
When you cut off all thinking, you erase all these names and forms and return to your original emptiness. What am I? I don't know. When you keep the great question, you keep the mind that doesn't know. Don't-know mind is empty mind. There are no words, no speech. So there is no one, no God, no nothing, no mind, no emptiness.

This don't-know mind is very important.
I is don't-know, don't-know is I.
Only this.
This is your true self. So always keep don't-know mind."

The visitor said, "My friends think I'm crazy because I'm interested in Zen."

Soen-sa said, "Craziness is good. Crazy people are happy, free, they have no hindrance. But since you have many attachments, you are only a little crazy. This is not crazy enough. You must become completely crazy. 
Then you will understand."
(Excerpts from a Book of Zen)

Thursday 25 February 2016

Freedom

FREEDOM

There is no such thing as freedom at the present time, we don't know what it means. We would like to be free but, if you notice, everybody - the teacher, the parent, the lawyer, the policeman, the soldier, the politician, the business man - is doing something in his own little corner to prevent that freedom. To be free is not merely to do what you like, or to break away from outward circumstances which bind you, but to understand the whole problem of dependence. Do you know what dependence is? You depend on your parent, don't you? You depend on your teachers, you depend on the cook, on the postman, on the man who brings you milk, and so on. That kind of dependence one can understand fairly easily. But there is a far deeper kind of dependence which one must understand before one can be free: the dependence on another for one's happiness. do you know what it means to depend on somebody for your happiness? It is not the mere physical dependence on another which is so binding, but the inward, psychological dependence from which you derive so-called happiness; for when you depend on somebody in that way, you become a slave. If, as you grow older, you depend emotionally on your parents, on your wife or husband, on a guru, or on some idea, there is already the beginning of bondage. We don't understand this - although most of us, especially when we are young, want to be free.
To be free we have to revolt against all inward dependence, and we cannot revolt if we don't understand why we are dependent. Until we understand and really break away from all inward dependence we can never be free, for only in that understanding can there be freedom. But freedom is not a mere reaction. Do you know what a reaction is? If I say something that hurts you, if I call you an ugly name and you get angry with me, that is a reaction - a reaction born of dependence; and independence is a further reaction. But freedom is not a reaction, and until we understand reaction and go beyond it, we are never free.
-- Jiddu Krishnamurthy

Friday 19 February 2016

Why do we identify?

Why Do We Identify

Why do we identify ourself with another, with a group, with a country?
Why do we call ourselves a Christian, a Hindu, a Buddhist, or why do we belong to one of the innumerable sects?
Religiously and politically one identifies oneself with this or with that group through tradition or habit, through impulse, prejudice, imitation and laziness.
This identification puts an end to all creative understanding, and then one becomes a mere tool in the hands of the party boss, the priest or the favoured leader.
Identification is essentially a thought process by which the mind safeguards and expands itself;
and in becoming something it must resist and defend, it must own and discard.
In this process of becoming, the mind or the self grows tougher and more capable;
but this is not love.
Identification destroys freedom, and only in freedom can there be the highest form of sensitivity.
To experiment, need there be identification?
Does not the very act of identification put an end to inquiry, to discovery?
The happiness that truth brings cannot be if there is no experimentation in self-discovery. Identification puts an end to discovery; it is another form of laziness.
Identification is vicarious experience, and hence utterly false.
To experience, all identification must cease.
To experiment, there must be no fear. Fear prevents experience.
It is fear that makes for identification - identification with another, with a group, with an ideology, and so on. Fear must resist, suppress; and in a state of self-defence, how can there be venturing on the uncharted sea?
Truth or happiness cannot come without undertaking the journey into the ways of the self.
We cannot travel far if we are anchored.
Identification is a refuge. A refuge needs protection, and that which is protected is soon destroyed. Identification brings destruction upon itself, and hence the constant conflict between various identifications.
The more we struggle for or against identification, the greater is the resistance to understanding.
If one is aware of the whole process of identification, outward as well as inner, if one sees that its outward expression projected by the inner demand, then there is a possibility of discovery and happiness.

He who has identified himself can never know freedom, in which alone all truth comes into being.
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti