Prayer, as is normally used, is for changing the situation in our favour. Do you think that the Power that is the Source of all creation doesn’t know what you are going through, that you want to remind it to work things out in your favour?  

Prayer should not be for changing the situation, it should be for changing us to face the situation…Much like a Sufi’s prayer, which is actually a code for self transformation. As per the Sufi’s – To be near God a human must have certain qualities; these qualities are “river-like generosity, sun-like affection, and sun-like hospitality.” Ensuring the presence of these qualities in ourselves is prayer.

It all begins with good intent for all​ that is expressed through good words and good actions​ – completing the cycle of goodwill/prayer for you; good results are bound to follow sooner than later… 

Pain(of body and mind) is an inevitable part of life but suffering is a choice. If you choose to accept the pain as it is, it too shall pass, you needn’t suffer it. Suffering is when you are identified with the body / mind and therefore the pain caused to it, let the identification go – the pain may not disappear but your acceptance of it will give you the necessary forbearance and fortitude to bear it. 

Now the million dollar question is how to let go of the identification with body and mind since that is who we think we are. Sharing an interesting anecdote that could perhaps shed some light: 
King Janaka had a dream one night in which he saw that he was defeated by his enemies and he had gone to the neighbouring kingdom and was about to beg for food when he woke up and realised that he was still the King and had a Palace, servants, etc. However, the dream was so vivid that he questioned was the dream real or is his waking state real? His Guru Sage Ashtavakra replied neither was that real nor is this real, the one who was present and experienced both states is real – the presence/consciousness. The Presence/Consciousness experiences life in 3 states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep and you are that presence/consciousness in reality but get identified with the body/mind and its various roles and attachments that cause the suffering.

So the answer to the million dollar is simple as stated above but to actually experience life as sheer presence/consciousness and not the body/mind is the journey of Self Realisation which could be just a step away for a prepared mind but for the unprepared minds accepting this proposition itself, is the first step in a journey of a thousand miles but at least it is a step in the right direction…

We are told what to do till a certain age and then we have to take that responsibility on to ourselves(though our mothers will keep telling us what to do regardless of age ;-)). Depending on our circumstances, fantasies, abilities, maturity we decide on a vocation, hobbies, social responsibilities, etc. and get busy with our lives and seldom give a thought to what this is all about as long as we are busy “doing” something​.

Being busy becomes a habit which is very difficult to shake off and a dependence is created upon being busy, so much so that people feel lost if they have nothing to do. This is because the habit of meditating, introspection, and reflection has not been cultivated since it is perceived as doing nothing. People instead turn to religion/prayer for answers but, in my view, religion has lost the plot long back since the interpreters of religion have their own vested interests that do not include guiding you to go within since who then is going to ask/pay them? Further, if you notice, prayers are transactional in nature – please give me…. if you do this for/give this to me, then i will do this…

For knowing yourself and for being comfortable with yourself, you need to just sit in silence and observe all the thoughts that come to your mind and allow them to pass, over a period of time through sustained practice, the mind settles and no thoughts arise and you get insights into your true nature – that is “being”. You have to cultivate & practice this habit for yourself, no one else can do this for you. Once the habit is cultivated there is a paradigm shift even in your “doing”. 

As Thich Naht Hanh beautifully put it “Our quality of being determines our quality of doing”

As we​(Indians)​ get messages of Happy Republic Day we need to pause for a minute to reflect on the significance of it. 

Over time​,​ ​h​umans have drawn imaginary lines over the earth​ including the airspace above it and all the rivers flowing​ ​on it ​and have claimed dominance over it​​. Whoever falls within the boundary are citizens of the nation and are obligated to perpetuate the protection of the boundary, the local culture, commerce, etc. ​All the flora/fauna/animals/natural resources falling within the territory are considered fair game for consumption/commerce…​

History is made of people(wolves) with aggressive and violent tendencies who constantly try to expand their boundaries whilst there are the people with peace loving(sheep) tendencies who are unable​/not interested​ to defend their boundaries and the imaginary boundaries get redefined by conquests​ or armies are created to help maintain the boundaries​. And the show goes on.

All this stems from the fact that we as individuals have also drawn imaginary boundaries around ourselves (I/Me/Mine) and feel that we are somehow separate from others around us.​ We extend this individual boundary to family, society, nation and by extension​,​ alienate the rest of the world. ​Then it is a show of one-upmanship – mine better than yours… and the show goes on…​​

In reality, ​love is sufficient as a way of life but ​unfortunately ​​​aggression/violence​ has become such an integral part of the world we are born and live in that we cannot even imagine a world without it. ​Unless a sufficient number of people ​adopt love as a foundational quality of living individually and as a collective society, the aggressive tendencies would find expression and there would be a need for defending against aggression. ​If you observe, ​Terrorists/Aggressors and Defending Armies are two sides of the same coin – drop one and the other ​needn’t​ exist.​ 

Everybody accepts that love is better than violence but unfortunately, no one wants to let go of violence and hence “One World” remains a poet’s dream as expressed by John Lennon – Imagine…

Happy Republic Day

If you see suffering all around you, can you ever truly be happy? A question that all of us must answer for ourselves. Most of us mistake happiness for obtaining pleasure or enhancing our self import which stems from the fact that we consider ourselves as separate from everything around us which is the illusion. We are all One but unfortunately, save a few realized souls, the rest of us cannot see the unity of things and keep chasing pleasures/self import as means of happiness, consequently experience suffering as the inevitable cyclical end of the chase… And life goes on and people wonder why there is so much suffering in the world since the happiness as experienced by us is just a blip in a series of suffering…

The only way out is to realize the unity of things through the path of silence (not only of words but also of urges that take you without instead of within). It is just a matter of dis-covering your true nature that is covered with such a lot of accumulated dirt that it takes sustained practice of silence to break through. Instead we start with all gusto to change the world to make it a better place….

Umar bhar Ghalib ye hi bhool karta raha.

Dhool chehere par thi aur aina saaf karta raha…

I just recovered from a bout of the dreaded COVID 19 – Omicron strain and luckily it was no different from a flu treated at home that one would have had. However the uncertainty of how my body would react to it, whether I would need hospitalization or not, certainly was unsettling. And to add to the uncertainty was the contradictory information available on the news – with one expert saying one thing and some other saying exactly the opposite, so you don’t know who to believe… Then of course is the list of well wishers who have their own set of anxiety issues that sometimes are passed on to you FOC 🙂 In such a confused state all you actually need is a Pyar ki Jhappi but that too can’t be in person and you have to make do with hugs emojis on WhatsApp. 

One learning that was reinforced during this period of quarantine was that there is no use worrying about anything. On the contrary, it is actually helpful to be cheerful since your body responds better to the crises. Take all precautions/course of action for treatment as per your maturity/wisdom/resources but then worrying about the result ain’t gonna help, so let the worry go… The “worried” people are those who think they have something to lose. When you accept that all that you are clinging to was never yours in the first place and all of it would have to be left behind in any case, you experience a sense of freedom that takes your worries away. So lose your worry instead.   

“Hakuna Matata” – which means “There are no problems: Don’t worry about it.”

With the 3rd wave raging across the world like wildfire, the pandemic is putting things into perspective, it pushes you to re-examine your priorities and timelines (Short term/Long term) given the uncertainty of life itself. In such times, the best way to deal with it is a day at a time. Don’t miss out on the small things in daily life trying to chase the “Big” things assuming a long life. 

Regardless of whether you want to chase the Big things or enjoy the small things, you have to be physically, emotionally, intellectually, financially fit to enjoy them, so invest time & energy on a daily basis to remain fit and enjoy the day. Above all practice meditation that will take you beyond all fears since you would know that you are pure eternal awareness having a temporary body/mind experience…

We make new year resolutions assuming that “achieving” something would bring us fulfilment. We do this since we don’t accept that we are complete here and now. In our experience life is yet to be completed and is still a work in progress even though we have lived as many years as we have and it would be so till the last day of our lives which is when? we don’t know…Then what is the use of making resolutions? We enjoy the chase? It gives meaning to life?…

Unless we experience the completeness of our being and then decide what is to be done, we would always be chasing mirages and living life outside – in, instead of inside – out. You have to know thyself. Most of us are not even facing the right direction and instead are enamored by the show that life puts up – some pleasures, some pains…

This year, take up the most difficult challenge of all times – face yourself to know yourself.

In is the only way out…

I witnessed my first “Euthanasia” when I was a school going boy performed on our beloved pet dog in her last stages of cancer. In the decision between compassion and suffering, compassion won but can we do so where humans are concerned?

The debate over acceptance or not of euthanasia continues worldwide and I am told that Switzerland has not only legalised it but also has invented a “Sarcopod” that assists in such cases and the patient passes on in less than a minute in a relatively painless way. But this only kills the body/mind apparatus, not what lies within… 

Nisargadatta Maharaj gave an interesting reply to the question “Is it not obligatory to live out one’s natural span of life?” – His reply was “Natural—spontaneously—easy—yes. But disease and suffering are not natural. There is noble virtue in unshakable endurance of whatever comes, but there is also dignity in the refusal of meaningless torture and humiliation” 

I am not on the point of whether euthanasia should be legalized or not, I am on the point of being brave enough to perform it on our own attachment to “I/Me/Mine”. Such an euthanasia is absolutely essential for all and can only be performed by self and the best part of it is what dies within actually makes your life more beautiful than ever…

This quote of Rumi doesn’t prescribe inaction but instead asks to be patient with the results. ​

In today’s “Instant” World, everyone wants everything, as in yesterday and seldom wants to be patient for results or to put in the sincere efforts required to get them. Wants are unlimited, needs are limited. The distinction between the two is blurred with the “Dil Maange More” attitude and that is the cause of all the stress and anxiety in the world – it is ruled by “wants” and chases them relentlessly. 

There is a terminology in the Corporate World based on which performance of an individual is evaluated and that is “KRA” – Key Result Area ​which is something that the Corporate ” wants” ​and upon which vests the Quarter to Quarter survival of the CEO and the entire organization. The same works even for personal/family/social roles wherein the KRA’s are not even formally defined and yet are expected to be achieved and mistakes are not tolerated…Then we wonder why so many people complaining of stress related disorder, heart attacks, Skewed lifestyle imbalances that make people run only after their KRA’s whether at work or at home…. 

If you observe, once you get what you “want” it loses value – whether it be goals, things or relationships and your mind moves on to what next? This living from one want to another is the root cause of stress and anxiety. The only way to reduce this stress is to know​ and accept​ that you​ already​ have everything you “need” and will never have everything that you “want”.