What do you gain/lose when a mirage appears/disappears? Nothing.

And so it is with life, you are only chasing mirages, even though you see that you come with nothing and take nothing from this world of mirages, yet you remain attached to everything and everyone…

The Guru can point out this fact and show the way, you alone have to accept, understand and walk it…

Pleasure seeking is a vicious habit – some people buy expensive things, some entertain friends, some donate to charity, some try to increase their lifespan with expensive therapies… you get the picture, but the chase of pleasure is common amongst all though the object of pleasure may vary. 

Such “pleasure seeking missiles” could be successful people in social terms but think they are incomplete/empty from within and know only “pleasure” as a means to fill this incompleteness/emptiness but then this is the meaning they want out of life and life says “Tathastu- So be it”…As Somerset Maugham beautifully puts it – “The more single mindedly you chase pleasure, the more you find nothing pleases you anymore”

So what is the solution? Self Realisation – that can be discovered through silence is the only answer, the sooner you realise this the better for you.

Then you realise the essence of “Om Purna Madah Purnamidam Purnat Purna Mudachyate Purnasya Purna Madaya Purnameva Vashishyate” which means “This is complete, that is complete, anything taken from complete is also complete and only complete remains”.

“You” were/are/will always be complete since the understanding of”you” itself changes…

Life is a story(both personal and interpersonal) that happens between birth and death of the body, what was it before and after the death of the body is something to be discovered for yourself, should you be interested in doing so. That is your personal journey.

In any case, whilst you are here, try to make it pleasant for yourself and others, after all, we all go back to the same Source. That is your interpersonal journey.

Masters say that both journey’s are not real. That which experiences it is real. Go figure!

Truth​/God/Absolute/Source is One and doesn’t change just because it’s spoken in a different country​/region, in a different language, by different people of various faith​/paths – whether ​revealed by a ​Monk in a Pagoda or by a saffron clad priest in a temple or by a robed priest in a church or a Mulla in a Masjid or by a Rabi​ in a Synagogue….

There are many ways to Truth, you have to find yours. Just because you prefer one doesn’t mean the others are not good, so trying to prove that your path/faith is superior to others is simply folly​.​ Respect all paths, remember respect begets respect. 

Also there is a difference in reading/understanding the words of Masters and actually walking the path to experience it. Don’t just stop at the former, try to walk on the path – If not you, who? If not now, when?

​You reap what you sow….

How people treat you is their Karma, how you react is yours…

Karma has no menu, you get served what you deserve…

….

So much and more has been said about karma and yet we lead our lives blissfully ignoring it, to our own peril. As a Japanese proverb says – Karma and Shadows follow one everywhere…

Whether you believe in free will or destiny, it doesn’t matter. ​As I see it – regardless of ​how hopeless you perceive the situation to be, how you respond is always up to you​, in that you make your own Karma & your Karma creates your destiny, so why not make it joyful/pleasant….

Whatever you think life is all about, you are right since that is your understanding at this point. 

If you think you are this body and mind living a life that is controlled by you or think that everything is pre-destined – there is nothing called “choice” – it really doesn’t matter since you are still within the realms of thought and the thinker. It is only when the limitations of body/mind/thought are crossed that you start actually experiencing the oneness of everything –  It is not that wisdom suddenly dawns on you, it is that wisdom was always there but a veil of ignorance that was covering it has been lifted. 

Now whether you want to experience oneness, or stay clutching your thoughts and present understanding of life. Well, thats upto you…

The environment doesn’t need saving, we do.

It is not dependent on us, we are dependent on it.

Nature finds its own balance in which humans may no longer be able to sustain.

All the wealth, power and fame in the world won’t be able to buy back an ounce of natural balance that we are keen on destroying….

We can have a sustainable environment if we simply stop abusing/interfering with it. Which requires us to adopt sustainable lifestyles.

Save it to save ourselves…

So much wisdom has already been handed down over the ages by various Masters that it will take a lifetime to even just read it.

Just reading or knowing it without imbibing it is useless. Instead, take one point that resonates with you and implement it in your own life till it becomes a part of your character before moving on to the next.

A step at a time, that’s all life is all about…

“Conflict” arises from differing points of view all of which could be right in their own ways but it is the insistence of people to have it their way that is the start of all problems – at individual/domestic level or at a social/national level. Resolving conflicts through peaceful means or through violence is not enough, to have a perspective on how the current action would affect the generations to come and taking decisions to secure a better lifestyle for generations to come is the way ahead. But who knows what is “better” since that is also a matter of perspective…

Years back, industrialisation was hailed as a great progress made by mankind and still is to a great extent but if we see the environmental damage that was done to achieve this I am not sure whether we would call it progress…Similarly the advances made by science, medicine are helping us extend our life expectancy but are they good in the long term? Who knows? Closer home, the city is undergoing reconstruction of buildings, roads, rails, etc – are we making it a better world or worse? Doesn’t seem so but what is the choice?

I guess every generation has its share of dealing with such dilemma’s and the dilemma’s continue. 

The only response to it is only at a very personal level wherein you can walk the path of Self Realisation and realise “This too shall pass” 

This verse from the Brahma Bindu Upanishad summarises the entire spiritual journey. It is your own mind that is the cause of your suffering and liberation. Mind is just a powerful tool – its how you use it that makes the difference – just like a knife – it can cut vegetables or could kill people…

It is a klishta mind(Afflicted with Klesha’s(corruption/fear/ignorance)) that suffers. The five Kleshas (Kleshas) are Avidya (Ignorance), Asmita (Egoism), Raga (Attachment), Dvesha (Aversion) and Abhinivesha (Fear of Death). To transcend them is the effort and the journey of Yoga as described by Maharshi Patanjali in Yoga Sutra’s. There are various types of Yoga – Karma, Bhakti, Gnana, … as mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. You may prefer one as per your temperament but walking the path of Yoga is essential for liberation. 

Yoga is the ABCD of spirituality – (Adhyatma(Sprirituality) Begins with Commitment and Discipline) and it has nothing to do with religion, it is a way of life by people seeking liberation. Unfortunately most people interpret Yoga as per their convenience and create more problems for themselves and others…As goes the famous song from Dev Anand’s film – Hare Krishna Hare Ram-

Dekho O deevano tum ye kam na karo

Ram(A Yogi) ka naam Badnam na karo…….

Jeet lo man ko padh kar Gita (meaning become a Yogi as mentioned in The Bhagavad Gita) 

Mann hi hara, to kya jeeta?