We all understand the computer lingo quite well since we are using these devices. Using the same lingo if we consider our Body to be the Hardware and the mind to be the Software then it stands to reason that we should maintain not only the Hardware but also the Software. These days there is excessive focus only on the Hardware and a belief that if the Hardware is fit then the software would also be fit. Resultantly no exercise of mind is being done. Viruses in the form of negativities have already corrupted most of our softwares but we are blissfully unaware.

In case of computers we install an anti virus software to detect and clean viruses, we don’t do the same in case of our own mind. Viruses are given free access to every thought and emotion in the mind. Every TV Channel shows news and programs that are mostly negative and we gladly feed our minds on these and then wonder why our life not “happening” the way it should. Even in social groups the topics discussed are mostly about what is wrong with the society, political situation, etc. Very few people roll up their sleeves and start working on what would bring the change. Very few people look at the blessings they have in the form of what they have and do whatever they can with it, instead of focussing on what they don’t have. These people have activated the Anti-Virus program in their minds and it can be activated in everyones mind. The Anti-Virus program is an attitude of gratitude, positivity and love. Immaterial of the input the response must be one of love. This is essential for our own sanity and survival.

I have not even touched upon who has created the hardware and software that we are (mis)using since we have all been given the capability of knowing what direction is right and yet we choose to go the other way….

When are you going to say Goodbye?

To the people you love,

To the things you aspire,

To the things you possess

Do you think you will live forever?

Time and tide waits for no one, my friend,

What stops you from accepting that you may not be there tomorrow?

It is Maya (Illusion) which is this strange attachment wherein you cling to everything/one

even when you know that nothing or no one is yours in the first place…

You need to awaken and disentangle yourself from the bonds of Maya, if you don’t, who will?

It starts with accepting & observing the impermanence of yourself and everything around you. As a popular recent rap song says “Tu nanga hi to aaya hai kya ghanta leke jayega?”

You are just a visitor in this world…remember that

And a new day has dawned, just like any other day but we find it significant since in our minds it marks a completion of a year. We plan where to party and spend the new years eve partying with a lot of fanfare. How do we suddenly feel that it is time to celebrate? What are we celebrating? Its just that it has been a custom to usher the new year in with celebration and say our good bye to the old year gone by that is continuing. Thats what life is all about – celebrating the past and welcoming the new – its that simple. Yet we choose to remain attached to the past and are anxious of our future. It is a time to reflect, correct and implement the right choices and celebrate for the right reasons. What have we done to ourselves and the world around us? What legacy are we leaving our children with?

God has gifted each one of us with the power of choice of what values we choose to uphold in our lives. “Choice” is a dangerous thing in the hands of people who seem to be keen to misuse it. A child, if given something, tries to break it, throw it, eat it – we indulgently look at it and allow it to do so but the same child when it grows & matures would be frowned upon for the same acts. Well growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. God is still waiting for his children to grow up and mature. Age, status, position does not imply maturity and wisdom, as we can see from people in power including Business Tycoons, Prime Ministers, Presidents, etc. Maturity seems to be eluding them and us since we seem to be electing them to be in positions of leadership. Consequently, we continue to remain immature, in an immature world, ruled by immature people making immature choices and all of us including the generations to come, have to face the consequences of them. Looking at the current state of affairs, I would be tempted to use the reset button. However, luckily God is patient, but let us not tempt him any further 🙂

If each one of us looks at the wo/man in the mirror and chooses to usher in the new year with the maturity expected of “evolved” humans and choose positive values of love, compassion, harmony, etc instead of negative values of greed, lust, anger – we would be able to make a considerable contribution to the world we live in and we would be able to celebrate the new year for the right reasons.

Wishing you a happy new you for the new year.

Jesus reminded us of the Oneness in all of us, so did Buddha, Krishna, Mohammad, Mahavir, Kabir and all other prophets who walked the face of earth. The Oneness exists irrespective of our beliefs, religions, nationalities. As Shakespeare put it “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” similarly we may have different names for the power within and may give it a different form that we identify with but it really doesn’t matter what the name or form is. It is important that we are aware of its existence and be aligned with its principle of love .

Love dissolves all boundaries of religion, caste, creed, nationality etc and is urgently needed in todays world where we are tearing ourselves apart by clutching on to narrow identifications and forgetting that we are all primarily humans and are capable of the love and compassion that has been advocated by all Prophets. The implementation of the message of love is imminent upon us or we will simply destroy each other.

As the world celebrates Christmas, it is good to remember that there is Jesus in everyone of us and like Jesus, despite overwhelming odds, we can bring up love, kindness and compassion into all our actions.

Since change always begins with self, let us commit ourselves to cleaning out every negativity within us – greed, hatred, lust, etc, that is keeping us from experiencing this Oneness. Just remember what you seek is seeking you – so simply dissolve all the artificial boundaries you have created that are preventing you from experiencing this Oneness.

May the force be with you – Merry Christmas to you and all your loved ones.

The search for fulfilling yourself is always on – whether you search inside or outside is a matter of choice. If, in your view, life is about experiencing whatever the world has to offer, then you will look outside and so will your life be. If, in your view, life is about experiencing the Advaita(Oneness) in everything then you will look inside. You would choose to look outside if you think that the world is “out” there waiting to be experienced – this is living in duality. You would choose to look inside when you think that the world is “in” here – this is living in singularity or Oneness or Advaita. Whether you look inside or outside doesn’t make a difference to the Absolute / Truth, it does however make a world of a difference to you and how you lead/experience life.

If you choose to look outside then living by a moral/ethical framework is essential for your own well being and that of the society you live in – that is what religion & politics tries to achieve but fails since there are so many people who don’t want to conform to a moral/ethical code of living – its considered boring. Instead a life filled with indulgence of sensual pleasures, greed, self importance, adventure seems much more exciting but is not sustainable in the long run since the world of duality works on a simple principle of karma – you will reap what you sow. Then comes the tough choice of choosing the boring lifestyle over the interesting one. Some are able to transform, whilst some succumb to the “interesting lifestyle” and pass away in indulgence.

For those seeking Advaita – the story starts by closing your eyes which is a metaphorical way of drawing your senses inwards instead of outwards. In a society that is primarily looking outwards for fulfilment, it is difficult to turn away from the practices upheld by the society but it’s not impossible, if your will is strong enough.

We all are born with equal possibilities – which ones we choose to represent our life makes all the difference…

Given the uncertainties of life, you have to live everyday as if its your last, for all you know it could just be. This brings us to the question of what could be an ideal day? being surrounded by loved ones, having the best of everything that life has to offer, etc? Ask yourself what would you call as an ideal day. Unfortunately you may not get to do the things you list out as an ideal day daily, then what is the solution? The solution is that you should be joyful immaterial of what you do.

The key to being joyful lies in awareness that you can choose joy irrespective of the situation. You don’t have to wait to be an enlightened being to choose joy. You can do this starting now by

1. Being aware of your immortal being and expressing gratefulness to the Divine for being given the opportunity to live one more day
2. Doing all things lovingly & sincerely and
3. Having infinite patience even if the results of your actions don’t materialise.

If every day is lived by this code, you would be joyful every moment and you wouldn’t mind meeting your creator at the end of the day, if the creator so wishes…

We are closer to Divinity than we think, we are Divinity but are simply unaware of it. It is said that the whole creation is just a dream of the Creator and we are simply playing our roles in the dream. What then is the purpose of life you may ask? If everything is just a dream and imagination what use is it all? The truth is there is no answer to the question except experiencing Advaita for ourselves and when we do, all questions simply dissolve.

Mystics experience the Advaita – the Oneness in everything and everyone but words are not sufficient to express that which is inherently inexpressible. However they do try indicating it in words out of sheer compassion. They are responsible for what they say but not for what we understand. This is the problem with the current world, we’re lost in interpretation and are not diving in to experience it ourselves since that would require us facing and making uncomfortable changes to our ideas of ourselves and the world around us…

Reading or listening to Masters is just the beginning, but unless we ourselves silence all urges that make us constantly engage with the outer world, the experience of Advaita may elude us. How many of us want to feel happy knowing or reading about it and how many of us want to actually experience it? For those who want to experience it – what are you waiting for? Where there is a will there is a way.

The goals of the past, I fancy them no more,

the goals of the future, are yet to come,

I am in a twilight zone whereinfamily, friends can relate to me no more nor me to them

and yet who I want to relate to is within all of them.

Everything in me & everyone around me has changed and yet I crave to find that which hasn’t and wouldn’t change,

I have lost myself in this search but take heart from knowing thatonly in losing myself would I find my Self….

“Oh, I wish I could do that, if only…” is an oft heard regret. In my view, there are things that you choose to “Can do” and “Cannot do” it depends on your habit pattern, situation and inclinations. There is nothing called “Cannot do”, if it means so much to you, you just have to put your mind to it & do it and have the guts to see it through.

Use a simple formula in life – make 2 lists – one of things that you can do (with 2 divisions – “can do and doing” and “can do but not doing”) and the other of things that you “cannot do but wish to do”.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. Keep improving/being more effective with the “can do and doing” category. Start doing the “Can do but not doing”. As Sadhguru puts it: if you do not do what you cannot do, that is not a problem. But if you do not do what you can do, you are a disaster…

Prioritise the list of “cannot do but wish to do” and take it upon yourself to include one item out of this into your list of can do’s. There is nothing like a challenge to overcome – it not only enhances your personality and experiences but also gives you a possibility of living life to the hilt…

You can rest when you die, till then live life in full throttle. Just tell yourself – I can, I will, End of Story!

Anger is something that most people struggle to deal with and the inability to do so leads to more complications that make them even angrier and the story goes on… Familiar?

You are always trying to control people and/or situations to bring about a pleasurable experience for you and/or to avoid pain. Anger arises when the situation and/or people are not in your control. The funny thing about this is your belief that you can control situations and/or people. This belief is the crux of the problem. If you set aside the belief then there is nothing to get angry about since you would accept situations/people as they are without wanting to control them and consequently the question of anger doesn’t arise…You then can respond in the best possible manner.

However, quite often you could be angry with yourself. In such a case, in my view, anger is actually a good emotion if you can channelize it. Anger gives you tremendous energy and focus on whatever it is that you are angry at and you forget everything else. If this anger is used in transforming yourself – changing bad habits, then it could actually be of tremendous use. For e.g: If you are feeling angry and you use the energy to workout or clean the house/office or do something that you have been putting off for a long time – then it is energy put to good use.

This suggestion presupposes that you can control your anger. Anger can be controlled by consistently practicing meditation and cultivating the awareness to understand that anger is arising and instead of reacting to it, you will channelize it to a good cause of your choice…Consistently practicing meditation would eventually drive out anger altogether but till then trying to use the anger energy fruitfully for self transformation seems to be the best choice.

Worth trying this rather than sitting on a pile of messed up relationships and situations. What say?