Humans are the only race that hoards beyond reasonable need. The consequence is obvious that the divide between the haves and have nots is only increasing. The conflicts across the world are only growing due to this. The only resolution to this is if the “haves” share with the “have nots” and bridge the gap. Unfortunately that is not to be…
Sharing with you a lovely anecdote that captures the futility of hoarding…
An American tourist went to Cairo to visit the famous Polish rabbi Hafez Ayim. The tourist was surprised to see that the rabbi lived in a simple, book-lined room, in which the only pieces of furniture were a table and a bench.
‘Rabbi, where’s all your furniture?’ asked the tourist.
‘Why, where’s yours?’ retorted Hafez.
‘Mine? But I’m just passing through.’
‘So am I,’ said the rabbi.
As Winston Churchill beautifully puts it: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give…
Love is the most misunderstood, yet most frequently used word. Actual love cannot be anything but unconditional so the title of this blog is actually to double emphasize the aspect of unconditionality in love.
The Masters say there is no other way to love other than unconditionally but we fail to experience it since we are caught up in the transactional meaning the word “love” represents. We feel that we love people, things, causes,… but if you look closely their is an inherent need for gratification by possession or reciprocation in everything we love either in relationships or in things. The moment the gratification by possession or the reciprocation in a relationship stops, the “love” vanishes. What is the use of such love?
If you want to experience true love then you have to first dissolve the concept of “mine” and “not mine” which can only be done when you free yourself of all false identifications and know thy Self…
As Rumi has beautifully expressed it – ” Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
Yoga is one of the paths to enlightenment. There are different forms of Yoga and you could choose the one that suits your nature. We are given various faculties that we could use to transcend and experience the divinity within us. 1. Body and Work: Hatha Yoga and Karma Yoga
2. Prana: Kriya Yoga
3. Emotion: Bhakti Yoga
4. Intellect: Gnana Yoga
5. Combination of all of the above: Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is a combination of all the Yoga’s that has been beautifully codified by Maharshi Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra’s - the 8 fold path by adhering to Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi.
Consistent practice is what it takes. It doesn’t matter how many years or lifetimes it takes. You simply keep keep at it.
The spiritual path has no milestones, so you can’t say how far you’ve reached and how much of the path is still remaining. Sai Baba’s advise to all of us is Shraddha (Faith) and Saburi (Patience) are necessary to be cultivated whilst walking the path…
Growing is a process of maturity. Maturity means that you learn from your experiences (though not necessarily so), which does not happen with so many people, hence the repeated mistakes…
To tread beyond the known takes some courage and risk taking ability. We can never learn something new unless we are willing to risk it but unfortunately, that’s exactly what we are conditioned not to do. We are conditioned to take the path of least resistance by our own family and society. However, if you observe, it is the risk takers who are successful and the rest lie in the zone of mediocrity. Now I am not promoting rash risks but a process of taking calculated risks and learning from the consequent failures/successes is the way you evolve and mature in life which is the attitude to be ingrained amongst children by elders walking the talk…
This involves facing fears that have been ingrained into us since we were born and also new ones that we have picked up through the journey of life…
The only way of overcoming fears is facing them consistently, till it no longer represents a threat to you. In this process, you will see that a part of your identity dissolves along with the fear – which is essential for spiritual progress. That is the reason why Adventure is closely linked with spirituality wherein you are prepared to go beyond your known limits or your comfort zone…
Remember: A ship is safe in the harbour, but that’s not what ships are built for….
Knowing the difference between “being” and “doing” is essential for spiritual progress. You “do” things under the mistaken belief that you are different from others, which is not the case. Such path of “doing” engages and entangles you in the material world. Whereas the path of “being” observes that your true self is the same in all sentient beings and such an experience liberates you even whilst you are in the material world.
“Doing” is believing that accumulation is the purpose of life whereas “Being” is a path of dissolution that takes you to nirvana.
How do you switch from “doing” to “being” is the essence of the spiritual journey. Ramana Maharashi said that all you need to do is reflect on the question “who am I?” and the answer would take you to what Is….
Life has no
meaning other than the meaning/s you assign to it. Your life experience is a
product of the habits formed by you – your code of living. If you don’t like
something in your life, it is your own doing. Transforming it is also in your
hands. Taking ownership of yourself and not blaming others/situation is the
start point – that is growing inside – out.
Once you
have identified the changes needed to your habits(Both: the habits to refrain
from and new habits to introduce in your life) then at least the change towards
transformation has started. However, how to make the change is where people
usually stumble.
Will share
tips that helped me in making the change
Not to take too many things in hand.
Take 1 or 2 things to refrain from and 1 or 2 things to positively act on
Take a 90 day horizon and inform
everyone around you that these are the things you will not do/do and ask their
help to implement it.
If you are able to successfully
adhere to your resolve for the 90 day period then you have gained mastery over
the thing chosen & also the process of transformation, the point is not to
stop there but now you have internalized the habit so it should form a part of
your daily routine henceforth.
Then take over the next set of to
do’s/not to do’s and internalize them over another 90 day period. Over 3 to 5
years you could transform your personality completely…
I gave up undesirable
habits of smoking, excessive coffee, alcohol coupled with late night binging,
etc in this manner also formed desirable habits of meditating, running
marathons, unconditionally helping people, sharing good thoughts and deeds in a
similar manner, and the journey continues to take it to the next level…
Umr bhar
Ghalib yahi bhool karta raha;
Dhool
chehere par thi aur aina saaf karta raha…
Meaning:
all my life I have made the same mistake; the dirt was on my face and yet I was
only cleaning the mirror…Lets resolve to exit this world with the satisfaction
that we made the efforts to not let this couplet of Mirza Ghalib’s apply to our
lives…
There is a difference in enjoying and being joyful. Enjoying necessitates an external stimulus to bring you pleasure whereas being joyful is a state of mind wherein you are blissful irrespective of the external situation. To cultivate a joyful state of mind requires that you discover your inner self that lies beneath layers of Maya(attachment): ambition, duties, desires. Your identification with Maya makes you chase wealth, power, fame. To experience true joy, you need to transcend Maya by being meditative, cultivating awareness and practicing silence in words, thoughts, emotions, actions… if you’re able to do so, then you find the true treasure buried within you: Boundless Joy. I pray that Mother Divine graces you with the strength to discover your true joyful self and share the joy with everyone around you.
Bodhisattva is a Sanskrit word referring to a person with a spontaneous wish and compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Its a good goal and direction for people on the spiritual path.
I am starting this blog with an intent of sharing my journey and experiences for your benefit, should you be interested in walking the path. I have decided to explore all paths that come my way which are headed in the direction of Bodhisattva by this I mean exploring practices such as Yoga – Hatha, Kriya, Bhakti, Gnana and Karma, Oriental practices of Zen, Buddhism, Sufism, etc. I was blessed to be able to take this exciting and unique path and thought that I have a responsibility to share the learnings with all.
The freakiest part of this journey is that there are no milestones and you have no way of ascertaining whether you are progressing or regressing except for a general sense of peace and happiness dawning upon you which gets deeper and deeper as you progress.
The intent of sharing this is also to give courage to those sitting on the fence to try out the spiritual path and discover new dimensions of existence…
Bodhisattva 