Monday, 13 August 2018

Call of the unknown

The Speaking Tree   India | ET

By Swami Sukhabodhananda

The call of the unknown is the call to unite. All the waves in the ocean are nothing but water, but to see this oneness, a certain spiritual apparatus is needed.

Hence, in India, you put a dot on your forehead. That is seeing the world not through ordinary eyes but through the eye of intuition. This inner apparatus supports one in transformation.

For this to happen, the body, emotion, intellect and sex centres have to be pure. Each of these centres has a mechanical part and a magnetic part. When the magnetic part of the centres is harmonised, then one can drawin a different faculty to see.

Then oneness can be seen. Like how you need an X-ray or scanning machine to see deeper parts. So, the discipline is to drop negativity of all the centres and enhance positivity so that the faculty to see oneness happens.

One has to learn how not to identify with negativity and learn the art of delinking. For this to happen, learn to have non-consideration when these forces attack us. Our inner consideration is a part of identification with them.

What is blocking us is our mind that is not cultured, not purified, a mind with its “dogmas, conclusions and opinions”. When all of these exist, ego will exist. The ego identifies with an ideal and anyone disagreeing with the ideal is a block in his life.

When a child is born, there is no ego, it is innocent. Then, slowly,society and family put in the “I” in the child. Even our education system, in an indirect way, gives vitality to it. The true purpose of spirituality is to help us overcome ego.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

Of Amarnath & Shravana

Pranav Khullar

Tirtha, pilgrimage is an occasion for soul-searching, a time to express and expand, when the temporal and the timeless conjoin. Nowhere is this better embodied than in the annual pilgrimage to the cave-shrine of Amarnath where the ice lingam waxes to its full height on the full moon day of Shravana in August.

Here, Shiva whispered the secret of creation and dissolution of the universe to a half-asleep Parvati, unwittingly overheard by a pair of pigeons. Sighting the immortal pigeons here is considered auspicious.

Shiva granted the boon of immortality to the gods, to be ‘amar’, hence the name ‘Amarnath’. Swami Vivekananda’s mystical trance at Amarnath on the Sravana Purnima day of 1898 has been described by Sister Nivedita who was present.

Vivekananda is said to have received the “Iccha-Mrityu Vara”, or death as desired, from Shiva. Amarnath embodies and captures the essence of the Kashmir Shaivite tradition, or the Trika tradition, corresponding to the three states of Shiva, Shakti and Jiva.

The Amarnath area stands at the centre of the Kashmir Shaivite cosmology, expounded by Abhinavagupta in the Bodhapanchadasika which locates Shiva at the very heart of “pratibimbavada” monism as opposed to Shankara’s Advaitic monism which denies a personal God.

The cave-shrine of Amarnath with its three kinds of lingas, representing Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh, reflects this Shaivite mysticism.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week sl Dasun no 7 won a man of the match,  sl won scoring 306/7,

Monday, 06 August 2018

Friendliness &  Friendship

Economic Times in The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET

By Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai

To attain the Divine, it is essential to dive into the depths of love. Only those who can soften their hearts and allow themselves to flow towards the world, in the form of friendliness and compassion, are truly religious.

The Divine is revealed only to those who are ready to extend and flow with compassion and friendliness. What you understand as love is conditional love. If your heart is filled with love for only one person, naturally, there is no love for the rest of the world. Then that love is surely selfish, conditional and sullied with expectations.

The love that has no selfish motive is unconditional and has no expectations in it. The love that stagnates starts accumulating the dirt of negativities. The love that stops flowing, the love that gets trapped in one, starts smelling of possessiveness and expectations. The love that flows is fresh, alive and fragrant. The love that is static becomes stale and dies. The love that streams forth keeps increasing. The more it flows, the more it deepens and extends to others.

The depth of love is measured by its extensiveness. They go hand in hand. The love that is not bound to one, and flows towards all becomes friendliness. Such love has non-attachment, humbleness, open-mindedness and no reservations.

Love is formless; friendliness has a form. Love is an experience; friendliness is an expression. Love is unmanifest; friendliness is its manifest form. Love is a poem in a poet’s heart, friendliness is the recitation of the poem on the lips. Thus, love in action is friendliness.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vednata

If the parliament of Religion has shown anything to the world it is this. It has proved  to the world that holiness purity, and charity are no the exclusive possession of any church in the world and that every system has produced man and women of the most exalted character. In the face of the evidence , if anybody dreams the destructions of the others. I pity him form the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon of my heart and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite of resistance “ Help and not Fight” Assimilation and not Destruction” “Harmony  and peace and not Dissension”

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week sa won scoring 363/7, sa no 77 got hero of the match, in moto gp no 99 won a podium, in community shield man cities no 10 scored a goal

Monday, 30 July 2018

The 2 frogs in a puddle

The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET

Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai

Two frogs lived in a puddle. On one side of the puddle was a mound. One of the frogs, desirous of seeing the world beyond the puddle, began the difficult climb up the mound, reaching its top after a great deal of effort.

From that vantage point, he could behold the surging ocean. He was spellbound by the view and the vast expanse. He was eager to share this joy with his friend. He returned and described the splendid sight to his friend, inviting him to join in.

However, his friend was satisfied with the small puddle. He was unwilling to believe that there could be anything bigger and more beautiful than the puddle.

The first frog did not give up. He finally aroused his curiosity enough to make him climb the mound. In a few jumps, he too experienced the majesty of the ocean.

In the same way, a genuine guru reveals a new world to the disciple. Being awakened, he sees and experiences the infinite within and compassionately invites others to experience the same ocean of peace and bliss.

Those who are ‘satisfied’ with their little world neither believe him nor accept his invitation. Ignoring their refusal, the benevolent master keeps inspiring them, arousing their curiosity.

The guru plays three major roles in the life of a disciple. As creator, he initiates his disciple into spirituality; as protector, he nurtures his disciple’s spiritual inclinations; and as destroyer, he annihilates the obstructing tendencies of his disciple. For any transformation to take place, the disciple must be ready to forgo his ego.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

7. Attachment is that which dwells in pleasure.

We find pleasure in certain things and the mind like a current flows towards them and this following the pleasure centre as it were, is what is called attachment. We are never attached where we do not find pleasure. we find pleasure in very queer things sometimes , but the principle remains, wherever we find pleasure, there we are attached.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week in Formual1 Raikanon no 7 got a podium, in tnpl Arun Kartik no 7 got a podium, Tp won by 7 wk, in women hockey world cup Holland no 9 scored a goal

Connect to Center

Monday, 23 July 2018

Connect to your centre

The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET

By Mata Amritanandamayi

I am often asked, what is your religion? My religion is nothing but love. You should inquire into your true nature and believe in yourself. Regular meditation can help us practise universal love. Restless and dissatisfied people miss the gift of life. So much energy is wasted that we could otherwise have used to enhance ourselves, our families, jobs and society.

What we search for is actually present in the now. We can never close our eyes to the world in the name of spirituality. Selfrealisation is the ability to see ourselves in all beings. This is the third eye through which you see. We should be able to love and serve others, seeing ourselves in them. This is the fulfilment of spiritual practice.

Meditation helps conserve energy and puts us in touch with our center, calms our restless minds, sharpens our intellects, makes us more aware of what is going on around us. It opens our hearts to the beauty and bliss of each moment, to the interconnectedness and unity inherent in all beings. The silence we experience in the depths of meditation carries over into the rest of our day, effecting calm. We become less irritable and less distracted. The energy normally wasted on unessential thoughts is now available for us to direct as we deem fit, allowing us to focus on the job at hand.

When we meditate, the whole environment is purified. So, even those around us are positively affected. We are not isolated, we are like links in a chain. The harmonising effect of an individual’s meditation can spread to the community, nation and the world.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

7. These three are more internal than those that precede.

Before these we had the Pratyahara, the Pranayama the Asana the Yama and Niyama, they are external parts of the three –Dharana, Dhayana and Samadhi . when a man has attined to them he may attain to omniscience and omnipotence, but that would not be salvation. These three would not make the mind Nirvikalpa, changeless, but would leave the seeds for getting bodies again. Only when the seeds are, as the Yogi says “fried’ do they lose the possibility of producing further plants . These powers cannot fry the seed.

But even they are external to the seed less (Samadhi) compare with that seedless Samadhi there fore even these are external. We have not yet reached the real Samadhi the highest but  a lower stage, in which this universe still exists as we see it, and in which are all these powers.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week in FIH WOMEN hockey world cup italysn no 7 scored a goal

The Art of Cultivating Spiritual Awareness

Monday, 16 July 2018

The Art of Cultivating Spiritual Awareness

Speaking Tree in  India, Spirituality | TOI

By Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

The Yoga Sutras tell us how to modify or fine tune our ideas, thoughts, convictions and beliefs to help in spiritual development. The yamas and niyamas have to be lived. You might not practise all five yamas or all five niyamas, but it is important to master one yama or niyama.

The highest practice is Ishwara pranidhana, divine will, which is the final, tenth niyama. It means ‘let thy will be done’. Allowing oneself to be a recipient of the divine will is the highest virtue, it is the highest state of mind, the culmination of jnana, bhakti and karma. Being Number 10, Ishwara pranidhana indicates that a certain amount of preparation has already taken place and you are experiencing the divine will.

The mind says, “Do this” and we do it. The mind says, “Say this” and we say it. The mind says, “Desire this” and we desire it. The mind says, “Reject that” and we reject it. We have become slaves of our mind. The real meaning of surrender is surrendering to the cosmic divine nature, becoming master of the mind and tuning oneself with the higher Self.

Ishwara pranidhana is identifying with the inner, pure nature. That is the turning point in an aspirant’s life. Everything is guided by ego. Our thoughts and expectations, efforts, responses, reactions and identifications are associated with the ego.

If you have a confrontation with someone, do you react to the person or to the ideology that person conveys to you? There is a clash of egos, you both have different viewpoints, and the person and ideology become separate. So most of the time you will react to the person because there is no acknowledgement of the ideology. If there was, then, the person would be redundant, and become the follower of the ideology. But we always watch the person and we respond accordingly.

We don’t respond to the person, but to the reaction that we feel within us for that person – anger or hatred. So we are responding to our own emotion, to our own anger. These are the traits that a psychoanalyst tries to discover about the cause of a disturbance and imbalance. Again, it is so coloured by the ego that it becomes impossible to know where we are reacting, with what we are identifying.

The practice of Ishwara pranidhana is identifying with your inner nature. You have to let go of the identification with jealousy and anger, with desires and passions, with all the so-called ‘normal’ responses. Once this identification is gone, you are no longer self-centred. You are now focused outwards like the beam of a torch.

For Ishwara pranidhana is not only a mental sadhana; outer changes also help to attain it. What made St Francis of Assisi a saint? It was not his realisation of God, or his compassion and love. It was the vow he had taken of poverty and chastity. To move from a life of luxury to a life of poverty and to maintain discipline is difficult. A vow means a change in lifestyle. By adjusting to certain situations and disciplining yourself slowly, you will find that your lifestyle will influence your mind and mental receptivity. (Bihar School of Yoga)

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

These are obstacles to Samadhi ; but they are powers in the worldy state.

To the Yogi knowledge of the enjoyments of the world comes by the junction of the Purusha and the mind. If he wants to make Samyama on the knowledge that they are two different things, nature and soul, he gets knowledge of the Purusha . From that arises discrimination. When he has got that discrimination, he gets the Pratibha, the light of supreme genius. These powers , however are obstruction to the attainment of the highest goal, the knowledge of the pure Self, and freedom. These are, as it were to be met in the way; and if the Yogi rejects them, he attains highest. if he is temped to acquire these , his further progress is barred.

When the cause of bondage of the Chita has become loosened, the Yogi, by his knowledge of its channels of activity (the nerves) enters another’s body.

The yogi can enter a dead body and make it get up and move, even while he himself is working in another body. Or he can enter a living body and hold that man’s mind and organs in check and for the time being act through the body of that man. That is done by the Yogi coming to this discrimination of Purusha and nature. If he wants to enter another’s body, he makes a Samyama on the body and enters it, because not only is his soul omnipresent, but his mind also , as the Yogi teaches. It is one bit of the universal mind. Now , however, it can only work through the nerve currents in this body but when the Yogi has loosened himself from these never currents, he can work though other things.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week Antoine Grizman no 7 scored a goal in fifa final, in fifa world cup no 9 Hary keane got Goldn boot, no 10 got Golden ball

Monday, 09 July 2018

In pursuit of excellence

Economic Times in The Speaking Tree |   India | ET

  Excellence means doing your best at whatever you do. Doing your best requires competence. But that competence doesn’t come without effort. As Olympic swimming medallist Mark Spitz put it, “We all love to win, but how many people love to train?” Excellence calls for discipline and character. Excellence is enhancing your own abilities and competing with yourself. It is about becoming passionate and enthusiastic about your work and displaying the highest of standards at all times.

Ordinary people, when confronted with a challenge, ask, “Can I do it?” Extraordinary people, who pursue excellence as a pattern, ask, “How can I do it?” The difference between excellence and mediocrity is the power driving the single word “how”, and that word is available to all of us at every moment. Excellence is not an act but a habit. Many of us do things unconsciously most of the time. So, once we form the habit of striving for excellence, it becomes second nature, and we pursue excellence unconsciously.

People who strive for excellence are not fearful of change or challenges but will make things happen despite all odds. Excellent people always do their best and are impeccable about keeping their word.

In the corporate world, quality is often described as “free from defects”. To us, quality also means providing customers with the products and services they want, the way they want them —with no hassle and no errors. Excellence means that we do all this to an extraordinary degree. So, when we speak of quality, we are also speaking of excellence.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

The pain –bearing, obstructions are ignorance, egoism, attachment , aversion and clinging to life.

These are the five pains, the fivefold tie that binds us down, of which ignorance is the cause of all our misery. What else can make us miserable? The nature of the soul is eternal bliss . what can make it sorrowful except ignorance , hallucination, delusions. All pain of the Soul is simply delusion.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week india won third t20 by 7 wk, in fifa world cup French no 7 scored a goal,   

‘When everyone welcomes diversity’

Monday, 02 July 2018

‘When everyone welcomes diversity’

Editorial by Sreedevi Madhavan

An office training session attended by a diverse group taught SREEDEVI MADHAVAN key lessons on inclusiveness

The world is changing right before your eyes…” went the lyrics of a popular Eagles song. Of course, the southern California band wrote the lyrics in the context of the then prevailing rock culture.This line, however, rings truer than ever today: the world is changing at a dizzying pace, thanks to the continued exponential growth in technology. To keep up with this pace, it is important that we welcome diversity.

As a part of joining a new organisation, we had trainers coming in from another country to train us in a new software.The excitement in the air was palpable, and in fact,I remember counting the days to get started with the training.The schedule was hectic, yet, each trainee had only good things to say about the training. After our trainers left, I found myself wondering what was it that had made the trainings so special. I had attended trainings in the past, some of them by experts in the industry.With all due respect, none of them left quite an indelible impact as this one. Of course, as is the nature of all good training programmes, the trainers had put in a good deal of hard work in preparing the training material. Yet, there were some other factors that made these training sessions marvellous. It appears that while leaving for Indian shores, not only did the trainers pack their routine luggage, they also packed with them truckloads of goodwill.They knew that they were going to meet people with a culture and belief system different from their own. So, they planned to the minutest detail, lest they offend the hosts in any way.

trainees were excited, but a tad apprehensive as well since this was all new to most of them. One trainee sitting next to me remarked, “I don’t know what to expect.”However, the moment the trainers saw the trainees, they expressed so much joy as if they had seen their near and dear ones.They kept on repeating “so excited to see you” with such conviction that one had no option other than to believe that they were indeed looking forward to meet us.The slide presentations had key points beautifully done in diyas in tune with the Indian festival of lights.

We also had a wonderful cooking session, which served as a platform for exchanging ideas and forging new friendships with its foundation in mutual respect and collaboration. Maya Angelou once famously remarked, “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength”. Outwardly, we appeared so different. Our dressing was different, our accents were different, yet within this diversity there was an inherent oneness. We were all working as one towards the common objective of making lives better for whom we serve, that is, our customers. Now, take the case of our own body. A look at our palm will reveal that the Almighty created each finger different from the other, and the thumb almost appears deviant at first glance, standing aloof from the rest of the fingers. Yet, a mighty fist is created only when the thumb along with the fingers, including the little finger hold together as one. Let us all welcome diversity and work towards a more inclusive world — Vasudhaiva kutumbakam.

Qoute from the True Charm and Power of Vednata

Looking for Happiness

  Economic Times in The Speaking Tree | Edit Page, India  

By SISTER B K SHIVANI

Suresh Oberoi: What is the meaning of happiness?

Sr Shivani: Happiness is the one thing that everyone is looking for, irrespective of what we are doing, what relationships we have established, what we are trying to achieve, and so on.

SO: Are we looking for happiness in the right places?

SS: We do it through different means: it could be through possessions, property, relationships, achievements, through good health.

like, if you ask someone what they want in life, they often say, ‘success’. Why they want success is primarily because it makes them happy. Again, you ask someone what they get out of a relationship. Yet again, the response is often ‘happiness’.

So, finally everyone is looking for that one thing: happiness.

SO: Is happiness a momentary thing or is it everlasting?

SS: Happiness should be permanent.

If happiness is something that I like, if it’s something that I desire, and it comes naturally to me, then it won’t be dependent on anything else outside.

If it’s dependent on something, then it can never be constant. Let’s say I feel good if the weatheris pleasant; my feeling good is then dependent on the weather.

SO: Can one find happiness without desires and dependency?

SS: We have this long-held belief that happiness is derived from the outside.

So, the dependency is on the act being performed in the right manner. A child is conditioned to believe that if my parents feel happy, then I will feel happy, and if my parents are not happy, then, how can I be happy?

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week In Fifa s. Koreas no 7 son scored a goal, French no 7 scored a goal, no 10 scored two goals, .