Business to the Buddha

Search results for: “Kung Fu Panda”

  • The trusted friend

    We all have friends around us. Some friends are closer than others. A trusted friend is one who can guide us. The guidance can be about our capabilities and strength or out of our unpleasant behavior. I happened to hear a case study recently and could relate to multiple things regarding trusted friendship. A child trusts her parents. Therefore, as parent, the responsibility is immense to help a child believe in herself. A guide is important to help you realize your powers to cross the ocean – of life or spiritual progression. Read further to see how trusted friends are key to personal growth.

    3-small-lessons-from-;leader

    Trusted friend in mythology

    The whole army of Sugriva – the money king – was at the tip of southern India. The army was stuck! There was no clear path from here to the Lanka – where Lord Rama’s wife was. It is at this time that Jambvant told Hanuman what infinite power he has. He can fly, he can change his size, and he is invincible.

    How did it happen that Hanuman was unaware of his powers? Well, the story goes like this – when Hanuman was a kid, he was mischievous. His mischief created a lot of trouble. To everyone’s surprise, he was invincible, so however small he was, no one could fight with him. Besides this, he was anyways a child. Who would want to fight with a child, right? One day when he bothered some community again, a sage cursed him – “you will forget all the powers you have until someone reminds you of these again.”
    Just one sentence and Hanuman became Hanuman we know. Isn’t it interesting? We all need such friend and guide in our life who can make us believe in ourselves and remind us of our powers.

    Trusted friend for child

    We experience the same too. As a child, we hear more of what “Not” to do and what is wrong and avoid it. I am experiencing this whenever I tell Adviti – my daughter – not to do A or B thing. Oh yes, she is mischievous. I get the impression that when we tell kids about No and Nots, we create a virtual limitation in their subconscious mind. These limitations create a boundary that they start making around their capabilities and strength. Otherwise, almost every child is like Hanuman – except the flying and changing the size bit.

    This is a learning experience for me. I must change how I should communicate with Adviti. She needs to learn how to believe in her capabilities and utilize those to do certain things that “are acceptable” as non-mischievous 🙂 A trusted friend for a child is parents, isn’t it? Watch this brief video from the movie Kung Fu Panda, the lesson is You Must Believe. I just love this movie, it has many lessons in less than 100 minutes.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRKsVXIA7xE

    Trusted friend for professional

    I was talking to one of my close friends about one of his case studies of a course. In this case study, there was a certain new employee in a company. Even though he was new his passion helped him learn technical and non-technical aspects of the job quickly. In no time, he could successfully argue about the technical stuff with his seniors and convince about his point of view to almost all. His skill set helps him climb the ladders quickly. When there is passion, supporting leaders, and no fear of failure one can grow faster. None of his seniors cut him off or short ever to let him feel about his being new, inexperienced, or anything else. This kind of environment can help a person grow professionally too. Isn’t it?

  • Choices

    My daughter, Adviti is growing up. She has started asserting her liking and choices gradually. She decides what she wants to eat when she wants to change the song, and what she wants to wear. It is turning out to be a fascinating life lesson for me.

    We start making choices since childhood. I remember spending time with my niece Chinu when she started making choices. She liked watching Kung Fu Panda (movie) I enjoyed watching Kung Fu Panda with her, she also collected pebbles as I did as a kid.

    Smiling-Baby

    I believe some of our choices are involuntary, and some are self-made. Let me take an example – Adviti likes us chanting of Bhojan Mantra (video below) before meals because she has seen us doing it for as much as the last six months. I wonder if she understands it, or whether the rendition is clear. However, she loves it, and if we start eating our meal without the chanting, she forces us to chant the mantra. Possibly this is what Sanskar is. I’d call it an involuntary choice – I may be wrong though, she may be forcing us because she understands! When she changes the Youtube video – it is most likely a self-made choice.

    Choices, Liking and Love

    Though I found time now to write about it, however, I had been thinking about Adviti’s likes, dislikes, and choices for a while. Those who know me know that for my arrange marriage I met two dozen girls. Many rejected me, I rejected some. In these discussions, some accused me of – you are not proceeding further “because I am fat”; “because I am darker shade” etc. I had to respond to these because these were genuinely not the reasons. I will share few arguments that I shared with these prospective alliances.

    One, on complexion, I said, let’s assume I get to marry the fairest girl in the world. Every evening I come from the office. and we start fighting on a trifling matter. In that case, what is the value of the “fairness” to me? It is said that beauty is skin deep, isn’t it?

    Two, on complexion and shape, I said, let’s assume I get married to someone, she met with an accident, or I met with an accident resulting in a body deformity. Would the other person leave the better half who met with an accident? I had to take this example because one alliance had such an incident. I had to tell her that such things are possible after marriage too. A bad example but I took such an example.

    Lastly, on the shape, I said who is going to remain like this forever? With age, we all will be out of shape. why worry about it from now? One must be fit for a healthier life but one should not take serious decisions giving one-factor full weightage.

    Those long discussions (or at times long-distance discussions), in some cases the contest of mind vs heart, for alliances made me look at likes and dislikes little objectively. I asked myself – if I love someone because of face or shape or behavior (or family – yes Indian marriages are not just two people it is their family and extended family too) what if one parameter changes in the same person? In the end, I came to realize – choices are made (or someone or something is loved) because of the whole and not because of the parts. Check this section of an Indian movie – Nayak the real hero – where protagonist is explaining his “dream girl” and what that turns out to be by his father who is a cartoonist.

    If I love someone or something – I love that because of the uniqueness. The uniqueness includes possible flaws. If I had to respond to “why I love someone or something” what would my response be? If my response is because of X, Y, Z and A, B, C, etc. There may be more people with those same qualities. Would it be possible to love those others too? This question helped me realize the lower strata of love. This stratum is for love, liking, or choices we make in the material world. The spiritual world has compassionate affection – of the Buddha – for everyone or full devotion – Bhakti – for the loved one.

    The realization was that we make choices in the whole and start intellectualizing the choices part by part for bringing balance between heart and mind. This justification brings reasoning of “why” and “because of”. Most likely Adviti makes her self-made choices on the whole, once she grows older she too will start intellectualizing the choices to justify her liking.

  • This too shall pass

    I like Jab we met movie. I have written about it earlier too. Something happened recently that I remembered this movie again. Two of my friends discussed about issues one with girl friend and other with wife. There were conflicts, which relationship does not have conflict? So, we discussed – I am not a relationship counselor though – the troubles and concluded that few things are going to be there, however one must look at the big picture of life than the one of incidents. I narrated part of the movie Jab we met to them. I did not even bother to ask if they have watched it or no, I was too concerned to drive home the point.

    Plot – Jab we met

    Spoiler – part of movie the plot disclosed here. Shahid Kapoor’s girlfriend marries someone else, he is dejected and wants to leave everything. He boards a train where he meets Karina. Karina is in love with someone and wants to runaway to marry him. Shahid starts liking Karina’s carefree attitude and living in the moment. I believe one who is in love starts enjoying everything around. Karina is that person fully in love with Tarun Arora and willing to leave everything behind for Tarun. Things don’t workout as expected by Karina. She starts living on her own without connecting with family, completely changed personality. Shahid tries to bring her back to her family. She has lived like this for 9 months now. Tarun comes back in her life, when Karina wants to leave him. Now, Karina is confused, she understands that Shahid loves her. Shahid tells her – when you will look back in your old age this 9 month time period would be nothing when you have lived a long life with Tarun – which you always dreamed.

    Blogs based on movies (long list)

    Utsav movie – must love what she has and accept the love showered on him
    Kung Fu Panda – …there is no secrete ingredient, you must believe the soup is special…
    Kung Fu Panda – are we in control of our lives? Or it is just an illusion of control
    The Matrix – Morpheus is the best person to learn few things in life
    Ice age – We’ve been living our life like Scrat, there is something more beyond the cornseed
    Gulal – Brexit, Ambitions and unification – I wish in future we would not be driven fear and selfishness and, in future we would see such union and countries coming together to prosper together
    Kung Fu Panda 2 – Peace of mind comes from practicing it, not running behind things, possession for a peaceful mind
    Mehboob ki mehndi – Song Jane kyu log mohabbat kiya karte hai… and its limited interpretation of love, less possession less possed
    Rang De Basanti – Ek Omkar Satnam I am just “an insignificant nothing”, but the mind doesn’t accept it
    Guide – Duel Between Mind & Heart
    Seven years in Tibet – Religion is poison
    Network (1976) – What we see in news or opinions are they real or there are ulterior motives of someone that drive us
    The Matrix – Taking the red pill
    Salam Bombay – Our hoarding never ends, the way protagonist is trying to save 500 rupee
    Ice age 2 – we all exist like the Scrat in the mids of the fish trying to save our corn e.g. ourselves, job, loved one

    Lesson

    The suggestion is so important for everyone in life. We get angry, upset, depressed and frustrated for so many things in life. Solomon was advised – this too shall pass. We get entangled in life for so many things and at times for years we carry those grudges. Effectively we end up spoiling our present and our future for those trifling things. I know it is easier said than done. In fact those trifling things are so big issues for us at that point in life that we make those issues the center of our existence. This must be avoided. We must move on and be in the present moment. There is a great way to do that – meditation.

    It is not that I did not commit mistakes in my personal life. There is a learning curve. You Must Learn from the Mistakes of Others. You Will Never Live Long Enough to Make Them All Yourself. The examples of my friends were personal life examples, however, it happens with us in our professional life too that we end up getting upset, frustrated and angry for some or the other reason. Be it personal life or professional life, one must learn and practice meditation for a calm and peaceful present and a good life.

  • What will people remember you for?

    Almost every Sunday, I go for Art of living follow up. Here we do some yoga, pranayams and Sudarshan Kriya. Whenever someone asks me about Art of living and eventually Sudarshan Kriya, I say – “one must do Sudarshan Kriya at least once before dying”. It changes you from within. After the session, not just me but many people feel tranquility and peace of mind. Personally, I don’t even want to speak (even think) for some time at least. The experience is wonderful, being with one’s Self – with a capital S.

    So today too after the session I was in the same state. Our follow up teacher asked – “what would you want people to remember you for?” It was an interesting question. I had never given it a thought. Why would I want people to remember me? I gave an honest response – I never thought about it. Some responses were ‘I made people happy’, ‘for a peaceful life’ and ‘I did not bother people.’

    All these answers were good, but were not my answer. I thought a bit – should I be remembered for my thoughts, blog articles, being a successful professional / entrepreneur, a wonderful father etc. What would I want people to remember me for? No single option was resonating with me. At the same time, my mind was wandering in another direction too. Why would I want people to remember me? Does not it sound like having a bit of ego, if not very overt and prominent one?

    My answer was confusing; “I never gave it a thought”. As if I won’t die and people won’t get chance to remember me! But even if I die one day, why should anyone remember me?

    The teacher then said a wonderful line of the movie Kung Fu Panda – “Your story may not have such a happy beginning but that does not make you who you are, it is the rest of it- who you choose to be” The teacher concluded find purpose in your life.

    When the word purpose came on the fore, the only answer that resonated with me was – I want to be enlightened. The dilemma is – “I”, “want” and “remember” these things are kind of craving. Is not craving the thing that one has to drop? Even for that matter craving to be enlightened!

    At times such question seems futile. Though it doesn’t mean one has given up or there is no purpose in life. If life-journey of a-person’s life inspires / makes some other person remember that a-person, the inspiration and remembrance is choice of other person not necessarily goal of a-person.

  • You Need To Believe

    When I hear the phrase “you must believe” the first thing that comes to my mind is “Kung Fu Panda“. I love the movie and here are two videos that come to my mind when I think of “you need to believe”. First is when Master Oogway tells Master Shifu to believe. The other is Po’s father telling him “…there is no secrete ingredient, you must believe the soup is special…” this gives Po an idea what the message of Dragon scroll is.

     

    I reached in a country (continent) where I never thought I will go. I am walking on the streets and meeting people on the other hemisphere, it is no less than a surprise. This makes the title “You need to believe” apt for me today. Believe is a verb for belief, I am slowly making some perspectives that one must accept things and be willing to be amazed with life as it comes. It requires some sort of trust (trust in who is immaterial and can be explore in some future blogs).

    Change in perspective is happening on other dimensions too for me. I was of the type of liberals who hate present Prime minister of India Mr Modi. In my mind it was kind of dislike for him after 2002 to almost until 2015, even though Indian courts have already acquitted him. Slowly, I started feeling, he being the PM of India is a better choice than any other current politician in India.

    On believing some of his steps, I loved demonetization as a decision. In fact I am a step ahead – wish we do away with denominations higher than 100. I know there were execution challenges, however after a lot of planning too in last 70 years we have seen what the results of planned policies resulted in – roads made but do not sustain, money gets allocated but only 5% of the actual amount reaches the needy. What is the need of such planning in those cases?

    We need a kick to start a bike, isnt it? Perhaps some decisions of Mr Narendra Modi are like that. If someone who has the guts and takes decision and makes course correction – we think planning is less but at least some actions are taken. Those who start have the possibility to reach those who do not start cannot go anywhere.

    We need to believe. I live in Mumbai, I have seen stagnation of property prices in there. I am a fence sitter for buying home, after demonetization the prices have come down, not to my expectations though but yes some things have change for better. The artificial inflation is low now. It is possible that growth number at the time of previous government were impacted positively due to such inflation.

    I believe, artificial property price rise and corruption was “Organized loot and legalized plunder” what we saw in Manmohan Singh government of Indian National Congress. It is when CWG, Coal and 2G etc scams happened – that is organized loot and legalized plunder. All the scams were kind of legal activities but organized such that payments were made under the table to those who were in government. I hope former PM Manmohan Singh who presided over these scams will know what a common-man sees as Organized loot and legalized plunder.

    We need to believe things will be better – be it GST or demonetization. Who knows perhaps in 2019 it will be a hung parliament?

    You Need To Believe was last week’s LBC topic where Maria, Ramana uncleji, Ashok and Shackman write. You can see what the other writers of the LBC have to say in their respective blogs.

  • Lessons from animations

    In Three idiots, character of Aamir Khan says – “Sab jagah gyan bant raha hai, jahan se jitna man kare, le lo”

    In Hindi – सब जगह ज्ञान बाँट रहा है, जहाँ से जितना मन करे, ले लो

    Translation – Knowledge is everywhere (shared), whatever amount of it you want to capture, just grab it.

    It is correct that we can learn from everywhere. I shall take few examples from animation movies. These movies are generally made of entertainment of kids. I am not sure how much kids learn from these, however, we grown ups can learn a lot.

    We are all unique (to Marty in Madagascar), yet are engaged in exactly the same activities day in and day out (Scrat in Ice age). Eventually, individually we all will extinct one day (Ice age animation franchisee is based on extinction), yet until we are alive – we must live in NOW, with inner peace and continuously tryout new things (Kung Fu Panda). The lessons apply to us in everyday life, include business or professional life too.

    Watch all of them below. Source Youtube.

    All the Zebra’s to Marty “We are unique”

    We are really unique. But we have forgotten that. All of us are doing what Scrat in Ice age kept on doing starting Ice age 1 to the recent Ice age. We are doing this for generations. Its was initially for survival and now it is a fighting for your possession.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DeJLPvfFlI

    I like these small movie clips, characters and their resemblance to us and teachings for us in general.

    Kung Fu Panda is one such character which has always (for at least past three consecutive movies) has surprised, made me think and engaged me is – Kung Fu Panda. I have written about the teachings earlier too. Here are some three good lessons –

    1. We are unique, we should not try to be copy of someone else. A leader should not try to make his/her followers or support staff a copy of self. Po says “I have to teach you to be you”
    2. If you keep on doing what you have been doing you cannot grow as a professional
    3. Time is just an illusion, there is only the Now

    Universe is full of such lessons, we just need to open our eyes, Isnt it?

    This week’s Loose Bloggers Consortium blog was titled – Your favorite cartoon character. As usual I changed it. You can read other LBC bloggers thoughts here – – Rummuser and Shackman.

    Copyright disclaimer: The videos are copyright of individual owners / producers. I am using the videos here for illustration purpose (driving home the point)!

  • LBC – Peace Of Mind

    When I read the topic for Loose Bloggers Consortium, the very first thing came to my mind was this video from Kung Fu Panda 2. The other thought was that I have written a lot of blogs related to peace of mind earlier.

    The conclusion of every blog post is that peace of mind comes from within and not outside. For example –

    In the blog Peace of Mind – I started of thinking peace of mind comes from owning something or being at peace is independent of owning anything? I reasoned out that peace of mind is not in achieving something in life. However, peace of mind is being at peace with our mind in the present. Because the more we think more we complicate life – life is, simple!

    In another blog Arrived… where? though peace of mind was not straightforward point of discussion, but something related was discussed. My brother in law asked me a very simple question – ‘what is home?’ ‘what is school?’ How do you define home/school etc” In that same discussion the conclusion was – home relates more to a feeling – comfort, peace.

    In one more blog Dichotomy on happiness the question I ask was – happiness requires fulfillment of the CONDITIONS we create for being happy or it is a feeling irrespective of what happens in our life/to us? These conditions, to me, are never ending… as it happens to the squirrel in Ice Age-Trilogy and to Chaipau in Salaam Bombay“. Dichotomy of happiness is you decide on what you enjoy doing or you remain happy irrespective of the situation you are in….

    In all these thoughts, the real peace of mind was understood when I first saw Dadaji (Dada Gavande), here is a tribute blog to Dadaji. “When I saw him for the first time, and later as well, I was completely awe stuck, everything, thought and feeling vanished. So much of serenity was flowing off his face that I had nothing to talk or ask.” If you want to experience such peace of mind, you either have to meet an enlightened master or be enlightened yourself.

    There were about 10 or more blogs in which peace of mind was touched upon. For more of my thoughts on peace of mind, read What are you searching for? where really the question is to you. In another blog Is religion another organized crime? the point is have religion lost their meaning? In the blog Money what is it? I tried to create another fictitious currency. In another blog Fish will fly in its next birth how my sister tried pacifying her daughter whose fish had just died.

    You can read all the blogs searched with “Peace of Mind” as searched term here

    This topic for LBC was suggested by Ramana uncleji. You can read other blogs of other Loose Bloggers Consortium members at Ramana Uncleji, Shackman and Lin.

  • Big data – lesson on spirituality

    I was talking to my MD – Dr Vivek Damle. I said, Big data is “relevant information provider” for real time. One cannot rely on old data generated by a person, say in 2010, for marketing strategy (I am writing this blog in 4th Quarter of 2013). The discussion went on a very strange yet lovely tangent, Dr Damle said – “… so big data would take us on the road of spirituality, is it? I mean to say – like suggesting us to live in the present!”

    I was impressed with this thought. So here comes the lesson learnt from spirituality and applied to the Big Data and vice versa.

    Big-dataBig data is all about volume, variety and velocity… so data generate say 2 yrs back is likely to be irrelevant for today’s marketing campaign. In coming days or say months – all analytics would move to the real time e.g. at the moment of truth. Spirituality teaches us this very simple lesson (difficult to apply in real life though) – “live in the present moment”. As Master Oogway says in The Kung Fu Panda – Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is a Mystery, but Today Is a Gift. That Is Why It Is Called the Present.

    I was thinking – is technology forcing us today to spiritual concepts? Or unknowingly are we moving towards concepts of spirituality through technology?

    Big data can help identify a persons choices and predict his or her future course of action… but what in case of older data? That data would have lesser significance. Take an example in India, Narendra Modi (PM candidate in India from Opposition Party – BJP) for someone was communal few years back now is a hope, why? because perceptions changed. Vice versa for Dr Man Mohan Singh (PM of India). Old data less relevance. If I talk about my owns example of last month – I was searching for rental apartment, not now. The data I created while searching for a rental apartment last month is irrelevant now. The marketing campaigns will be more real time e.g. the present not based on “Historical” data.

    Earlier in my professional engagement as a marketing analytics consultant, we made a predictive model. The client executed the recommendation more than 8 months later. result – failed. no one wanted to take the blame. That’s what is the case is in a fast moving world.

    Live in the present.

    For Business people – try to be more real-time data based decision makers.

    Image source – http://www.greenbookblog.org/2012/03/21/big-data-opportunity-or-threat-for-market-research/

  • Illusion of control

    I was watching Kung Fu Panda. In one discussion Master Shi Fu and Master Oogway are talking. Watch the video below Illusion of control

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li9wgw0a2QI]

    This video is interesting, it talks about the “illusion’ of control we’ve in our mind. Actually, for a couple of months I’ve been thinking – am I controlling my life? Am I in control of the project I have in my hand? I remembered my MBA days – at times, I used to be authoritative with my group (confession, I may be wrong though). I remember Ashar (he blogs here) and I discussing about being on top of the deadlines. Ashar is very diligent, committed and punctual guy, I always enjoyed working with him in a team.

    So I always tried to be on top my deadlines, work etc. At occasion this control of being on top of deadlines and control of everything related to me seemed an illusion. This began with few questions and few things I slowly connected later.

    As a kid I had heard about Jaora in MP (there is a tomb of a Sufi saint there), had heard about possession and the other world. Recently, I came to know about Meera Datar Dargah and witness firsthand what we watch in movies (e.g. Vidya Balan in Bhool Bhulaiya). This is called possession (demonic possession), and under this influence a person loses his control on him/her self. When I saw that I asked myself – are we in control in our life? Lately, I got to know about Hazarat Gazali’s Dargah near RC Church. At the Dargah I met Taufik bhai, a very simple, devoted and pious person. Though I want to talk to him but he is generally very busy. Does something else (the other world) dictate us? The question remained – are we in control in our life?

    Next thing that made me think about control was astrology. One of my friends father is an astrologer – he predicted about Harshvardhan Navathe would win in KBC (Ref old Mid-Day news). Do stars dictate us? So the question remains – are we in control?

    I was getting puzzled, kept on doing my work and thinking also. One night, just out of the blue, I started watching Kung Fu Panda. I have watched this movie many a times so forwarded stuff I didn’t want to see again. Suddenly I reached the part of the movie where Master Oogway talks about ‘Illusion of control’. I stopped there, switched off computer and slept (it was already 1:20AM next day I had office). Somehow, I thought that I got a direction for answer, if not answer. I somehow could connect the dialog of Master Oogway of illusion of control to the Geeta (Karmanye Vadhikaraste…)

    कर्मणयेवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
    मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि।   2.47 – more on this by another blogger here

    My inference was this -1.  forget about control, 2. even the illusion of control and 3. do you work! Well 4. forget about the result too.

    There have been some connections made but few dots have opened Pandora’s box because we have many questions on – possession, astrology etc.

    Disclaimer – Author only knows about paranormal activities, demonic possession or astrology, but is no way an expert to provide inputs etc.

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