Business to the Buddha

Tag: angulimala

  • How to transform society?

    We’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in last few years across the world – be it social unrest, terrorist attacks, individual gun attacks or rapes. There are good things also happening, however as an evolved and superior generation, are we really up to our own marks? The answer to this question for me was “no, we can do better”. Naturally the answer followed with another question how can we improve ourselves and transform society? This question needed a bit more understanding of the so many unpleasant issues.

    Starting 2010 we have been social uprising in Middle east to terrorist attacks in Europe or teenager attacking in school or a recent rape and killing of a girl in Hyderabad India. We can divide these incidents as individual and group incidents. Incident where a single person is involved, we can call it Individual and group where a group was involved. Society is made up of collection of individuals. In society we have groups of people who are insane and they are more active, thus we end up have bitter incidents more in our society. I believe for improving the society we must work at individual and group level both. The Buddha also said – there is cause of suffering and a way out.

    Why are social problems there?

    As a whole we as a society have become identified with race, religion, region, social status etc. This at a subconscious level makes us identify ourselves with a limited identity. We are human being and just by chance we are Indian or European or Christian – we need to understand this. Further, if we believe or feel deprived that would be manifested and would come out.

    As an individual and as a society we can give what we have. If I ask you for 100 dollars, you can give it to me only if you have 100 dollars or more. How can an individual or society be peaceful when individuals and groups are stressed? The stress manifests itself in different forms – be it gun attack, terrorist attacks or rapes. A society that feels it is unfairly treated – whether it is right or no – will created unrest, possibly terrorists. This needs a solution.

    Art-of-living-logo
    The Art of Living

    I do social service under Art of living foundation. I have conducted meditation sessions for people. My personal experience seeing the participants pre and post meditation and the participant’s experience itself makes me feel that everyone must meditate. Since, I have personal experience of Art of living courses, I can vouch for the difference it makes to people, in fact the prison program has transformed prisoners too. Have you heard of a Bandit Angulimala? He was a dreaded terrorist, The Buddha transformed him too? Many people are far better than him. Meditation has immense power to transform.

    How to improve society?

    • First thing we must do it, good people must be more activity and get more attention / coverage by media too – This is what Guruji (Sri Sri Ravishankar) says.
    • We humans must go beyond our limited identity – be it the ego or social identity (race, religion or region)
      • Stop comparing yourself with others
      • Get out of your superiority / inferiority complex
    • Know your freedom is till your nose not beyond that. This can help you understand that you do not have right to kill, steal or rape.
    • Accept diversity, anything written / spoken which signify hatred must be discarded; even if that comes from any authority book. Guruji said something similar recently.
    • The easiest is – attend an Art of living Happiness program.
    • Meditate, I have decided to make a difference by helping people meditate.

    Ethics cannot be taught in class to be followed in life. Ethics need to be imbibed, my personal experience is that teaching of ethics and being happy with oneself can be imbibed by a meditative mind only. If you need help in learning meditation reach out to me. If you want to attend Art of living course – go here.

  • Arrived… where?







    I checked the Whatsapp message, it was Jay Jiju (Jay Phadke my brother in law), my cousin sister’s husband. He had just sent a messagealien-house2 – “I was having lunch with Soham and we were discussing ‘what is home?’ ‘what is school?’ How do you define home/school etc”

    Soham is my nephew – 9 year old. Smart kid and at times grown-up to his age.

    Instantly I could relate his questions to the Book of Mirdad. The following are the lines from the same book

    ‘Happy are the staff-less,
    They stumble not.
    Happy are the homeless,
    They are at home.
    The stumblers only – like ourselves, Need walk with staff,
    The home-chained only, like ourselves,
    Must have a home.’

    Have you ever questioned yourself – what is home? My brother in law’s question of school some other time. Just concentrate on home. Home in day to day words is a place where we stay, live and dwell. We live even if  there is no place to live; we stay anywhere we go and dwelling is in a way dwelling similar to living or thinking about a point. So effectively what is a home? Is it a place where we get peace of mind, feel we have arrived or perhaps every end of day we run to reach there. But have we ever ‘arrived’? Have we ever really ‘stayed’ there? Home is at times a place where we spend some time.

    All these weird thought about arriving, staying et al remind me of The Buddha saying to Angulimala – “I have stopped long back, now it is your turn to stop”. Because even if we think that I have reached home, the exercise of going and than rushing back HOME never ends. Have we really arrived?

    Jay jiju send another message to me later. In this message he said – HOME, relates more to an experience/feeling. That feeling can be achieved at any other place. The point – it seems – is just ‘be’ – remain arrived.

     

  • Terrorist meets The Buddha







    I heard a news that ISIS has sent a threat message to Sri Sri Ravishankar (Guruji). This blog is inspired from that message and story of The Buddha and angulimala. From This blog – …My Engineering college professor Dr Anand Swaroop Saxena told me some time in 2001 – “inherently people are not flawed, situation drive people to react in the way they react.”…

    Just imagine if a terrorist crosses roads on which The Buddha is traveling! In this high-tech age, it isn’t same as Angulimala confronting The Buddha. Angulimala was having a purpose of making a garland of 1000 fingers (read the purpose here) and he had knife/sword. The current times are different, terrorist doesn’t need to be next to you, they can kill from a long distance. If the terrorist knows The Buddha, he (assuming most terrorists are male) wont come near, chances are that The Buddha will change his heart. But for argument sake imagine terrorist confronts The Buddha (Sri Sri).

    What and how the discussion may start –Sri Sri ISIS threat
    Terrorist (T) – I’m going to kill you.

    The Buddha (B) – Why?

    T – (confused, this fellow isn’t scared) – thinking… thinking… thinking… Because you’re a threat to us.

    B – Threat? I don’t even have arms / weapon, instead you’ve. How can I be a threat? And what do you mean by “us”?

    T – (again, confused never expected this logical question. Uses his logic whatever he has) I’m armed because of you. You’re a threat to my community.

    B – How am I a threat to “Your community”? What is “YOUR community”. I never killed anyone why do you think I’m the reason of you keeping arms?

    T – (totally confused) I don’t want to listen to your stupidities. You’re a threat to us.

    B – Who is “us”? Did I bother you? Did I hurt you?

    T – Your people and those who are against us hurt my people and therefore I’m here to kill you.

    B – “Your people”… “My people” who are these? who is against YOU? How can you say that you represent the whole community? What is your community?

    T – You’re against Islam and my people are all muslims in this world. “Your people” are all non-muslims of the world. They’ve not been
    just to us.

    B – Firstly, speak for yourself and don’t try to talk about millions of others who don’t know you and do not (may not) agree to your point of view. Secondly, I am not against any religion. My religion is compassion [author’s mind – provided this Terrorist understand what this god forsaken word “compassion” means], happiness, equality, human values, meditation, peace etc. Do you believe in any of these?

    What unjust has anyone done to you? How can you speak about millions of others who are muslims, you have not met them and are happily living in their country of birth? How can you say justice wasn’t done to them? Furthermore, what harm am I causing you or likely to cause to you or in your words to your people? Am I killing them? Am I asking (advising) them to hate you? Am I asking (advising) them to do something that is against you?

    At best I’ve helped some of the people in XYZ country to help each other and rescue those whom you want to kill. Is it incorrect? Do you have license to kill anyone and everyone you wish? Does your owning weapon means you’ve license to spread hatred, riots and terror? If that is the case there are nations that have abilities to finish the whole world numerous of times. Your one weapon is just nothing compared to that.

    This time terrorist could not even comprehend and think of what all has been spoken and he has heard. Thanks to Ananda besides the Buddha, Ananda recited each sentence and gave him time to think of a reply.

    T – (reply to firstly speak for yourself…) I represent my people.
    T – (reply to secondly, I am not against any religion) You are against my religion. Why are you doing any rescue operations in XYZ country?  Meaning of my religion is peace, purity, submission and obedience to the GOD…

    B – (to this The Buddha interrupted) have you taken (or they gave you) permission to speak on behalf of the people whom “you think”, you represent? Secondly, if your religion means “peace” what are you doing? Having arms in hand and killing people does it mean the meaning itself is wrong or you have interpreted your religion incorrectly?

    T – (could not digest this) This is blasphemy you can’t question my religion who are you to question my faith and that is the problem
    because of which I want to kill you? You are infidel.

    B – Do you know what is the meaning of infidel? I am just questioning on your actions and interpretations of what you’ve in your mind. Infidel is the one who doesn’t have a religion. I listed out my religion is peace, compassion, happiness, equality, human values, meditation. Another meaning of infidel is one who is not in majority. Do you think you are in majority? Muslims all across the globe do not have gun in  their hands, according to that definition you are an infidel in – what you call it – “your community” itself. Moreover, when I said my religion includes peace, we’re on the same side, isn’t it? Your religion means peace to you. Why do you want to disregard your religion (peace) assuming you are protecting your religion by not obeying the meaning of your religion itself?

    …

    This may go on and on in author’s mind – the author is not the Buddha. Perhaps the Buddha (Sri Sri) would perfect the discussion with a compassionate glance, no single word. Who knows in the end – terrorist bows down with no argument left and becomes a true follower of peace.

    Dedicated to Guruji (Sri Sri Ravishankar)

    Related blogs – on Angulimala

    Story of Angulimala

  • Swasthay – dwelling in oneself







    “You have to move on from the posts, you dont hang around it – I was a post you have to move on now.” When Prof Lopez told me this in our last meeting at Dubai, I felt bad. He further added – “Once you pass standard 1st you move on to the 2nd and so on, right Pravin?” I had to complete my MBA and move on to a job an so on and so forth.  Slowly I moved on. Yet, recently I was going through the content of my MBA and came across some photos, class works etc and fallen back in time to relish my moment of that time. One of my friends commented on Facebbok – Movee oooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn! Instead of moving on, I remembered the last sentence Prof Lopez told me – “Pravin, you have to move on.” I had created this blog title – Move on… on Dec 1st 2010 and came back in the drafts to complete it now.

    The other reason to complete this blog was my recent meeting with Mr Ramana Rajgopaul my blogger friend and uncleji, he blogs at www.rummuser.com. He is reading a book – How Much Is Enough?: Money and the Good Life and we discussed economics and greediness  etc. Really the question is right. How much is enough? We think of buying a small apartment, when we own one, we think of bigger one and then a bungalow, villa, a farm house do we stop there? No! then we need something more a big car or something else. Where is the end? Take an example of corruption in India, what these politicians do not have? They have all they might need, but no! They want more.

    This “move on” is literally turning into running, running behind something, at time running away from the real problem. We have so many gadgets and even though we are connected with so many unknown people through social media, we dont know the neighbor. I personally felt that I spend more time on internet compared to talking with people. In bus I am on the net, in train I am on the net, at home I am on the net! So, are we facing our problems (personal or social) or we are just avoiding and moving on, running from one thing to the other just to save ourselves from facing those problems?

    When Angulimala met the Buddha. Angulimala screamed at the Buddha to stop because he wanted to cut fingers of the Buddha. The Buddha turned and told Angulimala that he, the Buddha, had already stopped. He had stopped killing and harming and now it was time for him, Angulimala, to stop.

    Now is the turn for us to stop. When I say we should stop it means a strange stop – our mind should stop running, time and space would move, our mind should be at peace, quiet. That is the definition of Swasthay (swa + sthith) – dwelling in one’s own self.

    Related blogs

    You cannot drive car looking at the rear view mirror

    When will we stop? (on the movie Salam Bombay)

    Dichotomy on happiness…

  • When will we stop?







    I watched this movie – Salaam Bombay! directed by Meera Nayar (1988). This movie was nominated for Oscars as Indian entry. A sad movie with only one good thing – a character ‘Baba’ dies, receiving the fruits of his deeds.

    The end of the movie seemed very artistic, philosophical and thought provoking to me. The hero – Chaipau or Krishna – is back to square one. Khali haath aaya tha aur khali hath hi hai. (in Hindi) He comes to Mumbai (Bombay of that time) empty hands and is empty hands in the end too. He has a beyblade (or torque) in his hand. That toy to me was the vicious circle of life.

    The protagonist has to collect INR 500 for his elder brother for a damaged bike. Circumstances happen such that he could never save that much. It seemed similar to me as the Ice Age 1 2 3 squirrel on which I wrote earlier in the blog Cogito Ergo Sum meaning “I think, therefore, I Exist”. The squirrel is behind the corn and our protagonist is for collecting INR 500. A sad truth – we are always running behind something. When the Buddha told to Angulimala – “I stopped long back, when will you stop?” Angulimala – a hardened criminal – stopped.

    Our INR 500 will never be saved and the corn will always elude us… When will we stop?

  • You cannot drive car looking at the rear view mirror







    I was watching a movie “Do Aankhen barah haath”, a very old Hindi movie directed by V Shantaram and also the lead role played by him. Since it is a very old movie acting is melodramatic, could be questioned and people can find many faults too, however as I wrote earlier in one of the blogs “Lost in translation” what is more important message or the presentation? So, you can watch the movie for the message.

    I related the movie to a part of the Buddha’s life. Many of us must have heard the story of Angulimala, a bandit. However, how many know the story of him before he became Angulimala and after the meeting with the Buddha?

    Angulimala was a bandit, killer of people just to get their fingers and make a garland. Yes thats what is known about him. The real name of Angulimala was “Ahinsak” or “Ahimsak“, a Sanskrit/Pali word meaning “nonviolent”. The pre Angulimala view about Ahinsak is on the link. What happened to him after he met the Buddha? When he met the Buddha, he became a Bhikku.

    The following part is from the book Blog – Old path white clouds (Book – Old Path White Clouds). Soon after he became a Bhikku he died, how? As a Bhikku he went to the same village where he killed people for making the garland of fingers. People attacked him to take the revenge, not noticing that he is a Bhikku, completely changed person now and he is not even reacting to the attack. The message of the attack reached the Buddha, he rushed to the place. Severely wounded, Angulimala, died in the laps of the Buddha.

    Similar situation arrives in the movie “Do Aankhen barah haath”, I could relate those sequences to the story of Angulimala.

    My Engineering college professor Dr Anand Swaroop Saxena told me way back (in 2001 some time) – “inherently people are not flawed, situation drive people to react in the way they react.” Dr Saxena taught me a great deal, I worked with him on my undergraduate project (published in a national journal :)). He always intrigued me with his simple, profound and ruminating words. For one question he said “…situations are responsible.”. Later I met a Sant Sai Kaka, he too said almost the same thing with more details and profundity. The reaction part comes from the prior experience (sanskar) one had in life. These statements changed the paradigm for my thinking. Yet it is the responsibility of the person to control oneself not to be driven by the situation/sansakar/prior experience.

    Two points to make here – 1. inherently people are not flawed, situation drive people to react in the way they react and 2. past experiences are the milestone you have left behind while you drive to a destination. You cannot drive car looking at the rear view mirror – is not it right!