Business to the Buddha

Tag: awareness

  • Living in the moment, how?

    Have you been disturbed by the outside environment? Is it that you lose your temper when some external factor influences you? It is nothing new, isn’t it? I too face the same time to time. Recent observations helped me look at these incidents little more carefully. Thus, I could question myself – How can one be centered and focused from the outside distractions? How can one live in the moment? Here I’m with some of my own’s answers too.

    Incident

    I’ve been associated with the Art of living since 2004 and practicing the practices taught there. This involves some yoga asanas, pranayam, Sudarshan Kriya (A breathing exercise) and meditation. I’m continuing with my practice after marriage and my daughter Adviti‘s birth. The only difference now is that Adviti comes and sits on my laps occasionally. It is kind of distraction. Though it was good that it happened, now I’m more aware and question myself, how can one be a saint in professional life? The saint in professional life thought came to mind because there are multiple distractions and problems we face daily, how can one be focused even after so many distractions?

    • Adviti-with-me-sudarshan-kriya
    • Adviti-with-me-Pranayam

    Initially, I was bit uncomfortable that Adviti is disturbing me. Somewhat worried when doing asana if my hand or leg may hurt her. It is said that when someone is meditating or doing his/her spiritual practice you must not disturb the person. In fact it is said that you must not even touch the person. Here this infant is sitting on my laps, holding my hands and asking me to join her to play something. It happens rarely to me that I’m in a meditative state when I’m “doing” something.

    Long back I had a blog draft, in which I had contemplated what must be going in the mind of a sadhu (monk) who has left everything and gone to the Himalayas. He must have achieved the peace of mind he might be looking for. I had lot of questions to this fictional sadhu about he lessons. A thought cropped up when Adviti started sitting on my laps during my practice. Will a sadhu – who has attained peace at Himalaya – remain the same peaceful person in the world where there are distractions? The distractions can be traffic to office or noise of road construction or for that matter, your daughter wanting you to play with her, when you’re meditating.

    Learning

    My daughter has been a great learning to me. She is a cute little doll who enjoys moment to moment she lives in the moment. In fact she is so full in the event that if she is crying “she is crying” period. This is the case with every infant and kid, they are in “the now” all the time. Adviti does not know what I am doing or if she should stay away from me during those 30 min or so. She is fully involved, perhaps she is not aware that it is called awareness and still she is completely AWARE of her action.

    How to live in the moment?

    Almost for all questions my answer ends with spiritual practices. There is nothing wrong in this, I think. At the end of the day we all are spiritual being in various levels of evolution. There can be few simple to do points to be aware –

    1. Becoming aware of our thoughts, many a times we are doing one thing and thinking another. This distraction should be minimized. Keep an eye on the distractions.
    2. Do any activity with full awareness, it is difficult in the beginning. Why – read point 1 above. Keep aside your mobile, stop all notifications (except calls perhaps). This is how babies are, fully involved in the now
    3. Meditate, sit silently for some time and make it a daily practice. It helps. I know there are a lot of meditation techniques (Vigyan Bhairav talks about 100+ such techniques)
    4. As a professional, whenever you are doing an activity – know what is the outcome expectation from this activity. By the way outcome expectation is an innovation method too. When you are aware about the outcome, your actions should “ideally” be directed towards the outcome. It sounds contrary to the most famous guidance of Krishna (paraphrase) – “You do your duty, fruit of duty is not in your hand.” Though, here the guide is your actions should be directed towards the outcome. It implies here that plan for the result, and act in the moment.

    Results of action with awareness are better than just actions. We get distracted by event. The ability to respond to the activities around (and inside) with awareness improves us as an individual.

  • How to get out of the comfort zone?

    Last week I wrote the biggest lesson that I learnt with Professor Tomas Lopez. Simple summary of the lesson, we’re conditioned to think in certain manner. It cause more trouble to our daily situation then anything else. I was fortunate to have been reminded of this problem of mine (our mind) by Professor Mankad too – read here. Professor Lopez put me out of my comfort zone many a times. Getting out of comfort zone is very important if you want to earn some pearls in life.

    Here is a short story of loss, that one must avoid in life. This story is from the book – Prayers of the frog Volume 1 and Volume 2. An awesome book with short stories and life lessons.

    Awareness

    An oyster saw a loose pearl that had fallen into the crevice of a rock on the ocean bed. After great effort she managed to retrieve the pearl and place it just beside her on a leaf.

    She knew that humans searched for pearls and thought, “This pearl will tempt them, so they will take it and let me be.”

    When a pearl diver showed up, however, his eyes were conditioned to look for oysters and not for pearls resting on leaves.

    So he grabbed the oyster which did not happen to have a pearl and allowed the real pearl to roll back into the crevice in the rock.

    From the book – Prayers of the frog V1

    The author concludes – You know exactly where to look. That is the reason why you fail to find God.

    prayer-of-the-frog

    It happens with all of us, we look for happiness in something other than what we have in hand. This is where we end up being unhappy. Many a times we know the answer to – “When will I be happy?” Yet we miss the path to the goal. In fact, when we achieve the goal; our goal post has already changed. This is the problem of our mind, we are never calm, even before we reach somewhere we find the next destination. Here the destination can be as easy as the next venue for dinner or as ambitious as next company, job, or car. What we need to change is our way of thinking.

    Our life experience and circumstances programs us to become a certain individual over time. Be it the diver of the above story, or me or you. We must ask a question to ourselves – are we ready to get out of our comfort zone?

    How to get out of the comfort zone?

    Our comfort zone is the worst enemy of our possibilities. As was the case with the Digger. I think we can get out of comfort zone by some of the ways such as

    1. Getting into tough spots with choice – life is a trouble… only death is not I was put in those situations by Prof Lopez
    2. Awareness in actions, if you had read my blog on conditioned mind, you would understand the context
    3. Get out of your ego, do something that does not conform to your definition of YOU. Read how Mumbai brushed my ego
    4. Learn from past experience (slingshot example), yet try things without getting bogged down by your past experiences
    5. Remember our perceptions create our reality, do not limit yourself with those limited perceptions of yours
    6. Keep things simple as ABC – story from Prayers of the frog
    7. Think and know, you are nothing in front of the creation, why limit yourself, why feel low, embarrassed even before trying?

    The Buddha also went beyond his comfort zone to be enlightened. In fact he had put his everything on the gamble. Let me know which one you can relate to? Or what you think is even better method of getting out of comfort zone, it would interesting to learn.

  • Businessman Buddha

    I was extrapolating to get into a mind. The mind of a person – who left everything and went to the Himalayas. What changed for him, how his mind responded to the alone-ness. What was going on in there – in the mind? Why he left the society and went to the hills? What conspired? How he changed there? Would he be the same changed person when – in case – he comes back to the society?

    Middle-Path

    Can one have the same mindset of a hermit of Himalaya, in the concrete jungles? Can one balance being a hermit in the concrete jungle? Is it true that people find peace of mind in Himalayas? What is different there and here in the worldly city?

    My recent experience of Art of living‘s Anand Utsav course has given me few more questions and dimensions. Last week I wrote about listening to the tik-tik of wall clock. My wife entered the room switched on the fan, I missed the tik-tik. This is what happens with us in our daily highly demanding and at times stressful professional life. We miss very many things in the noises of becoming someone, owning valuable things, money, designation etc.

    The long and short of all this is balancing the life with awareness and becoming a saint in a professional life. Do we really need to be a monk to be spiritual? Most of us are running to be someone or to achieve something. There is no problem in having ambition and goals; the point is ,it make one restless. Why to be restless and anxious? Is not it a possibility that a person can be centred and yet ambitious? Is not it a possibility of a person being spiritual, professional and successful? These questions have become easier for me to have a perspective after the Anand Utsav course. I would certainly repeat more courses of Art of living.

    Just-be

    One can follow the middle path of being an enlightened master without leaving everything. One can be an enlightened master without leaving family. I see future enlightened masters will be successful professionals. These future generation enlightened master would / may not even talk about high flying esoteric spirituality. They will do their work as any worldly person does. These masters will not leave everything for the Himalayas, they may not sell their Ferrari. I think that is what is the lesson of the Buddha – Middle path. I think that is why current generation enlightened master’s are bringing spirituality to masses and to the day to day life.

    As Osho said long back, many of the masters will be like the Zorba. Zorba the Buddha (Osho’s book) – “… Zobra is Love and Buddha is Awareness… when you are Zorba the Buddha, you have attained the greatest height that is possible in existence…”

    Image source of monk https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/apr/17/untangling-web-aleks-krotoski-religion

  • Assumptions







    I’ve heard of a variation of the following story, I don’t want to come between you and the story. Read it, enjoy it and remember – try to avoid assumptions – as much as possible – in professional and personal life.

    Source – The prayer of the Frog I & II by Father .

    prayer of frog

    AWARENESS

    Many years ago, back in the Middle Ages, the Pope was urged by his advisors to banish the Jews from Rome. It was unseemly, they said that these people should be living unmolested in the very center of Catholicism. An edict of eviction was drawn up and promulgated much to the dismay of the Jews who knew that wherever else they went they could only expect worse treatment than was meted out to them in Rome. So they pleaded with the Pope to reconsider the edict. The Pope, a fair-minded man, offered them a sporting proposition: Let the Jews appoint someone to debate with him in pantomime. If their spokesman won the Jews might stay.

    The Jews met to consider this proposal. To turn it down was to be evicted from Rome. To accept it was to court certain defeat, for who could win a debate in which the Pope was both participant and judge? Still, there was nothing for it but to accept. Only, it was impossible to find someone to volunteer for the task of debating with the Pope. The burden of having the fate of the Jews on his shoulders was more than anyone man could bear.

    Now when the synagogue janitor heard what was going on he came before the Chief Rabbi and volunteered to represent his people in the debate. “The janitor?” said the other rabbis when they heard of this. “Impossible!”

    “Well,” said the chief Rabbi, “None of us is willing. It is either the janitor or no debate.” Thus for lack of anyone else the janitor was appointed to debate with the Pope.

    When the great day arrived, the Pope sat on a throne in St Peter’s square surrounded by his cardinals, facing a large crowd of bishops, priests and faithful. Presently the little Jewish delegation arrived in their black robes and flowing beards, with the janitor in their midst.

    The Pope turned to face the janitor and the debate began. The Pope solemnly raised one finger and traced it across the heavens. The janitor promptly pointed with emphasis towards the ground. The Pope seemed somewhat taken aback. Even more solemnly he raised one finger again and kept it firmly before the Janitor’s face. The janitor thereupon lifted three fingers and held them just as firmly before the Pope who seemed astonished by the gesture. Then the Pope thrust his hand into his robes and pulled out an apple. Whereupon the janitor thrust his hand into his paper bag and pulled out a flat piece of matzo. At this the Pope explained in a loud voice, “The Jewish representative has won the debate. The edict of eviction is hereby revoked.”

    The Jewish leaders promptly surrounded the janitor and led him away. The cardinals clustered around the Pope in astonishment. “What happened, your Holiness?” then asked. “It was impossible for us to follow the rapid thrust and parry of the debate.” The Pope wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “That man is a brilliant theologian, a master in debate. I began by sweeping my hand across the sky to indicate that the whole universe belongs to God. He thrust his finger downward to remind me that there is a place called Hell where the devil reigns supreme. I then raised one finger to signify that God is one. Imagine my shock when he raised three fingers to indicate that this one God manifests Himself equally in three persons, thereby subscribing to our own doctrine of the Trinity! Knowing that it was impossible to get the better of this theological genius I finally shifted the debate to another area. I pulled out an apple to indicate that according to some newfangled ideas the earth is round. He instantly produced a flat piece of unleavened bread to remind me that, according to the Bible, the earth is flat. So there was nothing to do but concede the victory to him.”

    By now the Jews had arrived at their synagogue. “What happened they asked the janitor in bewilderment. The janitor was indignant. “It was all a lot of rubbish,” he said. “Look. First the Pope moves his hand like he is telling all the Jews to get out of Rome. So I pointed downwards to make it clear to him that we were not going to budge. So he points a finger to me threateningly as if to say. Don’t get fresh with me. So I point three fingers to tell him he was thrice as fresh with us when he arbitrarily ordered us out of Rome. The next thing, I see him taking out his lunch. So I took out mine.”

  • Why not Celebrate daily? Happy New Year







    In India we celebrate maximum number of New Years – Hindu New Year, Christian New Year, Parasi New Year etc etc. Besides all these new year celebrations we have many more festivals. I believe is we go by every tradition and religion followed here, every second day would be a reason to celebrate. And why not? We should enjoy and celebrate life, why wait?

    When I reflect and visualize ancient India, I can only visualize happy songs and some festivities of this movie – Utsav. Not the whole movie but the rustic milieu and everyone knowing the other and festivity. I remember as a kid we used to have almost a one month holiday during Diwali. We used to celebrate a lot of festivals, one was Vasant Utsav during Feb March followed by Holi. Holi too used to be an interesting festival and we used to say – “Do not mind its Holi today” (बुरा न मानो  होली है).

    holiI relate most celebrations to Holi (though now a days holi is celebrate with wilderness, which I do not like). Our every celebration should be like Holi celebration. Wish we can learn from that one sentence – do not take life seriously, Enjoy life. Now we search for reasons to be happy and enjoy life. Thought this “search” can be accommodated however “joy” should be with awareness. I think we are missing that link of awareness now a days.

    I heard Sri Sri’s (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) old talk QnA session. In that session he emphasized on celebrating every moment. It is a good idea.

    Celebrate daily, celebrate every moment – with full awareness.

    Image source – http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/120308/holi-celebrations-color-poisoning

  • Sickness teaches you







    God afflicts one with sickness? I doubt. Here is what I went through and my two cents on sickness/fever/illness.

    I fell sick last to last week. I was feeling very weak & could not even write a blog, well that apart. I had a very strange idea in that sickness as well. I was observing many things. One thing I observed was this – my body (each cell of the body) does not know that it is a part of something really big, still each of the cells do help in recovery. The cells as individual units & as a group must not be aware of an awareness that resides in the body. The cells may not even know that it is a part of the body which houses some consciousness! I know I may be completely wrong, but I felt this.

    SicknessThe other observations I made included getting to know that we waste a lot of energy. When I was weak, I realized that brushing our teeth also require a lot of energy and we do many such things effortlessly when we are in good health that we waste a lot of energy. One must conserve this energy and use it for better purposes.

    Awareness was a wonderful lesson I learnt. I learnt that I could observe myself however weak I was, but I could have awareness. One need not wait for such observation of self. I dont want to fell sick again but at times I made few very interesting observations. It was that time I realized that I can blog about it. Yes sickness can be a good teacher.

    Lastly, I would not want to blame God for afflicting sickness/illness on me, but here is something interesting from Bible you should read (Psalm 119- 67 to 75) – “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word…It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees…I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”

    Two cents from my side – next time in case you fell sick (wish that does not happen), try to observe – where your body pains, the weakness and how and where you feel weak. Where your body is hot, how is the movement of any part of your body is happening. Things/actions become so slow that you can do these observations.

    Image source Wikimedia

    Bible Psalm source – Link

  • Why wait?







    Last week I wrote on being at a crossroad. Generally, we are all making some or the other decision. I specially like entrepreneurs who need to be constantly analyzing situations their business and survival + growth. Life becomes very interesting, challenging and driven by passion. One has to balance between Guts, Analysis and if possible one can work on instinct with the help of awareness. Follow my one tweet recently.

    I am no expert, yet feel there has to be a balance in life. Balance between extremes. Whether its about love or hate, passion or dispassion, emotions and logic or Socialism and Capitalism. The balance (which we professionals) generally is restricted to something such as Work-Life balance. Balance goes beyond that limited definition. Yet for the time being assume balance as work-life balance. I want share a news few months back.

    Founder of Hexaware, Mr Atul Nishar sold off his stakes in the company and the news was that he wanted to go for a 10 day Vipassana meditation. Read the news here – After selling Hexaware, Atul Nishar longs for ‘nothingness’. I am no one to comment on a very successful businessmen yet in the news one point made me think.

    QUOTE – “I have been constantly working for more than last 30 years and never took a break. This is a great opportunity for me to take a pause and feel nothingness,” says Nishar… UNQUOTE

    I was thinking that there are two options – 1. learn from this statement and start bringing balance in life now or 2. struggle tirelessly and – may be and may be – one day we’d be next Mr Nishar to experience “Nothingness”. Question is, why wait? concurrently why go on any extreme? Grow as businessman/professional and spiritually together?

    Related blogs – “Balance”

    The Middle path, Balancing Act, Irony, Dichotomy on happiness…