Business to the Buddha

Tag: here and now

  • 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.

    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)!

  • Everything is ephemeral







    Water was boiling, I stared at it for a while, brought sugar and tea powder. We make tea/coffee rarely at home, mostly on weekends. Soon I was adrift with many thoughts and boiling water started evaporating. I quickly added more water to the kettle, added sugar, tea powder and grated some ginger. Again the same oblivion cropped in. This time around the thoughts were about effervescent boiling water into steam vapors. So suddenly water was lost everything the kettle was empty. I could add more water here, how about us? We die!

    [Tweet “Whatever has a beginning has an end too.”]

    Drop meeting OceanOur life – similarly – is also ephemeral. You take a lot of time to understand and by the time you feel you are getting a hang of it, it is over! Wonder how many people even get to understand or even give it a try to understand. Though I am not an expert, but think about life. At times when I see no clue, it comes in mind as if the end (death) itself is the ultimate truth when everything of what we perceive as “reality” ends. Perhaps there is some meaning beyond these perceptions. When we hear enlightened masters, they say everything is “here and now”.

    When a person dies, does the world become useless for him/her or the person become worthless for the world? The question was weird going through this little mind. The other point in this small complicated thing was with so transitory life, we have so many things to be proud (arrogant) about. I ranked this, I did that great thing, increased revenue by X% and traveled around so many places. In fact the Indian postulate on life/death is, we come back – rebirth. That is even more interesting, convoluted and thinks of even higher mind.

    In all these thoughts, the tea was ready, thankfully this time around I was bit alert. I poured it in cups. We sat on the dinning table sipping our tea. You know this cup of tea will end soon. At times it happens such that by the time you are aware that this tea was awesome, it is over! Whatever has a beginning has an end too – the Buddha said it. It is true, be it being a Chairman of Tata Groups or a note of 500/1000 rupee in India. How long can one hold on to position? How long can the currency keep its value? Everything changes with time, some end some improve some extinct. Why worry? If things are improving why interfere? There were hiccups in Infosys recently, it looks like it is going back on track. One shouldn’t be too attached to anything. My water evaporated, my tea finished in some time. The currency notes of 500 and 1000 are out! Instead of attachment or being possessive one must know that things are evanescent, life is ephemeral, if something has a beginning, it surely will have an end too.

    [Tweet “Flow is the name of life, stagnation is end.”]

    Flow is the name of life, stagnation is end.

    All this rambling started with boiling water of tea, ended up at Tata group and currency notes of India. The tea was over, but thoughts were not. Though I could add water in my boiling kettle, whats the use of adding more water in our life?

    We witnessed end of currency notes, we see people dying, but unfortunately we keep on thinking that we are immortal. My question is, if we accepted that “I will die some day”, what next? What we should search for, what we should strive for? What is the quest? What is that, that keeps one up at the night, and pushes you out of bed every morning? What is that?

    Sadhguru on Things We must do every Morning


  • As you sow, so shall you reap







    In Science we have studied – every action has equal and opposite reaction. We never take that seriously for life, that if we hurt someone that may be compensated. Here is an interesting idiom in English language (many other languages as well) – As you sow, so shall you reap.

    Long before science could establish this fact as “the fact”, The Buddha and Hinduism had given the concept of Karma. Well, I cannot vouch for rebirth so here is what I have written earlier –cause_fx

    Heaven and Hell are ‘here and now’
    The way you pass each moment
    You define whether you are in Heaven or a Hell. Blog here

    Don’t rely on next birth, do good in this life time itself.

    Heaven and Hell are ‘here and now’
    The way you pass each moment
    You define whether you are in Heaven or a Hell. – See more at: http://business2buddha.com/2011/07/21/this-is-how-i-remember-it/#sthash.Aykwean2.dpuf
    Heaven and Hell are ‘here and now’
    The way you pass each moment
    You define whether you are in Heaven or a Hell. – See more at: http://business2buddha.com/2011/07/21/this-is-how-i-remember-it/#sthash.Aykwean2.dpuf

    This blog post is less inspired by the concept of Karma and the English idiom but is inspired by a SitCom I have watched long back – “How I met your mother“. This is/was a series just like previous famous sit-com “Friends”. In How I met your mother (HIMYM) there are five characters – Ted (lead character, who is telling this story to his kids), Barney, Marshal, Marshal’s girl friend (later wife) Lily and Robin (confusing to describe her – she is friend – with each one. She is girl friend of Barney and Ted in some series. She is wife of Barney once and in the end she marries Ted). In one particular episode season 2 Episode 15 – Lucky Penny, the concept of cause and effect is described with ease.

    Ted finds a penny and in the 22 minute episode, everyone is involved with the penny and the associated event result in Ted missing a flight to Chicago. In Hindi there is a saying – बात निकलेगी तो दूर तलक जाएगी it means – “If we start this discussion, it will go long back in the history”. Just to give you a perspective we may conclude on this question – “Why did Adam eat the Apple?” You know what I am saying?

    You must watch that 22 min episode of How I Met Your Mother to know in brief how causation might work?

    The Author does not claim any rights on the Youtube link and video. This link is attached here for reference and does not make the author liable for any copyrights violations. It is advised to the reader that if you want to watch the series please purchase it from any retailer where the media drives are available such as FlipKart Link.

    Image source – Cause and Effect – http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/railrd/cause_fx.gif