He was playing with his slingshot. When he released the sling, stone fell down. He tried the slingshot again, failed again. Kunal came to know, he asked me why the slingshot is not working? I looked at the sling where stone was held leather pad. There was some sticky material, mostly a used and thrown chewing gum attached to it. We removed it and Kunal happily started playing with the slingshot again.
Playing Slingshot (गुलेल) / Catapult, is an immense learning. You pull the stone back with a sling, take an aim and release. You wait for some time until the stone touched / reached the target. There is an interesting analogy in this.The sling is like your present action, preparation and “now”. Your leather pad is like your past experience, your mind (where many things are held). The aim and trajectory is like future. The better control you have on everything, good it is for your life.
Kunal’s slingshot gave me another insight. The past / mind, if spoiled with a memory that may hurt your present and future, you are putting everything that you have at a stake. In Kunal’s case the pad had a chewing gum – a kind of adhesive. If you stick to the past – mostly not to an inspiring past memories, you are more likely to be stuck in life. Such things bring you down. Have you ever thought of a moment when you were involved in something wholeheartedly? Did your past experiences interfere your present actions like that gum of Kunal’s slingshot? You were focused on the activity – like pulling the pad back, possibly the size and weight of stone and your aim (target) was clear. There was no confusion, no fear and no blockage. You just did what best you could do – living and enjoying the present moment.
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?
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.
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…”
The ability to remember and to think a lot about our previous impressions, limits us. Is it a possibility that our intelligence is our stupidity? Our ability to remember a lot of things is probably something that hampers us to explore the unexplored? Or this knowledge hampers our ability to look at possibilities beyond the past experiences that we have. Some times some things happen around us that is beyond our ability to comprehend and beyond justification of our past experience / learnings.
Is it possible that these abilities are making us limited or in some cases mad? Can we be more enlightened more aware, having attention in now? If we have an ease of forgetting things and probably a very limited attention span, is it likely that we will be more aware and be an observant. Higher the attention span it may make us intelligent compared to other animals. Is it a possibility that this boon of attention, remembering things is driving us away from the consciousness?
How our mind thinks – we analyze, we compare, we try to create analogies and thus we tend to lose spontaneity. Our education system makes us remember things instead of being creative and spontaneous. I was thinking about all this a couple of weeks back and came across this wonderful knowledge sheet by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Guru ji).
alogies and thus we tend to lose spontaneity. Our education system makes us remember things instead of being creative and spontaneous. I was thinking about all this a couple of weeks back and came across this wonderful knowledge sheet by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Guru ji).
Weekly Knowledge #217 Bangalore Ashram 19 Aug 1999 India
KNOWLEDGE AS A BURDEN – Knowledge is a burden if it robs you of innocence. Knowledge is a burden if it is not integrated into life. Knowledge is a burden if it doesn’t bring joy. Knowledge is a burden if it gives you an idea that you are wise. Knowledge is a burden if it doesn’t set you free. Knowledge is a burden if it makes you feel you are special.
Knowledge session Kanakdhara Mumbai
Guruji
The best thing about Guru ji is – he makes complex things simple and easy to understand. At times, this simplicity makes one wonder – why a spiritual master is not that esoteric in his teachings? The beauty of the best teacher is making the most complex subject easy to understand, Guru ji does that with perfection.
Guru ji is visiting Mumbai on 28th and 29th Oct 2019. Do attend the sessions – and experience – music, meditation, knowledge and spontaneity.
In Engineering I studied Signal and Noise, their ratio and results in communication engineering. I am not going to bore you with the math of probability and Signal to Noise we studied in Engineering. Though, before we move to the point, I will try to explain it in laymen’s language. Signal to Noise ratio means how much is the strength of a Signal Vs the noise on the background. If strength of Signal is more than that of noise, communication can be comprehended. A simple case is tuning radio in your Mobile.
Well, beyond the laymen definition, I am here to share an observation. In our daily life we are so busy that we are overwhelmed by the noises around us. At times we miss on the signals, these can be premonition too. My personal experience is, we miss many things in extreme emotions – joy or sorrow. Yet mostly, the signals can be of the burnouts we are facing, frustration or not even stopping to think why am I running like a headless chicken? In some cases the signal can be to sit back and relax. The signal can be to find purpose of life. Honestly, this purpose of life point sounds lofty to me. My logic of purpose has slowly become (not lofty) very small and unimportant.
Many a times we define the purpose as some grand goal. Having a grand goal is wonderful. I too have such goals, not just one, a couple of them such as for personal life, professional life. However, when I say small and unimportant, these are living life in small bits and pieces such as spending time with Adviti – even if very small. Some purpose can be insignificant such as going to a grocery shop. The point is – when I am doing such insignificant or unimportant tasks – what is going on in my mind? Is the mind wandering somewhere and the task – that I intend to do – is secondary? That is where Signal and Noise comes in play. Noise is the distraction from your primary activity – focus or goal.
We went for a vacation last month. There I was lying down in bedroom, relaxing. Mind always needs some activity – so my ears were listening to the wall clock – tik-tik. My wife entered the room. She switched on the fan, this noise of fan reduced clarity of the activity – listening to the wall clock tiks. My eyes were closed, attention still on the faint sound of tiks. Soon I lost the Signal of the tiks to the Noise of fan. Whether you call it awareness or time pass, that is subjective. However, this small incident made an impression, in our day-to-day activities we encounter such noises. We miss the fun of the Signal tik-tik to the noise of fan. At times, the noise is nothing but the grand goals or self importance we have created for ourselves.
I recently attended a course of the Art of living foundation – Anand Utsav. Anand Utsav is a Hindi word (rough translation “festival of bliss”). Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Guru ji) himself guided the course via webcast. This has been happening for last couple of years in the month of August. I could not attend Anand Utsav earlier. This time, the moment I got message, I was determined to attend it.
Guruji
I am associated with AoL for a long time now, whenever someone asks me about the happiness course (basic course or part I course as it is known), I say only one thing – “Before you die, do Sudarshan Kriya at least once.” There are two reasons for this statement. Firstly everyone has a unique experience because everyone’s life circumstances and situations are / have been different. Further, something inside changes profoundly. Something that is not easy to define. With both these points, I can only say – do it before you die.
So, when I attended the course, thankfully, I had plans of vacation in subsequent week. The course finished on Sunday, I attended office on Monday (a typical chore day) and came the much awaited vacation. It was interesting because during our routine we may not be able to identify or sit back and reflect. During the vacation I could reflect. In my case typical Monday was same, the usual chasing the clock and running to office without contemplation. Tuesday morning we had to travel out. My daughter, Adviti, is an infant. When you’ve infant at home, everything moves as per the infant’s schedule.
We had a plan to start at 7 AM but we started at 7:40 or so. We were late, however it was different from being late on any other weekdays. I knew when we’re late there will be lot of traffic on roads, the Mumbai traffic which irritates me almost daily (can make any sane person insane), was not a problem for me that day. There was no rush to reach somewhere, almost daily it is a race to reaching office. We are running an endless race daily as professionals. This race is in many shapes and forms, right from boarding our regular train, acquiring a seat in bus, owning the dream job / car / home / kid scoring certain score or getting the deal signed by prospective client.
This day there was a difference in my approach to things and situations around me. Few things that made me get frustrated soon, were not making me like that. I looked at the sights on / around highway after a long time with such ease, amusement and astonishment as I did this time around. I was centered / focused from within.
When we reached Mumbai again, I lost wallet, all my credit and debit cards. I had given it to my wife, she forgot it on a counter. She panicked, I did not. With full composure, I handled Adviti, consoled Simple (my wife) and walked where she felt she misplaced the wallet. I inquired and got the cards back full 15 minutes later. Any other day, I might have got more restless than Simple but this day I was not. Even Simple was surprised.. This time when I attended Anand Utsav this something changed in me. I was like this a couple of years back (I remember my MBA days), centered, peaceful and in control. Things changed a lot for me, I needed to attend Anand Utsav long back – Better late than never.
Honestly, you must attend the Art of living Happiness Program once. Just go with the flow, sit in the course, follow instructions until the last day, ask every question that you have on the last day. Do not interrupt yourself from any instruction. Just do as directed without bothering for anything – not even the results. If still you are not sure to attend the Happiness Program – read the blog again – do Sudarshan Krita before you die.
My Anand Utsav (festival of bliss) is continuing will you join me? I am sure you would thank me for this blog post later :).
I received this story on some group a couple of weeks back. I do not know the source now. It is so wonderful that I could not stop putting it here.
A young widower lived with his five-year-old son. He cherished his son more than his own life. One day he left his son at home while he went out on business. When he was gone, brigands came and robbed and burned the entire village. They kidnapped his son. When the man returned home, he found the charred corpse of a young child lying beside his burned house.
He took it to be the body of his own son. He wailed in grief and cremated what was left of the corpse. Because he loved his son so dearly, he put the ashes in a bag which he carried with him everywhere he went. Several months later, his son managed to escape from the brigands and make his way home. He arrived in the middle of the night and knocked at the door. At that moment, the father was hugging the bag of ashes and weeping. He refused to open the door even when the child called out that he was the man’s son. He believed that his own son was dead and that the child knocking at the door was some neighborhood child mocking his grief. Finally, his son had no choice but to wander off on his own. Thus father and son lost each other forever.
If we are attached to some belief and hold it to be the absolute truth, we may one day find ourselves in a similar situation as the young widower. Thinking that we already possess the truth, we will be unable to open our minds to receive the truth, even if truth comes knocking at our door.
Adviti – my daughter – is close to 1.5 years now. I have been witnessing her growth as any parent would. Earlier, she used to cry mostly when she was hungry then slowly the “needs” increased and “reasons” for crying too. When something she wants does not happen, she expresses it her own way. Slowly she has learnt another method of expressing herself – either making a sharp sound or fists to show her anger. In all these months, I see there is a kind of growth. The growth I am talking about starts sticking with us. It is about our ego, getting the things done our way.
I was discussing a situation with a friend of mine. He is too talkative – yes more than me. During our call based on the situations and narratives, I was finding loopholes in his arguments and interrupting him. I told him that the situation in your case proves that you are egoist, reasons a, b and c. He gave alternative reasoning to my pointers to which I gave more alternative reasoning. The call concluded, it was futile to explain to him from an outsider’s perspective.
My days with Adviti are turning more interactive, expressive and entertaining. I see, the recent phone call and Adviti’s activities in a lens that makes me feel that we grow in certain way and ego starts blending in our lifestyle sooner than probably we expect.
Adviti is able to differentiate between herself and others. She is slowly understanding that we appreciate few things and do not few others. If she has to getaway with unacceptable actions she has started knowing her away out. My friend was trying the same – finding a way out with alternative arguments.
I doubt if I should call it ego in case of Adviti she is barely 16+ months. Yet, when I see her at times looking for recognition, at times faking sobbing and showing bit of anger it shows she is growing, she is recognizing her liking and possibly her way of getting things done.
When we start growing and our ego is in between it limits our possibilities of blossoming, be it personal life or professional. My friend is stuck, he still needs to learn it is his ego that is causing him the pain.
My previous post was kind of misunderstood. Some friends messaged me about purpose and having no goal in life. My answer to that is We are trying to create a correlation between goal and people remembering you. The point I think is somewhat missed – the question was why would people remember you? I believe a person’s goals in life should not be inspired by a wish that people should/must remember you. I concluded my previous blog – the inspiration and remembrance is choice of other person not necessarily goal of a-person.
A singer sings, because he has a good voice. People listen and appreciate the singer for his/her voice, probably for the music or lyrics etc. Does it mean the singer sings only for getting those appreciations? If yes, the goal of singer is very low, of course goal is certainly the choice of the singer but it does not mean that every singer will sing for appreciations or money or being remembered for. There were, are and will be many such talented people who would perform their talent for their owns satisfaction. Some will be remembered and many others will be forgotten. Does that make the forgotten talents any lesser talented?
Personally speaking I have run around with a lot of lofty goals in life, I still have many. My opinion is that my personal goals are my inspirations and “personal”. If someone feels inspired by them, it is their choice. It is their prerogative as well as their own wish. Occasionally, I ended up with the endless need for the next goal and then the next one and so on. Result – it had been a hedonic treadmill run, faster you run it gets faster without any end in sight. I have written on these goals, running around and what next a couple of times earlier. Everything ends up for me on a very famous shloka of Bhagvat Geeta – कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ २-४७ Romans Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani Meaning – You’ve a right to perform your prescribed action, but you’re not entitled to the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results your activities, and never be associated to not doing your duty.
So effectively, one’s purpose of live or goal should be limited to the action. Others remembering you or validating “your purpose” is useless (as long as your purpose is not to kill others / infringe on other’s freedom). Further, when I connect these things to spirituality, even “wishing” something, somewhere gives at least a slightest hint of ego.
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.
A couple of weeks back I wrote about problems with Socialism and probably how it can be improved with lesser gaming of the system. It is not that capitalism does not allow gaming the system, in fact there is immense lobbying that happens which is no less than corrupting the system. A few examples are – unsubstantiated loans to corporate houses (ICICI bank gave to Videocon group), Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways playing their own lobbying tactics to either get better slots / airports or getting competition out of the system.
The point is, in capitalism too many wrongful act are done at higher level too besides on personal level. Which is basically a case in Socialism too. The advantage in capitalism is everyone is trying to be rich whereas in socialism mostly the government control most of it. In many of these high level and individual level we tend to look at our own’s benefit over the collective good of the society. Effectively, we are individually smart and collectively dumb.
The technology enhancements are helping people game system can be done at various levels. A couple of days back I came across this small video on Twitter. In China, insurance companies offer discounts in the premiums of health insurance if a person is physically active. So, people have devised “a solution” to look fit. The point here is not to stay fit, but to let the insurance company believe you are fit. This step counter does the trick.
The above system is not only for fooling insurance companies but also to fool oneself. It defeats the purpose of having step counter, healthy life style and own’s health at large. Besides loss to the companies it is a bigger loss to individual – you only get on life to live.
Net net I would emphasis – you only get on life to live – live truthfully, why game the system? If you look at recent Indian businessmen’s examples be it Naresh Goyal of Jet airways, Vijay Mallya of Kingfisher airlines or Mehul Chowksi and Nirav Modi of Gitanjali group; by the way there are many more in the list; what is the result? Whole banking system and many consumers are at the receiving end. Why game the system – live life truthfully, isn’t it?
