Business to the Buddha

Tag: Spirituality and Science

  • Reigniting Interest: 7 Evidence-Backed Ways to Feel Alive Again

    It is third blog in my 4-part exploration of why we lose interest in personal and professional life, what it reveals about our inner alignment, and how to rekindle purpose through a blend of introspection, systems thinking, and spiritual grounding.

    In the first blog we explored, passion slipping away, with conclusion that “The war outside mirrors the war within.” How to know if it is burnout, boredom or an opportunity for a breakthrough.

    In the second blog we closed on The mind wants clarity. The soul speaks in signals.

    So you’ve paused. You’ve listened. You’ve realized you’re not lazy or broken; you’re just “misaligned”. Now what?

    How do you go from “I don’t care anymore” to “I can’t wait to start”?

    The good news: neuroscience, psychology, and ancient wisdom (read spirituality) all offer clues. Reigniting interest isn’t about forcing motivation. It’s about reconnecting with what makes you feel alive.

    Here are 7 research-backed ways to do just that:

    1. Rewire with Novelty
    2. Reconnect with Purpose
    3. Practice Mindful Micro-Moments
    4. Reframe the Mundane
    5. Find Your Tribe
    6. Build Something That’s Yours
    7. Reconnect with the Inner Witness

    1. Rewire with Novelty

    The brain thrives on novelty. Study from the University of California show that exposure to new experiences increases dopamine, the neurotransmitter linked to motivation and pleasure.

    – Try a new route to work.

    – Read a genre you usually avoid.

    – Take on a micro-project outside your domain.

    Small shifts can spark big energy.

    2. Reconnect with Purpose

    A McKinsey study found that employees who feel connected to a deeper purpose are 5X more engaged and 2X more likely to stay.

    Ask yourself:

    – What impact do I want to create?

    – Who benefits from my work?

    – What would I do if money wasn’t the driver?

    Purpose isn’t found. It’s remembered.

    3. Practice Mindful Micro-Moments

    Just 10 to 15 minutes of meditation a day can reduce emotional fatigue and increase focus, according to research from Harvard Medical School. In fact, at times one must take time out (I did last week therefore this blog is delayed) go for a 5 day or 10 day retreat.

    – Start your day with 3 deep breaths.

    – Pause before switching tasks.

    – End your day with gratitude journaling.

    Stillness isn’t a luxury; it’s fuel.

    4. Reframe the Mundane

    Cognitive behavioral research shows that how we interpret tasks affects our motivation more than the tasks themselves.

    Instead of “I have to write this report,” try:

    – “I get to clarify ideas.”

    – “This helps someone make a better decision.”

    – “This is a prep in my leadership gym.”

    Meaning is often a matter of framing.

    5. Find Your Tribe

    A Gallup study (with multiple articles) revealed that having a best friend at work is one of the strongest predictors of engagement. In fact, in Indian spirituality, it is called “Sangachhatvam” walking together.

    If you’re surrounded by energy-drainers, even meaningful work can feel heavy. But one aligned conversation can reignite your why.

    Seek out people who challenge you, cheer for you, and call you out.

    6. Build Something That’s Yours

    Whether it’s a side project, a blog, or a community; creating something from scratch activates intrinsic motivation. For me, it has been this blog series and I have recently created a B2B marketing framework. In fact I feel excited talking about these with like-minded people.

    It doesn’t have to be monetized. It just has to be yours.

    Ownership breeds energy. Creation breeds clarity.

    7. Reconnect with the Inner Witness

    In Vedantic thought, the “Sakshi”; the inner witness; is the part of you that observes without judgment. When you reconnect with it, you stop being tossed around by moods and start seeing patterns.

    Try this:

    – Sit in silence for 5 minutes.

    – Watch your thoughts like clouds.

    – Ask: “Who is watching this?” In fact this is one of the deepest mediation taught by “Ramana Maharshi”, I am a huge admirer of him.

    Sometimes, the most powerful way to reignite interest is to remember you’re not your thoughts. You’re the one watching.

    Reflection

    You don’t need to wait for a sabbatical, a new job, or a life crisis to feel alive again.

    You just need to reconnect; with novelty, with purpose, with people, and with presence.

    In the final blog of this series, we’ll explore how spirituality; not as religion, but as inner alignment; can become your compass in a noisy world.

  • Spirituality and Science

    Mahavir – the Jain Tirthankar – was traveling – walking – for his rainy season retreat (Chaumasa). As is the case with any enlightened master in India, Mahavir too had followers traveling with him. One of his followers – named Gaushalak – was mischievous and wanted to have Proof of his enlightenment.

    While they were crossing a rivulet. Gaushalak asked Mahavir, do you see that plant? Mahavir responded in the affirmative. He further asked Mahavir, would this plant grow into a tree? You know all, you can see the future, and you are enlightened can you please confirm this?

    It is said that enlightened people can talk to even the non-living, or in other words, they can understand beyond the perceived too. In fact, someone told me that in Indian Ayurveda, Rishi’s came to know about some of the herbs when they asked the plant for a cure.

    So, Mahavir reached to the plant, apparently, he asked the plant would you grow into a tree? The plant responded to Mahavir in a Yes. Only Mahavir was at the consciousness level to hear the plant, none of the others. He continued his walk and responded in another affirmative to this follower.

    As this follower wanted to test Mahavir, he went to the plant, pulled it off the ground, and threw it aside. Further, he said – I have removed the plant; I am proving you wrong right now itself. Mahavir continued his walk.

    The rain retreat was over. Mahavir and his followers walked back, cross the same rivulet. Mahavir pointed to a plant and told Gaushalak – do you see the plant? This is the same one, it has not only found another ground but also grown within the past few months. Gaushalak was ashamed of his deeds and doubting the master.

    If I related this story to us as professionals, it is the will to cross the hurdles and blossom in adversities when you have been uprooted.

    My experience

    What makes enlightened masters different than the others? They have a consciousness level of super-consciousness. Super-consciousness can be defined as omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. It may sound a bit off from the spirituality where God is not a matter of discussion. The Buddha did not answer the question of the existence of God. Consciousness has a higher level that is beyond the manifested world.

    I attended a meditation silence retreat of the art of living foundation during the new year’s weekend. It was a wonderful experience. It helped me to understand and experience some unique things. Many experiences cannot be expressed in words. However, the concept of spirituality connected to present-day physics (quantum mechanics) was very easy to grasp and experience. We are all wave functions. Hinduism states that we are made of five elements – Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Space. Space is omnipresent. All the other elements according to the Mass Energy equation of Einstein are interchangeable to mass (I would call it manifestation) to energy and vice versa.

    The Indian sages have achieved multiple manifestations and changes of form. Read Autobiography of a yogi or At the 11th hour for some examples. Basically, we believe in things that we can comprehend or think are possible. We call things as miracles that are incomprehensible or beyond our perception “as possible”. Slowly science and spirituality seem to be merging. Now our experience can connect the dots to scientific proofs. Slowly our perception of miracle, manifest and unmanifest will be even more blur.

    Two miracles

    In a place named Agar Malwa in MP, there is a Samadhi of Swami Jaynarayan Ji Upadhyay. He was a lawyer and a meditation practitioner. It is an incident of July 1931. Once he was in deep meditation (Samadhi) and missed attending the final hearing of one of his clients. When he came out of meditation, he ran to the court. There he came to know that his final arguments were unbeatable, and his client is acquitted. He was physically in meditation at a temple and there he was in the court too. He knew he missed the session. People say that after hearing this about himself, he left everything and became a monk. Recently, in the same city a law college started and it is named after him.

    Similarly, there is another incident of Guru Nanak dev’s manifestation. It is said that when Guru Nanak dev Ji died, His mortal remains turned into flowers. There was a dispute about his last rites. His Muslim followers wanted to bury, Hindu and Sikh devotees wanted to cremate the remains. Guru Nanak dev Ji avoided this dispute by suggesting the followers bring flowers and keep the same on either side of his. Whichever side’s flowers remain fresh, that sect’s custom should be followed with mortal remains. After his death, only flowers remained, the body could not be found. It is documented as well.

    Spirituality and science

    Some things are beyond comprehension – at least as of now. However, those things can be possible. Science is able to provide an explanation for some, during and after the silence meditation retreat course, I could connect some dots relate to some experiences. Earlier I used to dismiss such stories as fiction. Now, I feel that there is something unexplained for science – call it the ether or Space element – that can be experienced with deeper meditations.

    The point I want to drive home is, we are spiritual beings in physical forms. The idea is not to discuss miracles but the possibilities. Finally, each one is a wave function condensed into a manifestation. In some cases those who are evolved can make change manifestation too. Probably, the self-realization spirituality talks about is the realization and experience of the wave function – that is the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.

    Image source – https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/introduction-quantum-mechanics