The Simplicity of Choice

Sometimes the memory of a funny story may bring a serious thought to mind -as it happened to me when I was having my evening walk in our garden. Few lines of a much forgotten poem floated in to my mind, which told the story of the invention of shoes. When people were fending off dust everywhere, someone suggested they drench the earth with water, while others suggested covering it up with cloth or leather. Then a wise old man suggested that before trying to change the landscape, why not cover  your own feet  with leather. Thus shoes were born. 

I realised that  in any situation of life, self-protection is more effective than trying to change the outside world. We find our world is burning today with hatred, injustice, greed and anger, expressed through wars between countries, social ideals of different cultures and also within families. Wars fought with weapons or words  are unable to bring permanent peace. So we must be ready to listen and learn from the wisdom of that mythical inventor of the shoe.

One such effective idea is expressed in the first few sutras (lines) of the ancient text, “Yoga Sutras”, written by Maharishi Patanjali around 400 C.E. In his first chapter, “Yama “refers to the five external aspects of individual must do's. They are as follows, Ahimsa or non violence, Satya meaning truthfulness,  “ Asteya “ prescribes  non-covetousness in any form, let alone the act of stealing. “ Brahmacharya “ asks to develop self restraint, and” Aparigraha “is to stay unaffected by greed or the desire for accumulation.

The second chapter, “Niyama “ refers about five internal aspects of must dos of an individual. “Sauch “means to maintain inner and outer cleanliness. Santosh, is to have contentment. Tapas prescribes self-discipline and right effort,  “Svadhyaya” prescribes study for self improvement and self-awareness and finally comes “ Ishvara Pranidhan, “which means surrendering to God with love and humility.

Patanjali with his deep insight realised that we can change our world by purifying and strengthening our own mind. The world we create within is the world we live within.

Is man becoming the machine or is machine becoming man?

Today many people ask, "is technology a boon or bane to our lives?"

Recently, while driving through a crowded road of Delhi, our driver Rajbir saved one absent minded lady’s life by screwing to a stop a few feet away from her almost toppling me out of my seat. One woman emerged from staring into her smart phone, her attention to some unknown destination. I thanked Rajbir for his quick reaction, and also felt sad for  that lady’s addiction, which could have been the cause of her death and endless complications for my driver and me.

These days it is common to see students in class rooms with smart phones on, disengaged from their teacher, fellow students and the study material. In meetings, social gatherings, or while crossing the road, this level of not being where you are is a threat to consciousness. Apart from impoliteness of such behaviour, they become the victim of many calamities, the least of which is chronic depression and anxiety, which is now well proven. This is a form of living death where you are not in your body or your space but 'elsewhere'. 

No doubt, the internet helps us in many ways as well. It can  instantly supply vast amounts of information, or data, or can connect researchers across the globe to allow them to work collaboratively in real time. It can speed up learning or even fund-raising after natural disasters. It has of course, made people more politically aware even if much of it is disinformation. It also can create new types of jobs -  one can now be famous over night on Instagram, though that fame can be as hollow as being rich in a monopoly game.

 Intelligent machines have taken industrialization to a new level. I read an interesting quote, “one machine can do work of fifty ordinary men, but no machine can do work of an extraordinary man.”That extraordinary power of the human being  is the abilities to think deeply in the human context, learn and grow in life, to have a richer experience of it, not just ben more productive. The purpose of human life is not to produce more things more efficiently, it is to evolve as a conscious being. By expanding the imagination, with unconditional love and compassion  to all life , humans are capable of create a beautiful world - within and without. We must be aware that unmindful usage of technology has the power to crush humanity in its wheels of progress. It can cause anxiety, sleep disorder, lack of concentration, poor academic performance etc. Also society has been sickened by the increase in sex crimes, violence, and cyber bullying that affect children and adults alike. Extended screen time can cause many health hazards. It robs our precious time , energy and disrupts our relations with others. Einstein righty said, “I fear the day, when the technology overlaps with our humanity, and the world will  only have a generation of idiots . “

 So the time has come to think deeply about how to make boundaries. To define technological use not with what technology can do but what we want it to do. Children who grow up with pets, play and take care of them, grow as better human beings,  with love , compassion and understanding in life. A robot dog will most likely not have the same effect. 

Long back , Lord Buddha recommended the 'Middle path' as the golden mean of life. It says, neither by indulgence nor by denial, and only by following the middle path, life can be meaningful and peaceful for all. Today to follow the golden path, we all need to apply wisdom and will to life and automation. 

Technology is a choice, not an imperative.  Our relationship with it will define whether we benefit from it to become greater beings that we are or to become lesser beings than we were.

If laughter is the best medicine then smiles are the best form of healing

Laughter is a magic tool one that dispels darkness from heavy hearts and can brighten up a lonely soul instantly. It is truly an unspoken universal language - one that uplifts all spirits. Joyousness may be expressed in many ways. It may shine through a twinkle in the eyes, or through a silent smile. It may also burst out in roaring laughter like rolling waves of a river. It could also the persistent gurgle of a stream or a booming guffaw from the belly. Whatever form it may take,  it brings forth the essence of a moment well lived.  As Charlie Chaplin said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

A hearty laugh is beneficial for health. It increases the flow of oxygen in our body. Strengthens the heart, lung and muscles, also improves cognitive power and fight against the stress and anxieties of life. 
Today people mostly search for inner happiness through outer sense gratification, which can bring some temporary satisfaction, but can not give lasting happiness or peace of mind. That frustration often leads them to cling some other addictions like drinking, gambling etc. Some health conscious people may join “Laughing Clubs “, where they laugh forcefully every morning, to increase lung power. I happen to live overlooking a park where they congregate every morning. Though I am not very sure about it’s health benefits, but surely that vigorous forced “Hyena laughter “brings lots of disturbance in its neighbourhood. 

We all are in a search for a magic formula that can keep our heart warm and minds cool.
Buddhism says, by transcending emotions and thoughts, one can experience inner peace. That also helps to develop inner strength, which can resist external turbulences  from becoming our mind
Through the ages, many enlightened, souls were born in India. They said, as divine consciousness is present in every soul, our spiritual goal should be to realise that unity in all. Only then one can  feel blessed with true happiness.
 Paramhansa Yogananda said,” view life as a cosmic motion picture, where we all are travellers. “He also said “ No sense produced pleasure is permanent, and time relentlessly works it’s havoc on physical beauty. Every thing in this material world is subject to change…. Fill your mind with the love of God. Then you will be able to love every body and will be able to smile all the time.” (from the book Mans Eternal Quest). So in the dawn of this new year  we  may pray that may our soul smile through our hearts, and our hearts smile through our eyes, which may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.

To learn from a tree

"A tree is a poem that Earth writes upon the sky". ~Khalil Gibran

Every morning I realise this truth when I sit in the company of trees and plants in my garden. I see the sunlight playing hide and seek through the leaves and branches, the chirping birds hopping from one to another as the morning breeze hugs my heart with joy. 

Growing up, I remember our 'Nature study' class. We visited places with our teachers to learn about different types of trees, their names and characteristics, the different shapes of flowers, leaves and fruits. Even about those caterpillars and which leaves they preferred to chew on for their transformation to feeding on flowers. That beautiful training taught us to love and care for nature and created a sense of connection to something beyond the self and other humans.

Sadly, today’s children growing up in a concrete jungles do not get much of an opportunity to establish this loving bond with nature. They're more comfortable in an air conditioned room connecting with smart phones and hi-tech gadgets. Being alienated from nature, they learn to believe that land, water, air and life beyond walls are commodities for the use of human beings. The truth is that the most essential life form on this planet are trees. Without which, there would be no possibility of human or animal existence. They are the lungs if not the beating heart of the earth, constantly purifying the air, supporting the creation of oxygen and the purifying cycle desalination through water vapor and prep precipitation giving us the fresh water to drink and air we can breathe.They nourish us with fruits, flowers and shade. Bring rain to cool down parched earth, and give shelter to so many species of life, innumerable birds, insects and tired travelers. All these are done, without any expectations or a price tag - an absolutely unthinkable idea in today’s world. If we were to calculate the economic value of trees vs humans, there would be no contest. 

Modern man with arrogance and selfishness has brought so much of misery in the whole world. The time has come to think over it deeply. This is the time of year where we take a moment to ponder and make resolves to do better. May we learn some eternal values to be happy and to make others happy. Nature can teach us to be tolerant, kind and also to be connected with all life. As trees always adjust with the seasons, we also must learn to be flexible and adjusting to situations. And finally, as trees give and sustain life by giving its fruits to all without any expectations, we also must learn and apply this quality in life, to make life happy and blessed for all. Life can shine, if we remember the famous  saying, “Life is to give, not to take". 

Trees make the soil they stand on stronger, and many, like Banyan trees are connected with each other through roots under the soil. Learning from nature, we also can be aware of this basic truth of life. That what happens to any of us happens to all of us. Today the whole world is going through much turmoil. The time has come, that we realise our connectivity, and respect every form of life on earth, and make it a better world for all. May the next circle around the sun be a happier one. Happy and blessed new year to all.

Moments that last

Every year, Thanksgiving in the US is lavishly celebrated with friends, family and with a big feast. It might have a complicated history but the modern intention is to think of those we owe thanks to and express gratitude.It is a joyous moment to brighten up every soul. 

But sometimes life's joyous moments show up in mysterious ways when least expected. 

I remember a long time ago, on a cold winter evening in Delhi we were driving back home and the roads were foggy and crowded. As I cozily settled in the back seat, covered with many layers of woolen clothing, I noticed a barely clothed teenage boy holding bunches of roses trying to sell them to cars passing through this dimly lit street, I brought out some money from my purse and handed it over to my husband in the front seat and asked him to buy some flowers from that boy. He lowered the window, bought some, and handed over to me to the back.

We drove on and would have forgotten about that insignificant event, had it not been for what happened at the next stop light. As soon our car stopped at the next red light, the same boy showed up at the window, having run from the last stop light to this one. He had noticed that the decision to buy the flowers was made by me in the back of the car and he wanted to thank me  for the purchase but the light changed and we drove off. He made a calculation that saying thanks was more important than making the next sale to the next set of cars. He ran, caught up to our car at the next light and showed up with a big smile and a Namaste with folded hands to say thank you!

I was amazed by his gratitude and thoughtfulness and the calculation he made - that for this boy living in poverty, expressing his gratitude was worth more than making the next sale. Barely clothed in the cold, dark night selling roses to survive, he was a twinkling star in the dark night of today's transactional world. 

I was blessed with many such experiences in my life that long remain in my memory like the fragrance of wild flowers and still bring a smile to my now wrinkled face.  

Universal truths from universal men

It is amazing to see how life unfolds in silence. Sunlight helps plants to grow, bear fruit and flowers. Rivers flow, carving through land and making them fertile on both its sides. Animals and plants each have a role within the ecosystem. But the purpose of human life on earth remains a mystery, though it has been interpreted differently by different cultures 

All animals learn through observation of their parents and the herd and information is absorbed through the act of participating in life. In humans though, education is largely seen as a process of information being imparted through books and words. But as every parent knows, you teach children more by doing than by saying what to do and what not to. In ancient India though, the Gurukul system of education in the Vedic era (before 5000 B.C) was based on total immersion when the student actually lived in the school and learned not just through information from but observation of the teacher.  Information is given but the learning happens in silence. To be moulded in the image of the parent or the teacher it needs more than words so children can absorb the nutrients and process them in silence to blossom fully - not just to understand the rules, but to internalize ethical basis of their parent or teacher and know right from wrong when there is no sign-post. So while residing in Guru’s Ashram,  they learnt to be helpful to each other, they grew up  to understand what it is to be dignified, self reliant, and responsible citizens. That made them good human beings and good house holders as well, not just technically legally compliant citizens.

This scenario changed drastically when the Britishers invaded this country. They brought new education system, which while it had many new topics, was dependent on bookish knowledge and though it brought many new ideas, it was designed to make people faithful and obedient to them and who's greatest ambition in life would become to secure a life-long job in government. And that hasn't changed over the last two hundred years. It never aimed to make great saints, philosophers, intellectuals or social reformists - and yet they emerged because of the historic fabric of the traditional systems of education that are so part of the Indian culture itself. 

Two such people were Tagore and Gandhi - Tagore who was a Nobel laureate poet, focused on undoing the clerical structure of education to bring back the native Bengali love of free thinking, poetry and the liberal arts and recreated the traditional educational system in my hometown called Shantiniketan (literally translates to 'abode of peace'). Life and education was experienced alike with 'classes' held under a tree where the curriculum was defined more by nature and desire of young minds than by a textbook driven curriculum. Tagore was a universal man deeply rooted to Indian cultures and his vision of India was as a multicultural land, and  he wrote, “The doors have opened in the west. All shall give and take, mingle  and mingled in, none shall depart.  dejected, from the shore of the sea of. Bharat’s great harmony.”

Gandhi, who was himself a British educated lawyer, focused on self-reliance and the dignity and respect of manual labor in a world that respected paper more than cloth. He taught people to weave their own cloth so they would not be dependent on British clothes and on led salt marches to the oceans as a symbolic gesture of self-reliance on the most basic of elements in food - salt. Through Swadeshi (self-ruled) movement, he encouraged people to use locally made products. Gandhi grew up in the world of books and laws yet saw the world through the lens of agriculture and labor and while he thoroughly understood the western mind and educational system, having studied law in England and worked as a lawyer in South Africa, but he was deeply rooted to the Indian way. He said, “I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any “. 

Perhaps the core beliefs of these two greats sons of India are as relevant today for the world as they were for India under the British.

Life is a divine romance

The longer I live the more life feels like a river - one that flows through varied terrain, adapting to it, frothing and calm, to finally empty out in the infinite ocean.

Every life has two realities - an outer and inner one. Our outer reality consists of our physical body, relationships with people, nature and circumstance, that are all visible through our senses and we react and manage them the best we can through life. The other reality is our inner one, invisible to others, that motivates us with new thoughts and ideas that form our lived experience and forms the spirit of an individual being - human or animal. That spirit is like an unseen yet powerful seed that bears fruit. The seed which cannot be seen, but the fruit of which is quite different from tree to tree. Though our physical and mental abilities may have much to do with our genetics and inherited traits, the self selected nature of our spirit is ultimately what shapes our inner life and our experience, which often overcome the limitations of our inherited traits. 

Just as our outer physical health depends greatly on our food habits, the environment, and activities, our inner health depends on the thoughts we create and consume, the environment we keep within ourself and the projections we make of life. Just as green vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals are the diet of a healthy outer body, empathy, compassion, calmness, and sincere inquiry are the diet of a healthy inner body. These mental orientations are the protein, vitamins and minerals that define the shape of our soul. Just as we take in fluids to keep the body well hydrated, we must also have the daily practice of achieving a state of flow, where the mind isn't encumbered with problems and solutions but just is. That is the hydration of the spirit so it doesn't dry up. To spend time in nature is good for both outer and inner body. To feel the soil under our feet and immerse in water are all activities with dual purpose benefits. When we walk barefoot, we practice something we've done as a species for fifty thousand years while staring at computers and televisions is what we've done for fifty. The memory of the body continues - from our ancestors to our great grand children and beyond. Positive socialisation, mental challenges through  brain games in old age are also activities that can achieve a state of flow, where we forget ourselves and immerse in an activity that dissolves us temporarily. The dissolution of the self is not just to be reserved for the final moment, it is to be practiced everyday.

In today’s world, challenges are many. People are forced to stay in the middle of concrete jungles. Noise pollution, junk food and addiction to mobile phones and negative socialisation on social media has significantly damaged our life . Negative  emotions like  anxiety, irritations, anger, and greed are commonly seen at every age.This can be controlled by the practice of deep breathing, meditation and experiences in nature that help cleanse the mind and overcome being stuck in negative states. For the mind to be calm, focused and cheerful is a natural state, if only not messed up by the negative interventions of modern living. It is better to start early in life, so that later life can be handled better without when physical ailments are bound to arrive. At any age, life can be changed for the better only by will power. It is truly said that, the magic method of working without fatigue lies in the use of will power. With will power, we  learn to use time effectively, can pursue creative hobbies like writing, painting, learning a new skill, or rendering selfless service to others. An attitude of gratitude must be practiced all through life. We must be grateful for what we have, like we can talk, walk, breathe, which many cannot do. Golden words of Paramhansa Yogananda  are truly inspiring for all. He said, “The soul must rule the body, because the soul is neither caused by nor dependent on the body .”( Divine Romance)