A New Year’s Resolution

A New Year’s Resolution

As moments roll into minutes, and minutes into hours and days, gradually, our years pass away, punctuated by annual resolutions. The focus of our resolutions align to our natural inclinations and needs from childhood, adolescence, and youth, and finally, when old age peeps through our gray hairs, we wonder; what did I gather, what did I resolve to do, and what did I achieve and contribute through this lifetime? 

Every stage of life has its own desires. They may be a colorful toys in childhood, a speedy motorbike in adolescence, or a beautiful wealthy partner in our youth. But unfortunately after achieving anything we set out to, we soon we get bored, and need another target in life to keep us engaged. So the real question is – are our resolutions driven by the attainment of our desires or a desire to evolve as a human being? The marathon of life goes on, one leg at a time. And many believe that it doesn’t even come to a halt with our death, because to fulfill our unfulfilled desires, we reappear in physical form in this world, till we taste the freedom of     desireless-ness.

So for a change, we may experiment with a new resolution in this upcoming New Year. And that resolution should be, not to run after anything.  Just to be relaxed, but attentive, not to be angry, not to worry, and not to get agitated at all by any situation, however provocative it may be. 

Though such a resolution could be rejected by many as not a resolution, it is perhaps the most difficult resolution of all. To achieve a state in which the experience of being alive as a conscious human being is not punctuated by objective achievement, is one that can be very interesting and adventurous. It is a way to know ourselves and this world as we are. 

Every moment creeps in our life silently to give a new message, to sing a new song. But mostly not being relaxed and attentive, we miss to hear that tune. The tune which emerges from the eternal flow of life sings the song of life’s impermanence. That song inspires and teaches us to be dispassionate, to loosen our attachment, and tells us that, we own nothing in this world. On the other hand each and every blow of life gives us signal to be alert and attentive in each moment, to treat every relationship, every soul with sincere love and dignity, who ever touches our life. We can really respect and value each life, only when we are aware of life’s impermanence. But mostly being unaware of life’s truth, we take life for granted, and for personal gratification of our desires, we use our relationship with human beings, animals and plants in not a very dignified way. As a result, life becomes stressful for us and for our dear ones also. 

Life is an ongoing process of learning. If we train our mind to be relaxed, attentive, and observant, then from each and every moment, and from every life event, we get an opportunity to learn something about ourselves. Just through the observation of our reaction towards outside stimuli, we can gain insight into ourselves and lead to self-empowerment. 

When we are self-empowered, our mind becomes unprejudiced and devoid of any preconceived notions. We are able to see things as they really are, and think and act calmly to any situation without a pre-defined tendency to act in accustomed ways. To be cheerful, happy, and connected to experiences that the present moment brings, is our natural state. It doesn’t require an accomplishment or a difficult task to achieve it but a vigilance mindset against falling into prejudice so we don’t allow any situation to pull us down and rob us of a state of engaged joyfulness that is our birthright. 

Only through the constant practice of mediation, can we learn to stay cheerful and above conflict – with the external world as well as ourselves. And to remain, attentive and aware is a task of utmost importance. Through mindfulness, we can turn each moment into an insight. The cosmic energy drawn through our silent meditation, when applied to daily action transforms the mundane into something holy and beautiful. And that leads to selfless service, which in turn makes us free from karmic bondage.

So in this New Year, our resolution could be to draw upon our inner strength and nurture it through the active practice of silence. Silence unfolds the full value of each moment, and in doing so, we find compassion and the desire to be helpful to each other. Such a resolution has the power to make life joyful not just for us but for all sentient beings. In this way, we may leave our permanent footprint in this impermanent world.

Edited by Prodeep Bose

Action without Expectation

The famous verse (sloka) of Bagavad Gita says “your right is to work only; but never to the fruits there of. May you not be motivated by the fruits of actions; nor let your attachment be towards inaction.” (Chapter II/verse 47).

This is a very profound statement, which can be justified and explained from many different angles. 

In our ancient scriptures, and especially in Bhagavad Gita, it is again and again mentioned that, the goal of human life is to evolve from lower to a higher state, from material level to a spiritual level, and finally through the realization of our immortal self within, we should be free from all bondages. This process of evolution continues through our birth and rebirth. From child hood to our old age, we are all ways busy in doing different types of actions. It is said that, in life when we meet all challenges and perform all our worldly duties, with honest sincerity, for well being for all, and without any expectation for its fruits, we gradually progress towards our goal. Work may vary from individual to individual, according to our previous karmic account, but how we perform our prescribed duties in this life, and with what attitude, that is very important. 

Our universal prayer for perfect action in life is beautifully expressed in these few lines of Tagore 

“Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows

Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service

Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles

And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love” 

To make life meaningful, we must be attentive and must know the “Law of karma”; which means, how I want to feel tomorrow, it much depends, on how I use my life today. 

When we act with expectations, with hope and with fear, our mind gets disturbed and restless. If something gets uneasy or hurts, we immediately change the track, and look for alternatives. 

Feeling of expectations, hope and fear comes from mental poverty, that we lack something. With the feeling of constant want, we cannot be relaxed. It also ties us down to karmic bondage, for which we have to come back again and again to fulfill our endless desires.  

Life is a mystery. With our limited vision and understanding, we do not know what will be the outcome from our life’s events. After a big disappointment we may think, that is the end of the story. But we never know, it may be just the opposite. It may open up a new positive chapter in life. Temporary loss may turn out to be a greater gain in future. In this world, even in our life also, nothing happens by chance. Every event has a cause behind it. Everything is governed by the “Law of cause and effect” theory. And we must know that, ultimately whatever happens with divine will, it happens for good. 

In our temporary life, while we keep our selves busy with many activities, it is essential for us to remember a few things. Whatever we do, we should do with full concentration, and with a calm and cheerful mind. When mind is calm, composed, and stable, it can focus much better on any given problem; and can find out the right way to deal with it. With agitated and unstable mind, confusion grows further. 

It is also a wise policy to be always aware of karmic law, which means whatever we give, it comes back in many fold in our life. Awareness of this universal law (cause and effect theory) may stop us from doing many wrong things. With strong ego and with selfish attitude when we act, actually we invite more troubles for our own life. An ego rider’s temporary joyride sooner or later surely gets crushed under the wheel of divine law. 

Generally for all our misfortunes, we blame others, and make life more complicated for us and for others too. 

Life can be stress free, if we learn to deal with each challenge of life with unselfish sincere effort, and with whole hearted, intelligent attention. 

After that, whatever may be the outcome of our action, pleasant or unpleasant; we can accept it gracefully as God’s gift.

Communication for extending good will, not setting expectations

Communication is perhaps the most skillful act within human relationships. It is supported by the pillars of mutual love, respect, and healthy compassion for each other. It also strengthens our understanding of interdependence and teaches us to take care of ourselves and others around us. 

Before we start communicating with others, it is essential that we first communicate with our own heart to find out what feelings are being nurtured there, and with what intensity.  We may find out that our heart is open with unselfish love, joy and respect for all.Or we may find it is drying up with bitterness of hatred, anger or feelings of revenge. It is very important to observe our internal moods. Our behavior, actions and speech all are born out of the internal chemistry of our mind, and our communications are but a reflection of their color and quality.

So, if we really want to channel our communication skills towards extending good will, we must first clear up all the negative thoughts and feelings from our inner self. Otherwise our personal frustrations will spill over others, and the personality we project through communications will not be a pleasant one at all. Swami Yogananda said, the human mind is the most powerful broadcasting machine. So with full awareness if we always keep our mind positive, kind and respectful, then only successful communication of the heart is possible. Today with the help of most advanced communications devices like computers, mobile phones, TV, and radio, we can receive and send our ideas to any part of the world within a few seconds. But while we can improve our business communications by being ‘always on’ for conference calls and with other modern technology, we find that meaningful interactions between individuals in family, society, among friends and neighbors hood has gone down sharply. Relationships between husband and wife, parents and children are falling apart because we are too busy using communications technology that connects our words to the wired world but we have no time or patience to connect our words to our own heart and hear and share each other’s feelings in meaningful ways beyond the superficial – a like on facebook is not the same as a hug and a chat in the real world. It is an escape from a meaningful expression of our heart.

The modes of communications today make us more self-centered, more rigid, not so much on principals, but driven by the projection of our ego – perhaps because we constantly feel the need to have to re-establish ourselves through social media. This degradation and commercialization of human communications is one of the causes of our deterioration of relationships in present day. With all these modern means of communications, there is nothing left of us to communicate. The capacity to understand and express loving adjustment, and a quiet interplay within human relationships led by our hearts is being hijacked by a multitude of shallow transactional communications driven by a desire for self-   aggrandizement.  And in this state of affairs, relationships can only be a painful experience for us, leaving little scope for evolving the greatest role of communications between individuals – to be a mirror for our hearts. 

An alert and responsible person knows how not to be trapped by the constant meddling of modern communications technologies with the evolution of one’s heart. Happiness stands on the ground of understanding, sincerity and kind words. And that does not mean that we always have to agree with each other. But a stable minded and truthful person knows when to speak, how to speak and when to stay actively silent. 

Famous Zen master ThichNhatHanh says, to restore communication, the practice of compassionate listening and practice of loving speech are necessary. With calm and unprejudiced mind we should listen to our dear ones, without judging or criticizing them, and just let them speak out to lessen their sufferings. After that, if we want to point out some mistake or misunderstanding, we can do it with a calm voice, and with loving and kind words. 

Life is not permanent; it is like a passing shadow. We are all like moving stars, ready to move away from each other to some unknown destination at any moment. If this is the truth of life, then why not try to make each moment beautiful and wholesome with love, forgiveness and compassion? 

So whatever we can give, a loving encouraging word, a smile, a helping hand, we should give it right now. If we cannot catch this moment now, then life will only be full with repentance later. Tibetan Buddhist master Sogyal Rinpoche said, mind full of compassion purifies our past negative karma. So while helping others to communicate, we also help ourselves to clear out our past karma. Great formula on communication was given by an unknown Tibetan saint, and says,

“Give all profit and gain to other

Take all loss and defeat on yourself”.

Edited by 

Prodeep Bose

Speed, Mobility and Stability

Speed, Mobility and Stability

There is a Zen story about a man riding a horse which is galloping very quickly. Another man standing alongside the road yells at him, “where are you going?”, and the man yells back, “I do not know, ask the horse.

Our situation is something like that today. Our five senses are like five untrained, wild horses, which are pulling and pushing us in tremendous speed to self-perpetuate our endless desires, but ending in a state of disarray.

Desires spring from our natural energy which is constantly in flux, so they should not be suppressed. But how and with what direction we channel that energy into is a skillful task that each of us must endeavor to learn. And it is critically important, because our happiness and happiness of those around us much depends on our accomplishment of this task.  

Life is short and uncertain, and the speed, level of skill, and directional awareness we develop in our lives is one of the truly consequential choices we make – with or without the awareness of it. When we hurry up to do something, with good intentions, and for a good cause such as social welfare, education, or feeding the needy, then the speed and direction of this transforms the energy arising out of our natural state of desire (pravritti) into a constructive force expanding outwards. 

But when the same energy is fixed on self gratification and accumulation, without any concern for others, then it shapes itself into a cancerous force of self-destruction. Our unchecked cravings and desires are behind today’s culture of consumerism. The effect of that can be seen in destruction of nature, violence in society, and in the explosion of mental illness, it also continues to lead our individual and collective self-destruction. 

Before speeding up indiscriminately to get something, it will be wise just to stop for a moment, and ponder with a calm mind that what is it that we’re really seeking in life, and how does this moment drive towards that larger goal. When the goal gets clear, then we can put our speedy efforts to find out the best way to achieve it. 

If we become little more inward looking and indulge a little less in short term thinking, and try to understand our true nature, we will see that we are all spiritual beings passing through material expressions of our intentions and desires.  Our goal should be to realize our inherent divine nature, while playing our respective roles with dignity, sincerity and honesty. Body, mind and senses all are our instruments, those that help us perform our duties towards the greater whole and the endless continuum of life and an understanding of that is the first step in reaching the goal of self realization.But often when ignorance covers up our vision, we think we are alone and separate in this one body, we behave like slaves to our senses and desires. We speed up, and waste our life running after mirages created by our desires, whose promise of excitement is but a fleeting vision that leaves in its wake permanent damage to our material, psychological and spiritual life. Only with proper understanding and with the power to discern subtly, our own life experience can bring balance between mobility expressed through the natural flux of our energy (pravritti) and stability (nivritti). Our skill must match our speed in order to keep control of the direction of our lives. If it doesn’t, it is better to be still and gain that skill before moving further. In being awakened to the wisdom of our true nature, we can still be materially productive and prosperous while being spiritually enlightened. In order to make our brief worldly journey meaningful and peaceful for us and for others whose lives we touch, it is imperative that we stop the world before moving any further. And in that moment, see exactly where we stand and where we’re headed.

We need speed, mobility and stability all in our lives but in the right proportion and for right cause. When that is not maintained, our orientation is skewed and unbalanced and destroys the harmonious balance of life and with it ourselves. And the evidence of this we can find in much of today’s consumerist culture, which is largely fed by endless desire, and causing terminal harm to the individual life force as well as stunting the development of a just, civic society. 

A well-known American Buddhist scholar Mr. Jack Kornfield says; “ Ours has been called the Addicted society, with over twenty million alcoholics, ten million drug addicts, and millions addicted to gambling, food, sexuality, unhealthy relationships, or the speed and business of work …with great fanfare our society encourages these addictions”. (A Path with Heart, page 24).

Life full with endless expectations and desires, do not allow us to stay connected with our own selves, then how can we expect to be connected with others with love and respect?  So we find, with all material comforts, modern man lives in deep loneliness and inner poverty. 

Tragedies come in life to teach us that which we have not taught ourselves. We ‘own’ nothing in this impermanent world, not our car, house or our dear ones, not even our own bodies. So to bring about a stable state of happiness, we have to work on our lives, and with a proper understanding of our true loving and peaceful nature. With will and with discernment, we may channel our energies of desire for welfare of others. By surrendering our big ego, and attitude of “I” and “Mine” at the feet of our creator, we can remain free. We do not have to be ascetics. We can still enjoy the fullness of life and complete our duties and business obligations efficiently without losing sight of what comprises the means to the end and what is the end goal of our sentient lives. Losing ourselves to be the top runner in a rat race, or counting the value of our life in terms of material significance associated with things that we cannot take with us is a manic state, not one that is borne of a clear understanding of the fact that the only resource we have is time, and the only power we have is the power to make choices. This brief transit of life is too valuable to be wasted. As T. S. Eliot said in his poem 

“Those who have crossed 

With direct eyes, to deaths other kingdom 

Remember us – if at all – not as lost 

Violent souls, but only 

As hollow men 

The stuffed men”.  (The Hollow Men)

Edited by Prodeep Bose

Joys and sorrows are source of strength and wisdom

“There is sorrow, there is death, 

There burns the fire of separation

Yet there is peace, yet there is bliss

Yet flows unending life.” (Tagore, Achhedukkho, ache mrityu)

Life flows with opportunities and disappointments, and we pray only for it to be blessed. 

But sometimes blessings come disguised as hardship and we do not realize then, but may be years later we realize that God’s generosity in not fulfilling our heart desire, and saving us from ourselves.The joys and sorrows that come to our doorstep are there to teach us something. We have no power to stop them. We can only welcome life as it comes, do the needful, learn the lesson, and then let it go. But sometimes they do not go. And when misfortunes hang over us for a long time we feel depressed, discouraged and hopeless, and then we are left with no energy to lift ourselves out of it. 

Such a situation can be explained only by law of karma and reincarnation. Nature’s law is that what we give comes back to us in many folds – or has often been said across many religious texts – what we do to others, we actually do to ourselves. In taking another’s life, we imprint the horror of killing on our own soul. This karmic knowledgeabout the connection between personal energy and action should make us very careful, not to use our thought, action or speech in a way that would cause damage to others, and thereby ourselves. This knowledge also can give us inner strength to face the many challenges of life. When we realize that through our suffering, we are cleansing our multi-lifetime karmic debt, we feel much lighter, and can view suffering not as bondage but as a path to freedom.

On the whole, life can never be monotonous, because joys and sorrows; success and failures, all these opposite currents ebb and flow through our lives.

This changing pattern of life’s events can be a great source of wisdom and strength, if only we have an open mind, and a positive attitude to learn the lessons within. Material life and its energetic flow is eternal and like ebb and flow of waves, our lives also appear and disappear in the eternity of the ocean of consciousness. But when we view it from a narrow perspective of an individual, all the joys and sorrows are as big and real as a wave at any one moment. As a result, either we get overwhelmed with joy, or are drowned in sorrow. 

Often we see people in power and with possessions - and the fear of the loss of those tumbles them into the loss of their emotional balance. They often become arrogant or insensitive to others, or fearing uncertainty, they wrap up their lives in seclusion, which is devoid of joy and freedom, and can only generate fear, anger and hatred. The attachment to power or possessions is the act that denies us the joy and freedom they were meant to bring.

On the other hand, when unending suffering continues, we lose hope and confidence and feel suffocated under the pressure of life’s misfortune.  But if we introspect deeply, we will understand that our experience of the reality of our lives – both in material and in emotional terms, is our choice. And no matter the circumstance – be it hardship or luxury, the experience is what makes it so and that is, or certainly could be, in our own command. An orientation towards attachment, greed, jealousy, hatred, etc., is the real cause of our suffering. Adverse situations may aggravate and may provoke our negativity, but in essence, we are responsible for our own life experience, regardless of its material composition. When wealth, wisdom, happiness is shared, it is amplifies our own experience of it, and when we support others in their misfortune by giving of ourselves, we do not become less but in fact, generate more of what we gave. That is the law that governs the human experience. We are comprised of what we consume, and what we give. We are finite beings surrounded by infinity in every direction – and there is such great abundance of energy in this universe that to protect what is ours is like building sand castles on a beach. It is more meaningful to channel the blessings of the countless unseen souls of the past, the joy shared by all sentient beings in the present and the energy that will shape the unborn – to add a drop to that infinite ocean of energy and give form to the blessings that fill up this human planet with more joy. We are all interconnected in this world, so it is our obligation to give back something to society, and for the betterment of all conscious beings using our evanescent human form. This attitude will enrich our personality with great human qualities like compassion, cooperation and creativity. 

Suffering is a great teacher. Pain makes us tender, and ready to be cooked in the cauldron of the greater collective consciousness, and to achieve a state that our cognitive mind, by itself, cannot. The pain of losing our dear ones, or our much valued possessions directly teach us about the impermanent nature of this world. It inspires us to be kind to others, to have self-control, to have the power to discern the subtleties of our physical and emotional experiences. These lessons are the seeds of spiritual awakening. Suffering makes us humble and understanding. Difficulties soften our heart, make us more empathetic. It also motivates us to find out some new ways, through which problems can be solved. Bhagavad Gita refers about it as, different kinds of endeavor (vividha cha prthakchesta), chapter 18, verse 14.

Through different endeavors, our consciousness get energized to a higher order.According to our karma, whatever comes in our life is urging us to learn something for our souls to evolve.

Life is ever new, with new hope and with new possibilities. Though life’s events are not in our control, surely we can transform the experience of each moment to a higher order than simply pain or pleasure.  Gloriousness and wretchedness are complementary to each other, when one inspires us, cheers us up, and make us happy, the other softens us, teaches us to be steady and courageous. But in the end, they are but attributes that are our own.

Bhagavad Gita teaches us, neither to be overwhelmed with joy, nor to be heart broken in sorrow. While facing challenges of life we should learn to keep our mind as calm as possible. In happiness in misery, in profit and in loss, in victory or in defeat we should keep our mind as calm and steady as possible, because all good works are done only through a calm mind and silent steady disposition. “Heaving made pain and pleasure, gain and loss, conquest and defeat, the same, engage yourself then in battle. So shall incur no sin”.  (Sukhadukhe same krtva, labhalabhaujayajayau)” Chapter II, Verse 38.

Edited by Prodeep Bose

Approach Life as an Experiment

Life’s journey can be exciting, and adventurous, if only we can keep our mind and attitude little flexible.

When we approach life as an experiment, we try in many different ways. If something does not work out, there is no point to be stressed out about it. May be the time was not ripe for that particular thing to happen. May be the time was more suitable for some other thing to happen.

Whatever we do, we should put our whole heart into it. But it is a wise policy, not to freeze our mind with hope, desire and fear. Whatever happens happens for good. This is the message of Bhagavad Gita also. When work is done with total sincerity and we surrender it to God’s will we neither get stressed out nor get tied up with karmic account.

When work is done from narrow self-centeredness, it is sure to create stress and tension for us.

The best trick is, while working, we must keep few points in mind. Our work and intension should not be harmful to others. Better it will be, if it is done for well being of all. Secondly we should put our 100 percent sincere effort in each of our work. Finally we should surrender all our work to God’s will. Then whatever may be the outcome, we can remain unruffled. 

Life is a great school, especially we may learn a lot from our adversities and disappointments. If we lose our material possessions or our loved ones, that pain teaches us the world’s temporal nature. Whatever may come in our life, prosperity, good relationship or fame, we may enjoy it, without being attached to them with expectations. Mental freedom and joy is our birth right. We must protect that, and learn to live every moment with joy and happiness.

Life is an experiment with right and wrong approach, and we learn many lessons from life.

If our sincere effort brings satisfactory result it is “Fine”, if it is not “No big deal”.

----------

Spiritual Knowledge

Spiritual Knowledge is the need of the day
“Spiritual knowledge is the only thing that can destroy our miseries for ever; any other knowledge satisfies wants only for a time”. (Swami Vivekananda, The Secret of the work).

Today we need a philosophy that can address the dissonance that echoes across so many cultures, peoples and societies. The only solution to solve the many miseries of our world today is to make ourselves pure in intent, strong in spirit strong and educated in a deeper understanding of our shared existence. Misery derived from the conflict of men will continue to exist until the essential human character evolves. And it is through the evolution of our individual nature, that we can effect change in the collective – change that begins deep within the self then impacts one’s family, then our own society, and then even distant cultures and peoples  - even those in direct conflict with us. Spiritual knowledge purifies our thoughts and attitudes and teaches us how to negotiate our life with the fundamental acceptance of the fact that uncertainty is the only certainty, thereby maintaining a sense of equilibrium and connection with the deepest core of one’s being even in the face of great difficulties.

The root cause of our misery is that we forget we are spiritual beings first. We forget that life is impermanent and our material existence and attachments are but a collection fleeting moments. The sole purpose of human life is for our soul to learn the lessons from life, and evolve through purification or our inner self, to be free from the cycle of birth and death. According to Sankhya philosophy, “the whole of nature is for the soul, not the soul for the nature”. But being only body conscious, we take impermanent life as permanent, and waste our life and the lessons it brings, and chase endless desires to catch up to a fleeting mirage of what we think our life should be instead of what it is pointing our soul towards. And that mistake leads to a path that leads to narrow and selfish attachments, which in turn breed lust, anger, intolerance, and robs us from the divine qualities of compassion and understanding that lead to peace. Understanding the perspective of another is extremely necessary in order to see life in its totality, not just a projection of our personal mirage which itself is born with the notion of a fixed identity – often defined by birth, race, nationality, or by societal prejudices. 

The result is clearly seen in today’s world. This beautiful earth is full of violence, fanaticism, and intolerance. It could have progressed much more, if only we could care to gain spiritual knowledge from our true nature, and tried to apply it through our life’s activities. Human life is too short and valuable to be wasted on prejudice and hatred.

Ramprasad the saint poet of Bengal sang, “such rich field of human life is lying fallow which, if cultivated would have given the harvest of gold”. To make every moment precious and useful, we need to be inspired by a lasting knowledge that can guide us in right direction. 

Uplifting Vedanta’s theory Swami Vivekananda says, “Each soul is potentially divine”. Buddha said, Buddhahood is present in everybody; we just have to uncover it. We are all Atman, spiritual beings. The Atman or shared consciousness, which is creating and sustaining all life, is manifesting itself in every life, in every different form, and that is eternal. When body perishes, consciousness does not die, it dissolves in its source again, to re-appear in a different form. “No weapons can cut this Atman, no fire can burn it, no water can wet it, no air can dry it”, (Bhagawad Gita, Chapter II, verse 23). Know thyself, (atmanam bodhi). According to Veda, if we know truly who we are, then we know everything.

The knowledge of our spiritual identity, which is in me and in all, can empower us with fearlessness and compassion. Once we understand that our shared spirit is immortal and eternal, we understand that what we do to anyone or anything, we do to ourselves. This realization makes us compassionate to each other and makes us fearless in our observance of this compassion. 

We have achieved much in the field of technical and material understanding, but very little in terms of the development of our core human qualities. Long back Tagore visualized this problem and said “the world should not be broken up into fragments of narrow domestic walls”. What he feared long ago has become our reality. Though our life is saturated with all the physical comforts, our heart remain empty and unable to respond with unconditional love and compassion for all; it is always conditioned with narrow self-interest and personal gain. This is the sign of mental and spiritual poverty. Until we move forward on the path to our spiritual and mental evolution, we can never hope to have a happy society, regardless of the state of our material wealth and comfort.

Our body and mind are the perfect instruments to help us evolve spiritually, if only we know how to handle them in a correct way.

To bring unity in diversity, to bring good will for all, to have a balanced development of body, mind and soul, “Yoga” is a universally recognized system, about which Paramhansa Yogananda said, “India developed the yoga system, the science of oneness – oneness with the soul with God, oneness with the principles of eternal righteousness; with the universe; and with all mankind”. (The Divine Romance, page 351). Yoga gives us power to have control over our impulsive behavior; (yoga chittavritti nirodha). Through yoga when we are empowered with power of concentration, will power, ability to discriminate between right and wrong, only then we can be master of our own fate, and architect of our own life. By accepting yoga as a part of our life, we can get rid of our narrow and selfish attitude, and can express our inherent divine qualities more in life. By union with divine soul, we can embrace each soul with love, tolerance and compassion. And in that process our shared human existence can be transformed from a battlefield into heaven.  

This great knowledge, which has been highlighted by all realized souls, is for the happiness and well-being of all. There is nothing limited or communal in it. When we are enriched with spiritual knowledge, then life becomes worth living. We transcend the narrow boundary of “I” and “Mine”. Our every thought, action and speech may be motivated with the spirit of love and cooperation. Only then with a feeling of universal brotherhood, we can make this world a loving nest for all. 

Edited by Prodeep Bose
-------

There is hope!

There is hope! Balancing physical and spiritual energy to walk the path of health and happiness

In Atharva Veda, there is a prayer for long life. Which says;

“For a hundred autumns may we see,

For a hundred autumns may we live,

For a hundred autumns may we know,

For a hundred autumns may we rise”

(Translated by Dr. A. C. Bose)

This ancient prayer is more than a beautiful dream.  It raises an important question - is it really possible to have a joyful long life? To be healthy and happy is in fact the most natural state – one that is born of the equilibrium within the life force that binds us. And it is due to many interfering factors that create imbalance and cause our life to less than healthy and happy. While physical life spans has increased in the modern age due to advanced medicine, whether people are in fact healthier or happier is another matter altogether. Since ancient times across cultures, we all know that mind and body are interrelated, and they affect each other. Good health makes us cheerful and positive, and a positive attitude drives good health. Keeping this in mind, when we try to restore energy, we must consider that other factor beyond food and rest – prana, which is cosmic energy and the invisible life force that propels us forward. 

Our common belief is that when we feel tired, and take good food and some rest, we will be energized again. This theory is true to some extent, as long as it is used to restore bodily energy. And of course the mechanics of our body requires food that is rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, etc. and which are also easily digestible, so our digestive system is not stressed in the process. Upon which, the caloric energy derived gets distributed to each cell in our body and we feel energized. But there is another kind of energy – one that is not derived from calories. And when we are unaware of that life force and its interplay with caloric energy, we lose the equilibrium within our mind and body that is naturally build upon it.

And so overindulgence can have the opposite effect if, to satisfy our taste, we depend more on processed, spicy and over cooked food or consume too much of it. If we consume animal proteins in large quantities in our daily diet, we forget that something that taste good and fills the stomach, is not necessarily what our body needs. So knowingly or unknowingly we tend to abuse our body with over eating or wrong eating. Consumption of too much animal protein can boost cellular regeneration and energy levels temporarily, but medical findings have found a correlation between red meat consumption and cancer, which is in simple terms, is an overgrowth of cells. So it is important to understand the idea of balance and equilibrium, especially by taking into consideration our needs beyond caloric energy. Prana of life force is in everything and how we consume it, channel it, and expend it makes us balanced or imbalanced. 

Energy constantly moves through our body – the ancients have described the types of energy centers of chakras that are the nodes through which our life force is channeled. Today’s comfortable and sedentary life style actually blocks the movement of energy and deprives us from having good health to some extent. There is research that correlated sitting with shortening lifespans. Our body needs movement like walking, jogging, swimming, yoga, etc. to maintain the flow of energy and equilibrium.

Equally, wrong and negative emotions like anger, greed etc. lead to psychosomatic diseases caused by an unbalanced mental state.  The food that we eat affects this mental state. So does the lack of awareness of the underlying life force – whether it is being nourished or starved. This is at its heart, is an energy issue - and poor consumption and utilization of energy is a key factor. 

But there is a way out of here, or rather, a way inwards, which was given to humanity by our ancient sages, is simple, and can work wonders to transform our lives.

One such system is “yoga”, which was introduced by sage Patanjali. For total development of body, mind, and wisdom (a more appropriate translation of buddhi, often referred to as intellect), - “ yoga” is a system we can rely upon.  If we make it a part of our life, and practice it daily with sincerity, then it can bring about transformational change by developing our body, mind and wisdom to help us find balance and energetic equilibrium.

Yoga handles energy (prana) in two ways. Firstly it teaches to draw more cosmic energy, and secondly it teaches to throw out poisonous substance and negative emotions from our body-mind system using our breath effectively.

Yoga means union of individual soul with supreme soul; to achieve that, one gradually proceeds through eight steps; like yam (control, which we should not do) niyam (discipline, what we should do), asana (exercises), pranayam (proper breathing), pratyahar (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyan (meditation) and nirvan (liberation). So through yoga, when body mind gets purified, it becomes a good receiver of cosmic energy. Paramhansa Yogananda says “yoga teaches us to know the divine nature in ourselves and others….. Beneath the wave of our consciousness is the infinite ocean of His consciousness. It is because of the wave forgets it is a part of the ocean that it becomes isolated from that oceanic power” (Where there is light, p. 7)

So to make life happy and energetic, we should infuse love and a willingness to help others in all our activities. We should also be careful to stem the leakage points of energy, like unnecessary gossip, or useless activities that have no long term value. 

Today in the name of modernity, we have lost the beauty of the simple life - closeness with nature, the art of spontaneous co-operation with our fellow beings. The resulting unhappiness is manifested everywhere. 

Swami Yogananda’s recipe for bringing health and happiness back into our lives comes to mind - “Drink vitality and receive mental nourishment from a materially and spiritually progressive mind. Take long mental walks on the path of self-confidence. Exercise with the instrument of judgment, introspection and initiative” (Paramahansa Yogananda, Where there is light, p. 109).

Edited by Prodeep Bose

Concept of Yajna (Sacrifice)

Concept of Yajna (Sacrifice)

“In the theatre of the universal creator

I feel the burning anguish of sacrificial fires
As I offer myself in the quest for freedom”
(Tagore, Amar mukti aloye aloye)

This world is a wonderful sphere, upon which we, as human beings get an opportunity to be liberated through our karma. We evolve through the varied experiences of living through ups and downs, and especially through the challenges we face in our life. The sole purpose of human life is to get a taste freedom and achieve liberation from our empowered yet limited human existence. 

“Yajna” is a special ritual performed as a spiritually symbolic gesture of using fire as the metaphor to the achievement of liberation. It is a religious ceremony, where ghee (clarified butter), incense, and flowers are offered into the sacred fire with specific chants and prayers. In the Vedas, this word Yajna is often mentioned, and which has also historically included ritualistic sacrifice. The word Yajna has a socio-religious connotations and it is believed to have a cosmic dimension as well. 

Offering clarified butter in the fire, symbolizes, uniting man’s purified mind with the cosmic consciousness of the God. Flowers are a symbol of our purified senses (smell, touch, vision, etc). Symbolically we offer our pure life force to the sacred fire, through flowers, incense, etc. The burning of incense and pouring of other oblations in the fire also has a beneficial impact on the immediate physical environment and infuses the air with a pleasant aroma. It is a cause for extended families to come together, and with their united devotion offer prayers to God.  And so it has the effect of strengthening familial and social bonds.

A key aspect of Yajna is the understanding of inter-connectedness between our conscious life and the elements.  To maintain karmic equilibrium, before we take something, we must give something back to the universe. In that way, renunciation of the concept of self-ownership is not at odds with experiencing the fullness of life and the material offerings it brings. It is the imbalance of consumption and hoarding that karmically brings misery and stalls our path of evolution.

The Upanishads say, “Enjoy life through renunciation. Do not greed (ten taktena bhunjhita, ma gridham)”. Our creator, and nature has given wonderful precious life giving gifts to us - like sunshine, fresh air, pure water, forest, fruits and everything for our enjoyment. So it is our duty and also our obligation to our mother earth, and nature, to nurture it and repay back that which we consume. Destroying the very nature that enables our existence due to our greed belies a complete lack of understanding between nature and our existence. It must be preserved and enriched by us rather than blindly consumed. In that way, we may leave a prosperous earth for our future generations. 

The whole environment including all species of life must be nourished by our noble actions and with our kind thoughts. The Bhagvad Gita says, “if one enjoys what is given without returning to them their share, then one is a thief” (Chapter III verse 12). 

Yajna is not only a ritual that takes place once a year but a practice that must be reflected in our daily life activities - our actions done for well-being of others is also Yajna. In traditional Hindu homes, when food is prepared, some portion is kept separate to feed birds, or a hungry person. This way Yajna is practiced in our daily life.  

Yajna means take and give back, so a healthy relationship between man and environment can be sustained. Any society or civilization can truly progress only when they choose to act for welfare for all, and not by isolation, confrontation or exploitation. With greed, we are violating nature, and as a result, we are and will be violated by nature. 

The Bhagvad Gita also mentions about three other debts, which must be paid back by us, in our lifetime with sincere devotion. They are Pitri Rin, Rishi Rin and Deva Rin. 

Pitri Rin is a genetic debt. This body owes its existence to its ancestors. So not only by taking good care of our parents, but also by maintaining our body, mind and intellect healthy, and by helping next generation to do so, we can bring glory to the family and debt of Pitri Rin can be discharged. 

Rishi Rin signifies our debt to our teachers, and to all great thinkers, who groomed us with knowledge, with the values of life, and taught us to face life with courage and confidence. When we do not compromise with unethical situations in life, we establish truth, inspire future generation and satisfy those noble souls who were our great teachers. 

Deva Rin can be discharged by protecting environment, plants, animals, rivers, etc. These three debts are also central teachings within traditional Indian Society. 

With these debts in mind, when we perform Yajna and light the ceremonial fire, it must extend to every moment of our life and enable us to find balance between us and nature and ultimately connect with the divine. Then only can life be blissful, leaving the bondage of our ego behind and our material bodies, we may be connected with the supreme self. 

As Tagore said, 

“My sacrifice will be thy victory

In my love Thou will be known.

My patience is Thy highway

That will cross woods and hills.”

(Tagore, mor marane tomar habe joy), translation – Dr. A. C. Bose)

Edited by Prodeep Bose

Handling Difficulties of Life

Experiencing sadness, difficulties, feeling of loneliness, dejection is a common experience for all. Life’s pattern is woven with the threads of contrasts, which bring us joy and sorrow, peace and unrest. Though it is quite natural for us to go up and down with strong emotions, but these natural reactions of ours is neither beneficial for us, nor for our dear ones.
Next question comes, then how to get rid of them? Emotions can be dealt in two ways. We can face them with courage, and can transform those energies through some other creative channels. Other option is, by knowing our true blissful nature through meditation, we can go above the material pain, and can view them as passing phases of temporary life.
Buddhist theory which is very practical, and can be practiced by any layperson, in day-to-day life, has been very beautifully described by Jack Kornfield in his book “A Path With Heart”. 
He shows us four ways to tattle problems, 1. By let go, 2. Transforming energy, 3. Putting aside, and 4. Acting mind fully.
He suggests, that to practice any method, first we must develop balance and compassion in our mind, and secondly our skill can be perfect only through constant practice. First method he refers as “letting go”. Here we become aware of the appearance of a particular problem, but without nurturing any aversion, or indifference towards it, we let it go for time being. 
Knowing it’s impermanent nature, do not allow our mind to get upset about it. Our attitude should be, allow present to arise and pass away as waves of ocean. 
Second formula he says, about transforming negative energy to positive energy. When a feeling of anger grips us, we are ready to explode, hurt others, and harm ourselves. In such situation, best thing is not to react immediately, and be calm, take a deep breath, go out, and may transform that strong energy into some creative, beneficial action, like gardening, playing some active game, etc till that, excess negative energy is released. Our greedy attachment maybe transformed into selfless loving activities for others.
His third formula is, acknowledging our strong emotion, we may put it aside, for time being, and can assure to work on it at an appropriate time and place. After some time, when the mind calms down, we may think on it again, and can take the right action. 
Lastly, in every action of ours, mindfulness is a most essential quality. If we have to act, then two things must be followed, our action should not cause any harm to others and us, and we must be very mindful to our action, and observe it as a process of experience, which teaches us some thing in life. 
According to Vedanta, through meditation, we realize we are not body; we all are Atman, part of divinity. Our inner blissful nature is truth, and life’s struggle comes to teach us that truth. 
So there is no point in running away from problems. When we face them with courage, and with calm and clear decision, when we solve them, we evolve our spiritual nature. With sincere gratitude to our creator, we should accept all the ups and downs of life as a path towards our liberation. As Tagore says in one of his poems.
“In spite of the cruelty in your divine will, 
It is only right that, what life brings,
Through which, I would learn to light the incense of my devotion, and the lamp of my understanding”.

Redirecting action from personal to collective well being

To work and learn is the essence of life, and birth through death, our lives revolve around it. In every phase of life work takes on a different dimension.

During childhood, our focus is more on our basic learning necessities, like language, math and history. As we grow old, we focus more on advanced or vocational studies and skill formation. But the main intension remains almost the same, to meet our basic necessities, to earn roti, kapda and makan, and to make life physically more comfortable. We study hard, so it can give us a comfortable living, and also a feeling of identity, through which we may propel ourselves to somewhat higher pedestal than our fellow beings. This feeling of separation satisfies our ego. 

As life advances, one often realizes that ego, attachment, and material growth which motivated us to work so hard all through our lives, failed to bring true joy or happiness in life.

According to our scriptures, work should be our way of worship, not material attainment. According to Bhagvad Gita, any work can be a joyful experience for us and can lead us to liberation only if we change our inner intension from selfish needs to universal love, from personal attachments to collective well being.

The critical difference, when we work for our loved ones, like parents working hard for their children’s welfare, is that we are motivated by love, not by greed. So then with a smiling face, we may carry the heavy load of work willingly, without any grudge. 

According to many thinkers, it is necessary to develop the one skill, to know how to handle our ego and individuality within the broader context of living. It is essential to develop our own individuality, with inner peace and calmness. Ego is an energy. With inner calmness we can transform that energy and channel it for service and welfare for all. Desire and greed bring commotion, create excitement, and disturb our inner calmness. With that state of mind, whatever work we may do, it can never bring harmony, peace and joy to all. Whether in our home or in a society, when our work leads to a collision of the individual self with the broader community, it is sure to create constant friction, and lack of ease. 

The only way out is to get past our personal greed and to work for a broader goal - welfare of all. Our personal gain should not cause any harm to others. We must be aware every moment that we are not separate beings - closed in by a feeling of “I” and “Mine”. Truly we are one with all.

Our life’s goal is to realize that underlying oneness. The Upanishad teaches, that the universal Atman is in every being, and all beings are in the Atman. This realization expands our heart with love and positive thoughts. Being empowered with this knowledge, whatever work we may do, it is sure to bring good to us and to all.

Our liberation depends, not on what work we do, but on how and with what intension we do on it.

The Bhagvad Gita refers it as “nishkam karma”, which means work with detachment. Detachment is not indifference. It means without personal expectation. We must perform all duties of life, to the best of our ability, as an offering to our creator. Then only our work becomes sublime, and crosses the narrow boundary of personal gain, and leads us to the path of liberation.

Paramhansa Yogananda says, “It is better to die trying to develop spirituality even if results are not immediate or spectacular, then to follow the momentarily joyous life of the senses” (God Talks with Arjuna)

----------------

On Accepting Impermanence as a Truth of life

“I do not wish to die in this lovely world

I want to live in the midst of men

If I may have a place in the sunshine

In flowering gardens and in living hearts”.

(Tagore’s poem; Morite chahina ami, translated by Dr. A. C. Bose)

This sentiment is the echo of all mortal beings of this impermanent world. Nobody wants to die. This world which we perceive through our senses looks so real, so beautiful, that we grow a deep attachment to it, never wanting it to end.

But we get shaken when we see glimpses of the underlying reality of life which is quite different from what we imagine it to be. The reality that we are forced to confront when our loved ones have to leave the stage of life and disappear behind a curtain that we can’t look beyond - which is called “death”. Death is certain, life is uncertain. And seems to be that certainty is one that we have a constant struggle against.

Life’s challenges become more intense when the fear of death is added to it.  Feelings of insecurity force us to hold back as much as we can for ourselves in the quest for greater security and we find it harder to ‘let go’ of anything.  And this mind, distracted with fear loses the sense of the underlying truth of impermanence. And in the attempt to make life more attractive we go on accumulating things more than our necessity and capacity. In that process of accumulation, we may deprive others from their due share; we tend to become intolerant, selfish, and more self centered. In such a state, a life focused on itself can never blossom with peace and happiness since that self-centered gaze is the psychological blockage that also blocks true happiness.

As light can dispel darkness, so only the true knowledge can help us to come out from the fear and ignorance.  According to Vedanta, Brahman is one, the ultimate reality, (Ekam eva advitiyam), which manifests it self in the universe through living and non-living things, which are called para prakriti (consciousness) and apara prakriti (matter) in Sanskrit. Gross body and matter are sustained by subtle divine consciousness. Gross body is perishable, but divine consciousness, is immortal, imperishable. We are all children of God - “Amritasya putrah”. Our inner nature is immortal bliss. And the goal of human life is to have the realization of our true divine nature. According to The Veda, God is everywhere - he has filled up the storehouse of this earth for our enjoyment.

It is beautifully expressed in these few lines;

The blissful winds are sweet to us,

The seas are showering bliss on us

May the corn in our fields bring bliss to us.

May the plants and herbs bring bliss to us

May the cattle give us bliss,

O father in Heaven, be Thou blissful unto us!

Swami Vivekananda

There is one subtle warning pronounced in one famous shloka of The Vedas, where it says “Tena takhtena bhunjita, Ma gridham”. It means enjoy everything with a spirit of giving, do not be greedy. That balance of enjoyment without attachment is the essence of balancing the gross body existence and the nature of our subtle body, which is composed of energy - prana.

These truths which were found, realized, and articulated by our ancient sages, may help us to come out of the clutches of fear and anxiety that taint much of what could be a different experience of life; we may live life with a spirit of joyful freedom of our divine nature through our energy body, which no amount of worldly pain or suffering felt in the gross body can diminish.

We cannot change life’s pattern, which is derived from light and darkness, good and evil, life and death, by our creator. The only approach available to us is to change our attitude, which is constantly at hand. By changing our inner attitude to this outside world, we may bring tremendous benefit to our own joyful experience of life as well as to others. In the acceptance of impermanence and in taking life’s each challenge without fear, to go forward and to evolve towards our true divine nature, is the first step – and perhaps the only one we can take. Life is a great school where our soul learns to make itself free from the many forms of bondage this life can tie us up in. We must realize we all come from the same source and go back there only. Each life manifests itself like a wave that forms in the ocean, which stays for a moment and then returns to the ocean. The ocean is the Brahman; the wave is but one of its many transient manifestations.

Today’s society is divided into fragments on the basis of caste, creed , religion, etc, that is generating jealousy, enmity, and intolerance amongst us. We are short sighted and this is its result. As is beautifully said in Gita “The universe is strung in me like pearls in a string (B.G Chapter 7/verse 7). Realisation of this “truth of oneness” may help us to develop the feeling of universal brotherhood, and we may see this world as a one big family. Today the evil of fanaticism is tearing apart our society into pieces. By realizing, practicing and applying this truth in life, we may help ourselves come out of the clutches of the great evil called fanaticism. Only then life can blossom with peace, love, and harmony.

Another point on which we may introspect deeply, is the difference between love and attachment. We tend to confuse these two as one, which is actually not so. The language of love is to give, the language of attachment is to desire. Attachment always pushes us to have more and more by fueling our unending desires. Attachment makes us an eternal beggar, whereas love makes us a generous giver. Attachment is the seed of today’s consumerism, which is the breeding ground of greed and intolerance. “Toleration is the homage that the finite mind pays to the inexhaustibility of the infinite” (Eastern Religion and Western Thoughts by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan).

Now everything depends on our choice, of how we want to live. There is no point in blaming others, or trying to change that which is unchangeable. Whatever we can do we should do now, whatever we can say, we must say it now. If we can give a smile, we should not wait. This is the only way to avoid regrets in life. I conclude with a quote from Vivekananda, “If in this hell of a world one can bring a little joy and peace even for a day into the heart of a single person, that much alone is true; this I have learnt after suffering all my life; all else is mere moonshine”.

---------

Self-Empowerment is a Necessity in Today’s World

Self-Empowerment is a Necessity in Today’s World

Self-Empowerment means, empowering ‘self’ with power. According to Upanishad, self is Atman, which is divine and blissful in nature. Self resides in a body, which is it’s temporary house, and self-expresses itself in life through many activities.
The first requirement for ‘empowering self’ is to have a strong desire to do so. Secondly we must know to choose the right path, to proceed forward. 
In today’s world, the inner weakness is very predominant. For any of our misfortunes, we have a tendency to blame others, or external factors. This is a clear sign of our inner weakness. Vedanta tells us to be positive and strong and to take full responsibility for life’s ups and downs in our own hands, and not to blame others for it. 
There is a very powerful message from Gita, “Raise yourself by yourself, don’t let yourself down, for you alone are your friend, you alone are your enemy”, (Chapter 6/verse 5).
It is said that, the upliftment of self can be done by self itself. Nature has given us that capacity to do so, and nobody else can, only we can empower ourselves.
Life requires three types of strengths. Bahubal, the muscular power for the body. It can be developed by exercises, good nourishment, cleanliness etc. When we are physically strong no disease can attack us. It is very important to make our body strong, because it is the temporary house of our soul. It is also an instrument through which the soul works in our life span. 
Second strength that we need is Buddhibal, the power of intellect. Intellectual power can be increased, by studying, thinking, being creative, and most importantly by having proper discriminating power. 
The most important aspect to empowering self is to have Atmabal, the spiritual strength from within.
There is a process for everything. The path for gaining inner empowerment was explained long ago, almost 5000 years back by Patanjali’s ‘Yoga Sutra’, which is called ‘Ashtanga Yoga’. Through eight steps, it teaches how to empower our inner self. These eight steps are self-control, discipline, correct posture, correct breathing, detachment, concentration and meditation. Without practicing these, it is very difficult to conquer our lower nature.
Following the scientific path of yoga, when power of concentration sharpens, the yogi becomes aware of his mind’s activity at every moment and develops the power to stop negative emotions in a timely manner before it gets out of control.
Concentration is compared to an un-flickering lamp in the Gita. A flame stays steady when wind currents are not there. In the midst of external disturbances, if the mind can stay steady like an un-flicking flame, one can feel the blissful Atman in oneself. Then one is truly empowered, and the master of his own destiny. Then no out-side sorrows or disturbances can rob his peace and happiness.  Even if somebody misbehaves, he does not get affected. He can brush off all the negative behaviours of others from his mind, can forgive them and forget it forever. Only a self-controlled person can forgive and forget the negative things in life.   
The real transformation comes to us; when we can touch our inner spiritual cord; only then we become truly empowered and confident, also we can be correct in our dealings with the external world without losing our balance, and can remain ever blissful within. 
As Paramhansa Yogananda says, “Life is like a motion picture. It is made of light and shadow, joy and sadness, compassion and cruelty, and many opposite currents. In life we are dancing with a drama of opposites. If we want to be happy and empowered, we must be aware that we are souls, we are spiritual by nature. That is our real identity. Man can be truly happy only within his soul nature of bliss, omniscience, and wisdom. He can never be contended by imagining himself to be happy because the senses are happy”, (Paramhansa Yogananda, God Talks to Arjuna).

In Search of a touch stone

In Search of a Touch Stone

I remembered one story of a very poor man, who never cared to have wealth, shelter, or any kind of help, but was madly busy in searching of a touch stone.

It is believed that the touch stone has a special quality, to turn iron into gold just by a mere touch. It is indeed a rarest fortune, one can dream of, to have such a magical stone. But that mad man, whose condition was worse than a beggar, did not want to compromise his search with any other gain.

Only with one fixed idea in his head “How to get a touch stone” he spent his youthful energy, time, and eventually turned into an old man without any strength. But still his intense search was on.

Till one day seeing him, when a street urchin cried out, “oh old saint, from where did you get that gold chain around your waist?”

The old man was shocked with surprise. He realized, that magic stone came in his hand in some special moment; he also touched it to his iron chain in a routine habit. But what a pity that precious moment slipped away unnoticed. It came in hand, and went out of it, because for his inattentiveness. He was doing his job with just ritualistic practice, without engaging his mind in present moment, so he did not notice the change. With a broken heart, he started his reverse journey again to try his luck.

This is the exact story, which is happening in our lives too. 

We are all crazily searching for a magic stone, which can vanish all miseries from our life and can bring only peace, joy and happiness. 

We are trying our luck in all possible ways. This is the heart’s desire of everybody, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, young or old. 

By spending our life’s energy in desperate search for money, name, fame, and what not. We believe, through these channels only we can make our life secured, comfortable and happy.

Our basic confusion is, what we are searching for is “inner bliss” but our chosen paths are only fit to provide us outside comforts, but definitely cannot supply inner bliss. While searching for inner bliss, our adopted methods should also be inward looking.  That path is referred in our scriptures, as a path of self-control (nivritti). 

Basic needs of life cannot be, and should not be ignored. With our honest efforts we must full fill those needs of our life. We should remember, where to stop, and not get entangle by them. Life has two aspects, soul and body. 

Meditation and action both are needed. For the development of these two, Gita refers about “pravrtti” and “nivirtti”. Through pravrtti, improvement of economy, political and social system is possible. Where as through nivrtti value oriented life, inner spiritual enlightenment is achieved.  Both are needed in proper balance, to make life wonderful. Here I quote from a German philosopher Schopenhauer’s book, “The world as will and idea”. Long back he said, “When man achieve security and welfare, now that they have solved all other problems, they become a problem to themselves”. 

Same idea is reflected in Swami Ranganathanda’s sayings, “Work, work and work, earn more and more money, but remain inwardly poorer and poorer, until one becomes a nervous wreck.” (Universal Message of the Bhagavad Gita, page.??? )

So we see, balancing between our inner and outer journey is most essential, otherwise like that old fakir we may have to start our reverse journey again in next life.

We are all atman, we are one and not separate. This wisdom is the real touch stone which has the power to remove our vanity, feeling to separateness, hatred and all negativities in a second. Then why not start searching for that gem of wisdom in our life? 

The root cause of all unhappiness, whether in family, society or between countries, lies in the feeling of separateness between each other. 

This separateness is created on the basis of social status, caste, creed, race, and on so many other criterions. We forget that all of us, we want to be loved, to have helping hand in each other needs, to share our joys and sorrows.

Today though we are able to keep in touch with the whole world in a second, through our modern gadgets, but some how the art of communication with genuine feelings is fading away.

Time has come for the realization of our oneness. If only we combine our comforts, with attitude of co-operation, life can be complete and we can co-exist peacefully with all.

Spirituality Enhances Business

Mantra of Management is Meditation

There was a column in today’s Hindustan Times (14-01-2015) saying, “Personal behavior may dictate your appraisal this year”. This is a study done by Mancer Consultancy, an executive search firm. I realized our personal behavior is a very important factor in dealings of our personal and professional life. Outer polish that we get from our formal education is not enough. As Swami Vivekananda said, “I have experienced even in my insignificant life that good motives, sincerity and infinite love can conquer the world.” (Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda on himself, page 225).

Our day to day life which includes our personal, professional or business life can flourish much better, if only we empower ourselves with inner development called spirituality.

Spirituality is not a ritual, neither it is a hindrance to our worldly achievements. It is a beautiful art which clarifies truth of life, and teaches us how to manage ourselves better, before we start managing outside events.

Swami Vivekanada said that Vedanta has to be applied to all situations and fields of life. Vedanta’s message of our “Oneness” is very relevant today. Whole creation, we are all Atman, we are all one, one big family on this earth. Realization of this truth is called spirituality. Gita also says, yoga can make us more skillful in actions. Through yoga and meditation, our inner blissful nature can be realized, and our feeling of separateness can be dissolved, which is actually one of the root causes of modern days misery. 

But every idea gets authenticity only when it is tested, and proved right, in the field of action. Same test can be applied in the field of spirituality also, before we accept it in our life whole-heartedly. Its acid test can be done through our daily life’s activities. 

We find spiritually empowered people can handle their own emotions, power of judgment much better. Spirituality teaches us to concentrate, to understand other’s views better, without being judgmental. And then the decision taken by us is correct, ethical and goes well in accordance with God’s will. 

‘Management’ is a very popular word these days, but generally it is referred in terms of business. 

But before we attempt to manage events of life, it is essential; we learn the skill of managing our own attitude, time, and our faculties, through simple spiritual practices. Management is nothing but an organized common sense. 

Now top business organizations are also realizing the importance of self-management. Many corporate executives are adopting spirituality in their personal lives. Some companies are integrating prayer, meditation workshops for their employees benefit also. 

I may end with a quotation from Swami Vivekananda’s saying, “something behind this world of sense, this world of eating and drinking and talking nonsense, this world of false shadows and selfishness. There is that beyond all books, beyond all creeds, beyond the vanities of this world, and it is the realization of God within yourself”. (From The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, (Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2013), 1334-35).

Lessons from a noble soul, our dog

Lessons from a noble soul, our dog

In 2008, my husband Dr. Ashish Bose, brought home a tiny black Labrador pup with starry eyes who was formally named Zabo Vikramaditya Bose. Throughout his life, he was called Bhoot by everybody.

We are a family of dog lovers. Over the past 40 years we always had many dogs, mostly black Labradors, who have been a part of our family.  I remember vividly, our Bhoot’s first appearance in our life. The small pup’s shining eyes were peeping from beneath my husband’s overcoat, and a tiny bell hung from his neck whose tinkling sound preceded him everywhere. In the evening with his faltering puppy steps, he went into the garden and his black shining body melted into the darkness. “Bhoot where are you?” The pup responded happily to his new name and emerged out of nowhere. And from then on, he was called Bhoot or more lovingly, Bhutum.

Bhoot was friendly from the beginning and was ready to jump in every body’s lap and within moments, became the object of amusement for all of us. He won our hearts, and we were completely bowled out by his affection and mischief. Bhoot had a saintly nature. All were his friends. He never had any enemy. Bhoot welcomed all, wagging his tail and making a funny movement on his belly. Every morning he brought the rolled up newspaper to my husband, and got his prize – a piece of biscuit.
His divine nature had but one weakness - he was very fond of eating. Officially he had two meals a day. But unofficially he was present at every one’s mealtime. While he never overtly begged for food, his expressive eyes were hard to avert while eating and a small treat shared at mealtimes was often all that was needed to elicit expressions of great joy.
Bhoot’s communication skills were excellent. With his expressive eyes, wagging tail, and with a faint murmuring sound from his voice, he could express anything he wanted. His language was no less expressive than human words. After my husband passed away in April, he kept us alive joyfully, with his playfulness.

Now he is no more with us. After a few hours sickness, he left us all heart broken.
I pray this noble soul is reborn as a great human being and brings joy to many more as he did with unconditioned love for us in this lifetime.
I believe that nothing happens by chance. He came in our life for a short but joyous seven years, and through his life we realized the taste of true happiness. He played his earthly role perfectly. Perhaps he’s playing Frisbee with his master happily across a sprawling green meadow right now.
I miss you my child. And I’m grateful for the lesson I’ve learned - there is but one mission in life for all, and that is unconditional love. In such a short time Bhoot proved and practiced this truth in golden letters in all our hearts.
Your mother’s heartfelt blessings will be always with you my dearest Bhutum. May God’s blessings be with you forever.