Will Power

Will Power is bestowed upon us for certain purpose. Its proper usage in day-to-day life is of paramount importance. In my experience, it can be used to uplift ourselves from bad habits that tend to pull our legs and the same can be used to suppress ourselves by repeating the same mistakes. Its an instrument like sharp-edged knife. With Knife you can cut vegetables or cut yourselves. It depends upon your intention.

Take for instance, you want to rise before dawn say at 5.0 clock. You knew it is good for you. Unless you will, to apply the principle, you will not be able to do it. On Day 1, apply your will to get up. If you succeed, do the same on Day2. As you go on, you experience that your will power is being enhanced. This enhances the confidence in your SELF. This is Self-Confidence. After practicing it for considerable period of time, you see that rising before dawn is as natural as breathing. Here comes forth a vital conclusion that will power increases only by its application in day-to-day life.

Following is an excerpt from a book, which i love to read again and again, being mismarized by its wisdom.

"Willingness denotes a very important mental state. It indicates that a person has evaluated himself and sees the need for change, and that he is prepared to act to bring about such change."

The Pursuit of Happiness

Happened to watch movie 'The Pursuit of Happiness' this weekend. Its worth watching. It's based on true story of 'Chris Gardner', the smart salesman and family man in San Francisco.
This movie reminded me of an age old saying "Struggle For Existence".

Points that were exposed :
-> Self-Confidence in hard-time, when world goes against you.
-> Art of Listening of the Child.

This movie blossomed a fact that Self-Confidence needs a support. It's human attitude. Support may not always be from a guide or an elder. Support may be from a child, who appears to knew nothing, a mere dependent. In movie, for Smith, his Son is his base. With this base, he could able to uphold his self confidence. Love transcends anything. Its the essence of life. It boosts one's confidence, even when the whole world turns against you.

Some of my friends said this movie shows that the pursuit of happiness lies in achieving what you dream. I feel there's thin line of misinterpretation that creeps in here. Happiness is not something you have to search for and achieve it. In reality, materialistic things, which you achieve will not stand with you forever. So i say, even if you find happiness through achievement, remember its transient.

By the above thought, i am being tempted to say that happiness should come from something which is not transient, which is omnipresent and omnipotent. I feel its nothing but your innerSELF.

Dear friend, try to be in touch with your Heart, you feel the real happiness.

Feelings

By touch of its Mother, child recognizes her and calms down, feeling safety in her warmth .Science calls it as touch therapy. Strange is the technology, child uses to recognize its Mother. Feelings may be that technology. But strangely, child itself, forgets this technology as it grows up gradually.

I feel the only way to re-master it is to develop sensitivity. Sensitivity develops only through Meditation. Last week when i went to home, fortunately i experienced this feeling. I am sure that i can't pen down these feelings exactly, as i felt. However, i can pen down the circumstances which led me to experience that feeling.

Its long back, I travelled with my parents. Last week, I got that opportunity. Autorickshaw, which we took up was crowdy. My Mother sat in the front row. Just infront of the place where she sat, my father sat. There's no place to sit. My father adjusted himself to give some space for me to sit. I sat down instantly. He placed his hand on my shoulder to support me. I felt some strange feeling, at that instant but forgotten instantly, as we talked on some matter. As we stepped out of autorickshaw, i was able to feel the state in which i was, a few moments ago. This incident may be funnny to the reader, but for me, its one of the belssed moments in my life and i consider it as precious as a pearl.

I experienced the same feeling when i sat beside a new born baby, whan i was with my Guru. Such Feelings can be developed only through Love. If we see old couple, we will be amazed to see them talking to each other, not verbally, but through their feelings. For example, i can narrate an incident, which i came across. Once, relatives came to my house. My grandfather was talking with them. Its around 2 pm. My Grandmother came out to greet them. Just by a look, my grandfather could send a message. Strangely, my grand mother could decode the message and she went to prepare lunch for them. Not only this, my Grand Mother has this intuitive capacity to understand almost, every thought of my Grand Father.

Dear Friend, Feelings are precious because they evolve from Heart. Heart is the seat of divinity.Try to be in touch with Your Heart.

Education

Why should we be educated?

What is the purpose of education?

Pose this question to any school goin kid, answer would be to become an engineer, doctor or any other profession, according to the environment from which he comes. We may not be surprised to hear that its to earn money.

Is this answer correct ? What's the reality ?

I feel, education should be a training ground to prepare oneself to lead a honest life. We used to have Moral Science as a compulsory subject, in which human values such as Honesty, Faith, Surrender, Truth, Obedience,Discipline,Trust,Sanctity,Morality, Ethics, CommonSense were taught beautifully in the form of short stories. Teachers used to imbibe these values into the young minds in a smooth manner. I say, this is value-based education. This is very imporatant in addition to technology and science. Science and Technology without values is very dangerous and harmful to society.

Childrens should be inspired to Master in the subject he takes up. He should not be forced to achieve first rank in class. This is a false impression of Competition. This imbibes jealousy among young minds. Instead of concentrating on the subject, they concentrate on how to defeat his co-friend. This attitude, i feel is not an healthy sign.

I love to hear from a child that the purpose of education is to Master myself. This is the exact meaning when Swami Vivekananda say - 'Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man'.

Environment - Plastic

Plastic, the wonder material, finds its way in every home in one way or the other, and careless disposal of this thrash poses threat to the environment. It’s all the more harmful since it does not break down easily and is not degradable.

Did you know that a plastic cup takes 50-80 years to decompose? Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1 million sea creatures every year.

Ways to reduce your reliance upon packaging include:
-> Buy fresh food wherever possible
-> Choose items in containers that can be recycled
-> Bring your own reusable bag
-> Choose products that come in returnable containers such as glass milk bottles
-> Avoid processed foods and cook your own meals

Some of the alternatives we can go for : paper bags, reusable cotton bags, jute bags and Bio bags.

We can’t do away with plastic in totality, but careful use and disposal of it could reduce the threat it is posing to the environment.

Saga of Life

Childhood days were golden days. I passed on happily in warmth under its shadow, without knowing its vitality. Dependence,Surrender are the footsteps of a child. On its birth, being dependent on its Mother for almost everything, surrenders itself, ofcourse without knowing or experiencing the vitality of the state in which it is. Slowly the share of dependency gets distributed to Father and then to all other whom it gets contacted with. For its Physical and Psycholigical needs it returns back to its Parents following heart advice.

As it grows up and enters its adulhood, ego induces the concept of independency, to make choice on its own, to lead life as per its desires, thereby denying the chosen-path of the soul to complete it's task for which it descended. I feel, Choice is the worst thing, a human can encounter with. Slowly its share of dependency expands as per its contacts to the external world. Sources of Dependency outweighs Percentage of Dependency on each Source . This fact makes him/her to develop a false impression that it is independent, though in real, its the other way around.

Life experiences makes him/her to realizes the truth and find himself/herself fed up with partial-dependency on each source. This leads to search someone with whom it depends upon wholly. A fortunate few, finds solace in his/her HEART, the seat of DIVINITY.

I feel this is the saga of life. It starts with surrender to Mother. Under the veil of maya, gets misguided by ego to become independent. But atlast, in the process of being independent he/she find himself/herself in state of partial-dependency with many resources. A fortunate few, surrenders to the ultimate in his/her heart, for complete depedency, as a whole. Thus he/she attains the contact with his/her heart, which was lost, only with Surrender.

Knowledge and Experience

Knowledge..Experience..Wisdom.. These words i feel, play an important role in one's life. Its one's Wisdom to allow knowledge to be experienced.

A few days back, as part of project work, i got an opportunity to prepare a design document. I never handled this task before. I have knowledge about design doc, as to what it is meant for. In the process of handling this task, i realized the essential information needed for the design doc and about its importance in the project. On application of the knowledge about design doc, experienced its vitality.

I always believe that if you are not able to put your idea in simplest manner, it means that you didn't understood it well enough. Let me put before you a simple anology. With knowledge that Halwa is sweet, one cannot feel its taste. It's only possible when you take it in your mouth, chew it and experience it by yourself. In experiencing it, we have an opportunity to apply a feedback loop which tests whether the gathered information that Halwa is sweet is correct or not.

Let me draw an anology between Knowledge-Experience with Religion-Spirituality. Religion gives you knowledge about GOD. Spirituality allows you to experience HIM in your heart. In Matrix Movie, Morpheous says - "Neo, there's a lot of difference between knowing the path and walking the path" . I feel, Religion lets you know the existence of GOD, What GOD is all about. One should be spirited to go beyond the Religion, and enter Spirituality, to experience HIM truly within your HEART, to become as HE wants us to become, to allow your soul to walk the chosen path to reach its destiny, being egoless, desireless.

Dear Friend, realize yourSELF to digest the reality.

Prayer

Is Prayer a means to achieve our desires ?
Is Prayer a means to help others ?

What is Prayer ?

Let me ask myself, an individual, however rich may be, can he live alone in a desert with his wealth. A rich fellow needs more assistance of others than a poor fellow. Whether rich or poor, all beings have to be associated with each other to help each other.

If one agree with this point, its common sense to thank a fellow, for his association and help. Help may be a simple smile, a simple idea. A simple suggestion, some times transform one's life.

Remember your association with beings from the moment you wake up from your bed. Didn't you felt yourself to thank all these people ?

Remember the warmth of bright sun rays on the way to your morning walk. How did you felt ?
Without food stuff, which mother earth delivers on cultivation, do you think you can survive ?
Observe cyclic nature of seasons for uniformity of its services throughout the universe.
Mother Nature provides us the essentials to live. Didn't you felt yourself to thank Nature for these gifts?

But reality is we can't thank everyone for everything. Such is the intensity of our association with the environment.

Super natural power, whatever you term it as, may be GOD, Allah, Jesus, Ram, Krishna, Shiva... if you believe that HE is behind the creation of everything that we see and believe in, i feel Prayer is the way to thank that ONE SOURCE.

Remember, Prayer is not begging. Don't beg before HIM for your wishes. Because we know not, what is good for us. Remember, if you ask HIM for your wishes, it means you don't have faith in HIM, in HIS plan for your welfare. And its not a Prayer.

Dear Friend, Prayer should make you realize your Goal, accept your current situation and confirm yourself that the only way to reach your goal is to be in HIS remembrance.

It's a Wonderful Life

Life is meant to be lived - says Eleanor Roosevelt.

In thirst for money, power, position, social status, being slaves of desires, we forgot our own life basics. Suicide is the worst thing , a man can ever attempt for. I felt very bad, when i heard people committing suicides for lose of job in recession, for being bankrupt. For all those people, i pray. But, to the rest, who were at the same frequency, i would like to remind that it's ultimate foolishness to measure your life with your bank balance and social status.

Life means neither success nor failure. It doesn't end when you are met with failure. Life is an unique opportunity bestowed by HIM to experience yourSELF and understand who you are, why you are here. Life gives you the environment to acquire necessary knowledge and to apply it to become what HE wants us to become. In this process, some circumstances may pain you, appear to be uncomfortable, destructive, but you should have faith in HIM, answering yourself that after all HE knows, the eternal helper and should have guts to say yourself that Anything happens is for my own good. Believe me, with this notion, feeling HIS presence in your HEART, you will get necessary strength to face the situation.

A few days back, i happened to watch a movie named 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Its a 1946 film about an angel-in-training who gives a despondent man a look at what the world would be like if he had never been born. This film is worth watching.

After watching this film, i felt my soul being strengthen more and heard my self saying - You are a unique design of GOD. Without You, All those for whom you care, would have missed your support. Without you, this Nature would have faced difficulty in organizing its tasks, as no one could do them as perfect as you do. Without your knowledge, some people who took you as an inspiration, would have lose their insight of their goal, without you. You are specious like a pearl, in HIS necklace. At last, my inner SELF, deep-rooted its understanding, in its grandest glory, whisphers - "Without You, this world loses it totality and no one can ever replace you".

More information on this film can be browsed @ WIKI

Whenever anyone felt themselves at trouble in this worldly life, this movie has the potential to boost their spirits.

Dear Friend, nothing in universe exists on it's own. Everything, Everyone are connected with each other, through their inner self. Each decision taken by everyone of us in one way or other affects others. The power of choice is given to you. Be vigilant to chose.If you chose HIM, He waits for you, through eternal, otherwise world waits for you.

My Feelings on Book-Reading

Ever since my childhood, i often amazed at the true meaning of a simple sentence. Consider for instance an age old wisdom 'Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man' - by Swami Vivekananda. Each one understands its meaning to the level of their capacity. Here by capacity, i mean the related information, with which one is equipped with. Such age old wisdom's reveal the state at which we are in at that moment. Some books i read many times. Each time i read, i understand it more consicely than before. Such books, i guess may be written by authors out of their feelings and experiences. Until, your frequency of feelings match with them or until you undergo similar type of experience, its exact real meaning may not be revealed to you.

Books written out of feelings, i consider them to be descended from above, in sanskrit we call it as Shruti - That which is heard. I say so, because feelings are the highest form with which GOD communicates with us. I feel Vedas, Bhagawadgeeta, Khuran, Bible comes under this category.

Books written out of experiences, i consider them to be manifestations of the knowledge learnt through their worldly actions, in sanskrit,we call it as Smriti - That which is remembered; the tradition. Every action is once a thought. Thought is the next form of communication through which GOD communicates with us. I feel all auto-biographies and books written on every topic which mind can think of, comes under this category.

I feel from bottom of my heart, communication from GOD, through thought, can easily be broken down by man's will power and so we find some books which are worth nothing in terms of its usage. Instead, if read may spoil your mindset. We have to be very cautious in reading those books. I say so, beacause, every sentence you understood, makes an impression and if repeated forms as samskara and waits for its experience in the form of worldy actions. If you chose to read a topic which builds your character and strengthens your insight, you evolve as HE wants you to be. If you chose to read a topic which is worth nothing, which you feel is bad, you further power the bad habits present in you and distance yourself from the source. I admit that this choice depends on the samskaras with which you are equipped with, but one can use the ultimate tool, the Will Power which GOD bestowed upon us.

Of all species, GOD presented Will Power only to human beings. This Will power, if utilized efficiently in a positive manner can lead you to the divinity and the same Will Power , if utilized in a negative manner can obstruct you to reach the divinity, the ultimate source itself.

Dear Friends, Be cautious in selecting the book to read. Once appropriate selection, read it, understand the content, enjoy author's feelings and thoughts, try to digest within and bravely step ahead in utilizing the knowledge learnt by experencing it in your day-to-day life.

Spirituality and Science

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind - says Albert Einstein. This age old wisdom always made me to think and one fine day my heart felt its true meaning.

In my Childhood, I believed naturally when my GrandMother said that a word spelled by Rishis is bound to occur . She said that its because of their thought power as a result of their saintliness.But as time passed, my intellectuality questioned me, the logical reason for its possibility and concluded that its a mere farce.Now as further time passed, as I began to understand the correlation between scentific knowledge and spirituality, belief and reason, faith and concluded result, i am bound to agree my Grand Mothers fact.

I can give a practically proved fact : With development of Science, Videogames were developed, wherein users can play with their thought power. Just search in Google you will find many research papers in this context. A research paper can be accessed at http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/cig08/Proceedings/papers/8069.pdf. In this research it has been proved that : "The participants played the video game by using their thoughts only with up to 80% accuracy over controlling the target."

Here i would like to point out that my Grand Mothers fact is re-believed by me as science proved me by logical reasoning with a concluded result.

Science is based on data, then proceeds with logical reasoning developing suitable theories and concludes on an assumed result. And this result may change in future.But i am afraid that with Science, a lot of natural maxims may not be proved. Even if it can be proved, one should have enough intellectuality to understand it. For suppose, if Einstein comes down and explains to Bhanu about a newly discovered theory, can i understand it at that hour. Frequency of intellectuality should match between both.

At this point if i see the alternative of intellectuality, Spirituality reminds me of Faith . Faith can be defined as believing in assumed-impossible things. For Spirituality, one needs faith to believe. But one needs a capable GURU to guide you, otherwise you are bound to lose the goal.

Should i now conclude myself that Spirituality is far beyond Science ?

Not at all, Blind Faith is a Superstition and misguides the chosen path to reach the goal. The best example is - In ancient times, Christianity taught from its sacred scriptures that the Earth was the center of the Universe. It was believed as such until the 16th century , when Polish astronomer Copernicus developed a model that placed the Sun at the center of the Solar System.

From this history, we should come to a conclusion that both Science and Spirituality are essential. Without either of the one, its not fruitful.

Swami Vivekananda says - "The sages are often ignorant of physical science, because they read the wrong book—the book within; and the scientists are too often ignorant of religion, because they too read the wrong book—the book outside"

He further says : "In Buddha we had the great, universal heart and infinite patience, making religion practical and bringing it to everyone’s door. In Shankaracharya we saw tremendous intellectual power, throwing the scorching light of reason upon everything. We want today that bright sun of intellectuality joined with the heart of Buddha, the wonderful infinite heart of love and mercy. This union will give us the highest philosophy. Science and religion will meet and shake hands. Poetry and philosophy will become friends.What! Those giants of old, the ancient Rishis, who never walked but strode, of whom if you were to think but for a moment you would shrivel up into a moth, they sir, had time--and you have no time! "

Dear Friend, "Mind Thinks. Heart Feels. Every action is once a Thought. If one allows this Thought to be filtered by the Heart, so that your intuition capacity is felt by you with no logical reason, then one's action will always be Perfect"

I conclude, hoping reader will think about the above thought, feels in his heart, its effectiveness and wills to apply it in his day-to-day life.

Peaks and Valleys

"Be Plain and Simple to be identical with Nature". This is an age old wisdom. Many People heard this. A few knew its true meaning. Having known, a very few lion-hearted, practically enjoyed its beauty.

This weekend i was fortunate enough to go through the book "Peaks and Valleys' by Dr.Spencer Johnson. Author illustrates in his usual story-teller-way, about 'Making Good and Bad Times Work For You- At Work and In Life'. In tune with Nature, author blossoms a point that Peaks are like Success, Valleys are like Failures and Plateaus are like Moments of rest in one's life.

Keys Principles shared are :
1. Make Reality Your Friend
2. Find and Use the Good Hidden In a Bad Time
3. Appreciate and Manage Your Good Times
4. Follow Your Sensible Vision
5. Share it With Others

I feel author successfully brought home the following points in the best understandable manner :
1. Truly Understanding a Sentence
2. Hidden Values of Miseries and Pains in Life
3. Problems arised by Ego at Good and Bad Times and ways to cope up with.
4. Wisdom in practical application of the Knowledge learnt.

For more information on the book, follow the link http://www.peaksandvalleysthebook.com/

People often stops at learning phase. Be Lion-Hearted. Step-ahead for practical application of the knowledge learnt. Then one will be amazed to see One's inner Strength and Confidence. I feel this is all Wisdom is about.

So friends..Read..Enjoy..Digest.