In Silence

After a long time I decided to be in silence...
For those were the words which I felt comfortable with...
Peace, Quiet and Solitude;
Like I haven't met them in a long time...
Felt good to meet them for they are my best friends...
I thought, "I have lost them";
I longed for them...
I searched for them everywhere...
Even in the silent retreat...
I found them nowhere...
I cried and hauled in sorrow; sat down with a deep longing to be with them...
For a long time I sat in nothingness...
"Surprise!", they screamed...
"Whoa!", I exclaimed...
They were all right here with me in the now;
Peace, Quiet and Solitude;
"Where were you all?", i asked, "I thought I had lost you forever..."
"Oh! No", they said, "We were hiding inside you and wanted to surprise you. We love you so much that we thought of playing with you and Oh! what fun we had..."
We all giggled and laughed together and hugged each other and then i found a new friend; "Stillness"...
"Oh! Another surprise", I said and cried and hauled with joy...
What a day it was... Peace, Quiet, Solitude and now Stillness too...
In silence...

Garbage Collector

There was this mail in my inbox called the “Law of Garbage Truck”. Here’s how the story goes…

***Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, and I mean without warning, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car's back end by just inches.

Here's what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face.

Now, here's what blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that?

This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you.

When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did. I guarantee it.***

So here’s the thought…

We all have garbage at home that gets collected everyday. So what do we do with the garbage? Of course, throw it away… right? Right, but how do you throw it? Well, me for instance I hand it over to the garbage collector who comes home every single day. Most of us do actually.

But my point is when the garbage collector comes home to collect the garbage, and then all you got to do is allow him to take all the “garbage” from your home. You must be thinking, “Ha! Ha! That’s what we do, silly”. I say, “Yes, but this time when he comes home, allow him to collect all the garbage from your mind as well, not just the physical one”.

I am not asking you throw your anger, frustration, irritation, sadness, depression etc, on her and abuse the collector, like the guy did in the above story. But instead collect all the anger, frustration, irritation, sadness, depression - mentally, pack it up tightly in a plastic bag and hand it over to her with a lot of enthusiasm and happiness. Remember to thank her, not just because she is doing you a favour everyday by collecting your garbage for you. But because she is making your day ever shinier, brighter and loveable one too. And certainly deserves to be treated like a God.

Each day you go ahead doing this with each and every person and you are sure to treat everyone like they want you to. Then your days become more meaningful to live.

Life is here, now!

Have you ever been there? I mean in the moment. When you are there, then that is all there is. “This moment”. That is all. When you are there, there is no past, there is no future. This means, there is no thoughts connected to past or the future. You are there present to the moment.

Do you know how to be there? I think you do and you just do not have the awareness enough to realize it. But when you do realize then there is nothing but pure energy and pure happiness. Now coming back to how to be there… Have you noticed when you are in a middle of watching an interesting movie or busily involved in doing something which you love to do; you are there in the moment and I bet you are definitely not thinking about your past or the future.

Besides what do you gain out of thinking about your past or saying my childhood days where carefree and happy? Because it is all in the past and there is no way you are going to live it again and you are certainly not transported into your past. “It is just a thought in your head”. So get it out of the way.

And there is certainly no point thinking about your future and worrying about what will happen with my child? Will she be intelligent enough? What will she be when she grows up? Will I have enough money to support all that? Etc, etc. I am not saying you don’t plan for your future. Plan all you want and then stop worrying. There is no need to be there.

Do you know that it is “Just enough that you are alive today”? Really, think about it, isnt that enough that you are alive this very moment and reading this wonderful article. J Ha ha! Now you are in the moment, aren’t you?

Hidden Treasures

I bet all of us look for “hidden treasures”. Oh! Hold it! Did you think I am talking about going on a treasure hunt or something? Well, you could call it that but not in the outer world. For some it means that but for some of us it is the inner treasure.

Most of us are always searching for treasures outside. Something which will make you happy and exciting. It could be money, material, fame, name etc. These treasures are I guess absolutely short lived. There is always a need for you to hold on to these otherwise it slips away. And when it slips away it becomes very painful and often you find yourself always surrounded with an enormous amount of need. All kinds of need physical, emotional, mental and social. And holding on is itself a very painful process. While you are searching out there then you inner world suffers with illness, sadness and suffering.

Searching for the inner treasure is different. This search never ends. The very process of this search is filled with happiness and excitement. For each of us the search starts with various questions. Some may be in search of “what is this breath all about” or “why do I get angry” or “who am I” or “what else can I find out about myself” or “what is my purpose of living” or “what is death” or “how do I end this suffering inside, sometimes I am happy and other times sad” so on…

But each of these questions leads you to another and then another and then another… There is no limit to the amount of searching you can do. Besides there is no holding on to this kind of treasure. You could hold on to it if you like and make yourself miserable. But if you hold on then that is the end of your search. It becomes stagnant, stale and will even stink. Each of these questions are so closely interrelated and connected that holding on to these doesn’t make sense at all. An answer to one leads you to another question and the excitement never ends. You have peeled one skin and then another appears and you peel that one off too then another appears.

And the exciting part is more you are searching for answers in your inner world the more you are growing in your outer world. Money, Fame, Name will automatically walk into your doorstep. Then you don’t even have to hold on to these because they are always there with you and will never slip away.

To search for your inner treasures you need the “hunger to know yourself” but without expectations. Expectations will lead you to more suffering and this kind of suffering is even more harmful. It is like the law – “The more you go after something; the more distant it becomes”.

And “the hunger to know you” comes from being in the awareness of this moment. And being with yourself (Meditation) and being with your breath.

All great masters have had only one thing common in their teachings “Meditation”. Meditate and Make your life. Guru’s role is to show you the path to your inner world. There is no gift greater to a guru than to see you on this path.

So what kind of treasure hunt do you want to be on?

Beyond Completion

Human relationships are very fragile. One needs to nurture them with care, wash them until it shines and place them in a most sacred place, your heart.

You break it, it never remains the same. Let us say you have broken it and caused hurt or discomfort. First thing you will do is apologize and take a vow to change yourself and complete with her. But still, I say it is never the same again.

For example, a piece of Glass Bowl in your home may be which you cherish the most, happens to breakdown. Something so important and so precious to you has broken down without your awareness. After you realize you will do all the possible things to fix it up with fevicol or glue bring it back to its original shape. But my dear the initial beauty is lost. It is gone and will never come back. Or you may go out and buy another one which looks like the one you had. But it is still not the same one. Your mind will keep going back to the old one. Even after mending it.

To be in this state of nurturing and to be in the state of love always requires tremendous amount of awareness. All of us are in the state of sleep, deep slumber. All of us are so caught up with the things we are doing or the work we are involved in, that even to take a moment to become aware and nurture something that is so precious to us seems difficult. I am sure many of you will say “but I am doing so much, go to work, keep the house, pay the bills etc. but relationships… well, others have to take care… since I am doing so much”. I say may be others too have to take care but that is not your problem. At the end of the day if you are not complete with your self then it bothers you and not others. At the end of the day when you are conversing with the God almighty, don’t you want to be proudly saying that, “God, guess what today I changed myself a little bit more. Thank you for the gift of awareness”. You will definitely not feel proud in saying “God, guess what I changed my child today or my wife or my husband”. For this God may say “Hey, wait a minute, I thought that was my job”.

Meditate… Remain in your inner Silence… Wake yourself every moment, take a moment and say “I am aware” and ask yourself these questions “what is important to me at this moment?”; “The work I am doing or my relationship with my child or spouse or collegue or parents or even a perfect stranger”.

Living in the state of total awareness helps you achieve many things in life infact I would say ‘it helps you achieve your life back’. Remember relationships are like a Glass Bowl. Being in the state of awareness is going beyond just completion…

Path to detachment

Little did I know that both my brother and I were being led to the path of detachment (vairagya) right from childhood. I am sure all of us are led to this path but that awareness is not nurtured in our childhood days.

All of us are conditioned to behave in a particular manner by our parents, teachers and relatives. My parents always made use of things at home in a very cost effective way. Everything from a small piece of paper to electrical equipment was all made use of to its maximum. My dad would always give us one sided empty sheet of paper for writing, drawing etc., we would light up fire wood to heat up the water for our bath in the mornings. We had 3 coconut trees and all the by products coming from them was used as fire wood. He never once bought fire wood from the shop. Both my parents always insisted we utilize our resources to the fullest. My dad would fix up things at home very well; he would do small time plumbing, carpentry, electrical job and he would even mix up some cement and build up something with some bricks. He could fix up almost everything in the house. He learnt all this by himself, nobody thought him. He always would love to just explore his capabilities. I guess they were happy with little or no resources at times and they taught us that way. At that time I would always think why are they doing what they are doing? Why not use and spend some more on our requirements?

I remember one day both my brother and I without realizing why we were doing what we were doing, walked down to school and saved 30 paisa for the bus… and were very proud of it. And we would do it quite often. When I reached high school, I would enjoy walking to school than catch a bus.

So what I am saying is that all of us have done this at some time or the other in our growing years. But now somehow I had seemed to have lost it all to the current comforts and technology available. More than ever, now I am slowly realizing that these were my building blocks for the person I am today or the person I am tomorrow.

The more you take up what you always hesitated, the more you do things what you didn’t want to do due to others influences, the more you will know yourself and the more you will love yourself. You will love to go into the unknown. Just take up opportunities that knock on by. Take up the challenges, if it works fine move ahead. But for some reason it didn’t work fine move ahead. Always remember to learn from it before you move ahead. Besides who knows, by taking up what comes your way, could be the very thing you have always wanted to do or could be the very thing you were looking for.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that it is time for all of us to seek out and step into the unknown. That’s when life becomes interesting and exciting. Just live by the moment and live in non-doing. And by and by you start getting detached from everything around you, everyone around you and slowly you will one day be detached from your body too…

Call it God or call it Universe

For ages man has created this beautiful word called GOD. From my childhood I have been curious about this word called GOD. What is it? Do those idols, we see in temples, churches etc. come alive some place else? Is it a person like anyone of us?

It reminds me of this song, “What if god was one of us? Just a stranger on the bus. Trying to make his way home…” so it goes on. I am sure just like the person who wrote this song all of you out there are also in search of GOD. Thinking all sorts of possibilities possible

Have you ever thought why man created this word called GOD? Yes, why? Because at some point Adam and Eve wanted more things in life. We all want more things in life. We want money, cars, jewellery, house, new gadgets, job, love, family, friends, peace, etc. etc. So, how to get them all?

I bet back in time during the stone age, if man wanted something all he would do was spread out his hands and look up to the sky and ask. I came across a book by name “Mutant message down under”; it is about the natives in Australia called the “Aborigines”. They are a nomadic tribe and they do not carry their food or bedding or even pots or pans and not even water. They believe that whenever they are hungry or thirsty the universe provides them with it. And they believe that the universe has already decided the food for them. Miraculously in this book wherever they halt, some or the other animals appear as their food. And the tribe believes that the animals and plants themselves choose to be sacrificed and provide as food for them. They are thirsty and the universe shows them the way they can get their water.

As man progressed from the Stone Age, he felt the need to be a little more creative and said to himself, “I will make an idol and ask the same what I have been asking the universe. And in that case this idol is my universe”. And then he got a little more creative and started giving it different shapes and sizes and started to even attach stories to it based on his experiences. Then at large he started to call it GOD. Then he started to feel this powerful idol cannot be placed anywhere and cannot let anyone stamp it or disrespect it. Because it is giving him what he wanted. So then the creation of temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras, synagogues etc.

I guess what I am saying is call it GOD or call it UNIVERSE; it is all one and the same. You will get all that you want. No, of course not. You don’t have to believe in what I am saying. You can still call it God and ask whatever you want. Either way it works. But wait a minute, whatever you ask or whoever you ask, once you have received it, be in the gratitude for it. Thank the universe at large for what you have received. That is what we do with GODS right.

Just do it!

I once attended another discussion called "Is life a Game?" The Speaker had a charismatic way of putting it across to the listeners. But at that time it did not hit me. I knew I needed to look at life as a game but somehow missed something and I knew it. Life should be like playing a game, every situation converted into a point scoring one. When you are playing any game, what do you do? You just play and do everything possible in your ability to kick or hit the ball in the right direction. And then it hit me my life is no different than a game.

Any situation which I come across needs my best shot. My aim is the goal post or the boundary line or an ace. If I have scored it, good, if not I need to move on. There are lots more balls to play. In any game you need to be focused to smell the victory. When you loose your focus then the opposition wins. Once you have put in your best but still the shot is not yours then you need to re-look at your skills and strategies as far as the games are concerned. But as far as the life goes you need to re-look into your self, the inner self.

How does one become a better player?

By being in touch with your inner self every moment. This way there is always a victory inside. Contented and Completely Satisfied with yourself.

"Just do it!"

Party time

When do you decide it is time to celebrate? Birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, engagements, marriage, etc., right? I am sure you will all agree that this is just a yearly celebration, monotonous and nothing much happens but to grow older physically by a year. There’s nothing special about getting older. It takes no effort. It just happens!

Besides, it’s just a temporary means of satisfaction or happiness, very short lived. And you are always counting the number of days left to be happy again. Even shopping or getting dressed to attend a party is just temporary teasers to make you feel high for a while. When the effect is over you are left craving for more. Now you must be thinking I took all the fun out of your life... Think again!

I feel the celebration should be more towards inner growth. Celebration should be when you grow older spiritually.

Everyday we discover new things about ourselves. You could be wiser than you were yesterday or the day before that. Or physically fit than you were last year. Sounds weird? Take for instance a weekly family togetherness. What do you think happens there we are celebrating doing the dishes together cooking, cleaning, gardening, dinning, dancing, sharing, playing, driving, sharing funny stories, having pillow fights, role playing and simply just being together… what do you suppose all this is? We are celebrating the growth within. And when there is a growth within the celebration comes naturally. You don’t plan, it just happens! And you don't need a particular place to have these kind of celebrations, you can have it anywhere. Needless to say you could be celebrating everyday.

As far as the birthdays, anniversaries etc., are concerned you may not anticipate for it every year except for the few initial ones. But where as going inwards is something which you would want to do each and every day because you know how important it is to have fun and be happy even when nothing exists around you.

What’s more you don’t have to spend lots of money on food as you can eat or not eat anything and wear soiled clothes. Overall, who cares about how you look? All that counts is fun, fun and more fun.

And who decides about your inner growth and wishes to have a party...? You. So I guess if you want to party all night each night only solution is go inwards and grow like the sea weeds. That’s all time I have everybody… Got to go PARTY!

I am my own Holy Man

"I am my own holy man", I said to Paul, my husband after I read this book ‘The Holy Man’. He said, "Exactly, then you have no expectations from anybody what so ever". So true.

This gave me a big cookie which my brains have been waiting to chew on. I attended a discussion once called 'Breakdown to breakthrough'- ‘why bad things happen to good people’, was a great inspiration to this topic. The speaker made me realize that every time we face a problem we need to look at it by stepping away and that’s when things happen miraculously. It is the same as "detachment". It doesn’t happen overnight, one has to be aware of it to practice and silently meditate…

In the book "the holy man", there is a grieving man who has lost his wife and the thought of not being able to see her again was unbearable. The holy man says, "you are lucky she did not separate from you, in that case you would have to suffer the added pain of rejection. Now, all you have to do here is ‘give her back’. She never was yours, nothing you have is yours and you have to give everything back. Only you are yours". This is a different way of looking at detachment, when you are dead and gone. But how do you detach yourself from others while still alive and yet enjoy and love and play and rejoice in everything that comes your way…? Well one way to look at it is - just imagine the whole world is a huge stage and all of us are actors. All you need to do is while talking, be aware that you are delivering a dialog, while eating or any other activity just watch yourself doing that activity. To put it differently 'you are your own audience'! It gets very exciting while you are doing this. Why restrict it only when problems beset you, carry it on and apply it each and every minute you are here whether there are problems or no problems.

You are your own listener. You don’t need anybody to view your problems for you because the most valuable inputs come from within you. When you are listening to your inner voice then you are in total control of your emotions and you will start slowly seeing yourself as you want others to see you. You can cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh, be a mad man/woman when you want to be and not bother about the world.

In this state the detachment just happens… effortlessly. But when you get involved with yourself and others or problems that you face or when that awareness disappears then nothing is under your control and you find yourself crying instead of laughing and the whole script and the dialog delivery is messed up. And then when the curtain closes all you have is regrets for yourself. So its never late, all you have to be is "be aware". Wake up to the awareness in you... Wake up to the "Holy Being" within you... Wake up to the "Spiritual Being" within you.