When and Why do we Pray?

 

When and Why do we Pray?

We are all used to our parents telling us to pray, go to the temple, church, mosque, gurudwara, etc and pray to God for overall well-being. This used to happen with my generation – nowadays even that has reduced substantially as gadgets have taken over life and the youth consider these gadgets to be God! Nothing happens without these gadgets, cell phones, ipads, laptops, etc. Information is available at the click of a button. The information overload has made the later generations feel that they know it all, nobody refers to books any more – books are passe!

With the surfeit of available information on any subject – the reader becomes confused because currently there is a huge trend of fake news doing the rounds – so what is correct, and what isn’t – God knows..lolz!! People are actually becoming dumber as their brain is not exercised as much as in the earlier days, no rationalization required, no application of logic – press a button and you have information! No thinking – are we becoming robots?

Back to - when and why do we pray? Most of us think of a higher power when we are in trouble, exams coming, job interview round the corner, serious sickness, family problems and so on and so forth. Something within us tells us to pray, even though we do not know how – but a silent appeal goes from within, it goes in anguish and someone up there hears the pain, the universe feels the vibrations and a solution comes to you. These are signals for you to change your direction. But the moment the problems is solved you are back to your good old ways. This problem–prayer cycle goes on and on till you ultimately realise that you have to submit to a higher power to lead a peaceful and happy life.

When we realise from the bottom of our heart that we need to change our path, the universe sends us a guide, a Guru to delve within. He / She teaches us to meditate and introspect, to turn within and embark on the journey to self-realisation. Once you embark on this journey, with greater depths, as you travel deeper and deeper, you realise that God lies within you – there is no difference between you and God – you merge with universal consciousness. As you do this, you learn to pray for the benefit of all, not just selfish prayers – these prayers are actually heard and start working as you become an empty pipe for the flow of universal consciousness. This is when your whole life becomes like a prayer for the benefit of all.

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Understanding Spiritual Vibrations

 

Understanding Spiritual Vibrations

Vibration or Universal Life Energy is simply a method to describe your overall state of wellbeing. Everything in the universe is made up of energy vibrating at different frequencies. The vibration is called by "porous breathing" of the entire body. You are simply opening up your channels and allowing the intake of energy from around you. The spinal feeling is what we call the opening of the back channel. It's simply the movement of bodily energy.

The first time I felt vibrations was during my first meditation camp in February 2009 – on the day of awakening Swamiji says – some of you will feel cold vibrations on the palms of your hands – the moment he said that there were two eddies of ice-cold energy whirling on both the palms and I was wondering what kind of magic is this. Then Swamiji goes on to say those who felt cold vibrations are in a good spiritual state. After that, with regular meditation – both morning and evening as I got pulled into spirituality and started enjoying these vibrations – I also started getting floral fragrances – sometimes rose, jasmine, sometimes sandalwood, and that of havan.

All these fragrances start coming from within you as your chakras start getting cleared. When you get these fragrances during meditation, enjoy them, don’t doubt them and start looking everywhere to see if someone has put on perfume or something! The moment you doubt the fragrance, it will be a long time before you get it again. Faith and acceptance are two key words we need to adopt in our life, if we want to progress spiritually.

Energy and vibrations are something that you start receiving as you make spiritual progress one step at a time. Some people feel the vibrations pretty early – that is because they probably have been born with a bank of spiritual savings from the previous birth and this birth is a continuance of that journey. The vibrations could start from the crown chakra – circulating around the crown for some time, before starting to move downwards – I have always gone into meditation the moment the vibrations went below the throat chakra – the cool vibrations are so soothing as to put you almost immediately into a drowsy meditative state, after which you are lost to the world.

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Why Meditation is Required – a Simple Explanation

 

Why Meditation is Required – a Simple

 Explanation

I have been practising Samarpan Meditation for the past 12 years now and the benefits are tangible and for me have attained a kind of permanence. Meditation is recommended for a whole lot of reasons – it calms the mind, it dissipates anger, it increases love and compassion, it perpetuates good health, it conserves energy and at higher levels it begins to give you deeper insights about life. I will try and explain meditation in relation to the human anatomy. The human body is supposed to have about 72000 channels through which the energy flows – but the important ones are the Ida (Right), Pingala (Left) and Sushumna (Central). The energy flows through these three channels and as you know for doing any activity energy is required – whether it is studying, playing, eating, sex, etc.

But to go into deeper levels of consciousness we need to clear our mind of prejudices, hatreds, anger, preconceived ideas – once we do this, we are open to receive universal energy. Through consistent and regular practise of samarpan meditation we are in a position to harness the energy within us and bring it to a focal point – which otherwise is dissipated in one’s daily routine.

Once you are able to do this, these energies which are present in the Right and Left channels need to be brought and stabilised at the root chakra – the Muladhar. Then, in very high states of meditation this energy travels upwards through the three channels, once this happens your awareness rises from the gross to the subtler and still subtler till you finally reach That, and That is something beyond the Five Senses.

Some basics to remember – practice meditation at least once a day, preferably early in the morning between 3.30 am to 5.30 am – this time is most suitable as all the higher energies are in operation at this time. As far as possible avoid lying, stick to the Truth in your daily life – try your best. Lead a very simple life – do not base your happiness on your worldly possessions – they are temporary in nature. Moderation is the key to happiness. Try your best not to injure or hurt other beings, including humans – do your best to avoid hurting others – physically or mentally.

If you practice this daily, your mind will become quiet and you will slowly start tapping into higher states of consciousness. Your entire success is dependent on your dedication, faith, total and unconditional surrender, your single pointed focus on your goal and your understanding of what you are trying to do and achieve with divine Grace. Remain humble, compassionate, loving and caring as you reach higher levels of consciousness.

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Remaining Joyous in Tough Times

 

Remaining Joyous in Tough Times

You may have met people who never seem to lose their equilibrium under any circumstances and wondered how this was possible! As we go through life, we ride the ups and downs which come along with it. Life’s roller coaster ride gives us emotional highs and lows. Remaining balanced and joyous during this roller coaster ride is at the core of spirituality.

There are simple steps one needs to follow to remain in balance. Firstly, one needs to have a healthy body, because without a healthy body one cannot develop the ability to go within and look for inner peace. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind – so stay fit, eat healthy food, exercise, meditate and achieve that inner balance. Once you do that you will be in a mental state that is joyous and happy. Once you have achieved that mental state however tough the times you will sail through harmlessly and joyously.

Secondly, you need to always have a positive outlook – even though today’s world and media only harps on the negative aspects, we need to develop the skill to avoid the negative and focus on the positive. Swamiji always says wherever I go, I only see a wonderful world, that is because I am looking at the positive, if you look at the negative then your life will be full of negatives. So, stay positive and spread positivity.

Practise yoga and meditation to attain physical and mental equilibrium. Practising yoga makes your body fit for meditation, it helps in stilling the mind. Once your body can sit still for a period of time, then your meditative experience can lead you within, once your inner journey starts you realise that whatever is happening outside is just a part of life – your karma – so you get the inner strength to face it and at the same time you remain joyous. Through the regular practice of meditation your inner core becomes still, you merge with yourself within and then everything falls into place. The tough times do not seem tough anymore as you get that inner strength and grace to face life as it comes while displaying a spirit of joy, love and compassion.

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Facing Life's Challenges

 

Facing Life’s Challenges

From the time one is born life is a challenge – this is true for everyone! At every turn we face a challenge, some challenges are just tests, and the others are serious, some even life threatening. The test of human character lies in how one faces life’s challenges. Do you face it head on, or do you look for an escape route? Sometimes in life, the circumstances are such that you do not have the will to take on such challenges, in such times it is fine if you move away and pray to God to give you the strength and the wherewithal to face such challenges when they crop up in the future.

Fear is a factor which inhibits you in facing challenges. You need to overcome this fear – remember fear is just a thought – with control of the mind you will find that your fear also disappears. Learn to accept and let go, overcome your fears, and practice gratitude – all these help you in facing life’s challenges.

With every challenge that you overcome, you find your nature changing – here you need to become a witness and observe the change. Are you changing for the better or for the worse? Are you becoming humble and more compassionate or is your ego becoming larger than life? This personal introspection is very important – it will make or break you on the spiritual path!

You need to tune in to universal consciousness, make it your partner to help you face your challenges. You yourself have to face your challenges and overcome them, but if you are in tune with universal consciousness, if you are in tune with the vast, positive collectivity which universal consciousness represents, then you will find it easy to overcome any kind of challenge.

The question is how do we tune in to universal consciousness? Meditation under the guidance of a realised Master, joining a vast band of positive souls during meditation, helps you connect with universal consciousness – once you do that then you not only connect – you merge with universal consciousness! After this happens none of life’s challenges will bother you – you will just go through them without a flutter. But the biggest challenge is merging with universal consciousness – for that you need a realised living Guru, you need to bow down and surrender unconditionally at the lotus feet of the Guru and let His Grace and Compassion help you cross over from body consciousness to soul consciousness!

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Losing Hope is not a Choice

 

Losing Hope is not a Choice

Once you embark on the search for the ultimate truth there is no turning back. Whatever the difficulties you may encounter on your journey, however hopeless you find your quest to be at times, do not lose hope, losing hope is not a choice for those who have set out on the journey to discover the ultimate truth!

You will find a lot of people giving you advise on what to do, what not to do and so on. Control your breath, train your mind they will say. But they have no clue how to do it. You should realise that breathing ultimately supplies oxygen to the brain – after inhaling fresh air, it passes through the lungs into the heart which pumps the blood throughout the body, also providing its payload of oxygen to the brain in the bargain. If you observe yourself when you are angry or excited, you will notice that your heart is racing and that the blood-flow to the brain is thus accelerated – when there is excessive supply of oxygen to the brain your thoughts keep racing and your mind goes berserk. The way to quieten the mind is to slow down your breathing – count slowly to ten while taking deep breaths – you find yourself becoming calm and the tempo of your thoughts reducing.

The trick is to slow down your breathing – yoga and meditation help you to a great extent in doing this. If you master quieting your mind – then there is no question of losing hope, because more than half your journey is over. The rest is regular meditation and mindfulness practise as you learn to stay in the present moment. As you progress and completely and unconditionally surrender to your Guru, you notice that your karmas are being extinguished at a faster pace, your desires for material things starts disappearing. You notice that your ego is slowly taking a back seat. Getting rid of the ego is the most difficult – do not lose hope – your ego will keep changing form, it is your awareness and mindfulness practise which will help you detect the transformed ego. Layers and layers of ego will be peeled off, till you ultimately reach that golden silence.

Stay mindful, stay aware, be humble, be compassionate, be loving – live in the moment and remain joyous, filled with bliss and happiness. Have faith in yourself and trust in your Guru – you will definitely reach your goal – just hang in there, don’t lose hope!

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Slow Climb up the Mountain

 

Slow Climb up the Mountain

For a true seeker, whether under the guidance of a realised Master or for one who chooses to go it alone, the journey is akin to climbing a very tall mountain with all its pitfalls, crevices, crags, steep rockfaces, and so on. For the person who chooses to go it alone, he has to find his way through all the dangers which he comes across on the way up from the bottom of the mountain. For such a person the journey is really arduous and a test of faith and spiritual commitment. For those who have a Master as a guide, they are shown the path the Master has taken and then thousands of followers tread the same path making it a kind of well beaten path which is easier to climb.

This is the path we will talk about because, with Samarpan and Gurutattva, this is the path we are traversing. His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swami has given us a lift directly onto the 8^th step of the ladder of ashtang yoga. From here we have to find our way to our inner abode – that is the peak of the proverbial mountain!

Here too, as we progress up the mountain, we need to pause every now and then, preserve our breath, stabilise ourselves at that level and once we feel we are balanced and acclimatised to the oxygen levels we may move on. It is extremely important to pause every now and then and steady ourselves – because if we make even one mistake we will fall down from a very great height and after that the climb up will be almost impossible. The higher we go, the more time we need to spend on getting used to that height and stabilizing ourselves, this is the only way we can ensure that we stay rock steady on our path.

If during the climb you see a storm coming, or see any danger like low visibility, dark clouds gathering which hamper vision then set up camp and take shelter there for some time, let the storm clear before proceeding. Be very firm in your mind that you will proceed no matter what. Be mentally strong and firm, tell yourself that you will not turn back and return to base camp, nor will you fall down and hurt yourself. Let your climb be slow and steady – it does not matter whether you reach the peak in this birth, tell yourself that you will continue on this very journey in the next birth exactly from where you left off in the last birth – you need that kind of commitment to your goal of ultimate liberation – the freedom, the peace, the bliss, the joy which you get when you reach the peak of the mountain.

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The Physical and the Subtle Bodies

 

The Physical and the Subtle Bodies

We all know that the physical body which we adorn since birth is our vehicle to endure – enjoy our karmas and move towards liberation during the current lifetime. The Bhagwad Gita describes the subtle body as a combination of the mind, intellect and the ego and that it is the subtle body that control the physical body. More than 95% of the world’s population is not even aware of the subtle body as they live their gross physical lives in a state of spiritual ignorance, without understanding the core purpose of why they have taken birth!

In our physical plane of existence, we all take birth and go through the motions of living based on our past karmas – we may be born in a poor family, live as orphans, be born rich, born with some physical or mental deficiency, etc. But after taking birth in whichever layer of society, we live our lives and strive to better our lot and go up the societal chain through hard work, dedication etc. There are some who try short cuts and fail and face the consequences of their actions. The physical plane is thus a very touchy-feely plane where emotions are in control and human beings have a very uni-dimensional outlook to life.

It takes some shock or personal tragedy most of the times to direct a person in the spiritual direction. For a very few the spiritual aspect is inborn based on their past life karma and such people start following this path pretty early in life. The difference between the physical and the subtle becomes more and more clear as one progresses on the spiritual path. Many find Masters who guide them on their way to liberation. But the journey to one’s inner abode has to be traveled alone – your Master or Guru will not come to guide you – you yourself have to establish that last mile connectivity!

Through the practise of yoga and meditation we start cultivating an understanding of the subtle body as a result of which it helps in understanding the reactions, responses and a sense of the self. Each body has layers of awareness that hide the true self. As the meditator discovers each layer and removes it, he/she moves closer and closer to oneness with the universe and his/her true self. As awareness of each body develops, one moves closer to understanding the true Self or Atma and forges a connection with universal energy, or Brahman.

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The Essence of being Human

 

The Essence of being Human

Do you know what it means to be born as a human being? As per Sanatan philosophy one is born as a human being after evolving over thousands of births from lower life forms to reach a state where one ultimately takes birth in the human form. Once you take birth as a human form, you adopt the religion or better still the form of worship that is followed by your parents. So, a child born into a Christian family follows Christianity, Jews-Judaism, Muslims-Islam, Buddhists-Buddhism, Jain-Jainism, Sikhs-Sikhism and Hindus-Hinduism – actually there is no such thing as Hinduism. Hinduism is nothing but the following of Sanatan Dharma which is age-less, ancient and goes back more than 20000 years in time! In this you are allowed to worship whoever and whatever you want – you are allowed to see God in anyone or anything – here we know that God is formless but if you want God to take form you can choose that form for yourself.

All these forms of worship are nothing but separate paths to reach the same goal – liberation. So, as a human being – the only religion which every person on earth needs to follow is humanity. That is the only true religion of humans. If you ask what is the religion of horses, you could say it is to run fast, of cows is to give milk, of dogs is loyalty and so on.

Therefore, the essence of being born as a human is how you behave with others – both human as well as non-human forms. Are you compassionate, are you loving, do you care for others, do you willingly go and help people in distress – these are all signs of a person who has his/her heart in the right place! The only way any life form can walk on the path of spirituality is in the human form – because of the spinal cord of humans which has the energy centers from the root chakra to the crown chakra and the three meridians moving from the base to the crown.

Evolved human beings are either attracted to a Guru or a Guru pulls such people towards his own energy body. The Guru informs you about the purpose of your birth, which is liberation, and guides you on the path to total freedom. Spirituality in humans is nothing but finding the core meaning of life, responding to it under the guidance of a Master and establishing one’s ultimate relationship with Paramatma – the Supreme Soul, where you find that you and universal consciousness are the same, no difference!

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Is being a Seeker Fun?

 

Is being a Seeker Fun?

When one talks about spirituality in today’s world – the look one gets is – ‘Come on, get out of here’. It is like you said something absolutely unreal an impractical! But is this really the case? People think that to be spiritual is to be serious – sit and meditate, go to the forests, mountains, etc. This is really not the case.

As a seeker of the ultimate truth, one usually begins by visiting the samadhis of saints and trying to get inspiration or guidance from there. Swamiji says that for you to find your own living Master you need to pray from the core of your soul for guidance at any of these samadhis and you will definitely be guided to the medium who will be your guide in your lifetime. The plea has to be ardent and desire deep and this divine occurrence of reaching your own Guru happens like magic. Your Guru then provides you with the guidance to awaken your soul, give you self-realisation and ensure that you set out on your inner journey.

The question is – is this fun? In my experience it is nothing but fun. The day you completely surrender to a higher power and let that power guide all your actions, then you find out that you are just a canoe in the vast ocean that is being guided by a divine power. This feeling itself makes you feel light and unburdened. In my experience, I have found out that life goes on auto-pilot and everything just keeps happening, we find that we have more and more time on our hands as we take on more and more activities – multi-tasking becomes simple – as we begin to live in the moment. The moment is always filled with joy – the journey with Samarpan has been full of joy, fun, bliss, amazing spiritual experiences and most of all it has given a sense of calm, peace and inner silence that cannot be explained in mere words.

As a seeker who has found the path, you learn that with the eighth arm - of ashtang yog – namely samadhi – Swamiji has given us a lift to the top pedestal – here we find the unity of mind and body, thought and action which results in our finding the harmony with nature as we begin to unify with it – we find that our oneness with our own self has led us to a feeling of divine bliss and calm – a life filled with perpetual joy. So, definitely being a seeker is nothing but joyous!

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International Yoga Day Celebrations

 

International Yoga Day Celebrations

It is extremely important as to understand the deeper significance of celebrating the International Yoga Day, which is today – June 21. I personally feel that it has a far deeper significance than just keeping oneself physically fit – PM Narendra Modi’s words when addressing the UNGA on September 27, 2014 give an indication of the underlying purpose – I quote: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in one’s well-being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.” Later the UN General Assembly  with a record co-sponsorship by 177 nations adopted the resolution to declare June 21, 2015 (the longest day of the year) as the International Yoga Day to be celebrated on that day every year thereafter.

This was a step towards promoting ashtang yoga – the eight-fold path of yoga which leads to samadhi. It is a way of life and if one adopts it then over a period of time one achieves unity with oneself – unity of mind, body and soul – once this is achieved you have reached a state of life which is nothing but pure bliss. If every person on earth strives to reach this state of being, then there would be no conflict in the world, we would all be living in peace and harmony with each other – it would truly establish ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’ – the world is one family!

Through yoga and meditation, one establishes harmony first with one’s body, then with one’s mind and ultimately with one’s soul – this moment of self-realisation can come only under the guidance of a realised Master who himself has achieved that state and has the power to bestow it. His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swami has been bestowing this divine knowledge since 1999 – free of cost and as a mission to fulfill his word to his Himalayan Guru. Samarpan Meditation – now Gurutattva – has spread across the world and is currently practiced in more than 70 countries – it is taught free of cost to anyone who has the inner desire to know himself/herself. There is absolutely no discrimination between religion, race, colour, gender, nationality etc – all are welcome.

All we need is a deep inner desire for ultimate peace and quiet. That can happen only when the mind becomes silent – this is possible through Samarpan Meditation or any other form of meditation which makes you see who you really are and which gives you the peace and silence which we all strive for, but rarely achieve!

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Mantras and Meditation

Mantras and Meditation

A question which is often asked is whether mantras help in meditation. The response I usually give is to try it out for yourself and examine the theory. Swamiji and many Gurus of the past have always told us not to accept anything blindly. Even mantra chanting though it is well established that it helps one attain vibrational balance during meditation, I always say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Sit down and try it. Whichever mantra you decide to chant – it has to be chanted rhythmically – when you do that it creates what is known as a neuro-linguistic effect. According to scientists such an effect occurs even if the meaning of the mantra is not known! Chants create thought-energy waves and the person chanting it vibrates in tune with the energy and spiritual appeal of the chant. As a child I used to find great solace in ‘Om Namaha Shivaya’ – this actually used to help me go to sleep whenever I felt afraid of the dark and helped get rid of the fear after watching some particularly scary television!

Once you attend Guru-purnima and you are bestowed with the Guru-mantra, that mantra has tremendous vibrations and helps you enormously while meditating. Chanting the Guru-mantra is like watering the seed of spirituality which has been placed within you by your Guru – with consistent and regular chanting the seed takes root very subtly and grows into a divine tree.

Once the mantra takes root, you can literally hear the chant within you, it is like the cells within you are vibrating with that chant. It is an amazing feeling when you can hear the chant in the silence of your own being. The language of vibrations is something which our sages, rishis in the Himalayas knew – they would communicate through vibrations over distances which were miles apart. One needs to reach that elevated state, merge with nature and then be in a position to communicate at that level.

Mantras actually help you focus on your inner self during meditation. After a period of time the mantra is internalised and the chant just goes on within without your doing anything. When this happens then you really don’t need to chant the mantra while meditating – this is the sign that your meditation has helped you go within… the mantra chanting has helped you progress in your inner journey. You now meditate far more easily, the focus has moved from mentally chanting the mantra to just sitting in silence and enjoying the vibrations of the mantra which has been internalised.

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Energy and Investment

 

Energy and Investment

I remember my grandfather asking us when we were small – what makes the world go round? And my elder brother, being the smarter one with a scientific bent of mind would reply – the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun! My grandfather would laugh and say – no, it is money which makes the world go round and round! If you really think about it – that is true, isn’t it – man’s invention money is what has actually corrupted the world and that is what we all run after for taking care of our short term and long-term needs, goals etc! If you go to the tribal areas people are happily unaware of money and live life in tune with nature!

Whenever we invest our surplus earnings, we need to be very careful of the feeling or sentiment which we apply while investing the money. It is well known that the whole universe is nothing but energy, we are energy, money is energy – in fact everything is just energy. You would have heard the elders in your family saying that you should invest money for a rainy day and that money will be useful for you in your hard or tough times! Never ever invest your money with such feelings, because when you do this, you are sending a message to the universe that this money is being saved for bad times – so the universe understands that you are expecting bad times in the future and lines up such bad times for you. Basically, when you invest with this sentiment you are saving that money for the bad times that you yourself have invited! Attach a good sentiment to the money and investment – give it the sentiment of being God, of a friend and that you will use it for enjoying life in your sunset years, and then you will find out that this money is being used for your enjoyment! Respect money and have the feeling that whatever has been earned has been earned with the grace of God and with the blessings of your parents and then it will always be available to you for good times.

Meditation helps you realising and experiencing this energy at very subtle levels. The more the number of days, years you spend in meditating regularly you observe and start sensing energy and recognising different kinds of energy. All this happens at a very subtle, intuitive level as we progress in our meditation. This helps us understand energy and once we do that, we learn to respect it, we learn to love and respect life without any expectations, we become free from our attachments and learn to enjoy both energy and the fruits of our investments!

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Loneliness

 

Loneliness

In today’s world we find that children go abroad to study and then settle down overseas. They fly away and live their own lives. Many of us who stay behind, with the passage of time we find that one by one our companions, friends have moved away or moved on. This is when a feeling of loneliness begins to set in and we start living in our minds. We keep recalling past events and incidents and reliving them as sometimes there is no one to talk to or talk with! As we grow older this feeling of loneliness starts growing on us – the question is do we convert this feeling into an opportunity for inner development or we start living in the past and create a sense of depression in our minds?!

It is a very real scenario as most of the children from middle class India are going overseas for studies as the competition in India is humongous and most of the students find it tough to cope up. With the massive population if you have to compete then you have to be better than the best to get yourself admission after the Board level exams, then higher education and then a job – you are competing against too many people for too few jobs! Even though India is slowly emerging out of the shadows – it may be another ten years before reverse migration begins – today the scene is youngsters heading abroad for seeking a ‘better’ life for themselves.

With the children away the only way one can avoid the sense of loneliness – this sense may develop even though you are surrounded by people – is through meditation and yoga. Keep yourself physically and mentally fit. Both yoga and meditation help you connect with your inner self and make you comfortable with your own self. Once you start meditating you realise that the inner silence, the inner peace is what one craves for all one’s life – to find that inner peace one runs around all over the place trying to earn more and more money and buy gadgets etc with that money – as if money has bought peace!! We look for happiness outside whereas true happiness – nay joy and bliss lie right within you.

To find that peace and joy, to revel in that inner silence one needs to meditate under the guidance of a realised Master. Remember this inner journey has to be done alone – no one comes with you, so the ‘loneliness’ becomes a blessing as you now prefer remaining alone and even when you are in the presence of people, you are alone because your chitta is centred deep within you and you learn to participate in life as a witness – you start living a life of detached attachment – splendid in your loneliness!

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Accept who You are

 

Accept who You are

In India because of the huge population, we are taught to be competitive right since childhood, especially with academics. It is drilled into us that education is our ticket to a better life and so the grind begins really early in life! There is so much pressure with classrooms having an average of 60 odd students and to try and come in the top ten in the class - a tough ask! Some of us who are naturally talented, gifted, academically smart tend to do well in all aspects in school, college, life. But others are told by their peers, their parents, their teachers – look at so and so and look at you. See how many marks he got and look at you and so on! This actually demotivates you and you start developing low self-esteem and start thinking that you are useless.

This is the mistake we make. Never ever accept that you are useless – know that you have taken birth for a specific purpose, a good education does not mean that you will succeed in life – it just means you have got the tools to succeed in life. How you use these tools is upto you! Even without these tools a lot of people have had amazing success – so education really does not mean success in life. A good education is no doubt helpful – but if you have other talents, please explore them, do what you love and make that your profession. If you love what you do you will enjoy as you earn! But to do all this you first have to accept who you are – you do not have to be like someone else. Remember you are the only you – there is no duplicate – so believe that you are the best and you will be the best. You need to compete with yourself and become a better you, that’s all – there is no point trying to become like someone else – you won’t be happy and the person you are trying to make happy, won’t be satisfied!

Meditation teaches you to accept who you are – it balances you and helps you see who you are in the true sense. With self-realisation comes the sense of peace, calm and inner wellbeing. The earlier one starts to meditate, the sooner the cobwebs on all your perceptions are lifted – you begin to see life more clearly, you begin to accept who you are and build on who you are to take on the world as a good human being!

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Never Give Up

 

Never Give Up

Human beings have been given the ability to think, the sense to achieve beyond expectations, the drive to succeed and go where ‘no man has gone before’. It is said that we use just a fraction of our inherent abilities as we have not learnt to use the full power of our brain. When we have such hidden abilities within us, then why do we feel afraid and scared at the smallest tragedy that befalls us. There are innumerable stories of people who are born with disabilities or people to whom life throws a curve ball and they fall victim to accidents which make them wheelchair bound, but these people dive deep within and come up with the strength to fight and discover and develop new skills which makes their life far more outstanding than those who are considered ‘normal’!

A simple net search will give you a whole list of such stories – many of them have gone on to become motivational speakers inspiring people with similar disabilities to get up and live their life with the new ‘normal’ – not just live it but become successful too! There is the story of Gurah from a very poor family in West Bengal who was brilliant in school. In spite of their poverty, he stood first throughout. His parents died and he had to give up studies due to lack of finance. He joined the air force through a group recruitment drive and ranked third in the all-India examination. Unfortunately, he met with a terrible accident and was told that he would be confined to a wheelchair for life – a bright rocketing career shot down by fate?! So, you would think, after initial despair he decided to do something about his life – he decided he wanted to paint. HE DID NOT GIVE UP. He contacted the Mouth and Foot Artist Association and enrolled himself. Today, he is a success story with more than 100 amazing paintings to his credit – he now motivates people by talking at various paraplegic centres all over the country!

Just as you should not give up in life, never give up when you are on the spiritual path. Meditation is something that balances all your chakras while you go through the ups and downs of life. It gives you the ability to stay balanced in all environments. Just because you do not get meditation, don’t give up – because it just takes a fraction of a moment, just one flash for you to go from the material to the universal – the kundalini (the latent serpent energy lying at the base of the spine) rises and goes through the three meridians and seven chakras in a flash as you attain liberation. That is something that is permanent and lasting – keep that picture in mind if you ever feel like giving up on meditation! Remember meditation is life and life is meditation. Live it, enjoy it!

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Being Grateful

 

Being Grateful

The quality of expressing gratitude for even the slightest assistance one receives is really admirable. The catch here is that the expression of gratitude needs to come from the bottom of the heart, you have to really feel grateful for the help or assistance that you have received. Nowadays it has become a fashion to say ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’, etc at the drop of a hat – but do you really mean it? Only when you truly mean it does it help in keeping your heart and mind pure. Lip service is of absolutely no use.

When you start travelling on the spiritual path this quality of expressing gratitude is one of the top qualities which helps you remain pure internally. It becomes necessary to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that happens to you or comes to you and then continuously express your thanks. And because things have contributed towards your progress, you should include all things in your gratitude.

It is extremely important to tell people what value they have added in your life and how important they have been in your life. Life is really short and unpredictable, so the more often you express your feelings the better it is, because if something untoward happens then you will always feel guilty that – Oh God, I did not tell him/her how much they meant to me – and now it is too late. Do not let this happen to you – keep expressing gratitude wherever you feel it is due!

There are people who come into your life from nowhere and stand by you, make you smile, encourage you when you are down and comfort you when you are sad – thank such people always and tell them how much you love them. Believe me you will feel really good about it.

Once you start meditating, this expression of gratitude becomes second nature, it becomes a part of you. As you start becoming empty within, that empty space gets filled with universal consciousness, the vibrations of the cosmos and then you feel compassion, love, bliss, joy and gratitude towards everyone – you start becoming a sentinel of calm and peace, this aura of calm and peace goes wherever you go. Then you will notice that people express their gratitude to you for being a part of their lives. Accept it gracefully and spread the vibrations of love and harmony – today the world needs this more than anything else!

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Regrets in Life

 

Regrets in Life

People have regrets in life – I should not have done this, done that, said this said that and so on. One feels that by doing something or saying something one hurts other and then they feel guilty about it. That guilt stays with them for a long time. As it is words are said to have a sharper blade than swords as the scar which is left affects both the heart and the psyche! Unless one is totally forgiven at the subtle level the effect of the negative vibrations remains for a very long time, sometimes affecting the health of the person concerned.

The best way to overcome such feelings is to give it a positive twist and go and actually say sorry to whomsoever you feel you have hurt through deed or word. This is the most difficult part – saying sorry! This is where the ego comes into play and your mind tells you, “Why should I say sorry? That person deserved it? What did I do wrong?” and so on and so forth. The mind gives you all kinds of excuses not to apologise. Do not listen to the mind, overcome these thoughts and actually go and say sorry to such persons from the bottom of your heart. The moment you do that you will feel much better! There is a reason for this ‘feeling good’ factor – you have gone against your mind, you have overcome your ego and gone and done something which is making your heart, your soul feel good. This is the cleansing process – the more you become humble, the more you become caring, the more you become giving – to that extent you are overcoming some or the other aspect of your ego.

You are moving from body consciousness to soul consciousness. You add meditation to your life, start meditating as part of a positive group of meditators, then at the very subtle level your cleansing starts happening automatically – the body consciousness starts evaporating, your nature starts changing and then over time you realise that you no longer say or do anything consciously that hurts anybody or anything, when you do so unintentionally and find that out, you go and apologise and set things right immediately – without a second thought. That is the transformation which takes place in you – you move away from guilt and move towards compassion and unconditional love towards all beings sentient and insentient!

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You are the Best

 

You are the Best

Our parents consider us as the best thing that happened to them, and once we become parents, we carry the same sentiments. All of us differ in our uniqueness and skill sets. We are all born for a purpose and all of us are enduring or enjoying our karmas. We all face different sets of challenges in life and some of us do not cope up as well as others. Such people sometimes feel less of themselves and develop a low self-esteem. They forget that they are unique.

Unfortunately, our society too can be cruel as it compares one with the other – look at him, look at her, see what so and so has achieved and look at that fellow, in spite of having talent he is unsuccessful and so on and so forth! Our opinion about people keeps changing based on additional information which we keep getting. To get the whole picture we need to know the entire spectrum of circumstances. Just by knowing a part of the whole picture we should not form our opinion. As more and more information is revealed we realise that our original opinion was totally misplaced! As human beings we are prone to forming quick opinions and passing judgement in an uninformed manner! We form our opinions very superficially and hastily, due to which we are unable to do justice to ourselves or to others! Remember that life is different as opportunities vary, resources differ, problems change and no solution is the same. Therefore, the excellence of life is not in comparing yourself with anyone, but in testing yourself and proving that you are the best that you can be.

By embarking on your inner journey through meditation all these shortcomings can be clearly seen in the mirror which is the soul. As the muck on the mirror is removed layer by layer, you begin to see your image clearly, the reflection shows you your shortcomings first; as you work on them and overcome them, the positive aspects of your life come to the fore. Once this happens you begin to see who you really are – that is when you realise that you really are the best under the given circumstances. You accept yourself as you are and start living your life as a witness without being affected by circumstances or people. Meditation helps you be the best you can be – you are the best, accept that, believe that and live life joyously while spreading joy all around you!

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