Girish's Blog

  Photo Credit: ScrollDroll Don’t Be Serious Being serious is dangerous business, and we as individuals are conditioned to be serious since our childhood – at least in India our upbringing is like that. I am sure that is the case all over the world – it is all about education, career, success, laurels, achievements and so on – that leaves really little time for fun. Even comic acts are serious business with the artists getting into serious psychological issues! Seriousness has become a way of life for people – the sense of humour seems to have disappeared in most of the people. To lose one’s sense of humour is such a fundamental irreplaceable loss – to lose your sense of humour is to lose your contact with God, as that is our only connection. Seriousness is the greatest barrier between man and God and it has to be dropped! The problem with seriousness is that it is very paying – all our jobs require us to be serious – it has become our way of living. It makes us very successful...

  Photo Credit: Osho News || Raas-Leela Life is a Play Generally, we live our lives unconsciously, mechanically and soon we find that boredom sets in as it kind of lacks life and has no real heartbeat or sensitivity. People become walking corpses. Life was never meant to be serious – our ego makes it that way, heavy and weighty! To transform this so-called life, one needs to fill it with energy and live in the moment with full awareness. Once you learn to do that this life becomes a pilgrimage of consciousness and divine grace envelops it. We can really feel and experience this when we dance to gay abandon in the presence of the Master or just remembering him – and suddenly we feel light, playful, childlike! It's all a great, divine play and we all have our roles to play in it. Actually, we are not even playing roles, we are just puppets; there is a wire tied to us. That wire is Universal Consciousness and we all have that Consciousness. We think whatever that Consciousness t...

  Photo Credit: Dadabhagwan.org The Pure Soul In our body, in the centre of the heart, there is a contact point to the soul. According to the Upanishads the soul is omnipresent – it is the ultimate reality which surrounds everything and is prevalent everywhere – but for the individual the contact point is in the centre of the heart. It is from that point that you are plugged into the ultimate reality. It is just as if you have fixed an electric light bulb to a very small socket, but it has a large flow of electricity behind it. If you affix a five-watt light bulb you will get light of five watts, if you put a 50-watt light bulb, you will get that much brightness and if you affix 200 watts that is what you will get. The flow of electricity is continuous and perennial and you will get light as per the power of the bulb that you have. All our souls are the same because we are all connected to the same ultimate power source. The contact point to that reality in us is called the s...

  Photo Credit: QuotesGram Universal Consciousness Those who are following the spiritual path are aware that ultimately, they have to merge with universal consciousness. How that will happen, what is the process, etc. that is a bit vague. We have been taking birth over and over again to escape from the birth-death-rebirth cycle, progressing every birth a bit closer to the ultimate goal – merging with universal consciousness! Consciousness is the stuff existence is made of. Actually, you could say that consciousness is another name for God – in the Sanatan dharma it is the nirakar or the formless. God or universal consciousness is the source of all existence. Buddha says that existence consists of consciousness. Existence itself is made of consciousness. And existence has always been here, is here and will be here in the future. Isn’t this what Swamiji also says – Paramatma existed before, exists today and will exist tomorrow! Consciousness itself is the very foundation of th...

  Photo Credit: Dreamstime Creating A Spiritual Environment For those who are spiritual by nature and follow the spiritual path, it is important to create a spiritual environment because one’s spiritual practice holds a vital place in our life. This practice directs the positive course of our actions and serves as a guide to some of the most important decisions in our life. Even then, despite being spiritual, one does come across obstacles and problems which one must overcome in this journey called life! While many of these problems are likely to be mental, financial, emotional and spiritual, it isn’t just the aspects of one’s internal life that can impact one’s trajectory. Sometimes the external world will have a negative influence in your life. Hence, to minimize this impact one needs to create an environment around one’s self that serves as a sanctuary, a spiritual hub, and a place of peace that can empower you to thrive. Swamiji mentions that through regular meditation one ...

  Photo Credit: Gracious Quotes||J.C. Lavater You Never Lose by Giving All of us are seekers of the ultimate truth and follow different religions; all religions tell us to give selflessly without any expectation. Nature gives us selflessly – look at the sun, the moon, the stars, the flora and fauna – they just give without expecting anything in return. Once we start giving selflessly, we start becoming one with nature. Once we tune in with nature, we have an inexhaustible supply of consciousness which we keep drawing from the unseen Source of Life – you may call that God, Paramatma, Universal Consciousness or anything you deem fit. You can take all you want and not only will it suffice for you, but the surplus will become instrumental in helping others in need. Your smile will inspire another smile. Your strength will impel another to be strong. A noble soul always draws out the noble quality in others. Give all you can, but don’t lose your own peace. It’s also all right not to hel...

  Photo Credit: PsychNews Daily Give a Helping Hand We have all come across situations in life where we find ourselves struggling, but because of our sense of self-respect we never seek help from others. Most of the time we end up blaming or disliking others for the situation that we find ourselves in. There is a very simple rule which Swamiji keeps telling us about, if you feel uncomfortable in the presence of certain people just excuse yourself politely and leave. There is absolutely no need to participate in any discussion which makes you uncomfortable or where you feel negative vibes! Also, be careful not to condemn or bad-mouth persons in that group. A better way is to find out why you don’t like a particular person – whether you don’t like the person per se, or some habits, the way the person talks or behaves. Once you make this analysis, ask yourself, “Have I too not behaved like this at some point or the other? So, why am I feeling antagonized?” Maybe you have learnt yo...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest Between Two Breaths It is said that one dies with every breath one takes, you inhale – you live, you exhale – you die; imagine after exhaling you cannot inhale again, means you are dead. Thus, once we realise that we are dying every moment, we begin to watch our breath. Because between the two breaths there is the possibility of ‘the happening’. When you inhale, observe – for that single fraction of a moment, there is no breathing before you exhale – there is a gap – and then you exhale! Then again for a fraction of a moment the breathing stops and the breath comes in. We need to understand that when we are not breathing, we are ‘dead’, we are still, but dead. But that moment is of such a short duration that we never observe it. When we inhale, we live, when we exhale, we die. The gap between the two is so small, of such a short duration, but with focus, with keen observation you will be able to feel the gap. Feel the breath going in as it caresses y...

  Photo Credit: The Explanation.com What Is Existence? Existence means that which is, whereas God is that which is not. Existence is the reality and God is a creation of the human mind. Those who meditate can learn more deeply about ‘existence’; God is a kind of consolation for those who cannot see their own reality within. The human mind has not created existence and hence it stands alone, whereas the human mind has created hundreds of Gods – each according to his need, each according to his suffering, each according to his expectations. God is a panacea, a consolation but definitely not a cure. To be in tune with existence is to be healthy and whole – to be in tune with the surroundings, both within and without you. The moment you manage to tune in to existence there is no tension, no worry, but you feel a tremendous peace which surrounds your being, a contentment which you have never dreamt of. The ultimate truth does not need any remembrance, it has always been there, is ...

  Photo Credit: Out Upon the Waters God Has Given Us Everything A healthy human body, a desire for liberation and a spiritual guide to show you the way – when you have all these three things which is very rare indeed, do not waste them! If you do end up wasting them, God is not going to say, “What are you doing, wake up!” God has already given you all that he possibly could! Whether we believe in reincarnation or not, it’s a fact and we have not jumped into the human life form directly. We have done a lot of meritorious deeds and gone through the circle of birth, death and re-birth. The soul has been travelling for a long time – the journey from animal to human, human to superhuman – we are almost at the end of our journey. The journey from unconscious to subconscious to conscious to superconscious. The end is now near. It is said in the Bhagwad Gita that our desires become very strong at the last minute, towards the end of our journey. During our final moments our body, our ...

  Photo Credit: DPQuotes Spiritual Practice – a State of No-mind When you need to achieve or attain anything in life it requires commitment and continuous practice. Spiritual practice or dhyan sadhana by definition means following certain principles for progressing in one’s own individual spiritual journey. To progress spiritually one needs to go through life fulfilling all one’s desires and then achieving a state where no more desires are left. Meditation helps in calming the mind and progressing to a state of no-mind. Meditation is a state of pure consciousness having absolutely no content. An ordinary person’s consciousness is filled with a lot of rubbish, like a dust covered mirror. The mind is in a constant state of flux, thoughts trying to jump over each other trying to grab your attention, desires have their own momentum and so do your memories – the mind is filled with so much of traffic, it is just like having constant traffic in the mind. Day in and day out – even when a...

  Photo Credit: Visually Cosmic Sound, Vibrations Science says that sound is modification of electric vibrations; sound is nothing but electricity. The Upanishads say that electricity is nothing but sound modifications. From these two statements one thing is for sure – sound and electricity are convertible. Science says that electricity is basic and the Upanishads say that sound is basic. The difference exists because of the approach. According to the Upanishads one can reach the ultimate reality through sound – the mantra. They used sound to reach sound-lessness. With time, sound is dropped and soundlessness is achieved; ultimately when you reach the bottom, you hear a cosmic sound, a vibration – it is not a thought, it is not a created sound it is a hum – it is in the very nature of existence that it sounds. The cosmic hum sounds like ‘Aum’. We can chant it loudly and feel its vibrations, we can stand directly beneath a bell in a temple and ring the bell, that sound too is au...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest ||Spiritualgoal Doing Nothing is Meditation The other day Swamiji sent a wonderful audio message explaining meditation in very simple terms. I am sure most of you would have heard it. If not, this is what it says: “My salutations to all pious souls! Today, on the auspicious occasion of Holi we will try to understand what is meditation. I have said this many times even in my discourses that not doing anything itself is meditation. In this manner we see that a leaf keeps flowing along with the flow of the river Ganges. It does not make any efforts of its own, does not try anything by itself, it just remains with the water and in the end it slowly, very slowly merges with the ocean. In this manner, meditation is such a medium with which we have to become one with nature. To become one with nature it is necessary that we do not do anything with our body for some time, don’t do anything with our thoughts, we should not think. Look, nature never thinks, so, we...

  Photo Credit : ACCandFS Faith Based Confusion It is very well known that we assume the language, the religion, the society to which our parents belong – when we are in the womb, we are blissfully unaware of such complicated subjects like our religion or race. It is only after we take birth that these questions start arising as our parents try to teach us about our religion or religious practices. The topic is complex simply because in my view religion is a deeply personal thing – how can my communion with God have anything to do with anyone, in the same way who am I to question anyone else on his faith and belief. In India unfortunately talking about Hinduism or the Sanatan Dharma is considered to be an attack on secularism and studying about Christianity and Islam in Christian or Islamic schools is considered to be secular. There is so much of animosity against the Sanatan Dharma, which is the oldest surviving ancient culture that the Abrahamic religions probably feel threat...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest||Pin on Zen Key to all Change - Acceptance Many times, when we go through tough and painful situations, we find it hard to accept and even if we feel we have accepted the situation a lingering doubt remains in the mind – have I accepted or am I just consoling myself thinking that I have accepted it! Consoling comes from the mind, you think that you are consoling yourself, you bring in the consolation. Acceptance is more about understanding your situation. When you understand, there is acceptance and it comes by itself – acceptance is a happening and consolation a doing. When one is feeling miserable about life, one seeks a way out, and the easiest way is to find some theory to explain it – maybe past life karmas, something with which you try to find shelter. You think that maybe God is putting you in misery so that you can grow to face the challenge. You philosophize, try to find some explanation to rationalize the situation rather than accepting it ...

  Photo Credit: QuoteMaster The Greatest Challenge In life we all love challenges – without challenges life becomes bland, boring, dull. If we really want challenges in life then the road less travelled is the one to choose; if you do this it will make all the difference. Life grows only by choosing challenges. You can walk into a storm, gamble, take risks and you will watch life grow. In today’s world, I feel the greatest challenge is to walk the straight and narrow path of spirituality. There are so many distractions in the modern world, so many temptations to make you stray from your chosen path, that remaining on the path in spite of all these temptations becomes the greatest challenge. An average adult’s routine is work through the day, ‘relax’ late into the night watching some form of entertainment on TV, wake up late and rush through the morning formalities before rushing off to office. The lady of the house is far busier, as she has to wake up early to prepare to send...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest Being Grateful From the moment you are capable of feeling grateful for both pain and pleasure alike, without any distinction, without making any choice, simply feeling grateful for whatever one is receiving, feeling…..because if God is giving it, he must be having a reason for it. We may or may not like it, but if God is giving it, we have to accept the fact that it is for our own growth! In nature, both winter and summer are needed for growth. Observe how flora and fauna behave in different seasons – learn from nature. Once we accept the idea on our heart that both winter and summer are needed for growth, then each moment of our life is of gratitude. Let this become both our meditation as well as prayer: Thank God every moment - for laughter, for tears, for everything. Once you do that you will observe a silence arising in your heart, a silence you have not experienced before – this is bliss. Once you learn to accept life as it happens, desires disa...

  Photo Credit: LoveThisPic Real Friends One always wonders if their friends will stand by them in times of need! One never asks whether they are real friends with others, but always wonder whether their friends are real. The question you should ask yourself is – Am I a real friend to others? The proverb which defines friends is – a friend in need is a friend indeed. But in this highly competitive modern world it is more like – a friend in need is no friend of mine. When one is looking for friendship, this comes from a desire deep within which in a way is greedy. That is not friendship, that is not love. You want to use the other person as a means, and no man is a means because every man is an end unto himself. So why are you worried about who is a real friend? The question one should ask – am I friendly to people? When we make friends, we do so on the basis of trust and the feeling of trust by itself is such a joy and distrust is so painful, that you choose trust over distru...

  Photo Credit:AZ Quotes||Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov Living With Gratitude On the spiritual path expression of gratitude plays a significant role in your inner progress. Being grateful and expressing your gratitude from deep within your heart becomes a celebration. Be grateful to all – to all those who have helped, to those who have created hindrances, to those who were indifferent – be grateful to all because all together they are creating the environment for you to go deep within, the environment for finding yourself deep within where your transformation takes place. The greatest gratitude you can show is to your Satguru – how do you express your gratitude to one who knows all – even the deepest secrets lying within you, which you yourself are not aware of. The best thing you can do is become His ambassador, your behaviour, your aura, should be an advertisement for your Satguru. People should say, “If the disciple is so simple and loving, what will be the level of his Master?”...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest || Awareness Quotes Act with Awareness Right since our birth we are always doing something or the other. For us, our actions become our deeds, in fact it is also said that man is defined by his actions. The question which arises is how is the seed of the action planted! All actions originate in the mind, we first get a thought, it germinates and when the time is right, we act upon it. Many people act under the influence of drugs and alcohol, these people dull their minds to do acts which they otherwise would never dare to perform. How we behave with others defines our relationships and becomes the foundation of our character. Our thoughts, words and deeds have to be in alignment – most people think one thing, say something else and do something entirely different. Most politicians fall into this category! Meditation takes us inward and after a point we become watchers, observers, witnesses, we learn to be watchful. Watch every act that we perform, ev...