Illuminate Inside

A light bulb illuminates the outer world. What does one do to illuminate the inner world? What does one do when there is darkness? We turn on a light. Get rid of the darkness and can be productive. OR do we sit around in the darkness, not using the gift of electricity that we have?

The same way, we can illuminate our inner world through clarity in thought which comes about through awareness of breath and each moment which happens through meditation. Instead of living in fear, anger, living up to others expectations, ideas of who we are, beliefs shoved down on us about how we must behave, we can simply start accepting who we really are. What we feel. Acknowledge moment to moment our feelings of fear, anger, hatred in the same way as we accept happiness so readily. Isn’t that what we do? We are able to accept happiness so readily and welcome it with open arms but we resist all other emotions. The resistance draws such emotions even more into our reality. It confuses us. The reason being that we are not able to accept it just like we do happiness or pleasure.

Hooked

It’s so funny the things that distract our attention. The things that get our goat and the things that really cause our brains to stick on to it.  Something we don’t like happens and our mind starts to feed it with further  unwanted stuff to add fuel to the fire. It takes only a slightest and smallest thing for this to happen to us.

The tree and the blade of grass

When i was a kid, i was asked if i want to be a tree or a blade of grass. I would immediately say tree. Why? Because a tree indicates strength of course! I wanted to be a strong person and that was it. Years later, I was asked again but with something added to it, do you want to be a tree and stay steady in one place or would you like to be a blade of grass, flexible to things in life. I was taken aback. I never looked at it that way ever. I wanted to be a blade of grass of course!! 

Perfectly Imperfect

Perfection. Its like an affliction some people have. Everything has to be perfect . If things are not perfect, things are just not right. People find it difficult to accept their own mistakes and give themselves no relief and make life miserable for the ones they love too, wanting no mistakes. Unable to accept mistakes they harm relationships. There was a famous series of books written by Richard Carlson, which went by the name of : Don’t sweat the small stuff. Makes so much sense and such good advice packed in such a small sentence!

Soul

Sitting here, breathing deeply. Feeling the breath fill my inside and spread in my body. I’m inside. With each breath, there is a light that glows bright and fades away as I release my breath.

This thought came to my mind. That breath passing through my body will one day move on. Leave this body and move on. With what? What have I learned? This body is of no importance. It will just decay, rot and fade away. But my soul, the breath of my soul, will go on. And I wonder what it will take with it.

I’m so curious and suddenly, its so clear. Whatever I do, it doesn’t really matter. No one is judging me, but me myself. I am here to learn, love and live, each minute. I won’t take anything with me, for I am not my soul. My soul came with purity and will go on with purity.

That’s what I see when I breath deeply inside. Pure light. That’s all.

 

 

Questions Answered

What’s the purpose of being here?

What is most important in the lifetime that we live?

What are we here to learn?

 

The most important purpose of being here is being happy, always, come what may. Whatever life sends us. Accepting it neutrally. Whether we are happy at the one moment or sad. How we overcome the emotions and find neutral ground. That is the purpose. Being happy is a state of being ness. We cannot become happy. We have forgotten that we are basically happy beings. Our purpose is to find joy in everything we do. Our purpose is to be joy. Our purpose is to handle it. Whatever it may be. Nothing is bigger than us.

 

The most important thing in the lifetime that we live is to be true to our selves. If cannot be true to ourselves, we cannot be true to anyone. We have to be so comfortable in what we do, that we are truth. There is no guilt, fear, shame. Only truth. True to our self. When we are completely true to our inner self, we feel whole, complete and pure joy.

 

 

We are here to learn that each one of us has enough inside. We are given only that what we can handle. We are here to learn how to handle it. We are here to learn that there is no outside source of strength. Its inside each and every one of us.  We are here to learn that we won’t find any answers anywhere but inside to any of the questions we may have. Nor any solutions to any problems. Those too are inside each one of us. We are here to learn there there is no need for judgments. There are mistakes made as far as our conscience doesn’t  allow. If the conscience allows, then there is no wrong. Each and every thing is a lesson and our job is to learn it well and understand fully.

 

Openness

Aren’t we strange sometimes. We have deep belief that whatever we say, do and think is correct. We argue as if our life depends on it. We get offended as if there has been some personal loss if someone doesn’t agree with what our point of view is. We are correct no matter what. 

 

Wouldn’t it be nice if we can open up our minds to hear what another says. Wouldn’t it be nice if we just move forward with smooth rhythm instead of getting serious jerks like when someone puts the brakes on the car suddenly? Wouldn’t it be nice to imbibe something new in life? Try it for what its worth?

Openness… is everything.

 

Just be

 

“There is nothing to do. Just be.

Do nothing. Be.

No climbing mountains and sitting in caves.

I do not even say “be yourself”

Since you do not know yourself.

Just be.”

- Nisargadatta Maharaj

 

I often had this thought… when i don’t know who i am, then i how can i know anyone else. I came across these wonderful lines by Nisargadatta Maharaj, who i have been reading on and off. They really struck a chord in me. I don’t know me, then how can i possibly be myself. What is being myself. We often say “I always do this and that” and “ I never do this and that”.

How come we get stuck in such banal inconsistencies and let these define who we are at the core?  Our existence is such a mystery, not only to others but even to ourselves and we spend lifetime after lifetime looking for our self. How many lives have i already been doing this? How many more till i know what i am supposed to know?  I don’t know. Suddenly, this strange questioning makes it even clearer for me. I know what Nisargadatta Maharaj means when he says “Just be”.  He is asking each one of us, to live the moment. To be in the now and stop questioning. The answers we may be looking for will keep going further away when we run after it. But, if we can just be, it will reveal itself. It will reveal to me, my self. I have to just be.

If i want happiness, I don’t have to look for it, i just have to be happiness.

If i want love, i don’t have to look for love, i have to be love.

If i want peace, i don’t have to look for peace,  i have to be peace.

Whatever i want in life, i have to stop looking for it, and just be it.  Just be.

 

Its that simple.

 

 

Mystery or Mystical

There is nothing to be said to anyone… These are just my whispers into eternity.  There is no need for me to talk about anything.

Sometimes the soul weeps, sometimes sings with joy, sometimes the mystery is far too complicated that nothing can be seen by the heart and sometimes its only too simple…that everything looks like a clear  flowing river. Completely at peace. Within and without, inside and outside. Everywhere …the colours look brighter and appealing. The grass is greener, the flowers are so vibrant, their  fragrances fill the air in wonder enveloping an otherwise mundane existence.   My eyes sparkle and skin glows with happy cells.

And then sometimes however bright the day may actually be, it seems like… a sad grey cloud.  And i wonder why. I wonder how. How do the eyes see only what the heart wants ? Only what the soul feels ? How come its never the same ? How come things that i  always look at, look different every time ? Just not the same.  The mystery of existence never ceases to be, does it ?

Why is that sometimes my  tears have all the answers and sometimes its the song in my heart ?  Why is this journey within so easy and yet so hard ?

Why is it that sometimes i have all the answers and sometimes i have none ? And why is that sometimes even though there are no questions, everything seems like a lost way to me ?  I have no direction at all… when at times i can see the path so clearly ?

Why is it that sometimes i know myself so well and sometimes i don’t know who i am at all ?  All alone in this world, and yet, never lonely. Mystical me . . . . .

 

The Chattering Monkey

The mind is constantly in movement . We may be sitting doing nothing, but the mind is moving at 200 kms per hour. Racing away .

A lot of our energy goes into this thought association and reliving our memories. The repeated thoughts keep representing themselves again and again often offering no solution instead only re strengthening our unhappiness / grief / sadness towards that particular incident.

 

This untrained mind , is compared to a Chattering Monkey in Buddhism which is constantly jumping  from branch to branch . While this doesn't sound flattering at all , it IS a pretty accurate observation.  Sadly this is happening all the time , so it would be good to train your chattering monkey .

We are constantly thinking , worrying , agitating over things . And in that process , forget to live and enjoy now. We clean our homes and the same way we can clean our minds . The way we have to switch off a running motor , the same way we can learn how to switch off our minds . Negative feeling and thoughts will do us no good . Positive feelings and internal co ordination will bring us joy , peace and happiness .  How do we then get rid of unwanted thoughts ?

 

While there are probably many ways you can do it , and maybe you discover your own way , you can try this also . Sit still and relax.

Let the awareness roam through your body , gently relaxing each part and come to the center of your being . All the while , contacting and connecting all  parts , breathing deeply and steadily . Its also called centering . Focusing your complete awareness in the center .

 

Slowly and steadily , the training of the mind will help you control the Chattering Monkey . . . . .   At least a bit . . . 

 

10 Minutes of Nirvana…. maybe?

Osho said -  If you are looking for a certain meaning , you will not find it . Don’t move with any fixed idea . Go open  and empty and you will find – not only one meaning – you will find a thousand and one meanings .

What is Nirvana ?  So many have described this as the experience of ultimate freedom in life  , but rarely the Masters . The Masters know that there is no description to Nirvana . Nirvana happens . It is a lock  , which opens without a key . Because a key was never made . It could not be made . Everyone has a different way to it and it holds a different meaning for everyone, a different key for each one of us. Totally unique . So , it cannot be explained , only experienced . To feel what the Buddha felt , you would have to become the Buddha .

 

Learning to breathe correctly , takes us  a long way in making us calm , aware , focussed and productive . That’s what Nirvana is about .  It isn’t about running away some place  for it , its about doing it right here and right now , within the confines of your spaces . Whether home or office.

 

Just try setting a timer for 10 minutes . Close your eyes . And appreciate the darkness . The sheer nothingness .  Appreciate that you will always go back to seeing when you do open your eyes .  Feel the air around you  . Feel each breath coming into and leaving your body . When you breathe in , let the focus of thoughts be on  the new ,  the fresh , the positive . When you breathe out , let the flow of thoughts be on the old , the stale , the negative  in your body  , which are flowing out of your body now .  Visualize it .  Be creative . Leave all your ideas and the things you may have heard behind . Find your own way . The way will find you too .

 

When your timer sounds , just calmly come back to the world .  You will feel a lot more serene and conscious . . .  but as i said . . . . maybe . . . . . .  

 

 

Finding Peace….

They say you find your inner peace when you meditate . You discover your path . You find your calling . You experience a wakening and awaken . You find ways to overcome your obstacles . You are inspired .

Meditation…  a very abused and over used word . There are  guidelines some prescribe like making a sacred space , staying consistent with the time and place , making your surroundings quiet  and not getting distracted by sounds , wearing loose clothing , playing music , staring at an object  ..or even going into the mountains…. these are just a few to begin with…

Yes , you can light candles , aromatize your surroundings , play soft music , read books , wear loose clothing but finally they are not the way to the path .

 

All these things really don't matter . If you want to go into the depths of your own inner self , there is no place or time that is perfect because every place and time is . Peace cannot be found , because its right there , inside you . Your path cannot be discovered , its already been unravelled , you just haven't looked closely enough . You will never overcome your obstacles , if that's how you view them . As has been said … things or people or situations  cannot be labelled as good or bad … they are . Accept it . Once you accept that , the obstacles in your path are mere speed breakers…  just glide over slowly . You will be inspired automatically every day .

 

There is no way of meditating . Meditation just happens .

You maybe find total peace in your daily chores…that's meditation .

You drink tea on your terrace looking at the surroundings … that's meditation .

Sounds are . They cannot penetrate your inner being unless you allow it… that's meditation .

 

You are totally engrossed at  your work place …. that’s meditation .

Its a matter of awareness . Total and complete awareness .  No one can teach us this . We can do it ourselves . There is no right or wrong way . No right or wrong place .

Jiddu Krishnamurthy put it beautifully when he said : “The description is not the described ; I can describe the mountain , but the description is not the mountain , and if you are caught up in the description , as most people are , then you will never see the mountain .”

Find your peace. Look again . Its right where you are . Light is where you are .

 

 

  

It's all about keeping it simple

Its all about keeping it simple , really.

Our own conditioning , thoughts , ideas about ourselves is what stops us from moving ahead.
Restrictions are only in the mind.  They are created by us.
Once we open the doors of our mind , somehow life seems much easier and lots more beautiful.

It kind of, sets you free. There are no complications . Good or bad. Nothing. They are projections of our own mind.

Clean the clutter and you will shine through , like a star.
You are a winner , everyday.

 

Going with the flow....

Finally....

A blog too.

Things just seem to flow, when there is no planning and somehow....worries seem to take a backseat and life gains momentum.

Don’t think, just go with the flow....easier said than done.  But yes...i realized it works too.

When we are in the middle of a problem or maybe a decision to be made......it is so consuming and nothing seems to make sense but if we are able to stop. Just stop thinking for a while ..and just be still , in  our minds , just breathe...just be.... somehow things seem to start moving in the right direction..

And you never know...the direction maybe right or wrong...who decides that anyway....the direction just is...the road is.....the path is... just take it...take the one your instinct tells you to take...

Nothing else matters . People all around you have opinions and they have their own comments but finally its what you want to do that matters...

People will fade away . What’s  left with you..is only you.

And isn’t that all that matters ?

Children...why do we have children...i don’t get it..only to carry on our name? Only so..that they grow up and be something..and make US proud?? Isn’t that the saddest thing....

A little soul is sent into this world , to find its own path .To make his or her own decisions  ,  to create his own reality...to make mistakes and learn from his own mistakes....

The soul isn’t sent into this world for you to assert your importance . For you to feel proud , for you to assert your beliefs , for you to guide it with your mistakes , for you to force the child to takes paths you feel are right for him...

This energy that lets us make our own choices and decisions , we are snatching away this energy from that soul  and finally why , because somewhere in our childhood , that's what we learnt , it happened to us  and that's what we carry with us all our lives . Thinking  its the right thing to do....because its the only thing we understand.

The only thing we should do is express ourselves in the right manner to our child , to ourselves and trust and have complete faith in the unseen.… the never understood.

Things happen . They may be good , bad , ugly....it doesn’t matter. What finally matters will be how you deal with it...

Just be. And...let your child be....

And you will discover the greatest happiness there is ...its called Love...