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Things happen in our life. We experience ups and downs , joys and sorrows, gains and losses, sunrises and sunsets. We have a tendency to personalize them. As result like Mark Manson says (in the awakin.org) we place ourselves onto to a self-esteem roller coaster, where our self-worth bobs up and own. I know I am not perfect. There are times when I have not been successful. What helps me to go through such experiences is to remind myself that I am not a failure but I have gone through a failure. The same way when things go my way I remind myself that I am not a success but I have gone through a successful experience. This way I do not get trapped by my ego.
I have gone through a number of experiences in my life that have taught me not take ups and downs in my life personally. How I perceive what happens is my life makes a big difference. When someone praises me or puts me down, I do not get inflated or depleted. Many times I take their perceptions of me as their self-projections. Practicing discretion helps me separate milk from water called nirakshira viveka in Sanskrit. As I was growing up my father taught me this wise saying. When someone throws a judgmental or acritical arrow at me, I pause, take a few deep breaths make a wise choice, separate milk from water. Life is a school for us to learn how to live mindfully, how to go though ups and downs with equanimity and gratefully. Namaste!
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Susan Kahn uses the metaphor of Emptiness Cafe to convey the idea of emptiness is fullness. The Spanish mystic John of the Cross calls 'unknowing' an ecstasy. Our mind is mostly dwelling on the same known thoughts. Thought is nothing but a thing. When my mind is still and free I am hanging out in Emptiness Cafe. In this clear and empty space I feel the fullness of the present moment. It is like hearing the soundless sound.
When I am in deep meditation and when my mind is free from distracting thoughts time disappears. I am in Emptiness Cafe where life unfolds with no boundaries of space and time. It is an experience of enlightenment and fulfillment, and abiding love and joy. Like Rabindranath Tagore sings, "Ah, the light dances, my darling, at the center of my life, the light strikes, my darling, the chords of my love." Duality is caused in the mind when I relate to myself as not a integral part of the universe. Then the walls created by the conditioned mind between me and the others create a mental split. It is a divided self. Listening to mystics, reflecting on their words of wisdom and integrating them in my life has been very helpful to me to see non-duality in duality. Daily practice of Meditation sustains and reinforces my stance. It helps me to see and experience the unity of life. Namaste! Selected verses from Tejobindu Upanishad:
Let us meditate on the Shining Self. Changeless underlying the world of change, And realized in the heart in samadhi. They alone attain samadhi who have Mastered their senses and are free from anger, Free from self-will and from likes and dislikes, Without selfish bonds to people and things. Though the three gunas emanate from Him, He is infinite and invisible. Though all the galaxies emerge from Him, He is without form and unconditioned. To be united with the Lord of Love Is to be freed from conditioning. This is the state of Self-realization. Far beyond the reach of words and thoughts. To be united with the Lord of Love, Imperishable, changeless, beyond cause And effect is to find infinite joy. Brahaman is beyond duality, Beyond the reach of thinker and thought. Brahman cannot be realized by those Who are subject to greed, fear, and anger. Brahman cannot be realized by those Who are subject to the pride of name and fame Or to the vanity of scholarship. Brahman cannot be realized by those Who are enmeshed in duality. But to all those who pierce this duality, Whose hearts are given to the Lord of Love, He gives himself through His infinite grace; He gives himself through His infinite grace. God makes the rivers to flow. They tire not, nor do they cease from flowing.
May the river of my life create the flow into the sea of Love that is the Lord. May I overcome all the implements in my course. May the thread of my song be not cut before my life merges in the sea of Love. Guard me against all dangers, O Lord. Accept me graciously, O King of kings. Release me from my sorrows, which hold me as ropes hold the calf. I cannot open my eyes without the power of your Love. Guard against the grief that haunts the life of the selfish. Lead us from darkness into Light. We will sing of your Love as it was sung of old. Your laws change not, but stand like the mountains. Forgive me all the mistakes I have committed. May mornings dawn upon us again. Guide us through them all, O Lord of Love. Translated from Sanskrit into English by Eknath Easwaran. I recommend every reader of this page, to read the beautiful short story narrated by Gopal Dada. Below is my reflection to it:
What is the purpose of life is a perennial question asked by philosophers, mystics, sages, spiritual seekers and persons like me. Gopal Dada uses the metaphor of the Hole-y or leaky bucket and its connection to the purpose of life. The leaky bucket represents our imperfection, impurity and ignorance of our own true identity, our true nature which is whole and and holy. Our spiritual practice makes us realize our true nature, our ever- blossoming pure consciousness. As Mencius, a Confucian sage says," By exhaustively examining one's own mind, one may understand his nature. One who understands his nature understands Heaven." To understand the inner world is the key to understanding the mind, myself, my true nature, and wisdom about life. I have to keep my inner eyes open to see the inner light. This is a life-long project. My daily practice of meditation develops qualities such as calmness, clarity and concentration, sensitivity, compassion and self-awareness. Studying and practicing the Karma Yoga, Yoga of selfless service, with no expectation of any personal reward in return has been very helpful to me in my spiritual journey. Awareness of my attachment to self-serving and self- binding desires and freeing myself from the grip of such desires expands my inner world. Such spiritual practices create "a blooming garden" in me. Namaste! In order to be healthy and happy, you need to identify what makes you healthy and happy and what comes in the way for you to be healthy and happy. You need to identify your short term and long term goals and identify the ways and means of achieving your goals. You need to do this assignment individually at first. After you have completed it, share your assignment with each other or as a family. You categorize your goals such as physical, mental, emotional,
social, and spiritual. Sit quietly without any distractions to think about your short term and long term goals. List them separately. Be specific about your goals. List the ways and means you are going to employ to attain your goals. Come up with timelines for achieving your goals. Be realistic, reasonable and candid in describing your goals and ways and means of attaining them. Do Mindfulness Meditation before you do this assignment. Do it consistently. You may do breath awareness meditation for a short time before you start working on this assignment. Goal Setting Step 1: Take 100 percent responsibility and ownership for your life. You are the only one person for both your achievements and shortcomings. Give up blaming and complaining. Acknowledge that you create everything that happens to you and you get control over things that create problems for you for others. Step 2: Decide upon your major definite purpose of life and a clear vision of what you really want in your life. Identify your life purpose. Make sure your vision of what you want to accomplish is in alignment with your vision and purpose. The purpose of your life can bring joy, peace, contentment and fulfillment in your life. Without a clear and definite purpose it is easy to get sidetracked and frustrated, wander and drift. It’s like you go to the top of your ladder only to find that you had it leaning against the wrong wall. It is never too late to wake up and set your ladder on the right wall. We all sometimes fall down. Wisdom is to acknowledge our misstep and learn from the falling down. As Winston Churchill said,” Courage is what it takes up and speak. Courage is what it takes to sit down and listen.” Step 3: Set a smart goal. Make sure that the goal you set is closer to achieving your vision. Your goal must be precise and detailed , not only to you but to others as well. Your goal must be attainable. You should be able to attain it within the constraints you have in your life. Step 4: Your goals should be relevant and aligned with your vision. Set specific deadlines for the completion of your goal. It creates accountability and provides you motivation to keep moving forward. Exercise: Select a goal that you want to accomplish. It may be taking care of your physical health or mental health, or emotional health or relational well-being or spiritual development or environmental well-being. Apply the four steps mentioned above for selecting and working on your goal. Each day take a step towards attaining that goal, what strategies you use. Wheel of Life There are seven areas shown below in the Wheel of Life:
currently at.
Wheel of Life has been formulated by Jack Canfield.. I have made a few changes to make it relatively easier to work on. Henri Nouwen has written a wonderful article that you can read here. Below is my reflection to the insightful article:
In the worldly world, we judge people who are outwardly and inwardly different from us and who may have a different orientation to life. Sadly, such a way of thinking and behaving has caused divisiveness in our country, in our communities, and also in our close relationships. The thread of common humanity that ties us, bonds us and helps us lift from the lower level of consciousness to the higher level of consciousness is created and sustained when we relate to each other as children of God. We do not run on the many spokes of the wagon but we come to the hub, live in the hub. This way we will be connected with all the spokes. This way we relate to ourselves and others in our life. We are human beings prone to making mistakes. We forgive us and others for making mistakes and celebrate life at the hub. We need to discipline ourselves in order to stay at the hub. Life offers many opportunities to learn from our mistakes and walk on the right path. We have been watching destructive behaviors of some protesters and also some of our elected members, our representatives in the House and in the Senate. It is not easy for me to forgive them for their destructive and demeaning behaviors. I want to let go of my anger for my own peace of mind. I am working on it. It is not easy. When my mind is free from the grip of anger by forgiving me and them I will have a genuine celebration. Non-judgmental awareness of what is going in my mind and heart has been always helpful to me for recognizing my own limitations and going beyond them. It is an inward light that guides me make wise choices and keep me at hub of the wagon of my life. Awake! Rise! And walk on the hard but the wise path! Namaste! After reading a portion of Jon Madian's poetic biography, I had the below reflections:
We all are weavers weaving the tapestry or fabric of our life. How much aware we are when we weave our own fabric? If we weave our fabric with weak threads, our selfish and self-centered, fearful and angry threads that harm others, we also harm ourselves. We all are connected with each other. I remember the wise saying, " As is within so without." We are children of the past and architect of the present and future. How we live in the present shapes our future and the future of the upcoming generations. This is the way I relate to the notion of being woven into and from an ancient ever-renewing fabric. There are moments of awakening if I do not keep on sleeping. I remember Albert Einstein's wise saying, "No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew." Such wise sayings have been very helpful to me for making a shift in my consciousness. What and how I do has an impact not only on the present but also on the future. This is an awakened state of consciousness for me, an inner call for me to listen to. Hope, will, action, and self-awareness guided by spiritual wisdom helps me walk on my path of wellness for me and for the generation to come. I am grateful to the ancient wise teachers and the teachers in my this life for enlightening me. Life is a blessing. Namaste! Humility is a virtue that elevates our consciousness. Arrogance is a vice that diminishes our consciousness. Humility lifts up. Arrogance brings us down. Arrogant people not only tweet about themselves but also use insulting words about those who are humble. Humble people speak in a non-judgemental and kind way. What can I do for you is the voice of a humble person. What do I get from you is the voice of an arrogant and conceited person. A humble person talks less about his accomplishments while an arrogant person brags about his
accomplishments. In chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita twenty characteristics are described to evolve on a higher level of consciousness. Out of the twenty characteristics three characteristics, evolutes, are mentioned in the first two verses ( veres 7 and verse 8). They are amanitvam- absence of vanity or pride, adambhitvamabsence of hypocrisy, and anahamkara-absence of egoism. James (4:100) says in the Bible,” Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Zen Story : Your Cup of Tea Is Overflowing. A scholar went to a Zen master to learn how to be enlightened. The Zen master welcomed him and made tea for him. He poured the tea from the kettle into the empty cup of the visitor. He kept on pouring and it started overflowing. The visitor asked the Zen master why he kept on pouring the tea into the cup that was already full. The Zen master told the visitor that his mind was flooded with too much bookish knowledge. He needs to learn how to be still and humble and keep his mind open and free to learn wisdom. Nine Steps To Practice Humility by Mother Theresa
An excerpt from Bryan Stevenson's book "On Being" is published in Awakin.org. Below are my reflections to the article:
We as human beings are imperfect and we all have gone through trying and hard times. Life is not always a bed of roses. It has also sharp thorns. It hurts. There have been times when my heart has been broken. My dreams were shattered. I have learned the value of wholeness from my brokenness. Heart breaks have taught me how to heal my wounds, recover myself, and lift myself up from the falls. Suffering is human. How do we face it and what do we learn from it is up to us. I have gone through many difficult situations and have learned lessons from them. There were times when I felt heavy weight of emotional pain. Where there was a little light and I did not know how to walk on the the dark lanes of my life. Being with people who have endured hard times in their lives and their empathic understanding, support and kindness helped me emerge from the blinding darkness. Going through difficult times in my life made me understand my own suffering and suffering of others. The words of John Lewis are very inspiring: " My head is blooded but not bowed." Knowing that there is no certainty in life and accepting it and doing the best I can has been very helpful to me. Reading the stories of people who have gone through hard times in their lives and how they uplifted themselves also have been very helpful to me. Daily practice of Meditation has always helped me remain grounded and calm. Accepting the reality of life, having faith in the the higher power, and placing myself in the Divine hands has been my way of going through the ups and downs in life. Namaste! |
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