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Tenzin Palmo has written an article on Love which can be read here. Below is my reflection on the wonderful article:
Love is born in heart. It flourishes in heart.It flows from heart. Love liberates us from the grasping of selfish desire, from the craving of getting something from someone even at the cost of the other person's well being. When I offer my love to someone as a gift from my heart with no expectation of getting something in return I feel a tremendous amount of of joyfulness,tenderness, warmth and fulfillment. It is my conviction the we are born with the potential to love everyone.What we need to do is to open out heart to relate to nature and other human beings lovingly, kindly and compassionately. The seeds of love need to be nourished by our unconditional love. This is my way of cultivating love. I have been blessed to have loving people in my life who have extended hand their caring hands to hold me in their warm and loving hearts. Such experiences have helped me to nourish and cultivate warmth, tenderness and compassion in my heart. I will never forget how my mother raised me and took care of me and wiped my tears when I was feeling down and depressed. She always stood beside me even when she would be tired. he was an embodiment of love, kindness and compassion. By living example she taught me how to love. I have been following in her footprints even though she has passed away many years ago. She lives in my heart. Love never dies. It gets richer and deeper as I am growing like a tree! Whenever I move into the dark zone of my life, love shines and helps me to go though the darkness of pain and suffering. I have learned the power of becoming still and go though the dark zone without getting lost. The waves of pain and suffering subside and I regain my balance and inner strength. Remaining mindful of the self-created misery and freeing my self from the grip of my ignorance and attachment, I regain my peace. Namaste!
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Our untrained mind is a"shrieking, gibbering madhouse". It happens in our waking state as well as in our sleep sate. Our mind hardly rests.Our mind is like a monkey mind, jumping from one thought branch to another thought branch.It is either restless or void or blank.We need to be aware of these two states of the untrained mind. Noticing these two states of our mind without judging is the first and foremost step for retraining our mind.
I like the way Bhante Gunaratna describes the process of Retraining the mind." Gently, but firmly---, simply return to the simple physical sensation of the breath. Then do it again the next time, and again, and again, and again." It sounds simple but it is very profound. I practice this breath meditation everyday. It has been very helpful to me. Daily practice of the Breath Meditation helps me to go beyond thinking and sinking mind into total awareness of what's happening in the present moment.It helps my mind to be quiet, centered and clear. This is an ongoing process and not a one time deal. When my mind goes astray or takes a hike, I notice it without judging and return to in-breath and out-breath awareness. May we cultivate the skill of remaining fully in the present moment! Namaste! What a wonderful article - Excerpted from Alan Cohen's book Wisdom of the Heart. Please click here to read it. Here is my reflection reading it:
Every one has a purpose of living. When we realize what it is we have found our song. As we go through crucial life transitions, we may forget to sing our song. We may miss the direction and take a wrong step. A true friend does not criticize us or abandonus. He or she will sing our song to remind us that we have taken the wrong turn. They do not focus on our wrong doing and judge and criticize us.. As the author Alan Cohen puts it so beautifully," They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken;your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused." I have been blessed to have a few such noblehearted friends who stood by me when I was falling into a dark pit. They empathizedwith me, walked with me, reminding me the purpose of my life whichI had seemedto have forgotten. They held my tired hands, wiped my tears; enkindled light of hope within me when I was in the dark zone of depression. I will never forget their kindness and compassion. The gift of unconditional love and acceptance that I got my friends has helped me to stand by others when they go through dark times in their lives. Standing by them lovingly I help them to connect with their song. It feels so good when I follow this path-the path of receiving blessings from others and being grateful to them for helping me and helpingothers when they go through hard times. It is good to recognize that we all get lost at times as we go though different passages of life and we forget our song. It is also gratifying to know that there are helping hands that help us rememberour song. Namaste! The following is my reflection after reading the excerpt from J.Krishnamurti :
Being innocent means being true to oneself, being authentic, with no pretensions, no masks and no conflicts. Being innocent means revealing our original face with no facade. When we live innocently. it not only creates a fundamental change or transformation in the individual but also in the society at large.The person living innocently becomes a potent nucleus for social revolution. Such a person becomes a dynamic agent of transformation. Living innocently requires awakening and vigilant awareness of the clouds of fear arising in our mind and heart. I was blessed to have my father who displayed courage to stay firmly on the path of being true to himself. He became the role model not only for us but also for the society he lived in. The other great model for my individual transformation and the transformation of the country was Mahatma Gandhi. Both, my biological father and the father of the nation, have had a positive strong impact on my transformation As I have mentioned before,remaining awake and aware of myself when I walk astray from my authentic self, my true self, helps me to be a human of innocence. It's like being a child again. Living innocently is living fully. I am glad to go through this journey of my life. Namaste! Author Naren Kini, has posted a wonderful article that you can read here. Below is my reflection
I love a beautiful saying I had read a long time ago> it is in Sanskrit: " Udar charitanmavasudhaivakutumkam." For those whose hearts are filled with generosity, the whole universe becomes their family. Gifts coming from our generous and compassionate heart serves both the giver and the receiver. Once a disciple asked Gautam Budhha, " Does my body belong to me?" Buddha responded to his question: " Our body is an integral part of the planet. It is not separate from the planet. What we offer to our body becomes an offering to the planet. If you eat bad food, it has an impact on the planet. Unhealthy food has a negative impact on you and also on the planet. You need to make a wise choice. The planet is in you and you are in the planet." I need to be mindful of what I put in me, my body, mind, and heart and how I act has an impact on others. It is a circle.My wholesome thoughts, emotions and actions create wholesome energy for me and those who are connected with me. Offering my gift from my heart brings a deep sense of joy and gratitude in me and I see the impact of my gift on others receiving my gift. This happens almost everyday. I am a teacher and I am happy and joyful by offering the gift of my teaching to my students. I see a lot of joy and gratitude on my students faces. Sharing and spreading the quality of my thoughts and love uplifts my spirit and the spirit of others connected with me. I am also a counselor. This morning I helped a teacher going through a lot of emotional pain in her personal life. Spending half an hour with her and helping her how to mindfully process her emotional pain brought a great deal of joy and gratitude in me. I saw her face getting more relaxed and a feeling of hopefulness slowly growing and spreading on her face. Giving and receiving such gifts fills my heart with a deep sense of joy. Cultivating skillful means requires daily practice of remaining awake and aware of what's going in my mind to know how to make wise choices. It is an ongoing inner journey of exploring the world of my mind, heart and actions. This practice helps me to stay rooted in the circle of life in my daily decisions. With an ongoing practice, it becomes my second nature or saying differently it becomes my original nature getting rid of the walls obstructing it. It is like by emptying the cup the cup of life gets full. Author Ryan Holiday, has written a nice article on 'What is Wealth' and below is my reflection to it.
Wealth is a means to taking care of my basic survival needs such as food, shelter, and safety. It is a means and not a goal. My higher level needs such as need to belong to, self-worth, contentment, inner peace and happiness,and self-realization cannot be fulfilled by never-to-be-satisfied craving for more, more and more money and things and possessions. Real wealth according to me is inner wealth that makes my inner life rich, joyful, generous, kind, and loving-Happy I was blessed to be raised by parents who shared their bread joyfully with those who were hungry and provided shelter to those who needed it. They were living examples of the saying of St Francis of Assisi, " It is by giving we receive...It is in pardoning that we are pardoned." I experience such inner wealth almost on a daily basis by serving people who are going though emotional pain.Teaching and counseling is my profession. I earn inner wealth by offering my unconditional loving kindness to others. What a blessing! Discretion is one of the basic qualities of living wisely. In my choice making, I ask the question, "Do I need this? Is this really necessary?" I patiently wait for the answer. If the answer is no, then I do not higgle haggle. I totally accept it and move on rather than getting something I really do not need. Whenever I have not followed that inner wise voice, I end up getting more which I really do not need. I accumulate unnecessary burdensome physical and mental stuff! Wants are nothing but endless cravings and grasping. Discretion is my savior. I am happy to say that I am making good progress! May we cultivate discretion and make wise choices! Here is a nice article by Christina Feldman that I would like to reflect upon.
Compassion is a caring feeling that arises in us when we see someone going through suffering. Seeing someone suffering evokes compassion in me and an inclination in me to reach out and help the person to heal him. Seeing a person going through emotional pain touches my heart and creates emotional bond with the other person. I have gone though deep suffering in my life. I accepted my suffering and went through the process of healing me. It took time to heal my emotional wounds. I had learned to face my suffering compassionately rather than fleeing away from it, from my own being. I had gone though several days of darkness and pain. Working on myself compassionately helped me understand and relate to suffering of other people. In my everyday life I run into young and old people going through small and big sufferings. Walking in and going though my own suffering taught me how to empathize with them, understand them and hold their hands as they are going through their suffering. Such experiences are spiritual experiences for me. They make me a whole person. According to my understanding and experience we all have the potential to cultivate our heart qualities. What helps us to develop such qualities are people in our life who practice compassion. I always remember the wise saying of Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I was blessed to have parents, friends and teachers as role models as I was growing up. They provided me nourishment to cultivate the seeds of compassion and kindness in my heart. Remembering my own suffering and Keeping my heart open to suffering of others helps me to develop and sustain my heart qualities. Here is my reflection after reading the article here.
I ask and explore three basic questions for living a full, meaningful, peaceful, joyful and happy life. They are What? Why? How? What kind of life I want to live? What is my purpose of life? Why is it important for me to live such a full life? How do I attain such full and meaningful life? What are the obstacles that I create that overcrowd my life and cause inner struggles? How do I create rootedness in me so that I do not get uprooted by the struggles. I experience in my life? When I explore these questions I come to know the distinction between struggle and harmonious process. Inner struggles or intra conflicts drain my energy. Such struggles also drain the energy of people connected with me. What goes in my mind, my thoughts, creates struggle or harmony. My mind creates bondage, struggles and suffering and the same mind creates freedom, ease and harmony. How I use my mind makes the difference. How to live wisely is a life long process. There are times when I create my own struggles and suffering and cause suffering to the people close to me. When I wake up from my "sleep" state I see the light and become free from my self- created dark zone. This is an ongoing journey of life. Everyday is a learning day, an awakening day. One of the ways that helps me to make wise choices is asking a very simple but very significant question. Do I need or do I want?. Needs are few, wants are almost endless. When I get carried away by my wants, I create overcrowding both in the outer space and the inner space. I have learned not to get attached to what I don't need and that way not to get overcrowded. Living mindfully in different walks of life is a blessing for living peacefully, joyfully and happily. Reading this passage by James Clear, reminds me of the advice my father used to give me when as a student I was working on my assignments. His advice was: "Focus on your work with sincerity, intensity and one-mindedness. Remain focused on the process. And the right result will come." I have followed his advice in many walks of my life as a student, as a teacher, as a counselor, and also in taking care of my health and the health of others in my family. As the Zen saying goes," The path is the goal."
I will never forget the time when I waited patiently for four long years for marrying my beloved lady Vanleela. Her father did not want her to marry me because I came from a poor family. Vanleela was raised in a very affluent family. Her father thought and felt that his daughter will be miserable going to a poor family. Vanleela out of affection, regard and concern for her father accepted to wait for four years. Both of us felt the loving presence of each other in our hearts. Both of us continued going to college for our Masters degree. Staying the course with patience, perseverance and determination resulted in the wholesome outcome-us coming together and eventually receiving the blessings of her parents. Vanleela passed away seven years ago. She dwells in my heart and will be there until i will pass away Living in the present is the key for remaining focused on the path of living fully. Worrying about the future and getting stuck with the past is the sure way of missing the blessings of the present. I love and practice the saying, " Don't arrive before you arrive." Namaste! Vimalatai's writing deeply resonates in my heart. The original post is found here. Here is my reflection on it :
Love gives birth to life, nourishes life and connects us with life in all forms. Such love is expressed in compassion for others, in kind and generous acts, wiping the tears of others, feeding the hungry and providing shelter. Sadly, the world created by the Divine hands has been converted into fighting zones, us against you, exploitation and destruction. We have been polluting air, water, food and sky-the sources of life- for our self-serving, profit making ends.These are signs and symptoms of the misuse of intelligence , energy and knowledge. Total love is needed to bring total revolution. We need to awaken ourselves and others as a humanity from this misery creating slumber. We need to have a balance between being and doing. If our doing is without the being consciousness -compassion, consideration and concerns for the life of others, our actions are going to be destructive, hurting us and others. Tooth for tooth, eye for eye or fire for fire is the mindset of destruction. We need to learn to relate to others not as objects to meet our self-centered needs but as an extension of our selves- from me to we. We have been blessed to to have people in our lives as models who have reached out and have lovingly touched the lives of others to lift them up. The world is still surviving because of their selfless love and service. In order to create, sustain and flourish such love revolutions, we all have to be a part of it. As the saying goes, charity begins at home but does not end it there. What can we do as parents, neighbors, teachers, students, politicians, social workers, corporate leaders, workers and religious leaders to create an inner environment that is rooted in unconditional love and compassion. This is real spiritual work I have learned how to create an inner environment for planting and nurturing the seeds of love, peace and service. This is my everyday spiritual practice which brings joy and fulfillment in my life. I share my awakening with school children at my daughter's Montessori school by teaching Mindfulness and Peace Education and Mindfulness Parenting. Work is my service and it brings great joy and happiness to me. I am sure there are many such awakened people who are doing such badly needed work. Our community religious centers and educational institutions need to face and embrace this great universal challenge. May we wake up, see the light and play our vital role in creating and participating the Total Revolution of Love. Namaste |
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