Life is mundane, routine and boring. All of us, wake up, bathe, eat, sleep, entertain ourselves and move through life’s events, mostly in a trance and years later, realise we haven’t done anything worthwhile. Everyone’s life is the same.

Study in childhood, Enjoy in Adolescence and Work Hard in our Adult years. Some will marry and other mull over missing it. Some will be inundated with responsibility of raising children and others may lament about not having them. Some will become sick and die while others will leave in their sleep. Some will live alone while others surrounded by family members. In this melodrama of life, we may feel as if we are pushed and pulled in all directions, involuntarily.

In this rigmarole of contusions and confusions, the one thing we have to learn is to pause. To pause is not to cease, but to add meaning to this mundane life. In this existence, we have to learn to exist, or years will rush by and we may be left feeling unhappy that nothing much was achieved.

Life is like a Canvas, it has to be filled with personalised meaningful images to make it appreciable. So, the question is, what are we all doing in life, to make it more meaningful. Each of us have been given a palette ( fingers) colors ( senses) and brushes ( tools) We have been given experiences and situations in which we can think, feel and behave in a unique manner.

Today during the pandemic, we have a wonderful opportunity to test ourself. We can choose to wake up late, eat irregularly, watch a movie every night and sleep in la la land. We can sit around and walk around and sleep around day after day. We can chat about how this pandemic has ruined our happiness and crib all day. We can decide to live normally and work normally, disbelieving that anything has changed or decide to make changes.

So, now friends we have a chance to add meaning in our lives. To stretch and exercise your brain tissues and use the some more of the infinite potential of our neural circuitry. Learn what you missed, Teach with technology and Read vociferously. Decide to meditate ….. … Some colour is being added to life.

There are now two clear choices-
First one, Sit around aimlessly and second, Aim while you sit around. Add meaning to this mundane existence so that when we step out after the pandemic, we may actually experience happiness within. Our vision and mission both will be crystal clear. There will be a skip in our gait and a tinkle in our eye. We would be actually in the process of discovering the New Normal for we will Embody It Ourself!

No more Discounting Self!

Release your expectations…

People spend most of their lives offended by what someone did to them. The surprising revelation that I am going to make to you is going to change your life … No one has offended you! It is your expectations of what you expected from those people, the ones that hurt you …

And expectations are created by your thoughts. They are not real. They are imaginary. If you expected your parents to give you more love and they didn’t give it to you, you don’t have to be offended.
It is your expectations of what an ideal father should have done to you that were violated. Your ideas are what hurt you.

If you expected your partner to react in this or that way and he did not … Your partner has done nothing to you. It is the difference between the attentions you hoped he had with you and those he really had, those that hurt you. Again, that’s in your imagination. Angry at God? It is your beliefs about what God should do that hurt you. God never offends or hurts anyone. A habit requires all its parts to function. If you lose one,
habit breaks down.

The habit of being offended by what others do to you (no one really does anything to you) will disappear when you know better the source of the “offenses”.

When we are born, we are authentic
But our true nature is artificially suppressed and replaced by concepts that our parents, society and television teach us. And they create a fake novel of how things should be in all aspects of your life and how others should act.

One of the biggest sources of offense is trying to impose one person’s point of view on another and guide your life. When you tell him what to do and he says “no”, you create resentments twice.

First, you feel offended because he didn’t do what you wanted.

Second, the other person is offended because you did not accept them as they are. And it is a vicious circle. All people have the divine right to guide their lives as they please. They learn from their mistakes by themselves. Let them be ! nobody belongs to you.

People are a mighty river. Any attempt to catch them will hurt you. Love them, enjoy them and let them go.

💜Understand that no one has offended you. It is your ideas about how people and God should act that hurt you. These ideas are the product of a social mask, which you have learned from your childhood unconsciously. Recognize that most people will NEVER square with those ideas you have. Because they have theirs.

💜Let people Be. Let them guide their lives as they please. It’s their reaponsability. Give them advice if they ask, but allow them to make their decisions. It is your divine birthright: free will and liberty.

No one belongs to you. Not your parents, friends or partners. We all belong to nature’s gear. Let things flow without resisting them. Live and let live.

💜Stop thinking too much. Be open to the possibility of new experiences. Don’t use your inventory. Open your eyes and see the flow of life as it is. When you clean your vision from dark glasses and take them off, the result is vision cleaning.

Perfection does not exist. Neither the father, friend, perfect couple. It is a concept created by the human mind that you can understand on an intellectual level, but in reality it DOES NOT EXIST. Because it is an imaginary concept. A perfect forest would be pure trees, Sun, not bugs … does it exist ? No. For a fish, the perfect sea would be one where there are no predators, is there ? No.

Only on an intellectual level. In reality it will NEVER EXIST.

Naturally, the fish can only enjoy reality. Any frustration that the sea is not what it wants it to be is pointless. Stop resisting that people are not what you want or do not think like you. Accept people as the fish accepts the sea and love them as they are.

💜Enjoy life. Real life is more beautiful and exciting than any idea you have in the world.

💜Imagine that person who offended you in the past. Imagine that both are comfortably sitting. Tell him why he offended you. Listen to his loving explanation of why he did it. And forgive her. If a loved one is no longer in this world, use this dynamic to tell them what you want. Listen to their response. And say goodbye It will give unexplainable peace.

💜 In light of the short period of life we have, we only have time to live, enjoy and be happy.

Our companion death at any moment, unexpectedly, can take us in his arms. It is superfluous and useless to spend time thinking about the offenses of others. You can not get that luxury.

Natural : is natural to go through a period of mourning when forgiving, let your wound heal. Download (not to be mistaken for retaliation) with someone to let the pain flow.

I would urge to re-read this piece as many times as necessary and let the concepts start sowing seeds of consciousness within. Learning honestly from the mistakes made, promising oneself that you will not repeat it and returning to live A life …

THAT ONE LIGHT

Lord Krishna taught Arjuna about duty, valour and responsibility as a warrior. He expounded the truth about being a soul light and perceive others in a similar manner. He revealed his divine form for Arjuna to realise the existence of God inside a mortal human being. The Lord spoke about karma and how every action, even the small insignificant ones have a consequence in the larger trajectory of things. Arjuna understood and acted in good faith, but we do not believe in it and so we are where we started of- ignorant.

Buddha said, “ Do not kill any animal and eat it. Non-violence takes you closer to the Divine.” His followers misunderstood and interpreted the teaching wrongly. So Buddhists do consume meat of dead animals, because they didn’t kill them to eat. Restaurants in Thailand proudly display the board, “ Animals served here are dead ones, we do not kill them.” Imagine that! Men find a way out to satisfy their taste – buds. They bend the rule, sometimes break it, and call themselves Buddha followers but don’t believe in him and exhibit ignorance.

Mahavira had 12 dreams before he attained Kaivalya yet people don’t believe that dreams are an alternate reality in which we exist. Dreams have messages that can transform ones thinking and behaviour. Man continues to believe otherwise and remain ignorant.

Jesus was crucified to death by those who didn’t wish to believe that as you sow, so shall you reap.

Ramakrishna was diagnosed with cancer and Vivekanand asked his doctor who was an atheist to prescribe medication. When the doctor arrived, Vivekanand put a coin under Ramkrishna’s mattress and this created such discomfort that Ramkrishna could not feel restful. When the coin was removed, he felt better. Vivekanand told the doctor, ‘ Did you notice that my Guru has great aversion to money.’ The Doctor said, ‘ The restless ness is not due to the coin but his condition.’ This is how ignorant man is, great men and their ways are not respected, though after their death, they are immortalised. Months later when Ramakrishna died, Vivekanand asked the doctor who by then had become his disciple, ‘ Do you believe God exists?’ To this the doctor replied,’ God no longer exists, for He just died,” referring to Ramkrishna breathing his last.

What makes us wait to believe in the tenets of spiritual life? We continue to read and learn from the holy texts, attend spiritual classes and quote great saints, but when it comes to practicing the teachings with sincerity, we fail or give up.

Discipline and Persistence is lacking in most of us. The lockdown has given us an opportunity to learn both. Do not feign ignorance, instead recognise how you can get closer to the divine, rather than wait for the lockdown to open and return to the same old life.

Give yourself a chance to change !

Now !

I hear this often, my 92 year old Masi laments, “ God take me now, it’s enough.” My 86 year old uncle repeats, “ Old age is a curse.” Many people may feel that life is meaningless and they can exit. The problem is you can’t open the door as it locked from the outside. There are people who attempt suicide and survive, because it wasn’t their time to leave.

Death is predestined and this is the reason that you can’t make sense of it. It’s not that you are famous and so can live longer or rich and buy an elixir. Children die, who haven’t sinned, adolescents commit suicide, who have not much experience of life and adults throw themselves to the wolves because they feel ramshackled by expectations. Death can come at any time and age and we can’t even prepare for it. Nothing prepares us for this transition. No exam, test or course can prepare you for this eventuality.

In life I have learnt one important lesson. Live in the moment and make it the most memorable. Every day brings opportunities and encourages me to continue my learning. Learning anything that excites my brain lobes to discharge energy. Read or re-read some amazing quotes and feel it charging your cells. Speak positively to others, stroke others and self and by the time dusk falls, go home to your bed-side, pray and sleep.
Everyday, progress at a gingerly pace, some days jog while other days run. Nowadays I am running on the spot making the most of the lockdown. Books beckon me, writing excites me, viewing shows relaxes me, online work amazes me and novel ideas come to me. I am living in the here and now and it’s great. Everyday my material needs are decreasing and my involvement in ME is increasing. I am finding myself a very interesting person who is charged to teach, learn and grow with every passing day. A smile on my face and I bring a smile on the face of another and I live from dawn to dusk. The past and future are illusionary and I don’t think much about them. Death will come, when it has to, but it won’t rob me of my present.

There is death all around us, In the newspaper, on television, in the next building or possibly next door. It is happening to strangers, neighbours and friends. It’s happening everywhere and so each one will have to decide if they wish to think about it and get depressed or live through and everyday make amends. All those who wish to forgive, no better time than this. All those who wish to give up certain habits, they are lucky. If they, even now, don’t wake up, they never will !

Stop thinking about death and invest in LIFE!

I suggest to all – Make Today Memorable.

The last Instagram post of Sushant Singh Rajput is heart -wrenching.

‘Blurred past evaporating from teardrops
Unending dreams carving an arc of smile
And a fleeting life,
negotiating between the two…

माँ ❤️‘

The words ‘blurred’, ‘ teardrops’, ‘ unending’, ‘ arc’, ‘ between’, ‘ past’, ‘ evaporating’ ‘ negotiating’ each of these words are all fragments of a memory. They narrate a story of an unclear, incomplete seeking. The inability to bridge the gap that the crevices of loss may have created in the mind of a sixteen year old. It could reflect the grievings of hundreds of such innocent souls who miss their mumma! This is what I would say is ‘ living on the edge.’

Suicides like this are not done in a fit of insanity but are brewing in the playground of the mind for some time. The idea that I can take my life seems so real and doable than living on, in this Illusionary reality where man is supposed to be loved forever by another. This ‘forever’ for promise that we make to each other whether in love or hate is like a curse that breaks trust when one decides to depart.

Suddenly suicide seems an alternative path to moving out of unbearable pain and embracing the one person you cannot see or touch. The loss of a parent early in life can leave one desirous of that ‘stroke’ which made you love yourself. The touch of a mother is the first loving nuzzle that you snuggle into and believe that it will cushion you against all obstacles in your life. As you grow older you search for that in others but realise that it’s irreplaceable. You want to run home to feel the unconditional warmth again, and when it’s ‘evaporated’ you can only feel ‘unending’ grief. For many the period of mourning for a loved one is the reality in which they live, life is lived only in ‘between’….

Suicide is not a sin in the eyes of a forgiving God but it may lead to unending pain. I know that for a few cosmic moments which actually seem a lifetime you are united with the object of love in the other realm.

None of us are suicide-proof and have entertained this thought once in our adult life. This could be a ‘ passing fancy’ with ‘ what would I feel if I did it’, or ‘ Gosh! I can sense a feeling of choking when I read about it’. It’s important to know that this is not the only option and when depressed, other possibilities can be reached out for. One of them is to, think of all those around you whom you can still love. Look at these relationships that you can still hold and nurture.

To all those who could be waiting to clip those wings, I have only one thing to say,
‘Remember the lessons may be tough but they will have to be learnt here. Bailing yourself out early before you complete your exam will get you to repeat it again, and maybe then a loved one may not be around you for support. The loved ones who have departed, are still around you, only you can’t touch them, hear them or see them…. but they can. If you believe in rebirth then know that we cannot be lost in translation.

This is the truth !

People feared when our country’s corona count was 100… And now, there is no fear when it is over two lakhs..

The answer lies in the psychological view of the human mind… There is a philosophy called the “Kubler Ross Model”.

That is, when any human goes through any sort of problem, tragedy, natural disaster, accident : they pass through 5 stages or moods or thought process.

They are —

Denial
Anger
Bargain
Depression
Acceptance
denial – Refusal to believe such a thing never happened. For example, we all denied that Corona will not come to us. Even it comes , repeated denial that it will not spread to our place due to our hot climatic conditions.
anger – Getting angry. For example, anger over the loss of income and the loss of normal life due to lockdown.
bargain – Inwardly lamenting that the Corona may not have come and there should not have been a lockdown at all.
depression – It happened like this and goes in to mental pressure and depression.
acceptance – the last stage, the one that actually makes us aware to make the neccessary changes to change or adapt… Simply said, is to accept the situation and find a way out.

These 5 levels are not limited to Corona alone. These apply to almost all the problems or situations we face in our human life..

*** The worst sufferers are the ones who do not reach the last and crucial – Acceptance level and remain stuck in previous levels…

TRAUMA.GRIEF.ANGER

One of the ways I practice with my own trauma is to let it be, not try to fix it.

Trauma must be respected because it is part of our precious humanness.

We can experience wanting to fight or flee or just numbness.

We may experience the paralysis of not knowing what to do. This is our biological system in action. It is normal and there is nothing wrong. In fact, you might say something is right if we are experiencing this fear, this anger, this numbness, this heartbreak…

And it is very important here to understand the point of anger in Buddhism.

Anger is a normal, perfect human experience that you may and I may be having in daily life, but especially at this moment. The point of this is not to lose ourselves. Not to lose our sense of oneness with ourselves, not to lose our sense of loving ourselves, not to lose ourselves in fragmentation. And it could be anger, it could be fear, it could be numbness, but the point of practice is not to lose ourselves.

We don’t push away suffering. Feel every ounce of suffering through your whole body, but don’t drown in it either.

And that’s the great practice of my life.”

WHY DOGS LIVE LESS THAN HUMAN

Here’s the surprising answer of a 6 year old child.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that dogs’ lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, ”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued,

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be faithful.
• Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

That’s the secret of happiness that we can learn from a good dog.

HARMONIZE : ESSENCE !

“THE THREE POISONS OF THE SOUL”

Buddha explained that there were three things that poisoned the Soul and they are:

“Attachment”
“Rejection”
“The ignorance”..

“Attachment”
It leads us to hold on, to believe that we are masters of things and people, of work groups, of friends, of children, of couples, even of the places where we walk.

This is how our mind works. So holding on to everything.

Attachment generates jealousy, attacks on others for believing that they are going to take away what we “believe” is ours, because in reality, nothing belongs to us, we do not even own our body, because we have to leave it behind at the moment of death.

Attachment is a source of suffering because we ignore the 1st Great Noble Truth:
“Everything Is Impermanent” .. And if things are impermanent, what is the point of holding on to something that we are sure is going to go away?
Example: A marriage that ended long ago makes us suffer for years. You just have to accept that people have the right to change their minds.
Like ourselves: maybe we didn’t like something before and now we do, and we count it with amazement when we talk to friends. We say, “I didn’t like pizza before, and now I love it.”

Yes, people change in everything, attitudes, tastes, activities, opinions and love is not forever in some. When the person is suggested to let go of what was NEVER HIS, the feeling of well-being is indescribable.

Attachment is the main source of suffering and we will continue to analyze it.

“Rejection”
Which leads to anger and hatred. Wanting something to not exist, wanting to remove something from our life is useless, because whatever you do, what bothers you is going to be there.

Perhaps that neighbor bothers us, but far from coming into conflict with that person, what we should do is find out why it bothers you so much? What things are you projecting into it that are yours? And those things of yours CANNOT BE ELIMINATED, you are going to have to learn to live with them.

Rejection is the other source of infinite suffering.

“The ignorance”
Ignore the universal laws. Not knowing that if you do damage, that damage that you do somehow will return to yourself.

Ignoring the law of karma, ignoring the three poisons of the soul, and generally not knowing the teachings, constitute a very powerful poison.

Many people think: “As that guy likes me, I’m going to hurt him”, he is actually signing his own sentence. That damage he does he will receive unfailingly.

“It is serene to remain fair and offer good deeds to others” ..

Let’s harmonize our essence !

LIFE IS A DANCE !?

Look at this incredible text by André Luiz, a psychography by Chico Xavier,
“LIFE IS A DANCE

When one door closes, another opens; when one path ends, another begins … nothing is static in the Universe, everything moves non-stop and everything always changes for the better.

Get used to thinking this way: everything that arrives is good, everything that leaves too. It is the dance of life … dance it as it appears, without attachment or resistance.
Do not panic about diseases … they are alarm clocks, they have the mission to wake us up.

Otherwise, we would remain distracted by the seductions of the material world, forgetting what we came to do on this planet. The Universe sent us here for more important things than eating, sleeping, paying bills ….

We have come to realize the Divine in us. All inertia is a disservice to the Divine work. There is a world to be transformed, our role is to contribute to making it better than we found it.

We have the resources for that, just lack the will to serve God by serving men.

Do not say that people are difficult and that coexistence between human beings is impossible. Everyone is working hard to fulfill the mission entrusted to them.

If we are already firmer, be patient with your fellow travelers. Although the paths are different, we are all going in the same direction, looking for the same light.

And whenever impatience threatens your goodwill with the walk of a fellow man, exercise compassion. It will help you to realize that no one is actually standing in your way or wanting to harm you, just trying to be happy, just like you.

When we put ourselves in the place of the other, something very magical happens inside us: the heart opens, generosity settles inside it and from there comes an enormous understanding of the greater purpose of existence, which is the practice of LOVE. When we look at a person with the eyes of the heart, we perceive the kinship of our souls.

We are one energy, together we form an immense fabric of light. There are no physical distances. Quantum physics has already proved that it is all an illusion. We are interconnected by invisible threads that connect us to the Creator of Life. My sadness contaminates my neighbor’s well-being, just as my joy inspires someone on the other side of the world. It is impossible to hurt someone without being hurt too, let’s remember that.
The daily exercise of compassion makes us first-class human beings. “