THE ROCK

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.

The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's mind:

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it."

Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more.

"Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter.

What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done.

Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so?

"Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.

Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done.

"I, my friend, will now move the rock."

At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.......

By all means, exercise the faith that move mountains, but it is still God who moves the mountains.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Invisible Letter

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?"

The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it."

Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care anymore? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?"

The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the University."

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said goodbye to her son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.

"Would you like a lock of his hair?" the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. "I said no at first, but Jimmy said, "Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of Children's mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house.

She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things, back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter.. The letter said:

Dear Mom,

I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say I LOVE YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room, and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls

and stuff girls like, y'know.

Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him.

Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you goodbye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, y'know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him

Where was He when I needed him?'

God said, He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life.

Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore ... and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either.

That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from:

God, Jesus & Me.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Tea Cup

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup.They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful."

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup.

There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "let me alone", but he only smiled, "Not yet."

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around.Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as He shook his head, 'Not yet.'

Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'

Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you'd have dried up.

I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven,you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.

MORAL:

God knows what He's doing (for all of us). He is the Potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not tempt you beyond what you can bear; but with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

(Author Unknown)



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Witness to beginnings & endings

The Bhagavad Gita's approach to death is cool and unsentimental. In the second chapter Krishna tells Arjuna: ''For one who is born, death is assured; for one who dies, rebirth is assured; therefore, for what is inevitable, you should not grieve.'' However, human relations are not as simple as this advice may sound.

In life we go through so many different experiences that involve relationships of varying degrees of intimacy. The husband and wife relationship is the closest physically, emotionally and spiritually, in a way symbolising the union of male and female as in the unique figure of Shiva depicted as Ardhanarishwara, half-male, half-female.

Recently my wife passed away in the sixtieth year of our marriage. Having married when we were teenagers, we virtually grew up together, becoming an integral part of each other's lives. As i watched my elder son light the funeral pyre, it struck me that fire had defined our relationship when it began and now after 60 years, when it ended. We were married when we circumambulated the sacred fire seven times, it being witness to the union. When it was time to say goodbye, again, it was fire that bore witness to our separation with her departure.

In Vedic tradition, fire has always been held to be sacred. Aurobindo calls his translation of the Vedic verses 'Hymns to the Sacred Fire'. Several Vedic hymns are on Agni, the interlocutor between the human and the divine, and which, through Yagna, conveyed human aspirations to the higher power. In several western cultures also fire has a special place. The brave Prometheus brought down fire from the heavens to humanity, for which the jealous Gods punished him with eternal torment. The Zoroastrians have their fire temples. The discovery of fire by early humans marked a major milestone in human evolution.

With its dual quality of having potential to remain benign as well as to be destructive, fire has been cherished down the ages. A Rig Vedic hymn to Agnideva says: "Virtuous Agni, we set thee, a sage, around us as a fort, thee triumphant in thy colour, day by day, destroyer of the treacherous foe. Through Agni man finds prosperity, nourishment from day to day, glory and greatest pride in heroes. To thee, Agni, dispeller of night, we come with prayer day by day, offering thee our obeisance.''

Shiva as Nataraja carries fire in one of his hands and is often depicted dancing within a fiery nimbus. The Isha Upanishad closes with the verse: ''O Agni, lead us by the fair path that we may reap the good we have sown. Thou knowest all our deeds. Lord, destroy all sin in us. We salute Thee with our words again and again.''

The outer fire is but a symbol of the spiritual flame that burns in our hearts. Fanning the spiritual spark into the blazing fire of divine realisation is the true, deeper purpose of our existence. However, there are lower dimensions of fire also, as in the insatiable desire for worldly possessions, or negative aspects such as emotionally disturbing manifestations of anger and revenge. Robert Frost's poem titled Fire & Ice says it all: "Some say the world will end in fire/ some say in ice./ From what I've tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favour fire./ Though if it had to perish twice/ I think I know enough of hate/ to say that for destruction ice/ is also great and would suffice.

The contours of our inner life will depend on which dimension of fire we choose to embrace.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Human relationships matter the most in life

To build lasting relationships is not an easy thing to do. Relating to others involves sensitive, complicated, social behaviour. Relationships are fluid. The individual tends to be self-centred, leading us to believe that everything in life is dedicated, and with the assumption that it needs self-gratification every time. We keep looking for comfort zones. This is a grave mistake.

Psychological dependence is a burden, where individuals look for external support. This is dangerous and will take possession of our senses. The ability to function independently and to risk consequences will disappear.

In symbiotic relations, interdependence is inevitable, and any upheaval results in ruptures. This syndrome works superficially to a near clockwork mechanism. It looks to be an ideal state of being, but in reality, it is a pseudo security built on each other’s frailties. These are highly volatile conditions where the mind becomes inconsistent and so can be misled.

An introspection of self and a keener study of the implications with respect to society would enable a clearer understanding.

A selfless mind, with the awareness of other people’s needs and requirements and with an awareness to make others happy, will create a climate of co-option without having to sacrifice one’s desires and aspirations. A strong will and maturity of mind and body can take care of itself, under any circumstance. The ability to decide what went wrong and why it went wrong will show light at the end of the tunnel. Human emotions such as self-pity and self-persecution must not interfere in the process of resolving problems.

Think good for all, do good for all, and thrive in all-round happiness. To live best for yourself, you must live for others, too. To exist in a happy world, you must take care that every living being is taken into confidence. Your friends, neighbours, relatives, all come into the picture. If anyone needs help, do the very best you can, without expecting anything in return. Therein lie profound wisdom and a life of happiness for everyone.

If you do well, the heavens will open up for you, the angels will support you. Your own chemistry will change for the better. Never hurt others by your actions and deeds, the law of nature will turn against you if you do otherwise, it will punish you, unfolding many hardships. You will become a victim for your own mistakes.

We have been given this wonderful planet so that we live in harmony and create meaningful human bondage by loving each other and sharing resources. Most wars and conflicts are the result of selfishness. By being selfless and compassionate, people of the world can come together to face challenges together.

Wherever we go we carry the burden of ego with us. We transact business, interact with fellow human beings, and deal with domestic issues with a complex personality. This dismantles all sensitivity, and lets out a stream of negative energy. We distance ourselves from our true nature.

To have good, healthy human relationships, we need not get too personal and depend on internal security. We can retain relationships without having close attachments, as long as our mind is pure.

There are no short cuts to achieving peace and harmony. A healthy mind is one that is in a state of unbiased, unperturbed calmness, capable of seeing the big picture. The human mind is a divine, sacred experience; we must treasure its potential and explore it for common benefit by living meaningfully.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Would you travel in a car without brakes?

My officer teases me about the various discourses I attend. Some members of his family, too, he says go to satsangs but he sees no inner change in people like us.

"So what if I indulge in eating food that's not sattvic and drink a bit - so long as I don't lose control?" he asks.

Often we feel we are in full control of ourselves but then a moment comes in life when one loses all control. It is the fear of that moment that makes wise men advise us to abstain. But more than one's food and drinking habits, it is emotions like anger, greed and lust that one must fear. In anger we devour the very soul of a person, in greed we take all we can lay our hands on. Trees are being cut randomly because those in control become uncontrollable. They see money in cutting trees, not realising that future generations will suffer.

Due to previous samskaras - habits of past births - we are unable to rid ourselves of anger, greed, lust and jealousy. Sattvic qualities appear difficult to cultivate. It takes great effort. One morning two sadhus sitting on the banks of the Ganga saw a black blanket floating towards them. One of them decided to take the blanket while the other told him not to bother with possessions. The first sadhu stretched his hand but the blanket turned out to be a black bear. His friend asked him to come back. "How can i come back, the blanket has caught me," shouted the sadhu. In the beginning we run after desires but later desires overpower us and the result is suffering. It is not so easy to loosen our grip on desires. Why should we not fulfil desires when we have the money to do so? Don't we earn to fulfil desires?

The answer, says the guru, is because desires are like the rubber band. Once a desire is fulfilled, the mind feels elated and produces many more desires. The mind stretches itself and stops only when it breaks. It is like a car with no brakes. Will you sit in a car if it has no brakes? Desires are like the accelerator and the inner self is the brake. If our inner consciousness has no say then our senses, mind and intellect will not know where to draw the line. A guru is not a spoilsport who does not want you to enjoy life. His wish is that you live, enjoy as well as realise that infinite bliss is got only in the company of the Divinity within.

Only a realised guru can help us find our inner Self. A boy was getting married when his guru asked: ''Are you firm?'' "Yes, of course!" he replied. But at night he found himself going to a woman's house with the intention of spending the night there, unable to resist the temptation. A gatekeeper stopped him saying she was getting ready. Later he said she had guests. And still later when the boy returned, the guard said she was resting and thus the night passed. At dawn he rushed to his guru's hut. The guru who was always awake at Brahma muhurta was still sleeping. Concerned, the disciple woke him up. "I was awake the whole night trying to stop you from succumbing to temptation. Son, you are still not firm." answered the guru.



Satsangs with self-realised saints activate our inner self. Yet it is entirely our own choice to follow the right or wrong path.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Happiness doesn’t happen to us, it happens by us

When we look at people around us who have had relatively smooth and trouble-free lives, we find that some are happy, others unhappy. When we look at those who have had really rough and challenging lives, again, some are happy, others are not.

All this seems to suggest the relevance of an age-old truth: happiness has less to do with circumstances than with our attitude and approach to life.

Happiness does not happen to us, it happens by us. Know that each of us is the creator of our own thoughts and state of mind. This does not mean ignoring the often, painful reality of what happens, but understanding that you can choose your response to something at any given moment.

For example, you can choose to be frazzled and furious with the demands and pressures of a hectic day, feeling miserable about bad luck, colleagues, weather or bad whatever. Or you can call upon the grace of the moment – reminding yourself to stop and breathe calmly for just a few moments, finding some beauty to focus on, something to be grateful for in all this. You can choose between forever brooding on an unhappy childhood, or focusing on healing and moving on.

Happiness is called upon and cultivated, involving unlearning as much as learning. Consider that for a lot of people, unhappiness can be a ‘patterned response’; where we choose a familiar emotional place even if it mostly hurts and brings sorrow. It’s a bit like Shadow, my friend’s rescued puppy; a bruised, starving, sick little creature, he was given a loving caring home and owners. But after all this time, he still twitches, jumps, and scuttles away at the slightest sound or sudden movement. Shadow doesn’t run and hide so much because he has something to be terrified of today but simply because that’s what he has always done.

Experiences from early life can create habits and patterns that become deeply ingrained, influencing our moods and choices. But, unlike that miserable little dog, we do have the capacity to replace acquired fear or sadness with learned happiness. We can realise that blaming the past or others for our misery, even if partially true, can only give us excuses; it cannot give us the happiness we crave inside.

In fact, it usually serves to increase our suffering! It is established that cultivating feelings of happiness results in a self-generating cycle of biological as much as psychological wellbeing. When you carve out time to go for a walk, or just to the nearest window, or to stop and pray, or dance or sing along to a favourite tune, or share moments with special people, ‘happy hormones’ flood your system, keeping you healthy. For this, you need to first accept that happiness is something that is generated from within, and it comes with time and practice.

Happiness, at its core, is about discovering meaning, and counting your blessings, not your woes. Happiness grows in nurturing relationships.

All kinds of intentional relational activities – practices in which people actively choose to reach out and engage with and serve others – can offer a promising route to lasting happiness.

Happiness then is simply about saying a heartfelt “yes” to all of life; to more positive emotions, to more engagement, to more meaning and purpose, to more caring relationships.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Live the present moment free of past & future

Living in the present is the only way to live. It is in the present moment that we touch base with our inner selves and come to terms with outside reality.

The now is a continuum from the irretrievable past to the embodied future. In life we are continually say goodbyes to our past situations and circumstances and our reactions to them. At the same time, in the now, we plan and perfect a future we would like to ensure for ourselves.

The now is present in all that we enjoy and each moment expands our inner consciousness. In the now we can be enveloped by sun, shine and rain. The dawn of a new day, each day, makes the morning a time of peace, thanksgiving and prayer, loaded with positive vibrations and thoughts.

As the day progresses, we go on to encounter both good and bad. We choose in each moment to strengthen the good in us and to weaken the low and unpalatable, so that the now acts as a bridge going from one good experience to another.

We wrap up the experiences of the day at evensong. Each moment of the 24-hour day is a renewed invitation to live in the now. When we choose to live our lives by dwelling in the past and with our attention riveted on a future that has not yet arrived, forgetting the present, we lose the precious now that is in the moment.

If we live in the now, we experience the richness of the present moment. We are rooted in reality and we extract from both the past and the impending future the ever present now. In the present, there is an ever present flow of existence. We learn to live from moment to moment. We flow along with life. In the now we make our divine encounter because God is all that is.

Nature knows no past or future, except in our human consciousness, but we relate to reality as if it were a finished event or an inevitable future.

If we remain in the now, we are open to enjoying all that is given to us as gift during the day. We experience to the full, joy and sadness, laughter and pain, dismay and hope, beauty and ugliness all wrapped up as gift in the present moment.

Though we all live in the present, some of us are more open to the nowness of everyday reality. Others try to flee from the present, because of unfinished work from the past or a hazy future, not built on outside reality.

That is why in the now we rise when we rise, we pray when we pray, we eat when we eat, we live as we live. In such an existence, the past is over, only memories remain and the future is still a way off because the future builds on present moments.

The now helps us to arrive at our destination in the most effective way possible. If we live in the now, we cannot help but touch the divine presence because God is Master of the moment.

Live now to the full, catch the early morning sunrise, enjoy the dew, eat a hearty breakfast, enjoy the work of the day, your leisure, spend enough time exercising, begin and finish the day with prayer. The now will never let you down, because you are responding to it from your own inner being, which gives pattern and harmony to the now.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Buddha, sangha and dharma

On the spiritual path there are three factors: Buddha, the master or the presence of the enlightened, sangha, the commune or group, and dharma, your true nature. Life blossoms naturally when there is a balance between the three.

The Buddha is a doorway, and the doorway needs to be more charming than what lies beyond so that people come to the doorway. If you are out in the street and there is rain and thunder, or scorching weather, you feel the need for a shelter. You look and find a doorway. Have you noticed that then, the doorway is more inviting and joyful than anything else in the world?

Similarly, the closer you get to the master, the more charm, newness and love you feel. Nothing in the world could give that much peace, joy and pleasure. It’s like depth without a bottom. This is a sign that you have come to the master.

Once you enter the door, you see the world from there, from the eyes of the master. Then in any situation you will think: How would the master handle this? See the world from the eyes of the master and the world looks so much more beautiful as a place filled with love, joy, cooperation and compassion.

Looking through the doorway there is no fear. From inside your home, you can look at the storm and the bright sun too; yet you can be relaxed as you are in the shelter. Such a sense of security, fullness and joy comes. That is the purpose of having a master.

Sangha is charming from a distance, but the closer you get, it pushes all your buttons and brings out all the unwanted things from within you. If you think a group is good it means you are not yet completely with the group. When you are totally part of that group, you will find that some bickering will come up. But you are the one who makes the group so if you are good, your group will also be good.

Sangha has a reverse nature to Buddha. Buddha makes your mind one-pointed; sangha, because it is of so many people, can scatter your mind, fragment it. Once you are used to a sangha, it loses its charm. This is the nature of sangha. Still, it is very supportive. If it were repulsive all the time, then nobody would be part of sangha.

Buddha uplifts with Grace, love and knowledge, Buddha pulls you up from above, and sangha pushes you up from below.

Dharma is to be in the middle. Avoiding extremes is your nature to be in balance, to smile from the depth of your heart, to accept entire existence totally as it is. Often you crave for Buddha and are averse to sangha, and you try to change; but by changing sangha or Buddha, you are not going to change.
The main purpose is to come to the centre deep within you, which means to find your dharma. A sense of deep acceptance for this moment, for every moment, is dharma. All problems and negativity are generated from our mind.

The world is not bad; we make our world ugly or beautiful. So when you are in your dharma, your nature, you will blame neither the world nor the Divine.

Dharma is that which puts you in the middle and makes you comfortable with the world. It allows you to contribute to the world, be at ease with the Divine, to feel part of the Divine.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Lighting the lamp of love

For an oil lamp to burn, the wick has to be in the oil, yet out of the oil. If the wick is drowned in oil, it cannot bring light.

Life is like the wick of the lamp; you have to be in the world yet remaining untouched by it. If you are drowned in the materialism of the world, you cannot bring joy and knowledge in your life. By being in the world, yet not drowning in the worldly aspect of it, we can be the light of joy and knowledge. Lamps are lit on this day not just to decorate homes, but also to communicate this profound truth.

Every human being has some good qualities. Every lamp that you light is symbolic of this. By lighting the lamp of wisdom in you, you light up latent values and by acquiring knowledge; you awaken all the facets of your being. When they are lit and awakened, it is Deepawali. Don’t be satisfied with lighting just one lamp; light a thousand, for you need to light many lights to dispel the darkness of ignorance.

Another profound symbolism is in the firecrackers. In life, you often become like a firecracker, waiting to explode with your pent-up emotions, frustration and anger. When you suppress your emotions, cravings, aversions, hatred, you reach a bursting point. Bursting crackers is a psychological exercise to release bottled-up emotions. When you see an explosion outside, you feel similar sensations within you as well. Along with the explosion, there is so much light. Let go of these emotions, so serenity dawns. You can experience newness when you discard these pent-up emotions. Deepawali means to be in the present, so drop the regrets of the past and the worries of the future and live in the moment.

Sweets and gifts symbolise the dispelling of the bitterness and renewal of friendship. Deepawali is a time to throw light on the wisdom you have gained and welcome a new beginning. When true wisdom dawns, it gives rise to celebration. But don’t let celebration make you lose your focus and awareness. To maintain awareness in the midst of celebrations, the ancients created rituals: puja brings sacredness. For the same reason, Deepawali is also the time for pujas that add depth to the festivities by infusing the spiritual aspect.

Celebration includes the spirit of seva or service. Share. In giving, we receive. Celebration also means dissolving all differences and basking in the glory of the atman. Happiness and wisdom have to be spread and that can happen when all come together and celebrate in knowledge.

Deepawali is the celebration of the wisdom thus born. For the one who is not in knowledge, Deepawali comes only once a year, but for the wise, Deepawali is every moment and every day. This Deepawali, celebrate with knowledge and take a sankalpa (intention) to serve humanity.

Light the lamp of love in your heart; the lamp of abundance in your home; the lamp of compassion to serve others; the lamp of knowledge to dispel the darkness of ignorance and the lamp of gratitude for the abundance that the Divine has bestowed on us. Light dispels darkness and when the darkness of ignorance within you is dispelled through the light of wisdom, goodness prevails.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Holy cow, de-stressing is so simple

Hamari Gaay ' - Our Cow.

‘ Kal jo ghas chari thi ban mein ,/ Doodh bani woh gaay ke than mein .’

Cow is a special kind of animal. It takes (eats) grass and in return gives us milk. In other words, the cow is divine; it is able to convert non-milk into milk.

This teaches us a great lesson. God, the Creator, has made the cow a model for human behaviour in that it gives us a lesson in high morality. We must develop this quality of conversion in our personality, and this should enable us to transform negative thought into positive thought.

It is said that man is a social animal. But what is society? Society is full of differences. Every day we experience provocative situations; every day we face the disagreeable behaviour of others and every day we suffer anger and tension because of conflicts arising out of differences.

Then what should we do? The cow could show us the answer. God has created a model in the form of the cow. We have to adopt cow culture, we have to develop in our personality what may be called the capacity for transformation; we have to turn negative experiences into positive thinking.

The fact is that everyone enjoys freedom. But everyone also has the choice to misuse freedom. It is this misuse of freedom that creates problems. Hence we need to learn the art of problem management.

According to Islam, the present world is a testing ground. Every man and woman here is being tested. If we have freedom, it is because without freedom, there can be no test. This freedom is God-given, and as such, no one has the licence to abolish it. We have no option but to follow the cow pattern, that is, to turn negativity into positivity.

Once a man came to the Prophet of Islam, and said: ‘O Prophet, give me a piece of advice by which i may be able to manage all the affairs of my life.’ The Prophet replied: ‘Don't be angry.’

‘Don't be angry’ means learning the art of anger management, learning the art of converting anger into forgiveness, of converting anger into peaceability. This is the highest form of spirituality.

Leaving society and going into the jungle or the mountains is a lower form of spirituality. The higher form is that which the cow demonstrates. We live with people, experience all kinds of behaviour, but try not to react negatively. You have to imitate the cow. Just as the cow converts grass into milk, you have to convert negative thought into positive thought. This is the highest form of spirituality.

Most are battling stress daily. They ask about ways to de-stress. I would suggest that they learn a lesson from the cow. They should adopt the cow habit in their affairs and they will be able to de-stress quite successfully. The cow represents an elevated form of lifestyle. Adopt this lifestyle, and you will be able to enjoy a tension-free life.


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Cherish good memories,see what happens

The older we get, the larger our memory banks become. Our memories, like everything else in life, are a medley of the good and bad, the positive and negative.

Memory is more than just a receptacle of past experiences. We can review the contents of our memory bank and either energise ourselves and live a full life, or put ourselves down and feel blue.

Memories are also made up of our attitudes and behaviour. That is why it is important to watch what we feed into our memory banks. If we continue to focus on the negative, we will look back to situations that have not been helpful for our growth. If we strengthen positive memories, we will remember all that challenges us to maturity.

Memories need not only be those of bountiful nature. Blue skies, birds, trees, flowers in full bloom, quiet lakes and waves thundering against the seashore – all these memories seem to put us in a happy mood. Memories can also be of crowded streets, overflowing bridges, hectic flip-flops and the anonymity of daily commuting. These memories might leave us cold and indifferent to others and to life.

The memories that ought to stay longest with us are those that resonate with experiences of love, giving and compassion. We have keen memories of our life-supporting systems and people we have interacted with and continue to interact with that have been instrumental to our growth.

Our daily interactions with people might expose us to those who have destructive traits. There are those who are violent, others insist that only their view is right. They might ridicule us or be aggressive towards us. It is these memories that we should try to overcome. If we do not give them too much importance, they will not overpower us. On the contrary they could contribute to our growth.

Spiritually mature people are usually brimming with good memories. For them every challenge or difficulty has been a chance to learn. They have stored in their memory banks useful lessons from a variety of experiences. If a rose can bloom in the midst of so many thorns, why cannot we too prosper wherever we bloom?

No one can be expected to be euphoric in all situations in life. We probably cannot escape the ups and downs of life. But, our memory banks can help us to remain balanced with a quiet contentment, which is only possible for discerning minds.

Bad memories do leave scars, emotional and spiritual. If we do not spend time and energy in dealing with them, they sink into oblivion. Our experience of God is coloured by memories. He takes away the pain of the past and the uncertainty of the present and future. Like a true artist He paints in black and white, shade and shadow, darkness and light. That is why memories can be interesting, inspiring and enabling.

The memory slate cannot be wiped absolutely clean. However, every negative memory can also bring us to a point where we begin to see ourselves in a new light. All experiences, negative and positive, can lead us to live life more abundantly.

If we let memories of good experiences, of faith, love, hope, empathy, compassion and beneficial relationships predominate, our ship will not end up on the rocks. Our memory banks could help us to steer ourselves towards safe waters, and maybe help anchor us in tranquility. Let’s ask ourselves: What are we feeding into our memory banks and what are we making of our lives?


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Three beads of my rosary

I received a rosary of beads from a child one day. Touching a few beads, i gave them each a name: I called the first bead, Love. The bead whispered, “Give love, get loved.” There is the story of a seeker who wept openly at the mere sight of a hill, a mountain, a flower, or a river.

One day someone asked him: “Why do you cry?” He replied: “Looking at these icons of nature I hear a voice which says, ‘Do not be thankless! You have forgotten the Creator of the Universe. The voice rattles my soul and so I weep’.” That call is for every one of us. Do not be ungrateful, for the Universe is beautiful and we are lucky to be part of it.

Love binds us with silken threads. We get bonded; we get linked with persons we love. Love unites. Loving the Supreme, you are united with Him for you will feel God’s presence within you and around you. When you love God, you will learn to love others, and your life will be built on the foundation of love.

A 31-year-old man was trying to climb a steep hill. He kept falling. Each time he picked himself up and tried, again and again. Undaunted, he continued to climb. He slipped down seven times, before finally reaching the hilltop, On reaching the top, he picked up the wounded man lying there and carried him to a hospital, and got him treated.

People asked him, “How much have you suffered for this man! You put your life in danger! Suppose you had fallen down and died? Why did you have to do this? Do you know this man?”

The young man explained: “This man is no relative of mine, neither is he a friend. He is an acquaintance whom I met at a satsang . For the sake of my guru, I began to love him. It is for the love of my guru that I suffered. It is for this love that I put my life in danger.”

I called the second bead Humility. It says: “Give up pride.” Just as eating food and drinking water are necessary for living, it is necessary to practice humility. One has to pay a price for giving up ego. And that price is, to be in fellowship with the devotees of the Lord, and to receive their blessings. How foolish it is to say, “I did this, I did that!” This ‘ego-intoxication’ must go! For what am ‘I’ but a flickering candle that at the dawn will die!

The third bead is Shanti. It says: “Don’t be angry. Keep your cool.” Anger is harmful. One mother got angry because her child was troubling her while she was working. She admonished the child, but the child continued to play mischief. The enraged mother picked up the child and threw him down. Every heedless act is sinful, but there is much more irrationality in anger.

Whenever you become angry, recite a mantra like “ Hare Ram, Hare Krishna ” 10 times. If your anger is beyond control, recite the mantra 100 times. That ought to cool you down. With love, humility and a peaceful disposition, your path can only become more pleasant and less difficult.

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The reason we're here is to experience love

We have come for some days to play. The body is temporary. We are actors and we are paid according to our performances. Play your part well in the Vraja Leela, God’s Play of Love, shaking off desires and obsessions. Our duty is to watch His Leela as passive witnesses. Be always in a state of svabhava, the natural state of Oneness with Him, free of all sense of want.

You are here to relish His rasa , to experience God’s Love, to taste His Vraja Leela. This Leela is symbolised by union, moving to and fro between the opposite poles like a pendulum, the characteristic of duality and mental function. It is a stage where we are to enact our respective roles for a stipulated period of time.

Duty is the first thing. Duty is karma or work. Perform your actions with sincerity and honesty. You must act. There is no knowledge without karma . You are seeing, hearing, eating something... all this is karma , and this karma is knowledge.

Whatever you do is karma . Actions and reactions in the mind lead to one’s activity. Let the fruit of action be decided and bestowed by Him because the result comes from Him. You cannot undertake any work without a pragmatic end in view. So, you have to do your work, but without any desire for the results. No sooner has the work been finished then the attachment evaporates. That should be the attitude.

Work is worship when the sole frame of reference is the Soul, the vibrant Mahanam, God’s Name within your heart. Every bit of work is worship. But the moment any kind of work grips your consciousness as the one thing indispensable and it stems the tide of your life, it is invested with multiple nuances and drives your ego. It lacks spirituality. In the body of a person resides Govinda or Supreme Truth, so the body is to be treated as His temple and taken care of. Eat, drink, do everything, but remember Him, residing in you. To move according to nature is the only safe course.

You have come here to do all sorts of acting. You are a guest. Your body is a temporary place to enjoy God in Maya , the creative force of God, which manifests in ever-changing nature...

My body is an ashram, the temple of God, a temporary place to enjoy Him in Prakriti or Nature and it is God’s Grace. We have come with mind, senses, desires and attachments. We shall have to give something to them. If you stop everything, they will revolt.

The object of our being born on earth is to relish the joy of God’s love. It is human tendency to act under compulsion of innumerable temptations and attachments. But even being involved in all this, human birth is a blessing. How ineffably is this world filled with beauty and flavour! We have come to experience it. However, we have become otherwise engaged. Be always with God’s Name then the objective with which you have come here will be realised.

An individual can at best put in effort, regardless of the result. Work is one’s own dharma . Work itself is sacrifice. Work is penance. God is there, ready to hold your hand and walk with you. So do not worry or be afraid. We are here to enjoy His Play, remember Him with love and remain in the natural state.


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Sniffing out the truth about who you are

For most of us, spiritual sadhana or practice is the external observance of rituals and ceremonies prescribed by religion. In the beginning such observance has is valuable to enable to self-purification and discipline. Ultimately, however, the aspirant has to transcend the phase of external conformity and get initiated in the deeper aspects of spiritual sadhana.

In its deeper aspects, spiritual sadhana consists in following the yoga of knowledge or dhyan, yoga of action or karma and yoga of devotion or bhakti. The sadhana of knowledge finds its expression through the exercise of detachment born of true understanding, the different forms of meditation and the constant use of discrimination and intuition.

Karma-yoga is acting according to the best intuitions of the heart without fear or hesitation. Fulfillment of the sadhana of karma-yoga requires that action should spring from the perception of Truth. Even more important than the sadhanas of knowledge and action is the sadhana of devotion or love.

Love is its own excuse for being. It is complete in itself and does not need to be supplemented by anything. Love is not love if it is based on any expectation. In the intensity of divine love, the lover becomes one with the divine Beloved. There is no sadhana greater than love, there is no law higher than love and there is no goal that is beyond love – for love in its divine state becomes infinite. God and love are identical and one who has divine love already has God.

As a rule sadhana involves effort and sometimes even desperate effort, as in the case of an aspirant who may strive for detachment in the face of temptations. In love, though, there is no effort because it is spontaneous. One of the paradoxes connected with spiritual sadhana is that all effort of the aspirant is intended for arriving at a state of effortlessness.

There is the story of a kasturi-mriga, or musk deer that brings out the nature of spiritual sadhana. Once while roaming about and frolicking over hills and dales, the kasturi-mriga was suddenly aware of an exquisitely beautiful scent, the like of which it had never known. The scent stirred the inner depths of its soul so profoundly that it determined to find the source. So keen was its longing that notwithstanding the severity of cold or the intensity of scorching heat, by day as well as by night, the deer carried on its desperate search for the source of the sweet scent. It knew no fear or hesitation but undaunted, went on its elusive search, until at last, happening to lose its foothold on a cliff, it had a precipitous fall resulting in a fatal injury. While breathing its last, the deer found that the scent that had ravished its heart and inspired all these efforts came from its own navel. This last moment of the deer’s life was its happiest and there was on its face inexpressible peace.

All spiritual sadhanas of the aspirant are like the efforts of the kasturi-mriga. The final fructification of sadhana involves the termination of the ego-life of the aspirant. At that moment there is the realisation that he himself has, in a sense, been the object of all his search and endeavour. All that he suffered and enjoyed – all his risks and adventures, all his sacrifices and desperate strivings – were intended for achieving true Self-knowledge, in which he loses his individuality only to discover that he is identical with God, who is in everything.

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Nature has made occupation a necessity to us; society makes it a duty; habit may make it a pleasure. -Capelle

Virtues The Idle Never Know

Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle never know.

-Charles Kingsley

Gayatri Mantra Detailed Word by Word Meaning

The Gayatri Mantra consists of twenty-four syllables - three lines of eight syllables each. The first line (Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah) is considered an invocation, and is not technically a part of the original Gayatri Mantra as it appears in the Upanishads. Gayatri is also referred to as a Vedic poetic meter of 24 syllables or any hymn composed in this meter. Hence, there exists a whole family of Gayatri Mantras, which serve as meditative aids to pray for the blessings of a particular personal God.

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah, Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat
ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।
A basic translation can be given as...

Oh God, the Protector, the basis of all life, Who is self-existent, Who is free from all pains and Whose contact frees the soul from all troubles, Who pervades the Universe and sustains all, the Creator and Energizer of the whole Universe, the Giver of happiness, Who is worthy of acceptance, the most excellent, Who is Pure and the Purifier of all, let us embrace that very God, so that He may direct our mental faculties in the right direction.

The Four Parts of the Gayatri Mantra
Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah (ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व:)
1. AUM (ॐ), the Supreme name of God. A full explanation of this has been given in a related article.

BHUR BHUVAH SWAH. These three words collectively are known as the "Mahavyahriti". They express the nature of God, and demonstrate his inherent qualities.

2. BHUR (भूर्)
Firstly, the word Bhur implies existence. God is self-existent and independent of all. He is eternal and unchanging. Without beginning and without end, God exists as a continuous, permanent, constant entity. Secondly, the word Bhur can also mean the Earth, on which we are born and sustained. God is the provider of all, and it is through His divine will that we our blessed with all that we require to maintain us through our lives. Finally, Bhur signifies Prana, or life (literally, breath). God is That which gives life to all. Whilst He is independent of all, all are dependent on Him. It is God who has given us life, God who maintains us throughout our lives, and God alone who has the ability to take away our life, when He so chooses. The only permanent entity, all others are subject to His own will
3. BHUVAH (भुव:)
Bhuvah describes the absolute Consciousness of God. God is self-Conscious as well as being Conscious of all else, and thus is able to control and govern the Universe. Also, the word Bhuvah relates to God's relationship with the celestial world. It denotes God's greatness - greater than the sky and space, He is boundless and unlimited. Finally, Bhuvah is also indicative of God's role as the remover of all pain and sufferings (Apaana). We see pain and sorrow all around us. However, through supplication to God, we can be freed from that pain and hardship. God Himself is devoid of any pain. Though He is Conscious of all, and is thus aware of pain, it does not affect Him. It is our own ignorance that makes us susceptible to the effects of Maya, or illusion, which causes us to feel pain. Through true devotion to God, we can be freed from the clutches of Maya, and thus be rid of pain and sorrow.
4. SWAH (स्व:)
Swah indicates the all-pervading nature of God. He is omnipresent and pervades the entire multi-formed Universe. Without Form Himself, He is able to manifest Himself through the medium of the physical world, and is thus present in each and every physical entity. In this way, God is able to interact with the Universe created by Him, and thus sustain and control it, ensuring its smooth and proper running and function.
Also, Swah symbolizes God's bliss. All but God experience pain, suffering and sorrow. Devoid of all such things, God alone is able to experience supreme bliss. Happiness as experienced by humans is temporary, a transient state of mental satisfaction, which soon dissolves back into the mire of worldly troubles. Perfect, and without any form of deficiency, God alone experiences true bliss, permanent and unaffected by worldly pains and woes. One who realizes God is able to join in this bliss, and thus God is able to impart true happiness to those who establish oneness with that Supreme Divinity.

The Mahavyahriti can be summed up by comparison to the word AUM itself, and through this comparison to the tripartite structure, can be compared to the essential nature of God, which differentiates Him from the other two entities recognized in that structure (namely, matter and soul), in the same way as the comparison between the three parts of the word Satchidananda, another name also used to describe God...
•BHUR Prana Earth Sat Existence
•BHUVAH Apana Sky Chit Consciousness
•SWAH Vyana Heaven Ananda Bliss

TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM (तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं)
5. TAT (तत् s.1)
Literally, this word means "that", being used in Sanskrit to denote the third person. It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita by Sri Krishna Himself, where He implies the selfless nature of the word. Being used in the third person, the word has implicit in it an idea of selflessness. Sri Krishna uses it to imply the selfless nature of charity (charity, or a gift, being used as an analogy for worship, in the form of action, implying that action should be preformed without regard to its fruits, but simply out of devotion and sense of duty, or Dharma). Tat then is used here in the Gayatri Mantra to indicate that the worshipper is referring to [that] God, and that the praise being offered to God in the prayer is purely directed towards Him, without thought of gaining any personal benefit from that praise.
6. SA-VI-TUR (सवितुर् s.2-4)
Savita, from which Savitur is derived, is another name of God, this being the reason that the Gayatri Mantra is often known as the Savitri Mantra. The implication of Savita is of God's status as the fountain, the source of all things. It is through His Divine Grace that the Universe exists, and so this word sums up the Mahavyahriti, by describing God's ability to create the Universe and sustain it, as well as, at the right time, bring about its dissolution.
Savita is also indicative of God's gift to mankind. Humans also have, in limited amount, the power, or shakti, of Savita. This shakti acts as an impetus in humans, and brings about the requirement for them to do something. They cannot sit idle, and are constantly searching for something to do. This is what is commonly known as the "creative urge". It is through this shakti that mankind has created art, and it is through this shakti also that scientific advances are made. The gift of Savita also gives creatures the ability of procreation. Hence, Savita can be thought of as meaning Father (or Mother) also.

Finally, it is the power of Savita that enables mankind to distinguish right from wrong, and vice from virtue. Through this ability, we are able to in some part direct our own selves, and thus, Savita imparts to us a certain self-guiding ability. Thus, by using this word in the mantra, we demonstrate that we are making efforts ourselves also, since God will not help us unless we are willing to help ourselves.

7. VA-RE-NY-AM (वरेण्यं s.5-8)
Varenyam signifies our acceptance of God, and can be translated as meaning "Who is worthy". Ever ready to obtain all the material riches of the world, more often than not, they are a disappointment once they have been achieved. God however is the one who, once realized and achieved, has the ability to truly satisfy. We therefore accept Him as the Highest reality, and it is to Him that we dedicate our efforts.
Varenyam can also be interpreted as signifying one who is eligible. We have chosen Him to be our Leader and our Guide. We place our all into His hands, and accept Him regardless of anything else. We place no conditions on this acceptance, as it is all out of sheer devotion


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The Gift of Life ALL Must Read

On the very first day, God created the cow. He said to the cow, "Today I have created you! As a cow, you must go to the field with the farmer all day long. You will work all day under the sun! I will give you a life span of 50 years."

The cow objected, "What? This kind of a tough life you want me to live for 50 years? Let me have 20 years, and the 30 years I'll give back to you." So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the dog. God said to the dog, "You are supposed to do is to sit all day by the door of your house. Any people that come in, you will have to bark at them! I'll give a life span of 20 years."

The dog objected, "What? All day long to sit by the door? No way! I give you back my other 10 years of life!" So God agreed.

On the third day, God created the monkey. He said to the monkey, "Monkeys have to entertain people. You've got to make them laugh and do monkey tricks. I'll give you 20 years life span."

The monkey objected. "What? Make them laugh? Do monkey faces and tricks? Ten years will do, and the other 10 years I'll give you back." So God agreed.

On the fourth day, God created man and said to him, "Your job is to sleep, eat, and play. You will enjoy very much in your life. All you need to do is to enjoy and do nothing. This kind of life, I'll give you a 20 year life span."

The man objected. "What? Such a good life! Eat, play, sleep, do nothing? Enjoy the best and you expect me to live only for 20 years? No way, man!....Why don't we make a deal? Since the cow gave you back 30 years, and the dog gave you back 10 years and the monkey gave you back 10 years, I will take them from you! That makes my life span 70 years, right?" So God agreed.

AND THAT'S WHY.... In our first 20 years, we eat, sleep, play, enjoy the best and do nothing much. For the next 30 years, we work all day long, suffer and get to support the family. For the next 10 years, we entertain our grandchildren by making monkey faces and monkey tricks. And for the last 10 years, we stay at home, sit by the front door and bark at people!




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I Still Know Who She Is

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have his usual purchase of two pastries and a hot chocolate. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00.I asked him to take a seat, as i was attending to another customer. I saw him looking at his watch and decided i would ask my assistant to finish the customer's order while i attend to him.
While getting his order ready, I asked him if he had an appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry and that is not usually him . The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife,which he does everyday but he woke up late this morning so he was rushing.I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while! As she is a victim of Alzheimer's disease.As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.I was surprised and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'
He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me but I still know who she is.' I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm and thought,
'That is the kind of love I want in my life. True love is neither physical nor romantic'.
True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.\


Be Great and Greatful


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