An average person always thinks he is above average. The perception of ‘easy and difficult’ is the result of one’s state of being. Swatting a fly is ‘difficult’ for some, while killing thousands is ‘easy’ for others like terrorists. Dropping the ego is easy when we realise that we are less than a dot in this vast cosmos. It is foolish to live with the illusion that we are the centre of the cosmos. Dropping ego becomes difficult when we have this illusion.
In any circle there is a centre and a circumference. If the centre of your life is hope then you will experience deficiency. If the centre of your life is enjoying the moment, living in the moment, being total in the moment... then hope will be a circumference... then it is not a problem.
Let kitchen items be in the kitchen and bathroom items be in the bathroom. If they are placed elsewhere, then there is a problem. There is no problem with ‘hope’ as such, as long as it is in the circumference and not in the centre. Be alive to the present.
The self with arrogance is ego. Self with the ignorance of who we are is also ego. Self filled with hopes and dreams is also ego. Ego lives either in the past or in the future, but never in the present. If its centre resides either in the past or in the future it misses the present.
We are living in the world of ego... the ‘lower self ’. But if our centre is gratitude and devotion, then we live in the present. Both past and future become mere reference points. The ‘higher self’ is a space from which possibilities arise. It is a flow. It is a learning energy. It is an evolving being. You have the choice to operate either from the lower or higher self.
When you operate from ego, your relationships will be affected. Ego wants to prove its point of view. The point of view is more important than truth or happiness. In that state, you demand and not command respect. If a couple demands respect from each other, then they are beggars of happiness and not givers of happiness. In the egoistic state, an argument feeds the ego. Remember no one wins an argument. You accumulate more of bitterness and at different periods of time you settle scores with the other.
When you operate from the ‘higher self ’, there is a healthy discussion. In discussion, truth is more important than who has said it. Happiness and well-being become more important than the survival of one’s point of view.
Then a relationship becomes rhythmic. You enjoy being with the other and you enjoy being alone. You are neither dependent nor independent but interdependent. You share your joyous being and not beg happiness from your partner.
Identity is created by what others have said about us. If others have told you that you are a great speaker, then you feel you are a great speaker. So your identity is dependent on others. In fact, others create your identity. Others validate you. It is painful, as you have invested much on others. Your image is in the hands of others.
The fact is, the real ‘I’ in us is not created by others. The lower self is a product of others, but the higher self is our essence. The higher self is a presence. It is awareness. We have not learnt to operate from that state of being. Hence, we are alien to ourselves.
When your partner separates from you, you feel you are at a loss. Stop and look within. You find a higher self, God waiting for you. Learn to discover aloneness in a relationship and beyond a relationship. Aloneness is not loneliness.
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
The Greatest Things
The Greatest Things
Greatest joy... Giving
Greatest loss…Self Respect
Most destructive habit… Worry
Greatest problem to overcome… Fear
Most beautiful attire… a smile
Deadliest weapon… the tongue
Most powerful force… Love
Most crippling failure disease… Excuses
World’s most incredible computer...the brain
Most satisfying work...Helping others
Ugliest personality trait… Selfishness
Greatest “shot in the arm”… Encouragement
Most effective sleeping pill...peace of mind
Worst thing to be without...Hope
Two most powerful words...I can
Most prized possession...Integrity
Most contagious spirit...enthusiasm
An Attitude Of Gratitude
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
What Happens Once You’re Faster, Higher, Stronger
What Happens Once You’re Faster, Higher, Stronger
"Nearly all men/women can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's/woman's character , give him power "
Everyone is celebrating the gold medal victory of master shooter Abhinav Bindra in the individual event at the just concluded Olympic Games in Beijing. On his arrival in Delhi he answered many questions from the media and some of his observations on his success reveal a mature approach. For instance, when he was asked what it felt like winning the gold at the Olympics, Bindra remarked: “It was a sort of emptiness. You climb the mountain and there is nothing at the top. When you work so hard to achieve something and you get it at the end, there is a feeling of emptiness. But then life goes on...”
The other day i read about a man who wanted to win a place in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ by drinking maximum amount of water in one sitting. Unfortunately he collapsed in the effort and died. Now and then newspapers bring to our attention such daring deeds undertaken to draw attention and seeking fame but ending in disaster.
There is also the current story of ambitious men driving themselves to insanity and ruining their health in their obsession with success. It is the brainwashing of a materialistic society and prodding of the competitive spirit that sends many a young man early to his grave!
It is a psychological truth that for a person, the pleasure of anticipation is more than the pleasure of actual realisation of a goal. Many of us might have dreamt of heavenly experiences on reaching the top of a career. The less fortunate ones watching close by are overcome by envy while the successful ones are overcome by a sense of emptiness. This is what is termed in Biblical language, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!”
Dreams begin in the prime of one’s life and their fulfilment take up a good part of one’s waking life. Yet it happens that very few could claim as in fairy tales, that “they lived happily ever after”. Once they thought heaven lay in supermarket shopping. Somewhere along the line they learn that the joys brought by earthly possessions, fame and power do not last for long.
When Alexander the Great had come to the end of his conquests, he is said to have lamented that he had “no more lands to conquer”.
Some scriptures speak of life as “nothing but a pastime, a momentary delight”. If anything, it is our materialistic bragging that has made success a matter of life and death; as if only rewards and honours make life worth living. In the race for being Number One, many stake their all only to end it all in the grave.
Albert Einstein said: “A successful man is he who receives a great deal from his fellow men, usually incomparably more than corresponds to his service to them. The value of a man, however, should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.” The striving, the effort to achieve success and to excel is not a bad thing. However, to make that the ultimate goal of life is nothing short of being foolish for earthly gains and achievements are short-lived. It is the search for the divine truth that ultimately brings real fulfilment.
The adventure is in the journey, not in the destination. And they say it is not winning or losing, but how you have played the game that matters.
We are so made and the restlessness within is so evident that we appreciate the profound truth uttered by St Augustine, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee...”
The other day i read about a man who wanted to win a place in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ by drinking maximum amount of water in one sitting. Unfortunately he collapsed in the effort and died. Now and then newspapers bring to our attention such daring deeds undertaken to draw attention and seeking fame but ending in disaster.
There is also the current story of ambitious men driving themselves to insanity and ruining their health in their obsession with success. It is the brainwashing of a materialistic society and prodding of the competitive spirit that sends many a young man early to his grave!
It is a psychological truth that for a person, the pleasure of anticipation is more than the pleasure of actual realisation of a goal. Many of us might have dreamt of heavenly experiences on reaching the top of a career. The less fortunate ones watching close by are overcome by envy while the successful ones are overcome by a sense of emptiness. This is what is termed in Biblical language, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!”
Dreams begin in the prime of one’s life and their fulfilment take up a good part of one’s waking life. Yet it happens that very few could claim as in fairy tales, that “they lived happily ever after”. Once they thought heaven lay in supermarket shopping. Somewhere along the line they learn that the joys brought by earthly possessions, fame and power do not last for long.
When Alexander the Great had come to the end of his conquests, he is said to have lamented that he had “no more lands to conquer”.
Some scriptures speak of life as “nothing but a pastime, a momentary delight”. If anything, it is our materialistic bragging that has made success a matter of life and death; as if only rewards and honours make life worth living. In the race for being Number One, many stake their all only to end it all in the grave.
Albert Einstein said: “A successful man is he who receives a great deal from his fellow men, usually incomparably more than corresponds to his service to them. The value of a man, however, should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.” The striving, the effort to achieve success and to excel is not a bad thing. However, to make that the ultimate goal of life is nothing short of being foolish for earthly gains and achievements are short-lived. It is the search for the divine truth that ultimately brings real fulfilment.
The adventure is in the journey, not in the destination. And they say it is not winning or losing, but how you have played the game that matters.
We are so made and the restlessness within is so evident that we appreciate the profound truth uttered by St Augustine, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee...”
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