IF..

What struck me about the words below, is Kiplings abundant use of ‘opposites’ pouring guidelines to live an ethical life, free from attachment to the egos delusion and be more aligned to our higher-self (Soul). If we can move on in the journey of life with equanimity and not get too attached to the various experiences of our life and yet have the fortitude of starting afresh, then we have learnt to transcend our egos dominance on our life.

This poem takes the top position among my list of favourite poems. Enjoy!

“If….”
By: Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you, are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master, If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings, and risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings, and never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

Life is REAL.

{Image Source: Flickr.com}

All of us are regarding as real that which is not real. ~ Shri Ramana Maharishi

I have been very open about everything i have done in my life, good and the ugly, with my family & friends. Recently when a friend of mine asked me; how can you be such an open book??!! I remembered one of my fav tracks from Ayo, which resonates with my spirit.Life is Real {Watch the Video}

Life is Real

Some people say that I’m too open
They say it’s not good to let them know everything about me
And they say one day they will use every little things against me
But i don’t mind maybe they’re right that’s just how it is and i got nothing to hide.

I live my life the way I want I got nothing to hide nothing at all
Life is not a fairy tale they should know that cause life is real.
I live my life the way I want I got nothing to hide nothing at all
Life is not a fairy tale life is about more ‘cos life is real.

A friend of mine gave me an advice
He said be careful and think twice before you talk about your life
Protect yourself just keep quiet the more they know the harder they try to
Spoil your ways to spread lies and even though i know he could be right

I just said I..

I live my life the way I want I got nothing to hide nothing at all
Life is not a fairy tale life they should know that life is real.
I live my life the way I want i got nothing to hide nothing at all
Life is not a fairy tale they should know that life is real.

Me I be ayo ogunmakin fear no foe
I am real from head to toe like life is real and you should know
Me I be ayo ogunmakin fear no foe
I am real from head to toe just like my heart and my soul.

Kiss them Goodbye!

{Image Source: Flickr.com} ANne’s Photostream

The only trouble is that you are addicted to experience and you cherish your memories. In reality it is the other way round; what is remembered is never real; the real is now. ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

What impedes one from living fully in the aliveness of now, has been the core subject of my attention in the last few years, but this process to reclaim my natural state of freedom and wholeness, galloped post my breakup; when i decided to open myself wholeheartedly to the inner exploration; observing and investigating with alert awareness all my actions and my emotional reactions; figuring out how these feelings n thoughts have held me hostage.

My heartbreak turned out to be the entryway to waking up on a very deep, fundamental level, I was not resolving that one event – I was reviewing my entire life, my inner state, my way of being in the world… going all the way into that painful experience brought me to my own awakening.

I used to wonder why, long after some painful experience has passed, we continue to give morbid reactions while dealing with those people or similar circumstances.

Why long after you have experienced some beautiful moments, we yearn for the continuity of that experience?

I love not rushing the process. Mind doesn’t shift until it does, and when it does shift, it’s right on time, not one second too late or too soon. People are like seeds waiting to sprout. We can’t be pushed ahead of our own understanding.~ Byron Katie

I am overwhelmed by the ingenuity of the conceptual constructions my mind weaves for its own security and gratifications and how my present moment would get entangled in the net of the long-gone memories, both pleasant and the not-so-pleasant, until awareness came to my rescue.

Constant awareness of my thoughts and feelings without rejection or approval, has helped me become aware of my deep rooted conditioning, and each experience subsequently has only managed to widen the frontiers of my consciousness.

Letting go of the pain i experienced in the past and my beautiful memories with my spiritual soulmate, was the task i have signed up for.

I realized letting go truly is not just an intellectual understanding, but calls for breakdown of the deep rooted conditioning. It was very tough – but most rewarding. To truly forgive n let go, we have to change on a very deep level. Forgiveness for me meant, understanding that i cannot go back and change the past and accepting all my experiences—no matter how painful or unhappy they may have been— simply as lessons from which i could learn. Whether emotional, physical, or psychological, negative or positive, those lessons were meant to teach me how to be who i am in this moment—a wiser, more empowered me.

It might be different for others, but for me, experiencing my pain completely and understanding what keeps me connected to the past, helped me identify what the root cause was.

Being in the NOW, among new experiences or people is a cinch, coz they dont stir strong attractions or repulsions. But being in the NOW, among people or situations which trigger my emotionally charged memories, was the acid test of my understanding of being in the NOW.

My constant endeavour these days is to not face the reality of the present situation through a thick layer of personal memories. Responding to the situation, outside the frame of past memories reference, has helped me understand the grip my mind has on me and releasing that grip is helping me unconditionally accept the beautiful, and the less beautiful internally.

Our mind loves ruminating about the past through memories or future through imaginations, but hates to be in the NOW.

Be empty of all mental content, of all imagination and effort, and the very absence of obstacles will cause reality to rush in. ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

Be with everything, always, as it is, free…alive…open…one with life.

Only LOVE is REAL!

(Image Source: Flickr.com Grebex’s Photostream)

Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That’s what takes a real hero. ~ Brian Andreas

Its 3.35 am in the morning…physical conditions seem too much for me to handle and i have called my mom to let her know, i may need to get hospitalised..a thought, what if you dont return from the hospital… what is that one lesson your soul would want to share….and thats what has given me the strength to share my thoughts.

Sadly, for lot of people, Love is a reaction setup within us by some person who happens to attract us, the person who does not set up this reaction in us, we do not love….we mistaken the mind-created DEEP ATTRACTION, ATTACHMENT & PASSION to be LOVE….Anything that the mind conceives as good can someday be perceived as bad as well…thats the nature of monkey-mind, temporary and conditional…and so is attraction….when certain attributes in a person/place or thing appeals to our mind, we get attracted to it….and as soon as that particular attribute disappears or diminishes in that person/place or thing, the attraction starts fading or you loose it completely.

Loving somebody beautiful….somebody whos said the right things….done the right things is sooooooo easy.

Real love, from which emanates understanding and compassion…is when you STILL love the person who has not done the right things for you, not said the right things to you….is not physically attractive enough.

Our vibrations could resonate strongly with only the selected few…what we call chemistry…and with some, we could be completely off the vibrations…it is how we behave with these few whom you are not aligned vibrationally…shows our true character, the REAL YOU…we need not associate with them and decide to move way from these people/place/thing…but entertaining bitterness or resentment or spewing labels only shows, our ego-mind is in action.

Our ego must totally die to know what LOVE is. ~ J Krishnamurti

In my last 11/2 year, i consider myself blessed that life flung towards me, experiences which squeezed me to the best extent they could, only to get rid of all the roadblocks that lay on the way to living a life of unfathmomable peace, only to have realized, LOVE is an all encompassing feeling.

And i feel that for every single soul who i have met in my this journey of life; including all those who radiate at different frequencies than mine based on their own fears and have said or done things to hurt me….coz i have realized, only when your ego-consciousness has gripped you, see others different from yourself.

First know your own mind and you will find that the question of other minds does not arise at all, for there are no other people. You are the common factor, the only link between the minds, Being is consciousness ‘I am’ applies to all. ~ Shri Nisargdatta Maharaj

The more i am getting successful at discarding my ego, through understanding the whole structure of ego, the more of that which is eternal and immeasurable is gushing out in me…you dont have to go to it…its right within you — and as LOVE, there is surely nothing else; its just that we have forgotten about this truth, and our ego(mind) further speedens this amnesia.

Another one of my favourite quote on Love, which strongly resonates with me comes from Jiddu Krishnamurti,

“Love is a state of being in which thought is not; but the very definition of love is a process of thought, and so it is not love. We have to understand thought itself, and not try to capture love by thought.”

Everytime i have judged or criticised somebody (giving labels)…i have learnt its my ego in action which loves defining/analysing/labeling….My favourite quote, which i love being reminded everytime i see my ego-consciousness in action is

There are are only 2 primary emotions in the cosmos – LOVE & FEAR— All other emotions are nothing but a subset of these two. Each is powerful enough to subjugate the other.
Which one of these is consciously displayed more often, whilst encountering difficult situations over ones lifetime, would ultimately determine, how much one whould evolve and progress spiritually and emotionally.

Truth Liberates!

(Image Source : Flickr.com Silvia De Luque)

”When you have come to the edge of all the light you have and step into the darkness of the unknown. Believe that one of the two will happen to you. Either you’ll find something solid to stand on Or you’ll be taught how to fly!” ~ Richard Bach

Last year around this time my brothers relentless calls to convince me against my wishes, exasperated me no end, I knew things could get sticky with his pushy and persistent nature and so the ONLY way was, i pluck myself off from my spiritual soulmates life. I had caused my family enough trouble once, didnt want them to go through pain once again, so this time i gave precedence to their wish than mine.

Much against my wishes i physically moved out of our relationship. Having given up somebody i so beautifully resonated with, little did my brother know…that none of his emotional pressure would ever work on me.

He had called again, thinking he could pursue me to kiss motherhood now….and he had chosen the soft spot. While i am on my sabbatical, I draw my income from investments in one of his ventures, its enough to sustain my major financial commitments, …he knew if he could hit this nerve….i would flutter and agree.

If you dont kiss motherhood till March 2010, i will return your investments, so you can fend for yourself… He knew once i kiss motherhood, he would be clipping my wings…..i could understand his genuine intentions, but his concern for me was laced with fear …i smiled and thanked him mentally, for having given me an opportunity to feel ’squeezed’….these days i welcome experiences that ’squeeze’ me, they give me an opportunity to stir up all residual, deep rooted emotions i have been trying to deal with…..fear, pain, insecurity, anger.

I could understand where he was coming from. As an elder brother, he was concerned about my well-being and wanted me to remain safe and follow what every other woman of my age would do…he knew his little sis had always lived her life on her own terms, societys rules were not her rules…. I appreciate his love and concern for me…but i believe when you love someone truly…set them free.

But this time i had made up my mind…to not live my life based on fear….the true purpose of every soul, is to evolve and overcome all deep rooted fears..we are responsible to observe-identify-investigate and work on our fears and release them.

I welcome people without judgment who operate at different frequency, and ignore the pleadings of those who want me to lead my life their way. I see my family members on their own path of evolution and still love them for being there, just the way they are.

I called my mom, and calmly spoke about my intentions and tried assuaging her fears as well. I knew she would flutter and be anguished to hear it…i could see fear operating in her….it this fear which makes one follow the crowd and not chart ones own path,,,.i stuck to what my “inner truth” is…i tried soothing her fear with compassion….patience and empathy was the buzzword.

I sensed a huge release, for having spoken about my intentions….a sense of freedom for having spoken the truth and not living my life based on their fears.

I luvvv babies….they are succch a source of joy!!! But these days I find joy in sooo many little things of life that my life is fraught with joyful moments.

I personally dont think i need to be a mother, to experience those joyful moments and feel a complete woman….When i pet my dog, i feel as much as i would have felt for my baby…. i speak to the birds who fly down to my balcony, just the way i would have spoken to my kids…. When i tend to my plants, i feel as much a mother would feel, when she tends to her babies….right now i dont feel like being one, maybe the day i feel like, i will…but no compulsions.

I had to choose between my inner truth and their fear…the choice was obvious.

“If truth is leading you, it will also make decisions for you. And since these decisions are right, they will also make you feel right. Remember that truth will never lead you into a circumstance without also showing you exactly what to do while within it. It is truth’s very nature to reveal clearly to you your needful actions. It is impossible for truth to abandon you. If you feel abandoned, you should see that you have carelessly led yourself into the circumstance. This insight allows the cosmic compass to correct your life-direction.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Soulmates!

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.” ~ Richard Bach

Last night a casual conversation with a friend prompted me to revisit my knowledge about “Soulmates”…and the article below in the Odysseymagazine, resonated strongly with my understanding of soulmates. Enjoy Reading!!

John Gray wrote in his book Mars and Venus on a Date ‘Choosing a soul mate is not a mental decision based on the pros and cons of a relationship. It is not an emotional decision based on comparing how a person makes you feel. It is not a physical decision based on how a person looks. It is much deeper. When our soul wants to marry our partner, it feels like a promise that we came into this world to keep’, says Thariza Steyn.

Richard Bach defined a soulmate as ‘one with whom we have made a mutual decision before the beginning of any life experience, with whom we have an agreement to meet in spacetime and demonstrate for each other the best we know about sharing love’.

John Gray also said that when our souls want to get married, it feels as if we have no choice. We have to do it if we are true to ourselves. It is this kind of commitment that can sustain a lifetime of love. It empowers us to make the necessary sacrifices and overcome the inevitable challenges that come with marriage; it graces us with the experience of incomparable joy and fufillment.

Marriage betweeen two souls is what happens the moment two people see each other, the moment two souls connect to each other.

From the angelic realm it is something that can be seen with great ease, for the light that shines forth is very bright. Neither soul gains anything. There is no missing piece provided by the other. But there is a power – an energy, like electricity – that one soul ignites within the other which allows that soul to come alive. When true marriage happens (marriage as viewed from the angelic realm) two souls find each other, and with no effort whatsoever, they bring alive within each other that power, that force.
Most people find or are found by their soul mates when they are not really looking. When you are ready your soul mate will appear.

Another important insight about soul mates is that they are never perfect. They will not have everything on your list of ideal qualities. They come with baggage. They, like you, have good days and bad days. They may not look the way you thought they would look, they may have flaws that you don’t like very much. They are not perfect, but when your heart is open and you know them, they are somehow perfect for you.

The love you spontaneously feel for a soul mate is the foundation for learning to share your life with someone, who in many ways, is very different from you. That love motivates you to cooperate, respect, appreciate, cherish, and admire that person. In this process, which is not always easy or comfortable, you become a better person. Your soul has a chance to grow.

If your life partner did not challenge you in some ways the best would not be drawn from you. Soul mates are the perfect partners to bring out the best in us, and sometimes this is done by having to work through issues. In a marriage, you have to overcome all kinds of negative tendencies – being too judgmental, critical, selfish, compliant, demanding, needy, rigid, accommodating, righteous, doubtful, impatient and so on. A soul mate gives you the opportunity to rise above these tendencies. When your dark side surfaces, you become stronger and more loving by exercising the love you feel deep in your heart to resolve an issue. In this process your soul, like the butterfly, has a chance to fly free.

When you are in tune with a soul mate it can gradually change your life in a most wonderful way. You will find a greater communion and a greater response from your soulmate. Your will does not become enslaved, it becomes expanded and this is the difference between attunement to an ego-centred person and being in tune with your soulmate.

Depending on the level of the two people, soulmates could convey their thoughts without a word and without talking. But, there can only be this communion when they are on the same level, and with the same intensity at the same time. When two people have the extraordinary quality of this state, where there is instant communication, it could be called love.

Even if these souls are ten thousand miles away from each other, if they think of each other and concentrate on each other with deep attention, they can receive the other one’s vibrations. They will begin to get to something that is beyond mere words. They will receive each other’s magnetism through thought.

You could call it love, but it is far more than the word you understand. These two souls bring alive the possibility of the fulfillment of each soul’s destiny through the very process of their meeting.

‘We recognise each other when we meet by signals arranged at a time and place we half remember from old dreams. The curve of a smile, fragments of shared memories, a phrase that two minds speak at just the same instant. And then we begin the dance we asked of each other before the music of time was written and enter upon the lives we’ve customised for our education and our delight.’ (Richard Bach)

“It is by not always thinking of yourself, if you can manage it, that you might somehow be happy. Until you make room in your life for someone as important to you as yourself, you will always be searching and lost” ~ Richard Bach

Article: http://www.odysseymagazine.co.za/ezine/ezine-artciles/soul-mates.html

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WAYNE DYER’S VIDEO LINKS
Soulmates by Wayne Dyer Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXvtyK_xIWE&feature=related

Soulmates by Wayne Dyer Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLn8AHHZXzY&feature=related

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Sources
1. Paramahansa Yogananda, Journey to Self-realisation, Self-Realisation Fellowship, 1997.
2. J.Krishnamurti in Dialogue with Buddhists, Can Humanity Change? Shambala Boston and London, 2003.
3. Richard Bach
4. Stevan J Thayer and Linda Sue Nathanson, PhD, Interview with an Angel. Edin Books, 1997.
5. John Gray, Mars and Venus on a Date

The “story” ends, but the “connection” continues.

(Image Source : Flickr.com SunnyMarrys Photostream)

“It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created for years or even generations” ~ Kahlil Gibran

In the last 6 months, i have visited my spiritual soulmates website several times, initially everytime i wanted to connect with him…later to observe the array of emotions which would stir up when i connect with him through his thoughts on his blog and website.

First few times, when i did that, my mind would start its incessant chatter trying to justify my side of the “story”. Thoughts would go on a rampage wanting to tell him the truth behind my abrupt exit,…just before our breakup, my mind entertained deluge of thoughts due to the situations in my life then; each succeeded in overwhelming me, finally…i dumped myself from our relationship; much against my wishes.

Post our breakup, my false-self even tricked me umpteen times to reach out to him, much against his wishes, to reveal my side of the “story”..every time i fell into my minds trap, i made an effort to unhook myself from the dominance of the false-self in my life.

As time passed, the more i got connected to my higher self, i noticed the incessant chatterings subsided, i felt no need to express or show my sublime feelings for him….i was happy atleast me being out of his life, would keep him away from all the turmoil in my life.

“Not being known doesnt stop the truth from being true” ~ Richard Bach

I had only physically moved away from him, emotionally i was still very much with him…I continued browsing through his posts….with the intention of observing the kinds of thoughts/desires that would arise in my mind. The common thing i noticed was, need to reach out to tell him the “story” from my end, coz the reason why i had dumped myself from his life, he never got to know the real reason why i did what i did…{Nor was he interested in knowing it }.

All i knew is, what he thought i said, was not what i intended, and what he interpreted was not what i meant…everytime the ego would start the “story” the soul would whisper “Whats REAL needs no convincing…where you faltered, you have already sought his forgiveness, so now, just LET-GO!!!!”

2 days back, something uncanny happened again. Just when i was stepping into the mall, to buy the book of Nisargadatta Maharaj - I AM THAT! My inner voice whispered – You are going to bump into him today! I ignored my inner voice, as just another of the myriads of thoughts that run amok in my mind throughout the day.

As soon as i stepped into the mall, BOOM! I saw him walking towards me with a companion. I smiled , so did he. I was jumping in joy, to have realized, that my inner voice had prompted me correctly.

As i walked towards the bookshop, i started again observing the thoughts/emotions that arose. I noticed there were no “story” but pure feeling of love and oneness with his evolved soul, sprinkled with gratitude from the core of my being for having played his role in the divine plan.

I wasnt dressed up in my best self but it didnt matter at all to me. In the past, i used to be conscious about my looks. I realized my mind had calmed a lot in he last 9 months….opinions, interpretations n labels of any kinds ceased to matter me.

As soon as i stepped out of the book shop, Boom! I see him walking right ahead of me towards the escalator. As my feet marched towards the exit gate…i switched back to my observing mode…there came a point where he was just an arms distance from me in the escalator, with nobody between him and me.

I switched to the observing mode again, my mind was calm…there was no “story” good, bad or ugly running in my mind..but a deep sense of gratitude/respect/love for him. I realised his physical presence felt no different than the way it felt when i meet him in thoughts…he was just a thought away!

On my way back, i wondered where the “story” had gone with the winds of time. I realised my effort to stay aligned to my higher self(soul), every moment of my life, diminishes the “story” my mind loves weaving.

I had sought his forgiveness for my insenstive behaviour but that didnt help. I have forgiven him for all his rude remarks against me, coz i could understand where he and his contempt for me was coming from..The only thing that matters, at the end of your stay on earth, is how well did we love, what was the quality of our love?

But now, i feel no need to give any explainations or justifications towards my past behaviour to anyone….As long as i know the truth, thats all that matters. So the “story” ends, but the “connection” continues.

I realised, loving somebody for the sake of being loved back by that person is, expectation. And not letting go, of the person whom you truly love is attachment. But loving somebody for the joy of loving, is pure love. The former is the minds need and later the souls essence.

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah.” ~ Richard Bach

Soul Speaks!

(Image Source : Flickr.com RammoRRison)

The other day somebody asked me, which was the most happiest moment of your life? And my mind had to gallop at lighting speed to span across a little more three decades of my life, to identify those moments. And when i shared the same, the person, thanked me profusely for sharing such a profound insight i received during my meditation. Thats when i decided, i would want to share it with everyone as well.

This happened last year, my mom and i, were chatting in general, soon she started sharing her thoughts about her daughter-in-law’s curt behaviour…there came a point in our discussion, when i was trying my best to convince her to look at the situation with a positive frame of mind and continue loving her daughter-in-law despite her behaviour. She refused to budge from her point of view and that kind of exasperated me, as i just couldnt understand why loving somebody, who has hurt you, due to his or her immature behaviour.. is so difficult for some people.

Thats when i decided to end our conversation, as i didnt want to engage my emotional energy in something which didnt resonate with me…and went inside my room to meditate, trying to get an insight as to why simple things in life seem so difficult sometimes.

I was just about getting deeper in my meditation, when i started pouring out my questions to my higher self and thats when i heard somebody speak.

Me: Why is it that shes finding it difficult to forgive X, for her cranky behaviour and simply love her just the way she is?
Master: You need to look at your mom with compassion, as she still has to evolve to a higher level of consciousness to learn and unlearn some aspects.

Me: What do you mean, i am not clear!?
Master: When you were in the class IX, you found it simple to understand Pythagorus Theorm, right? But, if you expect a student of class II, to understand Pythagorus Theorm, as simply as the class IX student, the student would not be in a position to understand, leave alone solve problems based on that theorm. In such a sitaution would you get angry on that class II student, as to why he doesnt understand this simple theorm? What would you do?

Me: Since i know hes in class II, i wouldn’t expect him to understand and continue treating him with compassion and not get irritated on him.
Master: Perfect! So treat her with compassion, as and when she moves from class II to class IX, she will easily understand the things that you think are simple to understand.

When i was thru with my meditation, i was calmer but a little dazed as to who was that who spoke to me??? I contemplated on what i had learnt, out of the blue. I wasnt sure as to, how i got to know this….and whos voice was that? I kept wondering about this new found knowledge and its application in our day-to-day life.

Just few months back, i happened to buy the book Messages From The Masters by Dr- Brian Weiss…And in that i read;

Earth could be compared with a schoolhouse where the various classes are not separated but all students, regardless of their level, are learning in the same classroom. In this one-room schoolhouse we call the earth, we do not learn all of our lessons simultaneously. For example, we may have already mastered the course in compassion and charity, but we may only be beginners when it comes to patience or forgiveness. We may be graduate students in faith and hope, but kindergartners in anger or non-violence.

Similarly, we may carry over skills and talents learned in earlier incarnations, skills we have mastered, yet we may be novices in other areas. We have among us many who have mastered certain courses and skills, and they are here to share their knowledge with us, the students. In other areas, our roles may reverse.

Thus we are all teachers and we are all students, and we must share our knowledge with each other. Many physicians have chosen to be doctors in order to manifest their healing abilities, to help and to teach others. Conversely, a wise physician will always be open to learning from his or her patients. The patient might be able to teach the physician about love, about courage, about inner peace, or any of the other lessons we are here to learn. Both physician and patient benefit

We must allow our minds to return to what is important–love, peace, eternal life, spiritual thoughts and practices–and to put aside what is unimportant–material things, pride and ego, violence, fear, worry, and hatred.

I guess, till we dont pass with flying colours all the subjects of life, we keep coming back, attracting experiences/people who stir up deep rooted beliefs/fears in us and provide opportunities to heal/transcend them….its upto us , how we perceive those challenging situations or people.

After reading the book when i realized; what i had heard or learnt was none other than Masters guiding me….my happiness knew no bounds! I have had many happy moments in my life, but none to match this!

BREAK F-R-E-E!!

(Image Source: Flickr.com Sunny Marrys Photostream)

We wait all these years to find someone who understands us, I thought, someone who accepts us as we are, someone with a wizard's power to melt stone to sunlight, who can bring us happiness in spite of trials, who can face our dragons in the night, who can transform us into the soul we choose to be. Just yesterday I found that magical SOMEONE is the face we see in the mirror: It's us and our homemade masks."
~ Richard Bach

During my recent trek to the Himalayas, i happen to meet a doc who was nursing a broken heart, and during our conversations, which sauntered from one thing to another…she expressed how she longs to meet her Mr Right, her soulmate.

In her i could see my past self, wherein my mind, had managed to convince me to seek a relationship where i could dive to the depths i wished to go to, emotionally,spiritually & physically!

It all starts with the wrong idea that you are NOT whole and complete, and you need to find the person who will fill that missing bit, someone who will love you…and we expect this person to keep being the source of love to make us feel complete and whole….like an all-encompassing resource. And if the source flickers so does our happiness quotient.

Situations in my life last year, triggered me to embark on, one of the most adventurous, fascinating and fulfulling journeys of my life, the journey within,..I knew i would need to be courageous to take my false-self, head on, without any condemnation and justifications.

They say that when healthy bones heal from a break, they are strongest in the place where they were once broken? Same goes with spiritual broken bones. I knew one thing, my mind, that had all these unconsciousness(fear, self-doubt, anger) could also help me reach the strongest aspect of myself.

While progressing through the stages of insight uncovered during my self-discovery, every action, every thought i generated lead me constantly to the brink of discovering my true self…. And i knew from that wider n deeper knowledge of the ways of our mind, it was possible to proceed further…it is possible for the mind to be quiet, to receive that which is R-E-A-L…a state of freedom, from perceived state of insufficiency and therefore from all wanting and clinging…to break free from the illusions.

The thoughts that sends us into deep despair/anger—these same thoughts, once understood, send us into sheer joy! Our monkey-mind, is the only hindrance to reach the pool of stillness(authentic love), within us.

Once the mind is met with understanding, it can always find its way back home to the blissful peace, which is elusive in the external world, but abounds deep within each of us.

Understanding my mind lead me to penetrating insights about the illusions i weaved around my life…When somebody sees through our illusions and give us critical feedback, we quickly get defensive, and sometimes become quite enraged.

If we look at those arguments in which tempers flare and voices are raised, we’ll find that most are sparked by our feeling that someone else has injured the narcissistic image we cherish about ourself….The pain, irritation and anger that you feel, only shows you, that there is something yet to investigate within your own self.

After having tasted alllll kinds of materialistic pleasures in its highest forms in this life, until recently even the fleeting blissful joy…i have learnt if there is something which is worth seeking passionately, its the inner joy which abounds within us. Compared with this joy, materialistic pleasures sadly fall short….coz pleasure doesn’t endure long enough to sustain the fleeting happiness; and it leaves us craving for more.

Nothing and nobody outside you can ever give you what you’re looking for….We’re all looking for love, in our confusion, until we find our way back to the realization that, love is what we already are.

To experience it, we dont need to seek a partner, who can bring us that love; we can connect to our authentic love, anytime anywhere, 24×7, as thats always constant, within you! Absolutely free of cost.

“Once the call of the True Self is heard not only with the heart but also with the mind and conscience there will be no way back to the way things have been. Sooner or later we will recognize that we no longer have any choice but to allow ourselves the extraordinary freedom to go all the way in this life. Because, after all, if we have begun to see through the illusory world that the ego creates and have heard the call of the True Self to live our lives for a greater purpose—what else is there to do?”
~ Andrew Cohen

Relationships take us deeper n deeper into stories…but we fail to notice the possibility of simply being with ourselves and discover that inside us is that, what we call authentic Love… Getting closer to our own truth may lead us to feeling more joy and, at the same time may uncover places where we are holding or grieving.

We are so busy with this other so-called love(read attraction/attachment), …that we fail to notice, that which is within the reach…and freely available…Initially you can experience it in the midst of nature…sitting by the river, walking in the forest…the beauty and the power of this love can blow us off! It takes away all our thoughts and we become fully present…nothing happens and but we feel abundantly nurtured! When you contemplate beauty in nature and something within you responds deeply to it, close your eyes for a moment and feel the essence of that love or that beauty within you, inseparable from who you are, your true nature.

Arent we searching for these moments all our life??

And to reach that inner essense, without the deepening knowledge of your true-self(soul) and false-self (mind), do what you will, to alter any external circumstances or influences ….it will end in despair!!

Does that mean you shouldnt seek a companion? Sharing your life with someone whos frequencies resonate with yours, results in harmonious relationship! When you get into a relationship without any attachments, the whole course of relationship changes, as you no longer cling to your partner as the missing peice of your life, you no longer expect anything from your partner. You share your life together, just for the joy of being together! You dont wish to own anyone! But, even the most harmonious relationship cant be the permanent source of joy and peace, which otherwise abounds within each one of us!

When Fredie Mercury sang the song I WANT TO BREAK FREE, he must have sang it for his sweetheart! But wonder why, when i sing this song these days, i feel its my sacred-self (soul) singing it to my false-self, my mind!

In the words of Marianne Williamson:

“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”

Take the wind out of the minds sail!

(Image Source : Flickr.com Laura Travels)

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.” ~ Lao-tzu, 6th century bc Chinese philosopher, founder of Taoism from Tao Te Ching

I am amazed at the way our human mind entertains the deluge of thoughts every minute!!! Like the unstoppable waves in the ocean…mind cannot stop having thoughts.

Today a crank call from a desperate guy, irked me no end, and even if we don’t want to feel angry, we’re swept away by such feelings and the physical sensations that accompany them.

But since the time i have started practising mindfullness, which is to become aware of awareness; the “wind” of emotion still blows…i do get carried away by the wind as well, but the moment I turn my attention inward, watching the shifts and changes, with the intention of becoming familiar with that aspect of consciousness that recognizes my thoughts and feelings…as if “ah, i am angry!”…. the emotions cease to blow me away any further, as if the mind suddenly looses its momentum! I guess its the ability to CATCH ourselves doing it that gives us the power to correct.

To know the nature of the mind, you need intelligence, the capacity to look at the mind in silent and dispassionate awareness. ~ Shri Nisargdatta Maharaj

We can begin to watch our thoughts and emotions without necessarily being affected by them quite as powerfully as we’re used to. We can still feel our feelings, think our thoughts, but slowly our identity shifts from a person who defines herself as loser, to a person who can look at low self-esteem as movements of the mind.

Everytime i have confronted my feelings and thoughts, i learnt they are opportunities for me to begin to work more directly with the entrenched beliefs that perpetuate emotional challenges….seeing emotions/ thoughts evaporate as soon as mindfullness is brought in to the consciousness, are wonderful moments…may i live many more of those moments.

Something tells me, the root of some of the unconsciouisness i have in me, can melt away, with me practising mindfullness every moment….so what if, presently, i have a loooooong way to go….dont they say, the journey of thousand miles begins with a single step and in the immortal words of Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

“Do not be impatient with your seemingly slow progress. Do not try to run faster than you presently can. If you are studying, reflecting and trying, you are making progress whether you are aware of it or not. A traveler walking the road in the darkness of night is still going forward. Someday, some way, everything will break open, like the natural unfolding of a rosebud.” ~ Vernon Howard from The Power of Your Supermind

w.w.i.d.w.u.

(Image Source: Flickr.com Rob Hudsons Photostream)

Noorvondu Nenapu Hridayaaladinda;Haadaagi Bantu Anandinda.
Hundreds of memories blissfully pour out in the form of melodious notes from the core of my being.

How apt this regional song seems to me today, as it was on this day, last year, you walked into my life.

Little did i know on that day, your entry into my life would mark the beginning of the transformation which lay ahead.

“Words, words and words is all that you have”…is what you had reprimanded me one day, and today words fail me, as the feeling of gratitude overflows my being, for having played your crucial role in the divine plan so perfectly.

Your pure emotions, love, guidance, angry words and finally the contempt towards me, each helped me inch closer to my blissfully peaceful life today.

Thanks for all the transformation you brought in my life through your presence and now through your absence.

Hadnt it been for you, i wouldnt have known that until i understand how to transcend the separative thinking, the false self, the process of giving emphasis to “Me” and the “Mine”, one can never experience peace…Hadnt it beeen for you, i wouldnt have discovered my sacred self and known the bliss of living with my sacred self in command.

w.w.i.d.w.u.{What would i’ve done without you!!!!!}

May all your deepest desires come true!!!

Love,
P…u