Heart Surgery – Part 2

Dear friends, I underwent critical heart surgery last week. Yes, it was a tough time for me to cope with every moment of the 10 days inside the care unit. I have a very distinct and peculiar experience of the surgical procedure that I am so keen to blog and I would love to share this wonderful experience. 

Heart ♥ Surgery! you might be wondering what kind of heart surgery was it that I am so keen to share with. This surgery doesn’t take tools like knives and scissors to cut my heart and take off the diseases out but the breath. Yes, the only breath tool to pierce my heart, cut the sections and fix the disorders. Here the doctor is me and relied only upon the guidance provided by the teacher. Confused right? Dear friends, I was suffering from the most common diseases around the world happening in this modern era originated from the cravings that caused full of harmful energies ruling my body and mind that tangled uncountable knots inside my heart and was becoming too heavy to carry along.

This procedure of surgery or the heart purifying technique is called Vipassana. I went my first 10 days Vipassana Meditation course 10 years ago in July 2010 at Dharmasringa, Kathmandu. I have already shared that experience by writing on my blog. If you like to read that post before continuing this you can find it here. Also before proceeding further I would like to briefly discuss what Vipassana is. Vipassana, meaning to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art of Living. The technique of Vipassana Meditation is taught at ten-day residential courses during which participants learn the basics of the method, and practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial results. There are no charges for the courses – not even to cover the cost of food and accommodation. All expenses are met by donations from people who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the opportunity to also benefit.

Background 

It was the month of July of the year 2010 when I learned the Vipassana Meditation technique for the first time. Like my other life events, this too was sudden, completely unplanned. It’s been ten years now and two things are still crystal clear in my head. The first thing that I laughed like I went crazy, I could not stop for almost a dozen of minutes, for a joke created by a meditator friend with the assistant teacher and the second that the tears rolled down my eyes for I went too emotional, why wasn’t I introduced with such teachings earlier. Why then? 

After 10 years in the first week of September, this time too I went to take the ten days course at sudden but this time at Dhamma Janani, Lumbini. For 10 years in between many ups and ups came into my life. I practiced Vipassana almost daily because it was diluted in my blood and there is no other way to get rid of it. This time I neither cried nor laughed but achieved a higher level of expertise. But how? Imagine a parrot in a cage when freed in the open sky, like a fish in an aquarium when left in the ocean. Yes, it was similar kind of feeling I experienced this time. Like I was free from the extreme burden. Like the entire knots that were tied one by one as the past deeds, got untied in 10 days. Like my stoned heavy heart transformed to feather light. Like it was successful heart surgery. Like I got a new life, a rejuvenated and pure one. 

Day 0 – Registration & Introduction day 

This is the day when people from different parts of the world come together to become a saint for 10 days at the Vipassana Meditation Centre leaving the material world, friends and families behind. Like other people, I too was excited enough on this day as if I was attending the course for the first time. During and after the registration process at 1 pm we introduced with each other and had a friendly conversations with other students. After breakfast in the evening, we were reminded of the rules and regulations basically the Pancha Sila – the five precepts in the mini Hall and begged for the knowledge with the teacher for the meditation technique in the main hall. 

The struggling minutes 

The level of curiosity on day 1 is the highest as everyone is very keen to learn a completely new thing in their life. This is for the new students. As I was an old one I had a different high feeling. I was given the first row of the entire members very near to the teacher’s seat in the main hall and a private room to practice, the meditation cell (शुन्यगार). Well, the first day goes off very soon by learning and practicing the Samadhi – the breathing technique. On day 2 and day 3 the curiosity curve falls sharp down and the impatience level increases high for them who overlooked & over expected what Vipassana was. Because it becomes difficult moment by moment to resist the silence and the pain coming out of the body due to prolonged single position seat. People start breaking the noble silence and begin murmuring with others. The frequency of changing the body position goes up and many starts to stay outside the main hall. The rest follow the track very patiently by learning and practicing the Samadhi technique. It was not that easy for me too in the beginning because it was already 10 years when I made my first attempt. The old students are given only two times to eat in a day. The morning breakfast at 6:30 am and the afternoon lunch at 11 am. The lack of evening meal was killing me and my stomach. The day 4- the teaching of the Vipassana technique also called Pragya– seeing the sensation as they are in every single part of the body, which gave a new hope as the story added a new chapter and the curiosity graph slightly rose up. 

The adhisthan – Strong determination 

It looks very easy and simple to see students sitting in a position without a move with a completely straight back and head for hours. Every day at 8 am-9 am, 2:30 pm-3:30 pm and 6 pm-7 pm we have to follow the adhisthan meaning strong determination. Here one has to make a strong decision to sit down in one position without moving the hands, leg and body for an hour. These hours were the most difficult and dangerous times for newcomers. Initially for two days, I had forgotten about the adhisthan. On the third day when I read the rules in detail, I suddenly realized. The same day from 6 pm-7 pm onwards I kept the promise and I was able to successfully follow the adhisthan rule. By the evening of day 4 we had learned the Vipassana technique of meditation. Most people used to think that they get rid of the samadhi technique from day 4 but it is not like that the Vipassana technique is directly dependent on the samadhi. The more good they are at samadhi the better they will perform in Vipassana. 

The miracle moments 

On day 6 during the one to one combined meditation with the teacher, he asked about the progress of Vipassana. I explained to him in a brief way but the detailed follow like this: On day 4 in the evening as soon as I started learning the Vipassana technique every part of my body started shivering one by one. This was not the first time I practiced this technique, I practiced Vipassana for 10 years but I never felt such intense sensation before. My entire body had continuous vibrations. The more I focused the clearer was the sensation. Slowly the vibration started causing a better feeling. Even outside the meditation hall, my whole body was experiencing vibrations and good feelings. The next day during the morning sitting I started to feel better. Though surprised, every moment was a wonderful experience. During the morning adhisthan the first free flow of my second Vipassana course occurred. It remained for more than 5 minutes. This sensation was more intensive than I used to have earlier. Till then every pain in my body was being converted into a good feeling. As soon as I felt the pain sensation in my legs and back it didn’t hurt but caused a better sensation and a free flow. My heart started to feel lighter and lighter. This is how I wish to die, I wished, I murmured. From 9 am to 11am group sitting the same day I went to the meditation cell to practice. In a few minutes, I felt another free flow from the top of the head to the tip of the toe. This was even more intense than that of the first one. The intense sensation was not bearable. The whole body was experiencing waves like ripple effects from the top to the bottom and filled with immense pleasure. Suddenly I felt like I could not resist this pleasure and broke into a huge laughter. I went crazy. I could not stop. I came out of the cell immediately and took a break for 5 minutes. Pleasure, pleasure, and pleasure everywhere in my whole body, every little part of my body was experiencing tremendous pleasure. Like all sadness was gone. Like no cravings anymore nor any suffering. Only pleasure. Only pleasure. During the afternoon practice session in the main hall on the same day just after the lunch break, I ejaculated due to continuous pleasure. Do you believe? Yes, it happened. I instantly left my seat, headed towards my room and took a shower. After returning back I went to the meditation cell for practice. The pleasure feeling was still remaining but gross and mild. I continued practicing. This was miraculous day 5. Did I enter into the next level of Vipassana Meditation? I asked myself. 

When the teacher heard this story he asked me how many times I completed 10 days Vipassana course. When I told him this was my second one after 10 years then he appraised me telling that I did the good practice. It was a proud moment for me. 

Similarly, on the 6th and 7th day I continually practiced Vipassana almost every moment and I experienced the most intensive sensation throughout my body I ever felt before. I also felt like I had no sorrow or pain then. Every physical pain used to convert into a beautiful experience. I could sit for hours meditating. I even felt deep sensation while walking, eating, sitting, sleeping, or even hearing the sound of the bell and the voice of the teacher. I felt no fear when insects were crawling throughout my body. Instead, their crawl on the surface of the skin brought sensation and sometimes caused free flow. All sensation either gross or intense used to make my heart feel lighter. Like the knots inside my heart getting unwinded one by one. The knots of old cravings. Making my heart cleaner and pure. Getting healed moment by moment. Amazing. 

Day 8 reminded me of my family as there were only two days remaining for practice. The thoughts in my head made me feel disturbed and distracted. I used to manage the distraction but the sensation was gross then. The more the thoughts the grosser was the sensation. The free flow was still felt but after longer periods when the intense sensation was felt. 

The friendship day 

A new excitement was there on day 9 as the alarm for day 10 had already been rung. Day 9 passed away by making the plans for day 10. Day 10 was the friendship day. After keeping my mouth shut up for complete 9 days I broke the noble silence on the last day. Like mine everyone’s face had a wonderful big smile and their heart filled with glory and joy. Greetings and wishes. Small groups were formed and gossips went unstoppable. The first topic of the discussion was the 9 days of meditation experience. And the rest their own. There was a video show, book show and donation program on this day. 

Day 11 – The exit day 

After the morning meditation and breakfast on day 11, I washed the bed sheet and pillow cover. I returned home after clearing. 

Conclusion 

It is very difficult to make people understand who have never practiced Vipassana what exactly it is by explaining its process. Vipassana can only be understood when practically done and experienced. There are some terms like Panchsheel, Samadhi, Pragya, adhisthan, free flow, equanimity, etc which are completely practical terms that might be difficult to get. One should take at least 10 days of Vipassana Meditation course to experience life. Many people misunderstand about Vipassana and relate it with different caste and religion. But the one who has practiced it without expectations has benefitted the most. Those people have known the true meaning of life – The Art of Living. The true dhamma. 

The core objective of this article is not only to share my experience but also to motivate people so that more and more people can learn this knowledge and take advantage of the Vipassana practice. I have talked about sensation many times here. One might wonder how the only sensation in the body can heal one’s heart-“chitta” and soul. People might wonder but it’s true that every single emotion that a person feels causes sensation in one or more parts of our body. This is it, Vipassana teaches us to see those sensations as they are. By not reacting on it, by letting it just like it. But the perfect equanimity should be maintained. Equanimity is the tool to measure the progress of Vipassana. This is how by the continuous practice of Vipassana one can rule over their own mind. Either sad times or the happiest moments. 

Very soon I will be having my third 10 days Vipassana Meditation course in the near future. 

Let all beings be happy, let all beings be liberated, let all beings be peaceful and harmony, let all beings share my merits.

सबैको भलो होस्, सबै को कल्याण होस्।
सबका भला हो, सबका कल्याण हो।

विपस्सना की पहली अनुभूति

सन २०१० के जुलाई महीने में मैं सम्मर वेकेशन मनाने काठमांडू गया। वर्ल्ड कप का नशा हर व्यक्ति में छाया हुआ था। फाइनल देखने के लिए दोस्त के रूम पर बियर के बोतल खुली और वर्ल्ड कप ख़तम होने के बाद घर लौटने की तैयारी करी|

meditation-blog

1 महीने की छुट्टी अभी शेष थी, दिन कैसे बिताउ समझ में नहीं आ रहा था। अचानक दिमाग में कुछ आया, मार्टिन को कॉल करके आईडिया लिया. तुरंत सम्बंधित निकाय को कॉल करके डेट्स फाइनल किया। रिसीवर से आवाज आई आपको आज ही पंजीकरण करवाना होगा और कल से ही आपके कोर्स की शुरूवात होगी, जल्दी करियेगा सीट बहुत कम रह गयी है।  हमने जल्दी से अनु को बाइक लेके आने को बोला।  हम दोनों होंडा शो रूम पहुंचे और मेरी आईडिया अनु को बताया और वो भी शामिल हो गया।  आधे घंटे के अंदर हमारा पंजीकरण होगया और हमें एक बुकलेट दी गई रटने के लिए।  

अति उत्सुक था और मन में थोड़ा भय भी, क्यों की अगले १२  दिन मेरे जिंदगी के ऐसे छण बिताने जा रहे थे जो पहले कभी एक्सपीरियंस नहीं किया था ।  

अगले दिन सुबह ७ बजे अनु और मैं ऑफिस पहुंचे, शायद थोड़ी जल्दी पहुंच गए, ४ लोग पहले से बैठे हुए थे। आधे घंटे में ऑफिस का वेटिंग रूम भर चूका था, सीट के एब्सेंस में कई लोग खड़े थे, करीबन २०० लोग होंगे मेल, फीमेल और बुजुर्ग मिलाके। सब के हाथ में कम से कम एक बैग या एक सूटकेस था और आपस में खुसूरफुसुर कर रहे थे। समय होचुका था, ऑफिसर ने आके अनाउंसमेंट किया : सबको हॉल की तरफ जाना है, शांत रह कर आचार्य (गुरु) जी से १ घंटे का प्रवचन ग्रहण करना है।  प्रवचन के बाद सबको बैच में बांटा गया, हर बैच को विंगर में बैठने की सलाह दी गयी। विंगर एक एक करके रवाना हो रहे थे। वैसे ही हम भी एक विंगर में बैठके रवाना हो गए।  

center-vipassana-meditation

अभी तक हमें बताया गया था की हमें १० दिन कंटिन्यू बगैर बोले ध्यान करना है, हम धर्मश्रृंगा के ओर प्रस्थान कर रहे थे।  काले बादल छाए हुए थे और जैसे ही शिवपुरी पहाड़ों पे चढ़ना शुरू किया वैसे ही बारिश होने लगी, यह शुभ घडी का संकेत था हमारे लिए।  

गंतव्य पे पहुंचते ही हमने चेक इन किया, मोबाइल फ़ोन जमा करना पड़ा और हमें अकोमोडेशन के रेगुलेशंस बताया गया।  अनु का रूम मेरे रुम से काफी दूर आलोट किया गया था।  घने जंगल के बिच में, मध्य पहाड़ी से सारा काठमांडू का नजारा दिखता था, हल्की बारिश और ऐसे मौसम में किसका मन शांत न हो। ऐसा लग रहा था की आधी मोक्ष की प्राप्ति कोर्स सुरु होने से पहले ही मिल गई।  शाम के डिस्कोर्स में १० दिन की रूटीन बताया गया और कंसल्ट करने के लिए एक आचार्य आल्लोट किये गए।  अगले १० दिनों तक किसी को कुछ बोलने की इजाजत नहीं थी, ना ही कोई इशारा करने की।  किसी को कुछ दिक्कत हो तो वालंटियर्स को इन्फॉर्म करने को बताया गया।  रात को ९ बजे विश्राम करने को अनुमति दी गई| 

सुबह ४ बजे मॉर्निंग बेल बजा, आधे घंटे में रेडी हो कर मैडिटेशन हॉल जाना था।  सबको बैठने के लिए सीट मिली हुई थी।  कोर्स का पहला दिन था, सारे शांत थे, बोलता था तो सिर्फ ऑटोमेटेड स्पीकर्स।  वो कुछ समय इंस्ट्रक्शंस देता और हम उसके बताए हुए कमांड्स को प्रैक्टिस करने को ट्राई करते| यह प्रक्रिया दिन भर कंटिन्यू रहता था।  करीब ११ बजे अपने आचार्य के साथ कंसल्ट करने की परमिशन थी जिसमे हम अपना एक्नॉलेजमेंट देते थे और डाउट्स क्लियर करते थे। सुबह आधे घंटे का ब्रेकफास्ट, दोपहर को डेढ़ घंटे का लंच और शाम को आधे घंटे का डिनर छोड़ कर हर एक डेढ़ घंटे में ५ मिनट की ब्रेक मिलता था।  शाम को साढ़े ८ बजे गुरु जी का डिस्कोर्स अटेंड करते थे।  बाकि सारा समय सुबह ४ से लेकर रात को ९ बजे तक सब्जेक्ट की प्रैक्टिस करते रहते थे।  पुरे कोर्स को २ सब्जेक्ट में डिवाइड किया गया था : पहला ३ दिन १ सब्जेक्ट पे प्रैक्टिस किया और दूसरा बाकी के ७ दिन।

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धीरे धीरे दिन बीत रहा था, रोज कुछ ना कुछ सीखने को मिल रहा था, ऐसा लग रहा था ज्ञान के सागर मे तैर रहा हूँ| बहोट आनंद आ रहा था| परंतु कुछ लोग परेशान होने लगे थे, मेरे रूममेट्स रात होते ही बाते करने लगते थे और अब वो शैयाँ कुछ हद तक टूट चुका था. हमने भी एक बार प्रयास किया अनु से बात करने का लेकिन वॉलंटियर्स ने माना कर दिया| बहुत को वॉर्निंग मिलने लगी थी, इससे पता चल रहा था की इंसान की बोलने की आदत बहुत बुरी तरह से लगी है और यह आसानी से नही छूट सकती|

पाँचवा दिन था, सुबह सुबह 5-7 लोग गुरु जी के साथ परामर्श कर रहे थे| हमारे बाद गुरु जी ने एक दोस्त से पूछा: शरीर मे कुछ फील हो रहा है या नही? जवाब था: मैइ मेरे शरीर के इक्कीससो अंगो को फील कर रहा हूँ| यह सुन के दूसरा दोस्त हसने लगा और उसकी हसी देख कर हम सब भी हसने लगे और गुरु जी भी| गुरु जी ने हसी रोकने को कहा, और हसने का बेफायदा भी बताया, सब लोग शांत हो गये सिवाए मेरे और वो जिसने शुरूवात की थी| गुरु जी ने बाहर जाने की सलाह दी , हम बाहर जा कर खूब हसे, हसी रुकने के बाद वापस अपनी सीट पर जा कर बैठ गये| उस रात मैने बहुत सोचा , सोचते सोचते अचानक से आँखो से आँसू टपकने लगे| अजीब सी अनुभूति होने लगी और एहसास हुआ की मुझे इस तरह नही हसना चाहिए था, बहुत बुरा फील हो रहा था| साथ ही साथ ऐसा भी लग रहा था जैसे मुझे आज कुछ कीमती चीज़ मिली हो जो बहुत कम लोगो को मिलती है|

वो चीज़ जिसे मैने बरसो पहले खो दिया था. लग रहा था अंधेरे जीवन मे सूरज की पहली किरण पड़ी हो| ज्ञान के सागर मे रो रहा था लेकिन खुशी के आँसू टपक रहे थे, अपने आप को कोसने लगा, ये ज्ञान मुझे पहले क्यूँ नही मिला, पहले क्यूँ नही मिला|

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दशवा दिन मेलमिलाप वाला दिन था, सब लोग आपस मे बाते कर सकते थे, सुख दुख की बाते बता सकते थे| सबके चेहरे पे खुशी की रौनक थी, 9 दिन बाद जो खुलके बात करने को मिला था| आपस मे सारे पहचान कर रहे थे और अपने एक्सपीरियेन्स बाँटने मे लगे हुए थे, कोई बुक्स खरीदने मे व्यस्त था तो कोई फोटो खिचने मे| कोई खुश था वंडरफुल एक्सपीरियेन्स को पाकर तो कोई बस यूँ ही|

अगले दिन सुबह वीपास्साना कोर्स का अंतिम अनुभूति करा और 9 बजे चेक आउट करके अनु और मै घर लौट आए|

कहते है हिंदू कोई धर्म नही, यह जीने की एक सैली है वैसे ही वीपास्साना भी जीने का तरीका सिखाती है, खुश रहना सिखाती है, जी हाँ खुश रहना सिखाती है| यह कोर्स में 95% प्रॅक्टिकल करवाया जाता है| इसके रोज अभ्यास करने से नैतिक ज्ञान की प्राप्ति होती है, समाज, देश और संसार को सही राह पे चलना सिखाती है. यह आज मे जीना सिखाती है|

Temper Tantrums

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually became fewer. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

Days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they have a scar just like these.” You can put knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound will always be there.

The Speaking Tree, Page: 06, 1, May, 2011

Magic of Meditation

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Often, stress remains in the system. Focus on the rhythm of your breath that is linked to the state of the mind, says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar


Once Mullah Naseeruddin met with an accident and he landed in a hospital. He had band-aid all over his face. One of his friends came and asked him, Mullah how are you doing? He said, “I am fine. Only it hurts when I laugh.” The friend then asked Mullah, “How can you laugh being in this condition?” Mullah replied, “If I don’t laugh now I have never laughed in my life.”

Undying enthusiasm is one aspect of being in perfect health. To be able to be in that state, the mind should be in that state, the mind should be stress-free and tension proof. Half of our health we spend in gaining wealth and then we spend that wealth to gain back our health. This is not economical.

Nature has provided us with an inbuilt mechanism — sleep. Sleep is very important as that is when the body releases stress and energy gets recuperated. To some extent, sleep takes care of the fatigue. But most of the time, stress remains in the system. For tackling these kinds of stresses, there are techniques of pranayama and meditation which focus on the rhythm of breath that is linked to the state of the mind.

Human beings hold onto stress. When You are stressed, you frown. Whenever you frown, you use 72 nerves and muscles in your face. But when you smile, you use only four. So you give more work to your face every time you frown. More work means more stress. Stress also makes your smile disappear. What if some failure happens here and there? Every failure is a big step for success. If you have the skill, you can turn any situation around by inducing a little humour in it. Humour is a very good greasing for avoiding stress.

The stress and tension in society  today calls for meditation. The busier you are, the lesser time you have, the lesser time you have, the more desires and ambitions you have — all the more is the need to meditate. Because meditation not only relieves you of stress and strain, it also enhances your abilities, strengthens your nervous system and mind. Not only does it eliminate stress and tensions, release toxins from the body, soothes the mind, it also makes you more capable and enhances you in every way.

If you want to be happy and healty, just meditate.

–Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, The Art of Living Foundation

Times Wellness, Page: 01, 7, April, 2011

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Friends & Enemies

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The ego, or individual self-sense, is both your best friend and your worst enemy. It is your best friend and your worst enemy. It is your best friend because, in the most positive sense, it represents your capacity to individuate — to see yourself as a unique, autonomous entity and to bear witness to your own experience with some measure of objectivity. Individuation is what makes it possible for you to be a conscious agent of evolution, a vessel for Spirit in action. The more profound our individuation, the more powerfully Spirit can shine through us. However, ego is also our worst enemy. And this is because, for too many of us, over-identification with our seperate individuality obscures the deeper and higher spiritual dimensions of our being. It is very important to understand this paradoxical nature of the ego if you, as an individual, want to take responsibility for creating the future, as yourself.
–Andrew Cohen
The Speaking Tree, Page: 02, 3, April, 2011
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Winning And Losing

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Winning and losing are a part of life. The are two sides of the same coin. Winning and losing come in cycles; neither is permanent. Today’s victor is tomorrow’s or yesterday’s loser. And today’s loser might well be the champion next year or the next. While we are fully aware of this, we continue to crave for victory and live in dread of losing, although we know in our heart of hearts that one is invariably followed, with the passage of time, by the other.

The feeling of happiness and joy that any victory brings is basically felt and enjoyed by our ego. Our true Self knows neither victory nor loss. The atman or soul is beyond the duality of good an bad, right and wrong, winning and losing. But the human mind and ego exult when it can do something better than the other person or other team. And sometimes it becomes difficult to conclude whether our win or their loss causes greater satisfaction.
Just as victory brings extreme emotions, so does defeat. How often we have seen that today’s heroes become tomorrow’s non-heroes or villains? Today’s idols are smashed tomorrow, when they fail to perform. Such is the price of celebrity status; such is the price of victory.

What about the loser? We owe a great deal to the loser, for withuot a loser, there cannot be a winner. Imagine if all other teams from other parts of the world stopped playing cricket, then where would we be? There would be no contests and no victories to celebrate or defeats to ponder over. A good performance is inspired by competition and from learning from the experience of others.

Swami Vivekananda used to say “Let not the giver feel proud, for he can give only when there is someone to receive. Let the giver kneel down and let the receiver stand erect, during the act of giving and receiving. For the giver is blessed to find a receiver”. In the same vein, let the winner have respect for the loser, for without the loser, the winner too disappears.

When someone loses, there are enough people to ridicule, criticise and berate the losing team members. It is ironical that the seeds of defeat are actually sown during the act of winning, whether it is a sporting encounter or a personal feud, because the losers are already getting together and planning their next move, their come-back, so that they can regain their lost glory. It is only a matter of time before the tables are turned, before the tide is reversed, and the winner is on the losing side.

While giving full credit to the winners, one question that comes up is: “Is it possible to play, enjoy the game, have fun, but not have losers and winners?” This is true for all examinations and competitions. That would really be something to look forward to . Because if we are going to win at someone else’e cost, it is only a partial victory.

For a total or abslute victory, everyone should be a winner, something that is of course not routinely possible, but something we can think about for the future, where encounters are not only winners, no loser. And ther is still the possibility of feeling excited and elated.

The Speaking Tree, Page: 20, 2, April, 2010

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It’s All About Feeling

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Is it possible to increase your happiness or success by pushing your “energypendulum” in the direction you want it to go – towards more possessions, greater fame, and more intense pleasure? Doesn’t the pendulum always swing back in the opposite directioin?

There are times in this ceaseless cycle of hope and disappointment when we feel repelled by the sheer monotony of it all. Finding ourselves no longer attracted by the excitement of a meaningless chase, we long for rest. But only if rest is sought within can lasting peace be really ours. Any rest we find outwardly – in retirement, let us say, to a quit cottage by the sea – is as temporary as our emotional joys and sorrows. That “peace” ends when we come to experience it as boredom. When this happens, we set out once again on our former quest for excitement. And so – interminably – it goes on.

Everything in existence is balanced by its polar opposite. Heat is balanced by cold, light by darkness, and positive by negative. In humankind, duality is found in the opposites of male and female, joy and sorrow, love and hatred. Wherever one quality exists, its complementary opposite will also be found.

The overall level of an ocean is not altered by the height of the waves at its surface. The higher the wave, the deeper is its trough. Our essential consciousness, similarly, remains unaffected by our emotional ups and downs. Pleasure and pain, success and failure, fulfilment and disappointment – these are but waves on the surface of calm, intutive feeling.

The Law of Duality is present in our lives, too. Because our emotions are tied to the post of egoconsciousness, every joy that we experience emotionally must be balanced in our own emotions by an equal and opposite sorrow. Every personal success must be balanced by an equally personal failure; every personal fulfilment must be balanced by a corresponding personal disappointmet.

The only state in which joy and other positive feelings are not balanced by opposites is in the state of superconsciousness. There, waves of emotion subside in calm, intuitive feeling. Joy, love and peace are realised, then, as absolutes, not as relativities, for they are attributes of Pure Consciousness.

Calm feeling is intution. When that calm feeling is disturbed, it becomes emotion. Until clarity of feeling is achieved, the one who meditates will be forever vacillating in purpose. Without devotion, indeed, in the form of deep yearning for the truth, you will not feel the incentive even to try to meditate deeply. Wisdom without devotion is like knowing that there is a good restaurant next door, and even committing its entire menu to memory, but not being hungry enough to go there and eat. The feeling quality is what makes it possible to commit oneself to the spiritual search.

When people think of the pure consciousness of God, they usually visualise an abstract mental state. Feeling is absent. Yet there is nothing inspiring, surely, about such abstractions. For, without love, how can we identify the fog with God? Feeling is as intrinsic to awareness as heat is to fire.

The Speaking Tree, Page: 16, 1, April, 2011

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YOUR MIND YOUR BODY

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As we move deeper and deeper to the straight in the meditatioin, we will pass through our inner bodies i.e. physical body, subtle body, causal body and the super causal body.

Swami Vivekananda rightly says in his lecture. “There is the soul, and inside this soul is all powers will be unfold. all knowledge in the soul, to lessen the misery…. all unhappines is caused by our not having mastery over the body…”

Swami Vivekananda, Sanfrancisco, April 5, 1900


The world of the mind seems very different from the one inhabited by our bodies. The psychic space inside our heads in infinite and ethereal; it seems obvious that it must be made of different stuff than all the other organs. Cut into the body, and blood pours forth. But slice into the brain, and thoughts and emotions don’t spill out onto the operating table. Love and anger can’t be collected in a test tube to be weighed and measured.

The brain is just another organ, albeit more intricate than the rest. The thoughts and emotions that seem to color our reality are the result of complex electro chemical interactions within and between nerve cells. The disembodi voices of schizophrenia and the feelings of worthlessness and self hatered that accompany depression, although they seem to be based on reality, are no more than distortions in brain electrochemistry. Researchers are learning how these distortions arise, how to lessen their severity and , in some cases, how to correct them.

Scientists are also learning something else. Not only is the mind like the rest of the body, but the well-being of one is intimately interwined with that of the other. This makes sense because they share the same systems-nervous circulatory, endocrine and immune. What happens in the pancreas or liver can directly affect brain function. Disorders of the brain, conversely, can send out biochemical shock waves that disturb the rest of the body.

MEDITATION MEANS

~ Becoming detached from the Mind

~ Becoming a witness of the Mind

~ Looking at the Mind as separate from you

~ That’s what actually it is

~ You can see through passing by

~ You can see the whole traffic that goes on in the mind

~  The memories, the fantasies, the past, the future all kinds of things are passing

~ You can just stand by the side of the road.

The Story of Life, Page: 44, Jan-March 2011

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Just Relax

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Here are 11 simple steps to reduce stress

1. Define your goals; this way, we will know what our life purpose is and why, and knwo that it is up to us to control our own life.

2. Take charge of your diet: Reduce stress by avoiding stimulants such as coffee, alcohol, tea and sugar. Use chamomile and herbal tea as alternatives because of their calming and relaxing effect. Eat slowly to aid your digestive system.

3. Take hot baths regularly. After a very besy day, soak in a tub of hot water with lavender oil.

4. Aromatherapy is particularly helpful to relax and avoid stress. Again, use lavender oil.

5. Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress. As we exercies, our brain releases endorphins, our feel-good hormones. Exercise also relaxes tired muscles, so walk, dance or swin regularly.

6. Yoga, meditation and Tai Chi use deep breathing techniques, so make meditation and pranayama a habit.

7. Self-hypnotherapy can be very relaxing after a hot bath. Sit, or lie in a comfortable place with your eyes closed. Imagine a spotlight above your head an concentrate on it. Relax each body part consciously. You can also use a self-hypnotherapy audio tape for better results.

8. Massage is a great way to reduce stress.

9. Prayers and helping others are important components for happiness and stress reduction. You will feel calmer and get filled with a sense of inner peace.

10. Talking through your problems releases blocked emotions and it helps you find solutions to your problems.

11. Multivitamins like a Vitamin B complex tablet taken regularly decreases stress in those who need supplements. Consult your doctor.

The Speaking Tree (Learning Tree), Page: 06, 23, Jan, 2011(Sunday)

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