Neo Five Element Theory

When I attended sessions from many holistic healers, the concept of five element theories was often over stressed. I also heard from them various related theories and the so called deep analysis of why those five elements form the basis of the constitution of this universe. The most commonly explained five elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. The fifth one is also equated to either sky or to some void space called aether. Some theories even define the sixth element as the “consciousness” or “Chetna”. 

Chinese five element theory, Wu Xing, that is concerned with the processes and changes identifies Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water as five elements. Greeks define basic four elements Earth, Water, Fire and Air for constitution of things on earth and the fifth one aether for all heavenly bodies. Leading from Buddhists impression of standard five called ‘Godai’, Japanese also added the sixth one as ‘nether’ representing darkness or death. I was told by my chemistry teacher that these five elements are only the notional elements. The real elements are listed in the periodic table given by Mendeleev and then later updated till date to show 118 elements. Today, modern science recognizes many sub-atomic particles up till the recently discovered one the Higgs-boson or the GOD particle. Media advertised this discovery in a way, as if the core constituent of universe has been found. After a deeper look at the situation prevailing now, may it be the general theory of relativity, quantum theory or string theory, one can easily understand that the search for core constituents of anything or everything in this universe is far from over. 

Let me now try to categorize things based on the perceptions I have formed after reading a lot about modern thought processes on this issue. As the first constituent I will put “Matter and Energy”. This is because, both are inter-convertible. As the second constituent place of this list I shall give to “Space” that was called aether in some older theories. Something, where all other constituents are suspended. It could be space between neutrons or protons or space between stars. The third place I shall give to “Time”. I believe that modern theories have given sufficient proof that time is also something that is one of the core thing connecting this universe. 

The fourth one I intend to give to “Dark matter and Dark Energy”. This is something we are still struggling to find, but we are sure that these are there. This is simply because we know that the mass of the universe is far higher than the mass of the matter we know. And finally the fifth place in this neo elements list, I shall give to Life or Consciousness. I consider Life or Consciousness as an entity without which this universe cannot be treated as complete. Life certainly is something that is elementally different from other elements I discussed above. Finally the new five elements list looks like Matter & Energy, Space, Time, Dark Matter & Dark Energy and Life.

This list could have been made a seven or eight point list, but to philosophically relate it to the traditional magic number five, this has been summed up as a “Neo Five Element Theory”. Please do not discard this right away. Google again, think again, debate with yourself and come-up with your own list. One can even attempt to build better holistic healing principles based on this neo five element theory.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Benefit

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long  so  regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell

Look at every situation as an opportunity and not a disgrace. Who knows what is going to unfold to us?  Often we condemn the opportunities and close the door, and closing it forever and kill it at the start itself. Be little patient and try to extract the best out of every opportunity that you get rather than killing it at the start. Try to learn something from everything that happens in life. Each event brings us a learning associated with it. If we are able to see it in the right perspective, we have gained something. Confront every situation with a question to yourself: what am I going to benefit/gain out of this? How does this particular event help me to enhance my personality and my life? So let us try to find something good and meaningful even in the worst of adversities which will make the life worth living and rejoicing. Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities, strong men make them.

Appu was travelling through the countryside in a hot afternoon, he had to walk a long distance to reach the next village. After walking for some time he got tired and felt very thirsty. There was neither a house nor a well nearby to quench his thirst. However, he thought of taking rest for a while which would temporarily give some kind of relief. Appu went and sat under huge tree. As he was tired and body was weak he started feeling drowsy and began to doze. After a while some kind of shrill noise woke him up from the nap. It was a crow chasing a squirrel and the latter was jumping from one branch to the another to save his life. Appu really cursed the creatures for disturbing the nap. As the squirrel was jumping it happened to land on a branch which was already heavy with ripened mangoes and a ripened   mango fell right in front of Appu. Tired and weary Appu grabbed the mango fruit and refreshed himself. Then he said to himself, “rather than blaming the situation I should learn to benefit from every situation and event without judging”.

Sr(Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Krishna on Bondage 4

We believe everything happens according to our desires and expectations. We are like that crazy old man of a fable I heard from a great master. This crazy old man lived her whole life in a village. But one fine morning he left the village in anger, cursing the villagers for lack of recognition for him and he promised to teach a lesson. He said, “I am taking with me the cock at whose crowing the sun rose here every morning. Now the sun will rise in another village where I am going.” And the story says when the old man reached another village and his cock crowed and the sun rose, he said to himself, “The idiots of that village must be weeping bitter tears, because the sun is now rising in this village and they are in dark forever.” The old man’s logic is flawless. There was no doubt left in his mind that sunrise depended on his cock’s crow. But no cocks become victim of such illusions, only their masters. This fable reflects human mind. 

The future comes on its own. We cannot prevent tomorrow from becoming today. Let us do our work and do it completely. That itself is enough. The act must be total and this is the whole of Krishna’s teaching. By total action he means, once we have done our thing we are finished with it. There is nothing more to be done about it. And if something remains to be done, even if we have to wait in expectancy of its result, then the act is not total. Our act is complete in itself when we don’t look forward to some reward, some recognition or even appreciation. For this reason Krishna says, “Leave the fruit of labour to God.” By God he does not even mean there is some accountant-cum- controller general sitting somewhere in the heavens who will take care of it on our behalf. Leaving it to God means: please do your work and leave it at that, leave it to existence.   

Existence is like a mountain which echo’s every sound uttered around it. We don’t have to wait prayerfully for the echo, after making the sound, it will happen on its own. To produce an echo, a proper sound of some volume is needed. This is how the desire for result, the tension caused by desire and expectation does not allow us to do our work rightly. People among us who are anxious for results often miss the moment of action itself. Because the moment of action is now and here, while the results lies in some future. So those of us whose eyes are set on the future are bound to miss the present. Then we don’t love our work, we love only the result. Then we don’t give our whole heart and mind to action- we do it reluctantly and haphazardly. If our attention is focused on future- and we are where our attention is- then we cannot be totally in the present. And that which is done inattentively cannot be deep and total. So it cannot be blissful. 

Let us introspect this and more elaborate answers to come in weeks that follow!

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

Went Without Dinner

Many times, I travel from my hometown Muzaffarnagar to Lucknow by Nauchandi Express. This train runs from Saharanpur to Allahabad and is very convenient at least for the above journey. Leaving at about 6:15 p.m., it reaches Lucknow early in the morning. Thus, it is quite efficient in terms of the time taken. It has no AC first class compartment and also no pantry car. I, therefore, carry my simple packed dinner and eat it at the next stop in Meerut, where it stops for about half an hour. I also don’t bother any official of my department at Meerut mainly because I don’t want to be disturbed by them. 

During one such journey, I had just finished my food when a senior officer of a particular department boarded the train at Meerut and occupied a berth just opposite to mine. Being the head of his department, a large number of local officers along with other officials had come to see him off. They all were trying to please him and had brought a lavish dinner for him from a good restaurant of the town. Since the officer knew me and my designation, he was feeling somewhat embarrassed also, particularly when there was none to take care of me. However, I was amusingly watching all this and enjoying my reading, which is my main occupation during such journeys. 

As soon as the train left the Meerut station, the officer started settling down. First of all, he arranged his dinner packets properly and while doing so offered me his food, which was obviously in plenty. Since I had already had my dinner, I politely declined the offer and got engrossed in my reading. After a few minutes, he got ready to have his dinner and started opening the packets. I noticed that as he opened a packet, he immediately closed it and kept aside. He did the same with other packets also and eventually, kept all the packets beneath his berth. This created some anxiety in me and I enquired from him as to what went wrong with the food. He hesitatingly told me that all the packets contained non-vegetarian food and since it was a Tuesday, it was of no use to him. The poor fellow, therefore, had to go without dinner. May be he took some snacks at the next stop of the train. 

This incident has a message in it. Firstly, simple requirements should not be made complicated. Secondly, there should be proper communication in case of personal requirements, more so, when they are made by those whom you don’t know closely. Thirdly, too much expectation from your subordinates quite often becomes troublesome. I don’t know whether the gentleman travelling with me learnt any of these or not, but my decision of carrying packed food and not bothering my subordinates unnecessarily certainly got reinforced. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

Donate Eyes

Eyes are a very valuable part of a human being. They are God’s precious gift to a person. But the same eyes bring misery when misused or when they are lost. A wise man utilizes that gift while alive and in death too. Donation of the eyes gives sight to two corneally blind persons, enabling them to come out of their dark and dreamy life into a life full of colours, a life where they can see and enjoy this beautiful world.

There is no substitute for human tissue. The transplantation process depends upon the priceless gift of cornea donation from one human to the next. The use of artificial tissue for transplantation has been unsuccessful.

We know that we are not going to live permanently but after our death, let our eyes live in this world by giving a new life to blind.

Age does not matter while making this precious donation. It is one great valuable service a person can do in his/her life. All one needs to do is bequeath his or her eyes by taking a simple pledge to donate the eyes after death. It requires the support of the relatives or friends to carry out the wishes of eye donation of the deceased. They need to call up the Eye Bank immediately as the eyes need to be removed within a maximum of six hours of death.

After making the call they should keep both eyes of the beloved deceased closed and cover with moist cotton and switch off the ceiling fan. People using spectacles and having diabetes and hypertension can also make eye donations. However, people with death due to infections caused by rabies, syphilis, hepatitis, septicemia and AIDS cannot be donors.

Eyes can be donated to any eye bank in India but preferably to the nearest eye bank to avoid delays. As per the new procedures, only cornea portion is removed and hence face disfigurement does not happen. Immediate family members can donate the eyes of the deceased even if the deceased had not pledged for eye donation during his/her lifetime. Please come forward and pledge your eyes to fill colours in someone’s dark world.

Dr(Mrs) Archana Bharat

God Experience

Steeped in Hindu culture I was brought up in Christ’s teachings. After years of spiritual quest and search for truth, I became deeply aware that I was at home in Christianity as well as in Hinduism. I became equally comfortable with Hindu pundits and Christian scholars. Fr. John Thekkedam (official name, belonging to the poorvashram, that is, prior existence) became Swami Snehananda Jyoti ( Love-Bliss Light: current self-chosen name of aspiration). The flip side of that was, some Christians thought I was misguided, and some Hindus thought I was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This misperception on both sides is a small price to pay knowing that I am striving to integrate, to the best of my ability, the best revelations of Christ with the Sanatan Dharma (a way of living according to eternal righteousness) of Hindus. The discerning persons everywhere will know that I am following the one true God of both Christianity and Hinduism. I may also say that traveling along the arduous path through very difficult terrain I redefined theology, and discovered my leading gurus to be Christ, Buddha, Socrates, and Gandhi.  Developing the concepts of non-violence as perfect love, and truth as God, Gandhi, to me, put the best teachings of Christ into systematic practice. He, in his own experiments with truth, integrated the best teachings of the Gospels with the best teachings of Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Revealing God as his father and our father, and calling us his friends, Christ challenged us all to become perfect as his heavenly father. The call to Advaitic unity of the creator, the  created, and the creation manifested for me the mystic union of every person with God revealed by Christ as the One who is in perfect communication and communion among themselves as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God experience in Hinduism is God realization or sakshatkar (making real).  Brahma satyam, jagat mithya: God is real, the world is unreal. In other words, only God is permanent, the world is impermanent. In Christianity, only God is eternal and immutable; all else, that is, the world of our senses, is passing “vanity of vanities”. We are not able to have God experience because we are in a tragic predicament wherein the world has become real and God has become unreal. There are no waves (we) without the ocean (God). There is no magic (we) without the magician (God). That is why, according to a great Christian mystic, “we live, and move, and have or being in God”; “we can do everything in God who gives us strength”. Currently religions have lost the ability to impart God experience because they are immersed in the materialism of the world. Religions have succeeded in substituting dogmas and doctrines, rites and rituals, and meaningless symbols and mechanical practices in the place of meaningful experience with God, and empathic encounters with humans that result in God experience. I very vividly remember what one of my older brothers told me some years ago. He told me lovingly, calling me by my nick/pet name: “I fully agree with what you say, but we cannot do it here”. Obviously, he was not wanting to take on the religious powers in his setting due to fear of suffering social isolation or ostracism of his family. The madness and ridiculous pomp of this world was powerfully brought to me from an incident that a friend of mine narrated to me recently. This happened during a wedding reception in his extended family. In a posh five star hotel in a major city where the reception was held, the parking attendant was told to allot very scarce and prominent parking slots at the entrance to the hall on the basis of pre-determined guests who came in very expensive cars. It so happened that a very close relative of the bridegroom, who also had difficulty walking, started in a Mercedes Benz that broke down on the way. He ended up coming to the reception in an ordinary car of another relative who picked him up on the way. As a result he lost his allotted parking space, and had to walk unrecognized from a distant lot.

So what is God experience? It is living a life according to God’s will as communicated to one’s conscience that is formed in freedom on the basis of truth, justice, fairness, love, and compassion. We cannot beat what Saint John said that we are all liars if we say we love God whom we cannot see while we hate humans (our brothers and sisters) whom we see every day. It is loving our enemies, loving persons we do not like on account of the harm they caused us, leaving them to God to deal with them the way God sees fit. It is following the Golden Rule, the sum and substance of what all the prophets and scriptures, said: “Do to others what you like others to do to you”. It is a relentless desire and effort to experience the oneness of humanity and the one God of all. All can have this experience if they will it. God’s generous grace will not be lacking for those who will it so no one will be thwarted. A good examination of conscience will reveal to us whether we have this wholesome and holy experience. Finally, it is seeing things the way God sees, and dealing with others the way God deals with while we find our own bearing in a senseless world

Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

Mouse and Keyboard Talks

It was quite late in the night. Such late nights can technically be called mornings. As usual, my wife was already in her beautiful dreams. Due to cold weather, I had decided to work in my bed itself. The room was extremely cozy and silent. While using my laptop, I felt that I could hear a few mild whispers. I felt as if the sound was coming from my laptop itself. I checked the volume of my laptop. It was an absolute zero. Oh No! Was it possible? Anything in this wonderful world of technology is possible. It was my keyboard and mouse talking to each other. I do use a wireless mouse along with my laptop.

Mouse: “Hi Kaybee! Are you listening? Good morning! Are you Okay? I hear a lot of punches and pushes sound coming from your side every day. I am a little worried for how long will you tolerate the beatings of your master?” Keyboard: - “Hey Mousee! Good Morning! Actually it is the other way round. I am always worried whenever you are rigorously moved round and round in a random direction and your scroll wheel is turned at a fast pace.” Mouse: “Naa! I am okay with my master. After all, he uses me to increase his speed to locate a place. I feel that without me, this computing world will remain a dumb and slow world of seventies.” Keyboard:”Yaa! But I am also used to increase speed. Even today, there is nothing which can allow faster creation of information as compared to punching my keys one after another.”

Before I could hear any further, my mind became philosophical. I felt if the same kind of positivity can be maintained while the members of a team talk to each other than that team will truly be the most effective team. Each member will have a role to play. Each member will know his/her importance. A member will not be complaining about his leader, even in the times of pressure. A member will have an empathy with his other co-members. A member will have an ownership role towards the team.

You may now read the keyboard-mouse talks again in this light and understand these simple team working principles.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Joy of Ignorance

Life is a cycle of joys and sorrows. Most of us are carried away by them and feel happy or unhappy accordingly. Our seers have contemplated a lot on this subject and have advised us to rise above both of them. They say that there is no absoluteness about them and both are fleeting moments of life. In other words, joy and sorrow are only external happenings and affect us only when we come to know of such happenings. If we are ignorant about them, they create no effect on us. Also, the same event creates a different feeling in different persons. It depends upon our relationship with the event at that point of time. If they were absolute, they would evoke same feelings in all of us even if we didn’t know about them. In addition, the impact of any event, good or bad, fades with time and we remain affected neither by a good event nor by a bad event in due course of time. 

I am narrating a personal experience here to support the above. It was in May, 1983, when I was posted as District Magistrate in Basti. At that time, one of my close friends was posted as District Magistrate in Almora (at that time Uttarakhand was a part of UP). He invited us to visit Almora, which is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India. Those days, my father-in-law, who was in Delhi, was not well and there was a risk to his life. However, after being assured that there was no immediate danger, I decided to undertake the trip with my family. My friend had made good arrangements for our stay and travel within the district. 

There were several places worth visiting including Ranikhet, known as the ‘Queen of Hills’. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and had a nice time. At that time, communication by telephone was not very advanced. Hill districts, in particular, had poor services and it was very difficult to get in touch even with Delhi. As a result, we had no information about the condition of my father-in-law. As we were returning to Basti from Almora, we stopped briefly at Lucknow, and I contacted Delhi from there. I learnt that my father-in-law had passed away two days back and by that time he had also been cremated. This came as a great shock to us and I, with my wife, travelled to Delhi the same evening and observed the mourning period there. 

While all this was being done, the philosophical thoughts about our joy at Almora and sorrow after learning about the death kept occupying my mind. This contemplation made me believe that our joy is nothing but our ignorance and by the same logic, our sorrow is equally our ignorance. A wise person neither gets elated with joy nor gets depressed by sorrow. Since then, I have been trying to imbibe this wisdom. 

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Abstain From Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol and drug addiction is a lifelong habit that never truly goes away even with people who have been sober for years. Drugs and alcohol have a very negative impact on your body. Both can destroy your health, your financial security and your relationships with those close to you. Heavy drinking is linked to a wide range of negative effects on your health. Almost every system in your body is affected and you are prone to liver disease or cirrhosis of liver, brain damage or dementia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and cancers of head, neck, breast, colon and liver.

Heavy drinking and use of drugs can also lead to various other personal negative consequences. It significantly increases your chances of becoming the victim of an injury as intoxication greatly increases your risk of injuring yourself or being injured by others. Alcohol is found to be a major factor in fatal highway crashes, accidents, suicides, fatal falls, sexual assaults, trauma injuries, fatal fires, drowning and homicides. You also run the risk of developing other personal problems such as losing your driving license, losing your job and having problems with relationships. If you drink heavily during pregnancy, you increase the risk of your baby developing fetal disorders.

Temptation to take alcohol and drugs may be there but if you think about the negative impact of both on your body and focus on the downsides, you will be able to have greater control over your urges and can more readily say no when the chance to drink arises. Remove any temptations in your immediate surroundings and get rid of bottles of alcohol and drugs. Avoid going to places where you might be tempted to indulge. Stay away from friends or family who encourage you to drink.

Addicts should take up activities to fill their time. Boredom and unstructured free time can lead to a relapse. You can prevent that by finding healthy things like exercise programmes, new hobbies and fun social events that do not involve alcohol. Avoid alcohol to lead a healthy and happy life.

  

Dr (Mrs.) Archana Bharat

God and Me

A couple of weeks ago a religious sister, a friend of mine, said among other things: “I pray that God has mercy on me. I am just a worm.” I asked her if she did something that required God’s special mercy. She said: “No”. I asked her if she considers herself to be a worm, what would a worm consider itself to be? She was, of course, self-abasing in her humility. My question again is: “Does God require that kind of humility? Does that kind of humility give God any credit? “God does not create junks”, says the bumper sticker.  One of the most popular prayers Catholic Christians say every day is Rosary in which at least fifty times during that prayer Mary, the mother of Jesus, is asked to “pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death”.  Even though I come from a Catholic background spiritually fed on this prayer in my growing-up years, it has started jarring me in my present positive theological outlook. There are also frequent prayers requesting deliverance from the fires of hell. In all these prayers, what appears to dominate is an underlying fear or anxiety. I ask myself: “What kind of a God do we have?” Is God our father? Or is he a negative, task-master who is looking for every opportunity to dunk us into hell?

God is indefinable as God is beyond intelligence and reason. No human can understand God. God alone can understand God. In Christian and Hindu theology, we have God or Supreme Being as Nirguna or Saguna Brahman. According to Hindu thinking, everything in creation is made up of various combinations of the three gunas (qualities) called Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. In Christian philosophy everything is made up of various combinations of materia prima (prime matter) and forma substantialis (substantial form).  Nirguna God is without form or qualities; Saguna God has attributes or qualities.  The incarnation of Christ as an Avatar (the deliberate descent of the Supreme Being) is an example of Saguna God. 

Christ called God, Abba (dear father), something that was unheard of and unacceptable in the Judaism of the day. He taught us the most famous Christian prayer, Our Father, at the request of his disciples. He revealed God, his father, to us. His father became our father. We became God’s children, Christ’s friends. How can we be then nothing, worms? What father would not know the needs of his children? What father would not give us what we need? Christ told us that God knows our needs even before know them. Do we, then, need to be so preoccupied with begging in our almost exclusive prayer of petition? May be during the horrible, dark days of humanity when natural catastrophes, plagues and pestilences, infectious and contagious diseases held sway, when, before technology, antibiotics, and prophylactics,  humans had no control over nature or diseases, when finding food, clothing, and shelter was an arduous, strenuous, full-time occupation for all, when average life-span for a human was around forty years, the constant begging and asking protection from a negative, merciless God was understandable. May be now the deep awareness of the presence of our magnificent, awesome, and compassionate God, who gives us what we need even before we ask, is more appropriate. Basking in this liberating presence of God, who is love, truth, and light, God’s will for us becomes clearer, and unconditional and complete surrendering to that merciful  will in an attitude of gratitude, accepting whatever comes our way, once we have done all in our power, is all that matters. My God then is the father of the Prodigal Son who accepts me, even when get messed up, unconditionally, once I choose to return to him. He is the good shepherd who searches for the one who went astray leaving the ninety-nine.  

Let us ignore the doomsayers who continually warn us about our God who is ever ready to shower on us fire and brim-stones. Prayer of petition is fine but that does not need to be our main or sometimes the only course of spiritual meal. We do not need the antics of some popular, so-called charismatic mass retreat directors or preachers, nor the recital of prayers with blaring loudspeakers that disturb the tranquility of God’s creation. Prayer is a relentless disposition or attitude whereby one is in continuous union with God. It is an on-going habit, truly the only habit worth having, wherein one gets a shock or a sharp prick of conscience, when one does not follow the discerned will of God. Isn’t this a beautiful way of being? Does not want our God to enjoy and celebrate life? What about prayer of petition? Use it if it helps. But more importantly, if we do not get what we ask for, let us accept what we get with serenity and resignation. The most important thing is to live in union with God, the all-energizing Force, in the deep awareness of God’s presence. This is grace-filled bliss. There sin will not happen. Sin does not define us. Being God’s children is our essence.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti  

Shaking Hands with Devanand

I was just thirteen. I used to study in a boarding school at Nainital. My father was also posted in Nainital. So, I used to pay weekly visits to my residence in brook-hill colony. It was a beautiful Sunday and I was on my regular home visit. My father asked me to come along with him to Nainital Club. The popular Hindi film actor Devanand was staying there. He had come for shooting of his movie ‘Kalabaaz’. 

I very much remember every single second of those few minutes. Many people were waiting at the gate of the cottage where ‘Devanand’ was staying. He came at the gate, wearing a thick woolen sweater. He started shaking hands with all the people present. My turn also came. Oh my god! It was such a gentle and warm hand shake. My small hand and a big soft hand of the heart throb of millions. I still remember the feel. My right hand in the right hand of Mr. Devanand. At that time I didn’t knew much about him. It was when I grew old that I came to know about the magic Devanand’s persona created on the silver screen. 

As the years passed by, instead of fading, my memory about this event became stronger. The feel of his hand became much more prominent. On the day, when I heard the news about the death of Dev Sahib, I became really sad. The feeling of that handshake was still quite strongly imprinted on my mind. I read a lot about Dev sahib, I came to know about his evergreen and ever-inspiring life. He remained an eternal learner and his “keep trying – keep going” attitude had always been extremely motivating. 

Today, whenever I feel a little low due to some obstacles of life, I just remember that handshake feel and believe me, I do get extra confidence to face things with renewed spirit. Inspiring souls are like that. He is one of mine, you too can think of someone your very own. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Duty

Duty does not have to be dull. Love can make it beautiful and fill it with fire - Thomas Merton

To be honest, to be kind; to earn a little and to spend a little less; to make upon the whole a family happier for his presence; to  renounce when that shall be necessary and not be embittered;  to keep a few friends, but those without capitulation; above all, on the same grim conditions to  keep friends with himself; here is a task for all that man has of fortitude and delicacy.

John Lubbock says, if there is doubt between two duties, take the nearest. Some worthy people neglect their family for the sake of the heathen, but duty like charity, should begin at home.

When Jawaharlal Nehru died, at his bedside in his own writing, were found the lines from Robert Frost: The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep.

When Marcus Aurelius, appointed the prefect of the praetorium, he gave him a sword, saying, “You will use this sword to defend my life as long as I am faithful to my duty. But if I should fail in my duty, you will use it to punish me. And know my duty is to make the Romans happy.

There is no duty we underrate so much as the duty of being happy.

Sr (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Krishna on Bondage 3

A future oriented mind is full of desires for achieving results in the future, and its action is always fragmentary and partial. But there is no such desire for results, when the action is without any motive; such an action fills us with tremendous joy and bliss. In my understanding action without attachment to its fruits is so complete, so total, that there is nothing beyond it. It is its own fruit; it is its own end result. It is fulfilling in the moment. Such an action is its own reward; there is nothing outside of it. 

Once Jesus is passing through a village and he comes across a field full of lilies. He stops near it and says to his disciples, “Do you see these lilies?” Jesus then tells them, “It seems you are not looking, look again. How beautiful they are! King Solomon in all his grandeur and glory is not that beautiful.” The disciples are surprised to hear their master compare the lilies with King Solomon, who happened to be the wealthiest king of their times. There was, they thought, no point in comparing an ordinary flower with the wealthiest king of the world. So noticing their confusion and bewilderment, Jesus again says, “These lilies are blossoming here and now. They live and act in the moment. They don’t do anything out of hope for the future, whereas Solomon lives for the future and in the future. And this tension between the present and the future makes everything tense, sick and sometimes ugly. These flowers have no idea of tomorrow and they are fulfilled in the moment. This small piece of land on which they are growing is enough for them, they don’t crave a larger field. The wind that is passing through them, making them sway, is everything for them. The sun that is shedding light on them is more than everything they desire. These bees humming around them give them joy of the world.” 

They are contented in being what they are and being is enough, they don’t want to become anything else. Not that another moment will not come for them. It will come and it will come of its own accord. And when it comes they will welcome it and live it as totally as they are living this existing moment. Not that the lilies will not bear fruit, they will, but it will be another action complete in itself and it will arise from their existential moment. That is why they are beautiful.

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

Honour of the Back Seat

1996. A few days later, I met a retired gentleman living in the same locality. He was a Lt. General in the Indian army and had retired from the post of Vice-Chief. I had heard of his simplicity from others but meeting him was a very pleasant experience. His house was a moderate one but maintained very meticulously with a lot of greenery inside as well as outside. In fact, our first meeting took place while he was taking care of the greenery maintained by him outside his house along the road. This scene left a deep mark on me and we gradually became very close to each other. 

In due course, I also learnt about the important positions he had occupied in the Indian army. Not only this, he came from a very good background with many friends and relatives in important positions. Against the background of these facts, his simplicity assumed an even greater meaning. My regard for him only grew with time. He also became a life member of the Kabir Peace Mission and contributed a lot to its activities. Once, this gentleman was invited to an important function of the mission. We had earmarked a prominent seat for him in the front row but our guest was nowhere to be seen, though he had promised to come. Surpisingly, he was spotted sitting in the back row and could be brought to the front row only after great persuasion. For him, sitting at the back appeared to be quite normal and there was no gimmick behind it. 

Later also, such a situation arose several times. This set me thinking about those who occupy or try to occupy the front seats, in whatsoever field they are, fully knowing their place. Such persons at times have to be reminded of their place and when this is done, they feel insulted and may even become our enemies. A wise or great person never does so. On the other hand, they feel more comfortable in giving the front place to others. In this way, they make themselves more honourable than those occupying the front seats. At the same time, they pre-empt any chance of being insulted or made to feel small. 

The gentleman mentioned above is one of them. Every time, when he does so, he goes up in my esteem. The name of the gentleman is Lt. General Vijay Singh and even after crossing 75 years, he is healthy and happy. One of the secrets of this is the honour he gives to the back seat. 

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Educate Someone

It is known to everyone that education helps a person to make well informed decisions in life and also to establish a moral code and a sense of responsibility right from childhood.

Imparting education is a very noble cause. As a teacher, you play a key role in the social as well as intellectual development of your students. You should have a positive attitude so that you may teach your students how to maintain a positive attitude in life. A teacher should also have flexibility, consistency, discipline, sense of humour and an unbiased attitude to be able to impart good education. A person who is not a teacher can contribute towards the education of a poor student who needs financial assistance. Education is the foundation upon which people can begin to improve themselves and their communities. Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders and educating them shall have a positive impact on their futures. All children have the right to quality education regardless of their economic background. All children have dreams and the innate desire to realize their dreams.

A person who gets good education will become a more dependable worker, a better citizen and would be rated higher than an uneducated person. Learning enables an individual to put his potentials to optimal use. Without education, the training of human minds is incomplete. Education makes man a right thinker and correct decision maker. It achieves this by bringing him knowledge from the external world, teaching him to reason and acquainting him with past history, so that he may be a better judge of the present. Without education a person is seemingly shut up in a windowless room whereas with education, he finds himself in a room with all its windows open to the outside world. The more educated some one is, the more knowledge one obtains on different subjects. 

We all should pledge to educate as many children as we can and contribute to the betterment of our society and country as good education is the backbone of every individual life.

Dr (Mrs) Archana Bharat

Religion and Politics

  

As the general election fever that would decide the future direction and government of India is rampant, it is very relevant to revisit the topic of religion in politics. Religion and politics do not mix. The only person that I know succeeded in combining religion and politics was Mahatma Gandhi. That is because he was scrupulously non-violent in words and deeds. He lived by the conviction that non-violence was perfect love. His life was his message.  He had the welfare of everyone including his opponents in his mind. He proclaimed India would not be free and well until the least in India would be free and have the basic needs met. He did not have nepotism or family interests in his mind. He was selfless and eschewed all forms of power. Chief among the principles that guided his life was purity of intention. In great contrast to his tolerant, all-inclusive religion of humanity, politics with principles, and good will toward all is the concerted mud-slinging by politicians of all parties, shameless opportunism and wide-spread self-promotion, verbal and physical abuse to the point of murder and elimination of inconvenient opponents. What is unacceptable for any enlightened person is a stand taken by the most important officer of a very prominent party in Kerala that he was conscientious in using a very nasty verbal abuse in characterizing a politician whose change of loyalty did not suit him. What is most disappointing is the fact that truth is the casualty in all this practice of dirty politics. What is most disconcerting though is the open entry of religion or caste into politics. It is well-known that politicians in ingenious ways fostered vote banks or blocks, and that they sought the blessings of religious leaders such as bishops or caste leaders of prominent organizations such as NSS (Nair Service Society) and SNDP ( Sri Narayana Dharma Pariplalana yogam).

What is more intriguing currently is the opportunistic, unprincipled, and impulsive alliance of  High Range Protection Agency (HRPA), led by a Catholic priest and supported by his bishop, with the Communist Party of India, Marxist (CPM). They are strange bed fellows, to say the least.  The Catholic community in the constituency is greatly divided. The CPM has not done anything constructive in that they walked out of the all party conference called by the chief minister of Kerala to deal with the Kasturi Rangan Report related to Ecologically Sensitive Area in the Western Ghats. The committee appointed by the chief minister did a good job, and came up with recommendations that met the demands of HRPA and others affected, and have been in principle approved by the Central Government. This has been communicated to all in writing. It is true that the final approval has to wait because of the logistics of a general election. I do not think anybody could have done any better under the circumstances. It is also important to note that a priest in the Archdiocese of Trivandrum has been suspended for standing as a candidate in the general election. I strongly believe that religious leaders need to stick to spiritual guidance and serve all instead of getting into the fray of already vicious and mean-spirited partisan politics, and muddy the water further.

A brief note on the prime ministerial candidates is in order. Both candidates do not project an image of a mature democracy. Narendra Modi has not come clean from the Gujarat riots caused by the inter-communal violence. His right hand man is under inquiry by Uttar Pradesh police for alleged hate speech related  to caste revenge in a very volatile inter-communal violence setting. His party appears to be guided by religious elements with hidden agenda. Rahul Gandhi is an in-experienced young man whose popularity and eligibility can be mainly attributed to the fact that he belongs to a family dynasty that gave three prime ministers. And democratic India does not need any dynasty.  India is rich in leadership, and deserves better than these two. But that means India has to grow in democratic principles based on equality, truth, justice, fairness, merits, pluralism, and competence.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Difficult To Earn Money

For some people it is extremely difficult to earn money. Whatever they do, the Goddess of wealth is never happy with them. They work hard, they help others, everyone appreciates them, but at the end of the day, their pockets remain empty. Everyone is thankful to them, but no one really pays them. No one bothers that they also have a stomach to feed. Is it your story too? Even if not, you may still like to continue reading. You may be a rich man, but knowing about a poor man getting rich has always been interesting and has been a favorite amongst the movie producers as well.

In this context, I am sharing the story of a person known to me for past several years. A few years back he used to work in my team. He was just a data-entry operator and a sort of assistant for my day to day office activities. He was not even a graduate when he joined as my assistant. He was an enthusiastic learner. In my team he quickly learnt all software applications which were in day to day use. After about a year and a half of association with me, he switched his job and landed as personal secretary to a famous builder in our town. Then he kept on switching his job at regular intervals and today within a span of about ten years, he has risen to a reasonably good position in a Multi-national company.

Few days back, I was in Delhi. I phoned him to know his well being. He expressed his desire to come for a meeting at my place of stay. I readily agreed. He arrived on the scheduled time. He was carrying a book authored by him. It was about a boy narrating his journey from an ordinary job to a prestigious multi-national company job. He wrote a full chapter on me narrating the entire one and half years of stay with me. I congratulated him with full conviction. We discussed a lot of things. Somehow our talks turned towards earnings and savings. Then he started narrating about the difficulties in saving and about losing money in his other business ventures. Today, his book is being appreciated a lot by readers on his site. He continues to provide complimentary copies to his friends. Sales are rather low, taking into consideration the fact that he had to invest from his pocket for publication of this book.

We have many hard working people around us, who struggle for a very long period to save some pennies for a safe future. On the other hand we also see a lot of other so called “workers” of many political parties who can be seen riding expensive SUVs and MUVs and helping government servants in getting the premium and prized postings, getting contracts of government projects and many other similar things. Some noise related to changing society against all this is being heard. But this noise is too weak in many zones. It is definitely quite low in our zone. Is someone listening?

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Planning

“When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.” Chinese Proverb

Planning needs vision and foresight. Only a visionary can do perfect planning which requires experience and expertise. God has designed everything in such a way that the whole   universe lives in unity and harmony. But we find imperfection in His designs because we want to customize it for our convenience. Imagine how meticulously God has planned the creation and left it for regeneration by itself.

We can only plan for non-living things and not living things. That is the difference between our planning and God’s planning. Because living things have life and life is the essence of God.  A mango tree produces mangoes of different shapes. If we were to do it we would have got the same type of products from the same machines. Planning is of vital importance when it comes to achievement of a goal. Even if one has an excellent goal, timely planning and implementation is necessary to achieve   the goal.

Appu was taking a visit in his field in the hot afternoon. After walking for sometime he got tired and thought of resting a while. He sat under a gooseberry tree looking at the pumpkin wines over the field. He said to himself: “How foolish God is! Here He outs a great heavy pumpkin on the tiny wine without strength to do anything but lie on the ground. And He puts a tiny gooseberry on huge gooseberry tree whose branches could hold the weight of a man. If I were God, I could do better than that.” Just then   a breeze came and a gooseberry fell exactly on Appu’s head. Appu rubbed his head, and suddenly became sad and wise. “Suppose,” he mulled to himself “there had been a pumpkin up there, instead of gooseberry? Never again I will try to plan the world for God.”

Sr (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Krishna on Bondage-2

How to work without attachment to Result?

To understand this rightly, it is first necessary to know that there are two kinds of action in our life. One of these is what we do today in order to achieve tomorrow as a result. Such an action is future oriented. It is the future which is leading us to action. While action takes place in the present, its fruit lies in the future. And the future is unknown and uncertain. Future means that which is not in existence, which is only a hope, a dream, an expectation. In that hope we are being dragged like cattle by our future. 

The Sanskrit word for animal is ‘pashu’. Pashu is derived from ‘pash’ which means bondage. Hence pashu is one who is captive, a slave. In that sense we are all animals, because we are captives of future, we live in future hopes. The reins of our lives are in the hands of the future. We all human always live today in the hope of tomorrow. And likewise we live tomorrow in the hope of day after, because when tomorrow comes, it will come as today. So in reality many among us never live really, we go on postponing living, for the future. And the whole life pass away unlived and unfulfilled.  And the greatest sorrow of these types of people at the time of death will be that the future is no more, there is no hope of achieving result in the future. If there was a future and a hope beyond death, they would have no regrets. That is why a dying man wants to know if there is any chance of reaping a harvest of hopes in the future, because it was only hopes that he had sown in the soil of life. He has wasted all his today in hope of a tomorrow that never came. And on the last day of life facing the cul-de-sac beyond which there is no tomorrow, no hope of any fruits of action. That is the despair of future- oriented life. 

There is another kind of action which is not future oriented, which is not done with the motive to achieve some future result, which is not based on any ideas and patterns. Such an action is natural and spontaneous. This action arises from the depths of our being. It springs from what I am, not from what I want to become. Let us say, I am passing down a street when I come across an umbrella dropped unaware by a person walking ahead of me. I pick up that umbrella and hand it over to that person without any fuss. Like these type of action we don’t look around for a press reporter or a photographer to report to the public our great act of selfless service to a fellow traveller. We don’t even expect a simple “thank you” from the person concerned, nor hope for any results in the future. This is what is called a natural and spontaneous act. But if the owner of the umbrella goes his way without thanking me, and if I feel even slightly hurt thinking how ungrateful the man is, then my action is no more natural and spontaneous, it is not without motive. Maybe I was not aware of my expectation of a thank you, when I picked up that umbrella and handed it to him, but it was very much there in my sub-consciousness. An expectation even of a thank you destroys the spontaneity and purity of action. This action is no freer of attachment to its fruits. Then it is a contaminated act, contaminated with the desire for result. 

If action is total in itself, if it is self-fulfilling, a love’s labour- if it has no other expectation outside of it, then it is what Krishna calls, “action without attachment to its fruit.” This action is complete in itself like a circle it has no expectations for the future. It is an end unto itself. In that case we will feel thankful to the person for giving us an opportunity to act totally, to do something without desire for results. 

Let us introspect about these two types of action. More answers to come in weeks that follow!

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

No Change in Medicine

This incident relates to the year 1983. I was then posted as District Collector of Basti in UP. Basti was a big district at that time and also a very backward one. Floods used to be the annual feature of the area and villagers were quite accustomed to the allied problems. However, the district administration used to take all the necessary steps to minimise the difficulties of the people. As collector of the district, I also tried my best to do so. During the floods of 1983, I was on a tour of a remote area of the district. I had left the headquarter early in the morning and it was late noon when I was returning. On the way back, I was feeling very tired and feverish. Therefore, I asked the driver to stop at some dispensary on the way so that I could take some medicines. Soon he stopped at a government Primary Health Centre (PHC). The doctor present there gave me some medicines. The medicines were loose tablets, which he gave me from a bottle. There was only one tablet which he prescribed to be taken three times a day and hoped that I would be all right within three days. Accordingly, he gave me the necessary quantity. I took the first dose there itself. On enquiry, the doctor also told me that my problem was quite common in that season and the medicines given to me were quite effective. 

When I reached the district headquarter, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the district also came to know of my indisposition. Soon he came to see me and brought with him a packet of medicines which were not only many in number but also costly. When I enquired from him whether these medicines were also available to general patients, he replied in the negative and added that they were specially procured for me from the market. He also emphasised that I must take those medicines, if I wanted to be normal soon. My attention, then, went to the words of the doctor at PHC who had told me that the medicines given by him were quite effective in common people. With that in mind, I politely asked the CMO to let me try the common man’s medicines. One additional reason for doing so was the simplicity of the dosage, which was very complex in case of the medicines brought by the CMO. Though not convinced, he had no option and left along with the medicines. 

I took the simple medicines for three days and became quite normal as per the hopes of the doctor at PHC. At this, I felt very happy and shared this experience with many. I also felt jealous of the common man who gets cured with simple medicines while an important person has to take complicated and expensive treatment for the same disease. 

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Plant Trees

Planting trees in your neighbourhood is one of the best things you can do for the local environment and for the planet. Without trees there would be no life on earth. Trees are like the lungs of the planet. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Besides removing contaminants from the air, trees have many other social economic and environmental benefits.

They filter pollution from the air, help recycle water, prevent soil erosion, create shade, give shelter from wind and rain, provide homes for animals, make food for humans and wildlife, provide a soothing environment and much more. Most often we plant trees to provide shade and beautify our landscapes. Spending time among trees and green spaces reduces the amount of stress that we carry around with us in our daily lives.

Through careful planning, trees can be an asset to your entire community. Tree lined streets have a traffic calming effect and they also screen and absorb noise from busy highways. Plantation of trees reduces the urban heat island effect through evaporative cooling and reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches parking lots and buildings. Trees give off oxygen and improve our air quality by filtering harmful dust and pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide and sulphur-dioxide from the air we breathe. They reduce the amount of storm water runoff which reduces soil erosion. Many species of wildlife depend on trees for habitat. They provide food, protection and homes for many birds and mammals. Many herbs are used in producing vital medicines and paper is made out of trees.

Planting trees is vital to maintain a balance in the ecosystem. All the living beings are dependant on trees in some way or the other. The strength, structure and endurance of trees make them beneficial for the environment. In this increasing concrete jungle of cities, planting more and more trees in the surroundings has become a vital need.

Dr(Mrs) Archana Bharath

Beauty Vs Income

Quite a few weeks back, I happened to see a very honest matrimonial correspondence story in between two human apps, yearning an i-marriage: i-marriage in the sense, an Apple type arrangement of user friendly preciseness to the core. I share it with you because I thought there are a few points to note down. It was the woman who first introduced herself in the forum. She wrote: “I’m going to be honest of what I’m going to say here. I’m 25 this year. I’m very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500K annual salary or above. You might say that I’m greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York.

My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you? Among those I’ve dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit.

If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden (?), $250k annual income is not enough.

I’m here humbly to ask a few questions:

1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)

2) Which age group should I target?

3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I’ve met a few girls who don’t have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.

4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married) 

Many young enthusiasts on a promising career would have replied. Anyway, it was the response of a CEO, as I understand him, well in the requirement standards of the girl that caught my attention. He replied,  

“Dear Ms. Pretty,

I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor. My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I’m not wasting time here. From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you. The answer is very simple, so let me explain. Put the details aside, what you’re trying to do is an exchange of ‘beauty’ and ‘money.’ Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square. However, there’s a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can’t be prettier year after year.

Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It’s not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worse 10 years later. By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a “trading position”.

If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term – same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or “leased”.

Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income. This has better chance than finding a rich fool.”

Joseph Mattappally

Comment of Servant

Sometimes few comments hit so hard, that you can recall them even after many-many years. I was in class sixth, aged around ten. I was good at studies and due to this reason, I often suffered from over-confidence. I always felt that I don’t need to study before the exams. It was one such day, when the next day was supposed to be the exam day. As usual, I was over-confident and was feeling a little sleepy. I said to my Mom that I was feeling a little feverish and that I would like to take rest. The maid servant was nearby. While I was convincing my Mom, that my preparations were good and let me sleep a bit, the maid servant commented on me; “He is doing all this drama to avoid studies”. Oh God! Hearing this comment, I started shaking with anger. Both my mother and the maid servant started feeling as if an earthquake had come. My objection was that why the maid servant commented. Who was she to comment on me? If mom said anything, it was fine. But the Maid servant has no right to comment. My Mom consoled me. I remember that I kept on weeping for a long time. I took the exam next day with a heavy heart. After I returned from the exam, my mother explained that the maid servant was also like a family member. She had been working for us since a long time and had formed attachment with each one of us. It was due to shear attachment that she made such a comment. Her intentions were only for to my betterment. At that time, I could understand my Mom’s logic only to some extent. 

Now when I analyze this whole series of events, I am able to value my mother’s advice that gave me a sort of value system that I still possess. When I was quitting my last job and it was my last day in that office, the security guard gave me a special salute and came to me to express his feelings. The words he said touched me a lot. He said; “Sir! Your behaviour was good with everyone and it was especially very good with the working class people”. I derived a lot of inner satisfaction from his comment, much higher than my fat last pay cheque. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg