Enlightened Leadership

During their next Guruvar Satsangh Atma Prakash asked the Baba, ‘Guruji, what do you mean by ‘enlightened leadership’? You had mentioned this term a number of times.’ 

The Baba replied: ‘First of all, let me share with you my understanding of the term ‘enlightened leadership’, my son. It implies leadership guided by the light within….

‘Enlightened leadership is essentially a spiritual task because the ‘inner light’ is an attribute of the spirit. It is the spirit that is the source of wisdom and enlightenment. Hence, we can also say that enlightened leadership is leadership guided by the truths of spirit, that is, leadership based on eternal spiritual principles and universal moral values. This is the kind of leadership we need for our Integral Revolution…… 

‘Gandhiji placed truth and non-violence, satya and ahimsa, as the basic attributes of enlightened leadership. Swami Vivekananda emphasized on renunciation and service, tyaga and seva. We can integrate both and consider truth, non-violence, renunciation and service; satya, ahimsa, tyaga and seva; as the four pillars of enlightened leadership. It is on these four pillars that we can build a truly enlightened leadership for a culture of peace in the world and for the Integral Revolution that we dream about... 

‘I also wish to share with you, my son, five principles of enlightened leadership…’ the Baba said and looked at his disciple.

‘Please, oh revered one, teach me the five principles of enlightened leadership…’ Atma Prakash was prompt in his response…. 

‘The first principle of enlightened leadership, my son, is ‘Focus and Progress’. Only by focusing on what one is doing, can one really make any true progress. Many of us know how our own minds keep wandering, even when we are eating or meditating. We need to focus our minds on what is being done, on the present…

‘Children watch TV and eat their food. If you ask them afterwards what they had eaten, they might not even remember…..

‘You have seen the fast flying fighter planes of the Air Force. I used to fly such planes. They have pointed cone nose and delta wings, making them look like arrows piercing through the sky at incredible speed. The more pointed an air craft is, the faster it can fly. This principle holds good for us also….

‘With focused thought and action we can rise higher and faster in life. We can also do better in our selected field  of activity, whatever it may be. All of us can experiment with this principle and experience the results for ourselves…..

‘The second principle is ‘Trust and Entrust’. One needs to trust oneself and others. Only those who can trust themselves alone will be able to trust others. Without trusting people we cannot entrust responsibilities to them. Without delegation of authority and responsibility, we cannot achieve anything great in life. All great missions will need great team work which is only possible by entrusting authority and responsibility to others. This means believing in oneself first….

‘According to Swami Vivekananda, ‘he is an atheist who does not believe in himself’. Swamiji had also pointed out that “the old religion said that he was an atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says that he is an atheist who does not believe in himself.” We need to have faith in ourselves. Only then we can have faith in others. Only when we entrust responsibilities to others, showing our faith in them and their capacity, will others be able to grow…. 

‘The third principle will be a corollary to the second. It is, ‘Grow and Help grow’. Anything challenging and worthwhile will always help us grow. Only a great and challenging mission can help to bring out the best in us. As we grow, we need to help all those working with us also to grow. In helping others to grow, we ourselves will rise to greater heights. People are remembered not for what they did to themselves, but for what good they did for others….

‘Activities and initiatives that will not help us and others to grow are mere waste of precious time and life. Time is the most precious gift of God to us. As we have already seen, one’s life-span in this world is measured in terms of time, that is, in terms of years, months, days and hours. Endeavor and achievement are our grateful response to the gift of life, to the gift of time…..

‘The fourth principle, my son, is ‘Risk and Rise’. An aircraft or a kite can rise only with air resistance. Life becomes more fruitful by facing the trials and tribulations of this world with courage and faith. Without challenges, one cannot rise high in life. One also needs to take ‘calculated risks’ from time to time if one has to rise to greater heights of excellence and achievement...

‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’ is the tile of a book I had read some years ago. The real caliber and character of an individual are tested at times of adversity. Opportunities to suffer for a noble cause are also opportunities for self-purification and personal growth…..

‘Just as gold and silver are purified in fire, we humans are purified and sanctified through voluntary suffering for a higher cause. Only by taking risks can we really rise up in life in our forward, upward and Godward journey….

‘The fifth and the last principle of enlightened leadership that I wish to share with you, my son, is ‘Respond and Report’. One needs to respond creatively and courageously to the demands of the time and to the challenges of life. Such creative and courageous responses are essential for making life exciting and worth living. Most of us only ‘react’, we do not ‘respond’ to situations and crises…

‘In an organizational setup or in a group activity, we also need to ‘report’ to the concerned authorities who are responsible for decision-making or for the effective management of the institution, organization or group. Regular ‘reporting’ from the cadre and leaders can help those on the top of the ladder to be more effective in their decision-making and leadership…..

‘Similarly, networking and linking up with various like-minded organizations, institutions, individuals and groups are essential for us to create the ‘synergy’ necessary for the success of our endeavors. Effective use of communication skills is very important for the successful implementation of this principle of ‘Respond and Report’….. 

‘These five principles of enlightened leadership, if applied and promoted sincerely, will enable you to become an enlightened leader. For you, my son, it is also very essential…. 

‘May God bless you, my son, to be such an enlightened leader… You have now learnt the four pillars and five principles of enlightened leadership. Can you recollect them, my son?’ the Baba asked.

‘Yes, of course guruji. The four pillars are: Satya, Ahimsa, Tyaga and Seva. The five principles are: Focus and Progress, Trust and Entrust, Grow and Help Grow, Risk and Rise, and Respond and Report.’ Atma Prakash replied.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

THIS WORLD AND OUR PURPOSE

God created this world. This world with everything in it is a marvelous and fascinating world. This world is good. It has come to the stage it has come at the moment because of the gross abuse and misuse of the most precious gift of freedom God has given to humans who have been assigned the responsibility and the task of taking care of this world. For freedom many humans over the years have given up their own lives. The abuse and misuse of freedom happen when self-centered leaders of nations with narrow and limited vision cater to the sensual pleasures of humans. We are spiritual persons bound in body with its senses that are driven by pleasures. For instance, men and women are naturally and seemingly irresistibly attracted to one another for completion, fulfillment, and perpetuation of the species; there is no relationship that is more intense and pleasurable than a marriage relationship. Yet this relationship is frequently abused due to lack of respect for each other and violation of trust, human rights, and freedom. The simple reality is that our spirit has to compete with the body directed by the powerful pleasure-seeking senses. In this competition often the spirit loses. Because overwhelming majority of persons is guided by bodily comforts; the spirit governed by principles and values often suffers. That is why Christ said that he was rejected by this world; he also said similarly his disciples will also be rejected by this world.  James an apostle of Christ said friendship with this world is enmity with God.

 

Yet we know that truth will finally triumph, that light will put out darkness, and that good will win over evil. This means we who are guided by the spirit will have to be brave against all odds to stand for truth and justice, for love and altruism. This world can only be transformed by teaching early on the correct formation of conscience on the basis of the true value system guided by the spirit. God sent from time to time prophets and sages to correct the course of humanity led astray by the world’s evil forces. Christ by giving us the Golden Rule: “Always treat as you would like them to treat you” gave predominance to the law of unconditional love that should guide all our thoughts and actions. Buddha found through his sadhana (spiritual exercises) that our unrealistic desires lead us to unhappiness, frustration, and aggression. So he wanted us to regulate our desires in such a way that we desire only what we can attain. To reach this goal he proposed the eight-fold path where all the eight factors (paths) of belief, aspiration, speech, action, living, effort, thought, and concentration need to be right. Gandhi’s experiments with truth in practical life led to non-violence understood as perfect love. All spiritual masters focus on fellow human beings and altruism.  

The world goes astray when the world is dominated by narcissistic, self-centered persons who seek pleasures at others’ cost. The world does right when it is altruistic and is concerned about the pleasure and happiness of all. Well-being of all is the true destiny of this world. Since the world is often dominated by evil forces arising out of the bodily senses and baser elements, some persons have wrongly concluded that the world is ruled by these forces. The true purpose and destiny of the world is spiritual. The rational and spiritual forces can never be subdued for long by forces such as power and control related to the irrational, animal forces coming from selfishness. Our task in this world is to move from awareness to further awareness until we reach enlightenment that does not need to be all that difficult, as many think it to be, once we figure out our true goal in this world. For this we need discipline guided by our strong will.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Revolutionary Leader

‘Come, it is time for your swim’….The Baba got up. 

Atma Prakash followed him to the river.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Atma Prakash did not see the snake. He felt something soft under his right foot. 

It bit him. There was a piercing pain. 

The snake was hanging on to his right leg. 

It was a deadly viper.

‘Guruji….’ He called out. 

Within no time the Baba was beside his beloved disciple.

The Baba took a yellowish looking round stone from the right side pocket of the long gown that he was wearing.

‘Do not panic... Nothing to fear… Stand still… Let it open its mouth and move out.’ The Baba told Atma Prakash.

Atma Prakash did as he was told. 

The snake took few seconds to open its mouth and let go of Atma Prakash’s leg. It lay still for few seconds. Then it moved away slowly.

The Baba put the stone over the prick-marks of the snake bite. The stone acted like a magnet. It absorbed into itself all the poison from Atma Prakash’s body. It turned dark blue.

‘This is a special kind of stone. It absorbs the snake’s poison like a strong magnet. I always carry one. The tribals often need it. The small monkeys also get bitten by cobras as you have seen…. 

‘Sit down and relax for a while. You will be perfectly okay. Next time carry one of these stones with you. I shall give you one….’ the Baba told Atma Prakash.

‘The snakes do not bite us unless we hurt them, or they are threatened or frightened. Most animal in the jungle do not attack us unless they are attacked or threatened…. 

‘It is very interesting to note that only we human beings plan, prepare and attack our fellow humans without any worthwhile reason; just to satisfy our ego, selfishness or greed…

‘Animals do not behave like us... They seem much more cultured! They do not make or carry weapons. They do not drop bombs or throw missiles on other animals to kill them. Only we do so….

‘Have you seen a lion walking around with ‘Z’ category security because he is the ‘king’ of the jungle? He does not need to protect himself from other animals in the jungle…..

‘Only our leaders need such ‘security’ to protect themselves from their own fellow citizens…’. The Baba said and laughed aloud. It was a hearty laugh. 

Atma Prakash could not hold his laughter. He too joined his guruji. 

… They had a good laugh. 

Atma Prakash could not remember when he had a good laugh like this. 

But then he was a ‘revolutionary leader’ of a different kind … and revolutionary leaders of that kind did not laugh!

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Integrity Versus Despair

This is the final stage of Erik Erikson’s eight stages of growth for humans. Those who are not able to achieve integrity at the last stage end up in despair. As I am in my own final stage I closely examine where I am; I do reflect and meditate a great deal about it not only in terms of my own self but also in view of humanity. One statement of a man, Mahatma Gandhi, knocked Richard Attenborough, an Englishman, off his feet. This sentence struck him so forcibly that there and then he committed to make a film, “Gandhi”, that involved 20 years of research on Gandhi using his own considerable financial resources. This statement uttered by Gandhi in South Africa when he was 23 is this: “It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow human beings”. This statement was made in the context of Gandhi’s witnessing Indians being forced to walk in the gutter so that whites could pass unimpeded along the sidewalk. I have watched the movie, Gandhi, about five times. The movie won the best picture Oscar award of the year besides many Oscars for the film. Needless to say, the film is very inspiring.

Walking in the gutters is nothing compared to the humiliations humanity goes through in different parts of the world every moment especially in the context of the senseless and horrible terrorism. Fear rather than hope is in the minds of most people involved in air travels. News of a steady menu of horror crimes on a daily basis lead to greater precautions and paralyzing fears. What does that mean for humanity’s stage of growth? Where are we after Buddha spreading non-violence about 2500 years ago? Where are we after Christ modeling a non-violent life about 2000 years ago? These are questions that any person of peace and good will anywhere needs to ponder. Humanity seems to be at the brink of despair especially when we look at electoral choices or referendum made in leading democracies in the world or when dictators are still ruling in the world unimpeded or when men with narrow selfish interests are elected to high offices.

When we are about to give way to despair, we cannot afford to forget the eternal words of Gandhi: “The force generated by nonviolence is infinitely greater than the force of all the arms invented by man’s (human’s) ingenuity.” Three other quotes of Gandhi specially brought to our attention by Attenborough through a calendar in 1985 may be helpful in these difficult times. “Strengths does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” “It is because we have at the present moment everybody claiming the right of conscience without going through any discipline whatsoever that there is so untruth being delivered to a bewildered world.” “I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith”. 

To end on a lighter and, perhaps, humorous note: Queen Elizabeth of UK completed her 90 years of age recently. At her marriage to Philip Mountbatten in 1947, Philip’s uncle, Louis Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, under whom India got independence, and the first governor-general of India, got a piece of cloth made from yarn specially spun by Gandhi at the viceroy’s request to give to Philip, his nephew, as a special wedding gift. The queen’s mother was appalled as she thought the cloth was Gandhi’s under garment. That’s the way life is. Everything gets into the spice of life.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

The secret of Life

An eight-year old boy approached an old man sitting in a garden, looked up into his eyes, and said, 

“I understand you’re a very wise man.  I’d like to know the secret of life.”

The old man looked down at the youngster and replied, 

“I’ve thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words:

“The first is THINK. Think about the values by which you wish to live your life.”

“The second is BELIEVE. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you’ve done about the values by which you’re going to live your life.”

“The third is DREAM. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in yourself and the values by which you’re going to live your life.”

“The last is DARE. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in yourself and your values.”

And with that, Walt E. Disney said to the boy, “Think, Believe, Dream and Dare.”

The secret of life” is locked up in a safe with a four-step lock. The keys to that lock are: ‘Think,’ ‘Believe,’ ‘Dream’ and ‘Dare’. “Dream is not what you see in sleep, but what does not allow you to sleep.” (Abdul Kalam, Former President of India)

Indian Thoughts Archives

On Fights

‘I do feel guruji that true love has to be concerned and caring about one’s fellow beings. It also has to be daring. This means we will have to fight, even violent battles, for protecting the life and dignity of those whom we love. Revolutions are nothing but collective expressions of this concern for the exploited and suffering fellow humans. What if they are violent? How do you see this reality, oh revered one?’ Atma Prakash asked Guruji.

The Baba looked at Atma Prakash as if reading into his mind. He then said:

‘Atma Prakash, my beloved son, you are right. We need to be caring and daring. We need to be concerned about our fellow humans, especially about those who are poor and helpless. It is our duty. We also need to fight for them and fight with them to uphold their dignity. Sometimes we will have to use force. You have studied the Bhagawad Gita. Lord Krishna motivated Arjuna to fight against his kith and kin…… 

‘The important questions are: ‘why we fight ? and what is our ultimate motive ?’ 

‘Most of us fight because of hatred and anger towards the ‘enemy’ or because of our greed to acquire and possess wealth and power. Fear also can lead to fight. Our pride, ego, and desire to control and rule over others will inevitably lead to violence. These motives will only destroy both parties concerned, both ourselves and others…..

‘But if we fight because of love and compassion, because of our care and concern for others, because of the moral and ethical values that are to be protected and upheld, we will be doing good to ourselves and to others, including our ‘enemies’, even if we have to kill them. Fight your battles you must, but do it with loving concern for the welfare of all. Both the killer and the killed will stand to gain when the motive is to protect and uphold moral and ethical values. This was the essence of what Lord Krishna taught Arjuna in the battle field of Kurukshetra. We need to fight if and when required. This is our divine duty, my son.…. 

‘But there is another kind of battle. This is fought against the invisible enemies within. In such a battle, it is better to die than to kill. This was what Sadguru Jesus Christ had taught us. This was what Gautama Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi had demonstrated to the world. This is what all great saints and sages of humanity have based their lives on. ….. 

‘For this we need to have great love and peace within us... We need to love one another, including our ‘enemies’…

‘We need to rebuild economics and politics, as well as science and religion, on the foundation of love. This is the battle that we have to engage ourselves in, the Integral Revolution that we need to bring about, my son. 

‘For this kind of an Integral Revolution we need ‘enlightened leadership’… ”

Atma Prakash looked at his guruji gratefully.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Living Spiritually

Earlier I have written on Vital Signs of Spiritual Health. Here I am writing this article in the context of Unity of Humanity and Amity among Religions. God, our Father and Mother, wants all of us to take care of, thrive, and enhance the creation that we are part of. Spirituality guides every activity we engage in on this earth. All of us come from God and ultimately return to God in the level of consciousness and perfection we attain on the basis of conscious decisions and actions in God-given freedom. As we co-exist with others, we need to take into account their needs while we plan our lives, and utilize our resources. In an ideal world there will not be any private property. Native Americans or The original inhabitants of the Americas, whom Christopher Columbus wrongly described as Indians as he thought he reached India instead of the Americas, considered air, water, and land to be common for all. Problems began when the idea of private property, especially possessing, buying, and selling of land and the dwellings and resources on it began. It is important for everyone to get what one needs to actualize and be what one needs to be. As returning to the time when everything was held in common is not foreseen, we need to figure out a way to use the resources that we have in ways intended for all by God.

This means we follow the will of God for us. This is imprinted in our conscience as principles or commandments of conduct. All religions have the basic Ten Commandments of the Judeo-Christian Religions in one form or another. Sanathan Dharma (eternal righteousness) also known as Hinduism has it. The Golden Rule (Matthew 7: 12) that commands us to do to others what we want them to do to us sums up all that is required for righteous living. This same principle can be beautifully expressed in another way: “You shall love your God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor (that is, every human) as yourself (John 22: 37-40)”. As we grow and develop from birth we receive from our parents and mentors at least a gist of these ethical and moral principles for practical living. Persons who live a righteous life are aware when they break this fundamental law or infringe on human rights. They are aware they are not living according to the dictates of their conscience.

To make us keep on the right track, making an examination of conscience at the end of the day or before going to sleep is suggested. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, whom I consider to be the father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy widely popular in the US and elsewhere as an effective psychological therapeutic method, used this procedure for the religious order he founded. As a Jesuit I was required to examine my conscience twice a day at noon and at night for 15 minutes each. Needless to say I still practice this procedure with great benefit. Ignatius also recommended particular examination of conscience to help foster a special virtue or eliminate a defect that comes in the way of spiritual growth. As the New Year is fast approaching my suggestion is that all of us take sufficient time to thoroughly evaluate where we are with regard to our spiritual life, what are the qualities or virtues we need to acquire, and what are the short-comings in our life we need to get rid of. It will be important to clearly and practically identify and concretely state them and realistically put them into practice. Focusing on the positive, it may be better and more helpful to practice the opposite of the vice or bad habit we are trying to root out. 

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Puppies for Sale

In a certain city a man put a sign in his pet store window. The sign read, “Puppies for Sale.” Immediately, a small boy entered the store. He asked to see the puppies. The owner whistled and a golden retriever came out from the back room with a trail of puppies scurrying after their mother. A fifth puppy limped behind the others.

The boy spotted the lame puppy and asked, “What’s wrong with that one?” The man explained that the puppy was born with a deformed hip. “That pup will live, but it will never be much of a dog,” said the man.

The boy replied, “That’s the one I want.” The man objected, but the boy pulled up his right pant leg revealing a heavy steel brace. The boy said, “I don’t run so well myself. The puppy will need somebody who understands.”

Only the ones who have experienced sufferings can really understand and appreciate the sufferings of others. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling; and it is even more beautiful, knowing that you are the reason behind that smile.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Integrated World Order

Few days later Atma Prakash came to his Guruji. He asked him,

‘Guruji, what is this ‘Integrated World Order’ about which you were talking to Mohini, your disciple?’

The Baba closed his eyes for some time and then looked at Atma Prakash with great affection… and said,

‘Small minds and closed hearts are like Billiard balls, my son. They are hitting each other at all times. The Billiard Board is a battlefield. The balls are ever clashing with one another…

‘Divisive visions and selfish interests make individuals, communities, nations and religions like Billiard balls. They will make the world a great Billiard Board, a global battlefield…

‘Disintegrated individuals create a disintegrated world around themselves, wherever they go and in whatever they do. A peaceless person is the seed of a peaceless world. This rule also holds good for nations and religions….

‘Peace needs unity and harmony. It comes from an integrated personality and from an integral vision of life and reality. An integrated person, as we know, is a person whose body, mind and spirit are in harmony. He or she will be a person whose thoughts, words and deeds are also in harmony. Integrated persons will be at peace with themselves and with the world. This is also true for communities, nations and religions… 

‘An ‘Integrated World Order’, my son, is the vision of a World Order constituted by such integrated individuals, integrated communities, integrated nations and integrated religions’. 

The Baba stopped and looked at Atma Prakash who seemed to be totally absorbed in what his guru was saying.

‘Love is the integrating and harmonizing force in the world. It is that which holds us together, that which holds everything together…..

‘However, the love we know of and speak about often is only a very limited and superficial understanding based on a very limited experience of the great ‘Cosmic love force’ which can also be referred to as God. We have also seen that many religions and saints of humankind have already been speaking of and referring to God this way….

‘The Cosmic love force, which is the creative power of God, is ever compassionate, ever benevolent, ever forgiving, eternally enduring and unconditionally self-giving. This is ‘divine love’. We have also seen that the best example of such divine love manifested in human history is in the person of Sadguru Jesus Christ, and hence, we refer to him as the ‘Son of God’. 

‘All of us are ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ of God, but he is a ‘Son’ with a capital ’S’ just to signify the quality and quantity of divine love that he embodied. If we can embody such divine love, we will also be ‘Christ-like’ persons. In fact, all of us are called to be such Christ-like persons, whom we had earlier referred to as ‘sovereign spiritual persons’….

‘Hence, we can say that an ‘Integrated World Order’ is a World Order based on divine love that is ever forgiving, enduring and self-sacrificing. It is a new World Order built on the foundation of the divine love working through human hearts. For a deeper understanding of an Integrated World Order you may please refer to the book ‘A Vision and a Mission for the Third Millennium’. 

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Kindness is Stronger

Doctor Norman Vincent Peale recounts a story his father told him about a reporter he knew who covered William McKinley’s campaign for the presidency of the United States.  His newspaper was violently opposed to McKinley, and he was supposed to travel on the train with McKinley and send back negative stories at every opportunity.

At first he did – and McKinley know it. But one bitterly cold afternoon the reporter fell asleep, huddled on the green plush end of the unheated railroad car.  McKinley came by, stopped and spread his own overcoat over the man.

When the reporter awoke and found out what had occurred, he resigned from the paper.  He could no longer malign a man big enough to answer his criticisms with kindness.

- Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

It is said, ‘Be kind to unkind people - they need it the most’. According to Mark Twain, “Kindness is a language which even the deaf can hear and the blind can see”. We pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that we can do, or any kindness that we can show to any fellow creature, let us do it now; let us not defer or neglect it, for we shall not pass this way again.

Indian Thoughts Archives

On Attitude

Attitude decides everything and so we are always cautioned about being in the right attitude. See, Rs. hundred is too much for a beggar but okay when it’s given as tip at a fancy restaurant; hours at a gym look alright, but helping the mother at home doesn’t. Praying three minutes turns boring but never a three hours long movie. The length of a given unit of time also changes according to our attitude. When we are in pain time is unusually longer. In all these cases, it is our attitude that makes the difference. 

Many times I have pondered on this strange human behaviour. No satisfactory answer! This strange behavior is seen not only among the commons but among the great uncommons too. Two poor starving kids sitting on the pavement may not get even a slice of bread but a realistic painting of them might fetch many lakhs of Rupees. It is because of this human tendency to see everything through a sensually appreciable frame that we have an established advertising industry which presents everything in a way people easily loves to have. 

Digging deep, we understand that our attitudes are mostly shaped by our past experiences, especially those that we had in childhood years. Because of these experiences we have lost our purpose with all social activities - religions too. We have now swiping machines decorating the idols and what we develop also is a swiping spirituality. Somebody has embedded in most believers that religion is something to be learned. What is more important in religion – experience, ethical codes or knowledge? Certainly experience. Spiritual experiences are subtler and need not be physical at all. Then why are there big institutes for Philosophy, Theology and Ethics? It is because our attitudes have not changed. 

It is right attitude that takes us to the right experience. Right attitude can easily be identified by observing the grade of consideration we apply, when deciding upon things where another thing from Nature is involved. Always think in other’s favour. It is when your sibling smiles that your peace buds blossom within you. Everything in this Universe is created in a way that it cannot resist love or an expression filled with it. A smile anyone gets makes his/her whole day bright. Give it to everyone for free!

Joseph Mattappally

I Am Out There

There was once a woman who was religious and devout and filled with love for God. Each morning she would go to Church. And on her way children would call out to her, beggars would accost her, but so immersed was she in her devotions that she did not even notice them.

 Now one day she walked down the street in her customary manner and arrived at the church just in time for service. She pushed the door, but it would not open. She pushed it again harder, and found the door was locked.

Distressed at the thought that she would miss the service for the first time in years, and not knowing what to do, she looked up. And there, right before her face, she found a note pinned on to the door. It said, “I’m out there!”  (Antony de Mello - Prayer of the Frog)

 Well ! He is out there, among the needy, helpless children, the beggars who are hungry, thirsty and naked. He is out their on the sickbed, in the prison, on the streets among the homeless. That is what He clearly indicates in his description of the “last Judgment.” If you are serious about finding Him, look for Him where He is. When Christ commanded His followers, “Do as I have done” he meant much more than the observance of Rituals.

Indian Thoughts Archives

The ‘Pancha Sutra’

The Baba continued; ‘The ‘Pancha Sutra’ is a five-point moral regeneration programme which can also help to usher in a culture of peace, my son. It consists of five simple programmes that can be practiced by people from all religious backgrounds… The Pancha Sutra is an effective programme for a culture of peace in India and the world……

‘The five simple programmes constituting the Pancha Sutra are: Prarthana Sutra, Padhai Sutra, Safai Sutra, Seva Sutra and Prem Sutra…..

‘Prarthana Sutra’ means praying daily for divine grace to guide and strengthen us, and for a culture of peace in the world. ‘Padhai Sutra’ implies improving one’s knowledge through self-study and reading inspiring books to keep one’s mind positive and energized. Positive thoughts alone can bring forth positive results through positive actions. ‘Safai Sutra’ implies cleanliness of body, surroundings and mind. A healthy body and a healthy mind go together. ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ is an ancient dictum which implies that cleanliness has great importance in our spiritual life as well….

‘The fourth is ‘Seva Sutra’. It implies service to parents and teachers at all times, and to the poor and the needy fellow beings as and when necessary and possible. Selfless service, ‘nishkam karma’, purifies us…

‘The last is ‘Prem Sutra.’ It implies saying and doing things with love… God is love infinite. Those who love, live in God. They become God-like…

‘You can study the details of this moral regeneration programmes from the books on ‘Tyagarchana’ in our library. They are clubbed together….

‘Thus we have ‘Dharma Rajya’ as the inclusive vision, working together for a culture of peace on earth through an Integrated World Order as the shared mission, ‘Tyagarchana’ as the basic programme for spiritual unity and awakening, and ‘Pancha Sutra’ as the constructive programme for a culture of peace and moral regeneration.’ 

The Baba summed up. 

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

SHANTISADAN SIDDHASHRAM

After leaving the United States in 2006, my wife and I spent a few months in Kuriako Siddhashram at Palaruvi Waterfalls, Kollam District. Then we proceeded to Shantisadan Siddhashram near Munnar, surrounded by lovely hills and beautiful climate. Shantisadan Siddhashram  in Sanskrit mean Abode of Peace Center for Realization. Here we strive for Unity of Humanity (Sarvaloka Aykyam) and Friendship among all Religions (Sarvamatha Sauhrudam). As we believe all religions chart their course to God in their particular way, and as we believe all humans are children of the One God who is our Father and Mother, we seek cooperation with all persons of good will in achieving as harmonious and joyful a living as possible on our earth, and finally end in God Realization conceived differently as Salvation or Liberation (Moksham or Mukti or Nirvana). Regarding all God’s children as equal we follow in our daily living a spirituality beyond religions (Mathaatheetha Aatmiyatthwam) a relationship beyond blood ties (Raktaatheetha Bandham), and a life beyond political parties. Freedom of worship and of expression of ideas is encouraged. Respectful tolerance for disagreements is necessary as we are all bound by love, truth, and compassion as children of God. In the ashram we have vegetarian food, an atmosphere free of drugs and alcohol, and a general climate conducive for meditation, contemplation, and relaxation. Day begins officially at 7 AM with Satsang (coming together of saints/inmates) and ends with Satsang beginning at 8 PM. Great Silence is followed between 10 PM and 7 AM during which time all are recommended to rest, relax, and prepare for the following day. Discrimination or abuse of any kind is strictly forbidden.

As we complete 10 years perched in the foothills of Chokramudi, I would like to mention some significant developments. Building construction taking into account the lay of the land is mostly over. Statues of some significant persons in religions and history as models of humanity have been erected on the main road at the entrance of the ashram. These statues are meant to convey unity, humanity, service, and great ideals for all. There is on-going landscaping and planting of flowers. Growing organic vegetables and fruits are in the process. Currently we produce sufficient milk for the ashram needs and the needs of a few neighbors. The ashram is modeled on the teachings of Christ according to which the early disciples came together, held things in common, contributed according to their ability, and partook of the good life according to their need. The ashram is striving to approximate that ideal. Gandhian spirit is evidenced in that all work is respected and no job is below anyone’s dignity. All ashramites are encouraged to do some manual work and also to keep the premises clean. Currently visitors to the ashram seeking spiritual or psychological help spend a few hours or few days according to their need. We have a long way to go. All in all, hospitality and an atmosphere for all to grow and to become what they are capable of are distinguishing marks of the ashram.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Power of Questions

Isidore Robey, a famous physicist, came to the United States as a small child and grew up on New York City’s Lower East Side.  In an interview he once was asked how a poor immigrant boy was able to become one of the world’s leading physicists.

He replied, “I couldn’t help it.  It was because of my mother. She had a deep appreciation for the search for the truth.  And every single day when I came home from school, she would ask me, ‘Did you ask any good questions today?’”

 According to Arnold Edinburgh, “Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.”  Every new invention began as an answer to a question. So in themselves questions are important, and according to Voltaire, we should “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” It is true that “a fool can ask more questions than a thousand wise men can answer”; but that is altogether another matter.

Indian Thoughts Archives

My India

Desktops, Laptops, Palmtops, Rolltops… technology is advancing or evolving in a cracking pace. All innovations added together have made both the nation and the individual smart. But, this is not the India of my dreams. The more we embrace shortcuts and change our life styles to become smarter and smarter the more we become prone to disappointments of all sorts. India of my dreams is not a crowd luxury mongers but a family of self-confident people who live in a state of peaceful happiness and celestial awareness. 

 

India had a bright past. All that the present world cries to have newly invented were not unknown to India. What is special with India was that we knew how to use knowledge in all its appropriateness. The theory of gravitation, which we attribute to Newton, was originally invented by Bhaskaracharya. (Read it in 'Siddhantha Sirmani’ > part ‘Bhuvanakosam’> Chapter 6. It was Aryabhatta who first said that the earth is round and it is rotating around the sun (read ‘Arybhatiyam’ which Aryabhata 1st wrote in his 23 year in AD 449). It was not Isaac Newton who first said that light is travelling. Instead, it was the great Vijayanagar Empire Guru, Sayanacharya, who prayed, ‘I bow to Thee Sun God who sends light at a speed of 2022 ‘yojana' in half of a ‘nimisha'. Remember that Varahamihira had calculated the longitude and latitude of the city of Alexandria to be 23.7 degrees in the year AD 553, while with Greenwich meantime also, the figure is almost the same - 23.3 degrees. In front of St. George Sanskrit University in Germany, we see a sculpture of our Indian Seer Panini. Know that German grammar is based on the book 'Ashtadhyaayi', which he wrote. 

Our Atharva Veda with all its 51 branches is a complete medical book. The father of Medical Sciences Hippocratus says in his book 117 times that he has heavily drawn from the Indian Mystics, Charaka and Susrutha. Surveys of Washington Post and New York Times say that 65% of the 40 plus people there do Suryanamaskar - the Indian Yoga. Patanjali talks about evolution well in his Natyasasthra. It is Chanakya in ‘Arthasasthra who talked about a one day break in seven days. In the Bodleian library of Oxford University, there are around 2000 numbers of palm leaf records kept at high security. Those 442 Rigveda books in Harvard University belong to India. Maxmuller who learned Sanskrit, translated very many Sanskrit books and finally wrote the Book of Oriental for himself agrees that the whole world will once stretch both its hands before India, just to know what they missed.

 

The Persians, the Dutch, the Portuguese, the French, the English …., all invaded into our country – some with Semitic philosophies and some with Arabian disciplines, but most prepared to loot our open treasuries. Still, India is intact and stands against all recessions and famines. India was always a hard nut to crack, even for the gunmen of the West. How many of us know that India is the only continuing ancient culture of that kind? All other ancient civilizations are under mud, but India is not. Don’t you Indians feel proud of our rich heritage? 

But now, it is very sad to say that the purpose of all social workers, religious or politicians, seems to be looting each other. It pains me heavily. I envision an India in which God Consciousness is a common gift and where parents are honoured, teachers are respected, leaders are followed, siblings are served and the entire humanity is loved unconditionally. Just one determined human being is enough to transform this great nation back to its original ambience – its’ You!

Joseph Mattappally

Teamwork

A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove car off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help. "Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating,

"Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted,

"Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!"

And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch.

The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, "Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"

The farmer grinned and said, "Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling, alone he is very diffident of his abilities."

Indian Thoughts Archives

In Peace

The Baba continued: ‘The shared mission for religions offered by me is to work together for a New World Order that can usher in a culture of peace on earth. This will help to raise their collective consciousness from the divisive to the unities, .. from the sectarian to the universal….

‘We need an inter-religious mission for a culture of peace in India. Most religions speak of ‘peace’ as an important goal….. I myself have lived in four religious traditions during my years of sadhana: Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity. I found all of them sharing this mission of peace. Hence, working for a culture of peace in the world can be a common shared mission for all religions of humankind. This will need a new ‘Integrated World Order’….

‘In our Hindu tradition we conclude our prayers with ‘Om shanti… shanti… shanti’. The world ‘Islam’ also means peace. Sadguru Jesus Christ offered his peace to his disciples as his parting gift….

‘All of us want peace irrespective of our religious, cultural, linguistic or geographical backgrounds. The whole world today is hungering and thirsting for peace….

‘True and lasting peace has personal, social and ecological dimensions. The seeds of peace are to be found within individuals…. Forgiveness and reconciliation are basic requirements for peace… We have already seen these requirements….

‘I have developed the Inner Peace Meditation termed ‘Shanti Yagna Meditation’ which will help people to find peace within themselves. You have already learnt it…..

‘True peace also has economic, political, religious, ecological and technological dimensions…. Without peace, there cannot be sustainable development and abiding happiness….

‘Working for peace is a mission that can be shared by all religions….

‘There are scriptures of all religions and many books on ‘Peace’ in our library. Please study them carefully. You can then think on ways and means of developing a new Integrated World Order that will promote a culture of peace in the world. You will also be able to understand the importance of peace for sustainable development and for abiding health and happiness……

‘Have you understood these things well, my son?’ The Baba asked and looked at his disciple questioningly.

The Baba continued after a short silence:

‘I envisage and present ‘Tyagarchana’ as a programme for spiritual unity and revitalisation of religions. Through this simple programme of ‘Tyagarchana’ religions can bring about a spiritual awakening not only of themselves by also of the whole nation and the world……

‘As you know, the term ‘Tyagarchana’ consists of two constituents: ‘Tyaga’ and ‘Archana’. ‘Tyaga’ means to sacrifice something dear to one’s heart voluntarily. ‘Archana’ here implies offering it with loving devotion to God…. 

‘Loving devotion to God is best expressed through loving and selfless service rendered to our own needy fellow human beings. That is what we are trying to do in this Ashram. Observe Mataji and you will see the best practical expressions of Tyagarchana in day to day life.….

‘Voluntary sacrifice and loving service are the two important and interdependent constituents of Tyagarchana. When the sacrifice and service are done prayerfully they have much greater spiritual potentials…. 

‘An amount of money can have a spiritual value in addition to its monetary value when it is saved through one’s own loving sacrifices. This spiritual value alone has the power to transform others and to bring out the best in them. When the amount with such spiritual value is used for serving the needy selflessly with love, it doubles its spiritual strength and transforming power…..

‘Experiences of many show that Tyagarchana can help to reduce selfishness, pride, greed and lust in the lives of those who practice it sincerely. It can also help to bring showers of divine blessings upon them and others.…

‘Tyagarchana is also an inner peace programme. It helps us find peace within. It helps to purify ourselves and develop in us an attitude of gratitude which is one of the greatest spiritual virtues….

‘Tyagarchana is a very effective and powerful tool for promoting the much-needed spiritual awakening of religions in India, and of India as a whole…. It can be practised by all..

‘Skipping one meal and using it for feeding a poor and hungry fellow human being with love is a simple act of Tyagarchana. Giving up some luxury item or celebration, and using the saving to help a poor person is Tyagarchana. Surrendering all our pains and sufferings to God with love and devotion following the example of Sadguru Jesus Christ is the highest form of Tyagarchana….

‘There are three small books on Tyagarchana in our library. These are also in shelf no- 1. You can study this inter-religious sadhana in detail from them. But the best way to understand it is to practice it and experience the fruits of it yourself…’ 

The Baba stopped for a while and looked at Atma Prakash.

‘It is a very simple and deeply spiritual programme guruji. I will start practicing it from today’ Atma Prakash told the Baba.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

GOD REALIZATION

God communicated God’s Self to humans through creation. This communication of Self is God’s ultimate love for humanity. God created humans in the divine flow of love of God to enjoy the creation with humans. Through creation God made Self present in this world. God made God’s Self present in creatures in different degrees. God’s presence is manifested fully in humans. The Bible talks about God making humans in God’s image and likeness – male and female who complete each other. World’s theology treats God’s presence in creatures in terms of immanence and transcendence. Christian scriptures explain God’s presence as immanent and transcendent at the same time. Hindu scriptures, especially the Advaita interpretation, explains God’s presence in creatures in such an immanent way, that, through sadhana (spiritual exercises), culminates ultimately in the identity of the creator and the created.

God’s very communication to humanity can be seen as God’s grace. Humans have devised sacraments in Christianity and sacred rituals (samskar) in Hinduism that are purported especially to effect or channel grace. In reality God pervades in the whole of creation, and as such God’s presence itself is grace. God is the life force in the core of every being. God’s grace as is easily available for humans’ spirit-life as water is available for the maintenance plant and animal life on earth. 

It requires only our freedom of choice to benefit from God’s grace. God realization can take place through faithfulness to conscience. Discerning God’s will in our daily life and faithfully following it will secure our life in union with God. Various spiritual exercises found in religions are very helpful in going through different stages of God realization. Many sages, seers, and holy men and women have modeled life for humans. Love and truth guided by justice, tolerance, compassion, and non-violence create the right climate for achieving God realization. Despite claims to the contrary, there is no magic formula, person, ritual, or practice is necessary to achieve God realization which is given us at birth and which is our natural destiny. God of freedom, love, mercy, and understanding does not force any human to follow God’s will. As we learn to walk, run, and learn other skills for material and physical well-being, we need to form our conscience and learn a value system and guidelines for living in a society. 

What about heaven and earth, mukti or nirvana (liberation from bondages)? For persons failing in the life’s work of attaining heaven or freeing from bondages, no hell or re-births are envisaged. For those who failed in God-realization at the end of their life, they return to God at the level of consciousness or awareness they were able to achieve on earth to continue their purification (purgatory?) to accomplish their goal before they achieve their perfect union or realization with God. Over two millennia things got very complex and confusing, and many grievous and fatal errors due to false doctrines and suppression of human freedom have taken place. We need to get back to the original charism, spirit, and teachings found in scriptures of persons who gave rise to various religions. Traditions are important only to the extent of their relevance in changed times.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Dead Lawyer

A guy phones a law office and says: "I want to speak to my lawyer."

The receptionist replies, "I'm sorry but he died last week."

The next day he phones again and asks the same question.

The receptionist replies, "I told you yesterday, he died last week."

The next day the guy calls again and asks to speak to his lawyer.

By this time the receptionist is getting a little annoyed and says, "I  keep telling you that your lawyer died last week. Why do you keep calling?"

The guy says, "Because I just love hearing it."

Indian Thoughts Archives

Inner Mahabharata

LL 290 211116 Inner Mahabharata

Indian epics always are subject to multitudes of inner and outer interpretations. This is one touching interpretation for which I owe my unknown friend Krishna. The story goes:

“Sanjay, at the end of the war went to the spot where the greatest war took place; Kurukshetra. He looked around and wondered if the war really happened, if the ground beneath him had soaked all that blood, if the great Pandavas and Krishna stood where he stood. 

“You will never know the truth about that!” said an aging soft voice. Sanjay turned around to find an Old man in saffron robes appearing out of a column of dust. 

“I know you are here to find out about the Kurukshetra war, but you cannot know about that war till you know what the real war is about.” the Old man said enigmatically.

“What do you mean?” 

“The Mahabharata is an Epic, a ballad, perhaps a reality but definitely a philosophy.” 

The Old man smiled luring Sanjay into more questions. 

“Can you tell me what the philosophy is then?” 

Sanjay requested. 

“Sure”, began the Old man. “The Pandavas are nothing but your five senses, sight, smell, taste, touch and sound and do you know what the Kauravas are?” He asked narrowing his eyes. 

 “The Kauravas are the hundred vices that attack your senses everyday but you can fight them and do you know how?”  Sanjay shook his head again. 

“When Krishna rides your chariot!”  The Old man smiled brighter and Sanjay gasped at that gem of insight. 

“Krishna is your inner voice, your soul, your guiding light and if you let your life in his hands you have nothing to worry.”

Sanjay was stupefied but came around quickly with another question. “Then why are Dronacharya and Bhishma fighting for the Kauravas, if they are vices?” 

The Old man nodded, sadder for the question.  “It just means that as you grow up your perception of your elders change. The elders who you thought were perfect in your growing up years are not all that perfect. They have faults.  And one day you will have to decide if they are for your good or your bad. Then you may also realize that you may have to fight them for the good. It is the hardest part of growing up and that is why the Geeta is important.” 

Sanjay slumped down on the ground, not because he was tired but because he could understand and was struck by the enormity of it all. 

 “What about Karna?” he whispered. 

“Ah!” said the Old man. “You have saved the best for last. Karna is the brother to your senses, he is desire, he is a part of you but stands with the vices. He feels wronged and makes excuses for being with the vices as your desire does all the time. 

 Does your desire not give you excuses to embrace vices?” 

Sanjay nodded silently. He looked at the ground, consumed with a million thoughts, trying to put everything together and then when he looked up the Old man was gone. 

Joseph Mattappally