Expectations and Holistic Detachment

Purity of intention and integrity guide our holy life. Similarly our expectations and healthy detachment are essential for holy living. Holy Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of Jesuits, is the best example I can think of a person leading a holy and detached life, talked about inordinate affections in his book of Spiritual Exercises that prevent one from achieving one’s goal. He also introduced the concept of holy discernment in choosing the right status of life and important decision-making. Our expectations and attachments fall under the rubric of inordinate affections.  Expectations, our own and those of others such as our dear and near ones and well-wishers have for us, are often not in our control.  

Not realizing our expectations (our desire) is the main reason for our unhappiness and bondage as the wise Buddha determined it. Passionate attachments make us cling to our ideas of what is good for us and considerably diminish our freedom to make the right decision for us. Surrendering our expectations to God is of paramount importance in leading a holistic and tension-free life. This surrendering is the same as doing one’s duty or dharma that one is called to do without desiring the fruits of one’s actions. This surrendering is the great advice that Krishna gave to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita when Arjuna was sad, disheartened, and uncertain faced with the critical war in Kurukshetra. This is also the demand given by all religions. We have often heard that many have not enjoyed the fruits of their labor.  Many have not enjoyed the fruits of the trees they have planted. And we ourselves may not enjoy the fruits of our hard labor. The most important thing is that we have the good fortune and health to labor hard living a holy life while the life of many others has been cut short due to no fault of their own. 

In sum, we need to have realistic expectations, and try to realize them the best way we can. Then we need to let go and surrender to God and the coming generations knowing very well that our own death is our final surrendering. Clinging on to our expectations coming from our desires can only stop us in our track. We need to do everything in our power to materialize our expectations that are thoroughly discerned in the full awareness of God’s will for us. Once done, we leave them to God. If our ideals have some lasting value, they will surely last and benefit humanity in God’s plan.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Brave Advisors

I often receive internet links and documents in my email to give my feedback on content quality. It is always a challenge to give a truly constructive feedback without any bias and make sure that it doesn't hurt. Sometimes the need of avoiding any harsh words may conflict with telling the truth. Being critical about something always reminds me of the washer man and the donkey story. A washer man and his son were riding a donkey with a load of clothes. They were going to deliver the clothes to the clients in a nearby location. They received the random comments from passerby that they had put too much load on the donkey and this is a cruelty towards the animal. Hearing this the washer man himself gets down. His son and the clothes bag is still on the donkey's back. The new comment is that the old man is walking on the ground, while a young son is enjoying the ride. When they reverse the roles, then also public was not satisfied and the comment is that how can a father ignore his young son and not provide him enough comfort. When both got down and started walking, then also people called them fools for not taking enough advantage to ride the animal they had. A stage came when they lifted the animal themselves, who jumped off their shoulders while moving on a river bridge and they lost their clothes as well as the animal.

The moral of the story is, if you give lot of importance to criticism, you are bound to loose. So becoming a critic my aim is not to become someone who criticizes everything in every situation. I should not behave like a mob while being a graceful critic. A graceful critic has to be knowledgeable. To be a trustworthy as a critic one should be like someone who can probably do a better job. If you do not have this quality, do not accept the job of giving the feedback. Otherwise you can easily be labelled as someone we amusingly call in hindi as 'Rai Bahadur' or the brave advisor.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg.

The Skeptic and the Wizard

Just listen to these conversations. Deep in the state of Georgia an outback farmer, barefoot and ragged, sat on the veranda of his tumbledown shack. Along came a stranger who asked for a drink of water. Trying to be pleasant, the stranger asked, 

“How is your cotton coming along this year?” 

“I don’t have any,” replied the farmer.

“Didn’t you plant any?” asked the stranger. 

“Nope,” said the farmer. “I was afraid of the we evils.”

“Well, how is your corn then?” 

“Didn’t plant any of that either. Was afraid there wasn’t going to be any rain.” 

Still trying to be helpful, the stranger asked, “Well, how about your potatoes?” 

“I don’t have any. I’m afraid of the potato bugs.” 

“Well, what did you plant this year?” asked the astonished visitor.

“Nothing,” answered the farmer. “I just played it safe.” 

Truly we pity with this farmer a sure and confirmed candidate for failure! 

There is still another group that is commonly found these days. 

In the next scene we find a wizard. Two friends, Ravi and Soma, lived in a town; they were very good friends. Ravi was an intelligent man and Soma always made it a point to take his advice whenever he had to decide on something. It was a time when mobile phones were slowly taking over. One day Soma asked Ravi, “I think of buying a mobile hand phone Ravi.” 

Ravi replied, “Mobile phone is always a good thing; what that is in the market now are simple analogue kits. If you can wait a little you will be able to buy a phone with a camera. I read that a company has almost launched it.” Soma waited for a year and he saw the ad saying that camera phones are now available in the town outlet. 

Soma was about to go to the town to buy one. Ravi asked him, “Are you going to buy this 1 MP camera phone? One MP is not enough for a good picture. If you can wait, you will get a 3 MP camera phone for almost the same price.” 

And when 3 MP camera phones came in, Ravi suggested that investing in an Android phone is better. Ravi keep on advising Soma and as far as I know, everybody in the town except Soma and Ravi have mobile phones. 

Aren’t they also sure candidates for failure? 

It is said that our wisdom comes from our experience, and our experience comes from our foolishness. How true!

Joseph Mattappally

Entirely Guilty

Frederick II, the 18th century King of Prussia, fancied himself an enlightened monarch, and in some respects he was.  On one occasion he is supposed to have interested himself in conditions in the Berlin prison and was escorted through it so that he might speak to the prisoners.  One after another, the prisoners fell to their knees before him, bewailing their lot and, predictably, protesting their total innocence of all charges that had been brought against them.

Only one prisoner remained silent, and finally Frederick's curiosity was aroused. "You," he called.  "You there."  The prisoner looked up.  "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Why are you here?"  "Armed robbery, Your Majesty."

"And are you guilty?" "Entirely guilty, Your Majesty.  I richly deserve my punishment."

At this Frederick rapped his cane sharply (he was well known for his sudden fits of anger) on the ground and yelled, "Warden, release this guilty wretch at once.  I will not have him here in jail where by example he will corrupt all the splendid innocent people who occupy it."

 

Acknowledgement of one’s guilt is the primary requisite for pardon. Acknowledgement of one’s defects is the primary requisite for self change.

Indian Thoughts  Archives

Holy Life

Holy life is wholesome life. It nurtures the body, mind, and spirit or soul. It is holistic life. It comes from living close to nature. Observing and studying nature, it follows the laws of nature. It understands the landscapes, the rhythms, and the cycles and the seasons of nature. Respecting nature we harness the forces of nature for full and benign living without effecting climate change and destroying ecological balance. 

Holy life requires that humans take proper care of the body as the temple wherein the meticulous cultivation of the mind and the development of the spirit life take place. While necessary treatments for diseases and corrective surgical procedures are needed, surgical interventions on a healthy body for changes or enhancements that take place for consumer consumption, primarily, say, in affluent societies, are better avoided. Any exploitation of nature or of one’s body with a view to a profit motive goes against holiness. Any kind of impulsive gratification and excess pleasure is often encouraged by consumer culture, and violates the laws of nature, and goes against holy life. Over-indulgence in food and other materials, proven to be destructive in the West, is currently spreading to the East with affluence in our age of ready information and fast communication.

Education is meant to develop one’s mind to live an enlightened spirit life. It is now mostly commercialized in our consumer society to fetch the best job possible with the highest salary. Thus our educational system, instead of enlightening and enabling ourselves to live a holy life, has truly enslaved us, and have made us opportunistic pleasure-seekers. Our success is measured by the amount of our wealth and the trappings that go with we possess. Hoarding of wealth and holiness do not go together.

Where do religions that are especially supposed to instill spiritual values and teach about holy life currently figure in the world? I do not think religions at the moment are equipped to lead their members to a holy life as indicated by the mere fact that religions do not have much appeal in the consumer world. Religions do not teach their members to spend time in union with God through meditation or thorough examination of conscience. While religions stand for realities beyond this world, they need to develop a new ethos taking into account humanistic values and human rights for all. This new ethos can spell out a new life-style very suitable for holy life and union with God. As religions are miserably lost in rites and rituals, mostly bickering about them, they are not aware they are mostly concerned about the wrappings of the messages their founders came to proclaim. This is true about all religions. There are times when secular powers are called to regulate intramural conflicts that religions themselves could not regulate. How can religions credibly point to a holy and spirit life when they themselves are mired in the conflicts that have nothing to do with holiness?  Recent (March 22, 2016) horrible and senseless killings of innocent people by radical jihadism in Brussels, Belgium, for instance, have sent shock waves across the world calling for caution and censure against Muslims. For instance, the two leading Republican candidates running for the presidency of the United States spoke about giving police departments special power “to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized”. Racial profiling of Muslims was in the air. The leading Republican contender for the Presidency also talked about practices such as torture to get quick information, and reinstating inhuman procedures such as waterboarding and other interrogation techniques already discredited and abandoned. 

While these sentiments expressed are dangerous and counterproductive, Islam as a whole needs to take the upper-hand in dealing with radical jihadism. While religions fought in the past, this is a good opportunity for all religions to come together in close cooperation, perhaps through an interreligious council, to deal with radical elements of all religions and legitimate grievances of all, especially the Palestinians.

Finally, human beings had all they needed to lead a holy life right from the beginning of their creation or origin. God sent special messengers who are recognized by the positions or risks they took to bring about needed changes or correction of the course humanity was taking toward its destiny. Unfortunately their messages are not given the needed importance. On the other hand, the rites and rituals, that the immediate followers developed to help proclaim the message, are celebrated in great acclaim and pomp. Thus greater importance is given to a symbol like washing of feet on Maundy Thursday by Christian dignitaries than to the practice of humility and humble service that that symbol signified by Christ’s action. Our lifestyle needs to embody the spirit life no matter how we see and make sense of our messengers as unique way to God or as different ways to the same God. What matters is not our claim in words but our practice in action in day to day practical life.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti  

Mentor Analysis

I was just watching a religious preacher talking in front of a crowd of thousands of people sitting on the ground. The topic was "respect for a Guru or Mentor". The speaker, who was a self labeled Guru was continuously quoting examples of why a Guru should be followed blindly. The explanation had content like why a Guru should be seated on a stage and followers on the ground; Why followers should be believing every word of a Guru. Why following a guru is following the God. Why only he is the only way to connect to God. Frankly, I was not surprised with the mannerism with which this gentleman was talking. I had seen many like him earlier too. Somehow a huge following is also available for such preachers.

Now, on another day, I was taking a special class of a student who had come to me to clear certain doubts, what he could not understand in his school. After I clarified few doubts, the student said, "I am surprised, that why my school teacher doesn't teach me this way". He had shown a feeling of dis-respect for his current school teacher. I was alarmed with this kind of comparison. I said, "Please don't raise doubts regarding your mentors, it doesn't help you learn. Let us just focus on learning and not on analyzing mentors." I was surprised with myself, when my tone of explanation was almost similar to the story of self-labeled Guru I narrated earlier. That's how we all are. We have two kinds of personality analysis systems working within us. One tool is for others and one is for us.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg.

The Story of Changes

Ours is a habit of getting bored at repetitions – be it the same pleasure or the same mouth watering dish. The thrilling portions of human history are those that talk about revolutions, which changed the daily chorus of humans drastically. The agricultural revolution that swept through almost all ancient cultures some 12,000 years ago was the first of major revolutions that shook us. Thereafter we see people living in small societies and also farming done in organized patterns. 

In our early days, as Yuval Noah Harari puts it in his famous book ‘Sapiens’, “…. our foragers mastered not only the surrounding world of animals, plants and objects, but also the internal world of bodies and their own senses. They listened to the slightest movement in the grass to learn whether a snake might be lurking there. They carefully observed the foliage of tress in order to discover fruits, beehives and birds nests. They moved with a minimum effort and noise, and knew how to sit, walk and run in the most agile and efficient manner …….. They had the physical dexterity that people today are unable to achieve even after years of practicing yoga or t’ai chi.” 

Those revolutionist foragers also would have been looking for more changes, just like us. Whenever I ask myself, which was better – the ancient or the most modern, I’m confused. Though totally agricultural dependent and used to only organic treatments, they were not free from life threats. A surprise draught or a flood or a crop disaster was frequent. Wars also contributed heavily in keeping the Sapien population under check. Today we have medical experts specialized on right thumbs and left thumbs. But the truth is that death and accident possibilities haven’t changed even a little. If it were snowfalls, snakebites, epidemics or wars that cut the life span of those foragers, today the reasons are different but the result is the same. Instead of snakebites we have road accidents; instead of cholera we have AIDS and cancer and wars continue to remain common. Absolute safety is still miles away. Is it not better to be content with what we have, rather than spending our energy on a long chase for more safety and more satisfaction standards? 

Joseph Mattappally

Left Behind

A son took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner. Father being very old and weak, while eating, dropped food on his shirt and trousers. Others diners watched him in disgust while his son was calm.

After he finished eating, his son who was not at all embarrassed, quietly took him to the wash room, wiped the food particles, removed the stains, combed his hair and fitted his spectacles firmly. When they came out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grasp how someone could embarrass themselves publicly like that.

The son settled the bill and started walking out with his father.

At that time, an old man amongst the diners called out to the son and asked him, "Don't you think you have left something behind?". The son replied, "No sir, I haven't".

The old man retorted, "Yes, you have! You left a lesson for every son and hope for every father".

The restaurant went silent.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Greed Destroys Happiness

Smith and the head teacher were standing near the playground, where the children were frolicking to their heart’s content. He asked the headmaster, “Why is it that everyone wants to be happy, but so few ever are?” 

The teacher looked at the playground and answered, “Those children seem to be really happy.” “Why shouldn’t they be?” said Smith. “All they do is play. But what keeps the grownups from being happy like that?”

 “The same thing that can keep children from being happy.” When he said that, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of copper coins, and threw them among the playing children. Suddenly all laughter stopped. The children tumbled over one another, fought and argued.

Then the teacher said to Smith, “Well, what do you think ended their happiness?”

“The fighting,” answered Smith.

“And what started the fighting?” “Greed.”

“There you have the answer to your question” said the teacher. - Willi Hoffsuemmer

 Greed is nothing but the uncontrolled desire to possess. Buddha would say, desire is the root cause of all evils. As new leaves sprout one after another on a thriving plant, desire sprouts up endlessly in the human heart. Everybody wants to find happiness. But their greed to possess the things that they think will make them happy, unfortunately, keeps happiness itself away.

Indian Thoughts Archives

The Cow

Atma Prakash saw two Tribal women, one older than the other, bringing a cow to the Ashram. 

The Baba got up and walked towards them. 

Atma Prakash followed.

The cow came running towards the Baba.. It licked him all over with great affection.

‘I brought Ammini up. Gave her to Sunanda as a wedding gift few months ago’, the Baba told Atma Prakash, pointing to the younger woman. 

‘But Ammini wants to see Babaji every now and then’ said Sunanada’s mother.

The Baba gave Ammini few ripe bananas which she seemed to relish eating…. 

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

‘Cows are the most gentle of all animals... The cow’s milk can be drunk by a newborn human child without diluting it….

‘But the goat’s milk or buffalo’s milk cannot be drunk like that by infants. Hence, we call the cow ‘gomata’, mother cow…. 

‘The economy and life of rural India are intimately related to the cow… A cow is like a mother to us. Everything about her is useful for us….. Her milk, her dung, her urine, her progeny… all……

‘The teacher asked the nursery school children about the most useful animal… One child promptly said, ‘Mother’….

Atma Prakash burst out laughing, hearing about the response of the child.

The Baba continued: ‘In our subconscious mind, this belief of mother as the most useful and loving being is deeply embedded. That is why most of us, when in difficulty, unconsciously call out to our mothers….

‘A child is happy and strengthened when its mother is around…. Most young women want to go to their mothers’ house for their first delivery….

‘Where God could not be, He created mothers’… This old dictum reflects a deeply embedded belief in our subconscious mind..… the belief of the ‘mother’ as the most useful and loving being…

‘It is very interesting to know that as we grow and expand in consciousness, we will be able to communicate with animals and plants…. From our self-centered ego-consciousness we need to evolve and expand to a unitive divine consciousness to be able to do so…..” 

The Baba told Atma Prakash after the women left with Ammini.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Consumer Culture - 3 Spirituality Beyond Religions

Some of my friends have difficulty understanding me when I talk about spirituality beyond religions. They want to know what led me to this stance especially after being a Jesuit for about 25 years, and training priests at Jnana Deep Vidyapeeth, Pune, India. I am talking about institutionalized religions. Institutionalized religions have valuable, distinct functions that should help their members have God-experience or mysticism. Actually religions are supposed to facilitate our search for the truth and finally our search for the Absolute. They are meant to provide purpose, direction, and guidelines on our path to the Ultimate through very rugged and cumbersome terrains. They are intended to show the best paths without in any way diminishing our freedom and thirst for knowledge. But when they present themselves as the only Way to attain Truth and liberation or salvation especially through their set doctrines and dogmas that accompany prescribed rituals, practices, divine sanctions, social ostracism ,and human penalties, they begin to interfere with God-given freedom and conscience. Surprisingly such is the current situation. There is no real choice. Either believe or perish. Even the inquiry within a religion is guided by carefully ‘selected experts’ appointed by ‘divinely-inspired authorities’ who are guardians of the Divine Will. So there is nothing to search, only obey and follow. Thus religions that are precious means meant to support and complement one another have become a bone of contention with devastating results. They are also mired in superstitious beliefs and practices. Interestingly the religion of my birth and other religions gave me the training that, fortunately for me, led me to spirituality beyond religions. It is important to note that all religions connect under the umbrella of spirituality.

I would like to help people become who they can be and adopt helpful teachings from religions so they can come to healthy spirituality that connect with God. These helpful teachings from various religions need to become an integrated whole or a powerful coherence guided by essential elements from one’s chosen or birth/primary religion. They pave the way for mystical experiences wherein human and God experience union and communion. The mystical union is beyond any human description, and is beyond the scrutiny of any science. This union certainly comes under the realm of faith but as a human experience it is nonetheless real but not as any ordinary reality. The great American philosopher and pioneer psychologist, William James, who wrote important books on the psychology of religious experience and mysticism, places mysticism in the realm of the vast subconscious. When he is talking about religion he is talking about personal religion, and not institutionalized religion, that helps humans come in contact with the divine power in the universe - that something more than what the individual human has. In this context I would like to mention Sri Narayana Guru in the East, a spiritual luminary of extraordinary vision and a contemporary of James, who said: “Human has only one caste or race, one religion, and one God”. Narayana Guru is not talking about reducing all religions to one religion but merely stating that all religions are different expressions of the same reality as also the one God is defined or called in many ways. It is important to study James and Narayana Guru – two great pragmatists - in the light of developing a spirituality that affirms wholesome elements in all religions with a view to cooperation rather than competition and destructive fights among them. It may be also good to keep in mind a famous writer on myths, Joseph Campbell, who through pointing out myths common to all religions, indeed to humanity, threw light on important myths and rituals we live by.

Finally, spirituality beyond religions, takes into account the special signs of the times, especially the increasing intolerance, coercion, and vicious crimes in the name of religions, respects individual freedom and conscience. While giving due importance to healthy religions and their belief systems, this spirituality focuses on love, truth, and compassion – primary human aspirations - to experience union with God for all who are God’s children.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Nothing Left to Discover

His mother wanted him to continue with the science stream. He was actually an extremely bright boy. He was in his early teens. The age was just right to make the decision every young child needs to take to shape his future years. The child was brought to me for counseling. The child wanted to go for commerce stream now. He had mentally equated commerce to lots of money. Few days' back he was gifted an expensive mobile phone for bringing very good marks in his final examinations. The mobile phone was already damaged and the new one was refused by his parents. He was in a fix. He wanted to have his own money so that he can fulfill each one of his desires in a split second. This seems to be the reason he wanted to switch his career path. I asked this child, you are so good at science, so why do you want to change your stream. His answer was really interesting. Yes you guessed it right, that is what the title of this article is, "There is nothing left to be discovered now, so I won't become famous like the scientists I read about. So! It is better to go for a line where I can make more money".

 

I now had the big challenge to tell this young intelligent brain, that what more this world is still trying to find. I asked the boy's mother and the boy to give me a days' time to find the right answer. Obviously I wanted to find from the internet, what more this world is still searching, so that I can convince a curious child with full conviction. I found things like dark matter and dark energy, things like digital aroma and digital taste. Time machine has been most awaited invention since ages. So much so, largest value of pi, largest prime number are still a great challenge for mathematics enthusiasts. Holographic televisions, Perfect Humanoid Robos, Flying Cars are still a matter of science fiction. Finally I could draw a list of many things a young science oriented brain can strive to form a challenging career in. Next day, when the mother child duo returned, the child said, "Sorry Uncle! I was wrong, when I said that nothing is left to be discovered. I am sure that I will find the area of my interest too." The child also brought a list of things this world is still trying to find or invent. His list was much more exhaustive than my list. We did share our lists, our own little discoveries in a way. I do not why, but his mother was still thanking me a lot for guiding her child. I actually did nothing. Somehow, my efforts to find the answer to his question telepathically matched the efforts of this young boy and he himself found the answer. This is the way life goes on. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg.

We Phones

If ‘Ahmedabad Mirror’ is not wrong, the city has become ‘Suicide City (of India)’, as the publication itself puts it. 66 suicides in 48 hours – that definitely is too much! But it is true, the reasons mostly being debt issues, disharmony in relationships, examination stress and love failures. This is not a problem confined to Ahmedabad alone. All these traced reasons aren’t new to humanity; the world is not unarmed against similar stress related issues either. Still, more and more people opt for the extreme step? Certainly, it could be because of their inability to face the challenges emerging from an updated social environment, in which, most children are brought up in glass cubicles. They have talents but not the right attitude. Morality is strange to them; they do not trust in unproven theories. At a similar scenario where each one competes with every other, rather than competing with ones own records, it is natural that things go beyond anybody’s control. 

The New Age generation lacks mighty reasons to continue. Most people, I think, haven’t the ability to frame even a good looking simple white lie. The best of the lot belong to the group of academically well qualified. In the West there is a trend to skip ‘no failures’ scholars during interviews, under the pretext that they may not be able to survive failures or withstand challenges. It’s true. How can we make everyone shock proof? Where our kind take smart phones for parents, spouse, siblings or friends, no surprise we will lose. There we don’t experiment; there are only the choices of following the given options. Smartphones also haven’t the habit of continuously listening to other’s woes or kicking ones mind to suggest an appropriate solution in a given situation. Until we turn to WE phones instead of I phones, more cities are likely to become good suicide destinations, very soon.

Joseph Mattappally

Mohini Rao

‘Om… Shanti ..’ … 

Atma Prakash looked in the direction of the soft and musical voice….

She was sitting on a chair behind the shelves.. She was doing some work on the Computer..

She smiled at him… ‘Hello Atma Prakash …... Is our dead young revolutionary looking for some books? Can I help you ?’ 

She got up and walked towards him…

He stood there…..stunned… 

‘What a beautiful woman!’ he thought to himself….

‘Dead young revolutionary? I am still alive and kicking! In fact, much better than ever before....’ Atma Prakash responded.

‘Inspector Narasimha Reddy and team received Rs 10 lakhs for shooting you dead at the end of a day-long deadly encounter. The ‘young lion’ of the naxalite movement in Andhra Pradesh engaged them in a deadly gun battle single-handedly for a whole day. Finally, by the time it was getting dark, Inspector Reddy got you. He wanted to capture you alive. But you tried to escape in to the jungle. Hence, he had no other choice but to shoot you and blast you with grenades... 

‘The newspapers had carried the whole story in detail. It had made an exciting reading. Even in our University we were discussing you and your revolution. Your photos, both alive and dead, were also published. Of course the parts of the scattered body and scull were covered with pieces of white cloth.’ The young lady responded.

‘Good for them…The police in Andhra Pradesh is poorly paid. Hence, a sum of 10 lakhs will be very useful for their families…’ Atma Prakash said… 

‘Guruji had mentioned about some books. I want to have a look at one of them.’…. he told her.

‘Which book?’ She asked. 

‘Small is Beautiful’ by E F Schumacher.’ Replied Atma Prakash 

‘Shelf – 5. Bottom row ‘ she said….. 

‘She seems to know the library very well…. Who can this beautiful young lady be?’.. He was thinking…..

‘I am Mohini Rao, a Research Scholar from Osmania University, Hyderabad. I am here for an interaction with my Guide, the Air Force Baba.……. I needed some clarification…. Will go back to Hyderabad soon’ .. She said, as if reading his mind...

‘Hello Mohini…’ His voice was hardly audible. He was still looking at her, surprised… 

‘How come I did not see her so far?’ he thought to himself….

‘I came only today morning’ she said as if reading his mind….

“What are you doing your Research on?” This time his voice was clear and strong…. It was the commanding voice of a revolutionary leader.

‘Human Consciousness and Ecological Harmony.’ She said.

‘Trying to discover how expansion of human consciousness can bring about ecological harmony?’ He asked..

‘Precisely… Your revered guruji, also my revered guruji, is my role model and Guide.. Mataji also is a great help. She was our HOD before retirement and joining Babaji here. She was also initiated by him many years ago.’ 

‘I am pleasantly surprised to know that our guruji is your Ph. D. Guide and our Mataji was the HOD of a Department in your University !’ Atma Prakash remarked.

‘You will come to know many more surprising things about them’ Mohini said.

‘What have you discovered so far through your research, Mohini?’ Atma Prakash asked her.

‘I am discovering more and more the interdependent organic nature of planet earth and of the whole creation. Babaji stresses on such a holisitic vision of life and reality. I am discovering more and more the truth of his vision and teaching.’ Mohini said.

‘In fact, I too am discovering a truth’ Atma Prakash told her.

‘May I know what is the truth that you are discovering?’ she asked him.

‘The truth that Mohini Rao is by far the most beautiful woman I have ever met’, said Atma Prakash and walked towards Shelf No-5.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Economic Inequality

BS 293 100316 Consumer Culture - 2  

I was shocked to read in an article in a prominent newspaper on March 7, 2016 that quoted a recent Oxfarm report that stated that the 62 richest billionaires of the world own as much wealth of the world as half of the world’s population. The World Population as of July 1, 2015 according to the medium fertility by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs was 7.439 billion persons, that is, 7439 million or 743.9 crores. According to the World Population Clock that indicates World Population every second the Current World Population is 7,407,416,800 at 7:50 AM, Indian Standard Time (according to my watch) on March 10, 2016. Of these 59.7% live in Asia, 9.9% live in Europe, 4.9% live in North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), 0.5% in Oceania (Australia and proximate islands).  Population per square kilometer is: Asia – 143, Europe – 33, North America – 19, Oceania – 5.   The 62 richest billionaires enjoy the amount of wealth that is shared by 3674.5 (371.95 crores) persons in the world. These billionaires have easy access to the temples of democracy all over the world through the money bags held by their lobbyists to make a mockery of the rule of governments by the people for the people. They are the new oligarchy reminiscent of the Roman Empire who rules the world through their multinational corporations and their financial empires. They manipulate financial centers and world markets at their will through speculations and massive movement of wealth by withdrawal or infusion of money at their whim. They accumulate and increase their wealth through tax loopholes and offshore tax shelters, money laundering, and disproportionate profit sharing. They are the worshippers of Mammon (God of wealth). They are knowingly or unwittingly criminals taking advantage of socially unjust laws created or maintained by us, the people. Little do they realize that they can accumulate this enormous, scandalous wealth only because of unsocial laws created and protected by us, the people.  Here I want to acknowledge a few humanitarian billionaires such as Bill Gates (the world’s richest man), Warren Buffet, and a few others who have a conscience and hence started philanthropic works all over the world a few years ago. My contention is that we do not need doling out of some wealth by rich donors out of their so-called generosity that rightly belong to us. In effect there needs to be a reasonable limit on wealth that any individual can accumulate imposed by a genuine democratic government.

My anguishing question is: Why are not the leaders of organized religions silent about perhaps the most heinous, crying shame on humanity? Are they so immersed in afterlife that they have given up on the present life – the current human condition -, the only life we know for sure? Finally why are we, the people, tolerating the pure misery imposed mainly by such economic inequality, evil par excellence? Economic inequality needs to be closely scrutinized as money is thought to be the root of all evil. I also want to make it very clear that I am against all violent revolutions as one evil cannot mitigate or remove another evil.

 

Why are we, the people, the way we are? My explanation is that centuries of indescribable crimes against humanity perpetrated by racial and caste slave systems, colonialism, racial hatred, ethnic cleansing and racial elimination, and gross social injustice have desensitized us to prolonged evil social systems that we have become numb to these evils. We are not often willing to die for a cause. But we are willing to die or kill for a motion picture or sports personality or a narrow sectarian or religious issue. Recently (March 6, 2016) a Nigerian youth was murdered by another Nigerian youth over a heated argument on the best footballer – whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo - during the victim’s  birthday party celebration in Maharashtra (India). Since we cannot or do not have the energy and motivation to deal with the real issues of life we often take flight into a world of fantasy.

Terrorism and senseless killings have become facts of life. Economic inequality is a worse fact of life than even terrorism that needs to be systematically tackled by us people. Compensations need to be made through affirmative action that takes into account past crimes on humanity such as racial and caste slavery, invasion and annexation of lands by kings, colonialism,  massive movement of populations  and wealth committed by rich nations who have developed the so-called morality to protect their vested interests. We need to develop a new morality that takes into account the new human condition that neglects his or her social situation.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Milkman's Pride

A humble milkman visits our home since last twenty six years. He is seventy three. Yesterday he informed my wife that he had built a temple in his village, all with his own money and requested both of us to visit the opening ceremony of the temple, which falls on Shiva-ratri day today. He made such a soft and courteous request that we both felt like going to his village. In fact, it was the first time in last so many years we asked his name, so that we can locate his place in the village. We were feeling guilty, that we should have known his name earlier. That is the way we city dwellers are. We label people whom we meet daily with their profession as milkman, washer man, and sweeper and then we call them with the name of their profession, rather than with their sweet names.

Finally, we reached the place where he had built this temple. It was deep inside a village lane. We had to leave our car on the road and walk all the way in the lane. The lane was narrow but was all carpeted with curtains covering both the sides. The temple idols were still sitting outside as they had just been dipped in a temporary water pond and were waiting for the priest for some more rituals. A person in the village had already informed our milkman about our arrival and he came running all the way. He offered us the fruits as 'prasad'. He also insisted us to visit his house which was nearby. As we entered his home we could feel that this person was feeling extremely proud. Actually his house was quite palatial, much bigger than our house. He showed us every room. He insisted that we should see his drawing room, which had a big screen LED television. The kitchen had the modern smoke chimney. He also told that his children and their families live in these modern rooms and he still takes the wooden cot lying in the verandah at the ground floor. With us he came out to main road and showed us his four wheelers and the garage for the same. Since I had a small car, I was not willing that he should come along with us till the point it is parked. But he saw us off till the parking point. All this time, he remained extremely humble, uttering every word with respect. Obviously on our way back, I and my wife were trying to analyse destiny versus education, conversion of farming land to residential property, city and village habits and many similar topics. And, before I stop keying in more words, I did take photograph of the stone he had put outside the temple, which inscribed "In memory of my parents".

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg.

I don’t Know

13.5 billion years have passed by since energy, time and space came into being, according to the Big Bang theory. Some 3-4 million years ago, on a planet called earth certain molecules combined to form particularly large and intricate structures called organisms. Slowly life began to flourish on earth. One of the most important revolutions that shaped the course of history on its revolutionary evolution is the Cognitive Revolution, which is dated back to 70,000 years.

As humans evolved, they turned out to be the only species with exceptionally big brains. While a mammal, which weighed 60 kilograms has an average brain size of 200 cubic centimeters, human brain weighed at an average of 600 cubic centimeters. Thank God, for the partiality shown to humans; otherwise every life species on earth would have developed their own space programs and war tactics. Truly, it is on the intellectual limitations of other things and beings that we humans build our glass mansions. 

As the cognitive revolution began, there developed seeds of own destruction too. We have proofs to believe that structured communication tactics also began during this period. Studies on communication between living beings have proved that animal communication is confined to the present, like ‘an eagle is flying above’ or ‘a snake is waiting near’. Only humans are able to say that there is a lion near the river. They only developed the capacity to speak about unknown things or things that never existed. You cannot fool a monkey off a banana by convincing it that it will get a hill of bananas after its death. It is from our capacity to think and speak on things beyond visibility, from where myths came into our lives. So came religions too, spreading fear all around. It is our capacity to think about things that did not exist that paves our way to inventions on a daily basis. 

The civilization of Atlantis was limited to an area, so was Moo that existed in Sahara. They were all completely wiped out from the surface of the earth; one reason was that they all crossed the limitations set to them as human beings. Unlike ancient civilizations that were limited to certain areas, we are an whole mass living in one global village and it seems that our end could be complete eviction from the surface of the earth, for we also are crossing the ‘optimum points’ set by the universe. My question is what would have been better - a life in the present or a life spread to unknown domains of past and future? My answer is ‘I don’t know’. 

Joseph Mattappally

The Medium Can Change The Message

An elderly illiterate carpenter received some mail and he was very upset about it. A letter was a very unusual thing in his life and he was worried about what might be in it. So he hurried over to the butcher shop and the rough-voiced muscle man behind the counter read it aloud. 

“This is a letter from your son,” he growled, “and it says: ‘Dear Dad, l am sick and haven’t a single cent. Send me some money quick. Your son Bill.” Influenced by the harsh tones of the reader, the carpenter became red with rage and exploded, “Who does that kid think he is, telling me what to do? I won’t give him a cent.” 

In a fit of anger, the carpenter walked back home. But along the way he met his friend the soft-spoken tailor. He stopped him and confided, “I want you to see this letter my boy sent me.”  The tailor took the letter and read it aloud in his usual calm and cultured way. 

Suddenly the message sounded different to the carpenter. It came across as appealing and plaintive. It left the carpenter deeply saddened. “Poor Bill,” he said with worry in his voice. “He’s in bad shape. I’d better send him some cash — fast.”  So off he went to wire some money to his son. 

The message can often depend on the medium!  Quite often troubles can be traced to the way a particular message was delivered. The same message can cause diametrically opposite reactions. How strange!

Indian Thoughts Archives

Art of ‘letting go’

Baba continued, ‘Do not ever forget my son; empty-handed had we come into this world, and empty-handed shall we go away from this world. We need to learn the art of ‘letting go’…. We need to outgrow the pulls and attractions of the flesh and the world at every stage, and keep our focus always on the ultimate goal and purpose of our sojourn in this world…. 

‘There is an interesting story, my son…. When the young Alexander the Great was about to die, he had given three commands to his Generals…. The first command was that his empty hands had to be put outside the coffin to show to the world that Alexander the Great after conquering the whole world was going away from this world empty handed!... 

‘The second command was that the path over which his dead body was to be carried for the funeral rites had to be cast with pearls, diamonds and other precious stones to show to the world that all the wealth that he had looted and plundered from the different countries that he had conquered could not save his life!.... The third command was that his best physicians had to carry his dead body. This was to show to the world that all the knowledge of his best physicians put together could not cure him, and save his life! It is believed that Alexander had died of Malaria......

‘This story reveals to us the simple truth that empty handed have we come into this world and empty handed shall we go away from this world, and that all the power, all the wealth and all the knowledge put together cannot save us from death… 

‘Our physical life is a pilgrimage on earth, my son. Birth is the beginning and death is the end of this pilgrimage….Birth and death are two realities beyond our control. What is within our control is the time span between these two realities….

‘The worth of one’s life can be measured based on the way one has utilized the wealth and relationships that one has acquired during this time span…

‘The best way to use our time, wealth and relationships is to surrender them with love to God by serving one’s fellow beings selflessly with love, and by working for a culture of peace in the world……

‘An integral vision of life and reality is what you need for the great mission of your life, my son. You have to translate it into a life-mission to build a spiritually awakened, morally regenerated, economically prosperous and politically strong India through further study, work and prayer….

‘A spiritually awakened, morally regenerated, economically prosperous and politically strong India will help to usher in a civilization of love and a culture of peace in the world. This is the divine mission ahead you...

‘Keep this mission in your heart always, my son … Also, please remember, what one learns from the guru constitutes only a quarter of the wisdom acquired in one’s life. Another quarter is to be acquired through one’s own study, yet another quarter from others, and the last quarter from one’s own lived-life experiences.’ The Baba stopped and looked at his disciple questioningly.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Consumer Culture -1

LOSING BATTLES, WINNING THE WAR

This morning as I was having breakfast, I noticed our cat, Rasan, jumping on to his perch on top of the dog house to see his food dish. After a very brief look he jumped out searching for his caretaker. Soon I went to see his food dish to find out what happened. There was quite some food left over from the previous day in the tray. There was also food carelessly strewn around making the place messy. He does not hunt any mouse that destroy edible roots in our garden. Rasan eats his choice food to his content, basks in the sun, and tries to sneak in to the house and sleeps in bed or clothes piles even though he knows he is not allowed in the house. I do not like pets inside the house though this is a common phenomenon in the USA where a great deal of money is spent on their food, and to keep them clean.  A dog or cat does not clean itself after its bath-room chores. I am witnessing the same scenario that I did not care for in the US: overweight and obese persons, and fat and overfed pets. This is due to what I call a tragic consumer culture of affluence that drains our rationality and sense of priorities. We may lose many battles, but we have to win this war on consumer culture that makes us impotent. Here is an attempt to make us aware of the destructive nature of consumer culture.

Consumer culture gradually sneaks into our life as it pleases our senses, especially our taste and sight. It caters to our cumulative sense of comfort. We are attracted by looks and sensual pleasures that routinely make us indulge in impulsive behaviors. For many shoppers, mostly women, in the US, shopping is a form of entertainment. Window-shopping – finding out the new products available in the market – is a great pastime. Shopping any more is not need-based but want-based. Shopping in the developed countries has become a serious form of addiction for many whom I have seen in therapy.  Persons in shopping spree impulsively buy things that they do not need, do not have space to store, and do not have money to pay for. They charge what they buy on their many credit cards, and finally end up in the offices of credit counseling, and often in declaring bankruptcy. Currently this is the kind of shopping model that is being exported into the developing countries. Persons who engage in impulsive criminal activities on the spur of the moment that involve thefts or sexual crimes are also led by thrill-seeking behaviors and momentary excitements resulting from extreme, negative form of impulsive behaviors. The many models the young men and women imitate are not known for their moral values and integrity. Guinness World Records contain amazing but destructive achievements that can happen only in a consumer culture.

Economies of the developed world depend on consumer culture. Prosperity anymore depends on producing products, whether needed or not, selling, buying, and using them irrespective of improved quality of moral and social life. Recently a slump in economic production in China led to the world economic down-turn.  We have recently seen that very high oil prices as well as very low prices crash financial markets. Currently oil producing countries are trying to come together to limit the production of oil to increase its price as there is more oil production than the real demand. This is the kind of senseless economy produced by the consumer culture that we are living in. At this rate the consumer culture is going to destroy us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This is a century of consumption of products. A century ago tuberculosis that destroyed humans was also known as consumption caused by tubercle bacillus bacterium. Like tuberculosis of old, our consumer culture is destroying us. Once we realize this fact we can change our strategies to slowly win our war on consumer culture, and gain control over our life and freedom.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Ems in Life

Read this title as "M's in life". This post definitely talks about the power of letter 'M' in life. Sometime back I was learning the power of letter M in an entrepreneurial development programme. The trainer told about the six Ms required to 'Make' a successful business entity, which are Man, Material, Machine, Money, Mind and Mission. We need to 'Manage' these entities to get miraculous results. I was really impressed with this explanation and started thinking if m's are really so important in our lives. As I applied my mind more and more the magic and mystery of m's started unfolding. The powerful word that keeps someone moving is 'Motivation'. A 'Mentor' is required to keep someone motivated. Much of mental makeup of a man is made up of mixed emotions, but marvelous things can result if these emotions turn meaningful. Life has given us immense number of minutes to us to take most correct path to move on. While moving with life we have time to make modifications too, but we mock our own mission and fall prey to misdeeds.

 

We become too materialistic and money becomes our main motivator. We throw out the thought from our memory, that our Master, Master of every thing in this universe has all the might. The mechanical way in which every mister and misses around us move, forces our mind to think, if we are just a messed up mobile generation or a true model what our master wanted to make. Hope this magic of 'ems' will move some matter in your mind to uplift your mood. By the way before I sign off, I must tell you that the size of text and margins on an internet web page are often defined not in terms of milli meters but as 'ems' as its unit, which means something equal to width of letter 'm' in English. Just notice that m is one such character with highest width. Just pick your mobile and call your software friend to confirm this. So friends! Just learn to manage M's; your life will be made.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg.

Freedom

I have on my table a guitar string. It is free to move in any direction I like. If I twist one end, it reacts and responds. It is free. 

But it is not free to sing. So I take it and fix it into my guitar. I tie it down and I bind it. And only when it is bound like this, is it free for the first time to sing. 

We also tie plants like tomatoes and pepper vines to keep them off the ground, and in the sunlight and air. This tying them makes them free to grow. 

Someone once referred to such a situation as a “liberty bond” — something with which to tie up your freedom. -  Rabindranath Tagore 

Unbridled freedom tends to be counter productive. Absolute freedom outright becomes even harmful. My freedom should necessarily end where your nose begins. Freedom is best in its elements when it is reasonably restrained and rationally made use of.

Indian Thoughts Archives