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 on the ground and said, "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."

Indian Thoughts Archives

Time Wasted!

The Baba recollected something very interesting, and said: ‘I remember having read an interesting statistics about the time wasted in India because of the filing system that existed, and still exist in our Government offices. Files were tied with a ribbon and kept in cupboards. Only the peon or clerk concerned could get you the required file. For getting the file, of course, they would need a bit of ‘speed money’…. 

‘The concerned officer took 10 seconds to untie the file. After seeing the contents and writing his ‘note’ he tied the ribbon back. This tying back also took another 10 seconds. It means 20 seconds wasted on untying and tying the ribbon of a file. If the officer concerned deal with 10 files a day, he wasted 200 seconds, which was more than 3 minutes a day… 

‘If there were 500,000 Central and State Governments officials in the country dealing with files, it would still mean more than 25,000 hours wasted every day in the country, just for untying and tying the ribbons of files! A very revealing statistics, indeed….

‘As we have seen, time is the most precious gift of God, my son. We cannot regain even a minute of the time that is lost, whatever we do. Everything else can be regained, but not time….

‘We in India have not understood the value of time. The Government departments have no value for time. The citizens often will have to wait for hours together, or come again and again, for getting any small thing done from a Government department, though the salaries of the Government servants are paid from the various taxes that the citizens of India pay to the Government.…….

‘Even with computerization, the untying and tying of files go on in India. The Naxal movement also has something to do with the difficulties encountered by the poor citizens to get their files out of the cupboards and to get the government officials take action on them.…..

‘Corruption in the Government is a crime against the nation. It is an offence against God and people. It needs to be dealt with severely. Making the citizens waste their time in Government offices is also a serious form of corruption in India….. 

‘Hence, ‘hunger-free, caste-free and corruption-free India’ has to be the basic goal of the Second Freedom Struggle…..

‘Hunger, caste and corruption in India are also external expressions of the inner evils of selfishness, pride and greed that are lurking in the hearts and minds of ‘We the People of India’. Hence, the solutions for the crises facing India today are to be found not only through economic and political reforms but also through a spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of the Indian people. This spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of the Indian people is a religious and spiritual mission. For this we need enlightened religious and spiritual leadership….

‘An Integral Revolution in which politics and economics in the country are rebuilt on the strong foundation of the spiritual and moral values common to religions in India is the crying need of the era. That is the only way for realizing the vision of ‘Purna Swaraj’ for India as envisaged by Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters…... 

‘That is also the reason why enlightened religious and spiritual leaders in India must join hands with enlightened political and economic forces in the country for the Second Freedom Struggle to build a hunger-free, caste-free and corruption-free India. This is also what I mean by ‘Integral Revolution’. It is a revolution in which enlightened religious, spiritual, economic and political forces in India will work together to build a hunger-free, caste-free and corruption-free India which in turn will lead us to the Purna Swaraj of our dream. Do you agree with me, my son?’ The Baba stopped with a question.

‘Guruji I have gone through some books on our freedom struggle. I am fully in agreement with all that you have said so far.’ Atma Prakash replied.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

MEDITATION IN DAILY LIFE

I was introduced to a life of prayer and meditation at the age of 17. Ever since there was meditation in my daily life. In the beginning, meditation was based on some points taken especially from scriptures. It often involved inculcating some virtues or rooting out some defects. A daily examination of conscience at noon and another before bed time gave information about the status of my spiritual life. This spiritual status guided my spirit/soul providing goals. Systematic meditations were done in the morning and in the evening. Spiritual exercises, especially meditations were used to break my worldly ways. Ascetic practices were also set in place to help achieve spiritual goals. Bodily mortifications to tame my senses.were also practised. When one has acquired general indifference to pleasure or pain, success or failure, one would be better tuned to God’s will, and disposed to do what is conducive to God’s glory. These meditations were mostly modeled on Western understanding of achieving holiness and sanctity. 

As years passed I got interested in Eastern, especially Hindu and Buddhist meditative experiences. According to Hinduism, each one of us is pure consciousness, and we together are the Supreme Consciousnes of which each one is a spark. Raja Yogic meditations can help to develop yogic (unitive) relationships with God and fellow human beings, and achieve self-realization. According to Buddhism our unattainable desires lead to unhappiness, which is the cause of all misery. The solution is to desire only what can be attained. For this, Buddha proposed the eight-fold path of right knowledge, aspiration, speech, action, living, effort, thought (mindfulness), concentration. Shoonyata (emptiness) and Vipassana (seeing reality as it is) meditations help one attain the needed awareness to see things for what they are to obtain liberation. 

What then is meditation? It is a means to come to terms with oneself and the universe. It is a gradual journey to the beyond where being and non-being, illusion and reality, darkness erased by light, and hearing of one hand clapping happen. It is being a spectator of an effortless flow of things even as the witnessing self is flowing. Meditation is capturing the great rhythm of life in awareness of universal harmony marked by love, compassion, forgiveness, surrendering, and tolerance. It is being in harmony with nature and all that there is. The goal of meditation is love and welfare of the entire humanity. 

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Genuine seeker

When the devil saw a seeker enter the house of a Master he was determined to do everything in his power to turn him back from his quest for Truth. So he subjected the poor man to every possible temptation: wealth, lust, fame, power, prestige.

But the seeker was far too experienced in spiritual matters and was able to fight off the temptations quite easily, so great was his longing for spirituality. When he got into the Master’s presence, he was somewhat taken aback to see the Master sitting on an upholstered chair and the disciples at his feet.

“This man certainly lacks the principal virtue of the saints, humility,” he thought to himself. He then observed other things about the Master that he did not like; for one thing, the Master took little notice of him. (“I suppose that is because I do not fawn on him as the others do,” he said to himself). Also the kind of clothes the Master wore and the somewhat conceited way he spoke. All of this led him to the conclusion that he had come to the wrong place and must continue his quest elsewhere.

As he walked out of the room, the Master, who had seen the devil seated in a corner of the room. said. “You need not have worried Tempter. He was yours from the very first, you know.”

Such is the fate of those who, in their search for God, are willing to shed everything except their notions of what God really is.

Indian Thoughts Archives

The Last Words of Steve Jobs

I have come to the pinnacle of success in business.In the eyes of others, my life has been the symbol of success. However, apart from work, I have little joy. Finally, my wealth is simply a fact to which I am accustomed.

At this time, lying on the hospital bed and remembering all my life, I realize that all the accolades and riches of which I was once so proud, have become insignificant with my imminent death.

In the dark, when I look at green lights, of the equipment for artificial respiration and feel the buzz of their mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of my approaching death looming over me.

Only now do I understand that once you accumulate enough money for the rest of your life, you have to pursue objectives that are not related to wealth.

It should be something more important: For example, stories of love, art, dreams of my childhood.

No, stop pursuing wealth, it can only make a person into a twisted being, just like me. God has made us one way, we can feel the love in the heart of each of us, and not illusions built by fame or money, like I made in my life, I cannot take them with me. I can only take with me the memories that were strengthened by love. This is the true wealth that will follow you; will accompany you, he will give strength and light to go ahead.

Love can travel thousands of miles and so life has no limits. Move to where you want to go. Strive to reach the goals you want to achieve. Everything is in your heart and in your hands.

What is the world's most expensive bed? It’s the hospital bed. If you have money, you can hire someone to drive your car, but you cannot hire someone to take your illness that is killing you. Material things lost can be found. But one thing you can never find when you lose: life.

Whatever stage of life where we are right now, at the end we will have to face the day when the curtain falls.

Please treasure your family love, love for your spouse, love your friends... Treat everyone well and stay friendly with your neighbours.

Indian Thoughts Archives

The Second Freedom Struggle

‘Let me quote from a letter that Gandhiji had written from Delhi on 27th January 1948, just 3 days before his martyrdom…’ the Baba began…

‘Gandhiji had written in that letter: “The Congress has won political freedom, but it has yet to win economic freedom, social and moral freedoms. These freedoms are harder than the political, if only because they are constructive, less exciting and not spectacular.” …

‘Political freedom, economic freedom, social freedom and moral freedom were the four pillars of the ‘Purna Swaraj’ that was envisaged by Mahatma Gandhi and other ‘freedom fighters’ who had laid down their lives in the first Freedom Struggle of India…… 

‘We had won our political freedom in 1947. But ‘Purna Swaraj’ still remains a distant dream for us. We are yet to win economic, social and moral freedoms for India. This unfinished task calls for a ‘Second Freedom Struggle’ that will be harder and more challenging than the first. This is the historic mission bequeathed to posterity by those who had won the political freedom for India through their ‘blood, sweat and tears’- blood shed in non-violent struggle, sweat of hard work and tears of ardent prayer…..

‘Economic freedom begins with freedom from poverty and hunger. Even after half a century and more of political freedom, more than 300 million people in India still live below poverty line, not being able to afford one nourishing meal a day. Hence, freedom from hunger whereby every Indian citizen is able to have at least one nourishing meal a day has to be the basic goal of the Second Freedom Struggle….

‘Charity, freebies or ‘poor feeding’ cannot be the solution. We need to have a sustainable development strategy focusing on education, employment and empowerment….For this we will need entrepreneurship and employment-oriented as well as character building education. Are you with me my son?’, the Baba asked.

‘Yes, of course revered guruji.’ Answered Atma Prakash 

‘Now let us come to social freedom’ the Baba said after a pause. He continued: 

‘Social freedom cannot be won for India as long as the dehumanizing caste system continues to exist in our country. The caste system, though had a relevance in ancient India, has today become a curse on Independent India. We need to liberate the people of India, especially the political parties in this country, from their obsession with caste-class-minority ‘vote bank’ politics…

‘We need to see all Indians as children of the one true God and citizens of the one Sovereign Democratic Republic, and as members of one national family bound with a common destiny. Only enlightened leaders can have such an inclusive vision and undertake such a nation-building mission….

‘Social freedom also implies freedom from the all-pervasive ‘subject mentality’ in India. We were subjects under foreign powers for centuries together. As a result, we have developed a ‘subject mentality’ which is still predominant in our mindset…

‘Subjects always demand more and more rights and privileges for themselves even at the cost of national interests. Subjects have a tendency to steal and loot when they get a chance. They will not have any deep sense of nationalism or patriotism. Subjects will very seldom have any sense of responsibility and entrepreneurship….

‘Social freedom for India will ever remain a mirage unless India is liberated from the all-pervasive subject mentality. The late President of USA, John F Kennedy, had told the American citizens: ‘Do not ask what America can do for you, but ask what you can do for America’. We Indians also need to ask ourselves not what we can take from Mother India but what we can give to Mother India….

‘We need to develop responsible citizenship and entrepreneurial spirit in India, especially among the youth of our country’. The guru looked at his beloved disciple who was listening to his words very attentively.

The Baba continued: ‘Moral freedom for India has to begin with freedom from corruption in the Government. Government money is the citizens’ money. It needs to be used for the well-being of the citizens of India. Every rupee must be accounted for and used judiciously….

‘The all pervasive corruption in the successive Governments of Independent India has been the biggest block in the path of development in our country.’ The Baba stopped for a while and looked at Atma Prakash.

 

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Meaning of Prayer

The Mogul Emperor, Akbar, was one day out hunting in the forest. When it was time for evening prayer he dismounted, spread his mat on the earth and knelt to pray in the manner of devout Muslims everywhere.

Now it was precisely at this time that a peasant woman, perturbed by the disappearance of her husband who had left home that morning and hadn’t returned, went rushing by, anxiously searching for her husband. In her preoccupation she did not notice the kneeling figure of the Emperor and tripped over him, then got up and without a word of apology rushed further into the forest.

Akbar was annoyed at this interruption but, being a good Muslim, he observed the rule of speaking to no one during the namaaz. Now just about the time that his prayer was over the woman returned, joyful in the company of her husband whom she had found. She was surprised and frightened to see the Emperor and his entourage there. Akbar gave vent to his anger against her and shouted, 

“Explain your disrespectful behaviour or you will be punished.”

The woman suddenly turned fearless, looked into the Emperor’s eyes and said, 

“Your Majesty, I was so absorbed in the thought of my husband that I did not even see you here, not even when, as you say, I stumbled over you. Now while you were at namaaz, you were to be absorbed in one who is infinitely more precious than my husband. And then how is it you noticed.

The Emperor was shamed into silence and later confided to his friends that a peasant woman, who was neither a scholar nor a Mullah, had taught him the meaning of prayer. 

Prayer is the line of communication between man and God. A distracted prayer would be much like a telephone conversation on a line full of static.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Garbage Truck

One day on the way to the airport I hopped into a taxi. We were going on the right track, when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of our car. My taxi driver slammed the brakes, skidded and scarcely missed hitting the other car. The driver of the other car started yelling at us. To my great surprise, the taxi driver just smiled and waved his hand in a friendly way. So I asked him, “Why did you do that? He almost ruined your car and could have sent us both to the hospital.”

That is when the taxi driver taught me what I call ‘the law of the garbage truck.’

“Many people are like garbage trucks,” he explained. 

“They run around full of garbage, frustration, disappointment etc. As the garbage piles up, they need a place to dump them. Sometimes they will dump it on you. NEVER, never take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well and get on with your work. Don’t ever take their garbage and spread it to other people around you at work, at home or on the streets.”

Every one you meet is fighting some kind of battle within him, though we may not know what that might be. So be kinder than necessary. The bottom line is that we should not let garbage trucks take over our day. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Love the people who treat you right…, pray for the ones who do not.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Mission Methodologies 3

The third mission methodology is simple. It is termed by me as ‘Growth Orientation Methodology’. This is inspired by my Air Force Flying School days’ experiences. We as young Flight Cadets were taught to ask ourselves three questions every half an hour while flying solo. These three questions were: ‘Where am I?’, ‘ Why am I here?’ and ‘What am I going to do next?’….

‘An answer to the first question demanded that I had to find out the exact ‘ground position’ of my aircraft on the map which was the position of the aircraft in relation to a known landmark or place on ground. If the ground position of the aircraft was not on the required track, I had to ask the second question, ‘why am I here?’ and find an answer which involved checking the Compass, Altimter, Speedometer etc. to find out the reason for drifting away from the original track…. Once the reason was identified, the third question came, ‘what am I going to do next?’. This meant immediate corrective measures to regain the original track, to make good the Estimated Time of Arrival, ETA, reporting actual position to the Air Traffic Control etc.…….

‘I have found that these three questions can be applied to any mission or initiative or relationship for evaluating and reorienting its growth and focus from time to time. That is why it is termed ‘Growth Orientation Methodology’. Isn’t it simple, my son?’ the Baba asked his beloved disciple. 

‘Of course, maharaj. It will be very useful for me. I shall always remember this Growth Orientation Methodology. I shall also apply it in my own personal life.’ Atma Prakash replied.

The guru and his beloved disciple closed their eyes and meditated together for sometime. 

There was a strong and deep ‘communion of spirits’ that bound them together.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

TAO OM LOGOS

Tao is everything; Om is everything; Logos is everything. Tao is the eternal source and substance of everything. Om is the consciousness of the world. Logos is the divine wisdom manifest in the world. All three are different perspectives from different parts of the world denoting the same reality. We can from our studies, readings, and life experience come to our own interpretation. Only we all need to stand behind what we say. We become authorities to the extent we appropriate and assimilate this universe and all within it. Our mind can be as vast as the sky or as small as a key-hole.

TAO is the Way to the Universal Principle that guides the whole creation to unfold its destiny. Tao is simple, spontaneous, natural, and effortless Action. Tao is detached from desires and actions. In Tao deeds, not words, matter. Tao does what needs to be done unconcerned about results. Tao does not calculate risk factors; Tao possesses nothing; loses nothing. There is recognition of the identity of spirit and matter, subject and object. There is no sacred or profane, spiritual or sensual. Everything is pure in its own way. There is complete attention and absorption in everything one does. Tao is entirely wholesome.

OM is the Primordial Sound associated with the creation of the Universe from nothing. It is the creative energy; it is the essence of breath and life of everything that exists. It is the liberating Principle, and Cause of the Universe. It is also the essence of Brahman, atman, and self-knowledge. Om is the past, present, and the future; it is beyond time. Om is pure Consciousness. Containing atman and Brahman, it includes all knowledge and everything that is to be known. Om strengthens, calms, reassures and supports everything.

LOGOS is the Principle of order and knowledge, and science of everything. It is the Divine animating energy pervading the Universe. The Gospel of St. John begins with the placing of the Logos right in the beginning of time, and identifies Logos as God through whom all things were made. John further identifies Christ as the incarnate Logos. The term “Logos” is widely used in Christianity in this sense. In Greek philosophy the Logos spermaticos (the seminal Word) is the generative Principle of the Universe. Logos as the Living Word is the world’s rational substratum. All came into being in accordance with the Logos. Logos as Cosmic Order is Wisdom (Sophia). Logos and Sophia are well connected. Sophia being feminine was not given as much importance as Logos. The rational discourse that discriminates between good and evil, just and unjust is due to Wisdom. Sophia is the active Reason that pervades and animates the Universe. Sophia is also identified with God or Nature. Logos as the Spirit of the World (Anima Mundi) is the Operating Principle of the world. According to Philo, a Hellenized Jewish philosopher, who lived during the time of Christ used the term Logos to mean an intermediary divine being. According to Philo, Logos of the Living God is the bond of everything, holding all things together, and binding all the parts. Logos was the God’s instrument in the creation of the Universe. For early Christian thinkers, profoundly influenced by Greek philosophy, Logos as Word was God. “O Logos sarx egeneto” (The Word was made flesh; this Word was Christ). For St. Augustine Logos was the Divine Eternal Word. He stated that veritas (truth) or sapientia (wisdom) was present in Christ as in no other human. In Sufism Logos (the uncreated) serves as a link between the human and the divine; Logos as a “Universal Human” mediates between individual human beings and divine essence.

The more I study about Tao, Om, and Logos, the more similar I find these concepts to be, depending, of course, on who and from what perspective writes about each one of these three concepts. The most important thing is that these three are very rich and meaningful concepts full of nuances that we can benefit from especially from the point of view of Unity of Humanity and friendship among religions.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

FT89 070217 What Do You Mean “We”?

A well-known organist was performing a concert on the huge, antique organ in the local Presbyterian Church.  The bellows were hand-pumped by a boy who was behind a screen, unseen by the audience.  The first part of the performance was well received.  The audience was thrilled by the organist’s ability at the keyboard of the old instrument. After taking his bows and accepting the ovation, the musician walked triumphantly into a side passageway. As he passed the boy he heard him say, 

“We played well, didn’t we Sir?”

The organist haughtily replied, 

“And what do you mean, ‘we’?”

After the intermission, the organist returned to his seat at the impressive five-keyboard console and began to play. But nothing happened; not a sound was heard. Then the organist heard a youthful voice whisper from behind the screen, 

“Hey! Mister, Now do you know what ‘we’ means.

Any association can function well, if only its weakest and tiniest link functions well. Any slight malfunction would through everything out of gear. From that point of view no one part is more or less important than another. The success of the leader would depend on his ability in taking along and co-coordinating the activities of all parts. 

Indian Thoughts Archives

Drink from a Running Stream

There was a college student who worked in the college dining hall and who, on his way to work early in the morning, walked past the home of one of his professors.  Through a window he could see the light on and the professor at his desk, morning after morning.

At night the student stayed at the library until closing, and on his return trip again he would see the professor’s desk light on.  It seemed that he was always poring over his books and notes.

One day, after class, the professor was walking along the courtyard when the student approached him with several lecture questions to clarify.  Finally, the student asked, “Would you mind if I asked you a more personal question?”

“Of course not,” replied the professor.

So the student asked, “Well, every day I walk by your house and you are so intent at work.  What keeps you studying?  You never seem to stop.”

The professor answered, “Well, you see, I would rather have my students drink from a running stream than a stagnant pool.” 

By its very nature knowledge needs to be continually updated or it degenerates in to ignorance. It is comparable to “electricity”, which ceases to exist once the flow stops.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Where to Look

An oyster saw a loose pearl that had fallen into the crevice of a rock on the ocean bed. After great efforts she managed to retrieve the pearl and place it just beside her on a leaf.

She knew that humans searched for pearls and thought, “They look for pearls so they will take it and let me be.”

When a pearl diver showed up, however, his eyes were conditioned to look for oysters and not for pearls resting on leaves. So he grabbed the oyster which did not happen to have a pearl and allowed the real pearl to roll back into the crevice in the rock.

We know exactly where to look, and that is the reason why we fail to find God. We are so conditioned to look for the oyster rather than the pearl.

Indian Thoughts Archives