No Hope, No Life (BS)

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

A culture of deception, duplicity, suspicion, equivocation, corruption, and cover-up seems to have become a way of life in this world of ours. It is not what one is but what one has, and how one looks that are important. It is not what one knows but whom one knows that helps to get ahead in life materially.  Appearance has pushed reality to the back-seat. There are many kinds of cosmetic surgeries and make-ups for the rich and not so rich to improve one’s look by enhancing or reducing one’s bust or removing blemishes, creases, wrinkles, or folds.  There are creams or washes to darken or altogether eliminate one’s grey hair to look younger.  It is the façade of a building, not the functionality and the convenience within, that matters. The erosion of the moral landscape reached its culmination not long after September11, 2001. Our lies stealthily caught up with us. Nineteen  depraved and deranged  men master-minded by a fanatic criminal mind could not change our culture and our way of life unless we allowed it. That day especially humanity lost, and terrorism triumphed in destroying a civilization of trust developed over millennia, and crowning a paranoid culture already in the making. We allowed that to happen, and we need to take responsibility for that. We have been culpably negligent in preparing ourselves spiritually. We need to do some serious soul-searching and prepare ourselves morally and spiritually for any crisis. We need to evolve some basic common tenets that we can agree on even as we come to terms with our differences.  A nation is a group of diverse individuals who are governed by a constitution that enshrines certain values and goals for that nation. I cannot think of any constitution that goes against fundamental human rights and moral values. Absolutely everyone on the globe was negatively affected by the evil consequences of the horrific events of that day in September 2001 that etched in our minds. It shows how overreaction, lack of due spiritual reflection and awareness, and poor leadership can make the difference between a culture of hope and a culture of despair and doom. We get the spiritual or political leadership that we deserve. Leaders do not lead as they are led by opinion polls and surveys of public views. We need to prepare politicians for one term so they can do a good job for the common good.

In the present scenario, a politician may not be re-elected or survive unless he/she gives what one’s constituency wants. It is not unusual for politicians to raise funds for their re-election soon after they are elected. A pastor of a church may not get the approval or promotion if he does not raise certain amount of money for buildings or other projects. We are at a juncture now where principles in politics are not valued, and where time-honored values in spirit life do not matter. In a way we are reaping what we have sowed over the years neglecting our spirit. When we are not fair and just in dealing with one person in the world, our behavior is going to have a bad ripple effect on the entire world. More specifically, we need to admit that we failed to deal with the large community of Palestinians – no less brothers and sisters than the neighboring Jews of Israel - fairly and justly. When I visited the land holy to the Jews, Christians, and Muslims in 1981, and spent about three weeks walking meditatively in and around places where Jesus spent important years of his life, I came across Palestinians living in tents from 1948 onwards as sardines packed in a can. A people that has no hope has no life. The deep despair on the faces of Palestinian children marring their innocent, spontaneous laughter very vividly told me the pathetic story of their plight. Their tears cry up to God for justice. For us to get out of this clean, we need to confess and make just amends. (to be continued).

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Spiritual Investment

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal I A S

            Prices of land have zoomed over the past ten or twenty years. The rise is mind-boggling in towns like Delhi. Those who did not buy land earlier can hardly dream of doing so now. Those who did, have a great sense of relief and consider themselves very fortunate An opportunity to buy land near Delhi came in my life too. In 1980, I was posted at Lucknow as Deputy Secretary in the Industries Department. At that time the new township of Noida was coming up on the outskirts of Delhi and was considered a profitable place for investment. At that time the mad rush for real estate had not begun and so it was almost a buyer’s market. The Chief Executive Officer of Noida was an IAS officer who had been my Collector when I was a SDM. Once he had come to Lucknow for a meeting and came to my office and offered me a plot of land at a prime location in Noida. The offer did not attract me much and I declined it. Today prices of land there have gone up so high that I regret my decision of declining the above offer. Of course, I got another opportunity to buy land in Lucknow and I have constructed a modest house there.

        While I missed the opportunity of investing in land in 1980, a great turn came in my life. Soon after I was transferred to Gorakhpur, where I came across some great saints as well as books. My association with them changed the course of my life which became much more meaningful to me. I could understand the true purpose of living and started acquiring the qualities necessary to achieve it. Once on this path, I started feeling contentment in all walks of life and all petty temptations were overcome. With steady progress in this direction, I began enjoying every bit of life.  It does not mean that there are no troubles in my life. In fact, there are more than what I would consider my legitimate share, but with inner strength, I am able to accept them without fretting and fuming. Very few, I am afraid, are able to appreciate this aspect of my life. For most people, material success is the only measure of life.

Let us compare the two investments. Investment in material things brings us respect and security. It takes care of our old age and provides us an opportunity to help others. It keeps our children happy and we can also provide them a good future. The positive aspect of material prosperity cannot be denied. But it has a negative aspect also. Quite often we forget to draw the line and fall into a vicious circle. If so, we miss the finer aspects of life while the negative aspect of material progress soon starts troubling us. The only way to counter the negative aspect is the finer or, say, the spiritual aspect of life. Thus a balanced growth of both aspects of life is necessary in order to live a purposeful life.

           There is a tendency on the part of most of us to keep postponing our spiritual growth. We consider it something which can be acquired in old age. But the fact is that like material growth, spiritual growth also requires an alertness of our faculties. It is something which needs an intelligent understanding of life and if we do not show an inclination at the right time, it may be too late. Moreover no one can be sure of old age.  It may or may not come. Even if it comes, it may come with such handicaps that, understanding the spiritual aspect of life may not be possible. We then end up saying that we did not invest in spirituality when the opportunity came and now it is beyond our capacity. This establishes the necessity of spiritual investment at the right time.

         It may be argued that if nothing goes wrong in life then what is the necessity of growing spiritually? After all, such growth is required for bad times only. Against this there are two arguments. First, that no one can be sure of having good times only. In every one’s life, there come difficult situations. For facing such situations, we need inner strength which only comes from spiritual growth. Secondly, it is not true to say that inner growth is required only in times of adversity. It is equally required in the time of prosperity. One needs inner growth to face prosperity in a dignified manner. Moreover, in prosperity we can develop our spiritual dimension so as to face adversity in a dignified manner. Thus the spiritual growth is required for good as well as bad times.

         We can also compare our spiritual growth with defense forces. Many may question the desirability of maintaining strong defense forces at a time when the prospects of war are receding. But they forget that this is mainly due to the presence of a strong army.  Only powerful nations can talk of peace. Moreover, defense forces have a role in peace-time also.  Without peace-time they cannot prepare themselves for war-times.  Similarly, without growing spiritually during prosperity we cannot face adversity in a dignified manner. And if we achieve enough spiritual growth during good times there would perhaps be no such thing as bad times.

We may, therefore, conclude by saying that timely spiritual investment is as necessary as timely material investment. Once we miss the opportunity to do so, it may be too late.

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Commitment Rewarded (MOP)

Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin

Abu Al Ghyadhu congratulated Hamza on his achievement at the battle field. He replied that he has not fought for the state; he wanted only to prevent the enemy from invading into their territory and violating their household and property. He fought only in order to protect himself and Islam. The other group was the true believers; their number was not over 700 and they had to face the Meccan army of 3000. Their courage as narrated by Hamza and Abu Dujnah reveals the power of moral of the Muslim army which was a power before which the Meccan soldiers reeled like worms, despite all the courage and heroism for which they were famous throughout Arabia. Their Flag was carried so proudly that none would hesitate to raise it. As soon as one carrier fell, another soldier would raise it. When Ali Ibn Abu Thalib killed the flag carrier, it was immediately raised by a man Abu Had Ibn Thelha. He shouted at the Muslims, “If that your martyrs are in paradise and ours in hell, by God you lie. If any one of you truly believes such a story, let him come forward and fight with me.” He challenged attacking Ali Ibn Abithalu, who killed him on the spot. The last to carry the Meccan Flag was Svad, the Abyssinian slave of Benu Abdul, whose right hand carrying the flag was struck by Uzman. He then held the flag with his left arm; Usman again struck him with his sword that he lost both the arms. He said, “Oh Benu Abdul, Have I not done my duty?” Uzman further killed him too. When all the carriers of the Meccan Flag were decimated, the Meccans realized their defeat and began to run for their lives. The women were now exposed and the statue which they had brought with them had fallen at the ground and broken. The victory the Muslims achieved on that moment was miraculous. 

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What are we in this world for? (BS)

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

Our theology and the world-view proceeding from it need to be our way of life. It needs to be our philosophy of life. We are in this world but not of this world. This world is a temporary training ground that prepares us for eternal life. Religion is a modality. Theology is applied principles of religion. When there is a unity of religions, and a unity of theologies, a spirituality that goes beyond religions and theologies can be formulated. A spirituality that is the essence of all religions and theologies is the only hope for humanity. This spirituality rooted in unshakable faith, generates hope, and blooms and flourishes in love. It is not without reason that faith, hope, and love are aptly called theological virtues. These virtues, more than others, help us encounter God. We have faith in God because God had faith in us first by creating us. Without hope we will be dead. We love God because God loved us even before we could love God. God modeled love for us. God communicated and still communicates to us through prophets and sages. A place without love is pure hell. That place is also without God. Our life needs to be guided by the cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. Thomas Aquinas, a Christian philosopher and theologian, clearly stated that whatever is good anywhere comes from the Holy Spirit. And there is good everywhere if our hearts and minds are trained without prejudices and biases to see it. We need to respect everyone as God respects. Our relationships with other humans need to be modeled on our relationship with God. The purest example of our relationship with God is the relationship that a man has with a woman in marriage where both gift each other to each other in the deepest commitment of intense love. That is how a family, the nucleus of any society, is formed.

Absolute acceptance and tolerance are necessary for humans. Strife, tensions, and conflicts are inevitable. They need to be dealt with creatively and in fairness. There really is not any just war, notwithstanding all theologians, moralists, and their hair-splitting distinctions. War-mongers are trouble-makers and self-destructors. When all avenues for a just and fair solution of the conflict have been explored, and since humans are limited, a war can be a necessary evil. An example of such a war in modern times was the one against Hitler’s Germany. The menace that Hitler was had to be stopped for a greater good. The good there of saving an overwhelming majority of innocent persons outweighed the lesser evil of suffering and death of relatively fewer innocent ones. Another example might be the war against Afghanistan that grossly violated the human rights of so many persons. Effective interventions of the world community are needed in nations where religious or ethnic cleansing takes place. The role of an effective UN reorganized on the basis of proportional representation to keep world peace can never be overemphasized.

 Humaneness can never be abandoned even in the midst of the most inhuman provocations and violations. A person of God should never harbor or nurse hatred, revenge, and retaliation. Tragedies and traumas can temporarily disrupt or permanently interrupt our lives. But our search for truth continues even with greater determination. Paying attention even to the nuances of truth can make a difference. Many things that we consider to be major happenings in our life are mere trifles from the point of view of eternity and our own final end in death. The most important question – what are we in this world for? – has to be always in front of us. We also need to rest assured that God has a way of bringing everyone to the safe harbor. Finally or in the ultimate analysis, the only thing that really matters in a theology for the modern world is to love one another as God loves us, to forgive one another as God forgives, and to deal with each person as God deals with us. These are simple concepts that everybody can grasp and act on. Let us rejoice, celebrate life, and live in bliss.

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A Long Withheld Secret (LL)

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

“Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill. They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark spent some time there also before returning to home. Their friendship grew, both graduated from junior high school. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk. Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stolen away some of my mother’s sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more, you saved my life.” 

This is a story in my collection. Don’t know wherefrom I got this. But I earnestly believe that when we help somebody or spent some time with somebody on creative ideas, we truly create history. These silly things could be quite insignificant to us. We think that big is strong and might is everything, but the adage says that small is beautiful. The difference something makes in life depends not on the size of a thing but the power embedded within. It is not a big mountain that burned Hiroshima and Nagasaki to ashes, but a small atom bomb. A small extension of charity, a small collection of kind words, a small deed of support ….. they make big differences in this universe. The theory of ‘morphic resonance’ says that even a minute change in the tiniest of atoms create simultaneous ripples all over the universe. Our inability to experience such micro changes is not a mighty reason to deny this. As human beings, what we have always ready with us are ‘small’ things only. Great people are never mountains of big bergs but oceans of small drops. Never miss out a chance to share the small things with you. Never miss a situation that would be of some help to another. The story also reminds us that everything we do in life counts, some way or the other.

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Freedom in Anarchy and Despotism (VAW)

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan

The competition as it has been envisaged by the market economy leads the whole society either into anarchy or into despotism. Anarchy results in the disintegration of both the individual and the society. Freedom can never be identified with anarchy because in an anarchic set up there is no regulation at all. Without regulation there is no freedom guaranteed. Freedom requires regulation and an individual is always regulated by some force. Whenever and wherever our society is being regulated by itself then it can enjoy freedom. That can never be equated to anarchy. Market economy takes the whole society either to anarchy or to despotism. Despotism can be practiced in a novel manner in the new world in the form of corporate management tactics. The corporate world believes in an open world that is the free world – an unregularized and liberated world. In a liberated world the corporate giant must be able to establish itself. This shows that after the establishment of the might over the meek according to the corporate giant, what remains there is despotism.

 In a despotic set up, either in economic sector or in political field, or in cultural arena, wherever it may be, it ultimately leads the whole society to slavery. In effect, the present day economic practice takes the whole world into different islands of slaves through despotism, unfettered competition and unregulated life pattern and life mode. This can never be treated as a sign of freedom because freedom can never be guaranteed by any despot. Freedom is not something that is not given by somebody to someone but it has to be taken by the individual himself, the society itself and also the nation itself. If the individual never takes the freedom to experience freedom, such an individual will never be able to enjoy freedom. One has to prepare oneself by self-regulation, for this unique enjoyment of freedom.

Freedom can never be enjoyed without giving its price. Its price means the individual has to take up the responsibility. Responsibility of an action can be established on the individual, only when he is being regulated by himself. But in the other cases of an individual being regulated by some  external forces, then naturally such a society of individuals can never be treated as a free one. So freedom in this sense either at the individual level or the societal level or at the national level can be enjoyed only by regulation by itself. This factor has been totally eliminated by the market economy or the new economic system. This is a very serious thing; when we think of a society in terms of the competition that has been permitted by or that has been enjoyed by the present day system of economic practice, then we have to think of the one fact that such a society can never give or guarantee freedom. Advaita believes in self regulation as an effective means of enjoying freedom. Equality, fraternity and liberty, can be enjoyed in a democratic set up only within the frames of self- regulation. No society can be said to practice equality if it denies self-regulation. Fraternity is the direct result of self-regulation. To maintain fraternity one has to admit that there are differences of opinion and such differences has to be admitted as pre-condition for the existence of society and the individual.

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Your Nature (H&H)

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

Consciousness has no height; it has no width.  From consciousness, no object is away; nothing is away.  What is the distance between space and consciousness?  Is there a distance?  If there is a distance, that distance is space.  When you think of space, it is consciousness.  Space is consciousness, but consciousness is not space.  Time is consciousness; consciousness is not time.  And in time and space is the whole universe, so the whole universe is consciousness, but consciousness is not the universe.  And consciousness is like consciousness.  It is unlike everything else and everything else depends on it. It is this limitless you experience in deep sleep and also while you are awake, whenever you are happy. 

Please understand this one thing.  Some people say that between desires, you become happy.  Between the fulfilment of one desire and the rise of another desire, you become happy. But there is no such rule at all.  After fulfilling a desire, you can also be unhappy.  And you need not fulfil any desire to be happy.  Look at this.  Every human being is like a teabag.  Why, you may ask.  Because you know his or her strength, only when he or she in hot water.  You laughed.  What desire did you fulfil?  None at all! You didn’t fulfil any desire.  Please understand.  That means you need not fulfil a desire to be happy.  That means you need not change to be happy.  That means you are happy. Experiential happiness only reveals your fullness.  To whatever degree happiness is there, to that degree, your own fullness is revealed.  Therefore, it has nothing to do with the world.  It is not going to be disturbed by the world.   The perception of the world cannot destroy happiness.  In fact, perception of the world is an addition to fullness—an addition without any addition.  I consider it a value addition.

 It is something like this. Coimbatore, a small town in southern India, became a big textile center like Manchester. How?  Originally agriculturists were growing cotton in this area. They would sell it to some people who would gin it. Then they thought that they could do the ginning themselves and get the profit from that. This is called value addition. You sell the same cotton, but the seeds are removed so the value is greater, and you can also sell the seeds for cattle feed or cotton seed oil. Then, the ginned cotton is sent to somebody for spinning. So they thought, "Why don't we also spin the cotton?  Another value addition! The same cotton you gin and then you spin it and sell the spun cotton.  Then it goes to the weaving factory. Eventually you add a weaving unit and sell the woven cloth.  It is all value addition, the cotton remaining the same. Similarly, you are already Ananda.  And you have a mind—a value addition. Having a mind means there is a world also, which you are objectifying. Another value addition—the same Ananda, plus a value addition! 

The whole world- Jagat, is a value addition—nothing else.  There is no addition; it is only a value addition. Therefore, already you are full and the world makes life colourful. It’s purely a value addition.  There is no real addition.  That is why the Upanishad says ‘pUrnamidÒ pUrnamidam’—that is whole/ infinite and this whole/infinite.  Infinite plus infinite is still ‘Infinite’. The world, the Jagat, is purely a value addition. Therefore, the subject-object perception doesn’t in any way stand between your happiness and you, because the whole thing is you. This is the vision of Veda. 

It has nothing to do with emptying your head, as so many people maintain. “Remove your thoughts; you will be happy.” This is just nonsense—top to bottom—all nonsense.  Consciousness is the nature, of Atma, yourself.  Ananda also is the nature of Atma; existence also is the nature of Atma, of you! 

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Be Fair to God 2

Smart Plus - R K Mittal I A S - Lucknow

These arguments are very convincing in visible cause and effect cases. However, quite often we suffer in life for no evident cause. It is in such cases that we question the fairness of God. To understand this we have to believe in the theory of rebirth and the continuance of the account of Karmas. That is why so many times we suffer for no obvious reasons. The fact is that the cause of suffering is always there, though we may not know it.

However, nature or God is not so cruel so as to leave a suffering person without any hope or remedy. Nature does not make anyone suffer more than his entitlement or capacity to suffer. Even in suffering, there is always a silver lining. When suffering comes, it does not come alone.  It comes with wisdom and the strength to face it. In fact, suffering and wisdom are the two sides of the same coin.  If so, is this not the kindness of nature? Moreover, no one suffers more than what he deserves.  It is like undergoing a term of imprisonment as prescribed in law. The convict is released the day his sentence is over and he no longer remains a convict.

Thus whatever happens to a man is due to his own doings. God or nature does not interfere in this but only ensures that the laws of nature are followed and it does so with a kind heart and may be at times with a heavy heart. We have full freedom of action.  No one compels us to do bad Karmas.  Good Karmas bring good things in life while the bad bring bad things. This law of Karma is applicable equally to individuals, societies, and nations. If we collectively do bad things, we are also bound to suffer collectively.

The reward or punishment for our Karmas may come to us in various forms there being no fixed pattern. Goodness may be returned by nature in the form of good health, good temperament, a good job, promotion, recovery from the disease, a good wife or husband, good children, etc.  Similarly, the bad deeds may punish in the form of physical disability, disease, poverty or other bad events. In fact, the ‘Law of Karma’ is the law of effort and destiny. Actions of yesterday constitute the destiny of today and actions of today the destiny of tomorrow. After we are rewarded or punished for an action of ours, its effect is nullified. Some actions produce immediate effect while some are stored for future. These are called ‘Sanchit Karmas’. Their effect can only be lessened by our present Karmas and that is why some people are able to undergo suffering happily as they know that their Sanchit Karmas are being nullified and that they can look forward to a brighter period in life.Fate, destiny, luck etc., are nothing but the effects of ‘Sanchit Karmas’. They determine the major incidents of our lives, like place of birth, parentage, wealth, children, wife, job, etc. We enjoy the fruits of our good Karmas till they are exhausted and unless we store more good Karmas, we cannot enjoy them indefinitely. This explains the bad events of life and if we can understand their background, we shall never question the fairness of God. In fact, questioning that will amount to being unfair to God. And if we want God to be fair to us, should we also not be fair to Him?

   Defeat is a school in which truth always grows strong.
   The tide always comes back. Don’t ever accept defeat.
   YOU must learn to accept defeat without being defeated.
   Good and bad luck are synonymous in a great majority, for instance, for good and bad judgement.
   I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work the more of it I seem to have.
   The ratio between hard work and luck is 70 : 30. 

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The Face of the Battle (MOP)

      Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddin     

        The Meccans advanced to the Muslim ranks under the leadership of the Medinan exile Abu Amir. They Muslims threw stones at them and they had to retire.  Hamsa, the uncle of Mohammed was the most courageous of fighters and he killed a number of people in the enemy lines. He distinguished himself in the battle field. The Meccan banner bearer Talhah ibn Abi Talhah al-‘Abdari challenged the Muslims for a duel. Ali, the cousin of Mohammed rushed forward and killed him a single blow. Then came in Uthman and he was killed by Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. Other family members of Talhah ibn Abi Talhah al-‘Abdari rushed forward to retrieve the Meccan banner and all of them were killed. The whole family perished. The death of the banner bearers heightened the morale of the Muslims and shook the hearts of the pagans. Following the death of the banner bearers, the Muslims undertook a general offensive led by Ali, Al-Hamzah, Abu Dujanh, and others. Following the duels, the Meccan confidence quickly began to dissolve as the Muslims swept through their ranks. Though the Meccan women were encouraging the Meccan army was pushed back, and repeated attempts by its cavalry to overrun the left Muslim flank were negated by the Muslim archers.
        It is learnt from the verses, which Hind and other women were reciting with tambourines to instigate the warriors of Quraysh and to incite them to blood-shed and revenge, that these people were not fighting for the sake of spirituality, purity, freedom and moral virtues. On the contrary they were prompted by sexual and material consideration. The song which the women sang with tambourine and a particular tune amongst the rows of the army was: "We are the daughters of Tariq. We walk on costly carpets. If you face the enemy we shall sleep with you, but if you show your back to the enemy and flee, we shall disengage ourselves from you".            Muhammad ordered the Muslim archers to never under any circumstances leave their positions on the hill unless ordered to do so by him only. He said, "If you saw us prevail and start to take spoils, do not come to assist us. And if you saw us get vanquished and birds eat from our heads, do not come to assist us." There were two types of people in the Muslim ranks – the Muslims and the Hypocrites.

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Our Attitude (BS)

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehanada Jyoti

We do not for sure know about our past life or for that matter about our after-life. We know only about this life. The rest comes from our faith or theological speculations. We need to focus on the unity of humanity, equality, respect, and freedom bereft of any abuse. This religion seems to coincide with the religion that Sri Narayana Guru speaks of: oru jati, oru matham, oru daivam manushyanu (one caste, one religion, one God for humans). Again, mathamethayalum manushyan nannayal mathi (whatever be one’s religion, it is enough for human to become good).  The theology for the modern world needs to be pragmatic, and needs to come from lived experience.  To be meaningful, it cannot be mainly about dogmatic formulations and abstract theological pronouncements. It cannot be merely doctrinal statements or disciplinary diktats.This theology can prepare humans to reach the sublime state of realized souls described in Sankaracharya’s  Nirvanashtakam that go beyond any concept, and enjoy the status of chidanandaroopa (the mind bliss state). Christ speaks of the Kingdom of God within each one of us, a kingdom of truth and justice, a kingdom of peace and reconciliation of everything and everyone in a unique God-human blend.  Again these are human expressions about the incomprehensible. Let us focus on living right, doing right, taking things as they come, praying for grace to accept what we get when we do not get what we pray for. Everything, both good and bad, happens for a reason. We can mentally and spiritually grow if we are able to decode or decipher the message contained in everything that happens to us. It is also good to remind ourselves of the great insight imparted to us by the great Roman thinker, Epictetus: “It is not what happens to us that matters, but what we make of what happens to us that matters”. 

The powerful Serenity Prayer that says ”God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,  courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference” is also a powerful guide in our daily living. We are asked to be as perfect as our heavenly Father is. We are God’s, and God is ours. God is love, and love is God; God is truth and truth is God. God is freedom, beauty, compassion, justice, and all other attributes. God loves us and wants everyone to become what he/she is capable of.  God’s corrective  -  not punitive - justice brings us back to his ways. God does not want anyone to be lost. Even the one who rejects God sincerely will be saved. God gives humans unconditional freedom knowing the possibility of abuse of freedom. It is important to have an attitude of profound gratitude for the entire creation, nature and its wonders, this magnificent world and all its beauty, and all the blessings freely given. A heart-felt feeling that all is well, that there is a universal Providence looking after everyone and everything, that all are co-creators with God is ours to have. We need to constantly thank God for creating us as God’s children. 

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Universe.com (LL)

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

         

           The legendry Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage to manhood is interesting. The father of the boy takes him into a forest; further, he is blind folded and left there alone. He has to sit there on a stump the whole night and is not allowed to remove the blindfold until next morning. Once he successfully survives this forest test, he is declared a man. It is natural that the boy would be terrified. But in the morning, as the blind fold is removed, each boy is destined to be surprised to see his father waiting aside on his guard. No Cherokee boy is allowed to share his forest experience to another boy and so no one on test is told of this protection. This story teaches us a great moral; either we are aware or not, nobody here is left astray. Any Cherokee boy could have cried aloud or trembled in fear which would have only helped to substantiates ones’ inefficiency to be a man. In the morning, the boy but understands that it would have been much greater, if he could have spent the night on the stump unmoved and unbothered. If our immediate caretakers are so much worried on our good health what could be the attitude of this great universe from which we emerged? The truth is that we are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us.

­­­God talks to us through chances and situations. It is our inability to remain always in gratitude that creates havoc. Everything happens for a reason; be it illness, injury, or sheer stupidity - all occur to test the limits of our soul. This rule is not limited to a particular cast, sex or community; this is applied to every particle in this universe. This protection is the birth right of everything in this universe. Without painful burning acid tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart to. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people whom you have never talked to before; tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either. You can make out of your life anything you wish. The old Indian adage says that ‘you are your own master and you make your own future’. Create your own life and then go out and live it. Always remember that a great power is sitting aside on the next stump guarding you from all possible problems. All that you need to do is keep listening to His voice and trusting His ambience. Trust does not mean just an understanding or simple belief or hard blind faith but a life in absolute surrender to His Presence. 

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Competition and Annihilation (VAW)

             

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan

                Advaita system aims at plurality and co-existence at the levels of both humans and non-humans. In a sense, it envisages an eco-centric universe, where the centre of every spacio-temporal manifestation should be at the centre within that spacio-temporal manifestation and it must be that centre which must be the governing force of each and every existence. Equality is an essential condition for pluralism; equality does not mean uniformity. It means uniqueness, identity and co-existence. Equality does not mean that everyone should get a share which has been fixed by an external force or authority, and everybody should be able to get his share as regulated by himself. In such an act of regulation, the individual should be very careful not to take the maximum but to confine himself to the minimum. The confinement of one’s minimum is the necessary precondition. And such a confinement alone will be able to guarantee plurality, equality, co-existence and freedom.

            A free society means a society that regulates itself just like a free individual means an individual who regulates himself; so is a free social mechanism. In this sense, freedom means self regulation. So, the regulated by himself and should regulate himself aspects should be the necessary tool to be noted in a pluralistic society. Such a society must be the strength of the world. A strong human being means a person who is being regulated by himself. Such an act or mechanism of self-regulation, is to be practiced by every individual, every institution, and every stations and positions in a society. But unfortunately, the first casualty of the modern economy or the said to be market economy is the plurality. If we attain the principles defined by the modern economy, then we have to think of the annihilation of all the rest for the existence as supreme. In such a society there cannot be co-existence but only competition and annihilation and a society that believes in competition and annihilation, cannot guarantee any sort of freedom. This is the second casualty in the modern economy. Here, the society can never be free, the individual never can be free, a nation can never be free. In such a set up it is also not possible to reach the actualization of all they potentialities of an individual. Naturally, the theory that competition is an essential condition for growth and development is absolutely nonsensical, illogical and also draconian in its nature because if we believe that there is competition, it ultimately ends up in annihilation. Such a society never gives the opportunity to express itself, to expose one’s own potentialities. So, a free society is the society that guarantees the actualization of the potentialities of one and all enjoying enough freedom to provide a set up where one must be able to actualize the inborn and the acquired talents and potentialities.

In this sense, Advaita aims at the acquired talents and potentialities. Take the example of an artist: an artist can never be able to express himself in a society that is being determined by too many forces. Here, even the Almighty God may not be able to create an individual with his genuine talents well actualized. The ethical principles of Advaita and the metaphysical ideas of Advaita can no doubt be in tune with the philosophy of such an economy. 

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The Happy Iseland (H&H)

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath


“The subject, being the abode of the greatest love, one [wishes] ‘May I not cease to be.  May I always be!’  Ascertain, ‘I am that.” Vedanta
“May I not cease to be,” Nobody wants to cease to be. One always wants to be. Even the love to have children is a love for eternity. When you want to live through them, when you want to leave something behind, that is a love for eternity. In some form or the other you want to be.  Really speaking, the wish is, "I want to be there forever”. This only shows that you love yourself.  The self, Atma is the object of your love; you want the self to be. Why?  Because it is Ananda! That is also the reason you love sleep. There is Ananda in sleep. There is not only absence of suffering-dukha; there is Ananda- happiness also. When there is total absence of dukha, there is no individuality, which is why sleep is such a wonderful area of Ananda. That is the reason you are very, very conscious about creating the optimum conditions for your sleep.  You want to make sure that your sleep is not disturbed, that you get that sleep. You switch off the phone.  You don’t even want it to ring.  You make sure the pillow height is proper, that there is not too much light and that the mosquito curtain is drawn.  Because you want to sleep!  Sleep is such an important experience.
The elaborate preparation that is made to go to sleep indicates how important it is. Then, what happens in the morning? You don’t want to get out immediately.  You wake up, but you don’t get up; you are so reluctant to get up.  All through one's lifetime, it is the same.  As a child your mother had to call you and coax you to get up. Later also, it is the same. Right on the bed a man will rub his hand over his face to see if he has to shave.  Just to get another ten minutes of sleep.
What does it mean?  We are so reluctant to come out of it, but so enthusiastic to get into it.  It is like watching the ballgame when your team is winning.  You don't even want to get up for dinner. You want a TV dinner, because you want to keep watching. As with sleep, you are reluctant to come out of it, and you are so enthusiastic to go into it. Why?  It means the island in between must be a happy island.  It is a happy island.
This happiness, is it because of your knowledge? No.  Is it a product of your skills?  Is it from the big house you have or the boat you are going to get?  No.  Is it coming from the important job you have, or the business?  No.  Or from your children, etc, No!  Then from what!  It is from nothing else. I won’t say it is from nothing, but from nothing else.  Nothing else means ‘nothing’, except what is left out.  What is left out?  Atma, ‘self’!  That is the Ananda. What is left out is yourself alone.  You are the source of Ananda.  In fact, you are Ananda.
And if you are happy without any of these things, everything is a plus. If you are Ananda, everything becomes a plus because nothing is going to make you different. You are what you are.  Nothing can sully it; nothing can touch.  This is the truth about your ‘self’.  Therefore, Atma is not only consciousness.  It is Ananda; it is limitless.

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Viswa Shanti International Mission

Viswa Shanti International Mission

Viswa Shanti International Mission is a Public Charitable Trust that intends to promote cultural, spiritual, moral, social, physical, and mental regeneration of the world, and helps to usher in a civilization of universal love and peace based on the moral and spiritual values common to all religions and cultures. The core objectives of the Mission include a) establishing a unique Academy of Holistic Sciences in which sound research, training, and practice are available in Alternative Medicine b) promoting centres of learning, meditation, and eco-friendly spiritual tourism, and c) organizing and conducting meditation/retreat programmes, diploma/certificate courses and workshops on stress management and non-violent conflict resolution.

            Our immediate focus is on organizing Alternative Holistic Medical Camps in various districts in the state, in which all important healing methods are arranged under one roof. Patients get expert advice and support with regard to choosing and trying the approach of their choice. Self-supported villages modelled on the Sevagram of Mahatma Gandhi, called Viswa Shantigrams, will also be initiated. Our prime intention is to empower individuals in each family so that their resources are effectively utilized in healing their families and the society around. Activities of Viswa Shanti International Mission shall not be guided by a profit motive. The emphasis will be on reaching the poor and the destitute.

Together with established national and international organizations and acclaimed individuals who have extended their support, we are sure that we would successfully reach our goals, for which we have been working more than a decade. We invite all service-minded individuals to join us and help us, part time or full time, to make this grand mission of love and empathy a great success. 

Viswa Shanti International Mission will officially be launched into action at 2.30 PM on Saturday, 5^th of May at Toms Chambers Pala (Opp. KSRTC Bus stand). You are very cordially invited to join us for this function.

With Regards

Board of Directors

Viswa Shanti International Mission

For More details and brochure, kindly contact us thru vsimission@gmail.com

Be Fair to God

Smart Plus - Rakesh Mittal IAS

Almost every one of us questions the fairness of God at one time or the other in life. So when an advertisement appeared in the newspaper about a talk on the subject ‘Is God Fair’ by Dada J.P. Vaswani, it drew my attention too. It was on 16 March, 1993 at the All India Institute of Medical Science Auditorium at New Delhi. Though I reached there in time, the auditorium was full to its capacity and I had to take a seat in the balcony which too became full after sometime. Why I am mentioning this is to indicate that most of us question the fairness of God and want to confirm our views. The talk was inaugurated by Shri L.K. Advani, who spoke very well and raised some very interesting points. He said we should expect fairness from God only when we are fair to Him.  Expecting fairness in return for our unfairness will be to demand injustice from the Supreme Power.  And therefore the question to ask should be whether we are fair. This appealed to me very much and I thought of summing up the talk of Dadaji under the title ‘Be Fair to God’.

In the life of everyone good as well as bad things come. We happily accept the good things and never question whether we deserve them or not. However, it is not the case with bad things. We do not accept them and even question the fairness of God. As a matter of fact, if we make a list of good things in life as well as of the bad things, in most cases the former will exceed the latter. By and large, life gives us more compensation and rewards than losses and punishments. If this is the case then it is not fair on our part to doubt the fairness of God.

In order to discuss the subject further, it is necessary to understand the concept of God.  We all believe in one or the other form of God whatever we may call Him. After all there is a Supreme Power which is behind all creation and laws of the universe. Movement of terrestrial bodies, creation of day and night, law of gravitation, the changing of weather, falling of rains and scores of such things are all governed by fixed universal laws. Will not there be turmoil and havoc, if there is even slight deviation from these laws? Even if we do not believe in God in the orthodox sense, we have to believe in the universal laws of nature. For example, if an object is dropped from a height, it has to fall down and it would be foolish to expect it to go up. Even if for argument’s sake, it does so, the universe will become so topsy-turvy that living will become impossible. Therefore, let us interpret God as a Power who governs the laws of the universe which keep things going.

Once we accept this definition of God, we must also accept that there must be certain fixed laws behind good events as well as bad events of life. If we do so, the question of fairness of God, when bad things happen, will not arise. In fact, it would be unfair on our part to expect good things to happen when the laws of nature demand otherwise. Perhaps expecting that would be more disastrous than the consequences of the so-called bad things or seemingly cruel events.

This takes us to the ’Law of Karma’. ‘As we sow, so shall we reap” is an old saying. This is nothing but the ‘Law of Karma’. Nature expects us to follow certain laws in order to live a healthy, peaceful and harmonious life. How often do we break these laws? The contention is to establish that if we break the laws of nature, why should we not face the consequences? Not only this, nature is quite merciful in the sense that it gives us enough flexibility to break its laws and does not punish, if the laws are broken occasionally. Only when the laws are broken consistently we are punished. If we expect that it should not happen, the laws of nature will lose their meaning. For example, if someone smokes occasionally, he remains almost unaffected by its adverse effects but a chain smoker is bound to suffer whether we wish it or not. In fact, it would be against the law of nature to expect a chain smoker to remain healthy all through his life.

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Show of Trust (MOP72 130412 )

      Message of Mohammed - Justice P K Shamsuddin

      The Meccans ordered its’ forces in rows placing Khalid Ibn Walid on the right and Ikrima Ibn Abu Jahal on the left. They gave the command to Abd Al Ubazza Itlbah. The women were moving back and forth between the lines of fighters backing them and they were led by Hind, wife of Abu Sufyan. Thus both parties were ready for battle. In order to energize their ranks, the Meccans reminded their ranks about their defeat at Badr. Mohammed himself led the army and asked his companions to come forward. Abu Dujanah was a very brave man who had a reddish scarf with which he signaled everybody that he was bent upon fighting until victory or death. When he wrapped his scarf around his head, Mohammed gave him the sword. He started plunging into the rows of enemy fighters. When Mohammed saw this, he said that such behavior will be hated by God except under special circumstances.
      Abu Amir who was the first caught in hostile. He had moved from Medina to Mecca in order to arouse the Meccans to fight Mohammed. He was the slave of Safe Al Awai, who had not participated in the battle of Badr. He came to Uhd with a team of 15 soldiers. Once he claimed that he could persuade his fellow tribesmen, who had embraced Islam to fight with Meccans against Mohammed. To prove this claim he made a call to them and announced his identity. But the tribes men rejected his call and cursed him. Inferiorated at the outcome, he approached Muslim ranks and started to fight. To his left was Ikrimah the son of Abu Jahal who had lost his life at the battle of Badr. Ikrimah with the company of slaves attempted to penetrate into Muslim ranks. The Muslims stoned at them and they withdrew. At this moment a wide war cry was heard and the Muslims pushed into the Meccan ranks. It was then that Talba Ibn Abu Thalaha, carrier of the Meccan ranks rushed forward. Ali Ibn Abuthali came forward to fight with him. The encounter came to an end as Abuthali wounded him fatally at one stroke. Mohammed and his companions advanced forward. A lot of Meccans were killed. A woman in disguise also was found in the Meccan rows. The Meccan forces advanced ferociously and severe fight began. They were improportionally balanced. The larger army depended on their might and the smaller trusted in God.

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Our Father Who Art in Heaven (BS)

Blooming Stars - Swami Dr Snehananda Jyoti

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Marching Tuskers (LL)

Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally

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Marks of a Progressive Society

Views and Words - Dr. K S Radhakrishnan

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Being Somebody

Health and Happiness - Dr Dwarakanath

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The Heat is Within

R K Mittal I A S (Smart Plus) 

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The Battle of Uhd

Message of Peace - Justice P K Shamsuddhin (MOP)

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Unbridled Capitalism

Blooming Stars - Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

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An Extra Hour

Joseph Mattappally (LL)

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Is India Great? (VAW)

Views and Words - Dr K S Radhakrishnan

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The Secret of Existence (H&H)

Health and Happiness - Dr. Dwarakanath

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