Living in the Past

Most people are living in the past. They ruminate and waste their precious energy churning their memories deposited in their mind (chit). In Indian philosophy, chit is the reservoir of memories. The other day a close relative of mine talked about how he was not given a just portion of ancestral property. Unfortunately this is a story often heard in Kerala, India. In one way or another, this is not any different in other parts of the world. I have heard his story umpteen times in the past.  I have responded to his grievance.  His situation was taken into account and was amply compensated by a relative who decided not to take any ancestral property. It just does not matter.  His story is not in the past. His demeanor the way he narrates the story show his story is very alive in the present. And there is at least one culprit involved, and he does not have a good relationship with him. It consumes some of his energy. Everything that he says is colored by his past experiences. A close American friend of mine told me how her sister went through her mother’s belongings soon after her mother’s death, and took all the jewelries and knick-knacks, and deprived her siblings of even some memorabilia that are only valuable to them. She was still emotionally chocked while narrating her story. A part of her energy was also tied down with her past which is still her present.  We see things and persons through the glasses that we wear. If we wear yellow glasses we may see everyone jaundiced.  If our glasses are dirty or clouded, we will not see anything clearly, and we may conclude that our object of perception is not clear. This is an instance of projection. We are familiar with situations when a person is angry with us but as far as that person is concerned we are angry with them. This is a clear instance of projection. The person projects one’s feelings onto us. We filter all realities and experiences through our personality. Our unique personality contains all our experiences, both pleasant and painful, that serve as filters for perceiving present experiences.

Once Mullah Nazruddin’s wife went to the local judge and complained about some unpleasant incident involving her husband. When the Mulla was asked to appear before the judge, he said: “Respected Judge, there are three versions or truths. One is hers, the other is mine, and the third, what actually happened.” There are as many different perceptions as there are experiences and realities. This is not to say that we do not agree on our perceptions or experiences. But we need to be ever vigilant so that our unresolved painful experiences of the past do not serve as filters for the present experiences and thus influence or change our perceptions. If the bad past unduly influences our present we are living in the past.  We go through motions, and function but we are not truly living in the here and now. We need to extricate ourselves from the chains of the past. In the West many go to a psychologist and work through problems resulting from the painful past through psychotherapy. In the East one is likely go to a guru or wise person for answers. Varieties of meditations and helping relationships can be of assistance.

Are we living in the past? Our emotional energy is what motivates us to perform various actions. If our personality is a captive of our toxic past, our actions or lack of certain altruistic behaviors partake of that malignant past. We are also laden with many burdens of the past that eat into our effectiveness and full and joyous living. To the extent our emotional energy for living in the now – the present is all that we really have – is tied down with the past painful or unpleasant experiences, we are not free to enjoy and celebrate, we are at least partially, if not fully, living in the past.

Swami (Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

Breathing in Vain

There was a time when I was deep in books, old and new. Even though it were the mystic books of Tuesday Lobsang Rampa (an early 20^th c. Buddhist monk from Tibet, author of The Third Eye) that attracted me most, my weakness is Acharya Rajanish, popularly known Osho. Every time I go through one of his works, I used to convince myself that Osho has summerised his best advices, in that one book. My assumptions lasted only till the moment I opened his next book. Once Osho said, “A comfortable, convenient life is not a real life – the more comfortable, the less alive. The most comfortable life is in the grave. If you are alive there is inconvenience.

If you are alive, there are challenges. If you are alive then every moment you have to face reality, encounter reality. Every moment you have to be ready to change and to move. Reality has no security and that is its’ beauty. Life has no security and that is its’ beauty. Because there is no security, there is adventure. Because the future is unknown, nobody knows what is going to happen the next moment. That’s why there is challenge, growth, adventure. If you miss adventure, you miss all. If your life is not that of an adventure, of a search into the unknown, then you are living in vain.”

This quote I recalled once again, as I went through a few thrilling Indian success stories. The first was the story of a visually impaired 23 year old guy (blind from 11 years) from Hyderabad who has become India’s first blind CA (Chartered Accountant). The next was the sterling success story of a poor Tamil girl, Prema Jayakumar, who came first in the CA final exam last year. What is special with her is that she is daughter of a poor Auto Rikshaw driver in Mumbai and live with her family in a one room house in Malad there. The third story is about a guy who got into Google! Naga Naresh Karutura, son of illiterate parents is an IIT pass out, who has no legs. I’m sure that there are many more, who truly live according to the parameters set by Osho. The sad thing is that the number of people truly living is very low when compared to the many who breathe in vain.

Joseph Mattappally

Value of Time

 “Until you value yourself, you don’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it”.  M. Scott Peck

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Start each morning determined to make the most of the day. Make a written plan for each day. This is of primary importance. You will accomplish much more by making a plan in writing and following it out fully and promptly. Know what you really want. A good plan is to express your desires in concrete form. Get a right sense of life’s values. Time is valuable. Learn to think about essential things first, so that useless trifles will not so easily consume your time. Get in to the habit of living according to the plan. Hurry, Worry and anxiety defeat your purpose. Eliminate from your life, as far as possible, all undue nervous strain, tension and excitements and you will accumulate great resources of mental and physical vitality.

Instead of thinking about what you do and what you buy in terms of money, think about them in terms of time. Think about it. What is worth spending your life on?

If you have a song to sing, sing it now. If you have hard work to do, do it now. If you have kind words to say, say it now. If you have smile to show, show it now. If you love someone, say it now.

"Loose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.” Richard  Whately  

Sr (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL                 

Upasaka and Krishna’s world!

If spiritual discipline can take us to the whole “I”, then there is no difference between Sadhana and Upasana. But the truth is that we cannot achieve the whole “I” through efforts. And that is why a moment comes in the life of a Sadhaka, a traveler on the path of effort, when he is called upon to drop his self, to give up his “I”. Efforts can, at the most take us to Soul. Soul is an incomplete attainment. To complete it, to attain the supreme, Sadhaka has to take a leap and give up the soul too. The Upasaka – devotee makes this leap in his very first step. We cannot come to supreme through efforts alone. When all efforts cease, the ultimate truth comes into being. The Sadhaka is in much better position, he first drops the “I” and then there is nothing more to drop. What Sadhaka does in the end the upasaka does in the beginning.

It is not easy for all but Krishna feels it is wise to drop the unwanted at the beginning itself. Why carry and cling to the unnecessary? Why go through all tortuous struggles? And Krishna questions, why we should carry the unwanted burden to the top of the mountain when you are told to drop off before the assent? It is too much effort to carry a burden all the way up to the mountain peak. Sooner or later it has to be dropped, but we doers say we will carry, as long as it is possible. The Upasaka is more intelligent, his faith on God is tremendous, he drops his “I” at the very start of his journey. And miracle happens that with dropping of the “I” the journey is complete. This is the difference between the doer and the devotee. However there is no difference between them when they have arrived.

It is significant that while the journey of the doer is hard and sometimes painful too. The journey of the devotee is joyful. The doer’s attachment to the “I” will continue to impede his progress. And can even force him to leave his journey unfinished, if the doer is undetermined. The devotee faces this problem only once, ad that too at the beginning of the journey. And if we can tackle it rightly, we can be finished with it forever. Devotee can be tempted to think that if doer can reach the peak with the “I” why should he drop it right at the start? He can get confused. But it is a matter of inclination, type and the choice that a person takes to devotion and another to discipline and effort. And while devotee’s difficulty comes at the start and the doer’s difficulty at the end, the goal is the same. But let us remember that the world of Krishna is the world of devotee, the upasaka. 

Let us understand Krishna, to understand Gita. 

Dr Dwarakanath, Mithran Foundation

Success has no competition

We are living in an era of competition. Day by day the competition for success is becoming so intense that the very joy of living is being lost. What is worse is that the pressure of competition has engulfed our young generation also and this has resulted in several disorders. The increasing number of suicides among young students is mainly on account of this pressure. This is a serious issue and needs to be addressed correctly. 

I had a first-hand experience of this narrow definition of success while I was addressing class XII students of Delhi Public School in Delhi, a few years back. It was a biology section with boys and girls in almost an equal number. When I asked them about their goal in life, everyone said that they wanted to become doctors. They also agreed that it was not possible for all to succeed in the entrance examination but the very thought of not getting selected made them miserable. Perhaps they had cultivated a very narrow definition of success in their minds. In short, success for them only meant becoming a doctor. 

Regarding this, I gave the example of my nephew (sister’s son) who also entertained the desire of becoming a doctor while he was studying. He tried for the entrance after class XII, but failed. Thereafter, he sought admission in BSc, a two-year course at that time. He tried again after completing the first year of BSc but failed in that attempt too. Quite disappointed, he completed his BSc and gave a third attempt for the medical entrance with quite a good hope for selection. But third time also he could not succeed. Everyone was disappointed and thought that this boy will see no success in life. But all were wrong including the boy. Having completed his graduation, he was left with no option but to seek admission in MSc. He chose agricultural botany as his subject and sought admission in a prestigious institute of Delhi. Gradually, he was coming to terms and started taking interest in his post-graduate studies. He did well and after completion, got admission for research in Australia. Having obtained his PhD from there, he completed his post-doctorate studies from the USA. Today, he is one of the leading bio-scientists -cum-entrepreneurs of the world in this field. His success is a matter of pride not only to him but to all his near and dear ones.

Hearing this example of success all the students started wondering. Perhaps they started rethinking about their definition of success. I also told them that this was just an example and there were countless of them. All this changed the environment of our discussion in a very positive way and they all participated in it with an open and happy mindset. Many of them told me over tea that they felt very relieved and the pressure of competing in the medical entrance had reduced to a great extent. Naturally, I also felt very happy and satisfied. Perhaps all of us need to realise this aspect of success. Having born as human beings, we are the most precious creation of Nature. Nature has also not made any two human beings exactly the same. It means that each of us is a unique creation of Nature and there is a purpose behind our creation. Our efforts should be directed towards knowing that purpose and achieving it. For this, none of us needs to compete with others and if at all there is competition, it is with oneself only. This way our life should be a process of self-improvement. Once we do so, we get not only worldly success but achieve the goal of our life also. Surely, there is no competition in success. No wonder the famous philosopher J Krishnamoorti used to hate the word ‘competition’ as for him this was a synonym for ‘violence’.

Rakesh Mittal I A S

Mecca Caught

Abu Sufian came to know about the conversion of Khalid to Islam and he sent for Khalid. Whren Khalid came; Abu Sufian asked him whether what he heard about him was true. Khalid replied in affirmative. Abu Sufian got terribly angry and said “By Latsa and Bussa, what you are doing will prove that I will kill you before I put an end to the life of Mohammed.” Khalid replied, “Oh! By God whatever others think about it, what I said was true.” Abu Sufian lost his patience and moved towards Khalid to attack him. Ikrima prevented him from attacking Khalid and said Abu Sufian, “By God, I also had apprehension that I would embrace Mohammed like Khalid. You are going to kill Khalid for his going to Mohammed to accept his religion but Qureshis have approved Mohammed and I am afraid that within one year the entire inhabitants of Mecca would become the followers of Mohammed.”

Khalid left Mecca and joined the Muslims at Medina. Amr Ibn As and custodian of Kaba Usman Bin Thualha followed him. Several other Meccans also came forward to embrace Islam. All these developments strengthened the power and determination of Muslims and it became very clear that the doors of Mecca would soon open before Mohammed.

Mohammed was not impatient. Only one year had passed after the treaty of Ubaidiya. He never wanted to violate the terms of the treaty. In the meanwhile, there were some minor incidents of concern. Mohammed sent a delegation of fifty persons to invite Banu Sualai to Islam. But Banu Sulai cheated and murdered the members of the delegation. It is by accident that the head of the delegation escaped.

Justice P K Shamsuddin 

Religious harmony - 2

Religions are losing their credibility and importance day by day as they fail to perform and connect humans with God.  Quite a few persons are leaving their traditional religious base, and are going to other religions, or are becoming agnostics as their spiritual needs are not met. Interestingly the fast growing religions are not marked by freedom, equality, and human rights, but seem to provide easy answers to humans’ anxiety and insecurity. They are more autocratic, authoritarian, structured, and give simple assurances with a new dogmatism while doing aggressive and invasive proselytizing. This trend is not a welcome sign for humanity as humanity needs to turn inward in discovering the kingdom of God within while rigorously engaging in search for truth and the glorious liberty of God’s children. The current change of religions or denominations may indicate that many persons utterly dissatisfied in their denominations  are  looking for new experiences before they can settle in what serves their needs or wants. May be they are looking for a more loving and caring community. There are others who keep their traditional religious base only for social belongingness to manage important life events such as marriage or funeral. Whatever the current situation, one thing is very clear to me that this is or should be a century of spirituality and religious harmony.

 The only way for religions to regain their credibility is by working for religious harmony and oneness of humanity. Oneness of humanity indicates that we are all in this one cosmic boat with one universal destiny, and we all need to work together in cooperation rather than in competition, strife, turmoil, and mutually assured destruction. We all need to oar together to reach our final destination – the God of all. 

Some things that religions can do to foster religious harmony:

• Unconditional respect for other religions whether one agrees with their tenets or not as long as they do not violate human rights. Any religion that violates human rights cannot connect a human to God who is the author of human rights. Respect for human rights is the basis for any spirituality. After examining various religions, one needs to choose one’s religion or path to holiness. When one is in doubt, one’s search needs to continue till one’s conscience is satisfied.

• Instilling a relentless search for truth and tolerance for ambiguities, uncertainties, and diversities. 

• Cooperation in developing a solid value system, ethical and professional standards in daily living, businesses, and professions. Discouraging financial dealings with violators of human rights. Non-cooperation with persons who engage in corrupt practices unless they mend their lives.

• Developing an educational system that emphasizes formation of conscience and character, and prepares persons for moral, spiritual life, and ethical living at all times.

  

• Fostering leaders of honesty, integrity, and a clean public record for serving the common good of nations and the world irrespective of their religious and political affiliations. Developing a political I. Q. (Intelligence Quotient), a Service Quotient, and a Corruption Index for persons aspiring for public life and political career.

• Respect for life, nature, and eco-systems and ecology that encourages waste and pollution management, and fosters the wise use of earth’s scarce resources for all humans.

Swami (Dr) Snehanand Jyoti