Inner strength is true strength

Your body fall prey to the virus or bacterial attack when your immune system is weak and couldn’t fight. You may fall victim to the goons if you are physically weak and lack the ability to protect yourself. Similarly, you become victim to the worries when you lack true wisdom of life. Only those who lack inner strength are troubled by fear, boredom, sadness and depression.

Strength is life, weakness is death. Strength is joy, weakness is distress. No goon can come close to a strong man. Similarly, no feeble thoughts can come close to the true seeker of inner happiness who is on the journey of Self-consciousness. True strength is that which keeps away the goons of fear, jealousy, anger, sadness and worldly passions.

Expand your horizons

If you limit yourself within any boundaries of faith, believe or religion, then you limit your progress on the path of realization of Truth, realization of inner happiness. Truth is eternal, omnipresent and infinite, with no limitations of time, space, faith, beliefs or religion.

To realize the presence of eternal, conscious and blissful Truth within, it becomes necessary for the seeker to expand his or her horizons beyond all the limitations of mental conditioning on the name of faith, belief or religion. How do you do that? By giving importance to your own discrimination, experiences and realization; by going further deep into spirituality beyond the boundaries of religion; by exploring the Self within rather than trying to find the God outside; by exploring the possibility of becoming totally blissful while living, not after death; by realizing the possibility of living heaven on earth; by inquiring about your inner world, as to what is mind? What is intellect? Who am I?

Why should we praise the Lord?

Last week we were passing by a church while driving and my eight year old daughter read the board in front of the church – “Praise the Lord”. She asked me, “Dad, does God gets pleased when we praise Him?”

I always feel delighted whenever the young ones show some spiritual inquisitiveness. With a smile on my face, I answered, “My dear, God is not a personality that gets pleased when you praise Him or that gets annoyed when you begin to ignore Him or curse Him – just like humans. We should praise God for our own good. The omnipresent God, that resides everywhere and in your own heart, is eternal, conscious and blissful energy - The Sat-Chit-Ananda. When we praise God, His supreme peace, supreme knowledge and supreme happiness begins to flow within our own heart.”

After a brief pause, I said, “Otherwise also, when we praise someone we feel better ourselves. And when we curse someone, we aggravate ourselves. Isn’t that right, dear?”

Learn the art of dying also

Those who consider this world to be real, also consider themselves to be the mere body and remain ignorant of the Truth. Behind each and every act of such worldly beings, there is a selfish motive to gain wealth or health or fame for the body. Throughout their life they keep worrying about the future and resolving problems, one after other. And then ultimately, one day, leave the world in the same anxious state of mind. When such a worldly being encounter death, he cries and grieve over all the things and people that he is about to leave.

However, those who have realized themselves as the consciousness or the soul, remain unattached to the body and the belongings of the body. For them, this world is nothing more than an illusion or a dream. For such mystics, death is just a confirmation of their beliefs and their realization. Not only they smile and remain in the blissful state of mind while living, but they also leave the world with the same beauty and elegance. Just like we shed our clothes, or a snake leaves its skin, the Self realized ones leave their body just as a mere witness, in the blissful state of mind. They remain unperturbed and calm during the last moments of life.

Mind, intellect and your real Self

The mystics of the East did a lot of analysis of the inner world to gain the understanding of the subtle faculties of the being. Inner faculties of the being are also called as ‘Antah-Karan’. The ‘Antah-Karan’ consists of the mind, the intellect, the Chita and the ego. It is very helpful for the true seeker to gain proper understanding of the inner faculties in order to progress on the path of inner happiness.

Most of the seekers try to do meditation and meditation for them is controlling the mind only. Even the Yogis define Yoga as 'Chita Vriti Nirodha' - meaning the 'Suppression of the tendencies of mind'. For a true seeker, it is important to gain the wisdom of Self after attaining which one can differentiate between mind, intellect, chita, ego and the real Self. Because of the ignorance of the inner world, all the efforts of controlling the mind prove futile. The truly blissful saints, who gained the wisdom of the Self, insist that the goal of the true seeker should be to purify the intellect rather than controlling the mind. Before going deep into the subject, let’s try to understand the inner faculties of the being.

Life is not meant to be a race

If you stop one of the rats that are running around all over in a farm-house and ask, “What are you running for?” The rat will probably give you a bizarre look and probably reply, “I don’t know. I am running because everyone around me is running.”

Similar is the story of contemporary man. Most of us are running around without any pre defined goals – in an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit of wealth, power and happiness. Moreover, the car in which contemporary man is riding is terrific. It runs great, but at the same time, you can only push the pedals in this car. There is no direction of wisdom and there are no brakes of self control. You can imagine where such a car would lead to?

A true seeker of divine Truth

Most of us remain baffled about - what is true seeking of divine Truth and what does it entail? The Self realized saints describe God as the omnipresent eternal conscious blissful (Sat-Chit-Ananda) power. The art of recognizing and manifesting these divine qualities of the true omnipresent God in your own heart can be referred to as seeking of divine Truth.

By gaining such a wonderful state of mind, all the doubts are evaporated and the seeker attains supreme peace, love and bliss. Such a seeker gains true understanding of the illusionary nature of this world and the eternal nature of Soul. By gaining such a divine realization of Truth, such a seeker remains equanimous in all the circumstances of life and become completely fearless. Even the fear of death dissolves completely.

The importance of the wisdom of the Self

During our last discussion , we talked about wisdom and its kinds. Let’s go further deep into the subject to analyze the importance of the wisdom of the Self.

There is no doubt that mankind has made tremendous progress in gaining the understanding of the outer world and thereby made human life much more easy, comfortable and pleasurable. One needs worldly knowledge to earn the living and to live day to day life. Today, even after gaining all the forms of luxuries and entertainment, man somehow still remain restless and empty from inside.

Wisdom and its kinds

It is the wisdom that differentiates the wise men from the ordinary. It is the wisdom that makes wise men sagacious, prudent, equanimous, peaceful and truly happy being. The sages of the east categorize wisdom into three broad categories: the wisdom of the world, the wisdom of the Yoga and the wisdom of the Self. All of these three play important role for a seeker to gain inner peace and a truly happy state of mind.

Wisdom of the world refers to the knowledge of the outer world – the world that can be perceived by your five senses. The wisdom of the world helps you to gain understanding of the outer world – the nature, its objects and the people around you. Wisdom of the world is endless and can be further classified into numerous categories - science, accounting, sociology, biology, economics, engineering, mathematics, language, art are just to name a few.

Only discriminative faith can lead you to eternal happiness

Most of you would agree that it is the nature of human mind to develop a set of believes and faith based on the nature of upbringing and childhood experiences. The human mind cannot remain free of such beliefs and impressions. This is true in the material world, as well as in the spiritual world. Based on your early impressions, mostly from your parents, you consider yourself as a Christian or a Hindu or a Muslim or a Budhist or an atheist. Yes, even atheism is also a form of faith.

Now, after growing up, there are two types of people based on how they deal with these set of beliefs or faith. The vast majority of people never question their parents or themselves about the doctrines, the holy scriptures, the historical stories of God, philosophy of after-death heaven and hell etc. They just assume everything to be true and continue to lead the religious life based on their assumptions. They just continue to follow the scriptures and the religious customs based on how they were told by their parents and others. They rarely go into the depth of spirituality by asking about the true spirit or about the true omnipresent formless God that is residing in every heart.

Be a true seeker and then pursue inner happiness

There are two types of spiritual seekers, one who consider themselves as the worldly being, enjoy the material world and then continue to pursue their seeking as a hobby or as a social obligation. And second, who consider themselves as the seeker of Supreme Truth and continue to lead their worldly life without giving it much of an importance. They know the fact that the purpose of their life is to seek the Supreme Truth about the Self, about the God and thereby gain eternal bliss.

In the material world, we consider ourselves student first and then pursue studies; we assume ourselves businessman first, and then try to do business; we consider ourselves a dancer first, and then begin to learn dance; we consider ourselves artist first, and then learn the art. Then, why can’t a seeker act like a seeker only while pursuing the supreme goal of life? One of the reasons is that most of us don’t want to take on the responsibility of being a true seeker of Supreme Truth. We don’t want to let go of the desires to indulge in the sensual momentary pleasures.

Detachment is the key to long lasting happiness

In the modern day society, while leading the day to day life, a common man gets attached to the people, places and things around him or her. Not only that, you also get mentally attached to the desires, goals or so called dreams of life. The materialistic society only teaches you to attach yourself to everything in your circle of existence so as to achieve a sense of security, success and happiness.

However, the problem is when these things disappear, as they often do, it leaves you with the feelings of emptiness, restlessness and grief. The attachment to money makes you greedy; the attachment to your status makes you selfish and mean; the attachment to the people around you makes you emotionally vulnerable; the attachment to the surroundings makes you fearful; the attachment to your goals and desires makes you restless.

Your mind is a real wish-tree

Personality is nothing, but a collection of your thoughts. As you think, so are your actions and as your actions, so is your destiny. Your mind is such a potent wish tree that whatever your mind thinks eventually materializes. Your present life is the result of your past thoughts in the form of your fears, aspirations and desires. Your thoughts help you create the reality that you experience. Whether that experience is good or bad, all of it is determined by our thoughts.

When you start worrying, the negative energy starts propagating into the Existence and the same negativity begins to manifest. Then you begin to think that the world is conspiring against you. Similarly, when you are happy, the world around you appears to be encouraging and wonderful. So, be watchful of your thoughts in such a way that you nourish the thoughts that brings you ever lasting peace and happiness.

Be sure of the problem before trying to solve it

Let me tell you a short story. One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. As usual a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well. At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.

The driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it. The next day the same thing happened - Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next.

Scientific evidence of the power of prayer

As discussed in my last blog, the wonderful benefits of sincere prayer cannot be expressed in words. By means of various scientific studies, it has been proved that the wonderful affects of sublime thoughts associated with prayer and remembrance of God, are not only limited to the mind or spirit, but extend to the physical world as well.

In one of the recent research, Dr. Masaru Emoto took the water droplets and exposed them to various kind of thoughts associated with words, music, and environment. Then he froze them for three hours. He then examined the crystal formations under a dark field microscope and took photographs. You will be impressed to look at these photographs.

Prayer: the supreme means of elevation

Sincere prayer is the supreme means of elevation on the journey of Self-consciousness. Initially a seeker starts praying to the God as per his understanding and as he progresses spiritually, the prayer are directed more and more to the inner God that resides in every heart. Just like an electronic device that gets charged when hooked to the power plug, you also get rejuvenated with prayer as you connect with the supreme source of energy.

Prayer helps in rejuvenating the health of the old and the sick. Prayer gives strength to the feeble and the exhausted. Prayers make you kind hearted, open minded, self confident, spiritual and closer to the Supreme Consciousness. Prayer brings end to all the weaknesses and purifies the heart of the true seeker.

Journey of inner happiness

There is a saying that – ‘you are only as good as the company you keep’. When you enjoy the company of drunkards, you would most likely turn out to be the same. When you enjoy the company of gamblers, you would start gambling as well. Similarly, when you enjoy the company of wise men, the truly happy people, you become the same. Wise is the person who enriches life with the right company – the company of positive and joyful thoughts, the company of wise and truly happy people.

There are three stages of being in the elevating company of true happiness. First stage is when you begin your pursuit of inner happiness:

But I don't believe in God.

A fresh college graduate returned to his village after finishing his college education. Next day morning, the family gathered for the morning prayers. This young man sneaked out of the prayer room and got noticed by the father. After the prayer, father asked the son if that is what he has learned in College.

He replied, “Dad, you don’t know anything. There is no God or anything like that. It is all false beliefs that are being followed from centuries. Open up your mind and give up those age old beliefs in the light of Science and technology.”

“Son, who do you think created this world and the living beings?”

“Father, according to the Scientists like Darwin and others, the earth came into existence when a piece

Is your mind driving you to right destination?

The mind is the driver of your life. As your thoughts, so are your actions and as your actions, so is your destiny. It is the thoughts of your mind that controls your mood and that decides how you would react to the different situations in your life. It is your mind that makes your destiny. However, you rarely check on your driver if it is leading you to the right destination. You rarely bother to equip your driver with the skills that can lead you through the daily battles of life. The driver continues to drive you irrationally in pursuit of happiness, but mostly getting restlessness and miseries in return.

There are three important qualities of a good driver – the driver should be well aware of the destination ; the driver should know how to drive skillfully; and the driver should know when to apply the brakes.

Lessons of happiness from birds

One day Ratilal, the richest man in the village, asked his accountant, “Can you give me an approximate idea of my savings?”

“Let me see. After calculating all your investments and interest, I can tell you that you have enough savings such that your next three generations can live happily,” answered the accountant.

With some grave impressions on his face, he grumbled, “In that case, how is my fourth generation going to survive?” He started remaining worried. One day, his close friend Harichand, a kind and spiritual soul, visited him. When he revealed the cause of his worries to his friend, Harichand started laughing and then sang of the Saint Kabir’s verse:

Rejoice in the realization of golden Buddha

It was year 1957, in Thailand. A group of monks were asked to relocate their monastery, along with a huge clay Buddha, to a new location in order to make room for the development of a highway through Bangkok. When the monks tried to move the giant idol with a help of equipment, the idol developed a crack. The head monk, who was concerned about damage to the sacred Buddha, decided to lower the statue back to the ground and cover it with a large canvas tarp to protect it from the rain.

Later in the night, the head monk wanted to check the magnitude of the crack once again. He went to check on the Buddha, entrapped in the large canvas. He shined his flashlight under the tarp on the giant Buddha idol. He got curious as he saw the little gleam shining back. When he took a closer look at this gleam of light, he wondered if there might be something underneath the clay.

Romancing with life is happiness

Life is like all-knowing affectionate grandma. Sometimes life smiles at you and then, at other times, it makes faces. Sometimes life hugs you with love and then, at other times, it plays naughty pranks on you. Sometimes life kisses you on your cheeks and then, at other times, it pinches you softly and run away laughingly. Life just wants to play with you and wants to romance with you. It doesn’t want to spare you with any dull moments. Life wants you to teach the art of playing with it.

Don’t take life too seriously. Only when you start appreciating life, begin to love it and start playing with it, you will experience a deep and sweet connection with life. This is what I am referring as romance with life.

The spiritual significance of Kumbh Mela

A significant spiritual event is in progress in the land of the mystics and seers – India. This congregation is happening in Haridwar after twelve years. Situate on the banks of river Ganges, Haridwar is hosting the Kumbh Mela from 14th January to 28th April, 2010. The dates are calculated based on the special astrological combination of zodiacal positions of Sun, Moon, and Jupiter. The references of Kumbh Mela are found even in the Puranas. So, we can infer that this holy event has been celebrated in India since time immemorial, even before the Puranas were written four thousand years ago.

Spiritual secrets of your health

As per World Health Organization, health is defined as being a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The correlation of mental health with physical and social health has already been illustrated by various scientific studies all over the world. However, one more important component, your spiritual health and happiness, is missing from the WHO definition of health as well as from the focus of researches all over the world.

 The sages of the East, who were the pioneers of Ayurveda, inscribed about this important link between spirituality and health, thousands of years ago. The first great Ayurvedic teacher, Agnivesh, was a disciple of Atreya Punavarsu, one of that original body of thinkers who founded the Ayurveda. These holy men insisted that a man’s physical health is dependent on his ability to live in harmony with the external universe and the mental health depends on his ability to live in harmony with himself. Following is the summary of the secrets of health revealed by Atreya Muni to his disciple, Agnivesh:

Five shortcomings of the worldly pleasures

We spend most of our time and energy in the pursuit of material wealth which can enable us to enjoy sensual pleasures, be it in the form of good food to satisfy the sense of taste, good music to pacify the sense of hearing or bodily sensual pleasures to soothe the sense of touch. It seems that the only objective of life for the contemporary man is to enjoy sensual pleasures, bodily comforts and momentary gratification. Such never-ending pursuit tarnishes our heart and prevents us from enjoying the inner peace, divine love and inner happiness.

The worldly pleasures are inflicted with five shortcomings. Firstly, such pleasures do not last very long and come to an end very quickly.

Spiritual benefits of being a vegetarian

To eat whatever is served, to drink whatever is available and to act as per the wishes of mind are the signs of animalistic tendencies. Even animals do the same. If you act just like animals, then you won’t be able to claim the eternal inner joy, love and laughter that are only available to humans. For receiving the priceless gift of inner happiness, you are required to be the master of your mind, instead of being a slave. You can only become master of your mind when your intellect shines with the true wisdom and your acts are aligned with your consciousness.

Your intellect only makes decision based on the past impressions and the current knowledge. A true seeker of happiness should gain ample knowledge to illumine the intellect so that it can make right decisions that could bring you closer to inner joy.

The ancient secrets of sound sleep and Yoga Nidra

Human mind always remains in one of the three states i.e. the state of waking, dreaming or that of deep sleep. Even during the state of dreaming, your sub conscious mind remains active and hence, you don’t get complete rest. You get complete rest and feel recharged only after a deep, dreamless sleep, wherein your whole being, including our mind, gets relaxed. Such a profound dreamless sleep has wonderful affects on all the spheres of your existence- on the physical as well as our subtle body, which consists of the mind, the intellect, the mood and the ego.

The happy or the sad, the rich or the poor, the president or the citizen, the learned or the illiterate, all experience the same peace during deep sleep. During deep sleep,