The Infinite Mind by Ankush Garg and Ravi Valluri unveiled by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will be available in New Delhi World Book Fair from 5th January to 13th January 2019 and Chennai Book Fair from 4th January to 20th January 2019..
Friday 28 December 2018
Monday 24 December 2018
Krishna and Arjuna
A rare conversation between Krishna & Today's Arjun. Read it loud to family,
it's one of the best message I have come across...
1. Arjun :- *_I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic._*
Krishna:- *Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free.*
2. Arjun :- *_Why has life become complicated now?_*
Krishna :- *Stop analyzing life... It makes it complicated. Just live it.*
3. Arjun :- *_Why are we then constantly unhappy?_*
Krishna :- *Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.*
4. Arjun :- *_Why do good people always suffer?_*
Krishna :- *Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer.*
*With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter.*
5. Arjun :- *_You mean to say such experience is useful?_*
Krishna :- *Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. It gives the test first and the lessons later.*
6. Arjun :- *_Because of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading…_*
Krishna:- *If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides the way.*
7. Arjun :- *_Does failure hurt more than moving in the right direction?_**
Krishna:- *Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you.*
8. Arjun :- *_In tough times, how do you stay motivated?_*
Krishna :- *Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.*
9. Arjun :- *_What surprises you about people?_*
Krishna :- *When they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me?"*
10. Arjun :- *_How can I get the best out of life?_*
Krishna:- *Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.*
11. Arjun :- *_One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered._*
Krishna:- *There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.*
Jesus - Embodiment of Love
Jesus - Embodiment of Love
Love is the most sought-after but least expressed mystery of life. We try to express love in so many ways, still it remains a mystery. And it rarely happens that love is expressed in its fullness, in its totality.
Jesus and love are synonymous. If you say love, you need not say Jesus and if you say Jesus, it means love. Jesus once said, “If you call God in my name, whatever you ask shall be given. For God is love.” You find such a complete expression of love in Jesus. Whatever little glimpses you may get here and there indicates that fullness, that ultimate expression of the inexpressible that life is striving to express all the time.
Love makes you weak, but brings you the kingdom of heaven. However strong you are, you are the weakest when you are in love. Yet love is the strongest force on this universe. Since love makes you weak, it also is scary. Among thousands, just a few followed Jesus. Many heard, but just a few came. Even after performing many miracles, only handful of people could recognise him.
Jesus said, “I have come to put man against man, father against son, daughter against mother.” Very few people have really understood what it means. Whom you think is your friend is really not a friend because he or she makes your faith on the matter strong, and spirit weak. “I have come to put one against each other, I have come to put fire, not make peace.” Jesus said this because he knew the depth of slumber. When you talk something nice, peaceful, everybody will go to sleep and when there is something sensational, people wake up and listen. This is how the human mind operates. And Jesus made all efforts for one to cross the mind and get into the soul, the spirit, the source of life, the Self. You break through the limited identities and recognise the Divinity within you. You are much more than just a human; you are part of the Divine. And you inherit the kingdom. And that kingdom is right here, right within you.
Love has no name, nor form. Love is abstract, yet it is very concrete. It has no name or form but manifests in all names and in all forms. This is the mystery of creation. You can see love everywhere in this creation if only you have an eye to see it. Just see a bird, and a small one in the nest. The bird comes and how it feeds its young one. See how the young one waits for the mother bird to come. There is love in it. There is love among fish. There is love in the sky. There is love underneath the water. There is love on the ground. And there is love in the outer space.
Every form is full of love and every name represents love. And that is how Jesus is One with the Father. Father is One with his creation. In India, the creation and creator are compared to the dance and the dancer. You cannot have a dance without a dancer. Dancer is in every move of the dance. The creator is in every spec of the creation. That is what is omnipresent, omnipotent. If God is omnipresent, he is present everywhere, isn’t it? The creator, if he is different from the creation, then he is not present in his creation. Then he is not omnipresent. The whole definition of God is gone.
Love is present everywhere, but somewhere it finds total expression. And the knowledge of the Self leads you towards that total expression of love, of blossoming of love. It lifts your eyes from all tiny little things. One Divine is providing for everybody. Neither the python goes to work nor the birds toil. Everybody is taken care of. Everything is taken care of.
Jesus said, “Love each other as much as I love you.” What more do you need to see that embodiment of love?
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
Sunday 23 December 2018
Friday 21 December 2018
Wednesday 19 December 2018
Saturday 15 December 2018
Friday 14 December 2018
Saturday 8 December 2018
Tuesday 4 December 2018
Sunday 2 December 2018
Humanity at Odds With the Environment
https://ravivalluri.wordpress.com/2018/12/03/humanity-at-odds-with-the-environment/
Thursday 29 November 2018
Sunday 25 November 2018
Addictions — How to overcome them?
‘We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking,’ writes Santosh Kalwar.
Addiction is actually a physical or a psychological need for a habit-forming substance, could be drugs, alcohol, food, sex, shopping or even excessive physical exercise. No wonder the term ‘gym rat’ has been added to our usage. In all these cases, the initial engagement is pleasurable, but a stage develops when ingestion of the substance, say alcohol, becomes compulsive in nature and it interferes in normal routine work.
Anais Nin, an artiste, says, ‘This day is my kief, hashish and opium pipe. This is my day and my vice.’ Gail Carniger, yet another artiste, believes, ‘I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.’
Addiction is an unpleasant physical activity, yet the human body and mind demands another dose, be it alcohol or drugs, every few hours. The addict throws up and consumes yet again. It is nothing but mental bulimia.
The afflicted person refuses to acknowledge the state and lives in a state of denial, refusing to accept it as a malady or a disorder.
Addictions can strike anyone and is not class specific. Alcoholism or drug addiction is not a malady of the rich and it easily encompasses the hoi-polloi. I focus on celebrities and wonder how noted writers, artists, musicians, and other celebrities fall for various addictions despite being aware of the perils associated with the addiction. To begin with, it impairs their performance, quality of life and contribution to the art world and society. In a drunken or stoned state, addicts abuse their bodies and those of others. Pavement dwellers get maimed for life or worse, killed due to reckless driving by such celebrities. Of course it could be a commoner in the driving seat, too. Such stars may resort to crime or harbour criminals or ultras. Often, they plead innocence before the judiciary and walk free. It could be because of lack of evidence, compromised investigation, exchange of money at high places or simply owing to their celebrity status.
These are gifted individuals and nature has endowed them with exceptional skills which need to be explored but addiction distracts them from honing their talent. Even the society enjoys such actions with pure voyeuristic pleasure and provides the television viewer with cheap entertainment. The biggest promoters of this voyeurism are our 24×7 TV channels for whom only TRPs matter.
After years of travails, tribulations, physical and mental suffering an addict becomes aware of the problem. The intellect awakens only through an inexplicable experiential phenomenon. It is when we realise our bodies and minds are sacred that the addict can take the first step. This can happen only through the grace of the Divine or a Guru.
‘Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step,’ saidMartin Luther King Junior.
The addict needs to take one day at a time. One should not plan for unrealistic long-term goals. Whatever be the provocation, the afflicted should remain positive, engage in hobbies, divert the mind, keep harmonious company and engage in physical activity. Look for an environmental change. For instance, do not take the same road back home from office, just drive past a bar or a wine shop or that group of associates who can pull the wrong trigger.
There are several anonymous groups like AA, Smokers Anonymous, Sex Anonymous, etc. who help to wean away the addict with the help of their programmes. Addicts are medically treated in rehabs to detoxify the system. Psychiatrists provide a special service to treat such patients. In countries like India, the patient lives in a state of denial and does not seek medical attention. There is both lack of awareness and secondly one feels that he would be ostracised and thus does not approach a doctor for help. Besides these self-help groups, family and friends have a pivotal role to play and convince the addict to seek medical help at the earliest. This has to be done with love, care and compassion, and not with a whip.
It would be indeed beneficial to take up Art Of Living courses which now offer a special programme to overcome addictions and detoxification. Breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya, meditation techniques, practice of Yoga and Pranayama infuse fresh energy or prana into the mind and body of an individual to remain calm and detoxify the self.
As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, ‘When you consider life to be sacred, Nature waits on you.’ When nature waits on you, miracles happen.
Spirits to Spirituality
‘Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues moun.’ — Clare Boothe Luce.
It requires enormous courage to acknowledge our deficiencies and make a 360-degree change in our personality to be acknowledged and acceptable. Normally, we live in a state of denial.
Man is a social being who seeks recognition and positive strokes. Only a sage or a mad person does not require attention.
In the course of personality development, various bottlenecks are encountered.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, ‘If you can win over your mind ,you can win over the whole world’. Body and mind are the precious gifts of nature. And we neglect them leading to physical and psychological disorders.
We torture our bodies through various forms of addictions, be it excessive sex, smoke, substance, alcohol, food, desire for power, etc. The mind is cluttered with innumerable thoughts which impede clarity in thinking. Most of our thoughts are negative in nature. These thoughts are either fretting about our past or anxiety of what is expected in the future. We are never in the present moment. Living in the present moment is a state of meditation and almost devoid of desires where nature works wonders. How does one reach ‘being in the present state’? There are several techniques and each one finds his or her path.
When I became an alcoholic and a heavy smoker, it had a deleterious impact on my mind and body. I was hospitalised, operated upon and put into rehab. Simultaneously, the relationship with family, friends, parents and my place of work was jeopardised.
My dalliance with alcohol was for more than 15 years. Astrologer friends blamed my fate on planetary configurations. Basically, I was at war with myself. I could not pursue my areas of interest —theatre — and had to settle for a job in the government (Indian Railway Traffic Service). I was selected to the Indian Police Service but was dissuaded from joining that job. This added to my frustration as I lost out on POWER. Slowly, I hit the bottle and the situation worsened.
I overcame addiction through various Art Of Living Programmes. The fulcrum of all Art Of Living programmes is the unique breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya (Proper Vision Process) which has magical curative powers. Today, by the grace of the Master, I am an Art Of Living Teacher as well.
As Sri Sri says, ‘Only the presence of the master will bring fulfilment to your life and to all your relations.’
Breathing techniques and meditation are extremely powerful and can harmonise the body, mind, thoughts complex. Srinivas Iyengar says, ‘Breath does not mean air taken in and exhaled, but the Prana (subtle life force) that is the magnetic current of breath.
Spirits to Sudarshan Kriya —A Spiritual Sojourn
Astrologers blamed my problem and misfortune on planetary configurations and the stars, clairvoyants postulated theories that it was bad fate- Karma, science opines that alcoholism is perhaps genetic. Well, some relatives had been alcoholics. An uncle fought back through the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. The fact of the matter was that I had a severe drinking problem and like all alcoholics was in denial mode.
Substance abuse, smoking and alcohol have a detrimental effect on human body, mind and soul. Repair is an arduous and painstaking task which necessarily requires Divine intervention. Science would vouch for professional help. But the addict is absolutely oblivious to any help and is cocooned in his world of self-denial and arrogance, refusing any form of help and closes all doors. I have seen it happening with myself and a few colleagues who sadly succumbed to the lethal disease. When the addict surrenders to Divine mercy, that professional help works as a miracle.
Those struggling to cope with addictions and really desirous of a 360-degree change in their lives should invariably and without any hesitation clutch the hand of the Divine, whose manifestation is a Guru, in order to survive and help themselves and their loved ones.
Today, I recall those wintry weekends of Bikaner, when I hit the bottle after performing a part of my official duties where I was in charge of passenger and freight operations. In fact, railway operations involve a 24×7, 365-days’ effort. All those involved have to be extremely sharp and alert and here I was mixing my work with alcohol. A typical weekend meant speaking to my bosses at Delhi with a mixture of false bravado but primarily trepidation, over several packets of cigarettes, taking a quick shower, a light breakfast and then settling down with my precious bottle of gin.
Later in the afternoon, I would settle down with yet another bottle of gin. All through, spar with supposedly non-performing staff, quibble with my wife and shout at my children and literally sleep over lunch, while the telephone from the railway control office would be ringing incessantly. The pattern continued. It was a strange fixation with the drink. I vomited only to drink more. One could call it drinking bulimia. As the sun sank in the deserts of Rajasthan, shadows lengthened in our railway bungalow; the prestigious Palace on Wheels chugged along, coal rakes were being supplied to powerhouses, gypsum and food grain was getting loaded and I was trying to handle the second bottle of gin. As a routine, it became one a half bottles of gin on weekdays and over the weekends there were two bottles. Nothing to trumpet about. It was a wretched life to lead, no friends, no social gatherings — it was only alcohol. Whenever we were invited for lunches or dinners, my family was absolutely petrified as a drunk and violent person accompanied them for the outing.
This was the scenario every weekend and holiday. My mind was always desperately pining for that bottle of gin. Why Blue Riband Gin? The fact was that I thought gin did not stink. Gin is euphemistically referred to as a lady’s drink, but the stuff has almost 40 per cent alcohol in it.
It is indeed a matter of surprise to me as to how the official establishment accepted and tolerated me. I reckon it was the deep prayers of my mother, grandmother and those of my wife — though she was losing faith in the Divine and lamenting her fate.
Year after year, starting somewhere in 1995 to end-2006, I was drinking like a fish and smoking like a chimney. And this was across all my postings on various railway systems and different places. The consumption was 2 bottles of gin; around 3 to 4 packets of Wills Navy Cut and several packets of Pan Parag (I hoped that it would camouflage the odour). Essentially, I was revolting inside. My body, mind and soul were all tormented and I was looking for an elusive succour. Perhaps I was enjoying the pain. However, the guardian angels and the Almighty were protecting me.
Some time in November 2003, my wife registered my name for the Part 1 course of the Art of Living at Jaipur, which I attended. Upon completion of the course that Sunday, I rang up my mother and could discern palpable happiness and gratitude in her voice. After years, her son had spoken in a sober condition over a weekend. Tears of gratitude flowed for the Master (HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar), who cognated the unique breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya. She had by then seen Gurudev at a Satsang in Hyderabad, apart from watching his discourses on television. However, I was still to give up drinking.
A few years later, in 2010 when my mother met Guruji, the only questioned he asked her was, ‘Amma, are you happy?’ I had quit drinking by then.
It is essential that a participant who undergoes the Part 1 course (now called the Happiness Programme) should attend the weekly follow up of Long Sudarshan Kriya apart from practising the short Sudarshan Kriya every day without fail to receive full benefits of the programme. The participant should also attend various programmes from the bouquet of courses designed by Guruji and imparted by the Art of Living Foundation. Unfortunately, I did not attend the weekly follow-up schedule, nor did I attend the Advanced Meditation Course. The organisers of the course were quite considerate in accommodating me as a non-residential participant in a residential programme, so that my dependency on Bacchus would reduce. My mind was transfixed as to how I would be able to survive the evenings without alcohol and the desperation for cigarettes during the day. Primarily, these were all self-made barriers which I had yet to overcome.
Though I did not attend the weekly follow-ups nor participate in any other course of the Art of Living, by the grace of Gurudev, I continued to practice the Short Sudarshan Kriya at home daily. Why that happened, is a mystery! My wife and father took me to a liver specialist in Hyderabad a few years later. The doctor exclaimed and wondered as to how I was moving around given my history of drinking! My answer was that I practice Short Sudarshan Kriya every day (despite consuming alcohol), drink plenty of buttermilk and consume Liv. 52. She acknowledged that Sudarshan Kriya did have immense therapeutic value and benefits.
Several medical practitioners agree that this unique breathing technique increases the level of prana (chi), helping it to virtually permeate into each cell of the body. The week-long Kriya session imparts a tremendous boost to the immune system and totally detoxifies the human body. There have been studies conducted in AIIMS, NIMHANS and several other hospitals which corroborate this point of view.
During my stint at Guntakal Division on South Central Railway, I happened to visit the Mutt of Raghavendra Swami at Mantralayam. The alcoholic mind smuggled a bottle of gin and a few cigarettes into the precincts of the holy shrine. After paying obeisance at the shrine, I was desperate to consume liquor in my room at the Mutt. I was shocked to see the bottle absolutely empty. There was no crack in the bottle nor was the seal tampered with or broken, yet the entire alcohol was spilt outside on the carpet and my clothes. Only my puja material and the notes of part 1 of the Art of Living course which I had jotted down at Jaipur were spared. To me, this was a strong signal. This was no hallucination, but a clear message sent to me by Raghavendra Swami and Guruji that enough was enough! I had to quit drinking. The seeds of change were being slowly implanted.
Some months later, as the winter chill was setting in, November 2006 to be exact, I started having apparitions of HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Satya Sai Baba virtually every day, exhorting me to give up alcohol. Now these are things which science would turn down outright. But those nights were quite miserable. I was drunk and kept dreaming of Gurudev and Baba. Through all of this, every morning, even though I was literally a zombie, I practised Sudarshan Kriya. Then quite suddenly, by the grace of the Master, I stopped drinking in early December 2006. It is once again purely his grace that I have not touched alcohol despite all provocations. It is now nearly ten years of sobriety.
Thereafter, I did various Art of Living courses including the Teacher’s Training Course and have become a part of the faculty. I recall during one mega Advanced Meditation Course, Guruji met all the participants. I broke down and thanked Gurudev for pulling me out of the morass, the quagmire I was in. So did another youngster sitting next to me, from the IT field. We did not know each other, yet happened to sit together at Vishalakshi Mantapam (at the Art of Living Centre Bangalore). Interestingly, we both had given up substance addiction and were at the feet of the Master. I think that is what Gurudev does when a person surrenders unflinchingly. One has to surrender, bow down and leave all the impressions gathered over a period of time, and then the magic works!
Guruji asked me to share my story with the whole world in order to motivate them to take to this path of Happiness. By his grace several railwaymen have done the course across the length and breadth of this country with startling benefits. We have testimonials of drivers giving up smoking, drugs and alcohol. Similarly, loco pilots who could barely sleep and only saw signals in their dreams, now enjoy a sound night’s sleep. This has been videographed by a former divisional railway manager of Trichy. Similarly, the office staff of divisional railway manager, Bangalore, had to undergo a lung function test. Smokers, who had undergone the part 1 course of Art of Living, were surprised to observe there was no trace of tobacco in their system unlike smokers who did not participate in the programme. Such is the power of the Sudarshan Kriya. If the Indian Railways is the lifeline of the nation, Sudarshan Kriya is the life force. Regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya and surrender to Gurudev has transformed the lives of millions across the globe. Let everyone experience his grace.
In February 2014, I travelled with Guruji by a special train —SRI SRI Express. Anugraha Yatra travelled across the then undivided Andhra Pradesh. The moment we crossed Kurnool, Guruji gave me Prasadam from Mantralayam. I was taken aback and reminded of the incident at Rayar’s Mutt (Raghavendra Swami’s Mutt), where I had carried liquor into the holy precincts. I thought to myself if Rayar taught the theoretical aspects of the science of breath, Guruji provides the practical explanation. It is only divinity which transcends body, mind and spirit.
Guruji spreads waves of happiness and transforms lives of millions through the unique breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya. The grace should keep flowing across the globe.
Friday 23 November 2018
Mystic Saint: Sri Raghavendra Swami
https://english.sakshi.com/editors-picks/2018/11/24/mystic-saint-sri-raghavendra-swami
Saturday 17 November 2018
Bhagwad Gita in a Nutshell
*BHAGWAD GITA*
_*in one sentence*_
_*per chapter...*_
*Chapter 1*
_Wrong thinking is the only problem in life_
*Chapter 2*
_Right knowledge is the ultimate solution to all our problems_
*Chapter 3*
_Selflessness is the only way to progress & prosperity_
*Chapter 4*
_Every act can be an act of prayer_
*Chapter 5*
_Renounce the ego of individuality & rejoice in the bliss of infinity_
*Chapter 6*
_Connect to the Higher consciousness daily_
*Chapter 7*
_Live what you learn_
*Chapter 8*
_Never give up on yourself_
*Chapter 9*
_Value your blessings_
*Chapter 10*
_See divinity all around_
*Chapter 11*
_Have enough surrender to see the Truth as it is_
*Chapter 12*
_Absorb your mind in the Higher_
*Chapter 13*
_Detach from Maya & attach to Divine_
*Chapter 14*
_Live a lifestyle that matches your vision_
*Chapter 15*
_Give priority to Divinity_
*Chapter 16*
_Being good is a reward in itself_
*Chapter 17*
_Choosing the right over the pleasant is a sign of power_
*Chapter 18*
_Let Go, Lets move to union with God_
🕉radhey radhey
Positivity Embodied - Steve Jobs and Dr Kalam
https://ravivalluri.wordpress.
Ruskin Bond - An Endearing Personality
https://ravivalluri.wordpress.
Quintessential Reformers Mind
https://ravivalluri.wordpress.
Saturday 10 November 2018
Waves of beauty - Non Duality
https://ravivalluri.wordpress.
Monday 5 November 2018
Inside the Mind of a Successful Person - FREE PRESS JOURNAL (MUMBAI)
Inside the Mind of a Successful Person
The successful
completion of a task releases endorphins in the body which act as a tonic and
also an analgesic. ‘Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is
more important than any other,’ said Abraham Lincoln.
Resolution is the
positive intent, resolve or aspiration to give a 100 per cent to achieve the
targeted goal. Before treading the path, one should feel grateful and blessed.
Then abundance will be provided by nature. Half your job is already done.
‘Resolution one: I will
live for God. Resolution two: If no one else does, I still will,’ wrote
Jonathan Edwards.
Effort, skill and
courage are prerequisites brewing this heady cocktail. Successful people tap
the potential from the depths of their minds and hearts and conquer the
fear of failure in the process. They become the architects of their lives,
while understanding the geometry of the mind.
Mind is that element
of a person which enables him to be aware of the world and its myriad
experiences to think positively and to feel the faculty of consciousness,
simultaneously purging negative thoughts in the bargain.
Successful people
overcome negative emotions like FEAR, ANXIETIES AND PHOBIAS. This was the
hallmark of our sages and Rishis. Their minds were not clouded by negativity
and ineffectual, Sisyphean or nugatory thoughts.
One has to dream big,
even if it may appear outlandish in order to become high end achievers and
ensure that never kill an idea, however witless it may appear on the surface.
For who knows, in its bosom may lie a hidden treasure awaiting to be explored.
Such individuals are blessed with a YES mind and are in the zone to be
achievers. Importantly, such individuals dare to dream, even if the dreams are
small, or crazy. They dare to dream and dare to live those dreams. That is
their Audacity of Hope. Be it a Mahatma, Mandela, a Modi or an Obama.
Under the spiritual
guidance of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the Art of Living celebrated its
silver jubilee between 16 and 19 February 2006, which was attended by 3 million
people.
Later, the organization
planned a mega event on 11–13 March 2016, christened[pa1] the World Culture
Festival which commemorates 35 years of the Art of Living where around 40 lac
people from 155 countries were present. How do such gargantuan events of this
magnitude take place? It is the strong belief of devotees and volunteers
which make these events successful. How and Why?
‘The mediocre teacher
tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great
teacher inspires,’ writes William Arthur Ward. Pujya Gurudev is a living
inspiration of being an inspirational teacher.
Successful individuals
foster friendships and build trust. There is no deficit in trust. They respect
colleagues and only symphony is orchestrated in the environment. There is no
room for any cacophony.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
always differentiates between mere hearing and the art of listening.
Listening is a trait of a humble person; while hearing is the character
of a brusque and an inaccessible person. The accessible leader is
available to all his followers at all times, 24x7, 365 days of the year. This
is the unique quality that endears him to his followers.
Successful persons are
adaptable to new ideas, thought processes, abstractions, propositions,
suggestions and intentions. Their minds are not closeted by achievements or
failures of the past. Achievers always live in the present moment.
‘I was never afraid of
failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest,’ wrote John
Keats.
Those who are high-end
achievers are not driven by only wealth or traditional definitions
of success. They
are drivers in pursuit of excellence. Such trailblazers, pathfinders and
trendsetters are continuous learners. For them, leadership implies 3Ls —learn,
learn more and learn even more. For sky is the only limit to the repository of
knowledge. The mind needs to soar as high as possible to the point of apogee.
During the process of learning and acquiring knowledge, such individuals keep
their minds open and interact with as many people as possible to hone their
skills.
Top grade sportsmen,
artistes and scientists are compulsive learners and are extremely humble about their
achievements. There is only one path from the top and that is downhill.
Successful people and high-end achievers never believe that they have reached
the summit or the pinnacle or that they are too powerful to fall. Such a
conjecture smacks of capriciousness and arrogance and that would be their
nemesis. Each successful career is a lesson in humility. Rewards and
recognition are meant to act as motivators, not create a glass ceiling of
conceit and false sense of superiority.
Successful people are surrounded
by positive oriented people and positive thoughts since negative emotions are a
big drain on the resources. It is important to ascertain positive feedback and
build on the synergy of the group. Understanding group dynamics is an important
physical and a psychological tool. They glean synergies of any joint venture.
The achievers work with
people and individuals who share their values, long term vision, inherently
believe in themselves and the set goals. They direct the wind and also the
sails. It is essential for such people to build on their own strengths and
those of the organization. It is essential and paramount to prioritize goals
and targets, identify self-do lists and to focus on projects which can be
delegated.
‘A leader is one who
knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,’ says John C. Maxwell.
LIFE IS A PRECIOUS JOURNEY - FREE PRESS JOURNAL (MUMBAI)
LIFE IS A PRECIOUS JOURNEY
Life is something very precious, a divine gift given to us by
God or nature. Do humans realise how high –priced is it? When we wake up in the morning, are we in a
tearing hurry to accomplish all the unfulfilled
tasks of yesterday and or do
we bow down and touch ‘Mother Earth’,
feel it?
Do we spend some quality time embracing nature, take a few deep
breaths, spend moments in solitude, and feel the silence encompassing us?Are we
grateful for our existence or do we mechanically hit the gym, head for the
kitchen to have the mandatory morning cup of coffee.Life is a huge university
which imparts esoteric knowledge, but as we are caught up in the rigmarole and
the fiercely competitive struggle we are unable todifferentiate chaff from the
grain.
Yes for sure morning exercise like a walk, a jog, hitting the gym
or executing the chores are essential but it is equally important to slow down
the pace of life and become grateful to
the universe for its vastness and its exquisite grandiose geometry. We fail to
appreciate the rays of the rising sun which provide us with the warmth during
our early morning walk, the wafting
clouds, the formation of a rainbow, or a
brood of hens.
Pierce Brosnon, who wielded guns and gals with remarkable felicity
once remarked, ‘I realise how precious life is, probably because I’ve seen how
it can be taken away.’
The bounty of nature can be cherished and appreciated only by
extenuating the mindless chatter of the mind. Perspicacious observation,
unfailing practice of yoga, meditation,
mindful breathing and walking over a period of time edifies the mind to
develop aesthetic qualities in ourselves.
As the cloud moves across the sky, so do moments in our lives.
We need to be in harmony with our thoughts, actions and also realise the
ephemeral nature of events. When this percipience dawns on us we look for the
nuggets in life nurturing and nourishing them.
Once a student approached his Master and complained that he
could not meditate as his body ached, he felt distracted or asleep and was
extremely disconcerted. The wise man smiled and merely said that this would
pass. After some days, the tutee was in
an ecstatic mood and apprised his teacher that the meditation was wonderful and
he had an experiential feeling. He could observe stillness in the mind; see
shimmering light and experienced levitation. The Master merely smiled and added
that even this would pass. The human mind should grasp the transitory nature of
existence to appreciate the inexhaustible journey of life.
Life should be treated as a celebration and as a precious gift,
since it is fleeting and transitory in nature. Therefore the journey of life
ought to be made into a jollification and carouse it with uniqueness and
precious moments which can be cherished.
The sacrosanct premise of life therefore should be to focus on
its truly celebratory nature and savour its prepossessing moments. Negative
emotions spoil the party and have an adverse effect the body, soul, mind and
its psyche. Humans should create a space where they are joyous, in love and
enjoy their peace and freedom.
For all this to happen, we need to increase our prana/ energy
levels manifold. We derive energy from food, breath, rest provided to the body
and by maintaining a calm and meditative mind .These Sutras or tenets are
imparted during the Happiness Programme of the Art of Living. To learn more
about the secrets of the Sutra a seeker can undertake the course.
However the Prana / energy level needs to be sustained to
nurture the precious moments of life. Humans have to treat their minds and
bodies as sacred. Desecration of the place of worship infirm the body and
mental atrophy too sets in.
As discussed earlier, upon waking up in the morning do we head
to the kitchen for a strong cup of coffee? We have conditioned our mind and
bodies to be addicted to that beverage,though nutritionists suggest that an
ideal, beverage for the body is plain water.
Early morning blues can be combatted with warm lime water laced with
honey. It is efficacious for human body to have a few glasses of this elixir of
life. While veganism is on the rise world over, simple vegetarian fare which
includes plenty of fruits is extremely worthwhile to massage the digestive
system. A Sattvik diet helps in increasing prana levels and also in meditation.
The purpose of Yoga is not just performing physical exercises but to ultimately
do pranayama and meditation. This helps is assuaging the mind so that we are in
a position to recognise and appreciate life’s precious journey.
Physical sciences till recently were all about matter and
particles. But newer studiesnow reveal the mysteries of science
have transcended the boundaries of matter and dwells on waves and its patterns.
Waves connect us to science and also to people. A congruous atmosphere attracts
like-minded people who are uplifting in their thoughts and behaviour. These
positively inclined people provide the necessary direction through Laws of
attraction to shore up our thoughts on
the amplitude of life.
While acknowledging the precious nature of life, we need to
harness the potential further by choosing a passion. This is an outlet from the
dreary ho-hum of life and we can appreciate the droplets on the petals, a nest
built on our roof or a koel bird singing
mellifluously. If we close our eyes and open our minds we can attract all these
sounds instead of the cacophony of gizmos surrounding us.
In this age of a wired world which operates on google plus to
the power of infinity, humans need to break the chains of bondages and develop
a harmonious dwelling place where people care and share making life a truly
momentous journey……….
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