We Must……

Swami Chinmayananda

What we regularly encourage and consistently cultivate in our mind- this determines our character formation, and ultimately ,our destiny .Evidently , an intelligent choice of thought changes the character pattern in us – placing ,thus, the entire destiny of our life in our own hands.
To intelligent man alone is given this freedom for rebuilding the future. A true seeker is he who is constantly asserting-day by day, hour by hour –this privilege. We Must.
It is everywhere seen that in this remaking of one’s destiny, there is a negative and there is a positive approach. The negative approach essentially is the careful observance of the quality and texture of our thoughts, detecting the dissipations within, and eradicating those false value and wrong tendencies in our thought -patterns .To have thus a healthy mind within –one that has learned to negate and weed out its unproductive jungle of thoughts-is the secret of living in physical Well-being, in harmony and happiness.
Lives of great men, their deeds and words always stimulate and ennoble our mental life. The Upanishads and the life of our great saints and sages, devotees and seekers can inspire us with passionate admiration for these righteous men of spiritual faith and belief. To one who is sincere about it, even today, there is infinite supply of good, beneficial books to plentifully meet all one’s demands.
The positive approach is more effective and more quickly productive of results. We must keep our mind constantly open to all helpful suggestions. There are always rich mines of healthy ideas lying broadcast throughout life’s fields; only we ignore them, refusing to explore them fully.
We must. As the most important thing, discover in ourselves an expectant, helpful, unselfish attitude towards the world of beings and happenings around us. On all occasions let us bring into full play our stronger, more vigorous and most uplifting traits which we have within us today. When consciously brought into continuous play they grow, and such positive nature, when asserted persistently and lived , adds to our mental resources and reserves.
We must come , in our day’s activities, to deliberately affirm such inspiring thoughts as purity, love, chastity ,holiness, devotion and compassion. Confidence in oneself, quietness within, serenity in the mind , poise in the being, and a ready willingness to serve others moulds the healthiest personality.
In this fascinating movement towards perfection along the speed-ways of self- improvement and spiritual enfoldment , We must ,as sincere seekers, re-assert again and again this openness of minds towards all that is helpful .thus unavoidably ,we will cultivate an extremely hopeful, thriving, selfless affection towards the world around us.
We must come to realize the power and strength, the need and value for an unshakable personal faith in discovering and developing the inner vitality in us and in that undaunted striving for a full life .The uplifting, inspiring thoughts that we entertain richly accumulate our mental wealth and intellectual treasure of purity, serenity, love, cheerfulness and aspiration for the nobler gains .Let us- every moment-asset and affirm this goodness within us. We must.
Daily prayer and meditation are all wonderful therapeutic agencies in building up peace and happiness within an individual. The daily practice of meditation, at least in its earlier stages ,is one of the most effective springboards for developing clear and precise thinking .A sincere meditator in his early days of struggle- at-his-seat learns to concentrate. And a mind held at concentration brings into view the deeper thoughts which were till then hidden from it, due to its own fluctuations. Great ideas are conceived only by alert minds held steady in this meditative- pose, in unbroken concentration and dynamic vigil.
Mind is both an informing and an originating force .It not only serves us in registering all that is happening around us ,but as a part of our inner –equipment (Antahakarana),it is again this mind-intellect faculty that conceives new ideas ,that flashes new ideals for us to act upon diligently and to pursue tirelessly .At the same time let us never forget that the mind also is ever the field from which all true culture must spring forth and flow to enrich our life and , in the end, the life of all around us.
We must-reserve a definite time, preferably at dawn , for meditation and prayer. The joyous expansion of a mind experienced in prayer, and the hushed silence and restful inner dynamism experienced in meditation are the sculptors that fashion our character and conduct .The more we detect such changes in ourselves, brought about positively by our own meditation, the more we discover in it an incentive to struggle and to attain the higher purpose of existence –to reach the joys of nobler living.
Let us grow through prayer. We can develop through study .We should open up through meditation.
We must.
Service in this world is the highest prayer.
Loving the people around us is the greatest devotion.
Divine compassion for all living creatures is the noblest character.
This we can be. We must.

What do I want?

What do I want?

Deepak Chopra


There is a reason why you were drawn to this. Perhaps your soul is extending an invitation to you — an invitation to get in touch with the deepest part of your self. Your deepest self, your essential being, is the source of all being — the field of pure consciousness that manifests as the infinite diversity of the universe. Power, freedom, and grace are attributes of this field. So too, are happiness, joy, and bliss.

Over the course of my career, thousands of people have come to me with various problems and challenges in their lives. My career began as a physician, and in the beginning most of the people whom I met had some form of illness such as heart disease or cancer. One day I was sitting with a patient who had heart disease and I happened to ask him, Why do you want to get better?" The look in his eyes told me, What kind of ridiculous question is that?" He told me, Doesn't everybody want to get better when they're sick?" Yes, I said," but why do you want to get better?" He replied, If I get better, I can go back to work and make more money." For some unknown reason, I persisted in asking him, why? Why do you want to make more money?" Apparently amused, he agreed to play the game and said, Because I want to send my son to a good university." I asked him why he wanted to send his son to a good university. He said," I want my son to get a good education so he can build a successful career." I kept asking him the question? Why, why, why?." In the end he answered, Because I want to be happy."

Since then, I have played this game not only with sick patients wanting to get better, but with anyone who wants anything. You can try this yourself. Ask anyone what they want, and when they tell you what they want, keep asking why until you hear the ultimate answer: Because I want to be happy." Happiness seems to be the goal of all other goals, and yet most people seek happiness in a roundabout way.

Is there a 'perfect life' ?

A perfect life

In a state of ignorance, imperfection is natural and perfection is an effort. In a state of wisdom or enlightenment, imperfection is an effort; perfection is a compulsion and is unavoidable!
Perfection is taking total responsibility, and total responsibility means knowing that you are the only responsible person in the whole world. When you are in total vairagya (dispassion), you can take care of even trivial and insignificant things with such perfection. Perfection is the very nature of the Enlightened one.
Knowledge will be different at different levels of consciousness. At a particular level, you will become anasuya (meaning ‘devoid of fault-finding eyes’. There is a certain mindset that always finds fault, even in the best of conditions. Even with the best possible companion, or the most beautiful painting, such people will still find something wrong. That kind of mindset cannot know the sacred knowledge.
The weaker the devotee, the purer the Guru needs to be. Krishna tells Arjuna that he is giving him the Royal Secret, because he is Anasuya. Similarly, Hanuman never saw any fault in Rama. From a distance, even craters cannot be seen. Even on a smooth surface there will be holes. If you are only interested in the holes, you will not see the magnanimity of things. If you are not in Anasuya, knowledge cannot blossom in you. Then there is no point in giving knowledge.
If you look for imperfection you can see imperfection even in Rama and Krishna. If Krishna had been living today then probably there would have been many court cases filed against him for telling lies, stealing etc! In Buddha’s life you don’t see any imperfection. Buddha lived a pure life not for his own sake but for the sake of the world, for the sake of the devotees.
For an enlightened person, if someone drinks or smokes, nothing will happen to his consciousness. In that state, all that you want is good for everyone, welfare for everyone and happiness on this planet.
In a perfect world, why is man so imperfect? It is so that you can become more perfect. Recognition of imperfections leads you to more perfection. This is a very delicate point. If you recognise imperfection you may just sulk and brood over it — ‘‘Oh, I am imperfect, imperfect and imperfect.’’ Recognise the imperfection in you and overcome it by seeing more perfection.
You have heard this before, that all is God and all is love. But then what is the purpose of life? If everything is God then where is life heading to? Life is heading towards perfection, isn’t it? We want perfection. There are three kinds of perfection: Perfection in action/work (kriya), perfection in speech (vachan), perfection in feelings/intention (bhaav).
Some people may be very good in their actions but inside they feel very grumpy and angry. Some may lie — ie, their speech is not perfect but they do their jobs right or they feel right. A doctor may tell a patient, ‘‘Don’t worry, your disease will be cured’’, but that may not be true. At times, the intention behind lying is perfect. For example a child asks his mother where his baby brother came from, the mother replies that she bought the baby. The mother’s intentions behind lying is perfect. If someone lies intentionally then the feeling is imperfect, the speech is imperfect and the action will also reflect the same.
Suppose someone makes a mistake and when you look at the mistake you get angry. Then you are no better than the person who has made the mistake, because there the action was imperfect, but here your feelings have become imperfect. Any action will have some flaw. But when the feeling becomes imperfect then it stays for a longer period. The innermost perfection is lost.
Many people who fight for human rights are fighting for a cause but inside, they get angry. Anger is as bad as lust and jealousy is no better than anger. From all these six imperfections (lust, anger, greed, entanglement, arrogance and jealousy) you think one is better than the other, but they are not.
Sadhana helps you maintain your centredness and not be shaken by small events. When someone screams at you, their speech is imperfect but don’t assume that their feeling is also imperfect. Don’t see an intention behind other peoples’ mistakes as then, the mind brings in more impurity.
That’s also Vikara, the distortion. Prakriti and Vikriti; the whole creation is made up of nature and distortion of nature. Anger or jealousy is not our nature. It is distortion of our nature. They are part of this creation but we still call them distortions, because they do not allow the Self to shine forth fully. And this is what sin is. Sin is not your nature and you are not born out of sin. Sin is just the wrinkle in the cloth. It needs proper ironing.
Lust is considered a sin because in lust, you treat the other person like an object. But in love, you see them as someone higher. Anger is a sin because when you are angry you lose your centre, you lose sight of the self. In guilt, you are limiting the small mind to an action that has already happened.
Be thankful that you have been bestowed with the qualities that you have because it is not of your own making. And these qualities depend on the part that you have been given to play. When you understand this basic truth, then your inner perfection becomes stable. It is said by some psychologists that ‘‘Deep inside you there is fear, guilt and anger.’’ These psychologists know nothing about the mind or consciousness. I tell you that deep inside, you are a fountain of bliss, a fountain of joy!
Jesus got angry twice. He threw people out of the church and shouted in anger. Krishna once broke his own promise. He had vowed that he would not take up a weapon in his hand during the Mahabharata war. But when it became impossible to conquer Bhishma, he picked up his weapon, the Sudarshan Chakra.
The peak of every emotion, every sensation leads you to blossoming, to the innermost perfection. Don’t look for perfection just in actions. You name any action and I’ll show you that there is a flaw in that action. Even when you give alms or charity, you are bringing down the self-respect of the receiver. But perfection in feeling is possible. Perfection in speech is possible to a great extent and to a greater extent, perfection in action is also possible.
Even if the Vikritis come in your way, don’t give them too much importance for they are like the wrinkles in a cloth. If you give importance to somebody’s anger, greed or lust, then it’s not only in them but at some point of time it takes a permanent place in your mind.
For example, an animal has sex and after that it doesn’t think about it till the next season. But a man keeps on thinking about it in his mind. This is what Krishna says in the Gita on several occasions; ‘‘What has happened to your mind? If you nourish these Vikaras inside you they change from one impurity to another and keep multiplying inside you. Relax and know that you are not the doer.’’
See this whole thing as a drama. That is the only way you can remain in your centre.

- Sri Sri Ravi Shanker

Source of thoughts?

The creative impulse

by - Sri Sri Ravi Shanker

It is very important for us to probe into the source of thought. Often we are called great thinkers, but what is a thought? Where does it originate? Is there any way that we can improve the thought process?

Creativity is a hot subject today all over the world. We want to make people very creative. What are the mechanics to make people creative? Why does someone get a violent thought and why does someone get a creative thought? How can someone be a genius and someone not? What does this depend on? Is it the food, is it the exercise or does it depend on any other avenues or arenas?

But, we can create great thinkers. There is a question in front of us today and research is happening around the world about the very process of creativity. Great writers and thinkers have experienced the writer’s block. You would have sometimes experienced that. You sit with a paper and pen in a beautiful place, waiting for something to come... and many times they don’t!

What is the source of creativity? Thought is nothing but an impulse of energy and intelligence. That impulse of energy and intelligence, for it to arise and a correct thought to come, you need 16 impulses to meet at a point in the cerebral cortex at the speed of 10 to the power of minus 30 cycles per second. In that short interval of time, all the 16 impulses in the cerebral cortex, when they meet, is what we call a correct thought. What do we do about it? We need to train our brain, our mind.

Now, as you are reading this, are you fully with it? Now? 100 percent? No! As you are reading, you are having a dialogue in your own mind saying, ‘‘yes, I agree’’ or ‘‘no, that cannot be’’. Are you observing this? We all have a filter in our mind and we listen through this filter and we accept only that we already know. Something, which doesn’t already fall within our belief system, we straightaway filter them out. This tendency in the mind to take things which it already knows and reject that which it doesn’t know, is one of the main blocks of creativity.

The second aspect for creativity is imagination. You will see that every creative person has some imagination. At that moment you will not think whether that is real or not. What appears to be unreal and an imagination in that direction brings creativity. If it is only an imagination, totally disconnected with ground reality then also it falls short of that connection, that transformation, that unreal becomes real. Thomas Edison, once upon a time, dreamt of how to create light. It was purely an imagination.

Similarly, the telephone or plane — all these inventions happened through certain imagination and linking that imagination to the present creativity, present state of ground reality. If you are thinking only of the ground reality then no creativity will come and if you are only on imagination, then too there is no creativity. A balance is needed. See, life is also like that — a balance between our intellect and our heart, or feeling, or intuition. Listening to our gut feeling, developing that intuitive ability within us is another aspect of creativity.

So, when such blocks come into us, there is a way to eliminate them. How? To study our own seven layers of our existence. What are they? I call science as a study of ‘‘what is this’’ and spirituality as a study of ‘‘who am I?’’. They are not at loggerheads at all, they go hand in hand. So study about yourself, your seven layers of existence. What are they? The body, the breath — are you all breathing now? See, many times we are not even aware that we are breathing. That something, which keeps our body alive, we don’t care to look into it. Our breath has great secrets to offer.

Then comes the mind. Mind is perception, observation and expression. Then is the intellect — the judgement, the arguments, the agreement or disagreement that happens within us is all part of our intellect. The memory — if you observe the memory, it stores the memory of unpleasant things much more than the pleasant. We take the insults and preserve it in our memory much more than the pleasant events. This is the nature of memory.

Then comes the ego — the more we study, the more learned we become; we become so stiff. We lose our smile, we lose our innocence, we lose our friendliness. Learned people get a sort of an ego — that I am much better than the other, more learned, I know better than them — this ego of ‘‘I know better’’ takes away certain beautiful things from your life.

One should have a sense of belongingness with everybody, naturalness. Ego dampens one’s personality. Today, what we lack is really good examples of personality. Knowledge is there in all the libraries — but what the books cannot transmit is the personal charisma, the vibration a person emits. The friendly and warm atmosphere a person carries along with him/her.

The seventh layer is the self. Self is that something that is the reference point of all changes in life. We notice that everything is changing in our life — our body, our mind, our thought, our environment, and our behaviour. If everything is changing then how do we know the change? Because there is a reference point, something that doesn’t change, we are able to notice the change. And this reference point, the non-changing something that is in every one of us, I would call the Self. The scriptures would call it atman.

A little bit of knowledge about these seven layers of existence makes a big, big difference in our lives. It brings cheer, freshness, and we become so alive and childlike. If you are cheerful, you will be creative. Otherwise you are so dull. The youth of today don’t want to study more. Why? Because they see the people who are well read, and have become great achievers in the field of literacy, science, they don’t see joy in them, they don’t see them as an example, and they don’t see a warm, friendly environment atmosphere around them. So, I see many youth turn their face away from going into higher studies. This is the situation all over the world today.

We need to bring a scientific philosophy in the youth — and practical philosophy, which is not in the books but shines out in our own personality. In our country what we have really destroyed is the self-esteem in our people. Village boys and girls have zero self-esteem. This is because we have constantly, in many ways, directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously, drilled into them the idea that they are no good. Wear a pant, shirt, jeans, modern dress, only then you are good, otherwise you are no good — you are much less.

This idea we have been bombarding into their life through the media, through various means. I was telling the director of Doordarshan that we have Hindi newsreaders in a tie and suit — how does a villager relate to this? They think that only if I dress like this will I get respect. We don’t have to copy everything. If you see, our news reading is a copy of BBC or CNN.

We need to bring in creative ideas. We should empower our village youth — bring them self-esteem. Without self-esteem there will be no creativity, without creativity there will be unemployment. The cause of unemployment in the country today is lack of initiative, entrepreneurship and all this is based on low self-esteem. So we need to bring self-esteem in our children.