Concentration

An Observation.

Attention develops concentration. Concentration can bring relaxation to the mind when you are not thinking. While it can also bring stress or tiredness when you are thinking, for example- when you sit in meditation concentrating at one point without thinking about the thoughts after a while you find that your mind is relaxed. But say you are thinking about a software code while programming or you are preparing for your exam where concentration and thinking is required at the same time don’t you think your mind becomes tired?

Authored by GANDHARV

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Existence

I was watching a program on NDTV where many eminent scientists and Gurus were discussing about GOD’s existence and GOD particle. Some of the physicists were of the opinion that life on this planet has happened by chance. There was nothing before and the big bang or collision happened by chance and this planet and life on it came into existence.

On the other hand I see some people believe in GOD but not doing anything to know about Him. They just pray when they are in difficulty or pray for some earthly gain. Some just pray because they think it is a way of ensuring a ticket to heaven.

There are others who don't have an opinion of their own and blindly believe in what others have to say.

There are people who take this existence for granted and just enjoy life by fulfilling their desires (material or sensual).

And there are very few who are really in search of GOD or have realized that GOD exists and value their existence and use this life in a worthy way (this category has become exceptions which should have been the other way)

What if this existence is not by chance?

What if this existence is a gift given to everyone by GOD? What if we are created by HIM?

Is there a purpose behind everyone's existence?

Is there true meaning behind one's existence?

What is this existence?

What am I?

These questions are very fundamental and to get the answers one has to experience and know for himself.

Some of the most beautifully things in this world can only be experienced. Just imagine if you were to understand love by mathematical equations and derivations or by observations can you understand what love truly is?

Experience is the easiest way to confirm the Truth. When you experience your belief or concepts becomes your reality.

Any amount of reading or intellectual knowledge is superficial; they can only contribute to some understanding. To know the Truth of everything as it is you need to work towards it. Meditation is the path.

Authored by GANDHARV

Meditation

Sharing a painting that I had done long time back.

Sci-Spi Age

Somewhere down the line in the long journey of life, the spiritual essence that was discovered early in time by great sages and rishis in India has been forgotten. Time has come a full circle and now is the right time for humanity to know what they have forgotten. I call this time interval as Sci-Spi age when time takes the world into a new step in its evolution.

Why Sci -Spi ?

Sci stands for science and Spi stands for spirit. We are in an age where we have reached the height of technological development but we have forgotten our spiritual essence.  Because of this there is a great imbalance, which in turn has created a major imbalance in Good and Evil as a whole. And Evil has the upper hand now.

This is the time to awaken to the Truth of yourself. This is the time to know who you are!  And what you have forgotten. This is the path that can save humanity. The path of spirituality will bring a change in each person from within and move him towards goodness.

Have you ever wondered how civilizations have been wiped out in the history of the world? Just imagine what disaster a single nuclear bomb can cause.

There is peace in silence. There are two types of silence. The silence caused after mass destruction and the other silence is that which can take a human being to the depth of his Self to make him realize the beauty of his existence.

Choose wisely!

My humble request to all the people who read this article is to think seriously and join together in unity to make this world a better place to live in. 

Authored by GANDHARV

Light Within

Our body is a sacred temple which houses the Divine. To invoke this divinity one has to be pure and this purification of self can be done in the following ways

1. Meditation

 

2. Devotion

 

3. Self introspection and correcting oneself and moving towards goodness

4. Thinking good, doing good and being good and by service to humanity without expectation.

All the above 4 should be implemented in one's lifestyle to become the purest of purest.And this very purification makes himself aware of the DIVINE.

Authored by GANDHARV

Buddha

"When the mind is unguarded, bodily action is unguarded; speech also is unguarded; thought also is unguarded. When the mind is guarded, bodily action is guarded; speech also is guarded; and thought also is guarded. "' 

"By mind the world is led, by mind is drawn: 
And all men own the sovereignty of mind." 

"If one speaks or acts with a wicked mind, pain follows one as the wheel, the hoof of the draught-ox. " 

"If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows one as the shadow that never departs. " 


One can read about life of Buddha and Dhammapada by clicking the below two links

Life of Buddha 
The Dhammapada

Modes of vision

In one of my previous posts, I spoke about why we are not able to perceive the beauty and splendor of our "Self" and the Almighty Intelligence behind everything. Those who have not read can read it here: Perception. In this post I attempt to explain three modes of vision.

If the doors of perception were cleaned every thing would appear to man as it is.

To understand and explore this beautiful existence we have been gifted by sight. There are three modes of vision or knowing: eye of flesh, eye of mind and eye of contemplation.

Eye of flesh discloses the material, concrete world; eye of mind discloses the symbolic, conceptual and linguistic world; eye of contemplation discloses the spiritual transcendental and transpersonal world. These are not three different worlds, but three different aspects of our one world, disclosed by different modes of knowing and perceiving.

These three modes of vision or knowing have a development sequence lower to higher. In the first year of a baby’s life, eye of flesh develops and evolves to disclose the material, concrete world of solid surfaces, forms, colors and objects. Slowly, as the baby grows, it starts to understand the world through eye of mind. The eye of mind will increasingly emerge and develop, disclosing in its turn the world of ideas, symbols, concepts, images, values, meanings and intentions. If development continues beyond the mind via meditative disciplines then the eye of contemplation opens and discloses the world of spirit, of subtle energies and insights, of radical intuition and transcendental illumination.

You have been gifted with these three modes of knowing, it is up to each person how he uses them to know the ultimate reality, to know the beauty and grandeur of creation, to experience the splendor of consciousness, to know his fundamental identity, to know his connection with all beings, all the things in universe and GOD.

Authored by GANDHARV


*collated from external sources

Simple Ways To Refresh Your Energy

Energy is the most important of all, we continuously live on energy. Without energy there is no life. There are 5 main sources of energy food, water, sleep, deep breathing and Meditation. Usually people are familiar only with the first 3 types of energy i.e food, water and sleep, they are not completely aware of the benefits of deep breathing and Meditation.


We are using this energy for our body and mind activities like seeing, speaking, hearing, thinking and all physical actions.So more the energy more is the efficiency and we feel more lively, more active and strong.

Unfortunately there are many factors which are throwing us out of balance. Many may not getting good sleep, no proper nutrition, no proper sunlight, electrolyte or water. Many others like mental stress, physical stress, toxins in water, food, air, cell phone radiations, due to electrical lines, cables and lighting, all these diminish the energy level and reduces the efficiency.

Now then, how to keep our energy levels up all the time ? What is the remedy?

Do deep breathing and meditation.

By deep breathing and by meditation we can draw lots and lots of energy. When you draw more and more energy , you feel very strong, stable and lively.You can actually feel tingling of energy in your body.

* There are some other simple ways to refresh you energy too , I have listed them below try them

1. Spend one day a month in total silence! It may seem difficult at first, but I guarantee that you will find it refreshing and energizing. Imagine, just for a moment, what it might be like to give the chatterbox in your head a rest!

2. A simple and quick walk can do wonders for your energy level. Walking gets your heart a pumpin’, and once again, the blood rushes to your brain, energizing those tired, slumping brain cells!

3. Studies show that 20 minutes of sunlight can make all the difference in your energy level. Get as close to daylight as you can, and smile.

4. Smiling lowers your blood pressure, helps you to relax, relieves stress, exercises 15-26 facial muscles, makes you look younger as it lifts the face…and it fires up various parts of your brain.

5. Slouching can cause your brain to receive up to 30% less blood and oxygen. It also compresses your internal organs, compromising their efficiency. Hunching over your computer promotes shallow breathing. Break this!

6. Most people are “shallow breathers.” This type of breathing causes carbon dioxide to build up in your blood and make you doze-y, snooze-y and lethargic. By taking in a few deep breathes, you will get the oxygen moving through your system again. This will help you to become alert!

7. Trying to be perfect can be exhausting, and it can lower glucose levels in your brain, making it that much more difficult to function! When your “perfection gene” gets activated, remember to embrace imperfection. What a relief! Enjoy the wave of peaceful and calm energy that now flows through you.

8. Flowers are another one of life’s miracles! They have a wonderfully bright, positive, and warm energy that can lighten and energize any room and/or person. Try putting a white vase with red or pink flowers on your bedside table and just see how energy rises.

9. Watching funny movies decreases certain stress-related hormones! Stress slows us and drains us. Laughter energizes us. Enough said? Make a list of your top 10 funny movies, now! And watch them.

10. Human beings are made up of approximately 70 percent water. If you are not drinking enough, if you are dehydrated, then your body slows its circulation and, in turn, your energy goes tumbling on down. Drink a glass right now, so that you are energized while reading the rest of these refreshing tips! Bottoms up!

11. A quick splash of cold water, first thing in the morning, may energize you even better than a cup of caffeinated coffee! No kidding.

12. Sing, chant, hum, dance, prance, bang your drums, run in circles, skip, and/or walk backwards. Do what you have to do to shake the doldrums out of you!


Authored by GANDHARV

*Collated from external sources

The Big Rocks

An expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students. He stood in front of these high-powered overachievers, pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar, and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked " Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class said, "Yes".

Then he said , "Really?"

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

By this time the class was on to him. " Probably not," one of them answered.

"Good!" he replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.

Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said,"Good!"

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked.

"What is the point of this illustration?"

One of them raised his hand and said," The point is, no matter how much full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fill some more things into it!"

" No," the speaker replied," that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is this

" If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."


What are the big rocks in your life?

Are you putting them in first?

Life is not just eating, work and sleep.There is so much to life.

First things first!

Pray to the almighty GOD your Creator. Meditate daily, keep some time for yourself, spend time in silence.

Work towards realization of Self and realization of GOD.

                                          
                                                     Lord Shiva in Meditation posture

Calm Mind Clear Life

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”--Buddha

Everyday GOD puts something good in your life. Embrace it. Let all the other stuff fall away. The challenge we face is recognizing the answers to the most burning questions. It may be right in front of us, so keep your mind clear and open.

Enjoy every moment. They say “if you are sad for 60 seconds it means you are missing precious 60 seconds of happiness”. So be happy. Take things positively.

Mind is highly unstable - all the time it has to attach itself to something. This is the nature of mind. When you sit silently and observe your mind you can find numerous thoughts, it will be either thinking about the past or the future and rarely about the present moment. If a person is experiencing happiness it attaches to it, if a person is experiencing depression it attaches to it thus making us get attached to the situation. Happiness and sadness are like clouds, they keep moving. Can a cloud cover up the bright sun all the time? No. Happiness and sadness are temporary; they do not last for long. When you understand this it makes it easier to not be so attached to what you are experiencing.

Think about it - what if mind is made to attach itself to silence? What if mind is made not to think and to be in absolute thoughtless state? What if you are able to separate mind and your being?

How many people care to train their mind? They all know that mind is the cause of all problems. Mind can be a very good friend but it can also be the worst enemy. How many people are facing mental problems? How many people are stressed and tensed all the time? How many people have become slaves to drinking to escape from the problems they are facing? When a person is faced with problems, some can be solved but the solution to some problems are not in his hand. So it is natural that when problems increase his mind becomes disturbed and he may lose control of himself.

What if he gives even 1hr a day to train his mind, to go into a state of deep silence? All problems he faces can be thought over in a calmer state of mind in a more controlled way by not getting attached to the situation.

Yes, I agree training the mind is a difficult task but not impossible. When a person sees Mount Everest from its foot it is obvious he gets terrified by the idea of climbing it. But if he keeps one step ahead keeping his target in focus, he will definitely reach the top one fine day. Think about it. Training the mind becomes easy when you practice daily and keep one step ahead daily. A journey of thousand miles starts with one simple step you keep.

That is why all great people who have walked on this earth worked on their mind first. Mind is the key to everything.

I remember a quote mentioned in Bhagavad Gita which is worth mentioning in this context. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna

“Whether one attains elevation or degradation through one’s mind depends on oneself only, for the mind can be one’s friend or one’s foe. The mind is the friend of one who has conquered it. But for the one who hasn’t done so, the mind is his foe. For one who has conquered the mind joy, sorrow, pain and pleasure are the same. He attains peace and realises the Supreme Soul"

Authored by GANDHARV

Issues in Meditation

Some people have asked me that when they close their eyes it is blank and dark. And after trying meditation for just 1 month or few days they say nothing is happening.

So I thought of writing this post to answer their queries.

Say, for example, a person starts to meditate when he enters the age of 25 ...For 25 years he is used to looking outwards. So it is difficult for him to get adjusted to the new practice of looking inward. Patience, time and effort are required to first train himself to become comfortable with this practice. In order to experience the benefits of daily meditation, you need to first form the habit of daily meditation.

One has to understand that if it is blank when they close their eyes...  for whom is the blank? Find out. You cannot deny yourself at anytime. The Self is ever there and continues in all states.

Enumerated below are the points which have to be kept in mind

1. Transformation of mind is a very slow process. The nature of mind is such that once it is transformed from one state to another it never comes back to the original state. So the transformation is permanent here. One has to not worry about the time taken, instead he should train himself to make his mind still and silent through daily practice.

2. Thought process recommended: Think that you are keeping one step ahead in the journey each time you practice meditation. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one simple step. Never affirm or think that "nothing is happening" because this becomes a barrier or hindrance which again takes a long time to remove.

Some of the reasons for failure in meditation

1. Lack of Patience:

Just like a seed requires lot of time and proper conditioning (manure, sunlight,  water, etc) to grow into a big tree and bears fruits, similarly it takes lot of time and effort to experience the benefits of meditation. So patience is very important. Meditation is a deep cleansing process. Our real identity - Self - is covered under the dust of thoughts, dreams, illusions and emotions of thousands of years spanning uncountable past lives.  The removal of this dust and the revelation of our true self will take time. And also during this process a person develops patience.

2. Misunderstanding the real purpose of Meditation:

Mediation is the first step in the path of realization of self and realization of GOD. It is only through meditation a person can connect to his soul. All other benefits of meditation are the natural outcome of meditation.

3. Expectation:

People expect too much from meditation. They want things to happen very fast in a time bound manner. They ask, “Can we get powers or can we achieve other super human qualities?” This kind of attitude will never take them anywhere. They will never be able to come in touch with their soul. Meditation is a way to know your true self. So let it be just that.

4. Most people do not make a sincere effort from heart.
Majority of people who meditate are

-irregular in meditation

- does not make a committed and  determined self effort
.  

Even when people find time to meditate they don’t make use of this time since they are tired because of extremely busy and demanding life styles.For such people I advice one thing “Where there is a will there is a way". Life should not control us. We are leading our life so we should control life. We should create necessary conditions to uplift us. Unless we make things happen nothing will happen.

Authored by GANDHARV