Awakening

From Reflections of a Pilgrim – my other blog

February 15th 2009

I read a poem by Rumi, and  here he  speaks  of the sleep and the awakening. Yes awakening to our  true reality. I can imagine myself as the embryo denying the reality of the Universe.

The Universe

What if someone said to an embryo in the womb,
“Outside of your world of black nothing
is a miraculously ordered universe;
vast Earth covered with tasty food;
mountains, oceans and plains,
fragrant orchards and fields full of crops;
a luminous sky beyond your reach,
with a sun, moonbeams, and uncountable stars;
there are winds from south, north and west,
and gardens replete with sweet flowers
like a banquet at a wedding feast.

The wonders of this world are beyond description.
What are you doing living in a dark prison,
Drinking blood through that narrow tube?”
But the womb- world is all an embryo knows
And it would not be particularly impressed
By such amazing tales, saying dismissively:
“You’re crazy. That is all a deluded fantasy.”

One day you will look back and laugh at yourself.
You’ll say, “ I can’t believe I was so asleep!
How did I ever forget the truth?
How ridiculous to believe that sadness and sickness
Are anything other than bad dreams.”

Stream Of Life – Rabindranath Tagore

Stream of Life

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass

and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

Assertiveness And The Middle Path

I was trying to look up the word assertive one day and Wikipedia says–“Assertiveness is a trait taught by many personal development experts and psychotherapists and the subject of many popular self-help books. It is linked to self-esteem and considered an important communication skill.

As a communication style and strategy, assertiveness is distinguished from aggression and passivity. How people deal with personal boundaries, their own and those of other people, helps to distinguish between these three concepts. Passive communicators do not defend their own personal boundaries and thus allow aggressive people to abuse or manipulate them.

Passive communicators are also typically not likely to risk trying to influence anyone else. Aggressive people do not respect the personal boundaries of others and thus are liable to harm others while trying to influence them.

A person communicates assertively by overcoming fear to speak his or her mind or trying to influence others, but doing so in a way that respects the personal boundaries of others. Assertive people are also willing to defend themselves against aggressive incursions.”

That done, I find that if we have been brought up in a dominating environment, we will invariably become passive. I found myself passive until recently when I have started to become more assertive. I guess no one will be able to understand the situation unless they have gone through such a childhood. Though I do remember being given all the love and care, I also come to understand only now, that there had always been an underlying fear and lack of confidence in me.

We may portray a brave front, but underneath all those masks, could lay a frightened person, who does not have the strength or guts to voice out her discontent. I find writing more comfortable than speaking to aggressive people upfront. Though people who are genuine and know me well, find me quite open, vocal and honest with my views. Only when I come across judgmental or aggressive people do I feel insecure and uncomfortable.

Having been verbally abused by friends or family, who happen to be aggressive personalities, has made me retreat within and hurt. It took me tons and tons of guts and each time I find myself pushed to the bottom of the barrel, and I could no longer go any further down, was I able to stand up and face them. Somehow writing to them helped me put my feelings in words.

I was discussing this with my sister and she mentioned that both passive and aggressive personalities will invariably end up unhappy.  So we are Passive, Aggressive  or Assertive. So when one is assertive, you feel good about yourself, you feel free to express your feelings, desires and thoughts .  And people will know how to deal with you. No one will take advantage and this gives the assertive person confidence and happiness.  The best position will always be to take the middle path. This reminds me of Budha’s profound teachings.

How true that only the middle path in every aspect of our life brings true peace and happiness.

Human Family

Most of the time, we seem to get caught up in all the differences in our lives. Somehow, we are taught from  childhood, how different everyone and everything is. Strangely but truthfully,  this is the cause of all the distress that we find around us. I can’t remember of being taught or told to focus on the similarities by those around me.

All we are reminded constantly of is, how diverse and varied each and everything is. We focus on the differences in the animals. We speak about the variety of flowers, fruits, seasons and name it, we know of all the differences. We have elaborate discussions about the different languages, the difference in culture and heritages.  We also get caught up in having so much  pride in believing how different we are from others.

Yet oddly, we too teach our children the same things. We teach them how different each person is. We teach them about the different color of skin and the disparity between the different races and nations. We teach them  how different each religion is  and how ours is better than theirs!

It can go on and on, yet, when will we be able to stop for a moment and say, I am able to see the oneness in all these differences? I can truly see the same chord running through the various people of the world. We as a human race, share the same pain,  the same hope  and the  same destiny. And to be able to say that I am truly glad that we belong to the same  race – the Human Race!  And to come back to the simple reality that nothing is really different…….

I read this simple yet profound poem by Maya Angelou, where she speaks about the human family.

Maya Angelou

I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I’ve sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I’ve seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I’ve not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England’s moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we’re the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

Footprints

From Reflections of a Pilgrim – my other blog

Many people have various passions. I too have many passions in my life. But today my utmost passion has become to “learn”. Yes to become a student of life. I have taken a full circle and come back to the same place. We may call it a zero or a circle. Sometimes we go around looking for things everywhere when it lies so close to us.

Life is a beautiful school. It is how we look at it. All these years I struggled trying to catch the elusive. But when I recognize Grace and when I am able to trust, I find that I am carried in the arms of this compassionate power.

This reminds me of the story of a person walking along a beach. He saw two pairs of footprints embedded on the sands of the beach and after a while there was only one pair of footprints along the beach. He looked at God and said, “Look, when I was fine and happy, you walked alongside me but when I needed you the most, you abandoned me and I had to walk all alone”.

God looked at him and said, “You have misunderstood the truth”. “When you were doing well and were fine, I walked with you”. “There can you see those two pairs of footprints? And when you needed me the most, I carried you in my arms and those footprints are not yours but mine”.

Sometimes we have the tendency to forget the reality and everything becomes a struggle. Somehow when I can learn how to flow with the river and not against the current, I enjoy the journey. This journey of mine has been long and windy.

I have had good times and bad times. But when the good times come,  it overshadows all the pain and suffering and fills the heart that one can feel the heart dancing. Yes dancing because such joy is possible in this life.

I have to thank my teacher for helping me to see this joy and to feel the dance of life.

“The Beauty of Life is Life itself”. – Prem Rawat

Within

There is an unparalleled beauty inside.

When you are in that place, you realize that you are never alone.

When the whole world gives up on you, you can turn inside.

When you are ready to give up on the whole world, you can still go inside and experience this beauty.

Nothing ever changes in there.

♥ Prem Rawat  ♥

The Best Aging Secret: Make Time Your Friend

Hmm… Something interesting that I found by Deepak Chopra. I guess all of us need to keep tuning ourself ever so often! Happy practicing …….

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By Deepak Chopra

Here’s a guide to the simple things you may often overlook when you neglect to make time the ally of your body.

• Keep regular hours. Eat and sleep on a regular schedule.
• Avoid drastic changes in diet and activity.
• Set up an orderly work environment. Reduce distractions.
• Rest quietly once to twice during the day to let our body retune itself.
• Take yourself out of stressful situations sooner rather than later.
• Take your time; don’t rush.
• Make decisions when they arise. Don’t procrastinate or get distracted.
• Pay attention to what is directly in front of you. Focus on one thing at a time.
• Don’t multitask. Dividing your attention leads to confusion and weakened focus.
• Protect yourself. Avoid the temptation to plunge into high-risk situations.
• Stay within your comfort zone.
• Put your house and finances in order.
• Address underlying anxiety.
• Release underlying anger. Learn to do this without losing control or hurting others.
• Renounce violence in thought and word.
• Become more resilient emotionally.
• Eliminate chaotic influences at work and in your primary relationship.
• Live as if you have all the time in the world.

Master – The True Teacher

“Never turn to a Master for security for that is

one thing he will never give you. He throws

you upon the utter insecurity of Life because

those who have nothing else find God”

Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda.

Happy New Year !

Sarveshaam Svastir Bhavatu
Sarveshaam Shaantir Bhavatu
Sarveshaam Purnam Bhavatu
Sarveshaam Mangalam Bhavatu

Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niramayaah
Sarve Bhardrani Pashyantu
Maa Kadhchit Duhkhabhahg Bhavet

Meaning:
May good befall all,
May there be peace for all,
May all be fit for perfection, and
May all experience that which is auspicious.
May all be happy. May all be healthy.
May all experience what is good and
let no one suffer