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NOTHING LIKE MEDITATIONrn(Vinod Anand) You are standing in awe in front of a painting. You are getting lost in this labyrinth of shapes and forms, until you are no more. And yet, you are more yourself than you have ever been before. If you’ve ever experienced this, you know that art of any kind can induce meditation. Vallabhacharya argued that the ego can transcend through bhava or feelings.
Stay Calm No Matter What Happensrn(Vinod Anand) On any given day, our emotional state changes many times, one moment, something good happens to us and we are joyful. The next moment we receive a bad news and we start feeling sad. Then, we get a cheque in the mail unexpectedly and we are happy again. Next, on the way home, someone cuts us off on the highway and we are enraged.
Look at the life in a new Wayrn[Vinod Anand] Truth can be likened to a pyramid— its pinnacle gives the highest expression of truth, while its broad base gives strength and stability. I’ve been amazed by the number of people in India who tell me that they don’t believe in God, and then go onto demonstrate that they do. They can’t get away from it— it’s part of their upbringing. They don’t necessarily define God in terms of somebody who is blue and plays the flute. The thought, however, of an infinite consciousness is so ingrained in them that it’s impossible for them to reject it.
Life has Both Limitations and Achievementsrn(Vinod Anand) Life has Both Limitations and Achievements A Muslim youth of my acquaintance, born in a village and madrasa-educated, can speak two foreign languages fluently -Arabic and English - without ever having studied for a university degree. I asked him once to tell me the secret of his unusual success. He uttered a single word: “Junoon” or madness, meaning that if you have unflagging determination to achieve your target, you will certainly do so.
Smoke Meditativelyrn[Vinod Anand] Many people cannot drop the habit of chain-smoking. They do try hard but they normally fail. Some people say that is a sin to smoke. I would suggest that don’t make a mountain out of a molehill! Now, what are you really doing when you are smoking? Just taking some smoke inside your lungs and letting it out. It is a kind of pranayama filthy, dirty, but still a pranayama! You are doing yoga, ma stupid way.
Control and Autonomy of Infantsrn(Vinod Anand)
Even a Teacher Might Have Egorn(Vinod Anand) No one is completely devoid of ego and self-esteem. For example, if a guru does not have a well-functioning ego, then perhaps no seeker would ever listen to his discourses and the former would be left alone in his ashram. Whether you are a guru or seeker, you might have to blow your own trumpet in order for you to be successful. However, ego must be employed differently at different times because of our constant. The Rig Veda says, “Ego is the biggest enemy of humans”.
Literature Connotes Spirit of Welfarern(Vinod Anand) The real significance of the word sahitya or literature is inherent in the word itself for the characteristic of literature is ‘to move together’, keeping abreast of life. Literature is no invention of the superficiality of social life, nor is it the colourful spell of any fantasia. Rather it is the portrait of real life — an exte al expression of the internal recesses of the mind — a bold and powerful expression of the suppressed sighs of the human heart.
Focus on Silencern[Vinod Anand] The mind and the physical brain control the human body. The brain and mind are controlled by the desire of the soul. Just close your eyes and see what is going on inside the brain. Give it just two minutes. You will find so many thoughts running inside you related to children, family, spouse, business, emotions... All these thoughts indicate desire of the soul. And it is because of these thoughts or desires that you are unable to go beyond human existence.
Birth and Death are Two Illusory Scenesrn[Vinod Anand] Death is a universal occurrence; yet it is the least understood phenomenon. According to early writings of Wittgenstein, this is because death is not an event in one’s life — we do not live to experience death. He upheld that “at death the world does not alter, but comes to an end”. However, he added, “our life has no end in just the same way in which our visual field has no limits”.
How to Lead a Stress-free Happy Life? (Vinod Anand) On a visit to the US I happened to meet an Asian immigrant, let’s call him SA. I found that he was a man with a difference. At all times he was in a happy mood. His colleagues also affirm that he is quite different from other people. In the course of a conversation, I asked him how he was such a stress-free person, while others were living in stress.
Always Be Positivern(Vinod Anand) God is regarded as the creator of all life on earth; whatever names you gave Him — Allah, Brahma, Rabb, Parmeshwar or Waheguru. If believers tell you that God created life, then ask them: if that is so, who created Him? They have no answer. The truth is that life on earth was not created. It evolved, as did every living creature, and was not created by anyone, by whatever name you call Him.
Attraction of Fragrancern(Vinod Anand) There are some words we find beautiful in and of themselves; take ‘ephemeral’. It sounds good rolled around your lips, tongue and mouth, and to me it also looks good written. Its meaning, too, is hauntingly lovely—lasting for a markedly brief time. We get it from the Greek ephemeros ‘lasting a day’. It isn’t any wonder then that the words ‘ephemeral’ and ‘beauty’ often go together. The first day it began to rain, we were treated to the indefinable scent of water soaking into the parched earth.
Absorbing Fresh Knowledgern[Vinod Anand] The capacity to absorb fresh knowledge is called udana. This capacity is at its maximum at infancy, and it diminishes gradually as you grow older. In the passage of life this process of absorption helps you gain information, knowledge and intelligence. But the intelligence acquired does not make you think freely, originally, or reason independently.
Spiritual Experiencern(Vinod Anand) There are five aspects of spirituality—the objective, the why of spirituality, the means for attaining the objective, who pursues spirituality and when. Objective of spirituality is to transcend the limited bodily identity and experience the oneness of the single whole that this creation is. Why should, or rather, why does, one pursue spirituality? We can start by saying that one gets a desire to pursue spirituality and hence goes ahead with it.
The Self is not freern(Vinod Anand) Doing whatever you have done, you will continue to get what you have L.F got. So, to live wisely and happily, question the way of doing you have been following. In today’s world where the pace of life is so hectic, fast food has become a popular source of convenience. There is no time for you to look into how harmful fast food could be because you are so busy getting what you want. To earn money—rather, to make a quick buck— you go to any ridiculous extent and thus you end up spoiling the quality of your life.
Reason and Truthrn(Vinod Anand) Dogmatic thinking and abdication of reason in their innumerable forms remain as great obstacles to human advancement leading to suffering and ignorance, according to Swami Dayananda. So strongly was he guided by the supremacy of reason that he proclaimed that one should spu dogmas even if inherited from people of wisdom, if such beliefs fail to withstand the supremacy of reasoning and truth in the light of new revelations.
RELATIONSHIPS OF INFANTS WITH PEOPLE: A BRIEF OUTLOOKrn(Vinod Anand)
CREATIVENESSrn(Vinod Anand) One of the greatest problems confronting us at this present time is the question of creativeness, how to bring about the creative release of the individual, and if we can consider the question, not merely verbally, but go into it very deeply, perhaps we shall be able to discover the full significance of that word creativeness.
Personal Preferences Should be linked with The Welfare of Othersrn(Vinod Anand) In the southern Califo ia town of Claremont, where my parents lived, there is a retirement community called Pilgrims’ Place. It looks like an ordinary neighbourhood of modest homes, but everyone who lives there is a retired missionary or church worker of some kind. Once a year the community hosts a festival to which the whole town is invited. Among the activities, many of the residents set up tables in front of their homes.
Knowledge through Selfrn(Vinod Anand) Self knowledge is neither gained by explanations and descriptions nor by the instructions of others but by direct experience. Whatever is experienced and known here in this world, all that is the self, consciousness devoid of the duality of the experiencing and the experience. It is the Self alone that exists everywhere at all times, but because of its extreme subtlety, it is not experienced. In all beings, it is the Jiva.
Pay a Close Attention to what is Happening Nowrn(Vinod Anand) It often surprises me when people say they intensely dislike cooking; I wonder if it is because they think it is too complicated or if they are often in a hurry to get it all done with. Though something to keep us alive and well, cooking is, above all, an art and a practice. We give it our time and attention; we revel in our tools — our ingredients and also our basic cooking implements.
Looking at Life and Happinessrn(Vinod Anand) Each of us wants some peace and happiness in life. Still, happiness often evades us. “Is there a simple, straightforward roadmap to get happiness and peace in life,” I asked Swami Paramarthanandji in Chennai. He replied, ‘Reducing PORT is the best way’.
Love is Basic in Lifern(Vinod Anand) The world exists just because love still exists on earth. If this one divine quality left the world, then there could be no existence on earth. Let us love the root of the tree. Then we shall see that the branches, the leaves and the foliage of the tree also feel our love. Love is the secret key that allows a human being to open the door of God. Where there is love; pure, divine love, there is fulfillment. What is love? If love means possessing someone or something, then that is not real love that is not pure love.
Earth Dayrn(Vinod Anand) On 22 April every year, there is the Earth Day. You must know that Life began 3.5 Arab Years back, and the age of earth is 4.54 Arab years.70 % of the Earth is covered with water, and 30% is the plain. How audacious that we can even think we can allot a day for the earth!
Mind is the Greatest Gift of Godrn[Vinod Anand] Mind is the greatest gift we have. All our activities are controlled by the mind. In the Bhagwad Gita, Krishna says that controlling the mind is more difficult than subduing the wind.
On Practicing and Becoming Silentrn(Vinod Anand)
Confusion in Lifern[Vinod Anand] In this world, you usually have two types of options. In Sanskrit the word dvividha means, two options. If you play around with this word, it also sounds as duvidha, which means confusion. The more options you have, the more confusion you face. For example, when you have food at home, and there is only vegetable and daal, you will have no confusion as to what to eat and what to leave. But if you are attending a wedding, where you have a lot of choice, you will also have lots of confusion. What to eat? What not to eat?
Direction of Enlightenmentrn(Vinod Anand) I was brought up in India, a land that is imbued with a living mythology. Very early on in my childhood, it was my mother who told me that the word “inspiration” literally meant to be in spirit. The spirit, in turn, was the spirit of God, who breathed into the dust of the earth and animated it with consciousness. The most fundamental factor of existence, then, became the awareness or consciousness of existence. Since it was impossible to imagine God as an infinite being, our collective consciousness used symbols to express divinity.
A Self-Realized Leader Can Work Wondersrn[Vinod Anand] We all are leaders in a way as people around constantly emulate us, seek our inspiration, guidance and support and crave for our attention, love and compassion. Therefore, leaders in any sphere face the dual challenge of connecting with self and others. Knowing one’s true nature, the Self, becomes crucial. While doing so, at times, one’s deep-rooted beliefs, thoughts, fixations constituting mindset become obstacles. In fact, all through our lives we have been indoctrinating ourselves with these only.
Manifest the Higher Self withi Yourn[Vinod Anand] We all have a higher Self within; we were born with it. However, most neither are we aware of it nor do we act from it. It remains dormant, but survives only to manifest at the right opportunity. Sometimes we get a fleeting glimpse of the Self when we spontaneously act out of unconditional love. Recall a sudden wave of empathy that engulfed you at the sight of a man shivering in the cold that prompted you to give him clothes; picking up a wounded animal on the road; the deep sense of fulfillment on rescuing someone in trouble.
Body, Mind and Soulrn(Vinod Anand) We have three aspects of our humanness, a body, a mind and an immortal identity — soul or spirit. The mind forms a link between the soul and the body and the two interact on each other. In the world of existence there is nothing so important as spirit, nothing so essential as the spirit of man.
Get Inspired by Selfrn(Vinod Anand) We all are leaders in a way as people around constantly emulate us, seek our inspiration, guidance and support and crave for our attention, love and compassion. Therefore, leaders in any sphere face the dual challenge of connecting with self and others. Knowing one’s true nature, the Self, becomes crucial. While doing so, at times, one’s deep-rooted beliefs, thoughts, fixations constituting mindset become obstacles. In fact, all through our lives we have been indoctrinating ourselves with these only.
Lust: A Form of Lovern(Vinod Anand) Those who try to understand God through the intellect alone, arrive at some cold and dry concept which misses the very essence of divine nature. It is true that God is infinite knowledge, existence, power and bliss, but true understanding comes from knowing His essence as infinite love. In the ‘beyond state’ from which the entire universe springs and into which it ultimately merges, God is ete ally infinite love.
Take the True Inner Pilgrimagern(Vinod Anand) The Brahmasutra Bhashya of Sankara is an abstruse exposition of his advaitic thought, best summed up in a classic line from the l3hashya: “Brahmn satyamjagat mithya jivo Brahmaivah napara” — Brahmn alone is real, the world is illusory; the individual and the universal soul are one”. However, it is in the smaller poetic compositions that Sankara puts these abstruse advaitic concepts within easy grasp of the average individual, using everyday references to illustrate the concepts.
Learn to live in Godrn[Vinod Anand] The great saints are so strong in their magnetism that they can change you .L. by their mere presence. The company you keep plays a crucial role, for the people in our lives are the most important aspect of our environment. I remember a man who got into a mood and decided he didn’t want to be around people anymore. So for some weeks he avoided all spiritual gatherings.
Infant’s Characteristicsrn(Vinod Anand) The baby himself plays a big part in determining the course of relationships with people. Some of his effects are obvious, others subtle. The uniqueness of each infant can be appreciated by considering the interplay of appearance, sex, and temperament, which are only some of the categories under which human beings can be described.
The Power of Sincere Apologyrn[Vinod Anand] The word ‘sorry’ is synonymous with apology. It is a common, familiar word but it is t potent and magical in its efficacy. In our day-today life, it is symbolic of a polite apology for a wrong done intentionally or inadvertently and normally figures in the vocabulary of suave, courteous individuals. Small, insignificant wrongs like bumping accidentally into someone or stepping on someone’s foot elicit a spontaneous, even nonchalant apology from the perpetrator.
Plant positive Thoughtsrn(Vinod Anand) How many of us utilize the power of the subconscious mind? Your subconscious mind does not need your advice to say what is to be done to overcome barriers, when there is a blockade in your daily life. It is continuously alert: Whatever your need may be — your desire for a promotion, purchase of house and precious household items, or anything else — you are able to get guidance from your subconscious mind.
HOW IMPORTANT IS COVERSATION? (Vinod Anand) Is conversation a dying art? Texting is communication. The impersonal virtual space is best to argue and engage. If we don’t like someone’s views, we tune off But talking — orr Listening — is simply not an option anymore. Let us look at it briefly The daily commute from home to work in Metropolitan cities in local trains or buses is a fascinating experience. People say the railway is the biggest leveler in this city.
Human Memoryrn[Vinod Anand] Is ordinary knowledge confined to the material level, the abstract level, or is it a bit of both? Another question may arise: If ordinary knowledge is partly material and partly abstract, is there an extraordinary, super-conscious knowledge which is totally unrelated to the material body and exclusively associated with the abstract level? The way in which you withdraw yourself froth all worldly factors determines how the action of knowing takes place. The human mind has two contradictory inherent tendencies: one of acquisition, the other of sacrifice.
The Balance betwee Love and Logicrn(Vinod Anand) Can we achieve a balance between love and logic? Logic leads to material gains, while love warms the heart and leads to emotional and spiritual gain. In life, both are required. The ete al battle between mind and heart is something all of us have to contend with. You are made up of body, mind, heart and soul.
Secularismrn[Vinod Anand] The concept of secularism was vibrant in the Indic region with the realization not only of one God but of the essential oneness of all existence: “Ekam Sat bipra bahudha badanti.” Ultimate reality is singular as time or space is, but appears to be many due to apparent divisions. The Rig Veda proclaims that diverse ways of worship reach the same destination as different rivers reach the same ocean.
ACTIVITY IS VERY IMPORTANT IN LIFErn (Vinod Anand) Action is the insignia of life. The law of life proclaims that none can remain without performing activity. Everyone is made to act according to one’s own inner temperament. If you choose to remain idle, you lead yourself to destruction. Look at Nature.
Beyond The Physical Worldrn(Vinod Anand) We are part of manifest creation that has the inherent tendency of movement. The movement is either upward or downward, whether in the spiritual, commercial or emotional worlds. Relationships play a significant role in all of this. Nothing is ever constant or unchanging. No matter what your position in life, who you’re with or how much power and influence you wield over others, nothing is constant.
Let Us Be Kindrn(Vinod Anand) Take the everyday scenario of a traffic jam in the city. When cars are piled up and tempers run high, two auto-rickshaws coming ‘from different directions practically touch each other. Each wants to claim right of way and neither wants to budge and relent. That leads to heated arguments and the drivers so easily come to blows. What would happen if both would be prepared to let the other go first? That would immediately defuse the situation and help ease the jam, instead of obstructing traffic for even longer periods.
New Mind in the New Worldrn(Vinod Anand) The companions, the relationships, the work, the ideas and the beliefs and the dogmas that we hold have produced a monstrous world, a world of conflict, misery and perpetual sorrow. We accept it as normal condition, we put up with it day after day; we never inquire into the necessity, the urgency of a revolution that is neither economical nor political but much more fundamental.