What is.

I do not see suffering, fighting, crying, dissatisfaction, pain and despair only in some remote parts of the world stricken either by war or poverty. I see, experience and sense suffering everyday sitting in the most beautiful part of the world. The form of suffering might be different, although looking at it non-conceptual it is not, but with careful observation one can see the core of suffering is universally the same. It is a constant unending fight with some kind of image, activity, fear, person, work or expectations, strongly believing and identifying with all there thus pursuing the same and struggling further, longer and with more intensity. 

By some personal experimentation and self enquiry I have realized that this suffering can and will end this very moment, when there is - no resistance. I mean indefinitely, absolutely, beyond thoughts, ego, self, falseness, trueness...whatever one wants to call it - no resistance of any kind to - what is. As all enlightened beings preach, the depth of every being is, consciousness. The purest form of this being is compassion and love. Although one cannot and should not rationalize this but suddenly, it is crystal clear and right under our noses the entire time; if there is absolutely no resistance to what is then this consciousness will automatically manifest itself showcasing itself in its purest form. Therefore every thought, action and form of expression will manifest itself as love. At this point, let us please be aware of our thoughts and stop romanticizing the idea of being/ becoming the next Picasso, Houdini or Ramana Maharishi. The manifestation of consciousness can very well be in the form of John Doe stacking boxes at a supermarket or picking up my coffee right this moment.  now. 

The universe knows exactly what it is doing and of course knows what it is doing with me or you or us. Otherwise it would not go through all the trouble it has until now, the fact that I am sitting, typing, expressing my intimate thoughts or just breathing is a wonder and beautiful expression of life  itself. So there is an innate reason why we, you, me are here. It is only when I let go of this conceptual mind with absolutely no resistance then the manifestation will come automatically without any effort or thinking. One needs to be patient and embrace this being without resistance at every moment - maybe to realize that this life, this moment; is already a beautiful manifestation of consciousness 

Resonance with the inner purpose

The video is a predicament of what most clear minds try to preach but implementing it is not a given since there is fear; fear of security, survival, of the unknown, ego etc . We all know this for a fact that, one`s greatest enemy discovering one`s true potential is their "comfort zones"! It is not just the question of money and survival but most importantly letting go and doing that resonates with ones inner purpose. 

"HELP"

"Help", an interesting word, I was surprised to find no wikipedia page on it describing the history/ use and significance of the word help. I assume, it is taken for granted that everyone understands this word (at least from a superficial or a bookish sense), what about the true essence of its action? 

As a child, nobody told me to help someone, maybe in a "moral of a story sense", yes, they did! In the primary school years walking back home one day and saw a old crippled woman begging, she could barely stand. As a child having learnt of all the glorious moral help based stories, I decided to take this woman home to the shock and dismay of my parents. However, my parents understood why I did it and fed the woman, gave her some clean clothes and before I knew it she was on her way to the streets begging. I was confused, I thought we were supposed to help but I remember something being told like, we shall help what is within our powers and beyond this it her fate (something similar). I do not want to point out any moral or significance to this story, if you want interpret anything out of it, go ahead.

As I grew up, the action of help bothered and enticed me, I wanted to help but I also wanted to understand its the true essence. I was stuck and one can say, I am still stuck. In this confusion or frustration I volunteered quiet a bit for diverse NGO`s (non-governmental organization) as a teacher/ coach/ campaign manager etc etc. In this mist of helping, one day someone asked me, if I was truly helping or just doing something to soothe my ego, is there anything such as self less help? Listen to most of the speeches people give when working an NGO, volunteering, donating or so on; felt/ feels good doing something meaningful, i wanted to give back, could not see the plight of poor people etc etc. Kudos for doing all the work and helping but where does the true motive lie? 

On a parallel pane, there was/is this seeker in me looking "beyond horizons" making sense of spirituality. I read scores of books on gurus, enlightened beings, truth seeker mostly sitting in their caves or houses meditated and did nothing profound to help the world (at least in their words). Most of them say, they the formless being, guided by the ultimate truth did what felt natural or was in the flow. This is where my true frustration began, there are these enlightened dudes probably with the answer to everything in the universe and then there are people like me, with many unanswered questions. Those guys do (or believe in doing) nothing and me, going crazy jumping from one place to the other doing "something" which from my limited perception believe is "help". All those guys say, truly understand who you are and the answers will come from within? The ever agitating self could not satisfy with a possible answer ,which sounded like a cheesy dialogue from a star wars series. So the quest of deep digging went on (whatever that meant?!?) So it was not long, when one could see me with scores of economic books, understanding "help" intellectually termed poverty eradication, millennium development goals, aid etc etc.  The Economicwallas, argued on both sides saying aid is has done more harm than good and we should stop donating, giving aid, let Adam Smith`s invisible hand do the work. But naked greed of capitalism and market economy cannot be trusted in times of disasters, so we need aid: medical, relief and so on.  Some even suggested do some tests and find out what really helps based on statistical facts and not intuitions. The argument goes on, having read all this, I could write a book on, limitations of the help/ development based on economics. It is irrational to thus blame the government for any kind of mess. Governments are the reflection of the self. If one looks deeply, government only reflect what is in our minds, out of some pseudo urge for security, power, control and wellbeing we sustain them. (please see to agree or disagree is not the point)

Source: www.toonpool.com

So, finally some clarity emerged out of this chaos to understand the true essence of "help". The enlightened dudes made some sense to me now, I have been going about wanting to help or do something completely blindfolded. Walking around the streets or sitting at cafe`s I observe people and see I am not the only one. Everybody is going about their daily lives, "living", eating, working, helping,  running completely blind folded. The worst part is I don`t think most of them are aware of this (this might remind some of us of the movie Matrix). The ingenious engine, the mind, never tires of feeding us thoughts and noise to keep us distracted from finding our "true" self. So in order for us to do whatever that is we want to do, we need to figure out our true purpose, this will come only if one truly understands (not intellectually), who or what the self is? Then anything one does, help, work, swim, juggle it will be in alignment with the universe and will not come from the ego to satisfy its needs, wants and commands. 

Start by sitting and staring at a flower or look at tree and be bewildered by their stillness. How can such beautiful and massive beings be so still but the tiny pineal gland (claimed to be the centre of thought/ identification/ conditioning etc) or this existence of ours is an non stop engine? I am still staring at that tree, what about you? 

Time to open up and start questioning

One mild uneventful sunny Saturday morning, it took a comment from Mr/ Ms. Anonymous posted to an article written in 2007 on Hunger and Food issue, to shake up my inner amateur blogger/ writer to re-channel my thoughts and endure this fantastic journey on sharing ones thoughts.
Wow! Its been five years since I last blogged, reading some of old articles, I am intrigued and amazed on the development, growth and CHANGE in my perspectives. The only line from the Bhagavad Gita I remember is, "Pariwarthane Jagada Niyama" (Change is a universal law), can be very clearly seen in the development of this individual ego called me (Very reason, I did not delete any of the old posts). So much has happened since then (2007), I shall not term the events good or bad, since it would be getting sucked into the aspects of duality again, honestly we have enough of it. It is better said, things are the way they were/ are supposed to be, either people caught up conflicts of the self or wars or babies being born or ego`s being satisfied. We will talk about this in detail in another post sometime.
It feels good to be typing/ writing again, it is a different feel-good experience this time, it is not to satisfy  MY ego to discuss, defend and debate on issues limited to my interests but the diverse issues and thoughts that needs to be urgently questioned. Let us together open up, question the truth and not give in to the conditioning of the mind through society, cultures and so on

In words of Jiddu Krishnamurthi, "We know only fragmentarily about this extraordinary thing called life". 

Todays dooming reality...

So missed me…J my comeback article.

Actually I had sort of lost my motivation to write and nobody came in to ‘push my buttons’. Realised that sometimes for the truth to be discussed, need to the buttons oneself. Well, as usual writing something out of the blue.

Something I saw on CNN a couple days ago took the earth off under my feet. It’s a known fact and nothing new but we all fail to see it. Why??? What did I see and what did u guys miss? Hmmmm…
I think it was in Zimbabwe (not very sure), a small boy of maybe 12 years whose ribs you could count. He was digging a whole in the ground, deep enough to be ones grave. Why was he digging it, well to find food. Well he had no intentions of finding fresh red carrots but in the end found a small mouse. The expression of content filled his face and he fisted the white mouse and ran with joy to show his mum what he had found for dinner. That ‘mouse soup’ you can call it was supposed to feed 4 people in total. The entire family feasted with joy that night. Just coz they had some form of food.

I couldn’t just watch this; I had to turn my head off. The truth is all around us but we all try to look away from it. Why, bother in somebody else’s mess. Nothing to do with me, as long as I have my ‘Cream icing’ served on my cake for dessert. Is it because we don’t really give a damn or because we are helpless in doing anything about it? Only if I could take my ‘Pasta’ that night to this family somewhere in Africa. I see it everyday all over what’s happening but still, some part of the food has to go to the garbage. Its hard to blame myself all alone but it just pains my heart when I see something go into the garbage just coz it is out of its expiration date or we were not in the mood for ‘Broccoli’’ that day. How many of us actually sit at our eating table and have something to complain about it? It’s too tangy; there is no salt in my food, how about some more spice. There is nothing wrong in wanting what we want, but don’t we push it sometimes?

The problem is we all think, that’s not going to happen to us. We are just so ignorant to the fact, that this is a evolving world and one or the other day; our actions are going to affect the future. I did my internship with a cosmetic company and an MNC. Before starting no offense to the company, did indeed have the time of my life working there. These guys have everything to make the best lipstick or mascaras in the world. Well when working in the laboratory we used thin tissues to clean the excess from the beakers or anywhere. The idea is everyday probably half of a tree worth of paper went into the garbage. Print sheets, tissues, writing pads, packaging etc etc. I am usually conscious about the environment, the excess waste around us and stuff. But when I was there, I actually didn’t give a damn. Why, coz nobody else did as well. Everything was available and also in excess. I was under the notion (maybe still am) that can never happen to me. We wont run out of oxygen one day, acid rain wouldn’t burn down everything around us. Nobody knew Tsunami or Hurricane Katrina would happen but it happened. Maybe it’s the signal from nature itself asking us to slow down. But we are nowhere close to it are we? All we do is read about the UNO rules and say ‘what good it can bring?’ As common Homo sapiens, we think its nothing under our control, lets leave it to Mr. Bush (bad idea) or Mandela or someone. As for me, cosy up on my couch and catch up with my work, TV shows or whatever. Well the next time a question like this comes to my mind I say to myself ‘Lady! Lets start with not throwing any of my dinner today into the garbage, switch the TV completely off not leave it on stand by, reuse one-side printed papers, think of saving up some of your shopping money and give to an Orphanage anywhere, also try some weekends doing some self-less work for the kids instead of hitting the dance floor’’. I did say this to myself and actually works, maybe a small step but we all step in together, think ‘what a revolution’ it can bring.

I know it, you know, we all know it…. it’s all out there…we don’t want to see it.
Okay lets try it step by step,

Step 1 - Open our eyes.

‘We are ‘change’ itself, its all in us, lets change in for a better tomorrow.

'Freeeeeeedom',really???

Dear all,

Should i celebrate or think about 'where we have come after 50 something years of Indian independence?'. Well sitting thousand miles away from home, i think all i have with me is my opinion and views. Let me keep them with me for now....for the rest...'Wish you a very Happy Independence Day'. Hopefully its not just another holiday for eveyone.
p.s- hey...im working...:)

Keep in touch.
Narmada :)

Learn from the 'LIZARD'!!!

I really dont know if the story is true or not but what counts is the 'message' and how we must remind oneself often on 'beauty of life'!!!

A LIZARD CAN, WHY CAN'T WE?

This was a true story that happened in Japan.

In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan Breaks open the wall.

Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built.

What happened?

The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years! In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible and mind boggling. Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years! without moving a single step--since its foot was nailed!

So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came, appears another lizard, with food in its mouth. Ahh! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years... Such help! such a beautiful love! Such happened even with this tiny creature ... What can help do? It can do wonders! Help can do miracles! Imagine? it has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years, without giving up hope on its partner.

Think, will u do that to your partner ? Think that will you do it to your Mom, Who brought you after a big struggle of NINE long months ? Or at least to your Dad, Friends, Coworkers, Brothers & and Sisters ? Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.

HELP is an act, do it, let it go. LOVE is a gift, take it, let it grow. PATIENCE is a sign, we should wear, let it show.

p.s-Vinay, thanks for the story:)