The essence of being human

 

Why be unduly bothered about the typical bugs of the mind like anger, hate, jealousy and others? Follow the trail of any of these, in an effort to track its cause or root, and it will take you to the same primary root. All the negative reactions of our mind, which make us feel guilty after their manifestation in the mind-body combo, originate from the same root. The restlessness at the core, prompting us to seek a higher self. If you have already started looking at your triggers of anger, hate, jealousy, fears, etc., it means you already view them as alien entities, strangers to your real self. You want them out. You aren't ready to own them. It means you are already on the path of liberation. Just watch them, watch them, watch them. And they will slowly lose their grip on your system. They will have a far less force on your system. They won't be impulsive enough to make you react.

It's not about their total absence. It's about their being ineffective and not able to dictate our lives. They pop up and are gone. They surface, like a thief comes at a market place, and are gone like the thief the moment he sees a policeman. Really knowing or becoming aware of a negative emotion or thought as it is and feeling its negative shades itself is the solution. Suppose there is some guy whose reality we don't know. He can easily dupe us. But when we know the truth about him, he won't have a big chance of duping us because we know the nature of reality about him. The same with these typical bugs of mind. The goal isn't about their absence. It's only about being aware of their true nature. Then they become mere bubbles. They pop up and are gone without leaving a big impact on our behavior.

Even saints have these bubbles in their minds. They will arise. It's their nature. But a sage's mind-body system is evolved to a level where these negative shades pass out without much impact. It's not about not having them. It's about making them ineffective. In the beginning with  action and stern look at them. And later, with practice, to ignore them almost on impulse. If we arrive on earth with an impulse to be driven by them, we can certainly develop an impulse to ignore them with practice. Then they may keep popping up. There won't be much turbulence in life.

Yoga, Kundalini-awakening techniques, bhakti, gyan and the rest of spiritual practices are meant to bring a kind of positive symmetry in body and mind's functioning so that there are more of positive neurochemicals and hormones such as endorphins in the body. That makes us further less prone to infection by the bugs of negative thoughts and emotions. These are spiritual immunity boosters, which make us strong against the attack by the things which we consciously view as against our peace and wellbeing. Haven't you observed that when we are happy and joyful—it means we are overloaded with positive neurochemicals at that time—we are less prone to irritation by the same stimulants that would leave us blasting in a cranky state of mind?

So all this is a holistic art involving strict observance, meditation, yoga, bhakti and knowledge; just like different types of nutrients needed for the body to keep the ailments away. Use these various types of spiritual pills to strengthen yourself against the bugs of suspicion, fear, discontentment, anger and jealousy. The bugs will always stay in your system and surroundings as long as you are here on earth. Just like human body cannot do away with the harmful bacteria and virus around. They are going to be there. So what do we do? We increase the immunity to leave them ineffective on our system.

The same is with the negative bugs of mind. They will be there, whether inside you or in the people around you. The task is to strengthen your system to an extent that they don't shake your emotional health too much.

Who are the siddhas? They are the robust-most energetic systems upon whom the usual bugs that we humans find so troublesome have no effect. But rest assured, they have their own challenges to fight against, the challenges of different categories of which we aren't aware. So the challenge stays. Don't ever dream of reaching a spiritual stage where challenges will vanish. They will always stay in one form or the other, just like the harmful virus and bacteria around.

Lastly, a smile itself kills a million bugs of the mind. So smile now!

On the strip of solace

 

Here I’m on my strip of solace between the two canals going side-by-side. There is water, plenty of it. There are well-watered reeds bordering the streams. Here at least the mankind is not at war to grab more and more land. This has allowed mother nature to bloom a thin ribbon of scrub jungle consisting of some trees, coarse grass and thorn bushes—a scrub and grass ribbon going like a natural lifeline among the pesticide and fertilizer smeared cropped fields on both sides. Walking on the little footpath, and looking at the red disk of the sun slowly melting into the silvery mist of the horizon augments silence and solitude to such proportions as would be sufficient to heal the scars on one’s soul.

The bushes and the reeds have plenty of prinias of various types. The dusky grey, rust brown and rufous earthy brown denizens of the bushy world suspiciously peep at this encroacher from the outside world. They flick their graduated tail up and down and jerkily go hopping across their home bushes to ensure that the enemy has safely crossed over to the other side. Some bushes have conversational, lively twittering that changes to a plaintive, sharp tee-tee-tee, asking me to go away. Little do they realize that I’m also looking for a bush to hide from the bigger, bad world of humans.

One particular prinia, ashy prinia, gives a kit-kit-kit call on being startled by my arrival. Maybe it snaps its bill in irritation to produce the sound. Another type of little prinia gives brr-brr-brr notes with its wings as it angrily hops among the tall grass to make sure the enemy has passed his home bush. They have woven with grass fibers (strengthened with cobwebs) domed or oval pouches in grass tussocks and weed stems. Theirs is a little world centered around a few clumps of grass and bushes. But there are plenty of caterpillars, small beetles, ants, larva to supply calories for their agile flip-flops among the bushes. And when they decide to have a veg supper, there is nectar from tiny wild flowers like Butea, Erythrina and Salamalia. But they have to be very careful till the end of the day when the last streaks of purple light are dying from the clouds in the west after the twilight. Greater coucal, a beautiful dark handsome birdie prince with rust brown wings, loves stalking them across the bushes even till the last rays of the day. He is hunting for their eggs and even the grownups if they get lazy. While most of the birds have started for their host trees and bushes, the coucal still lingers among the bushes. Maybe it stays just nearby to start hunting again with the next dawn.  

The grandeur of getting old

 

Why be bothered about losing youth? It's just a phase, an unripe one as a character says in Oscar Wilde's novel: ‘What was youth at best? A green, unripe time, a time of shallow moods, and slickly thoughts.’ There is no fun in wearing the shiny livery for too long. It then becomes a burden. That's why nature sees it off. But we carry it in the mind for a bit longer time. At least I did. But now the wonderful, gray, slow-paced times open their real charms. The aging gray lighter vestments of wisdom and age carry their own charm. They are very light, ripe and cozy to wear, and easy to carry.

War and peace

 Mankind's basic tendency is war, tension, strife and suffering. Peace is simply imposed against our will.

A scared writer

 Critics of Them, justified of course in your intentions and reasons, a word of caution. They are down but not out. As the saying goes, a King is a bad enemy, a worse friend, and a fatal family relation. So stay rooted while you criticize Them. They will hit back at the level you are, wherever it may be, anywhere you are, using the hierarchical powers suitable for your position and standing to push and prod you again into the hole. They may not do much to take us out of our miseries. But They will surely hit back! I have no shame in accepting that I am scared of writing or saying even a single word against Them. Because I know They always hit back at their critics! They have the power! And they expertly mean to use it against dissent. That is the hallmark of powerful Kings! Power has natural disposition for misuse. Here at least they are subservient to the concept of power. Power has power over Them. So my dear angry, cantankerous birds, take a pause. The fear of corona and the fear of Them are both essential to stay alive and safe. So play it safe! Lastly, pray, pray and just pray for all of us. We the common subjects of Them have no oxygen, no vaccine, no hospital beds. All we have is our prayers. So let's pray for each other. Let's use all our power of emotions to keep our boat afloat!

The common man

 While a plain featured Abraham Lincoln, struggling as a law student and part time worker, drew inspiration and ignition from his beautiful lover Marry Todd, his friend had a jibe, 'Don't you think you are too beautiful to be the wife of this ugly man?!' Lost in the common features of her man, she simply quipped, 'Common looking man is the best! That's why God has created so many of them!'

The master tricksters

 We are the master tricksters. To keep the hypothesis of abundance and material wealth, we basically groom "shortages" of various kinds. If no ever-existing shortages, how will the river of corporations flow? Does a river flow after reaching the sea? So it's primarily about keeping the needs, desires and aspirations above the things available. Always. It's never about fulfilling the needs. The trick is in keeping the needs going high and high, so that pursuit stays there by default.

Golden words by a friend

 Here are the most meaningful words spoken to me during the last few years---as I tried to steady my feet after the most irremediable loss of my life---by a Tibetan Buddhist Friend. Truth seems to have showered Her with the ultimate grace during her months long meditations in the snow clad caves in Ladhak. Thanks O seeker of truth for balming my bruised soul through such simple and succinct words:

"We have been born to learn about the love and impermanence of life, and we will have to learn this lesson again and again until we have eternal peace before every injury!"

A little slice of truth

 A tiny bit of blissful truth.

Somewhere in a secluded corner at Tushita monastery, Mcdlodganj..

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Truth in operation

 At the grossest level of existence, 'Truth' is a little candy held tightly in the fist of the hand that is 'Powerful'!

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Bondage in the name of freedom

 Long before we release our kite to fly for freedom, we tie it with the bondage of string. Before we set out to liberate ourselves, we enslave ourselves to dogmas, faith and beliefs. Is there any difference between what we take to be freedom from what we know as bondage?

Don't lose your smile

 And when the afternoon sunrays come to kiss the shy, shaded beauty for a brief flirtatious moment, she opens her heart and gives a full smile.

Guys, don't miss to smile even at those who mean to rob you of your smile. Our own frown eats our smile, not other's intentions!

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The hidden storms

 Of course there is danger lurking behind beauty and colours...the beautiful aurora is fuelled by solar storms, plasma and radiations....well, a beautiful woman has her own storms lurking in the shadows behind the vibrant colours. No wonder, the beauty-gazers, the men, feel the heat of the storms after enjoying the sight.

All is well

 Although there are cracks in life, she but smiles softly and whispers an assurance: "Don't worry, all is well!"

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2Kapil Rana and Balwan Singh

The secret key to joy

 Children have no fixed expectations from a toy. Let it be new, they have full joy. Let it be broken, they play with the same perfection like earlier. So does it mean that imperfections around in things and situations aren't that big a factor in deciding our state of being as we grown ups have accepted on principle?

Thoreau's theorems

 Keep poking the rays of your efforts through the chinks. It's fruitful even though Thoreau is cautious, 'The rays which stream through the shutters will be no longer remembered when the shutter is wholly removed.' But still I feel that harbinger rays have their special place.

Keep evolving and avoid the hard boundaries of concepts, institutions, cemented dogmas and hardened beliefs define you within an impenetrable stone wall. Be like Thoreau when he says, 'I love a broad margin to life.'

The real suffering

 Most of our perceived shortages are in fact our inability to accomplish the intended wastage. It's not about the real shortages of basic needs. Those who really lack the basic needs are not haunted by the mental specter of shortages because they are fully into the game of survival, hardly having any time to get mental suffering about the shortages. The one who really suffer, mentally, the shortages are the ones who feel helpless and feel relatively poor because they can't splurge money like better off people.

Winners and losers

 Well, someone has to lose. What would we have if there are no losers? There will be all winners everywhere like potato mountains in the market to sell at dirt cheap price. Who will price them as gold? Gold retains its value because there is simple, poor earth to give the yellow metal its aura and image. To have winners, we have to have losers. Aren't winners overpriced and losers too much underpriced. I see them equally important. For what does a triumphant smile of victory mean without the salty beads of sweat? What does a glistening grain mean without the dirt, dust, soil, stalk and chaff that is thrown away? No man, you can applaud the winners. I just sit by the losers and see them rising again to be winners themselves or be the half-part of someone's win. Hail losers! Let there be International losers day.

PS: And who are winners and losers by the way? A winner is simply a less loser; a loser is just less winner. Two simple points on the same line. Look carefully, all dualities will be found the same phenomenon varying just in degrees. Look at life and death. They too aren't antipodal as we assume. They are merely two separate points on the same lines. With our limited sense perception we see only one point at a time and interpret them as opposite of each other.

A refreshing dose of love

 A beautiful woman's beauty is nurtured and blossoms by the relentless stretch of appreciating words by her lover like a rose blossoms by the dewy intoxication during misty nights. But how long the poor lover can continue to shower the words of unquestioning praise?!! After caressing the rose, the lover also feels the pricks of reality around the beautiful flower. It is called the lover's awakening from the blindfolding slumber. So the words of all pervading praise dry up. The beauty sulks and her narcissism also feels deprived of its customary diet of acclaim. It is now better to go for a new lover. Because during the initial phase of courtship the new lover will again feed her narcissism to help it blossom at its peak again!

Truth

 There is no absolute truth. All we have is just a pliantly swaying sea of fractional truths. We draw out our share of truths from this sea that will be suitable and complement our sense of identity with the self, i.e., ego, our perception of the world, our vision of the world and the people around.