In pursuit of happiness

Good morning friends. Happy Diwali to all. It’s time for each and every one of us to be happy. Some may not notice that happiness is just around us. Some search for an extravagant happiness. Big or small happiness, it is all depend on us how we are going to feel that. I have read an article of one fashion designer on how he quest for happiness. Here’s how he express his story.

I believe you can see God anywhere - in your garden, on the road or by the seaside.

But since I like Gucci shoes, I don't think of God in connection with the label. I believe one can really be in love with luxury as well as be meditative, because one is not exclusive to the other in any way. But putting life on hold to go off on a journey in pursuit of happiness or even seeking spiritualism outside the realm of daily concerns would be a bit dull.

Life comes in many colors and one need to enjoy all of them. In India, there are very few strict spiritual templates and you can afford to believe anything without moving out of your cultural backdrop. It is a culture that believes in Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and the tantric ethos. I went to the Kumbh Mela recently and really got a sense of how diverse our culture is in its spirituality and beliefs in God. There is nothing like wrong or right except truth and honesty. I actually stopped living up to somebody else's expectations of me, though it came a bit late in life, but I am glad to have done it now. – The Times of India

(Ritu Kumar is a well-known fashion designer)

Matar: Where health is the only wealth for docs, News - City - Ahmedabad Mirror,Ahmedabad Mirror

Matar: Where health is the only wealth for docs, News - City - Ahmedabad Mirror,Ahmedabad Mirror

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Peace and harmony in daily living (2 of 2)

Every action is happening according to a Cosmic Law and not because of something ‘done’ by an individual human being. If this is accepted, it also has to be accepted that no one can blame anyone for whatever happens through any body-mind organism. Therefore, he need not blame himself for any action, need not feel guilt or shame for any action; he need not also hate anyone for whatever might hurt him in life. The result is that anyone who is able to have this acceptance in his day-to-day living would carry no burden of guilt or shame, nor any burden of hatred and malice, jealousy and envy. In other words, the result is that he is anchored in peace and harmony: he is continuously comfortable with himself and also comfortable with others.

Perceiving in phenomenology is an impersonal, nominal function of the manifestation of the phenomenal universe. Such perceiving is pure perceiving because there is nothing seen, and there is nothing that perceives. We are nothing but illusory dream-figures. All phenomenal existence itself is merely an appearance in Consciousness, and all the characteristics of sentient beings – the form, the perceiving, the knowing, and the feeling – are also nothing but movements in Consciousness as in the dream.

The dream that is the phenomenal manifestation occurs in Consciousness. It is perceived and cognised in Consciousness and is interpreted by Consciousness through the duality that is the basis for all phenomenal manifestation: the subject-object relationship. This duality of subject-object relationship is merely the mechanism or the instrumentation (like space-time itself) through which the manifestation occurs – and is, of course, a concept – with the result that the perceived can be nothing other than the perceiver. Consciousness is all there is: the subject and the object, inseparably united when unconceived and unmanifested, only appear as dual and \separate when conceived in the phenomenal manifestation. – The Times of India

Excerpt from Ramesh S Baklsekar’s ‘Peace and Harmony in Daily Living’.

Peace and harmony in daily living (1 of 2)

Good morning friends. We must always have peace and harmony in daily living. It has a big role in our life. Without this our life will not be a good one as we expected even if we tried a lot. Seems all our problem can’t be solve even if it is just an easy one.

There have been moments in almost everyone’s day-to-day living when one has experienced the true joy of living, with calm, peace and tranquility. What has usually disturbed these moments are memories of guilt and shame, carried by the ego and which resurfaces every now and then, causing discomfort. These feelings could be because of one’s own (mis) deeds or another’s.

What if you can be totally convinced that no action is anyone’s doing, that all action was merely a happening that simply had to happen?

This is what spiritual seeking is all about. Masters may talk about enlightenment or Self-realization, but what it means is to be able to experience the peace and tranquility that the sage enjoys in his day-to-day life.

A sage is considered a sage because he seems to be anchored in peace and tranquility while facing the pains and pleasures of day-to-day living in his chosen field of activity, like any other ordinary person.

'Self-realization’, to the sage, simply means the realization – the absolute, total conviction – that ‘events happen, deeds are done, but there is no individual doer thereof,” as Buddha put it. Both the sage and the ordinary person respond to their respective names being called. In both cases, therefore, there is identification with body and name as an individual entity separate from all others. The difference is that whereas the sage knows that “events happen, deeds are done, but there is no individual doer thereof,” the ordinary person has the conviction that each individual performs his action and is responsible for it.

Happiness is sleeping well

Good morning friends. Some of you may ask how can we be happy if we are sleeping. Some may think it’s a silly question to ask. But actually it’s not. There are some people who love to sleep. They got their happiness with it rather than going to the malls, watching movies, party at night and others. I have read one article and he found his happiness in sleeping well.Spiritualism or happiness is not a physical object, therefore cannot be described by labels or brands or, at the other extreme, by simplicity.Both are states of being felt by an individual. If wearing Gucci makes someone happy, that may be the person’s way of being happy. Another person might find happiness in meditation or in leading an austere life, that’s his way of achieving the same goal.

Spiritualism transcends oneself. It is a state of being where one thinks not about self-happiness but happiness of others, wellness of the environment , harmony of nature and metaphysical things such as the meaning of life, birth, death, etc.

Being religious means believing in the existence of God and following a particular faith to supplant this belief. Being rich or materialistic has nothing to do with being religious. Any one form of happiness does not preclude us from being spiritual or religious. It is left to the individual to find happiness.

People wear God in amulets and pendants. That doesn’t make them non-spiritual or more spiritual; to each his own. The problem arises when one decides to wear God on, say briefs. Physical displays of disrespect should be avoided as they intrude upon other people’s beliefs and sentiments.

In the day-to-day context, it is important to do good deeds like sharing your happiness, loving others just as you would have them love you, making decisions that are holistic rather than selfish. It also means finding a purpose of living that is larger than earning and consuming and making every decision with this in mind.

My idea of happiness is being able to sleep well every night knowing that the day was well-lived and experienced to the fullest. – The Times of India

(Sabeer Bhatia is the co-founder of Hotmail and an entrepreneur)
timeslife@timesgroup.com