Balance your desires to avoid suffering (2 of 2)

Good morning friends. This is the second part of my article and I hope you will continue your reading.

In the Bhagavad Gita , Krishna calls them muddha – fools who are imbued with aasuric or demoniac nature. The Gita describes the mindset of such people: “I wanted this and today I got it. I want that; I shall acquire it tomorrow. All these riches are now mine; soon I shall have more. I have killed this enemy; I will kill all others as well and shall soon conquer the world. I am the ruler of men. I enjoy the things of this world. I am successful strong and happy. I am very wealthy and so nobly born. Who is my equal?”

This mindset gives rise to passion, anger and greed that in turn lead to constant strife within the individual and in his dealings with others.

After analyzing suffering is not due to chance and caprice. It is because of certain conditions. If these conditions are removed, then suffering, too, ceases to be. Desire is the root cause of suffering.

Ancient seers described that “desires never satiated by the enjoyment of desires; thereby they only flame forth ever more like fire with butter”. Desires and even their fulfillment, instead of being a source of happiness might spiral so out of control that they become the root cause of suffering.

Balance your desires to avoid suffering (1 of 2)

Good morning friends. There is a saying that … “Never be satisfied with what you have, always wish for more”. This is true. Don’t just be contented for what you have. You have to aim more and struggle a lot to be able to have your wishes come true. Materialism and consumerism assume that fulfilling desires and the enjoyment of pleasures are all that is required to make us happy and contented.

We should live happily because once the body is dead and is reduced to ashes; it can never come back to life.

One must enjoy life to the core. What is enjoyment? It is to eat delicious food, seeking the company of the beautiful and young, wearing good clothes and accessories, decorating oneself and experiencing instant gratification wherever possible. Indian tradition takes a holistic view of human nature. It argues that material aspects, may be for human existence, do not exhaust the whole of the personality of a human being. It recognizes that besides having physical needs and cravings, we have spiritual aspirations also. Why limit human aspiration to only the physical plane?

The spiritual goal alone differentiate the human being from other forms of life. A man does not aspire for just artha and kama or the economic and the emotional; he also wishes for dharma and moksha , the moral and the spiritual. So it’s not as though we only seek the ephemeral and fleeting, we are inclined also to look for what could be eternal and enduring.

A Smile on their Faces

It's a good feeling when people are trying to smile. After taken their dinner, they are resting in their respective places. They just accepted the free dinner given by the volunteers of Manav Parivar.

Kajal, Shivam and Dhyaan

Happy moment with Kajal, Shivam and Dhyaan.

Cheerful Child

Happy and contented child, Dhyaan Patel

Happy Dhyaan

Dhyaan is happy and he was talking to his cousin with a good smile.

Happiness is just around the corner

Good morning friends. I read one article about happiness. It’s a nice one. It tells that how Koena Mitra, a model thought about happiness. Happiness is just around the corner and I believe in her with this. Let me share you what she believed.

Here’s a peep into bombshell Koena Mitra’s spiritual side…

You find God in… “God is one big positive energy! The fact that God helps you get over the biggest of problems in your life proves that He is a big support system. From happiness to sadness – he is around you and within you.”

How do you connect to God? “I read a book called Conversations with God in which the writer states, ‘If you have a pure soul and faith in God, you can definitely connect to Him’. There are various ways to feel him; some connect by turning vegetarian or praying for hours. For me, a pure heart and faith is the answer.”

Karma & kismat to you are: “I read this quote somewhere and it actually describes life: ‘I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to reach my destination.’ Everyone is born with their own destiny. I am a firm believer of the fact that ‘What goes around comes around’. Things we do come back to us in some way or the other.”

True contentment lies in… “Everyone chases happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels. Be honest with yourself. Happiness will come by itself!” The Times of India

Go on, explore happiness (2 of )

Good morning friends. This is the second part of my article. Hope you are still going on to explore your happiness.

Just try to find an expression of your creative self. It could be wearing your hair in a different way or trying a new color on your lips. Interestingly, Zorana Ivcevic, of Tufts University, inspired her students by indulging in creative acts from joke-telling to trying wacky recipes. Says sarod master Ustad Amjad Ali Khan,

“We all find unique ways of expressing our creativity. When I’m not playing the sarod, I hum and sing to myself. It’s a new expression. I belong to the world of sounds. I also hear the birds chatter in the morning. I experience the world of aromas through new cuisines.”

Everyone should approach their experiences with an open mind. Indulge in playful experimentation. Photographer Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, who is a professor of photography at University of Rhode Island, USA, believes, “As a photographer, I try to see each day distinctively. I would suggest looking at everyday objects or people that you interact with and trying to ‘frame’ them in your mind. I travel a lot, which I also find fascinating.”

So, if you are a busy individual, slow down and explore laziness. Try doing the opposite of what you’re comfortable with. Says Kuchipudi dancer Kaushalya Reddy, “We need to be stimulated. I do interior designing and also design jewelry.” Meanwhile, actor Uday Chopra sees creativity as, “It’s not what you do, but how you look at things.”

Ruth Richards of Harvard Medical School believes engaging in creative behaviour makes us more dynamic. Says theatreperson Amal Allana, “I indulge myself in poetry or just spend time in my garden. If you are creative every day, it enhances a sense of well-being and happiness too.” -The Times of India

Go on, explore happiness (1 of 2)

Good morning friends. The pursuit of creativity isn’t a once in a lifetime quest! Some seek it every moment of their lives. The great creative masters never limited their definition of creativity. Their pursuit was ongoing, to find newer and unusual ways to express themselves through their art and otherwise.

The secret inspiration behind MF Hussain’s masterful strokes was his love for ‘nature, good food and women’; Ustad Amjad Ali Khan spends his first few moments every morning listening to sounds of pigeons; theatreperson Amal Allana writes poetry that stirs her soul, when she’s not acting! And believe it or not, painter Paresh Maity seeks creativity travelling to “green forests” and living with bare necessities. “Even making a cup of tea in a forest is a creative process,” he says.

One of the secrets of creativity is to master your innovative abilities and practice “everyday creativity”. In fact, Psychology Today reports that everyday creativity is about finding new expressions of originality and meaningfulness. Each morning, in her home in Nizamuddin, Anjolie Ela Menon sits very still at the window of her studio. “As the early morning mist begins to lift, the basti around me comes to life.

Sigris are lit and the women bargain loudly with the reri-walas for the day’s vegetables. I stare at the blank white board before me with anticipation. Today, will inspiration surface from fragments of last night’s dream, or will it be the old man with his goat sitting on the charpoy in the lane outside? I pursue new roads to seek creativity. Just watching people can be great inspiration.”

The good news is, you can make everyday creativity a habit. It helps you recognize your skills. In fact, creative coaches believe mornings are the best time to trigger bouts of creativity. That’s something Goa-based writer Sudhir Kakkar agrees with, “Creative moments in writing are those when reason and imagination, the rational and non-rational are in exquisite balance.

My most creative time is the twilight stage between sleeping and waking in the morning, I do not spring out of bed but keep lying down for a few minutes while fleeting impressions flit across my mind. There are many other moments: stopping to watch the play of small children, contemplating sunsets, taking a road one has not taken before which, I believe, rejuvenate imagination.”

Fasting with a happy face (2of 2)

Good morning friends. This is the second part of my article. I wish you are still following me here. Let me continue now ….

Fasting takes us beyond the carnal level of existence to the realm of the divine within. A better articulation of this dimension of fasting can be found in the Sanskrit term for fasting, upavas. Upa meaning ‘near’ and ‘Vaas’ means ‘to dwell’. Thus, fasting means to live or remain closer to God. It is not a negative act of abstaining but a positive step of obtaining God’s love.

Fasting is fuel for the soul that ignites faith and greater intimacy with God and thereby makes our lives happier and more joyful. Fasting has a social significance. It cannot be a mere self-fulfilling spiritual activity. The Bible is emphatic that true fasting is not just to abstain from food, to bow one’s head like a reed and lie in sackcloth and ashes- “this rather is the fast I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, setting free the oppressed, sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless” (Isaiah 58:6-7). M K Gandhi used fasting as a spiritual weapon to bring about social and political transformation. In India it is women, especially rural women, who fast more than men. They seem to gain tremendous inner strength and power to overcome suffering, alleviate the pain of others and thereby become life-givers. True fasting will remind us of the bounty we enjoy on a daily basis, and sensitize us to the reality of forced hunger thousands of people in our planet go through day after day. – The Times of India

Fasting with a happy face (1 of 2)

Good morning friends. On Ash Wednesday, Christians began the observance of Lent. The Teutonic word Lent denotes 40 days of fasting, prayer and almsgiving in preparation for the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Among the many Lenten practices, fasting is the most significant. Fasting has been around a long time as a spiritual discipline in almost all cultures and religions. To fast is to abstain from something that gives us pleasure and enjoyment in order that it may enhance our spiritual experience; it is not dieting or ‘not eating’. It is a way to spiritual fitness.

Jesus fasted for 40 days before he began his public life. Yet, he does not make it an obligatory exercise. He does not say fasting is essential but says what kind of fasting is acceptable to God. Jesus discounts all such fasts done with a concealed intention to draw attention to one and to seek others’ acclamation: “When you fast do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance so that they may appear to others as fasting”. (Matthew 6:16). The one who fasts must avoid all sense of spiritual superiority and pride. This is why Jesus insists that the one who fasts must not “appear to be fasting” and must “oil your hair and wash your face.” These are ritualistic observances but acts of love for God and so must be done happily and with a happy face.

An important reason to fast is that it helps develop more self discipline to transcend sensual and physical gratification. We tend to overindulge rather than exercise restraint and in this context, fasting is a good way of striking a balance. Prophet Muhammad’s statement, “The worst thing man can fill is his stomach” comes as a deterrent to gluttony. The Buddhist Dhammapada goes a step further to compare a craving person to a “fat domestic pig” bound by the fetters of samsara.