Overcome ego, be happy

Who doesn’t wish for happiness? Can money buy happiness? Do great achievements bring true happiness? Riches, success and achievements may bring name, fame and pride, but they do not always bring happiness.

If lack of money and success creates sorrow and suffering, their possession does not give happiness either. The question then is how can you be peaceful and happy, irrespective of whether you are a success or failure in life?

Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita: “There is neither intellect nor bhavna (feeling for God) for the ayukta or the one who is not united, and to one devoid of bhavna , there is no peace. To the one without peace, how can there be happiness?” Krishna says, clearly, that unless a person is tuned into God he cannot have peace and without peace, he cannot be happy. Krishna also says that an un-united person does not have intellect.

So if you want happiness, unite with God. For this, you don’t have to abandon the pursuit of riches, success and achievements. God is self-knowledge and wisdom of sameness towards all beings because all are God. An egocentric person remains alienated from wisdom that is God. If you are free from ego, you look at all beings as God and so are united to the wisdom that is God. You will be free of sorrow and will attain peace and happiness.

Krishna says that we do not have right to the fruits of action and, therefore, we should perform actions, leaving the fruits to God. How can you avoid worrying about the fruit while performing actions? When a person regards the fruits of action (success or failure) as ‘mine’ and performs focused on the object, he is automatically worrying about the fruit.

Moreover, in doing so, he fails to abide the law of God, which says that one does not have right to the fruits. What you have to really do is to steady your intellect with the thought that the fruits of actions are of God. And when the fruit accrue in the form of success or failure, joy or sorrow, you have to mentally renounce the fruit to God. Since you do not contemplate the objects, you will not be attached to them. You will break the chain that starts with attachment and gives rise to desire, anger, delusion, confusion of memory, loss of intellect and death. Your intellect will become steady.

Krishna calls the wisdom of steadying your intellect by renouncing the fruits of action to God as Buddhi-yog or discipline of intellect. In this state you can be freed from constant births in different bodies. If you don’t, you are bound by actions. You lose your intellect due to attachment, desire and anger and perish, only to take another birth in a new body.

To steady our intellect we have to bring change in our thoughts. We have to remain engaged in usual actions and enjoyments as earlier but with a steady intellect fixed on the thought that all fruits of action are of God. This will free us from desire and ego, and gain eternal peace and happiness.

The same wisdom that will give peace and happiness to us will also give us Self-realisation and make us immortal. It will lead our world to a new age where we will live in peace, happiness and oneness, realising that we are in union with God.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Words of Wisdom Of the Day # 291

"Laughing Faces Do Not Mean That There Is Absence Of Sorrow! But It Means That They Have The Ability To Deal With It". 

~Shakespeare

Words of Wisdom Of the Day # 290

"The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, But because of the silence of good people!" 

~Napoleon

Just Be Yourself..........

Be strong enough to face the world each day.

Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything.

Be generous to those who need your help.

Be frugal with what you need yourself.

Be wise enough to know that you do not know everything.

Be foolish enough to believe in miracles.

Be willing to share your joys.

Be willing to share the sorrows of others.

Be a leader when you see a path others have missed.

Be a follower when you are shrouded in the midst of uncertainty.

Be the first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds.

Be the last to criticize a colleague who fails.

Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not stumble.

Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way.

Be loving to those who love you.

Be loving to those who do not love you, and they may change.
Above all, be yourself ..
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Make The Most Of Today

Smile at strangers and you just might change a life.

Don't count all your money, count your blessings.

Life is a challenge, dare to take it on.

Don't tell people your heartaches, tell them your dreams.

Offer kisses and hugs - everyone needs them.

Help people in need.

Don't let fear control your life.

Do not rule or be ruled!

Ask why.

Look after your kids more than your money.

Don't let your head over rule your heart - ever!

Learn an historical fact.

If you're sorry - say it.

Cherish your loved ones and let them know.

Shake off your stresses, your worries, your cares.

Meditate - Pray - Reflect.

Never run from the truth. It's always there, it never changes - save your energy.

Don't keep all your feelings sheltered - express them.

Let the glow in your heart reflect in your soul.





Search for contentment in each person you meet.

Find freedom.

Do it today!


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

We Are All Beggars

There was a good-natured millionaire in the town. Three beggars thought of approaching him for help. The first man went to the millionaire and said: "O Lord! I want five rupees. Please give me." The millionaire was taken aback at this man's impudence. "What! You demand five rupees from me as though I owe you the money! How dare you? How can I afford to give five rupees to a single beggar? Here, take these two rupees and get away," he said.

The man went away with the two rupees.


The next beggar went to the millionaire and said: "Oh Lord! I have not taken a square meal for the past ten days. Please help me." "How much do you want?" asked the millionaire.

"Whatever you give me, Maharaj," replied the beggar.

"Here, take this ten rupee note. You can have nice food for at least three days." The beggar walked away with the ten rupee note.


The third beggar came. "Oh Lord, I have heard about your noble qualities. Therefore, I have come to see you. Men of such charitable disposition are verily the manifestations of God on earth," he said.


"Please sit down," said the millionaire. "You appear to be tired. Please take this food," he said, and offered food to the beggar. "Now please tell me what I can do for you."


"Oh Lord," replied the beggar; "I merely came to meet such a noble personage that you are. You have given me this rich food already. What more need I get from you? You have already shown extraordinary kindness towards me. May God bless you!"


But the millionaire, struck by the beggar's spirit, begged of the beggar to remain with him, built a decent house for him in his own compound, and looked after him for the rest of his life.


God is like this good millionaire. Three classes of people approach Him, with three different desires and prayers. There is the greedy man full of vanity, full of arrogance, full of desires. He demands the objects of worldly enjoyment from God. Since this man, whatever be his vile desires, has had the good sense to approach God, He grants him some part of the desired objects (even these very soon pass away, just as the two rupees the first beggar got are spent before nightfall).


The other type of devotee prays to the Lord for relief from the sufferings of the world, but is better than the first one, in as much as he is ready to abide by His Will. To him the Lord grants full relief from suffering, and bestows on him much wealth and property.


The third type he merely prays to the Lord: "O Lord, Thou art Existence-Absolute, Knowledge-Absolute, Bliss-Absolute, etc., etc." What does he want? Nothing. But the Lord is highly pleased with his spirit of renunciation, of desirelessness and of self-surrender.

Therefore, He makes him eat His own food, I.e., He grants this man Supreme Devotion to Himself. Over and above this, He makes the devotee to live in His own House For ever afterwards this devotee dwells in the Lord's Abode as a Liberated


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

'Don't find God, release him'

I firmly believe that doing positive things and seeing good qualities in others is what makes one experience God on earth.

The person concerned can be dressed in an expensive designer ensemble and still offer a helping hand anywhere... whether it’s a restaurant, bar or even on the road. Spirituality is not about finding God, it’s more about releasing the innate God (or the goodness) in you through your deeds and day-to-day actions.

I don’t think inner depth or religion has anything to do with an individual’s personal style preferences. Possessing expensive things does not make one less spiritual, nor do we need to sacrifice something in order to attain something else. It’s our own self-inflicted limitations that reinforce the mistaken belief that we can’t have it all. In reality, there’s no reason why we can’t strike a healthy balance between material things and spiritual enlightenment. Spirituality signifies achieving personal excellence in every area of one’s life; from family life to career as well as inner growth. Simply put, it’s putting one’s best forward.

I also feel wearing symbols of God is not as important as feeling the faith and applying those values on a daily basis in one’s life. But, if wearing these symbols reminds one to practice spiritual teachings, then it doesn't matter where the person wears them as long as they are sincerely applied.

I think there is a lesson in every experience one faces in life and it's important to learn from these myriad experiences. Whether it means becoming emotionally stronger when a family member is unwell or something as simple as learning patience from a child or while waiting endlessly in a traffic jam — there's much to learn through life's daily lessons. It's about learning from everyday life and consequently applying anything that can make one a better person.

My idea of happiness is that it emanates from inner peace — when that happens, it means that one has achieved harmony in life.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Birth, death and the interval

Disillusionment, disease, debility and death may be the most accursed terms but much of philosophy, medical science and spirituality have evolved and flourished around them.

Disillusionment transformed Gautama into Buddha. His father’s death led the boy Venkatramana on the path of inquiry, turning him into Ramana Maharshi. An incurable disease propelled Narayana Bhattatiri to repackage the Bhagavatam into an epic poem called Narayaneeyam.

Understanding death is not possible without understanding birth and what caused it. Why are we here? From the darkness of the womb we go unto the womb of darkness called death after traversing a well-lit zone called life. People are born to fulfill residual desires and the outstanding obligations of their previous tenure. The earth is karma bhoomi and here alone, and nowhere else, human beings have a facility to execute their desires and obligations. What is born is not man but a medley of accumulated desires, hatred, anger, and frustrations. The physical frame is just a bundle of electrical bulbs through which the cross currents of emotions express themselves. We are here on our own volition, to undergo pain and pleasure and gain vital knowledge necessary to go beyond pangs of birth.

Seeking an answer to the question: What, after death? is like wanting to know what lies beyond the edge of the universe. No one has gone there on a fact-finding mission and come back with a status report.

However, there have been reports of evidence being available on reincarnation and rebirth. Strangely, while there have been numerous incidents of people remembering their previous births with fair amount of accuracy, there has been no instance of people recalling what transpired in the interval between two births.

The plausible explanation for this could be that mind remains in hibernation in the intervening period.

Death is a welcome pause in a long journey of the soul in its evolutionary course. Death is stocktaking time.

After assessing the merits and demerits of the previous birth the soul is replenished with newer equipments to resume its journey. There is as much purpose in death as in life.

More often than not, death is dreaded for its timing rather than its occurrence. When a young person dies, we react far more intensely than we do when an elderly person dies. But the difference is only in perception.

When the physical body or mind lose its capacity to execute karma or finds no further scope within the existing framework, it contrives to have a tryst with destiny.

Every death is an inconsolable loss for near and dear ones. For the bereaved, death is a source of sorrow but for the deceased it is the cessation of all pain. We weep not because some body had got relief but for our own sorrow. All considered death is the only viable option for this organic body, which, past its prime, tends to degrade even while alive. Today has to vacate its place for tomorrow to come in. Ramana Maharshi was once asked by a group of disciples, ‘where do people go after death?’ He responded: ‘did you enquire where they came from, to be able ask this question?’

None has escaped the jaws of death but some have escaped the jaws of birth and attained immortality.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Tell Them Before Its too Late

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room
on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much." were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Viet Nam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."
All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."

Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."

"I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary."

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists."

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day.

And we don't know when that one-day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.

Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.



Now go wipe them tears before someone see's you

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one is it, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in you life for a REASON, it is unusually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem to be like a godsend and they are. They are or the reason you need them to be then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, the person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometime they die, sometimes they walk away, some time they times they act up and force you to take a stand. What must we realize is that our need has been met. Our desire fulfilled, there work is done the person you sent up has been answered and now the time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They unusually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is built but relation is clairvoyant, Thank you for being a part of my life, weather you were A REASON, A SEASON OR LIFETIME.

YOU ARE THE BEST…. YOU ARE UNIQUE…


ALL DAYS ARE NOT SAME….Some days are good and some bad;
All people are not…. Same appreciate and some criticize;
All relatives are not the same…. Some love us, some hate us;
We give best to all assignments…to all projects…. To every thing
that we do…
Some we succeed and some time we fail.
There are also days of frustration and disappointments.
There are also people who accepts and other reject us.
Some time the disappointment, frustration, fear, thought of failure and pain of rejection is too deep and hurt our self-esteem and self-confidence. We feel useless, worthless and dejected. Just during such days and such moments look into mirror and tell yourself.
‘I AM THE BEST”.
Why only during such times, everyday… once in a day you should tell
yourself
“I am the beast”
Doesn’t matter what the situation are:
Doesn’t matter what type of people are around you;
Doesn’t matter which phase of life… You are going through;


YOU ARE THE BEST, YOU ARE SPECIAL. YOU ARE UNIQUE. YOU ARE DIFFERENT. YOU ARE LOVABLE.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

“All happiness is within You”

“All happiness is within You”

There was a rich man who lost all interest in worldy life of peace and tranquility. He had everything that money could buy, but still life proved utterly meaningless to him. So, he decided to take the guidance of a Spiritual Master. Before leaving his house the man thought, “What am I going to do with all this money? Let me offer everything to the master and forget about it. What I really crave is true happiness.” So the rich man put all the gold coins he had and carried it along with him.
After a whole day’s journey, the man found the Master sitting under a tree in the outskirts of a village. He placed the moneybag in front of the Master and bowed down to him. But when he raised his head, the man was astounded to see the Master running away with the moneybag. Totally confused and startled by the Guru’s strange behavior, the rich man chased him as fast as his legs could carry him. The Master ran faster – along the fields, up and down the hills , jumping over the creeks, trampling the bushes and through the streets. It was getting dark. The Master was so familiar with the village’s narrow, winding system of paths and lanes that the rich man had great difficulty keeping up with him.
Finally, giving up all hope, the rich man returned to the same spot where he’d first met the Master. And there lay his moneybag – and hiding behind the tree was the Master. As the rich man greedily grabbed his precious bag of money, the Master peeped from behind a tree and said, “Tell me how you feel now.”
“I am happy, very happy – it’s the happiest moment in my life.”
“So,” said the Guru, “to experience real happiness, you have to go through the other extreme also.”
…However, unless you return to the source from where you originally started, real happiness won’t happen.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Keep Your Fork..the best is yet to be served

Consider the following true story about one dear woman who had followed the Savior and worshiped in the sanctuary of her church for nearly 70 years. She’d been diagnosed with a terminal illness and given only days to live. As she was getting her things "in order," the Pastor was called to her bed to discuss her final wishes. She told him which songs and scriptures she wanted at the service and what outfit she wanted to wear.

As the Pastor was leaving, the lady suddenly cried out, "Wait. There's one more little thing. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The Pastor didn’t know what to say. "¿So that puzzles you, does it?" the lady asked the Pastor.

Then she explained: "In over 70 years of attending community socials and dinners, church functions and birthday parties, seems like every time some one would tell me, 'Keep your fork.' I liked to hear that because it meant something better was coming, like chocolate cake or pickled pears or pecan pie, something sweet and wonderful. So now I want my friends and family to remember me with a fork in my hand and I want them to ask, ‘What's with the fork?’ I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork, the best is yet to come.’"

The Pastor became teary eyed as he kissed his dear friend good-bye. He realized that, though he had been trained in theological mysteries, she had a far better grasp of eternity. For though she had lived a fine, long life, she KNEW something better was yet to come.

At the funeral, many, many people walked by the casket, for she was greatly admired in the community. They all saw the fork. Over and over, the Pastor was asked, "Why the fork?" And over and over he only smiled and said, “The best is yet to come.” During his message, he told what the fork had meant to her, and how he couldn’t stop thinking about it, and that now each one in the audience wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about the fork, either

Old folks – after you have your lunch today, “Keep your fork!” For you who are godly and well loved of the Savior and your neighbor, the best is yet to come.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Good you do, comes back to you , The Evil you do, remains with You

A WOMAN BAKED CHAPPATIS for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chapatti on the window-sill, for whosoever would take it away.. Everyday, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" This went on, day after day.. Everyday, the hunch-back came, picked up the chapatti and uttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!"

The woman felt irritated. "Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself. "Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean?"

One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this hunchback," she said. And what did she do? She added poison to the chapatti she prepared for him! As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. "What is this I am doing?" she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window- sill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and muttered the words:

"The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman.

Everyday, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window-sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him. She prayed for his safe return.

That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed.

I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole chapatti. As he gave it to me, he said, "This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!"

As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale. She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapatti she had made that morning. had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life! It was then that she realized the significance of the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!"


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

۩۞۩ ॐ♥ YOU

YOU are the reason the sun came up today.
YOU are wondrously BEAUtiful energy, your own soulful way.
The Light that shines from your Heart is lovely indeed.
Your Love bridges the gaps felt by all that feel need.
YOU are a tree, endless branches of Love.
YOU give life to our bodies, minds and Souls.
The Light shines... upon You with infinite Love.
Your Heart is surrounded, inspired from above.
YOU are the river that flows without end.
YOU are the waterfall, You flow from within.
Your Light sparkles Love, your endless flowing.
YOU are the JOY, the winds that keep blowing.
YOU are the birds singing so sweetly.
YOU are the wings, You flutter completely.
Your songs of love uplift our Hearts.
YOU are the dragonfly, Light from the Start.
YOU are the dancer, in skies so blue.
You are the artist by just being YOU.

YOU are your spirit, your body and soul.
You are the LOVE You went looking for.

YOU are the Sun and YOU are the moon.
YOU are the ANGEL that's living in YOU



YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL ! ! ! !

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Vipassana : The meditation technique of Gautama Buddha

Vipassana is the technique of lord Gautama Buddha . The path of Buddha is considered as Golden Mean because he teaches that there in no need to go to any extreme – neither in indulgence nor in abstinence. His path is a Golden path, which does not demand affiliation to any idea, belief or dogma. Even after the lapse of more than 2500 years since he walked on this earth, there is no decline in his teaching or in the relevance of his miraculous and amazingly simple meditation technique ‘Vipassana’. In fact this meditation technique is often considered as the technique of the future because of its extremely simple yet very powerful method. For the busy and extremely complicated life of 21st century, Vipassana is the kind of friendly meditation which can be done by anybody, anywhere and at any time.

What and why of Vipassana

Vipassana means ‘to come and see‘. To be more precise - to come inward and see. It is the way of the Buddha. He do not give sermons on reality. He only says ‘ “come and see – ‘Eehee Pissico‘. Just come inward and see for yourself the reality.

In a single sentence :What is Vipassana ?

Vipassana is :

“To watch your breath with awareness. “

That’s all ! It is just simple . To be watchful of your breath as it comes and go. It is Vipassana. The easiest meditation technique of all time.

Breathing is the most of important life process of our body. Nobody can exist without breath even for a single moment. In fact breathing is so important that nature has made it automatic in all living being. Nobody has to remember to breath. Just like internal vital process of our body like pumping of heart, circulation of blood, digestion of food etc, the breathing also happens on its own. Numerous meditation techniques are centered around breath. Almost all spiritual schools has developed a majority of their meditation techniques around breath. The reason for such infatuation with breathing is that it (breathing) is not merely a process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling Carbon Dioxide. Breathing, in reality, is a bridge between our body and our self.

From the moment we come into this world – till the moment we die, we continue taking breath. Breathing is a link between our soul and our body. So when one meditates on breathing, invariably, he gets connected with his self. As already described in ’What is meditation‘ (that all meditation techniques are the methods through which our true self is revealed to us), when you mediate in Vipassana , you will realize your real identity – Self.

In Vipassana you have to be just aware of your breath. A simple rule is that no matter what you do, no matter in whichever action you indulged in – just be aware of your breathing process. Be watchful of breath as it comes inside your body and goes outside. Don’t try to control your breath. Vipassana is not ‘Pranayam ( the yogic exercise in which one control various movements of breath). If your breath is deep let it be, if it is shallow let it be. Just let your breathing in its natural rhythm.

Understand this by this analogy: Just imagine that a river is flowing. Now the flow of the river may be fast or slow. What you have to do is to sit on its bank Just watch the river as it flows. Don’t try to create ripples in it. Don’t do anything that affects its flow. Just be a watcher. This river is your breath. The breathing process is going on. Just be a watcher of this process. Slowly slowly as you watch your breathing, your mind will start calming own. You will see that all thoughts are disappearing on their own. Eventually as you keep practicing, such moment will start coming when you see that everything has come to a standstill. There will be no thoughts, there will be no emotions. However, there will be full awareness. The state of choiceless awareness. In this state you will know the real you.

Some important things about Vipassana:

(1) Though this extremely easy meditation can be done anytime, anywhere, initially it is strongly advised that you allocate some fixed time for it on daily basis. Choose a separate room and sit in a comfortable position. Them meditate by watching your breathing.

(2) The real success will come when you can be aware of your breath while doing all kind of daily activities like reading, playing, driving, swimming, or doing any domestic task. However this stage will come after a regular practice for a considerable amount of time. At that point there will be two aspects of your existence – doing and being. You will be doing everything, fully involved in your tasks, yet inside there will be a center of awareness in you undisturbed by outer circumstances. That will be the true state of a meditator – the one who will be creative outside and meditative inside.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

spare a thought

Have you ever thought about thoughts? What they are and where they come from? Thoughts are not the product of our mind for it is incapable of producing anything. Everything already exists, even thoughts – and they do not reside in the mind. Their abode is elsewhere, not in the physical body.

Every thought is a potential manifestation. The level of consciousness of the person who is thinking is directly proportional to the ability of manifestation of his thoughts. That was the science behind the curses and blessings of the saints.

What is the source of thoughts? Sit down comfortably with eyes closed. Take yourself to a state of thoughtlessness where your mind is absolutely blank. Now slowly become aware of the first thought. Be fully aware of where this thought is coming from. Is it from within your physical form or from somewhere outside? Follow the path of this thought till you know it has come and touched your physical. Every time you do this exercise you will find that thoughts are always coming from outside, and never from within. Yog talks of blocking these thoughts to achieve a state of shunya or stillness.

The physical is a dimension. Similarly, there are other dimensions of other beings also which lie beyond the physical. Thoughts are beings, residing in another dimension, beyond. Thought already exists there, in the manomaya kosha. What we refer to as ‘thinking’ is actually connecting to that layer, those beings. When Brahma created the Universe, all kinds of thoughts were created, too. We only connect to a particular thought depending on our composition and that of the thought.

We connect to thoughts by their chakras – a sexual thought would be connected by the swadhishthan chakra. The respective chakra collects thoughts and sends it to the ajna or master chakra which translates the language of the thought world to the physical and sends it to the brain, and then the body acts. When it is said that all great men think alike it means that they are all connecting to thoughts of the same nature.

Thoughts have certain compositions, like every other object of creation; they are composed of a specific frequency of sound or colour, which is audible or visible at the time of connection. Imagination in the form of sight or sound is again connecting to the thought dimension.

Prana manifests in the form of sound or colours. Different thoughts evoke feelings of calmness, peace, cheer, romance, depression or fear, for example. Similarly, there are various compositions of colours – some are dull, depressing, and others are vibrant, pleasing, each having a different effect on the physical.

Thoughts in the form of sound and colours constantly keep the mind engaged. The mind is never still, never at rest, at any point of time. The flow of thoughts from the manomaya kosha never ceases to happen unless awareness is taken to layers beyond the thought dimension. This state is that of dhyan. When consciousness expands and reaches a state where thoughts cease to exist, you experience thoughtlessness, where you don’t realise the passage of time. You then exist in the dimension, which is above time, for here there is no time, everything that exists there is still, because time is actually the distance between two thoughts. Time is an inherent part of manifested Creation. Here a yogi goes over the boundaries of manifested Creation and so goes over ‘time’.


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Winning hearts and minds

Some people have inherent special qualities that enable them to master all situations. Such individuals can, when they come to a gathering, win the hearts and minds of people simply by making an appearance there. It is said of them: “They came, they saw, they conquered.”

This kind of ability to win love is not the monopoly of extraordinary people. Any ordinary person also can win the hearts and minds of people, provided he knows the law of nature and can avail of it by the power known as the power of spirituality.

According to the Creation Plan of God, all human beings have two different qualities: ego and conscience. The ego symbolises arrogance, and the conscience, modesty. For instance, there could be a difference of opinion between two individuals, A and B. A might enter into a heated exchange, refusing to give B due respect and honour. This kind of behaviour is bound to provoke B, who might try to teach A a lesson. A psychologist offers this analysis: “When one’s ego is touched, it turns into super ego and the result is breakdown.”

In this case A presented a challenge to B and B’s ego gained the upper hand due to arrogance. On the other hand, if, instead of getting provoked and acting out of ego, had B had opted for a compromise, or if A had restrained himself from provoking B in the first place, there would be no conflict.

In all likelihood, greater understanding would enable better relations between A and B; they would no longer be rivals bent on outdoing the other. There is scope for friendship now where earlier, there was only ill feeling. When one’s conscience is touched, it turns into super conscience and the result is complete surrender.

This formula is within our reach, and can be used quite successfully. However there are certain risks involved.

There is every possibility that in a sensitive situation where the ego is involved, the other person becomes even more arrogant. He will react more aggressively. He will be more dangerous than before. But that is only if you allow the ego to become your master. The ego is a bad master but a good servant. Fear of a situation arising in which one is completely directed by the ego is unfounded, because when the ego gains predominance it is because of ignorance of the power of nature, or more precisely, the power of spirituality. So all one needs to do is to try and be less ignorant; to learn how to think positive and keep one’s ego under control.

According to nature if you challenge someone’s ego, your success is doubtful but when you challenge someone’s conscience, then your success is guaranteed by nature.

People generally know the power of fighting but a wise man will tell you that the power of spirituality is greater than the power of either ego or conscience. At the time of a controversy, if you choose to fight, you will need arms but when you opt for the spiritual method, you don’t need any arms. The power of positive behaviour can triumph over the power of negativity, while the power of negativity cannot win anything -- it can only lead to destruction.

The choice is ours: To opt for positive, peaceful methods to create better understanding and oneness, thereby contributing to universal togetherness with compassion and surrender or to take a combative stand, giving the ego a free hand, causing unhappiness all around.


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Do Your Job as If Someone is Watching You....

Internal motivation comes from within, such as pride, a sense of achievement, responsibility and belief.

There was a young boy who used to come for regular practice but always played in the reserves and never made it to the soccer eleven. While he was practicing, his father used to sit at the far end, waiting for him.


The matches had started and for four days, he didn't show up for practice or the quarter or semifinals. All of a sudden he showed up for the finals, went to the coach and said, "Coach, you have always kept me in the reserves and never let me play in the finals. But today, please let me play." The coach said, "Son, I'm sorry, I can't let you.

There are better players than you and besides, it is the finals, the reputation of the school is at stake and I cannot take a chance." The boy pleaded, "Coach, I promise I will not let you down. I beg of you, please let me play." The coach had never seen the boy plead like this before. He said, "OK, son, go, play. But remember, I am going against my better judgment and the reputation of the school is at stake. Don't let me down."

The game started and the boy played like a house on fire. Every time he got the ball, he shot a goal. Needless to say, he was the best player and the star of the game. His team had a spectacular win.
When the game finished, the coach went up to him and said, "Son, how could I have been so wrong in my life. I have never seen you play like this before. What happened? How did you play so well?" The boy replied, "Coach, my father is watching me today." The coach turned around and looked at the place where the boy's father used to sit.

There was no one there. He said, "Son, your father used to sit there when you came for practice, but I don't see anyone there today." The boy replied, "Coach, there is something I never told you. My father was blind. Just four days ago, he died. Today is the first day he is watching me from above."


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Cow's Tale: She was Tied Up With an Imaginary Rope

A cowherd took his cows to the meadows every morning and brought them back to the cowshed at the end of the day. One evening, as he was tying the cows up for the night, the boy found that one of them was missing her rope.

He feared that she might run away, but it was too late to go and buy a new rope. The boy didn't know what to do, so he went to a wise man who lived nearby and sought his advice.

The wise man told the boy to pretend to tie the cow, and make sure that the cow saw him doing it. The boy did as the wise man had suggested. The next morning the boy discovered that the cow had remained still throughout the night.

He untied all the cows as usual, and they all went outside. He was about to go to the meadows when he noticed that the cow with the missing rope was still in the cowshed. She was standing on the same spot where she had been all night.

He tried to coax her to join the herd, but she wouldn't budge. The boy was perplexed. He went back to the wise man who said, "The cow still thinks she is tied up. Go back and pretend to untie her".



The boy did as he was told, and the cow happily left the cowshed. This is what the guru does with the ego of the disciple. The guru helps untie that which was never there.

Like the cow, due to our ignorance, we believe that we are bound by the ego when, in fact, we are completely free. We need to be convinced of this, however. The ego is an illusion with no existence of its own.

It appears to be real because it is animated by the atman. The ego itself can be compared to dead matter; for without the atman, it would have no life. Stop supporting the ego, and it will withdraw and disappear.

We ourselves lend the unreal ego its reality. Expose it for what it is, or rather, for what it isn't, and that will be the end of it. A dog wags its tail — the tail does not wag the dog. The same is true with the mind.

The mind, or the ego, should be nothing more than a useful tool; a sadhaka (spiri-tual seeker) shouldn't let herself be ruled by the whims and fancies of the mind. The ego consists of our thoughts and our mind.



Our thoughts are our own creation. We make them real by cooperating with them. If we withdraw our support, they will dissolve. We simply have to observe our thoughts.

A lion made of sandalwood is real to a child, but to a grown-up it's a piece of sandalwood. For the child, the wood is concealed, revealing only the lion. The grown-up may also enjoy the lion, but he knows it is not real.

For him, the wood is real, not the lion. In the same way, to a Self-realised soul, the entire universe is nothing but the essence, the "wood" that comprises everything, the Absolute Brahmn or Consciousness.

Excerpted from Amy Edelstein's interview with Amma for What is Enlightenment? magazine published by Andrew Cohen.

No-Expectations=Contentment=No-Expectations=Contentment

Every morning we wake up and open our front doors to pick up the newspaper and enjoy the fresh news with a nice cup of steaming tea/coffee. Well, that is usually the ritual in my house. Now we have been having this ritual for years and years and i am beginning to think it was passed down from our forefathers…:) When one fine sunday morning (when we await the paper the most..) It doesnt arrive! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……all hell breaks loose. Tempers are lost, phone calls to the paper delivery company are made, moods go sour and finally the first few hours of the glorious sunday are lost. Why?? Cause the newspaper wasn’t delivered…NO No NO..Because the news paper wasn’t where we expected it to be..in our hands with our morning coffee. Now, why the paper wasn’t delivered is secondary, the fact that all that time and effort was unnecessarily lost for something as small as a newspaper is something to think about……

Now the above newspaper incident was just an example of our little, unknown expectations, which when tampered with can have adverse effects on our psyche. Everyday all of us have these little expectations which we don’t even think about, like the car will start in the morning when i turn on the ignition, the elevator at the mall will work, the grocery store will have eggs, etc….

Our Expectations can be of two kinds KNOWN and UNKNOWN.

Now unknown seems to be quite clear, but the known, now they are a totally different ball game all together. Lets say you were expecting a raise, you were expecting your daughter/son to get A’s, you expected the project you worked on would get you accolades, you expected sending a gift to someone would get you closer to them…etc.

Not getting what you Knowingly Expected gives rise to more intense reactions from your end. There could be anger, crying, stress, tension, anxiety. The worst part about known expectations is, the expecting per say can be even more stressing. At least in the unknown you were reacting after, but here your reactions are before and after.

Wow..ever wondered how expectations can engulf your life? Think about it now….

Not only do expectations have a life of their own..but they have an after life as well. Why oh why then do we have so many of them?

If you have noticed, there are people who are always smiling. In all the worst possible situations you might see someone always carrying a smile. Who are these people? Do they not have feelings?? How can they smile when something is so horribly wrong? I would like to think they are smiling at themselves rather than at the situation…That they have a certain acceptance of things in and around them that make them feel CONTENT.

Ask yourself if you’re truly content with yourself. Contentment leads to no-expectations. No expectations leads to a certain calm within our self. The fact that we expect not only leads to mental anguish but to physical pain as well. Stress and tension which in turn lead to blood pressure, heart ailments…the list of problems can be endless…but the solution is just one..

No-Expectations=Contentment=No-Expectations=Contentment

What is Contentment? Inner Tranquility. It is the freedom from anxiety, want or need. Contentment is the goal behind all goals because once achieved there is nothing to seek until it is lost.

When one can live in the moment with expectations in harmony with experiences one has achieved the greatest mental contentment possible.


The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach.

~ Lin Yu-t’ang

Are you stuck in the web of expectations or have you been able to come out of it and find contentment?


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Great Expectations! ‘Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed’

Great Expectations!

If there is one hurdle in the path of happiness and harmony, it is expectations. But, we are human, and expectation, second nature. The answer out of this conundrum lies in self-awareness. Every expectation arises from an unfulfilled inner need. If we are able to tap into that need, we would be able to understand the expectation. E.g. you may expect prompt action from others because it may make you feel that you matter, fulfilling your inner need for recognition.

If our reality was free of all expectations, it would simultaneously be free of disappointments and disillusionments. Frustration leads to anger, and anger finds vent in hot words and cold distances.

When we expect something from someone, we tend to objectify that person. Instead of being sensitive, we consider them as ‘want-satisfying commodities’. When we are in touch with our inner needs, our perception changes and our outlook is a kinder, more forgiving one. We are better able to appreciate the unfairness involved in burdening another with our lack.

Very often, what we cannot do ourselves, we expect others to do for us. The anger that is consequently expressed is, thus, directed at the person who has ‘failed’ us, and is directed towards self for feeling helpless and needy within.

The lessening of expectations indicates inner power that we have garnered. We can use ‘level of frustration’ as a valuable yardstick to measure our power against. When mind-body-spirit is in equilibrium, all are reflections of the Inner God.

Freeing another from our expectations is the single most merciful act that we can perform. It liberates another and empowers self. The reins of happiness are best held in our hands. In the hands of others they tend to either slacken or be held in a vice-like grip.
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Mantra Japa: On chanting the name of the Lord

“Mental purity will come through constant chanting of the divine name. This is the simplest way. You are trying to cross the ocean of transmigration, the cycle of birth and death. The mantra is the oar of the boat; it is the instrument you use to cross the samsara of your restless mind, with its unending thought waves. The mantra can also be compared to a ladder that you climb to reach the heights of God-realization.”

Question: “ long ago, a spiritual master would put a potential disciple through rigorous tests before giving him a mantra. You don’t do that. Why do you give us mantras without first testing our competency?”

“Simply because GOD loves you! How can a mother not want to help her children! However incompetent her children may be, a mother can only be compassionate towards them. Children, you are God's own, and God wants all children to reach the ultimate goal. This is why you are given a mantra which you choose yourself . You don’t need to analyse the reason; just make use of the mantra by constantly chanting it, and it will take you to the state of realisation.”

“Children, do not forget to always repeat your mantra. In the beginning japa should be done in a low voice. Later it can be done moving the lips slightly. Finally it should be done mentally. Thus japa should be practised constantly with each breath. Then japa will go on even if we don’t attend to it, even in sleep.”

“The period of sadhana is like climbing a high mountain. You need a lot of strength and energy. Mountain climbers use a rope to pull themselves up. For you, the only rope is japa. Therefore, children, try to repeat your mantra constantly. Once you reach the peak, you can relax and rest forever.”

“It is always advisable to obtain a mantra from a Self-realized master. Until then we may use one of the mantras of our beloved deity like Gayatri Mantra,‘Om Namah Shivaya’, ‘Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya’, ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’, ‘Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare’, ‘Hari Om’, ‘Om Parashaktyai Namaha’," Sat Nam Wahe Guru', ‘Om Shivashaktyaikya Rupinyai Namaha’ or even the names of Christ, Allah or Buddha.”

“Deciding to chant the mantra a certain number of times daily will help foster the japa habit. We should always keep a mala (rosary) with us for doing japa. A rosary can be made of 108, 54, 27, or 18 beads of rudraksha, tulasi, crystals, sandal, gems, etc., with one Guru (main) bead. We should resolve to chant a certain number of rosaries daily. Children, we should always chant the mantra in our minds while walking, travelling or working.”

Be Committed to Your Mantra

“When you start chanting a Mantra a seed of spirituality is sown within you. It transmits a part of GOD into your heart. But you have to nurture that seed by meditating, praying and chanting your mantra regularly, without fail. You have to be totally committed. The natural way to get yoghurt is by adding a spoonful of yoghurt to warm milk. Having added the culture, you let it stand for some time, and thus, all the milk is transformed into yoghurt. In the same way, Amma has transmitted part of Herself into you. Now you have to let the milk stand; you have to attain a state of inward stillness by constantly repeating your mantra and doing other spiritual practices. Your entire being will thus be transformed and you will then realise your divine nature.”

“First of all, all of us must have love and respect for our mantra, the mantra that was given to us by our master or which comes on its own. Always repeat the mantra that was given to you wherever you are, whatever work you are doing irrespective of time and place. Without talking unnecessarily, chant your mantra. Have love for your mantra. These mantras will help us to purify the mind and are vehicles to take us to the Supreme.”

“Children, don’t be disheartened if you don’t see results in spite of all your effort. Each chant of the mantra has an effect. You are just not aware of it. Even if you are not achieving one-pointed concentration, you will still benefit by meditating at a regular time. Through constant japa, the impurities in your mind will disappear, without you even being aware of it, and your concentration will increase during meditation.”

Write the Mantra Daily

“It is a good practice to write at least one page of mantra daily. Many people get better concentration by writing than by chanting. Try also to inculcate in children the habit of chanting and neatly writing the mantra. This will help to improve their handwriting, too. The book in which the mantra is written should not be thrown around; it should be carefully kept in our meditation or shrine room.”

Perform Mantra Japa with Alertness, never Mechanically

“Do japa with alertness, never mechanically. Each repetition should be like savouring a sweet. In the end, you will reach a state where even if you let go of the mantra, the mantra won’t let go of you.”

“The mantra should be chanted with great attention. Focus either on the sound of the mantra or on the meaning; or you can visualise each syllable of the mantra as you chant. You can also visualise the form of your beloved deity while chanting. Decide the total number of times you will chant the mantra each day. This will help you to do japa with determination. But do not chant heedlessly, just to reach a certain target number. The most important thing is that your mind is one-pointed. Using a mala will help you to count and also to maintain your concentration.”

The Power of Mantra Japa

“Both sitting 10 hours with eyes closed and chanting the divine names with concentration for one hour are equal.”

Question: “Is it beneficial if one chants mantras even without knowing the meaning?”

“If you chant your mantra without knowing its meaning, it has its own power. Even then, it is better if it is chanted with shraddha (loving faith) and love. Concentration also is necessary. A mantra will have a special power if it is received from a Satguru, rather than choosing it oneself. Once you get into a bus or train, it will take you to the destination even if you don’t know who the driver is or which company manufactured the bus or train or from where the spare parts are available. It will drop you at the nearest bus or railway station, and from there it will be only a short distance to your home. Similarly, a mantra will carry you to the threshold of God-realization. From there you can easily reach the ultimate goal.”

I CANT STOP CHANTING GAYTRI MANTRA SINCE LAST FEW MONTHS NOW I KNOW WHY ALL THE THINGS ARE CHANGING AROUND ME...
Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Food for creative thought

All of us at many points in our lives have experienced a beautiful Aha moment, when we felt very good within while doing something new or something that was innovative. We smile to ourselves, perhaps even congratulate ourselves when we experience that wow factor and we say: "Wow! I could do this... how awesome is that!” We become as happy as a child filled with joy at learning to walk for the first time or ride a bicycle for the first time ever.

The more interesting thing is that these acts might not always be big ones; they could be as simple as doing a presentation in a new way, solving a complicated problem with a simple idea, making a few changes in the way one’s home is organised, bringing home new flowerpots to make one’s living space feel special, or even making your own favourite songs list or planning ways to pleasantly surprise friends and relatives.

One of our innate urges is to be creative, and do new things to make changes and bring freshness into our lives. If we like this creative process so much, why are we not able to do it at all time? To understand this, let's see the process that is a source of these aha moments. Observing babies and little children, we can easily see that they are naturally curious and creative.

As we grow older, we find that every moment that we spend in our life, we are involved in a beautiful process, a process that continuously makes us creative. Sure, we do have our dull moments, even destructive moments, depending on the choices we make. It is a process that we can't seem to escape from or stop and it is responsible for everything surrounding our lives. That’s because it is part of our thought process that plays a major role in the way we live our lives.



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There are no ultimate answers

Life is often compared to a game, Shakespeare says, “We are to gods what flies are to wanton boys; they kill us for their sport”.

A person is walking along a mountain ridge. He stumbles and falls. As he tumbles down the cliff, he sees the branch of a tree projecting from the cliff-face. He catches hold of that branch. As he is hanging there precariously, he sees his guru standing on the mountaintop. He asks the guru what he should do. But there is no way the guru can help him physically.

The guru tells him: “The region to the left of the valley below you is dry and thorny. The right side is lush and green. Look to the right and try to fall there. Now that the fall is inevitable, and you may be plunging to your death, enjoy the scenery during your last leap.”

Your assessment of any situation should be realistic. At least some kind of enjoyment involves willingness to suffer unpleasantness. You go for an ayurvedic massage. Ayurveda says body massage is good for health. Sometimes masseurs use their body weight to apply different degrees of pressure on your body using their feet, not hands. It might have seemed an unpleasant prospect, but once you go through it, you feel refreshed and rejuvenated. You went through all that in anticipation of joy. I may add that a failure to enjoy adversities is one of the main reasons for the increasing tendency among today’s people to commit suicide.

A suicide is the end result of incurable anxieties. Take the case of this man who decided to commit suicide. He went to a palmist and explained his situation to him. Then he asked him to tell his fortune. The palmist was thoroughly perplexed. On being asked for the reason for the strange request, the man replied, “Well, you see, I have seen so many reverses of fortune that I want to make sure nothing would go wrong with my suicide plan!”

Life is often compared to a game, Shakespeare says, “We are to gods what flies are to wanton boys; they kill us for their sport”. Recently one of my aunts expired. She had been in deep coma for a long time following a brain hemorrhage. She was taken to her home so that she could die there in peace. She was kept at home for a few hours, but was readmitted to hospital when her condition worsened. She soon died. It was an unbearable sight, of life refusing to leave the body even as death was tightening its unrelenting grip on her. My question is, “If life is God’s game, need He be so harsh?” What kind of divine sport is this?

We cannot understand the reasons behind the occurrence of many happenings in the universe. We can probe the answer to certain whys up to a particular point. Then we come to a dead end.

We can give explanations, but they might not provide answers. Buddha gave an example: If an arrow is shot in the dark, it may strike someone. Is the injured person going to ask, “Who shot this arrow, why did he shoot it?” What is more pertinent than an answer to the why-question is the practical action of removing the arrow and dressing the wound. In a sense, any answer to a given why-question is nothing more than the formulation of yet another why-question. In other words, there can be no ultimate answer to a why-question. Your question as to why God allows tsunamis and earthquakes to kill thousands of people belongs to this category.


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Keys to Success

Keys to Success

Several factors contribute to success. Consider a few:

1. Positive Self-Concept. Imagine that you wake up one morning and your roommate is waiting to tell you something. He or she says, “I’ve been wanting to tell you what an outstanding roommate you are. You’re so kind, so thoughtful; you always keep the room so neat. Just being around you motivates me to be the most positive person I can be.”

After you recover from your cardiac arrest, you head off toward your first class of the day. Whom should you run into but your date of the previous evening, who says, “Am I ever glad I ran into you! I’d been hoping I’d get a chance to tell you again what a terrific time I had yesterday. My friends are so jealous of me. They think that I’m the luckiest person in the world to go out with someone like you, and I agree! You’re so friendly, so intelligent. You have a great sense of humor and good looks to boot! Why, when I’m with you, I feel like I’m in a dream!”

Then you float into your first class. Your professor is about to return the midterm exams you took last week, but before he distributes them he says, “I have an announcement I’d like to make. I want everyone to know what an outstanding job this student has done on this test.” He points to you in the front row and says, “You are a breath of fresh air to me as a professor. You always do your assignments on time. You often do even more than is expected of you. Why, if every student were like you, teaching would be a joy. I was even considering leaving teaching before you came along!”

Wouldn’t that help you have a great attitude about yourself? And wouldn’t it motivate you to be a better roommate, a better date, a better student? You’d say to yourself, “Why, I’m one sharp person. After all, my roommate, my date and my prof all think so … and they’re no dummies!” You wouldn’t argue with them for a minute! {1}

Of course, some people think so highly of themselves that their egos become problems. Nevertheless, many psychologists agree with Dr. Joyce Brothers when she says, ” . . a strong, positive self- image is the best possible preparation for success in life.”{2}

2. Clearly Defined Goals. Aim at nothing and you’ll surely hit it. Aim at a specific goal and, even if you don’t hit it, chances are you’ll be a lot farther along than if you’d never aimed at all.

The U. S. Space Program has produced many successes and, sadly, a few tragic failures. The successes of NASA help illustrate the importance of goal setting. Perhaps you’ve heard of the three electricians who were working on the Apollo spacecraft. A reporter asked each what he was doing. The first said, “I’m inserting transistors into circuits.” The second answered, “I’m soldering these wires together.” The third explained, “I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”

Which one was more motivated and satisfied? Probably the one who saw how his activities fit into the overall goal.

Without a clear life’s goal, daily duties can become drudgery. Knowing your life’s goal can increase your motivation and satisfaction as you see how daily activities help accomplish that goal.

In the early 1960’s, President John F. Kennedy set a goal of putting an American on the moon by the end of the decade. In 1969, Neil Armstrong took his “one small step.” A specific goal helped NASA achieve a major milestone in history. Someone who desires success will set specific goals.

3. Hard Work. Any successful athlete knows that there would be no glory on the athletic field without hard work on the practice field. A true test of character is not just how well you perform in front of a crowd, but how hard you work when no one notices-in the office, in the library, in practice. President Calvin Coolidge believed “nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not … Genius will not … Education will not … Persistence, determination, and hard work make the difference.” {3}

“A true test of character is not just how well you perform in front of a crowd, but how hard you work when no one notices.”

“What is success?” asks British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. “I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing … hard work and a certain sense of purpose…. I think I had a flair for … (my work), but natural feelings are never enough. You have got to marry those natural feelings with really hard work.” {4}

The heavyweight-boxing champion of another era, James J. Corbett, often said, “You become the champion by fighting one more round. When things are tough, you fight one more round.” {5}

Success requires hard work. Of course you can overdo it and become a workaholic. One workaholic businessman had a sign in his office that read, “Thank God It’s Monday!” We all need to balance work and recreation, but hard work is essential to success.

4. A Willingness to Take Risks. Theodore Roosevelt expressed the value of this asset in one of his most famous statements: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the great twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat, ” {6}

Ingemar Stenmark, the great Olympic skier, says, “In order to win, you have to risk losing.” Consider this question: “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” That question can expand your vision and enlarge your dreams. Maybe your desire is to be a great political leader, an entertainer, a top businessperson or academician, a star athlete. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Now ask, “Am I willing to risk a few possible failures in order to achieve that goal?” Success often involves risks.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Solid Ground

We’ve all had moments when we’ve wished the ground would open up and swallow us. For one family in Quebec that’s exactly what happened. According to reports on CNN.com a 500 yard sinkhole opened up threatening five homes in the town of Saint-Jude. One home was sucked into the hole and a family of five lost their lives. They were in the basement, just watching a hockey game when the ground beneath them fell away.

Makes you think doesn’t it?

Life is always fatal, but most of us don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about how we’ll die. I remember my Nanny telling a story of flight she and my Granddad were on. They hit really bad turbulence and the plane started to drop. My Nan says she remembers taking hold of my Granddad’s hand and thinking “thank God we’ll die together”. The plane righted itself and that was not the end of the line for my grandparents but I can understand her sentiment. I don’t know if I would be that calm in the face of death.

For all the things that we know in this modern world, most of us will not see death coming. For some there is an illness, or simply old age that lets us know we’re getting close, but no one can tell us just how long we have. I’ve always thought it was a mercy not to know. Others try to find answers anywhere they can.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Law of Giving and Receiving

The universe operates through dynamic exchange . . . giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And in our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives.

I will put the Law of Giving into effect by making a commitment to take the following steps:

1. Wherever I go, and whomever I encounter, I will bring them a gift. The gift may be a compliment, a flower, or a prayer. Today, I will give something to everyone I come into contact with, and so I will begin the process of circulating joy, wealth and affluence in my life and in the lives of others.

2. Today I will gratefully receive all the gifts that life has to offer me. I will receive the gifts of nature: sunlight and the sound of birds singing, or spring showers or the first snow of winter. I will also be open to receiving from others, whether it be in the form of a material gift, money, a compliment or a prayer.

3. I will make a commitment to keep wealth circulating in my life by giving and receiving life’s most precious gifts: the gifts of caring, affection, appreciation and love. Each time I meet someone, I will silently wish them happiness, joy and laughter.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Happiness is within you, Stop Searching around..........

All the misery we experience can be attributed to our failure to understand that true happiness can be attained only when one is able to harmonise with the best thing in him, with the Supreme Divinity, and not with the brute. Happiness constantly eludes one who is dominated by base instincts and in the process suppressing the inner voice of conscience.


“We are all conscious that there is another inside of us; that there accompanies us through life a divine, silent messenger – that higher, better self which speaks from the depths of our nature and which gives its consent, its ‘Amen’, to every right action and condemns every wrong one,” wrote Marden. Men and women in all times have tried to attain happiness by ignoring their conscience that keeps reviewing all their good and bad actions on a constant basis. Therefore, all efforts to buy its approval; to silence its voice in nervous excitement; to drown it in pleasure, with intoxicating substances are bound to go in vain.


The Supreme Being created us along the lines of truth and justice; therefore, in order to gain true happiness it is imperative that we do not violate the laws that constitute the very core of our existence. So long as we continue to indulge in negative practices, for example, to earn money through unlawful means – by accepting bribe or exploiting others – so long as our aspiration is to amass wealth by any possible means, we can never attain true happiness, simply because we have deviated from the path of righteousness.


The thought that we can indulge in corrupt practices and then beg the Lord’s forgiveness through prayer or by bathing in a holy river; the thought that we can do wrong and be forgiven without atoning for wrong actions, has done more harm than good. He who has a clear conscience, leads a clean life, and is able to obliterate the negative traits of selfishness, jealousy, envy and hatred from the mind.

We tend to make happiness too complicated an affair. Most people are governed by the understanding that happiness can be derived by doing something on a grand scale; from making a big fortune; and from ostentatious display of wealth with the purpose of showing off one’s affluence and high status in society. But happiness can be attained from the simplest and most unpretentious things. Pleasure can never be forced; it must come in a natural way, from uncomplicated living.

One often hears the statement: “He has the money, but cannot enjoy it.” Helping colleagues and friends without expecting anything in return; acts of kindness towards animals; conducting oneself with utmost humility; performance of one’s duties with utmost sincerity; protecting the gifts bestowed upon us by bountiful nature; living in a spirit of togetherness with fellow beings – all these are simple things, yet they are what constitute true happiness. And this is what leads us to bliss that lies within reach if only we knew how to access it.




Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Listen to the whispers of your soul

Inner silence forms the core of all kinds of meditations, whether the practice is one of transcendental meditation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Vipassana or any other. Various faiths endorse silence as a means to spiritual advancement. In Hindu thought, silence is considered an important element for inner growth. Buddhism regards it as a key factor for spiritual enlightenment. Sufism insists on the importance of finding the silence within. Christian denominations also employ silence in a variety of ways.

In essence, received wisdom indicates that deep in the ocean of inner silence, one can experience the Divine and the ultimate reality of the present moment.

The Upanishads say: "There is something beyond our mind which abides in silence. It is the supreme mystery beyond thought. Let one's mind and one's subtle body rest upon that and not upon anything else.

The physical sounds of the outside world, a depressing environment, ego, anger, jealousy and greed are some factors that obstruct our journey into the realm of silence and prevent us from reaping its wonderful benefits. These stumbling blocks, therefore, need to be removed before we can actually embark on the journey.

Make up your mind like the sadhu who intended to climb the mountain to meditate there. In the middle of a storm, a sadhu reached an inn and the owner asked where he was going. ''I'm going to the mountains,'' he answered. ''Forget it,'' said the innkeeper, ''it's a risky climb, and the weather is awful.'' ''But i'm going up,'' answered the sadhu, ''if my heart gets there first, it will be easy for my body to follow.''

We all have the potential to be an observer on the top of a hill, utterly silent and alone just watching and listening to the stillness of our heart. It is the heart that can quieten the mind.

This road is traversed alone. To enter into silent mode, you don't need to perform rituals or use gadgets. You may visit a quiet place a temple, a garden, a hilltop or a tranquil corner of your home. Begin by simply withdrawing yourself from the outside world and shut out the cacophony; start moving slowly towards silence. Automatically you are led to the inner world of quiet and stillness.

Be aware of the thoughts that cross your mind but make no effort to cling to them. Behold and listen mindfully; experience the ultimate reality of the present moment. Your true self begins to surface; your contact with the Divine established in the eternal oasis of tranquillity; and ''you can'' as Sathya Sai Baba says, ''hear the footsteps of God when silence reigns in the mind''. It is here that you become the witness of silence a silence that outshines your ego and enables you to reach a state of pure awareness.

It is this quietude that Osho calls ''Just a simple, innocent silence'' an inner silence that leads you to meditation and wisdom, a process of purification and Self-realisation. As you go deeper into it, there comes a moment when you reach the very pinnacle of your potentiality. Once you overcome obstacles and delve into blissful silence, transformative doors begin to open up for you. Free of clutter, the tranquil mind leads you to peace. The light you encounter during the process fills your heart with love and sure, you begin to listen to the silent symphony of the whispers of your soul.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Do You Have Your Own Free Will Are You Really Free

Most of us would say that we do have free will. We can do anything we wish. If we want to wear a red shirt instead of a blue one, we can. If we want to eat a sandwich instead of a pizza, we can. If we want to take off from work and sit at home today, we can. If we want to marry the girl or boy we love, we can. If we have enough money, we can buy any house, car, or gadget. Likewise, we can travel wherever we want to. Obviously, it looks as if free will exists.

According to Ramesh Balsekar, all the choices that we make are from the act of exercising the will. How free is free will? Whatever we call free will or choice is finally determined by a mix of two things, nature and nurture, or by our heritage and conditioning. We can’t choose our parents, and hence we have no choice over the genetic material they gift to us. Also, from birth, we are exposed to conditioning and belief systems. These are required for survival.

In the process of growing up, we are conditioned and led to believe a great many things by family, friends and strangers, the media, commercials, books and what-have-you. As an adult, we are thus a mixture of our genetics and all these conditionings. This is our programming, our code. And all our decisions, our choices, our thoughts and acts, originate from this programmed mind. A part of this programming is done by nature and the environment does the rest of it. Really, there is nothing sacred or pure about our decisions.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? By itself, this is difficult to say. But at least we should realise that what we normally consider freedom or free will, is itself a slave of our programming. If you were to ask a vegetarian "Why don't you like meat?” he would most often answer: "Because it is bad to eat meat". "And how have you come to this decision that eating meat is bad"? "I have always been told that eating meat is bad and should be avoided.” As one can see, the decision not to eat meat may seem an act of freedom or free will, but the conditionings of childhood are holding us in slavery, unknown to us.

If two like-minded friends were asked: "What would you do if you were walking together, and saw one man killing another?" One of them might reply: "I will immediately go to the victim's rescue, even if it means risking danger to myself", while the other might say, "I will run away, find the nearest telephone booth, and call the police, without identifying myself". The two friends are close; they often think alike but o this occasion they react differently.

This could be because of their basic natures that have been shaped by their respective circumstances and upbringing. What each of them would do seems to be a free act, but is actually already pre-decided. Real freedom would be if the first fellow would run away or if the second fellow would wait and fight. But usually, our pre-programmed brain acts only in the way it is programmed to.

True freedom and free will come only if we are able to go beyond our programming. To override our basic genetic make up is near impossible. But it is indeed possible to go beyond our conditionings, beliefs, indoctrinations and ideas. Once we can un-condition ourselves, we will be able to respond freely.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You