Dear child, Pray if you can. And if faith has been uprooted from your heart and replaced with pain, ask yourself what is the best outlook you can bring to your faithlessness and pain. That too is prayer!
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Why are you anxious that you are not able to stop your blasphemy? Is not an acknowledgement of god implicit in your act? Is that not better than being faithless.
Have you not heard of the story of Krishna and Sushupala? Sushupala took Krishna almost for a foe - he despised Krishna, mocked him and always. But in the same lifetime, Sushupala went to Heaven. Because in doing all these things, he always thought of God
Have you not heard of the story of Krishna and Sushupala? Sushupala took Krishna almost for a foe - he despised Krishna, mocked him and always. But in the same lifetime, Sushupala went to Heaven. Because in doing all these things, he always thought of God
Friday, December 9, 2016
God appeared as madness...
The compassionate God appeared one day as insanity, uncertainty and pain
and then as anxiety, OCD, faithlessness and hopelessness....
And I acknowledged him in all those forms...
It is said, if god visits and you do not acknowledge, he will leave
I didn't want him to leave...
So he stayed and in time, brought beautiful days to my doorstep...
and then as anxiety, OCD, faithlessness and hopelessness....
And I acknowledged him in all those forms...
It is said, if god visits and you do not acknowledge, he will leave
I didn't want him to leave...
So he stayed and in time, brought beautiful days to my doorstep...
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Divine Suffering
Suffering is also forbearance.
That vision that teachers have planted in our mind of a pure soul on a long journey of pain in search of truth or..
an earnest seeker alone on a desert...
a loving mother...who will do her bit every day selflessly despite bearing tremendous pain and uncertainty in her live
Like a majestic tree ...
Like a mountain...
an earnest seeker alone on a desert...
a loving mother...who will do her bit every day selflessly despite bearing tremendous pain and uncertainty in her live
Like a majestic tree ...
Like a mountain...
Oh faith, find a way to my heart,
Oh patience be my eternal companion
Oh gentleness make me you.
Oh patience be my eternal companion
Oh gentleness make me you.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Ram and Sugreev
Over time the resolution to some doubts, the answers to some questions come to us quite unpredictably ...we must of-course be willing to look with an open mind ...and faith...
Ram and Sita
I've heard passionate arguments from seemingly intelligent people who maintained that King Ram was not an example of a loving husband because he deserted his wife despite her devotedness to him.
However when you read the Ramayan you understand that Ram continued to have his fondest love for Sita. He was devastated as Sita disappeared from his sight.
The reason for his decision becomes clear when we recognize that that husband was not the only role he played. He was also King. And in that role, he had to deliver justice. And justice means you apply the same rules to similar acts irrespective of who did it - a King or peasant.
In other words he had to apply the same rule to himself as was applied for other similar situations. And the village folk had started pointing this out. How could he be just if he had a different rule for himself.
The story of Rams grief is seldom talked about. He was aware that his choice based on commitment to justice would render tremendous pain to himself and Sita. But he felt that was the "right" thing to do because in the role of a King he had to set an example
Bali and Sugreeva
It is being talked about that Ram having cooperated with Sugreeva for killing Bali was not justified. Because apparently Sugreeva and Bali were in a fight and Ram hides behind a tree to kills Bali as previously planned with Sugreeva.
People forget that in the conversation between Ram and Bali, Ram had advised Bali not to torment his brother. He also mentioned it was not dharma (right conduct) to forcefully take another's wife (Bali had taken Sugreevas wife).
Balis response was interesting. He said dharma and adharma (right and wrong conduct) were applicable only to the world of humans. They didn't apply in the case of animals. And he being a monkey it didn't apply to him. He also said is someone has more might, let them fight with him and win and take his wife back.
Rams response is even more interesting. He said if one has evolved to the state where one is able to understand and talk about Dharma and Adharma, he is obviously bound by it.
But Bali would have none of it.
Ram and Sita
I've heard passionate arguments from seemingly intelligent people who maintained that King Ram was not an example of a loving husband because he deserted his wife despite her devotedness to him.
However when you read the Ramayan you understand that Ram continued to have his fondest love for Sita. He was devastated as Sita disappeared from his sight.
The reason for his decision becomes clear when we recognize that that husband was not the only role he played. He was also King. And in that role, he had to deliver justice. And justice means you apply the same rules to similar acts irrespective of who did it - a King or peasant.
In other words he had to apply the same rule to himself as was applied for other similar situations. And the village folk had started pointing this out. How could he be just if he had a different rule for himself.
The story of Rams grief is seldom talked about. He was aware that his choice based on commitment to justice would render tremendous pain to himself and Sita. But he felt that was the "right" thing to do because in the role of a King he had to set an example
Bali and Sugreeva
It is being talked about that Ram having cooperated with Sugreeva for killing Bali was not justified. Because apparently Sugreeva and Bali were in a fight and Ram hides behind a tree to kills Bali as previously planned with Sugreeva.
People forget that in the conversation between Ram and Bali, Ram had advised Bali not to torment his brother. He also mentioned it was not dharma (right conduct) to forcefully take another's wife (Bali had taken Sugreevas wife).
Balis response was interesting. He said dharma and adharma (right and wrong conduct) were applicable only to the world of humans. They didn't apply in the case of animals. And he being a monkey it didn't apply to him. He also said is someone has more might, let them fight with him and win and take his wife back.
Rams response is even more interesting. He said if one has evolved to the state where one is able to understand and talk about Dharma and Adharma, he is obviously bound by it.
But Bali would have none of it.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Commitment to a single cause
What prevents us from seeing clearly?
It must be our lack of a unilateral focus.
For example, we know that love and attachment of a mother for her child is a natural and beautiful thing. Yet this love and attachment may prevent her from being fair if she were in a situation of giving judgement in a case involving her son. This attachment prevents her from seeing clearly. If the truth/justice must prevail, it is easier if the mum were committed only to truth/justice. But this is difficult.
Her attachment may even enter into her argument as a bias that she's not aware of. She may actually think she is doing the right thing while she is actually being influenced by her attachment. Such is the power. So in the case of our seeking, shouldn't we first identify and acknowledge our attachments. The things that can influence our thinking?
It must be our lack of a unilateral focus.
For example, we know that love and attachment of a mother for her child is a natural and beautiful thing. Yet this love and attachment may prevent her from being fair if she were in a situation of giving judgement in a case involving her son. This attachment prevents her from seeing clearly. If the truth/justice must prevail, it is easier if the mum were committed only to truth/justice. But this is difficult.
Her attachment may even enter into her argument as a bias that she's not aware of. She may actually think she is doing the right thing while she is actually being influenced by her attachment. Such is the power. So in the case of our seeking, shouldn't we first identify and acknowledge our attachments. The things that can influence our thinking?
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Work, walk, write
We have to work,
We have to walk
We have to write
We can remember that doing these well is itself meditation.
And of course a secular sit at Shiva temple.
And there is the need to for a certain quality of courage and patience to take birth in our hearts
Two of the greatest disturbing thoughts are: Fear of loneliness and fear of permanence
Perhaps we have to get used in a deep level to the disturbance that occurs on contemplating these.
We have to walk
We have to write
We can remember that doing these well is itself meditation.
And of course a secular sit at Shiva temple.
And there is the need to for a certain quality of courage and patience to take birth in our hearts
This courage helps us:
- In maintaining our peace in the phase of unresolvable mental confusions; don't we now of the great paradoxes; and the intelligent beings who came up with those were able to accept their non resolvability
- I have seen that at age 50 or above, Paul after a 4- 5 hour long drive can participate in day long meetings being the most enthusiastic person around. This energy is coming from a certain strength; our hearts have to develop that strength
Two of the greatest disturbing thoughts are: Fear of loneliness and fear of permanence
Perhaps we have to get used in a deep level to the disturbance that occurs on contemplating these.
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