Life

I don't know why, but I was down memory lane today. While looking at the horoscopes, I tried to figure out why past memories feel so strong. In our daily lives, we operate on two different levels. First, we experience whatever happens in the present moment. We eat food and enjoy the taste through the taste buds. We wear clothes and enjoy the comfort through our skin. We use some perfume and enjoy the fragrance through the nose. We get burned and feel the burning sensation on our skin. We get a cut and feel the pain. Similarly, we have different psychological feelings. For example, we feel the comfort of being home. We feel safe in the presence of somebody while jittery in the presence of another person. All these experiences take place in real time. Second, we keep thinking about the past and the future. A student sees the DM of the city, how people fear him, how toll-tax people roll out a red carpet for the DM's vehicle, and how people envy his status. He creates a story about...

Once I presented a paper on Vipassana at Delhi University, and someone asked me, "Who is the observer?" "Who is doing Vipassana?" and "When the instructions are being given by Goenka ji, who is listening to them and doing what is to be done?" If it is the mind, then how can we go beyond our perceptions? The mind receives certain instructions. The instructions are that whatever is happening in the body and mind is temporary. When we receive these instructions constantly, won't the brain project some reality? Isn't that temporariness also a projection of the mind? An imagination and nothing beyond that. I recalled this incident while watching a YouTube video on the debate between Shankaracharya and Mandan Mishra. https://youtu.be/UdZCBWN0HCw?si=sNvn17_t5q8hSFZX While Mandan Mishra said karma is primary, Shankaracharya argued that karma is useless without awareness. Mandan Mishra argued that one may believe he knows when he actually knows nothing, and...

I watched the movie Grah Pravesh, starring accomplished actors like Sharmila Tagore and Sanjeev Kumar, a few days ago. They have a son, and the husband goes to the office every day. It so happens that at the office he has to share his cabin with a lady, and he becomes attracted to her and wants to marry her. The first part of the movie focuses on his inner conflict. The second part focuses on his wife's reaction.  It's very predictable. We all know how anybody will react in such a situation. The husband committed to the relationship, and that commitment was breached; therefore, the wife should be very upset. She should feel insecure as well. Feelings of hurt, jealousy and anger should be dominant. Anybody would expect all these reactions.  I listened to Satipatthana Pravachan by Goenka ji some time back, and he says that even if we control our reactions by strengthening our mind, the unconscious mind carries deep-rooted samskaras that surface when we face any adverse situation...

When we drive on a road, where at any moment somebody may come from the opposite side in a tractor or bullock cart at very high speed; what safety precautions can one really take except singing Hanuman Chalisa? When we are living among friends and colleagues who can stab in our back, what safety precautions can somebody take? When someone is walking on the road, and a teenager or untrained driver hits them while driving at very high speed, what precautions can they take? Where trains and metros are full of snatchers, what safety precautions will somebody take? Living in such a spoiled system has a great cost on our mental health because we have to undergo stress almost the whole day. Often, worries do not leave us even at night. Even when we visit the hospital, we are not sure whether the tests the doctor prescribes are meant to maximise the hospital's profit or to diagnose the disease. You are not sure whether the medicines you buy at a high price are genuine. You are not sure whe...

From the mother in Aradhana to the mother in Mirzapur! What a deterioration in a mother's character. Just watch the lowest form first: https://youtu.be/Mr4osU0C_4w?si=yi2T5WKrlvp6Ki29 "Guddu ki Mummy". What is important to her? Her terror in society's eyes. Her dominance. Because when her husband was unable to get her what she wanted, every day, she experienced the pain. She cursed society. She cribbed. Now she has got a tool. Her son. He is a mindless man with great strength and aggression. He can threaten and kill people. Who carries a gun. Who is Bahubali. She can make him a tool and get whatever she wants. But why was she pained in the very first instance? Why did she not get attracted towards something profound like love, compassion, freedom or exploration? In contrast, we all remember Vandana in the movie Aradhana, played by Sharmila Tagore. She devoted her entire life to making her son a pilot. She even decided to go to jail for the well-being of his son. Absol...

 People believed the Sun revolved around the Earth for thousands of years. The internet says that although the ancient Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos first proposed the idea in the 3rd century BCE, people continued to believe the Sun revolved around the Earth until Nicolaus Copernicus published the definitive mathematical model of the Sun-centred solar system in 1543. Just imagine, even 1800 years after Samos said that the Earth revolves around the Sun, humanity still believed until 1543 that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Isn't human stupidity amazing? In 1610, Galileo used the newly invented telescope to provide physical proof. He observed that Venus goes through phases (like our Moon), which is only possible if Venus orbits the Sun. He also found moons orbiting Jupiter, proving that not everything in the universe revolves around the Earth. History tells that Galileo's discoveries sparked a turbulent wave of amazement, scientific backlash, and religious condemnati...

We take the body for granted. I had a severe stomach infection and visited the doctor. The doctor tried to determine the cause of the disease by asking about the symptoms and medical history. They gave me some antibiotics to cure the disease. I wonder what a complicated machine this body is. It is constantly under attack, and the immune system is working 24*7. A slight lapse in the immune system, and we fall ill. Then we take antibiotics, and the bacteria that entered our body are attacked, and we get relieved of the infection. Meanwhile, different organs of the body continue to function. The heart keeps supplying blood to different parts of the body, and the lungs keep supplying oxygen. In the hospital, I was near the oncology department and saw some patients lying on a stretcher. Some were old, and some were young. All the organs of the body work in coordination. Somehow, once this coordination stops, even doctors can't do much. The body is such complicated machinery. There are t...

Children go to school to learn different subjects. Some pick up quickly, while some learn slowly. However, school has a place for everybody. There are extra classes for those who take more time to pick things up. There is no problem with that. But what if the students who have not picked up the subject become insecure? What if they try to project as if they know? As soon as the teacher asks a question, they raise their hands and start answering it incorrectly. What if they say it with a lot of conviction, under the belief that confidence is a measure of knowledge? Such students will work hard. First, they will damage the learning ecosystem because teachers will have to spend more and more time helping students unlearn the wrong things rather than focusing on the right ones. Second, they will do greater harm to themselves because their learning will never commence. This is a typical phenomenon where the confidence of knowing is disproportionately higher than the actual knowledge. In mos...

What is the purpose of a spiritual journey? To seek peace? To seek happiness? Who is seeking peace and happiness? Obviously, somebody who is not at peace or happy. Who is that? But we were not seeking peace and happiness in our childhood. You ask any child what he wants, and I don't think that even a single child will seek happiness or peace. Rather, they will seek chocolate, friends, games, sweets, momos, or burgers. As we grow up, we seek money, power, kids, and so much more. As we grow older, we realise that none of them has given us peace or happiness, and then we seek them. But why don't we seek peace and happiness from the very beginning? If peace and happiness are so important to us, why don't we seek them since childhood? Probably because we have peace as well as happiness to begin with, and then, in the process of seeking other things, we probably lose awareness of that peace and happiness within. But why does that happen? Why does a child seek a chocolate? To expe...

When a man feels proud of his position, the placement of his kids, family lineage, or intelligence, what happens to the awareness that this cosmos is infinite? The diameter of the observable universe is 93 billion light-years. That means it will take 93 billion light-years for light travelling at the speed of 3 lakh kilometres per second to travel across the universe. We can't even imagine the universe, let alone see or experience it in our lifetime. Yet, what we believe to be "I" is the centre of all our decisions. In today's world, the ability to make choices is one of the most important indicators of development. The choice to go to the university or college one likes, the choice to buy the vehicle and house one likes, the choice to earn money, the choice to choose a partner, the choice to go abroad, and so on. We go to malls to have the choice to buy a shirt. In stores like Lifestyles, we can choose from among many brands. Brands offer different packages too. Even...

Every day, while walking, I see many street dogs lying carelessly on the street. As if they are the kings of the street. The younger ones are even more carefree. Each vehicle on the street knows that they have to manoeuvre its way between these dogs. Their sense of freedom is really infectious. On the other hand, I see so many people going to the office every morning. Cars move bumper to bumper. The time on Google Maps keeps increasing as I'm on my way. Nobody knows where all this traffic is coming from. Everybody gets irritated, and yet everybody has to come first in the race. All of us appear to be slaves to development. Is it evolution from Dog to Man, or does Man have to aspire to become Dog to gain that freedom? Dog appears to be careless. But behind that carelessness lies extreme vigilance. The moment a dog smells any danger, he will run at speed and bark so loudly that even the strongest man on the street will panic. I hope each of us has witnessed that scene. Man is lost in...

Today. I watched the movie Hanuman Ansh. I found that the movie was made with a lot of love and devotion. I recall reading the book "Search for Secret India" written by Paul Brunton long ago. I believe around 2008. Paul Brunton came to India, met many yogis during his stay, and witnessed many miracles. Being a logical mind, he did not believe in them, but he had no choice. I have never visited Kainchi Dham, so I have no idea about Baba's magical powers.  But the moot question is not whether he had magical powers. Rather, the moot question is what the centre of his life was. The centre of his life was truth, as shown in the movie, and he settled for nothing less than truth. Leaving home at the tender age of 12 in search of truth is not a joke. I look at our kids, who feel so privileged that they will not leave any stone unturned to force their demands on us. If a child has that strong determination at the age of 12 to know the truth and then he can meditate in all sorts of...

This morning, I was reading a book titled Truth by Hector Macdonald. The author discusses how there is no single version of truth. In one of the chapters, he discusses morality. He says that the definition of morality varies across cultures and times. While reading the book, something struck me. Different cultures have different moral standards. Details aside, what are we trying to achieve through these moral standards? First of all, morality is a group concept. Every organisation has its own definition of morality, and so does every nation, society, and community.  Now, coming to the centre of group morality, first , survival is the most important criterion for the group. Every organisation, society, or nation would like to survive and protect its turf. It will do whatever is possible under the Sun to protect its turf and even to expand. That's why many nations would justify aggression on the lands of other countries, brutality in the name of war, and terrorism in the name of self...

Watched Gram Chikitsalaya, season-2. A well-made series and quite meaningful, too. The constant endeavour of Dr Prabhat to serve the patients of his village, despite all the odds. is quite refreshing to watch. Especially in a world that is full of greed and ambition. I really loved the equation between Dr Prabhat and Dr Gargi. Dr Gargi would help Dr Prabhat in every possible way and try every means to get his PHC declared ideal, so that he would get a steady supply of medicines. Even if her own PHC is competing, she will still provide every possible assistance to Dr Prabhat. So much so that when her PHC is about to receive the award, and she has to go on stage, she will skip her award ceremony to help Dr Prabhat with a complicated delivery case. That too, when Dr Prabhat will level all types of allegations against her when she wins the award. When we work selflessly to help people, we sometimes have to fight against the system. While fighting these battles, we often stand alone. The pr...

I was reading the book "The Other Side of Happiness" by Brock Bastian, and I could relate to many of its ideas. First, pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin. We feel pleasure when we feel pain. For example, the author gives an example: after tiring treks for many days, when the trekkers sit in a Sulphur hot spring with not such a good quality of air, they feel blissful because they are absolutely tired. But if they keep sitting there the next day too, they will start to notice the foul smell of the Sulphur and the low quality of the beer they drink while sitting there.  Another thing that the author mentions is that we have panic attacks because somehow we resist the experience. That's why the body is in fight-or-flight mode, and when we forcefully encounter such experiences, or even before encountering such experiences, we have a panic attack. I, too, used to experience the same when I accompanied my father to his clinic. Some children or adults with a very sm...

One thing that really surprises me is that somebody starts drinking quite late in life. I can understand that during our childhood or early adulthood, we are very instinctive and fall into the trap of seeking social validation. All our friends drink and have parties and sometimes even force us, and we fall into the trap. But I have seen a few of the colleagues who start drinking much later. That really surprises me. Having got into the job and having so many opportunities to do the hard work and grow intellectually, why do people choose such an easy way to get that kick? When we take liquor, we probably feel that sense of freedom and high. A feeling that we have untied many ropes tied around us. We feel free to express ourselves without inhibitions. But why do we tie the ropes around us in the very first instance? To please the people around us. To say the things that they like, that do not offend them. We do not dare to cross the limits which we have imposed on ourselves, and which we...

The known world looks very attractive. All of us would have watched the movie "Taare Zameen Par". When that child is sent to the hostel, how alone he feels. Remember the following scene? https://youtu.be/Mdo_A1Bj67w?si=BWa0GyenkWN7u3Kb This feeling is so familiar. When something dear to us is taken away. A good friend whom we loved wholeheartedly disappears from our lives. When we have to say goodbye to a very close person with whom we spent our whole lives. When the project we had been working on day in and day out is closed for no reason. When somebody is sacked from the job one fine day without any reason. When a doctor tells a person that he has been diagnosed with a terminal disease, and he has limited time to live.  Because we don't know what lies on the other side. Ishaan does not know what lies ahead in the hostel. He would not know that there would be a teacher like Nikumbh sir who would take such a keen interest in him and change the perspective of the whole wor...

Fear is a very strange emotion. Passing through the same situation, two people may have very different degrees of fear. I recall that in my childhood, I was quite afraid to perform on stage, and I do not remember a single instance of doing so. While there were a few in our school who were always keen to go on stage. Most of us are afraid of death, and the diagnosis of a disease like cancer would feel like a death knell to most of us. Some are very afraid of sending the kids away from home, while for others, it is quite normal.  What is the genesis of fear, and why do so many people have such different reactions? We are afraid of losing something we have not only possessed but also identified with. The stronger the identification, the greater the fear. A child does not mind playing in the Sun. He is happy playing with his friends throughout the day. Then he grows up and gets a job at an MNC, where he has to be in an AC environment all day long. He also gets an AC installed in his ho...

A potter makes many different things from the same clay, each with very different uses. While we use a matka to cool the water, we use a clay pan to cook food. It is the same clay used to make both of them, but they have very different functions. Plastic granules are used to make so many different things. We can make plastic chairs from those granules, as well as the water tank at the top of the building. We get so many different pictures on the TV screen. They are nothing but tiny dots on the screen that are illuminated based on the program being broadcast.  Similarly, we have so many different thoughts all throughout the day. These thoughts are nothing but the movement of electrons in different parts of the brain. Different people feel happy or sad with different things. It all depends on how we were born and brought up, and how we have perceived different experiences. The same situation may be perceived as a challenge by one and as danger by the other, as good by one and as bad ...

Remember watching the movie Jurassic Park in the cinema hall. It made us jump out of our seats. Each of us remembers watching movies full of thrills. The hero takes unimaginable risks, finds highly innovative solutions, and emerges from danger with absolute presence of mind. We love to watch movies like Sultan, where the hero, with passion and perseverance, champions a game that is very difficult and dangerous to play. What is so great about these movies? Why do we want to watch them? We love daredevils on the screen, but when it comes to our own lives, then? We play it safe. We make decisions that invite the least risk.  As if we are divided into two parts. The first one wants to explore and take risks, like the hero Sultan, and the Second one wants to stay away from risk. Often, the second part overpowers the first one in real life, and probably the first one gets frustrated due to these compromises, and that's why it goes to the cinema halls again and again to watch these movies...

Gaining awareness at the level of thoughts is not easy. Ask a greedy person why he is so mad about money, and he will have hundreds of logical reasons to explain his conviction. Similarly, ask a person passing through the phase of depression because of the fear of an examination, and he will have hundreds of reasons to explain. Ask a person who is just playing in the hands of his boss as a tool just to get the validation of being a good employee, a positive appraisal, or a promotion, and he will also be equally convinced. Ask a parent who is worried about sending his child away from home, and he will have hundreds of reasons to justify his worry. Ask a person who feels like a victim in a relationship, and he will again have hundreds of reasons to explain why he feels like a victim. Whatever we want to believe in, our brain can cook thousands of stories around that. One may keep the windows open, look out at the trees, listen to the birds chirping, look at the sky and the sun, and watch...

While listening to this video, I was just wondering who Mukammal Jahan is: https://youtu.be/VHPuZhMIb8A?si=n1shaq8770YEmwa8 The poet says it is not that God lacks love in His world, but that you don't find it where you expect it. It is probably one of the most difficult emotions to handle. When you love somebody and can not be united. When somebody really loves, and loves to the extent that he can let go of his ego, then separation feels like going back to the hostel room after long vacations with friends.  I don't know why all of us have such different seekings and why everybody is so convinced that what he is seeking will make him happy. Probably, all of us are seeking nothing but love. But love is not like buying a plot of land, making a home on it, and living thereon. Love is not possession; rather, love is like flying together in the sky where none has a well-defined boundary, and where the whole of the sky belongs to everybody. The sky is so vast that there is no need for...

Sometimes I wonder why there have been no major breakthroughs in science recently. None of the scientists has invented something fundamental like gravity by Newton or General and special relativity by Einstein. Social media is flooded with reels of food, dhabas, travelling, and entertainment. Why are young minds, which are so sharp to do all these things, not inclined towards exploration of nature, the world of science and literature? I feel that our biggest enemy is our comfort. I have many childhood friends who settled for something far lower than their capacity because they had a comfortable option. Joining the family business was easier than competing for admission to engineering or management colleges. So they chose the easy option. Some took a job, became comfortable there, and never tried anything else after that. Some became homemakers and got settled in their families. Some became comfortable in their family life and ignored everything else.  While we were young, we had a ...