Through The Eyes Of The Master

The Art of Living

Have you ever thought what the purpose of your life is? What is life all about? Such questions are very precious. When they dawn in your mind, only then does your life begin! They help you improve the quality of your life.

But, when these questions come into your mind, do not be in a hurry to get an answer. Those who know will not tell you and those who tell you, do not know! These questions are the tools by which you can dig deeper and the answers come from within you. Once these questions come into your life then you start ‘living’ life rather than just existing.

To know what you are on this planet for, ask yourself what you are not here for! You are not here to grumble, you are not here to complain or blame. You are not here to hate. These answers will help you find happiness in life. Life involves ups and downs which is very natural. Do not be afraid of this. Every pinch that you have in life is for the best. It makes your life more lively and enjoyable. When there is a body, then it will catch cold, cough, fever or something else. That too will go away. But it is important to take care that happiness is always established in you.

Make your smile cheaper. Learn to smile more. Every day, every morning look at the mirror and give yourself a good smile. Do you know what happens when you smile? All the muscles in your face get relaxed. The nerves in your brain relax and you get the confidence, courage, and energy to move on in life.

Enthusiasm is the nature of life. Take every opportunity to praise others and support their enthusiasm. This makes life lively. If you put down other’s enthusiasm, the same may happen to you. Become one whose enthusiasm never dies.

Any joy you experience in life is from the depth of yourself; when you let go all that you hold on to and settle down; being centred in that space. If for the whole day, you are engaged in only gathering information and you do not take out time for yourself to think and reflect then you feel dull and tired. The quality of your life deteriorates. Some time during the day, take out some moments for yourself. Sit for a few minutes. Get into the cave of your heart, eyes closed, and kick the world away like a ball. Only when you are calm and pleasant inside can you spread the same in the world outside.

The higher goals in life can only be realised through a few minutes of meditation and introspection. The deeper you rest, the more dynamic will be your performance and activity. Even though deep rest and dynamic activity are opposite values, they are complementary.

All our struggles in life are to know more. There is always something to share, learn and teach. Always be open to learn. Do not restrict yourself. Do not limit yourself. Communicate with others, share ideas, share information, and seek the same. When you are centred, you become a powerful communicator. And when your communication improves, your life improves.

Plan your short and long-term goals. Then, life gets a channel; a direction to flow. Give yourself the freedom to dream

and think big. Have the courage and determination to achieve the dreams that are dear to you. Then life itself will be a sweet dream.

This world is varied and beyond our imagination. We are all born here to do something wonderful and unique. Do not let this opportunity pass by. Start ‘living’ life rather than just existing.

Your Anger Hurts You First

Every sincere seeker wants to get rid of anger and reach a state of perfection, but is often swept by his or her emotions. What can you do when anger rises in you? You may remind yourself a hundred times that you should not get angry. But when it comes, you are unable to control it. It comes like a thunderstorm. Emotions are much more powerful than your thoughts and the promises that you make.

Anger is a distortion of your true nature and it doesn’t allow the Self to shine forth fully. The structure of human consciousness or mind is very similar to that of an atom. The positively charged protons and neutrons are in the centre of the atom while the negative charged particles are only on the circumference. Similarly, with the human consciousness, mind and life; all the negativities and vices are only in the periphery.

Showing anger itself is not wrong, but being unaware of your anger only hurts you. Sometimes you can show anger purposefully. For example, a mother gets angry at her children. She can act tough or shout at them if they put themselves in danger. There is a place for showing anger, but when you get angry, you are shaken completely. Look at the consequences of getting angry. Are you ever happy with the decisions you have made or the words you have spoken when you are angry? You are not, because you lose your total awareness. If you are completely aware and you are acting angry, that is fine.

All anger is about something which has already happened. Is it of any use getting angry about something which you cannot alter? The mind always vacillates between the past and the future. When the mind is in the past, it is angry about something that has already happened; but anger is meaningless as we cannot alter the past. When the mind is in the future, it is anxious about something that may or may not happen. Whereas when the mind is in the present moment, anxiousness and anger appear so meaningless.

Spiritual practices help to maintain your centeredness and not let you be shaken by small events. This is where a little knowledge about yourself, about your mind, your consciousness, and about the root of distortion in your nature, will help. It is when you are exhausted and stressed that you lose your nature and get angry. Every individual is bestowed with all the virtues in the world. They simply get covered by the lack of understanding and stress. All that is needed is just to uncover the virtues that are already there.

Breathing techniques and meditation are very effective in calming the mind. Learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has a great lesson to teach us, which we have forgotten. For every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath and for every rhythm in the breath there is a corresponding emotion. When you cannot handle your mind directly, you can handle it better through breath. Meditation is letting go of anger of the past and the events of the past. It is accepting this moment and living every moment totally with depth. Often anger comes because you don’t accept the present moment.

The world appears imperfect on the surface but underneath, all is perfect. Perfection hides; imperfection shows off.

The wise will not stay on the surface but will probe into the depth. Things are not blurred; your vision is blurred. Infinite actions prevail in the wholeness of consciousness, and yet the consciousness remains perfect, and untouched. Realise this now and be natural.

Eliminate the Root Cause of Pain

The entire creation is made up of five elements and ten sense organs — five organs of perception and five organs of action. They are there to give you pleasure and relief. Whatever gives you pleasure should also give you relief. Otherwise the very pleasure becomes pain. Let me give you an example: you like apple pie, but five of it at one time may be a little too much for you. The thing which gives you pleasure will now give you pain. The entire creation gives you pleasure and liberation. You have to get yourself liberated from all these at some point of time, otherwise pleasure becomes pain.

Though this world does not exist for one who is enlightened, the way it exists for the one who is not enlightened, it continues to exist with its opposites. For one who is awakened in knowledge there is no more suffering. The world appears completely different. For him, every inch of this creation is filled with bliss or part of the Self. But for the others, it exists as they see it.

Your body is made up of three gunas — Sattva, Rajas & Tamas — and your thoughts and behaviour patterns change accordingly. Tamas creates more dullness, sleep, and lethargy whereas Rajas creates restlessness, desires and anguish. When the mind is dominated by Sattva, it is joyful, alert and enthusiastic. When these three gunas act in your body according to their nature all the different qualities dominate. Observe the tendencies that come up in you and don’t think that you are those tendencies.

There was a great monk, who lived in the Himalayas. He had free access anywhere he went. People loved him and welcomed him. This monk went everyday to the king’s palace to have lunch and the queen would serve him lunch in a golden plate. He would eat and walk away. Once, after his meal, he just grabbed a silver glass and a golden spoon and walked away. He didn’t even tell anyone that he wanted them.

People in the palace were surprised. They were wondering what had happened to the monk? He had never done anything like that before. What happened that day? Three days later he brought those things back. This was even more puzzling. The king called all the wise people to analyse the monk’s behaviour. The pundits and the wise men investigated to find out what he was fed that day. They found out that food articles which were confiscated from some dacoits were cooked and served to the monk. This had made him steal!

A definite understanding is essential, to eliminate the root cause of pain. The body, mind and the whole world are undergoing changes all the time. The entire universe is in a state of fluidity. The definite knowledge is, ‘I am not the body, I am the Self, I am the space, I am imperishable, untouched, untainted by this world around me. Every particle in this body is changing and the mind is changing too’.

Every aspect in this world is an expression of consciousness. Everything in this world is dynamic. Even the mountain is not static. Every atom is dynamic in nature. They all undergo certain stages of evolution. This definite knowledge is the only way to come out of this cycle.

You are Happening Now

How can we experience infinity? It is possible only through love. Love is the only thing you cannot think about. If you think about it then it ceases to be love. When thinking stops, love begins. Lovers talk silly things. They say the same things a thousand times. They are not thinking. Their reasoning mind is transcended.

When we fall in love with somebody, we are actually falling in love with ourselves. The truth is that we do not realise it because we are caught up all the time in the name and form. Love is formless. Names and forms can kindle love in you. But when it takes you beyond the name and form to the true nature, which is pure energy, then it is true love.

Surrender and love are synonymous. You surrender to whomsoever you love. It is not a doing but a state when the mind is free of doubts and troubles. The word ‘surrender’ is frightening because we have heard it in one context i.e. when an army loses, it surrenders. A defeat is understood to be surrender. Surrender is not submission. Only the brave, the knowledgeable and the wise can surrender.

Surrender is realising that everything belongs to the Divine. ‘I am not in control’; that is surrender. This little mind realises that it is not in control; the entire universe runs on its own and it does not matter whether you exist on this planet or not. Things will happen. In the same way you realise that your life is happening and that you are happening in this ocean of consciousness. Your heart beats by itself. Your breath moves by itself, you sleep. You feel good and bad. With this realisation comes a deep relaxation; a feeling of trust and being at home. This is surrender.

Are You Breathing Enough?

Only a healthy bud can blossom. In the same way, only a healthy being can succeed.