A WIN-WIN SITUATION
Life is a huge puzzle. When, how, where and what can happen – is the biggest question. Sometimes life can take us totally by surprise – totally unprepared and unequipped to face the situations that life may land us into. Can we ever say that we are at least more or less prepared to face life? I very much doubt it. The only preparation that we can really do to equip ourselves to face life’s tyrannies are to accept our situation gracefully – otherwise the more we fight the more the chances of getting ourselves tied up in knots. Total surrender is the key word here – because then nothing comes as a surprise! Be aware of what is happening to other people in their lives and accept that you are as vulnerable to all that! If disaster strikes someone today, on some other day it can strike you also and take away all that you hold as precious – whether it be a loved one or some other material possession. You may be a king or a pauper – but Nature (or is it God) - does not differentiate! So try as much as you can to give up your emotional attachments to life and material things – but it is extremely difficult. Yes, accept that this is a near impossible task and start from there. Once you accept the near impossibility of a task, you accept that success if any, is going to come slowly. This helps you to think slowly, clearly and with a cool head – because now you will be happy with whatever progress you make towards the achievement of your goal. In this way, taking small steps, you can plan your journey to your goal – and – even if there are setbacks, they will not be so huge that you cannot overcome them. Once the steps are small, the setbacks will cause minimum damage and will require very little effort to retrace the steps, rethink new strategies and start on a new plan of action! Living life with such a vision is always a WIN-WIN situation!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Sunday, December 9, 2007
UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE
The entire philosophy of Santana Dharma is one of inclusion and balance. It is not Vedas versus Vedata or the Perishable versus the Imperishable, the Devatas versus the One Supreme or Dvaita against Advaita. Each of these has a unique value and place in the eternal balance of the Universe.
Within a few weeks of a child’s birth, he/she starts becoming conscious of his/her body and the limits of his/her body. The moment the child is aware of the limits of his/her body, he/she realizes that all that is beyond the limits of the body is ‘outside’ of the body and hence all that is with the limits of the body has to be ‘inside’ of the body. Hence the first impressions on the mind of the baby are that of ‘duality’ – and – from then on starts the journey of recognizing that there is a duality in everything. Thus the purpose of man’s life is to first recognize and understand the duality in all of the Nature, come to terms with it - - reconcile to it and yet try to see the ultimate ‘Oneness’ in that ‘Duality’, the Advaita in the Dvaita – and the moment this realization dawns on him – he is liberated! But then this broadening of the consciousness starts as a sensory perception. Thus sensory perception is the first step towards higher knowledge – and – this is what Science is all about. Science (as we understand it today) started as understanding through direct sensory perception – and then extending the limits of the body senses with the help of instruments to understand the external environment. Today, however, it is reaching the state of universal or spiritual realization in the form of Einstein’s theory of relativity, the quantum mechanics, boot-strapping theory etc., where scientists are realizing the interconnectedness of all phenomena. Their thirst to find the ultimate building blocks of this universe has brought them to a point where the study of hadrons, quarks etc., is making them grudgingly accept the truth of the theory of the Spirit and oneness of the mind, matter and energy.
So also, when we read legends from our scriptures about gods and demons etc., - at the sense level they are just stories of entities with supernatural powers. Later we realize that the gods and demons are the powers or phenomena of Nature that have been humanized, i.e., made in the image and hierarchy of humans and human society. These stories were formed to give the lay person an idea of the knowledge of the workings of the external world (and since these stories reflect humans they also give an insight into the conditions existing in human society at that point of time). But for a highly realized individual or an individual who has access to a higher level of knowledge, the symbolism of the story and hence its essence becomes important. For him the universal truth behind the story (in simple language – the moral of the story) is of significance, rather than the story itself. This is the reason why the great seers always advised to their disciples, “Do as I SAY and not as I DO”. However, the lesser evolved persons always do the opposite – they try to imitate what is done rather than what is SAID – as it is difficult for them to discern the underlying teaching of what the Masters have said! However, the highly realized person is able to discern the underlying universal truth in what has been said. Thus for such an individual the myth transforms into mysticism. But the ordinary, the entire human drama of birth, death and rebirth is to rise above the Myth to understand the True mysticism of the Oneness of Nature inspite of its very real Diversity! Hence the knowledge of the Vedas – (which actually just directly declares the Absolute Truths) - got from long years of very meticulous perception by the rishis, and the rituals prescribed therein for appeasing the powers of Nature that be, slowly transforms to the knowledge of the Upanishads – which believes in listening, reflecting and understanding on the Truths already told in the Vedas - and – this slowly leads to the knowledge of the Vedanta, which basically is how to imbibe the learnt, theoretical knowledge in one’s daily life – to finally uplift the entire mankind!
The real purpose of the Vedas is to prepare and qualify the individual for Vedanta. Performing Vedic sacrifices over a life time requires intense self discipline. The sonorous chanting, hypnotically flickering flames, scent of aromatic herbs, all help the seeker transcend the physical body. Similarly, memorizing and chanting extensive mantras and understanding their meaning stills the mind and tranquillizes the intellect which so necessary to ultimately understand the Great underlying Truths – so that humans can raise their intellectual levels even when performing mundane jobs. But instead of raising the levels of our mind and intellect, we have got stupefied and entangled only in the rituals and the words!
Science today is at the level of the Vedas today – it has to travel the distance to the Upanishads and finally Vedanta. That is why blindly following Science (in the material sense) creates so much frustration, unrest and unhappiness. It is like being caught up only in the rites and rituals of the Vedas. We will finally have to break that barrier to understand and reflect – creating an amalgam of the body and the Spirit to finally imbibe the true spirit of Science into our daily lives – basically develop a scientific temper - so that Science starts working for the true welfare and upliftment of mankind. This pendulum of knowledge has been swaying from one to the other side since time immemorial – and today mankind is poised at the position where the pendulum is all set to sway towards the other end – the end where again the fine lines start blurring and Science starts blending into philosophy – to the realization that Science and Philosophy/Religion are two sides of the same Ultimate Reality – to the finality where the lines completely vanish into Nothingness and only the Wholeness remains!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
The entire philosophy of Santana Dharma is one of inclusion and balance. It is not Vedas versus Vedata or the Perishable versus the Imperishable, the Devatas versus the One Supreme or Dvaita against Advaita. Each of these has a unique value and place in the eternal balance of the Universe.
Within a few weeks of a child’s birth, he/she starts becoming conscious of his/her body and the limits of his/her body. The moment the child is aware of the limits of his/her body, he/she realizes that all that is beyond the limits of the body is ‘outside’ of the body and hence all that is with the limits of the body has to be ‘inside’ of the body. Hence the first impressions on the mind of the baby are that of ‘duality’ – and – from then on starts the journey of recognizing that there is a duality in everything. Thus the purpose of man’s life is to first recognize and understand the duality in all of the Nature, come to terms with it - - reconcile to it and yet try to see the ultimate ‘Oneness’ in that ‘Duality’, the Advaita in the Dvaita – and the moment this realization dawns on him – he is liberated! But then this broadening of the consciousness starts as a sensory perception. Thus sensory perception is the first step towards higher knowledge – and – this is what Science is all about. Science (as we understand it today) started as understanding through direct sensory perception – and then extending the limits of the body senses with the help of instruments to understand the external environment. Today, however, it is reaching the state of universal or spiritual realization in the form of Einstein’s theory of relativity, the quantum mechanics, boot-strapping theory etc., where scientists are realizing the interconnectedness of all phenomena. Their thirst to find the ultimate building blocks of this universe has brought them to a point where the study of hadrons, quarks etc., is making them grudgingly accept the truth of the theory of the Spirit and oneness of the mind, matter and energy.
So also, when we read legends from our scriptures about gods and demons etc., - at the sense level they are just stories of entities with supernatural powers. Later we realize that the gods and demons are the powers or phenomena of Nature that have been humanized, i.e., made in the image and hierarchy of humans and human society. These stories were formed to give the lay person an idea of the knowledge of the workings of the external world (and since these stories reflect humans they also give an insight into the conditions existing in human society at that point of time). But for a highly realized individual or an individual who has access to a higher level of knowledge, the symbolism of the story and hence its essence becomes important. For him the universal truth behind the story (in simple language – the moral of the story) is of significance, rather than the story itself. This is the reason why the great seers always advised to their disciples, “Do as I SAY and not as I DO”. However, the lesser evolved persons always do the opposite – they try to imitate what is done rather than what is SAID – as it is difficult for them to discern the underlying teaching of what the Masters have said! However, the highly realized person is able to discern the underlying universal truth in what has been said. Thus for such an individual the myth transforms into mysticism. But the ordinary, the entire human drama of birth, death and rebirth is to rise above the Myth to understand the True mysticism of the Oneness of Nature inspite of its very real Diversity! Hence the knowledge of the Vedas – (which actually just directly declares the Absolute Truths) - got from long years of very meticulous perception by the rishis, and the rituals prescribed therein for appeasing the powers of Nature that be, slowly transforms to the knowledge of the Upanishads – which believes in listening, reflecting and understanding on the Truths already told in the Vedas - and – this slowly leads to the knowledge of the Vedanta, which basically is how to imbibe the learnt, theoretical knowledge in one’s daily life – to finally uplift the entire mankind!
The real purpose of the Vedas is to prepare and qualify the individual for Vedanta. Performing Vedic sacrifices over a life time requires intense self discipline. The sonorous chanting, hypnotically flickering flames, scent of aromatic herbs, all help the seeker transcend the physical body. Similarly, memorizing and chanting extensive mantras and understanding their meaning stills the mind and tranquillizes the intellect which so necessary to ultimately understand the Great underlying Truths – so that humans can raise their intellectual levels even when performing mundane jobs. But instead of raising the levels of our mind and intellect, we have got stupefied and entangled only in the rituals and the words!
Science today is at the level of the Vedas today – it has to travel the distance to the Upanishads and finally Vedanta. That is why blindly following Science (in the material sense) creates so much frustration, unrest and unhappiness. It is like being caught up only in the rites and rituals of the Vedas. We will finally have to break that barrier to understand and reflect – creating an amalgam of the body and the Spirit to finally imbibe the true spirit of Science into our daily lives – basically develop a scientific temper - so that Science starts working for the true welfare and upliftment of mankind. This pendulum of knowledge has been swaying from one to the other side since time immemorial – and today mankind is poised at the position where the pendulum is all set to sway towards the other end – the end where again the fine lines start blurring and Science starts blending into philosophy – to the realization that Science and Philosophy/Religion are two sides of the same Ultimate Reality – to the finality where the lines completely vanish into Nothingness and only the Wholeness remains!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE FOOD GUIDE
The scriptures tell us that one on the path of spirituality one must not eat food that is Tamasic or Rajasic in nature – only Sattvic food should be ingested by a real “seeker”. The reason given is that Rajasic or Tamasic food encourage passion and inertia, binding the individual to gross physical experiences, whereas Sattvic diet purifies the body and mind and hence helps a seeker progress on his path towards ultimate enlightenment. But if viewed from a very practical point of view, the bottomline is that Rajasic and Tamasic foods are the foods that involve intricate and elaborate cooking and are difficult to digest. Thus more energy is expended firstly in preparing them and then to assimilate them into the body. Thus partaking of such food makes a person heavy and dull. This happens because these foods being difficult to digest, the body is compelled to divert the maximum energy for digesting these foods. Thus the energy requirements for the other functions of the body have to be put on hold for sometime – thus making the person dull, sluggish, sleepy and lethargic after meals. Also one plans and thinks a lot about how to make the food and the meal more delicious. So a lot of time and energy which could otherwise have been put to better use is instead wasted in just planning, executing and then cooking the meal. Added to this is the fact that due to overcooking, the essential nutrients of the food are all destroyed. Thus inspite of eating such rich food, the body does not really get the nutrition it needs for its upkeep and hence slowly starts getting weak. This further weakens the digestive powers of the body, thus helping in adding not only weight, but also causing various other diseases due to the body’s incapability to flush out the toxins generated in it due to improper assimilation of food. In contrast to this, Sattvic food is easily available, can be eaten either raw or with minimum cooking, and is most importantly easily digestible. Therefore, after ingesting such food, the body is able to assimilate it quickly. This keeps the body light, energetic and alert – getting and assimilating all the necessary nutrients required for its well-being. Time wasted in food preparation and after-meal lethargy can now be used to do exercise or some other work – thus helping in not only strengthening the body but also keeping it fit and trim!!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
The scriptures tell us that one on the path of spirituality one must not eat food that is Tamasic or Rajasic in nature – only Sattvic food should be ingested by a real “seeker”. The reason given is that Rajasic or Tamasic food encourage passion and inertia, binding the individual to gross physical experiences, whereas Sattvic diet purifies the body and mind and hence helps a seeker progress on his path towards ultimate enlightenment. But if viewed from a very practical point of view, the bottomline is that Rajasic and Tamasic foods are the foods that involve intricate and elaborate cooking and are difficult to digest. Thus more energy is expended firstly in preparing them and then to assimilate them into the body. Thus partaking of such food makes a person heavy and dull. This happens because these foods being difficult to digest, the body is compelled to divert the maximum energy for digesting these foods. Thus the energy requirements for the other functions of the body have to be put on hold for sometime – thus making the person dull, sluggish, sleepy and lethargic after meals. Also one plans and thinks a lot about how to make the food and the meal more delicious. So a lot of time and energy which could otherwise have been put to better use is instead wasted in just planning, executing and then cooking the meal. Added to this is the fact that due to overcooking, the essential nutrients of the food are all destroyed. Thus inspite of eating such rich food, the body does not really get the nutrition it needs for its upkeep and hence slowly starts getting weak. This further weakens the digestive powers of the body, thus helping in adding not only weight, but also causing various other diseases due to the body’s incapability to flush out the toxins generated in it due to improper assimilation of food. In contrast to this, Sattvic food is easily available, can be eaten either raw or with minimum cooking, and is most importantly easily digestible. Therefore, after ingesting such food, the body is able to assimilate it quickly. This keeps the body light, energetic and alert – getting and assimilating all the necessary nutrients required for its well-being. Time wasted in food preparation and after-meal lethargy can now be used to do exercise or some other work – thus helping in not only strengthening the body but also keeping it fit and trim!!!!!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
GOD PERVADES ALL LIFE
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan once said, “The culture of the soul is the soul of Indian culture. I often wonder what is it that we say is the ‘soul’ and where it is situated in the body. People say that the ‘soul’ is the ‘consciousness’ within the body. But then if we look at this more minutely, we realize that each and every cell of the body of any living organism has a life and an intelligence that helps it live, divide, procreate and multiply and then die. This implies that each cell has an individual ‘soul’ or ‘consciousness’. Then what does one mean by ‘my soul’. Let me see if I can explain this. Each cell has a soul. So each amoeba has a soul. Till here it is fine! But what happens when we have multi-cellular organisms. Now in multi-cellular organisms there are groups of cells that form a part or organ of the organism that collectively perform a particular body function for the organism. Another group of cells form another organ that performs another body function of that organism. Thus all the cells of one organ have a ‘soul’ which is the collective soul of all the individual souls of all those group of cells. This collective ‘soul’ gives the cells of that organ the consciousness and intelligence to perform a particular function collectively. Even if one cell goes against the rule (starts thinking on a different track), the organ start malfunctioning. For the organs to function properly again, either that particular cell has to be ejected out of the system as it has to be healed. Extrapolating this line of thinking, every organ in a complex organism thus has a “collective soul” that guides its individual “cells souls” to work in tandem. Similarly the “collective souls” of various organs are guided by an “overall soul” that guides all the “collective souls” of every organ to work in tandem so that the entire body of the organism works and stays healthy. There is a perfect hierarchy. Thus in the ultimate analysis it is that each cell is an independent self sufficient entity with its own body, consciousness and intelligence but yet the millions and billions of cells in an organism live and work as though like a single unit. Is this is not what the scriptures tell. God pervades all organisms; has an “overall soul” and so also the humans and in this way everything and everybody in the universe. Now taking the example all amoebas have a head soul, all planktons have another, further all gold fish have their own individual overall soul that are guided by the “Head soul” of that particular species. This goes on to various sea animals, plants, land animals and finally humans and to whatever other forms of life that may or may not be visible to humans in this Universe and the collective soul of all life forms is God. Thus the soul is part of the whole and yet it is not God.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan once said, “The culture of the soul is the soul of Indian culture. I often wonder what is it that we say is the ‘soul’ and where it is situated in the body. People say that the ‘soul’ is the ‘consciousness’ within the body. But then if we look at this more minutely, we realize that each and every cell of the body of any living organism has a life and an intelligence that helps it live, divide, procreate and multiply and then die. This implies that each cell has an individual ‘soul’ or ‘consciousness’. Then what does one mean by ‘my soul’. Let me see if I can explain this. Each cell has a soul. So each amoeba has a soul. Till here it is fine! But what happens when we have multi-cellular organisms. Now in multi-cellular organisms there are groups of cells that form a part or organ of the organism that collectively perform a particular body function for the organism. Another group of cells form another organ that performs another body function of that organism. Thus all the cells of one organ have a ‘soul’ which is the collective soul of all the individual souls of all those group of cells. This collective ‘soul’ gives the cells of that organ the consciousness and intelligence to perform a particular function collectively. Even if one cell goes against the rule (starts thinking on a different track), the organ start malfunctioning. For the organs to function properly again, either that particular cell has to be ejected out of the system as it has to be healed. Extrapolating this line of thinking, every organ in a complex organism thus has a “collective soul” that guides its individual “cells souls” to work in tandem. Similarly the “collective souls” of various organs are guided by an “overall soul” that guides all the “collective souls” of every organ to work in tandem so that the entire body of the organism works and stays healthy. There is a perfect hierarchy. Thus in the ultimate analysis it is that each cell is an independent self sufficient entity with its own body, consciousness and intelligence but yet the millions and billions of cells in an organism live and work as though like a single unit. Is this is not what the scriptures tell. God pervades all organisms; has an “overall soul” and so also the humans and in this way everything and everybody in the universe. Now taking the example all amoebas have a head soul, all planktons have another, further all gold fish have their own individual overall soul that are guided by the “Head soul” of that particular species. This goes on to various sea animals, plants, land animals and finally humans and to whatever other forms of life that may or may not be visible to humans in this Universe and the collective soul of all life forms is God. Thus the soul is part of the whole and yet it is not God.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE HOLY TRINITY AND THE LAW OF KARMA HOLD THE COSMOS
The whole of the cosmos exists due to a Trinity of forces, namely, the forces of attraction, the forces of repulsion and the forces that keep these two forces in perfect tolerance. This balancing forces neither allows the repulsive forces to help repelling entities to break, nor does it allow the attractive forces to allow the individual attracting entities to merge into one another leading to nothingness. In fact it allows constituents to maintain their individuality and yet the whole cosmos maintains an integral unity. In other words the “cosmos” can be described as an integral unity of the trinity in polarity. It is this scientific principle which our sages of yore described as the “Holy Trinity” i.e. the Purusha, the Prakriti and the Paramatmas. On a micro scale this can be seen as positive protons, the negative electrons and the neutral neutrons in an atom. On the macrocosmic scale, this is the principle seen working in the interactions of the galaxies, stars, super galaxies etc. an author once wrote “Purusha with separatist tendencies persists in individuality or beingness. Prakriti with expanding tendencies strives at universality or manifestation. Divinity holds the opposing forces in balance and maintains both individuality and universality, in the individual and in the universal”. At the atomic level it is the inter nuclear forces which are play and at the macrocosmic level it is the forces of gravitation that are at play to keep all in this cosmos as it is. There is perfect order, balance, rhythm and harmony in the smallest of constituents of this cosmos and in this universe as a whole. It is dynamic and evolving and yet completely stable. Even for a moment if there is an imbalance, either the repulsive(expanding) or the attracting(contracting) forces will overpower(whichever is stronger at the moment) and the universe will dissolve ad merge into null and void. This universe with all its diverse manifestations, is only an evolutionary stage in our cosmic cycle. It is in intense state of flux, in great inequilibrium, every dynamic in modifying continuity, whirling, circling and agitated, it appears as chaos for the superficial look. Yet perfect balance is maintained due to the law of action and reaction in Science OR the Law of Karma in the language of our ancient seers. Physics says every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Also if there are two or more forces acting on a body, then the direction in which the body moves is a resultant of all the forces. That is how the electrons in atoms, plants, stars, comets, galaxies, cyclones etc. keep on maintaining their paths or orbits. This is the law which we name as our destiny in religion. What we are today is the resultant of all our past deeds and the path or trajectory that our destiny will take is a resultant of all the forces generated by our actions in the past and present. Thus in astrology, if we can correctly identify all the forces, then the predictions of our future are correct, otherwise there is probability of error. If we during our present lifetime we can generate forces that can offset certain past forces, then the future may change – else it continues on the same predetermined path. Yet the forces that we generate today can bring about delayed changes. Thus here also we see that the system is dynamic and evolving yet stable – an order in the chaos. Though we take birth in this world with a particular destiny, since the system is dynamic and evolving, ‘free will plays an important path in shaping our future’- only what we want to occur in our lives at some future time may or may not happen at the moment we desire that result to manifest because we are not totally aware of all the forces that we have generated in the past.
When the scriptures say that the soul never dies but only changes its body, it is just stating Einstein’s principle that energy can never be destroyed – it can only change form. Matter and energy are interchangeable. What we perceive with our five senses is matter and everything else some form of energy. There is no real death only a change in the form of the energy.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
The whole of the cosmos exists due to a Trinity of forces, namely, the forces of attraction, the forces of repulsion and the forces that keep these two forces in perfect tolerance. This balancing forces neither allows the repulsive forces to help repelling entities to break, nor does it allow the attractive forces to allow the individual attracting entities to merge into one another leading to nothingness. In fact it allows constituents to maintain their individuality and yet the whole cosmos maintains an integral unity. In other words the “cosmos” can be described as an integral unity of the trinity in polarity. It is this scientific principle which our sages of yore described as the “Holy Trinity” i.e. the Purusha, the Prakriti and the Paramatmas. On a micro scale this can be seen as positive protons, the negative electrons and the neutral neutrons in an atom. On the macrocosmic scale, this is the principle seen working in the interactions of the galaxies, stars, super galaxies etc. an author once wrote “Purusha with separatist tendencies persists in individuality or beingness. Prakriti with expanding tendencies strives at universality or manifestation. Divinity holds the opposing forces in balance and maintains both individuality and universality, in the individual and in the universal”. At the atomic level it is the inter nuclear forces which are play and at the macrocosmic level it is the forces of gravitation that are at play to keep all in this cosmos as it is. There is perfect order, balance, rhythm and harmony in the smallest of constituents of this cosmos and in this universe as a whole. It is dynamic and evolving and yet completely stable. Even for a moment if there is an imbalance, either the repulsive(expanding) or the attracting(contracting) forces will overpower(whichever is stronger at the moment) and the universe will dissolve ad merge into null and void. This universe with all its diverse manifestations, is only an evolutionary stage in our cosmic cycle. It is in intense state of flux, in great inequilibrium, every dynamic in modifying continuity, whirling, circling and agitated, it appears as chaos for the superficial look. Yet perfect balance is maintained due to the law of action and reaction in Science OR the Law of Karma in the language of our ancient seers. Physics says every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Also if there are two or more forces acting on a body, then the direction in which the body moves is a resultant of all the forces. That is how the electrons in atoms, plants, stars, comets, galaxies, cyclones etc. keep on maintaining their paths or orbits. This is the law which we name as our destiny in religion. What we are today is the resultant of all our past deeds and the path or trajectory that our destiny will take is a resultant of all the forces generated by our actions in the past and present. Thus in astrology, if we can correctly identify all the forces, then the predictions of our future are correct, otherwise there is probability of error. If we during our present lifetime we can generate forces that can offset certain past forces, then the future may change – else it continues on the same predetermined path. Yet the forces that we generate today can bring about delayed changes. Thus here also we see that the system is dynamic and evolving yet stable – an order in the chaos. Though we take birth in this world with a particular destiny, since the system is dynamic and evolving, ‘free will plays an important path in shaping our future’- only what we want to occur in our lives at some future time may or may not happen at the moment we desire that result to manifest because we are not totally aware of all the forces that we have generated in the past.
When the scriptures say that the soul never dies but only changes its body, it is just stating Einstein’s principle that energy can never be destroyed – it can only change form. Matter and energy are interchangeable. What we perceive with our five senses is matter and everything else some form of energy. There is no real death only a change in the form of the energy.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE BODY AND SOUL CONNECTION
Physicists have now discovered what our seers had already discovered and announced to the world thousands of years ago – that matter is actually energy. Physicists have shown now that anything ‘physical’ is made up of an infinite number of vibratory particles. Einstein in his world famous equation has explained that matter and energy are interconvertible but can never perish. This implies that our bodies or physical forms are made up of basically the same vibrating particles which physicists call as quarks. So our bodies are an energy form of a denser kind that is of a comparatively low frequency and the soul probably is an energy form vibrating at a much higher frequency. The body is tuned to how we have to live life not only to survive on this planet but also to grow and thrive and yet be in social harmony with other bodies. Since the body is a lower energy form it has its limitations and hence access to lesser knowledge. The soul belonging to a higher energy form has a much larger vision and perspective and thus a greater knowledge of the reality. However just like it is difficult for a scientist to explain his research to a 5 year old – similarly the soul is ill equipped to understand how to live in a human body (of a lower energy form) with its desires, attachments etc. By the same logic, the body is out of depth with the soul – like it is difficult for a 5 year old to apprehend the theory of a scientist. But the soul is the source of our knowledge and if we are out of touch with it we will be lost and life will be one tremendous struggle. Spirituality is the journey of trying to re-establish the contact of the body with the soul – and when there is integration of body and soul then there is a balance in life – bringing fulfillment at the body and the soul level.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Physicists have now discovered what our seers had already discovered and announced to the world thousands of years ago – that matter is actually energy. Physicists have shown now that anything ‘physical’ is made up of an infinite number of vibratory particles. Einstein in his world famous equation has explained that matter and energy are interconvertible but can never perish. This implies that our bodies or physical forms are made up of basically the same vibrating particles which physicists call as quarks. So our bodies are an energy form of a denser kind that is of a comparatively low frequency and the soul probably is an energy form vibrating at a much higher frequency. The body is tuned to how we have to live life not only to survive on this planet but also to grow and thrive and yet be in social harmony with other bodies. Since the body is a lower energy form it has its limitations and hence access to lesser knowledge. The soul belonging to a higher energy form has a much larger vision and perspective and thus a greater knowledge of the reality. However just like it is difficult for a scientist to explain his research to a 5 year old – similarly the soul is ill equipped to understand how to live in a human body (of a lower energy form) with its desires, attachments etc. By the same logic, the body is out of depth with the soul – like it is difficult for a 5 year old to apprehend the theory of a scientist. But the soul is the source of our knowledge and if we are out of touch with it we will be lost and life will be one tremendous struggle. Spirituality is the journey of trying to re-establish the contact of the body with the soul – and when there is integration of body and soul then there is a balance in life – bringing fulfillment at the body and the soul level.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Saturday, December 1, 2007
BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT SLOW PATCH
For anyone who is interested in personal growth along with material success, a negative event or situation actually represents only an opportunity for growth. Each crisis, each dead end in our evolution is merely a message, an opportunity to go in a different direction. Our egos might not like the new direction at first, but our higher self can always recognize a new plan implicit in the challenge.
Many times it happens in life that we are successfully cruising along a particular path – and growing along the way as well in self awareness et al – when suddenly we reach a dead end – or – realize that often after a point nothing seems to be moving forward, nothing seems to be happening – and- we start doubting whether all this while we were on the right track at all or should we be giving it all up!
But such a thing happens or occurs when because the growth that we have been able to achieve, we start to assume that now we can reach out most far-reaching goals very quickly. This may be caused when, due to the success achieved thus far, somewhere the ego again starts raising its stubborn head as we cruise along our dream run. Then if we do not reach our goals according to our set timetable, we assume the negative and either blame ourselves or others in some way, or worse still, start to think that the whole process is invalid. In truth, a dead end usually signifies that we are still short of energy somewhere or the energy we have has got diverted in the wrong issues (for example, in re-strengthening our ego) – simply implying that we have still not fully resolved the central issues that should have got resolved till then! Hence the Higher Self takes recourse to a slow down or rest period, where it tries to help us return and contemplate on the issues of personal clearing and the need to discover more inner love for ourselves and security within ourselves. By doing this we are able to free our energy that had got entangled in those issues, thus re-gathering our energies to take us further along the path. To free ourselves from the ego we require time and space, and the dead end, or negative event or slowing down of pace allows for this! The bottom line hence is that to increase our real growth we have to reduce our ego, because only when we are free of ego can we proceed objectively in life. Those dead ends or slow phases provide us time to delve further into ourselves – do some more exploring and weed out the obstacles so that the energy can flow again and help us move forward. When we are on our ‘dream run’, we just never have the time to introspect or collect ourselves and regroup our energies, because we are so caught up in the run - we fail to look around! But remember, a 100m sprint is quite different from a marathon run and the one who keeps rejuvenating his/her energies at regular intervals or as an when the need arises, is the one who can then marshal up all his/her energies and is able to push hard in the last leg of the race to make to the winning post!
If during our slow phases, when our ego takes a beating, we take the right perspective, it is a grand opportunity sent to us by our higher self so that we learn to get more humble and thus more receptive to others views and needs. Thus we start to become more aware of things that are happening around us, helping us further in the learning process as more and more truths and realizations about others and ourselves, dawn on us. Then empowered with all the knowledge thus gained, we can maneuver ourselves better not only on a personal or spiritual level but also in our dealings in this material world! Hence be thankful for those slow phases or dead ends that that your Higher Self has devised for you so that you keep moving forward – not only on the personal and spiritual level, but also on the materialistic front! Well, it not for nothing that it is said the God’s ways are indeed mysterious and mystifying!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Many times it happens in life that we are successfully cruising along a particular path – and growing along the way as well in self awareness et al – when suddenly we reach a dead end – or – realize that often after a point nothing seems to be moving forward, nothing seems to be happening – and- we start doubting whether all this while we were on the right track at all or should we be giving it all up!
But such a thing happens or occurs when because the growth that we have been able to achieve, we start to assume that now we can reach out most far-reaching goals very quickly. This may be caused when, due to the success achieved thus far, somewhere the ego again starts raising its stubborn head as we cruise along our dream run. Then if we do not reach our goals according to our set timetable, we assume the negative and either blame ourselves or others in some way, or worse still, start to think that the whole process is invalid. In truth, a dead end usually signifies that we are still short of energy somewhere or the energy we have has got diverted in the wrong issues (for example, in re-strengthening our ego) – simply implying that we have still not fully resolved the central issues that should have got resolved till then! Hence the Higher Self takes recourse to a slow down or rest period, where it tries to help us return and contemplate on the issues of personal clearing and the need to discover more inner love for ourselves and security within ourselves. By doing this we are able to free our energy that had got entangled in those issues, thus re-gathering our energies to take us further along the path. To free ourselves from the ego we require time and space, and the dead end, or negative event or slowing down of pace allows for this! The bottom line hence is that to increase our real growth we have to reduce our ego, because only when we are free of ego can we proceed objectively in life. Those dead ends or slow phases provide us time to delve further into ourselves – do some more exploring and weed out the obstacles so that the energy can flow again and help us move forward. When we are on our ‘dream run’, we just never have the time to introspect or collect ourselves and regroup our energies, because we are so caught up in the run - we fail to look around! But remember, a 100m sprint is quite different from a marathon run and the one who keeps rejuvenating his/her energies at regular intervals or as an when the need arises, is the one who can then marshal up all his/her energies and is able to push hard in the last leg of the race to make to the winning post!
If during our slow phases, when our ego takes a beating, we take the right perspective, it is a grand opportunity sent to us by our higher self so that we learn to get more humble and thus more receptive to others views and needs. Thus we start to become more aware of things that are happening around us, helping us further in the learning process as more and more truths and realizations about others and ourselves, dawn on us. Then empowered with all the knowledge thus gained, we can maneuver ourselves better not only on a personal or spiritual level but also in our dealings in this material world! Hence be thankful for those slow phases or dead ends that that your Higher Self has devised for you so that you keep moving forward – not only on the personal and spiritual level, but also on the materialistic front! Well, it not for nothing that it is said the God’s ways are indeed mysterious and mystifying!
Dr. Poonam Mehra
A MISCONCEPTION
The other day I had the rare opportunity of hearing one of India’s “literati’ speak. As expected, the language was impeccable – with a lot of usage of high-sounding words, flowery phrases and expressions – and all the ‘right’ ingredients that are required to create a spectacular and “bombastic” impression. Yes, it truly was an explosion of words that spouted out from the mouth of the speaker and just floored simplistic people like me in the audience. The words just flowed, regardless of the fact as to whether their usage was really helping in passing on the message which the speaker wanted to convey through the speech. I was so caught up in the beauty of the language of the speaker that I lost track of the message that the words were supposed to convey. The words impressed upon the brain, but made little impact on the mind and hence the essence of the lecture was totally lost to me. I came out dazed. Although the talk had created a great impact and though I understood and appreciated the language, but I could not understand the subject matter of the topic of the lecture. Why had this happened – because the speaker forgot that the primary objective of words and language is to help a speaker successfully express and convey to the fullest his/her thoughts to the maximum of people in the most concise and clearest possible manner. But if the speaker gets caught in the language itself, then the words are not able to communicate the information for which they are being used. Thus the prime purpose for which language has been formulated is defeated. The indiscriminate usage of complicated terms, phrases or expressions by the speaker does not really help in connecting with the audience – in fact it may result in the opposite as the words “spill into the ears and bounce off”. In such a case, there is no real give and take of knowledge – which is the primary goal when one speaks. Thus choosing the ‘right’ words while communicating usually determines the success or failure of a message being correctly received by the recipient, otherwise the communication degrades into just a vulgar display of so called “knowledge”.
Very often it is seen that people at high managerial levels (echelons) in the corporate world tend to use ‘high sounding’ language as a ‘matter of style’, even though they may be aware that more often than not whatever they are saying is going “over the top”. But they continue to do so because such “style” may be a way for them to actually hide their ignorance. They deliberately use “fancy words” so as to complicate the issue, or beat around the bush – thus confuse the other person into thinking that they are actually very knowledgeable, whereas in reality there may be gaps in their own understanding of the issue they speak on. Such behaviour stems from the perception that higher knowledge being very intricate and complicated is beyond the scope of understanding of the common layman – (otherwise it is cannot be termed “higher knowledge”) and only a highly intelligent or knowledgeable person can have an understanding of such complicated theories.
Many teachers – especially those teaching Science subjects like Physics or Engineering get so caught up in explaining the mathematics (the language of Physics) of a theory that the concept is totally lost to the student. The students on their part are so embroiled in understanding the intricacies of the mathematics involved in proving a theory that they forget to understand the how and why of the physical concept for which the theory was postulated in the first place. Hence the student is completely at a loss as to how to apply the knowledge he/she is supposed to have gained by the study of that particular theory to everyday life situations – or for that matter see and understand the Science in all that they see and observe in day to day life. That is one of the reasons why in spite of the tremendous ocean of intelligence at our command, India lags behind miserably in the field of Science and Technology.
The same holds true of the knowledge enshrined in the Vedas and various other great scriptures. Since time immemorial, we have been so caught up in the higher philosophy of our great texts, that somewhere along the way we forget that the primary goal of the philosophy is that common folks should be able to imbibe it in a way that it fits into their day-to-day living, so that it works for their welfare, fulfillment, upliftment and ultimately happiness in everyday living! But since the scholars deemed it unnecessary to explain the philosophy in terms understandable to the ordinary man, the sole purpose for which our ancient sages wrote that philosophy is lost and along with it is lost its import and its great message for human upliftment. They forgot that a race prospers only as along as its general population lives by the philosophy put forth by its great sons! Otherwise it gets caught up in just performing the rites and rituals, without deviation as regards the times, climate and conditions that they live in – and the philosophy just remains an unattainable goal – a complicated tool for self-aggrandisement, in a language which only the elite understand and its message which probably no one understands! This brings me to what the thespian film actor Dilip Kumar had to say about a certain genre of film-makes – “I do not approve of cinema that floats above the head even though it may be imparting a new film grammar”.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
Very often it is seen that people at high managerial levels (echelons) in the corporate world tend to use ‘high sounding’ language as a ‘matter of style’, even though they may be aware that more often than not whatever they are saying is going “over the top”. But they continue to do so because such “style” may be a way for them to actually hide their ignorance. They deliberately use “fancy words” so as to complicate the issue, or beat around the bush – thus confuse the other person into thinking that they are actually very knowledgeable, whereas in reality there may be gaps in their own understanding of the issue they speak on. Such behaviour stems from the perception that higher knowledge being very intricate and complicated is beyond the scope of understanding of the common layman – (otherwise it is cannot be termed “higher knowledge”) and only a highly intelligent or knowledgeable person can have an understanding of such complicated theories.
Many teachers – especially those teaching Science subjects like Physics or Engineering get so caught up in explaining the mathematics (the language of Physics) of a theory that the concept is totally lost to the student. The students on their part are so embroiled in understanding the intricacies of the mathematics involved in proving a theory that they forget to understand the how and why of the physical concept for which the theory was postulated in the first place. Hence the student is completely at a loss as to how to apply the knowledge he/she is supposed to have gained by the study of that particular theory to everyday life situations – or for that matter see and understand the Science in all that they see and observe in day to day life. That is one of the reasons why in spite of the tremendous ocean of intelligence at our command, India lags behind miserably in the field of Science and Technology.
The same holds true of the knowledge enshrined in the Vedas and various other great scriptures. Since time immemorial, we have been so caught up in the higher philosophy of our great texts, that somewhere along the way we forget that the primary goal of the philosophy is that common folks should be able to imbibe it in a way that it fits into their day-to-day living, so that it works for their welfare, fulfillment, upliftment and ultimately happiness in everyday living! But since the scholars deemed it unnecessary to explain the philosophy in terms understandable to the ordinary man, the sole purpose for which our ancient sages wrote that philosophy is lost and along with it is lost its import and its great message for human upliftment. They forgot that a race prospers only as along as its general population lives by the philosophy put forth by its great sons! Otherwise it gets caught up in just performing the rites and rituals, without deviation as regards the times, climate and conditions that they live in – and the philosophy just remains an unattainable goal – a complicated tool for self-aggrandisement, in a language which only the elite understand and its message which probably no one understands! This brings me to what the thespian film actor Dilip Kumar had to say about a certain genre of film-makes – “I do not approve of cinema that floats above the head even though it may be imparting a new film grammar”.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
THE MAYA
As one looks at the sky, one feels that the sky is till the horizon, but as one walks forward, the horizon goes on extending. In reality, there is no horizon; in fact there is no sky! Once the rocket pierces through the Earth’s atmosphere, the Truth is realized – it is the atmosphere that creates the ‘Maya’ – the illusion of the blue sky! In truth there is just space – endless DARK SPACE – it is just the presence of the particles of atmosphere around our Earth that causes the sky to appear blue during the day and a canvass splashed with various hues of red and pink at dawn and dusk!
Till man could see only with his eyes, he could not imagine the extent of the microscopic or the macroscopic universe. But the microscope and the telescope have made a large amount of this micro and macro-universe visible to our eyes. The radio telescopes have further extended the range to which we can observe our Universe – yet – we cannot see all, because every instrument has its limitations. Every new instrument extends the horizons of our sight – yet till it is developed we are at a loss to understand what lies beyond!
So also, as our vision is restricted due to the limitations of our five senses, we are ignorant of the workings of Nature at levels which our senses can not perceive. Thus all psychic and spiritual phenomena are either considered as mysteries or miracles or worse still as unreal, or the activities of an overactive mind. However, there is a Science behind every phenomena occurring in Nature whether it be physical, psychic or spiritual. After all, until man understood reflection, or refraction a lot of very simple physical phenomena was considered as magical! It is akin to the moment we uncover the mechanism by which a magician performs a particular trick, the magic is gone – it is nothing but application of a simple physical law. Similarly, by developing the higher powers and faculties that are potential within oneself, one can understand the Science (or workings) of the psychic and spiritual phenomena. Thus, as the veil of ignorance is lifted, one stage at a time, then will we truly realize that there is actually just one common Law – the Vedic “Rta” that governs all of Nature. It is then that we will understand that basically there is nothing except that ultimate consciousness that pervades everything, everywhere, all- around. Only then will we understand the One-ness in the seeming Diversity of forms. But till then it is difficult to understand GOD!
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Till man could see only with his eyes, he could not imagine the extent of the microscopic or the macroscopic universe. But the microscope and the telescope have made a large amount of this micro and macro-universe visible to our eyes. The radio telescopes have further extended the range to which we can observe our Universe – yet – we cannot see all, because every instrument has its limitations. Every new instrument extends the horizons of our sight – yet till it is developed we are at a loss to understand what lies beyond!
So also, as our vision is restricted due to the limitations of our five senses, we are ignorant of the workings of Nature at levels which our senses can not perceive. Thus all psychic and spiritual phenomena are either considered as mysteries or miracles or worse still as unreal, or the activities of an overactive mind. However, there is a Science behind every phenomena occurring in Nature whether it be physical, psychic or spiritual. After all, until man understood reflection, or refraction a lot of very simple physical phenomena was considered as magical! It is akin to the moment we uncover the mechanism by which a magician performs a particular trick, the magic is gone – it is nothing but application of a simple physical law. Similarly, by developing the higher powers and faculties that are potential within oneself, one can understand the Science (or workings) of the psychic and spiritual phenomena. Thus, as the veil of ignorance is lifted, one stage at a time, then will we truly realize that there is actually just one common Law – the Vedic “Rta” that governs all of Nature. It is then that we will understand that basically there is nothing except that ultimate consciousness that pervades everything, everywhere, all- around. Only then will we understand the One-ness in the seeming Diversity of forms. But till then it is difficult to understand GOD!
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Saturday, September 1, 2007
THE ULTIMATE REALITY
THE ULTIMATE REALITY
The starlit sky is such a romantic sight! But cosmology breaks down all these romantic notions; because the cold facts of our physical reality as understood through the study of astronomy hit us really hard. This planet, our solar system, the galaxy, clusters of galaxies – they appear so near yet are so far, so small yet are so large - these twinkling warm lights are actually gigantic fireballs! The everyday human concepts of space, length and time – all lose their significance when confronted with the vastness of just our solar family – let alone the immense, in fact infinite vastness of the Cosmos. Cosmology brings to fore the insignificance or littleness and fragility of our existence. Yet it also shows our exalted position in the midst of all creation – because it is only man – who is made in the image of God who has a mind and intelligence to probe and try to comprehend the incomprehensible. This reveals our greatness and superiority over all of creation!
Early man was in awe of nature – so he respected it out of fear. But modern man with all the information that Science has provided him with about the underlying principles of the working of Nature is today in a position to appreciate the immensity and intricacy of the mystery of God and His creation. Yet the more we gain knowledge about our cosmos, the more the total picture remains incomplete – as every answer brings with it a fresh set of questions to be answered. As we humans go deeper into the fundamentals of the basic building blocks of the physical existence of ourselves and our Universe, the more humbled we feel! Investigations in the fields of Cosmology and Astronomy are helping to build a picture of our Universe as regards its shape, size, extent and content. As the picture gets clearer, it further helps to make us realize our insignificance in the grand scheme of creation and the fraility of our existence. With this truth glaring at us in our face, a realization starts to dawn that one has to develop a larger perspective and rise above mundane, narrow selfish concerns. However, there is another greater truth awaiting – that – though there are limitations to one’s capabilities and abilities on a physical plane, but the scope of one’s abilities on the Spirit or mind level are limitless!!! It is after all in the expanded mind of the discoverer that the flash occurs about the idea and the mechanism of how he/she should go about making the discovery. You name any scientist, artist, philosopher, anyone who has made any bit of contribution to any branch of knowledge – and – he/she will have accepted this truth. Ordinary minds can only try to comprehend or imitate the ideas that germinate in these great minds. Even in our day-to-day life we come across innumerable instances when (without our realization) in a bit of expanded state of awareness, ideas have flashed in our minds regarding the solutions to our problems facing us at that point in time!
Thus as man now starts on a new journey into improving the capabilities of the mind – it brings to view further unchartered territories (akin to a scientist who first saw the sky with his naked eyes, then through the telescope more of the Universe was unveiled to him and today through the radio telescope the frontiers of that the observable Universe has are literally boundless) and he starts to understand that there are no bounds to the limits to which the mind can be raised! Gradually man realizes for himself through personal experience, the truth of the matter that man is not only made in the image of God but the fact that is written in the Vedic scriptures – “TAT TVAM ASI”, meaning “That thou art” is the ultimate reality.
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
The starlit sky is such a romantic sight! But cosmology breaks down all these romantic notions; because the cold facts of our physical reality as understood through the study of astronomy hit us really hard. This planet, our solar system, the galaxy, clusters of galaxies – they appear so near yet are so far, so small yet are so large - these twinkling warm lights are actually gigantic fireballs! The everyday human concepts of space, length and time – all lose their significance when confronted with the vastness of just our solar family – let alone the immense, in fact infinite vastness of the Cosmos. Cosmology brings to fore the insignificance or littleness and fragility of our existence. Yet it also shows our exalted position in the midst of all creation – because it is only man – who is made in the image of God who has a mind and intelligence to probe and try to comprehend the incomprehensible. This reveals our greatness and superiority over all of creation!
Early man was in awe of nature – so he respected it out of fear. But modern man with all the information that Science has provided him with about the underlying principles of the working of Nature is today in a position to appreciate the immensity and intricacy of the mystery of God and His creation. Yet the more we gain knowledge about our cosmos, the more the total picture remains incomplete – as every answer brings with it a fresh set of questions to be answered. As we humans go deeper into the fundamentals of the basic building blocks of the physical existence of ourselves and our Universe, the more humbled we feel! Investigations in the fields of Cosmology and Astronomy are helping to build a picture of our Universe as regards its shape, size, extent and content. As the picture gets clearer, it further helps to make us realize our insignificance in the grand scheme of creation and the fraility of our existence. With this truth glaring at us in our face, a realization starts to dawn that one has to develop a larger perspective and rise above mundane, narrow selfish concerns. However, there is another greater truth awaiting – that – though there are limitations to one’s capabilities and abilities on a physical plane, but the scope of one’s abilities on the Spirit or mind level are limitless!!! It is after all in the expanded mind of the discoverer that the flash occurs about the idea and the mechanism of how he/she should go about making the discovery. You name any scientist, artist, philosopher, anyone who has made any bit of contribution to any branch of knowledge – and – he/she will have accepted this truth. Ordinary minds can only try to comprehend or imitate the ideas that germinate in these great minds. Even in our day-to-day life we come across innumerable instances when (without our realization) in a bit of expanded state of awareness, ideas have flashed in our minds regarding the solutions to our problems facing us at that point in time!
Thus as man now starts on a new journey into improving the capabilities of the mind – it brings to view further unchartered territories (akin to a scientist who first saw the sky with his naked eyes, then through the telescope more of the Universe was unveiled to him and today through the radio telescope the frontiers of that the observable Universe has are literally boundless) and he starts to understand that there are no bounds to the limits to which the mind can be raised! Gradually man realizes for himself through personal experience, the truth of the matter that man is not only made in the image of God but the fact that is written in the Vedic scriptures – “TAT TVAM ASI”, meaning “That thou art” is the ultimate reality.
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
WARS FOR PEACE
WARS FOR PEACE
We live today in testing times, times when selfishness is reaching grotesque proportions. These are times when each one of us wants (and rightfully) a safe and peaceful existence. However, whether it is an individual, a community or a nation, if our safety and peace is threatened, we strike back with such venom, completely losing sight of the fact that the other party also has the right to a safe and peaceful existence. Man is fast losing sight of moral and ethical values and his capacity for empathizing with fellow beings and his self-control or self-restraint is touching new lows with the passage of time. But man must realize that in trying to create a haven for himself, he cannot create hell for others. The key to a safe and peaceful existence is a harmonious, safe and peaceful co-existence of all the peoples of the world.
In a war, whether it is between individuals or nations, each side will emphasize or showcase ‘its suffering, ‘its misery and talk about it in detail, simultaneously trying to overlook, ignore or make small of the suffering which is inflicted on the other side. But are not the people on the other side also human, with the same aspirations, the same joys, the same feelings of love and sacrifice for their children, the same prayers for their parents, and, the same sorrows! Whether it is my blood or your blood, it is after all human blood the spills across the war-lands. The children on both sides lose their parents; the parents on both sides lose their children. Then how is one misery greater or lesser than the other’s? Whether they is your wounds or my wounds, post-war, they do not heal. Buildings and cities can be rebuilt, but to re-build faith and friendship is a Herculean task, near impossible!
It is folly on the part of the powers that be to feel that war has to be fought to bring about peace. War tears to shreds the precious fabric of daily life that really requires peace to thrive on. Then how can war lead to peace, to safety, to happiness? Happiness for the human race is possible only when all the peoples of the world are embraced in a single human solidarity. When one person, group or nation feels that only they have the right to happiness while the rest languish in misery, it causes conflict --- this is how terrorists are born, and wars are fought for the satisfaction of the false egos of a few. Wars do not bring about solution; they bring more problems to be solved. Wars instigate further wars --- with periods of lull in between --- but no permanent peace. If we want permanent peace, we have to sit down and talk --- communicate with each other. Dialogue is "assertive” behaviour ---- war is “aggressive” behaviour. Aggression blinds, assertion clarifies. Assertion makes one realize not only one’s own rights, options, choices and wants, but also makes one acknowledge those of the other party. This makes life livable not only for one, but also for others. This brings about peaceful co-existence in daily life --- this brings about permanent peace! In the world today, the powers that be should be made to understand that the people of the world want “assertive” behaviour from them and not “aggressive” behaviour.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
We live today in testing times, times when selfishness is reaching grotesque proportions. These are times when each one of us wants (and rightfully) a safe and peaceful existence. However, whether it is an individual, a community or a nation, if our safety and peace is threatened, we strike back with such venom, completely losing sight of the fact that the other party also has the right to a safe and peaceful existence. Man is fast losing sight of moral and ethical values and his capacity for empathizing with fellow beings and his self-control or self-restraint is touching new lows with the passage of time. But man must realize that in trying to create a haven for himself, he cannot create hell for others. The key to a safe and peaceful existence is a harmonious, safe and peaceful co-existence of all the peoples of the world.
In a war, whether it is between individuals or nations, each side will emphasize or showcase ‘its suffering, ‘its misery and talk about it in detail, simultaneously trying to overlook, ignore or make small of the suffering which is inflicted on the other side. But are not the people on the other side also human, with the same aspirations, the same joys, the same feelings of love and sacrifice for their children, the same prayers for their parents, and, the same sorrows! Whether it is my blood or your blood, it is after all human blood the spills across the war-lands. The children on both sides lose their parents; the parents on both sides lose their children. Then how is one misery greater or lesser than the other’s? Whether they is your wounds or my wounds, post-war, they do not heal. Buildings and cities can be rebuilt, but to re-build faith and friendship is a Herculean task, near impossible!
It is folly on the part of the powers that be to feel that war has to be fought to bring about peace. War tears to shreds the precious fabric of daily life that really requires peace to thrive on. Then how can war lead to peace, to safety, to happiness? Happiness for the human race is possible only when all the peoples of the world are embraced in a single human solidarity. When one person, group or nation feels that only they have the right to happiness while the rest languish in misery, it causes conflict --- this is how terrorists are born, and wars are fought for the satisfaction of the false egos of a few. Wars do not bring about solution; they bring more problems to be solved. Wars instigate further wars --- with periods of lull in between --- but no permanent peace. If we want permanent peace, we have to sit down and talk --- communicate with each other. Dialogue is "assertive” behaviour ---- war is “aggressive” behaviour. Aggression blinds, assertion clarifies. Assertion makes one realize not only one’s own rights, options, choices and wants, but also makes one acknowledge those of the other party. This makes life livable not only for one, but also for others. This brings about peaceful co-existence in daily life --- this brings about permanent peace! In the world today, the powers that be should be made to understand that the people of the world want “assertive” behaviour from them and not “aggressive” behaviour.
Dr. Poonam Mehra
OUR WAR WITH NATURE
OUR WAR WITH NATURE
Genghis Khan was a nomad but probably he was among the first who successfully converted warfare into an organized way of life (to invent the powerful war machine). This fact is rather important in deciding the origins of war in human history. Of course, we can always close our eyes to history and instead speculate about the roots of war in some possible animal instinct -–as if like the tiger, we still had to kill to live, or, like the bird we had to defend our nesting territory. But what we are talking about is organized war, which I think is a highly planned and co-operative form of theft. This form of theft began around 10,000 years ago when some human tribes had civilized enough to harvest wheat and accumulate a surplus. It was then that the nomads came from the desert to rob them of what they they could not provide for themselves. Genghis Khan and his Mongol dynasty brought that thieving way of life into our own millennium. They attempted to establish the supremacy of the robber who produces nothing and who, in his reckless way comes to take from the peasant (who has nowhere to flee) the surplus that agriculture accumulates.
This line of thought is true even today. The nomads of today are the globe-trotting, jet-set urbanites who are so reckless and arrogant that they not only take away the surplus that agriculture accumulates, but are hell-bent on plundering the very Nature (air, wind, water) that sustains all. So great has the arrogance and ego of this species grown that in its effort to prove its supremacy over all creation, it is waging a war against the creator – Nature herself! The 20th century has seen the maximum consumption and depletion of Nature’s resources which it freely allows man to use. The nomads of yesteryears were barbaric; but even in their ignorance, they knew that they had to respect Nature and if they had to survive and thrive, they had to live in harmony with her. They domesticated and reared animals, killing only as many as required to provide for their food, shelter and clothing. Then after a passage of time they moved to greener pastures so as to let Nature regain her vitality; revisiting the place after such time when Nature there was healthy enough to provide for them again. But what do we say of the well-educated, civilized, settlers of today, who with all their knowledge about Nature and her moods do not spare a moment’s thought for Mother Nature. All that they think about is taking from Nature – never returning anything back to her!
But they forget that Nature does not fight a well-planned war. She uses guerilla tactics! We learn in History that the might of the great Mughals was made to bite dust by a small time Maratha chieftain – Shivaji! It is a long drawn war – the guerilla attacks taking heavy toll of man and means. How ironical that the means used by man to plunder and fight Nature are provided by Nature herself. Then why can man not understand that if he wants to live his life in comfort he should treat Nature as a friend and ally and give her some breathing space? If man with Nature signs this peace pact she will be ever ready to provide for him always. But maybe man is doomed never to learn his lesson from History!
During his ascent, man has become an architect of his environment (this is a myth, which he loves to believe in), but he has to understand that he does not command forces as powerful as those of Nature. His powerful weapons are like the boomerang that is not only harming Nature but will annihilate him completely in the process. His methods so far had been selective and probing – an intellectual approach in which action depends on understanding Nature. But of late he has become over daring. His probing has reached limits of endurance. Like the doctor who, when unable to diagnose the ailment start experimenting with the patient to cure him - –so also Man, in his half knowledge has started experimenting dangerously with Nature in a bid to control her and change her according to his whims and fancies! Beware man, before it is too late! Always remember that it is you who are a part of Nature and not the other way round.
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Genghis Khan was a nomad but probably he was among the first who successfully converted warfare into an organized way of life (to invent the powerful war machine). This fact is rather important in deciding the origins of war in human history. Of course, we can always close our eyes to history and instead speculate about the roots of war in some possible animal instinct -–as if like the tiger, we still had to kill to live, or, like the bird we had to defend our nesting territory. But what we are talking about is organized war, which I think is a highly planned and co-operative form of theft. This form of theft began around 10,000 years ago when some human tribes had civilized enough to harvest wheat and accumulate a surplus. It was then that the nomads came from the desert to rob them of what they they could not provide for themselves. Genghis Khan and his Mongol dynasty brought that thieving way of life into our own millennium. They attempted to establish the supremacy of the robber who produces nothing and who, in his reckless way comes to take from the peasant (who has nowhere to flee) the surplus that agriculture accumulates.
This line of thought is true even today. The nomads of today are the globe-trotting, jet-set urbanites who are so reckless and arrogant that they not only take away the surplus that agriculture accumulates, but are hell-bent on plundering the very Nature (air, wind, water) that sustains all. So great has the arrogance and ego of this species grown that in its effort to prove its supremacy over all creation, it is waging a war against the creator – Nature herself! The 20th century has seen the maximum consumption and depletion of Nature’s resources which it freely allows man to use. The nomads of yesteryears were barbaric; but even in their ignorance, they knew that they had to respect Nature and if they had to survive and thrive, they had to live in harmony with her. They domesticated and reared animals, killing only as many as required to provide for their food, shelter and clothing. Then after a passage of time they moved to greener pastures so as to let Nature regain her vitality; revisiting the place after such time when Nature there was healthy enough to provide for them again. But what do we say of the well-educated, civilized, settlers of today, who with all their knowledge about Nature and her moods do not spare a moment’s thought for Mother Nature. All that they think about is taking from Nature – never returning anything back to her!
But they forget that Nature does not fight a well-planned war. She uses guerilla tactics! We learn in History that the might of the great Mughals was made to bite dust by a small time Maratha chieftain – Shivaji! It is a long drawn war – the guerilla attacks taking heavy toll of man and means. How ironical that the means used by man to plunder and fight Nature are provided by Nature herself. Then why can man not understand that if he wants to live his life in comfort he should treat Nature as a friend and ally and give her some breathing space? If man with Nature signs this peace pact she will be ever ready to provide for him always. But maybe man is doomed never to learn his lesson from History!
During his ascent, man has become an architect of his environment (this is a myth, which he loves to believe in), but he has to understand that he does not command forces as powerful as those of Nature. His powerful weapons are like the boomerang that is not only harming Nature but will annihilate him completely in the process. His methods so far had been selective and probing – an intellectual approach in which action depends on understanding Nature. But of late he has become over daring. His probing has reached limits of endurance. Like the doctor who, when unable to diagnose the ailment start experimenting with the patient to cure him - –so also Man, in his half knowledge has started experimenting dangerously with Nature in a bid to control her and change her according to his whims and fancies! Beware man, before it is too late! Always remember that it is you who are a part of Nature and not the other way round.
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Friday, August 10, 2007
TRULY LIBERATED
TRULY LIBERATED!
Great seers have often said that we humans make our own heaven or hell, and that also on this Earth itself, in this very life. It sounds strange, why should someone try to build a hell for him/herself? But it is true. Have you not seen a poor man living happily and a rich man who is very desolate and full of misery and wondered what could the reason for such dichotomy be? Well, it is not necessarily that poverty or wealth, old age or youth, disease or good health or some other external circumstances that cause people to lead lives as though in hell or heaven, but it is the state of our mind that causes a living hell or heaven.
People who are prone to jealousy, anger, desire for power, fame or wealth are the ones who are constantly living in the burning fires of hell. Their minds are always restless. They are jealous or angry because they want to possess more and more – and in their unreasonable hunger to acquire more, they even cross boundaries to start acquiring what rightfully belongs to someone else. They remain happy so long as they get what they want, but the slightest hint of failure brings untold sorrow and pain. But man is not always successful in his endeavors – and a person whose has the capability to remain calm during times of reverse or fluctuating fortunes is the one who remains happy – he knows to create his own heaven. But a person who is able to maintain equipoise and balance in the face of both, success and failure, love and hatred, pain and pleasure – any type of duality is the person who is surely and truly detached.
Desires mean attachments, with attachment arises dependence on the object of your attachment and with dependence comes slavery. You are then controlled by your attachments. If the object of your attachment (desire) is out of your reach, you are miserable and hanker after it till you possess it. Then again, if and when you manage to acquire it, you are in constant fear of losing it. This fear does not allow you to even enjoy the object of you desire. Thereby your freedom of expression, behavior, and outlook on life, all become limited. What ever you do, the decision you make, your interactions etc. are all done with a view so as to either obtain the cherished object, or else not to lose it in case you have acquired it or are in possession of it. You define yourself by your possessions, you identify with them. Your possessions begin to dominate or control you. Thus, in spite of all your wealth, you behave not like the master, but like the servant – who is forever fearful of losing his job, which is the sole means of his sustenance, maintenance and existence in this world. You operate from a feeling of poverty rather than that of abundance! Your happiness becomes dependent on your haves and have- nots. But if you can become detached then you are your own master and of all situations. The remote control of your happiness is not with the circumstances around you. You remain happy irrespective of whether someone loves you or hates you, whether you are praised or talked badly about, whether situations are conducive or not, whether there is success or failure. The chains of the world – its MAYA cannot sway you – and even though living in this world - you are LIBERATED!!!!!!!!
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Great seers have often said that we humans make our own heaven or hell, and that also on this Earth itself, in this very life. It sounds strange, why should someone try to build a hell for him/herself? But it is true. Have you not seen a poor man living happily and a rich man who is very desolate and full of misery and wondered what could the reason for such dichotomy be? Well, it is not necessarily that poverty or wealth, old age or youth, disease or good health or some other external circumstances that cause people to lead lives as though in hell or heaven, but it is the state of our mind that causes a living hell or heaven.
People who are prone to jealousy, anger, desire for power, fame or wealth are the ones who are constantly living in the burning fires of hell. Their minds are always restless. They are jealous or angry because they want to possess more and more – and in their unreasonable hunger to acquire more, they even cross boundaries to start acquiring what rightfully belongs to someone else. They remain happy so long as they get what they want, but the slightest hint of failure brings untold sorrow and pain. But man is not always successful in his endeavors – and a person whose has the capability to remain calm during times of reverse or fluctuating fortunes is the one who remains happy – he knows to create his own heaven. But a person who is able to maintain equipoise and balance in the face of both, success and failure, love and hatred, pain and pleasure – any type of duality is the person who is surely and truly detached.
Desires mean attachments, with attachment arises dependence on the object of your attachment and with dependence comes slavery. You are then controlled by your attachments. If the object of your attachment (desire) is out of your reach, you are miserable and hanker after it till you possess it. Then again, if and when you manage to acquire it, you are in constant fear of losing it. This fear does not allow you to even enjoy the object of you desire. Thereby your freedom of expression, behavior, and outlook on life, all become limited. What ever you do, the decision you make, your interactions etc. are all done with a view so as to either obtain the cherished object, or else not to lose it in case you have acquired it or are in possession of it. You define yourself by your possessions, you identify with them. Your possessions begin to dominate or control you. Thus, in spite of all your wealth, you behave not like the master, but like the servant – who is forever fearful of losing his job, which is the sole means of his sustenance, maintenance and existence in this world. You operate from a feeling of poverty rather than that of abundance! Your happiness becomes dependent on your haves and have- nots. But if you can become detached then you are your own master and of all situations. The remote control of your happiness is not with the circumstances around you. You remain happy irrespective of whether someone loves you or hates you, whether you are praised or talked badly about, whether situations are conducive or not, whether there is success or failure. The chains of the world – its MAYA cannot sway you – and even though living in this world - you are LIBERATED!!!!!!!!
DR. POONAM MEHRA
THE AVATAR
THE AVATAR
Life on this planet is made up of two parts – the non-conscient and the conscient. In one’s life some desires are fulfilled and some remain unfulfilled. So one has to take another birth to frutify the unfulfilled desires of the previous birth. Till even one desire remains, a soul is bound to take rebirth. The Geeta says that even the desire to attain ‘moksha’ or liberation is a ‘desire’. Thus if one has to really get liberated, one has to even give up the desire for attaining ‘moksha’. So, just as ‘desire’ makes the whole world go round, it is ‘desire ‘that makes the conscient and the non-conscient to come together and birth takes place.
According to Swami Chinmayananda the word ‘avatar’ means ‘the fallen one’. So the moment desire for the good of humanity comes to the already liberated soul or the consciousness of God an ‘avatar’ is born – falling from the higher planes of consciousness to the lower planes of physical reality as we know it on Earth. After all the whole of Nature or Universe was created because God ‘desired’ to manifest Himself!!!
So fine, desire it is that creates, manifests. But the moment something is created (may it be by God Himself), there is imperfection inherent in it – because the creator only is perfect, otherwise the created becomes the Creator – and – that is not possible. Does this then not imply that the liberated souls, when they take birth as ‘avatars’ are also imperfect human beings and hence they should again yet bound by the ‘karmas’ of that birth and the whole cycle of birth and death restarts for them. Some people say “No” to this because according to them God is not bound by the laws of Karma. Their line of reasoning is that if God were also bound by Karma, then He no longer remains the Supreme Being. It is just that He has taken birth voluntarily (for the re-establishment of Dharma) like a king who decides to go around his city in the garb of a beggar.
However, my personal opinion on this is that the Karma theory binds all. There are no exceptions to this rule. But the Karmas performed by an avatar are so pure, meaning they are done in such a spirit of detachment that no Karma gets accrued to the avatar. Let me explain this. The ‘avatar’ in the first place is a liberated soul or a soul that is already awakened to the Higher Consciousness. Just as when one has woken from a dream, his actions in the dream do not affect him after waking up from sleep, so also, when one is awakened to the Higher Consciousness he cannot be affected by his actions in a lower state of consciousness i.e., physical state of life on this planet. As he is already a realized soul, the ‘doer ship’ mentality or ego is absent is him (as the imprints of his higher consciousness are imprinted on his soul). Swami Chinmayananda, in one of his lectures said that an awakened soul being a completely integrated personality has the vision of ‘Unity in Diversity’. According to Swamiji such a personality in all his physical, mental and intellectual contacts serves only the Self i.e., the Supreme Being present in all. He never acts like a body passionately, as a mind egoistically or as an intellect arrogantly. Hence, inspite of living a world full of lusts, desires, temptations, pain, passion, like and dislikes, he is not affected by this finite world – his realization is not compromised. Thus, inspite of his imperfections he leads a detached life. Even though he may commit some mistakes, as his actions are not done with any mollified intentions, rather they are done for the overall good of the majority and for the re-establishment of Dharma or the ‘Rta’, and with an attitude of complete detachment. So his Karma does not stick to him. Hence the ‘avatar’ does not get bound by the Karmas of his ‘avatar birth’ and again returns back to the higher planes of consciousness from where it came, at the completion of his life. The cycle of birth and death does not restart for him. After all does not the Gita say that to break the cycle of life and death, one should perform Karma with complete detachment, giving up even the desire for ‘Moksha’!!!!
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
Life on this planet is made up of two parts – the non-conscient and the conscient. In one’s life some desires are fulfilled and some remain unfulfilled. So one has to take another birth to frutify the unfulfilled desires of the previous birth. Till even one desire remains, a soul is bound to take rebirth. The Geeta says that even the desire to attain ‘moksha’ or liberation is a ‘desire’. Thus if one has to really get liberated, one has to even give up the desire for attaining ‘moksha’. So, just as ‘desire’ makes the whole world go round, it is ‘desire ‘that makes the conscient and the non-conscient to come together and birth takes place.
According to Swami Chinmayananda the word ‘avatar’ means ‘the fallen one’. So the moment desire for the good of humanity comes to the already liberated soul or the consciousness of God an ‘avatar’ is born – falling from the higher planes of consciousness to the lower planes of physical reality as we know it on Earth. After all the whole of Nature or Universe was created because God ‘desired’ to manifest Himself!!!
So fine, desire it is that creates, manifests. But the moment something is created (may it be by God Himself), there is imperfection inherent in it – because the creator only is perfect, otherwise the created becomes the Creator – and – that is not possible. Does this then not imply that the liberated souls, when they take birth as ‘avatars’ are also imperfect human beings and hence they should again yet bound by the ‘karmas’ of that birth and the whole cycle of birth and death restarts for them. Some people say “No” to this because according to them God is not bound by the laws of Karma. Their line of reasoning is that if God were also bound by Karma, then He no longer remains the Supreme Being. It is just that He has taken birth voluntarily (for the re-establishment of Dharma) like a king who decides to go around his city in the garb of a beggar.
However, my personal opinion on this is that the Karma theory binds all. There are no exceptions to this rule. But the Karmas performed by an avatar are so pure, meaning they are done in such a spirit of detachment that no Karma gets accrued to the avatar. Let me explain this. The ‘avatar’ in the first place is a liberated soul or a soul that is already awakened to the Higher Consciousness. Just as when one has woken from a dream, his actions in the dream do not affect him after waking up from sleep, so also, when one is awakened to the Higher Consciousness he cannot be affected by his actions in a lower state of consciousness i.e., physical state of life on this planet. As he is already a realized soul, the ‘doer ship’ mentality or ego is absent is him (as the imprints of his higher consciousness are imprinted on his soul). Swami Chinmayananda, in one of his lectures said that an awakened soul being a completely integrated personality has the vision of ‘Unity in Diversity’. According to Swamiji such a personality in all his physical, mental and intellectual contacts serves only the Self i.e., the Supreme Being present in all. He never acts like a body passionately, as a mind egoistically or as an intellect arrogantly. Hence, inspite of living a world full of lusts, desires, temptations, pain, passion, like and dislikes, he is not affected by this finite world – his realization is not compromised. Thus, inspite of his imperfections he leads a detached life. Even though he may commit some mistakes, as his actions are not done with any mollified intentions, rather they are done for the overall good of the majority and for the re-establishment of Dharma or the ‘Rta’, and with an attitude of complete detachment. So his Karma does not stick to him. Hence the ‘avatar’ does not get bound by the Karmas of his ‘avatar birth’ and again returns back to the higher planes of consciousness from where it came, at the completion of his life. The cycle of birth and death does not restart for him. After all does not the Gita say that to break the cycle of life and death, one should perform Karma with complete detachment, giving up even the desire for ‘Moksha’!!!!
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO, WELL
Work without motive or “nishkama karma’ or ‘karma yoga’ is the main teaching of the Gita. Analysis will bear out the fact that work done for its own sake, for the sheer joy of it, as an end in itself, and without thoughts of extrinsic rewards, brings untold joy, peace and blessings.
Energy which would otherwise be used (dissipated) in brooding, worrying or hankering over the faults and fruits of labour – when channelised into work at hand, improves the quality and quantity of work done. When one works for the sheer joy of working, then goodness of heart, hard work, inspiration, enthusiasm, focus and concentration – all come together during the performance of the work – and that in itself is the reward for the performer. When one focuses on the work, one ‘flows’ with it. Hence there is no resistance offered. This brings about more clarity in the thought process. No thoughts for attaining status, money or acclaim arise in the mind of the performer. This automatically results in a feeling of supreme control, confidence and pride in doing the work. In this state of ‘flow’, work becomes play, which enables the performer to be fully motivated and enthused till the activity is completed. So Karma yoga is not to just ’Do what you have to do’, but it is ‘Do what you have to do, with your heart and soul in it with a smile on your face and a song in your heart’. Then, even while performing the most stressful or the most ordinary, easy, dull and mundane jobs, the performer experiences no fatigue – rather - an atmosphere of cheerfulness, pleasantness and happiness is created all around that uplifts not only the performer, but even those in the vicinity. Thus by just doing his job well, the performer is blessed – he is that much closer to God and the goal seems that much nearer – what a pay-off for just doing what you are supposed to be doing!!!!
Let us take the example of an artist. An artist is primarily considered a creator and one is at one’s creative best when one puts one’s body, mind and soul into that which is being created. When one works from the heart, one arrives at the inner core – that which is in unity with God – and then art becomes an expression of the True Self. As one gets more and more immersed in one’s art, one starts to shed the worldly view. It is then that the divine image starts reflecting in one’s chosen art form. Many a saint in that exalted state of mind has expressed that inner voice in the form of poetry, literature, devotional songs, painting or music that moves one and all. The works of Kabir, Mirabai, Tukaram (to name just a few) are really God speaking through their poetry and songs. No wonder there is so much similarity in what they speak, because they speak from the realm of the Universal Oneness! The whole universe is an expression or manifestation of God and He chooses to reveal Himself through the artistic expressions of mere mortals and we call such mortals ‘saints’! These people outdid themselves because they immersed themselves to such an extent in their work that they got ‘insight’ or ‘intuition’ through their work. This intuition is actually the subconscious mind at work, which is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg that is submerged deep within and yet pervades all around. This is the all pervading, all knowing ‘Consciousness’ – nothing is unknown to It. Yet in our ignorance we term it the ‘unknown unconsciousness’ because we have not been able to understand it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Work without motive or “nishkama karma’ or ‘karma yoga’ is the main teaching of the Gita. Analysis will bear out the fact that work done for its own sake, for the sheer joy of it, as an end in itself, and without thoughts of extrinsic rewards, brings untold joy, peace and blessings.
Energy which would otherwise be used (dissipated) in brooding, worrying or hankering over the faults and fruits of labour – when channelised into work at hand, improves the quality and quantity of work done. When one works for the sheer joy of working, then goodness of heart, hard work, inspiration, enthusiasm, focus and concentration – all come together during the performance of the work – and that in itself is the reward for the performer. When one focuses on the work, one ‘flows’ with it. Hence there is no resistance offered. This brings about more clarity in the thought process. No thoughts for attaining status, money or acclaim arise in the mind of the performer. This automatically results in a feeling of supreme control, confidence and pride in doing the work. In this state of ‘flow’, work becomes play, which enables the performer to be fully motivated and enthused till the activity is completed. So Karma yoga is not to just ’Do what you have to do’, but it is ‘Do what you have to do, with your heart and soul in it with a smile on your face and a song in your heart’. Then, even while performing the most stressful or the most ordinary, easy, dull and mundane jobs, the performer experiences no fatigue – rather - an atmosphere of cheerfulness, pleasantness and happiness is created all around that uplifts not only the performer, but even those in the vicinity. Thus by just doing his job well, the performer is blessed – he is that much closer to God and the goal seems that much nearer – what a pay-off for just doing what you are supposed to be doing!!!!
Let us take the example of an artist. An artist is primarily considered a creator and one is at one’s creative best when one puts one’s body, mind and soul into that which is being created. When one works from the heart, one arrives at the inner core – that which is in unity with God – and then art becomes an expression of the True Self. As one gets more and more immersed in one’s art, one starts to shed the worldly view. It is then that the divine image starts reflecting in one’s chosen art form. Many a saint in that exalted state of mind has expressed that inner voice in the form of poetry, literature, devotional songs, painting or music that moves one and all. The works of Kabir, Mirabai, Tukaram (to name just a few) are really God speaking through their poetry and songs. No wonder there is so much similarity in what they speak, because they speak from the realm of the Universal Oneness! The whole universe is an expression or manifestation of God and He chooses to reveal Himself through the artistic expressions of mere mortals and we call such mortals ‘saints’! These people outdid themselves because they immersed themselves to such an extent in their work that they got ‘insight’ or ‘intuition’ through their work. This intuition is actually the subconscious mind at work, which is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg that is submerged deep within and yet pervades all around. This is the all pervading, all knowing ‘Consciousness’ – nothing is unknown to It. Yet in our ignorance we term it the ‘unknown unconsciousness’ because we have not been able to understand it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Monday, July 9, 2007
FREEDOM
The world is in a constant state of conflict. We are always in a combative mood – children and parents, men and women, students and teachers, the rulers and the ruled – the list is endless. What are all fighting for? Well, as it seems, each one is dissatisfied, everyone is fed up of being controlled by others (as they perceive it)! But is it really freedom that we want? No, I think what we are looking for is freedom from our responsibilities – our duties! Let us for example take children and parents. Children think “Adults do not let us do or buy what we want. If we had money, we would not be dependent on them and thus could do as we liked. When we become adults, we’ll have lots of money and time and live as we want”. But on becoming adults one learns that though one has the freedom of choice for a lot of things, but first one has to earn, pay taxes, save, budget, prioritize and so on and so forth – so that one can spend on what one wants. Added to this of course is the perennial shortage of the time to relax and live life as one wants! Thus one realizes that though one gets one type of freedom, one lands up into another type of drudgery.
Take another example – the classic example of women. Women think that financial dependence on the male is the core issue to all their woes. So they start working towards becoming economically independent. Yes, in the beginning, there is the euphoria of the tremendous sense of liberation. But over a period of time, she starts to realize that now she has got caught up in servitude to the rules of her work place. Though she has the money, but now she hardly has any time to enjoy that money. So to lighten her burden, she keeps help at home to do the household chores and ends up being held to ransom to them the whims and fancies of the domestic help – and she throws up her hands in exasperation and says – I just want some time for myself – she yearns for this ‘freedom’. If she gives up her job and sits at home (having earned enough), she has all the time in the world for herself, which she utilizes in mindless shopping or gossip sessions, movies or doing mundane jobs which may necessarily not provide her any real motivation. Now caught in the clutches of boredom, she yet again screams for freedom – well - and now freedom from what?
People on the road complain about traffic rules. Everybody wants to speed off in their vehicles changing lanes as they wish, no hindrance of signal crossings etc. But do you realize that freedom from traffic rules means landing up in a greater traffic jam – where further time is lost, leading to perhaps missing appointments, or an ambulance or fire brigade not being able to make it in time to save lives in times of emergencies, unnecessary loss of precious fuel etc.
We criticize and abuse the person who concocted the idea of God – because if God is up there somewhere, He will punish us for our wrong doings. So we want freedom from God. But stop to think for a moment. If there were no concept of God, whom would we blame for our misfortune, whom would we make a scapegoat for a job not well-performed – then we would have to take responsibility for everything!!!
The examples are endless – but we have to realize one thing – freedom or bondage, whatever is there, it is only in the mind. We perform an act, judge it in our mind as good or bad, and ourselves execute the punishment or reward for it. Accordingly, we are frustrated or happy - we are bonded or liberated. But remember, whatever the situation is; there are always two ways of looking at it. A child instead of feeling disgruntled that he has no freedom to do what he/she likes, may very well say, “I am free, because I do not have the responsibility of earning and taking care of myself and my elders”. The same holds true for any other example. How we look at a situation is a play of the mind. As long as there is a veil over the mind, it constricts our vision, we feel bondaged. So to be really, totally free, to truly feel liberated, first free the mind of its conditioning. Learn to look at things from an entirely different perspective. Bondage is a mental psychosis that Man has created through his mind process. There is a beautiful observation in the Upanishads about the basic nature of the Universe, “It originates in freedom, exists in Freedom and dissolves into Freedom”. This implies that everything originates from, exists in and dissolves into the Freedom of the Brahman. In essence, there is nothing but Freedom. Yet if we think that there is bondage, then it is a fault of our perception.
As long as one works from a physical plane, one has to work within some bonds, within certain parameters and limitations. However, if one is able to free oneself from the mind – there is complete, everlasting bliss. But how does one free oneself from the mind – the mind has become the MASTER and we see things as it wants us to see things, and to top it all, it keeps changing its MIND as it tries to see things from various different perspectives. In the process its constant chatter confuses our intelligence! Also, they say mind transcends time and space – because it is the fastest, it can go anywhere, anytime and within no time. If something cannot be contained, is so restless, so effervescent, how can one free oneself of it? The only way toward this end is to expand the frontiers of your mind. As the mind starts expanding, the force of its bondage slowly but surely starts weakening. Then one can break oneself from the conditionings of the mind, its pettiness and its attachments. As each frontier is won over, you start to experience liberation. Slowly and steadily, the true Freedom of the Infinite Brahman will be yours forever. It is like the astronaut who in his spacecraft breaks free of the binding gravity of the Earth and then with a long cord that keeps him attached to the body of the spacecraft, steps out – free to merge with the Infinite Space. The soul is the astronaut, the body is the spacecraft, the mind is the cord that allows for freedom – the longer it is, the more the sense of liberation, till one day you have the courage to totally break free – even the binding cord – completely free to merge in the Infinite Brahman.
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
The world is in a constant state of conflict. We are always in a combative mood – children and parents, men and women, students and teachers, the rulers and the ruled – the list is endless. What are all fighting for? Well, as it seems, each one is dissatisfied, everyone is fed up of being controlled by others (as they perceive it)! But is it really freedom that we want? No, I think what we are looking for is freedom from our responsibilities – our duties! Let us for example take children and parents. Children think “Adults do not let us do or buy what we want. If we had money, we would not be dependent on them and thus could do as we liked. When we become adults, we’ll have lots of money and time and live as we want”. But on becoming adults one learns that though one has the freedom of choice for a lot of things, but first one has to earn, pay taxes, save, budget, prioritize and so on and so forth – so that one can spend on what one wants. Added to this of course is the perennial shortage of the time to relax and live life as one wants! Thus one realizes that though one gets one type of freedom, one lands up into another type of drudgery.
Take another example – the classic example of women. Women think that financial dependence on the male is the core issue to all their woes. So they start working towards becoming economically independent. Yes, in the beginning, there is the euphoria of the tremendous sense of liberation. But over a period of time, she starts to realize that now she has got caught up in servitude to the rules of her work place. Though she has the money, but now she hardly has any time to enjoy that money. So to lighten her burden, she keeps help at home to do the household chores and ends up being held to ransom to them the whims and fancies of the domestic help – and she throws up her hands in exasperation and says – I just want some time for myself – she yearns for this ‘freedom’. If she gives up her job and sits at home (having earned enough), she has all the time in the world for herself, which she utilizes in mindless shopping or gossip sessions, movies or doing mundane jobs which may necessarily not provide her any real motivation. Now caught in the clutches of boredom, she yet again screams for freedom – well - and now freedom from what?
People on the road complain about traffic rules. Everybody wants to speed off in their vehicles changing lanes as they wish, no hindrance of signal crossings etc. But do you realize that freedom from traffic rules means landing up in a greater traffic jam – where further time is lost, leading to perhaps missing appointments, or an ambulance or fire brigade not being able to make it in time to save lives in times of emergencies, unnecessary loss of precious fuel etc.
We criticize and abuse the person who concocted the idea of God – because if God is up there somewhere, He will punish us for our wrong doings. So we want freedom from God. But stop to think for a moment. If there were no concept of God, whom would we blame for our misfortune, whom would we make a scapegoat for a job not well-performed – then we would have to take responsibility for everything!!!
The examples are endless – but we have to realize one thing – freedom or bondage, whatever is there, it is only in the mind. We perform an act, judge it in our mind as good or bad, and ourselves execute the punishment or reward for it. Accordingly, we are frustrated or happy - we are bonded or liberated. But remember, whatever the situation is; there are always two ways of looking at it. A child instead of feeling disgruntled that he has no freedom to do what he/she likes, may very well say, “I am free, because I do not have the responsibility of earning and taking care of myself and my elders”. The same holds true for any other example. How we look at a situation is a play of the mind. As long as there is a veil over the mind, it constricts our vision, we feel bondaged. So to be really, totally free, to truly feel liberated, first free the mind of its conditioning. Learn to look at things from an entirely different perspective. Bondage is a mental psychosis that Man has created through his mind process. There is a beautiful observation in the Upanishads about the basic nature of the Universe, “It originates in freedom, exists in Freedom and dissolves into Freedom”. This implies that everything originates from, exists in and dissolves into the Freedom of the Brahman. In essence, there is nothing but Freedom. Yet if we think that there is bondage, then it is a fault of our perception.
As long as one works from a physical plane, one has to work within some bonds, within certain parameters and limitations. However, if one is able to free oneself from the mind – there is complete, everlasting bliss. But how does one free oneself from the mind – the mind has become the MASTER and we see things as it wants us to see things, and to top it all, it keeps changing its MIND as it tries to see things from various different perspectives. In the process its constant chatter confuses our intelligence! Also, they say mind transcends time and space – because it is the fastest, it can go anywhere, anytime and within no time. If something cannot be contained, is so restless, so effervescent, how can one free oneself of it? The only way toward this end is to expand the frontiers of your mind. As the mind starts expanding, the force of its bondage slowly but surely starts weakening. Then one can break oneself from the conditionings of the mind, its pettiness and its attachments. As each frontier is won over, you start to experience liberation. Slowly and steadily, the true Freedom of the Infinite Brahman will be yours forever. It is like the astronaut who in his spacecraft breaks free of the binding gravity of the Earth and then with a long cord that keeps him attached to the body of the spacecraft, steps out – free to merge with the Infinite Space. The soul is the astronaut, the body is the spacecraft, the mind is the cord that allows for freedom – the longer it is, the more the sense of liberation, till one day you have the courage to totally break free – even the binding cord – completely free to merge in the Infinite Brahman.
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
The Concept of Brahmacharya
THE CONCEPT OF BRAHMACHARYA
The wise in the hoary days had structured the human life into four stages – the Bramacharya ashram, the Grihastashram, the Vanprastashram and the Sanyasashram. The word ‘Brahmacharya’ is understood to mean celibacy. English dictionaries define celibacy as remaining single or abstaining from sexual relations, often for religious reasons. HOWEVER Brahmacharya does not merely mean to remain a bachelor. It actually refers to the diligent, focused study of the Brahman, and to learn to conduct one’s self in a proper way in society under all circumstances. With this goal in mind it was thought it would be more conducive that the students be celibate – so as to avoid unnecessary distractions to the mind! Hence Brahmacharya came to be equaled with celibacy. But what it really means is to lead a disciplined, pure life dedicated to the principle of universal love – which is God. Celibacy was prescribed for students and for those who were in the pursuit of knowledge. This is so, since truth can be taught only up to a particular point. Beyond that, it has to be assimilated by one’s own efforts. This is possible only if the seeker leads a focused and disciplined life. Otherwise his energy instead of being channelised for spiritual upliftment (to the higher charkas), will be dissipated away due to external distractions (one of the main being sex) in the lower charkas itself. Brahmacharya ashram may be likened to be the ‘foundation’ of a building. Thus if the foundation is strong, then it can safely be assumed that the rest of life will automatically taken care of. This is the reason why so much stress was laid on a celibate way of life – so that since early on in life it is inculcated in the child to live in discipline irrespective of the circumstances.
Sex was treated as a communion of love and trust for continuity of creation – just a physical, but sacred act for preparation of the male and the female to conceive a body for a soul to reside in. Hence in those days, it was the sacred duty of a person (male or female) to get into Grishastashram after the stipulated twelve year period of Brahmacharya ashram was over. If the person was a male then he had to have a decent means of living before he started his family. Propagation of the human race was necessary in those days of low mortality. For these reasons probably the great seers divided the life of an average human being into the four ashrams, namely, Brahmacharyashram (to be utilized to gain knowledge), Grihastashram to be spent in propagating the race and taking care of them), Vanprastashram (to develop detachment from worldly affairs and handing over the reins to the next generation) and Sanyasashram (to be spent in the discovery of God). In this way society could function smoothly. Thus throughout our scriptures, we come across innumerable instances of rishis and great seers having wives, the gods also have their respective consorts. They lead fulfilling lives of householders and chose teaching and propagating Knowledge as their profession and yet never strayed from the path of discipline, truth and God. However when one strays from this path and sex becomes lust, i.e. unbridled and mindless, done just for self-gratification - that is when the problem starts. This condition has to be avoided by all means. Although God gave man freedom but He gave him the mind and intellect to be able to discern. However, by not heeding the counsel of the intellect, uncontrolled indulgences have brought about moral depravation.
But for someone who wants to lead a life in the pursuit of discovering the Brahman, having a wife and children means making a proper shelter for the family and thus being rooted in one place. Further it means caring for them, thus trying to earn a living, implying a host of related worries. All this starts eating into his time for gaining knowledge. If this could be avoided, it would reduce a lot of hassles. Yet on the other side of the spectrum, if all took to a monastic life, it would create a great imbalance in smooth functioning of society. Therefore, for those rarest of rare who were totally dedicated towards the pursuit of knowledge, celibacy was prescribed as desirable so that such individuals could make optimum use of their time to attain their cherished goal.
But with the passage of time, the significance of Brahmacharya was lost and it became a rigid condition or rule to be followed in the pursuit of truth. But the question remains as to what is the use of being a Brahmacharya – just abstaining from the physical act externally when internally the mind is constantly engaged in the thoughts about it and the eyes are constantly roving to feast on the objects of desire. Unless the mind can be controlled, external conditioning really does not serve any purpose. This is the reason you have yogis and sanyasis who outwardly make a great show of their brahmacharya, but their ashrams are dens of sexual exploits which they not only help facilitate, but watch the acts being performed for perverse sense gratification and at times even indulge in the same – and all at the cost of the faith of the unsuspecting public who take them to be literally “God incarnate”. Thus, rather than emphasizing on just being celibate, it would rid the world of a lot of sin (and sinful people) if there is more emphasis on imbibing the spirit behind the concept of celibacy by the students on the path of the Brahman, so that they internalize the knowledge they gain – rather than on just remaining bachelors for the namesake!
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
The wise in the hoary days had structured the human life into four stages – the Bramacharya ashram, the Grihastashram, the Vanprastashram and the Sanyasashram. The word ‘Brahmacharya’ is understood to mean celibacy. English dictionaries define celibacy as remaining single or abstaining from sexual relations, often for religious reasons. HOWEVER Brahmacharya does not merely mean to remain a bachelor. It actually refers to the diligent, focused study of the Brahman, and to learn to conduct one’s self in a proper way in society under all circumstances. With this goal in mind it was thought it would be more conducive that the students be celibate – so as to avoid unnecessary distractions to the mind! Hence Brahmacharya came to be equaled with celibacy. But what it really means is to lead a disciplined, pure life dedicated to the principle of universal love – which is God. Celibacy was prescribed for students and for those who were in the pursuit of knowledge. This is so, since truth can be taught only up to a particular point. Beyond that, it has to be assimilated by one’s own efforts. This is possible only if the seeker leads a focused and disciplined life. Otherwise his energy instead of being channelised for spiritual upliftment (to the higher charkas), will be dissipated away due to external distractions (one of the main being sex) in the lower charkas itself. Brahmacharya ashram may be likened to be the ‘foundation’ of a building. Thus if the foundation is strong, then it can safely be assumed that the rest of life will automatically taken care of. This is the reason why so much stress was laid on a celibate way of life – so that since early on in life it is inculcated in the child to live in discipline irrespective of the circumstances.
Sex was treated as a communion of love and trust for continuity of creation – just a physical, but sacred act for preparation of the male and the female to conceive a body for a soul to reside in. Hence in those days, it was the sacred duty of a person (male or female) to get into Grishastashram after the stipulated twelve year period of Brahmacharya ashram was over. If the person was a male then he had to have a decent means of living before he started his family. Propagation of the human race was necessary in those days of low mortality. For these reasons probably the great seers divided the life of an average human being into the four ashrams, namely, Brahmacharyashram (to be utilized to gain knowledge), Grihastashram to be spent in propagating the race and taking care of them), Vanprastashram (to develop detachment from worldly affairs and handing over the reins to the next generation) and Sanyasashram (to be spent in the discovery of God). In this way society could function smoothly. Thus throughout our scriptures, we come across innumerable instances of rishis and great seers having wives, the gods also have their respective consorts. They lead fulfilling lives of householders and chose teaching and propagating Knowledge as their profession and yet never strayed from the path of discipline, truth and God. However when one strays from this path and sex becomes lust, i.e. unbridled and mindless, done just for self-gratification - that is when the problem starts. This condition has to be avoided by all means. Although God gave man freedom but He gave him the mind and intellect to be able to discern. However, by not heeding the counsel of the intellect, uncontrolled indulgences have brought about moral depravation.
But for someone who wants to lead a life in the pursuit of discovering the Brahman, having a wife and children means making a proper shelter for the family and thus being rooted in one place. Further it means caring for them, thus trying to earn a living, implying a host of related worries. All this starts eating into his time for gaining knowledge. If this could be avoided, it would reduce a lot of hassles. Yet on the other side of the spectrum, if all took to a monastic life, it would create a great imbalance in smooth functioning of society. Therefore, for those rarest of rare who were totally dedicated towards the pursuit of knowledge, celibacy was prescribed as desirable so that such individuals could make optimum use of their time to attain their cherished goal.
But with the passage of time, the significance of Brahmacharya was lost and it became a rigid condition or rule to be followed in the pursuit of truth. But the question remains as to what is the use of being a Brahmacharya – just abstaining from the physical act externally when internally the mind is constantly engaged in the thoughts about it and the eyes are constantly roving to feast on the objects of desire. Unless the mind can be controlled, external conditioning really does not serve any purpose. This is the reason you have yogis and sanyasis who outwardly make a great show of their brahmacharya, but their ashrams are dens of sexual exploits which they not only help facilitate, but watch the acts being performed for perverse sense gratification and at times even indulge in the same – and all at the cost of the faith of the unsuspecting public who take them to be literally “God incarnate”. Thus, rather than emphasizing on just being celibate, it would rid the world of a lot of sin (and sinful people) if there is more emphasis on imbibing the spirit behind the concept of celibacy by the students on the path of the Brahman, so that they internalize the knowledge they gain – rather than on just remaining bachelors for the namesake!
Dr. POONAM MEHRA
Friday, June 29, 2007
Being Fearless
BEING FEARLESS
Rabindranath Tagore dreamt a dream for humanity when he wrote his famous poem, “Where the mind is without fear ……”. When we read these words, they fill our hearts with pride at the fearlessness of the poet and we are inspired to hold our heads high, and yet, we are all AFRAID!
We are afraid to break our shackles – however painful or stressful they may be; because we have got used to them and breaking them would mean plunging into unknown territory and we are fearful of that change – of the unknown. We have no confidence in our thoughts, so we are afraid to acknowledge even in our thoughts that we are capable of having an independent thinking and counsel – forget about telling the world what we really believe in! We fear ridicule from others, so either we keep our thoughts closely guarded or train our mind not to think differently – or – out of the box! But do we ever stop to think that by negating our beliefs or thoughts (so that we present a picture that looks good, or is politically correct) we are really afraid of ourselves, our very own identity! We want an identity, but are so afraid of showing or expressing it that we end up hiding it. So we are happy to be part of the herd and are ready to pay any price so that our identity is merged with the group identity. Our identity is completely dependent on the identity and ideology of the group to which we belong – whether that is of a religion, or a community or just a group of college students! We are afraid to act different, voice a different opinion, and so we murder our personality, just to be part of the majority. We are afraid to chalk out our own path, afraid that we will be laughed at if we have no one to walk along with us – we are afraid of being lonely – and yet are we not all really lonely – lonely even in a group. Since we lack the courage of our conviction, we hide our real selves from others by being a part of a group. Is it not funny that though we are human beings, we are proud to imitate like monkeys, but are afraid to lead - though God has given each one of us a unique mind and intelligence. We are afraid of our own complexes and so we hide behind masks. We fear to let our weaknesses be seen – because then we would be seen in a poor light. Yet we are even afraid to let our goodness be seen, lest someone takes advantage of it. We are afraid not only to give but even to take freely even if others are ready to give!
We are afraid to acknowledge the greatness of our rich heritage, since then we will be considered as backward looking or orthodox. Yet we are afraid to break the traditions of the group, since then we will be considered disrespectful, in disciplined and – that is not what our tradition and heritage teaches us. But we have to be in tune with modern thought. So we dress up in a modern way, go to the most hep college, attend the grooviest parties and yet the modern male still expects complete obedience to his whims and fancies from his wife. The ultra-modern parents still impose their choices on their children when the question of career or marriage comes up. We are afraid to question society or its norms. We are afraid to speak up against the injustices that society, government or an individual may heap on us – WHY – because we are afraid of the consequences that may follow – and thus injustice becomes the norm!
We are afraid to carry out research in a scientific manner, lest it be taken as questioning or denying the validity of what has already been. But then if we do not research, how will we know that what knowledge has been passed on to us is really correct or is there a discrepancy in it, or has it been misinterpreted or quoted out of context through the ages, or the knowledge which was valid at some point in time, may have outgrown its validity in today’s time! We are afraid of being termed atheists, yet we are afraid of being termed as religious-minded – we are just about afraid of everything. We are such a confused lot that today we are afraid even to dream!
But till we are fearful, we will never achieve anything – we will always be slaves. The modern world prides in thinking that it has created an independent society – but are we really as independent as we pride in thinking ourselves to be? Are we not really just putting a garb of independent thinking and decision making - but in actuality are not are fears that still rule? We try to blend so that we may have friends and then – having company, we are afraid to lose it for fear of ridicule or being left alone! We forget that being really independent means having the courage to stand up alone (if necessary), fearlessly in the face of much hostility. Being independent means having the faith to walk one’s own path – with or without the majority for company. Being independent means having the conviction that once an example has been set by you, people will follow you – and not the other way round. But we lack real independence! Obviously then the decisions we make in our lives are also seldom made fearlessly. We constantly live and act under the shadow of our fears – so much so that we are not only afraid of death, BUT WE ARE EVEN AFRAID OF LIFE! This fear causes anxiety, doubt, restlessness (Ashanti), confusion – it causes further fear – it weakens us – yet we are afraid to leave the company of fear.
Real independence comes as we go on conquering each fear – one at a time. A child is afraid of the darkness, but as he grows up he realizes that there is nothing to fear in darkness and he feels exhilarated that how he can fearlessly walk in the dark. So also in the conquest of each fear is experienced Bliss, Happiness, Truth and a sense of Liberation – and – when we are free from all our fears, that is the state of complete Liberation – that perhaps is Moksha – the state that the yogis and rishis call as “SAT-CHIT-ANANDA” – AND THE JOURNEY TOWARDS ACHIEVING THIS STATE OF FEARLESSNESS IS WHAT IS TERMED AS THE PATH OF “SPIRITUALITY”.
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Rabindranath Tagore dreamt a dream for humanity when he wrote his famous poem, “Where the mind is without fear ……”. When we read these words, they fill our hearts with pride at the fearlessness of the poet and we are inspired to hold our heads high, and yet, we are all AFRAID!
We are afraid to break our shackles – however painful or stressful they may be; because we have got used to them and breaking them would mean plunging into unknown territory and we are fearful of that change – of the unknown. We have no confidence in our thoughts, so we are afraid to acknowledge even in our thoughts that we are capable of having an independent thinking and counsel – forget about telling the world what we really believe in! We fear ridicule from others, so either we keep our thoughts closely guarded or train our mind not to think differently – or – out of the box! But do we ever stop to think that by negating our beliefs or thoughts (so that we present a picture that looks good, or is politically correct) we are really afraid of ourselves, our very own identity! We want an identity, but are so afraid of showing or expressing it that we end up hiding it. So we are happy to be part of the herd and are ready to pay any price so that our identity is merged with the group identity. Our identity is completely dependent on the identity and ideology of the group to which we belong – whether that is of a religion, or a community or just a group of college students! We are afraid to act different, voice a different opinion, and so we murder our personality, just to be part of the majority. We are afraid to chalk out our own path, afraid that we will be laughed at if we have no one to walk along with us – we are afraid of being lonely – and yet are we not all really lonely – lonely even in a group. Since we lack the courage of our conviction, we hide our real selves from others by being a part of a group. Is it not funny that though we are human beings, we are proud to imitate like monkeys, but are afraid to lead - though God has given each one of us a unique mind and intelligence. We are afraid of our own complexes and so we hide behind masks. We fear to let our weaknesses be seen – because then we would be seen in a poor light. Yet we are even afraid to let our goodness be seen, lest someone takes advantage of it. We are afraid not only to give but even to take freely even if others are ready to give!
We are afraid to acknowledge the greatness of our rich heritage, since then we will be considered as backward looking or orthodox. Yet we are afraid to break the traditions of the group, since then we will be considered disrespectful, in disciplined and – that is not what our tradition and heritage teaches us. But we have to be in tune with modern thought. So we dress up in a modern way, go to the most hep college, attend the grooviest parties and yet the modern male still expects complete obedience to his whims and fancies from his wife. The ultra-modern parents still impose their choices on their children when the question of career or marriage comes up. We are afraid to question society or its norms. We are afraid to speak up against the injustices that society, government or an individual may heap on us – WHY – because we are afraid of the consequences that may follow – and thus injustice becomes the norm!
We are afraid to carry out research in a scientific manner, lest it be taken as questioning or denying the validity of what has already been. But then if we do not research, how will we know that what knowledge has been passed on to us is really correct or is there a discrepancy in it, or has it been misinterpreted or quoted out of context through the ages, or the knowledge which was valid at some point in time, may have outgrown its validity in today’s time! We are afraid of being termed atheists, yet we are afraid of being termed as religious-minded – we are just about afraid of everything. We are such a confused lot that today we are afraid even to dream!
But till we are fearful, we will never achieve anything – we will always be slaves. The modern world prides in thinking that it has created an independent society – but are we really as independent as we pride in thinking ourselves to be? Are we not really just putting a garb of independent thinking and decision making - but in actuality are not are fears that still rule? We try to blend so that we may have friends and then – having company, we are afraid to lose it for fear of ridicule or being left alone! We forget that being really independent means having the courage to stand up alone (if necessary), fearlessly in the face of much hostility. Being independent means having the faith to walk one’s own path – with or without the majority for company. Being independent means having the conviction that once an example has been set by you, people will follow you – and not the other way round. But we lack real independence! Obviously then the decisions we make in our lives are also seldom made fearlessly. We constantly live and act under the shadow of our fears – so much so that we are not only afraid of death, BUT WE ARE EVEN AFRAID OF LIFE! This fear causes anxiety, doubt, restlessness (Ashanti), confusion – it causes further fear – it weakens us – yet we are afraid to leave the company of fear.
Real independence comes as we go on conquering each fear – one at a time. A child is afraid of the darkness, but as he grows up he realizes that there is nothing to fear in darkness and he feels exhilarated that how he can fearlessly walk in the dark. So also in the conquest of each fear is experienced Bliss, Happiness, Truth and a sense of Liberation – and – when we are free from all our fears, that is the state of complete Liberation – that perhaps is Moksha – the state that the yogis and rishis call as “SAT-CHIT-ANANDA” – AND THE JOURNEY TOWARDS ACHIEVING THIS STATE OF FEARLESSNESS IS WHAT IS TERMED AS THE PATH OF “SPIRITUALITY”.
DR. POONAM MEHRA
Saturday, June 23, 2007
IS GOD A VIBRATION?
Science tells us that electrons revolve around the nucleus of an atom, i.e., the electrons are moving around the nucleus with a particular frequency, or we can say that they are vibrating. Similarly, the atoms are also vibrating; the higher the frequency of the vibrations, the hotter is the temperature of the body. This is how we get preliminary information about the temperature of the Sun and other stars in the Universe. Everything in this world – including human beings are made up of a combination of atoms of different elements. This naturally implies that in essence, we are all vibrating. We perceive a particular form or colour because that body is vibrating or emitting light at that particular frequency. If the frequency of vibration of that object changes, the same object will be perceived differently. Let me explain. We all know that the average ceiling fan has three distinct blades – and that is how we perceive it when it is stationary (though the atoms in it are vibrating). As it starts to rotate, at a lower speed we can distinguish the three blades, but as the speed or frequency of the rotation of the fan increases, the outlines of the fan-blades start blurring, till a point when beyond a particular speed, the distinction totally vanishes. Then logically should we not see just a circular plate of aluminum rotating? But we see instead is that the area occupied by the circulating blades is transparent; we can directly see the ceiling as if there was no solid matter in the intermediate space! Science explains the blurring of the outlines of the fan blades (at higher speeds of rotation) to be due to the phenomenon called “Persistence of vision”. But why should that cause a totally opaque body to become as if invisible when vibrating at higher frequencies. This is because our eyes can perceive vibrations only within certain limits. Although the blades of the fan are still of the same material, size etc., but we cannot see them due to the limitations of our eyes. Since our eyes are sensitive to only a particular range of frequencies of energy being emitted by the Sun, we see only those colours of light and in that range of frequencies. We are blind to frequencies of light –energy below and above that range. We see the red rose because it emits out that particular frequency of light. If the rose was to emit light in the blue frequency range, we would say the rose was blue in colour. Similarly if the rose emitted some frequency which our eyes are not sensitive to, we would not be able to see the rose. However that does not mean that the rose does not exist – it is only because of the limitations of our equipment of observation that it is unseen. Our eyes cannot see in the infra-red wavelength region of light, but the owl can see in those wavelengths. Thus the owl distinguishes colours in the wavelength region to which its eyes are sensitive. The owl’s eyes are not sensitive to (what humans call) visible region of the Sun’s light – so probably it does not see the Sun; (or maybe it sees it in some other form) but does that mean that the Sun does not exist? It is the same thing with what and how we hear with our ears. We perceive sound according to the frequency of energy hitting our eardrums and whether our ears are sensitive to that particular frequency or not. Animals hear sounds which are non-existent to the human ear (e.g. sounds hours before a natural calamity) – but that does not mean that those sounds do not exist. All around us there is energy (in fact we are ourselves energy in a gross form) and this energy vibrates, only each object vibrates at a different frequency and we perceive the world according the sensitivity and limitations of our sense-organs. Thus, what we perceive through the instrument of our eyes we name as light energy, the energy that we perceive through our ears is termed sound energy, what we perceive as taste is energy vibrating at a different level and so on and so forth. To extend this line of thought, we can say that the mind and what it conceives i.e. thoughts is energy at a still different level. Thus, the energy we perceive with our eyes and ears is grosser than the energy we perceive with nose, tongue and touch (all sense organs). The energy we perceive through our sense-organs is grosser as compared to the energy levels which we perceive with our mind (which is very high frequencies or very fine) and what we perceive through ‘atman’ is probably energy which is even finer or subtler. Why do I say this? It is because according to one of the principles of quantum physics, to see, observe or perceive sub-atomic particles, the light energy (or frequency) used for the observation should be comparable to the size of the particle under observation. Astronomers and scientists studying the origin of the Universe say that their theories fall flat unless there is much more matter (or energy) in the Universe than is visible to us with the help of even radio telescopes. All that matter (or energy – energy and matter can be transformed but never destroyed according to Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2) is invisible to us because we do not have the equipments capable of making it visible to us.
Thus we can say that we are energy, surrounded by an ocean of energy, what we perceive with our sense organs is energy, what we think, feel etc. – all is energy – the difference being only in the level (or frequency) at which the energy is vibrating. We observe and understand and analyze only that level of energy to which the instrument used (to observe it) is tuned to. Hence we cannot understand God using either our sense-organs or mind or intellect. We can understand God only through our ‘atman’ because that is the only instrument we have whose energy level is compatible to God. Thus if the instrument of ‘atman’ is to be used to understand God, we have to look through it, just as we look through a microscope to observe microorganisms or through a telescope while observing the vast skies. So also to observe and understand God we have to look through our ‘atman’. But the ‘atman’ is shrouded by the body and hence to start perceiving God we have to start looking inwards. Till we look outwards, we will observe, perceive and understand only the outer world. But when we train and learn to turn our gaze inwards (through meditation) we will start to see, perceive and understand our Self. Once we understand our Self which according to the scriptures is “Tat tvam asi”, meaning, “Thou art thee”, we will understand All Knowledge, we will have the vision of God. THEN WE WILL UNDERSTAND GOD!!!!!!!
Science tells us that electrons revolve around the nucleus of an atom, i.e., the electrons are moving around the nucleus with a particular frequency, or we can say that they are vibrating. Similarly, the atoms are also vibrating; the higher the frequency of the vibrations, the hotter is the temperature of the body. This is how we get preliminary information about the temperature of the Sun and other stars in the Universe. Everything in this world – including human beings are made up of a combination of atoms of different elements. This naturally implies that in essence, we are all vibrating. We perceive a particular form or colour because that body is vibrating or emitting light at that particular frequency. If the frequency of vibration of that object changes, the same object will be perceived differently. Let me explain. We all know that the average ceiling fan has three distinct blades – and that is how we perceive it when it is stationary (though the atoms in it are vibrating). As it starts to rotate, at a lower speed we can distinguish the three blades, but as the speed or frequency of the rotation of the fan increases, the outlines of the fan-blades start blurring, till a point when beyond a particular speed, the distinction totally vanishes. Then logically should we not see just a circular plate of aluminum rotating? But we see instead is that the area occupied by the circulating blades is transparent; we can directly see the ceiling as if there was no solid matter in the intermediate space! Science explains the blurring of the outlines of the fan blades (at higher speeds of rotation) to be due to the phenomenon called “Persistence of vision”. But why should that cause a totally opaque body to become as if invisible when vibrating at higher frequencies. This is because our eyes can perceive vibrations only within certain limits. Although the blades of the fan are still of the same material, size etc., but we cannot see them due to the limitations of our eyes. Since our eyes are sensitive to only a particular range of frequencies of energy being emitted by the Sun, we see only those colours of light and in that range of frequencies. We are blind to frequencies of light –energy below and above that range. We see the red rose because it emits out that particular frequency of light. If the rose was to emit light in the blue frequency range, we would say the rose was blue in colour. Similarly if the rose emitted some frequency which our eyes are not sensitive to, we would not be able to see the rose. However that does not mean that the rose does not exist – it is only because of the limitations of our equipment of observation that it is unseen. Our eyes cannot see in the infra-red wavelength region of light, but the owl can see in those wavelengths. Thus the owl distinguishes colours in the wavelength region to which its eyes are sensitive. The owl’s eyes are not sensitive to (what humans call) visible region of the Sun’s light – so probably it does not see the Sun; (or maybe it sees it in some other form) but does that mean that the Sun does not exist? It is the same thing with what and how we hear with our ears. We perceive sound according to the frequency of energy hitting our eardrums and whether our ears are sensitive to that particular frequency or not. Animals hear sounds which are non-existent to the human ear (e.g. sounds hours before a natural calamity) – but that does not mean that those sounds do not exist. All around us there is energy (in fact we are ourselves energy in a gross form) and this energy vibrates, only each object vibrates at a different frequency and we perceive the world according the sensitivity and limitations of our sense-organs. Thus, what we perceive through the instrument of our eyes we name as light energy, the energy that we perceive through our ears is termed sound energy, what we perceive as taste is energy vibrating at a different level and so on and so forth. To extend this line of thought, we can say that the mind and what it conceives i.e. thoughts is energy at a still different level. Thus, the energy we perceive with our eyes and ears is grosser than the energy we perceive with nose, tongue and touch (all sense organs). The energy we perceive through our sense-organs is grosser as compared to the energy levels which we perceive with our mind (which is very high frequencies or very fine) and what we perceive through ‘atman’ is probably energy which is even finer or subtler. Why do I say this? It is because according to one of the principles of quantum physics, to see, observe or perceive sub-atomic particles, the light energy (or frequency) used for the observation should be comparable to the size of the particle under observation. Astronomers and scientists studying the origin of the Universe say that their theories fall flat unless there is much more matter (or energy) in the Universe than is visible to us with the help of even radio telescopes. All that matter (or energy – energy and matter can be transformed but never destroyed according to Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2) is invisible to us because we do not have the equipments capable of making it visible to us.
Thus we can say that we are energy, surrounded by an ocean of energy, what we perceive with our sense organs is energy, what we think, feel etc. – all is energy – the difference being only in the level (or frequency) at which the energy is vibrating. We observe and understand and analyze only that level of energy to which the instrument used (to observe it) is tuned to. Hence we cannot understand God using either our sense-organs or mind or intellect. We can understand God only through our ‘atman’ because that is the only instrument we have whose energy level is compatible to God. Thus if the instrument of ‘atman’ is to be used to understand God, we have to look through it, just as we look through a microscope to observe microorganisms or through a telescope while observing the vast skies. So also to observe and understand God we have to look through our ‘atman’. But the ‘atman’ is shrouded by the body and hence to start perceiving God we have to start looking inwards. Till we look outwards, we will observe, perceive and understand only the outer world. But when we train and learn to turn our gaze inwards (through meditation) we will start to see, perceive and understand our Self. Once we understand our Self which according to the scriptures is “Tat tvam asi”, meaning, “Thou art thee”, we will understand All Knowledge, we will have the vision of God. THEN WE WILL UNDERSTAND GOD!!!!!!!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
ME AND MY SOLITUDE
My dear friends, I beg your pardon, because what I am going to state now is going to offend and hurt you – one and all! You are justified about what you may feel, but after giving me a patient hearing, I assure that you will be compelled – albeit grudgingly – to agree with what I have to say. Well, let me end this suspense. What I have to say is this – for all the friends that one may have, the greatest and most steadfast friend that anyone can have is one’s SOLITUDE. Shocked are you? But I implore you to be a bit patient and hear me out. Friends, though I love you all, immensely value our friendship and would not give it up for anything in this world, yet I have to concede that me and my solitude are the best of friends. My solitude has been the one friend who has never, ever deserted me – even in the darkest of hours when even my shadow deserts me! I can completely rely on her for company when I am alone. Yet when I am enjoying, laughing, talking, dancing and prancing around with all other friends, she never feels ignored or rejected, nor is she envious of them. On the contrary, at such times she quietly retreats into the ante-room of my heart – waiting patiently – to again hold my hand if need be, when I am alone once again and need company. The best part is that she does this ungrudgingly, again and again and again! Whenever I am in need of a companion I take refuge in her, and she on her part greets me with open arms and lets me do the talking without interrupting, arguing or fighting with me. She eagerly lends me a ear and a solid shoulder to cry on if the need be, without once being judgmental about me. She provides me a perfect haven in times of trials, tribulations or jubilations and with assured confidentiality. Tell me, can any other friend be so perfect. I never have to go seek her, she is just always there. She is never, ever constrained by the paucity of time. All her time is at my disposal. There is nobody else, no other job, competing for her attention. She is an extremely patient listener – and after I have had my say, and if I allow, she very subtly, gently and in her own silent way guides me on to a quiet introspection. But if I am not in the mood for it, she just let’s me be, without ever making me feel as to how selfish or egocentric I am being on that particular occasion. She acknowledges my moods and is game to whatever I want to do. She allows me to stay in the doldrums to wallow in self pity, or to praise myself to the skies (blow my trumpet), for as long as I want without nudging me to do otherwise, or trying to tell me that I should not be losing my balance so easily. I can throw my worst tantrums in her presence and yet she never gets upset with me. Instead, in some unique way, she quietly makes me aware of my moods and most importantly, without offending me! She is the only friend who can take me on a journey of self-discovery without consciously asking or pushing me towards it. In her soothing presence I am ready to drop all pretence, all masks - and get in touch with my true self – and that meeting makes me feel so REAL, so LIBERATED! Though she never opens her mouth, but chatting with her I have come to know so much about myself. Now, it is not always that I am talking to her. There are times when I sit absolutely silently with her, just enjoying each other’s presence. Together we watch the beautiful play of nature. Those are the times when we both understand each other so completely that a dialogue would really be meaningless – so out of place. Whatever be the situation, the time which we spend with each other in silence, invariably rejuvenates me. Tell me, which other friend would sit with you - without some semblance of a smooth flowing conversation – in fact silence would appear jarring. She never intrudes into my space or my thoughts, and yet in her silent, special way she helps me unearth my hidden potentials or points out my weaknesses. Her quietude nurtures me – in fact it helps me grow. In those tranquil moments, I feel completely at peace with myself. In that tranquility and stillness, sometimes, I become aware of a very soft voice – the voice of my solitude, gently helping me untangle the web of my thoughts, providing me insights – to find solutions to some of the myriad of complex situations that I get tangled into in life. She helps me put my thoughts in proper perspective, helping me to rise above my ego and other mundane things, to take a dispassionate view of the situation. Thus she helps me to make descions without allowing my ego to get into the way, or making me feel that I am being forced into making them. Without ever asking, she is privy to my innermost thought – their goodness, their wickedness because I know she will understand me and let me be, without making any demands on my behavior. In fact, I find that her loving, understanding attitude has helped me to get over a lot of my hang-ups and moods. I find myself remaining cheerful, serene and balanced more often, whatever be the situation. Of course, off and on there are still those bursts of anger, that deluge of tears or that uncontrollable ecstasy in happiness. I still go on my ego trips, but at every turn, I find her holding my hand firmly, and being there just for me – till – with her aid I get back into some semblance of sanity. Yet she never grumbles, never gets frustrated that I am not doing enough to improve myself. She is just there, beside me, a silent, non-interfering persona always ready to be of whatever help she can provide. She has never let me down, nor has she ever let go of her gentle, warm, comforting, yet firm grasp of my hand. Her warm presence creates a cocoon around me, into which I can retreat for as long as I wish – to nurse my wounds or celebrate without envy around me or just relax. Her presence acts like a balm and in her care I come out stronger than before. She just has that influence on me. With her I sometimes feel like a child in a mother’s womb – completely insulated and safe. Like a mother, she keeps me protected from harm and hurt, yet she coaxes me to face the harsh realities of life and never to become a weakling. She has that knack of providing me shade from the sweltering heat, yet her shade somehow never stunts my growth – in fact it stimulates it! Honestly, me and my solitude – we make the most compatible pair – with all the nurturing of the friendship being done by my friend – my solitude! Really she has given me all that I have or will ever dream of wanting from a friend. In my happiness she is happy, in my sorrow she is my strength, flourishing in my growth. As she helps me get in touch with my self and turn my life around, the bond between her and me grows stronger. At the end of it let me share a secret about my relationship with my solitude. Sometimes it happens that even in the midst of a group of friends or a hustling, bustling crowd, I start feeling lost and absolutely lonely – well even there my solitude comes to my rescue – I know I can depend on her company even in the midst of friends – she just will not let me be ALONE OR LONELY whatever - wherever! Well, tell me, can there be a TRUER FRIEND! SHE MOULDS INTO ME AND MOULDS ME! So friends, befriend your solitude at the earliest and enjoy along as she takes you on a life-changing journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)