COMPASSION AS BHAKTI

Today we will see how a person should be compassionate to others. This act itself becomes Bhakti. Please see the following information which I am pleased to share with you all.

To imbibe the essence of scriptures is a great challenge and demands a similar ability as that of a Swan that can sift only the milk even when it is mixed with water.

Depending on the three Gunas – Satva, Rajas and Tamas – each individual’s actions assume value. For instance, a person may offer worship to the Lord with love, but may be also filled with pride or envy because of ignorance (Tamas). Another might worship God with the hope of material benefits, fame or wealth, and such a person is motivated by Rajas. Those who worship Him with the sole desire to get liberated will automatically be devoid of the sense of I and Mine and aim to be detached from worldly attractions. This type of devotion is of the Satvic type.

The highest type is when the three modes are transcended and there are no ulterior motives. Overcoming the influence of the senses and practicing an austere way of life with no attachment to the worldly pulls, a person becomes an exponent of Bhakti Yoga. The Lord says that such a person instantly approaches Him just as the sense of smell catches the aroma when it is carried by air from its source.

The Lord focuses on easy ways that teach one to perceive God realistically based on One’s attitude of mind rather than on practice of austerities or rituals. One has to develop a sense of compassion and this happens when one is able to see the presence of God in the entire range of creation. Then all actions automatically become an offering to God. Even watering a plant with a thought for it to grow well is an act of kindness. When there is drought and we scramble for water, if one seeks to also share the water with a withering plant, then it is an act of compassion.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekarajc@yahoo.com

CHILDHOOD

The joy of childhood is immeasurable. We should feel lucky that we had experienced something called childhood.

The joy of getting into the right college. The thrill of bringing home your first pay cheque. The warm glow of a picture-perfect wedding day. The fulfillment of building a better life for your family is a thing which stands in your mind eternally. The transformation that goes on from being a child and becoming an adult from passing out of the portals of an institution and getting a life partner after marriage and building a bond in the family.

There is a saying that we can see god in every child as god can be seen in the smile of a child. Though I say that childhood is an important factor in everyone’s life, I didn’t have the opportunity of a memorable childhood. That shows up in your life when you grow old and you don’t tend to show any pleasure when you see a child unless under compelling situations. I am doubly convinced that it is the solemn duty of every parent to show affection and give their children all the happiness even during the formative years and continue the same eternally. This creates an indelible impression on the child about their parents and grows into a bond which will last for ever.

Childhood is a stage like “ignorance is bliss” and where you aren’t exposed enough to the harsh realities. The world appears to be a very good place. When we reach adulthood, like it was said, all this innocence gets lost and we get to face a harsh and a stern test with reality. Then you reach a stage of saturation where you get to feel that you can get the good things out of life and ignore the bad. So this feeling can again drive us back to childhood days, the difference is that we have attained an understanding. So we would start to cherish those lighter moments and ignore the bad ones. The one who attains this faster will have a chance to see the world yet again full of unimaginable kind of magnificence.

A memory is a photograph taken by the heart to make a special moment that will last for ever. Childhood memories are such beautiful feelings, which can excite anyone. It’s something, which puts smile on your face and you crave to go back to those lovely days. I know it’s not possible to go back into your sweet childhood days again, but you can definitely cheer your life with those lovely memories. Childhood memories are some of our most precious memories we possess. Certain people like our parents and grand parents played a pivotal role in the creation of those memories.

Lastly, what is it about our childhood that as adults we tend to look back at so many fond memories? I don’t think that it has anything to do with being born rich or poor, but rather just being a child exploring everything new. When we reflect on our childhood, we tend to forget the bad, and only think of all the good times. We think of the close bond we had with our parents, our brothers and sisters as may be the case. Festivals, Functions and birthdays are especially the fond memories that you may recall. We always say things just aren’t the same anymore. That is true. They are not. We are not children anymore, and to say that things are not the same, it is only to us that it feels that way.

As parents we should give our children happiness and see joy in their faces under all circumstances. Remember it is not only the child but you also can have fond memories in your old age. Let all of us remember the proverb “As you sow, so you reap” and create harmony at home and make our children happy for only in happiness we attain bliss.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

ARE YOU A CONVERSATIONALIST ON LiNKEDiN?

As part of my social media monitoring research I have also analyzed the conversation activity on LinkedIn. Conversations happen at Group, Poll and Answer level. For groups I focused attention on certain groups to find out how good a tool LinkedIn is to leverage the knowledge of the crowd.

Here are some remarkable results:
Groups: 78% of all discussion posts remain UNANSWERED. 15% have less than 5 answers.

Polls: 71% of polls get between 1 and 20 votes. Only 2% remain unanswered!

Answers: Only 12% go “Unanswered” while 44% get less than 5 and 35% between 6 and 20 answers.

The group statistics intrigued me and asked for some more explanation. I challenged a few groups by posting a discussion about the fact that LinkedIn Groups are a waste of time. I got 12 answers (in 5 groups – proving my point?). I want to share the content of these answers with you:

There are the non-believers (and I am NOT one of them) because of their lack of persistence or success and they gave up.

LinkedIn is really a tool used to CONNECT with other people which explains why the post “Who will directly connect with me and I will not reject you” is the most popular discussions in a large number of groups (even worldwide!).

People are TOO BUSY to read and react to the posts or they get too many mails with updates from the groups they below to.

Discussion topics are started in the WRONG GROUP and with the wrong audience.
People feel the point of the discussion topic is either to SELL you something or to be proven right and thus refuse to react.

People do not feel comfortable SHARING their ideas or COMMENTING on ideas with strangers.
So the conclusion is really that LinkedIn is the perfect business tool to connect with other people who you might meet face-to-face to sell your product or service to but not to share ideas with on large scale online.

Enough of the negativism and let’s be positive…

In order to improve the quality of LinkedIn for you and your peers, it is my recommendation that every time you login to LinkedIn you take the time to comment on and contribute to at least one post, vote on one poll and answer one question – total time investment: 15 minutes! There will be a return on this investment by more people connecting with you which is why you were there to begin with.

Just imagine if in a group of 800 members that log on once a week and follow the recommendations from above, the wealth of information we would have access to? Is that to much to ask?

I love to hear from you with comments, feedback, push back and suggestions. You can also reach me by mail (sekrajc@yahoo.com).
How REALLY use Linked In . get real results when working with Linked in

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

TEACHING METHOD

We will see the Teaching Method of scriptures from a Guru to Sishya. It should be borne in mind that a Teacher be not only adept in his subject knowledge but also be pure in his thought and mind, a person who is alive, and should have practised the same for a certain period of time. This is very important for every student while selecting his Guru.

Spiritual knowledge has been disseminated traditionally through the Guru – Sishya (Preceptor-disciple) lineage as it is not intellectual but experiential in nature; the Sishya has to realize the truth for himself. The manner in which this instruction is given is individualistic as only a Guru will know the level of his disciple and tailor the teaching according to his capacity to understand. Besides, it was through argumentation that the disciple was lead step by step to get an intellectual grasp of the truth before he was instructed to reflect and meditate on it.

Even great sages who were self-realized engaged in debate (Vada) for the sake of clarifying their own understanding of the truth. This is similar to testing the purity of gold by rubbing it against a touchstone. Hence such debate was not engaged in to counter the opponent’s standpoint or just for the sake of dialectic. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna approves logical argument by asserting, “Of all types of knowledge I am the knowledge of the self, and Vada of disputants.”

In the Prasna Upanishad the questioning method is adopted to impart spiritual knowledge. Each topic taken up for analysis is called a Prasna (meaning “to question”) and there are six questions, each posed by a disciple. That they were not lay seekers is made clear right at the outset as the six disciples who approached Pippalada, the Guru, were sages from distinguished lineages known for learning and austerity.

Pippalada told them that he would answer their questions after they had spent a year with him in his hermitage with total sensory control, celibacy and faith. This is to underscore that the Guru has to be convinced about the Sishya’s sincerity of purpose, ardent desire for liberation and faith in the teaching of the scriptures. After answering all their questions Pippalada finally told them that he had taught them all that he knew and that this knowledge was so simple. Therein lies the catch because the teaching may seem very easy, yet it is very profound and liberating – a life-transforming experience. For a man of Self-realisation it may seem very simple but the process of striving is very difficult.

Let us also have a Guru who is an Acharya of the highest order (Who is pure, who is alive, who has mastered reading and knowing the Scriptures and practised the same for a certain period of time by himself ) under whose guidance we will seek the truth and knowledge of the Self. It will take time but the knowledge should gradually transcend from the Guru to the disciple over a period of time. Hope this happens sooner than later.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

THE TRIANGLE THAT WASN'T

Rajesh and his wife Chandrika are happily married and living together and enjoying every moment of their life. Rajesh is a writer who starts writing a story for a movie and is fully involved in the same. Chandrika on the other hand is not interested in his work but enjoys his presence every moment. She has been brought up in a different society and she is bubbly and vivacious. She mixes very freely with both the sexes. Rajesh is conservative and is not appreciative of Chandrika’s behavior.

Chandrika is ignorant about this aspect of her husband moves freely with one and all. Rajesh is a good story writer and approaches a film producer Sethu who is well known in the industry for his past productions which are well received by the audience and the public, with a promise of a good script. Rajesh’s past work wins him this project. He starts preparing a story line.

At this point of time, his wife’s cousin Ganesh, who is very close to her, comes from Mumbai and lands in Chennai at their house on an official work. His arrival makes his wife very happy who insists on his staying in their house with them. Rajesh is stunned to see his wife’s reaction and her offer to Ganesh. She doesn’t even think twice to take his consent. Rajesh is torn with jealousy seeing his wife’s behaviour. She seems to be a totally different personality in the presence of Ganesh – Vibrant and lively.

Rajesh who basically suffers from an inferiority complex can’t bear to see these lively souls romping about him. Chandrika who had never been out of bed before 9 A.M. now got up early to prepare bed coffee for her cousin. How could she be so blatant in flaunting her relationship with Ganesh? Rajesh is appalled. Their images keep haunting him. He is mentally disturbed. He suddenly gets an idea. Why not weave a story around these two! Rajesh gets going. He begins his story. In the meantime the producer wants to know how far his story has proceeded. Rajesh narrates to him the beginning of his story. The producer is impressed with the beginning and asks him to complete the story at the earliest with little knowledge that the story could proceed on a day to day basis only, as it was his life story.

One fine day Ganesh remarks to Chandrika that he would have loved to marry her. It was the Family feud that came in the way. Chandrika laughingly tells him that she would have never accepted his proposal as their relationship was a friendly one. When her husband enters the house she laughingly tells him that Ganesh had once wanted to get married to her. Her husband is upset and leaves the house without informing. The next day he goes to give the script prepared by him and asks the producer’s office assistant to inform his residence that he is very busy completing the story and hence will be staying in a hotel for the next few days as he required a quiet atmosphere. This is conveyed to his wife. The producer’s assistant narrates his story to Rajesh, where his wife had actually deserted him and had run away with her lover. Soon she realized that the lover was a fraud and had come back to her husband. He had accepted her back without questioning her and this action had a profound effect on his wife who changed herself radically and had totally surrendered herself to his love. This incident lingers in Rajesh’s mind.

Rajesh comes home after a couple of days only to find a note written by his wife mentioning that she is leaving with Ganesh for Mumbai. Rajesh’s fear is complete. His wife had deserted him and gone off with her lover. His mind is in turmoil. Incidents where his wife and Ganesh frolicked together, flash in his mind. He begins to weep inconsolably. He is unable to think coherently. While he hates his wife for deserting him, he realizes that he is missing his dear wife and wants her back but he doesn’t know how to go about it.

A knock at his door jolts Rajesh and he his surprised on seeing his wife . She tells him that she had to leave for Mumbai all of a sudden with Ganesh to see his father who was on his death bed. She couldn’t inform Rajesh about this as his cell phone was switched off and the producer too was not in town. She asks Rajesh the cause for his tears. Rajesh discloses his unfounded fear to her. She tells him that he doesn’t have any faith in her which is the reason for his baseless fear. She once again reiterates that she loves only him. This makes Rajesh happy.

The next day Ganesh comes back to Chennai and tells them that he has come to the city for good. Rajesh immediately invites him to stay with them.

A Story by S.SEKAR written for IndiBlogger Contest "Soch Lo".
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com
NOTE: Wherever the name of Rajesh is mentioned to be interpreted as myself so that the narration of story will suit the purpose.

WHAT IS LOVE

Love is never having to say that you are sorry. There is a distinct difference between the words Love and Lust. If you get instant love for someone then it is called lust and will not last long. Lust will create negative thoughts where as love creates positive thoughts.

It’s always better to tell your love to someone with whom you are really in love. Then only you can never say sorry about love. It can be seen that a relationship is based on trust and honesty. However, being honest in a relationship can be a challenge.

The famous psychologist Dr Eric Berne has written a book on “Games People Play” using transactional analysis. Most people call love the game that people play, but it is more than that. It is the strength of all relationships and the weakness too. It’s all about one’s ability to maintain the relationship. In addition to love in the relationship the two pillars that hold them (people) together are ‘Trust’ and ‘Honesty’.

One should have the will power to forgive and forget about happenings as you might have to let go many things to sustain a relationship. To what extent that you can give up to maintain a relationship has to be decided by you as there is always a doubt about how much is more or less.

As one gets into a relationship, there are a lot of things that you begin to discover about your partner and at the same time you can disclose about yourself to them for creating a good understanding. This is the most crucial stage as acceptance of who you are as well as your partner, happens at this stage. Once the relationship gets stronger, it becomes easier to bond and your love becomes the strength of the relationship.

Relationships have to be built on trust for love to ever be a part of it. Trust is an action of love. When you love someone you are willing to trust them with little things and it is also necessary as it helps maintain the relation in the long run.

The thought of love has infinite letters. The truth has only four. Often, in Love, the letters are heavy, the feeling is not. And the lightness is palpable. Our Indian films have ingrained that in our system. So have our Swamis. This is why we laugh through every rejection. We even love the rebuffs.

Let our love for others be a true love so that it is enduring. Love is bliss. Be blissful.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

CONTROLLING THE MIND

The act of controlling is to keep within limits. The mind has to be controlled by way of keeping our thought process within limits. The well being of a person is inseparable from mind control and people all over the world are interested in the same. Ways of controlling the mind are open to all kinds of people (atheists, believers, agnostics and those indifferent to religion). The true believer in God may be at an advantage in that genuine love of God can to a considerable degree simplify his problems with the mind. Vedanta and Yoga have much to teach about the nature of the mind and the ways of controlling it.

Control of mind is an inner game. If you have a sportsman’s attitude you will thoroughly enjoy it, even while apparently losing. In the playing, this game takes a great deal of skill, alertness, sense of humour, goodness of heart, sense of strategy, patience and some heroic flair which makes it possible not to get disheartened in the face of a hundred failures. Our will to control the mind can never be strong until and unless we have deliberately and irrevocably renounced pleasure as one of the main pursuits of our life. By renunciation of the pursuit of pleasure is not meant renunciation of the pursuit of joy or bliss. It is the enjoyment of the sense pleasure from which we have to get ourselves detached.

Non-control of mind effectively obstructs integration of personality. A person of uncontrolled mind will always have a tendency to abnormal developments or to mental disintegration through internal conflict. Even under the most favourable circumstances he will not realize his potential or fulfill expectations. One who has no control over his mind cannot have peace of mind. One, who has no peace of mind, cannot have happiness. If he is the head of a household, indiscipline, disorder, delinquency, and wretched human relationships leading to family misfortunes are likely to prevail. On the other hand a controlled mind can easily be concentrated. Through concentration of mind one gains knowledge and knowledge is power. To develop a strong will to control the mind, we must teach our own minds that, without it, we are nowhere.

Vedanta traces the pleasure-motive in man to his metaphysical root, ananda or bliss, the ultimate fact of existence from which man is essentially non different.

The Upanishad teaches:
That which is known as the self-creator is verily the source of joy; for one becomes happy by coming in contact with that source of joy. Who, indeed, will inhale, and who will exhale, if this Bliss be not there in the supreme space (within the heart). This one, indeed, enlivens (people). Taittiriya Upanishad.
Certainly all beings here are, indeed, born from Bliss (ananda); having been born they remain alive by bliss; and on departing they enter into Bliss.

The very root of man’s existence being bliss, it is but natural that he should instinctively seek to feel identified with it. But when he is ignorant and is identified with body and mind, he seeks it ignorantly in the body and mind and not where it is – in the spirit. This wrong seeking of bliss in a wrong place gives rise to our pleasure-motive and its resultant bondage. Matter (food) is convertible into mind, though we may not have realized that this is so.

The mind has the power of looking back into itself. With the help of the mind we can analyze the mind, and see what is going on in the mind. The mind is a compound of three substantive forces called gunas, Viz sattva, rajas and tamas. These gunas are also the basic constituents of the entire universe, physical and mental. Sattva is the principle of poise conducive to purity, knowledge and joy. Rajas is the principle of motivity, leading to activity, desire, and restlessness. Tamas is the principle of inertia resulting in inaction, dullness and delusion. Tamas causes the mind to move on a low level; rajas scatters the mind and makes it restless and sattva gives it a higher direction.

The constitution of individual minds is determined by the various combinations and permutations of these gunas. This explains the varieties in human nature and also the vacillating nature of the mind. The three planes of conscious, subconscious and superconscious all belong to the same mind. There are not three minds in one man but three levels on which the mind operates. The question of controlling the mind relates only to the conscious plane, where the mind is normally accompanied by the feeling of egoism. We cannot directly control the subconscious mind unless we are established in Yoga. The question of controlling the mind on the superconcious plane does not arise. But the superconscious plane can be reached only by those who have controlled their minds on the conscious and subconscious planes.

By practicing the disciplines of yoga the same mind can be ‘gathered’ and made ‘one pointed’. The whole purpose of mind control is to make the mind one-pointed. When such a mind is applied to any sphere of activity, in that it shines. A businessman with a one-pointed mind will prosper in business; a musician with a one–pointed mind will become a great musician; a scientist with a one-pointed mind will become a celebrated scientist. Through the practice and development of one-pointedness, the mind reaches the fifth or highest condition, called ‘concentrated’. In this condition superconciousness is attained.

To succeed in controlling the mind one must have, in addition to a strong will, faith in one self. Sri Krsna says in the Gita that one must oneself subdue one’s weakness and raise oneself by oneself. This teaching must be practiced by one who intends to control his mind. Thus the mind will have to be controlled by the mind itself. The difficulties which we experience in controlling the mind are created by our own mind. Mind cannot be controlled by artificial means for any length of time. Deliberate, patient, intelligent, systematic hard work according to tested and suitable disciplines is needed.

To be able to practice the disciplines leading to the control of the mind we need to create a favorable inner climate by consciously accepting certain inevitables of life. As per Buddha’s teachings (Anguttara Nikaya) the five things that must be contemplated by all men and women, householders as well as bhikkus are as under.
1. Old age will come upon me some day and I cannot avoid it.
2. Disease can come upon me some day and I cannot avoid it.
3. Death will come upon me some day and I cannot avoid it.
4. All things that I hold dear are subject to change and decay and separation, and I cannot

avoid it.
5. I am the outcome of my own deeds and whatever be my deeds, good or bad, I shall be heir

to them.
By contemplating old age the pride of youth can be curbed, or at least reduced; by contemplating disease the pride of health can be curbed, or at least reduced; by contemplating death the pride of life is curbed, or at least reduced; by contemplating the change and separation of all things dear, the passionate desire for possession is curbed, or at least reduced; and by contemplating that one is the result of one’s own deeds, the evil propensities of thought, word and deed are curbed, or at least reduced. One who contemplates these five things can curb, or at least reduce his pride and passion and thus be able to tread the path of Nirvana.

The practice of these teachings of Buddha will indirectly help in the purification of the mind.

There is no greater blessing in life than a controlled state of mind. Let us do our very best to acquire it, for this will lead us to the greatest of blessings. The entire secret of controlling the mind is given by Sri Krsna in the two words abhyasa and vairagya, practice and dispassion. Mind-control is greatly helped by the practice of meditation, and meditation by mind-control.

I am happy to share with all the readers that the control of the mind is not a problem peculiar to religious aspirants; people in all walks of life need to control their minds if they are to succeed in their work. For the uplift of an individual and the community it is necessary to have a controlled mind.

Hope you enjoyed reading this. Be blissful.
S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com